₦airaland Forum

you people should learn to respect your leaders even though they're not angels, so other leaders of other countries can learn to respect you.

Great idea, but I am not sure Awolowo would have been for the YORUBA ONLY angle of it all. I mean come on, are the yoruba elite really this tribalistic in their reasoning on the state of education in that country? I wonder who these elites really are.

Yoruba elite shop for N50bn to rescue education http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art200903192391082
By Segun Olugbile
Published: Thursday, 19 Mar 2009
Some Yoruba elite, under the aegis of the Yoruba Education Trust Fund, have raised the alarm that the South-West geo-political zone is becoming educationally disadvantaged.

To this end, YETFUND’s Chairman, Dr. Ola Vincent, said that the group was shopping for N50bn to rescue the decadent education sector in the zone.

Vincent, a former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, disclosed this while briefing journalists about the activities of the fund in Lagos on Wednesday.

He noted that the rot in the sector was the result of the truncation of the free education programme initiated by the late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, by the military in 1983.

“Gradually and progressively, Yoruba people are becoming educationally disadvantaged. In order to escape the rot, those with means send their children to the United States of America and Europe and those with little means send their children to Ghana,” he said.

He added that the money raised would form the seed money for an endowment fund that would be professionally managed to guarantee the sustainability of the project.

Vincent was accompanied to the press conference by other members of the fund, including the former Vice-Chancellor, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, Prof. Wale Omole; Prof. Babatunde Fetuga; the founder, Oodua People’s Congress, Dr. Frederick Fasheun; Dr. Tunji Otegbeye; Erelu Abiola Dosumu; Bashorun J.K. Randle and Senator Olabiyi Durojaiye.

Arms stockpiling: Kaduna police boss, Islamic sect on war path http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art200903192515976
By Segun Olatunji, Kaduna
Published: Thursday, 19 Mar 2009
A crisis is brewing between the Kaduna State Police Command and the Sheikh Ibrahim El-Zakzaky-led Shi‘ite Islamic Movement in the state over an alleged intelligence report accusing the sect of stockpiling arms and ammunition.

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File
Inspector-General of Police, Mike Okiro

Our correspondent gathered that the police and the Muslim sect were now at loggerheads over the authorship of the intelligence report allegedly sent to the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Mike Okiro, on the group‘s activities.

In the two-page report dated February 13, 2009 and purportedly signed by the state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Tambari Muhammed, the Islamic scholar and leader of the Shi’ite, El-Zakzaky and members of his sect were accused of keeping weapons.

The police in the report also accused El-Zakzaky of running a military training camp for the Shi’ites in Dambo, a village near Zaria.

Muhammed in the intelligence report sent to the IG urged the Federal Government to urgently take a “drastic action” to dislodge El-Zakzaky and members of the sect from the alleged military training centres in Dambo village and the Faddiya Islamic Centre, both in Zaria.

He added that El-Zakzaky and members of his sect had become more daring, dangerous and constituted a threat to the society.

But El-Zakzaky at a news conference made available the copies of the police commissioner’s report titled, “Intelligence Report: Activities of Shi’ite Islamic Sect in Zaria Local Government Area of Kaduna State” to journalists.

He also conducted journalists round the two centres alleged to be arms and ammunition stores and military training camps.

The Shi’ite leader dismissed the police commissioner’s security report as “a mere crying wolf where there was none with the major aim of giving a dog a bad name in order to hang it.”

He described the police boss’ intelligence report as a tissue of lies concocted to wipe out the group.

El-Zakzaky accused the police commissioner of having a hidden agenda and acting the script of some unnamed powerful people interested in dealing with the sect.

The police boss had in the intelligence report to Okiro said, “From available gathering, Dambo, a village under the local government not only serves as a training camp of the Shi’ite Islamic sect but a place were (sic) arms/ammunition are allegedly stored.

“The training camp is out of bound to the members of the public, except those who are linked to the Shi’ite sect. The village is guarded 24 hours by members of the group and they are strategically located around the area.

“Members of the sect are recruited in Kano , Sokoto, Zamfara, Kwara, Kogi , Niger , Jigawa, Adamawa, Gombe, Yobe, Kaduna , Katsina, Bauchi states and the neighbouring Niger Republic . In fact, 95 per cent of its members are not from Kaduna State .

“Intelligence report further reveals that Faddiya Islamic Centre, which serves as the headquarters of the Shi’ite Islamic group in Zaria , not only accommodates some Shi’ite members; but also serves as a centre where films are produced.

“These films are shot at the centre for onward delivery to Iran and other Shi’ite countries. The films portray Nigeria ’s image in bad light. This attracts sympathy for monetary form of donations from these countries.”

I mean if they have to use a Nigerian music, why use a local one. Why not use some general music that is not tribe oriented?

Arogundade denies ordering assault on Uzoma
Written by INNOCENT ANABA http://www.vanguardngr.com/content/view/31410/43/
Thursday, 19 March 2009












REAR-ADMIRAL Harry Arogundade yesterday told a Lagos High Court handling the suit filed by Miss Uzoma Okere and Mr. Abdulahi Abdulazeez who were allegedly assaulted by six naval ratings, that he did not order the men to beat or harass the applicants. He added that Uzoma's father apologised to him when he heard about the matter.

Arogundade, in one of the six counter-affidavits by one Nureni Akinyemi, a litigation clerk in Bolaji Ayorinde Chambers, the defence counsel in the matter, averred: “I did not order, encourage, direct or instruct the second respondent to beat, hit, harass, torture, humiliate and or traumatise the applicants. It is untrue for the applicants to say that they lost several valuables or sustained injuries arising from the incidence.”

Uzoma and Abdulazeez are demanding N100 million as damages against Arogundade, unknown Naval ratings and the Nigerian Navy.

Arogundade averred further in the affidavit that during his discussion with Uzoma’s father, he realised that Colonel Okere was his senior at the Military School, Zaria. He then related to Col. Okere what the daughter had just told him. Okere profusely apologised to him and also begged him to tell his men to release her.”

He said he was in his vehicle reading newspapers hence did not witness the alleged beating and harassment of the applicants.

and that when Uzoma came to his office to lodge a complaint, he did everything to calm her down.

Arogundade stated that he did not at any time order or encouraged the Naval rating to either beat or torture the applicants and that it was not true that the applicants lost several valuables or sustain injuries as a result of the incident.

Counsel to the 1st and 3rd respondents, Chief Bolaji Ayorinde (SAN), had earlier told the court that it would be very clear from the counter affidavits that there are conflictions in the facts presented before the court and that the suit ought not to have been filed under fundamental human rights procedures.

Ayorinde’s prayed the court to order for oral evidence in the proceedings, but was turned down by Justice Opeyemi Oke, who said it was not yet time to make such order.

Counsel to the respondents also told the court that he was not served with a copy of the video clips attached as exhibit to the originating summons.

But Omotola Rotimi, Director of the Office of Public Defender (OPD) told the court that she needed time to study the respondent’s counter affidavits.

On the issue of video clips marked as exhibit, Omotola explained that copies have been made for the respondents as well as for the court.

At this stage, Justice Opeyemi Oke urged both parties to file all their processes and serve same before the next adjourned date and subsequently adjourned the matter till April 27 for hearing of the originating summons.

Why do Nigerians love to humiliate themselves?. Oyibo police gave them permit to protest because they are disgracing themselves the more. What did Obasanjo do they are protesting?. Is he Abacha or IBB or Abdulsalaami or Ibori or Odili?. Nonsense, I know the likes of Sauron and Pataki are at the front line of this mayhem.

igbos wont let us rest for here'

@ Afaukwu
I don't have an iota of support for inter-religious and inter-ethnic violence becouse it is senseless, unreasonable and uncivilised. No body should be forced to embrace any religion, my scripture (The holy Qur'an) is very clear about that. people should be allowed to practice without hinderence a religion of their choice. I want to believe that is also in the Bible. At the same time people should not be killed or even discriminated against on ethnic grounds. I am Hausa by tribe, i personally don't see any reason why i shall detest anybody simply becouse he/she does not belong to my tribe. what matters the most is one's attitude (how one conducts him/herself). people should also be allowed to live wherever they want regardless of their ethnic background. But, i tell you until and unless ordinary nigerians learn to tolerate and respect one another's religion and values and also stop yielding to the malicious inducements of some political and religious elites, this menace will continue to rage people in different parts of the country

how could abiola be drug dealer, when he had a friend who was president.
Dede, you people don’t get it. First of all igbos should not be upset over what I am going to say. But I love to speak the truth. It is not that people do not want to vote for the Igbos. It is just that the igbos do not have anyone at the moment that can win the 2011 election.

A candidate must cross ethnics line. The igbos do not have one. Orji kalu is seen as an igbo leader and not a Nigeria leader. I could assume Kalu is the most out spoken Igbo man around.

You see , you cant elect a person who is not in politics into power. I do not think Ngozi Iweala can win her state. Not to talk of president of Nigeria. Dora cant win her state too. You have to be able to win your state before you talk of President of Nigeria.

You look at Igbos , who have been governors or is still governor or you look at the senate. No igbos senator stand out to be president. President is a man with vision and idea. And no igbos stand at. And while you look at governors, No igbo governor have done any special thing. You have to stand out. People would not vote for ameachi and ameachi is for the oil companies.

The best the igbo could present is chimaroke nnamani apart from Orji Kalu. And he has a problem with EFCC. And Orji kalu would not win beyoud igboland So the igbos are out of the 2011 election.

Another point is you have Jonathan already in , so if you are talking about president from the south. South south would want Jonathan in as president in 2011. So the south south stand a better chances as president than Igbo.

And one issue igbos needs to know, is acceptability. And this is not a statement to verify, we all know this. Igbos tend not to be acceptable to 90% of Nigerian. Majority of Nigerian would not vote for an igboman , no matter how good he or she is.

The igboman on the street have planted wrong or negative information of who an igbo person is. Nearly every Nigerian has a story to tell about an igbo man. Most Nigerian do not trust igbos in business.

I think the igbos need to deal with the common igbo. I think the igbos have to rebrand who is an igboman in the mind of Nigerian first.

Is an igboman your friend, the one that rip you off in business 90% of the time. Is an igboman a drug dealer we see every day from country to country. This is where the igbos needs to take care of . I mean rebranding an igbo man. And then an igboman would be president. You have to clear from the mind set of other Nigerian that igbos can not be trusted. And it start by common igbos on the street been honest and stop cheating people in business. And that would take many years of doing. Trust me on this. Other Nigerian do not trust igbos.

This are factor why fashola is been consider by the opposition. The opposition believe fashola running for president would mean a win in 10 states. The only alternative to fashola for the opposition is Adam Oshimohole. And he is a new governor. So that is a disadvantage. Another alternative is David Mark changing party. Which would never happen.

If Yar Adua runs in 2011, Fashola must be present by AC candidate. Fashola running for president win or loss guarantee the AC about 16 states in the governorship election. That is assume yar adua runs or a northerner run.

While for the PDP. The PDP is looking for a win. A Bukola saraki brings three things to the table,

the middle belt vote,
His father influence in the north,
and the Yoruba vote.
The middle belt and the Yorubas vote is 16 states. Bukola saraki bring with him 16 states to the table.

That why everybody is saying the PDP should include his name. The alternative is to have for the PDP is Chief Bode George or governor Oyinlola. And have them run for president under the PDP while picking Isa Yuguda or Usman Saidu Nasamu Dakingari as vice president. This way . PDP would be able to carry 20 states. I think it would be wicked asking YAr Adua to run for office considering his health. His health should come first. This combination of Bode George or Oyinlola / Isa Yuguda or Usman Saidu Nasamu Dakingari give the PDP . Lagos, ogun, Oyo, osun, kwara, kogi, ekiti, ondo, edo, delta, bauchi, Gombe, Kebbi, Benue,Taraba,jigawa, Katsina, cross river, akwa Ibom, Niger

It is more of how many state will the PDP or AC be able to carry with a candidate . And an igbo candidate on the ticket have little or non impact on win.

Just look at the satellite pictures and you know what I am talking about. PDP needs Bode George or Oyinlola because of the larger vote in Lagos and Yorubaland and If not the opposition would destroy you in the international community. PDP or AC can not win the election without winning Yoruba. It is IMPOSSIBLE if you look at the satellite picture. NOONE can win an election with igboland.

And party is about winning, so the Igbos should not blame anyone. PDP and AC want to win and use their best people to win. It is call politics, it may look unfair. But no blame PDP or AC, they want power in 2011.

I have told the Igbos the best chance of the Igbos presidency is to have the Yorubas and bendle are and bayelsa out of Nigeria. This way the north have no other alternative than make an igboman president.


The choice for the PDP is to go with Either a Jonathan/Saraki or Saraki/Jonathan or Go with Bode George( Oyinlola) / Isa Yuguda( Usman dakingari) as vice president.

While for AC Fashola / Middle belt vice president . Or David Mark/Fashola
Or Adam Oshimohole/ Northerner muslim.

this are the only option for the 2011 win. Like I said it would wicked to ask Yar adua to run, when is health is very bad. He needs to take care of himself.

Look the igbos have to rebrand themselves. And deal withing themselves , and remove the negative mind set of Nigerian that igbos would cheat you. I know many igbos who would never cheat you but the bad one have destroy the names of the igbos. Which makes other Nigerian to have a negative mind set towards the igbo. That what the igbo need to rebrand. Is not that the igbos don’t have people. But even if Jesus Christ was igbos, in Nigerian politics no one would one to vote to him.

Rebranding the igbos is the answer.