Building a better you.. Today
- you cannot make progress without change
- genius of the recreated human spirit as a born again
- all experience and learning need for transformation are already captured in the words of God
- substance , substance...
- Prov 4 :23 .. Keep they heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life..
- note wherever you are is a function to the extent the substance of the word of God has been transferred into you and ingrained in your hearth.
- ps 119.. Verse 97..how I love your law, I meditate on it all the day.. Makes you become wiser than my enemies.. I have more understanding than all my teachers.. For I meditate on your statues.
I understands more than the ancients, than elders for I obey your precepts.. I have not departed from your word for you yourself teach me. I gain understanding from your precepts
Eph 3:16.. That he would grant you
Col 1 ;9. For this reason.. Filled with knowledge of his will with all wisdom and spiritual understanding
.. Wisdom is simply taking of skill to draw out practical inferences from the word of God..I.e full mental understanding of thy word of God and applying it to your life..
1pet 3... Husband duel with them with understanding.. Giving honor to the wife as to the weaker vessel and being heirs together of grace of life that your prayers may not be hindered.
1 thes 5:23 .. Spirit soul and body.. Soul is essential mind
Personality test that describes sanguine/coleric
Sent from my blackberry
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About Me
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Sunday 27th service CCC - Lagos
Sunday, February 13, 2011
HIGH COST OF GOVERNANCE: Your govt?s too large, Danjuma tells Jonathan
BY CLIFFORD NDUJIHE AND DANIEL IDONOR
THE Presidential Advisory Council, PAC, yesterday, expressed concern over the increasing high cost of governance and advised President Goodluck Jonathan to reduce the number of Ministries, Departments and Agencies, MDAs.
PAC, in its recommendation, wants government to begin the process of merging and reduction of federal ministries and other government agencies to cut down on unnecessary government spending.
Finance Minister, Mr. Olusegun Aganga, had in September 2010, set up a committee to review the expenditure cut.
Nigeria has 29 ministries including the National Planning Commission and National Sports Commission, which function as ministries and for which ministers are appointed. There are also 14 federal agencies as provided for in the 1999 Constitution excluding ad-hoc bodies and panels that are raised from time to time.
On federal public servants alone, the Federal Government spends N200 billion yearly on emoluments.
Infrastructure development
Fielding questions from State House Correspondents shortly after a meeting with President Goodluck Jonathan, PAC Chairman, Gen. Theophilus Danjuma (rtd), said the cut down in government agencies would allow for more funds for government’s spending on infrastructure development.
Danjuma, who led other members of PAC to the meeting, said one of the suggestions made to President Jonathan at the meeting was “reducing the number of ministries and where there are functions they should be rationalized.”
The PAC chairman who maintained that boosting the nation’s economy was paramount to the committee added that the government had assured them “that most of the points we raised are already being addressed by government and we have been promised that we shall have a feedback from government and even if necessary we shall be involved in finding remedies to all the issues we have raised.”
He urged Nigerians to be patient with the government on the issue of the economy stressing that “it wasn’t necessary to demand for a time tag, these things will take a long time.”
Govt spends N15.6 trn on public servants since 1999
Vanguard investigations revealed that as of December 31, 2010, the three tiers of government in Nigeria would have spent N15.6 trillion or more on public servants, since May 1999.
This accounts for about 29.94 per cent of the N52.103 trillion spent by the three tiers of government within the period or 49.90 per cent of the estimated N31.26 trillion recurrent budget.
According to experts, the governments spend an average of 40 per cent of annual budgets on capital projects. In essence about N20.84 trillion had been allocated to capital expenditures within the period.
The N52.103 trn expenditure
Federal Government Appropriations since 1999 are as follows: 1999 (N524 billion); 2000 (N702 billion); 2001 (N894 billion); 2002 (N1.064 trillion); 2003 (N1.446 trillion); 2004 (N1.189 trillion); 2005 (N1.80 trillion); 2006 (N1.90 trillion); 2007 (N2.30 trillion); 2008 (3.58 trillion); 2009 (3.76 trillion) and 2010 (N4.427 trillion); totaling N22.586 trillion.
The states budgeted six trillion naira between 1999 to 2004 and between 2005 and 2010, they spent N16.467 trillion (2005, N1.21 trillion; 2006, N1.76 tn; 2007, N1.92; 2008, N3.143 tn; 2009, N3.944 tn; and 2010, N4.49 tn), totalling N22.586 trillion.
Since 1999, the local councils have received N7.05 trillion as statutory allocation. In the eight years up to 2007, the third tier of government received N3.3 trillion. In 2008, the councils got N1.05 trillion as statutory allocations and about N1.2 trillion in 2009.
According to the Federal Ministry of Finance, the Federal Government expects N6.04 trillion in revenue in 2010 and the Local Councils are expected to get about N1.5 trillion as statutory allocation.
The N52.103tn excludes local councils’ internally generated revenues, IGR.
How govt spent N15.6 trn on public servants
Immediate past Chairman of the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission, RMAFC, Hamman Tukur said in July 2009 that the country spends N1.3 trillion yearly on the emoluments of the Federal, 36 states and 774 local councils’ political, public and judicial office holders.
Of the N1.3 trillion national wage bill, Tukur said that the local councils spends 53 per cent, the 36 state governments accounts for about 32 per cent while the Federal Government spends 15 per cent.
Composition of public servants
The composition of Nigeria’s public servants is as follows: Federal Executive, 472; Federal Lawmakers, 469; State Executives, 2664; State Lawmakers, 1,152; Council Executives, 3096; Council Lawmakers 8692; and Federal/State Judiciary, 934 giving a total of 17,474.
Federal, state and council expenditure on public servants
Section Amount (N billions)
Federal Govt 200
State Govt 420
Local Govt 690
Total 1.31 trillion
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How many times would one have to forgive Mr. Jonathan?By Tunde Fagbenle Sunday, 13 Feb 2011
http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art201102130174518
How many times would one have to forgive Mr. Jonathan? By Tunde Fagbenle Sunday, 13 Feb 2011
I can’t knock Mr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan (GEJ) too hard. He’s our president today by whatever providential turn and, if it must be said to exculpate him, he really, before events forced it upon him, never once thought he could ever be president of Nigeria. Not that he would have thought he wasn’t good enough but just that simply becoming Nigeria’s president was farfetched, say, some five years ago!
Even the governor thing was an accident. He was an innocent teacher plucked from the classroom to be running mate to Alams of infamous memory, only for GEJ himself to be saddled with the governorship power proper when Alams went in and under. Then Obasanjo plucked GEJ, again providentially, to become Umaru Yar’Adua’s running mate for president of Nigeria!
All that could be dizzying, I admit, to a poor village boy.
But that’s not why I can’t knock him entirely. Ebele surrounds himself with some of my old time pals and aburos, aside from the fact that I have a son whose mother comes right from GEJ’s neck of woods and I had journeyed to Turofani (boat miles from Patani) about 20 years ago for my father-in-law’s funeral and bear witness to the horrors of neglect and suffering those from that deep in the creeks undergo.
But, for Christ’s sake, how long will it take Ebele to shake off the innocence and reverie of creek life and realise that he is now Mr. President for real? And with that comes an expectation of carriage and presence of mind.
Not for the first time, neither of that was present out there in Ibadan on Monday (February 9) when he went on his campaign — his first, to earn our vote in his own right. What I heard on radio live broadcast (no, I wasn’t at Mapo Hall and I didn’t watch it on TV — thank goodness!) was not good enough.
Although I also admit that “godfather” Obasanjo’s babysitting and loquacious presence could be confusing, if not intimidating, still… wetin?
First, was President Jonathan referring to himself and his running mate, Sambo, as being in Oyo State to ask for the people’s vote in “our governorship race as we did last year for the PDP primaries?”
What? Did I hear right? Governorship race? But our President carried on, his voice not the most assuring, until some minutes into his speech, someone could be overheard whispering to him to correct the blunder:
“You said governorship, sir, you meant presidential race.”
“Oh, I did?” said our President. “Of course, I meant presidential race. We don’t want to take Akala’s job o.”
Well, at least, he tried to joke it off nicely.
But was that a mere faux pas or a Freudian slip? What state of mind would make a President, even “momentarily,” forget he was running for president and not governor? Something tells me GEJ hasn’t truly in his heart grown beyond the guber-level dreamland. This presidency thing is damn too big a shoe to wear.
And, GEJ went on further in his long, winding speech that qualified to be described as rambling were I to knock him, to commit the most reckless and inexcusable of opposition ridiculing: He called the governors and the political parties controlling the majority of the states in the West “rascals.” Each time he, like a child stuck on a new word, pronounced it, I cringed. And I cringed six times.
If GEJ and his handlers think that was a smart talk, they are wrong. Nothing could be dumber, uncalled for and inappropriate. You come to a region that, by his admission, is primus inter pares in education and enlightenment and you call their elected leaders (not riggers from the “nest of killers”) “rascals”? C’mon!
The worst thing is that it is out of character of gentleman Goodluck Jonathan that we know.
Who told him to come up with such - to borrow from his own terminology - rascality? Was it a need to be funny? I heard mumblings and not a laugh. Need to be rough on the opposition? Wrong. These are the people he could most count upon to save his neck in rough weather, as they did for him in the turbulent times of Yar’Adua’s last days.
President Goodluck Jonathan has done enough damage to himself talking when he shouldn’t and saying things he shouldn’t have said. And we keep forgiving him because of the “underdog” thing.
If Mr. Jonathan is tired of being the underdog, good; I am also tired of forgiving his gaffes. Shi kenan.
The Ribadu/Okonjo-Iweala ticket storm
My column of last week on the probable pairing of Nuhu Ribadu and Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala for presidential ticket under the Action Congress of Nigeria shocked me by the deluge of response it got from readers — rivalling the highest any of my columns had gathered — suggesting it is a matter dear to the hearts of my readers.
In deference, I run a couple here. Hundreds would still have to wait. I apologise.
My friend ‘Advocate’ of Buharism is not letting off, and his own text was first to come:
“Tunde, my brother,
“Yes, those who love Nigeria want Buhari to lead us. You forget that the Prince of Journalism, Tony Momoh, is CPC chairman. As a country, Nigeria has everything in human and material resources - a large market and nations that worship us. But we lack one critical factor - Discipline.
“Please, write to rebuild the ACN/CPC alliance under a Buhari candidacy to save a fumbling Nigeria. That is our hope!”
Lawson Omokhodion,
Then, a counterpoise:
“Dear Uncle Fagby,
“This was one of the greatest thought-provoking submissions I have read from you. I am sure your critics are going to lay ambush for you, once again, at the evil forest of the much-misappropriated issue of experience.
“Experience in what? Experience in making false and fraudulent promises? Experience in presiding over massive corruption and annulment of credible elections? Experience in overseeing election rigging and treasury looting? Experience in presiding over political and economic instability, terror and grave insecurity? Experience in do-or-die politics?
“Nigerians do not desire and deserve this kind of experience. All over the world, the vogue now is all about CHANGE. The kind of experience craved for in this land today is that of track record in excelling in whatever assignment entrusted on one at any particular point in time. Nuhu and Ngozi perfectly fit this bill.
“Particularly, it presents a big opportunity for Nd’igbo to record two firsts with one stone. That partnership is heavily pregnant with the prospect of paving the way for Ngozi as President after Nuhu. And that will make her the first executive President of Igbo extraction and first female president of Nigeria.
“If the Nuhu/Ngozi real deal happened, you would rejoice and dance. And I would make myself available to blow vuvuzela for you. If it didn’t, you would lament yet a missed prospect. And I would respond to those likely to laugh at the calamity of their nation with the satirical line: o ma se o!
“Thank you.”
Dele Akinola (del.prof@writing.com)
And my ‘star response’ from one Tonsoyo on the Nigeria Village Square website:
“We are not going to recycle any of the geriatric former dictators, period! And I do not care if he is Saint Buhari or Mother Theresa.”
Note: For readers who wonder how the Ribadu/Iweala ticket is still possible when ACN has already submitted another name as Ribadu’s running mate, INEC’s window of opportunity to change names remains open till February 15, I’m told. TF
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