₦airaland Forum

Nigerien:
Banjo was a traito
Drinkin with ojuku in d day and sliping with Awo in d nait

that was the case,he was a traitor big time.

THE MAKER OF HISTORY.

a failed state the country is at war but some people are still acting as its all good live ojukwu alone and face your country war is on,

am tired of Nigeria 2015 let it become reality either way referendum will be my option,

Bombings in Bauchi kill six
The Commissioner of Police, Bauchi State Police Command, Ikechukwu Aduba, on Sunday said six persons were killed in the attacks on a police station and three banks at Azare, Katagum Local Government Area.

Those killed in the attack, Aduba added, were a policeman, a soldier, a civilian and three others suspected to be members of the suicide bombers.

Aduba said, “The attackers came with 20 rocket launchers and locally made bombs and launched the attack from outside the Police Area Commander’s Headquarters and completely destroyed the building that houses the Azare Police Divisional Headquarters and the Area Commander’s office.”

Aduba explained that there was an exchange of gunfire between the police and the hoodlums which lasted for four hours.

The police boss added that the attack was simultaneously launched on the residence of Alhaji Mohammad Ali aka Ali Kwara, an Azare-based famous local hunter and a crime buster.

He noted that Bauchi had remained a flash point with seven border outlets.

He said, “Our intelligence source clearly indicates that the invaders are from one of the neighbouring states.”

He appealed to traditional rulers to assist the police with information that could help security agents track criminals.

The police boss stressed the need for the formation of vigilante groups in various communities across the state, saying such a move would reduce crime rate in the state.

The police commissioner, who confirmed the attack, said, “But for the prompt spirited response and resistance by the over 30 policemen on duty, those in the police barracks, the number of casualties would have been far more than what we have seen.

“Ëxchange of gunfire power between the Police and the hoodlums lasted for four hours and compelled the attackers to retreat without trace, but the clot of blood and blood spattered outside the Police perimeter fence of the Area Commander’s office showed that our men gained an upper hand.”

He did not give the names of the banks and the amount of money carted away by the bandits.


PUNCH NEWSPAPER

you are a Yoruba crook must of you are corrupt.

akigbemaru:
@Igbo boy

Yoruba na papa and Ibo na hin pinkin.

Yoruba deities created this world, it has been scientifically proven.

[color=#000099][b]Mind my grammers, I don't have notepad yet, but I passed the message loud and clear!!

Go check your history, Yoruba made you guys! But you betrayed us --- we waiting for you folks to come and apologise or feel remorseful a bit.

First of all, we forced your troglodyte ancestors out of cave, so that they could live in the city like us --- we Yoruba were the first nation to urbanized. All they paid back was whining and lamenting that we should have left you in your caves and you were not city compliance.

Second, we colonized you Ibo people in a good way, that is what changed Ibo history. We codified Ibo language and chased Amadioha to the forest and slammed christainity on your head in 1843 --- N*gga go and check your history. We should not have codified your Ibo language for you, but we did that to facilitate convergency among Ibos. Prior to that, Ibos were scattered every where, they didn't even know each of their kins and clans --- after the codification there was/is Ibos strong affinity and convergency but to the detriment of Yoruba. One they start shouting Ibo kwuenu, I don't know if it mean Ibos never at faults. Other Ibos would support their clans blindly --- either right or wrong.

Ojukwu's masters in military or militancy, you can shook that into your A.s.s. Yorubas have been sophisticated since the beginning of 1800s.
We had the first jele-o-si-mi aka kindergarten:
first primary school founded by late Herbert Macaulay's father, a popular son of Bishop Ajayi Crowther that codified your language.
first secondary school founded by Herbert Macaulay himself. Herbeth Macaulay, despite was a renowned Yoruba man, if he claimed Ibo I would have believed him; because of his love for Ibo people. As soon as he built the first secondary school, he went to the East to bring a lot of uneducated Ibos and put them in our midst in the classrooms. We asked him why now? All said was be your brothers' keepers --if you teach someone how to fish, he won't ask from you again.l

When I finally suspected Herbeth Macaulay as a Ibo man was when he brought the division we have today between Ibo and Yoruba.
Okay, he created the first political party in Nigeria's history that contested against almighty British empire on Nigerian soil and won the majority in Lagos.
Least I forgot the first Nigerian party was NNDP (1933). He put a lot of Ibos on that party and this was how the division started. Then, late Sir/chief/pa/arole odua/great/sage Awolowo was like something has to be done to stop this madness. He formed his own party (AYM)at a tender age to vie against Herbeth Macaulay Party NNDP. Just like Herbeth Macaulay pulled a stunt against British, Awo "AYM" pulled a stunt against NNDP and won all the seats in Lagos.

Herbeth Macaulay, being a intelligent man too, knew that there was no way round for his party to be redeemable. He reliquished that party NNDP and formed another party called NCNC which was later known as Ibo party. He was weak as a result of old age when he found the second party. He passed mantle of leadership to know Yoruba but Ibo man again. The man that was later known as great ZIK of Africa. Zik exploited the influence of Herbeth Macaulay in Western Region and trying to steal mandate. Then, Sage Awolowo was the only one in Western Region not to fall for his chicanery. Awo warned his people that putting your trust in the hands of stranger and carpet-grabber is like keeping your fried meat with a cat. Then, Zik being a demagogue went back to East, when he couldn't rob us on Western Region. He kicked Calabar man away from prime minister of Eastern Region and made himself in control.


Therefore, we have all sinned and come short of the glories. Tribalism for ever ever ever!!!!![/[/b]color]

i dey laugh this one will fit in a roll with sam loco nollywood  always beating their chest and ask them why SW are swimming in poverty with all their technological advancement,so yorubas are so advanced like their white masters is through they took a lot of European as slaves, bloody clown you are not exposed my friend,if you are your region will be so developed JAPAN or united state will envy you people,but is not the case, yes to you are the first to be taking as slaves cos your people were close to sea mumu

IKEMBA WE LOVE YOU, FOREVER IN OUR HEART YOU LIVE IN US.

kasiem:
yea, we all know that yorobos are more exposed to suicide and betrayals.

i tire for some people,i wonder if these guys know the meaning of exposure as in how?anyway sha for some bushmen to call Lagos a developed city, how can u argue with such poor mentality.

so eko ile is G.A.Y.? okay let me put it nicely EKO ile na freaking bio-intimacy

in any war their must be saboteurs, those igbos that were against ikemba are ifeajunas people,and some were angry that ojukwu is blocking them from actualizing their selfish dream in Nigeria

Ojukwu was an unassuming blunt leader and a bacon of hope.He transitted to glory for another era in Igbo unity.May his soul transit to a higher calling.RIP ODIMAEGBU OJUKWU.

Lord Naya:
To be frank, it is de yoruba people that are always looking 4 trouble by jumping and derailing every Igbo thread spewing alot of insults without any provocation. Why wont awolowo be insulted when many yorubas like blue tooth, dayokanu, eko ile, kobojunkie, ngodigha, desola, illeke idi, aigbofa etc insult the great and mighty Eze Ndi Igbo Gburugburu C.O Ojukwu. How many yorubas in this forum have made tribute to this great man? None, if not very few. Why wont we call u guyz Yoruba when u call us Ibos instead of IGBOS. Igbos on this forum only  react when attacked. When many yorubas on ground were paying tribute 2 this great man, the dumb ones on NL were busy throwing tantrums. Wot will u guyz say now that awolowo's son and foundation are given honour to whom it is due? You guyz need 2 really change your mind sets. R.I.P IKEMBA NNEWI DIM C ODUMEGWU-OJUKWU

Thank LORDNaya some people should learn how to respect themselves first,cos the way they jump on IKEMBA is unbelievable i don't no if jealousy plays part in it,and the thing is that it does not help their image at all.
As i said before Ojukwu was an unassuming blunt leader and a bacon of hope.He transitted to glory for another era in Igbo unity.May his soul transit to a higher calling.RIP

alj_harem:
then since you know this, then let us rest about this bloody biafra war.

How can people be having a hard-on on a war that claimed more lives than anyother in Nigerian's history.

If you don't want others to tell the truth then maybe you stop making topics on biafra. If not, the truth would ALWAYS be aired out.

what is this monkey talking about? biafran history will never be forgotten, is not a joke,it will be there in your face 24/7 evil deed is a bad thing, genocide is not something you push at the corner hoping it will never surface,you might as well tell historians to stop documentary channels HITLER is on TV everyday and which year did he fought WW2?wake up alj.

let educate those bush men that still living on trees even bore hole is achievement too am ashamed of Africa, swear down,

OK now here is a children hospital in SOUTH AFRICA build by red cross not government,and is in better standard than any hospital in Nigeria shameless people

Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital is South Africa's only dedicated child health institution and offers a comprehensive range of specialist paediatric services to children. It is a centre of excellence for the training of all categories of child health professionals.

Children from all nine provinces, and from all over Africa, are referred to Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital by referral hospitals, clinics and smaller hospitals. The hospital is active in paediatric outreach and support programmes across South Africa.

Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital is regarded as South Africa's leading centre for post-graduate specialist paediatric medical and surgical training. The hospital's tertiary facility provides comprehensive dedicated paediatric services with a full range of sub-specialties at quaternary, tertiary and secondary levels of care.

aribisala0:
exactly the same thing you do when your neighbour whom you know come to your house and points a gun at your head and demands your wallet
trying to impress your wife and children with machismo will only get you ALL killed.
there is a difference between bravery and recklessnes,between pragmatism and cowardice some will NEVER learn that.
the  military adventure was no less imprudent than blacks trying to win freedom in apartheid south africa by force.
there were alternatives to war but at 33 year of age and charged with testoterone and pride Ojukwu could not or would not see them

bottomline NEVER start war you can't win. you will only lose more which is exactly what happened.

but Nigeria is still at war,let me ask you how many lives have Nigeria lost this year alone?guy for get that without britian and Russia Nigeria will not win that war,you live in UK yeah? bro Africa is a different ball game.

loving ojukwu, what does it got to do with senate seat? you are making fool out of yourself if u don't no.

Relax101:
You be one heediiot and will always be one regardless of what you think about yourself.
your lies stinks to hell, you born troway mumu.




lol
FYI, Gowon will regret all the days of his life.
Two, I wish your people will get massacred and I will wait to see your reaction.
I hope you loose your property and I will also love to see your reaction.
You are just as ignorant as the next mumu poster.
How can you see injustice and as a leader you allow it persist.
Ojukwu would have joined the group of thieves if He wanted to. He had the power and the will to but He obeyed his conscience to do the right
thing. He forfeited all the good things of life to protect his and all you could come up with is absolute trash.
I will put you in same group of one of those people who fail and turn away when injustice stares you right in the face.
You could also join the thieves to steal and devour your household.
Ojukwu never in his life stole anything from anyone but gave his all to defend and demand justice.
I dont expect any sensible talk from you anyways.
You have a dark and wicked soul.

thank for hitting the point there, the thing is that they still look for blame on igbos,but  getting their pay back slowly but surely   this people are the product of wickedness and hate they will end miserably.

Sinachay  you are quite right thou, none of them will take their children to those hospital for treatment,don't blame them is illiteracy and poverty join together you see those two things can keep a country backward for 5000 years

they don come againooooo

What!awolowo Foundation Mourns Ojukwu

The Obafemi Awolowo Foundation has sent condolence greetings to  the widow of Chief  Odumegwu Ojukwu, Chief (Mrs) Bianca Ojukwu, over the passing away of the leading Nigerian political figure.

A release dated December 2, 2011, and signed by Dr. Olatokunbo Awolowo Dosumu, the Executive Director of the Foundation, informed that “Chief Ojukwu was a fine officer and gentleman and one of our trustees.”

Dr. Dosumu extended condolence greetings to Chief Mrs. Bianca Ojukwu, his entire family and the nation on the sad loss of  Odumegwu Ojukwu.

“Chief Ojukwu was invited to serve on the inaugural Board of Trustees of the Foundation almost 20 years ago. His choice was based on his renowned respect and admiration for Chief Obafemi Awolowo, whom he famously described as ‘the best president Nigeria never had.

“Chief Ojukwu accepted our invitation to serve under the chairmanship of General Yakubu Gowon without any hesitation whatsoever and by so doing, he demonstrated his readiness to join hands with us to sustain and promote a worthy legacy and, perhaps more importantly, his resolve to lead by example in the national effort to put the past behind us.

“We will always treasure his association with the Foundation”, Dr. Dosumu said

http://www.tribune.com.ng/sun/news/5765-awolowo-foundation-mourns-ojukwu

yes Nigerians are cowards, accept igbos, we fought the whole useless country for 3 years none have done the same bloody cowards

Aigbofa:
You don't get it. You need to log off and take your medicine if I aggravate you.

is it a must that you derail  this topic?

musiwa You will get blessing in abundance in jesus name Amen

Odumegwu-Ojukwu; In an earlier speech to Igbos before joining APGA:

‘I Have Paid My Dues,’ he had stated: “For you (Ndigbo), I abandoned all ease and embraced pain. For you, I impoverished myself to buy your protection. For you I walked every battlefront to assure your welfare. For you I stood when every other person crouched. For you I endured 13 years of bitter exile. For you I endured 10 months of maximum security prison. For you I embraced priestly poverty. For you I continue to struggle…What I have said is not harsh, it is only the naked truth and it reflects only the intensity of the love I habour for my people.”

And in return, he wanted their votes to continue the struggle, which endeared him to Ndigbo as always!

Fuel subsidy must go.

Odumegwu-Ojukwu; In an earlier speech to Igbos before joining APGA:

‘I Have Paid My Dues,’ he had stated: “For you (Ndigbo), I abandoned all ease and embraced pain. For you, I impoverished myself to buy your protection. For you I walked every battlefront to assure your welfare. For you I stood when every other person crouched. For you I endured 13 years of bitter exile. For you I endured 10 months of maximum security prison. For you I embraced priestly poverty. For you I continue to struggle…What I have said is not harsh, it is only the Unclad truth and it reflects only the intensity of the love I habour for my people.”

And in return, he wanted their votes to continue the struggle, which endeared him to Ndigbo as always!


VERY TOUCHING

ACM10:
I've been scanning through the readers comments for the past 30mins at TE website. So I figured out that it will be nice to share some with NL users. In the course of my flick through, one funny revisionist made the most impression on me. At first, he was bullying and trampling on everybody in the debate. But when he got boxed into a corner, he complained of being too busy to post, later - headache. That dude behaves just like NL's KATSUMOTO. I love the way he got some kick on his buttt


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jayudoka Dec 1st 2011 17:39 GMT
as an ibo man i have being itching to see what TE will write on
ikembas obituary.this goes to show the arrogance and lack of
understanding from the brits TE included.how do you negotiate
or even reach a civil understanding with a people that realy
wish death upon you.gowon was a christian and thats the big thing
that realy made him think like that.if it was a muslim we would
all be dead by now.the brit helped to creat this disaster called
nigeria and until the brits are ready to support the break up
of this fake nation,noting will be solved.and you will continue
to get all the crime and awful things that is emanating from
nigeria.

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Kim77 Dec 1st 2011 17:41 GMT
Victim of a pig-headed tendency by European colonialist powers to keep their former holdings intact and in one piece. As were millions of Africans.

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Romney.Schield@yahoo.co.uk Dec 1st 2011 18:34 GMT
The author wrote "Biafra’s failure to redraw colonial boundaries by force put an end to most further attempts. If any change is to be made now, it must be by consent, as in Sudan."

Unless the earth was created a this year and our memories with it,
South Sudan did have a war.
And Eritria did, by force, withdraw and be independent.

Was this article written without an editor older than 16?
Or are the editors agreeing to this?

14 years ago I claimed to all that the Economist was the best source of new.
Frankly, it seems more and more like the news from the novel 1984.

I feel like an old man who's whole life was just a dream, with the Economist advocating state socialism for billionairs and denying the existence of reality as I know it.

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typingmonkey Dec 1st 2011 21:34 GMT
"Biafra’s failure to redraw colonial boundaries by force put an end to most further attempts. If any change is to be made now, it must be by consent, as in Sudan."

And what if consent is never to be granted? Must the Ibo and those like them suffer forever? No, the “cautionary tale” here is not for Africa, it is for Britain. After bleeping your colonies over for hundreds of years, don’t screw them for a thousand with your careless, moronic, malignant borders. Britain bears responsibility for Kashmir too. And Palestine. And for the ever problematic border between Afghanistan and Pakistan. The Economist seems to have successfully forgotten this legacy, and we should not let them. Too many have suffered too much, and too many will suffer still more.

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femi Dec 1st 2011 23:09 GMT
An absoloutely balanced obituary by TE,although perhaps still partial to Ojukuwu in some respects.What is galling though is that the lives of millions could have been spared if Ojukwu had surrendered earlier.Indeed if he had been wise instead of clever,it is just possible that the civil war might have been avoided altogether.At the Aburi conference to which this piece alludes,Ojukwu clearly trumped all the other officers who were there to negotiate a peace settlement with him.He could, if he were not so arrogant and stubborn, have negotiated an advantageous deal for the Ibo people,but he chose to blow it.Had he grasped the opportunity to do this he would have gone down in history as a saviour and champion of his people.Arrogant,he certainly was and it is open to question as to whether he suffered from some sort of psychopathy.It would be interesting to see what psychoanalysts make of his personality but he certainly came across to all who met him as clever but flawed and perhaps somewhat unhinged.

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femi in reply to jayudoka Dec 1st 2011 23:26 GMT
jayudoka,I am Nigerian and half Ibo,but I am sorry I totally disagree with you.I was in Nigeria during the civil war and as TE rightly reports the federal troops behaved impeccably.There is no debate here, all the relevant information you would need to disabuse your mind is out there on the internet.We are now Nigerians and the issue of tribal or ethnic diffrences should no longer apply in the modern world.Everyone else sees us as black African and not as members of some ethnic or tribal group etc.Rather than hanker after some reversion to a nation based on tribe,we should all work together to forge one strong nation devoid of tribal affiliation based on tribe.You may not think that way,fortunately the younger generation do think that way, and it is this thinking which is going to build the Nigeria of the future.
But do leave the 'Brits' out of this and let us tackle our problems without needless diversion.If you read this piece carefully and really know the history of Nigeria you would be compelled to conclude that TE have done a brilliant job within the limited space of the obituary.Be charitable enough to give TE credit where this is due,as in this case.Have a good evening.

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femi in reply to jayudoka Dec 2nd 2011 0:13 GMT
jayudoka,presumeably you have got your Biafran passport all dusted up ? Nigeria is not a fake nation,and I fail to see how you can rationalise 'crime and awful things that is emanating from nigeria' with a call for 'the brits' to assist you and your ken with the 'break up of this fake nation'.Are you really being serious, or have you perhaps had too much Gulder and isi ewu tonight ?

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Zik Azikwe Dec 2nd 2011 2:24 GMT
RIP Ojukwu. Inspirational leader.

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femi in reply to Zik Azikwe Dec 2nd 2011 4:15 GMT
Even the late Namdi Azikiwe along with other eminent Igbo leaders like Dr.Akanu Ibiam,Professor Ndem etc advised Emeka not to embark on the disastrous war he was hellbent on engaging in, knowing, as every right thinking person could see at the time,that there was absoloutely no prospect of winning the war,then you say 'inspirational leader',have you really got your facts right ?

If any lessons are to be learnt from Ojukuw's life, they would be the following : -

1.Listen to your elders,this could spare you a great deal of trouble.He could have learnt this lesson from Yakubu Gowon who although far less educated and from a much more humble background was wise enough even in his youth to listen to his elders and who consequently reaped the rewards of obedience.Even today Gowon remains a respected elder-statesman,respected throughout the world.Emeka would love to have earned similar recognition,regard and respect,but he chose to blow his chances.Poseur to the very end, he never had the courage to face the reality of his failings and failures.
2.The fact that you are clever does not mean you are not mad.In fact the two [ often ] go hand in hand.I have always questioned Emekas mental balance,but I would leave that to psychiatrists and psychoanalysts,I am not one.
3.Hubris often leads to disaster.
4.Young men thrust into positions of power and authority often get carried away by delusions of their omnipotence - Lybia's Saif al Islam Gadaffi is one recent example.Young men in similar positions to that in which Emeka was thrust into, in the 1960's, would do well to exercise great care, caution and humility.
5.No amount of education can substitute for true wisdom,which is an innate characteristic of the individual; you either have it or you don't.You cannot force wisdom.Cleverness you can acquire from books and learning,wisdom you are born with,it is a gift from God.You could be uneducated and wise,there are numerous examples of such people,look around you and you would find them.Ilodibe the founder of the transport company Ekene dili Chukuwu was one of them, as was [ alas ] Emeka's own father.You would have thought he would have grasped this fact.

Lastly had Emeka not studied history at Oxford,you would perhaps have excused and forgiven him for not appreciating the consequences of the cause he was embarking on when he chose to secede from Nigeria.He must have know what the full consequences would be,nevertheless he choose pig-headedly to plunge an entire people headlong into the ruin and disaster from which some families, to this day, have not recovered from.
I wish Emeka peace and repose in death,but we cannot shy away from his legacy and the consequences of the disastrous decisions he took at a fateful junture in Nigeria's history.The facts,thanks to the internet are there,let everyone read them and make up their minds.

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The Angler Dec 2nd 2011 4:27 GMT
As a teenager then, I well remember the human that befell Biafra. I would like to have known more about Emeka Ojukwu's life since then, these last forty years. TE is strangely silent about this period.

This one was not up to the TE's usual standard of obituaries. Has the writer been changed?

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The Angler Dec 2nd 2011 4:28 GMT
As a teenager then, I well remember the human tragedy that befell Biafra. I would like to have known more about Emeka Ojukwu's life since then, these last forty years. TE is strangely silent about this period.

This one was not up to the TE's usual standard of obituaries. Has the writer been changed?

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Tokays Dec 2nd 2011 8:22 GMT
Even though i wished that the civil war had not claimed millions of Lives, but it was inevitable. the northerners were intent in committing genocide and we Igbos rightly resisted.

And Femi, what happened in the 1960s is not ancient history. The truth is Muslim north and christian south are two radically different worldview. Chikena!.

Tochukwu

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femi in reply to Tokays Dec 2nd 2011 9:25 GMT
Tokays,I am old enough to remember in vivid detail all the events which occured in Nigeria in the 1960's,I was there,and in the heart of actual events.If it has any meaning for you I lived in Ikoyi at that time.I will not go into detail,however do get your history right before making any comment,fortunately the internet is there if you are so minded.
For a start the first president of Nigeria,Azikewe was Igbo.The first indigenous army general Aguyi Ironsi was also Igbo.The truth is,had Igbo's played their cards well they would no doubt be in a much stronger position in Nigeria today,indeed they could well have had a commanding position,but they lost it.And lest I forget the first military coup in Nigeria was conducted by mainly Igbo officers who made a hash of it.I am half Igbo, so I am not prejudiced against Igbo's in any way at all,however the Igbo people have to acknowledge that they have had the misfortune to have a spate of incompetent and inept leaders of whom Ojukwu is one.
All the actions Ojukuw took to protect Igbos prior to the secession were all in order and he acted prudently,however following the conference at Aburi[ in Ghana ],he totally lost the plot and precipitated the events that almost led to the ruin of the Igbo people in Nigeria, and still casts a shadow on the influence that Igbo people have in the nationl life of Nigeria.What is truly sad is that here you have a gifted people who due to a lack of proper competent leadership fail woefully to live up to their potential.
It is about time Igbo people learn from their mistakes,it is time Ojukwu is seen for what he was, a charlatan and poseur.

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femi in reply to typingmonkey Dec 2nd 2011 9:52 GMT
Great Britain should be very proud of itself.If they can go around screwing everyone around and have done it for centuries,perhaps there is something that can be said for them as victorious warriors.If all you can do in response to plunder and pillage is to complain,frankly I think if I were British I would continue doing the same.Remember in Chinua Achebe's 'Things fall Apart'where the mother harrier kite asked her fledgling how the hen reacted when she swooped down and grabbed one of her chicks ? When the fledgling replied to it's mother and said the hen had done nothing,the mother harrier asked her fledgling to return the chick immediately,since she was sure that by not protesting the hen must have had an awfully sinister plan in mind for the fledgling.On the other hand when the fledgling came back with a chich and told it's mother that the hen from whose brood she had just grabbed a chick had protested vociferously,the mother harrier told her fledgling not to take notice of all the sound and fury,but to go ahead and devour the chick in peace.There is a moral here.
Those who are not prepared to do anything while Britain goes ahead to loot,plunder and violation should either put up or shut up.

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omooba Dec 2nd 2011 10:03 GMT
Part of the apparent and real inertia of most African countries is due to the current structure of most African countries. Very few few of them operate Federal structures that reflect the diversities of their people due to a combination or either of ethnic hegemony or local elite consensus. Lack of an incentivizing and sustaining commonness that is immediately adoptable to the African (language, custom, religion)to give him a sense of nationhood and community will ensure that we continue to operate in parallelism and brief occasional heat for time to come.

It is good to note that there are people within the former Biafra who are helping to consolidate the Nigeria project. Ironically, the ones who led to forge Nigeria geographical unity in the civil are the ones who do most to undermine a common sense of Nationhood. Hence calls for a redraw of the country seems to hold a very high quality of reason especially if you are faced with the everyday reality of the average Nigeria (Note: the average Nigeria is not an Economist reader, and is probably less concerned about issues of Unity or not).

Ojukwu may have made a poor judgement in taking his people to war, but the consequences of Britain not doing enough to Federalize the nation and recognizing need for minority protection in the clauses of the constitution lent credence to suspicions of tacit support for a northern-Nigeria led government reminiscent of English hegemony on Britain. Whatever the case may be, I live in Nigeria and I face the everyday reality of a poorly structured polity which even a constitutional review or Sovereign conference will do little to assuage now.

Maybe the British did not owe our people that obligation, but they owed it to their own legacy, and that failure will ever remain one of the many goofs around the world of the British Colonial Office turned the self-styled "world's best international diplomats".

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femi in reply to omooba Dec 2nd 2011 10:31 GMT
Britain colonised Nigeria for a much less shorter period than Britain was itself colonised by the Romans,but you don't hear the British blaming all their problems on their colonial masters.We Nigerians should stop moaning,roll our sleves up and get on with the project of nation building.I am sick to the back teeth of hearing Nigerians blame all their woes on the British.The British colonised almost half the world at one time with their twenty and thirty year olds,they inevitably made mistakes,but on the whole given the resourcs at their disposal I think frankly they did a good job.It is our responsibility as Nigerians to repair whatever damage they did and to build from the abundance we undoubtedly have.One thing is for sure, the British owe us no obligation to come and fix our own country or indeed to fix any other country,they have enough problems of their own and like any mature people are making an effrot to resolve these,we should do the same.

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Tokays Dec 2nd 2011 11:05 GMT
All said and done, Nigeria is essentially a failed state. Ojukwu is my hero and he will ever be. Femi, you may disagree with him on some of the position he took, but that does not make less of a hero. He is brave, bold and decisive. Non-igbos may choose to interpret it however they wants:they have the right to, after all we have freedom of thought and expression.

So, Femi,on Late Dim Ojukwu's burial day be sure i will be there to pay my last respect to an igbo man, a Nigerian and an African.

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Motmaitre in reply to The Angler Dec 2nd 2011 12:24 GMT
I agree. This was a poor obituary by The Economist's usual standards. Too much was made of the war, and little of Emeka's life before and after it. Also nothing of his personality and how it influenced his behavior and leadership. An obituary for a 78 year old that focuses on only 3 years of his life is not much of an obituary.

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omooba in reply to femi Dec 2nd 2011 12:37 GMT
I'm sorry Femi, but you do not seem to understand the enormity of the trap a typical citizen finds himself in a modern African country finds itself, which explains why the last paragraph of the TE article is instructive.

You equate my observation to whining, even though you opined that Ojukwu Somersault as foolish, whereas if you look at the basis for armed secession in Nigeria, the issues underlying their cause were rightly or wrongly never addressed and yet the options the protesters had were few. Unfortunately they also end up losing the right to have a voice too eventually.

Your impression of the Nigerian problem is very summary and lacking of depth on the real issues which predates independence. Despite the intrigues that led to the war, some - if not majority - Ibos feel aggrieved (check out various Nigerian forums for a start, MASSOB, meanwhile, is pursuing a real cause for which government attends to it with force). While Gowon declared a "no victor and no vanquished" policy, it is a dagger-in-cloak in reality, and the hegemonization has been so far fetched that even young northerners (actually Hausa-Fulanis) still harbour a blind sense of a right to rule without consideration of even a democratic process, part of which led to the death of 11 university graduates operating as electoral officers this year.

I believe Nigeria is a good project. But if it cannot be run with consideration of the diversity and preferences of its inhabitants, I don't understand why we should be moping for a potential in perpetuity when there is only one life to live, the average value of which is less than some wild animal in some other part of the world.

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femi in reply to omooba Dec 2nd 2011 14:47 GMT
Omooba,I do sympathise with you,to the extent that you clearly don't understand Nigerian history correctly,or if you have any understanding,you choose to give it a spin favouring your own apparent prejudices against 'northerners'.I would start by saying that had I been a nortnerner in 1966 there is a good chance that I would have justified the reaction in the north to the events earlier in the year in response to the abject failure of Major General Aguiy Ironsi to bring those who were responsible for the failed coup to justice.For historical reasons much of the northern parts of Nigeria have had less access to western education than the south , and as such right from the beginning the southern part of Nigeria has had significant advantages over the north ; that is still the case.Left to the south,the north would clearly have been marginalised much more than it has been.In any case I do agree that there are significant diffrences between various parts of Nigeria,that is true for all large countries.My argument - if you like,is that Nigerians as a people are much stronger together than they would be if the country [ heaven forbid ] were to disintegrate.I know that many Nigerians unfortunately still see themselves as belonging, at best, to a particular region of the country and tend to have allegiance to a tribe or an ethnic group,but such parochial allegiances ultimately do not serve the long term interest of the the individual units that make up Nigeria today.We do need to strengthen the ties that bind the various ethnic groups instead of creating fissures and calling for the breakup of the country.Outside of Nigeria,Nigerians are seen as one people, and few foreigners would pay much attention to the ethnic groups.It will be difficult,I admit,but frankly I hardly see a way out.Today for instance we see modern states like Germany or Italy as strong unified states without realising that these powerful modern states are also artificial creations, in the same way as Nigeria it could be argued is an artificial creation.We should go beyond short term convenience and work to preserve what we have rather than call for a 'divorce' which is inevitably acrimonious and expensive.Tensions still exist in Nigeria,but these are not insurmountable and it can be said that for all these tensions we [ together ] are still a wonderful people.Have a good afternoon.


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Tokays in reply to femi Dec 2nd 2011 14:56 GMT
Femi, here is a quick quiz:

A marriage joined by force and the man physically abuses the wife continuously, what do do you think should be the best solution to resolve the problem? Bearing in mind the man sees nothing wrong in what he is doing.

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femi in reply to Tokays Dec 2nd 2011 15:04 GMT
Tokays,with respect,may I correct you.Nigeria is not a failed state.Yes,it does have problems,but it is not a failed state.If you want to see examples of failed states,perhaps you want to visit the so called Democratic Republic of Congo,Somalia,Sierra Leone,Liberia,Southern Sudan or Afghanistan.Travel around to some parts of the world, then Nigeria, bad as you would like to describe it, would seem ,in comparison, a well ordered place,I am sure you would then drop on your knees and be thankful.

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femi in reply to Tokays Dec 2nd 2011 15:07 GMT
Tokays,your analogy is well taken,but it does not apply in the case of Nigeria.However in direct response to your question,of course the couple should be divorced in order to protect the woman and her dignity.But again the example does not apply to the situation in Nigeria.

* Is your Gulder in the freezer ? Have a nice weekend !

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ENYIOHA in reply to femi Dec 2nd 2011 15:25 GMT
FEMI, YOU LOST ME IN CLAIMING OJUKWU FAILED TO NEGOTIATE AN 'ADVANTAGEOUS DEAL FOR THE IBO PEOPLE, BUT HE CHOSE TO BLOW IT' IN ABURI WHEREAS 'ON ABURI WE STAND' WAS THE SLOGAN IN EASTERN NIGERIA WHEN GOWON STARTED REPUDIATING SAME.YOU APPEAR TO ME AS SOMEONE OUT TO CONTINUE ANTI OJUKWU PROPAGANDA BY APPROBATING AND REPROBATING AT THESAME TIME. THIS FORM OF MISCHIEVIOUS OBFUSCATIONISM DEVOID OF ADDRESSING THE HEART OF THE MATTER CAN NEVER SHOW AN ENDURING PATH TO THE NIGERIA OF YOUR DREAMS.WHAT THE CIVIL WAR BURRIED UNDER THE CARPET HAS RESURFACED WITH VENOM AND MAY CONSUME THE COUNTRY IF NOT ADRESSED URGENTLY.YOU APPEAR TO BE PASSIONATE ABOUT THE FUTURE WHILE DENYING THE PAST FOUNDATIONS OF OUR CURRENT FAILINGS.THE IGBOS HAVE BEEN OUT OF POWER RECKONING FOR 45 YEARS AND EVEN THE RICH AND POWERFUL ARE CRYING.SO WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF IT?

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omooba in reply to femi Dec 2nd 2011 15:52 GMT
Your response ignores the fact that I called pre-civil matters intrigues in order to avoid the intricacies that led to the war.

Your argument gracefully ascended from there only to obfuscate into the dreamy possibilities of a great Nigeria. If you look at the various other people who respond to you, you will realize that as a result of not addressing the issues of our Nigeria fair and square, even those who precipitated the events that led to the war do have begun to claim greivance of a sort.

Until justice is seen to be done, the Nigeria we dream about cannot be achieve on creaky and distorted foundation built to favour a section of the country (I have no grouse with northerners whatsoever. I have them as friends but I do not pretend that we have differences about how we should co-exist)to the detriment of another.

I think you need to check - the Aburi accord initially agreed to is much better for Nigeria than the various constitutions the Hausa-Fulani led military handed over to us in 1979, 1989 and 1999.

The crux of the matter was initially corruption (quoting Nzeogwu). How did it culminate into appropriating the various rights of regions to their rights to self determination as existed in the 1960 and 1963 constitutions.

I put it to you that Ojukwu may have hoped that the world would buy the argument and request for a return to status quo. Unfortunately, Britain would have none of that, and today, you and I are hoping that the Nigeria of great potential can come to pass in our lifetime,

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femi in reply to ENYIOHA Dec 2nd 2011 16:19 GMT
Let us not quibble or debate the conference at Aburi.You are on the inrernet,Google Aburi,all the minutes of the meeting are there for all the world to see,so what are we debating about ? If you have any difficulty interpreting the documents ask any of your friends who is a barrister or solicitor to interpret the documents for you.
Besides I can remember this conference very well.What really are we then debating ? I am very busy right now but if you are on-line at about 23.00 hours GMT,when I would have settled down to my Becks beer and pepper-soup,I will give you a more comprehensive response to the matters you have raised,meanwhile have a good evening.

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ENYIOHA Dec 2nd 2011 16:43 GMT
It could be recalled that late Akanu Ibiam of the World Council of Churches renounced his Knighthood and returned his paraphenalia to the Queen in protest agaist Britain's ubabashed support of pogrom and genocide against the Igbos. It is a historical fact that killing of Igbos started in Jos - Northern Nigeria in 1945, moved to Kano in 1953 before the waves of pogroms of May 29, July 29 and September 29, 1966.It was the BBC that dubbed the January 1966 coup an 'Igbo Coup' which generated anti Igbo hysteria whereas all Igbos never met to organise it and inspite of the non Igbo participants while Igbo Officers countered and ensured that it failed.

For the Economist to echo the BBC almost 46 years after is not only callous and unfortunate but also mischievous.

Portraying the victim as the villain,the indisciplined as the insulted,the repudiator of an accord because he had might as beeing right,and the better negotiator as beeing clever are all means of papering over an otherwise unconscionable crime against hummanity for which Britain was complicit.If Ocampo were arround then, it is most likely that Gowon and his henchmen including Murtala Mohammed who massacred over 2000 defenceless civillian boys and men in Asaba would have bagged life sentences in the Hague.
The antics of the then British High Commissioner Sir Cummings- Bruce(who doctored Gowon's August 1, 1966 speech from 'araba' to 'Go On With one Nigeria') in Lagos and the Harold Wilson Government in London were well documented by history and their machinations to substitute western oil interests in the Niger Delta for the Eastern leg of Nigeria's geopolitical tripod by making the civil war inevitable.
Apparently, since indirect rule failed woefully in the East, the Igbos needed to be politically emasculated for unfettered access to oil in the Niger Delta such that Wilson's Government was so exasperated for inability to 'crush' Biafra sooner than later.
Britain was even more clever because as it is, the Nigerian Generals with the bigger battalions were unwittingly, mere pawns for Britain's proxy war.However, the victory has been nothing but pyrric.Has the truncated Aburi Accord not resurfaced as Sovereign National Conference, Conference of Ethnic Nationalities,Resource Control,BOKO HARAM,MASSOB,OPC,APC,etc and the despoilation of the Niger Delta by the oil majors not given rise to OGONI, MEND etc while both have combined to generate monumental corruption, political precipitate economic dysfunction and near failure of Nigeria as a state?

One would expect an otherwise respectable Journal like the Economist to do much better than this shallow obituary on a great man who saw tomorrow, gave a blueprint for unity in diversity and had the conviction and courage to fight for self preservation and against injustice still bedevelling Nigeria.

But since 'the cause of the problem' has passed away, it will be quite interesting to read the Economist's recipie for Nigeria's renaissance moreso since Gowon who won the major civil war is alive to see what Nigeria has become and witnessing a mini civil war in his own middle Belt Region.

The Economist must reinvent and redeem itself or lose credibility - the blatant lie about Southern Sudan cries to high heavens!

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fergl Dec 2nd 2011 16:43 GMT
You failed to mention Britain's disgraceful complicity in the Biafran War. Many Muslims in Northern Nigeria also wanted out of the federation. However, Harold Wilson's Government demanded that Nigeria, a creation of the British Empire, stay together. They provided diplomatic support to Nigeria and were the main supplier of arms to the Nigerian Army. I have started an e petition calling on the British Government to apologise. If you agree, you can sign it at http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/4662

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guest-iijsmwm Dec 2nd 2011 17:24 GMT
If the western countries knew the arbitrariness of Nigeria as a country, why did they not support Biafra's secession? The Russians provided their Migs manned by Egypt and other Arab countries, France supplied arms to both Nigeria and Biafra and Harold Wilson, the then Biritish Prime Minister, failed to honour the promise he made to Ojukwu that Britain would be neutral. Indeed Wilson gave tacit approval to the blockade of Biafra, which did more harm than bullets. Ojukwu should be criticised for failing to see early in the course of the war that he had no chance whatsoever of succeeding.

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ENYIOHA in reply to femi Dec 2nd 2011 17:31 GMT
[b]FEMI, I THOUGHT THE SUBJECT IS VERY DEAR TO YOUR HEART AND ALL OF A SUDDEN, YOU BECAME BUSY!THE WAY TO PERSUADE A CRITICAL AUDIENCE LIKE THE READERS OF THE ECONOMIST IS NOT BY JUMPING TO CONCLUSIONS WITHOUT PROPERLY LAID OUT PREMISES AND SYLLOGISM. BEING HALF 'IBO' AND LIVING IN LAGOS DURING THE WAR DOES NOT MAKE YOU AN AUTHORITY AND ORACLE WHOSE WORD IS FINAL.I MAINTAIN THAT INDEED YOU MAY JUST BE AS PARTISAN AS THE WAR PROPAGANDISTS AND I WONDER WHAT MAKES YOU AN AUTHORITY IN LEADERSHIP - PERSONAL AND COLLECTIVE- TO ASSERT THAT WHAT THE IGBOS ARE LACKING IS LEADERSHIP.IN CASE YOU DO NOT KNOW,INJUSTICE IS A UNIVERSAL BLIGHT WHILE JUSTICE IS A UNIVERSAL VIRTUE.IF YOU WISH INJUSTICE TO OTHERS, DO NOT BE SURPRISED WHEN IT COMES KNOCKING ON YOUR PERSONAL,FAMILY, EXTENDED FAMILY, UP TO TRIBAL DOORS.YOU APPEAR TO WANT PROGRESS FOR NIGERIA BUT REFUSE TO ADDRESS THE IMPERATIVE OF GENUINE PEACE(NOT PEACE OF THE GRAVE YARD OR JONAH IN THE BELLY OF THE WHALE)WHICH CAN NOT HOLD WITHOUT JUSTICE.FEMI, YOU CAN DO BETTER THAN OBSCURANTISM AND REVISIONISM.[/b]

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Kofi-E Dec 2nd 2011 17:57 GMT
The rise of Boko Haram and Islamic terrorism aided and abetted by some of the northern muslim elite; aimed at turning Nigeria into a Sharia-centered governance, makes me wish that General Ojukwu had succeeded in his quest.

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ENYIOHA in reply to guest-iijsmwm Dec 2nd 2011 18:15 GMT
[b]GUEST, MUST YOU BE SURE OF SUCCESS BEFORE GOING TO WAR? WAS WINSTON CHURCHILL SURE TO DEFEAT HITLER BEFORE EMBARKING ON THE SECOND WORLD WAR?IF USA HAD NOT COME TO BAIL OUT BRITAIN,HITLER MAY HAVE SUCCEEDED BUT THE VICIOUS PHILOSPHY OF THE THIRD REICH ABOUT RACIAL SUPERIORITY,POGROM ON THE JEWS AND GYPSIES,TERRITORIAL EXPANSIONISM, BLACK SUBJUGATION ETC WAS UNTAINABLE IN THE MODERN ERA.THE VICES OF SLAVERY,INJUSTICE AND POGROM SHOULD NOT BE CONDONED BY HUMMANITY. INSTEAD OF BLAMING THE WORLD WITHOUT CONSCIENCE, YOU PREFER TO BLAME THE VICTIM.

FOR THOSE WHO REFUSE TO LEARN HISTORY, IGBOS HAVE BEEN FIGHTING FOR THE FREEDOM OF THE BLACK MAN FOR CENTURIES. THEY RESISTED THE SLAVE MASTERS IN THE MIDDLE PASSAGE,JUMPED OVERBOARD SLAVE SHIPS,ORGANISED SLAVE REVOLTS IN THE AMERICAS,JOINED THE UNIONIST FORCES TO DEFEAT THE CONFEDERATES IN THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR TO REGAIN THEIR FREEDOM AND ORGANISED TO DEFEAT NAPOLEON'S ARMY TO LIBERATE BLACKS AND DECLARE HAITI AS THE SECOND COLONY AFTER THE US TO BECOME INDEPENDENT.SO THE IGBOS HAVE BEEN FIGHTING FOR THE LIBERATION OF THE BLACK MAN WHILE THESAME BLACK MAN IS FIGHTING THE IGBO AS PROXY FOR THE WHITE MAN. WHAT A SHAME ON THE BLACK RACE.FOR THOSE WHO CARE TO READ, JUST PERUSE OJUKWU'S 'AHIARA DECLARATION'FOR A START OF REAL EDUCATION ON YOUR PLACE ON EARTH,[/b]

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Jenọma Dec 2nd 2011 18:27 GMT
Please, the correct spelling of the ethnic group is 'Igbo', not "Ibo".

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femi in reply to ENYIOHA Dec 2nd 2011 19:09 GMT
ENYOHA,believe me some of us have to work for a living.

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femi in reply to guest-iijsmwm Dec 2nd 2011 19:13 GMT
Thank you guest-iijesmwn at least we can get some facts and common sense into this discussion.

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Damian90 in reply to femi Dec 2nd 2011 19:16 GMT
Femi, I would like to point out a few things to you:
The very fact that you have to assert every few sentences that you are half igbo is suspect. It almost seems like you are apologetic/embarrassed for being half igbo. It is also a fact that witnessing issues first hand sometimes leaves a permanent bias, I am not from your generation, but I have studied the facts, you are probably ignoring these facts for what they are (FACTS), and holding on to a preconceived notion. Your innuedos at Ojukwu's (who you intermittently refer to as 'Emeka' to make him seem ordinary) mental ineptitude are also quite unfortunate, this is not the time or place for that, #Just Saying.

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femi in reply to ENYIOHA Dec 2nd 2011 19:25 GMT
O.K., in and earlier posting I promised I would be back at about 23.00 hrs.GMT.,however I do have a headache now, so I think I am going to hit the Becks a bit earlier than I had planned.In any case I am getting rather bored of this subject and if I am still awake at 23.00 hrs. I'll most likely be reading something else and responding to some more intelligent conversation if I can manage it.Have a good evening chaps, and may the soul of Odumegwu Ojukwu rest in peace.

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TRUTHTELA Dec 2nd 2011 20:01 GMT
@ Femi, your PERCEPTION about Nigeria is far from the REALITY. I will like to engage you on some of the FUNDAMENTAL FLAWS that the first republic politicians inherited from the Brits. Unfortunately, the politicans played the OSTRICH by not addressing them. Consequently, Nigeria is the FAILED state Brits wants it to be. Until you come back.

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^^^^^

nice one mate!! i told people that as it is now, 80% of Nigeria can see from their heart the vision GREAT IKEMBA saw 40 yrs ago, his a LEGEND his legacy lives for ever,go to online newspapers and see most comments  Nigerians are making these days, you will see they are all pointing on one direction,we can see things are manifesting by itself.

poster yaribas are the most corrupt in Nigeria

correct one

chikis:
Any time wey your papa die tell them make dem wrapam inside poo. Big guy.

look don't just comment rubbish, do you think am not a biafran?