A Season Of Conspiracies Against Goodluck Jonathan

[Dreamestorical]

Seems Nigerians are finally beginning to wake up. This is an article that was posted on Nigeria's most popular and prominent newspapers Vanguard. As I have stated time and time again in various threads, this Boko haram situation is all the working of northern elites to ensure their election into office and to keep their control over the Nigeria's expiring oil leases come 2015.

A season of conspiracies against Goodluck Jonathan - Vanguard News

By Femi Aribisala
THEYorubas have a proverb. They say: “A witch cried out yesterday and a child died today. Who does not know that it was the witch who killed the child?” Some people have gone to great lengths to declare that if President Jonathan dares to run for re-election, they would make Nigeria ungovernable. Some, like Murtala Nyako, have even gone as far as threatening a civil-war. It is, therefore, not far-fetched to conclude that with the election only a stone-throw away, much of the turmoil we are witnessing in Nigeria today is the handiwork of the anti-Jonathan brigade.

Goodluck Jonathan must be the most vilified president in the history of Nigeria. He is abused and bad-mouthed with ferocious intensity. This really has nothing to do with his record in office. He is by no means the worst president Nigeria has ever seen. As a matter of fact, he is one of the better ones. True; he has not been able to address the age-old problem of corruption. Nevertheless, Nigeria has been making giant strides under his administration. The Nigerian government did not fool the world into having the WEF (World Economic Forum) in Abuja. It took place here because Nigeria is by all accounts an emerging frontier market in the world economy.
Obama’s Nigeria

President Jonathan did not bribe U.S. President Obama to proclaim Nigeria as “the world’s next economic giant” in 2012. Obama’s Nigeria is coming of age under Jonathan. The United Sates rebases its economy every two years. The United Nations recommends every country should rebase every five years. Under this administration, Nigeria rebased its economy after 23 years, and yet some Jonathan traducers accuse the government of 419 for doing so.

That rebasing has now shown that the much-maligned Nigeria is by far the largest economy in Africa. This should not come as a surprise. Under Jonathan, the Nigerian economy has been growing consistently by nearly 7% per annum. That is one of the highest growth-rates in the world. For the past two years, Nigeria has become the number one destination for foreign investments in Africa, according to United Nations Conference on Trade and Development. A Nigerian industrialist, Aliko Dangote, is now the 23rd richest man in the world and, by far, the richest African. Jonathan-Nero

Jonathan has so transformed Nigerian agriculture that the minister, Akinwunmi Adesina, was named Forbes Magazine’s African of the Year 2013. Today, poor Nigerian farmers not only have access to fertilizer, they have cell-phones so they can access the government for seeds, implements and vital information. The administration is engaged in extensive rehabilitation of rail and road networks nationwide. Travel by air today and you will discover that most Nigerian airports have been transformed. The foundation has finally been laid for addressing the problem of electricity. A long-anticipated National Conference is currently underway.
Jonathan is not the object of so much attack because he is incompetent, but because he comes from the minority South-South. Moreover, a Northern cabal that has been out of power for 15 years is desperate to return. The next president will have the prerogative of allocating a new round of juicy oil-blocks. For example, the oil-block Sani Abacha allocated to Alhaji Mai Daribe of Borno in 1996 had over 500 million barrels of oil which translates to over $50 billion dollars at current prices. That is the kind of largesse available to just one well-placed Nigerian in our winner-takes-all political-economy.
Political terrorism

Accordingly, the determination is that power must be wrested from Jonathan by hook or crook. Some are issuing threats: others are talking up impeachment in the legislature. These people are not averse to economic sabotage. Therefore, gas pipelines keep getting vandalized in order to impede power-generation. Let us call a spade a spade. There are well-placed Nigerians, especially in the North, sponsoring, aiding and abetting terrorism for the sake of political gain.
Bombs were placed in a motor-park in Abuja on the eve of the WEF. Instead of cooperating with the government to fight the insurgency, many leading Northerners have been accusing the government of using Boko Haram as an excuse for killing Northerners. The government has been placed in a catch-22 situation. If it moves strongly against the insurgents, some Northerners cry genocide, threatening to take the matter to the International Court of Justice. If it pulls punches, the same Northerners accuse the government of incompetence in dealing with Boko Haram insurgency.
Self-defeating sabotage

This is tantamount to cutting off your nose to spite your face. Those who gave impetus to the Northern insurgency out of disaffection with a South-South presidency now sleep with one eye open. What they promoted has gone out of their control. It is not the people of the South-South that are now being shot, bombed and kidnapped indiscriminately; it is the people of the North. Those who feel that by creating instability they will provide a catalyst for Jonathan’s defeat have simply hardened the case for retaining him in power.
People like me never supported Jonathan until we saw the virulent conspiracy against him. We never cared for the mischievous PDP until we discovered that Jonathan’s opponents are so desperate for power, they are even prepared to destroy the nation in the process. They are so determined to seize power; they are threatening to “soak the dog and the baboon in blood” if they don’t get their wish. Therefore, the deafening answer to them must be: “Thy will shall not be done.”

These malcontents were having a good time of it until someone came up with a “brilliant” idea: “Let us kidnap 300 innocent school-girls in Chibok in one fell swoop.” This scheme had curious pieces of detail. The head of WAEC National Office, Charles Eguridu, maintains they warned the Borno State government that Chibok was unsafe and that the exams should be moved to more secure locations. But the state government refused. The few soldiers guarding the school were suspiciously re-deployed a few hours before the kidnapping.
It is therefore not surprising that the Northern Nigeria Chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), noting that the Chibok girls are mainly Christians, maintains that the kidnapping is a grand conspiracy involving the state governor, the school principal and others. Our First Lady alluded to the same matter by declaring: “There is God o!”
Northern volte-face

The Chibok kidnapping has become the biggest blunder of the Boko Haram. As a result, they are no longer just fighting against the Nigerian army. The whole world is now ranged against them. The Americans, the British, the French, the Japanese, the Israelis, the Chinese; everyone is now lining up behind the Jonathan administration, offering assistance for dealing with the insurgents.
Jonathan’s Northern opponents who have hitherto been sympathetic to the insurgents are now caught in a bind. Accordingly, they have started singing a different tune. Murtala Nyako said Boko Haram is a “phantom” devised by Southern Jonathan to conduct genocide against the North. Now, the Northern Governors’ Forum of which he is a member welcomes the assistance of the international community to fight Boko Haram “phantoms.” The chairman, Governor Babangida Aliyu, says: “The current challenges facing our country demonstrate the importance of working together across geo-political zones, political party lines, and ethnic-religious affinities to defeat our common enemies.”
Muhammadu Buhari declared at Kano Government House that the Boko Haram was a “strategic plan” by Jonathan’s government “to destroy the North.” He insinuated that by declaring a state of emergency in the North-east, the president was waging war on Northerners. Listen to the same Buhari today: “Now is not the time to play politics. Now is also not the time to trade blames and amplify our ideological differences. The unity of Nigeria is not negotiable and nothing should divide us as a people.”

New imperatives
Was Jonathan even planning to run for another term? Your guess is as good as mine. However, what the Northern blackmail has succeeded in doing is to ensure that Jonathan no longer has a choice: he has to contest. To back out now would be tantamount to succumbing to blackmail. The threats, sabotage and insurgency also mean Jonathan cannot afford to lose the election. Again, to lose the election is to succumb to blackmail.

The use of extra-constitutional means to fight Jonathan gives the lie to the posturing of his opponents. It shows they don’t believe in elections. Worst of all, they don’t have the interest of Nigeria at heart. They are even prepared to sacrifice Nigeria on the altar of their selfish, sectarian and regional interests. For these reason, they must be resisted by anyone who loves this country and believes in a united Nigeria.
In short, the issue is no longer about Jonathan. It is now about Nigeria. By a strange twist of fate, it is Jonathan of the discreditable PDP who now represents united Nigeria. To defeat Jonathan is to defeat Nigeria. To defeat Jonathan by a Northern APC presidential candidate is to hand over victory to the Northern insurgency. To accede to the defeat of Goodluck Jonathan by a Northern cabal is to promote the interests of the Boko Haram. If the APC understand the signs of the times, they would field a Southern presidential candidate to challenge Goodluck Jonathan.

For this reason, the new Jonathan coalition created by the Chibok kidnapping cannot just include the international community. It must also include the rank-and-file Nigerians: Southerners and Northerners; Christians and Muslims. This is a time of national emergency. We must forget our differences and join hands to ensure that Jonathan prevails in spite of all the stumbling blocks and minefields put in his way.
So doing, we would be able to make effective demands on the president. He would have to listen to us. With the added pressure from the international community, we will insist that the corruption that has gone through the roof under his administration must finally come to an end. The time is long overdue: some malefactors must be arrested, prosecuted and jailed. No more Kitty-Cat-footing. Nigerians require a transparent government; and we require this “yesterday.”

 

[Dreamestorical]

Jonathan is not the object of so much attack because he is incompetent, but because he comes from the minority South-South. Moreover, a Northern cabal that has been out of power for 15 years is desperate to return. The next president will have the prerogative of allocating a new round of juicy oil-blocks. For example, the oil-block Sani Abacha allocated to Alhaji Mai Daribe of Borno in 1996 had over 500 million barrels of oil which translates to over $50 billion dollars at current prices.That is the kind of largesse available to just one well-placed Nigerian in our winner-takes-all political-economy.

This is why people are dying in Nigeria today. Just one oil block out of hundreds in Nigeria is worth over 50 billion dollars. Plus this oil block was given to just one man. One man!!!
That is why I laugh when people talk about the riches of Bill gates and Warren Buffet.
Now remember from 2016-2019 the majority the oil blocks which are presently held by northerners and International oil companies are going to expire. So Now you know why they are looking to destabilize the present government.

 

[Orbital-Fetus]

Goodluck is an awesome name.

 

[Nemesis]

Johnathon is a bloody useless president..... and I voted for him ........ even yardua on his deathbed was a better president than the oaf we have in office

 

[thekingsmen]

Posters on the coli don't believe in cause and effect, they believe it just happens with no reason behind it. Good article homie.

 

[Nemesis]

Posters on the coli don't believe in cause and effect, they believe it just happens with no reason behind it. Good article homie.

of course there is a reason behind it but that doesnt negate the fact that hes bloody useless..... they tried that shyt in the North when Obasonjo was president and he straight had the militants murked ....he even had the leader murdered in police custody.....obviously he coming from an army background helped but the point is this isnt the first time.....

when I say Johnathon is bloody useless its not just on security..... Nigerian leaders have been largely awful but he hands down is in the top two most useless leaders we have had the misfortune to have

 

[thekingsmen]

of course there is a reason behind it but that doesnt negate the fact that hes bloody useless..... they tried that shyt in the North when Obasonjo was president and he straight had the militants murked ....he even had the leader murdered in police custody.....obviously he coming from an army background helped but the point is this isnt the first time.....

when I say Johnathon is bloody useless its not just on security..... Nigerian leaders have been largely awful but he hands down is in the top two most useless leaders we have had the misfortune to have

This wasn't towards you. I agree with you totally. The comment made was addressed to those blaming Islam in Africa.

 

[tmonster]

I finally saw the boko haram dude on tv
greatest on earth and possibly the solar system
how can any one not think this guy has an ulterior agendum, he's a gattdamn cartoon

 

[Dreamestorical]

of course there is a reason behind it but that doesnt negate the fact that hes bloody useless..... they tried that shyt in the North when Obasonjo was president and he straight had the militants murked ....he even had the leader murdered in police custody.....obviously he coming from an army background helped but the point is this isnt the first time.....

when I say Johnathon is bloody useless its not just on security..... Nigerian leaders have been largely awful but he hands down is in the top two most useless leaders we have had the misfortune to have

Look Jonathan has his faults. I am not disputing that. But to say the man is useless and is not doing anything in Nigeria is not right. One has to remember that Jonathan has ruled this country for only 3.5 years and yet he has achieved a lot in that short time.
An example is Jonathans administration has constructed and rehabilitated more roads in Nigeria than all of past administrations put together since Nigeria's independence. From the bnenin ore road to Onitsha-Enugu-Port Harcourt dual carriageway, then the Kaduna-Maiduguri dual carriageway also the East-West Road the Abuja-Abaji-Lokoja also the mina bida road and lots more. They said in 2012 the federal government contsructed 1980 kilometers of roads in Nigeria.
He has revived the railway sector that was abandoned since the 70s. From the lagos to kano rail route to the enugu-Portharcourt- maidugiri rail route. Also the Ajaokuta-Warri Standard Gauge Rail line will be completed any time now. This will provide a less than four-hour journey between the Middlebelt and the South South. Then the Lagos-Ibadan new gauge rail line, which was also initiated last year is on course.
The Federal Government has also completed three feasibility studies and commissioned three others to open new railway corridors, which will be presented to local and foreign investors. Analysts are predicting an unprecedented investment of 200 billion dollars will flow into the Nigerian economy through these concessions with over 10 million new jobs of skilled and unskilled laborers (engineers, technicians, machinists, accountants) created in the next two years. (already happening with the 15 billion investment from china)

Then lets not forget the soon to be completed Abuja to kaduna railway and the recently signed 15 billion dollar deal to have china build a coastal railway linking calabar to Lagos. All this routes have begun to transport people and especially materials across the country. millions of tonnes of materials that used to be transported by road which led to the wear and tear of our roads are now being transported by railway reducing time and costs.
Now can the railway still be improved? Most definitely. One criticism I have is when it comes to transporting people, the traveling conditions are paltry. Luckily he has started to address that by ordering newer trains designed specifically for human transport.

Railway Corporation Flags Off Container Traffic To Kano




Then when looking at this other acievments he is:
First president/ head of state to sign into law the Freedom of Information Act (FoIA); replacing the 100 year old Official Secrets Act (OSA)
This act is the one thing that has actually worked negatively for jonathan because the opposition have been using it to attack him. This act makes gives the media access to the movement of money in the economy. So if there are any leakages people will know. Why do you think it is in Jonathans administration we see Nigerians openly talking about corruption. When a dime goes missing everybody knows. It is thanks to the freedom of information act he signed. I will tell you this. If jonathan himself was as corrupt as people say he is, he would have never signed this act into law. All our past leaders never signed this act and jonathan never had to sign it as well. So we Nigerian basically don't really know how much was truly stolen from the 60s to 2010.

Jonathan Signs Freedom Of Information Law | Sahara Reporters

Nigeria's leader, Goodluck Jonathan, on Saturday signed into law the Freedom of Information Act as passed by the National Assembly. That was one day after a copy of the bill was delivered to him by the Clerk of the National Assembly, Salisu Maikasuwa.

In theory, the 18 -page document has now become the official freedom of information law by which Nigerian citizens can seek access to official information, but it remains to be tested.

The bill, which first made an appearance in the National Assembly in 1999, languished there in the years that followed as legislators squabbled over it and President Olusegun Obasanjo expressed open hostility to it. It made some progress early in 2007 and was passed by both chambers, but it was then vetoed by President Obasanjo.

After Obasanjo’s departure, the bill finally achieved some traction despite many other hurdles, and was finally passed by the National Assembly last week by the lawmakers who had watered it down considerably. Among other things, they claimed it would compromise national security.

In a joint statement today in Abuja, the Right to Know initiative, Media Rights Agenda and Open Society Foundations celebrated the FOI law as a victory for democracy, transparency, justice and development.

"With the new law, Nigerians finally have vital tools to uncover facts, fight corruption and hold officials and institutions accountable," said Ms Ene Enonche, Coordinator of the Right to Know initiative.

Her enthusiasm was shared by Maxwell Kadiri of the Open Society Justice Initiative. "The new law will profoundly change how government works in Nigeria,” he said. “Now we can use the oxygen of information and knowledge to breathe life into governance. It will no longer be business as usual."

Jonathans is also the First president/ head of state to effectively outlaw toll-collecting illegal police check points in Nigeria.

President Goodluck Jonathan is also the first president/ head of state to introduce a National Tax Policy to create a self-sufficient economy that could bring development to the people. We have never had a tax policy. Obasaajno didint do shyt. Can you believe that?? it is only when Jonathan came into power a tax policy was finally implemented. (still there is a lot of work to do in this front but its a great start from nothing)
Also remember every advanced nation in the world has a sound tax policy something past Nigerian leaders chose to neglect before jonathan came into power.


Also jonathan is the first president to pay attention to our international and local airports – Kano airport upgraded after 57 years, and other airports upgrades in progress, with some like Benin Airport, sokoto airport, illorin airport, enugu airport, for god sake the man is rehabilitating over 20 airports in the country. Lets not florget he also rehabilitated the kaduna refinery after 15 years of neglect.


Then lets not forget the auto policy that has companies like nissan, mistubisghi, toyota, peuget Cfao setting up assembly plants in the country
News -- French firm plans vehicle assembly plant in Nigeria
News -- Globe Motors to assemble Higer automobiles locally
Nissan Rolls Out 1st Made in Nigeria Car, Almera, NP300 to follow
PAN to Resume Car Assembly Next Month, Articles | THISDAY LIVE

Also under jonathans administration we have become self sufficient in cement production and we are even exporting cement to neighboring countries. Now of course I believe cement is still way to expensive and more competitors need to be allowed into the sector to create competition. ( and luckily they are beginning to come in)

 

[Dreamestorical]

of course there is a reason behind it but that doesnt negate the fact that hes bloody useless..... they tried that shyt in the North when Obasonjo was president and he straight had the militants murked ....he even had the leader murdered in police custody.....obviously he coming from an army background helped but the point is this isnt the first time.....

when I say Johnathon is bloody useless its not just on security..... Nigerian leaders have been largely awful but he hands down is in the top two most useless leaders we have had the misfortune to have

Then when we look at agriculture:
He has done so much. Nigeria is in the middle of an agricultural revolution. millions are being emplyed and corruption is being stamped out of the agricultural sector

MID TERM REPORT/ACHIEVEMENTS OF PRESIDENT GOODLUCK JONATHAN | TransformationWatch

• In 2012 14 new rice mills with capacity to process 240 metric tons of rice were set up by the private sector while in addition, a sum of 1.2 billion dollars was secured by the Federal Government to install 100 large scale rice processing mills to produce 2.1 million metric tons of rice annually. (the mills have finnally been completed)
•This and other initiatives of government in 2012 resulted in the creation of about two million new jobs among rural dwellers. In 2013, the Federal Government will implement a Young Graduates Commercial Farmers Scheme, which will absorb 780,000 graduates in its first phase and provide an estimated four million jobs in the agricultural sector in the first year.
•Today, Nigeria has reached an unprecedented 60 per cent sufficiency in rice production, a feat, which the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) recently described as capable of raising world rice output to a record high in the next 12 next months.
The Nigeria Agricultural Bank is being restructured and recapitalized to provide loans to peasant farmers at single digit interest rates. This will be the most remarkable fund injection initiative ever undertaken by any government to empower rural peasant farmers and create wealth for rural dwellers.
export of dried cassava chips began in July 2012 and this represented the first time that Nigeria will achieve commercial scale export of dried chips, which will earn the country $136 million annually in foreign exchange.
•The Jonathan administration is resuscitating the production of Cotton particularly in the Northeast and Northwest zones of Nigeria through the provision of improved cotton seedlings, which have been given free of charge to farmers. This will definitely result in the resuscitation of the upstream and downstream cotton/textile subsector before the end of 2013.
•Nigeria is the largest producer of cassava in the world with 34 million MT produced per annum
•In the last one year following the efforts of the Ministry of Agriculture under the Agriculture Transformation Agenda of the Jonathan administration, around $8 billion in private investments have been attracted to agricbusiness, crop production, processing and other forms of value addition.
•The Jonathan administration cleansed the rot in the fertilizer distribution system. Under the previous system, the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development procured and distributed fertilizers to farmers. The system undermined the private sector and only about 11 percent of the farmers received fertilizers. The rest were sold to friends and ‘political farmers’ whom exported them. President Jonathan’s intervention dismantled in 60m days, this corrupt system, which had existed for over 40 years and fertilizers are now sold directly to farmers and not to government.
• The Ministry launched a Growth Enhancement Scheme, where farmers receive 50% subsidy on fertilizers, for a maximum of two bags, through the use of their mobile phones or what we call Electronic-wallet system (or E-wallet). In 120 days, over 1.2 million farmers bought their subsidized fertilizers using the E-wallet system. Over 1.5 million farmers will be reached by the end of the dry season. A total of 138,802.7 metric tons of fertilizer and 10,974.78 metric tons of seeds in 517 active redemption centres out of all the 804 centres spread across all states of the federation. The E-wallet system is the first of its kind in Africa and already several African countries have indicated they want to implement the Nigerian system.
• Multilateral and bilateral agencies are providing donor-related investment support and have shown enthusiasm for the major reforms on-going in Nigeria’s agriculture by committing more $1 billion towards Nigeria’s Agricultural Transformation Agenda. The World Bank Group is providing $500 million. African Development Bank (AfDB) has committed $250 million. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has selected Nigeria as a priority country for its investment in agriculture. The International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD) has put up $80 million. The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has committed $60 million. The UK Government, through DFID has committed £37 million. The Tony Elumelu Foundation, Ford Foundation and UNDP are providing significant technical support facilities.

here is are the rice mills

Then lets not forget that for the first time Nigeria has biotechnologically improved crops. (They are different from the dreaded GMO)
Nigeria has Biotechnologically Improved Crops, Says Adesina, Articles | THISDAY LIVE

Nigeria has biotechnologically improved crops and not genetically modified crops, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr Akinwumi Adesina, has explained.

The minister gave this explanation at a Leadership Forum organised by the Nigerian Newsworld magazine/Nigerian Pilot Newspaper in Abuja weekend.

``What we have in Nigeria is biotechnologically improved crops to raise yields for farmers and not genetically modified crops as being speculated’’, he said.

He added that the National Root Crops Research Institute, Umudike, Abia, conducts research into genetic improvement of economically important root and tuber crops.

The minister noted that the institute had been conducting more research into cassava, yam, cocoyam and sweet potato, among others, for their richness in vitamins.

He held that when the Biosafety Bill becomes an Act, it would regulate the research, development and application of any genetically modified organism.
Adesina said the focus of the agricultural transformation agenda of the present administration was to create jobs, improve rural economy and grow the wealth of the nation.

`"In doing that, we decided to embark on reforms with a focus on the private sector participation to encourage quality value chain.

"We decentralised the entire ministry and today, we have 36 offices and six regional directors, each in the geopolitical zones of the country to ensure close contact with farmers," he said.

Adesina said the ministry had been able to get fertiliser to the farmers easier and direct via e-wallet, which he said other African nations had copied from Nigeria.

He said the ministry also provided mobile phones to scale up the access to improved seeds and fertilisers to millions of farmers directly

 

[Dreamestorical]

of course there is a reason behind it but that doesnt negate the fact that hes bloody useless..... they tried that shyt in the North when Obasonjo was president and he straight had the militants murked ....he even had the leader murdered in police custody.....obviously he coming from an army background helped but the point is this isnt the first time.....

when I say Johnathon is bloody useless its not just on security..... Nigerian leaders have been largely awful but he hands down is in the top two most useless leaders we have had the misfortune to have

Then we have the strides he has made in the oil industry. he is doing great work with his local content policy that was enacted to ensure greater local participation in the oil industry and the PIB bill that was created to break the monopoly international oil firms have in the country. (though the PIb is being stalled by the senate, no doubt they want to stall it until after the 2015 elections)

Ventures Africa | Nigeria’s Petroleum Industry Bill Set For Approval

Although many believe that the bill has been delayed for so long because of the International Oil Companies (IOCs) who have reservations about the effect on their businesses and investments,the eventual approval and implementation of the bill will hopefully send ripples of transformation through the industry and create a change that will diffuse the monopoly of foreign multinationals and usher in stability and increased local participation in the industry.

Nigeria: Local Content Update for the Oil and Gas Industry | The National Law Review

The Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development Act 2010 (the “Local Content Act”) was enacted to enhance local content in Nigeria’s developing oil and gas industry. “Nigerian Content” is elaborately described as the “quantum of composite value added to or created in the Nigerian economy by a systematic development of capacity and capabilities through the deliberate utilization of Nigerian human, material resources and services in the Nigerian oil and gas Industry”. Put simply, the main driver is to employ Nigerian skills and resources in local projects, creating jobs and deepening the local supply chain.

The other central aims of the Local Content Act are to:

• Develop indigenous skills across the oil and gas value chain;
  
  
• Promote indigenous ownership of assets and use of indigenous assets in oil and gas operations;
  
  
• Enhance the multiplier effect to promote the establishment of support industries; and
  
  
• Create customised training and sustainable employment opportunities.

By way of example, the Local Content Act provides that “Nigerian independent operators shall be given first consideration in the award of oil blocks, oil field licences, oil lifting licences and all projects for which contract is to be awarded in the Nigerian oil and gas industry [subject to conditions specified by the Minister]”, and requires that all international or multinational companies working through their Nigerian subsidiaries demonstrate that at least 50% of the equipment deployed for execution of work is owned by the Nigerian subsidiaries.

Then we also have Jonathan awarding new oil contracts to Nigerian firms at the expense of foreign ones.
Exclusive: Nigeria favors local firms in $40 billion oil contract awards - News - KFGO The Mighty 790AM - Fargo Moorhead, ND

Nigeria has awarded most of its long-term oil contracts worth an estimated $40 billion a year to local companies, according to a confidential list seen by Reuters, meaning global traders need to partner with them to access crude from Africa's top producer

In a break with tradition, no contracts were given directly to global trading houses Glencore Xstrata , Vitol , Trafigura or Gunvor, with only Switzerland's Mercuria winning a contract, according to a list that four industry sources verified as accurate.

It's incredible to have an OPEC member selling its oil this way. There's one international trading house and barely any refiners on the list," said a senior oil trading source who formerly bought Nigerian crude oil.

Instead, several Nigerian oil companies featured on the annual list for the first time, such as oil trading company Hyde Energy, oil and gas firm Springfield, and Barbedos Group, a conglomerate that also provides luxury aviation services.

Long-established Nigerian oil trading firms Taleveras and Aiteo were also named on the list, which was circulated to winners last week.

Nigeria's policy has been to increase the role played by local firms, both in operating oil blocks and trading, with the official aim of ending decades of control over the business by foreign majors.

And to top this of the local content policy is already making great gains for the country
Nigerian Content Policy is Yielding Gains, Says Nwapa, Articles | THISDAY LIVE

According to him, Nigerian entrepreneurs are now taking on bigger roles by attracting Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and forging alliances with global brands with the purpose of technology transfer and capacity development.

“Without doubt the local content policy of the government is yielding great gains. Gone are the days when Nigerians celebrated the award of fat contracts in the industry as the only dividend of local content. We have gone beyond that. Nigerian entrepreneurs are now taking on bigger roles by attracting Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and forging alliances with global brands with the purpose of technology transfer and capacity development that could aid the progress of the local content policy.

The local content policy has also lead to the appearance of other sectors related to the oil industry like marine exploration, equipment maintenance e.t.c
Again these sectors are all run by Nigerians
here are two examples


allAfrica.com: Nigeria: Local Content Drive - Two Firms Forge a Pact (Page 1 of 2)

The quest by Federal government to boost Nigerian local content drive in the oil and gas sector is fast yielding the required result as more Nigerian firms key into the initiative which will involve more Nigerians in the procurement of services, equipment ,technology and technical manpower urgently needed to boost the development of oil and other sectors of the Nigerian economy.

Before the emergence of Goodluck Jonathan's administration, foreign firms dominated the provision of majority of the inputs such as services, equipment and other ancillary inputs used in the harnessing of hydrocarbon resources. In fact, the Multinational oil firms and other equipment providers were having a field day

One of the firms which has tapped from the benefits of the new law is Future Concerns Limited, a wholly owned Nigerian company that formed partnership with MSA Equipment Manufacturer, a global firm with 100 years of experience to its credit, recently in Lagos. The Managing Director of Future Concern Engineer. Tony Oguike who addressed newsmen at the company's head office during the launching of the partnership and commissioning of brand new safety equipment described the collaboration as a milestone in the oil and gas sector aimed at domesticating service provision to all stakeholders.

According to him, the partnership which will bring services to the doorstep of customers would reduce the cost of doing business and bring value to the end-users. He said that the company targets 78 per cent of operators in the oil and gas sector as main customers due to the high premium placed on safety by oil and service companies on safety while at work .

Local content: Elshcon Nigeria acquires two vessels grossing to 3,800 tonnages | BusinessDay

Determined to take the business opportunity provided by the Nigerian Local Content Act, Elshcon Nigeria Limited, a marine services company said it has taken delivery of 3,800 gross tonnage ballast, and cargo barge.

The vessels, ‘ENL Triumph 2′ and an Anchor Handling Tug, ‘Nelson 2′, which weathered the worst tropical cyclone in the Indian Ocean on their way to Nigeria from Singapore, are expected to further put into practise, the tenets of Nigerian Content act in the area of offshore towage.

Emi Membere–Otaji, managing director of Elshcon Nigeria Limited and Elshcon Offshore Limited, commended the Federal Government for vigorously pursuing Local Content policy, by engaging banks to fund new vessel acquisition so that Nigerian ship owners can compete effectively with their foreign peers.

He applauded Access Bank for partnering with the company in the acquisition of both vessels.

Elshcon is a wholly Nigerian owned company in the deep water towage marine business with focus in optimizing Nigerian content to create value while serving the oil and gas Industry.

we talk about empowering blacks globally and this is how you do it.


Plus all this isn't just talk. Jonathan's government has been enforcing the local content policy. they just recently banned an italain and korean oil firms for not adhering to the policy.

FG to Clamp Down on More Firms over Nigerian Content , Articles | THISDAY LIVE

The federal government, through the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), is set to clamp down on more foreign contractors over the violation of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act, which was signed into law by President Goodluck Jonathan on April 22, 2010, THISDAY has learnt.

This is coming exactly two months after NCDMB banned Italian engineering, construction, drilling and oilfield services contractor, Saipem, and Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) of Korea, for a breach of the Nigerian Content Act in Egina and Ofon II projects, respectively.

The ban on Sapiem and HHI has excluded them from the Bonga South West. If they are lucky and the ban is lifted when the tendering process is still ongoing, they may participate in the project. We have also raised Nigerian content issues with more contractors and we have given them deadline to resolve the issues or face sanction.

Some of these foreign companies think that Nigeria is a banana republic where they can violate the laws and get away with it. The stage we are today in Nigerian Content is enforcement. It is not a personal thing; we are not doing it to pursue any company out of the country but to bring them to comply with our laws because that is how it is done in their own countries,” he said.

Jonathan has done alot more and it will take a really long time to highlight all of them. These are the few that stuck with me. Again jonathan has his faults, but one has to remember this is Nigeria we are talking about. There are too many cabals and powerful people with various motives around the country all looking to entrench their hold on the nations wealth. Ruling Nigeria especially when you are the first leader in its history that is from the south south and has no ties to the military is a huge feat.

 

[chkmeout]

to @Dreamestorical


to you fukk boys

 

[Dreamestorical]

of course there is a reason behind it but that doesnt negate the fact that hes bloody useless..... they tried that shyt in the North when Obasonjo was president and he straight had the militants murked ....he even had the leader murdered in police custody.....obviously he coming from an army background helped but the point is this isnt the first time.....

when I say Johnathon is bloody useless its not just on security..... Nigerian leaders have been largely awful but he hands down is in the top two most useless leaders we have had the misfortune to have

Then lets not forget the You win program. It was initially heavily criticized but it is beginning to pay off.

Here is the GWIN program. A program to empower women in Nigeria

Then you also have the real estate boom that is taking place in Nigeria presently. This has been added by the massive cement production which has helped to reduce the prices for construction.

Real estate boom in Nigeria CCTV News - CNTV English

Nigeria’s property market is heating up. As demand continues to grow, real estate agents and developers estimate returns as high as 30 to 35 percent, while rental income yields in Lagos and Abuja are as lucrative as ever. 

Like many other places in Africa, real estate is booming in Nigeria. All across major urban centers, large office blocks and buildings compete for space with glass and concrete towers. Investors say the returns are world class.

Also the rehabilitation and training of ex Niger delta militants was also a great endeavor by the government.

 

[Dreamestorical]

of course there is a reason behind it but that doesnt negate the fact that hes bloody useless..... they tried that shyt in the North when Obasonjo was president and he straight had the militants murked ....he even had the leader murdered in police custody.....obviously he coming from an army background helped but the point is this isnt the first time.....

when I say Johnathon is bloody useless its not just on security..... Nigerian leaders have been largely awful but he hands down is in the top two most useless leaders we have had the misfortune to have

Back to the Local contentpolicy

The local content policy has led to the rise of many Nigerian companies

side note: If your not clear on the local content policy, it basically gives Nigerian companies first serve in any projects in the country. If there are no Nigerian companies that can carry out the project then foreign companies will be looked at.
Though even though foreign companies are brought in, the policy makes it mandatory that the foreign companies most partner with local companies and transfer skills to them.
So everything is for the benefit of Nigerians first and foremost.

The Rise of Nigerian Oil and Gas Companies, Articles | THISDAY LIVE

In ways like never before Nigerian companies are on the rise, taking on prodigious challenges and overcoming them. They are increasing participation in areas that for long, have been the exclusive preserve of foreign companies. Increasingly, Nigerian companies have become more assertive, more ambitious and more resilient. No where is this more on display than the oil and gas sector and more recently, the power sector which has seen local indigenous companies in partnerships with foreign companies bid big and win big. It is essentially a sign of the growing assertiveness of the young entrepreneurial Nigerians that are clearly unafraid to take risk. And more than that, the opportunities the local content law has opened Nigerian companies to are unparalleled

Since the multi-nationals, led by Shell, started divesting from some oil blocks and marginal fields, Nigerian companies have put on impressive abilities to raise capital and form alliances with foreign technical partners in the acquisition of these oil assets. This has consequently deepened the level of local participation in the upstream, increased their level of technical competence and sophistication, created thousands of jobs for Nigerians and reduced to some measure, capital outflow from the country.

Simon Kolawole acknowledged this much in his column recently, when he wrote: ‘‘One of the biggest achievements in this democratic experience is in the area of local content. Four years ago, President Goodluck Jonathan signed the bill into law and the story has changed positively. When the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Mr Ernest Nwapa, was highlighting the achievements sometime last year, I was very encouraged. Many Nigerian companies, hitherto on the margins and struggling to survive, have gained expertise and improved capacity since the law came into being. For the first time in our history, the Nigerian flag is flying high in the oil sector, especially in technical services and engineering.’’
Continuing, he stated further: ‘‘According to Nwapa, over $200 billion worth of procurements and nearly $10 billion worth of research and development (R&D) used to be sourced to North America, while technical services valued at nearly $80 billion and $39 billion worth of engineering works were done in Europe. The Nigerian Content Act meant $191 billion investment was now being retained in-country and hundreds of thousands of jobs in manufacturing, engineering, sciences and technical services could be created in a matter of years

And in yet another remarkable feat of achievement, many local firms have been awarded 60 percent of crude oil lifting rights. And as the Minister of Petroleum, Diezani Alison-Madueke, the major inspirational force behind the aggressive implementation of the local content law, explained, it was all in furtherance of building local capacity.
Hear her: “When we unveiled the Nigerian content law a few years back, the overriding principle was to grow indigenous capacity in an aggressive manner and I am happy to report that today, in the oil and gas sector, Nigerian content has been placed on the path of irreversible progress.”
She further noted that the oil lifting award to local players remained in line with the aspirations of President Jonathan to effectively transform operations in the country’s petroleum industry. According to her, the advent of the Nigerian content law, has encouraged indigenous investments in critical infrastructure such as marine vessels, petroleum depots and jetties, among other infrastructure.
“We have seen robust indigenous investments in marine vessels of various categories and wholly-owned Nigerians vessels have increased astronomically through the years. These vessels are the category one and category two types. Investments in reception, storage and distribution facilities such as jetties, depots, trucks, vessels and modern retail outlets have more than doubled over the past few years and this has helped to increase the nation’s sufficiency level in petrol,” she added.

 

[Dreamestorical]

of course there is a reason behind it but that doesnt negate the fact that hes bloody useless..... they tried that shyt in the North when Obasonjo was president and he straight had the militants murked ....he even had the leader murdered in police custody.....obviously he coming from an army background helped but the point is this isnt the first time.....

when I say Johnathon is bloody useless its not just on security..... Nigerian leaders have been largely awful but he hands down is in the top two most useless leaders we have had the misfortune to have

Then lets also not forget the banking sector in Nigeria

Jonathans administration has really gone to great lengths to strengthened the banking sector in the country especially after the 2008 global crisis. They have cut out weak institutions and tightened regulations and spending.

Nigeria’s Place in Rising African Finance Sector, Articles | THISDAY LIVE

However, there is no doubt that, by the sheer chunk of the continent’s economy which it covers, Nigerian financial services sector is one of the highest beneficiaries of the deluge of investments and international recognition.

In Nigeria, like in other African countries which formed the focus of the KPMG report, a number of factors underpin the banking sector’s rise in recent years. These, the report said, include the rapidly emerging middle class, and a sharp increase in urbanization, which combined, have led to a higher demand for services in general.

“Significant development and reforms of the financial sector as well as a tightening of banking regulations in a number of economies have been additional factors, as have been a reduction in barriers to entry into the retail banking sector.

Banking Sector Reforms
Drawing inspiration from the recent bank sector reforms in Nigeria, the KPMG report said, “A third and determining factor has been significant banking sector reforms and a tightening of banking policy and legislation in a number of countries. In addition to financial sector reform programmes implemented under the guidance of various multilateral organisations, hard line reforms by a number of central banks aimed at routing out corruption and increasing the transparency of the financial sector have been pivotal in the sectors rise.

“Perhaps, the most outstanding example of this is in Nigeria, where the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), under the guidance of reformist central bank governor Lamido Sanusi, has implemented radical reforms to the domestic banking sector in recent years in an overarching bid to create a dynamic, better capitalised and more robust banking community.”

Also Jonathan has been great for Nigerias overall economy. We have one of the fastest growing economies in the world. which is mainly led by the non oil sector. Inflation is also at a 5 year low due to the increase in agricultural production. (Not everything is perfect though)
Now of course not enough jobs are being created to cover the ever growing youth population in Nigeria. One has to understand that in other for that to be covered manufacturing has to grow at an even faster rate than it is growing presently. Manufacturing jobs will create a downline that will ensure Nigerians in other field's benefit, also countries with strong manufacturing bases have strong currencies which reflects positively on the locals. A stronger Naira due to manufacturing will increase the value of 1 Naira in the average Nigerians hands and do wonders in curbing poverty.
Manufacturing is presently growing at 7%, If we want manufacturing to hit double digits the power situation must be resolved. Luckily Jonathans government has taken way management of power from the government and given it to private companies(majority Nigerian run) to do the work. The work in this sector is slow, due to vandalism but its getting somewhere.


Nigeria Autos Report Q2 2014 - New Market Research Report | USPRwire

The Nigerian economy is set to be one of the continent's strongest performers in 2014, when we expect headline real GDP growth to register 7.2%, up from an estimated 6.5% in 2013. We are forecasting that the Nigerian economy will expand by 7.0% in 2014, up from an estimated 6.7% in 2013 thanks to continued strong expansion in non-oil sectors. The positive impact of agriculture means that this important sector should contribute strongly to private consumption growth. Furthermore, coming in at 8.2% year-on-year (yo- y) in August 2013, inflation is at five-year lows and this will provide a boost to the purchasing power of Nigerian consumers.

allAfrica.com: Nigeria: Non-Oil Export Earnings Increase to $426.46 Million in February (Page 1 of 2)

The 12.5 per cent leap in the total value of non-oil export recorded in the month of February may have raised the prospect of bumper revenue earnings and foreign exchange accumulation by the Federal Government this year.

This is because provisional data released by the Central Bank of Nigeria to cover the nation's economic performance for the month of February this year has indicated that total non-oil export, which was put at $426.46 million, represents a 12.5 per cent increase above the level in the preceding month.

The development is said to have reflected largely, the 32.2 and 5.6 per cent increase in manufacturing and industrial sectors, respectively. A breakdown by sectors showed that proceeds of manufactured, industrial, agriculture, minerals and food products sub-sectors stood at $246.12m , $121.82m, $33.79m, $17.32m and $ 7.5m respectively.

The report said the transport sector recorded no receipts during the review month but explained that the shares of manufactured, industrial, agriculture, minerals and food products sub-sectors in non-oil export proceeds were 57.7, 28.6, 7.9, 4.1, and 1.7 per cent, respectively.

Financial analysts therefore said that should the tempo of increase in the value of non-oil exports be sustained till the end of the year, Nigeria would not only witness a systematic reduction in demand for foreign exchange at the various segments of the market, but also record higher yields from non-oil export activities which will assist in the accretion of foreign exchange.