Bushwick:

I want 2 go 2 the press 2 highlight this deplorable situation, does anyone have any suggestions?

BushWick BushWick BushWick I don't mean to be nasty, but i can't help but laugh out loud everytime I read this your fantastic amazing thread,

BushWick BushWick, please save your money and forget going to the press, please I beg you.

Mamajama:

Yes the world bank is benefitting from the loot and so is FRANCE. They refused to cooperate with EFCC in repatriating IBBs loot.

And I wonder why Has he (IBB) spread some of Nigeria's wealth judiciously around the Paris Club? A good student always tries 2 be better than his teacher, and in Nigeria's case, we have certainly surpassed our corrupt western colonials in the art of corruption.

Can Ribadu please explain how OBJ can afford his own insecticide spraying planes for Otta Farm, apart from his $24m private jet?

biggerboy:

Folish and meaningless post!!

Couldn't put it better! FSU (Foolishness Stupidity United)

@poster

BushWick BushWick BushWick

So why do these foreign banks continue to accept these huge sums of money from govt officials? They must be benefitting & getting kickbacks too, nobody gives a f***k about africa man, including africans themselves.

Kobojunkie:


Even I am for Solar Panels for the meantime but you have to remember we are speaking of Nigeria here. A Country with over 50% unemployment and over 75 Million people living very poor. Solar panel will just come in like so many other things have in the past. Those who can afford it, get it and then soon, everyone wants one and then before you know it, the market is plugged full of fakes and low quality products and then we are unable to get rid of the mess to follow. I know of the risk involved with this nuclear thing and to be honest with you, I will vote to have experts or people who actually know what they are doing to come in to build and teach our own people how to manage and maintain this for the next 100 years if need be.

I mean for rich persons who can afford the panels, I say go for it but for the 140 million nigerians, either we get NEPA back to work AND focus on the future NOW or we forget and enjoy the sun while it is up during the day.

Gosh you're funny! So it has reached to that point eh?

Nuclear power will certainly go a long way in solving the energy crisis. However, if we cannot maintain transformers, oil pipelines, refineries and other critical state infrastructure, how can we maintain a nuclear power plant? We certainly don't want another Chernobyl in nigeria. I was suggesting solar panels coz I'm running out of solutions for this problem

netotse:

u're right! if ders no market dey wont be stolen!i saw something in the papers recently sbout an ipp deal for some industrial estates in kano sha maybe ders hope

That Kano thing has been going on since 1999, no progress at all, and they're still on it. The main consultant got frustrated working with kano state officials. The project was partly to be sponsored by the Islamic Development Bank (IDB), who also got frustrated with the kano state officials. Something that should be done in two weeks takes 8 months becoz everyone is trying to squeeze something out of the first installments to be paid by the bank.

Now the kano state governor has won a second term, wait and see if anything will transpire.

And these are just a handful.  What of all their deputies, ministers, DGs, central bank governor (infact former central bank governor Ahmed, I think thats his name, I don't see him name on the list), former military state governors, ambassadors, secretaries to govt of the federation (SGFs), heads of parastatals, Ajakouta Steel Rolling Mills (another silent loot hole), and the list goes on, what if we were to account for all these people's ill-gotten wealth, the amounts become incomprehensible.

Ribadu should just shut up and seek appointment as Otta Farm Chief security officer.

drealone:

I told my girlfriend how much i earn,how much i bought my car and she gets too demanding.If i refuse to give she complains and we fight a lot.The last time i asked her why she likes seeing me she said because shes going to get money from me.Can you please share your view

Oh boy run, which kind girl be this one. My friend if you fight becoz you refuse 2 give her money then she's obviously after ur money, and the day you are down, you will see her in the next man's BMW. Carry go my friend, she doesn't deserve your transparency and honesty.

If its widely available and cheap and it provides energy, then there won't be a market for the stolen goods, but with transformers they power several houses and they're expensive, so there will always be somewhere 2 sell it, I may be wrong though, some people would rather pay pittence for stolen goods no matter how cheap the available product is. Man its difficult digesting nigeria's power problem, every angle you scrutinise, naijas are one step ahead.

Na wa O. Check this link out, maybe nigerians should start budgeting for this when building their houses:

http://www.diy.com/diy/jsp/bq/templates/content_lookup.jsp?content=/content/buyers_guides/energy/index.jsp&noleftnav=true&bqrefcmp=PPCSearch&bqrefcre=EnergyEfficiency

Gosh, I've just realised that most nigerian kids born in the last decade or so, do not know anything like steady power supply.

The money looted from these few individuals is enough to

1. Provide a computer with internet connection in every home and school in nigeria
2. A fully well equipped hospital in every one of nigeria's local government area
3. 10 Super highways linking Kano to Lagos with 360 smaller road networks springing from these highways
4. Develop a peaceful nuclear energy program that will sustain nigeria with uninterrupted power supply for 50 years
5. Provide adequate housing for 50 million nigerians
6. Revive the Natioanal Carrier (Nigerian Airways) to be fit for purpose both internationally and domestically

Just a handful of people have deprieved 140million nigerians from these benefits. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE!

So everyone don become electrical engineer by force

Kobojunkie:

uuummm, I used to tamper with the Meter myself when I was younger. Switch wires here and there until someone from inside the house shouts to let you know that the light was on. You just get to a point where reason goes out the door and survival becomes the name of the game

Una well done oh! This one na improvisation abi intuition

Kobojunkie:

People have been doing that for years and many have learnt the art of re-stealing those transformers back.

My God, don't they get electrocuted? Aren't they scared? Lagos & Kano States were supposedly implementing independent power supply projects with foreign companies, I wonder what happened or is happening to those projects, or is it just another scam?

netotse:

they can do a lot, part of the reason the speaker left was because of the media hype!, sometimes think of mailing some of the coloumnists in thisday to ask that the do an indepth piece on corruption in nepa but thing is they'll prolly mess it up! and also i don't have any standing there(no real sources)but if there were to be a serious story on it ders no how things wont happen!

Very true, media can do alot in forcing change in naija. On this note, I'd like 2 point out that I heard some members of the public also go round stealing transformers and wiring? So this problem is very complex, why don't we try alternative forms of energy.

Really I can understand why all the qualified and educated professionals are leaving that country (though its not healthy 4 the country) but how can one work in such a system.  So please can anyone tell me what exactly the current media outlets we have are doing to expose these scams?

Kobojunkie:

Someone posted earlier on this thread or another that the problem is these politicians do not listen to those who actually know what is needed but go off to do what they want and then excuses pile up from there, like the claim that they ordered the wrong transmitters or was it transistors or something , WHY IN THE WORLD DID THEY NOT RETURN THEM TO GET THE RIGHT ONES INSTEAD? WHY WHY?

The very fact that they ordered the wrong transformers (or watever) just shows you the degree at which the whole project was managed.  For God sake how can a country that is embarking on power projects order the wrong products?  Was there no planning, no feasibility study, just release funds to any old fool to go and order transformers?  Thats crazy man!

@kobojunkie

Very true. You have a point and I will be more than glad 2 see more media scrutiny with regards to educating nigerians. However, bear one thing in mind, the nigerian media is highly politicised and part of the decayed system. i'm not being pessimistic here, I'm just trying to ascertain all the loopholes and shortcomings so we can know how 2 go about educating the populace.

Prime example, nairaland. This is a fantastic medium for disseminating information, educating people and exchanging ideas, but you yourself can see some of the ridiculous posts that come up in nairaland. So how do we go about this?

@kobojunkie & netotse

I feel wat you guys are saying, but can I ask what kind of media publicity does the nigerian public need to make them aware of the problem? The fact that they get 3hrs light a day (the lucky ones) I think is sufficient enough 2 make anyone realise there is a problem. The fact that televisions, hi-fi systems, vcrs and other electroncs have just become decorations for those who can't afford generator. The fact that people walk around with phone chargers so they can charge their phones at every opportunity where they find light, the fact that every govt promises light year after year, billions after billions, I don't think even cnn can get any clearer. Besides how many will have light in their homes 2 see such international media scrutiny?

I was amazed 2 call naija one time and whilst talking 2 my folks there, I suddenly heard a loud scream in the background yeeeeaaaaaahhhh!!! I asked wats going on, and was sadly told that nepa have brought light! What more can I say?

davidylan:

like patting suicide bombers on the back for a job well done?

If thats what your faculty of reasoning tells you and it makes you happy, good luck!

netotse:

power is nothing like communication in the sense that the telecomms coys have already got their capital back plus profits but if the were ipp_s then they would need like 4-5 more years to break even!

Regardless, the point is telecommunications in the country has been a welcomed development and it has in more ways than not, improved communication generally. Let private sector investment in power supply take a foothold and see if nigerians care, we just want light whether they make they breakl even in 5 or 50yrs, let there be light!!!!

Kobojunkie:

I am glad you see my point!!

Absolutely. the average naija leader sees every appointment as a money making opportunity. How else can we logically explain the injection of over $2bn into the power sector during OBJ with no results? Don't forget also during Gen. Abdulsalam 11 month looting spree, hundreds of millions of dollars was also injected into nepa to make sure there was power as nigeria hosted the junior world cup, Nigeria'99, I remember that time. Lets not forget that looting of NEPA/PHCN too.

It seems to me like nigerians tend to forget the former looting and looters as new and more adventurous looters emerge. Really this country must be blessed. this kind looting since independence, and yet there's still more to loot?

davidylan:

yeah, lets wait until they blow up Abuja. Muhammad's foot soldiers are a scourge to this earth.

This guy, you again. You never get tired do you, please be more constructive in your criticisms.

ojimbo IV:

i believe it'll make more sense to invest in research and development into alternative and regenerative forms of energy, recovery and deployment. i say this because we all know nigerians are talented in all facets of life and it would come to me as no surprise if a nigerian was to develop this innovative idea for one of the western countries.

This will just create another avenue for looting. We can't even order the correct transformers talkless of investing in research. Nigerian leaders and politicians do not understand anything academic or scientific. If they did, they would have funded research projects in many of our universities (and nigerian universities are blessed with bright minds, talents and amazing ideas and creativity), but no funds, no support, no facilities.

That is why the issue of power supply in nigeria is such a tragic issue. I believe the solution lies in the private sector. We need more private sector participation and investment in the power sector. Lets take the mobile phone revolution as an example. Before GSM, NITEL (or whatever it is called now), was a total failure. Nitel could only provide 200,000 land lines at one time in our history, to a population of over 140million, including businesses, offices, schools etc, pitiful. If we continue to wait for government to restore power in nigeria, we will continue to be in darkness for a very very long time.

This should be treated with skepticism. It happens all over the world, if your passport is stamped with the port entry stamp of certain countries, you become the usual suspect.

I'm afraid thats the way the world bounces right now.

How can corruption and looting be tackled effectively in nigeria when the very financial institutions in the west where these monies are hauled fail to take any effective action? This article is very interesting, and I wonder if Abacha were alive today, would anybody touch his or his family members' loot?

http://www.onelga.com/loot_nig.htm

vigasimple:

MY dear brother, I am an optimist to the end of the world even in the midst of challenges.

ALL THOSE PEOPLE THINKING OR SAYING THAT NIGERIA WILL ATTAIN TOP 20 ECONOMIES OF THE WORLD IN 2020 ARE DREAMERS AND LIVING IN CLOUD COOKOO LAND. They are just Bankers who constantly see increase profits everyday from one sided market.

True.  All the top economies of the world have banks with outstanding portfolios and crazy profits, thats what makes them so enticing to bank with.  Nigeria needs a strong banking system regardless of the one-sidedness coz banks will always make money.  If that happens to be the case and it turns out to work in favour of the nigerian economy, then why not?

vigasimple:

Let us look at the basics.   NO POWER, NO GOOD TRANSPORT NETWORK, EDUCATION, HEALTH, HOUSING EXTREME POVERTY AMONG MAJORITY, CORRUPTION AMONG THE POLITICAL ELITES ETC.

China, India are no better, but yet they have thriving economies.  So this is what experts (even from the parasitic western world) are foreseeing, that nigeria's economy can not only attain a boom greater than that of china and india, but at a greater rate.

vigasimple:

OUR ONLY GRACE THAT I AM HOLDING ON TO IS THE SPECIAL GRACE OF GOD. ORDINARY GRACE IS NOT ENOUGH.

Can't argue this.  Some divine intervention will go a long way.

vigasimple:

IF WE ARE TO BECOME 20 TOP ECONOMY IN THE YEAR 2020 WHICH IS ABOUT 12 YEARS FROM HERE, WE HAVE TO DO MORE THAN WHAT WE HAVE DONE IN OUR 47 YEARS HISTORY IN EVERY 3 YEARS?

ARE WE CAPABLE OF THAT? TIME WILL TELL. WE HAVE BAD FOLLOWERSHIP, AND AN AWFUL LEADERSHIP.  THOSE COMBINATION DON'T MAKE A GREAT COUNTRY.

What people have observed is that Nigeria and Nigerians are quick to follow on a trend enmasse, and becoming masters of it (when obj or stella dress in aparticular way or outfit during their rule, it became the dress code, likewise during abacha and maryam, likewise during ibb and maryam, we had mercedes benz at one time called shagari style, more recently you see how the mobile phone trend went enmasse - infact some people carry upto 4 mobiles, what do you need 4 mobiles for?, you see the enmasse trend in western sense of dressing and expression, the nigerian movie and music industry etc).  Because we have had over 4 decades of mismanagement, corruption, disregard for the rule of law and wastefulness, nigerians have mastered the art of corruption, mismanagement, disregard for the rule of law and wastefulness.  Observers believe if this trend can be reversed in a positive way so that the trend becomes productiveness, healthy competition, accountability, orderliness and achievement in public office, then it is believed the growth will be exponential and far reaching.

vigasimple:

SERVANT LEADERS IS WHAT WE NEED AND NOT THOSE INTELLECTUALLY BANKRUPT LEADERS.

We hope we have a servant leader in this new administrator, at least the first university educated and non-military ruler with an impressive track record. Perhaps he is the one to reverse the negative trend to a psoitively ignited fuse of progression, we hope and pray so, but only time will tell.

vigasimple:

I PRAYED THAT GOD WILL SHOW US MERCIES AND GRANT US SPECIAL UNMERITED GRACE FOR THE SAKE OF ORDINARY PEOPLE.

TOP 20  POSSIBLE BUT UNLIKELY, TOP 10 A WONDERFUL JOKE CALL ABRADACABRA.

ONE OF THE PRESENT TOP 10 ECONOMY IN THE WORLD HAS IN 1 YEAR MORE THAN WHAT NIGERIA HAS IN 20 YEARS.

Amen to your prayer.
Nigeria has all the potentials of a top 10 economy and greater.  With a thriving economy, western businessess will exploit any market.

vigasimple:

FOR EXAMPLE IN THE UK, THERE ARE SO MANY COMPANIES WITH A BIGGER BUDGET THAN NIGERIA. I LIKE REALITY NOT ILLUSSION.

If we're to become a top 20 world economy obviously that will not be the case.  A thriving economy will produce companies like that.

Kobojunkie:

uummm,  OduduwaSon,  You do realize that statements such as those made by this lady has been made throughout the history of Nigeria, over 1 Million times now. Nigeria in the year 2000, Nigeria in the year 2005, Nigeria 2012, Nigeria 2020,  All these are some of the programs that promised nigerians the world back when they were in place. Now we have 2020, are you sure you want to hold your breath for that ??

That is because insincere promises and programs have been made and followed.  That is why if this trend is reversed and followed thru holistically (corruption, accountability, healthcare, proper state security social system, power, roads, schools, a total revamp of the police force and security etc), we may just begin to realise and actually see our potential in the near future.

Kobojunkie:

I am an optimist and at the same time a realist. Please do not loose a night's sleep over this, I beg you

beg me harder  

RE: California On Fire

So who the hell cares. Every year children in africa die in their millions because they cannot afford malaria injection (it costs something like 50 cents for this injection), and every year more die. They have no insurance or government emergency aid