vega84:
. Who is exchanging words wit u? Foolish coward Taaa commot here u should be shamed that ur foolish grandfather is a youruba dirty tins #vegatalks

vega84:
. Who is exchanging words wit u? Foolish coward Taaa commot here u should be shamed that ur foolish grandfather is a youruba dirty tins #vegatalks

BermudaTriangle:



But u left in droves without anyone pursuing you in 1994, didn't you ? Keep on dreaming, a worse than that crisis is approaching. We are not given to noise-making, whatever your myopic perceotion about us.
Again, as far as i could recollect, it was the same nigeria when you begged to vacate the north in 1966 ?

oluwalfa:

I have the video of Diya. This one no be mouth.

oluwalfa:


I have the video of Diya. This one no be mouth.

oluwalfa:


I have the video of Diya. This one no be mouth.

tayooluwole:
As we all know, Yoruba people are the pacesetters
in Nigeria, Africa and in some cases, the world at
large. We are the head, never the tail. Here are a
few of Yorubas who have comfortably enshrined
their names in the record book.
.
Abimbola Awoliyi is Nigeria’s first female doctor
-Kolapo Hamzat is the youngest professor of
physiotherapy in Nigeria and Africa
-Adegoke olubunmo is the first professor of
Mathematics in Africa
-Momodu Mosobalaje Olaloye is the first African
professor of Geology
-Dele Olojede is the first and only African to win a
Pulitzer prize
-Abimbola jayeola is Nigeria’s First Female
Helicopter Pilot
-William Akinola Dawodu was the first Nigerian car
importer, he started importing cars into Nigeria in
1905
-Prof. Jade Akande was the first female professor of
law in West Africa
-Kofo Ademola is the first black woman to receive
an undergraduate degree from Oxford University
-Dr. Olaoluwa Hallowed Oluwadara is the youngest
African PHD Holder in Mathematics
-Deborah Enilo Ajakaiye is the first female physics
professor in Africa and also the first black African to
be named a fellow of the Geological society of
London
-Wole Soyinka is the first black and only African to
win a Nobel prize for literature
-Thomas Adesanya ige grillo is the first Nigerian
professor of anatomy
-Taslim Elias is the first African to be president of
the International Court of Justice (World Court)
-Folake Folarin-Coker the first African-based fashion
designer to stage a show twice at the New York
Fashion Week
-Latunde Odeku is the first US-trained black
neurosurgeon and the 1st professor of neuro-
surgery in Nigeria.
-Bode Thomas created the First indigenous Nigerian
law firm
-I.K dairo is the first Nigerian to be conferred title of
Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British
Empire (MBE
-Amzat Beyioku Adebowale is The first Nigerian to
bring Sharp range of electronic products in Nigeria
-Prof. Taiyewo Kolawole is the first Nigerian neuro-
radiologist
-Prof. Arinola Olasumbo Sanya is the first female
Professor of Physiotherapy in Africa.
-Dr. Olu Jaiyebo is The first Agronomist in Nigeria.
Professor Micheal Adepoju Adeyemo is The first
Nigerian Chartered Accountant
-Latola Films was the 1st film production company
in Nigeria
-Prof. Ilesanmi Adesida, is the first black Vice-
Chancellor in an american unversity
-Mrs. Sade Thomas-Fahm is the First woman to own
a boutique in Nigeria
-Nojim Maiyegun is the first Nigerian to win an
Olympic medal
-Adenike Osofisan is the first African Female
Professor of Computer Science.
-Prof T.O Ogunlesi is the first professor of Medicine
in Nigeria
-Chief Akintola Williams is the First African to
qualify as a chartered accountant
-Ezekiel Adekunle Ifaturoti is the first mining
engineer in Nigeria
-Rotimi Adebari is the First black mayor of Ireland
-Folake Solanke is the First Female Senior Advocate
of Nigeria
-Elizabeth Abimbola is the First Nigerian Female
Doctor-1937
-Helen Folasade Adu is the First Nigerian-born artist
to win a Grammy-1986
-Prof. Bolanle Awe: Nigeria's first female Professor
of History
-Professor Thomas Adeoye Lambo is Africa’s first
professor of psychiatry.
-Engineer Dr. (Mrs.) Olatokubo A Somolu: is
Nigeria’s first Female to hold a PHD in Engineering
-Mrs Adetowun Ogunsheye is The first female
professor in Nigeria
-Mrs bisoye esther tejuosho is Nigeria’s first female
industrialist
-Michael Onafowokan is Nigeria’s first Architect
1952
-Aderonke Kale is the first Female Nigerian Armed
Forces (2 Star) Major General:
-Chief (Dr.) Bola Kuforiji Olubi is The first Female
Chartered Accountant in Nigeria
-George Olatokunbo Okikiolu, has written more
mathematics papers than any other Black
mathematician in history
-Katherline okikiolu is the first black person to win
the most prestigious award for young mathematics
researchers in the United States and the first black
woman to publish an article in the Annals of
Mathematics
-Samuel Layinka Ayodeji invented the excision
knife to treat tropical ulcers. he won the Robert
Wilson Memorial Prize in Chemistry and the
Welcome Prize in Medicine.

.
Like we said, those are a few. The list itself is
endless.
And by the way, where is your own name ….. ?

OkutaNla:


Miss, I understand what you are trying to say but I disagree with you that Yorubas are "always aiding the North" argument coz not only is it historically inaccurate, it also unfair and false. In fact, it can be argued that Zik (an Igboman) missed out on a GOLDEN opportunity to forge a coalition which could have salvaged the course of the country if only he had agreed to the proposition to forge an alliance with the then Action Group party after the 1959 federal elections (in that election Zik's NCNC had 81 seats, Awo's AG had 74, while Ahmadu Bello's NPC got 134 seats). Awo had subsequently approached Zik for a coalition after the results were announced and if that alliance had materialized, both parties would have formed the government at the center at the time, relegating the North to an opposition party, and the history of Nigeria may likely have turned out differently. But alas, it didn't happened that way coz the NCNC (an Igbo Party) ended up forging an alliance with the Northern NPC which then produced a Tafawa Balewa as Prime Minister and Zik as President, while Awo's AG went into opposition. The rest they say is history. Since then up until the recent APC, the Yorubas have been in opposition (they even opposed OBJ, he wasn't their candidate, remember?). While the igbos have also had their share of power at the centre both before and after the civil war (think Zik, Ironsi, Shagari/Ekwueme and GEJ eras), even more so than the Yorubas. So why the constant scapegoating of Yorubas? ?

forgiveness:
He is the only NBA player to win NBA Most valuable player six times and he's among the greatest NBA players of all time behind Micheal Jordan, Bill Russell and Magic Johnson respectively.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (born Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor, Jr.; April 16, 1947) is an American retired professional basketball player who played 20 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers. During his career as a center, Abdul-Jabbar was a record six-time NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP), a record 19-time NBA All-Star, a 15-time All-NBA selection, and an 11-time NBA All-Defensive Team member. A member of six NBA championship teams as a player and two as an assistant coach, Abdul-Jabbar twice was voted NBA Finals MVP. In 1996, he was honored as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History. NBA coach Pat Riley and players Isiah Thomas and Julius Erving have called him the greatest basketball player of all time.[1][2][3][4][5]

After winning 71 consecutive basketball games on his high school team in New York City, Lew Alcindor attended college at UCLA, where he played on three consecutive national championship basketball teams and was a record three-time MVP of the NCAA Tournament.[6] Drafted by the one-season-old Bucks franchise in the 1969 NBA draft with the first overall pick, Alcindor spent six seasons in Milwaukee. After winning his first NBA championship in 1971, he adopted the Muslim name Kareem Abdul-Jabbar at age 24. Using his trademark "skyhook" shot, he established himself as one of the league's top scorers. In 1975, he was traded to the Lakers, with whom he played the last 14 seasons of his career and won five NBA championships. Abdul-Jabbar's contributions were a key component in the "Showtime" era of Lakers basketball. Over his 20-year NBA career his team succeeded in making the playoffs 18 times and past the 1st round in 14 of them; his team reached the NBA Finals 10 times.

At the time of his retirement in 1989, Abdul-Jabbar was the NBA's all-time leader in points scored (38,387), games played (1,560), minutes played (57,446), field goals made (15,837), field goal attempts (28,307), blocked shots (3,189), defensive rebounds (9,394), and personal fouls (4,657). He remains the all-time leading scorer in the NBA, and is ranked 3rd all-time in both rebounds and blocks. In 2007 ESPN voted him the greatest center of all time,[7] and in 2008 they named him the "greatest player in college basketball history."[8] Abdul-Jabbar has also been an actor, a basketball coach, and a best-selling author.[9][10] In 2012, he was selected by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to be a U.S. global cultural ambassador.[11]

OkutaNla:


That was a war-time alliance, Awo resigned from the gov't after the war. Zik was President, Ironsi was FIRST Nigerian military HOS, Ekwueme was VP under Shagari and SE also produced Senate President under that Government, and even the Speaker was from the former Eastern Region then. SE were in alliance and in bed with Babangida and Abacha while Yoruba leaders were exiled and getting murdered/butchered (Abiola and co.). Igbos virtually ran GEJ's government and had the real power so what are you talking about?

tayooluwole:
As we all know, Yoruba people are the pacesetters
in Nigeria, Africa and in some cases, the world at
large. We are the head, never the tail. Here are a
few of Yorubas who have comfortably enshrined
their names in the record book.
.
Abimbola Awoliyi is Nigeria’s first female doctor
-Kolapo Hamzat is the youngest professor of
physiotherapy in Nigeria and Africa
-Adegoke olubunmo is the first professor of
Mathematics in Africa
-Momodu Mosobalaje Olaloye is the first African
professor of Geology
-Dele Olojede is the first and only African to win a
Pulitzer prize
-Abimbola jayeola is Nigeria’s First Female
Helicopter Pilot
-William Akinola Dawodu was the first Nigerian car
importer, he started importing cars into Nigeria in
1905
-Prof. Jade Akande was the first female professor of
law in West Africa
-Kofo Ademola is the first black woman to receive
an undergraduate degree from Oxford University
-Dr. Olaoluwa Hallowed Oluwadara is the youngest
African PHD Holder in Mathematics
-Deborah Enilo Ajakaiye is the first female physics
professor in Africa and also the first black African to
be named a fellow of the Geological society of
London
-Wole Soyinka is the first black and only African to
win a Nobel prize for literature
-Thomas Adesanya ige grillo is the first Nigerian
professor of anatomy
-Taslim Elias is the first African to be president of
the International Court of Justice (World Court)
-Folake Folarin-Coker the first African-based fashion
designer to stage a show twice at the New York
Fashion Week
-Latunde Odeku is the first US-trained black
neurosurgeon and the 1st professor of neuro-
surgery in Nigeria.
-Bode Thomas created the First indigenous Nigerian
law firm
-I.K dairo is the first Nigerian to be conferred title of
Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British
Empire (MBE
-Amzat Beyioku Adebowale is The first Nigerian to
bring Sharp range of electronic products in Nigeria
-Prof. Taiyewo Kolawole is the first Nigerian neuro-
radiologist
-Prof. Arinola Olasumbo Sanya is the first female
Professor of Physiotherapy in Africa.
-Dr. Olu Jaiyebo is The first Agronomist in Nigeria.
Professor Micheal Adepoju Adeyemo is The first
Nigerian Chartered Accountant
-Latola Films was the 1st film production company
in Nigeria
-Prof. Ilesanmi Adesida, is the first black Vice-
Chancellor in an american unversity
-Mrs. Sade Thomas-Fahm is the First woman to own
a boutique in Nigeria
-Nojim Maiyegun is the first Nigerian to win an
Olympic medal
-Adenike Osofisan is the first African Female
Professor of Computer Science.
-Prof T.O Ogunlesi is the first professor of Medicine
in Nigeria
-Chief Akintola Williams is the First African to
qualify as a chartered accountant
-Ezekiel Adekunle Ifaturoti is the first mining
engineer in Nigeria
-Rotimi Adebari is the First black mayor of Ireland
-Folake Solanke is the First Female Senior Advocate
of Nigeria
-Elizabeth Abimbola is the First Nigerian Female
Doctor-1937
-Helen Folasade Adu is the First Nigerian-born artist
to win a Grammy-1986
-Prof. Bolanle Awe: Nigeria's first female Professor
of History
-Professor Thomas Adeoye Lambo is Africa’s first
professor of psychiatry.
-Engineer Dr. (Mrs.) Olatokubo A Somolu: is
Nigeria’s first Female to hold a PHD in Engineering
-Mrs Adetowun Ogunsheye is The first female
professor in Nigeria
-Mrs bisoye esther tejuosho is Nigeria’s first female
industrialist
-Michael Onafowokan is Nigeria’s first Architect
1952
-Aderonke Kale is the first Female Nigerian Armed
Forces (2 Star) Major General:
-Chief (Dr.) Bola Kuforiji Olubi is The first Female
Chartered Accountant in Nigeria
-George Olatokunbo Okikiolu, has written more
mathematics papers than any other Black
mathematician in history
-Katherline okikiolu is the first black person to win
the most prestigious award for young mathematics
researchers in the United States and the first black
woman to publish an article in the Annals of
Mathematics
-Samuel Layinka Ayodeji invented the excision
knife to treat tropical ulcers. he won the Robert
Wilson Memorial Prize in Chemistry and the
Welcome Prize in Medicine.

.
Like we said, those are a few. The list itself is
endless.
And by the way, where is your own name ….. ?

forgiveness:
Club Edit
Bayern Munich[46]
Bundesliga: 2009–10, 2012–13, 2013–14, 2014–15
DFB-Pokal: 2009–10, 2012–13, 2013–14
DFL-Supercup: 2010, 2012
UEFA Champions League: 2012–13
UEFA Super Cup: 2013
FIFA Club World Cup: 2013
Individual Edit
Austrian Footballer of the Year: 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014[47]
Austrian Sports Personality of the Year: 2013, 2014[48][49]
UEFA Team of the Year: 2013,[50] 2014[51]
ESM Team of the Year: 2014[52]
Outside football Edit

Alaba was chosen to be on the cover of FIFA 15 and FIFA 16 in Austria next to Lionel Messi.[53][54]

forgiveness:
Jeromi Iginla is the first black man to win gold at winter Olympics in 2002 and he was the tournament highest goal scorer with five goals in 2010 Vancouver winter Olympic.

National Hockey League
Award Year Ref.
NHL All-Rookie Team 1997 [116]
First team All-Star 2002, 2008
2009 [116]
Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy
Leading goal scorer 2002, 2004 [117]
Art Ross Trophy
Leading point scorer 2002 [117]
Lester B. Pearson Award
Most Valuable Player as voted by the players 2002 [117]
Second team All-Star 2004 [116]
King Clancy Memorial Trophy
Leadership and humanitarian contributions 2004 [117]
NHL Foundation Player Award
commitment, perseverance and teamwork in the community 2004 [117]
Mark Messier Leadership Award 2009 [116]
International
Award Year Ref.
World Junior First All-Star team 1996 [118]
World Junior Best Forward 1996 [118]
Junior
Award Year Ref.
Memorial Cup Championship team 1994, 1995 [118]
George Parsons Trophy
Most sportsmanlike player of the Memorial Cup 1995 [11]
WHL West First All-Star team 1996 [119]
Four Broncos Memorial Trophy
WHL player of the year 1996 [120]
CHL First All-Star team 1996 [118]
Team awards
Award Year Ref.
Molson Cup
CGY – Most three star selections 2001, 2002
2003, 2004
2008, 2011 [121]
Ralph T. Scurfield Humanitarian Award
CGY – Humanitarian contributions 2001, 2002 [122]
J. R. McCaig Award
CGY – Respect, courtesy and compassion 2008 [122]

Iginla being honoured as part of a Molson Cup ceremony

forgiveness:
Daley Thompson is considered by many as one of the greatest Decathletics of all times.

Daley Thompson at the 2007 Laureus Day
Personal information
Nationality British
Born 30 July 1958 (age 57)[1]
Notting Hill, London, United Kingdom[1]
Height 6 ft 0 in (183 cm)[1]
Weight 203 lb (92 kg)[1]
Sport
Sport Decathlon
Club Essex Beagles
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s) Decathlon 8,847 points
Medal record
International athletics competitions
Event 1st 2nd 3rd
Olympic Games 2 0 0
World Championships 1 0 0
European Championships 2 1 1
Commonwealth Games 3 1 0
Total 8 2 1
Competitor for  Great Britain
Men's athletics
Olympic Games
1980 Moscow Decathlon
1984 Los Angeles Decathlon
World Championships
1983 Helsinki Decathlon
European Championships
1982 Athens Decathlon
1986 Stuttgart Decathlon
1978 Prague Decathlon
1986 Stuttgart 4×100 m
Commonwealth Games
Competitor for  England
1978 Edmonton Decathlon
1982 Brisbane Decathlon
1986 Edinburgh Decathlon
1986 Edinburgh 4×100 m

CBE ribbon
Francis Morgan Ayodélé "Daley" Thompson CBE (born 30 July 1958),[2] is an English former decathlete. He won the decathlon gold medal at the Olympic Games in 1980 and 1984, and broke the world record for the event four times.

With four world records, two Olympic gold medals, three Commonwealth titles, and wins in the World and European Championships, Thompson is considered by many to be one of the greatest decathletes of all time (along with Bob Mathias and Dan O'Brien). Robert Chalmers described him as "the greatest all-round athlete this country [United Kingdom] has ever produced."[3]

OkutaNla:


Miss, I understand what you are trying to say but I disagree with you that Yorubas are "always aiding the North" argument coz not only is it historically inaccurate, it also unfair and false. In fact, it can be argued that Zik (an Igboman) missed out on a GOLDEN opportunity to forge a coalition which could have salvaged the course of the country if only he had agreed to the proposition to forge an alliance with the then Action Group party after the 1959 federal elections (in that election Zik's NCNC had 81 seats, Awo's AG had 74, while Ahmadu Bello's NPC got 134 seats). Awo had subsequently approached Zik for a coalition after the results were announced and if that alliance had materialized, both parties would have formed the government at the center at the time, relegating the North to an opposition party, and the history of Nigeria may likely have turned out differently. But alas, it didn't happened that way coz the NCNC (an Igbo Party) ended up forging an alliance with the Northern NPC which then produced a Tafawa Balewa as Prime Minister and Zik as President, while Awo's AG went into opposition. The rest they say is history. Since then up until the recent APC, the Yorubas have been in opposition (they even opposed OBJ, he wasn't their candidate, remember?). While the igbos have also had their share of power at the centre both before and after the civil war (think Zik, Ironsi, Shagari/Ekwueme and GEJ eras), even more so than the Yorubas. So why the constant scapegoating of Yorubas? ?

ugomma2000:


still a zoologist achievement

Rapture007:

go get somtin meaningful and do wit ur life instead of siting down all day typing dis concocted lies.
This is wat truth looks like..
Igbo scholar disgraces Femi Fani-Kayode •Demolishes claims on Igbo/Yoruba history with facts and figures

By News Express on 17/08/2013


An Igbo scholar, Dr. Samuel Okafor, has made one-time Aviation Minister, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, look so small and uneducated by using facts and figures to demolish the claims he made in the controversial August 8 article, “The Bitter Truth About The Igbo”, which set off a storm that almost threatened Igbo-Yoruba relations.

In the first part of an article entitled “The Lies of Femi Fani-Kayode”, Okafor, who has a First Class in History from the University of Nigeria Nsukka and then did a Ph.D in Nsukka on scholarship, dismissed Fani-Kayode as a “half-baked intellectual.” He then proceeded, point by point, to address what he termed “the most reckless amongst the tangle of reckless comments spewed by Femi, a character who with each punch of his keypad stresses his severely unwell conditions of logorrhoea, delusions of enlightenment, history and sociology – amongst others.”

Below are Okafor’s words:

FEMI AND HIS SEVERELY IGNORANT LIES:

•Femi Lies About the Yorubas Being Nigeria’s Earliest Graduates:

From his myopic bubble Femi FaniKayode claims the Yoruba were the first to acquire Western education; the first ever known record of a literate Nigerian in the English Language is the narrative of an Ibo slave who regained his freedom and documented his life history as a slave from the time he was 11 years old in present day Ibo land till the time when he gained his freedom in the middle of the 18 th century. He later married an English woman and had 3 children. He died in 1795.

Femi, a basic Google-research will do you good here; check out the name, Equanoh OLAODAH. Further Femi claims that the Yoruba were the first lawyers and doctors in Nigeria. This is again a big falsehood. The first Nigeria doctor was an Effik man Silas G. Dove who obtained a medical degree from France and returned to practise medicine in 1840 in Calabar. This fact can also be verified from historical medical records in Paris.

I would also ask that you google the name BLYDEN – Edward Wilmot BLYDEN – an educated son of free Ibo slaves who by the mid-19th century had acquired sound theological education. He was born in Saint Thomas in 1832. He is one of the founding missionaries that established the Archbishop Vining church in Ikeja. Before the next time you succumb to your long-running battle with logorrhoea, Femi please do some research.

What about the third president of a free Liberia – President J JRoyle – again, a man of Ibo descent. Please take some time to do some research so that we can discuss constructively. It is wrong to peddle lies to your people. It is academic fraud to knowingly misrepresent facts just to score cheap points with people who do not have the discipline to do research and accept anything you pour out simply because they say you are well educated. To again quote the great Nobel Prize Winner in Economics Joseph Stiglitz; Femi fits into the category of third rate students from first rate universities with an inflated sense of self-importance. Let’s go on!

Who was the first Nigerian Professor of Mathematics – an Ibo man – Professor Chike Obi – the man who solved Fermat’s Last Theorem. He was followed by another Ibo man, Professor James Ezeilo, Professor of Differentail Calculus and the founder of the Ezeilo Constant. Please do some research on this great Ibo man. He later became the Vice Chancellor of the University of Nigeria Nsukka and one of the founders of the Nigerian Mathematical Centre. Who was Nigeria’s first Professor of Histroy – Professor Kenneth Dike who published the first account of trade in Nigeria in pre-colonial times. He was also the first African Vice Chancellor of the University of Ibadan. Who was the first Professor of Microbiology – Professor Eni Njoku; he was also the first African Vice Chancellor of the University of Lagos. Anatomy and Physiology – Professor Chike Edozien is an Asaba man and current Obi of Asaba. Who was the first Professor of Anatomy at the University College Ibadan? Who was the first Professor of Physics? Professor Okoye, who became a Professor of Physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1960. He was followed by the likes of Professor Alexander Anumalu who has been nominated for the Nobel Prize for Physics three times for his research in Intermediate Quantum Physics. He was also a founding member of the Nigerian Mathematical Centre. Nuclear Physics and Chemistry – again another Ibo man – Professor Frank Ndili who gained a Ph.D in his early ’20s at Cambridge Univesity in Nuclear Physics and Chemistry in the early ’60s. This young Asaba man had made a First Class in Physics and Mathematics at the then University College Ibadan in the early ’50s. First Professor of Statistics – Professor Adichie who’s research on Non-Parametric Statistics led to new areas in statistical research. What about the first Nigerian Professor of Medicine – Professor Kodilinye – he was appointed a Professor of Medicine at the University of London in 1952. He later became the Vice Chancellor of the University of Nigeria Nsukka after the war. What about Astronomy – again another Ibo man was the first Professor of Astronomy – please, look up Professor Ntukoju – he was the first to earn a double Ph.D in Astronomy and Mathematics.

Let’s go to the Social Sciences – Demography and statistical research into population studies – again another Ibo man – Professor Okonjo who set up the first Centre for Population Research in Ibadan in the early ’60s. A double Ph.D in Mathematics and Economics. Philosophy – Professor G D Okafor, who became a Professor of Philosophy at the Amherst College USA in 1953. Economics – Dr. Pius Okigbo who became a visiting scholar and Professor of Economics at the University of London in 1954. He is also the first Nigerian Ph.D in Economics. Theology and theological research – Professor Njoku who became the first Nigerian to earn a Ph.D in Theology from Queens University Belfast in Ireland. He was appointed a Professor of Theology at the University College Zambia in 1952.

I am still conducting research in areas such as Geography where it seems a Yoruba man, Professor Mabogunje, was the first Professor. I also am conducting research into who was the first Nigerian Professor of English, Theatre Arts, Languages, Business and Education, Law and Engineering, Computer Technology, etc. Nigerians need to be told the truth and not let the lies that Femi Fani-Kayode has been selling to some ignorant Yoruba who feel that to be the first to see the white man and interact with him means that you are way ahead of other groups. The Ibo as The great Achebe said had within a span of 40 years bridged the gap and even surpassed the Yoruba in education by the ’60s. Many a Yoruba people perpetually indulge in self-deceit: that they were the first to go to school; to be exposed to Western education; that they are academically ahead of other Nigerian cultures of peoples. Another ignorant lie.

As far back as 1495 the Benin Empire maintained a diplomatic presence in Portugal. This strategic relationship did not just stop at a mere mission but extended to areas such as education. Scores of young Benin men were sent out to Portugal to study and lots of them came back with advanced degrees in Medicine, Law and Portuguese Language, to name a few.

Indeed, some went with their Yoruba and Ibo slaves who served the sons of the Benin nobility while they studied in Portugal. These are facts that can be verified by the logs kept by ship owners in Portugal from 1494 to 1830. It is kept at the Portuguese Museum of Geographic History in Lisbon.

Why then would several Yoruba people peddle all these falsehoods to show that they are ahead educationally in Nigeria? The true facts from the Federal Office of Statistics on education tell otherwise, showing that 3 Ibo states for the past 12 years have constantly had the largest number of graduates in the country, producing more graduates than Ondo, Osun, Ekiti and Oyo states. These eastern states are Imo, Anambra and Abia. Yet he calls Ibos traders. Indeed, the Igbos dominate because excellence dominates mediocrity – truth.

Let me enlighten this falsehood’s mouthpiece even further: before the civil war Ibos controlled and dominated all institutions in the formal sector in Nigeria from the universities to the police to the military to politics:

•The first Black Vice Chancellor of the University of Ibadan was an Ibo man

•The first Vice Chancellor of the University of Lagos was an Ibo man

•The first Nigerian Rector of the then Yaba College of Technology was also an Ibo man

•The police was run by an Ibo IG

•The military as a professional institution was also run by elite-ilk Ibos.

Facts can never be hidden. To be first does not mean you would win the race; let us open up all our institutions and may the best man win. Let us not depend on handouts or privileges but on heard work. Let us compete and give the best positions to our brightest – be it Ibo, Yourba or Fulani, and then we shall see who is the most successful Nigerian.

I find it difficult not to respond to some of these long-held lies that are constantly being peddled by Yorubas. One is that the Yoruba have the largest number of professors in the country. I would again ask that we stick to facts and statistical records. The Nigerian Universities Commission has a record of the state with the largest number of professors on their records and as at 2010 that state is Imo State followed by Ondo State and then Anambra State; the next state is Ekiti and then Delta before Kwara State. I am sure you Yorubas are surprised. When you sit in the South-West do not think others are sleeping but I wish to address another historical fact and that is who were the first Nigerians to receive Western education. It is important that these issues be examined in their historical context and evidence through research be presented for all to examine.

I have continued my research for as the great sociologist and father of modern sociology – Emile Durkheim – put it, the definition of a situation is real in its consequence . What this simply means is that one must never allow a perceived falsehood to become one’s reality and by extension individuals who accept a defined position act as though the situation is real and apply themselves in that narrowly defined perspective.

Why is this important to state it is because for long the Yoruba have peddled lies that have almost become accepted as the truth by other Nigerians but it is important that we lay down the facts for others to examine and come to their own conclusion for facts are facts. Let’s go back to education. Historically, Western education resulted as a product of indigenous ethnic groups interacting with the whites through trade. The dominant groups sold slaves, ivory gold and a host of other products to their European counterparts in exchange for finished goods – wine, tobacco, mirrors, etc.

The Bini who were the dominant military force from the 15th to the 19th century raided and sold other ethnicities to the Europeans. Top on the list of those they sold were the Yoruba, Ibo and Igala. Various other ethnicities suffered as a result of the Bini military expansion. And the Benin Kingdom stretched from present-day Benin up to what is now geographically referred to as Republic of Togo. Indeed, the influence of the Benin Empire extended to the banks of the river Niger to present-day Onistha. There are huge Yoruba settlements in the Anioma part of Delta State who fled Yoruba land as a result of these attacks and constant raids. Yes, there are Yoruba people who are currently living with Ibos in the Ibo-speaking part of Delta and they are full citizens of the place no one refers to them as strangers and there is no talk about the Ibos being the host community like we hear from the Governor of Lagos State. But let me return to research. Slaves were moved from the hinterland to the coast and many were sold through Eko to the New World. These slaves were the first to encounter the Europeans and by extension their way of life – this included education in a Western sense. The Bini King had taken pains to establish a diplomatic presence in Portugal and the relationship developed into areas that extended beyond trade in the late 15th century and lasted well into the early 19th century. Scores of young Bpni youth were sent to Portugal and studied there, coming back with advanced degrees in various disciplines. The next set of people to receive Western education were the slaves themselves. Some of them managed to buy their freedom and develop themselves further.

For the Ibo it does not matter who your father is; the question is: Who are you? Who was Obasanjo’s father? Was he the most educated Nigerian? I am sure the answer is no. Yet this Great Nigeria led this nation two times as a military Head of State and as a civilian President. What about GEJ? Who was his own father? Was he the first Nigerian to go to London? The answer is no. In fact, he had no shoes, yet he is fully in charge. So it does not matter if your father was the first Lawyer or first Doctor in Nigeria but rather what matters is what an individual does with the talents the Almighty has given to him. Let us open up Nigeria for competition. That is the solution to our problems. Those who want privileges keep reminding us that their fathers were the first to go to school in London. Every generation produces its own leaders and champions. Like Dangote who is the biggest employer of labour in Nigeria today and the richest man in Africa. Was his father the first to go to study in London? Yet he is the master of people whose parents gave them the best. My brothers, the answer to the Nigerian problem is that we should establish a merit-driven society. “I get am before” no be

tayooluwole:
As we all know, Yoruba people are the pacesetters
in Nigeria, Africa and in some cases, the world at
large. We are the head, never the tail. Here are a
few of Yorubas who have comfortably enshrined
their names in the record book.
.
Abimbola Awoliyi is Nigeria’s first female doctor
-Kolapo Hamzat is the youngest professor of
physiotherapy in Nigeria and Africa
-Adegoke olubunmo is the first professor of
Mathematics in Africa
-Momodu Mosobalaje Olaloye is the first African
professor of Geology
-Dele Olojede is the first and only African to win a
Pulitzer prize
-Abimbola jayeola is Nigeria’s First Female
Helicopter Pilot
-William Akinola Dawodu was the first Nigerian car
importer, he started importing cars into Nigeria in
1905
-Prof. Jade Akande was the first female professor of
law in West Africa
-Kofo Ademola is the first black woman to receive
an undergraduate degree from Oxford University
-Dr. Olaoluwa Hallowed Oluwadara is the youngest
African PHD Holder in Mathematics
-Deborah Enilo Ajakaiye is the first female physics
professor in Africa and also the first black African to
be named a fellow of the Geological society of
London
-Wole Soyinka is the first black and only African to
win a Nobel prize for literature
-Thomas Adesanya ige grillo is the first Nigerian
professor of anatomy
-Taslim Elias is the first African to be president of
the International Court of Justice (World Court)
-Folake Folarin-Coker the first African-based fashion
designer to stage a show twice at the New York
Fashion Week
-Latunde Odeku is the first US-trained black
neurosurgeon and the 1st professor of neuro-
surgery in Nigeria.
-Bode Thomas created the First indigenous Nigerian
law firm
-I.K dairo is the first Nigerian to be conferred title of
Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British
Empire (MBE
-Amzat Beyioku Adebowale is The first Nigerian to
bring Sharp range of electronic products in Nigeria
-Prof. Taiyewo Kolawole is the first Nigerian neuro-
radiologist
-Prof. Arinola Olasumbo Sanya is the first female
Professor of Physiotherapy in Africa.
-Dr. Olu Jaiyebo is The first Agronomist in Nigeria.
Professor Micheal Adepoju Adeyemo is The first
Nigerian Chartered Accountant
-Latola Films was the 1st film production company
in Nigeria
-Prof. Ilesanmi Adesida, is the first black Vice-
Chancellor in an american unversity
-Mrs. Sade Thomas-Fahm is the First woman to own
a boutique in Nigeria
-Nojim Maiyegun is the first Nigerian to win an
Olympic medal
-Adenike Osofisan is the first African Female
Professor of Computer Science.
-Prof T.O Ogunlesi is the first professor of Medicine
in Nigeria
-Chief Akintola Williams is the First African to
qualify as a chartered accountant
-Ezekiel Adekunle Ifaturoti is the first mining
engineer in Nigeria
-Rotimi Adebari is the First black mayor of Ireland
-Folake Solanke is the First Female Senior Advocate
of Nigeria
-Elizabeth Abimbola is the First Nigerian Female
Doctor-1937
-Helen Folasade Adu is the First Nigerian-born artist
to win a Grammy-1986
-Prof. Bolanle Awe: Nigeria's first female Professor
of History
-Professor Thomas Adeoye Lambo is Africa’s first
professor of psychiatry.
-Engineer Dr. (Mrs.) Olatokubo A Somolu: is
Nigeria’s first Female to hold a PHD in Engineering
-Mrs Adetowun Ogunsheye is The first female
professor in Nigeria
-Mrs bisoye esther tejuosho is Nigeria’s first female
industrialist
-Michael Onafowokan is Nigeria’s first Architect
1952
-Aderonke Kale is the first Female Nigerian Armed
Forces (2 Star) Major General:
-Chief (Dr.) Bola Kuforiji Olubi is The first Female
Chartered Accountant in Nigeria
-George Olatokunbo Okikiolu, has written more
mathematics papers than any other Black
mathematician in history
-Katherline okikiolu is the first black person to win
the most prestigious award for young mathematics
researchers in the United States and the first black
woman to publish an article in the Annals of
Mathematics
-Samuel Layinka Ayodeji invented the excision
knife to treat tropical ulcers. he won the Robert
Wilson Memorial Prize in Chemistry and the
Welcome Prize in Medicine.

.
Like we said, those are a few. The list itself is
endless.
And by the way, where is your own name ….. ?

Chiaka:


My main issue is that yorubas are always aiding the north to be in power as long as this continues, we can hardly achieve true federalism, north likes to grab power in order to maintain the current imbalance and injustice in the system and this move continues to drag the country backward and not forward. Most times I wonder why the yorubas continue to do this, sometimes I thinks its for some short term benefit which will neither profit them in the long run nor other tribes which I also see as a selfish move which keeps us far away from realising a true federalism, with true federalism even the north will move from a solely dependent and power hungry region to a self actualising one.