Southern Nigerians, we have seen key/sensitive positions taken to Northern Nigeria. Yar'Adua as president is from the North, Minister of Energy is a Northerner; Power is from the North; Senate President is a Northerner; Chief Justice is Northerner; Minister of Finance is a Northerner; National Planning is a Northerner; the Group Head of the NNPC is a Northerner; Director-General of the SSS is a Northerner; EFCC chairman is a Northerner. He removed Ita Giwa and replaced her with Abba Aji a Northerner; Chairman of the Energy Commission is a Northerner; Chairman of the Electoral Reform Committee is also a Northerner. This is a profound northernisation of governance. Is it that President Yar' adua cannot see beyond his own, let's revolt Now Or Never

Is there any shame left for people to still have? I thought all our shame had been used up!

There is already a thread creating on this:

https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-143653.32.html

goldenval:

Southern Nigerians, we have seen key/sensitive positions taken to Northern Nigeria. Yar'Adua as president is from the North, Minister of Energy is a Northerner; Power is from the North; Senate President is a Northerner; Chief Justice is Northerner; Minister of Finance is a Northerner; National Planning is a Northerner; the Group Head of the NNPC is a Northerner; Director-General of the SSS is a Northerner; EFCC chairman is a Northerner. He removed Ita Giwa and replaced her with Abba Aji a Northerner; Chairman of the Energy Commission is a Northerner; Chairman of the Electoral Reform Committee is also a Northerner. This is a profound northernisation of governance. Is it that President Yar' adua cannot see beyond his own, let's revolt Now Or Never

some of the positions u mentioned above were occupied by southerners for eight years. of what benefit was their being there?
today we talk about probes and re-probes, who are the subjects of these probes are they not fellow southerners?

I m not excusing yaradua's failure, my point is the divisions in nigeria is beyond north and south or muslim and christian. It is a case of elite versus masses. the rich versus poor, oppresors versus aggrieved. and each class of people spreads accross the major ethnic groups

no one cares what tribe another is from as long as the basic neccsities for living are affordable and readily available.

noetic:

some of the positions u mentioned above were occupied by southerners for eight years. of what benefit was their being there?
today we talk about probes and re-probes, who are the subjects of these probes are they not fellow southerners?

I m not excusing yaradua's failure, my point is the divisions in nigeria is beyond north and south or muslim and christian. It is a case of elite versus masses. the rich versus poor, oppresors versus aggrieved. and each class of people spreads accross the major ethnic groups

no one cares what tribe another is from as long as the basic neccsities for living are affordable and readily available.

very well put!

_{btw he didn't remove ita giwa, "she asked to be excused" to deal with the bakassi issue-either way her time was up spent over 5 years already. wasn't she the same woman crying when they voted no to third term, what does she do anyway apart from attend parties?}

i am a southerner do you know the worst governors in nigeria are all southerners, courtesy of the igbenidions, odilis, james ibori, fayose, alas, the list goes on and on, we no they shame.

at least you have a southerner VP. Where was he when those appointments are given? Or is the guy just a figure head?

Sorry @ poster,

Somebody just reminded me that we don't have qualified southerner any longer. More than 80% of them are facing EFCC probes. Others are on the run due to regular kindnapping in the region.

yemmight:

Sorry @ poster,

Somebody just reminded me that we don't have qualified southerner any longer. More than 80% of them are facing EFCC probes. Others are on the run due to regular kindnapping in the region.

ROFLMAO

@ Post

Its nothing new, thats the way it has always been. . .

sometimes i dont blame them for being so bitter

@poster
stop being a hypocrite

can you remember who occupied these post during obasanjo:
energy
power
senate president
sss dg
finance
national planning
nnpc
energy commission

these are the positions you listed and under obasanjo they were all occupied by southners

i wonder when we will stop thinking along the lines of southerner/northerner in this country

angel101:

i wonder when we will stop thinking along the lines of southerner/northerner in this country

My sister, this is why the best thing that has come out of PDP so far is rotational Presidency.

People's opinnion on nairaland prooves that our country is still very fragile and maybe the only reason the Kenyan faith did not befall us after the last election is because 1st, 2nd and 3rd are all from one region.

DRANOEL:

@poster
stop being a hypocrite

can you remember who occupied these post during obasanjo:
energy
power
senate president
sss dg
finance
national planning
nnpc
energy commission

these are the positions you listed and under obasanjo they were all occupied by southners

you couldnt have put it more succintly,

by d way shdnt d emphasis be on who is capable of running the portfolio rather on the ethnic background of d occupier?

i really believe that Nigerians have to revolutionise how dey reason cause that old "plague" of "if it is not my brother,uncle,houseboy or in-law" then it cant be good has put nigeria in a big mess over the years .

the problems seen in ministries such as d ones above mentioned by dranoel are because ethnic/nepotic sentiments are considered in making appointments rather than competence,

angel101:

i wonder when we will stop thinking along the lines of southerner/northerner in this country

I hope we never do. . . . untill the northerners leave us alone with our oil

HR.hotness:

I hope we never do. . . . untill the northerners leave us alone with our oil

your southern brothers dat where handling/managing d oil how have they helped solve the issues in the niger-delta? how have ur governors past and present been able to ameliorate the cases of under development spread across all the ijaw strong holds?

why has there not been development (basics like water,light) in places like oporoma,nembe,ngo,ka e.t.c but ur governors buy jets to fly sick rivers people to hospitals?

abeg make una pipe low for dat yarn

@poster
This article was on thursday Thisday newspaper of the26/06/2008.
I hope it answer your questions.


The North as Baghdad
Thursday Retort by Abdulrazaque Bello-Barkindo, Email: abarkingdog@thisdayonline.com, Tel: 08056180060, 06.26.20




Once again, public opinion has tilted heavily against northern Nigeria since the recent exoneration of corruption allegations, by three colleagues and friends of the late General Sani Abacha. The trio of Generals Babangida, Buhari and Abdulsalami had, at the 10th anniversary of the late Abacha’s death, given him a clean bill of health, within the neighbourhood of public probity and accountability.
But people in the north don’t give a hoot what these people, especially IBB and about Abdulsalami think regarding corruption. If anything, it is the inclusion of Muhammadu Buhari, who is believed, take-it-or-leave-it, to have the most decent record of financial rectitude that bothers, otherwise the tributes of the other two could have gone like water in a basket, because it has the telltale signature of “settlement” that kept the power state myth alive for this long.
Coincidentally or by the design of some leprous hand of fate, the issue of lopsidedness and juice of positions and federal character on the distribution of appointments into boards of parastatals reared its ugly head, the same week. For all these, the north will now have to carry the can.
Even by the volatile standards in place since the establishment of the 12 states arrangement under General Yakubu Gowon, the north has been experiencing interludes of unprecedented deficiency. Northern Nigeria has been as unfortunate as Baghdad. When its indigenes say the right things nobody notices, when they weep, it is crocodile tears but when they talk like “Chemical Ali”, the nation smirks. The north’s potentials are ignored and its shortcomings are amplified. When they worry about the north, the critics see the following: a room, presumably in Lugard Hall in Kaduna, packed to capacity with turbaned traditional rulers and several long bearded mullahs debating what to tell the few technocrats working for Nigeria or how to coerce the rest of the country to cede power to the north.
Meanwhile, contrary to that scenario, much of what is happening there is agonising. Governors are thieving and turning states into family dorms, public schools are deserted or becoming visitation grounds for kids of the poor, school enrolment, once abysmally low is now substituted with thugs’ enrolment for political shindigs which are all over the place, healthcare and employment cannot even come up for discussion, while fertilizer distribution which used to enhance farming, the mainstay of the region, has been hijacked by government officials who sell to loyal patrons to further their political agenda. There are yet no instruments or leaders that have the faculty to help the region escape a recurring cycle of at-home hegemony and indigenous self-destruction or across-the-Niger-bashing. The key lies in recognising the differences between its few positives and several negatives, and that will depend on the ability of the local people to start defining their goals and acting in gig to achieve them.
Some problems are however, obvious. The diversity of the north for instance, and the deepening misunderstanding of its composition by those who criticise it cannot be viewed as anything but calamitous. Take the issue of revenue allocation for example. Between the months of May and October 2007, all the states in the north-east – Adamawa, Yobe, Bauchi, Gombe, Taraba and Borno – received only about two-thirds of what the Rivers State government got from the federation account. The North-east states got N67 billion while Rivers alone got N93 billion during the period in question. There is no other calamity they can wish had befallen a region more than that which discriminates in the guise of derivation and the need of an area. Yet, in a recent attempt to fight the lopsided distribution of offices according to the federal character principle, the nation was divided into four regions by those who tried to buttress the action’s bias. It was the South-east, South-west, South-south and the north. This form of deliberate misinformation is either borne of ignorance or mischief and you are welcome to take your pick.
Others are more subtle but not by any stretch of the imagination less harmful. One common error has been to mistake relative outward stability that the north exudes, for real hegemony that the region lacks. It is fraught with error. The typical consequences of such conclusions include the imposition of agendas on the region, alienation of people from the region, subjugation by means foul or fair and even violence against innocent people in times of crises. These traits are increasingly on prominent display in most places. Few critics acknowledge that the ferment in the zones of the north is a direct result of elite domination or widespread poverty, factors that recent outward unanimity does not even attempt to address.
Closer to home, several recent examples of movement on some of the region's more intractable problems offer the possibility, however fragile, that significantly reduced tensions could be in the offing. Northern Nigeria’s fractious hoi polloi are showing signs of intelligence. They are talking to each other on ways to emancipate themselves from the shackles of elite bondage. Particularly because of their perceived role in ensuring that they snub subservience to some quarters, the region is in the midst of rapprochement, a local renaissance possibly, that is likely to better the region socially, educationally and economically.
What remains absent is any credit that northerners have a grip on their destiny, individually or collectively. It is understandable that different regions will have different agendas, but most in this part of the country, until recently, seemed not too sure of their own, let alone the agenda of others. Worse yet, many of them are effectively vassals of the elite, severely inhibiting their ability and willingness to coordinate anything more complicated than their subsistence. This explains the incomprehensible conclusion, anytime one literate northerner speaks, that the north has spoken.
But how accurate that assumption is can only be imagined. A brief glance around the region is enough to understand that even where different parties are in control, the motive of the divisive tendencies are either ingrained or heavily influenced by their fear of the north or lack of understanding of it. The north leads the pack in misery. In Sokoto and Jigawa States, the compassion of the governors has compelled them to extend the golden handshake to the less privileged. It also leads in despair. In Bauchi and Gombe States, it is a different kind of handshake where governors are feeding hooliganism. Their hangers-on have constituted themselves into the amoebic arm of the state to create an informal form of employment. It is ahead of the pack in collective anguish. In Niger and Kebbi States, camps determine what you get. In Niger, it is now taboo to adore Kure just as it is now taboo to adore Aliero in Kebbi. Keep your fantasy to yourself and keep your peace is the rule in those states and even IBB, the evil genius himself is aware of that. The north supersedes all in unrest. In Plateau, it is a continuous cat and mouse game between those in power and those who want to capture it. David Jang is probing Joshua Dariye, while the Mantu and Sango group are eagerly in the wings and wishing. In Borno State, SAS’ hoodlums dominate all discourse. The message there is “love SAS or die trying.” Anything outside this is anathema, even to the closest relatives of the governor who feel uncomfortable with the way things are run in the state but venture little.
In all these situations, Northern Nigeria has replicated, without knowing it, the image of Iraq’s Baghdad. The propaganda, the violence, the misinformation and the oppression are all effectively here with us. It has also not been spared the attack or is it invasion from outside. So why in spite of all these problems are they so afraid of the north as to always prescribe doom to an already doomed region? It is because men who are not afraid of God are afraid of man. They made a monster of the north and now they cannot contain their own creation.
It is fair to attribute much of the regions predicament to the meddlesomeness of so-called northern elite and their power-houses far and near, but that is no excuse for regional ruling classes that have been almost completely devoid of genuine leadership for two generations (at least) to claim individual authority over all. Each region has its own bogeyman to be thrown up as the reason for its failings, but the truth of the matter is that most regions cherish such “enemies” as props for their own facades of legitimacy. It is called the accumulation of political capital and northern governors overuse it. Take away their ghosts and many of our brutal and kleptocratic leaders might be swept aside by people’s power. It has been the hallmark of Kano, Bauchi, Maiduguri and until recently, Zamfara politics, where Ahmed Sani Bakura was cleverly outwitted by the combination of his deputy’s political sagacity and people power.
Perhaps that is why they cannot take the initiative to change things until a crisis forces them. They lack enthusiasm for anything new in which they would be even more obsolete. And in the absence of anything new, they prefer to remain in Baghdad where their critics keep them. They love the prominence and the rest of the north understands why nice guys finish last.

KnowAll:

i am a southerner do you know the worst governors in nigeria are all southerners, courtesy of the igbenidions, odilis, james ibori, fayose, alas, the list goes on and on, we no they shame.

Tell me one Nothern gov better than Ibori by projects on the ground.
Go through Delta state and tell me one local govt where Ibori's impact was not felt.
Then go through Delta state and tell me one local govt where you have a federal presence (apart from Soldiers) in the last 9 yrs.
Am ashamed that you call yourself a southerner and can not see the conspiracy in labelling southern leaders bad.

How are southen leaders worse than the average northern leader. Nothern leaders don't even allow their citizens to go to school, and they allow fellow citizens to be killed at will without any punishment, are those the leaders you say a better than southern leaders?

@ogb5
I do appreciate your comment as it goes a long way to show that the quality of leadership we have in this country need orientation . Its true that no Northern Governor maybe ranked over Ibori even though he got what 5 states in the North got combined but did he actually meet the yearning of his people? Did he spend the money well enough?
Did he get across to the common Deltans?
The system is really blurring our vision as we are forced to make unnecessary comparism

A student dat made 30% and that with 35% are failures irrespective of the score.
Its time for us to see this nation is our to build

Am ashamed that you call yourself a southerner and can not see the conspiracy in labeling southern leaders bad.

Saminu Turaki, Joshua Dariye and Jolly Nyame are definitely southerners who are always labeled bad

@boyscout

Ibori did what he did. As far as am concerned that was less than enough. He could have done much more, but compared to other more fetted govs, he did comparatively better by projects on the ground.

People are quick to say Ibori got more allocation than others, but they fail to see he got less allocation than Rivers state and did better than the Rivers Gov.

The idea of calling Niger delta govs to question came about due to the quest for more allocation at the last Constitution review conference, and people has been taking it that these govs are worse than their counterparts. This is not correct, Most leaders in Nigeria are very corrupt. A few should not be singled out.

As it is now, Nigeria has a gross failure of leadership at all levels all across the country. It is not limited to one section alone and unless we address it things will continue to be bad for the country.

dayokanu:

Saminu Turaki, Joshua Dariye and Jolly Nyame are definitely southerners who are always labeled bad

And how many of them spent 2 months in jail?
Remember, Abacha did not steal again, 3 of your former heads of state said so

whether he got less or more dan odili is nt d issue at hand but wat did he do with d one he got?

d reason ppl are quick to call niger delta govnors is dat even with d mind boggling allocation given to dem to provide basic amenities to dere ppl dey miraculously find ways to fritter away d money and dat is a fact,

if the alams,iboris.odilis and attahs had invested at least say 20-30% of dose allocations dey got into dere states, a lot wld have been achieved but alas dere is nothing on ground to justify d humongous allocations given dese ppl.

i make bold to say dat even if u give dem 100% resource control nothing will be achieved

I love it when the southerners and northerners fight over political posts and we easterners sit on the side lines and watch you guys go at it.

Ijiji1:

I love it when the southerners and northerners fight over political posts and [b]we easterners [/b]sit on the side lines and watch you guys go at it.

uhmn i pity u . . . . . .

There is no Government for Southern Nigeria and there is no Government for Northern Nigeria

Anybody in power is a Nigerian in the Nigerian Government

Anybody who disagrees is an enemy of Nigeria and should burn in hell for eternity.



Ethnic idiots, with genitals for brain, cheiiiiiii

wow dblock is still alive, hows lens or is it Lyon you are now supporting

lyon, and I don't even follow football anymore.

I can't afford the subscriptions. lmao

Ijiji1:

I love it when the southerners and northerners fight over political posts and we easterners sit on the side lines and watch you guys go at it.

@Ijiji1.
I think yuo need to understand that the south comprises of South-South,South West and South East While the north has the North Central(Middle Belt),North East and North West

@Ogb5
I agree with you that the bane of our present problem is bad leadership. We do need leadership that will inspire the citizenry. Check out Calabar and feel what Donal Duke did with that state. Or that ongoing in Lagos with Fashola, I bet out of the 36 states we have we may only count a handfull as worthy governors who are people oriented. Am not talking about just tarring some KM of roads or sinking boreholes and commission such with live telecast- (showmanship I think it is). We have people people who want their egos massaged forget that power is transient. The Abachas,Odilis,Aminu Salehs,Raji Rasakis are typical expamples of people who actually felt they were all in all.

Well all said, we do need to move ahead and people oriented government.

boyscout:

@Ijiji1.
I think yuo need to understand that the south comprises of South-South,South West and South East While the north has the North Central(Middle Belt),North East and North West

hmm!! let me get this right, it's now south-south, south- west and south- east. where were all these brothers of the south- east when the north central, north whatever invaded my homeland and killed thousands of  innocent women and children for nothing.

Ijiji1:

hmm!! let me get this right, it's now south-south, south- west and south- east. where were all these brothers of the south- east when the north central, north whatever invaded my homeland and killed thousands of innocent women and children for nothing.

HUH!!

This is an Outrage.

My chief from my clan, should be the President of this country not some Hausaman . he is not from my clan.

I can't be represented by people that don't come from my village.

The only Nigerians I recognised are the 50 or so people from my clan.

Love one another as great Nigerians and fight our common enemy (corrupt leads),