Imagine this fool! he thinks God will allow him get to my Pastor? Well, he's got his answer already.

What's wrong with some people in this country? Do they think Nigeria is their personal estate? I blame that stupid ugly old man called OBJ for all these. If not for him, I have never had of that Gov. from that state that starts with the letter "K", before he became president. If not for OBJ, how on earth will such woman be...now?

Who has heard anything about this process lately? I'm sure more 'pertinent' issues like rebranding and Banking Sector reforms have taken over.

Wrong and wrong. He ain't trying nothing. And even if he was, his best is not in the same zip code with good enough. And on that your parable, I also disagree. Who says a tree can't make a forest? A good and fruitful plantain tree can make a plantation in time.

This is one issue I hate to be right about, but it seems I am. Mugabe has made the GNU unworkable. That country has returned to where it was. & African rulers, especially those from Southern Africa are doing nothing substantial about it.

Thanks man! However, we don't have to wait for God's help. We should do something for ourselves.

Okay! Good. I am sure you know where to find those in charge of this? Go to them.

Technology caused nothing. It's the nature of man that causes everything. Is technology from Heaven or outer space? No. Man creates them. Even when human society was at it's very rudimentary and primitive state, men still device ways to dominate and kill each other. So, don't blame modernization.

Once again, I agree with you to a large extent. However, I've grown passed blaming Imperialism (especially Colonialism and neo-colonialism) for all our problems. I am no more a reader of Walter Rodney's " How Europe Underdeveloped Africa". My focus now is on How Africans are molesting their motherland. I'll implore you to join me in this new school. Not only is it intellectually more rewarding, it also facilitates a crystal clear illumination of the existential realities of contemporary Nigerian government and Politics.

Thank my brother. I am also totally against the Oil Curse paradigm. Oil is not a curse. The problem is the inability to those in charge to utilize oil wealth properly.

You have a great point pal. It's a sad reality that those who were once optimistic about her appointment will have to face and concede to us who were against it from the word go.

Who Wants the Constitution Amended?
Simon Kolawole Live!,


Senator Ike Ekweremadu, in case you don’t know, is a determined and calm man. Recently in Abuja, I tried to wind him up on the proposed amendment of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. I asked the Deputy Senate President, who is also Chairman of the Senate Committee on the Review of the Constitution: “To the best of my knowledge, the ruling political class is not really interested in any review of the constitution because it is not in their interest. Are you lawmakers not just trying to keep the political firmament a little bit busy by this constitution amendment talk? Are you really interested in it?”
He smiled. “I’ve heard that,” he replied. “But from day one, we decided – in fact, nobody prompted us – to make the amendment of the Constitution one of our legacies. We’re mindful of the challenges ahead of us but we are determined to do it. Early enough, the Senate constituted its committee for this purpose. What actually set us back was that it took the House of Representatives three months to set up its own committee. We were trying to find a convenient date with the House to commence the job. Eventually, we set up the Joint Constitution Review Committee. But controversy ensued. Time passed by.”
The “controversy” was that the Representatives started an argument about who should chair the joint committee. From nowhere, a fire was started about which of the chambers of the National Assembly was superior. This curious controversy made many people believe that the House was working in tandem with those who were against the amendment of the constitution, an allegation the Lower Chamber denied. But it left a sour taste in the mouth that the substance of constitution amendment was relegated to the background while a seemingly peripheral issue of “seniority” took the centre stage.
With the controversy unresolved, the two chambers decided to part ways. There is nothing in the constitution that says a joint committee is needed for the amendment. “We believed we would save cost and time if we worked jointly,” Ekweremadu told me. “But we moved on all the same. Our plan is to take it to a level and make it irreversible so that everyone will take it seriously and come to our aid. We have developed a timeline and our objectives. We will break out into geo-political zones to collate views from across the country. Like our public hearings, it will be shown live on TV. We will then set up committees for the specific issues. They will look into the details and advise the main committee appropriately. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is helping us with consultants whom they will pay. We’ll seek the best possible advice across the world so that for every proposal we make, we can look at what country it has worked and why we believe it’s going to work in Nigeria.”
My cynicism was not enough to deter the Deputy Senate President from outlining his committee’s calendar. “By February 2010, we believe we will be done with this work. We will submit our recommendations to the Senate. By June 2010, we expect that the amendments will be passed. We’ll then move it to the House and see what compromise we can reach on areas of differences. We can then send it to the State Houses of Assembly for concurrence,” he said with all enthusiasm.
There is suspicion that President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua is not too keen on the amendment – just as it is also believed that the Senate is trying to kill the amendment bills sent to it by the President. Ekweremadu quickly dismissed the first allegation – “The President has been very supportive,” he declared – and went on to explain what the Senate has done or is doing to the bills sent by the President. “Presidency has proposed six bills,” he said. “The first is on the Land Use Act. The Executive is proposing an amendment so that land owners can use their land as collateral for loans without requiring Governor’s consent. Although this has nothing to do with the election, we need to empower our people to create wealth.
“The second is party registration. Presidency is proposing a commission to register and regulate parties, in this age when people are talking about the need for small government. Nigerians fought for the removal of hindrances to the registration of parties. Why do we need another bureaucracy, another body, which would only increase the cost of running government? Already, we have over 50 parties. Senators took a look at this bill critically. It died on Second Reading. The third is on electoral matters. It proposes independent candidature. It also deals with the appointment of the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). This one has passed Second Reading. We are still working on it.
“The fourth is the INEC Act of 1998. It was enacted just to provide a legal instrument to the elections leading up to handover in May 1999. It’s a ‘spent legislation’. The decree created INEC. All the provisions have been transferred to the 1999 Constitution. Nothing is left in the Act. All you need now is to amend the constitution. The fifth is the Police Act. The Executive bill is aimed at amending the Police Act to strengthen security during elections. The amendment says there should be security for election materials and electoral officers. As a lawyer, I know that the Police Act is all about security for all. So, I ask: Is the life and property of INEC different from others? Who advised the Executive in respect of this bill? The last is a bill seeking to create a commission to try electoral offenders. We’re going to look into it. I have gone this length to explain because Nigerians may not know the reasons why some of the bills are being thrown out.”
He spoke at length on another touchy issue – state creation. “Our aim now is to provide the atmosphere for credible elections in 2011. We have to look at incremental changes. We cannot put everything in the basket at a go. We’ll look at all those bills, consider the Uwais report and collate the views of Nigerians,” he said, explaining that it would be more beneficial to make a law that will simplify state creation processes because of the ambiguities contained in Section 8 of the 1999 Constitution.
“Look at Section 8 very well and you’ll see that it’s ambiguous. It is also very strenuous. Unlike other constitutional changes which require two-thirds of the National Assembly, state creation requires four-fifths. Pursuant to the 1979 Constitution, there is the 1982 State Creation and Boundary Adjustment Act which was meant to support the constitution on state creation. Yet, things are still ambiguous. It says a referendum must be conducted on a request for state creation and that two-thirds of the federation must support it. Now this is confusing. Who conducts the referendum? What is two-thirds of the federation? Is it two-thirds of the entire population of Nigerians or two-thirds of elected representatives or Houses of Assembly? All these are ambiguous,” he explained.
What way forward then? Ekweremadu says his committee wants to make things simple enough so that the processes of creating a state will be started by the people who desire it. He explained again: “We need to streamline the processes. Amending the Act will help us push the process to the agitators. The first step is for them to make a request. This should be signed by their elected representatives covering the area of the proposed state. Then they can send it to the National Assembly to secure two-thirds approval. Then a referendum will be conducted before it is now sent to State Houses of Assembly for concurrence. It can now come back to the National Assembly for two-thirds approval. A state is then created. It doesn’t need executive assent. You shouldn’t need anybody to create state for you anymore. You start the process yourself. If it is only to remove ambiguity, that would be an achievement for us.”
Ekweremadu is very determined to accomplish this task. After the Kaduna Retreat, public hearing will commence on Tuesday, with former Presidents and Heads of States invited to make presentations. I believe rather than spend eternity complaining about how “bad” our constitution is, it would make sense to engage with the process constructively. This is another chance for us.


SOURCE:http://www.thisdayonline.com/nview.php?id=156745

ASobjellaevilla
ASobjellaevilla
Are U drunk, blind or stupid? Which? Does this look like a drug sales forum to U. Stay out of my topics with ur crap. Buzz off.Get a life.

@ AAoptobialo:  Are U drunk, blind or stupid? Which? Does this look like a drug sales forum to U. Stay out of my topics with ur crap. Buzz off.

Sueptiott!!!!!!!!!!!! What the phyuk is wrong with U? Does this look like  Drug sales Forum to U? Please use your head.

Nigeria is really a land where anything goes. Now, it seems like Ribadu never happened. Like he never existed at any time in our miserable history. Only God will help us.

It's funny how nothing has been done to diversify our economy. It's equally appalling to note that huge sums of money is been invested in corruption, while the real sector of the economy suffers. How can a country escape poverty and hunger, when it's government does not care about the education of its citizens? That is the pathetic Nigerian experience. Until every people in the country starts looking withing themselves and cave niches for themselves, in Agriculture or other things, hunger & anger will persist.

How genuine is Mugabe's hand of friendship to the West? Is his continues attack on the West the answer? Does his continuous blame games still have any flavour? I say no to all. He must learn to accept change and know that he's not a messiah. If the people don't want him and his buddies anymore, they must respect that.

The new tango between Washington & Moscow to reduce their Nukes, how far do y'all think it can go? I doubt if it will make any difference. As far as, both states still have the technology, they can re-arm anytime any day they deem fit.