₦airaland Forum

One more thing: it is dalu, not daalu

But then this is getting ridiculous. I think I have too much time on my hands

Typical reply from you. Reminds me of those you give in the other thread (especially the one about flags). Point is this: nutter is brain, you my friend are chaff.

One thing (am I sounding arrogant or what?), I HAVE FORGOTTEN MORE HISTORY, NIGERIAN OR OTHERWISE THAN YOU'VE LEARNT.

c0dec where've you been?

Your verbs are not properly conjugated. Need a lesson? Email me: chxtab@gmail.com. Will teach you for free. Web translators don't work fine. Many 419ers have been caught because they used them.

Jos, Nigeria - A candidate for governor of the central Nigerian state of Plateau has been killed in what police described on Monday as a political assassination, the latest sign of increasing violence ahead of elections next year.

http://www.int.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=68&art_id=qw1151936824876B252

Interesting articles

@ Mrmayor,

in the words of Leo da Vinci: Il silenzio e la risposta migliore per uno sciocco

Chxta:
My mentor is of the opinion that the Igbo, the Hausa and the Yoruba need Nigeria as much as Nigeria needs them. But that Nigeria in its current state needs a lot of readjustment.

Lastly, he told me that I am rather stupid for carrying on with this argument. He says that when people are motivated by hatred, there is nothing you would tell them, no matter how reasonable that would make them change their view points. So that this whole argument according to him is a solid waste of time.

With that rebuke ringing in my ears, I left Benin for Lagos, and got back at 1430, an hour and a half before the game.

This brings to an end my participation in this argument.

You sir, can't goad me

madlawyer1:
Yes, our beloved country has problems that still need sorting out but if all we do to continue to focus all the negatives - and they are aplenty - then it will become increasingly difficult to move forward.

Enough said. Let's close this topic.

Same advice I give to you now, though I couldn't resist adding this: http://nigeriantimes..com/2005/12/biafra-dares-nigeria.html

are you that bored young lady. Thought you were in a Bank?

Disagree with u there madlawyer.

This is tempting, but as I was told, no amount of links I paste would make them see things from any viewpoint other than theirs, so, I hold my peace.

Privet is a word in Russian, normally written in Cyrillic

mrmayor:
Hot-Angel,

You stated that Huasas have their own language and only use Arabic for religious teaching,you are somewhat correct but you failed to mention that almost all Muslim Children go to religious Schools called Madras's.Where they are taught the Koran in Arabic.We have come to know words like Aboki,Sanu,Araba,Kano,Mallam are all Hausa words both spelt out using English Alphabets.
Words like Mohamed,Abdul,Bin Laden are Arabic Words also spelt words using English alphabets.The logic is this, if you can write Hausa words with alphabets everyone can understand,why write it with Arabic words only those who got Koranic Education could understand?

You stated Nigeria has to recognize we have Muslims,I agree

I recognize Muslims for riots in Jos 1945=Death toll over 500 people
I recognize Muslims for Araba riots May 1966=Death toll,in the thousands
I recognize Muslims for the Pogrom that follow July 29 1966 Coup= Death toll Half A Million People
I recognize Muslims for using Starvation as a Weapon Of Mass Destruction.= Death toll 2 Million People
I recognize Muslims for the scores riots and slaughter in the North,Sharia,Arabic on Naira Notes,Arabic on Nigerian Army Flag,stealing of over $300 billion from the Niger Delta,and don't forget taking Nigeria into the Terrorist Club,OIC.

All these Atrocities were all committed under the Christian Designed,Peace and Agriculture,GREEN AND WHITE FLAG

Enjoy

But I just wrote it in English

www.chxta..com

My yesterday started at 0430 hours. Even though it was a Saturday (I usually wake up very late on Saturdays in order to make up for lost sleep see), I had something that as far as I was concerned had to be attended to.

At 0600, I was on the way to Benin City (my hometown for those who don't know) to see one of my mentors. I arrived in B-Side by 0835 and it was raining giraffes and elephants, but I braved the rain to get to GRA in order to see him.

This fellow that I went to see is/was/has been one of the biggest influences in my life you see. He carried me as a baby (for crying out loud he was the one who baptised me), taught me a lot of history (he is a Professor of History, and an expert in Nigerian history), and taught me Latin (as a teenager I was an altar boy, and he is a Roman Catholic monsignor), and whenever we talk up until today, he insists that we mix the conversation with both Igbo and Latin. That way I don’t get dim on either language since as an Igbo and a Catholic the languages are kind of my heritage A bit high minded if you ask me, but I really appreciate what he has done for me in terms of intellectual capacity, and I have to admit here that I haven’t paid attention to my Latin as I painfully found out yesterday. Left to the old man I would have stayed there all day until I could properly apply parle in a sentence. I am also kind of unhappy that I had to lie to him that I was required for night shift at my office (we don’t do night shift at Itex), but I wanted to be back in Lagos before 1600 so that I would happily watch England getting kicked out of the World Cup with a particular set of England supporters (ain’t I a beefer or something?).

I can bet my head that those of you reading this who attended St. Albert's Catholic Church in the University of Benin or who were students of the faculties of Arts and Social Sciences in the same school by now know who I am talking about.

Now the question becomes “why did you go to Benin to see and talk to a 70+ year old priest?” What sin did you commit that was so great that you had to leave Lagos at such a time to talk to someone in another end of Nigeria?

It wasn’t a sin that made me enter the road so to speak, but an argument; remember all those Chinese movies we used to watch as children? Where the hero of the movie would pick a fight with some bad guy (the boss) and would get soundly whipped? Then he would run back with his tail in between his legs and get properly trained by his master, so he could come back to fight another with the boss again, and this time whip the boss? That was kind of how I felt on Friday when just before I ran off from the office to go and watch that classic between Germany and Argentina, I read through the Politics forum on Nairaland and saw some of the responses to my defence of my fatherland. I just had to go and meet my master to help me come out with a very solid attack that would put an end to the whole brouhaha once and for all.

You see, between himself and my RSM (Sgt. Hassan Abdullahi of blessed memory), these two guys are two of those figures in my life that instilled in me the sense of Nigerianess (is there such a word) that I have, so when I put up a defence of Naija on Nairaland, I was only being true to what I have believed in from childhood. But unlike most times in the past when by the time I lay my points on the ground most of the opposition would turn tail and run (I like to think of myself as a very sound and intellectual speaker when it comes to such issues), this time around I faced solid opposition. The guy that I am facing like me is Igbo and Catholic, but unlike me doesn’t believe in Naija. And he is very intelligent. Knows how to counter any argument even though IMHO he talks based on sentiment, not on hard cold reasoning.

With me on the journey. I carried a printout of all the arguments and counter arguments that we have had on this issue to show the old man. He sat down, and read everything then looked at me as if I was mad!

Father has always had this way of arguing a point. He asks you some questions, and by the time you start answering them, you would begin to see things from his view point. That was how he successfully kept me Catholic back in 1997 when I was in danger of joining up with some Jehovah’s witnesses.

Now to the thrust of the conversation between us (which was briefer than I would have liked since I was in a hurry to run back to Lagos for the sake of the football).

First, a lot of the Igbo in the argument who are on the side of a break up of the country are of the opinion that the problem the Igbo face in Nigeria is from the North. He asked this question: who initiated the 1959 carpet crossing in the Western House of Parliament which effectively introduced ethnic politics into Nigeria?

My answer to that question is Obafemi Awolowo (remember the statement egbe omo Oduduwa).

I then asked him whether it means that the Yoruba are the enemies of the Igbo, and he responded like this: if that is so why how Akintola manage to coexist with Okpara?

I am of the opinion that Awo (with all due respect) was the problem back in 1959, not the Yoruba people. Awo IMHO was a sour loser. And such people are not above playing on ethnic sentiments in order to get what they want.

The next question he asked me was to name the principal actors in the January 1966 coup de tat, both plotters and victims.

The answer to that (and a break down of ethnicity) is this:

Major Kaduna Nzeogwu…Igbo
Major Emmanuel Ifeanjuna…Igbo
Major Chris Anuforo…Igbo
Major Adewale Ademoyega…Yoruba
Major Donatus Okafor…Igbo
Captain Ben Gbulie…Igbo

The above is a list of the principal plotters, while below is a list of principal victims.

Alhaji Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa…(Hausa)
Alhaji Sir Ahmadu Bello…(Hausa)
Brig. M. Maimalari…(Hausa)
Chief S. Akintola…(Yoruba)
Chief F. Okotie-Eboh…(Itsekiri)

Notice that the premiers of the East (Chief M. Okpara an Igbo) and Midwest (Chief D. Osadebe, also an Igbo) and the top Igbo military officer (Major-General J.T.U Aguiyi-Ironsi) were unharmed.

When I answered that question, he asked me to put myself in the position of the North. Their brightest lights in both the political sector and the military were killed, and you want them not to assume it was an ethnic coup when Okapra, Osadebe and Aguiyi-Ironsi by some ‘miracle’ escaped assassination. The truth is this: we asked for trouble.

Now let’s move the clock forward to 1970, and the end of the war. He asked me, who supervised the Federal Government scheme to hand every Igboman irrespective of social standing just a mere 20 pounds?

Yes, you got my answer. Obafemi Awolowo again, as Jack Gowon’s minister of finance. But to be fair to both Awolowo and the North, they also supervised a scheme whereby properties belonging to Igbo people in all parts of Nigeria before the war were returned. This scheme was implemented to the letter except in one state, Rivers. In my book, people who hate us would not have returned our things to us. No, they would have used the opportunity to put us down forever. My grandfather was killed during the war, but my uncles got back everything he owned in Kano, not one brick was missing. And according to one of my uncles, Sadiq the caretaker gave them every penny of rent that he collected when from when they took off in a hurry in July 1966, up until they returned in 1971. If the man hated them, he would never have done that.

My friend on this forum always points out that the Ikwerre are Igbo. Yes, they claimed to be Igbo up until the war, but let us accept for the sake of this argument that they are Igbo, remember that in 1970, the Ikwerre were the only peoples who refused to return any property owned by other Igbo before the war? So, granted that they are Igbo, doesn’t that go to prove my point that we Igbo are always fighting amongst ourselves?

And I have to point one thing out, Peter Odili is not Ikwerre. He is Ndoni. The Ndoni were part of the Midwest (which made them Delta Igbo) up until Obasanjo’s boundary adjustments of 1977-78, when they found themselves as Rivers State people.

On the subject of Igbo disunity, my mentor pointed out this part of the other topic where an Igbo girl clearly stated that Nnewi girls normally don’t marry Enugu or Imo boys. So the question then becomes; is Chxta the one promoting Igbo disunity? That he refuses to paper over it doesn’t mean he is promoting disunity. On the contrary, methinks he is asking his people to take a long hard look at themselves.

My mentor is of the opinion that the Igbo, the Hausa and the Yoruba need Nigeria as much as Nigeria needs them. But that Nigeria in its current state needs a lot of readjustment.

Lastly, he told me that I am rather stupid for carrying on with this argument. He says that when people are motivated by hatred, there is nothing you would tell them, no matter how reasonable that would make them change their view points. So that this whole argument according to him is a solid waste of time.

With that rebuke ringing in my ears, I left Benin for Lagos, and got back at 1430, an hour and a half before the game.

This brings to an end my participation in this argument.

www.chxta..com

I am about to do something very unprofessional.

See since 1990 I had not missed a World Cup match, that is until this World Cup. To sort of make up for that, I promised myself that I wouldn't miss anything from the quarters onwards.

Here I am at my desk with Germany-Argentina kicking off in 20 minutes, so guess what?

I've switched off my phone (the battery ran down ) and I am heading off for a very long lunch break see,

I know it is unfair on my colleagues (we have a lot of work o do see), but hey, the World Cup is the World Cup and can't be tampered with.

See y'all after what promises to be a great game.t

By the way, it rained lions and elephants this morning. I got some great shots of the flood in VI. Will upload them this evening depending on my state of mind after the Italy game. Forza Italia.

Get a room you two.

I was actually ready to argue a little this morning, then I saw this, now I am too depressed to think straight. I need a drink.

Arthur Nzeribe!

Are you saying I was within a few feet from that bastard and I didn't shoot him? O my God. You've just spoilt my week!

Very possible. Has JMO played the required number of games for the Super Eagles to meet the British requiement for a work permit?

If no, they can farm him out on loan to some club in a country that doesn't require work permits until he has gathered enough experience and caps to get a work permit.

Erm, Sonny Okogwu is from Asaba, which makes him from the South-South geopolitically, and Igbo by ethnicity.

Having pointed that out, I think he is just senile.

Erm, so what Christian organisation exists for Naija to join so we can hurry up and sign on?

You've not made your situation clear. Does the laptop have an in-built wireless support? If not then does it have a PCI slot? If yes then get a wireless PCI card (I recommend an Orinoco card).

Other than that, you might want to know that it is possible to extend an existing DSL connection to include wireless.

my2cents:
Chxta,

In as much as I don't agree with Afeni, I wouldn't go as far as calling him, or anyone else for that matter, an idiot, just because you don't agree with him.

Afeni I'm sorry.

beyunce:
so u ave met tochukuw. da means u stay at Abj.

Used to. Lived and worked there for 2 years before coming to Lagos at the end of last year. I am a network engineer, and have worked with companies that do jobs all over Naija. With the exception of Taraba, Kebbi and Osun, I have been to, and spent time in all the 36 states of the country, so I tend to get pissed when people who haven't used their eyes to see and their ears to hear and their mouths to interact with the various peoples of Naija start making noise.

Afeni:
beyunce, good point. In fact, 80 percent of his original post is about discrediting other posters.

I guess if you have nothing good to say about something, find something bad to say about everything else.

The forum has a search engine, so prove that statement about 80%. I think I tend to reply most posts with credible, well thought out responses, and I accept when I go wrong.

The reference to you and Nutter in the first post was to show the difference between the both of you. He is intellectually stimulating to spar with, you my friend, are a dimwit.

Off-topic: Seun please can you change your code a bit? Why is it that when I type three dots I see a comma?

Nutter:
I asked before but you ignored my challenge. I’ll ask again. Can you honestly list 30 of Nigeria’s 250 ethnic groups from memory? How can you fight for Nigerian ‘unity’ when you don’t know the people that make-up the very country you seek to defend? People like me have been accused of attempting to destabilise the country but that makes me laugh because it suggests that the country is stable in the first instance. We all know it isn’t and we also know why.

If you have any evidence which supports your assertion that Nigeria is better-off in its present form I am yet to see it. I see a nation that closes its eyes while the Igbo are routinely massacred in large numbers. I see a nation that demonizes a whole people yet expects them to 'tow the unity line' without question. I see a nation that slits Igbo throats and then expects them to apologise for bleeding. I see a nation that hounds MASSOB and similar organizations instead of asking why those organizations have the support they do. What do you see?

Yes I can make such a list with all confidence. This is the first time I am noting that question, sorry about that.

You really don't know the meaning of a rhethorical question do you?

You base your assertation that Nigeria should break up on ethnicity. I then show you that India has more ethnic groups than Naija, only for you to turn around to talk about religion by bringing the Hindus up.

Or should I have made the question clearer for you?

Is Hindu a religion or an ethnic group? It is a religion. Since it is a religion, are its adherents Urdu, Punjabi or Singh? You find adherents among all three.

Is Islam a religion or an ethnic group? It is a religion. Since it is a religion, are its adherents Hausa, Yoruba or Etsako? You find adherents among all three.

For the information of Nutter and Drusilla, China wasn't colonised by Japan and England. Parts of China were. I still have a lot more to say, but I am only restricted to typing short replies at a time. My desk is full.