₦airaland Forum

By the way, I intend to fully carry out my portion of the duty to fill the earth, Nigeria foremost.

Sex education from whose perspective and with what standards?
How about prioritizing the improvement of living standards across all regions first and letting all others including family sizing follow.

I wonder if UN special adviser Jeffrey Sachs (perhaps Kissinger's mentee, supporter of eugenics and the Tuskegee experimenters) is playing the devil's advocate going by his recent suggestion that Nigeria get on the same path as China. He recently suggested that Nigeria adopt a three-child policy in order to "manage" her rising population which is said to currently stand at 160 million.

My opinion is that the "advice" is sick and deranged. Why not focus on improving the quality of life and get Nigerians to be more productive instead of her past and present history consumption. Nigeria has enough resources for more billions of Nigerians. Efficient management of these resources, both human and otherwise, is very crucial in order to actualize her human potential as the light of the black man and indeed the entire world. It is very much possible and requires belief and diligent commitment.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-13530649

[size=8pt]Nigeria population: Sachs' three-baby plan 'tricky'[/size]

https://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/52945000/jpg/_52945062_012047411-1.jpg
Nigeria is one of the most dangerous countries in the world to have a baby
A Nigerian family planning expert has told the BBC it would be difficult to implement the suggestion that Nigerians should only have three children.

Isaac Ogo pointed to the tradition of polygamy and the belief that the children were seen as a "gift from God" in a male-dominated society.

Recent UN figures suggest Nigeria's population could jump to 730 million by 2100 - behind only India and China.

UN special adviser Jeffrey Sachs said this prospect alarmed him.

"It is not healthy. Nigeria should work towards attaining a maximum of three children per family," he told the AFP news agency.

Mr Ogo, from the Planned Parenthood Federation of Nigeria, agrees with the goal but says it will be hard to change the views of many Nigerians.

He says Nigeria is a "high birth, high death" society where many people think: "I need to have as much children as I want, as I don't know which will survive."

Nigeria is one of the world's worst places to have a baby, according to the UN.

About 145 women die each day in pregnancy or childbirth, as do 2,300 children below five years of age.

'Not their business'

Mr Ogo also told the BBC's Focus on Africa programme that many women are unable to visit an organisation such as his without their husband's agreement.

On the streets of the northern city of Kaduna, some people told the BBC that God decided how many children they had and so it would be wrong to try to limit the number of births.

"[The UN] should try to advise the government how to make the lives of Nigerians better, not telling Nigerians not to have children - that is not their business," one angry woman said.

But one woman agreed with Mr Sachs, saying that in a poor country such as Nigeria, it was better to have fewer children and look after them properly.

Nigeria's population is currently 160m - by far the most populous in Africa but a long way behind those of China and India.

As those countries grow richer, the UN predicts their populations will stop expanding, while those in Africa such as Nigeria, will continue to grow rapidly.

I'm even curious about the origin of genital mutilation across Yoruba land

Here's a video of the Bariba people dancing. It is said that IBB is one of them.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yY-1Gm8P3Lk

I read something like their system of traditional kingdoms being similar to that of the Yoruba.

The histories of the Nupe and Yoruba peoples seem to be intertwined. For instance, Yoruba oral tradition has it that the Igunnuko Festival as celebrated in Yoruba land has Nupe roots. Also the first person (or something like that) to wear a dress was a Nupe king. I read about these a while back and I think (not sure I remember correctly) it is one of the Ifa narratives.

How about some Badagry dance videos, the ones involving that big drum. Any dance lessons? I know there are some dance steps that royalty in Yoruba land, or at least Ijebu land, are required to learn for certain occasions. Are you aware of their names and do you have the YouTube links?

The Igbo people of southeastern Nigeria have a lot of pride in observing their traditions which have been passed on for generations. However, some of these traditions have been carried out in ways that seem to destroy local flora and fauna. For instance, bird (eagle) feathers and elephant tusks are used a lot as part of regalia ([url]http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=6&ved=0CDQQFjAF&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.jstor.org%2Fstable%2F40174764&ei=ifHFTdyBLJCGhQf9u4T3Aw&usg=AFQjCNHbf_DpXkiUMZg_NMD4DdzKicfl7A[/url]). They have also been trading in elephant tusks for centuries. But have the Igbo considered how their use without giving back to the environment has led to the dwindling fauna populations. Also, their craze for or preponderance of traditional titles (http://onlineresearchjournals.com/aajoss/art/63.pdf) puts further pressure on the biotic environment. I wonder if there are any elephants at all over there.

That is not to say that other ethnic groups in Nigeria are not culpable. Perhaps similar practices led to the extinction of elephants on these areas, hence the absence of feathers and tusks from their own regalia.

I do know that the Yoruba people use leaves during various rites like the conferment of chieftaincy titles and rarely employ some animal parts for some exotic medical purposes. I have also heard that the heavy use of the leaves of Thaumatoccus daniellii (http://www.tropentag.de/2003/abstracts/full/305.pdf), which is a natural source of the intensely sweet protein known as thaumatin, for preparing moin-moin and eko, preservation of locust beans, and so on is causing the disappearance of the plant.

On 6 May 2011 Reuters (http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/05/06/us-kenya-ivory-idUSTRE7453ED20110506?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNews) and BBC (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-13314780) reported that over one tonne of ivory or 115 elephant tusks were found in metal containers at Nairobi's international airport in Kenya. The destination was Nigeria ― rather obnoxious, don't you think ― but the address is was yet to be disclosed. My opinion is that most of it was to be shipped out of Nigeria while taking advantage of her porous borders and some corrupt government officials. But, is it possible that some or a large chunk was destined for southeastern Nigeria? Below is a reproduction of the news from BBC.

I am not trying to talk down a people. I just want us to question and reason together about our traditions. That one person or some persons started them some years ago does not mea that we have to accept them hook, line and sinker. Perhaps the imbalance we see in our environment today is a result of us observing a part of some of these traditions while the other part(s) which might have been meant to compensate have been forgotten. How about we investigate the source and veracity.

Are you aware of any other of such questionable traditions? Please share.

Dozens of elephant tusks seized at Nairobi airport
https://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/52587000/jpg/_52587438_011912641-1.jpg
Dozens of elephant tusks seized at Nairobi airport


Environmentalists believe poaching is on the increase in Kenya
More than one tonne of ivory has been seized at Nairobi's international airport, Kenyan police have said.

About 115 elephant tusks were found by sniffer dogs inside metal containers bound for an address in Nigeria.

It was the largest seizure in recent months, police said. Last year, two tonnes of ivory and five rhino horns were found at Nairobi's airport.

Officials believe Kenya has become a transit point for international ivory smuggling, largely to Asia.

"We are suspecting they could be from here or neighbouring countries and we are on their toes. We must get them," Eunice Kiheko, deputy police chief at the airport, told the Associated Press.

"They have killed many, many elephants and we cannot allow this."

The shipment labels said the containers originated from two foreign embassies in Kenya which do not exist, officials said.

No arrests have yet been made.

Advertising in Africa
Nigeria's mad men
What ads say about doing business in Africa’s most populous country
Apr 28th 2011 | LAGOS | from the print edition

https://media.economist.com/images/images-magazine/2011/04/30/wb/20110430_wbp005.jpg
Naija-ness is good for business
A NOVELIST once wrote that: “You can tell the ideals of a nation by its advertisements.” Nigeria’s ideals vary from place to place: the north is mostly Muslim, the south is mostly Christian or animist. Young and old, rural and urban, Ibo, Hausa and Yoruba: each group sees the world differently. So Nigerian advertisers must be both deft and sensitive.

Many southerners rather enjoy ads involving voluptuous women dancing suggestively. But it would be dangerous to run such an ad in the north. When ThisDay, a Nigerian newspaper, printed a lighthearted column speculating that the Prophet Muhammad might have enjoyed the Miss World contest, 200 people died in the ensuing riots, a ThisDay office was torched and the writer had to flee to Norway.

That was in 2002. Since then, media folk have been more careful. “If you put up a billboard in Kano [a northern city] and discover that it is minutely, minutely offensive to any cleric, you tear it down immediately,” says a southern ad executive.

Muslims are not the only group it is unwise to upset. Gold Circle, a brand of condoms, ran an ad in 2009 in which a male motorist is stopped by the police. He is found to be carrying a packet of condoms. A policewoman returns them, having written her telephone number on the packet. The police did not find this funny. Prudently, the firm withdrew the ad.

https://media.economist.com/images/images-magazine/2011/04/30/wb/20110430_wbc604.gif
Despite a recent dip, advertising spending has quintupled in real terms between 2001 and 2010, to 98 billion naira ($646m), reckons mediaReach OMD, an ad agency (see chart). This reflects the emergence of a middle class with cash to spare for branded goods. Buoyed by high oil prices and a measure of economic liberalisation, GDP per person rose by 70% between 2000 and 2009, to $1,112. Wages are still low by rich-country standards, but many Nigerians are entrepreneurial. Office workers save, buy a bus or a bar, put a cousin in charge and reap the profits. Then they flaunt it.

Ads reveal which businesses are vibrant and competitive, and which are not. The most common business is small-scale agriculture, but its practitioners “don’t advertise much”, notes Kelechi Nwosu of TBWA\Concept, another ad firm. Government ads are dull even by the low standards of official publicity worldwide—contracts often go to the connected, not the creative. That said, one of President Goodluck Jonathan’s election slogans was pretty snappy: “I once had no shoes. If I can make it, you can too”.

The sexy sectors are mobile phones, banks, beer and food. Mobiles have hit Nigeria like a rainstorm in the desert. The number of connections has shot up from almost none in 2000 to 75m in 2009. Competition is bloody. Ads stress price (since Nigerians are both chatty and price-sensitive) and coverage (which is spotty).

Ads for banks have taken off as the financial industry has been liberalised over the past decade. Most emphasise how trustworthy they are, a crucial point in a country where, if you don’t write “This house is not for sale” on your house, someone may sell it while you are away. Stanbic’s television ads show a banker so attentive that he watches over you as you sleep.

Beer ads tend to be macho. Guinness boasts that it is “without equal” and promotes “greatness”. The firm does not propagate the myth, widely believed in Nigeria, that its extra-strong African stout makes one a stallion in bed. But it does not go out of its way to scotch it, either. Star, a popular clear beer, appeals to patriotism: “I am Nigeria…and Star is my beer”.

Indeed, patriotism sells. Foreign firms assimilate or die. Virgin Nigeria, the local affiliate of a British airline, has changed its name to Air Nigeria, and insists in its publicity that it is “Passionately African”.

The more affluent, younger consumers (half the population is under 20) tend to be knowledgeable about foreign brands but intensely proud of their own culture, says Mr Nwosu. They refer to Nigeria as “Naija” or “9ja”, a term that implies a love of “the food, the flamboyant dressing, the mannerisms, the boisterous—some say loud—interaction among complete strangers” that remind you that you are not in Switzerland, says Bilkisu Labaran, a Nigerian presenter on the BBC World Service. Smart firms wrap themselves in Naija-ness. Etisalat, a mobile-phone carrier from the UAE whose Nigerian numbers begin with “0809”, has branded itself “0809ja”.

Running an ad agency in Nigeria is not easy. In 2009 TBWA\Concept spent over 7m naira on diesel for its backup generator, grumbles Mr Nwosu in his icily air-conditioned office in Lagos. Fitful power means firms often pay for television ads that viewers do not get to see.

Even so, the next big thing will be digital ads, says Tolu Ogunkoya of mediaReach OMD. Facebook has 3m Nigerian users and will probably have 7m this year, he reckons. “It may overtake radio and press in the not-too-distant future,” he predicts. Any business that relies on Nigerians’ love of socialising ought to do well.

From The Economist
http://www.economist.com/node/18621345?fsrc=nlw%7Cmgt%7C05-04-11%7Cmanagement_thinking

All of you posters who say that the Alaafin of Oyo was above all other Yoruba Obas:
*have you ever studied the extent and direction of the then Oyo Empire?
*have you come across the history of the Ijebu people and can you confidently say that the Alaafin conquered any Ijebu (http://www.noidusa.org/ijebuoriginandhistory.html) territory?
*Hasn't the Ooni's position always been prominent in Yoruba land irrespective of Oyo's past conquests?

To those arguing about the Oduduwa and Benin, how come there hasn't been IMO much information from the Benin people about their history prior to the Obas, that is, the origin of the Ogiso's and events during this period? Below is a quote from a document (http://www.ijebuassociation.org/history.htm) about the history of Oduduwa which clearly disputes the Benin version and which also seems to puncture claims about the Oyo Empire of old as having supremacy over the rest of Yorubaland.

Ijebu traditional historians tend to stick to the migration legend that the people migrated to their present territory from a region of Sudan called Waddai which means that the Ijebu had a parallel migration wave just like other Yoruba who believe they came to their present abode via Oduduwa. That claim seems to be corroborated by a publication by one Hailemariam which states that "the most powerful people that the Negede Orit (ancient Ethiopian immigrant into Africa) met in East Africa were the Jebus." Their King was claimed to be so influential that he appointed the gover nors of Yemen. If that king was the same Olu-Iwa, the legendary first Ruler of Ijebuland, we do not know, The Yorubas in Nubia were the nearest people to the Ijebus in Owo aiye. Even the Ijebus differ from the Yoruba in many respects. For example, while the main Yoruba group practice circumcision on both male and female members of the family, the Ijebus never practice it on the female members; the Yorubas used to bore the lower part of the ear in both male and female while the male never bore in Ijebu.
The first major wave of Sudanese that entered Nigeria was led by Iwase who came to Ife several centu¬ries before the major Sudanese immigrations under Oduduwa and Olu-Iwa. The Iwase group of immigrants came during the reign of Esumare of Ife Erinrin. The next groups of Sudanese immigrants were the Ijebus and the kindred peoples under Olu-Iwa, who entered the country at about the same time as the Yoruba under Oduduwa. There are many reasons to believe that they arrived before the main Yoruba group. The most important reason was stated in a Yoruba tradition that when Oduduwa was alive, he became partially blind and went to consult Agbonniregun, an Ife Priest, with a view to finding out what he must apply to his eyes to regain his sight. Agbonniregun recommended brine and so Oduduwa had to send one of his sons, Obokun, to the sea to bring him sea water. The latter wandered for many years in vain until he came to the King of Ijebu for help. This king sent a messenger to guide him to the sea and on Obokun's re¬turn to Ijebu, the King of the ljebus (Lewu Legusen) gave Obokun medicines for Oduduwa's eyes. And when Oduduwa applied the brine and the medicine, he regained his sight. The above tradition shows that the ljebus were in Nigeria before the main Yoruba stock because the king of Ijebu referred to was the fifth Awujale. In appreciation of this service, Oduduwa determined to visit the King of Ijebu, but he died about fifteen miles east of Ijebu-Ode. His followers settled down at Idofe, a town which has now become extinct.

Young Soccer Star Kabiru Adewunmi Shot, Killed After Chicago Bulls Win

First Posted: 04/29/11 10:38 AM ET Updated: 04/29/11 10:38 AM ET
React

The bright future of 16-year-old Kabiru Adewunmi was tragically snuffed out Tuesday night, as he was killed walking with friends to a convenience store on Chicago's South Side.

Adewunmi, an optimistic, intelligent teen born in Nigeria, had played for the Chicago Fire's 17-and-under soccer league, where he attracted the attention of Division I scouts from around the country, the Chicago Tribune reports. His coach, Sole Antonijevic, told the Tribune that he could well have been destined for a career in the pros.

But on the night of his death, Adewunmi was celebrating a different sport. The Chicago Bulls had just eliminated the Indiana Pacers in the NBA playoffs, advancing to the conference semifinals. Adewunmi and his friends were celebrating that win around 9:30 on Tuesday when they were attacked, according to CBS.

The incident appeared to be gang-related, although Adewunmi had just moved to the neighborhood and had no connection to gangs.

He was found unresponsive in an alley, and was pronounced dead from multiple gunshot wounds at 10:30 that night at Jackson Park Hospital, the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

As of Friday morning, authorities have no one in custody in the shooting.


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/29/young-soccer-star-kabiru-_n_855416.html?utm_source=Triggermail&utm_medium=email&utm_term=Daily%20Brief&utm_campaign=daily_brief

If this country gets divided and the religious north get their own nation, what is the probability of drone attacks over there within 2 years of separation?

Carry out DNA Ancestry tests before coming out to make a general statement claiming all African Americans as Igbo descendants. Why do you want to associate yourselves with the shameful episode of slavery instead of apologizing to them. Was Igbo land part of the slave coast? Have you forgotten that many slaves were taken from Yoruba states which was made easier by the intra-tribal warfares going on there at that time? Your people have the financial muscle to carry out unbiased genetic, linguistic and archeological research into your ancestry/origin/peculiarities and use same to reconnect with your "lost" kin rather than bathe in conjectures and fables. You have the resources, do it right and objectively.

.

No one said it is. In order to let sleeping dogs lie, I'll try not to shout Ase in church. But if somebody else does so I'll like to know what the experience and reaction was like.

I know I need Yeshua (not Jesus) and can testify of HIS goodness in my life. I want to be thorough in worshipping my Maker. But really, is Ase an evil word?

Okay @tpiah!, I do appreciate the clarification you have offered. I don't do follow-follow worship and accept all that I hear hook, line and sinker. I am assuming that asking such questions help remove doubts and strengthen my belief.

When Christians pray in Yoruba, it is usually ended with Amin. However, that word is not originally Yoruba but there is a word that has been in use for ages, Ase. I am not sure of the meaning but if Ase is a direct translation of Amen I wonder why the former is avoided. Would prayers lose their potency? Any ideas?

But would that have been the case if Israel was situated somewhere in the tropics like the Equator?

Will you say that western scientists have not tried to promote their own oils over an above palm oil? A Malaysian would probably tell you that the negative reports about palm oil have been a ruse. Besides palm oil has been of importance to traditional religions in Nigeria south of the sahel.

I am yet to come across any church in Nigeria that uses palm oil or any other locally derived oil for anointing purposes. Instead olive oil which is not native to this region is used. Is there any justification or is it a manifestation of mental slavery?

During a midnight call that I wasn't interested in I was able to change the topic to environmental issues like deforestation and perhaps global warming but she just didn't budge. Fortunately the the call dropped - network wahala.

How about you change the topic of discussion to something like Richard Branson and his space tourism and deep water voyage projects or the recently discovered silent triple star system or geological stresses that result in earthquakes?

But seriously, she enjoys your company,better than loneliness. Perhaps its just the way they are so just endure in good faith.

I use MacSword on my MacBook. With it you can install various Bible texts/versions, commentaries, and other Christian literature.
All the best.

My suggestion is that the Igbo people should use DNA ancestry tests to settle the confusion once and for all. You have the money and its not hard. Take the lead and perhaps other Nigerian nationalities would follow suit.

There is a reference to something about a being who carries prayers to the Almighty, the return of this being, and something that sounds like a divine trinity. It also sheds some light on the origin of certain practices like agriculture, the importance of "ori", and how the orishas used to be people like us. I do wonder whether or not the practitioners engage in hagiolatry. But one thing is certain, there is the belief in the existence of the Father of all that is. A tree of life is also mentioned, as are references to the number of years since creation (over 10,200 if I remember correctly). It also stresses the importance attached to the meaning of the word "eniyan" - the chosen ones.

As for me, I had and still have many questions so I bought a book, Odun Ifa (Ifa Festival) by Dr Abosede Emmanuel (a Catholic if I remember correctly), to study on my own. Unlike many people who call themselves Christians and Muslims and bash others without reasoning, I decided not to allow them shape my understanding of the Yoruba religion and throw away the baby with the bath water, but determined to use and ignite that spark of truth that my Creator deposited within me to reason. There's a set of books which I recommend and want to get myself, Ifism by C. Osamaro Ibie. I think there are nine volumes. I am curious about the origin of male circumcision and child naming why they are done on the eight day.

Buhari and Decree No. 4 of 1984

I know someone who was given a retirement letter in his early thirties and was denied any form of benefits. What about the preference in hiring Northerners into strategic ministries like Foreign Affairs ahead of career diplomats? What about signing Nigeria up for the OIC?

I guess it pays to read wide and be sort of like an all-rounder. Personally, I had applied for science but when I saw all the Finance, Medical and IT skill tests, I did consider answering one of them instead. That of IT seemed like ojoro to me.

I think it was vile and putrid for others to have taken pictures for the sake of amusement and without any empathy. Who knows if the got tensed up as a result, thats if she wasn't already tense.

I hope you all don't have irritable bowel syndrome and/or diarrhea and begin shitting your pants and farting all over the place when celebrating an occasion in the presence of others .

Why spread fear? If it is FedEx then it is FedEx. If it is UPS then it is UPS. Who knows the coverage of these courier firms all over the country. If you want to confirm the location of their office, go online. It is that simple. Haba! The important thing is the receipt on the letter.

And some people would say that quite a number of Nigerian graduates are unemployable.

I guess this song by New Edition, "Mr Telephone Man" could stir up your emotions:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTdxdr9pNnw