₦airaland Forum

PointB:
Correct Answer:

@Poster, search no further, Sanusi Lamido, CBN Governor has the answer:


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. A[b]fter 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.[/b] 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.


[size=18pt]By Sanusi Lamido Sanusi[/size]

Richvkunt:
This would be comical and amusing if it wasn't such pathetic BS coming from the mouth of a leader.
I have visited the North East recently and have witnessed the damage that The Boko Haram sect has visited on that area.
If Mr Jonathan is not careful,Boko Haram will make him and his comical government fade away.
What wishful thinking.
To get rid of Boko Haram,first of all Jonathan has to get rid of all the incompetent heads of all the security services who have completely failed to prevent any of the past attacks from Boko Haram.
A complete shake up of all the security services is needed,because most of the heads of these organisations are sympathetic supporters of Boko Haram.-A word is enough for the wise!

Ybutterfly:
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^so true

^^^^^^^^^^^^^it isn't w0rth it? No way^^^^^^^^^^I won't l0se my culture:

asha 80:
erm what did he do for the respect?i thought you seem him as a visionless guy?

mbatuku2:
^

Can you speak kanuri?

danjohn:
Question: Why Is Jonathan Receiving More Insults Than Yar'adua And Obasanjo Combined Together?

[size=16pt]There are two possible answers to this question:

1. Jonathan is worse that Yar'adua and Obasanjo combined.

2. Nigerians are sick and tired of politics as usual and, although Jonathan promised to be different, he hasn't been better than Obasanjo and Yar'Adua.[/size]

aribisala0:
if you want your mother to shut up better go and strangle her otherwise the B1TCH wont stop barking

Bliss4Lyfe:
^ Na only my response u see der. silly Man!

Bliss4Lyfe:
^^O Shut Up! . nuff said!

Bliss4Lyfe:
We know the ethnic group that was first to endorse for President BUHARI

We know the ethnic group that was aiming for VP to BUHARI (Tunde Bakare)

We know the ethnic group that was mouthpiece for BUHARI ADMINISTRATION  (Tunde Idiagbon)

We KNOW THE TWO ETHNIC GROUP DAT HAVE MOSTLY MIS-RULED Nigeria for over 50 years

Relax101:
You be heediioott.
How is Bliss4lfy an Igbo bigot and desola yoruba tribalist?
Eko ile is everything evil wrapped in one.
Ekt bear is no different from Ezeuche. The difference is one is Igbo and the other Yoruba.
Ndu chuks na serpent.
Onlytruth is anything Igbo.
Alh Harem, the confused bigot.
Namfav is just a jittery fulani man from Katsina thats so scared to stay with his people in the North. His family from the desert of Katsina loves Oil money.

kasiem:
nairaland is abjectly turuning into a juvenile play ground, where old men come to unabashedly ask their fellow old fools the number of pubic hairs they've got on their waist, all in the name of assailing the ever progressing igbos.

Relax101:
When I read his post at work, my mood changes to the worst.
whether He's praising all ethnic groups or bashing the Igbo, I get angry and wanna do the highlighted.
I wish I could drag him out of the screen and give him a cup of indian tea.

randyorton:
yorubsa always condemn anyone who isnt from their tribe. GEJ is a better president than OBJ . With the attrocites OBJ committed,he should have a permanent residence in kiri kiri for the rest of his life. The stu.pid yorubas are not making noise about it. Obj wiped off the males in a certain udi community years back.He ordered some soldiers to kill all the males in that community. Has he been tried for that? why are they crucifying IBB for killing kudirat. if someone else had done that ,the stu.pid, dirty,lazy and ugly yorubas would report the person to UNITED NATIONS.

OBJ made 109 trips to europe in his first 2 yrs in office. He did nothing during that time. In a very short time,GEJ has been able to fix the problem with electricity generation and would still do more. OBJ spent his whole time in office fighting his political rivals. He even had to establish the EFCC to properly hunt his rivals.

who does not know that tinubu and his school boy Fashola are thieves? what are they doing with our taxes. Lagos state generate billions on taxes monthly. i pay tax of 20k per month. just multiply that by the number of people who work in lagos . some even pay higher that. Companies also pay massive taxes. what does fashola the school boy use it for? i agree that the guy is doing some stuffs in lagos but it is quite small when u compared what lagos makes monthly to what it spends. if someone else does that,these ugly yorubas would start complaining.

[size=16pt] another stu.pid rant by another stu.pid nwa igbo LOL [/size]

Relax101:
Are you more yoruba than me?
If you are not 32 then something must be wrong with your abnormal growth.
Isale eko ke? Omo jati jati ni e.
I wonder how many people you go don fight and shuk bottle for peckham.
You be real gutter chick. Nothing clean comes out from your mouth, hoodrat.

davidylan:
So who do we blame? allah? The usual scapegoats; poverty and illiteracy? We know the vast number of terrorism financiers are rich and well-educated so what exactly is the problem?

fergie321:
@alj harem
I’m sorry if I am hateful you don’t expects me to be drinking Gari with you when your compatriots are killing innocent Christians in the name of Allah. If anyone is hateful and offensive here is the person/people that are murdering Christians in the name of your dearest Allah. People in the south do not have anything in common with you before the British bump us together as one country. You tell me how many Christians need to die to keep the country together. If I were you I will be advocating for Islamic country so you can have your Islamic law. One thing you must bear in mind is if there is no Christians for them to direct their murderous range on they will look for the difference in your religion to murder you too. Remember in Iraq you soon find the reasons to cut one another throat on the street  when you can’t reach the Americans.

stillwater:
Hmmm, how were you able to come to that conclusion?   You think olodo Desola would be spared if she was from Pluto? I deal with razz characters not tribe . Sorry I don't wear tribal goggles.

davidylan:
How involved where you on the politics section then? Very little i believe. The idea is not that tribalism was not an issue then but it was so minuscule as to be completely ignored.

coogar:
mekuxxxx was a serial w@nker personified.
in all fairness, some of his igbo kinsmen criticized him too for some of the outlandish comments he used to post.
mekuxxxxxx couldn't have been human. he's a spambot!

Relax101:
I have told you to give me your address.
You eddiott that has opened almost 1000 user-names. You accuse people like you the saint.
You foolish boko haram dolt.

davidylan:
a lot of what goes on here isnt really "discussing politics". Compared to what the politics section used to be circa 2005-2006 when the political heavy weights here happened to be well-known political bloggers outside of here . . . what we have now is a mish-mash of adolescents who spend a lot of time screaming at each other with a very limited amount of political information.
I read some threads and you'd be hard pressed to come out with any useful information at all.

For example a lot of the yoruba vs igbo threads . . . what information is the average reader supposed to glean there? Someone puts up a thread about GEJ, all you find there are comments ranging from "GEJ is a goat" to "you are a buhari sympathiser"! Nothing substantive. I dont blame the ladies.

stillwater:
Lmao. So what you do on here is what you term as discussing political affairs?  As you can see, it won't be rocket science for me if I can't distinguish between tribalism and having something politically worthwhile to say. Example- Posting statements like Igbo people should leave Lagos or Yoruba people are the best, is not 'talking politics' my dear . Sorry, it would definitely be rocket science for me to act the way you do. I apologize.

Beaf:
All you have to do is say the word, bigot and pronto! The grass eating, boko haram luv'n carmel appears! Miracle!

fergie321:
@milehigh06
The problem we non Muslims have with you people  is your senior cleric’s do not come-out to condemn an act of terrorism, more so the ‘good Muslim’ as you claim, do not do anything to fight terror, are even scared.  What do you want people who are at the end of your lunatic range do? Not to cry. You people are animals you should go the desert. All over the world you have destroyed anything but do not know how to build. You people have the brain of a fish. Someone in Europe offends Islam you are coming to kill your country men who have nothing to do with the offence. The religion you are dying for do not belong to you, it belongs to the Arabs. The people you are killing the religion you are killing them for do not belong to them it belong to the Jews. Can’t you people see you are both victims? No western education, is Arabic education yours. Are you Arab? You are foooooooools. Wakeup from your slumber. If you do anything silly to GEJ you will be throw out of Nigeria you will eat sand.