In sum, the Yoruba political leadership, as mentioned by Balarabe
Musa, has shown itself over the years to be incapable of rising
above narrow tribal interests and reciprocating goodwill from
other sections of the country by treating other groups with
respect. Practically every crisis in Nigeria since independence has
its roots in this attitude.
The Yoruba elite and area-boy politics;
Igbo marginalisation and the responsible limits of retribution;
and
The Yoruba Factor and “Area-boy” Politics.
My views on the Yoruba political leadership have been
thoroughly articulated in some of my writings, prime among
which was ” Afenifere: Syllabus of Errors” published by This Day
(The Sunday Newspaper) on Sept 27, 1998. There was also an
earlier publication in the weekly Trust entitled ” The Igbo, the
Yoruba and History” (Aug. 21, 1998).
In sum, the Yoruba political leadership, as mentioned by Balarabe
Musa, has shown itself over the years to be incapable of rising
above narrow tribal interests and reciprocating goodwill from
other sections of the country by treating other groups with
respect. Practically every crisis in Nigeria since independence has
its roots in this attitude.
The Yoruba elite were the first, in 1962, to attempt a violent
overthrow of an elected government in this country. In 1966, it
was the violence in the West which provided an avenue for the
putsch of 15th January. After Chief Awolowo lost to Shagari in
1983 elections, it was the discontent and bad publicity in the
South-West which led to the Buhari intervention.
When Buhari jailed UPN governors like Ige and Onabanjo, the
South-Western press castigated that good government and
provided the right mood for IBB to take over power. As soon as
IBB cleared UPN governors of charges against them in a
politically motivated retrial, he became the darling of the South-
West. When IBB annulled the primaries in which Adamu Ciroma
and Shehu Yar Adua emerged as presidential candidates in the
NRC and SDP, he was hailed by the South-West. When the same
man annulled the June 12, 1993 elections in which Abiola was the
front-runner, the South-West now became defenders of
democracy.
When it seemed Sani Abacha was sympathetic to Abiola, the
South-West supported his take-over. He was in fact invited by a
prominent NADECO member to take over in a published letter
shortly before the event. Even though Abiola had won the
elections in the North, the North was blamed for its annulment.
When Abdulsalam Abubakar started his transition, the Yoruba
political leadership through NADECO presented a memorandum
on a Government of National Unity that showed complete
disrespect for the intelligence and liberties of other Nigerians.
Subsequently, they formed a tribal party which failed to meet
minimum requirements for registration, but was registered all
the same to avoid the violence that was bound to follow non-
registration, given the area-boy mentality of South-West
politicians. Having rejected an Obasanjo candidacy and
challenged the election as a fraud in court, we now find a leading
member of the AD in the government, a daughter of an Afenifere
leader as Minister of State, and Awolowo´s daughter as
Ambassador, all appointed by a man who won the election
through fraud.
Meanwhile, nothing has been negotiated for the children of
Abiola, the focus of Yoruba political activity. In return for these
favours, the AD solidly voted for Evan Enwerem as Senate
President. This is a man who participated in the two-million- man
March for Abacha´s self-succession. He also is reputed to have
hosted a meeting of governors during IBB´s transition,
demanding that June 12 elections should never be de-annulled
and threatening that the East would go to war if this was done.
When Ibrahim Salisu Buhari was accused of swearing to a false
affidavit, the Yoruba political elite correctly took up the gauntlet
for his resignation.
When an AD governor, Bola Tinubu, swears to a false affidavit
that he attended an Ivy League University which he did not
attend, we hear excuses.
For so many years, the Yoruba have inundated this country with
stories of being marginalised and of a civil service dominated by
northerners through quota system. The Federal Character
Commission has recently released a report which shows that the
South-West accounts for 27.8% of civil servants in the range
GL08 to GL14 and a full 29.5% of GL 15 and above. One zone out
of six zones controls a full 30% of the civil service leaving the
other five zones to share the remaining 70%. We find the same
story in the economy, in academia, in parastatals.
Yet in spite of being so dominant, the Yoruba complained and
complained of marginalization. Of recent, in recognition of the
trauma which hit the South-West after June 12, the rest of the
country forced everyone out of the race to ensure that a South-
Westerner emerged, often against the best advice of political
activists.
Instead of leading a path of reconciliation and strong
appreciation, the Yoruba have embarked on short-sighted
triumphalism, threatening other “nationalities” that they ( who
after all lost the election) will protect Obasanjo ( who was forced
on them). No less a person than Bola Ige has made such
utterances.
To further show that they were in charge, they led a cult into the
Hausa area of Sagamu, murdered a Hausa woman and nothing
happened. In the violence that followed, they killed several Hausa
residents, with Yoruba leaders like Segun Osoba, reminding
Nigerians of the need to respect the culture of their host
communities. This would have continued were it not for the
people of Kano who showed that they could also create their own
Oro who would only be appeased through the shedding of
innocent Yoruba blood.
I say all this, to support Balarabe Musa´s statement, that the
greatest problem to nation-building in Nigeria are the Yoruba
Bourgeoisie. I say this also to underscore my point that until they
change this attitude, no conference can solve the problems of
Nigeria. We cannot move forward if the leadership of one of the
largest ethnic groups continues to operate, not like statesmen, but
like common area boys.
iii. The Igbo Factor and the Reasonable Limits of Retribution.
The Igbo people of Nigeria have made a mark in the history of
this nation. They led the first successful military coup which
eliminated the Military and Political leaders of other regions
while letting off Igbo leaders. Nwafor Orizu, then Senate
President, in consultation with President Azikiwe, subverted the
constitution and handed over power to Aguiyi-Ironsi. Subsequent
developments, including attempts at humiliating other peoples,
led to the counter-coup and later the civil war. The Igbos
themselves must acknowledge that they have a large part of the
blame for shattering the unity of this country.
Having said that, this nation must realise that Igbos have more
than paid for their foolishness. They have been defeated in war,
rendered paupers by monetary policy fiat, their properties
declared abandoned and confiscated, kept out of strategic public
sector appointments and deprived of public services. The rest of
the country forced them to remain in Nigeria and has continued
to deny them equity.
The Northern Bourgeoisie and the Yoruba Bourgeoisie have
conspired to keep the Igbo out of the scheme of things. In the
recent transition when the Igbo solidly supported the PDP in the
hope of an Ekwueme presidency, the North and South-West
treated this as a Biafra agenda. Every rule set for the primaries,
every gentleman´s agreement was set aside to ensure that
Obasanjo, not Ekwueme emerged as the candidate. Things went as
far as getting the Federal Government to hurriedly gazette a
pardon. Now, with this government, the marginalistion of the
Igbo is more complete than ever before. The Igbos have taken all
these quietly because, they reason, they brought it upon
themselves. But the nation is sitting on a time-bomb.
After the First World War, the victors treated Germany with the
same contempt Nigeria is treating Igbos. Two decades later, there
was a Second World War, far costlier than the first. Germany was
again defeated, but this time, they won a more honourable peace.
Our present political leaders have no sense of History. There is a
new Igbo man, who was not born in 1966 and neither knows nor
cares about Nzeogwu and Ojukwu. There are Igbo men on the
street who were never Biafrans. They were born Nigerians, are
Nigerians, but suffer because of actions of earlier generations.
They will soon decide that it is better to fight their own war, and
may be find an honorable peace, than to remain in this
contemptible state in perpetuity.
The Northern Bourgeoisie and the Yoruba Bourgeoisie have
exacted their pound of flesh from the Igbos. For one Sardauna,
one Tafawa Balewa, one Akintola and one Okotie-Eboh, hundreds
of thousands have died and suffered.
If this issue is not addressed immediately, no conference will
solve Nigeria´s problems. By Sanusi Lamido Sanusi.
Being Excerpts from A Paper Presented At The “National
Conference On The 1999 Constitution” Jointly Organised By The
Network For Justice And The Vision Trust Foundation, At The
Arewa House, Kaduna From 11th –12th September, 1999

isokuso...

U think So.Pdp @ work again

K

Nonsense

[s]

Dojupyo:
In sum, the Yoruba political leadership, as mentioned by Balarabe
Musa, has shown itself over the years to be incapable of rising
above narrow tribal interests and reciprocating goodwill from
other sections of the country by treating other groups with
respect. Practically every crisis in Nigeria since independence has
its roots in this attitude.
The Yoruba elite and area-boy politics;
Igbo marginalisation and the responsible limits of retribution;
and
The Yoruba Factor and “Area-boy” Politics.
My views on the Yoruba political leadership have been
thoroughly articulated in some of my writings, prime among
which was ” Afenifere: Syllabus of Errors” published by This Day
(The Sunday Newspaper) on Sept 27, 1998. There was also an
earlier publication in the weekly Trust entitled ” The Igbo, the
Yoruba and History” (Aug. 21, 1998).
In sum, the Yoruba political leadership, as mentioned by Balarabe
Musa, has shown itself over the years to be incapable of rising
above narrow tribal interests and reciprocating goodwill from
other sections of the country by treating other groups with
respect. Practically every crisis in Nigeria since independence has
its roots in this attitude.
The Yoruba elite were the first, in 1962, to attempt a violent
overthrow of an elected government in this country. In 1966, it
was the violence in the West which provided an avenue for the
putsch of 15th January. After Chief Awolowo lost to Shagari in
1983 elections, it was the discontent and bad publicity in the
South-West which led to the Buhari intervention.
When Buhari jailed UPN governors like Ige and Onabanjo, the
South-Western press castigated that good government and
provided the right mood for IBB to take over power. As soon as
IBB cleared UPN governors of charges against them in a
politically motivated retrial, he became the darling of the South-
West. When IBB annulled the primaries in which Adamu Ciroma
and Shehu Yar Adua emerged as presidential candidates in the
NRC and SDP, he was hailed by the South-West. When the same
man annulled the June 12, 1993 elections in which Abiola was the
front-runner, the South-West now became defenders of
democracy.
When it seemed Sani Abacha was sympathetic to Abiola, the
South-West supported his take-over. He was in fact invited by a
prominent NADECO member to take over in a published letter
shortly before the event. Even though Abiola had won the
elections in the North, the North was blamed for its annulment.
When Abdulsalam Abubakar started his transition, the Yoruba
political leadership through NADECO presented a memorandum
on a Government of National Unity that showed complete
disrespect for the intelligence and liberties of other Nigerians.
Subsequently, they formed a tribal party which failed to meet
minimum requirements for registration, but was registered all
the same to avoid the violence that was bound to follow non-
registration, given the area-boy mentality of South-West
politicians. Having rejected an Obasanjo candidacy and
challenged the election as a fraud in court, we now find a leading
member of the AD in the government, a daughter of an Afenifere
leader as Minister of State, and Awolowo´s daughter as
Ambassador, all appointed by a man who won the election
through fraud.
Meanwhile, nothing has been negotiated for the children of
Abiola, the focus of Yoruba political activity. In return for these
favours, the AD solidly voted for Evan Enwerem as Senate
President. This is a man who participated in the two-million- man
March for Abacha´s self-succession. He also is reputed to have
hosted a meeting of governors during IBB´s transition,
demanding that June 12 elections should never be de-annulled
and threatening that the East would go to war if this was done.
When Ibrahim Salisu Buhari was accused of swearing to a false
affidavit, the Yoruba political elite correctly took up the gauntlet
for his resignation.
When an AD governor, Bola Tinubu, swears to a false affidavit
that he attended an Ivy League University which he did not
attend, we hear excuses.
For so many years, the Yoruba have inundated this country with
stories of being marginalised and of a civil service dominated by
northerners through quota system. The Federal Character
Commission has recently released a report which shows that the
South-West accounts for 27.8% of civil servants in the range
GL08 to GL14 and a full 29.5% of GL 15 and above. One zone out
of six zones controls a full 30% of the civil service leaving the
other five zones to share the remaining 70%. We find the same
story in the economy, in academia, in parastatals.
Yet in spite of being so dominant, the Yoruba complained and
complained of marginalization. Of recent, in recognition of the
trauma which hit the South-West after June 12, the rest of the
country forced everyone out of the race to ensure that a South-
Westerner emerged, often against the best advice of political
activists.
Instead of leading a path of reconciliation and strong
appreciation, the Yoruba have embarked on short-sighted
triumphalism, threatening other “nationalities” that they ( who
after all lost the election) will protect Obasanjo ( who was forced
on them). No less a person than Bola Ige has made such
utterances.
To further show that they were in charge, they led a cult into the
Hausa area of Sagamu, murdered a Hausa woman and nothing
happened. In the violence that followed, they killed several Hausa
residents, with Yoruba leaders like Segun Osoba, reminding
Nigerians of the need to respect the culture of their host
communities. This would have continued were it not for the
people of Kano who showed that they could also create their own
Oro who would only be appeased through the shedding of
innocent Yoruba blood.
I say all this, to support Balarabe Musa´s statement, that the
greatest problem to nation-building in Nigeria are the Yoruba
Bourgeoisie. I say this also to underscore my point that until they
change this attitude, no conference can solve the problems of
Nigeria. We cannot move forward if the leadership of one of the
largest ethnic groups continues to operate, not like statesmen, but
like common area boys.
iii.The Igbo Factor and the Reasonable Limits of Retribution.
The Igbo people of Nigeria have made a mark in the history of
this nation. They led the first successful military coup which
eliminated the Military and Political leaders of other regions
while letting off Igbo leaders. Nwafor Orizu, then Senate
President, in consultation with President Azikiwe, subverted the
constitution and handed over power to Aguiyi-Ironsi. Subsequent
developments, including attempts at humiliating other peoples,
led to the counter-coup and later the civil war. The Igbos
themselves must acknowledge that they have a large part of the
blame for shattering the unity of this country.
Having said that, this nation must realise that Igbos have more
than paid for their foolishness. They have been defeated in war,
rendered paupers by monetary policy fiat, their properties
declared abandoned and confiscated, kept out of strategic public
sector appointments and deprived of public services. The rest of
the country forced them to remain in Nigeria and has continued
to deny them equity.
The Northern Bourgeoisie and the Yoruba Bourgeoisie have
conspired to keep the Igbo out of the scheme of things. In the
recent transition when the Igbo solidly supported the PDP in the
hope of an Ekwueme presidency, the North and South-West
treated this as a Biafra agenda. Every rule set for the primaries,
every gentleman´s agreement was set aside to ensure that
Obasanjo, not Ekwueme emerged as the candidate. Things went as
far as getting the Federal Government to hurriedly gazette a
pardon. Now, with this government, the marginalistion of the
Igbo is more complete than ever before. The Igbos have taken all
these quietly because, they reason, they brought it upon
themselves. But the nation is sitting on a time-bomb.
After the First World War, the victors treated Germany with the
same contempt Nigeria is treating Igbos. Two decades later, there
was a Second World War, far costlier than the first. Germany was
again defeated, but this time, they won a more honourable peace.
Our present political leaders have no sense of History. There is a
new Igbo man, who was not born in 1966 and neither knows nor
cares about Nzeogwu and Ojukwu. There are Igbo men on the
street who were never Biafrans. They were born Nigerians, are
Nigerians, but suffer because of actions of earlier generations.
They will soon decide that it is better to fight their own war, and
may be find an honourable peace, than to remain in this
contemptible state in perpetuity.
The Northern Bourgeoisie and the Yoruba Bourgeoisie have
exacted their pound of flesh from the Igbos. For one Sardauna,
one Tafawa Balewa, one Akintola and one Okotie-Eboh, hundreds
of thousands have died and suffered.
If this issue is not addressed immediately, no conference will
solve Nigeria´s problems. By Sanusi Lamido Sanusi.
Being Excerpts from A Paper Presented At The “National
Conference On The 1999 Constitution” Jointly Organised By The
Network For Justice And The Vision Trust Foundation, At The
Arewa House, Kaduna From 11th –12th September, 1999

[/s]

Everybody knows that,even ur masters are telling them that to their faces and as the cowards they are wont reply

This o.p is just a silly goat! See the nonsense article abeg!

Watch Yorubas, they'll never fight Lamido Sanusi, a Hausa man who wrote this article. They'll transfer their aggression to Igbos who have done nothing wrong in this regard.

Ndi-Yoruba please leave Igbos out of this thread, fight the Hausa man who wrote the paper against your tribe.

Thanks for your sincere corporation.
Onye-Igbo

Op please space your write up with paragraphs so that people can read it.

Thanks