₦airaland Forum

freed:
What is this all about? They just want to show they have completed their masters or PHD or feel superior or special. Its not all about using supersized words its all about communicating with your audience

just look at this post from: grafikdon

Perhaps you have been deeply immersed in the putrid quagmire of ethnic antagonism that you brand everyone with a divergent view an ethnic bigot

dede1

A nincompoop of your caliber can not draw me out of my academic shell to announce my area of academic discipline to the whole world through medium known as Internet. I have worked with and taught individuals from four continents for considerable amount of years in USA.
If I am your interviewer and asked you to write about yourself on impromptu, and the so-called scholar in you submitted paragraphs like you have been sketched them on this forum, you will be hauled to jail by the security personals.

Jakumo
More significantly, teeming hordes of Nigerian worshippers would be free get up off their knees where they had been immobilized in prayer like so many wildebeest, so as to re-engage their cognitive functions and get on with the many responsibilities and challenges of real life, rather than waiting in vain for the nirvana offered at great monetary cost in the afterlife by those rapacious "Men of Dog", who themselves know of no other occupation that stealing from the poor to finance their own lives of lavish consumption.

My head o! my belle o!

Quotes from Winston Churchill
History will be kind to me for I intend to write it.
A love for tradition has never weakened a nation; indeed it has strengthened nations in their hour of peril.

This is a story for you.

As all the other African people were selling their own people as slaves (e.g. Youruba, Igbo etc.). The Oba on the other hand did not sell the Benin people as slaves, as he realised that this would bring destruction and backwardness to his people. Instead, he even bought slaves from other tribes. The only slave he sold from his own people was a Voodoo priest. His main goal was that the priest should use Voodoo to guide the slaves over there in America, in order to keep them focused so that their identity would not be lost.
Hundreds of years later, a fine gentleman has now arisen from the midst of the slave descendants, conquering his fears and demons due to the spiritual guidance of the Voodoo priest. His name is Obama, which ironically in Benin means “the Oba is good”.

LOL

SapeleGuy:
LOL- Perhaps the PhD was in English. With gems like 'I studied in abroad on a platter of gold' or ' necessary skills to analysis deductive argument or evaluate inference critical reading.' I think we have found a real star!!!

LOL  I thought he was joking, but turns out he's dead serious in his post!

okokomeji:
@Gaggi. To hell with your untraceable lineage and tradition. Without being pretentious or ostentatious, I would unequivocally say with my Phd degree I am more exposed and better off than every last of your family. I know you are jealous of my enviable credentials, you be like that could have been mine. Your jackass has to earn it. I won't lie I studied in abroad on a platter of gold. I started getting scholarship right from my primary school because of my superior ability among my peers. I set standard in everything I do. I got all A's in my SSCE and SAT score of 1560/1600. This gave me free-ride scholarship for my whole academic years. After college, before going to graduate school for my PhD, I wanted to become US citizen and I considered joining US Navy. I took the Asvab military examination, after the results came out. They separated me from the crowd and asked me how did I do it? After few months being in Navy, I realized I was not destined for the routine o military. I considered going to graduate school as my last resort. I took GRE exam and I score 1540/1600. I got admitted to Ivy League. All my life, my grade never dropped below 97 percentile. I started a job with fortune 500 company, and earning a few thousands away from six-figure salaries. Nothing better than that! Let me know about your story too since you are the only passed through school. I could tell by your naivety that you are not my type. Everything I say is fact, I use goggle sometimes because it's the most powerful cache or citadel of knowledge I know for sure. Majority of the sightings, quotes and evidence is what I have accumulated over a long time and had been[b] imbibed [/b] in my system. You can figure that out within ten to twenty minutes of typing on the forum. It has to be pa[b]r[/b]ked and parceled in your system.
Your lame ass comments don’t mean you have the necessary skills to analysis deductive argument or evaluate inference critical reading.

I am sitting here reading your post and laughing.
PhD? In what - poor spelling and grammar??
You are a fraud. Whom did you have to bribe to get your "PhD"? The examination board must have been drunk, or apes, or both.
Una no go finish me with laughter.
Maybe you should write in your native tongue.

naijaking1:
Now, you're talking; as the Director of Information for the Oba
Even if you change the gem of the argument to emphasize health hazards, your argument can only go so far. The next logical line would be the role of scientific data to support this new line of thought, the role of public health officials, ie sanitation, commisioner of health, etc.
At best, this line of arguement doesn't carry you far away from blood letting and demonic responses alludded earlier

The Edo people have been dealing with palm fruits longer than anybody in this World is simply laughable.

Okay, since you deem it laughable, please enlighten me: who has been dealing with palm fruit longer than the Edo, particularly in terms of large scale international export (not village to village sale)?

The reason people are getting so riled up about the issue is because of the spiritual, "non-scientific" reasons given for the ban.

We are living in an age where, due to scientific knowledge and advances, it is becoming increasingly unacceptable to assign any value to tradition. Tradition has gotten very bad press indeed! (Take, for example, genital mutilation). Yes, there are traditions that, in the modern sense, hinder progression, and are therefore of little value in our modern world. However, before dismissing any tradition as "backward" and "useless", it is important to examine the motivations behind it.

Krayola said:

It is possible he (king) did it for other reasons (parasites) but presented it in a certain way to appease his followers

You have a very valid point there. The ban may be "packaged" in a way that the Palace knows will be acceptable/comprehendable to the general public. If they came with a more practical or scientific explanation, people would probably not accept it as readily.

You can draw an analogy here to medieval times in Europe. People used to think that rats were the carriers of the black death. Thus, rats became a symbol of death. In actual fact, it was the fleas (which the rats carried in their fur) which carried the pest. Of course, we only know this today. Still, to kill the rats made sense because they were (indirectly) responsible for spreading the disease! You can easily apply this analogy to the case of palm fruit bunches.

It is right to reject traditional practices and spiritual beliefs if they hinder progress, or are cruel and violate human rights. But before we reject a practice, we must always ask ourselves first: does it hurt anyone? Does it hinder progress? Or could it possibly even (*gasp*) advance progress? If you have asked yourself this and can conclusively say that this practice is negative and a hindrance, only then should you reject it.

$osisi:
I can't believe anyone would be supporting this sort of nonsense.
The oba is concerned about parasites now?
This is getting crazier

I think you are being deliberately obtuse.
It is pointless to take this argument any further, because you obviously refuse to understand.

stillwater:
To those screaming tradition . . .

The open display of palm fruit bunches was just recently banned. That tells us that it was normal to display palm fruit bunches in the open from time immemorial until the recent ban. Shouldn't you guys be fighting for the adherance to the "tradition" of leaving palm fruit bunches in the open, since tradition has to do with what has been passed on from generation to generation?

I am sorry, but you are wrong. You seem to not have read the original article carefully enough. I quote:

“the above practice has been from time immemorial a taboo and highly forbidden because it leads to pre-mature death, accident, bloodletting and other evil.”

From this, it becomes clear that the tradition has been to not display the bunches, but it seems that the tradition has not been reinforced properly, which has resulted in people disregarding it. Therefore, what the Oba has ordered is a return to tradition.
People might argue that this is a backward move. However, the Edo chiefs should know best  - this tradition did not arise out of nowhere, after all. There must have been good reason to ban the display in the past. Scientifically speaking, I can imagine that the bunches, due to their propensity to carry parasites and potential health hazards, caused the people of that day to believe that they were somehow "evil".

You need to keep in mind that the Edo have been dealing with palm fruit longer than anyone else, anywhere in the world. So they know what they are talking about!

$osisi:
The Oba did not ban palm fruits in Benin.  




How glorious
Sellers of palmfruits in the market should cover them up with tarpaulin then
and somehow the buyers will guess what they're selling.

From your comment, it is evident that this is a complete misunderstanding, which is based on not understanding the original article.

The article states (and I quote):

the statement subsequently advised traders and big time farmers dealing on palm produce to always sort out the palm-fruits, or pick the palm-fruits from the bunches before transporting them to different locations for milling purpose of selling them to the consumers.

This means that once the fruit have been picked clean, they can be openly displayed. It is fine to display the fruit on their own, just not with the bunches still attached.

So, traders do not need to cover the fruit with a tarpaulin, 

I hope this clears up the issue once and for all!

stillwater:
What if the palm fruits were actually banned? Would you still take sides with the Oba?

The answer to your question is: no, I would not "side with him" (as you put it) if he banned the actual fruit itself.
But that is a moot point. The fact of the matter is, he did not ban the fruit, only the display of the bunches. The title of this thread is very misleading, and I am sure it only added to the confusion.

I would advise people to read carefully before posting replies that are not well thought out.

I would also advise those who are interested to read up on the Benin empire and its structure, in relation to the Oba.

naijaking1:
While you're bent on word-play, please tell us how banning public display of the fruit bunches at the market and other public places helps palm fruit industry?

I could rephrase and put this question right back to you: How does the banning of public display of the fruit bunches at the market and other public places hinder the palm fruit industry?

Nevertheless, your question is very simple to answer. There are several consequential advantages of this ban:

Firstly, if the display of bunches is banned, the fruit will have to be removed from the bunches before it is transported. This will make its transport more economic, thus lowering the cost of the product to the seller.

Secondly, removing the fruit from the bunches before transporting it will enable the buyer to assess the quality of the fruit more accurately before buying.

Thirdly, the bunches are unnecessary and often carry insects and other parasitic organisms. Also, people sometimes get injured when carrying the bunches, due to its sharp edges. Removing the fruit from the bunches will thus be healthier and safer.

Finally, removing the fruit from the bunches makes its presentation neater and more pleasing to the eye.

tunku:
Biina you misguided fool, are you really trying to argue that the Monarchy in the U.k. is nothing but a figure-head? That its functions isn't merely ceremonial? Hahaha, Yeah, Lizzy is the one who decides who runs the country, the PM your mps chose is dismissed at the whims of the queen. Oh god, thanks for the laugh. You idiots really are something else. And here I thought Tony Blair/Brown  and Labour have been the ones running the U.K. for the past 12 years. Apparently its "heeellloooo" Elizabeth. Next you'll claim that the Kennedy are descendants of Arthur.

Actually, you are wrong.

Quoting from Wikipedia:

The Royal Prerogative includes the powers to appoint and dismiss ministers, regulate the civil service, issue passports, declare war, make peace, direct the actions of the military, and negotiate and ratify treaties, alliances, and international agreements. However, a treaty cannot alter the domestic laws of the United Kingdom; an Act of Parliament is necessary in such cases. The monarch is commander in chief of the Armed Forces (the Royal Navy, the British Army, and the Royal Air Force), accredits British High Commissioners and ambassadors, and receives diplomats from foreign states.

It is the prerogative of the monarch to summon, prorogue and dissolve Parliament. Each parliamentary session begins with the monarch's summons. The new parliamentary session is marked by the State Opening of Parliament, during which the Sovereign reads the Speech from the Throne in the Chamber of the House of Lords, outlining the Government's legislative agenda. Prorogation usually occurs about one year after a session begins, and formally concludes the session. Dissolution ends a parliamentary term, and is followed by a general election for all seats in the House of Commons. Again, these powers are always exercised on the Prime Minister's advice. The timing of a dissolution is affected by a variety of factors. No parliamentary term may last more than five years; at the end of this period, a dissolution is automatic under the Parliament Act 1911. However, the Prime Minister normally chooses the most politically opportune moment for his or her party. Per the Lascelles Principles, the Sovereign may theoretically refuse a dissolution, but the circumstances under which such an action would be warranted are unclear.[20] Before a bill passed by the legislative Houses can become law, the Royal Assent (the monarch's approval) is required. In theory, assent can either be granted (making the bill law) or withheld (vetoing the bill). In reality, assent is always granted; the last monarch to withhold assent was Anne in 1707.

The monarch has a similar relationship with the devolved governments of Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. The Sovereign appoints the First Minister of Scotland on the nomination of the Scottish Parliament, and the First Minister of Wales on the nomination of the National Assembly for Wales. In Scottish matters, the Sovereign acts on the advice of the Scottish Government. However, as devolution is more limited in Wales, in Welsh matters the Sovereign acts on the advice of the Prime Minister and Cabinet of the United Kingdom. The Sovereign can veto any law passed by the Northern Ireland Assembly, if it is deemed unconstitutional by the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.

The Sovereign is deemed the "fount of justice"; although the Sovereign does not personally rule in judicial cases, judicial functions are performed in his or her name. For instance, prosecutions are brought on the monarch's behalf, and courts derive their authority from the Crown. The common law holds that the Sovereign "can do no wrong"; the monarch cannot be prosecuted for criminal offences. The Crown Proceedings Act 1947 allows civil lawsuits against the Crown in its public capacity (that is, lawsuits against the government), but not lawsuits against the monarch personally. The Sovereign exercises the "prerogative of mercy", which is used to pardon convicted offenders or reduce sentences.

The monarch is the "fount of honour", the source of all honours and dignities in the United Kingdom. The Crown creates all peerages, appoints members of the orders of chivalry, grants knighthoods and awards other honours. Although peerages and most other honours are granted on the advice of the Prime Minister, some honours are within the personal gift of the Sovereign, and are not granted on ministerial advice. The monarch alone appoints members of the Order of the Garter, the Order of the Thistle, the Royal Victorian Order and the Order of Merit.

these are key words:

The Palace of the Oba of Benin, has banned the open display of palm fruit bunches in markets

While noting that the palace is aware of the economic potentials and values of palm fruits

pick the palm-fruits from the bunches before transporting them to different locations for milling purpose of selling them to the consumers.

The Oba did not ban palm fruits in Benin.

biina:
Please read up Royal prerogatives before making such claims

The Royal Prerogative is a body of customary authority, privilege, and immunity, recognized in common law and, sometimes, in civil law jurisdictions possessing a monarchy as belonging to the Sovereign alone. It is the means by which some of the executive powers of government, possessed by and vested in a monarch with regard to the process of governance of their state, are carried out.

In the UK in question:
The Royal Prerogative includes the powers to appoint and dismiss ministers, regulate the civil service, issue passports, declare war, make peace, direct the actions of the military, and negotiate and ratify treaties, alliances, and international agreements (However, a treaty cannot alter the domestic laws of the United Kingdom; an Act of Parliament is necessary in such cases).
The monarch is commander in chief of the Armed Forces (the Royal Navy, the British Army, and the Royal Air Force), accredits British High Commissioners and ambassadors, and receives diplomats from foreign states. It is the prerogative of the monarch to summon, prorogue and dissolve Parliament.

Don't mind some people here na too know, de worry them.

naijaking1:
What is the most popular crop for the Benin people? Let's say it's cocoa. Just imagine where another closely related tribe holds that cocoa is evil and must not be displayed in the city. Do you see a clash of tribes? I do.

I think there is a misunderstanding here, The palace chiefs did not say that palm is evil.

Okokomeji, If you do not know what full of shit means, then you are indeed an ape.
It means: totally unfounded, not credible, or ridiculous, usually refers to something somebody just said.

Okokomeji, you are still full of shit, Step out of it.

Tradition my foot.The Oba and his chiefs should wake up.There are other meaning aspects of our culture worth dwelling,this is just one ridiculous pronouncement.Now we know those that have been sabotaging the efforts of NIFOR to bring Nigeria at par with Malaysia as far as palm oil production is concerned

Nonsense! the Oba and his chiefs knows the full value of this plant. They started the farming and exporting of palms to the west hundreds of years ago before the Creation of Nigeria.

There is no going back, Nigeria will never divide.

Sley4life, what is your problem?

@Oxone. Yes, I am from Lag. Wake up from your slumber, the Oba of Benin had never at any point in time rule anywhere other than Benin Kingdom. The one and only almighty Oyo empire was the strongest empire throughout the whole west Africa. It’d ruled the whole south, togo, benin republic and part of Ghana. It’s apparent destruction was due to intercine wars among Yoruba villages and followed by invasion of Arab wars led by Usmas Dan Fodio (Sokoto Caliphate) and Afonja (Yoruba from Kwara state). They would never even break in to that extent. Lugard and British supply ammunitions for Usmas Dan Fodio. There after, the Lugards set up confederate camp throughout the north and later conquer the whole south too. Then, that gave birth to amalgamation of 1914 muthersucker, who the hell thought you history when you don’t even know your history.

Okokomeji, you're full of shit! are you trying to rewrite the Nigerian history?

There is nothing like evil spirit or evil course.

Just like you can't prove that spirits exist, likewise you can't disprove them.  
There are disciplines dedicated to studying paranormal phenomena, e.g. parapsychology. Even they haven't been able to disprove (nor prove) that supernatural phenomena exist.

Oba gha to okpere ise!

Yar'adua should go for starters. But who will replace him?

So Gov. Daniels have so much money that even his cook can steal 400 million naira from him.

What can the Nigerian youth do to make Nigeria a better place?
The youth needs to be involved in any changes made in the country, because they are the most passionate and have the most at stake - after all, it is about their future!
So how can we involve them? At the moment, the youth is disillusioned and their priorities are wrong. Those at university are often channelling their energy into the wrong things (e.g. secret courts), as they are being misled. Secret courts persist because they are being misused by politicians for their own purposes. This is ironic, because people like Wole Soyinka created fraternities in the first place in order for young people to voice their opinions and, if need be, fight for change!
At the moment, you cannot expect much from university students because they are frustrated and confused. They need someone to set them straight. Ideally this would be Nigerians in the Diaspora. Whenever they travel home, they should organise seminars/workshops to educate the youth and let them know what is expected of them. They are, after all, the educated elite of the future, and a lot of responsibility rests on them - the onus is on them to make a change. Change needs to be fought for, it does not come easily.
After this has been achieved, the youth needs to be told that instead of using their energy to fight each other in secret courts, they should use that energy to effect change. This can be done in many ways - for example, compiling evidence of corruption en masse and presenting it to the Senate, the House of Representatives and the EFCC, making sure that the press is also present. As a matter of fact, partnerships should be formed with the press to make their voices heard. The youth should also be ready to enlighten the public.
This should be the beginning of a youth-led revolution in Nigeria.

Changing the people is easier than Changing the ruling party. The people vote/enable/allow those in power to continue pilfering without rising up in unison to say ENOUGH ALREADY. You have 140 million persons to work on in Nigeria, where you have about 1 million people in government to try to convince, people who already enjoy a life of people (it is harder to convince people that a life of plenty, and unlimited power is wrong).

Kobojunkie, I agree with what you advocate, that the people need to have a different mindset. However, voting in Nigeria is useless and a waste of time. The job at hand is not to convince those 1 million in power that their life of plenty is wrong. No, the power needs to be taken from them and handed to more capable individuals; those who have wrongfully abused their office have to be made accountable. The people should not turn a blind eye to them.

Re-engage the people in the debate on how to change things. Bombard them with information on how it is done in other countries and how people were able to overturn governments by making wiser choices. Give me information to help better inform them. I mean if you were to run a feed on how Yar adua spent 8 solid years in Katsina and did next to nothing, and then you showed them pictures and videos and even documents to prove this, do you think many, even in the north, would go against their conscience to want the man back for a second term? Engage the people. Have them call in/write in/ vote on online polls and publish the results so they understand that they are not alone in their outrage.


Enlighten the people on what life ought to be for them considering how much we have and should be able to afford. You see it here on Nairaland how many who do not know better easily excuse ineptitude while many of those who have gone abroad, read books, and KNOW how things work and understand it ought not to be so, vehemently fight to have people understand this.

Inform the people on what these leaders are planning, have already planned and how it goes against their own benefit. For instance, let’s assume the 10-lane road in Abuja is an issue we can pick on here. We can stress the real issues in Abuja and how the federal government, who is responsible for the construction and maintenance of all federal roads in Nigeria but has chosen to allocate $1.7 Billion dollars to building roads right there in Abuja (some of the roads already in good shape compared to roads in other parts of the country) while less than $1 billion dollar is put aside for road construction in the rest of Nigeria.
Get people to contact their speakers. Heck, ask those who knew where these goons live to forward their address or something so we can have get people information should they want to match to these compounds to SHOUT OUT THEIR CONCERNS (and if possible raze down the place). Roflmao!!!!

Your idealistic ideas are endearing. There is nothing wrong with information – in fact, informing the people is one of the cornerstones of a true democracy. But this is not enough in the case of Nigeria. What is needed is a form of movement – of maybe just a few people – who come together with the purpose of not only providing the people with information, but also mobilising lawyers or other legal practitioners (could be, for example, well established practitioners but also newly qualified ones who will work pro bono); this group would need to take the corrupt leaders to court. We cannot rely on a governmental body such as the EFCC alone. The select group that I propose would make sure that corrupt leaders are taken to court. In addition, they would keep the people informed at all times, as to what is going on.
The select group would ideally continuously recruit others to join them. Here, universities could play an important role in supplying young and dynamic, enlightened and qualified individuals.
Here, leadership is key, as it is in all facets of society. This group would show that they are actively engaging in exposing and taking to court corrupt politicians. Also, they would encourage people who hold incriminating evidence against such corrupt individuals to come forward and present it, thereby enabling the gathering of a strong evidence base which would aid in weeding out the bad apples.
Sometimes, when trying to topple a corrupt system, it is better to start at the bottom and slowly work your way up.
I do agree with you that information is important, but in addition to this, there needs to be a more organised approach in the form of a select group of people who are willing to give their all and make sacrifices in order to make Nigeria a better country for the people.

CyberG:
I think some people lack the capacity for reason, even if it relocated from their brains and perched right on their nose! Obama not coming to Nigeria speaks volumes, may not perish in real terms, but diplomatically you may call it 'perish' given the various 'responsibilities' Nigeria shoulders in Africa, it's supposed prime of place and the influence it is supposed to command. It is like the saying, do not put yourself forward in the presence of the king and be rejected, rather, remain humble until you are invited to the high table. Nigeria did just that and was rejected.

If Yar'adua the number one person who should be the personification of Nigeria has been so disdainfully rejected, what value is a Nigerian? Isn't he like a leper other peoples wish to stay away from lest they become contaminated by it's vices? By snubbing Yar'adua, a lot of other countries will easily now snub us - most of them interpret things in a different way other than Nigerian leader, elites and *some* compromised Nigerians do.

When a country that sends financial aid to your country in the millions, a leader of the most powerful country in the world rejects you but listens and gives attention to the 'smaller', countries that have been working in the trenches and striving to better their lot, it speaks volumes. Anyone who cannot connect the dots yet is out of his league trying to join a conversation he has no intellectual capacity to grasp or debate.

After writing this big grammar of a reply, what do you now think of the case of the Egyptian president that canceled a meeting with Almighty Obama?

Wa Zo Bia are parasites.

you can say that again!

Methinks that the Niger Delta militants should start kidnapping politicians instead of their wives and children, or foreigners. That is the only way that the Nigerian government will understand that this is serious. Vive la revolution!

This is why I hate Nigeria,  people are being killed in the country and politicians think it is OK.