Lagos Times. ahern

alexwood

Looks like in Nigeria the newspapers have picked up on Ahern advising their government after the mess he left our country in. It might be a little unpatriotic but its an interesting read, looks like an Irish man wrote it also, thoughts please?

http://www.lagostimes.com/2011/04/14/a-warning-from-ireland/

I am writing to you from Ireland, where I have read with dismay that our former Prime Minister, Mr Bertie Ahern, has been advising your Government on matters of fiscal policy.

As an admirer of your great country and friend to many of your expatriate citizens living here in Ireland, I find this news highly distressing. Mr Ahern is justly attributed with the lion’s share of the blame for Ireland’s economic collapse of the past two years. During his tenure as Irish Prime Minister, Mr Ahern adopted a fiscal policy so reckless it led to the Wall Street Journal dubbing Ireland ‘The Financial Wild West of Europe’. Mr Ahern’s Fianna Fail Government persisted in a course of unsustainable public sector spending; insisted on inflating a property bubble by granting tax cuts to developers – even long after it became clear there were more houses than people in Ireland; and generally acted with a level of financial prudence one would more normally associate with an inebriated patron of a Las Vegas casino.

Nigeria is a wonderful country full of great promise and potential. I fear, however, that if the Nigerian Government is taking advice from such proven failures as Mr Ahern that not only will this potential remain unrealised, but worse, Nigeria could end up in the same state of economic woe as Ireland.

I would urge you to inform your readers of the perils involved in taking advice from figures such as Mr Ahern. The fact that he charges such exorbitant fees for this advice speaks volumes not about the quality of the advice proffered, but rather of the man’s lack of scruples. To accept economic advice from Mr Ahern is akin to accepting advice on Human Rights from Pol Pot.

I sincerely hope the Nigerian people reject the ideas of Mr Ahern, the way every Irish citizen wishes they had done several years ago.

Sincerely,

Paul Cantwell
Dublin, Ireland

Baluba

Yeah, I think you should take your name off your letter!

I also think that any country that de Bert turns up in should be afraid, very afraid.

Here's the IT link in case anyone missed it:
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/frontpage/2011/0414/1224294670725.html

alexwood

It aint my letter just something I saw on their website, the different names is a clue sherlock..........

Seth Brundle

"To accept economic advice from Mr Ahern is akin to accepting advice on Human Rights from Pol Pot."
ROFL

Walshie86

Maybe Bertie could flog them some E-Voting machines while he's over there!

I wonder which lucky nation's tax-payers are stumping up for this junket by the way....?

joolsveer

Bertie's website does not seem to have been updated recently.
http://bertieahernoffice.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=frontpage&Itemid=1

Bertie Ahern advises Nigeria on business

The former Irish prime minister, Bertie Ahern, has been advising Nigeria on business and economic development.

The advice is published in a report by consultancy firm Oxford Business Group.

Mr Ahern said: "Consistent and transparent policies could boost its efforts to attract foreign investment".

The former taoiseach said sound policies provided the building blocks for Ireland's economic transformation. In November Ireland accepted a £85bn EU/IMF bailout.

The full interview with Mr Ahern appears in The Report: Nigeria 2011, OBG's guide on the country's economic activity and investment opportunities.

In it he describes how during the 1990s, robust policies helped Ireland to successfully tap into high value foreign direct investment (FDI) and build GDP.

"We had to ensure that infrastructure was in place for companies to expand, complemented by sensible investment policies," Mr Ahern said.

In the report, the former Fianna Fail leader also warned of the problems currently facing the Irish economy.

"As can be seen from the current precarious state of Ireland's financial sector, the importance of economic diversity is huge," Mr Ahern said.

"Overexposure to any sector should not be taken lightly, as was seen when construction in Ireland accounted for over 15% of GDP at the height of the boom."

Mr Ahern said he believes public-private partnerships (PPPs) could play a key role in Nigeria's economic expansion, particularly with the country's plans to drive forward a number of major infrastructural projects.

The former Fianna Fail leader has visited Nigeria on a number of occasions since his retirement as taoiseach in 2008.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-13080947

alexwood

Wonder if him being there has anything to do with Sean Fitzs oil contacts there..............................

Walshie86

let me get this right; he's touring countries to tell them in effect 'don't do what I did' and getting shedloads of cash for it?! Is there any limit to this scumbag's shame?!

curly.bert

Jesus Christ. Will he ever stop? Bertie, the national embarrassment who just keeps on giving (and taking)

Baluba

At least 40 grand a pop.

Re: Nigerian oil, Shell have also been 'active' in this area:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/09/business/global/09shell.html?ref=global

Walshie86

<P>How sweet would it be if they got him in one of their famous scams. 'Yeah, sure Bertie, we'll pay you 40k. First we just need you to give us 20k to access the funds'</P>

Baluba

Bertie would need a bank account for that to work.

MagicSean

As an admirer of your great country

Really? What exactly is there to admire? I thought it was a war ravaged third world country with extreme corruption at the highest level.

Although some might say that about Ireland I suppose.

PhatPiggins

Africa's corruptest govenrment hire Irelands greatest ever legal embezzeler.

Makes sense to me