THE PRESSURE GETS TO OKONJO-IWEALA

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THE PRESSURE GETS TO OKONJO-IWEALA

Monday, 23 January 2012

MINISTER of Finance and overseer of the economy, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, was on Radio Link, a Radio Nigeria live programme on Saturday, January 7. She answered questions on the increase in the price of petrol, which took sudden effect from the first day of the new year.

DR Okonjo-Iweala speaks the English language with polished correctness. She said the roads were in a terrible state of disrepair and needed to be fixed. She said this and other projects could not be executed with the ‘subsidy’ in place.

SHE said people were dying daily on the roads because of the gallop. It was Dr Okonjo-Iweala’s voice, but could she have been taking lessons from one former military governor?

AS military governor, the man went to inspect a bridge. He did not like what he saw and asked ‘who build this gada?’ Was the military governor perhaps familiar with Spanish? Was his question about the Guardia, the name of the paramilitary police in Spain?

NO, the military governor meant ‘gada’, the local name for a bridge. A native son, the man had not successfully bridged the gap between his mother tongue and the English language.

BUT Dr Okonjo-Iweala is different. She is a lady of great learning and is used to speaking to audiences of critical sophistication. But she went native during the radio programme and said ‘gallop’ when she meant pothole.

SHE may have used the word advisedly. After all, the prices of all goods and services went off at a gallop immediately the new price of petrol was announced.

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Dr Okonjo-Iweala was correct
written by sundakin, January 24, 2012

Yes she was correct to say that people die daily on the road because of "gallop". If you understand the difference between "cause" and "effect" you'll know/agree that she was correct. "Pothole" on its own does not kill. Pothole is just a hazard. A hazard is anything that is "likely" to cause or perpetrate "Injury" but may not cause injury. A hazard only poses a "Risk". You risk "Injury" if you deleteriously interacted with a Hazard. That is Injury (which could be mild or fatal) results from "the reaction/s" that occur when somebody or an object comes in a reckless contact with a Hazard. Pothole is the 'Hazard' here, Vehicle is the object that interacts with Pothole. Reckless interactions through reckless driving generates the 'Gallops' which sends the vehicle and its occupants off balance thereby generates risk condition capable of causing serious injury or, by extension, death. Whereas a careful driver can maneuver the same POTHOLE and come out safely. Note also that despite something or a condition is hazardous, not every contact or interaction with such thing/object results in "Injury" if such contact occurs ambiently/controlled. For instance Acid is a hazard but we all,one way or the other, come in contact with it daily without incurring any Injury because the contact is controlled (eg. an Automobile Battery repairer topping it with acid may not necessarily incur acid-burns if he follows every necessary health and safety rules of his job, whereas the same acid, in same concentration, becomes weapon of maiming and killing in the hands of a miscreant/criminal, etc).

So it is the GALLOP that causes death and not the POTHOLE.

I submit that Dr Iweala was both pragmatically and logically correct. Thanks.

Mr
written by Uzoh, January 24, 2012

I warned of the implication of removal of the so called subsidy at a time the Govt is most unpopular arising from inability to sort-out Boko haram insurgency.Eventuall the chicken has come home for roasting,I told them that he who enemies surround keep watch over his life.I told them that when a relation is dancing naked in the village square the relatives will only scratch their eyelids in shame.
Very educated people should have known that the best thing to do is to commence construction of the Greenfield Refineries that GEJ promised Nigerians and also Privatise or hand-over the existing Four Refineries to those that built them on build,maintain and operate basis-as technical partners,if we have joint venture with Shell,Mobil,Chevron and Agip because they have expertise in oil production why can't we have joint venture with Refinery Builders too.