America has made a foolish and unnecessary move by placing Nigeria on a terror list. I hope that our apathetic leaders have the ba ll to stand strong against this absurd move.

The last time I checked, the shoe bomber was a British born terrorist
The last time I checked, the number of Muslim extremist in England out numbered the ones we have in Nigeria.
The last time I checked, America has not yet placed England on the terror list (eventhough the crimes of Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab and the British shoe bomber are very similar in many ways)

Here we go again with American selective ways of fighting terrorist, the method that has degraded their integrity around the world, and crumbled their mighty economy.

Placing Nigeria on the terror list is foolish, unfair, unnecessary and bias.

But what can one say, when most of our despicable leaders do not even understand what it means when a nation is placed on this list. All they care about is constant stealing.

We (future of this country) need to come together as one and let America know that we are peaceful people who do not have time to plan evil things against other countries.
I say, we should plan a peaceful protest around the world against this move; I think it's time for each and everyone of us to step up to do something positive to re-brand our image around the world. We can not continue to count on our greedy and incompetent leaders.

I'm still very disappointed in America for making this move.

Who gives a sh.it? As long as Nigeria is an impossible country still living in a shotgun marriage we better be thanking our lucky stars that they allow us to travel outside of it at all. mess This conglomeration, disintegrate the fucking country and Nigeria won't be on the bleeping list. This extra hassle might just stop the next Hausa-Fulani arab wannabe from blowing up the next plane.

My friend is not a foolish move. Is best move. Don't u se all those muslems in the north killing each other. We all should know the time was coming were Nigeria will following middle east/suicidal/bomber. Good move I must say.

Depilot:

America has made a foolish and unnecessary move by placing Nigeria on a terror list. I hope that our apathetic leaders have the ba ll to stand strong against this absurd move.

The last time I checked, the shoe bomber was a British born terrorist
The last time I checked, the number of Muslim extremist in England out numbered the ones we have in Nigeria.
The last time I checked, America has not yet placed England on the terror list (eventhough the crimes of Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab and the British shoe bomber are very similar in many ways)

Here we go again with American selective ways of fighting terrorist, the method that has degraded their integrity around the world, and crumbled their mighty economy.

Placing Nigeria on the terror list is foolish, unfair, unnecessary and bias.

But what can one say, when most of our despicable leaders do not even understand what it means when a nation is placed on this list. All they care about is constant stealing.

We (future of this country) need to come together as one and let America know that we are peaceful people who do not have time to plan evil things against other countries.
I say, we should plan a peaceful protest around the world against this move; I think it's time for each and everyone of us to step up to do something positive to re-brand our image around the world. We can not continue to count on our greedy and incompetent leaders.

I'm still very disappointed in America for making this move.

Typically selfish Naija-mentality. As if Northern Nigeria is not a hotbed of Islamic insurgency. As if the greater percentage of hardboiled northern Muslims are not openly anti-American, anti-capitalist, anti-everything Western. Not that they're not entitled to their viewpoints, anyway but you need to hear the sermons they preach in their mosques even in this Lagos, the line between politics & religion is virtually non-existent.

@topic,

Welcome to the double standard and the hypocrisy of the West led by the US that some of us have been complaining about.

Seems some people will start re-evaluating their positions now that they will become targets of harassment and/or serious racial profiling.

Welcome to the real world of US foreign policy.

You may ask the innocent people that have been murdered in Iraq and Afghanistan what their crime was.

@POSTER
It seem you have different meaning from the group stated up that we belong. a country without leader for more than a month without clear understanding of his status and location! where do you expect to be categories? or your brother that intend blowing up an airplane with enormous passangers has a good interpretation to you? let be realistic here a spade should be call a spade, this guy that was sponsored to school with Nigeria stolen wealth has degenerated into enemy of the helpless citizen. whatever his dad says or claimed to have be an evidence against this criminality is rubbish as far as I'm concern. his father exposed him to extremist and whatever that may influence him to this null. therefore he should be blame for this.
We can now begging to understand why we should expect more of this from this criminal children's so that they can all be band from traveling which will automatically produce them sense of logical reason.

Nigerian keep saying they shouldn't be in that list which list should we be in? Terrorist are evri where in nigeria if not nigerian govt won't be giving all those armed guard to foreigner in nigeria. Foreigner usually complain but the govt official insist they move with armed cops as if they are in somalia or afghanistan.mutallabs bomber pant was the last straw.

I disagree.

Yes the shoe bomber may be British but do you see people killing innocent people in England all in the name of religion and government turns a blind eye to it?

Go to Northern Nigeria and see details of innocent lives yearly lost to idiotic religious fanatics! I do not only think the US have done what any responsible government will do, it has even come kinda late. We should have been listed years ago!

The looting of public funds is Terrorism. Is Nigeria not amongst the 3 first Terrorists nations?

At first I was furious with America's high-handedness applied to this situation, but like someone said in another thread our government has been terrorizing the Nigerian people for years, we don't even have a leader to make a plea on our behalf. This is another wake up call.

^^^^
I wish its a wake up call but knowing us Nigerians, we seem to have taken a large dose of Valium 5. I doubt if this will wake anything up!

proudly9ja:

^^^^
I wish its a wake up call but knowing us Nigerians, we seem to have taken a large dose of Valium 5. I doubt if this will wake anything up!

I am afraid that u might be right.

if that plane had blown up, this wouldn't be funny. the Nigeria is a failed state, and its incapable of stemming terrorism and key figures in the govt possibly sponsor it.

This means that Nigeria must be developed by Nigerians so that we don't have to worry about what foreigners will do to us in their lands.

There is no place like home, trust me on that. Any foreigner that suspects me of anything remotely related to terrorism in Nigeria here will receive a good combination of hot slaps and upper cuts for a start.

Only Nigerians can move Nigeria forward and God Has blessed us with abundant human and natural resources.

@ apam, your comment has no connection to reality.

afam,
move to the real world. Imagine a Nigeria like CUBA. Folks have to travel

adconline:

afam,
move to the real world. Imagine a Nigeria like CUBA. Folks have to travel

Then travel you must. It's just that the complaints are becoming way too much.

In as much as I feel bad for the blacklisting of Nigeria, I think its been long overdue.
There are more terrorists in Nigeria than in many of the previously blacklisted countries.
Killing people by suicide bombing, plane bombing or lynching on the streets of Kano, Kaduna or Bauchi is terrorism.
Do you think it is rtight for the US to allow people from that a nation with individuals who terrorize their fellow contrymen in the name of religion be allowed into their country or in airplanes without proper scrutiny.
I do not blame US as a matter of fact they are just trying to protect their citizens.
I know that to most Nigerians, killing innocent civilians in the name of religion does not constitute a terrorist act, and has become a NORM but it is.
To even think of the fact that during the whole saga of the failed bombimg, people where being murdered in Bauchi.
Do you know how many times a year america calls on its citizens to leave nothern Nigeria.
Common guys you cant blame the US.

@ apam & all

It is a pity that yanky took that step, though one may say its not fair or double standard because of a similar attempt by a U.K. citizen, but the fact is that one will have to accept it or sit in our DEAR country cos lives have to be protected.

I am suprised that Nigerians are suprised at the action of the US.

Nobody should be suprised at that decision becuase the US have been looking for an opportunity to axe Nigeria and this is just it.

From the internal terrorism (in the name of election) that brought Yar'adua to Aso Rock, to activities of the Jihardists in the North, to the irresponsiblity of our government in fighting corruption (the likes of Ibori are preferred to the likes of Ribadu!), to lack of willingness to properly ensure electoral reforms, to the recent autopiloting of Nigeria (as the President appeared to be missing), Nigeria is already in the black books of the US.

Don't forget that the US has already classified Nigeria as a failed state and predicted that the country will colapse by 2015 (about five years from now).

It may be  that the US is doing this in preparation for the emergency of Biafra, Odua Rep, and Niger Delta Rep. America wants to distance her self as much as possible from the fraud of a Nation called Nigeria, so that the new emerging republics will embrace America with open alms. America will love to see a disintegrated Nigeria, and by this action (and maybe SANCTIONS), the emerging republics will hasten up to break away from Nigeria so as not to answer "terrorist" with Mutallab and his kinsmen who believe that they are born to rule and kill. A disintegrated Nigeria will deny the Jihardists the "oil money" and thus weaken their ability to pursue the terrorism agenda.

In this Naira land, any keen obeserver will see that those sympathetic to the emmerging republics are happy with what America has done so far.

Also, I am suprised that some fellows are saying that terrorism is not in "our character", but the fact is that we have seen the worst of terrorism than the US and UK combined. The Jihardists North has consistently and systematically been carrying acts of terrorism against Southern Nigerians living among them. Niether the States nor the Federal Govt has done anything serious to stop the madness once and for all. Year after year, our people are slaughtered like goats and shot like antelops and all we hear is how Islam is a religion of "peace" and that those who do such things are "misguided elements".

No wahala, but Nigerians should know that where ever Islam is found with a certain number of followers in the population , either of two things must be entrenched:

A: Islam must control the central govt and sharia implemented and there will be peace or
B: Acts of terrorism as we are witnessing will continue without end.

Yet, we can give them a third choice: Let the North have an Islamic state and let the South have a state where religion is by free will of the individual.

Welcome to the double standard and the hypocrisy of the West led by the US that some of us have been complaining about.

Seems some people will start re-evaluating their positions now that they will become targets of harassment and/or serious racial profiling.

Welcome to the real world of US foreign policy.

You may ask the innocent people that have been murdered in Iraq and Afghanistan what their crime was.

@afam,
praise the lord, what we have been seeing and hearing on news is close to us. i will continue praying for u until u or any close family member of urs become a victim of terrorism.
what sense did u make in ur comment on the failed attack in the usa? the 278 passangers have no blood in them? i regret been in the same forum with things that think like animals.
we are terrorists and that is what we are. americans call us 419ers and now terrorists,what we have to ask ourselves is, which of the two is lie?
it is no more news that ppl die from terrorism on daily bases in nigeria and if u use ur dictionary very well, check the meaning of terrorism and terrorist and tell me what is wrong in calling us terrorists.
we have been without a president for over 42days now, nobody is complaining until the western world call us a presidentless country and we will start jumping up at that. what is wrong with telling nigerians the truth?
nigeria and nigerians must be thanking their stars that the idiot of a boy failed in his attempt otherwise, it wld have been another story because americans can never keep a closed eyes over the death of their own.

chidichris:

@afam,
praise the lord, what we have been seeing and hearing on news is close to us. i will continue praying for u until u or any close family member of urs become a victim of terrorism.
what sense did u make in your comment on the failed attack in the usa? the 278 passangers have no blood in them? i regret been in the same forum with things that think like animals.

I don't need to pray for you to become a victim because the level of stupidity you display is punishment enough. Only God knows how many more touts and fraudsters like you waste time on discussion forums writing nonsense.

No name callings folks.

It is not a crime to disagree.

As for the difference of treatment between the UK and Nigeria by the US, there are a lot of factors we need to look into.

1. UK is more likely to aid the US in fighting terror, corruption, etc than Nigeria. ( EG: if Ibori were to come from the UK, he should be in jail by now but here is the right hand man of our Attorbey General).

2. After the train bombings in London by the Jihardists, how many more of such has taken place since then? Is it becuase the Jihardist no longer hate the UK? No, they will still want to hit the UK, but the governemnt has put things in motion to frustrate all their efforts.

Here, the Jihardists are having a field day killing and maiming with no serious challenge. We have accepted the acts terrorism by the Jihardists as part and percel of culture.

3. UK has a functioning government, here we dont have any. Presently, we are being ruled by faceless people. Nigeria is leaderless.

4. UK has a functional system of government, but here we have terrorists in power (they stole our mandates by the power of guns).

5. In the UK, they strife to make laws that will ensuire good governance, in Nigeria even our law makers are asking for immunity so they can loot.

6. There is so much that we cant compare the UK and Nigeria.

Finally, as I said earlier, the US has been looking for opportunity to axe the ailing Nigeria and suddenly, they got their chance. Thanks to Mutallab.

L ate last year, Congress agreed to a request from President Bush to fund a major escalation of covert operations against Iran, according to current and former military, intelligence, and congressional sources. These operations, for which the President sought up to four hundred million dollars, were described in a Presidential Finding signed by Bush, and are designed to destabilize the country’s religious leadership. The covert activities involve support of the minority Ahwazi Arab and Baluchi groups and other dissident organizations. They also include gathering intelligence about Iran’s suspected nuclear-weapons program.

Only a fool will take AMERICA serious.

We know who is the real TERRORIST.

Cry me a river.

it's funny how mutallab is now a Briton (ignoring his ancestry while focusing on his birthplace).  You guys would be claiming him up and down if he was a noble prize winner.  Nigerian has earned the right to be a country of concern thanks to its long history of inter ethnic/religious warfare.

We (future of this country) need to come together as one and let America know that we are peaceful people who do not have time to plan evil things against other countries.

yes Odi village, boko haram etc never happened.

If the US had a white president, we wouldn't be on any terror list. Obama is black like us.
We need to get our act together instead of disgracefully pointing fingers at the US.

http://www.ngex.com/cgi-bin/frame/frameit2.plx?link="http://www.tribune.com.ng"

BLACKLISTING: Senate gives US 7-day ultimatum - Maduekwe meets US Envoy, says action unacceptable - Experts urge FG to seek AU, UN intervention - US must respect Nigeria - Ogwu - This is uncalled for - AC - Sever relations with US - Afe
From Taiwo Adisa, Bola Badmus, Kunle Oderemi, Adewale Ajayi, Muda Oyeniran, Ayodele Adesanmi, with Agency Reports - 06.01.2010
THE Senate, on Tuesday, issued a seven-day ultimatum to the United States of America (USA), within which it should remove Nigeria from its list of countries sponsoring terrorists or risk a diplomatic row.

The President of the Senate, David Mark, who issued the one-week ultimatum said that the Senate would meet in a closed session on January 12 to deliberate further on the situation.

Mark, who spoke through the Chairman, Senate Committee on Information and Media, Ayogu Eze, said that it was unfair for the US to have punished Nigeria for the activities that did not originate from its territory.

Senator Eze told media men on Tuesday: “I am sure that you have been observing the trend in the media and we are referring to the issue of America listing Nigeria as one of the 14 countries to be placed under watch.

“I am speaking on behalf of the Senate and on behalf of the Senate President to state categorically that we are very unhappy about the development and when we resume, we are going to take up this matter seriously if America has not taken Nigeria off that list.

“We also want to advise America that in their own best interest, they should conduct this matter very well in a manner that will not result in diplomatic row between America and Nigeria because the American president had, himself, clearly admitted that this was a failure of the system and manpower of Americans and I don’t see where Nigeria comes in there.

“Moreover, this is just one instance of a Nigerian who, it is clearly established, has no link with any fundamentalist group or any interest group within Nigeria, not even with his parents.

“This was a boy whose disappearance was reported to security agencies, the American authorities and all the relevant authorities and the Americans did nothing and for them to turn round to punish Nigerians for the sin of an isolated case like this is completely unacceptable to the Nigerian government and to the Nigerian Senate.

“We have also watched with keen interest several other breaches that have taken place since this boy’s attempt. There was an uninvited guest who went to the White House, he and his wife were found in the White House. That was not a Nigerian. America should look inward and search their souls, there is something wrong with their system and they should not punish Nigerians who are very law-abiding and good international citizens for the failure and irresponsibilities of American operatives, Nigeria will not take that.”

The US government had, on Monday, released a list of 14 countries to be placed under close watch as states sponsoring terrorism in the wake of the Christmas Day failed bomb attempt on a Detroit, Michigan, US-bound plane by a Nigerian, Umar Farouk Abdul-Mutallab.

Senator Eze said our citizens who returned from different destinations, especially those who from America, went through hell in order to meet their kith and kin for the Christmas break and the harrowing experience had scared a lot of them who were even afraid to return and some who were even afraid to originate their trips for genuine transaction in Ame-rica, adding that this must be stopped immediately.

“It is not America alone that has citizens to whom the government is responsible, we also have citizens and we are responsible to them. We will not allow Nigerians to be molested wherever they go.

“I think this message should be put out clearly. When we resume, if the situation is still there, it is going to be one of the major issues that we are going to tackle and the Senate President has told me to state categorically that he is unhappy about this, and, being the chairman of the National Assembly, it means also on behalf of the National Assembly,” Senator Eze stated.

House of Reps
Also, the House of Representatives, on Tuesday, described the US action as unwarranted and unfair.

Spokesman for the House, Honourable Eyibo Eseme, said this while reacting to US govern-ment’s action, following the arrest of Farouk Abdul-Mutallab, a Nigerian, for allegedly trying to blow a plane in the US.

The lawmaker asked the US to remove Nigeria’s name on the list, adding that “the earlier they delist Nigeria on the list or rescind from the decision to put us on the alert, the better for our diplomatic relations.”

Honourable Eyibo said the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the Federal Bureau for Investigation (FBI) and other security agencies in the United States might be guilty of some terrorist acts, giving the circumstance of the case at hand.

According to him, “it was possible that the US security agencies listed had accomplices with those that trained Abdul-Mutallab in Yemen.

“It is possible that they have accomplices with the guys that trained the boy in Yemen.

“If not, why didn’t they condemn Yemen? Why have they spared Yemen and are now condemning Nigeria?”

Professor Joy Ogwu
Nigeria's Permanent Representative to the United Nations (UN), Professor Joy Ogwu, has demanded that the US government respected Nigeria's position on terrorism.

“The country cannot be adjudged a terrorist country because of the misdeed of one man, the person in question neither received his training in Nigeria, nor grew up in the country,” Ugwu told the UN correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria.

“Terrorism is alien to our culture and I can’t even find a word for it in my own native language,” she told NAN on Tuesday in New York.

Ogwu said the country’s media and, by extension, the government had a lot of work to do to counter the misleading negative concept about the country.

Ofonagoro, Mbu react
A former Minister of Information, Dr. Walter Ofonagoro and a one-time Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Matthew Mbu, on Tuesday, differed on the placement of Nigeria on a terror list by the US over the bothched attempt by Abdul-Mutallab to bomb an American airliner on Christmas Day.

While Mbu said the American government could not have done otherwise in view of the gravity of the matter, Ofona-goro believed the US went too far in taking the action.

Mbu said the action was justified because no responsible governmet would condone any act of terrorism.

Asked if the US should not have considered other factors before thinking of embarking on any tough measures over the foiled bombing, the elder statesman said “what has the US done? What has Nigeria done? What would you do if you were an American? Would you go to tea party with Nigeria or go to dinner after Mutallab’s explosion? Why are you asking me the obvious?

“To add more to our problems or compound the situation, what happened to AbdulMutallab is unfortunate and all Nigerians of good mind will certainly regret the unfortunate incident, because the power that be that are against Nigeria will use every excuse to punish innocent Nigerian travelling to their country.

“And my answer is that this is a warning to heartless Nigerian not to engage the country in a global warfare of hatred against their people.

However, Ofonagoro expressed total dissa-pointment with the US over the placement of Nigeria on the terror list, saying that Nigeria is a secular state.

“It is wrong for the US to have done that. Nigeria cannot be listed as a terrorist state because Nigeria is a secular state, since it does not belong to any particular religion and we are doing our very best to fight terrorism.

“I think it is completely unfair to classify Nigeria as a terrorist state. From media reports, we can see that Farouk’s father, Umaru Mutallab, went the extra mile to alert the US that his son was in bad company and this shows a good example of a responsible parent.

“How many men in America or Britain will report their own son as a potential terrorist? I think the man has done more than anybody can expect him to do to show that he is not in support of terrorism.

“What the US is saying by its pronouncement is that Nigeria has the potential for terrorism because of the Islamic fundamentalists in the country and the frequent religious riots. But I still insist that the US is being unfair to Nigeria because they cannot judge the whole country by the action of one young man.

“The implication of the US stand is that any Nigerian going to the US will first be stripped unclothed to make sure he is not having any weapon on him and they will also put Nigeria on their terrorist watch to know if the Islamic militants are now taking over the country,” he stated.

, Afe Babalola too
Eminent lawyer , Chief Afe Babalola, wants Nigeria to review its diplomatic relations with the United States.

Reacting to the listing of Nigeria on the terror list by Washington, after the arrest of Farouk Umar Mutallab for allegedly trying to bomb a plane in America, Chief Babalola described as “unjust and disturbing,” the classification of Nigeria as a country of dangerous people on account of one isolated incident.

”It is unfair and disturbing to use one single case against Nigeria. Citizens of other countries, including Americans and Britons, have been arrested for grievous offences around the world and only such individuals have been held accountable.

“One recalls the case of a British citizen executed recently in China for smuggling into that country a large consignment of cocaine. China did not blacklist Britain.

“It is more disturbing because the alleged offender has not been found guilty in the face of the law,”Chief Babalola argued.

, AC also reacts
The Action Congress (AC) has said that the US action was not necessary and what the country needed now was understanding and support from its international partners to root out religious extremists.

The party, in a statement issued in Lagos, on Tuesday, by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said Nigerians were victims of religious extremists who had engaged in killing, despoiling and maiming of thousands of innocent people over the years.

According to the AC, “Nigerians, most of whom are law-abiding and decent citizens, are now facing a double jeopardy — first from the misguided but few religious extremists among them and now from the US and other members of the international community seemingly intent on punishing all Nigerians for the sin of a few,” it added.

The AC said the Nigerian government itself must do its bit in making the country unattractive for global terrorism sponsors who are seeking to recruit willing folks to swell their ranks.

The party said if Nigeria was emerging as a recruiting ground for terrorists, it was because over the years, the government had not taken up the gauntlet of putting an end to the incessant religious crisis perpetrated by religious bigots and extremists, starting from the Maitatsine riots in the 1980s to Boko Haram and Kala-Kato in 2009.

Other Nigerians react
Experts told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos, on Tuesday, that the profiling would not enhance relations between Nigeria and the US.

They urged Nigeria to do its best to save its citizens from unpalatable treatment resulting from the alleged offence of one Nigerian.

A former Nigerian High Commissioner to South Africa, Ambassador Olugbenga Ashiru, said Nigeria should urgently seek the intervention of the UN and African Union (AU) to secure an understanding by the US that Nigerians were not terrorists.

Ashiru described the alleged attempted bombing and the listing as unfortunate, especially with Nigeria’s re-branding efforts.

“It is unfortunate that an offence of a single Nigerian would now make many responsible Nigerians to go through demeaning experiences at airports.

“The US government should be made to understand that Nigeria is not known for terrorism; the UN and AU have a great responsibility here in safeguarding Nigerians travelling to the US,’’ he said.

Dr. Jamiu Oluwatoki of the Department of History and International Studies, Lagos State University (LASU), urged the US not to be harsh to Nigeria because of Abdul-Mutallab’s alleged crime.

Oluwatoki, however, urged Nigerians travelling to the US to be more security-conscious.

The lecturer noted that the US government had, since the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack on the World Trade Centre (WTC) in New York, been unilaterally fighting terrorism.

“With the situation on ground, Nigerians should be calm and be on the lookout, while the government evolves measures to safeguard them,” he advised.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I read this news today on yahoo. http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/capress/100105/world/eu_ireland_slovakia_hidden_explosives


Okay. People if it was from another nation not European, it will be blown out of proportion. We don't need to be partner with this hypocrites neither should whatever they say or do against us surprise us.

Ofcourse we are terrorist ;DThis will awaken every nigerian now, especially those travelling outside like me The constant notion that you are been labelled a terrorist will make u angry and humble at the sametime
A counrty like nigeria where the likes of Ibori are prefferd to ribadu and el rufia . A country where a state governor steals govt money, chargerd to court for stealing abroad, dresses like a woman only to resurface in nigeria later with people praising him and hailing him.
Is'nt that daft, That is corruption in public dispaly.
Well I pray this event will bring us back to ur senses. We are a total embarrassemnt not only to ourselves but to africa as a whole.
Mat God Help Us!!! Its such A shame

Well, the govt of UK is at least trying to do something to fight terrorist, while the govt of Nigeria is a terror on their own

Ofcourse we are terrorist ;DThis will awaken every nigerian now

If you guys think this move will benefit Nigeria or Nigerians in any way, then I'm sorry to say you got another thing coming.
Again, this kind of move will negatively affect Nigerians in Nigeria and outside Nigeria both directly and indirectly. Only God knows why you guys refuse to get it.

Americans are shallow minded if that's the case.