@hercules07

The data i presented is clear enough for the purpose of this debate. The figures there represent the total value of the contracts. From the figures you will see that north west alone accounted for over almost 40% of  all PTF contracts.

Secondly , please dont bring Akpata in here. Buhari was responsible, he was the leader, besides need I remind you that whenever a MALLAM is helsman in any govt parastatal, his southern deputy is simply non-existent? Ask GEJ under UMYA.

na_so:

@hercules07

The data i presented is clear enough for the purpose of this debate. The figures there represent the total value of the contracts. From the figures you will see that north west alone accounted for over almost 40% of  all PTF contracts.

Secondly , please dont bring Akpata in here. Buhari was responsible, he was the leader, besides need I remind you that whenever a MALLAM is helsman in any govt parastatal, his southern deputy is simply non-existent? Ask GEJ under UMYA.

Yet we had Idiagbon running affairs when MALLAM Buhari was president?    _{please, please do not even now suggest Idiagbon was not a southerner!}

Beaf:

Na_so, that was a really brilliant quote. That Buhari of a man has no place in modern Nigeria, he is part of the old brigade that has wrecked this country. We need them out for good.

The man is not only grossly incompetent, he is also very tribalistic and an islamic "zealot". I would rather ask Turai to  be president than allow , this impostor with false claims to piety.

Kobojunkie:

Yet we had Idiagbon running affairs when MALLAM Buhari was president? _{please, please do not even now suggest Idiagbon was not a southerner!}

I said southern deputy oga. Need I remind you that Idiagbon was from Kwara state?

_{***rolls eyes ***}

So people from Kwara cannot be southerners?
_{***rolls eyes again ***}

@na_so

There is nowhere in that article where it states it is in terms of money, it just says percentages, can you please show me the reference, I am truly trying to get to the bottom of this PTF issue.

mbulela:

Irrespective of my view on Jonathan which is well noted on this site, i wish to vehemently refute the bold part shown above.
Zoning is no cardial rule of Nigerian politics.[/b]It is a device created by the thieving elite as an attempt to ensure that the loot goes round.
The common man is unconcerned where his president comes from.[b]What we care about is a man that would arrest our steep decline and perpetual lack of direction as a country.
What we care for is a president who will not only have a plan but have the will to execute the plan.
What we care for are intelligent men and women who will address corruption in its totality and lead by example.
What we care for is a man that will surround himself with men who love this country and have something tangible to contribute to its development without being naive of the danger of the barbarians that have held us hostage for almost 60 years.
Most Nigerians do not care where that man or woman comes from.

Thank you!

mbulela:

Ribadu has begun to believe his own hype.
While i do not discount his little experience, i think more is needed to govern this country.

lol . . I like that !

mbulela:

However, if Jonathan can rule(without any sterling experience), so can he.
However, i feel 2011 might be too early for him.
It would not be too bad if he got involved in government and build a more concrete platform.
2015 might be better for him.

Irrespective of the general misgivings about Buhari, i think he is the only one out of the lot who has the will (but i doubt he has the plan).
However, i don't think he will win.
He does not have the financial capacity needed to counter the negative publicity that awaits him or to mount the expensive campaign needed to win.
I don't want to waste my vote, so who do i vote for?

Right on the money!

Kobojunkie:

_{***rolls eyes ***}

So people from Kwara cannot be southerners?
_{***rolls eyes again ***}

Daft.

Jarus:

What did he do? People say more of PTF projects are directed to the north. I will like to have specific comparison of how those projects were distributed.

I have answered . you may also check this out:

The committee was also asking questions about several contracts
worth N207 billion awarded by PTF under Buhari. It was also raising serious
doubts over different payment totaling N135.59 billion made by the fund for
various projects, leaving a debt burden of more than N70 billion owed numerous
contractors, consultants, manufactures, publishers and supplies who are waging
a big war against the IMC-PTF. IMC is also alleging serious contractual anomaly
in the N800 million PTF staff housing estate; importation of expired drugs
especially the N28 billion HIV/AIDS screening and confirmation kits as well as the
mysterious disappearance of the N500 million .The missing money, in fact, exposed the laid of “Unholy” business
relationship that existed between PTF of the Buhari era and APC (Afri- project
consortium) led by late salihijo Ahmad (Adamawa State). The committee
asserted that the APC consultants virtually managed PTF. In other words, the
PTF in its operation was not functioning as a government agency in the real
sense. APC was actually the real PTF and yet it way a private company. It was
also gathered that PTF had about 620 consultancy firms reported to APC, which
had the sole responsibility for the issuance of certificate for payment by PTF. As
a confirmation that APC was really making payments on behalf of PTF, an
investigation showed that in 1995, PTF lodged N1 billion in commercial Bank
credit lynonais, marina branch, Lagos and it was APC official who made
withdrawals from the account for various payments. By the end of 1997, only
N200 million was remaining in the account. [size=15pt]As a result of Buhari’s alleged poor
handling of PTF projects, and finances some PTF officials believe that the N135
billion that was disbursed out of the PTF’s total income of N946 billion was
squandered.[/size]

Beaf:

Daft.

As expected . . . you delivered the usual . . .

As much as I have always agreed with Jarus in most of his write-ups I think some things are missing here. You see I was one of the first set of people to condemn GEJ too and I was doing that with much zeal but certain decisions taken in times past has shown that the man is not lily-livered. He is really playing the gentleman's game in a very dangerous terrain. Let's be frank with ourselves, Nigeria is a complex stuff. Too many thieving politicians all over the place. You need them in many ways to get things done. See the time he eased out Onovo, Dambazau. It demands a man with tact to take that kind of decision at the time he did. GEJ is well oiled in the art of political machinations and he has stood in the wings to learn alot within the time he has been in power.

Let's not also compare Naija with other climes. We have a perculiar way of doing things here. See the way ordinary guys were going to shake the President on his seat. How did they get there is part of the Naija thing. Yes things are not being done right but we need time to put things in shape. It is not a day's job. It evolves over time. The frenzy with which Nigerians want power now was different from the way it was. It goes to tell you that we have gotten to realize that we cannot continue like this and the noise that we have been making seems to be materializing though not there yet but there is a measure of improvement.

As for your condemnation of Obj, bros that was one of the best Presidents we had so far. Obj might be bullish in applying his tactics but he gave Nigeria a measure of activity. Things were happening. The banking sector he gave bite to was bastardised by SLS in one fell swoop. The result of it is what we are witnessing today.

As for Ribadu, he handles issues with emotions just like the way SLS brought down the economy. He needs some time to learn in order to master the art of leadership. The way you rule in Naija is different from the way things are done in US, UK , Canada and co. Look at the way fashola has been having it rough here in lagos, Tinubu has been using all forms of tactics to rubbish the guy because he's the kingmaker. Because Fashola is not experienced, he cannot fight back. That is one of the things experience robs a man of.

The mistake we make sometimes is that we seem to adore people who are tagged 'Progressives' and that is a misconception. In the Nigerian political terrain, nothing like that exists. It is just an opportunity to get there and then you will see how the man will come out in his true colours. Osoba is a progressive today, Lam Adeshina is also one but we all know what they did in their various states when they were at the helms of affairs.

Jarus, please let us start in our own little way to inculcate good values into our children so that we can have a better society. As it is now, we have missed it in so many ways and it is eating deep into us. This present crop of leaders cannot get us there. GEJ just happens to be the better one out of the whole lot at the moment. Maybe if he can effect some change, the next person can pick up from where he stopped. Those UMYA (RIP) years was a serious setback compared to what Obj achieved during his time.

PDP, AC, PPA, APGA and so on is the same Naija thing. So forget this thing about parties. Given the same scenario, Nigerian politicians are the same

Jarus:

I beg to disagree here, my oga. As you know, I'm a mid-way person, not a dyed-in-the-wool critic. Conservative radicalism is my political ideology.
The reality we are shying away from in Nigeria is that given our very heterogenous and mutually-competing society, zoning may be inevitable.
Get me right, I believe having the best man for the job, irrespective of his region, is the best for any society, but I'm not sure that can happen now -or even in the foreseeable future- given our very complex society.

In advanced democracies, this may not be an issue, but at this stage of Nigeria's democracy, we may not be able to shy away from this reality. I personally don't see anything wrong in moulding our democracy to take care of our peculiar complexity.

Zoning is an unwritten part of Nigeria's system.
Two examples:
1, In 1999, all the parties(APP & PDP) fielded South-Westerners as presidential candidates for the simple reason that it was obvious that it was teh turn of somebody from SW then. Everybody impliedly agrees.

2, As we prepare for 2011, no Yoruba person is showing interest in presidency(except Dele Momodu), for the obvious reason that everybody agrees that Obj has spent our term and it is the turn of other region. Subtly, we are all agreeing that there should be rotation.
This said, I only pointed out the above to show that Mahmud is correct to state that zoning is a cardinal, though unwritten, principle in Nigeria's politics, my anti-GEJ stance doesn't stem from the issue of zoning. In fact, guys like Pat Utomi and Donald Duke are better presidential materials than GEJ, and they are not from the North.

I do not agree with your views as expressed here but i respect them enough to give it further thought.
Will return shortly.