Jairzinho:

I do not agree its an exercise in futility,

While I appreciate most comments about spreading the largesse around, I think the point has been made severally by debosky that LAGOS IS ALREADY A MEGACITY. We should stop this tribal/ethnic sentiments:LAGOS BELONGS TO ALL LAGOSIANS

?

What is tribalism in seeking what should have been done long time back. Now tell me honestly, why is Lagos such a dilapidated city today? Is it not mostly due to too large population for too few infrastructure? I will reject an offer of a million naira to return to Nigeria and work in Lagos as it is currently. The sheer human volume is just too suffocating for me, coupled with the near moribund infrastructure. Based on your logic, PH, Calabar, Warri and other towns are also coastal in nature. Why are they not megacities? Lagos deserves to be improved and quickly too, but so do Kano, PH, Benin, Aba, Onitsha, Jos, all commercial cities in their own right.

Or is Aba and Onitsha, for example, no more commercial cities, also with run-down facilities?

TayoD,

Wonders shall never end with Nigerians (such as you)

Did the governors in your own zone use their allocations to build federal roads and then sue the FG after?

Get the argument folks, no matter how ultra or mega or macro (whatever name you like) that Lagos is made to be, it will be an exercise in futility over long -term. The barrage of influx thereafter will simply overwhelm any little succes made and it will be back to basics. Spread development evenly, every zone has something to offer. All those who throng Lagos like ants will settle in and develop other regions. My proposed Megacities are

Lagos
PH
Onitsha or Aba
Jos
Kano
Maiduguri

And, to think that the money that maketh the city is coming outside of the mega city (lol)

Nice that you mentioned Brazil. This type of anything goes mentality is one of the reasons why Brazil remains a developing country. China also has Shanghai as its own major mega city and everybody troups there, to the detriment of the city. I live in Germany, a country which boasts of a number or megacities and a near-even distribution of infrastructural development. Hence you have Sturtgart in the SW, Munich in the SE, Frankfurt and Dusseldorf in the Central and Hamburg and Berlin up north. Germany is the third biggest economy. In the US, and Japan, the first and second largst econonies, there are several megacities. Create a single megacity in Nigeria and give it 1, 2, 3 years, and that city is in shambles again because of its unipolar and masive attraction of a large segment of the populace.

Crime 'deters' SA 2010 tourists

SA hopes the 30,000 extra police officers will cut crime
South Africa's minister of tourism says his country's high crime rate could deter visitors planning to come to the 2010 football World Cup.
Marthinus van Schalkwyk said research showed one-third of potential visitors cited crime as a reason for not travelling to South Africa.

The country has more than 19,000 murders and 400,000 assaults a year.

By 2010, it aims to attract hundreds of thousands more tourists to the country and will recruit 30,000 more police.

In 2006, the number of tourists went up by one million to 8.4 million and the government hopes more than 10 million will visit in World Cup year - 2010.

"Crime is, therefore, an issue we as industry have to deal with if we want to reach our target," Mr van Schalkwyk told the National Conference of the Southern African Association the Conference Industry.

The latest annual crime statistics showed a rise in the number of murders and aggravated robberies even though overall crime rates were falling.

Mr Van Schalkwyk said he was pushing for separate figures for crimes against tourists.

"This can assist in dealing with perceptions that the country may not be safe for tourists," he said.

Crime 'deters' SA 2010 tourists

SA hopes the 30,000 extra police officers will cut crime
South Africa's minister of tourism says his country's high crime rate could deter visitors planning to come to the 2010 football World Cup.
Marthinus van Schalkwyk said research showed one-third of potential visitors cited crime as a reason for not travelling to South Africa.

The country has more than 19,000 murders and 400,000 assaults a year.

By 2010, it aims to attract hundreds of thousands more tourists to the country and will recruit 30,000 more police.

In 2006, the number of tourists went up by one million to 8.4 million and the government hopes more than 10 million will visit in World Cup year - 2010.

"Crime is, therefore, an issue we as industry have to deal with if we want to reach our target," Mr van Schalkwyk told the National Conference of the Southern African Association the Conference Industry.

The latest annual crime statistics showed a rise in the number of murders and aggravated robberies even though overall crime rates were falling.

Mr Van Schalkwyk said he was pushing for separate figures for crimes against tourists.

"This can assist in dealing with perceptions that the country may not be safe for tourists," he said.

It was reported recently that the Nigerian govt wants to make a mega city out of Lagos. This is a good idea, and Lagos deserves it. However, making Lagos a mega city will be an end on its own and not a means to achieving an end. According to reports, the purported end is to mitigate the effect of overpopulation on the infrastructure of Lagos. But this end will be defeated dead on arrival. This makes me wonder the type of socio-economic planners we have in Nigeria. In a counry of 140 million people,how can you tilt development towards one or two areas and expect that the population will not tilt towards those areas? The only way out is to create one mega city in each of the Geopolitical zones. By so doing, the influx of people will be evenly distributed, and Lagos will be saved from the impending implosion. Any attempt to develop Lagos without a concomittant development of one city in other zones will just be a short-term measure. Sooner than later all the Nigerians will leave their original zones and migrate to Lagos, thus the population problem remains unsolved.

Thabo or Botha,

Take a pice of black clothing, put it next to your skin and come back and tell me if you are BLACK. I did that with several colours and my skin rhymed with a brown piece of cloth. As I said before, I am confirmed brown and all my German colleagues have agreed with me because I made them perform similar experiment with clothings. If you insist you are BLACK, then you are indeed black.

@Majamaja
How many people have been so taxed in other parts of Nigeria? Which other Airport in Nigeria was built by the people?

Yet we live in ''one Nigeria''

More Soweto

This is Soweto

http://www.travelpost.com/photo-large.aspx?imid=58976

http://www.travelpost.com/photo-large.aspx?imid=58977
http://www.damer.com/pictures/travels/southafrica/sow22.jpg
http://www.damer.com/pictures/travels/southafrica/sow21.jpg
http://www.damer.com/pictures/travels/southafrica/sow24.jpg
http://www.fas.usda.gov/pecad/highlights/2004/03/south_africa/soweto_files/frame.htm

Find inspiring photos of Nigeria here

https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-52256.0.html
BTW, I just returned from South Africa, parts of which (Soweto) is worse than parts of Lagos.

I get your drift, Denex. Many Nigerians, including myself, are brown (chocolate) not BLACK. But seriously, there are BLACK Africans. Check out sudanese, ghanaians, and some ugandans, amongst others.

Ndigbo to pay N100 each for Onitsha-Owerri road

RESORTING to their famed self-help spirit, Ndigbo have started mobilizing funds to complete the Onitsha-Aba Expressway abandoned by the federal government.

Governor Ikedi Ohakim of Imo State, who made this known over the weekend in Lagos, said that every taxable Igbo adult will be expected to pay N100 each towards the project.

According to the governor, who said that he is leading the initiative, the highway was abandoned by Julius Berger, the construction giants handling it after the federal government paid only about N1 billion out of the more than 4 billion work that they had done on the project.

He said that given the strategic nature of the road, the people were enthusiastic about the self-help initiative and were ready to call the government’s bluff.

The Sam Mbakwe Airport in Owerri, Imo State as well as most electricity, water and sundry other projects in the five states of the South East zone of the country were put in place through the self-help efforts of the people of the areas.

Gov Ohakim also said that Imo State has lost a $500 million Chinese investment owing to the hostage saga in the Niger-Delta, as the Chinese people handling the project fled the state when one of their nationals was kidnapped in Port Harcourt.

He said that the Chinese project would have created 20,000 jobs in the state.

Ohakim also said the cessation of operations of the U.S. oil service company Wilbros in Port Harcourt was due to the hostage saga.

He, therefore, called for concerted effort to halt the hostage taking, describing it as a disincentive to investments and development efforts.

He said his administration would establish three job centres in each of the state’s senatorial zones.

``The job centres will train the unemployed in skills critical to the state’s needs through the skills acquisition centres,’’ Ohakim said.

http://www.champion-newspapers.com/news/article_5.htm

Man Caned Twenty Times For Stealing Handsets In Church



July 20th, 2007
Man Caned Twenty Times For Stealing Handsets In Church

By Dele Moses,

Reporter, Ilorin

A twenty-year-old man, Shina Oyerinde, has been given 20 strokes of the cane for stealing seven mobile phones estimated at N150, 000 in a church in Ilorin.

The punishment was ordered by an Ilorin Magistrate Court which also ordered the convict to cut grass around the court premises and pay a fine of N1,000.

The Magistrate, Mrs. Sherifat Olanipekun, passed the sentences on the man after the court found him guilty of stealing the mobile phones.

According to Police First Information Report, men of the National Security and Civil Defence Corps arrested the convict in a church with the stolen items. "The accused was arrested by men of the National Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) inside the church with the items on him," the report added.

The report stated further that when the convict was arrested with the items, he could not give satisfactory report on the sources of the seven mobile phones found on him. "When the NSCDC men searched him and found out the seven mobile phones, the accused could not give satisfactory answer on the sources of the items," the report said.

The Magistrate, Mrs. Olanipekun in her ruling ordered that the man should be given 20strokes of the cane and should also cut grass around the premises of the court. "It is obvious that the prosecution has proved its case beyond doubt and the accused is guilty of the offence. He should be given 7strokes of the cane, cut the grass around the court premises and he should also pay a fine of N1,000," Magistrate Olanipekun ruled.

The caning of the convict was carried out inside the court room by a police man.
http://www.independentngonline.com/?c=115&a=30909

Why Bayelsa Can't Reveal State of Finance’
From Segun James in Yenagoa, 07.20.2007

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Bayelsa State government has said it will not disclose the state of its finances, so as not to embarrass Vice President Goodluck Jonathan.
It, however, said “if the EFCC will do its job well, some people should be running away from Bayelsa.”
Special Adviser to Governor Timipre Sylva on Political Affairs, Dr George Fente, said this during an interactive meeting with political leaders and representatives of gubernatorial candidates in Yenagoa, yesterday.
According to Fente, because there is a “level of secrecy in government, Timipre Sylva cannot give the debt profile. We cannot wash our dirty linen in public. Jonathan is now the Vice President, we cannot embarrass him as a fellow Ijaw man.”
Giving the 24 local government councils (called G24) created by former Governor DSP Alamieyeseigha as example, Fente said each is given N10million monthly for development purpose, yet nothing is on ground to show for it.
According to him, this money, which amount to about N2.4 billion yearly cannot be accounted for. So much fund was released to local governments, yet there is nothing to show for it.
N10million to each G24 LGAs every month without any tangible project on ground. But individuals including civil servants have choice houses in Abuja and Yenagoa. It is really sad.”
He said that it was in the bid to correct these drain pipes on the state resources that the government began with the audit of government staff.
Fente lamented that the state pays over N2 billion in salaries every month even as the activities of militants in the creek has drastically obstructed operation of oil companies in the state.
Earlier in his speech to the gathering, Fente told the political parties’ leaders that the Sylva administration intends to run an all inclusive government with open door policy that is open to criticism and advice from well meaning Bayelsans.

http://www.thisdayonline.com/nview.php?id=84079

Only in Lagos, that rotten run-down garbage of a city (ABC news)

YOUR OPINION SEUN. Tell that to the Saudis and the Singaporeans

Nigerian clash over cleric death

Sokoto is the spiritaul home of Nigeria's Muslims
Clashes have broken out in the northern Nigerian city of Sokoto after a high profile Muslim preacher was shot dead.
Members of Sunni and Shia sects have fought a pitched battle with one of the three suspected gunmen beaten to death.

The Sunni preacher was shot on Wednesday night while travelling home by motorbike taxi from taking prayers.

The sultan of Sokoto, the spiritual head of Nigeria's Muslims, said Mallam Umaru Dan-Maishiye, died after being shot in the head. He appealed for calm.

"Do not take the law into your own hands, the security agencies are investigating," Sultan Mohammadu Sa'ad Abubakar said on local radio stations.



Sokoto police spokesman Mohammed Umar Dakingari told the BBC that two suspects were being held in connection with the shooting of the cleric.

There has been regular friction between Sunnis and Shias in northern Nigeria, and civic leaders are meeting on how to calm tensions.

In April, the killing of a militant cleric in the city of Kano led to fighting between Islamist militants and the army.

But the BBC's reporter in Sokoto, Hassan Sahabi Sanyinnawal, says this is the first time that something of this nature has happened in Sokoto.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6906595.stm

Trafic drug and get hanged or beheaded. Nothing more, nothing less. Why are some Nigerians such irredemable thieves and bad guys? Down with all those who give us bad image.

Denex or whatever
You idiot, are too unintelligent to reason logically. Little wonder you have been jumping all over the forum like one little frog.