grandstar:


Will higher taxes really help the poor? Will squeezing the rich really help those at the bottom?

Though I am apolitical, I have always been right-wing due to my love for economics.

The rich isn't the reason why many in the US are poor. More taxes won't make things better

Look at African Americans. The reason why crime and poverty are high in that demography isn't due to the rich. It is due to the fact that about 70% of black kids are raised by single mothers. Many black authors have said as much. Unfortunately, he issue is untouchable as the black community or the women to accept the truth. I was once kicked out of a subreddit simply because I said that a black teenage bully "would by 22 be a mother of 3 from 3 different fathers."

The real solution is untouchable

What about education? Bad inner city schools most often don't need more money. They need better management. Many cities that have chosen the charter school route where a private company runs public schools has shown phenomenal results in test results. Parents also need to do more to ensure their children succeed. Many African-American and Hispanic parents are simply glad that their child isn't killed in their hood rather than focus on their success.

Success hungry Asian parents are dominating the academic tables.

California has some of the highest taxes in the US, yet can not be seen in their standard of living.

High property prices in California has nothing to do with the rich. It is due to restrictive planning that severely limits the amount of property that can be built. In Texas, it takes 7 days to get a building permit. In California, that same permit can take years.

In the area of health care, it needs to be reformed. Economist know the solution to the high cost of US healthcare but politics and special interest groups stand in the way. Any poorly thought out solution would not fly or prove counterproductive.

One way higher taxes can help everyone would be to reduce the US budget deficit and slow the fast rising debt mountain.

Lower budget deficits or even balanced or budget surpluses would have a positive effect on the US credit rating and also reduce the amount used to service the debt, both in the short term and long term.

When the Trump tax cuts were analysed, it was discovered it assisted in creating more higher paying jobs than before they were introduced.

Prior to this period, though jobs were being created, they were more likely to be low paying ones.

It would shock you that many of the poor you're advocating for when asked what they think the rich pay as taxes, they figured around 25%. Even the poor in reality don't want the rich to be over taxed.

So you know all this and you hate Donald Trump.

Nigerian Hypocrisy is a Force of Nature.

Good Luck to Nigerians

The general responses on this topic show that Nigerians have learned good lessons.

I honestly thought I would read most people calling for transport subsidy or something.🤣

Very good.

Good Luck to Nigeria

Well, these are a couple of essays on Nigeria worth reading every now and then. One written by a University of Nigeria Professor, appeared very recently in a Nigerian national newspaper; the other of unknown origin, probably circa 2005. Both delve deep into what it means to be Nigerian. Especially in this season.

With no further comment from me, please consider their insights.

The Scriptures, The State & This Season

by Neop

It might do some good to reflect on general social themes during the holiday season. The reason for such reflection should not be presumed to be the notion that such social themes have any great or permanent effect in altering the social conditions or milieu in which they take place. Christmas, for instance, despite years of its celebration by young and old can hardly be said to be a positive social force. Critics of neo-holidays like Kwanzaa might want to keep this in mind. Railing against Kwanzaa as a pagan, racist, demonic holiday hardly says anything in favor of the sanity of the ranter - especially when such a person indulges in Christmas festivities that are perhaps more pagan, more satanic and more racist. As "fake" holidays go - Christmas probably tops the list: A fact you couldn’t tell from its present global acceptance.

Nevertheless, our purpose here is not to adjudicate between holidays, but to reflect on how such seasons and the narratives that they invoke reveal glaring inconsistencies in our present framework and worldview. Invoking the spectre of Christ during this period is certainly not out of place - pagan Europeans, winter solstices and fictional flying reindeer aside, Christ is the reason for the season - and the justification for the celebration of his birth (Paul's admonition to be wary of such festivities aside) lies, perhaps more fundamentally, in festivals and convocations handed down by Yahweh to the Israelites of old.

An easily discernible staple of current pentecostal and charismatic Christianity in Nigeria is the invocation of the Jewish experience: "Abraham's blessings are mine", "the wealth of the wicked is laid up for the just", "I shall not die but live", "I am blessed coming in and going out", "No weapon fashioned against me shall prosper", etc etc etc - these themes; certainly ubiquitous and certainly now stock narratives in Nigeria's political landscape, are drawn directly from the covenant of Jehovah with the Jews. One only needs to witness the trenchant defenses of corrupt Governors - all of them call upon the name of the Lord: A fugitive from Justice claims his experience is "the Lord's doing", and faced with general confusion in the society, any number of Bishops, Pastors and General Overseers assure us that Obasanjo is God's anointed. One compares him to Saul, another to David and another to Agag - the universal method seems to be an interpretation of the current social milieu in figures, symbols and narratives drawn from the Jewish covenant.

As an interpretive step, I do not think it would be far fetched to suggest that Nigeria itself is recast as some form of African "Israel" in these narratives. Even when Nigeria is cast as an America-type figure; the underlying reference is with respect to the "chosen-ness" of the Jewish people. The constant imagining of Nigeria as some type of America, with all the paraphrenalia of big brotherhood, manifest destiny and special missions only makes sense when we understand that the construction of American manifest destiny, indeed, even of the American identity - is a project that borrows heavily from Jewish motifs. America, thus, is a "new Israel" - a Nation called out from among the Nations: This idea, fixed in the minds of the European settlers in the United States has been translated into the very immigratory nature of "American people" (with the slaves, dead Indians and disenfranchised South Americans nicely hidden out of the way - akin perhaps, to the plight of the forgotten Canaanites). Therefore, when those responsible for the crafting of the Nigerian narrative invoke the American idea - the invocation is essentially Jewish.

This of course, is all well and good. But as the season draws us to reflect on this; perhaps it would be prudent to examine in detail the facts of the Jewish covenant? If those who insist on narrating Nigeria according to their own imaginations and insist on recasting it as a messianic figure according to the witnessed role of other Nations in history have no problem with dressing up their garb in "Judeo-Christian" talk - It certainly is not inappropriate for us to reach into the very same covenant to amuse ourselves (at the very least) with the more glaring examples of their inconsistency.

In Deuteronomy 28, Yahweh, through his Prophet Moses, outlines conditions which would come upon the Jews if they violated the divine covenant. These conditions were mostly curses. Popular narratives in Nigerian spaces have made good use of the precursors to these curses; blessings that would accrue to the Jews should them meet the terms of the covenant.

For instance: Deuteronomy 28 verse 7 is especially popular among Christians - "The LORD shall cause thine enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten before thy face: they shall come out against thee one way, and flee before thee seven ways" - as is verse 13 "And the LORD shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath" (which many spend night and day "claiming" for Nigeria; fevered up by their desperate imaginations of Nigeria as some African America).

However, reading on, one finds conditions and situations - curses, to be exact - that are more in line with the Nigerian condition: Indeed, that describe the colonial condition perfectly, and identify it for what it is: A CURSE.

Look at verse 32 for instance: "Thy sons and thy daughters shall be given unto another people, and thine eyes shall look, and fail with longing for them all the day long" which is a perfect description of the historical slavery and present immigratory servitude many West African peoples find themselves in today.

Verse 40, with a little bit of imagination, might as well be speaking of Nigeria's much vaunted petrodollars: "Thou shalt have olive trees throughout all thy coasts, but thou shalt not anoint thyself with the oil; for thine olive shall cast his fruit."

And verse 43 and 44 describe, only too avidly, the current situation with regards to "expat workers" and their discrimination against the local labor force - as well as the State's penchant for "foreign expertise": "The stranger that is within thee shall get up above thee very high; and thou shalt come down very low. He shall lend to thee, and thou shalt not lend to him: he shall be the head, and thou shalt be the tail." - the determined exegete can read "foreign aid" and "debt relief" into the last part. Much imagination is not required to do so.

In verses 49 and 50, we find, again, through no particular wresting of the scriptures, a hint of slavery, the colonial yoke and linguistic imperialism: Yokes that Christian and non-Christian alike are suffering under today, courtesy of the Nigerian state:

"The LORD shall bring a nation against thee from far, from the end of the earth, as swift as the eagle flieth; a nation whose tongue thou shalt not understand; A nation of fierce countenance, which shall not regard the person of the old, nor shew favour to the young"

And the much vaunted phenomenon of there being a Nigerian in every country on the face of the earth doesn't look good when read in the light of verse 64:

"And the LORD shall scatter thee among all people, from the one end of the earth even unto the other; and there thou shalt serve other gods, which neither thou nor thy fathers have known, even wood and stone."

The constant perils of flight from immigration officers, worries about papers, quests for local maidens to wed in order to have residency, etc etc etc might be adequately summed up in verse 65: "And among these nations shalt thou find no ease, neither shall the sole of thy foot have rest: but the LORD shall give thee there a trembling heart, and failing of eyes, and sorrow of mind"

In verse 68, the curses culminate with a return to the colonial condition: "And the LORD shall bring thee into Egypt again with ships, by the way whereof I spake unto thee, Thou shalt see it no more again: and there ye shall be sold unto your enemies for bondmen and bondwomen, and no man shall buy you."

Were there to be any consistency in the narration of those who continue to garb the Nigerian project in the language of Christianity - they would concede that Nigeria is a curse: A curse on the Yoruba, a curse on the Igbo, a curse on the Ijaw, a curse on the Tiv, a curse on the Nupe - A mighty curse on all the Nations that neither subscribed to its establishment, or its present administration. The task then, would be to determine if the "divine will" - which we have been told has destined a great future for Nigeria (the country being the trigger in the gun of God and all that) - has any consort or fellowship with the accursed condition that presently dominates.

The supernal objective of the righteous ought to be the lifting of the curse, an end to colonialism, an end to the subjugation of African peoples and Nations, and an end to State Imperialism. The Nationals currently yoked by Nigeria are still under the domination of a "foreign tongue". They are still plagued by botches and itches and the diseases of Egypt. This situation is embodied in the very ontological status of Nigeria. Nigeria is a CURSE. No amount of restructuring, wishful thiking, vigils or prayers will resolve or recreate the nature of Nigeria. Those who insist on perpetuating the curse by enshrouding Nigeria with sacred status only succeed in extending the yoke of bondage.

Nigeria's fundamental problem is not economic, it is not historical or geographical. Nigeria has a problem with human liberty because it was conceived in enmity against the liberty of various West African peoples. This yoke, continues today. The dictum of the season enjoins: "Peace on earth...goodwill towards men" - However, for those under the yoke of the Nigerian State, there will be no goodwill, or peace: How can there be, when the curse is still very much alive, and every bit as efficacious?

Certainly, there are other doctrinal frameworks within which Nigeria is justified: But the Christian agenda is entirely misled. For were that not to be the case, we would find foreign yokes, linguistic imperialism and scattered populations listed as blessings in the Christian scripture. Unfortunately, we do not. What are we therefore to go on? The visions of a prophet of a great Nigeria? The prayers of a thousand Bishops? Why should any Christian imbue these with any significance when the Scriptures present a clearer and more compelling case? Nigeria - the oracles do declare - is a CURSE.

Extrapolations from that theme may suffice to exercise our grey cells over the holidays - though, as I mentioned earlier, the holidays themselves are of no productive value - yet, in this case, if they provoke a scriptural dialogue with the many Christians who now see the propping up of the colonial Nigerian State as their ministry, perhaps some larger purpose will be served.

There is an interesting postscript to this: Many clergymen with countrywide prominence are now fond of declaring: "Nigeria will survive" - This is interesting because, reasoning from secular history, an element of prophetic mischief might be connoted in this. Nigeria after all, originated as the proper name of certain region of the British protectorate in West Africa - and yes, I have no doubt that it will "survive" - if only to ensure that West Africa's supply of domestic terrorists is in no way jeopardized.

********************************************************************************************************************

Neo-Black Problem: Must Blacks Be Ruled by Whites in Order to Prosper?

by Joseph Agbakoba


Nigeria just celebrated her 64th year of independence and it was a gloomy day for most Nigerians. This was captured very well in a scathing editorial by the Punch newspaper. The paper recounted the consequences of state capture by a coarse, brutal, rapacious and counter-developmental political elite – dramatic increase in poverty levels, illiteracy, banditry, insecurity, collapse of infrastructure and institutions, corruption, and virtually every conceivable public ailment.

In the estimation of many, the country is now a failed or virtually failed state. The arrogantly named “giant of Africa” has now seen that in the things that matter, which make a people great, she has always been a pony. People are suffering in unprecedented numbers of malnutrition, starvation, malaria, political violence, banditry and joblessness in this underachieving pony of a state.


In response, many are calling for or actively showing their preference for re-colonization or a return to white rule. This has to be understood well.

One, there are those who can afford to emigrate fairly legally, at least. So, they make their way to regions of white rule in the Western strong holds of Europe or North America, etc. This is the highly celebrated “japa” – escape from the bondage of fellow Black rule.

Two, illegal emigration to regions of white rule in spite of its many hazards, by poorer but desperate young Africans.

Third, the stay-at-homes, especially the youth, who want a return of white rule to take over their failed governments.

The fate of Nigeria is shared more or less by other sub-Saharan African countries. Recently, I listened to a viral clip by an apparently poor and frustrated South African calling for a return to white rule in her country for broadly similar reasons.

Then also I read about the shocking case of two black women who went scavenging for food in a white man’s farm in the North of South Africa. He killed them and fed their remains to his pigs to conceal his crime. This is cruel and racist and he and his accomplices must pay for their crime. But we must recognize that these poor black women were driven to extreme poverty and desperation by the failure and insensitivity of Black rule in a country that only 30 years ago won a hard fought victory against white minority rule.

These unfortunate women are not different from those who die on the perilous journey through the Sahara desert and the Mediterranean to Europe, or are sold into slavery by Arabs in North Africa.

This is the neo-black problem – which Franz Fanon did not see fully in his conceptualization of the black problem, but which like the black problem cannot be escaped by all black Africans, and for which recolonisation of any type is not a proper or lasting solution.

In short, the neo-black dilemma may be framed as follows: is it better to live under white rule without political dignity but with basic life-sustaining standards for many; or to live under black rule with illusory political dignity and without basic life- sustaining standards for the majority?

We must square up to this problem in order to solve it. This begins with intellectual honesty and humility, utmost respect and responsibility for truth, factuality and functionality.

Unfortunately, one of the flip sides of the protest politics of African liberation struggle is the cultivation of a touchy egotistical response to every thing real or imaginary no matter how small that robs off negatively on our struggle-inflated and hypersensitized egos (a direct consequence of our struggle with a lingering alienation-negativity complex due to colonial racism).

However, as Thomas Sowell writes of the somewhat similar problem of the black redneck culture in the USA, we have to pull away from this irrational path of counter-development and focus on the things that matter.

Again, as Sowell points out, except for a few outliers, politics does not directly make a community rich. And, political ‘liberators’ are often an obstacle to the development of their people due to their interest in keeping self rewarding but developmentally negative or insignificant causes in the front burners of the public sphere and politics.

The path forward for Africa lies in cultivating higher and adequate levels of personal and communal agential integrity as well as full personal responsibility and productivity. Not to mention creativity (including epistemic creativity), productive justice (such as merit and freedom), harmony and reconciliation at local and international levels, and a proper domestication of capitalism and other related values and institutions.

Africa must stop wasting her time on dreams of socialism because it is a system of wealth distribution primarily. Whereas, capitalism is a system of wealth creation primarily, and wealth has to be produced before it can be distributed. As George Ayittey rightly pointed out, precolonial Africa was basically proto-capitalist, I would say, with a penumbra of proto-welfarism. Africa cannot live in an isolated, exotic niche of her own, outside global capitalism.

This is the transcolonial view that envisages a new self-created Africa that makes use of utilizable elements of, but also creatively goes beyond the limitations of the pre-colonial order, the colonial deposit and available global resources, to achieve a functional hybrid culture, especially heterosis (a vigorous hybrid that surpasses its parent stocks).

Further, Africa must shun victimology because colonization is virtually as old as human history and equally universal. And, as morally condemnable as it is, it is one of the means by which knowledge spreads from one society to another (some of the others being commerce, tourism of different types, and evangelization).

Without overly focusing on victimhood, many Asian former colonies have found ways of integrating helpful Western knowledge and values to create thriving modern states, in spite of local and international obstacles.


Africa must also give up her embarrassing disposition to pan handling and outsourcing solutions.

The task of driving this development lies with African intellectuals and intelligentsia because the saying “the intellect precedes all in humans” can be said to apply aptly to development issues.

Can this class and generation of Africans live up to their historical responsibility? Time will tell but it can be said that their job has been made easier with the coming of new forms of communication such as social media by which worthwhile initiatives can be rapidly incubated and brought to life across borders.

Failure will not bode well for us as it could lead to extinction. As the philosopher, Immanuel Kant, opines, humans of all the creatures in the world, are endowed by nature (God, some like me would say) with reason (including rational will and creativity) as their unique equipment for the mastery of the world and survival. We must exercise our humanity in this regard or be willing to perish.

Agbakoba is professor of philosophy at the University of Nigeria
***********************************************************************************************************************

Good Luck to Nigerians.

Olabestonic001:

And you think the 'dog-whistling' from outsiders like you that they should take in every dick and harry that comes to their country makes sense, right?

Why do immigrants like you love dictating to the owner of the lands what they should do? Can you do this in Qatar or China?

Yes, there are extremists but most of the folks are moderate.

It's annoying. The obvious truth is that the kindness of North American and European countries has become their weakness. The Arabs that killed off their own Negro populations aren't being harassed about racism, goes to show that evil is its own reward. They really saw the future.

Nigerians whining about the racism of the USA and UK can't even do anything about tribalism and other forms of prejudice in Nigeria. Let that sink in, let's think about what it says about Nigerians that Igbo people can't vote peacefully in Lagos and the same Igbo find it easier or more expedient to agitate about racism in the US & UK. Igbos were flogged and chased away from polling stations in Lagos. Everyone knows this, yet nobody complains. And it will continue happening because well we're Nigerians.

The descendants of the same Nigerian tribes that SOLD Black Americans into Slavery are now agitating to compete with the descendants of those slaves for the little compensatory allowances given by White Slavers! The Black African has NO SHAME at all.

Christians are regularly being massacred in the Middle Belt and Northern Nigeria, but the main concern of "educated" Nigerians is racism in the US & UK and xenophobia in South Africa

sulaak:

I think Nigerians need to be realistic about their future. When a World Bank official stated that Nigeria would need 15 years of reform to end the present hardship, most Nigerian media houses and intellectuals started attacking the WB and IMF, forgetting that Nigeria's problem is deeper than economic.

The social collapse, the decay in education institutions, and the complete lack of accountable civil and public services will require substantial political and economic reform. We have witnessed how the PHCN, NFF, and NNPC have hindered development.

Nigerians are an evil specie of humanity. This shouldn't surprise anyone since 27% of Nigerian children are conceived in deceit, fraud, lies and infidelity , Nigeria is a society where the FAMILY, the basic unit of human communal interactions, is rife with deceit and wickedness! It explains a lot. There's no mystery now why Nigerians are such craven, cynical HYPOCRITES.

Nigeria is a serious problem for the world. Let's admit that much.

Gerrard59:

So, why are there more poor people in Nigeria than in many sub-Saharan African countries?
Why are there more black DOLLAR millionaires in South Africa than Nigeria?
Why are African Americans the wealthiest set of black people in the world, rather than Nigeria, the most populous? Mind you, Black South Africans are the second wealthiest group of black people.

Let's be honest with our utterances on Obasanjo's Internet.

Thanks.

Honesty and Nigerians? Hmmmm. Maybe it's ignorance sha. Whatever.

Ran into this gem of a comment, good to drop it here -

casualobserver:

Your leaders are your father, your brother, your uncle your friend, your class mate, your leaders are you. You are no different from your leaders. They are not aliens or foreigners, they are you and if you were in their position you won’t be any different.

The problems of Nigeria are Nigerians themselves.

Nigerians are a special kind...the condition of Nigeria is a testament to the quality of people that inhabit the country.

It's a pity.

Good Luck to Nigerians.

Dizzyyish:


There was a statistic from years ago showing Nigeria has the highest rate of paternity fraud in the world, second to Jamaica - that was years ago - I'm quite certain that 27% is inaccurate.

It's much higher.

Whatever the number, it's alarming. This thing has rocked my world. Funny that most other Nigerians I mention it to are nonplussed

The troubling thing is what it IMPLIES about the Nigerian PEOPLE.

The basic unit of society, THE FAMILY, is rife with deceit, fraud, abuse and betrayal.

It's just not possible to have much good coming out of such a society. Who wants to live in such a country?

Tufiakwa!

Good Luck to Nigeria.

Gerrard59:

The US is a major buyer of most countries' products and services. So, it is not surprising many countries are trying to be in Trump's good books. Japan is safe as Masayoshi Son has promised to invest $100BN into the US' economy, just as senior politicians of the LDP have visited Trump. The likes of Indonesia, Malaysia, China, India, Brazil etc., have a lot of work to do. Even African countries have a lot to do as AGOA renewal comes up next year. With Elon Musk by his side, it gets interesting.

And yes, for the pharmaceutical industry, the US is the undisputed market leader. It is funny how many Europeans lampoon the US healthcare system, but ALL their pharma companies would see revenues plummet if they don't sell to Americans.

It's not even that they SELL to the USA that grates on the nerves. It's the REAL SUBSIDY involved.

They sell a product at $1500 in USA and sell the same at $300 elsewhere. That's a real subsidy to defray cost of investment in research. And the beneficiaries deny they get any benefits from that.

Anyway, there's nothing like fuel subsidy. It never existed.

Good Luck to Nigerians.

Ever since I read the news a month or so ago that 27% of DNA tests result in wrongly attributed paternity, I see Nigerian marriages in a different light.

Worst of all, because the testers tended to be middle to higher income Nigerians and thus likely more educated, it says something about the elite of the society.

Fully 27% of children in Nigeria are the result of infidelity. I know a few...3 men in Nigeria from many years ago who discovered this but I didn't know it's so widespread.

I mentioned it to a visiting Nigerian politician. He assured me that ALL the top politicians in Nigeria EACH have DOZENS of children conceived with other men's wives.

He even mentioned one currently generating several court cases, including one couple with TWO out four kids fathered by a BIG 2nd Republic politician who died a few years ago...no, not MKO Abiola.

The state of Nigerian marriage is worse than anything in any Western country. Not 5%, not even 15%....over ONE QUARTER of all children conceived in deceit!!! In the world's most religious country!!! Tell me something.

There's nothing to discuss about Nigerian marriage again. Truly it is FINISHED. There's no basis for a good society in Nigeria.

Good Luck to Nigerians.

cococandy:
It’s not entitlement to expect that the medications your tax dollars paid for the research and manufacture of should be affordable to you.

I would quote you but you might get upset about that.

Also not saying those companies are not entitled to compensation. They are. But to the extent that the people whose taxes are being used to fund the research and development can’t afford it? SMH

Research conducted with taxpayer money leads to corruption.

https://www.google.com/search?q=duke+university+research+fraud+discovered&oq=duke+university+research+fraud+discovered+&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTIHCAEQIRigATIHCAIQIRigATIHCAMQIRiPAtIBCTIyNjI4ajBqOagCDrACAQ&client=ms-android-samsung-gn-rev1&sourceid=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8

Food stamp fraud by immigrants...possibly illegal immigrants

https://www.ice.gov/news/releases/2-women-sentenced-committing-12m-food-stamp-fraud-following-ice-hsi-federal-partner

Housing Fraud


https://www.google.com/search?q=hud+housing+fraud+arrests&client=ms-android-samsung-gn-rev1&sca_esv=754168574209eb79&sxsrf=ADLYWII-J51-F3txTtA5VskK4kwW4YE3uQ%3A1734754241771&ei=wT9mZ8XWLuL-p84P77H28A8&oq=hud+housing+fraud+arrests&gs_lp=EhNtb2JpbGUtZ3dzLXdpei1zZXJwIhlodWQgaG91c2luZyBmcmF1ZCBhcnJlc3RzMgUQIRigATIFECEYoAEyBRAhGKABMgUQIRirAjIFECEYqwIyBRAhGKsCSKknUOgJWOYacAF4AZABAJgBpQGgAYoIqgEDMC44uAEDyAEA-AEBmAIIoALRB8ICChAAGLADGNYEGEfCAgUQABiABMICBhAAGBYYHsICCxAAGIAEGIYDGIoFwgIFECEYnwWYAwCIBgGQBgiSBwMxLjegB_Aj&sclient=mobile-gws-wiz-serp

There's literally tens of thousands of cases like these.

Subsidy is Corruption.

Good Luck to Nigerians

SmartPolician:


Transport companies increase their fares almost everywhere in the world to reduce their pressure and discourage people from travelling because almost everyone wants to travel at that time of the year.

In a country where almost nothing is regulated, customers are often the biggest casualties.

You again?

Almost nothing regulated in Nigeria? Really?

Electricity, university fees, train tickets, water rates, airline fees, forex, land transfers, rice and maize...

all are price regulated by government in Nigeria.

Please. This is too much.

I think I need to quit Nairaland 🤔

Good Luck to Nigeria

candelahria:
They also earn an equally high minimum wage.

There's no NATIONAL minimum wage law in Switzerland. Last I looked only ONE state or region had a minimum wage and it was established less than 10 years ago I think.

Switzerland is a product of FREE MARKETS, private enterprise and planned diversity.

They pegged their currency like Nigeria and when they saw themselves heading towards becoming like Nigeria, they FLOATED their currency in 2015.

If Nigeria wants to be like Switzerland, copy the socio-political and economic systems. It's VERY EASY but the PEOPLE of Nigeria will never agree to it.

Good Luck to Nigeria

bemeruca:


Trump is a liar. He said we are gonna win so much that we are going to get tired. Are you tired bas?

I'm tired of the WAILING that comes with the winning. That's the cost of reason and logic.

Good Luck to Nigeria

Gerrard59:

So, what do you recommend to Mr MVLOX who blames Tinubu rather than his preek?

Oga our family planning failed. My last child is the result.

One of my close friend also had a failure.

I mean pills and implants. We were shocked. With a lot of issues like this, you never know how many people are affected till you tell your own story. That was how my friend got to tell me their own experience.

It happens. Stop it abeg. I'm ashamed of your conduct here. Apologize.

Good Luck to Nigerians

CodeTemplar:
Tribal supremacists. Una weldone o.

Between the wealth that's concentrated in few hands and that spread out, which is better? The Latter i say.

I don't say this as any tribal thing, I criticize my Igbo people a lot, but your implied praise is very correct.

The Igbo have much better indices on ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT than other Nigerian tribes. Anyone can look up the ECONOMIC definition of development.

It's a very important measure for any group or society. In fact that was the gist of my earlier post on this thread.

Well done. Thanks for a stellar comment.

Good Luck to Nigerians.

kedeojo:
All the governors don't want to spend money but they forgot that when you construct dams and lay pipe to every part of the state, you can fix a price. Water board in all state used to function, until lazy governors couldn't managed them but instead prefer to sink boreholes and the most annoying part, is when a governor will travel far from the government house in the state capital to commission boreholes. Am even surprised you mentioned some area with rivers in the state and over the years, past governors and this current one could not profer solution.

Nigerians don't want to pay for ANYTHING. That's the problem and it's the cause of poor quality, corruption, scarcity and inefficiency in most areas of socio-economic life.

Nigerians want free water, free education, free fuel, free pilgrimage, free housing, free food, free salary, free electricity, free everything and of course they are very proud of their refusal to pay taxes. It's one of the proudest boasts you hear from a Nigerian....we don't pay tax!



One of the more eye opening data points I've come across is that fully 20% of USA homes use their own private well or other forms of water supply. I live in a city of 500K population and I was shocked to find out a few years ago there are many homes that have RAIN WATER CISTERNS as their water supply.

The problem is ALWAYS the pay. Privatize all the Water Boards, deregulate prices and make water an open market and watch a very watery miracle unfold.

Good Luck to Nigeria.

SammywritesNG:
This is a simple problem to solve, channel pipe born water from neighboring states like Anambra, benue, Ebonyi.

The problem is always who will pay for the required work and infrastructure

Goldensword:


It will interest you to know that I campaigned and voted for labour party man in enugu, but I will say the truth, because I reside in enugu city and I'm seeing things for myself,

Ask anyone who lives in obiagu, or new haven, who already have existing pipes, water is flowing on s regular basis,

Peter mba is really trying, let me honest with ourselves for once

The mains piped water availability in the Lagos metro area is about 7%. A casual guess would put Enugu city penetration at less than that.

There should be some data somewhere. What is your guess about availability in Enugu city or Enugu State?

RevDesm0ndJuju:


Enugu city Water tanker cartel are very powerful and connected.

They won't sit down and see an end to their hustle.

I wonder why the successive governors can't solve this issue . Every core northern stare does not take water supply issue lightly and invest heavily in it to the point that water supply is subsidised because their governors know the fallout of water scarcity .

The problem in Enugu is pure exploitation with a public that can be exploited for financial gain.

Absolute NONSENSE, this is the same rationalization of why the NNPC refineries broke down under fuel subsidy.

The real explanation is simple and every adult knows it.

NOTHING OWNED or OPERATED BY GOVERNMENT IS EVER PRODUCTIVE OR EFFICIENT, it always produces inflation, corruption and scarcity. This is true in Nigeria and EVERY OTHER nation, most especially diverse nations.

Privatize Enugu water corporation and the city will have good and efficient water services in about 10 to 20 years. But I know the people aren't ready for that yet and will NEVER be.

Good Luck to Nigeria

cococandy:

So the plight of the African American community today has absolutely nothing to do with the war on drugs that oversaw the pumping of crack into black communities, the over policing and subsequent incarceration of black fathers for crimes that white fathers got a pat on the back for?

The massacre of multiple successful black communities and looting of their properties? They were told to develop themselves and when they did, their communities got burnt to the ground.

Nope. If we let republican propaganda tell it, it’s all because of govt aid.

Since there’s data to show that white families are also dependent on govt aid, why hasn’t the same fate befallen them?

If student loans are what caused the rise in college tuition? I’m assuming you’re blaming all inflation on govt aid then? Food cost, housing cost, transportation etc. all have increased since the last time you paid for your college education. Was every hike in price a direct consequence of govt aid? If you say yes, I disagree. No explanation needed.

That being said, Correlation is not causation Mr Okehie.

1) Senator Joe Biden wrote the 1994 Crime Bill that is widely acknowledged by both liberals and conservatives as having caused the biggest cohort of Black African imprisonment in history. Yes, slavery & racial prejudice is a MAJOR cause of whatever negative disparities afflict Black America today. What I pointed out is that Black America in 1950 was in the middle of a trend of reduced poverty which reversed a few years after Great Society welfare was introduced.

Yes slavery & racial discrimination were MAJOR wrong, but they were DELIBERATE EVIL.

Welfare - supposedly devised to help Black America - REVERSED a lot of gains that were being made. It's not a coincidence that single parenthood started getting popular for ALL RACES when welfare was introduced. So yes, the same trend is happening with White Americans. There's copious studies outlining this.

This very liberal NPR station report from 2018 cites the data. Very easy to see.

https://whyy.org/articles/rate-of-births-to-white-single-moms-accelerates/

From the article - they blame inability of poor women to match up with economically stable men as a CAUSE of single parenthood. Which is wrong, but let's accept it. The REASON richer men are increasingly reluctant to marry poorer women is very clear to anyone paying attention.....it's another morality based policy making gone wrong, but let's not get into that here.

As with low-income minority women, many disadvantaged white women believe they’re better off having babies and cohabiting with men, or simply living on their own, than marrying men who are suffering economically, experts say.

Misunderstood as reckless people who use babies to leverage welfare cash, many single mothers actually are making rational decisions, based on meager circumstances and limited choices, experts say.

“There’s an economic basis for marriage, and if both spouses can’t earn livings, it takes away the underpinning for marriage,” said Deborah Weinstein, executive director of the Coalition on Human Needs, a Washington nonprofit that focuses on poverty.

“But it doesn’t take away the longing for children. So, children will be born in the absence of marriage.

“To us it’s clear, then, that poverty causes unwed motherhood.”

Welfare encourages single parenthood. For a poor woman, it's better to marry Uncle Sam who is far richer than most men out there.

About student loans, yes the cost of everything increased but NOT AS MUCH as college tuition.

Housing is a good example. In the same town I went to college, rent in the apartment I lived while in school has gone from $350 to $1200...the very same apartment, while tution has gone from $1500 to $15000. The difference is clear.

The Federal Reserve of New York did the definitive study almost a decade ago I think. It's well known, the conclusion is that 60% of tuition inflation is caused by student loan subsidy.

https://www.google.com/search?q=New+York+federal+reserve+study+on+student+loans+and+tuition+inflation&rlz=1C1NDCM_enUS837US837&oq=New+York+federal+reserve+study+on+student+loans+and+tuition+inflation&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTIHCAEQIRiPAjIHCAIQIRiPAtIBCTE4ODEyajBqOagCALACAQ&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

Many things cited by liberals as malevolence collapse in the face of systematic examination. They just don't hold up.

Good Luck to Nigerians.

cococandy:


You have equally been occasionally offensive, belittling and tone policing in your comments. Someone disagreeing with you or pointing out inconsistency is not rudeness. I could very well pick apart this your post and find areas that lean towards rudeness but that’s not why I’m here. So let’s move on.

I think if you’re against subsidies, it should be against subsidies for all. Not just no subsidies for individual but billions for corporations. That’s what republicans are good for. Giving corporations welfare from the public coffers and starving their citizens while telling them the wealth will trickle down.

Decades of trickle down economics has shown it’s not working. Corporations just get greedier because their greed is rewarded with more tax payer funds. So if anyone is doing the thing they’re complaining about, it’s republicans.

Interesting a cardinal thesis of the comment I posted was ignored.

SUBSIDIES CAUSE CORRUPTION and INFLATION. For that reason, I support scrapping ALL subsidies to everyone and every corporation.

Hillary Clinton complained about Trump getting tax write offs.

Trump replied that Senator Clinton and her colleagues wrote the rules.

It's on video, one of their 2016 debates. Anyone can look it up.

Why won't these politicians simply scrap corporate welfare? It's CORRUPTION enabled by subsidies. Simple, nothing complicated about it.

When it comes to subsidies and taxes, it's the liberals, socialists and leftists who want them. And when those government measures are applied, they generally hurt those it's supposed to help. Nigerians should be very aware of this because their country is heavily subsidized, but for whatever reason they just aren't interested in examining why their country is a Zoo...instead they're more interested in imposing the same structure on the countries they migrate to. The thing is mind blowing.

In the 1960's liberals in the USA complained about women's rights and especially Black women. So welfare was devised as a way of government helping women, but it was mostly directed at Blacks, Whites were accidental beneficiaries of these reparations for slavery. The historical record is clear about these Great Society programs.

I challenge ANYONE to go check the stats. In 1950 under Jim Crow the Black American middle class was growing fast with stable families where 80% of children were born into two parent homes. They were engaged in the same kind of migration we Nigerians have engaged in to search for better lives and they ended up in Chicago, New York, Philly and other great cities of the North. Then came the Welfare check.

Welfare intended to help Black Women has instead destroyed the Black American Family. I think I saw a stat that Black poverty rates now are HIGHER than in 1950. Why? Because in the USA and EVERY COUNTRY, single parenthood tends to produce poverty. Today over 75% of Black children are born into single parent homes. Which for the vast majority of them means poverty.

What good did the welfare subsidy do?

It provided jobs for countless government bureaucrats, many of whom get their jobs by who they know, via nepotism.

Welfare subsidizes CORRUPTION. Anyone can go online and check food stamp and welfare fraud, especially those committed by government clerks and managers who operate the system.

So let the government STOP subsidizing research. I support that. Corporations should make their money in the market place. If insulin is priced too high, nobody will buy. People will - and are right now - going abroad for some medicines and surgeries. It's a free market, take the government out of it.

We know who will cry "but the poor will suffer" AND "it's immoral, healthcare is a natural right".

We can go on and on.....student loans? These have caused an EXPLOSIVE inflation of college costs. When universities realize anyone can get a loan, they raise prices. Simple, it's a DIRECT relationship PROVEN by extensive research done by the New York Federal Reserve.

When I came to the USA, I worked for 2 years before starting college. I paid for my tuition CASH at a top State University, $1500 per year. Today the same school charges $15,000 per year tuition alone. Yes!!! Where does the money go? Professors get paid millions in research grants. And who knows the kind of nepotism and corruption around building and maintenance contracts. CORRUPTION, that's what it is.

Then the first President George Bush pushed to make loans more available and here we are. Today it's almost impossible for a low wage worker. In fact the heavy subsidy of student loans have made university education something that is fast becoming out of reach for the poor and middle class. I know MANY White American parents that simply decided against college for their children.

Liberal solution? Forgive all student loans, tax the plumbers, carpenters and dishwashers and use the money to pay the student loans of middle class people. It's crazy. And the Biden Administration EXPLICITY ignored Supreme Court rulings to do it for many loan deadbeats.

Now Nigeria has introduced student loans. No prizes for guessing how it will go for the POOR who supposedly NEED this help.

Good Luck to Nigeria.

Gerrard59:
Further reinforces my statement that the best country to japa to if your aim is making a sh!tload of money is God's Own United States!

Again, African Americans are the wealthiest set of black people. Few hours ago, I read someone wrote that it's easier to generate $1M in Nigeria than the US. A big fat lie! If it were so easy, why are there more poor people in Nigeria than many sub-Saharan African countries?

On the other hand, if you cannot migrate to the US, try to sell to Americans. Not only do they hav but plenty money, just like the Chinese, Japanese or Swiss, Americans spend a whole lot more than those nationals. The reason many countries don't want to piss off the US government.

God Bless Capitalism!

---

Special congratulations to Adebayo Ogunlesi. I wrote about him few years where I got to know that he was loaned to First Boston who later bought him over. Studied in the UK, but generated his wealth in the US. I love how the Chinese have grown, but the facts are stark clear, making a sh!tload of money would be easier to attain in the United States.

cc: IbeOkehie

Citing the super rich in any in any assessment of general, society wide wealth is surely misplaced. If it's not Dangote, someone is carping about Jeff Bezos. It would actually be more useful to analyze how these people got to become so wealthy. Again the HOW not the NOW.

Anyone living in the USA is very likely among the world 80th percentile in terms of personal or family HDI. That's an educated guess, it might be even better, definitely not much worse.

Good Luck to Nigerians.

I don't think you read my reply. Here's a repeat just in case.

cococandy:
It’s not entitlement to expect that the medications your tax dollars paid for the research and manufacture of should be affordable to you.

I would quote you but you might get upset about that.

Also not saying those companies are not entitled to compensation. They are. But to the extent that the people whose taxes are being used to fund the research and development can’t afford it? SMH

As long as the quote isn't rude, there's no problem.

Subsidies CAUSE corruption and high prices.

Anyone working or around academia and labs that get USA government funding knows this. There's complaints on this thread about CORRUPTION, government research funding is chock full of it.

Do I have to spell out the ways? The truth is that socialist and liberal idealogues have long seized on moral concerns and used it to EXPLOIT the government and subsidies created to fix problems they complain about. That's how Democrats have become the party of the CREDENTIALED class who collect government money by QUALIFICATIONS. Yep, all the PhD's vote Democrat while all the blue collar workers vote Republican.

Anyway I understand all these things. It's like the weather, hard to get upset because it's raining. Hopefully the clouds that have broken will lead to sustained sunshine. The USA can't go on like this, it just can't. Every reasonable person knows it. Thank goodness Trump won, hopefully he will set the country in a better direction.

Good Luck to Nigeria.

budaatum:


1) The USA is not massively subsidizing healthcare in other countries!

2) Your own politicians, who likely have shares in those companies and who also receive lobby money from them are the ones ripping you off of your tax money and not giving you the healthcare you deserve!

1) The rote denial of the existence of subsidies isn't a unique Nigerian schtick, but our people are especially craven in their denial of the obvious. Worldwide, if it's not outright denial, the next claim is that those paying the subsidy are not helping anyone and MUST continue to pay because....they're White people, America is bad, colonialism, that's the only benefit they get, because slavery, billionaires don't need their money or just something or the other. It's so bad.

Next they will tell us USA doesn't subsidize the military defense and readiness of Europe.

2) The generality of Nigerians voted for Muhammadu Buhari in 2015 because they believed his assertion that "fuel subsidy doesn't exist." Never mind that fuel subsidy has been paid in Nigeria since 1973 and Buhari was a Petroleum Minister and President during that period. As President of Nigeria in 1984 he even negotiated fuel subsidy with the IMF. Anyone can find the story in the NY Times, Financial Times and other journalistic records.

Tell the average Nigerian that the diaspora subsidizes the Nigerian economy to the tune of $20 billion per year and they will likely answer with some choice insults and potent curses. Such discussions abound all over Nairaland.

3) The discussion on this thread contains a good explanation of how the USA is subsidizing the world's healthcare. Still it's denied. That's OK, I can still sense the bewilderment. The next one that will shock is that Red States actually subsidize Blue States on federal taxes. Yeah, but put some SALT in it and ask the IRS. What's the point? It will still be denied.

4) Subsidies are the MAJOR cause of corruption....this is NOT news, I've been writing it ALL over Nairaland for years. Anyone that's serious about stopping corruption should generally support withdrawal of most subsidies. The rub is that generally liberals and socialists insist that subsidies must continue while crying about corruption, a COMPLETEY contradictory position.

If the USA government STOPS Novo Nordisk from doing business in the USA or simply asks everyone to pay for their own medicines, the same liberals will cry.

The USA is subsidizing the discovery of important, life saving medicines that reduce costs and morbidity over the long term all over the world, yet a Black African liberal can wave it off like it's nothing when our own people have likely not discovered or made available a single important medicine. Even modern malaria treatments have ALL been developed and commercialized by Caucasians and Asians.

There's no winning when arguing with an ideology that encourages ENTITLEMENT to other people's money and hard work. Entitlement is sweeeet. Yes. It's a world wide sickness but particularly pernicious among Black Africans. Which is why their Continent is the poorest in the world and will remain so for loooooong into the future. And I think I've made every cogent point that needs to be made.

Goodbye.

Good Luck to Nigerians.

budaatum:


If you were honest with your self, you'd say something stinks in USA for its citizens to be "subsidizing the entire Danish economy" instead of subsidising its own citizens healthcare.

I doubt its me you'd say something is wrong with if your money was feeding me while you starved, but correct me if I'm wrong please.

Oh. And its stock dropped because its fat drug it would have sold to you in US is a dud.

Again, stop personalizing. It's off putting. Come on.

My reply was for a mutual conversant, but I'll courteously give you a reply.

It's not about honesty, everyone has their own ideology and thus opinions. The best that can be said is that the results of our choices will be clear in 4 to 20 years. The best example of that is the policy choices made regarding fuel subsidy in Nigeria in 2012. The policies about tackling Covid were also debated, certain choices were made and massive world wide inflation was the result.

Most people have no idea at all that the USA massively subsidizes healthcare in other countries. It's not part of any conventional conversation about the cost of our healthcare but the experts know the truth of the matter. It's easy to criticize, but the GLP's that are the subject this morning are miracle drugs and the ONLY reason companies like Lilly and Novo Nordisk put effort into inventing them is the expectation of profit FROM THE USA. Anyone can argue anything, that true and simple FACT can never be taken away. I'm a pharmacist and I dispense these drugs everyday. I know they're making a difference.

By the way, the trial failure for the new Novo Nordisk drug was about COMPARED EFFICACY to other alternatives, not about side effects or dosing. The drug itself works, just not as good as others out there. It's not a dud. The payments game for meds is another subject altogether, best left alone here.

The next popular frontier for medicine is dementia medicines for diseases like Alzheimers. Many people all over have elderly relatives with dementia and I'm sure those in middle age are thinking about their own risks for the next 20 to 40 years of life remaining. USA subsidies for healthcare are right now driving drug companies all over the world to search for cures in that area. Whatever the arguments, people worldwide in every developed country should be thanking the USA for bearing the burdens that make miracle drugs possible.

Good Luck to Nigeria

Gerrard59:

It is funny how some people malign capitalism yet use the results of its system and work in profit-oriented organisations.

Further to the point on how the evil capitalist USA subsidizes European healthcare...

1) Novo Nordisk is an European drug company of the country Denmark.

Today the shares of the company dropped by about 20%. So I was listening to Bloomberg and the news anchor said "Novo Nordisk is basically the same as the Danish stock market" That got me interested, so I did a cursory look around.

2) Novo Nordisk gets over 70% of its sales from the USA.

3) Novo Nordisk sells its latest popular GLP injections for $1500 in the USA and less than $300 in Canada and Europe.

4) Novo Nordisk is about 2.5% of the Danish stock market.

Here's a little blob from Wikipedia...only for a quick look, one can research other authoritative sources....

4) The Novo Nordisk market capitalization of $570 billion is larger than the entire economy of Denmark,

5) Its $2.3 billion income tax bill for 2023 made it the largest taxpayer in the country, and its rapid growth was driving nearly all of the expansion of Denmark's economy.

It looks like the USA is subsidizing the entire Danish economy 😳 Something stinks in Denmark for sure.

Denmark is one of the most liberalized free markets in Europe. So you can imagine what the USA is doing for the others that are more socialist oriented.

It's really time for America First. I wish Mr Trump the best in his quest to MAGA.

Good Luck to Nigeria.

basilico:

The gnashing and wailing has not begun yet.

Oga take am easy. Na beg I dey beg. We're all brothers and sisters still.



Good Luck to Nigeria!

casualobserver:


This is becoming pedantic. This is not a theoretical economics exam. The context was a discussion of the Naira gains occasioned by the floating of the currency. Floating in our case led to devaluation.

There is a place for academic exercises, it’s called the classroom.

Hmmm. Maybe. Nigerians misconstrue a lot of things and thus create confusion. Which informs popular opinion that supports bad policy.

Nigerians think their electricity system is privatized and deregulated.

Nigerians think individuals can own land in Nigeria.

People need to to be informed with as much detail as possible. It matters.

Sorry if I bugged you out. I actually enjoy your commentary 🤣

Pawa100:
Government of Borrowing and Rice Palliative ............ Of the federal Republic of Generator

Nigerians voted for it. Blame THE PEOPLE.



Good Luck to Nigerians.

news247:
Ask your papa

That's rude. Why? You're having a discussion or argument. Goodness.

casualobserver:


Floating the Naira implies devaluation. There are different types of currency floats. That the parallel market exists does not mean the currency has not been floated.

We’ve been here before. I hope they get it right. Floating or Devaluation without exports is just pain and reduction in purchasing power.

Float does NOT imply devaluation. A floating currency goes UP or DOWN.

In 2015 the Central Bank of Switzerland FLOATED their currency and it GAINED 20% value overnight. They had been suppressing it to increase exports.

https://www.google.com/search?q=swiss+national+banks+float+frank+2015&oq=swiss+national+banks+float+frank+2015&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTIHCAEQIRigATIHCAIQIRigATIHCAMQIRigATIHCAQQIRigATIHCAUQIRigAdIBCTEzMDYyajBqN6gCFLACAQ&client=ms-android-samsung-gn-rev1&sourceid=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8

I do wonder if the Swiss had a black market for their currency back then. 🤔

Yes indeed there's different kinds of float. The kind of flaot operated by the richest countries is FREE FLOAT. Nigeria has operated a MANAGED FLOAT since circa 1985 or 1986. The CBN dictates the naira price and still does today. That's why a black market exists.

The USA Federal Reserve does NOT dictate the price of USD. It moves freely according to what the market wants.

The export thing is crazy 🤪 Nigeria has made the export of yam and granite ILLEGAL. So even if naira is devalued to ZERO, there can be no gain from export of those items.

cc Gerrard

Good Luck to Nigeria.

nairalanda1:


Tinubu cut subsides only, you people cried. GEJ, Buhari did the same, you guys cried....so why are you praising a leader who cut a lot of subsides?

Note that while Jonathan was kicked out of office, Buhari was re-elected despite terrible performance.

I have a question for you. Do you think Tinubu will lose an election held TODAY in Nigeria?

I think Tinubu will win today and also in 2027. The point being that TRIBAL LOYALTY plays a part in the attitude of Nigerians to government policy. DIVERSITY is not strength, it's very problematic for a democracy.

Anyway thanks 😊

Good Luck to Nigeria.

casualobserver:


1: subsidy removal simply means we no longer borrow to pay for subsidy. It isn’t money we had and save due to subsidy removal. It is additional debt we save. Understand the difference! You can’t save. What you never had to begin with.

2: FG only gets 15% of the VAT collected. Ask your governors where the VaT money is.

3: the sensible question is where is the gain from floating the Naira and again the majority of it goes to the governors. Again ask your governors what they are doing with the windfall!

1) Very correct.

2) This makes sense, it might be correct

3) Wrong. First the naira has been DEVALUED. It's not in a FREE FLOAT. The EVIDENCE is the ~1200/$ difference between the CBN and black market price of naira.

The only way that Nigeria and Nigerians can gain from the devalued naira is by adopting Free Market principles.

Examples abound.

Devaluation is an incentive for exports, but it's ILLEGAL to export yam and granite from Nigeria. So those POTENTIAL GAINS are canceled and forfeited.

A good and stable electricity system helps increase productivity. Unfortunately the electricity system is completely controlled by government and as with all things controlled by government, it is inefficient, corrupt and unproductive, resulting in SCARCITY.

All land is owned by government. This discourages investment and production.

Thanks.

Good Luck to Nigeria.

ObaIgwe1:


Study APC manifesto for Buhari's election in 2015. Brilliant ideas put together by Kayode Fayemi and others.

1. Bad leadership
2. Bad Leadership and
3. Bad leadership.

When Africa start putting in place less greedy leaders and we develop a working and sincere institution to check and balance our leaders, Africa will progress at great speed, because Africa has an enormous resources not to be poor.

I would suggest you look into the government of Julius Nyerere in Tanzania. He was a national leader acknowledged for his sincerity, selflessness and genuine desire for progress.

Nobody anywhere ever accused him of any kind of corruption. He didn't try to be a life President. He died poor. He's an acknowledged role model of the selfless leader. And he was a SOCIALIST.

https://www.google.com/search?q=julius+nyerere+government+tanzania&oq=julius+nyerere+government+tanzania&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTIHCAEQIRigATIHCAIQIRigATIHCAMQIRigATIHCAQQIRigATIHCAUQIRigATIHCAYQIRifBdIBCTE0MTQ0ajBqN6gCFLACAQ&client=ms-android-samsung-gn-rev1&sourceid=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8#ip=1

The question to be asked is what he achieved in Tanzania. He left the country poorer than he met it. And he implanted a socialist philosophy that will NEVER make the country prosper.

Almost all of Black Africa is a socialist hell. Too much government, too much price regulations, too much government ownership of the factors of production. The PEOPLE have gotten to the point where they hate to reward productivity. That's why Black Africa is poor and will remain so for decades to come.

It's the system that's the problem. The leaders of China are just as corrupt as African leaders. China is richer now because the elites were enlightened enough to see the benefits of market capitalism. Nigerians prefer Buhari style command economics and will continue to suffer the consequences.

Good Luck to Nigeria 🙄

grandstar:


Many of you are simply ignorant.

Tinubu didn't cause the mess on ground; Buhari did! Tinubu is simply taking care of the mess.

Blame 8 years of bad economic policies under Buahri for the mess on ground and not Tinubu.

But it was Bola Tinubu who enabled Buhari's electoral victory in 2015. Everyone knows that.

<sigh>

Good Luck to Nigeria.

CodeTemplar:
Silly lies.

Chineke !!! Wetin?

That Federal & State owned Universities are more corrupt than the private owned universities? That's a lie



OK, don't mind my comments.

Good Luck to Nigeria.

ObaIgwe1:


1) The fact that The West has been able to build a system to check it while African is just preparing to build a system to check it does not mean it is not inherent in many individuals in the west.

2) IMO, Trump, but for the check and balances in the American system is like a typical African leader, greedy and selfish.

3) Nigeria and indeed Africa is not in this backward state because they have no idea, education or knowledge of the way out. Many of the African Governments when coming to power have brilliant policies and programs to lift up their countries, but soon as they got to power, greed set in either directly from the leader himself or from most of the Government appointees, and with no systemic check, all the brilliant ideas get derailed.

4) IMO, you have little understanding of Nigeria and African history. South Africa education and economy advantage was developed long before 1990.

1) That the West, particularly the Anglos, have built sustainable democratic systems is attributable to an innate culture & ability to build such. While the English were giving their people with successive waves of democratic empowerment, Black Africans were busy selling their people into slavery. In fact the persistence of despicable class systems like the Osu among the Igbo in this day and age says a lot.

2) Trump may be greedy and impulsive or racist or whatever, but HIS PEOPLE have built a system to keep him in check. That's the point. Everyone shall hopefully be alive to judge after 4 years.

3) The problem with Black Africa is an evolved CULTURE OF SOCIALISM. Read some of the comments from well probably well educated participants on this thread championing subsidies and price controls and condemning free markets. Mark it down - Nigeria will NEVER become a developed nation until it commits to a free market system. There's an ECONOMIC definition of development that everyone can check into.

4) I understand the Nigerian economy more than most. My comment history is open to view. Most Nigerian law graduates don't understand that all land in their country is owned by government. That's a basic factor for economic productivity, so if they don't understand that what hope is there for development?

Most university educated Nigerians voted for Muhammadu Buhari in 2015. Enough said.

The proof is in the results. Over half a century of educating the people in independent Nigeria has produced the Poverty Capital of the World.

Good Luck to Nigerians.

CodeTemplar:
...and that's down to mismanagement. Power subsidy has replaced petrol and is always rising. Even in darkness. That is corruption. Govt increased the rate and most customers are paying the rate so what is the point of increasing subsidy? It shows you that wherever the money is, corruption will always be there and the solution is to eliminate corruption.

THE CAUSE of CORRUPTION is subsidies and government ownership of productive assets & companies.

EVIDENCE -

compare corruption in private and government universities.

compare corruption in the telecoms BEFORE and AFTER privatization and deregulation of the sector.

You mentioned forex subsidy. Round tipping is a form of corruption facilitated by forex subsidy and regulated price.

In the USA the major form of corruption in the crude oil and natural gas sector involves ALLOCATION of wells located on government owned lands. Look up USA BLM oil leases scandal OIG report.

Anyone that doesn't understand these truths just doesn't want to.

Good Luck to Nigerians.