I know it doesnt matter because it is for a good cause, but is it Fashola or Lagos State that donated the Creche?

http://www.thisdayonline.com/nview.php?id=145932

I spent most of last week in Washington DC and the days were well spent. Everywhere I went, the topic was always Nigeria. Nigeria seems to have become a major burden for most of its citizens. Wherever two or more Nigerians are gathered, there is usually nothing else to discuss than the failure of leadership, and our steady slide into apocalyptic state. To say everyone is worried is an understatement.
There is nothing to suggest that Nigerian politicians appreciate, or even care, about the dangers that ominously hang over us. The way they are carrying on suggests that these reckless fellows may once more endanger the democracy we suffered so much to attain. When a nation is incapable of transferring power from one civilian to the other, in an atmosphere of peace, then we are all doomed.
Politics for us is a matter of life and death. Elections remain a theatre of war, and opponents must be crushed without mercy. If a whole BAT (Bola Ahmed Tinubu) could cry out so stridently about the manner some powerful forces in Nigeria have been threatening him with EFCC, then we are indeed in trouble. This confirms what we heard during the electoral malfeasance in Ekiti State, that the federal government had warned Tinubu to stay away from causing trouble for the ruling party in Ekiti.
Failure to heed this blackmail may lead to his files being revisited at EFCC. What nonsense? We thought we had seen the end of this type of abuse of power. While some files are being closed, the underprivileged ones like Tinubu have theirs being kept for regular oiling in the cabinets. The brave man had to outsmart the foxes by taking the battle to their doorstep, and exposing the shenanigans of vindictive politicians.
We’ve never been lucky with most of our rulers. It is no longer news that we have very weak, incompetent, ineffectual, corrupt, wicked, ruthless, visionless politicians in Nigeria. What is news is that Nigeria parades some of the brightest people on the surface of the earth and yet cannot elect such people into office. The few good people who manage to get into power are never allowed to make a difference. They are often suffocated by those who joined politics for personal gains. We tend to complain a lot, but without visible results.
Every Nigerian knows what is wrong with us. Even theoretically, we all seem to have the solutions. Why then is it impossible to apply our knowledge to finding lasting answers to many questions begging for attention? How come we are so used to “suffering and smiling”? Could there be a spiritual dimension to our problems? It is baffling that we can endure so much pain. It is amazing how we simply shrug our shoulders to very serious issues, and move on with our lives as if nothing happened.
There is not a single thing that we can point at that our rulers have generously done for us. We lack good roads, yet we drive the most expensive cars on it. We build houses we cannot maintain in the most expensive slums in the world. We all have our individual boreholes at home to serve as private water corporations. Generators fight loudly for attention in every single home or flat. There are no sacred neighbourhoods.
Abuja, our brand new city is already collapsing. Nowhere is our rulers’ lack of vision so palpable than Abuja. It is obvious we have again missed an opportunity to build a city that can rival Canberra in Australia, or Brasilia in Brazil. We seem to suffer irredeemably from poverty mentality and can never copy the right things that we are so used to seeing elsewhere.
This was the platform on which we rested our discussions during a beautiful brunch which was hosted for me last Saturday by a young 26-year old Nigerian, Bankole Omisore, at The National Press Club, on 14th Street, Washington DC, a very historic edifice that has played host to the crème de le crème of American politicians and showbiz personalities. For me as a journalist, it was the perfect environment to enjoy the best of American burgers, and jaw-jaw on the issues of serious concerns to all of us.
I had struck a beautiful relationship with Bankole last year, at the Annual Nigerian Reunion Summit in Baltimore, where I gave a talk, and interacted with thousands of Nigerian youths. Bankole had chaperoned me on that occasion, and demonstrated his incredible love for Nigeria even at that tender age. He would later introduce me more forcefully to Facebook, a monster that has now taken over the world.
Today, I have the privilege of over 4,000 friends, with another 4,000 waiting for me to confirm them. Interestingly, Bankole controls the Ovation International magazine (loud for a purpose) group on Facebook, and has already attracted over 5,000 members, and growing at an average of 100 new members per day. This whizz-kid has opened my eyes to the awesome possibilities of technology. He was able to register and tutor me on the latest craze in town, Twitter. The generation of Banks, as we all fondly call him, is so determined to change Nigeria through technology. They have vowed never to allow Nigerians to be slaughtered on the streets while campaigning for enduring democracy and good governance.
Their strategy is to use the Internet to reach as many enlightened Nigerians, at home and abroad. Believe me, these guys are winning, slowly but surely. They post my column on Facebook every week, so that those who may not be interested in reading newspapers on-line can have access to the serious issues we tackle these days.
I cannot thank these Nigerians enough for their selfless contributions to nation-building. They have contributed largely to my unbounded optimism lately. We must pay special tribute to these unsung heroes who are working round the clock to achieve positive changes for Nigeria. These are guys who combine their regular jobs with sitting on their Blackberries to send messages at the speed of light. We must encourage them to carry on for they are the salt of our world. One can only hope that more Nigerians would also take advantage of the many stunts that technology has put on parade today.
Back to our brunch, Bankole was able to hook up his group with the older generation by attracting the famous Professor Bolaji Aluko of Howard University and Mr Muyiwa Sobo, a distinguished Attorney in the Washington Metropolitan area. It was a meeting for about a dozen people and we had very useful insight into the problems of Nigeria through Professor Aluko. He was of the opinion that the decision of Chief Obafemi Awolowo to move from the Western Region to the center robbed Nigeria of the opportunity of every region developing at its own pace.
According to him, the South-west would have become like the Singapore of Nigeria, while offering the other regions the spirit of competition. He lamented that all the enviable legacies of Awolowo and his vibrant team have come to ruin in the hands of the carpetbaggers who have taken over the whole place. He wondered why nothing concrete has been added to the innovations brought into governance by Awolowo.
We talked about the dearth of good people in politics. It was agreed that that decent people have allowed themselves to be intimidated by political upstarts and thugs. We have inadvertently transferred the levers of power to most of the certified crooks that are ready to play the game by any means necessary, while we are busy running away from what we call the dirty game. The simple analogy is that of beauty contests. We always complain that Miss This and Miss That are very ugly, yet we keep our own pretty daughters under lock and key. It is the same with politics.
We cannot continue to complain about the poor quality of politicians we have when none of us is ready to join the fray. As for those of us who may not be ready for elective office, there is always a positive role to play. We can start to effect change by helping to mobilize voters for good candidates. We can also help to recruit foot-soldiers who would help to protect the votes of the right candidates. It is very clear that useless candidates would always spend huge fortunes to amass guns and cutlasses but there are lessons to be learnt from the past. You can only rig where you are popular. That is the main reason PDP amassed all its votes predominantly from one zone.
In the future, we must never allow ourselves to be caught unawares. Since we know Maurice Iwu is a beautiful leopard who can never change his skin, all hands must be on deck to beat this master at his the game. We must put a lie to his brazen propaganda. Everyone must come out to vote. After voting we must stay around to ensure no hanky-panky is introduced. We agreed at our brunch to take this campaign to all our friends and families.
Nigeria cannot afford another four years of this dangerous drift. All over the world, Nigerians are crying. Most people want to come home. But they are worried about the state of affairs. They hardly receive good news from home. A friend said he was trying hard to cajole his young kids to visit Nigeria, and where they refuse; he may have to apply pressure. All the kids are complaining about lack of steady electricity.
The news that the ruling government is pumping more money into that sector is being scorned at by most people. They are of the opinion that the problem was never that of funding. It is that of a perpetual sabotage by those satanic profiteers who are benefitting from our collective misery. There is also the issue of awarding contracts to those who will never get the job done after collecting full payments. Examples of such unexecuted contracts abound in our country. Yet the contractors are usually untouchable.
There is also a consensus on the issue of getting rid of our traditional politicians who have failed us so woefully. After ruling us for about 50 years, we must begin to ease them out of the system. Most of them started their political careers when they were in their twenties. Now some of us are nearing 50, yet we are being looked at as “small boys”. When are we going to mature enough to be able to serve our dear country? The same politicians are being recycled over and over again, as if the rest of us are idiots. We must challenge the retrogressive system that makes it possible for the worst politicians of our society to force themselves on us.

If this were Pastor E.A Adeboye, there wouldn't be no doubt/question about this prophecy but praise of how he is a true man of God.

mikeansy:

Where in the constitution did it say Yar'adua should emerge after OBJ?

Power rotation will go round to other geopolitical zone before it comes to South-West

There are a lot of people more qualified than Fashola and a lot were more qualified than yar'adua

the goal post can't keep moving.

Your point isnt valid. if this is the case, why do we have presidential election individual might as well be appointed based on the region they rep. While other ppl who dont belong to the region wont waste their time nor money to run.

Where in the constitution does it state someone from the south can't rule Nigeria for another 30yrs?

My Dear NL,

Could this be a valid reason to own a Jet? Because the authors experience is very rear (if this actually happened), I don't think a Man of GO's status would ever go through this and besides he should be able to fly first class on any airline at anytime whenever he choose to.

What do you think?
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Please, permit me to digress a little. I used to think some people were above, and immune, from the usual vicious darts that Africans were fond of throwing at one another.  One writer once described Africans as a people who behave like babies. His theory was simple. Africans quarrel over every little thing. We are incapable of settling our differences like all responsible people do. We suspect everything and everyone. A man never dies here of natural causes. He must have been killed by someone, usually witches and wizards. We tend to vent our personal frustrations on others. We are a bitter people. Those you invited to wine and dine at your party, free of charge for that matter, are busy gossiping about you, and stabbing you in the back all the way.

It is amazing how we loathe ourselves. Our poverty mentality sometimes beat me hollow. It is as if some of us wake up praying for a rain of misery to fall on us and our neighbours. Many seem to be so melancholic and behave as if they carry all of mankind’s tribulations on their heads. Many of our associates are worse than Judas Iscariot, and more lethal than fake drugs. What baffles me is that these people pray more than praying mantis.  Our case is so critical that no human being can escape the mendacity of our human dragons.

The brouhaha being generated by the purported buying of a private jet by, or for, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, the General Overseer of The Redeemed Christian Church of God, worldwide, is really worrisome.  Before I treat the merits, or lack of it, of the unfortunate and unwarranted controversy, let me try to introduce the man Pastor Adeboye, as much as I know him. I don’t think I ever saw him in flesh on more than three occasions.  It is necessary to clear this fact first before the busy-bodies jump to the conclusion, as usual, that I have been paid by the church to defend the purchase of the jet.

Of course, I’m proud to say I’m a great admirer of this wonderful man of God who has spread the words of evangelism, from Africa to the world, more than any soul I know in the 20th and 21st Centuries. God has obviously inspired this great Nigerian from very humble beginnings in Ifewara, Osun State, to establish His branches practically on all the continents of the world. I have had the privilege of his spiritual company, when I joined about 200 other Nigerians in sailing with the man of God and his dutiful wife, fondly called Mummy G O, by their church members, on a one-week pilgrimage that took us through Florida, Cozumel in Mexico, Cayman Island, and Ocho Rios in Jamaica, about three years ago. I saw Pastor Adeboye in his true meekness despite the awesome influence he commands on our planet. He was such a humble teacher on board as he took us through the scriptures. Even when we requested for a photo-shoot with him, he patiently took his time with all who wanted a snap with him. You can never accuse Pastor Adeboye of flamboyance, in theory and in practice. His children are very well-behaved, unlike Eli’s children in the Bible. This has endeared Pastor Adeboye to members and non-members of his church alike.

Pastor Adeboye’s attention is needed all over the world by those who believe in his anointing. I wasn’t surprised when he was named recently by Time magazine as one of the 50 most influential men in the world. This same man is being rubbished by his own people over a mere toy called private jet. What are the arguments of his attackers? A private jet is too much a luxury for a pastor to enjoy in Africa. The huge cost, and there are conflicting figures as to how much it cost in truth and reality, is a waste in a continent ravaged by poverty and diseases. That money should have been given to the wretched of the earth, they opined. The impression that they create is that it is possible to wipe off poverty from the surface of our universe. This utopian view suggests that no man is entitled to any measure of comfort no matter how hard he has worked. This to me is an extremist view of human existence.  I say with all emphasis that man must live according to his needs and means. An Evangelist of Pastor Adeboye’s caliber is certainly a world traveler. He’s also not expected to travel alone. He would normally travel with his family and aides. He’s like our own Pope. Yes, the Pope travels by Alitalia, and I don’t know what arrangement the Vatican has with the Italian flagship. But Africa is different from Europe. Our airlines don’t really have the capacity to cope with the demands and services of air travels.

Pastor Adeboye obviously travels more than the Pope. His shuttles within Africa alone are extremely tedious, according to those who should know. As a little fry compared to Pastor Adeboye, I know from my personal experience of running international operations that it is always difficult to connect flights within our interesting continent.  On one occasion, I was flying to Seychelles Islands, on the Indian Ocean. I was to fly Kenya Airways from Lagos to Nairobi, and then to Seychelles. Unfortunately, my flight from Accra to Lagos did not land early enough and I missed my Nairobi-bound flight. The guys at Kenya Airways in Lagos were very helpful. They suggested I should go back to Accra to catch their evening flight to Nairobi. I got a flight from Lagos to Accra and was able to check in on my earlier ticket to Nairobi. I was assured I had not yet been off-loaded from Nairobi to Seychelles. And my joy was bountiful.

Now wait for this. Our flight was to leave Accra around 10.00p.m, and I waited patiently. We were told the flight was making the rounds of some West African cities and would eventually land in Accra. Nobody could leave the airport since we weren’t sure when we’ll eventually take off. Anyway, the flight must have come in around 4.00a.m, stealthily like a thief in the night. Most of the passengers were fast asleep, and snoring away in any available corner. Who are we to complain? We dragged ourselves up like some druggies and boarded the flight more than one hour later. When it was time to go, we received bad news. We must fly to Lagos to refuel because there was no aviation fuel in Ghana. What Israelites’ journey was this, I soliloquized. Unbelievably, I had done Accra-Lagos-Accra-Lagos in about 24 energy-sapping hours.

I was so tired and angry that I decided to stage a protest by not opening my eyes throughout our stopover in Lagos. I slept sonorously and woke up in the sky. I was congratulated by those who witnessed my resurrection from a slumber well executed. But my ordeal was not yet over. By the time we landed in Nairobi, I was foolishly elated to find my connecting flight on ground. I sped like Ben Johnson to the connection desk, where I instantly received a bombshell. My seat was gone because of the delayed arrival from West Africa. I thought this whole process was becoming one hell of a joke, and indeed a nightmare. How come our plane was still on the tarmac, I asked. Hear this please, the plane had actually departed but developed engine problems after flying for over one hour and had to return to base. Yeepa!, I exclaimed, like we do in our village.

What’s going to happen now that I’m stranded in Nairobi, I asked. I was politely told I was being considered on the next flight to Dubai, where I’ll be expected to try a connection to Seychelles. Even if Moses had resurrected he would not have done a longer journey than me. I told the harbinger of that bad news that what she was trying to do was not my portion in Jesus name! If my enemies were trying to deal with me through Kenya Airways, they did not meet me at home. I was very resolute that I will never attempt a merry-go-round through Dubai or wherever routes for that matter. Those Nigerians on the earlier flight meanwhile had joined me. Trust Nigerians in our traditional methods of conflict resolution. We all talked at the same time, and in more than a whisper. The Kenyans sensing trouble promptly performed a magic, a seat emerged from God-knows-where for me. By the time we eventually landed in Seychelles, my bones were throbbing violently. I just deposited what was left of my body on a bed after a quick dive into the bathroom.

I have gone through this detailed account of my epic journey to illustrate the frustrations of flying in Africa. Did anyone want, or expect, a man of Pastor Adeboye’s status to go through all this mess regularly? The answer should be a resounding No! In fact, after so many ordeals I suffered at airports, I prayed to God to give me plenty of money from my hard-work. I’ll waste no time in buying a private jet. On one occasion, we spent a total of 13 agonizing hours between taking off from Lagos and several landings through Accra, Abidjan, Conakry, and finally to Banjul. We spent five hours in Accra alone. In Abidjan, there was VIP movement and we were kept inside the scorching plane for several hours. We had the privilege of catching a glimpse of some of their warlords arriving from Europe, as ample compensation for our anguish.

I have come to one conclusion. Our quintessential critics must learn to be practical. Most times many of them act on hearsay, and form opinions based on prejudices. Critics hardly do well in politics and business, for this same reason. They behave like puritans who tend to seek and crave for a colony of Saints where none can ever exist. We can make our world a better place through constructive criticism. Malicious writings can never change anything. Many good people are running away from politics and public service because of this fear of serial critics who see everyone as rogues no matter how hard you try to stay above board.

I’ll rather be an “area boy” in Lagos than a “ghetto boy” in New York. The level of poverty in America is far more excruciating than what the Western media tend to parade on television as the state of squalor in most African nations. Yet the developed countries play host to most of the world’s destitutes and homeless people. But this has not stopped the rich from living large, and the poor aspiring to riches and greatness.

We must desist from promoting poverty and backwardness. There are so many great Africans who have made it the very hard way. They have never done government contracts. They have not collected papers of land allocations and houses from any government. They have not received brown envelopes from governors and ministers. They have done their jobs in God’s way, by adhering to the strict codes of their profession. And they have shown sufficient contentment for whatever God has done in their lives. Such people must not be destroyed at the altar of envy and bellyaching.

Small boys and girls are busy flying private jets all over the globe for holding microphones and singing a cacophony of pop and rock. Some of the showbiz personalities are even paraded on the billionaires’ lists, and are more famous than world presidents. Oprah Winfrey has her private jets and luxury yachts at her beck and call. She sits pretty on the cover of her own magazine every month, and the world is at her feet. It is the reward for her hard-work. How can we achieve such feats here when we are ruled by poverty mentality, and every successful man or woman is a target and victim of poisoned arrows?  I wish to appeal  that our icons be spared this torture, for God’s sake.


http://odili.net/news/source/2009/mar/21/208.html

I agree with those that wont consume made up news. But the question; is it imposible for this to have happened? lets give the poster a benefit of doubt with the circumstance of how he heard about it, it is very possible for the press not to be involved. Remember the press only hear what "they" want them to hear, and they can be shut down for saying what they arent meant to say.

@Lucabrasi from Manchester, UK.
If you took you time to read my post you will understand I was stating my view and how I feel based on govt track records as well as what our priorities are. My point was the project is a misplaced priority, living in Lagos (as I noticed you don't) there are more that people need than EKO Atlantic. Good jobs, affordable accomodation, health care, security, and education for our children just to name a few.
It was in no way I compared Obama to Fashola, and I wouldn't have a reason to do so (obvious reasons). I was just quoting Obama. "All this will “create or preserve about 3 – 4 Million Jobs” (quoting Obama’s job creation plan), seriously there is going to be sanity in Lagos if the money is invested in some of my list and I hope the ‘Chinese’ won’t be taking the project too (keep it local)."

official link to project: http://www.ekoatlantic.com/

Is this realistic, or I am just being cynical? However, I think this is a misplaced priorities. There are far more important issues to deal with in Nigeria and Lagos in particular: Education, Transportation, SECURITY, Pollution, reconstruction of old structure, and its overall maintenance. All this will “create or preserve about 3 – 4 Million Jobs” (quoting Obama’s job creation plan), seriously there is going to be sanity in Lagos if the money is invested in some of my list and I hope the ‘Chinese’ won’t be taking the project too (keep it local). And BTW, the next administrator can kill the project to start his initiatives. Continuity is a problem in Nigeria and I don’t think ‘we’ are ready for the EKO Atlantic Vision yet. So many Visions in the past 2000, 2010, now we at 2020.


Youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E906CPuq5Ac

Very Low Mileage, Clean 2006 Land Rover LR3 for sale!!! 5.7M

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