Personally, while i admire Buhari's personal values, i doubt he posseses the requisite flexibility needed the govern a society as multifaceted as ours.

Congratulations GEJ. I'm waiting now for a justification of my vote.

As for Buhari, I guess we'll go thru the drama of a supreme court saga and all. Personally, i fail to see how it can end positively for him considering that the 2007 elections (even UMYA acknowledged they were flawed) werent overturned. Well, since he has money to spend, i'm sure there are fat lawyers around to take it. Then again, strange things are happening worldwide,

the sacked officials are political apointees, serving at the governor's pleasure, helping him actualise his vision. For politicians, that vision will usually include winning elections. If they cannot deliver thier areas, he has every right to let them go, moreso, the allegations that some worked against the interests of the government in which they served.

Oshiomole has every right to sack any aides he feels no longer contribute to him actualising his vision for the state, whatever that vision may be.

babasoty:

Jega might wanna do a good job, but note that he can't monitor everything, he is one man, there are REC that might undo him, there was a startling revelation donald duke made back then on how governors rig elections, i pray Jega would re-visit that explosive from duke, GEJ might want a credible poll, after all he has been sounding it to his folks in PDP, but would they listen ?, that's the problem-- most governors would want to be seen as delivering their states and they'd go at any length to do that---In that scenerio would you blame GEJ, lets look at what happened at the PDP primaries as an eye opener, GEJ cleared a lot of the northern states, even in states you'd think he'd be thrashed but the governors delivered him, would you say he rigged himself to win, Nigerian Politics hasn't yet advanced to that stage where it's one man one vote, if vote-buying still goes on then its not one man one vote.

Lets all wait till after the elections then we'd see--- as for naija burning cus GEJ wins--- whoever thinks of that is still in neverland, and needs to wake up.

How nice of donald duke to tell us how he rigged in Cross River. in the fullness of time,

They are free to pelt away. Just dont know how that'll impact on the end result

1. To win the presidential election, a majority of votes + geographic spread is required. GEJ does not have to win the Northern states. I doubt his strategists are even working on that option. What he needs is to split the votes in the states he obviously will not win,added to the states he's banking on; then work on the geographic spread  (i.e the number of states he wins viz 36+1 states of the federation).

So its not really necessary for him to win the northern states, just to get votes from there.

2. All the allusion to rigging in the elections, FACT: all parties rig in Nigeria. and elections here have ALWAYS been rigged. It should, and hopefully will change as time goes on, just not this year.

3. As an observer of 3 previous elections, what will happen on a election day will happen. As far as Lagos and Kano remain calm, nothing will happen (its why PDP always leaves those states alone). I don't think Nigerians have changed substantially since the PDP moon-slide of 2007 for the politicians to loose any sleep about their antics.

In my opinion- Buhari will make a strong showing in the core north states, his party may even win some governorships, GEJ will win the SS, SE, and a chunk of the Middle belt states, the SW is open for grabs, but being politically astute as the establishment there is, i wager they'll deliver the presidency to GEJ and everything else to their own interests (Dont know what the strange marriage with Ribadu will yield)

A key factor in this election will be Geographic spread, given information available now, only GEJ can pull that off (rigging or not)

Kobojunkie:

^^^^ Not necessarily. Some mirrors are more up to date than others. I was unable to find the link myself but someone else accessing a different mirror was ( not this particular leak).

I'll check again tomorrow. if its not been updated then the info is officially crap

Then again, if anyone believes that Jonathan voting 4 times could have won PDP 2007, the divorce from reality has been ratified by heaven.
And if it was pointless for him to vote 4xs (when John Paul, Mike Tyson, Nelson Mandela, & numerous other world figures were on the voter roll and exercised franchise!) beats me why he would bother.

Logically, doesnt make sense. Still inclined to believe the story is trash, whatever the source

1. Google "Wikileaks"
2. Open Website
3. Search for Cables originating from "Embassy in Abuja"
4. Reach conclusion that this information is absolute crap

When someone cooks up all this falsehood, don't they realize we also know how to check wiki-leaks?






Other points to Ponder

1. Since when did Embassy cables start concerning themselves with state governors (of what use is the situation in Edo state & Oshiomole's actions when America is formulating foreign policy?)

2. Why couldn't 234Next give a direct link to the wikileaks page in question?

3. might be wrong, but is this the first cable "BLAIR" is signing off on (Thought Ambassador Sanders always signs off)

The very nature of wikileaks is widely accessible information. The site and its promoters do not deal in exclusives. None we have heard of so far. Fancy 234Next landing the exclusive (not very likely, not impossible, just not likely)

conclusion:- This cable is a hoax and the info is pure and absolute horse radish

"Impossible" is a term relative to the point in time it refers to and the conditions therein.

Of course there are other issues, but key in our own context is the Nigerian state's ability to use oil revenues, like Algeria or Saudi Arabia, to aid in pacifying internal discontent; witness how the Niger Delta unrest has been "handled", or the recent Saudi $37Billion package.  

For now, more people benefit from the system than not so the status quo is likely to prevail. Our system may be crude and inefficient, but its worked so far. Cant tell about the future though.

9ijaMan:

And it won't take long before the wave of revolution knocking just next door (in Cameroun) comes to sweep you and your benefactor GEJ away!

Nigerians should vote wisely, perhaps we may be able to save ourselves the trouble of going through what Tunisians, Egyptians, Bahranis, Yemenis, Jordanians, Algerians, Camerounians have passed/are passing through.

Vote BB-2011 to salvage what is left of Nigeria.

You would have been more apt if you refered to the revolution sweeping away the system that produces the leaders who have violated our society in the past.

The comparison between Biya of Cameroun and GEJ is wrong on so many levels not least Biya's 20+ years in Power against GEJ's 2?

And a palatable as the prospect looks, I'll be pleasantly suprised when we work thru all the labels dividing us nigerians (north, south, hausa, Yoruba, igbo, muslim, christain, university, polytecnic,, ) and put up a revolution. Alas, the "African Spring" is a while off i reckon.

And yes, i intend to vote GEJ (if i make the 5 hr drive to my villa where i registered. Yes, i'm tribalistic that way)

And as for saving ourselves the trouble, dont bother. Everything has its time, even the Nigerian revolution, its time will come, just not 2011.

Many ways to look at this

1. A sitting President in Nigeria running an election and loosing - not a likely scenario in 2011 (Maybe 2054?)

2. A Hausa man with no home base (that is what he is and why he was picked) with a Yoruba running mate (with not the slightest brush with politics), this just after OBJ's 8 years - Not very likely (Me thinks they're more for poster value)

3. Buhari (much respect for the principles and the man) and the Pastor (No political experience and we all know how Pastors fare in this terrain) - So so. Good showing in the Core north state. But fact is, the elites in his base would be glad to see his back.

4. Nigeria (After all the pontification and mental utopian contrsucts) - I'd place my bets with GEJ.

One way or the other, I have a strong feeling I'll see him in Eagle Square come May 29.

And the time of trouble's begin.

The inability of the existing political & socio-economic order to cater for a growing world population is just beginning to manifest.

Ghadaffi and his fellow members in the 2 decade club may just yet ride out this wave, but make no mistake, change is upon us and it will not relent until sated.

Personally, i believe the world is moving into a period of troubles akin to Europe's when the feudal system collapsed. The transition to a new order usually takes longer than a few years. And eventually that transition will catch up with Nigeria (i wonder if it hasnt already)

As for Ghadaffi, the question now is not if he (or the system he represents) will fall but when.

I'm a bit confused about the Ribadu ticket.

From where i'm looking, its a non-starter. Which zone will the man win? We can pontificate all we like, but a candidate without a base in his home state brings what exactly to the party? Ribadu's good press for ACN (whatever that is worth) but in the general elections, i'm not so sure he'd even win in the ACN states.

Ask me and i'd say Ngige is keeping his Senatorial ticket where he stands a chance of actually getting elected. No more vain glory for him,

No. Non-negotiable. Rather end the relationship than lash out.

but that's my take. Some relationships thrive on abuse. exceptions to every rule i guess.

1. Commitment
2. Shared Interests (natural or cultivated)
3. Honesty & Trust

Everything else na jara

True talk.

Its not the BBC's job (or any of the western media for that matter) to present our country to their viewers in a wholly positive light. That is the job of Nigerians. They are funded by and cater to their nationals and interests and so far present facts and opinions in a manner that will best serve the interests of their nationals and interests.

If we have a grudge with that, then lets start presenting ourselves in a more positive light, individually, as a people, and as a nation. Explain a situation where in an international airport in the full glare of different nationalities, two or more Nigerians gather and start yapping about everything wrong with Nigeria. There are a lot of things not right with Nigeria but i doubt its alone among nations in that regard.

That having being said, its simply a matter of PERSPECTIVE. The west can believe what they want and choose to believe, the question is, as a Nigerian, what do YOU believe about your country?

In the end, in the middle of the night, when all is calm; what decision will make u happy? Make THAT decision.

1. April fool,  tell your teacher you're a fool,  had me there for a bit.
2. People, lighten up. And if the Pope resigns nko? Google it, its happened before. Not once as a matter of fact. The world went along quite well actually.
3. In this case his resignation will achieve what while the structure that permitted these infractions remains unchanged? The Catholic Church was built over 2000 years, i reckon it'll be around for a while longer. It does need to streamline its act with current reality though.

After the despoil, the man goes on TV to say, i'm proud to be the first man on TV to say i'm sorry for despoiling you.

Though the whole thing reads like some sort of joke, I guess its a step, but its all about the bottom line. It's up to the ND to decide how they want to engage Shell BP, if they have the capacity to so engage. They shouldnt be under any illusions of universal Brotherhood and ethics, its all about Shell's investment in ND. Of course the Nigerian Govt is culpable in this affair, but thats another matter.

N100B is a lot of money in any currency, but as someone posted earlier on, its the Bayelsans' to fritter away as they choose. It doesnt make it right, but the rest of us cannot change who they choose to let rob them blind and how they choose to let it happen. Besides, one can hardly blame the people of Bayelsa for the present affliction in "Glory Land". Anyone who has witnessed elections in the ND know that 98% of the results are rigged. Lets call this the spoils of war. (Again, its not right, but its happening)

As for the ND people's problems, we do not know the half of it, lets just tend our own backyards. (Do you know how much was voted for security by your state Guv?)

For years, Port Harcourt's story has been one of unrelenting gas flares, oil spills within the general geographic area, and haphazard disposal of industrial waste of indeterminate nature. Funny that we're worried about acid rain now.

"Stir the waters to catch fish"

the babble of the rabble.

Finally realise that sheeple wouldnt recognise the truth even if it hit them on the head with a bat.

See the debts these banks carry on their books and Sanusi is the Villan?

Somehow the fact that less than 0.5% of our population owe these debts has thus far failed to register!!!!!!!

I wonder if this discussion would be happening if this "Villan" hadnt done what he did?

I wonder what we'd be talking about now? hmmmmmmm

RoadStar:

^^^^
Bernanke cannot take all the blame for the subprime crisis. No one foresaw the coming situation.
Plus the US system or citizenery are not interested in mud throwing.
If your job is to fix a problem, you fix it.

What a responsible CBN governor will do on taking office is to paint the market positive and then go on to talk about improvements and express concerns were applicable.
This is combination will instill confidence and attract investors to the Nigerian markets.
That is what a Soludo & Bernanke did.
Not that what they said on taking over was their candid opinion.

Sanusi first action was to create panic in the markets.
It was laughable when after he had slandered Nigerian banks as being widely corrupt and insolvent, he was then acting all surprised that Nigeria was degraded by S&P.
All Nigerian banks experienced rigorous credit rating downgrades which has led to their inability to access previously established international credit.
Is this commendable by your standards.
@biina No one is saying sanusi is doing the wrong thing but he approach is totally wrong and damaging.

Bernanke, King and Soludo have one thing in common.
They kept on saying till the last minute that things were not very bad. (But we all know things were).
Can you guess why they did it ?
While Soludo was saying that the banks were sound.
At the same time he was creating EDW.

Same with king, who was availing about 60 billion pounds to RBS, LLoyds and Nothern rock all in secret.

Like Condoleeza Rice quoted in Abuja last month.
"The presidency is bigger than the president".
So also the office on the CBN governor is not about person in charge.

Soludo did what he had to do at the time.
His priority was invigorating the Nigerian economy through a vibrant banking system.
If he was still there I trust he would've done what needs to be done now but not the Sanusi way.
Same did bernanke.
Now the crisis has cooled Bernanke and King are talking about eliminating too big to fail Banks.
Emphasizing risk management.
Insurance against failure etc.

Sanusi strikes me as someone who's suffering from a complex.
Hes got nothing to prove.
Qualified or not, he's been appointed CBN governor and he needs to see the Banking sector as something he should protect and not fight against.
In 5 years Sanusi will be judged by his impact on the banking sector and not on the number of banks that did not fail !

. The word "Panic" in recent financial history, isnt unique to our national lexicon. It was just delayed in its use viz topic under discussion.
. The Banker's WERE reckless (mustn't forget "allegedly" with shareholder & depositor funds
. There WAS a bubble in asset prices and a CONSEQUENT crash across board (Stocks, real estate, Commodities, etc)
. The Banker's did place some risky bets, they lost out, BIG TIME (native wisdom: when wind blow, fowl backside go show)
. It is NOT gospel, the path Bernanke, King, & Soludo chose to take. Not every nation towed that path. Let's review the efficacy of their approach in say, 5 years.
. People ARE (still) loosing jobs and homes in the US and UK, and most of the capitalist world for that matter (Except the BRIC Nations apparently). Stimulus, bailouts, and boondoogles notwithstanding.


Finally, i believe that things done in secret are rarely in the public's interest (especially when they help interests cover up mistakes that border on criminal ("allegedly".)

The internet will do for the world what the printing press did for Europe in medieval times:- A societal Paradigm shift. in Europe, the explosion of knowledge and information marked the beginning of the end for feudalism and monarchy, what it portends for Naija is yet unclear, but if this pronouncement is anything to go by,  well, i siddon look.

For the judge, i wait to see how his pronouncement will be enforced (or if at all it can, cant vouch for the computer literacy of the enforcers).

Seriously, is this exchange to be based on a point of view championed by the "Renaissance Professionals" whose position on issues relating to recent events in the Banking sector is well known (& advertised)? I believe the lawyers call it "after the fact". I call it "crying over spilt milk".

How I see it:-

1. Soludo appointed CBN Guv (as the sun rises)
2. Soludo consolidated (in good faith) but failed to regulate (motive unclear)
3. Unprecedented boom in asset prices occured (fueled by easy American credit)
4. Exponential rise in Oil price (our major forex earner); Banking Cowboys (most of them) went wild & took advantage
5. Crash follows (natural consequence of bubble; Oil price crashes, party's over)
6. Soludo opens EDW (in good faith i believe)
7. Sanusi appointed CBN Guv (things change)
8. Sanusi did what he did (stuff happens, premeditated or otherwise)
9. Renaissance Professionals among those sent to graze on "greener grass on the other side"
10. Banking sector saner & more reflective of reality (purely personal opinion formed from balance sheets viz economic activity)

PapaBrowne:

                                          [size=24pt]UP UP UP [/size]

                                        [size=30pt]JONATHAN!!! [/size]

                       For performing wonders barely 4 weeks of being president!!

please give him time to learn the ropes

a fixed deposit in Nigeria is

1. the safest place to keep ur money
2. the lowest return ur money will legally get in Naija

if u'v got any business sense, ur much better off investing ur money, the returns far outpace anything the banks will give u. And naija teems with investment oppourtunities if u'v got the stomach for risk and hard work.

seriously??!!!!

two things.

1. hubris

2. does she have a choice?

KunleOshob:

@dinngle
The fact that Nigerian customs service decided to frustrate the Tinapa project [probabaly for political reasons] and Donald's successor Liyel Imoke is too imcompetent to follow up does not take credit away from Donald Duke, his achievements in Cross river are lengendary and Tinapa is just one of the numerous achievements. Even at that it is just a matter of time Tinapa is still going to boom you can't stop an idea whose time as come you can only slow it down. Studio tinapa would soon be open for business the whole of Nollywood film productions, commercial adverts and documentaries would soon be done there that a lone promises to pull thousands of patrons to Tinapa on a monthly basis.

That you could walk a mile in our shoes!

dinggle:

You are a hyprocrite it is because of people like you that Nigeria is has become a recycling bin, where politicians are recycled over and over again. Whats the essence of going to school if the older generation have decided never to retire? Donald stinks and he knows it. You are praising Donald for doing less than what he should have done. Where is the supposedly Tinapa project today?, how many jobs has it created? how functioning is it today?, remember we were made to believe it would turn calabar to a trading hub a.k.a the dubai of Africa!

Another ill concieved, poorly executed, vain glorious project to grace our landscape. They provide good photo ops, nice press, and negative value to society. Of course, initially, it looks good, until it becomes another Jos steel rolling mill.

naijaking1:

Letters of credit are not the only indicator of a healthy banking system, but it's one of the most important especially in the eyes of foreign business partners. Perception of our financial stability by foreign partners is directly related to issuance of letters of credit for importation of goods and services, but without lecturing you about letters of credit, I'm surprised that you should even ask that question.

What's next? That lending money is a good measure of banking strenght? And when Dangote had to shopping for loans overseas, what do you say about our own local banking strenght? The interests from these loans could easily employ a few thousand more Nigerians.

Nobody has ever said that things were perfect under Soludo, but unlike Sanusi, Soludo seemed to know that creating wealth, prospering the economy, and maintaining a stable banking industry is like the proverbial "sausage making"----the process if often dirty, but needs continuous and persistent cleaning up, regulation, and updates without stopping the whole process, because people really need those sausages.

1. The basis of the Nigerian economy is sadly, Oil. Our economy will swing between highs and lows based on the international price of the product. Soludo & the political class of 07 were indeed lucky to have been in the saddle in such a fortuitous time. Soludo did no magic of wealth creation. His consolidation policy allowed the Banks to (if I may) "spread the wealth, a lot of which went to creating a raging bubble in the stock market as the absorptive capacity of our economy was and is still quite limited. At the zenith of the bubble, i doubt the portfolio of bank lending to productive enterprise approached 30% of thier total credit portfolio (lets not even talk about SMEs).