₦airaland Forum

rubbish

hmmmmmmmm
lm proud of , ,,,,,,,,

stop tribalising issues, every tribe in Nigeria is involve in drug

lm happy shes alive, l admire Maryam

l love that woman, I will pray for her

Last time Osuofia, release a song praising 419s, I think it time for him to release another album praising kidnappers; stupid man

Nigeria doesn't need anybody prayer

[size=18pt]This kidnapping 'business' [/size]
Tolu Ogunlesi


November 13, 2009 10:52AMT

We are in for it. Already they tell us that we cannot grow old - or rather, that 50 (make that 47) is the new old. And now, even the few amongst us who manage to defy the statistics, are further endangered.

The upsurge in the spate of kidnappings, especially of elderly persons, and especially in the eastern part of the nation ,now means that it is a crime to be old in a country that in the first place makes it as hard as possible to grow old.

It is already a crime to be poor in Nigeria, should we be adding elderly to that list as well?

I have been thinking hard about this, and I have come to the conclusion that we need desperate solutions. Things cannot be allowed to continue unchallenged.

I am therefore seriously considering quitting journalism, and moving into big business. Pray, what success have our newspapers achieved in the quest to make Nigeria a kidnap-free place? These kidnappers are obviously not reading our editorials and cover stories. They, like other Nigerian criminals, do not understand the language of ‘grammar'. Every election year in Nigeria, sales of bulletproof vehicles rise significantly. It's plain logic. Nigerians know that ‘prevention is better than cure'. Which, precisely, will be the tagline of my new business?

I will be going into the sales, supply, servicing, and maintenance of human tracking devices. Recall the days when, to secure your car, you needed padlocks and pedal locks and the rest? Today, what do you do - you get a tracker. It is the reason why car snatching is not as big as it was years ago - and it is probably why Hammani Tidjani, the last of a line of larger-than-life cross-border car-robbers (he was arrested during the Tafa Balogun era) never got a successor.

So, I want to pioneer a ‘P & M Tracking Solution', where P & M stand for Papa & Mama (think MTN C-Track, where C = car).

It will work very simply - moneyed Nigerians will get their parents implanted with tiny chips that track movement. In effect it would mean turning our senior citizens to cyborgs what with pacemakers, implanted hearing aids, and now tracking devices; and it would mean one more reason to keep them away from magnets - but that would be a small price to pay for security for them, and peace of mind for us.

If we don't do this you know what the alternative is? We will have to relocate all our elderly ones to Lagos, from the kidnapping-ravaged hinterlands. Now, is that a bad idea? Depends how you look at it.

It is Mr. Fashola, Governor of Lagos State, who I pity the most. You will recall that the hardworking governor has been busy over the last few months, deporting non-Lagosians in a bid to sanitise Lagos. Now all the hard work is about to be unravelled, as Lagosians import their parents in droves into the city.

Look, if you didn't understand that, let me tell you in plain English. This city is on its way to being overrun. And contrary to all expectations, it is not the Chinese who will overrun it. It is white-haired Nigerians. Imagine what that will mean: you walk into Swe Bar on a Thursday evening and everybody there will be dancing with a walking stick. And what will they be dancing to? Tunde Nightingale, Rex Lawson and Boney M. Then there's Facebook.

Back in the village, old Pa and Ma didn't have Internet access. In Lagos they will have. They will sit at home all day and discover twitter and Facebook and 234next.com. You know what that means. Facebook status updates that will read, simply: "is still breathing".

Beneath such an update will be: "74 Septuagenarians like this".

There are the good sides of course - the new Lagos will resemble the world's greatest cities, where you see elderly couples, hand in hand, taking long walks, getting lost (another reason why the tracking devices will come in handy). And smart business-persons will make shiploads of money, catering to the needs of the elderly: Boneless Chicken Specials in Barcelos, reruns of Village Headmaster and New Masquerade at Silverbird Cinemas, avant-garde casket exhibitions at Didi Museum, Blasts from the Past at Auto Lounge.

While you ponder on all that, there is a question you should urgently ask yourself, if you haven't already: "What is my Kidnap Coefficient (KC)?" Kidnap Coefficient is defined as the exclusive probability of becoming a kidnap victim, adjusting for time, chance and condition. It is an indication of your ‘valuability', calculated by a complex equation that takes into account several variables - ranging from your age, to your ‘newsworthiness,' to the number of affluent first-line relatives you have, to the Lowest Possible Amount (LPA) of money you are able to command as ransom, post-bargaining.

Let me leave you to get your head around that concept. I'm due for a meeting with my business partners in five minutes. See you on next year's Forbes List.

http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/Opinion/5480507-148/This_kidnapping_'business'___.csp

[size=15pt]Maga don pay
shout Hallelujah[/size]

Nigeria of course, if you want to commit suicide

to God be the glory

[size=15pt]Lawmakers ask robbers to declare temporary ceasefire[/size]

By Dimeji Kayode-Adedeji

October 29, 2009 01:50AMT
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The Ogun State House of Assembly on Wednesday appealed to armed robbers operating in the state and neighbouring ones to suspend their activities in the light of the junior World Cup going on in the country.

The Assembly reminded the robbers that any of their operations during the period of the tournament will give the country a bad name, as several foreign visitors are in the country now. Ogun is one of the states hosting teams in the competition.

The lawmakers agreed to beg the bandits during deliberations on the floor of the House, at their Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta complex. A member, Edward Ayo Odugbesan had raised an alarm that the Isheri bridge, which links Ogun with Lagos State, has become a den of bandits.

Mr. Odugbesan said there is a need for the men of the underworld to suspend their operations in the interim, because of the on-going mundial. The Ijebu-Ode International Stadium is one of the centres being used for the competition.

“I want to appeal to the men of the underworld to suspend their actions and operations in the interim because of our foreign visitors currently in the state,” he said. “Then they can resume thereafter, because there is nowhere in the world where robbers and robberies could be stopped from their work.” He then called on his colleagues to support his call on the armed bandits to soft-pedal because the situation is becoming worrisome.

“If foreigners witness the robbers’ attacks at this point, it would send a bad signal to other nations,” he said.

Police wake up

Reacting to Mr. Odugbesan’s call, the Speaker, Tunji Egbetokun, called on the police leadership to intensify efforts in ensuring that security is maintained in the state.

“I want to use the opportunity to call on the police to intensify efforts in checkmating criminals. They should please not relent in the efforts,” he said.

In a related development, the Assembly ordered the head of the Local Government Administration of Obafemi-Owode to appear before it next Wednesday for clarification on the budget and expenditure of the council. The local government official was said to have dodged previous invitations over the past three months – a development which the Assembly faulted at its session yesterday.

The lawmakers, therefore, directed the Clerk of the House, Demola Badejo, to write the official on the matter and direct him to report before it.

http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/Home/5475325-146/story.csp

A compromise; sometime you dont get what you want, but you may get what you need

The origin of Osu revolve around a people culture and believe within the contest of a period in history. Every society designate a method it want to worship it God. Osu system , irrespective of its shortcoming is not about slavery, Richy is trying to twist history and focus on a narrow angle to prove a point.

The biggest problem with Richy is about his narrow definition of juju.
Juju is not just a charm, amulets, object; its a religion a belief and the culture of a people . Its encompasses such thing like traditional medicine, dancing , music. Its a body of knowledge , idea and philosophy; for anybody to call that fraudulent is preposterous and unforgivable.

Like every aspect of life it has its own shortcomings, but  does not mean we should throw away the baby and  birth water. Christianity has its shortcomings, and science too.  Nothing is perfect

juju is not perfect, and definitely not fraudulent

[size=15pt]Who are the Osu?[/size]
Osu – the Problem of the Outcast

In Things Fall Apart, we are reminded of a disturbing practice taking place around the world and covertly in our very nation: prejudiced discrimination promoting invisibly segregated, though sometimes not, caste systems. After the beginning of the Christianization in Mbanta, some of the tribe’s outcastes, or osu, “seeing the new religion welcomes twins and such abominations,” decide to try the church out. After a great stir, and even a new convert rejecting the religion for ignorant sympathy, the osu are accepted as ‘brothers and sisters,’ as the Christian overseer promoted equality among the Ibo people. As the Christian Europeans saw it, all the ‘heathen’ needed a Savior, not just the rulers of the tribes.

I was determined to find out a little more about who the Osu people are and how they become social outcastes.

Originally the Osu were a group of people dedicated to serving at shrines and temples for the deities of the Igbo, or Ibo people, and as slaves to whatever deity they served, their label transformed into a social stigma. Thus, over time the social interaction between the Osu and freemen, or Diala, also morphed from respect to fear and the cultural norms that guided their conduct and interactions became rules of custom that ostracized and branded anyone who violated the rules of interaction as Osu themselves. Thus, not only was categorization of outcast something inherited but also something to be feared. One site put it this way:

However, the “indigenous monks,” upon mastering their spiritual functions (of learning to serve the gods) were unjustly and erroneously assigned the Igbo pejorative name of Osu, Ume or Ohu arusi (the slave of the deities/gods or shrines). And so was the story of how the institution of the Osu cult (ritual slavery) originated. The Osus and their descendants belonged to the gods; and they become the properties of the shrines. And they resided in the vicinity of the shrines of major deities and for all practical purposes excluded themselves from routine engagements with the rest of the community. In other words, being the agents of the deities the Osus maintained an aloof relationship with the rest of the civil society.

Another definition of how people became labeled as Osu was found at the International Society for Human Rightssite. It explained that anyone who became ostracized by a particular tribe and “sought refuge with the gods,” became the spirit’s property and begat a “life-long exclusion from the community.” I could see how a son like Nwoye, who shows signs of effeminacy, could have been ostracized by a zealous, proud and many father like Okonkwo and fled for refuge with the Osu if the need had arose. Instead, he found refuge with the Christians, which he was permanently persecuted for anyway.

Many contemporary African natives, especially those indoctrinated and raised in democratic principles of liberty and freedom, believe the continued practices of ostracizing those labeled osu is a heinous evil. They say that, “Some traditional sentiments are unfortunately expressed, by those who believe in the preservation of our primitive heritage and customs, whenever the issue is mentioned. Some of them may shift uneasily in their chairs; yet other may even tiptoe away, at the mere mention of the word ‘Osu’. Those individuals who observe this tradition with reverence treat any of the so-called ‘Osu’ person with callous disregard.”

It appears that Africa has an endless struggle against a form of racism commingled with religious sentiments that it must attempt to seize and destroy through education and manipulation. Sounds familiar enough, especially for anyone who lived through the Civil Rights movement; and who knows what will happen with the future of white, black and Hispanic interactions.

http://resurrected.blogspirit.com/archive/2005/11/30/who-are-the-osu.html

[size=15pt]The Osu Caste System [/size]
Leo Igwe

The Osu caste system is an obnoxious practice among the Igbos -in Nigeria-which has refused to go away despite the impact of Christianity, modern education and civilization, and the human rights culture. In this piece, I will argue that the Osu discrimination is an outdated tradition with no basis for its continued practice and observance in the contemporary Igbo society.

Traditionally, there are two classes of people in Igboland – the Nwadiala and the Osu. The Nwadiala literally meaning ‘sons of the soil’ are the freeborn. They are the masters. While the Osu are the slaves, the strangers, the outcasts and the untouchables. Chinua Achebe in his well-known book, No Longer At Ease asks: What is this thing called Osu? He answers: “Our fathers in their darkness and ignorance called an innocent man Osu, a thing given to the idols, and thereafter he became an outcast, and his children, and his children’s children forever” The Osu are treated as inferior human beings in a state of permanent and irreversible disability. They are subjected to various forms of abuse and discrimination. The Osu are made to live separately from the freeborn. In most cases they reside very close to shrines and marketplaces. The Osu are not allowed to dance, drink, hold hands, associate or have sexual relations with Nwadiala. They are not allowed to break kola nuts at meetings. No Osu can pour libation or pray to God on behalf of a freeborn at any community gathering. It is believed that such prayers will bring calamity and misfortune.

A human rights group outlined the atrocities meted out against the Osu in Igboland. They include: ‘parents administering poison to their children, disinheritance, ostracism, organized attack, heaping harvest offering separately in churches, denial membership in social clubs, violent disruption of marriage ceremonies, denial of chieftaincy titles, deprivation of property and expulsion of wives etc.”

The Osu caste discrimination is very pronounced in the area of marriage. An Osu cannot marry a freeborn. The belief is that any freeborn that marries an Osu defiles the family. So freeborn families are always up in arms against any of their members who wants to marry an Osu. They go to any length to scuttle the plan. Because of the Osu factor, marriages in Igboland are preceded by investigations-elders on both sides travel to native villages to find out the social status of the other party. And if it is found that one of them is an Osu, the plan would be automatically abandoned. Many marriage plans have been aborted, and in fact some married couples have been forced to divorce because of the Osu factor. Chinua Achebe also noted this in his book. When Okonkwo learns that his son wants to marry Clara, an Osu. Okonkwo says: “ Osu is like a leprosy in the minds of my people. I beg of you my son not to bring the mark of shame and leprosy into your family. If you do, your children and your children’s children will curse you and your memory… You will bring sorrow on your head and on the heads of your children.”

But there have been several efforts and initiatives to eradicate this harmful tradition. In 1956, the government of the then Eastern Nigeria passed a law abolishing the Osu caste system. The law freed and discharged anybody called Osu including the children born to such a person. It declared the practice unlawful – and a crime punishable by law. But unfortunately, 50 years after the enactment of this legislation, nobody has been prosecuted or convicted for breaking the law. At best what the legislation has achieved is to drive the practice underground. Also many religious leaders and traditional rulers have spoken out against the practice. Recently Eze Enyeribe Onuoha, the traditional ruler of Umuchieze autonomous community in Imo State urged his community members to abandon the practice. He said: “discrimination against Osus is irrational, illegal, unjust and archaic and opposed to human rights. It is one Umuchieze(Igbo) tradition that should immediately be abolished.”

But statements and declarations like this are not uncommon. But they have always fallen on deaf ears among the Igbo people most of whom think that cultural norms are sacrosanct and should not be tampered with. So the belief in and practice of Osu caste system continue to wax strong in Igboland. In 1997, a person alleged to be an Osu was made a chief in a community in Imo State. But six months later, the community was engulfed in a crisis. And when the case was brought to the court, the presiding judge noted that though the abolition of Osu caste system was in the statute, it was an unenforceable law. The chief was dethroned so that peace would reign in the community.

And not too long ago I met a lady in a friend’s house in Lagos. I was told that she was engaged to a young man from Imo State. And months later I learnt that the marriage plan had been abandoned because the lady was said to be an Osu. There have been several instances like that where young men and women of Igbo extraction have suffered heartbreaks and emotional traumas as a result of this cultural disease. And now the question is, why is it that this cultural practice has refused to go away even among educated Igbos. The reason is not far fetched. The practice of Osu caste system is hinged on religion, supernaturalism and theism. And Igbos are deeply religious and theistic people. Osu are regarded as unclean or untouchable because they are (alleged to be) dedicated to the gods. So it is the dedication to the gods that makes the Osu status a condition of permanent and irreversible disability and stigma.

So this cruel custom will not be eradicated until Igbos begin to realize that gods are imaginary beings, not objective entities. Igbos need to understand that deities and spirits are mental constructs used to control and organize the society at the infancy of the human race. And today that humanity has come of age. Because if one does not believe that the gods and spirits are real, then the idea of treating someone as unclean or untouchable because the person is dedicated to any deity does not make sense at all. Even for the god-believing Igbos, the practice is out rightly baseless. Because most Igbos are Christians and do not profess any belief in the traditional gods to which the Osu were (alleged to be) dedicated. So, it is both sensible and appropriate that all Igbos - believers and non-believers alike renounce and abandon this abhorrent, inhuman and despicable practice. Politically, state authorities must get Igbo communities and associations to remove provisions in their constitution that bar Osu from contesting elections or receiving traditional titles. Legally, the courts must begin to enforce the law abolishing the Osu caste system. And the Nigerian state must rise up to its duty of protecting and defending the humanity, dignity and equal rights of all citizens irrespective of their sex, ethnic origin, religion, belief or birth status.

Most importantly Igbos must begin to envision a new society where people can live and interact, marry and be married, elect and be elected, without division, distinction, discrimination on the basis of Osu or Nwadiala. Hence I want to use this opportunity to appeal to my people-ndi Igbo: Please let’s strive to remove this mark of leprosy and shame from the face of our culture and society.

_____

About the author: Leo Igwe is director of the Centre for Inquiry in Nigeria. He can be reached at nskepticleo@yahoo.com.

Richy

@bilymuse,

Do you want me to show you more evidence?

You've not done any research on this topic so stick to what you know.

To blame juju for the Osu system is like blaming Christianity for a Pastor who rape a girl in his care; the issue are related but not mutually exclusive. You need to consider the origin of the Osu system viv a viz the socio economic condition of the period. There are slaves in the bible and there are prophets of God with slaves. Can you conclude that christianity is responsible for slavery

RICHY

Even today, many ignorant Igbos still look down on fellow Igbos as members of an inferior caste, an unfortunate consequence in accepting the get-rich-quick antics of the juju priests of the Ibini Ukpabi oracle aka Aro Long Juju.

You cannot blame juju for the Osu system in Igboland, your argument is shallow, but are related but not mutually exclusive.

@poster

stop sending me threatening emails.

can pls post the threatening emails

This has nothing to do with Seun, if you have problem with Richy , follow the normal protocol to initiate his removal.

Simply because you have a spat with Richy's on juju thread (https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-338644.320.html) , does not justified your brutal attack on Seun and Richy. If you have a better reason why Richy should be remove, state it, and be fair.

[size=26pt]The Lord is good[/size]

RichyBlack

[size=15pt]It's impossible for rods to turn into snakes.[/size] There are some possible explanations:

1. The snakes were housed in brittle rods (clay is a possible material due to it's high brittleness) that disintegrate and set loose the snakes on impact with the floor.

2. The story could be metaphoric, and hence should not be taken literally.

There are more possibilities.

Are you saying the bible account is wrong or Moses is a fraudstar who deceived the people by hiding snake in a brittle rod, or you are the only person who fully understood the metaphor of the story

RichyBlack


Going through most of richy's postings and his argument shows his of science background. He used scientific argument to try solidify his position without following basic scientific principle. His wild statement regarding juju is based on gross misconception, lack of proper understanding and fraught with double standard. He is eager to post example that suite him but reject eye witness accounts that contradict his views.

Solution:
Richy could put forward an hypothesis regarding the efficacy of juju , and test that hypothesis by conducting an experiment using samples that adequately represent the data population; without disregarding the control experiment.

Alternatively, he could post detail of any research work done that prove beyond reasonable doubt that juju is fraudulent.

[size=15pt]FORENSIC FORCE: 140 million liabilities
[/size]
Salisu Suleiman

October 22, 2009 10:57PMT
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Nigeria has had leadership of all hues - the good, the bad, the ugly and the inordinately slow. Some of our leaders have been assets, but collectively, they represent a profile in moral and fiscal bankruptcy.

Leadership is a product of societies and people get the leaders they deserve (since we refuse to fight for real elections). And just like our leaders, if you gather all Nigerians on a scale, you will end up a nation of 140 liabilities. All international agencies tell us we are 151 million, but the government is yet to count the last 11 million.

No doubt, there are millions of intelligent, honest and hardworking people in Nigeria. These people would gladly be accepted anywhere in the world because they have made giant strides in as many fields as one can think of.

But on the other side of the scale are more millions of small time crooks, petty thieves, corporate criminals and unprincipled politicians who contribute nothing to Nigeria. Added to our national balance sheet, these liabilities would leave us lurching in deep red.

We live in permanent darkness and unending thirst; our roads are from a war zone; our hospitals fast lanes to hell; our schools churn out illiterates; our leadership is corrupt and comatose. But have we not, in our own small ways, contributed to this sorry state?

From the petrol station attendant who tinkers with dispensing machines; the clerk who hides files; the businessman without rules; the banker averse to ethics; the judge who auctions justice; the lawyer who sells out his clients; the teacher who solicits favours from students; the farmer who hides rotten foodstuff under fresh to the hawker in traffic who runs away with your change -the list is endless.

Think of the bread seller who gives you stale bread and tells you it is fresh, or the policeman who asks for bribes, then charges you for bribery, and finally asks for a bigger bribe to drop the initial bribery charge. What about the driver who obeys no known rules and laws of driving, or the doctor, whose malpractice sends patients to early graves, then hides the evidence?

Why do we begin meetings with prayers and end with prayers, but in between plot how to defraud our country? Given various tasks, one group is thinking of how to place shorter adverts, another is thinking of how to settle for cheaper hotels, and a third is thinking of how to hire cheaper transport - again the list is endless.

Even in the conduct of our personal affairs, do we add value to Nigeria? Parents that can afford to, take their children to schools known for having unusually high pass rates. Another name for it is ‘organized' exams malpractice. Do they have the moral imperative to now blame government for falling standards of education?

These days, if you have a grudge against the government (don't we all?) and happen to be from the Niger Delta, just look for an oil or gas pipeline and blow it up.

And government will grant you amnesty. (Though if you are Boko Haram, run for your life!) If you want to loot public funds from state institutions or banks, don't take millions. Grab several billions, so that when you are caught, you can pay off the police, the judiciary, the media, the probe panels, and indeed, public opinion. And live happily ever after.

Once in office, elected or rigged officials very often fail the very first test: the test of character and intrinsic values. They often fall into the trap of regional, ethnic or religious sentiments. And because they are unable to see beyond their very noses, the larger picture would elude them. With elements like this aboard, the red blotch on Nigeria's scorecard becomes a screaming scarlet, straining the scales further into negative territory.

It is only when we discipline ourselves individually; when professionals from all sectors of national life conduct themselves ethically; when students and teachers embrace genuine academic pursuits; when public servants and politicians imbibe the concept of good governance, only then can we add value to Nigeria.

Indeed, it is only when we are able to come together as Nigerians, review our biases, accept our shortcomings and forge alliances to challenge the deficit of leadership we are confronted with at the federal, state and local government levels can we begin to see our huge population as potential assets, and not liabilities.

In the meantime, when you think of 140 million Nigerians (or 151 million), ask yourself: what is our collective worth?

http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/Opinion/Editorial/5472762-182/FORENSIC_FORCE:_140_million_liabilities.csp

RMAFC predicts doom for economy - Says, one day , there will be no government, - Excess Crude Account drops to $7bn from $27bn

Gbola Subair, Abuja - 23.10.2009

AS the federation excess crude account dropped from $27 billion to $7billion, the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) has predicted doom for the Nigerian economy. Chairman of RMAFC, Mr. Hamman Tukur, who took a critical look at the performance of the economy during the visit of Edo State governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomohole, to the commission in Abuja on Wednesday night, gave it a verdict of doom.

He said that in view of the way the nation’s economy was being plundered, it would not be long before the nation ground to a halt. He told the governor that the Excess Crude account, which is the country’s savings, had been drawn down from $27 billion to $7 billion and that government was still withdrawing from it.

According to him, the only revenue accruing to the country was the collection from Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), customs duties, and Petroleum Profit Tax (PPT). The chairman queried the relevance of Joint Venture Cash Call (JVC), saying that it was another drainpipe in the economy.

“For instance, from August till October, Nigeria has not got one dollar from the total crude sold. Yet, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has paid over N560 trillion to JVC. Rather than find a solution to this, the government reverted to the excess crude account, where it took N12 billion to reflate the economy. Now we are eating into the domestic account. One day, you will wake up and there will be no government.”

He sought the support of the governors to help the commission to challenge the anomally. He further noted that the commission had released a formula on how the oil derivatives would be shared, but that it had been abused. “It is an appeal by this commission for you to help us appeal to your colleagues for support,” he pleaded.

Tukur also condemned the revenue formula being operated in the states, saying that it was at variance with what the commission designed and recommended. He said that the commission designed a new formula, which increased the percentage of states’ allocation from 24 per cent to 31.6 per cent and this was done amidst petitions and protests from several quarters. He said state governments were supposed to get more allocations than the Federal Government but the reverse was the case. He said in the face of the abuse, the governors were not doing anything about it.

“How can you allow an illegal formula to operate in the states?,” he said.

Referring to the N18 billion which was released to build health centres across the country, Tukur said that out of that amount, only N6 billion had been used and the rest of the money had been with the Accountant General of the Federation (AGF), Mallam Ibrahim Dankwambo. “Only N6 billion was used. We even brought the matter before the Federation Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC) but we did not have their support,” he said.

Oshiomhole, in his remarks, promised to take Tukur’s observation to the Governors’ Forum, where it would be discuss them very exhaustively. He said that the nation had no data, otherwise, it would have known the quantity of illegal crude being bunkered on a daily basis.

Fielding questions from newsmen at the end of his visit, Oshiomhole said: “I am very appreciative of the courage which the commission has shown, because they have a very important constitutional role. And I happened to have known some of the commissioners. They are my good friends. So, I have come to say hello and also to acknowledge the good work they have been doing.

‘’Even under the former president (Olusegun Obasanjo), this was the only agency in my recollection that publicly expressed its position that was at variance with what the former president wanted. We tried to go to court to enforce the constitution and to ensure that the states get the revenue they were entitled to. And I thought that I should come to appreciate that,” he said.

http://www.tribune.com.ng/23102009/news/news1.html

Afam
RichyBlack

From the above it can be clearly seen that juju is not just an object , charm, amulet, fetish or magical power attributed to such objects, or the system of observances connected therewith; rather it encompasses the belief of a people, the religion of a generation: its a complete social and cultural way of life. To labelled that body of philosophy and human cultural heritage as fraudulent is unforgivable. RichyBlack clearly err in his judgement and conclusion.

Afam hold a mirror for us to view the reflection of our image and challenge the sincerity of our heart. If you labelled juju as fraudulent , then you will have to labelled Christianity as fraudulent too. Juju , just like Christianity is a belief and a religion. There are certain aspect of juju that those not obey the natural scientific law; the same apply to Christianity.

For example Pastor Chris, Adeboye and all those miracle workers claim to have power to cure and perform unbelievable miracles. Most of these claims disobey all known scientific laws, and have never been independently verified. Despite the fact it make no logic nor sense, most people believe them. Its all dogma


Juju should be respected and given it proper honour .

[size=15pt]Meaning and defination of juju[/size]

Juju or Ju-Ju is a word of West African origin, derived from the French joujou (toy) [1], that refers to the supernatural power ascribed to an object; or fetish. It can also refer to the use of such objects, making it a form of witchcraft.[2]

"An object of any kind superstitiously venerated by West African native tribes, and used as a charm, amulet, or means of protection; a fetish. Also the supernatural or magical power attributed to such objects, or the system of observances connected therewith; also a ban or interdiction effected by means of such an object (corresponding to the Polynesian taboo)." [3]

The term juju, and the practices associated with it, travelled to the Americas from West Africa with the influx of slaves and still survives in some areas, particularly among the various groups of Maroons, who have tended to preserve their African traditions.
[edit] Footnotes

Juju is an aura or other magical property, usually having to do with spirits or luck, which is bound to a specific object; it is also a term for the object. Juju also refers to the spirits and ghosts in West African lore as a general name. The object that contains the juju, or fetish, can be anything from an elephant’s head to an extinguisher. One of the most popular juju objects in West Africa, for example, is a monkey's hand. In general, juju can only be created by a witch doctor; few exceptions exist. Juju can be summoned by a witch doctor for several purposes. Good juju can cure ailments of mind and body; anything from fractured limbs to a headache can be corrected. Bad juju is used to exact revenge, soothe jealousy, and cause misfortune. Contrary to common belief, voodoo is not related to juju, despite the linguistic and spiritual similarities. Juju has acquired some karmic attributes in more recent times. Good juju can stem from almost any good deed: saving a kitten, or returning a lost book. Bad juju can be spread just as easily. These ideas revolve around the luck and fortune portions of juju. The use of juju to describe an object usually involves small items worn or carried; these generally contain medicines produced by witch doctors.

ref:http://en.academic.ru/dic.nsf/enwiki/4155771

Afam
RichyBlack
SEFAGO
9jaganja

This issue is very interesting. Afam raised a very important point by challenging us to disclaim juju and at the same uphold some of the fantastic stories in the bible which by and large look like juju. RichyBlack fell into the trap; all his attempt to reconcile both position looks pathetic. 9jaganja highlight the discrepancies, SEFAGO understood the fact and excuse himself.

You cant continue to scream juju is fraudulent , while the church you believe as a matter of faith, are doing the same thing that looks like juju and believe in the efficacy of juju. You must be fair; judge and analysed on the same standard.

To shed light on this convoluted issue we need to go back to the beginning, lets ask the right question :
[size=17pt]what is juju[/size]?
Is juju a religion, a culture, or a mystery supernatural phenomenon. Only then can we answer Afam's question regarding those stories in the bible.

All the governors are mad. Lets have death penalty for treasury looters too.

the kidnappers are collecting their own national cake just like the governors. I just wish they would concentrate on government officials and politicians