I feel sorry for Nigerians.

It must be terribly disheartening to spend all that money on the lottery, only for the jackpot to be won by foreigners who never bought tickets every week.

I asked the Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan to describe himself in one word.
He said, "Icon."
"That's cheating", I replied, "I clearly said you could only use one word".

Three contractors are bidding for the contract to mend a fence at the White House. One is from India, one is from China and one is from Nigeria.

So the Indian pulls out his tape measure, measures the fence, does some calculations and says to the White House official, "I can fix this fence for $300. That's $100 for materials, $100 for my workers, and $100 profit for me."

Next the Chinese guy pulls out his tape measure, meausres the fence, does some calculations and says to the White House official. "I can fix this fence for $200. That's $50 for materials, $50 for my workers, and $100 profit for me."

The Nigerian guy doesn't do any measuring at all. He pulls the White House official aside and whispers, "I can fix the fence for $2,200."

The White House offical is shocked and says "but you haven't done any measuring, how did you arrive at such a high figure?"

"Well.." says the Nigeiran, "thats $1000 for you, $1000 for me, and $200 to pay the Chinese to fix it."

My Nigerian neighbour was telling me how he spent the last two days in a hospital.

"What did you have?" I asked.

"At first an X-ray machine and then a bed on a ward, but they're both on Ebay now."

Islamic extremism raises it's ugly head again

Here in the UK nobody is saying anything about the Nigerian connection, the news may mention it but the average person on the street is uninterested as Nigeria is not seen as the normal suspect when things like this happen, in fact when I heard it on the radio my first reaction (as were most peoples) was to think the Pakistani's are at it again.

We can all be politically correct, try to get on, but my personal view is that Islam is a massive problem in the making, a problem that we will all have to address in the next 100 years. I do not see Muslim organisations coming out and protesting against these acts of terror which as far as I am concerned mean they support these atrocities by their silence and lack of condemnation

Just as a fact, where there are Muslims, there is conflict!

Africa accounts for only about 4% of global air traffic, its accident rate is 25%, which is six times worse (less safe) than the average world rate

African Air Disaster Timeline, Major Crashes during the past 10 years!

2012
3 June: A Dana Air passenger plane with about 150 people on board crashes in a densely populated area of Nigeria's largest city, Lagos.

2011
26 July: Some 78 people are killed when a Moroccan military C-130 Hercules crashes into a mountain near Guelmim in Morocco. Officials blamed bad weather.

8 July: A Hewa Bora Airways plane crash-lands in bad weather in Democratic Republic of Congo, killing 74 of the 118 people on board.

2010
12 May: An Afriqiyah Airways Airbus 330 crashes while trying to land near Tripoli airport in Libya, killing more than 100 people.

25 January: Ethiopian Airlines passenger jet crashes into the sea with 89 people on board shortly after take-off from Beirut.

2008
2 May: South Sudan's defence minister is among 22 people killed after engine trouble causes a plane carrying a military delegation to crash about 400km (250 miles) west of Juba.

15 April: Some 40 people die when a DC-9 skids off the runway while attempting to take off in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo city of Goma during heavy rain, smashing through a wall and into a busy residential area.


2007
5 May: A Kenya Airways Boeing 737-800 crashes in swampland in southern Cameroon, killing all 114 on board. The official inquiry is yet to report on the cause of the disaster.

2005
10 December: A Sosoliso Airlines DC-9 crashes in the southern Nigerian city of Port Harcourt, killing 103 people on board.

22 October: A Bellview airlines Boeing 737 carrying 117 people on board crashes soon after take-off from the Nigerian city of Lagos, killing everyone on board.

16 July: An Equatair plane crashes soon after take-off from Equatorial Guinea's island capital, Malabo, west of the mainland, killing all 60 people on board.

2003
25 December: A Boeing 727 crashes soon after take-off from the West African state of Benin, killing at least 135 people en route to Lebanon.

8 July: A Boeing 737 crashes in Sudan shortly after take-off, killing 115 people on board. Only one passenger, a small child survived.

8 May: As many as 170 people are reported dead in DR Congo after the rear ramp of an old Soviet plane, an Ilyushin 76 cargo plane, apparently falls off, sucking them out.

6 March: An Algerian Boeing 737 crashes after taking off from the remote Tamanrasset airport, leaving up to 102 people dead.

African Air Disaster Timeline, Major Crashes during the past 10 years!

2012
3 June: A Dana Air passenger plane with about 150 people on board crashes in a densely populated area of Nigeria's largest city, Lagos.

2011
26 July: Some 78 people are killed when a Moroccan military C-130 Hercules crashes into a mountain near Guelmim in Morocco. Officials blamed bad weather.

8 July: A Hewa Bora Airways plane crash-lands in bad weather in Democratic Republic of Congo, killing 74 of the 118 people on board.

2010
12 May: An Afriqiyah Airways Airbus 330 crashes while trying to land near Tripoli airport in Libya, killing more than 100 people.

25 January: Ethiopian Airlines passenger jet crashes into the sea with 89 people on board shortly after take-off from Beirut.

2008
2 May: South Sudan's defence minister is among 22 people killed after engine trouble causes a plane carrying a military delegation to crash about 400km (250 miles) west of Juba.

15 April: Some 40 people die when a DC-9 skids off the runway while attempting to take off in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo city of Goma during heavy rain, smashing through a wall and into a busy residential area.


2007
5 May: A Kenya Airways Boeing 737-800 crashes in swampland in southern Cameroon, killing all 114 on board. The official inquiry is yet to report on the cause of the disaster.

2005
10 December: A Sosoliso Airlines DC-9 crashes in the southern Nigerian city of Port Harcourt, killing 103 people on board.

22 October: A Bellview airlines Boeing 737 carrying 117 people on board crashes soon after take-off from the Nigerian city of Lagos, killing everyone on board.

16 July: An Equatair plane crashes soon after take-off from Equatorial Guinea's island capital, Malabo, west of the mainland, killing all 60 people on board.

2003
25 December: A Boeing 727 crashes soon after take-off from the West African state of Benin, killing at least 135 people en route to Lebanon.

8 July: A Boeing 737 crashes in Sudan shortly after take-off, killing 115 people on board. Only one passenger, a small child survived.

8 May: As many as 170 people are reported dead in DR Congo after the rear ramp of an old Soviet plane, an Ilyushin 76 cargo plane, apparently falls off, sucking them out.

6 March: An Algerian Boeing 737 crashes after taking off from the remote Tamanrasset airport, leaving up to 102 people dead.

Africa accounts for only about 4% of global air traffic, its accident rate is 25%, which is six times worse (less safe) than the average world rate

I think it is time that Africa grounded its fleets of aircraft except for maybe South Africa, it is like Russian Roulette flying on an African Airline. Africans should stay on the ground or fly on Western Airlines only!
How many more people have to die through mismanagement, poor maintenance, poorly trained pilots and general criminal transport control. We can not even build proper roads or railways, so we should keep out of the air and leave it to developed countries

Those poor people and their families, yet another old plane crashes that should have retired years before

The whole of Africa has many more major problems than the price of fuel, but the whining is always coming from Nigeria, the biggest country with the largest amount of moaning   

Nigeria should look to Ghana for inspiration and take their lead, can not be worse than it is now  Nigeria lacks leaders, people with vision and the commitment to see things through 

I believe in natural selection, the poor people don't really need fuel, so the prices only effect people with cars. Poor people can survive without electricity during the power cuts, the people trying to run their air conditiong units have to pay, as you see its all relative.

When I have time today, I will remind you what the posters here think of you and your thread.

Typical waste of time Nigerian, uses his time for meaningless and futile activities I think the real fake Nigerian is the one complaining on Nairaland but doing nothing in the real world to change things. As I said, I did something about the filth and squalor of Nigeria, I left to the UK years ago and made a new life for myself. I made my own life and my own money. It is very easy to think that you are going to be given everything on a plate by the Nigerian government without having to work for it, but you are one of the lazy yahoo boy generation that is the cancer eating away at the core of the nation

@3direct

Such beautiful and eloquent words, I can tell that the money your parents might have spent if they had it  on your education might have been well worth it 

Nigeria has no money, cannot refine its own natural commodity and thus cannot afford to subsidise people any further. That a country of 150 million people cannot prevent a handful of corrupt individuals squandering the countries assets whilst people starve is laughable and unfortunately sums up the will and reserve of the people in Nigeria for change. Many corrupt dictatorships have been overthrown during the past few months by the brave people of the Arab world who have had enough. People are still fighting for a better future and are prepared to die for this dream in Syria, the Libyan people over threw Qaddafi. All the Nigerian people are capable of is moaning and doing absolutely nothing to change the system and make the country better. What is the biggest contribution to the planet from Nigeria? Internet fraud, stealing, cheating and finally moaning.

It is a very sad fact, that is why I always laugh when I hear the words 'Power House of Africa'  Nigeria can not even provide energy to power a simple light bulb for several hours per day 

Maybe painful to hear, but it is the truth,  Nigerians have very few positive traits and hundreds of negative ones,  You can see by the aggressive, abusive attacks within these forum pages. But not one of the people like 3direct would show the same bravado and face down the people responsible,  check the dictionary, the word is spineless 

I choose to live in the UK because I can. I made my own life and do not want to live in the corruption, filth, squalor and mess that is Nigeria. It does not mean that I do not want to see change and do not hold out hope for the country, but it is unlikely with the current generation of impotent citizens. Maybe it is time to let the British manage the country again? Nigeria is after all a manufactured country. If not the British then the country should be divided up back along tribal lines

Do you think a general strike will work?
https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-839090.0.html#msg9897235

A general strike has been threatened if prices are not returned to the previous subsidised price, but with the country in such turmoil and poorly run, will anybody notice any difference in their daily quality of life if there is a national strike?

Won't a general strike harm the very people, the poorest in society rather than the government?

Can people really afford to go on strike? Who will back down first? Does anybody think it can work and even if there is a strike will the country run any differently than it currently does?

"After exhaustive deliberations and consultations with all sections of the populace, the NLC, TUC and their pro-people allies demand that the presidency immediately reverses fuel prices to 65 naira," a statement signed by the heads of the two unions said.

If the government failed to do so, " all offices, oil production centres, air and sea ports, fuel stations, markets, banks, amongst others will be shut down" from Monday 9 January, it said. (BBC)

Nigeria's Central Bank Governor Lamido Sanusi told the BBC the subsidy - which he said cost the government about $8bn (£5.1bn) last year - was "unsustainable".

Years of mismanagement and corruption by Nigerians mean the country does not have the capacity to refine oil into petrol and other fuels.

The price quoted is per litre and not per gallon.

On another note, Ghana has also removed subsidies, but it seems that most Ghanaian people are taking it in there stride and understand the long term benefits for the country. Ghana has also offered to sell Nigeria electricity.

Ghana increasing it's prices is being touted as a reason that Nigeria had to increase the prices to stop the cross border smuggling

Cutting the subsidies will save the |Nigerian Treasury over 1 trillion naira in 2012, according to the government, which was heavily criticised by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for the wasteful use of public funds.

@buzugee

No problems, I don't believe in stupidity, black magic or curses.  I do though believe in the stupidity of Nigerians such as yourself  to destroy their own country and make sure it remains a poor, third world nation  

It is interesting to see that many Nigerians consider they have a right to never-ending fuel subsidies. Surely, in any country, whether wealthy or poor, it is most important that taxes are spent first on providing basic services, such as education and health?

An expectation that taxes are for subsidising people's fuel consumption bodes badly for any country.  

@Beef

Thank you, you are right, this is not about fuel but the deeper problems that plague Nigeria

UK is an oil producing country and does own two of the biggest oil companies in the world. People always moan when prices increase, especially fuel prices. That there are other oil producing nations in the world is not of importance to Nigeria. The problem in Nigeria is that there is no capacity to refine the oil into fuel, so it costs the country over 5 billion pounds a year to give the concession, for a poor, third world country that is allot of money and can be spent on far more needier projects like improving the electricity grid, health and educations systems.

What has happened in the 50 + years since independence? The biggest African oil producer can not refine it's own oil and it has to be exported to be later re-imported at a loss  

The biggest question is what will the government do with the money they will save?

On a positive note, I am smiling whilst thinking of all the extra the costs the Yahoo boys will have to pay at the local Internet cafe

I really find it most amusing of the people here who can throw abuse so easily are the very people if they are back in Nigeria that could use the very same energy to try and change the system in their favour and make the country better. These are the people that complain so much against the corruption and the regime on Nairaland, throw insults at other posters, BUT remain so impotent when it comes to doing something about the real cause of the problems.

That an earlier poster informed me that if I said said the same in the streets I would be lynched is laughable to say the least. In a country of 150 million + people that 200 people are demonstrating in Kano regarding price  increase in fuel  sums up the situation. As I said, unless you are willing to do something it is time to stop moaning and get on with life.


Nigeria never has a chance to move forward whilst people remain spineless with pointless childish abuse and are unwilling to target their anger at the people responsible  

We all know that Nigeria is a failed country and that every Nigerian is in someway responsible for the mess and chaos the country is in, Nigeria has been independent for more than 50 years, surely that has been enough time to create some sort of stability in the land, we can blame anybody we want, the British, the EU, the USA, but it is the Nigerian that have ruined the country and continue to do so, seems that there are no Nigerians willing to change the status quo and put the country on the right track.

The increase in fuel is the smallest of the problems Nigeria faces, Bread and Circus  

@Evilspirit

There are a huge amount of subisides for all kinds of different things

The funniest thing is that there are more people slinging abuse at me on here than there are protesters actually making a stand in Nigeria

BBC, Some 200 people have gathered in central Abuja, chanting "Remove corruption, not subsidy."

They are being watched by a large contingent of soldiers and armed police.

There are also reports of protests in the main northern city, Kano.

Somethings in Nigeria will never change, many complain but nobody does anything, their bravado is limited to the pages of the Nairaland forum LMAO

@Evil Spirit

You should add to this that the EU comprises of 27 different nations.

@Efisher

The people hurling insults are unfortunately the same cancer that is eating away at Nigerian society, they have nothing positive to add or ideas

Yes, I use the public transport in London as it is one of the best in the world. if you want to get around the city especially at busy times it is the best method, so yes I use an Oyster card!

BBC writes, Nigeria is Africa's biggest oil producer but most of the available 2 million barrels per day are exported in an unrefined state.
The country lacks refineries and infrastructure so has to import refined products such as petrol, which is expensive.
However, with the price of fuel much cheaper in Nigeria than in neighbouring countries, the subsidy led to widespread smuggling.
Nigerians are heavy users of fuel, not just for cars but to power generators that many households and businesses use to cope with the country's erratic electricity supply.

Seems that the people with the most to lose are the black marketeers and the smugglers and not the common person in the street, The petrol is still incredibly cheap whatever the moans and groans, Nigeria needs to invest in refineries as that is where the future lies,

You will need some Petrol to get to Green Street market in Upton Park

Many people in Nigeria are too poor to own a car, so these people can benefit if the government give other subsidizes and maybe use the extra income from the fuel increase to fund basic amenities such as clean running water, toilets, sewage etc. They could also use the extra revenue to improve the public transport infrastructure.

I think most of the people complaining about the increase in fuel prices are those that earn above the average, own cars and swan around in them without reason or purpose, for the poor person in the street this will make little of no difference and has nothing to do with the price of a chicken as somebody wrote earlier.

In Nigeria you should think yourself lucky, the price of fuel in most other countries on the planet is already double that of Nigeria even with the increase!!!

Those of you wealthy enough to afford a car need to pay their way!

If petrol is not subsidized, what do you think they should subsidize in its place?

Welcome to the real world people

They can not give his body to anybody, it will be disposed of secretly, probably burned or maybe dropped in a bath of acid to disolve it. They will also have to prove to the world that it is really him. Can not make him a martyr to all the fanatical muslims out there.

EzeUche__:

Now they can bury his arse with a pig and turn him away from Mecca.  

Maybe they they should bury him with a pig in Mecca  

Maybe next he should turn his attention and exterminate all the Yahoo boys and their families  

Bad week for scum, first Gadaffi's son, now Bin Laden and next maybe Gadaffi himself?

Another scumbag dies, they are dropping like flies, Gadaffi will be next, we just took out his son.
Next we should turn our attention to all the Yahoo boys in Nigeria and beyond and exterminate them and their families. Then the world will surely be a better place in which to live

Maybe he came to steal some ships