₦airaland Forum

How can Yaradua approve the senseless execution of his own people, or who is responsible for this carnage. Who is really in charge in Nigeria. who can be held responsible?

If the northerner with Yaradua as the president can slaughter their own people without regard to human life, what would they not do to other people?

mallam zango, are u a memeber of boko haram?

where are the nigerian miracle healers, the president need your help

Anybody that shakes yaraslow hand, shake it at his own risk, nobody knows exactly whats wrong with him.

I have a bad feeling we ve not heard the last of the group

He was arrested earlier in the day, after reportedly being found hiding in a goat pen at his parents-in-law's house.



hmmm

[size=15pt]The group and its leader - background[/size]


They have launched co-ordinated attacks across northern Nigeria, threatening to overthrow the government and impose strict Islamic law - but who exactly are the Nigerian Taliban?

Since the group emerged in 2004 they have become known as "Taliban", although they appear to have no links to the Taliban in Afghanistan.

Some analysts believe they took inspiration from the radical Afghans, others say the name is more a term of ridicule used by people in Maiduguri, the area where they were founded.


We believe [rain] is a creation of God rather than an evaporation caused by the sun

Mohammed Yusuf
Militant leader


Militants 'under siege'
Fear and tension after attack
The group's other name, Boko Haram, means "Western education is a sin" and is another title used by local people to refer to the group.

Isa Sanusi, from the BBC's Hausa service, says the group has no specific name for itself, just many names attributed to it by local people.

If their name is uncertain, however, their mission appears clear enough: to overthrow the Nigerian state, impose an extreme interpretation of Islamic law and abolish what they term "Western-style education".

Flat-Earth views?

In an interview with the BBC, the group's leader, Mohammed Yusuf, said such education "spoils the belief in one God".



"There are prominent Islamic preachers who have seen and understood that the present Western-style education is mixed with issues that run contrary to our beliefs in Islam," he said.

"Like rain. We believe it is a creation of God rather than an evaporation caused by the sun that condenses and becomes rain.

"Like saying the world is a sphere. If it runs contrary to the teachings of Allah, we reject it. We also reject the theory of Darwinism."

Mr Yusuf himself is something of an enigma.

He is believed to be in his mid-thirties, and analysts say he is extremely wealthy and highly educated.

"He is graduate educated and very proficient in English," says Nigerian academic Hussain Zakaria.

"He lives lavishly - people say he drives a Mercedes Benz. And he is very well-educated in a Western context."

'We could see it coming'

Despite the secrecy surrounding the group, many in Nigeria say the attacks were far from surprising.

Mannir Dan Ali, a journalist with Abuja-based Trust newspapers, says there was a minor incident in early June which appeared to spark a series of statements from the group threatening reprisals.


Now it is becoming a monster, the government has realised it has made a mistake

Amenu Abu Bakka
Nigerian journalist
"The whole situation seems to be a failure of intelligence, a failure of the security forces to act before matters reached the point that they have now reached," he says.

"We could literally see it coming over the past few weeks."

There has been widespread criticism of the security forces for their perceived laxness in monitoring the group.

Boko Haram's members are largely drawn from disaffected youth - university students and jobless graduates among them.

Aminu Abubakar, a journalist covering the area for the AFP news agency, says it is widely believed that the authorities have been reluctant to deal with the militants because some of them come from rich families with connections to the government.

"People believe the government didn't want to crack down on these people because their parents would get angry," he says.

"But now it is becoming a monster, the government has realised it has made a mistake and the earlier they deal with these people, the better."

No 'swelling of ranks'

Divisions remain on how much of a threat the group poses - and how to deal with it.

Information ministry spokesman Sunday Dare says support for the militants' cause is waning.



Bodies were piled up on the streets of Maiduguri on Monday
"We live in a country where people are quite educated and I guess people are happy to make their decisions about Western education or otherwise and how it corrupts their values," he says.

"I don't see a swelling in their ranks at all."

And Patrick Wilmot, a former lecturer at Jos university, said mainstream Muslims look on the so-called Taliban as "crazy".

"They don't need to be taken that seriously, they just need to be monitored."

The BBC's Caroline Duffield, in Lagos, says the group's member have isolated themselves from the rest of the community.

She says there have been incidents where local groups have prevented them from meeting in mosques and there is very little support for their stance in the wider community.

But the upsurge in violence has caused real alarm throughout Nigeria.

More than 100 people were killed as a wave of unrest spread from the city of Bauchi on Sunday through Borno, Yobe and Kano states the following day.

And no-one seems to know just how big a threat the so-called Taliban pose, how big their membership is, or what their next move could be.

should we be happy or sad, everybody is a loser

[size=20pt]Nigerian sect leader 'captured' [/size]

Corpses are said to litter Maiduguri following days of fighting
The leader of the Nigerian Islamist sect which has been battling security forces in the north-east of the country has been captured, say police.

Mohammed Yusuf had fled the northern city of Maiduguri during the recent fighting between his followers and the Nigerian military.

Scores of people are believed to have died in the unrest.

The group, known as Boko Haram, wants to overthrow the government and impose a strict version of Islamic law.

Troops stormed the sect's stronghold overnight, killing many of the militants and forcing others to flee.

Their leader, Mr Yusuf, is thought to have escaped the assault on his stronghold along with several hundred of his followers.

"Mohammed Yusuf has been arrested. He is now at the Giwa barracks," said police commissioner Christopher Dega, referring to the military base in Maiduguri.

A BBC reporter in Maiduguri said Mr Yusuf, believed to be a 39-year-old preacher from Yobe state, had been paraded before journalists with no apparent sign of injury.

He was reported to have been found hiding in a goat pen at his parents-in-law's house.

Hundreds fled



Thousands of people are thought to have fled the fighting in Maiduguri
The fighting began on Sunday night in Bauchi state and spread to Maiduguri the next night.

Crowds of militants tried to storm government buildings and the city's police headquarters, but dozens of them were shot dead by security forces.

Over the next few nights gun battles raged between the militants and police and army, culminating in the assault on the militant's stronghold on Wednesday night.

Witnesses described seeing about 100 bodies strewn around the complex, and said a mosque used by the militants had been shelled into the ground.

It is thought more than 300 people have died in the violence - some estimates say 600, although there has been no official confirmation.

Witnesses said the city was calm on Thursday evening.

Sharia law is in place across northern Nigeria, but there is no history of al-Qaeda-linked violence.

The country's 150 million people are split almost equally between Muslims in the north and Christians in the south.

source:http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8177390.stm

I m fed up

hmmmm
May God protect ordinary folks who reside in the north

this Yoruba/hausa man is obviously sick

[size=20pt]Imagine
[/size]
How can a true sepratist group depend on funding for its operation from the same state it wish to destroy? Its like Hamas depending on funding from Israel for its activities or Tamil Tiger expected to be bankrolled by Sri lankan. Its absurd and preposterous. Most militia organisations always depend on the dedication and sacrifice of members to achieve their objective.

Massob is unable to generate funding from ordinary Igbos whom they claim to represent. Therefore they resorted to blackmailing and intimidating eastern state governments, with the sole aim of hijacking the monthly federal allocation meant for development. Most of the funding from government is unaccounted, and end up in the pockets of few Massob leaders. Nwazuruike makes some few periodic declaration in other to keep Massob activities in the limelight and continue to receive Eastern state government funding.

This clearly shows that Massob is just a scam to loot the treasury indirectly. An average Igbo person would not trust Nwazuruike with a penny, though they agree with the cause: they agree with the message but not the messanger. Apparently, Massob enjoy widespread sympathy but lack real support. Ojukwu/Nwazuruike are only manipulating Igbo peoples emotion , taking advantage of deep rooted frustration, fear, marginalisation to line their own pocket. Massob is a scam put together by that bald headed hypocrite and fronted by that magomago lawyer.


Most Massob members and sympathisers on nairaland like:

Afaukwu
Presido 1
Aloy.Emaka
nuzo
Scanless
Eziachi
$Osisi
Onlytruth
Rhymz
Ikeyman00 etc

Have never donated a penny to Massob; They don't trust the combination of Ojukwu/Nwazuruike, and know the truth: IT JUST A SCAM

[size=20pt]Imagine[/size]

How can a true sepratist group depend on funding for its operation from the same state it wish to destroy? Its like Hamas depending on funding from Israel for its activities or Tamil Tiger expected to be bankrolled by Sri lankan. Its absurd and preposterous. Most militia organisations always depend on the dedication and sacrifice of members to achieve their objective.

Massob is unable to generate funding from ordinary Igbos whom they claim to represent. Therefore they resorted to blackmailing and intimidating eastern state governments, with the sole aim of hijacking the monthly federal allocation meant for development. Most of the funding from government is unaccounted, and end up in the pockets of few Massob leaders. Nwazuruike makes some few periodic declaration in other to keep Massob activities in the limelight and continue to receive Eastern state government funding.

This clearly shows that Massob is just a scam to loot the treasury indirectly. An average Igbo person would not trust Nwazuruike with a penny, though they agree with the cause: they agree with the message but not the messanger. Apparently, Massob enjoy widespread sympathy but lack real support. Ojukwu/Nwazuruike are only manipulating Igbo peoples emotion , taking advantage of deep rooted frustration, fear, marginalisation to line their own pocket. Massob is a scam put together by that bald headed hypocrite and fronted by that magomago lawyer.


Most Massob members and sympathisers on nairaland like:

Afaukwu
Presido 1
Aloy.Emaka
nuzo
Scanless
Eziachi
$Osisi
Onlytruth
Rhymz
Ikeyman00 etc

Have never donated a penny to Massob; They don't trust the combination of Ojukwu/Nwazuruike, and know the truth: IT JUST A SCAM

[size=20pt]Imagine[/size]

How can a true sepratist group depend on funding for its operation from the same state it wish to destroy? Its like Hamas depending on funding from Israel for its activities or Tamil Tiger expected to be bankrolled by Sri lankan. Its absurd and preposterous. Most militia organisations always depend on the dedication and sacrifice of members to achieve their objective.

Massob is unable to generate funding from ordinary Igbos whom they claim to represent. Therefore they resorted to blackmailing and intimidating eastern state governments, with the sole aim of hijacking the monthly federal allocation meant for development. Most of the funding from government is unaccounted, and end up in the pockets of few Massob leaders. Nwazuruike makes some few periodic declaration in other to keep Massob activities in the limelight and continue to receive Eastern state government funding.

This clearly shows that Massob is just a scam to loot the treasury indirectly. An average Igbo person would not trust Nwazuruike with a penny, though they agree with the cause: they agree with the message but not the messanger. Apparently, Massob enjoy widespread sympathy but lack real support. Ojukwu/Nwazuruike are only manipulating Igbo peoples emotion , taking advantage of deep rooted frustration, fear, marginalisation to line their own pocket. Massob is a scam put together by that bald headed hypocrite and fronted by that magomago lawyer.


Most Massob members and sympathisers on nairaland like:

Afaukwu
Presido 1
Aloy.Emaka
nuzo
Scanless
Eziachi
$Osisi
Onlytruth
Rhymz
Ikeyman00 etc

Have never donated a penny to Massob; They don't trust the combination of Ojukwu/Nwazuruike, and know the truth: IT JUST A SCAM

[size=20pt]Imagine[/size]

How can a true sepratist group depend on funding for its operation from the same state it wish to destroy? Its like Hamas depending on funding from Israel for its activities or Tamil Tiger expected to be bankrolled by Sri lankan. Its absurd and preposterous. Most militia organisations always depend on the dedication and sacrifice of members to achieve their objective.

Massob is unable to generate funding from ordinary Igbos whom they claim to represent. Therefore they resorted to blackmailing and intimidating eastern state governments, with the sole aim of hijacking the monthly federal allocation meant for development. Most of the funding from government is unaccounted, and end up in the pockets of few Massob leaders. Nwazuruike makes some few periodic declaration in other to keep Massob activities in the limelight and continue to receive Eastern state government funding.

This clearly shows that Massob is just a scam to loot the treasury indirectly. An average Igbo person would not trust Nwazuruike with a penny, though they agree with the cause: they agree with the message but not the messanger. Apparently, Massob enjoy widespread sympathy but lack real support. Ojukwu/Nwazuruike are only manipulating Igbo peoples emotion , taking advantage of deep rooted frustration, fear, marginalisation to line their own pocket. Massob is a scam put together by that bald headed hypocrite and fronted by that magomago lawyer.


Most Massob members and sympathisers on nairaland like:

Afaukwu
Presido 1
Aloy.Emaka
nuzo
Scanless
Eziachi
$Osisi
Onlytruth
Rhymz
Ikeyman00 etc

Have never donated a penny to Massob; They don't trust the combination of Ojukwu/Nwazuruike, and know the truth: IT JUST A SCAM

There is a big difference between Diya and Ojukwu, though both of them are cowards


Diya:
His people were against him joining the Abacha government, they never sopported him. He was an outcast among his people and they never forgive him till date. Since his stint in the Abacha government , he has kept a low profile and his people never sympathise with him for infamous begging act.

Ojukwu:
He carries the hope of Igbo nation. Ojukwu was the messiah that was suppose to lead the Igbo people to the promise land of Biafra. His people supported and believed him. Hundreds of thousands died for that believe, they trusted him and gave everything. He dashed their hope and spit on their graves.

Towards the end of the war, Ojukwu has two choice: To die fighting and become a legend forever, or fled and live like a coward, Ojukwu choose cowardice

The soul of the dead biafran soldiers who sacrifice their lives, would never forgive Ojukwu for his cowardice and betrayal.

@ poster
Nothing way man pikin no go hear for nairaland
na wao , watin concern you, concern india hemp. you be dealer

thor

She is one damn ugly woman Shocked

You are a fool without any sense of natural endowments

She is one of the most beautiful Igbo woman that ever live
Definitely, the most beautiful I ever come across
with an incredible heart of gold
A true pride of Ndigbo


If that stingy bald-headed hypocrite who called himself Ojukwu is one percent (1%) as nice as that woman, the Igbo people will be in paradise.

While this is the good Samaritan:
[size=20pt]Rosemary Obiakor[/size]

Wonders shall never end
I am extremely proud of this woman for proving that even among the most stingy of people, there are those with a mighty heart

source:http://www.thisdayonline.com/nview.php?id=148976

[size=19pt]@ Afaukwu
I stand corrected
please provide us with the link for verification[/size]

[size=17pt]Achuzia to Ojukwu: You’re wrong to have collected pension from Nigerian Army[/size]
By BUCHY ENYINNAYA, Asaba
Monday, February 4, 2008

Fellow Biafran compatriot and Ohanaeze chieftain, Joe Achuzi’a, has criticized the decision of Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, to collect pension from the Nigerian Army.

Achuzia was a key figure in the Biafran army during the seccessionist bid led by Ojukwu between 1967 and 1970. The rebellion was crushed by the federal forces.

Ojukwu, a Lt Colonel in the Nigerian Army before the war, collected his pension three weeks ago, a development Achuzia faulted, saying: “If I were the Biafran head of state, my first duty on being called upon to be compensated would be, no, my friend. You pay the men who made it possible for me to survive, and for you to recognize me as your former colleague. Those that rallied round, and wore uniform in my colour, under my command must be compensated, living or dead.”

Popularly known as ‘Air raid’ during the war, Achuzia stresses further: “For me, he (Ojukwu) was wrong. I have never challenged whatever he does, but he would be the last person I would expect to collect his pension. We fought under his colour. We believed in him. And we still believe in him. But I believe he might have a better excuse why he did so. I can’t answer for him.”

Commenting on the insult Chief Ojukwu was said to have received when he went for the pension, Achuzia queried his former boss for ever going there in the first instance, stressing that the insult was not only to Ojukwu but also to all who wore Ojukwu’s colour in the name of Biafra.

According to him, “ Ojukwu felt offended the way he was addressed and the way his pension payment was orchestrated. We have a saying in Igbo language: ‘Onye kporo wata nwanyi nwunye ya, mereka okpo ya iyi’ In other words, an elderly man who goes after a young girl, calling her his wife, should be prepared for any rubbish he gets from the young lady.

source:http://odili.net/news/source/2008/feb/4/503.html

[size=16pt]Achuzia to Ojukwu: You’re wrong to have collected pension from Nigerian Army
[/size]
By BUCHY ENYINNAYA, Asaba
Monday, February 4, 2008


Fellow Biafran compatriot and Ohanaeze chieftain, Joe Achuzi’a, has criticized the decision of Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, to collect pension from the Nigerian Army.
Achuzia was a key figure in the Biafran army during the seccessionist bid led by Ojukwu between 1967 and 1970. The rebellion was crushed by the federal forces.

Ojukwu, a Lt Colonel in the Nigerian Army before the war, collected his pension three weeks ago, a development Achuzia faulted, saying: “If I were the Biafran head of state, my first duty on being called upon to be compensated would be, no, my friend. You pay the men who made it possible for me to survive, and for you to recognize me as your former colleague. Those that rallied round, and wore uniform in my colour, under my command must be compensated, living or dead.”

Popularly known as ‘Air raid’ during the war, Achuzia stresses further: “For me, he (Ojukwu) was wrong. I have never challenged whatever he does, but he would be the last person I would expect to collect his pension. We fought under his colour. We believed in him. And we still believe in him. But I believe he might have a better excuse why he did so. I can’t answer for him.”

Commenting on the insult Chief Ojukwu was said to have received when he went for the pension, Achuzia queried his former boss for ever going there in the first instance, stressing that the insult was not only to Ojukwu but also to all who wore Ojukwu’s colour in the name of Biafra.

According to him, “ Ojukwu felt offended the way he was addressed and the way his pension payment was orchestrated. We have a saying in Igbo language: ‘Onye kporo wata nwanyi nwunye ya, mereka okpo ya iyi’ In other words, an elderly man who goes after a young girl, calling her his wife, should be prepared for any rubbish he gets from the young lady.

source:http://odili.net/news/source/2008/feb/4/503.html

[size=15pt]Achuzia to Ojukwu: You’re wrong to have collected pension from Nigerian Army

[/size]

By BUCHY ENYINNAYA, Asaba
Monday, February 4, 2008

Fellow Biafran compatriot and Ohanaeze chieftain, Joe Achuzi’a, has criticized the decision of Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, to collect pension from the Nigerian Army.


Achuzia was a key figure in the Biafran army during the seccessionist bid led by Ojukwu between 1967 and 1970. The rebellion was crushed by the federal forces.

Ojukwu, a Lt Colonel in the Nigerian Army before the war, collected his pension three weeks ago, a development Achuzia faulted, saying: “If I were the Biafran head of state, my first duty on being called upon to be compensated would be, no, my friend. You pay the men who made it possible for me to survive, and for you to recognize me as your former colleague. Those that rallied round, and wore uniform in my colour, under my command must be compensated, living or dead.”

Popularly known as ‘Air raid’ during the war, Achuzia stresses further: “For me, he (Ojukwu) was wrong. I have never challenged whatever he does, but he would be the last person I would expect to collect his pension. We fought under his colour. We believed in him. And we still believe in him. But I believe he might have a better excuse why he did so. I can’t answer for him.”

Commenting on the insult Chief Ojukwu was said to have received when he went for the pension, Achuzia queried his former boss for ever going there in the first instance, stressing that the insult was not only to Ojukwu but also to all who wore Ojukwu’s colour in the name of Biafra.

According to him, “ Ojukwu felt offended the way he was addressed and the way his pension payment was orchestrated. We have a saying in Igbo language: ‘Onye kporo wata nwanyi nwunye ya, mereka okpo ya iyi’ In other words, an elderly man who goes after a young girl, calling her his wife, should be prepared for any rubbish he gets from the young lady.

If Ojukwu didn’t go there to answer the call, or to show himself as a former Nigerian military man, I don’t think that a boy who either wasn’t born or wasn’t old enough to participate in the civil war, should be addressing him as Lieutenant Colonel Ojukwu, because the insult is not only to Ojukwu but to all of us who wore Ojukwu’s colour in the name of Biafra. Whether Nigeria likes it or not, the issue of the civil war was inconclusive and remains inconclusive till date.”

source:http://odili.net/news/source/2008/feb/4/503.html

[size=20pt]Ojukwu And Military Pension[/size]


On January 14, 2008, Ojukwu received his military pension from the Nigerian Government. Up till today, there are thousands of former Biafran soldiers: destitutes, handicaps, suffering who have not collected a single penny nor been acknowledge by the federal Government.

Without a single care in the world about other Biafran soldiers who fought for him, Ojukwu graciously collected the pension and even complained that he should have been paid as a General ( his rank in the Biafran army) rather than a Lieutenant Colonel, his rank in the Nigerian army.

One military officer had looked at him in disdained saying, "Real Generals do not run away during the heat of a battle".

[size=20pt]Ojukwu And Military Pension
[/size]

On January 14, 2008, Ojukwu received his military pension from the Nigerian Government. Up till today, there are thousands of former Biafran soldiers: destitutes, handicaps, suffering who have not collected a single penny nor been acknowledge by the federal Government.

Without a single care in the world about other Biafran soldiers who fought for him, Ojukwu graciously collected the pension and even complained that he should have been paid as a General ( his rank in the Biafran army) rather than a Lieutenant Colonel, his rank in the Nigerian army.

One military officer had looked at him in disdained saying, "Real Generals do not run away during the heat of a battle".

[size=20pt]Ojukwu And Military Pension
[/size]

On January 14, 2008, Ojukwu received his military pension from the Nigerian Government. Up till today, there are thousands of former Biafran soldiers: destitutes, handicaps, suffering who have not collected a single penny nor been acknowledge by the federal Government.

Without a single care in the world about other Biafran soldiers who fought for him, Ojukwu graciously collected the pension and even complained that he should have been paid as a General ( his rank in the Biafran army) rather than a Lieutenant Colonel, his rank in the Nigerian army.

One military officer had looked at him in disdained saying, "Real Generals do not run away during the heat of a battle".

[size=18pt]@ Afaukwu
can you please provide us with the link for varification[/size]

[size=15pt]Ojukwu's trumpcard to the Presidency of Nigeria - a big joke![/size]


He had led Biafra into war, but became the first to jump ship leaving Philip Essien- his reluctant war weary Deputy from Cross River State, to be the one to surrender to "Osagyefo" Olusegun Obasanjo who as Commander of the third Marine Commando finally ended the war. Ojukwu gave the impression he was leaving Biafra to recoup and regroup and to start a Government in exile. But once he escaped with his life and booty, he quickly abandoned all those promises, leaving Phillip Essien and those left behind to their own devices. That is hardly the stuff that a good leader is made of in my judgment. Who can guarantee that Ojukwu would not repeat the same offence, if for any reason the country has to face a similar cul-de-sac in the foreseeable future which is quite conceivable - if Ojukwu is a more visionary leader who truly love the country, rushing back to partisan politics after his return from exile, should have been the least of his worries.

He had just led an insurrection that had revealed so much about the potential resourcefulness of the Igbos of Nigeria who found a way to refine the Nigerian crude oil in support of their war effort. They also managed to improvise devices like the "Ugbunigwe" that proved so effective in stopping the Federal troops at Abagana, forcing them to consider driving a herd of cattle ahead of the advancing troops in the hope the cattle would trip off the mines, and save the troops from walking into them without notice, like they did in Abagana. If Ojukwu had focussed all his attention in getting the Federal Government to put more money in developing such resources and scientific breakthrough in Biafra, perhaps Nigeria would have gained something, and that achievement would probably have turned out to be one of the silver lining to come from the civil war.

In other civilized countries a man like Ojukwu would have written several books providing future generations with useful lessons from the war. Ojukwu was the exact opposite of a man like Saddam Hussein of Iraq who tried to mobilize the limitless resources and determination of his people to rebuild Baghdad and Iraq after the Gulf War without outside help.

Second, when Ojukwu returned to Nigeria following the unconditional pardon or amnesty granted him by Shaghari with the hope of securing the Igbo vote in his epic battle with Awolowo and Azikiwe,Ojukwu did so in a way and manner that betrayed his flawed character as a leader. Few would have expected him to go into partisan politics soon after coming back. That was precisely what he did, having signed off his discretion and objectivity, by joining the party of his estwhile implacable enemies in the North while deserting the Party floated, in large part, by the people he had led into fighting a war he knew he could not win. Little wonder therefore that he ran for a senatorial seat, and lost badly to a relatively unknown opponent. A man who could not win a senatorial seat at Nnewi - his own base at the height of his political power in the East, now want to run for national office as President of the whole Federation.

And guess what? He now wants to run for the sole purpose of making sure that the Igbos were not maginalised again. He forgot the poor image and reputation of the Igbos as "political prostitutes" who will settle for anything as long as the price is right, actually began with the propensity of individuals like Ojukwu who will abandon a cause just to salvage his own selfish interest. He was ready to take anything from Shaghari once he was promised the abandoned properties of his father, taken over by the Federal, would be returned to him, if he returns to Nigeria to join the party of the great majority of those he had accused of progrom against his own people in the Biafran war. What kind of leader is that?

The only thing good about Ojukwu is his gift of the garb.But it takes more than sheer eloquence to rule a country as complex as Nigeria. How could any national leader worth his salt, begin his campaign for the presidency by tellinig all and sundry, that he wanted that office just to be able to champion the interest of only a unit in what is supposed to be a Federation of equal partners. He seems to have forgotten that the rest of Nigeria and especially the North is ever so suspicious of the Igbos under his leadership , having once tried to break up Nigeria. The general feeling is that the igbos could try it again if they find themselves in a position of power like Ojukwu is foolishly trying to do,

In my judgment, Ojukwu cannot be taken as a serious candidate. Only the likes of Alex Ekwueme and other prominent and rational igbos can be saying that kind of thing with some credibility.Most Nigerians view Ojukwu at best as a naked Emperor who is not aware he is indeed naked. He cannot win, and does not deserve to win any elected office in Nigeria. He was lucky he was not even tried for treason for his role in the Bifran war from 1967 to 1970. Ojukwu loves nobody but himself. His professed candidacy should be taken for what it really is - a joke or at best a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing. If selfishness were to be a sport in the Olympics, Ojukwu will, sure, be a gold medalist. I cannot for the life of me, imagine how a person with that kind of profile could believe that he can ever be president of Nigeria. It is a dog's dream that will never come to pass.

source:http://nigeriaworld.com/letters/2002/mar/220.html

[size=15pt]Ojukwu's trumpcard to the Presidency of Nigeria - a big joke![/size]


He had led Biafra into war, but became the first to jump ship leaving Philip Essien- his reluctant war weary Deputy from Cross River State, to be the one to surrender to "Osagyefo" Olusegun Obasanjo who as Commander of the third Marine Commando finally ended the war. Ojukwu gave the impression he was leaving Biafra to recoup and regroup and to start a Government in exile. But once he escaped with his life and booty, he quickly abandoned all those promises, leaving Phillip Essien and those left behind to their own devices. That is hardly the stuff that a good leader is made of in my judgment. Who can guarantee that Ojukwu would not repeat the same offence, if for any reason the country has to face a similar cul-de-sac in the foreseeable future which is quite conceivable - if Ojukwu is a more visionary leader who truly love the country, rushing back to partisan politics after his return from exile, should have been the least of his worries.

He had just led an insurrection that had revealed so much about the potential resourcefulness of the Igbos of Nigeria who found a way to refine the Nigerian crude oil in support of their war effort. They also managed to improvise devices like the "Ugbunigwe" that proved so effective in stopping the Federal troops at Abagana, forcing them to consider driving a herd of cattle ahead of the advancing troops in the hope the cattle would trip off the mines, and save the troops from walking into them without notice, like they did in Abagana. If Ojukwu had focussed all his attention in getting the Federal Government to put more money in developing such resources and scientific breakthrough in Biafra, perhaps Nigeria would have gained something, and that achievement would probably have turned out to be one of the silver lining to come from the civil war.

In other civilized countries a man like Ojukwu would have written several books providing future generations with useful lessons from the war. Ojukwu was the exact opposite of a man like Saddam Hussein of Iraq who tried to mobilize the limitless resources and determination of his people to rebuild Baghdad and Iraq after the Gulf War without outside help.

Second, when Ojukwu returned to Nigeria following the unconditional pardon or amnesty granted him by Shaghari with the hope of securing the Igbo vote in his epic battle with Awolowo and Azikiwe,Ojukwu did so in a way and manner that betrayed his flawed character as a leader. Few would have expected him to go into partisan politics soon after coming back. That was precisely what he did, having signed off his discretion and objectivity, by joining the party of his estwhile implacable enemies in the North while deserting the Party floated, in large part, by the people he had led into fighting a war he knew he could not win. Little wonder therefore that he ran for a senatorial seat, and lost badly to a relatively unknown opponent. A man who could not win a senatorial seat at Nnewi - his own base at the height of his political power in the East, now want to run for national office as President of the whole Federation.

And guess what? He now wants to run for the sole purpose of making sure that the Igbos were not maginalised again. He forgot the poor image and reputation of the Igbos as "political prostitutes" who will settle for anything as long as the price is right, actually began with the propensity of individuals like Ojukwu who will abandon a cause just to salvage his own selfish interest. He was ready to take anything from Shaghari once he was promised the abandoned properties of his father, taken over by the Federal, would be returned to him, if he returns to Nigeria to join the party of the great majority of those he had accused of progrom against his own people in the Biafran war. What kind of leader is that?

The only thing good about Ojukwu is his gift of the garb.But it takes more than sheer eloquence to rule a country as complex as Nigeria. How could any national leader worth his salt, begin his campaign for the presidency by tellinig all and sundry, that he wanted that office just to be able to champion the interest of only a unit in what is supposed to be a Federation of equal partners. He seems to have forgotten that the rest of Nigeria and especially the North is ever so suspicious of the Igbos under his leadership , having once tried to break up Nigeria. The general feeling is that the igbos could try it again if they find themselves in a position of power like Ojukwu is foolishly trying to do,

In my judgment, Ojukwu cannot be taken as a serious candidate. Only the likes of Alex Ekwueme and other prominent and rational igbos can be saying that kind of thing with some credibility.Most Nigerians view Ojukwu at best as a naked Emperor who is not aware he is indeed naked. He cannot win, and does not deserve to win any elected office in Nigeria. He was lucky he was not even tried for treason for his role in the Bifran war from 1967 to 1970. Ojukwu loves nobody but himself. His professed candidacy should be taken for what it really is - a joke or at best a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing. If selfishness were to be a sport in the Olympics, Ojukwu will, sure, be a gold medalist. I cannot for the life of me, imagine how a person with that kind of profile could believe that he can ever be president of Nigeria. It is a dog's dream that will never come to pass.

source:http://nigeriaworld.com/letters/2002/mar/220.html