₦airaland Forum

Afam4eva:
Yes, it is true that Igbos are not the only marginalized groups. Almost every Nigerian is marginalized and this marginalization is the direct disconect between our respective leaders and the common people. I think that is an established fact.

Now, when Igbos talk about marginalization, they're not talking about the marginalization that exist between Hausa and Yoruba leaders and their respective people because Igbos also have that. They're talking about the marginalization that exists between the federal government and Igbos specifically. Atleast we can all agree that Igbos makeup the third leg that this nation was built on as one of the 3 major ethnic groups. Now when we compare what accrues to the other two compared to the Igbos, you will understand what i'm talking about. I will just pick few areas to explain my point.

In the first republic, Nigeria had 4 regions. The North, East, West and Mid West. Three of the four regions were in the south while one was in the north. Today that one region in the north now has 3 regions while the 3 regions in the south still remain with minor adjustments. The 3 regions in the north ave a total of 19 states while the regions in the south have a total of 17 states. Kano state alone has 44 local government and other states in the north also have more local governments compared with their commensurate states elsewhere in the country.

The number of local government wouldn't have been an issue exceot for the fact that it being used for revenue allocation. Meaning that those 19 states in the north will have allocations each. The 44 local governments in kano will also have allocations each as well. As if that's not bad enough even our largest oil producing state of Imo has even less allocation than the average state in the north. Needless to say we have only 5 states, the lowest in all the regions and even the 5 states collect some of the lowest allocations in the federation. That's that.

Now, another area is in the distribution of projects. Can you tell me why most military organizations or government institutions in Nigeria are in the north? Not even one in the east? Can you tell me why federal character benefits the north so much that every parastatal you work into is filled to the brim with northerners and this is the same people that governments says are educationally disadvantaged but are somehow at the top echelon of administrative conveniences in the country.

You have raised a very important aspect here and i would like to consider your perspective on the matter.


According to you, ''In the first republic, Nigeria had 4 regions''. Obviously, things are not the way you put it.

There was 3 regions in 1st Republic...West..East and North..........Each having minorities agitating for separate region.

West granted the minority agitating for separate region theirs (Mid-West), East didn't grant Portharcourt axis. This is what led to the first major agitation, by the Niger delta groups led by Boro if you recall. They want their own seperate region, but the east didn't grant it.

Similar groups also existed in the North, but they also didn't grant it, they prefer what they call, one strong North.


Again, don't forget that the North, at that time was still bigger than both West and East joined together. It was far bigger than the two even as at that period.

So, having 17 States in the South and 19 in the North, is just a reality. If we go back to history, it was supposed to be more than that, because even before independence, Noth had far more representatives at the parliament than both West and East joined together. It has always been more bigger than both east and west joined together. So, that cannot be said to be marginalization. A place with bigger size and population by nature should have more states and more representatives. That is equity.

U.S for example has states with one senator. It has another state with 6 senators. Is that marginalization? No. each state or region got what is due to it based on its size. This is why 6 South South State got more federal revenue than the remaining 30 states joined together. I mean 6 states got more revenue than 30. is that marginalization? No.

South east is small, this is a fact no one can dispute. A place with 20 million population should not receive as much as a place 50 million. That would be unjust. So, because SE has less states doesn't mean it is marginalized, it simply reflected the practical situation.

You also said, Now, Can you tell me why most military organizations or government institutions in Nigeria are in the north?

This is not about the Igbo. This is about something different.

This is another issues that has to do with the nation at large, it is not an igbo arguement.

T get adequate response, you have to ask, what took those institutions there? Why? Since we have had two igbo presidents, i am sure they know better. Since our return to democratic governance, its about 17 years now. people from the south had used 12. North is using 5. If the location of the institutions are problem, they would have looked into it.

Meanwhile, the location of a military infrastructure doesn't amount to marginalization.

Let's be specific. This topic is strictly about igbo marginalization.

That is what we are discussing.

Thanks

Piiko:
I wish I could comment but I have gone tired of being ethnocentric, this current Daura disaster is the 1 causing most of our problems, we don't like him that's why we gave him minimal votes, the Afonja have never been our allies there always sell out and I am sure it's coz there think we will outshine them, a lot of things aren't in our favour, we are landlocked the geographical spread of our people and our political apathy, most of us like food is ready politics I hope the future is better otherwise our next best option is the clamour for restructuring, we are the state with the least constituencies, least local government and fewest state as it stands. The thing weak me

But the east and the north went into coalition in 1960 to form the federal govt, leaving the west in opposition. If the east and west had went into coalition, they could have formed the govt too. So, When did the north stop liking the east? And why?

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shukuokukobambi:
And my own complaint seems a joke right? Are you trying to marginalize me here again?

No SIr.

Jesusloveyou:
All region are marginalised by the political class

This is the truth i see, but maybe someone thinks otherwise.

Let's hear them. I really want to reason with them based on issues

Blue3k:
Switzerland would be a guess but seem they have one. Tiny but it's there. I guess these movements are as irrelevant as Texas secession or California.

They are not useless as you think. They are following the law and observing the legal procedure.

If they do, half of what agitators do in Nigeria, you will know they are not uesless, but they will be crushed if they try it.

Nigeria is one of the most tolerant country, when it comes to lawless groups.

RoyalUc:
Really! Thanks for the info.
What country are they agitating for?

[quote author=RoyalUc post=60555310]They just want to secede

shukuokukobambi:
Abeg me sef I'm marginalized. No minister from my village. Only 1 senator since and he spent only 3 months in 1983!!

We are having a serious discussion here please.

abdelrahman:
Abdulsalam is hausa while maradona is gwari,both from niger state and bros muritala was fulani.

Can you back this up by any fact?


What was posted was based on their wikipedia profile....

i don't think you know them better than their profile says.

Thanks

Afam4eva:
The thing about arguments is that i can pick any arguments no matter how ridiculous it sounds and give you reasons i think my argument thumps all others. That's exactly what you have done here and you're entitled to it.

It's funny how you think that marginalization claims in 2017 has anything to do with the fact that we produced 2 presidents before the civil way when in fact, the marginalization started after the civil according to a lot of Igbos.

Like i said it's your opinion and you're entitled to it.

This is an opportunity for you to bring forth you arguement.

As at the time of civil war, igbo had 2 presidents. Hausa has none, Yoruba has none, Fulani has none. Can we say igbo are marginalizing them at that period?

If not, why is igbo claiming marginalization simply because other tribes are simply being represented as igbo had been represented?


This is an open discussion.

Feel free to bring forth your arguement. You are most welcome. One love

Blue3k:
Australia

There are secessionist groups in Australia, one of them is Western Australia Secession Movement

RoyalUc:
Ghana

Ghana has secessionist groups, one of them is volta. It is a secessionist group in Ghana

Additionally, Andorra is the world’s only co-principality

A principality is a place ruled by a prince. Monaco is an example of a principality. Andorra, however, is a co-principality. They have two princes who jointly share the position of prince. Neither of the two is from Andorra, however. One is the President of France, who is currently Nicolas Sarkozy. The other co-prince is the Bishop of Urgell who is currently Joan Enric Vives Sicília. The position is a constitutional one similar to the British Monarchy and holds no real power. Except for limited things, the two princes must exercise their authority together, not separately. They are the only country where one of their heads of state (the President of France) is democratically elected by another country. The other prince (the bishop) is appointed by the head of state of another country (the Pope).

AK481:
This one no go school o

Lol

freeze001:
Major country?!

Thanks for the observation

TonyeBarcanista:
Andorra

Andorra is not a major country, though the kingdom of Andorra existed long ago before the modern state. The population of Andorra is estimated at 85,458 (2014). That is less than 90,000.
Meanwhile, it is said that Spain in also attempting to annex it back to itself.

IS IGBO MARGINALIZED? LET’S DISCUSS
15 Former Presidents of Nigeria, One Prime Minister
1. Tafawa Balewa- (Prime Minister) from Gere Tribe, Bauchi State

2. Nnamdi Azikwe – Igbo Tribe, Anambra State
3. Aguinyi Ironsi - Igbo Tribe, Abia State
4. Yakubu Gowon- Angas Tribe, Jos
5. Murtala Muhammaed-Hausa tribe, Kano State
6. Olusegun Obasanjo- Yoruba Tribe, Ogun State
7. Shehu Shagari- Fulani tribe, Sokoto State
8. Muhammadu Buhari- Fulani Tribe, Katsina State
9. Ibrahim Babangida- Nupe tribe, Niger State
10. Ernest Shonekan- Yoruba tribe, Ogun State
11. Sani Abacha - Kanuri tribe, Borno State
12. Abdulsalam Abubakar- Gwari tribe, Niger State
13. Olusegun Obasanjo- Yoruba tribe, Ogun state
14. Umaru Yaradua- Fulani tribe, Katsina State
15. Goodluck Jonathan- Ijaw tribe, Bayelsa state
16. Muhammadu Buhari- Fulani tribe, Katsina State

We have 16 of them in total.

1 Hausa President, 2 Igbo, 3 Yoruba, 1 Gere tribe, 4 Fulani, 1 Angas, 1 Nupe, 1 Gwari, 1 Kanuri, 1 Ijaw

In practice, Yoruba has only 2, Obasanjo and Shonekan, Igbo has 2, Azikwe and Ironsi, Fulani has 3, Buhari, Yaradua and Shagari, Hausa has only 1, Murtala, and Kanuri, Ijaw, Gere all have 1 each.

Does this justify igbo claim of marginalization?

Source of information: Wikipedia

Mention one major country without secessionist groups in the world.

Over to you

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Dr Okezie Ikpeazu
Executive Governor of Abia state
Government House
Umuahia

Your Excellency

With tears and sorrow, the Umuahia Youth Movement respectfully write to request the dethronement of Nnamdi Kanu’s father as a traditional ruler of our clan.

It beats our imagination that a man who calls himself a Royal father and an Elder could not call his son to other but rather encourage him in hia madness that have plunged umuahis city to a great crisis today.

Sir, recall that umuahia have been the most peaceful capital city in Nigeria to live and do business but just because of one man, we are today facing the wrath of the Federal government of Nigeria.

Our shops, markets, schools, churches and all banks have been shut down. For the past three days we have been indoors for fear of been attacked by the military just because of one man whose father is our traditional ruler.

Based on the above, we herecy request the he be dethroned within 24hrs or we will take the laws into our hands and dethrone him and even stripe him Unclad and raze his house.

We appeal to every well meaning Nigerians as well to prevail on Gov. Ikpeazu to as a matter of urgency dethrone Nnamdi kanu’s father.

We also request the the operation python dance should remain in all streets of umuahia as any attempt to withdraw will make the Ipob criminals rob our shops and houses.

Sir, we addure you that we remain one Nigerians and will join hands with you to make our country Nigeria and state Abia the best among all the countries of the wiorld.

Please accept the assurances of our esteemed regards.

Ifeanyi okwudili
President

Kasarachi Ubani
Vice President

Anayo Ofor
Secretary

Cc: President Mohamadu Buhari
Inspector General of Police
DSS
Senate president
Speaker House of Rep
South East Governors Forum

PRESS RELEASE BY FOUNDATION FOR PEACE PROFESSIONAL (FPP) ON RECENT TENSION IN THE SOUTH EAST REGION OVER MILITARY DEPLOYMENT

The current tension in some parts of the country, particularly in the South East region is a source of major concern for the Foundation for Peace Professionals (FPP) and we prevail on all Nigerians to give peace a chance.

Foundation for Peace Professionals is not unaware of the deployment of military personnel to the South East region and the subsequent confrontation with secessionist agitators, which reports claimed have led to some ugly incidents of torture and rights violation, but we have cause to advise all peace loving Nigerians to remain calm and support the military to carry out their lawful duty peacefully.

We must state that, the Nigerian Army do not have the right to deprive any citizen of their lives at the slightest provocation because they only exist to protect lives and properties of the Nigerian people, but equally, agitators do not have the right to undermine the army no matter their grievances. All agitation is expected to be conducted peacefully and lawfully with utmost respect to the laws of the land.

Agitators should be made to understand that, preventing an Army contingent on lawful national duty from passing through, openly confronting and threatening the soldiers with violence, stoning them with bottles among others dangerous objects is not within the right of any citizen, but army must be cautioned to carry out their duty with utmost restrain, as their only responsibility is to protect, not to destroy human lives and properties within the nation.

We hereby urge the Nigerian Army to carry out their duty without infringing on the rights of any law abiding citizen to guarantee peace.

In recent time, the ugly news coming out from the South East region as a result of secessionist agitators is not encouraging. Foundation for Peace Professionals (FPP) had in the past few months received several reports about acts of lawlessness taking place due to the ongoing agitation. We have also received reports of agitator’s intimidation, assault and some times brutalization of innocent citizens, whose only offense is their disagreement with the agitators.

From what we understand about happenings in the region before the deployment of the military, agitators have stepped beyond the bond of self expression, to what can simply be described as suppression of civil rights of other law abiding citizens.

Furthermore, the police authorities in the region seems to have lost control, to an extent that they watch without action, if the suppression of other citizen’s rights by the agitators will not lead to break out of further confrontation.

The situation ensures that agitators, who claimed to seek freedom, are themselves depriving other citizens their freedom of thoughts, movement and expression as contained in the Nigerian constitution. The agitators claimed to be seeking rights to self determination, but engaged in forceful deprivation of the rights of other citizens who disagrees with them; this is not the right thing to do.

The continuation of such practice over time, without due check by the authorities has given agitators false sense of superiority and imaginary confidence of force, which they exercise on other citizens in the region.

The problem with this practice is that, sooner or later, the suppression of citizens right by the agitators will metamorphosed into complete suppression of lawful authorities and state apparatus will be rendered powerless as a result of organized open confrontation that will emerge, which may lead to greater challenges of insecurity.

Foundation for Peace Professionals (FPP) is of the views that, whether now or later, the federal government must as a matter of necessity, look into this forced suppression of a people to concur with an agitation they do not subscribe to, but this should be done with wisdom and cooperation of the leadership of the region. Forcing those who disagrees with the agitators into silence through act of terror is not a practice to be supported.

We understand that the realization of the grave implication of the situation was one of the reasons that warranted the deployment of military personnel to the region, which is not really desirable, but necessary. FPP also understands that the military operation was not intended to militarize or intimidate the people, but to restore public confidence, guarantee safety, send a message to the perpetrators of forced suppression and provide an enabling environment for all citizens to carry on with their lawful activities as guaranteed in the Nigerian Constitution.
However, the false sense of superiority and claim of confidence of force that had been gained over time by the agitators without check by any authority ensures that the agitators confronted a passing by military armored personnel carrier (APC).

Rather than for the leadership of the agitation to call its members to order, they instead continued to mobilize more members to confront the army on a national duty. This is highly regrettable.

It must be noted however that, the confrontation of a passing by military vehicle by angry agitators, underscores the necessity of a prompt action to curtail the excesses of the agitators’ activities. This is so because, if agitators could confront a passing by military vehicle on lawful national duty, we can only imagine what they have been doing with the police authorities and other citizens who disagree with them.

Additionally, we understand the argument of some section of the public who are of the view that the military officers should not have reacted to whatever provocation from the agitators which is the most desirable response, but if wisdom prevails, citizens would not throw bottles and stones to an army contingent passing by, because the soldier too are humans. The same anger that may have instigated agitators to repeatedly throw stones and bottles to soldiers, may also instigate the soldiers to respond, especially when those who confronted them far out numbered them and are unrelenting in obstructing the duty.

No doubt, agitation is a legal instrument to express views about certain ideals in a democratic setting, but if groups are to agitate for any issue of interest, they have to follow the lay down procedure in doing so.

It is also important to further state that, agitators’ lawlessness is more of a threat to the South East region, than to the country as a whole. This is why the leadership of the South East region must not seek personal comfort at the expense of break down of law and order.

In view of this, we state without fear of contradiction that, no human hold the right to take the live of any human without recourse to justice, whether provoked or not, military or not, agitators or not.

We state in firm terms that the army doesn’t have the right to violet or kill any citizen, even when on lawful duty, unless such citizen commit similar act or put the lives of others in danger.
We urge all citizens in the region to be law abiding and subject themselves to constituted authorities. We also call on the agitators to understand that being lawless and denying other people their rights is not a right they enjoy under any known law and therefore, they should conduct their agitation in the most peaceful and civilized manner that will gain them the respect of observers.

We call on all Nigerians, particularly the aggrieved people to remain peaceful in every part of the country and not recourse to the emotional call of anger, even when provoked to do so.
Peace is better than war. Law is better than force. Unity is better than division.

We call on the Federal Government and army authorities to exercise some restrain and enure soldiers comply strictly to the rules of engagement, as well as conduct themselves with utmost professionalism.

Abdulrazaq O Hamzat
Executive Director
Foundation for Peace professionals
www.fpp.com.ng
07066479760

IS POLICE AIDING CRIMINALITY IN KWARA?
I am not in Ilorin to observe the case between Sahara Reporter and Senate President Bukola Saraki, but the videos i have watched is very shameful and disturbing.

In one of the videos, you will see police officers watching the assault and brutalization of observers without any attempt to deter the culprits from such criminality, simply because they are political thugs loyal to the state government and the Senate President.

I also saw the video of a woman that was stripped by the same thugs. She was a courageous woman who still maintained her stand in face of high level thuggery in connivance with the police.

She was seen saying very loudly, what have i done wrong? Is it a crime to come to court to observe a case? This is a right every citizen has because the court is a public place.

Surprisingly, the victims were the ones arrested by the police and the culprits allowed to walk away. This will not be left unchallenged.

Beautiful words of the most peaceful IPOB
The below statements were extracted from the various videos of the most peaceful agitator, Nnamdi Kanu.

"Nigeria should prepare for war, we are coming to annihilate you, my secret service are already studying the zoo and strategising."

"If you find anybody in your village asking after Radio Biafra, kill the baboon Awusa Fulani or Yoruba bastard. Let them keep searching as we keep tweeting for #Biafra."

"Buhari is a Terrorist he should be killed."

"By the time we finish dealing with the animals in the zoo, there'll be none left to tell the story.

"We are assembling weapons and we need some more money to thoroughly equip our military to enable us unleash mayhem on Nigeria."

"Nigeria is a zoo and everybody living in that Godforsaken zoo deserves to die."

"Kumuyi should be stoned and dealt with thoroughly if he comes to Aba for his planned crusade."

"The imbecilic Goodluck Jonathan is a disgrace to humanity and deserves to be skinned alive for handing over to an Hausa goat."

"Niger Deltans are cowards; we know what to do to them. Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Delta, Rivers, Edo and Cross Rivers State are our territory and anybody who tries to oppose us will be crushed."

"No Ibo man should attend any Church where the pastor is a Yoruba man, they are criminals and fools."

"Its either Biafra or death..."

Ngozi123:
We've already had our 'Rwanda' and that occurred in 1966- the pogroms against Igbo people. @Op, why didn't you compare it to that instead?

Cc: bilms

Read again. This time, with open mind

BlackDBagba:
GHen ghen

But wait ... how do they get these letters?

Ask Saraki and his lawyers.

Meanwhile, the answer is in the Falana's letter

Saraki VS Sahara Reporters: Who is the crook? You decide

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