He could be thinking he is an angel probing the past leaders. He is not better than Abacha in his military uniform. Only a dictator wakes up and decides what to do in a country without referendum at the same time ignoring the existing law.
He is nothing but goat head and a dictator.
___________________ IGBO AMAKA Posts: 79 | From: Porthacourt | Registered: Feb 2003
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The one you call "goat head" has achieved more in his life than you in yours. How dare you abuse those who are greater than yourself?
It is written: "Curse not the king, not even in your thought; and curse not the rich in your bedchamber; for a bird of the air shall carry the voice, and that which has wings shall tell the matter." (Ecclesiastes 10:20)
Moreover, Olusegun Obasanjo is a ruler who is ordained by God to rule the artificial, doom-bound construction called Nigeria, and thus all God-fearing Nigerians have to submit to Obasanjo's government, in obediance to what has been written: "Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you. For he is God's servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God's servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience." (Romans 13:1-5)
Do you love the Bible? Or will you continue to break biblical laws?
[ February 27, 2004, 11:25 PM: Message edited by: AfroEuro ]
Posts: 65 | Registered: Feb 2004
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posted
Afroeuro, After going through some of your posts, I found out you are one of those goat heads, like your president. Those who preach what they don’t practice. In the thread, Damasus is an unusual name, you went against your bible quote that advised against the cursing of leaders. According to your post
You went further to say “The one you call "goat head" has achieved more in his life than you in yours.” May you humbly analyse these so called achievements of your highly respected president? Is it the thousands that have died as a result of his mismanagement and if I may borrow your word semi-illiteracy? Is it the starving population who find it difficult putting food on their table because of the rising cost of food stuff? I in my own little world make a lot of difference in people’s lives, creating a good and lasting impact. Bringing smiles to numerous faces. How many poor families have benefited from the Obasanjo’s government? All we see is the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer. His rivals are either murdered or die mysteriously.
Biko welu ire gi gua eze gi onu!!! A word is enough for the wise.
the reason why I replied to your posting was because you called the nigerian president a "goat-head". The Bible forbids cursing the King. Do you love the Bible? Or will you continue to break biblical laws? Answer these questions for yourself in your heart.
The word "semi-illiterate" is not an insult or a curse. In my posting I consciously placed a link underneath the word to an online-dictionary where the word is explained.
During the various military regimes in Nigeria there were quite a lot of poorly-educated (semi-illiterate) leaders at all levels of the government. You had for instance, a Director-General working in one of the ministries in Lagos who had not even finished his secondary school, and was not able to speak english error-free.
Moreover, I did not specifically refer to the nigerian president as being a semi-illiterate. Please do not twist what I've written.
The wisdom of God is that God will choose those He wants and place them in earthly governments. It makes no difference to God if they are semi-illiterates or not. He chooses them nevertheless.
It is a shame that in this BNW forum one cannot place a posting without being insulted by others just because they are of a different opinion. Why call me goat-head? Is this how ibo-people behave? Have I insulted you in my reply?
Hear the word of God: "But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander and filthy language from your lips." Colossians 3:8
[ February 28, 2004, 01:02 PM: Message edited by: AfroEuro ]
Posts: 65 | Registered: Feb 2004
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quote:The one you call "goat head" has achieved more in his life than you in yours. How dare you abuse those who are greater than yourself?
blessing to AfroEuro:
quote:After going through some of your posts, I found out you are one of those goat heads, like your president. Those who preach what they don’t practice. In the thread, Damasus is an unusual name, you went against your bible quote that advised against the cursing of leaders. According to your post
“This is typical for nigerians, especially nigerian politicians. Many nigerian leaders are semi-illiterates, who leave a trail of blood and destruction behind them”. Why call “God chosen leaders semi-illiterates” you should have said otherwise, even when it is as clear as heaven they are “semi- illiterates”. ’may the truth set you free
AfroEuro to blessing
quote:It is a shame that in this BNW forum one cannot place a posting without being insulted by others just because they are of a different opinion. Why call me goat-head? Is this how ibo-people behave? Have I insulted you in my reply?
AfroEuro:
Let me spell it out for you. Unless you know blessing's worth and achievements and we all accept the way you measure greatness and achievement, it is an insult for you to tell blessing that a person s/he considers to be a "goat head" is "greater" (your word) and has "achieved more in his life" (your words) than s/he.
It should be insulting to the Igbo members of this board when you display your crassness and make an infantile attempt to turn your exchange with blessing into an AfroEuro vs Igbo spat. For me personally, it has become extremely boring to remind any African that it is cretinism to spell "Igbo" as "ibo," or for anyone to speak of "ibo-people." In this instance, the person you are debating has not indicated that s/he is Igbo. I believe there is actually a Graemlin for the osetutu "nshi" recommendation for people who refuse to focus on the issues, people who constantly crave attention for themselves. In the past there has been no reluctance in invoking it.
Some of the links you have provided take too long to load. You may wish copy and paste some of your definitions here so those who care to call you on your claims regarding what constitutes an insult may do so. It is highly debatable that a BiafraNigerian who does not speak proper English is necessarily semi-illiterate, but one will need to to see your definition not only of "illiterate," but also "semi-illiterate." However, if you think being called a "goat head" is an insult, wait to see what happens to you when you call certain members of this bord "semi-illiterate."
You wrote,
quote:Many nigerian leaders are semi-illiterates
Do you mind naming five of the many "nigerian leaders [who] are semi-illiterates?"
P/S: You may wish to review your implicit proposition that you are justified to insult any BiafraNigerian(s) whom you believe has insulted BiafraNigeria's "leaders." It is equally doubtful that the biblical admonitions regarding the treatment of kings apply to an election-rigging and murderous fraudster like Obasanjo.
[ February 28, 2004, 03:33 PM: Message edited by: Patrick ]
Posts: 397 | Registered: May 2001
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Wise words to AfricaEuro who appears to be enthralled and in the grip of religious fanatism. Also, it is revealing how often those who parade themselves as Christians and quote copiously from the Good Book do not understand that religion. If we were, out of laziness, to go by AfricaEuro's definition of God having chosen earthly rulers, irrespective of whether they are pagans, how do we begin to explain what God was thinking about when He selected such past leaders as Adolf Hitler, Stalin, IBB, Obasanjo, etc. AfricaEuro is a pagan who has chosen to adorn self with Christianity.
Blessing:
I understand that you think that paying Mrs Okonjo-Iweala in dollars is a drain on Nigeria's foreign currency holdings. But this is a misunderstanding of how economics work. Efficiency, which is the outcome of most economic policies, stipulates that the cost of a project must be weighed against the advantage that occurs from either continuing or discountinuing such a project. This analysis is sometimes explained as cost/benefit ratio.
Incidentally, I do believe and have argued elsewhere that the recruitment of Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala, including how compensation and how that compansation is packaged is advantageous to Nigeria. Besides considerations as nationalism, patriotism, etc., and in which themselves, are valid arguments to make though not in this instance, why do you think that paying the ministers of finance and foreign affairs in dollars is an economic drain?
___________________ Acting Major Benbella Posts: 27 | From: Madison, Wisconsin | Registered: Oct 2003
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quote:...how do we begin to explain what God was thinking about when He selected such past leaders as Adolf Hitler, Stalin, IBB, Obasanjo, etc.
This what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: "With my great power and outstretched arm I made the earth and its people and the animals that are on it, and I give it to anyone I please. Now I will hand all your countries over to my servant Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; I will make even the wild animals subject to him. All nations will serve him and his son and his grandson until the time for his land comes; then many nations and great kings will subjugate him. If, however, any nation or kingdom will not serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon or bow its neck under his yoke, I will punish that nation with the sword, famine and plague, declares the LORD, until I destroy it by his hand." Jeremiah 27:4-8
God chooses leaders. He has chosen Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, and called him "My Servant".
Nebuchadnezzar is the enemy of Israel, and he committed some of the greatest abominations towards God and Israel. When the Babylonian army entered into Jerusalem the Babylonian soldiers killed the priests and the Levites and spilled their blood inside the Jerusalem temple. Nebuchadnezzar himself then proceeded and commanded pigs to be slaughtered and sacrificed inside the temple in Jerusalem.
For descecrating the temple in such an impure way, Nebuchadnezzar is regarded as the enemy of Israel.
However, in Jeremiah 27:6 God calls Nebuchadnezzar "my servant".
The ways of God are beyond human comprehension. Thus even a demon-possessed man like A.Hitler was placed in power by God and used for God's puspose.
Remember the assassination attempt in 1944 by members of the German royal families headed by Colonel von Stauffenberg? Stauffenberg placed the bomb which was suppossed to kill Hitler just about two meters away from the dictator - the bomb exploded - Hitler survived, and later in a nationwide radio broadcast boasted that the reason why the death plot failed was because God and Divine Providence wanted him to remain in power.
This is the main point: those leaders which commit terrible acts of atrocity are hated amongst men and women, and yet God, who stands above all and everything, has a plan and a purpose with such leaders. We have no other option than to accept what God has designed for us. If we refuse and reject God's plan, then the punishment will be very severe, as God will punish such disobedient individuals with"the sword, famine and plague".
When the time has come for the God chosen leader to step down, many of those wicked leaders refuse because the taste of power is too sweet in their mouths.
God then uses foreign armies to invade other nations in order for the disobedient ruler to be removed from his position. Such removals were seen in Iraq, in Afghanistan etc.
If you want the nigerian president to step down, you have to fast and pray to God and ask God to have mercy on the people living in the Niger-Area.
posted
My only criticism of Okonjo-Iweala is that she agreed to serve under Obasanjo. She must be very naïve to believe that her fine theories will work in a very corrupt system. And, she continued to delude herself even after the writings on the wall appeared just hours of her appointment! Finance Minister Resigned over control of Budget
I always thought that she was in this rotten cabinet to give a semblance of credibility to a gang of election riggers. Ngozi, it seems, believes her talent is valued by a brutal dictator and she could express herself without fear. How wrong she has been proven. It is probably a mere coincidence that a few days before The Guardian broke the news of cabinet unease over her dollar salaries, she dared lecture her boss on the origin of anti-corruption psychobabble and transparency! No Foreigner Can Teach Me Transparency – Obasanjo, Vanguard (Lagos)February 20, 2004
As you would expect, the prinshipled custodians of Nigerian morality are outraged. They have already started quoting their pro-treason constitution to undermine Ngozi. She apparently has failed the patriotism test. Her dollar patriotism is apparently not good enough. It doesn’t matter that naira patriots of the Afolabi calibre have proven them wrong. And elsewhere too, other countries are proving that the issue is about eliminating corruption, not how much or in what currency you pay the ministers. Millionaire ministers run Asia's cleanest governments
Okonjo-Iweala made a mistake to take up a ministerial post in Obasanjo’s government. Her continued presence in the cabinet will not make a difference where Obasanjo has selected his tribal cronies to siphon the country’s budget to personal accounts. It is only sensible that she spares herself further embarrassment and leave the dead to bury themselves.
Posts: 621 | Registered: Mar 2001
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posted
Quote: ------------------------------- "This what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says:...---AfroEuro. ------------------------------
Oga Pastor, Can you just save us some space and time by letting people discuss EARTHY problems (caused by EVIL MEN/WOMEN) without you injecting your religious fantism inbetween?
For your information, be it known that anyone (irrespective of race or place of origin) that practices the BASIC LAW, i.e, DO TO OTHERS AS YOU WOULD WANT THEM DO TO YOU has fulfilled ALL of God's/Allah's and Igbo Amadioha god's rules.
The question those of you who often use religion to justify EVIL should answer is has Obasanjo being a "leader annointed by God" (as you want us believe) helped those of us on earth reap from his annointment? If what I saw in Nigeria (confirmed by Blessing who lives there) a couple of months ago is what a "God annointed leader" has to offer to his flocks, then I prefer to have someone annointed by satan as president. ENOUGH OF THIS RELIGIOUS GABBAGE.
N/B: stop refering to the Igbo people as "Ibo".
All, If Mrs. Iweala thinks she can perform the economic WONDERS she perfromed at the United Nations with the Igbo-haters and EGG-HEADS in Abuja, then she must be the joke of the century. As they say, "BAD ASSOCIATION POLLUTES GOOD CHARACTER." So the earlier that fine and intelligent Igbo woman makes a hounorable exit the better for her and her credibility, if any still exist.
Paying her in any currency (hard or soft) wont just do the magic. Afteral she was not paid in Nigerian Nairas at the United Nations. To serve ones country in any capacity is a great thing, but it becomes a WASTE OF TIME AND ENERGY when those you serve (or are supposed to serve with) view you from where you come from instead of WHO YOU ARE.
Posts: 997 | From: Germany | Registered: Mar 2001
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Do you realize that the golden law Do to others as you would have them do to you (Luke 6:31) is the law which Jesus Christ, the Son of God, established Himself while He was physically on earth? On the one hand you use the Lord's teachings for yourself - on the other hand, whereever you break God's laws (e.g. rebelling against God's servants like Obasanjo) you push aside the law of the Bible.
That's not very consistent of you. At least, ibo-people are predominantly christian. Therefore the basis of their private, public, social, political and religious life is the Bible and nothing but the Bible.
Your very good friend Nwa Asaba has called you ill-informed - and rightly so. Your postings which you post in this forum are based upon false information and twisted truth. For you to mention "leaders annointed by God" you simply follow your own hallmark of being misinformed.
The Bible in Romans 13 doesn't speak of "annointing". It speaks of God establishing/ordaining the earthly authorities/governments.
Of course, to you as a 50% literate person, annointing and establishing/ordaining is the same thing - meanwhile it is not.
Ich gebe Dir den guten Rat einen Englischkurs für Fortgeschrittene zu besuchen. In ganz Deutschland gibt es in jeder Stadt Sprachschulen in denen Du einen solchen Kurs besuchen kannst. Deine Rechtschreib- und Grammatikfehler sind nämlich richtig peinlich.
Servus.
[ February 29, 2004, 05:33 PM: Message edited by: AfroEuro ]
Posts: 65 | Registered: Feb 2004
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posted
Ordinarily, one would want to oppose the use of hard currency to pay some ministers while other ministers are being paid in the bastardized Naira. But, nothing in BiafraNigeria is ordinary. First, the fight to stop paying Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala in dollars is being spear-headed by Yoroba, Tiv-Jukun, and confused Ibibio demagogues.
My understanding is that in this case, people are being paid what they are worth. Moreover, Mrs Okonjo Iweala is not being paid from BiafraNigeria's foreign exchange reserves. She is being paid from a special fund set up by the UN. Is she being fussed over because of where she comes from? And why is that useless Yoruba mn being paid in $$?.
Posts: 365 | Registered: Mar 2001
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posted
AfroEuro: With every due respect I dont need any sermoning on religious mattters. To be honest, I really dont care if Obasanjo was annointed or "ordained". It is this type of myopic and passive reasoning, rapped in religious undertones that makes most people in Nigeria submit their collective destiny to a God which they are yet to meet instead of taking their destiny into their hands by fighting EVIL men and women like Obasanjo who holds all of us at ramsome.
It's time I let you know that just as there are Igbos who are christians, so also there are those who are secular and even pagans. And speeaking of myself, as a very secular person, I dont give a damn which God/gods any Igbo worship as long as he/she practice the GOLDEN RULE which I earlier mentioned. Nevertheless, it wont be a bad idea if I suggest that you write the Webmaster so that he can create a special section on this board where you and your fellow religious fanatics can go to discuss purely religious matters. Because the last time I check out this thread is about Nigerian Ministers being paid in dollars and not about how many Igbos worship the God you worship. So to remain focused, let us restrict ourselves to the TOPIC of this thread.
I got your drift in German about taking up lesson in english language. Sorry. For the records Nwa Aro NEVER said he is the best writer/speaker of Queen's language. So take back your "advice".
All, As this saga continue to unfold, it is becoming clearer that there's more to this matter than what currency Mrs. Iweala is paid with. I smelt a rat after reading the below article writen by the Yoruba demagogue:
------------------------------------ Sunday, February 29, 2004
The Dollarised Ministers
By Reuben Abati There have been a number of newspaper commentaries on the shocking revelation that at least two Ministers in the present administration are being paid in dollars, as a kind of special concession and favour. The two Ministers in question are Mrs Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the minister of Finance and the Foreign Affairs Minister, Olu Adeniji. The Saturday Tribune tells us and we have no cause to doubt it, that the salaries of Adeniji and Iweala is equal to that of 14 Ministers. In other words, these are super- Ministers.
The starting point of what has now become a scandal was a front-page story in this newspaper last Sunday. It was from the outset, a damaging story. If Iweala and Adeniji were truly honourable persons, by now they would have resigned their appointments. In the story published by The Guardian on Sunday, it was clear that even the Secretary to the Federal Government purporting to be explaining the circumstances that led to the special status of the two ministers is opposed to the preferential treatment. In doing his job, he gave too much away. He provided the ammunition that is required for nailing the two Ministers in the court of public opinion. But rather than cover their faces in shame, there has been an untidy attempt to cover up for the two ministers. This is scandalous. So scandalous that the inimitable Gani Fawehinmmi, conscience of the people and an irrepressible crusader for truth and justice has gone to court to pray that what we are faced with is a piece of illegality that should not be allowed to stand.
What are the kinds of defences being put up by the affected Ministers? One, we are being told that Adeniji and Iweala were working with international agencies, the UN and the World Bank where they earned super salaries. For them to accept to be Ministers in Nigeria, they were necessarily going to lose a lot of money and perks, and could find themselves in embarrassing situations. So, to make the Ministerial appointments worth their while, the Federal Government had to arrange a special package for them. The interpretation is simply that they were procured as expatriate staff to come and help their country. The whole thing is so laughable, I feel like carrying a placard. What nonsense! Iweala and Adeniji may well be eminently qualified persons, but the nation did not and does not need them at all costs. Iweala is being paid $247, 000 per annum for two years in the first instance, while Adeniji receives $120, 000 per annum.
This is illegal because it is contrary to the existing law on the salaries of public office holders. Chief Ufot Ekaette, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation says tongue in cheek, that this is peanuts compared to what the duo were earning in their previous engagements, and that they should not be vilified for the sacrifice that they are making to serve their nation. Nonsense. Nigeria does not need these expensive Ministers. Adeniji should have stayed where he was. Iweala had no business leaving the World Bank. There are equally competent persons in this land who would have taken the job for free and do a much better job.
I am not convinced that the country was so desperate that if Adeniji and Ngozi Iweala had not taken up Nigeria's offer, the country would have been in a terrible state. The two Ministers have been in office for a while. What is it that they have done to show that they deserve the super salaries that they re receiving? The economy is prostrate. It is defying World Bank ideas and all known logic of economic practice. It is as confusing as Iweala's changing headgears. Our foreign policy is still in the woods. Adeniji is very long on rhetoric but lamentably short on efficiency. What is Charles Taylor doing here for example? So what is the big deal about the super salary that these two collect, which is not tied to actual performance? Nigerians have every reason to be angry.
It has been disclosed that the two Ministers are being paid from a Trust fund, being managed by the UNDP, to which Nigeria contributes a certain percentage. We are supposed to take this information as evidence that Nigeria is not really losing any money by paying the two ministers a special package. These people in Abuja can be really funny. And in this matter, they are. I ask: why should the UNDP help us pay the salaries of our Ministers of Finance and Foreign Affairs? These are two strategic Ministries at the heart of the Nigerian challenge and destiny? If the Ministers are paid by an outsider organisation, where then is their loyalty? Adeniji and Iweala cannot possibly be working for Nigeria. They are on the staff of the UNDP!
The SGF denied that there has been any protest from the other Ministers who are being paid pittance compared to Adeniji and Okonjo-Iweala. He is lying. I do not believe him. We have in President Obasanjo's cabinet, persons who worked hard during the campaigns to ensure the party's victory in the polls. They contributed to the making and I daresay the unmaking of the PDP. They were here on the ground, in the field of battle when Okonjo-Iweala and Adeniji were pushing files in the West. Given the Nigerian character, there is no way these other Ministers can be pleased with the idea of two Ministers, taken from nowhere to "come and eat" where they did not sow, receiving a better salary than the insiders. I would not be surprised if they are the ones who leaked the story to the press! Iweala may be brilliant. Adeniji may be experienced but the two of them do not deserve the dollars that they have been "eating"!
Iweala even allowed herself the silly indulgence of telling the press that she is making a sacrifice for her country, and that her husband is having to a baby-sit her 15-year old daughter and do household chores while she is in Nigeria. What kind of talk is this? Mr Okonjo-Iweala should be happy, although he is a neuro-surgeon, that he is the husband of Nigeria's Minister of Finance! If he has to baby sit, let him do it. If he has to do household chores, good for him! The point of it all, is that Iweala had a choice in the matter. She could have kept her World Bank job. She could have stayed with her husband. Nigeria existed without her, and we would probably be better off without her. So what is all this messianism from Ngozi Iweala? As for Adeniji, I just do not see the point. If President Obasanjo needed him and Iweala so badly, he could have employed them as consultants, and pay them in dollars, yen or whatever! But if they must be Ministers, then they would have to be paid not as expatriate staff but as public servants under the law.
Now, the money from the UNDP could have been put to better use: to repair roads and provide potable water. Perhaps the person that should be blamed really is President Olusegun Obasanjo. How could he have committed this scandal? He talks about transparency; this is the very opposite of transparency, moreso because the deal was worked out under the table. He talks about due process. This is the very opposite of due process because it is illegal. He talks about fairness. This is clearly unfair because it is discriminatory. This very episode alone says everything about the kind of person that President Obasanjo is. If I proceed to offer a definition,, I may be so harsh that I would be accused of disrespect.
But let me say this. I want to add that the discriminatory remuneration of Okonjo-Iweala and Adeniji, their elevation to the status of super Ministers is bad for team spirit. Other Ministers are bound to be suspicious and uncomfortable. They may also be inspired to find other means of making up for the difference. No Nigerian likes to be cheated. If there are other persons also being paid in foreign currency, we would like to know. Before becoming President, Obasanjo was actively involved with a number of international organisations which paid his wages. He too is making a sacrifice, a much bigger sacrifice than Iweala and Adeniji combined. So, do we have an expatriate President in Aso Rock? Is Baba also taking his salary from the UNDP Trust fund? We need to know. And all this is happening because we have an absent-minded national assembly, and a weak political party system which has not provided the much-needed opposition, that can ask appropriate questions. President Obasanjo should not be allowed to get away with the Iweala-Adeniji scandal. If the duo would not resign, the Trust Fund should be scrapped; and they should be paid not a kobo more not a penny less as their colleagues in accordance with the enabling law. The excess that they have received to date should be returned or deducted from their future salaries!
Public appointment should not be about profit. Persons should not agree to serve their country on a cash and carry basis. The highest recognition that a man or woman can receive is to be called upon to serve the nation. The honour that is involved is more than any salary or perks. The parents of Ngozi Iweala must be very proud that their daughter is Nigeria's Minister of Finance. The pleasure that they will derive from this, and the respect that they will get from their peers is more than dollars and pounds. Okonjo-Iweala herself must feel fulfilled. Many of Adeniji's mates are eking out a living as hungry pensioners or idle veterans. He should be glad that he is still considered relevant in the land of his birth.
Sam Pitada, the man who set up the Modeen telecom system in India was a successful entrepreneur in America when he was called upon to serve his country. He did not see the offer as a profit and loss proposition. He felt honoured. He accepted from the Indian government only a salary of one rupee. Kofi Annan was already high up in the UN system before he agreed to serve Ghana, his country, as a Minister. He did not ask to be paid in dollars. The profile of governance in America is full of persons who had to forsake more profitable options in industry and commerce to serve in the public arena. If profit were to be the issue, George Bush and Dick Cheney would not be in politics!
But should we really blame Iweala and Adeniji? This is the story of our country. Our sad story. There are many among us, and they are the privileged ones for the most part, whose only connection with Nigeria is in terms of what they can get from it. They have no sense of duty or citizenship. They are free agents without nationalistic emotions. Their loyalty is dollar-conditioned. Nigeria is one big cake from which they must take their share. This is why Nigeria is not growing. Our big men have an expatriate mentality. They prefer the dollar to the Naira. When they are ill, they prefer to go abroad to seek medical attention. Their children are in foreign universities. They don't even watch local television.
When a government decides to pay two of its Ministers in dollars, it is also saying invariably that it has no faith in the national currency. Increasingly, the Nigerian system is becoming over-dollarised. The Naira is becoming cheap and unreliable. A Minister of Finance who is paid in dollars? This is "Obasanjonomics" in its most basic form. But do Okonjo-Iweala and Adeniji pay their staff in dollars? Do they buy from the market in dollars? Or are they like those other expatriates, who are forever shipping their dollars abroad? Nigeria, we hail thee! -----------------------------------
Though Mr. Abati intervally infused the name of the Yoruba Minister to make his Iweala-bashing article look national and "patriotic," nonetheless, one dont need to be a sage to figure out the person and the MOTIVE he had in mind before writing the above article.
Posts: 997 | From: Germany | Registered: Mar 2001
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posted
In addition to the piece that babboyz reproduced, it is noteworthy that a group Yoruba tribesmen in the other egbeomooduduwa.com forum also got together and started a petition aginst Mrs. Okonjo Iweala. Notably, they selected an Igbo efulefu in the person of Kenn Emetulu as their gang leader. See the lunatics who call themselves BiafraNigerians Abroad. But, others are talking too,
quote:MEMO
Dear Nigerians,
I know that many of you might be following the ongoing debate in Nigeria about the differential pay for the Ministers of Finance and Foreign Affairs. Today’s Guardian featured an article purporting to be coming from concerned Nigerians abroad who it was said petitioned the United Nations Development Program Administrator and copied to Kofi Annan. This petition was supposed to inquire why UNDP’s funds tend to be public while the one established in collaboration with the Nigerian government to support the Ministers was shrouded in secrecy.
I do not know if it is really true that Nigerians here are petitioning at the UN. But if it is true those people should know that they are fundamentally working against themselves. I have not checked whether this fund exists or not because that is beside the point. I can tell you for a fact that the UNDP establishes special funds that target special initiatives in specific countries. For example, in 1995 the UNDP Chief of Technology approached me to help advance an initiative for Nigeria to commercialize a technology developed by a Nigerian military doctor, Brigadier-General Ovadje. The UNDP had awarded General Ovadje (at that time a Colonel in the Nigerian army) a grant for research that resulted in a blood transfusion device. This device would have made it easier for patients to not have to get blood transfusion from other sources in process of surgery. This would minimize the incidence of people getting HIV through blood transfusion. It was the very first technology breakthrough that had international commercial value from the Nigerian military researchers. The UNDP wanted Nigeria to contribute a certain amount of money in a fund and the UNDP would match the fund to commercialize the device and ensure that the intellectual property remained with the doctor and Nigeria. Unfortunately then, the Nigerian government officials did not care to do this because there was essentially no “profit” in it for them. The outcome is that it has taken Brigadier-General Ovadje several years of single minded effort to begin to commercialize the product whose plant is now being set up in Calabar free trade zone. I tell you this story because it’s important to understand the deep implications of our actions. I give you the names because they are verifiable.
It has become necessary to let our people in Diaspora know that the whole differential pay discussion is really about Nigerians living abroad and whether they should be allowed to participate in national development, and if they should be allowed, how the process would occur. It is also important to make us aware that our struggle is partly to achieve good governance, and good governance implies severely crippling corruptive practices of government officials. It requires an honest, competent, and sincere individual at the helm of the Finance Ministry to achieve this. It also requires very well regarded international diplomat to engage the world about our affairs in a meaningful manner. This is the kind of individual Ambassador Adeniji is. We should be made aware that the ongoing debate is orchestrated by people who are frustrated that the holes that allow for corruption are being plugged. This orchestration is using all of you in Diaspora to appear to be supporting an inquiry into why differential pay should be made to the two Ministers
I therefore exhort you to speak up now for this is all about you. So that a policy is not made that will permanently prevent you from coming home to serve, and that will perhaps even permanently sideline you and keep you abroad without consequence to our country.
I wrote a commentary on this issue which was published today in ThisDay Newspapers. You can find the article at http://www.thisdayonline.com/ and by clicking on Back Page Extra.
With fraternal best wishes,
Bart Nnaji
[ March 02, 2004, 12:25 AM: Message edited by: Patrick ]
Posts: 397 | Registered: May 2001
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1.)Who initiated the petition? 2.)Where were they when elections were rigged on 419/03? 3.)Are they really prepared for all other accompanying truths? 4.)How many deep places has Abati and Oshiomhole led you before? 5.)After you fulfill your populist desires and pat your leader and yourselves on the back for a job well done, What next? Each loyal trooper goes back to where they come from to face their individual battles alone?
* Niger Deltan goes back to fighting Niger Delta/Biafranigerian causes?, *Igbos go back to fighting Eastern/Biafranigerian causes?, *Hausas go back to fighting Northern/Biafranigerian causes?, *Middlebelters go back to fighting Middlebelt/Biafranigerian causes?, *Yorubas go back to Aremu to promote Oodua causes and fill a newly evacuated govt post.
Lesson learned? Give the job to a Yoruba minister in the first place, there are plenty Kupolokuns around, and their official and unofficial salaries and how they earned their recognition in the first place will return back to being nobody's gaddem bizness.
___________________ YA CAIN'T KEEP A GOOD MAN DOWN :) Posts: 1182 | From: TEXAS | Registered: Oct 2001
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Am just hoping we don't have at least **62 too many "semi-illiterates" (that very highly intellectual term) running around playing "follow the leader", acting out "Diaspora activist".
**62; (and counting, i.e excluding those who have signed on with commentaries asking what all the hoopla is about)
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