c.fours:


GBAM!!
"meritocracy" was just another tool the British used to colonize Africans by rewarding those who abandon their indigenous cultures and religions for western ones. This irony is a major premise of "Things Fall Apart" isn't it? Igbos will sell out even their family members in exchange for individual gain. No wonder there is so much disunity amongst them.

Even thought the British hated the Hausas for their refusal to assimilate to western ways, they couldn't help but admire their leadership qualities and complexity of their organization system which was very centralized. Those are skills needed to be successful at politics.

"merit" exams only show how well you can follow orders FYI. It is best for bank workers, civil service workers etc.

Katsumoto:

You are referring to Ademulegun you twit.

See link below for quote from Welby-Everard.

http://books.google.ca/books?id=t5Q78sVbLakC&pg=PA117&lpg=PA117&dq=welby+everard+1965+ogundipe&source=bl&ots=PDE2plFY5i&sig=agwoXj5FRg3Q4Ci1LC5LLKSgS4Q&hl=en&sa=X&ei=SaeyULG3LejkywHUxIG4Dw&ved=0CC4Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=welby%20everard%201965%20ogundipe&f=false

afam4eva:
Igbos that were very difficult to govern during the days of indirect rule were willing tools? Even you don't believe what you just wrote up there.

I'm off to bed.

shymexx:

Anyone can list traders from his/her village as elites... However, the discourse is about meritocracy and elites within the Nigerian context at that point in history... That's my point!

Was the system based on merit back then? - ABSOLUTELY NOT!

Why did the British colonialists favour the Igbos the most? - It was because they were willing tools...

Case closed!

afam4eva:
Igbos that were very difficult to govern during the days of indirect rule were willing tools? Even you don't believe what you just wrote up there.

I'm off to bed.

Katsumoto:
It is important to provide some context here.

In terms of civil service, the Igbos dominated in the East, The Yorubas in the West. The talk of meritocracy by Igbos relates to civil service in the North. Just as in today, in pre-colonial times, the Yorubas rarely traveled outside their region while the Igbos flocked to the North for commerce and to enlist in the civil service. After independence, NPC and NCNC ensured that all the top jobs went to their constituents. The Yorubas were locked out; it was that situation that led to the fall out between Akintola and Awolowo. Akintola argued, some might say rightly, that the Yorubas were losing. Awolowo argued that the Yoruba would be fine as long as they continued to pursue people-centric policies. Both were right but the NPC and NCNC both wanted the fall of AG for two different reasons.

Warri _Pikin: I had always wanted to avoid this civil war debate largely going on between Igbos and Yoruba.
But Chimamanda mentioned something i had always had in my mind.Which is that Nigeria always knew it would defeat Biafra because it had more weapons,soldiers and the entire international community, so why then do you need to starve Igbos on top of it? I don't know who advised that policy,but it was a wicked over kill.
It is even more painful that in the end, Biafrans were defeated purely by military capture of all their towns and their airports. So why were those children starved to death?

Eko Ile: Not surprised this girl is trailing the same bitter and disgruntled path ashebe cleared for the next generations of bitter and disgruntled ibo people. This is her currency, all her biafra noise is what made her popular and she has a movie based in the same idiotic and moronic understanding of the foolish bifra war coming out. She has no choice but to keep supporting the same dog shiiiit story because it has to do with her bread and butter, telling the truth or saying anything contrary to their biafra rubbish means fighting against her bread and butter and path to biafra money making and book writing carrier...

It's very obvious she's a disingenuous and lying dullard. She knows nothing beyond the same biafra silliness other biafran clowns post on NL, they are all the same.

Desola:

A very apt deduction!

pazienza:

Yea,this would explain why she is a world figure,while you are a nobody.

pazienza:

Yea,this would explain why she is a world figure,while you are a nobody.

pazienza: pathetic
excuse,there is always a reason to be a sore loser, many wars have been
fought,if war stories sell like hot cake,why haven't she made one? i
guess she lacks the gile to make it to the world stage,she is only good at
talking ill of her superiors. nonsense!

c.fours:
I will take this opportunity to admit that I wasn't all that impressed by "Things Fall Apart" when I first read it either. I couldn't even finish "Purple Hibiscus" because I just didn't find it to be a very good book srry.
Things Fall Apart became popular solely because at the time many African countries were gaining independence and it was an opportunity for westerners to promote a book written by an African. Of course there were other books written by Africans but Things Fall Apart was a simple book and it fit the uncivilized Africa narrative. same with Palmwine Drinkard, the other Nigerian book popular among westerners at the time. The funny thing is that most Nigerian scholars at the time were not impressed. But of course whenever the Americans or British promote something, it automatically starts to gain value in our eyes. Let us correct that attitude.


Achebe and Adichie are probably wonderful people. but their works and writings should not be above criticism.

Eko Ile:


And what name are we talking about?

Writing and peddling the same biafra nonsense that only misguided ibo losers like ashebe and the rest of you clowns on NL swim in?

ibo people are shallow than 1 kobo sha.

Katsumoto:

People who resort to ad hominem attacks can not rely on the strength of their own arguments to win debates. I don't know who you are and I really don't care. So you can tell how successful I am based on your definitions of success. You must be a witch. I didn't realise that it was possible to define people on an anonymous forum. If you want to discuss folks rather than issues, perhaps you should join forums which cater to celebrities and the like.

Even unemployed folks have the rights to comment on anonymous forums; their unemployment has no bearing on their ability to discuss these issues.

You can continue screaming like a mad woman if you want, I have no time to dummies. If you however, want an intellectual debate, you can respond to my post above; you are even free to use your own version of google. bloodclaat

Katsumoto: Just want to pick a few holes in Adichie’s knowledge and analytical ability.

1. The object of a blockade is not to starve your enemy but to restrict the flow of armaments to it. If your enemy continues to receive arms, it continues to fight. Since no man who can’t feed himself has no business fighting a war, the RATIONAL action is to surrender once you run out of food and arms. Blockade is a military tactic; since Awolowo was not a military man and he was surrounded by military men, men who had trained at the Royal Military College Sandhurst, the credit for the blockade can’t be Awo’s

2. Awo did not prevent an Igbo man (Azikiwe) from ruling the West; Azikiwe’s NCNC lost the election. We are yet to see the results of the elections according to the NCNC which gave it victory in 1951.

See election results below
http://books.google.ca/books?id=Oi0aVR4YkmUC&pg=PA35&lpg=PA35&dq=1956+election+NCNC&source=bl&ots=xlo8I8O_iF&sig=jmQDabaMysM0SG7MMZI3yFZ49dg&hl=en&ei=004zTvWKL4OnsALHmdTtCg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CB0Q6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=1956%20election%20NCNC&f=false

In any case, what business did Zik have in wanting to rule outside his region? Could he love the Western region as much as the people from the Western region? When some Igbo belabor this point, one would think that the Easterners had allowed a Yoruba man to be premier of the Eastern region but the Westerners prevented the Easterners from ruling the West.

3. I am disappointed in Adichie’s interpretation of Awo’s speech to the Western leaders in Ibadan just before the war started. Awo said and I quote “If the Eastern Region is allowed by acts of omission or commission to secede from or opt out of Nigeria, then the Western Region and Lagos must also stay out of the Federation.” One would have expected Adichie to have better comprehension skills. What part of that quote expresses the intention of Awo to secede with the Eastern region?

4. Another lie that is told by many Igbo people is that Awo gave them only £20 for the millions they left in their bank accounts. The facts are that Igbo people took their savings and contributed it to the war effort. The grouse with the £20 pound policy is that Biafran pounds were obviously worthless at the end of the war and many were expecting the Nigerian government to exchange the Biafran notes for Nigerian notes. That would have introduced serious inflation and would have been economic suicide. Did the Biafrans return the £40million in the central banks in PortHarcourt and Enugu, the £53million in circulation, and the £2 million stolen from the Benin central bank? Igbo people were able to recover their properties in the West, and the rent which accrued from it but were unable to recover their properties in PortHarcourt which was in their own region.

5. Adichie states the Igbo held many positions in Nigeria because they were receptive to Western education. So the other groups in Nigeria weren’t receptive to Western education?

6. Gowon implemented most of the provisions from Aburi, the blame for war lay with Ojukwu who insisted on 100% implementation. The sticking point in any case, was that Ojukwu insisted that the Nigerian Head of State not have the power to appoint and fire regional governors i.e Ojukwu. This is quite an irony considering each region had the right to elect its own officials until Igbo sons organized the first coup and Ironsi unified the entire country. However, you dice it, Ndigbo were responsible for the events leading to the war.

7. Adichie’s insincerity and naivety comes to the fore when she argues that Ojukwu was right to ignore Gowon’s offer for a relief corridor because Airlifts were safer and also offered the opportunity to bring in much needed arms. First, Ojukwu charged landing fees to relief organisations which were providing FREE food to starving Biafrans. Second, Ojukwu refused different landing times for aid shipments because he wanted to continue smuggling in arms. Ojukwu’s people were dying and food should have been a priority over arms and money. He was in the weaker position against Gowon and had no right to make demands. He was also wrong to make extreme demands of the relief agencies. Does Adichie know the objectives of war? See excerpts from Fiona Terry's book "Codemmed to Repeat?: The Paradox Of Humanitarian Action' in the link below.

http://books.google.gr/books?id=KxiKPeQyiakC&pg=PA43&lpg=PA43&dq=landing+fees+biafra+ojukwu&source=bl&ots=9b32DbMfDR&sig=xPMnD19K0czQY9pPkxa1WRXEBlI&hl=en&sa=X&ei=Atl0UPmcKInOswbwmYBo&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=landing%20fees%20biafra%20ojukwu&f=false

No one can deny Ndigbo’s right to feel the pains of the war but it appears that many Igbos want to continue twisting facts to further cement their victim mentality. It is obvious that the propaganda spread by Achebe has corrupted many Igbo young persons. When you tell your stories, be prepared to listen to the stories of the other side.

ACM10:
What's the difference between a storyteller and a historian?

Katsumoto:

It is important to provide some context here.

In terms of civil service, the Igbos dominated in the East, The Yorubas in the West. The talk of meritocracy by Igbos relates to civil service in the North. Just as in today, in pre-colonial times, the Yorubas rarely traveled outside their region while the Igbos flocked to the North for commerce and to enlist in the civil service. After independence, NPC and NCNC ensured that all the top jobs went to their constituents. The Yorubas were locked out; it was that situation that led to the fall out between Akintola and Awolowo. Akintola argued, some might say rightly, that the Yorubas were losing. Awolowo argued that the Yoruba would be fine as long as they continued to pursue people-centric policies. Both were right but the NPC and NCNC both wanted the fall of AG for two different reasons.

Dede1:

Ojukwu did not have any say when the relief planes leave the ports of origin and touch down at the ports of destination since Biafra did not control its airspace. It is a display of idiocy on the part of hack writer to insinuate that Ojukwu charged landing fees from CARITAS or RED CROSS when in fact Biafra did not have leverage to do so. I guess the moronic writer of the said book would also insinuate that Ojukwu ordered the relief planes to commence operations at dusk.

Dede1:


You seemed to lack audacious pedigree to pick holes in Adichie’s knowledge and analytical ability to recount events she saw or stories she heard from parents and uncles. The self-acclaimed rebuttal, as in the post above, has character issues. It is either you based your accounts on repeated falsehood or wrote out of ignorance. Nothing could be sillier or farther from truth than the landing fee saga which you attempted to shore-up with your Google Books written by one goofy writer who relied on conjectures instead of facts.

I thought by now your appetite for conjectural craps from hack writers who were paid to pen against Biafra’s struggle has waned. Ojukwu did not have any say when the relief planes leave the ports of origin and touch down at the ports of destination since Biafra did not control its airspace. It is a display of idiocy on the part of hack writer to insinuate that Ojukwu charged landing fees from CARITAS or RED CROSS when in fact Biafra did not have leverage to do so. I guess the moronic writer of the said book would also insinuate that Ojukwu ordered the relief planes to commence operations at dusk.

Dede1:


If Ndigbo were just mere human beings in the scheme of things about 50s and 60s in what became Nigeria, one wonders what drove people such as Akintola to foolishly translate Igbo to “ I Get Before Others” and sold western region for cheap political gains or induce the Richard Akinjide, minister for education, to introduce tribalism into Nigeria’s academia?

Crayola1:

Yawn. One, I never asked you to know who I am nor do I care if you ever received that honor. This is the internet and unlike you my life doesn't revolve around it. Two, I never talked about success or made any criteria, I just stated my own opinion that you are a one-note person. Its great you know how to google I do to we all do, but the day I read a thought that is your own will be the day indeed. The irony is that under your guise of being "intellectual" there is a lovely shade of ethnic bias but whatever that's your business, I just wanted to bring it to your attention Third so, you've never judge someone on a forum based on their posts or are you making a straw man for the sake of it? Or are you saying that you have never insulted someone for their posts, because you are Jesus Christ himself Spare me the your high horsing.

So stating my opinion is screaming? I guess challenging you on anything must be high treason in your worldview
You have no time for dummies yet your fan base is stuffed to the brim with them, ok sir
If I want an intellectual debate, I'll look around because you are definitely not what anyone would consider an intellectual. Which is why in your infinite wisdom, you think that Adichie is unqualified to write her own opinion about a book because she is a mere author,I guess Soyinka better shut up in your holy presence All hail Katsumoto master of the Googles and Yahoos

Eko Ile:


Ode dede, but ojuku didn't deny charging landing fees...



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vl4YcVLxUzw

Dede1:


Eko Ole

The above post is one of the reasons I tagged you a fool. Even when you are sober, you still will not realize that the phrase, landing fee, was uttered by the British narrators. I am not surprise such rubbish was pronounced by those British agents.

In such event, the organization responsible for flying foods are responsible for paying the people who offload and load the foods and materials. I am not surprised that you displayed such lack of knowledge that UN or UNHCR pay their staffs or persons who perform such jobs in ware torn countries, olodo.

afam4eva: This is as neutral as a human can be. Just like Achebe, Chimamanda is one of the brightest minds to come out of Africa.

Just like Freeglobe, i wish i could marry this lady even though she's older than me. I love intelligent ladies.

Katsumoto:

4. Another lie that is told by many Igbo people is that Awo gave them only £20 for the millions they left in their bank accounts. The facts are that Igbo people took their savings and contributed it to the war effort. The grouse with the £20 pound policy is that Biafran pounds were obviously worthless at the end of the war and many were expecting the Nigerian government to exchange the Biafran notes for Nigerian notes. That would have introduced serious inflation and would have been economic suicide. Did the Biafrans return the £40million in the central banks in PortHarcourt and Enugu, the £53million in circulation, and the £2 million stolen from the Benin central bank? Igbo people were able to recover their properties in the West, and the rent which accrued from it but were unable to recover their properties in PortHarcourt which was in their own region.

Eko Ile: Not surprised this girl is trailing the same bitter and disgruntled path ashebe cleared for the next generations of bitter and disgruntled ibo people. This is her currency, all her biafra noise is what made her popular and she has a movie based in the same idiotic and moronic understanding of the foolish bifra war coming out. She has no choice but to keep supporting the same dog shiiiit story because it has to do with her bread and butter, telling the truth or saying anything contrary to their biafra rubbish means fighting against her bread and butter and path to biafra money making and book writing carrier...

Ah,, spoken like a total retard as usual.

It's very obvious she's a disingenuous and lying dullard. She knows nothing beyond the same biafra silliness other biafran clowns post on NL, they are all the same.