Let me start by saying that I do live in the U.S but visit Nigeria fairly frequently, and keep a tab on goings-on there. I'm interested in Nigeria for many reasons. First, I was born and raised there; second, over 90 percent of my relatives live there; third, I love Nigeria despite the myriad of problems confronting her. Mr. Carson's analysis of the Boko Haram mess is somewhat simplistic. Regardless of the etiology of the problem, is he suggesting that the government should fold it's arms while Nigerian citizens are being slaughtered? The North lags behind in almost all spheres of economic activity because the Northern leadership has relied on the so-called "prebendalism" and has neglected Western education (Boko Haram) to the detriment of their people. Here in the U.S, as Mr. Carson can attest to, the egenral mood is for the government to do less in terms of handouts and unproductive, dependency- engendering ventures. What is Jonathan to do? Terrorism everywhere must be stamped out, not just in the Unites States. The economic problems in the north did not start under Jonathan and will not end any time soon if attitudes do not change amongst the people. Productive education is the engine for personal and national growth in this modern world of ours. Anything short of this is just is just white-washing the problem in Northern Nigeria.
The northern leadership should work with Jonathan to fix the problems afflicting the north. Tacit support for criminality (Boko Haram) is unproductive and will only lead to unnecessary carnage and worsening socioeconomic conditions in the north. Mr. Carson would have helped better by shedding more light on all these issues rather than apportioning blame to the government.

While Britain Mark and David Olan Upwards may be right to some extent, I beg to disagree with you on the grounds that the little infrastructure Nigeria has on ground now were provided during military rule and mostly when the so called Norther leaders were in government, the same cannot be said of the era of Obasanjo (8 years in office at one stretch and yearned for more) and Jonathan who took office after the demise of Yar'adua on May 6 2010, who also was in office for almost three years and there was no visible sign of progress.

Currently Jonathan is embroiled in the debate of whether or not a church gift is right for a currently sitting president.

Where a government is enmeshed in such petty and mundane issues when it's people are yearning for progress, then it is clear to all of us that that government is not a serious government, but only pays lip service to ending corruption.

Imagine the president of Nigeria smiling into a church gifted to him by one of the construction companies implementing government contracts while people are dying partly as a result of his complacence in dealing with the Boko Haram question.
I am tempted to believe that Goodluck Jonathan is incompetent and is not fit to occupy the Office of the President of Nigeria, with the recent occurrences in government circles, I am struggling to believe otherwise.

When an individual has been elected to serve, he should concentrate on serving.

The world is awaiting Boko Haram respose to the good gesture of the Nigeria Federal goverment in providing the first rehabilitation center in the form of "school" to the Almajiris as demanded by Boko Haram and their organizer. i hope this will stem down the daily violence Boko haram dish out to Nigerians. Governments at all level have to provide employment to Nigerian citizens. Contracts should be given to real contractors that will provide employments rather than to fake contractors in the persons of State Governors, Presidential associates, Ministers, permanent secretaries that disguises as contractors with bank accounts overseas and their portfoilos as their offices concentrating wealth only in their hands without providing employments and not even doing the contacts they awarded themselves. This is the modularoperandi involved in the poverty currently experienced by Nigerians. The nigerian judiciary are not helping either by letting these fraudulent officials get awy with their loot. Just recently the Governor of The Nigeria Central Bank, Alhaji Lamidi Sanusi in response to a written interview by a Punch coloumnist, Mr Fagbenle advices Nigerians to accept the injustist of indisciminate increase in the prices of petroleum product at the retail outlet termed downstream subsidy removal because the Nigerians involved ain the subsidy "Scams" are untouchable powerful Nigerian billionairs and tenocrat. In reality nobdy should be untouchable by the law. Nigeria need to build strong and powerful institutions that is capable of investigating, prosecuting and convicting ant Nigerian that defraud the system no matter their social standing in the society rather than building untouchable citizens mentioned by Lamidi Sanusi. This is why I advocated strongly for the establishment of EFCC and later wrote insulting letters to Obasanjo for using police prosecutors rather than trained legal practitioners to prosecute fraudulent people . A letter that almost cost me my life even far away from Nigeria if not for the strong "Ajesara" behind me. Don't try me.Lol. There could have been Military Coup in Nigeria if not for EFCC, i helped created, at least giving the appearance of tackling corruption in Nigeria. The Nigeria judiciary are now getting rich materially through EFCC by not beign alive to their responsibilities rather than cooperating with corrupt people and creating the hopelessness expressed by Lamido Sanusi to Tunde Fagbenle.Pathetic.

Carson or whatever he calls himself should mind his business and stop talking about what he is not sure of becuase of some unsusual sentiments from some opportunity seekers like Sanusi.

the speaker is either reading a prepared script or he does not known where Nigeria is on the map.

The northen Nigeria is not Poor because government neglected or marginalise them but because they have refused to go to a morden school and mostly prefer islamic school where their IQ is neither Tasked not Challenge. Which Bank, insurance company or petroleum company wants an islamic trained staff?
These people were paid bursary to go to School but yet they refused. Even our present President went to school bare footed.
I am surprise, all these coming from Carson, because he was surppose to know better.
Even till today, go to any school in Northern Nigeria and compare the Attendance with the same school in the south.

Johnny Carson has now become Boko Haram's spokes -man he now is in America and knows Nigeria's problem more than us. Babangida well done continue paying people like johnny Carson to talk rubbish his end will soon come . Life in the North is grim for almost all most especially the multi-billionaires e.g (Babangida,Sani bello, Rilwanu Lukman,Aliko Dangote e.t.c, in the north that are sitting on hundreds of millions of barrels of nigeria's oil that Abacha dashed them with-out competitive bids.

divide nigeria now, so that we can control those thieves at the aim of affairs

Please President Obama dont blame the Fed. Govt of Jonathan,if alhaji mohamodu buhari was the president we will not have boko haram around.

It beats the imagination that outsiders can see inefficiency in our security agencies,but the operators believe they are on top of it. Even when they were been chased out of their offices and duty posts.How low can we go?

Barak Obama administration's has goofed by this singular remarks on boko haram's issue and its economic effects to Nigerians. Why is this critism now? The same US that has celeberated President Jonathan in the pastand even offerred collaborate with him to reposition Nigerian nation. It is a mere ploy by US to discredit Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala's candidature to World Bank presidency which should be disregarded by international community.

It is very unfortunate that this kind of public statement should come from the Obama administration, which I support in the US. The statement shows short-sightedness or political pandering because they need to realize that "boko-haram is to the Jonathan administration what the 'tea-party' is to Obama administration. Just as the tea-party has amneasia regarding the cause of the present economic woes of the US, so the Boko-haram does about their present economic plight in Nigeria causes by past Northern-dominant Nigerian presidents and leaders who looted the Nations treasury for themselves while neglecting the needs of the Nigerian peoples, including the North, where these leaders originate from. Jonathan's battle to set things right with obstacle from the political North is similar to Obama's battle in the US against the forces of the extreme right wing republican party in the US

I agree with Carson but under the Federal system of government, he great enemy of the north is the northern elite. Years of maladministration have brought down the region. There have been no visible improvements since the death of Ahmadu Bello. The former governor of Zamfara, Yerima spent 8 years preaching sharia when he was busy stealing the states fund and marrying underage. All leaders of the northern extractions in the past 45 years including heads of state have only amass personal wealth but did nothing for the people. Rather they showed seed of discord in the region and the country in order to maintain their relevance. I am sure if Danfodio came back with his jihad, Adam Ciroma will be completely doomed. Let’s lay the blame where it is.

Carson is talking nonsense. He has been bamboozled by pro northern elements in the State Department, whose analysis of Nigeria has no logic at all whatsoever. President Jonathan is not the recipient of the billions of Naira allocated from the federal treasury to the local and state governments in the north. The Fulani mafia, running a majority of the northern states, are deliberately underdeveloping those states, for any development that contributes to the uplifting of the downtrodden talakawas would be a threat to their anachronistic feudal caliphate structure which could be overthrown. Why did seven states in the north field just under 40,000 in the recently concluded JAMB examinations exercise when Oyo State alone had about 75,000 candidates? Carson, the underdevelopment of the north is a deliberate doing of the northern Fulani ruling class. It is not the fault of the federal government. Any American policy based on Carson’s false analysis of the problem is doomed to fail.

carson is not a nigeria and i wonder how he came to know much about the problem of Nigerians. This are the type of people that joined Nigeria together against our wish. How can you allow Christians State of Africa, the southern Nigeria and Islamic jihadist, the northern Nigeria to live together. Why did this Carson not comment on the killings being carried out against the Christians especially those from the south?

LET EVERY STATE MANAGER WHAT THEY PRODUCE.THAT IS WHATEVER RECOURSE YOU FIND IN YOUR STATE LET THE GOVERNOR OF THE MANAGER IT AND PAY 10% TO THE FEDERAL.THAT IS ONLY SOLUTION WE CAN GET IN BEING ONE NIGERIA. IF NOT LETS DIVIDE THE COUNTRY CALLED NIGERIA BECAUSE IT IS NOT ONE COUNTRY. HOW CAN YOU TELL ME THAT WE ARE ONE WHEN THERE ARE SO MUCH THIS HATRED AND CENTMENT.
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