There is only one reason why all kinds, strains, and manners of national taboos are befalling Nigeria and it is - Igbo and Yoruba do not want to swallow their pride and get rid of the disease once and for all. As long as we have three big ethnic groups whoever thinks anything can change without two of the three being in cahoots is in for a rude shock.

Its either two of the three unite to steal or heal. As an Igbo, my belief is - if we cant get a unified front to fix the real problem which is a return to regional structure then its better I pull out and get ready for the second war that will be declared by the remaining two.

There is no nation, in this day and age, that has internally sacrificed the amount of souls like we've done. We're not under occupation, we're not invaded yet we keep losing citizens like they mean nothing. The annoying thing is that we know where and what the issue is yet we can't look the Core North in the eye and tell them to back off and stop killing us.

We trully deserve what we get. West and East keep blabbing and running your mouths, the core north has figured us out - whenever their deity demands they either sacrifice Gideon Akaluka or Oluwatoyin Olusase.

I do not believe that Core North propped up Boko Haram for political gains, please dont buy into that. Boko Haram is a continuation of the dominant belief in the NE and NW. They just happened to be an ill-advised bargaining chip of the north for now, thats all. Just like we in the south do lots of masquerade and festivals, NE and NW are fervent believers in their own interpretation of Islamic faith. Think about it- if the dominant belief in our festivals and masquerades were to be isolationism, expansionism, or born-to-rulism, dont you think we would behead and kill whoever tries to contaminate us or deny us of our right? We all would be indoctrinated from birth and would grow up not understanding why other sections of the country refused to follow our way of life.

I'm tired of mourning our deaths. Folks, if we cant get back to regional govts then lets decide and have each region draw the same amount from federal coffers for about ten years afterwhich we all go our seperate ways. Each region will use the ten year period to negotiate borders, ease into new nationhood, and build infrastructures necessary for its competitive advantage. Lets save lives.

Check out the link (below) to a ten year period timeline of unrest in Nigeria and tell yourself if you see any hope but structural change in the horizon.

http://www.trust.org/item/?map=timeline-ethnic-and-religious-unrest-in-nigeria/

Do you think we can start by going back to our regions and invest in our infrastructure and economy without getting the government involved. Eze mbe si na nsogbu bu nke ya, ya jiri kworo ya n'azu For example: Instead of building a mansion build a hospital to not only help citizens by providing care but also charge affordable rates for services rendered and make a profit. How about we start by building a business and employing locals so our people will stop looking for opportunities abroad.

Why must we flock to Abuja or London for opportunities that we can create in our own land. First we must come together
O te aka o di njo, emesie o ga-adi mma.( Things will soon be better) Let us work on a local level as individuals to better our communities. Most of what is built in Igboland after the war was done by our grandfathers and we have not contributed to the up keep at all. The change starts with us we must all do our own part to make a difference in our communities.

hmmm... this is serious! ngwanu! Yorubas and Igbos on nairaland, it is time to swallow your pride. I have longed swallowed mine and it has been absorbed by my body. Another thing that has to be swallowed is bigotry. I have also swallowed that one too since last year. what else needs to be swallowed biko? Paracetamol abi fufu

biafranqueen: Do you think we can start by going back to our regions and invest in our infrastructure and economy without getting the government involved. Eze mbe si na nsogbu bu nke ya, ya jiri kworo ya n'azu For example: Instead of building a mansion build a hospital to not only help citizens by providing care but also charge affordable rates for services rendered and make a profit. How about we start by building a business and employing locals so our people will stop looking for opportunities abroad.

Why must we flock to Abuja or London for opportunities that we can create in our own land. First we must come together
O te aka o di njo, emesie o ga-adi mma.( Things will soon be better) Let us work on a local level as individuals to better our communities. Most of what is built in Igboland after the war was done by our grandfathers and we have not contributed to the up keep at all. The change starts with us we must all do our own part to make a difference in our communities.

What you said is great, I wont take anything from it at all. However, you also have to know that just as we build our homes we must also retain, to a very large extent, some political power and autonomy. The FG is the biggest investor, the greatest political and economic bully in any developing country. Most of the things we beg the FG to undertake in our region are minor projects countries like Israel, Finland, Lesotho, Gambia, etc are doing yet none of those countries number above ten million.

What I'm saying is that as we go home to build, let us remember that if we dont dis-entangle much of our political connectivity with Nigeria, if we dont retain some level of autonomy from Nigeria, we're still in the same sinking ship.

Why do you think every region in Nigeria kind of looks similar in terms of developement, its simple - we viciously tied the future of 160 million together. We forced the secular to sit with the fatalistic intolerant and we tied the republican with the feudalist. This has to be resolved soon else running home wont save us because nothing stops the fatalistic intolerant adventurer to come into your house in the middle of the night and sack you - after all he doesnt need visa/travel permit, or does he?

My sis, I believe in home building as well as home fortification.

Mind you I understand that this kind of call will always attract extremists on both ends. But the truth is when we look at what's happening now it doesnt look like we have a realistic solution to the mess we're in. We can let APC or PDP win, it still wont change our doomed destiny as long as we're all trying to drive "this one bus." We all need to get real, Boko haram aint going no where. The best we can do is to get a northerner that will make BH calm down for awhile and after ten yrs another killer cult with a different name will spring up - in fact before that ten year period elapses we're still going to be losing some heads here and there for one reason or the other. Wake up people!

I say - Let all the regions continue drawing the same amount they're drawing now from FG coffers for a fixed period of 10 or 15 years during which we all ease into our respective new nations. We've got tp work something out else most of us will live and die and our children and their children will be here, perhaps in another forum - Koboland or pennyland, talking about the same thing.

What a funny thread!
The problem with your postulation is a simple fact that balkanisation of Nigeria can be anything but peaceful.

Prof Corruption: What a funny thread!
The problem with your postulation is a simple fact that balkanisation of Nigeria can be anything but peaceful.

What is your own 'postulation.'

10 t0 15 yr period will buy us time to renegotiate borders. Besides, disintegration is not the only solution in my post. Didnt you notice the first solution?

Sam_Ikenna:

What is your own 'postulation.'

If the East and West genuinely worked together (my emphasis on genuineness), the North would sit up. There would be no choice but to redesign the Nigerian federation to accommodate "reason and common sense" because the alternative would be the Sudan solution. The North can not defeat a united South.

But that unity is far from being achieved because the South is always in constant competition with itself. The Yorubas want to outsmart the Igbo and vice versa. In fact, the phrase "Southern Nigerian" does not exist in genuine political sense and the Northern ruling elite are very much aware of this development.

The solution is political mobilization in East and the West. If there's a power block in the East as well in the West, not just a loose political party set up to grab power and tend to interests of few elites, I believe a time would come that reason would prevail over greed and selfishness.

Prof Corruption:

If the East and West genuinely worked together (my emphasis on genuineness), the North would sit up. There would be no choice but to redesign the Nigerian federation to accommodate "reason and common sense" because the alternative would be the Sudan solution. The North can not defeat a united South.

But that unity is far from being achieved because the South is always in constant competition with itself. The Yorubas want to outsmart the Igbo and vice versa. In fact, the phrase "Southern Nigerian" does not exist in genuine political sense and the Northern ruling elite are very much aware of this development.

The solution is political mobilization in East and the West. If there's a power block in the East as well in the West, not just a loose political party set up to grab power and tend to interests of few elites, I believe a time would come that reason would prevail over greed and selfishness.

I'm happy you're talking. There is no guaranteed solution or future, but at least if we all know that whatever it is we have now is a mess i believe that should be enough to spur us into action. Even if we elect Obama or Cameron, the chances of them doing much is slim. Remember the PIB, how long did it take to get traction? was it not until one senator from SS alleged that over 80% of oil blocks belong to the north. I Dont know if the stats are correct or false but the point is that with the number of senators the entire north has, we might as well sell the country to the them and retire home because, quite frankly, they own it.

This lopsided country has not achieved anything for so long not because any region is weak or dumb but because it is structurally impossible to do it. We dont have to like each other but we can agree to love our children and I believe that is enough incentive to swallow our pride and do something right for once. If it means balkanization so be it, if it means SNC - am in, if it means regionalism - great too.

Do you mean like the EU? Would we still share the same currency?
Can they agree to equal budget for 10 years? I am not to sure about that
How about Federalism ? I think that would be best.

The problem lies with our leaders and elders, they use that toolz when they want to remain relevant and rule us.
An average Yorubas and igbos walk hands in hands on the street, but when politic set in we remember Awolowo, Ojukwu Ezegwo,ifenajuna, biafra etc.
The truth is all those things are introduced by our selfish elders and leaders to carve a niche for themself without passing through normal procedure.
Come to think of it, after we have hated, distroyed and killed ourself, all our leaders 4rm diffrent ethnics, religion and ideologies will come together to share our wealth.
Even on nairaland we are best of friends, it is all this political agents that are dividing us, i bet u go to other sections and see how cool we are with each other.

biafranqueen: Do you mean like the EU? Would we still share the same currency?
Can they agree to equal budget for 10 years? I am not to sure about that
How about Federalism ? I think that would be best.

Currency sharing is not the issue. The main thing is we must do whatever is necessary to break our reliance and political slavery to the center. We have sold our souls to One Nigeria project without any gain at all.


The regions dont have to have equal budget. Whatever amount the regions are getting now let them continue to get it, maybe with a little increase, but with the knowledge that the money will dry after a period of 10 to 15 yrs. Our backs need to be on the wall for us to know there's fire on the mountain. With the way things are now, in the next 10 yrs if nothing is done we'll be literally decimating eachother. But if we know we're living on borrowed time you'll see that even this stupid trend of multiple wives will come to a screeching halt, Almajiris will be turned into a powerful workforce, Boko Haram and other militias will fizzle out, and competition will be the order of the day.

Its a slow therapy to a deadly national/structural sickness.

berem: hmmm... this is serious! ngwanu! Yorubas and Igbos on nairaland, it is time to swallow your pride. I have longed swallowed mine and it has been absorbed by my body. Another thing that has to be swallowed is bigotry. I have also swallowed that one too since last year. what else needs to be swallowed biko? Paracetamol abi fufu

You're a batty gal. Why are you fond of swallowing and deep-thro.ating? Are these the only things you know how to do. Shamgba no be work o

This thread is highly unnecessary. Igbo and yaruba can never mend fences. The best solution is for all to go their separate ways. QED!

Prof Corruption:

If the East and West genuinely worked together (my emphasis on genuineness), the North would sit up. There would be no choice but to redesign the Nigerian federation to accommodate "reason and common sense" because the alternative would be the Sudan solution. The North can not defeat a united South.

But that unity is far from being achieved because the South is always in constant competition with itself. The Yorubas want to outsmart the Igbo and vice versa. In fact, the phrase "Southern Nigerian" does not exist in genuine political sense and the Northern ruling elite are very much aware of this development.

The solution is political mobilization in East and the West. If there's a power block in the East as well in the West, not just a loose political party set up to grab power and tend to interests of few elites, I believe a time would come that reason would prevail over greed and selfishness.

Nice but I regret, this is NO postulation at all. In an ideal situation, maybe, but even then, it would still allow insidiousness to corrupt the fifth column that always exists in society thus bringing down such alliances.

The insistence that Yoruba "betrayed" the Igbo and the belief from us Yoruba that the even if so, the past is PAST, won't allow this be workable. Most of all, we have politics of SELF rather than for the state or the people.

I believe one man will change Nigeria by either starting from his region/state and starting to show others what it ought to be. Many examples exist in history - Jesus did it for Christianity, Spartacus for the concept of freedom, Mohandas K. Gandhi recently made 2 entire nations stop a potential war by refusing to eat till they stopped etc - it may be just around the corner or afar ahead but it is coming. What is sad is the timing of the internet - if such as us had the web avaliable when growing up 25 years ago, a lot of ridiculous information being bandied about as truth would have been trashed out before now and we'd be on the way to finding such a man or allowing him "if" he exists in our midst, to rise and show the way!

For now, these debates are forcing truth through - slowly BUT SURELY - of what will bring our glory to pass

oily+Yoruba:
This thread is highly unnecessary. Igbo and yaruba can never mend fences. The best solution is for all to go their separate ways. QED!

Its not about mending faces, its about being realistic and avoiding the other option which is a deadly catastrophe. We're already in the same country, arent we? This is not Iran and America or North Korea and America. This is not "we cant sit down with this and that mantra" The situation is precarious. Look at how militias are butchering our men in uniform, these men come from all parts of the country. They're our brothers and sisters, our fathers and mothers and we're losing them day and night. We've lost corppers, we've lost uniform men, we've lost teachers, we've lost traders, we've lost them all. Prof Soyinka said we're in a war situation and he's right. Just because some of us are tucked away in functional nations does not mean there's no war back home.

We can play ostrich and pretend things are great or we can do something. Unilateral or sudden disintegration will create unimaginable number of death - I dont think we have the stomach for that. The best we can do is to understand that this project Nigeria is dead, its only chance of resurection is to adopt a slow and careful withdrawal from the center. Maybe after we've all used our monies and the 15 yr time-plan to build and create economic power-houses then we can decide if we still want to maintain some aspects of one Nigeria. The Nigeria we have now is one that any ethnic group that feels stronger can sack the weaker one. Its plain silly.

oily+Yoruba:
This thread is highly unnecessary. Igbo and yaruba can never mend fences. The best solution is for all to go their separate ways. QED!

I have to agree with you my brother.

he hee

OP what is the uniting factor?

I dont think we have the stomach for that

you'd be surprised.

@ topic

una nor dey tire sha.

carry on.

Akanbi_edu:

I have to agree with you my brother.

he hee

OP what is the uniting factor?

Well, I dont assume to have all the answers but if you must know, Nigerians have died enough and that is my beef and I believe that is enough uniting factor.

The best option is for us to go our separate ways but as one poster mentioned, it seems doing so in peaceful circumstance is not possible. The only option to make it possible is to settle some important issues that i would equate with the final status issues in the isreali palestine conflict. They are

1) Access to the sea
2) What happens to the offshore crude after disintegration
3) Sharing of existing national wealth and infrastructure
4) What happens to the federal and state debt
5) What happens to existing private properties and investments
6) Dredging of river Niger
7) Drawing up the right borders for the countries coming out of the nation.

If we can sort the issues above and any other burning issue then peaceful disintegration might be possible else we have to buy our freedom with our blood.