Nairaland Forum

odumchi:

Enachioken is the king of Ohafia. The king of Arochukwu is Eze Aro.

Moreover, I think people are misunderstanding the meaning of "Igbo amaghi eze". "Igbo amaghi eze" means that the Igbo nation (all the sub-ethnicities of Igboland) do not have one sovereign who rules over all of them. It doesn't mean that the Igbo never had kings.

These towns you mentioned (ohafia, Arochukwu, etc), are they suburb in mugadishu or nigeria? I have never heard those names before.

aribisala0:
If this is the case surely There must be some reference documents,though my understanding is that script was very elementary and actually developed in Akwa Ibom or Cross River

Yes, Nsibiri is still alive today. It originated among the Ejagham (in Cross River State) but spread to parts of Abia and Ebonyi. I don't think it reached much of Akwa Ibom.

Wadeoye:

These towns you mentioned (ohafia, Arochukwu, etc), are they suburb in mugadishu or nigeria? I have never heard those names before.

I think they're in England; a few miles west of London.

odumchi:

I think they're in England; a few miles west of London.

Wise answer to a silly question...

aribisala0:
I don't know how much you know of history.I suggest you research the origin of the word Barbarian.Being "MORE" civilized does not guarantee the survival of a people/nation.

Many Africans stopped using machetes and arrows long before colonization so I doubt you are well informed. What I did say was those occupyin the region would either have succumbed to external African force or ORGANIZED themselves differently.Those who did so elsewhere often were forced to do so by external pressures. Are we now not talking of an "Igbo Nation" is that not largely to external pressures

What are you talking about,barbaric as an english word means cruel and violent. Of course i know about the barbarians that overan rome.

aribisala0:
Define Imperialism ??

Imperialism is a system in which one country controls other countries,often after defeating them in a war- oxford advanced learners dictionary.

pazienza: What are you talking about,barbaric as an english word means cruel and violent. Of course i know about the barbarians that overan rome.

The term "barbaric" was derived from the behaviors of the Barbarians.

Afam4eva:
The term "barbaric" was derived from the behaviors of the Barbarians.

A fact well known and acknowledged,but the word barbaric means more than just what barbarians did centuries ago,in contemporary english,it means cruel and violent,just like waterloo doesn't just mean a town in belgium any more.

pazienza: A fact well known and acknowledged,but the word barbaric means more than just what barbarians did centuries ago,in contemporary english,it means cruel and violent,just like waterloo doesn't just mean a town in belgium any more.

Yeah, of course.

pazienza: Imperialism is a system in which one country controls other countries,often after defeating them in a war- oxford advanced learners dictionary.

Thank You
According to you Igbos did not seek to control other nations peoples in their sphere but why was King Jaja exiled if not for some level of imperialism as you define it? Or King Jaja was not Igbo . There are countless examples of such domination in what later became the Eastern Region

They don't have a leader cause anyone with Good intentions always get killed in igbo land, I know a few guys from Yankee who move east to start charities or community development programs, the next we hear someone kill them...Too many greed people in the east with self serving agendas and the people have to stand up and stop voting for known criminal cause the person is rich... only in the east you will hear a known 419 becomes a senator. Change need to start with the people 1st before a good leader will emerg

horlatunde: Igbo have no leaders – Ben Obi



By Dotun Ibiwoye

‘I warned that terrorism in Nigeria could go deadly’

Senator Ben Obi is the Special Adviser to the President on Inter -Party Relations. In this interview, Obi says he warned as far back as 12 years ago (2001) that terrorism in Nigeria could turn deadly. According to him, his experience motivated an anti -terrorism bill he initiated eight years ago in the Senate. He also speaks on President Goodluck Jonathan’s plan for Nigeria this year, Igbo leadership and the potentials of the country achieving Vision 20:2020, among other national issues. Excerpts:

Insecurity has become a major issue in the country. How did we find ourselves in the unsavoury situation?

The truth here is that when the issue of terrorism came to this country, it was completely at the worst state. We were unprepared for it. Nobody ever believed that, in Nigeria, people could tie explosives around themselves and blow themselves up.

I was in Washington when terrorists carried out the 9/11 attacks. I was held up there for one week because they stopped us from flying back (to Nigeria) due to the attacks. I went to attend a meeting at the Pentagon, I was there with the National Security Adviser. When I came back, I made a report to the NSA that ‘now that we have seen a new dimension of terrorism taking place in America, it will only be a question of time before we will experience it in Nigeria’.

So, when I went into the Senate, which I had to battle in court for two years after my mates were sworn in June 2003, I got sworn -in on February 2005, by 15 March 2005, I had put in two bills: one had to do with the establishment of anti- terrorist agency and eradication of terrorism. I gave reasons why the bills should be passed.

In the course of it, President Obasanjo directed his Attorney General, Bayo Ojo, to send in an executive bill after my bill had gone through the first reading. After the first reading, my colleagues from the North called me and said they were not comfortable with the bill, and they asked if this was sponsored by Israel. I told them that terrorism does not know colour. So they set up a committee to look at the bill, went through it and found out it was an innocent bill and a good one.

Meanwhile, I had recommended and pleaded with Professor Jubril Aminu to second a motion on the bill; Aminu was the Nigerian Ambassador in Washington when the 9/11 happened, and he was the one who spoke on behalf of ambassadors (to the US) to President W. Bush condemning the terrorist act. The bill passed the second reading before we left the Senate. I’m happy today that the process of passing the bill is on the way.

In the first week of the year, President Goodluck Jonathan assured that 2013 will be better than last year. But majority of Nigerians are not convinced because the same rhetoric have been repeatedly made by him. What is your take on this?

The president explained the situation, and I think he has given his word as president of the country, that 2013 would be a better year than 2012. And I want Nigerians to believe that it is not easy for a man in the position of the President of Nigeria to make such a declaration, I can vouch for him. Because there are several things that he has advantage of knowing ahead of all of us, so I believe that 2013 would be a better year.

During the presidential chat late last year, he had to take stock of the activities from the beginning to the end of 2012. You would also agree that no matter how much detailed report given by newspapers, people will still say that they are not satisfied. Being a president does not make him a super human being. There are so many things that are on the table of the president that a good number of us are not opportune to go out and verify.

And there are so many information also available to the Mr President that are not appropriate to let out for various reasons. Some of them may be security. But then, these are things that affect the day- to- day lives of Nigerians. When it becomes a security issue, it is advised that you don’t go into such things until certain things are put in place. So, once you occupy the seat of the President of Nigeria, there are several things people would want to know from you about the state of the country. Just because people are yearning to know these and you decided to let go, the reactions may be devastating.

National Life
Politicians would tell you that votes now count. That means that aspect of our national life is improving. We must be able to get our electoral process right. If we are able to put it together as it is being done now, the power sector, transport, then our industries and factories can come back to life. What that would cause is employment for the youths and the quest to be part of violence, terrorism or vandalism as being constituted by evil doers would drop.

The transformation agenda would bring clear changes that would impact on the lives of the Nigerian people. It is on course and I believe that is part of the reason the president said we will see a better 2013. Some people don’t even pay their tax; yet they want to enjoy the benefits of government. Where would the money come from? Above that, we have a country, and we want this country to be united, we want this country to grow. We will go into the year and be able to do an appraisal of 2013 to see if things have really started to improve. So I believe that for a man in that position to say to his fellow countrymen that things would improve, I believe things will improve.

You mean Nigerians should be optimistic when all we had in the past were empty promises?

When former President Olusegun Obasanjo was in power, people were saying he was harsh. When we had the eight years of his tenure, Nigerians said he was high handed because, as a general, he came with the tactics of the military. And people were saying we needed a democratic president. They said we needed a president with human touch and human face. Then came the Yar’Adua administration and people were saying,’ oh, now we are getting it’. And then President Jonathan came on board.

I am happy because I am serving under President Jonathan, because I try in my own interactions with him to see if we can try to govern this country using democratic elements. We know that he is the Commander- in-Chief, but let us see if we can do without applying that touch of commander-in-chief to make him bring down heaven on Nigerians, for any reasons whatsoever.

What I am trying to say is that Nigerians are saying’ no, we don’t want this high handedness’. Gradually, President Jonathan is trying to make sure that things are done properly, he reviews and consults before taking decisions on issues. Knowing my colleagues in the political arena, everybody counts himself very important. Everybody says he/she is a stakeholder. So, based on that, we try to make as many consultations as possible to be able to get the right answers. We may not be hundred percent in the results of the consultations, but at least people agree with us that they are being consulted.

And the issue of corruption that ex-President Obasanjo noted is not being fought thoroughly…?

There are agencies mandated to address the issue of corruption. My own simple position is that those agencies have not come straight to Nigerians that the tools they work with are being denied them. I am also conscious of the fact that in the days of Obasanjo’s administration, I was one of those legislators that quarreled with the impeachment of some governors with less than two thirds members in attendance – in Plateau, Oyo and Ekiti- which was virtually spearheaded by the EFCC. I am not saying that the governors were not corrupt, but, as a legislator, I believe that an impeachment can only succeed with votes of 2/3 of the assembly and nothing less.

It happened even in Anambra State when the legislators relocated to Asaba. As long as I remain an adviser to President Jonathan, I would advise him to give the agencies the tools to work. They have their own rules of how to go about it, so they should fight it just to make sure that the result is there, clearly that there are no issues as far as the constitution is on ground, nobody is above the law.

Everybody must be subjected to the law of the land. Whoever is found wanting, let the full sledge hammer of the law come upon him. And once the president tells you to do that, which he is doing now, nobody wants the president taking over the duties of the EFCC. We have to draw the lines. But if the EFCC comes up to say that they’ve not been funded, they don’t have the tools to work and they are being denied this or that, that is a different ball game. Then you can see President Jonathan battling corruption. People must not expect President Jonathan to play a role you find some former presidents playing in their tenure.

The postponement of the PDP Board of Trustees election and the ouster of a key member of the party give room for pundits to believe that there are intrigues going on in the party?

PDP is a huge political party and, for anyone to effectively manage the affairs of the party, more so when you want to play a more speculative role for the growth, you need to really scrutinize the BoT members, to know which of them would really uplift the credibility of an ambassadorial committee. So, if it is going to be the chief adviser, then that person must be able to carry the tag of a party like the PDP. So, when things like these happen, I am not surprised. For me, it is nothing unusual.

You were at the forefront of the agitation to immortalize the late Odumegwu Ojukwu and you advised the Igbo to wait for President Jonathan’s decision on 2015 presidency. What message are you trying to pass across?

Igbo people don’t really believe in a monolithic leadership. It has always been a collective leadership. Odumegwu Ojukwu’s case was different because he found himself leading the people at a particular time that was quite volatile. And he was gifted. he was a teacher, he was a fighter, he was an orator, he was a courageous administrator. And he loved his people; he came from an aristocratic home, but settled with the people. He came from an aristocratic background to help his people and then chose the philosophy of showing the light where the people could find their way. That was a different era. And, of course, he was a man who had style and tradition, so all of that counted.

He never went out of his way to declare himself Igbo leader. I can say this authoritatively because I was actually one of his closest friends for many years. In fact , he hated the word “leader”, he would like you to say ‘i am a responsible citizen’. Yet he found himself playing a major role and leading the people.

In talking about leadership, don’t forget we also have Dr. Alex Ekwueme, who is very highly regarded. Because of Ekwueme’s emergence at the national level, it would really be difficult to place him as an Igbo leader. He was the vice president of Nigeria, and it would be relegating cocooning him into that small area of the region. I am not looking up to anybody to emerge as an Igbo leader, because Igbo are big and they don’t have leaders. Leadership in Igbo land is more of a collective thing.

We are looking and working toward Nigeria as one of the top 20 countries in the world in 2020. Do you think we are still working in that direction and is it achievable within this timeframe?

Government is programmed to actualize that dream. Again, it is not an easy effort for Nigeria to be one of the 20 economies of the world by 2020. But the potentials to achieving that is on the ground. We only need to do the right thing and that is why President Goodluck Jonathan came with the transformation agenda. It is only through the transformation that we would be able to get our acts right. But if we don’t key into the transformation agenda, we go back to our system of doing things, it is clear that we would go into our old habits. And once we are able to do that in two years, a lot of things would change. And because Nigerians are very active in doing things, I don’t see how we cannot do that.

However, we should also be conscious of the fact that all the other countries are not static. If we want to overtake them, they are also on the move. I am conscious of that fact. Now look at one major issue in Nigeria developmental stride. The issue of electoral process. At least, today, Nigerians must give credit to President Jonathan. The first time a sitting president would say, ‘listen to me, let nobody rig election for me. No Nigerian blood should spill because of my election. If I lose, I only go back to where I came from!’. And ever since then, he has stood by the truth in the Nigerian electoral process.

In Edo State, he mandated me to go there to ensure the constitutional rights of the people on free and fair elections. I went there and did a workshop and told them that President Goodluck Jonathan, though a PDP member, had no interest in who emerges as governor and that the process would be free, fair, transparent and credible. And I went there and I did my workshop. And the candidates came.

At the end of the day, it was a free and fair election. When we got to the time of Ondo State, he called me again and said ‘go to Ondo State and conduct that sensitization workshop again, and tell them it is going to be a free and fair election’. To a large extent, the elections were free and fair in Edo and Ondo. President Goodluck Jonathan was the first to congratulate the two governors: one, ACN and the other Labour Party.

And I think the only way this country can develop and grow and become one of the 20 economies by2020 is for us to work hand-in-gloves and move on. I know Nigerians have suffered a lot. I am appealing to them to exercise a little bit of patience and we will get there.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2013/01/igbo-have-no-leaders-ben-obi/

we are not going to achieve any tangible development comes 2020, this is 2013 no light, no road, no good education, no functioning institutions, no water, no health care then how are we planning to become one the top 20? is it by population?

asha 80:

that was 'manufactured' in the 70s by some scholars of igbo descent when the teaching of igbo was thought of.

ROTFLMAO I never knew this.
for a central igbo language to be manufactured as late as the 70s. this was after the civil war for christ sake!!


the ben obi guy looks handsome and sophisticated sha. like a version of wole soyinka but without the crazy hair and beard.

Do Inbo's need leaders? No what they are kidnappers and armed gangs ( i did not say armed robbers oooo) as long as ego come out its ok

Do Inbo's need leaders? No what they are kidnappe[color=#990000][/color]rs and armed gangs ( i did not say armed robbers oooo) as long as ego come out its ok

Do Inbo's need leaders? No what they are kidnappe[color=#990000][/color]rs and armed gangs ( i did not say armed robbers oooo) as long as ego come out its ok

Politicians in general, and Nigerian Politicians in particular, view their citizens as silly,
whereby they can get away with literal murder, if they all work together, and not only expect
no retaliation, they can also safely wager that the Nigerian People, in particular, would not
even register that they committed any crime.

If Nigeria in general, and its Government in particular, was a movie, it would be laughed out of the cinema- no one would believe it!
Unless it they were told that it was either a horror flick, or a comic opera.

Our Musicians are somewhat slow- some are trying, but some seriously epic songs should be composed about what goes on in this country,
that would make Richard Wagner look like Walt Disney.

To understand the Nigerian situation, you have to read THE PRINCE, by Niccolo Machiavelli.
To tell the truth- I've never gotten more than a few pages into the book since I downloaded
and printed it out, over ten years ago- because I could not stand it.

I got the idea, skimming a few chapters.

Ivan Pavlov got the Nobel Peace Prize because he proved that Human beings could be, conditioned like animals,
to respond to hints and promises, without any substantial reward being tendered.

All my life, I thought that he was recognized for his work with dogs- that he rang bells at mealtimes,
proved that just ringing the bell would make them salivate. This view is wrong: HIS EXPERIMENTS WERE DONE ON CHILDREN.
I saw part of a documentary where he had this kid with an ugly harness strapped to his head, and he was experimenting on him.

The average Nigerian is simply not educated enough to understand the significance of these sorts of experiments.

We, the sheeple (sic), are being treated like experimental animals; and it would be really nice if something could be done, by us all, about it.

oaroloye: Politicians in general, and Nigerian Politicians in particular, view their citizens as silly,
whereby they can get away with literal murder, if they all work together, and not only expect
no retaliation, they can also safely wager that the Nigerian People, in particular, would not
even register that they committed any crime.

If Nigeria in general, and its Government in particular, was a movie, it would be laughed out of the cinema- no one would believe it!
Unless it they were told that it was either a horror flick, or a comic opera.

Our Musicians are somewhat slow- some are trying, but some seriously epic songs should be composed about what goes on in this country,
that would make Richard Wagner look like Walt Disney.

To understand the Nigerian situation, you have to read THE PRINCE, by Niccolo Machiavelli.
To tell the truth- I've never gotten more than a few pages into the book [/b]since I downloaded
and printed it out, over ten years ago- because I could not stand it.

I got the idea, skimming a few chapters.

Ivan Pavlov [b]got the Nobel Peace Prize because he proved that Human beings could be, conditioned like animals,
to respond to hints and promises, without any substantial reward being tendered.

All my life, I thought that he was recognized for his work with dogs- that he rang bells at mealtimes,
proved that just ringing the bell would make them salivate. This view is wrong: HIS EXPERIMENTS WERE DONE ON CHILDREN.
I saw part of a documentary where he had this kid with an ugly harness strapped to his head, and he was experimenting on him.

The average Nigerian is simply not educated enough to understand the significance of these sorts of experiments.

We, the sheeple (sic), are being treated like experimental animals; and it would be really nice if something could be done, by us all, about it.

You say; "To understand the Nigerian situation one has to read";

"The Prince" (which you have not read).

Why? how do you know this?

Pavlov won the Nobel Prize "in recognition of his work on the physiology of digestion, through which knowledge on vital aspects of the subject has been transformed and enlarged". http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/medicine/laureates/1904/

No we are just not educated enough.

Please tell us what is the significance of these experiments and what have they got to do with Igbos or Igbo Leadership