₦airaland Forum

KenGali:
@Onlytruth, Obiagu1
You guys were earlier calling for the position of Ojukwu, lets not become like those Israelites who after abusing the arc of covenant by carrying it to every war, began to loose the understanding of what it truly stood for. Ojukwu must not make any statement on 2011, his task as a leader is much heavier, and it is by actions not by words.

First, the cause of action of the Igbos in the coming  elections is already set, any political analyst will know that there are not many choices. Secondly, we must not fall prey to our Yoruba brothers who are at every corner, especially on this forum ask us to take a position or even ask us to rationalize our respect for Ojukwu. What we will do we will do, we do not need to say we will do it, no need to answer. Unfortunately GEJ, is also looking for set positions before he will take his line, true brotherhood is based on trust and not broadcasted on radios. For those worried about his Ijaw credentials, a betrayal from him would essentially seal the fate of the Ijaws in Nigerian politics to use and dump. He has much more to loose.

IBB is a Yoruba problem not ours, ours is to bargain for what we want with who ever that can deliver it.  And it is only a pride issue too. In spite of whatever the SW based press likes to make of it, MKO was not dear to Igbo heart.
If I may digress more, the political model of each major group in Nigeria is quite predictable, the north views itself with royal purity, hence by pride will always set itself either as the concessioner or the gladiator. The SE has been practicing multiple light stone throws to gain foothold since the civil war. More like the way fishes spawn off-springs to ensure that at least a few survive.  The South West has ever been playing the corny and the jester and ever strategising on becoming a gladiator but failing. This failing is essentially due to her inability to enfold the east as was the calculation at civil war.  The most interesting side of this is the two prong approach to politics SW always use. In the first republic Awo sought a partnership via emissaries to both Zik and Bello at the same time. This calculation is essentially to shift power from one hand to the other, or maximize chances , maintain the opportunity to play. Today, after so much vocals against Yaradua and for Goodluck, SW is still taking the two prongs, while OBJ is trying to pull off tutoring/control of GEJ in PDP, AC is preparing to harvest the opportunity of a fall out by lining up a candidate (Ribadu) that satisfies the zoning policy that is desired in the north, but condemned in SW (we are often given the impression that its for the new Nigeria lol).
Ojukwu’s role in all this is much heavier than choosing who to support, let the young men follow the laid path. He has to prepare the East for the possible post 2011 election events.  The north like i said before has a false sense of untainted royalty given by Britain, if they loose in 2011, they will respond with pogroms in the north and mostly igbos will be killed, what will be our response? Should the situation escalate, who are our external partners, are we already talking with them? We know US is already planning for such events due to her interest, we also know OBJ did the green-tree agreement to extend relations to western powers.  That’s especially to Ojukwu and Alex Ekwueme to ponder.  
Secondly, AC should not catch us by surprise, there is a high risk of PDP splitting, which can make AC suddenly strong. This is what I suspect as OBJ’s interest when he was putting GEJ in confrontational stance earlier. For us SE, if not GEJ, then IBB. Hence we need to get IBB to take an open position on resource control, or even negotiate some level of decentralization of economic resources from Federal Control. We need commitments from both GEJ and IBB on opening and dredging eastern ports.  A large Federal River port in Onitsha, Opening up better trade routes and relations with Central Africa and Camreroon, International Airport, etc.

9jaganja:
Tot tittt tat. Ikwerres are Igbos right? They were the ones who took over Igbo's properties. Don't accuse people with such generalization and then narrow it down when it suits your opinion. Igbos enjoyed other Igbo's suffering. That's what you should see. The two democratic governors are Igbos.

Let's not close our mouth when the food only taste bad because we don't like the chef. What we should be concerned about now is the cultural genocide about to happen in Rivers State. We shouldn't be worried about who is Igbo and who is not,

Eziachi:
I was born a couple of minute away from the said Waterfront, in the area which is now called Creek road. Cannot believe how Ghetto and shanty Waterfront looked when I visited there three years ago after almost 25 years absent. The whole place has become a den for robbers and all sort of illegality. The last time I was in Borokiri, was 1982, when we accompanied my father to finally legally repossesses our two storey house occupied by an Ijaw family since 1970 as an abandoned property- until  Sam Mbakwe came to power and personally talk to Melford Okilo to get back what is ours.
Okrikas needed to be told the truth by Gov’ Amaechi and I was happy that Magnus Abe was sitting there when he was telling them how it is.  They don’t see his action as a change for better future but rather an Igbo man trying to build better houses and mindful of the ecological mine field if their demand to sand filled where they wanted.  From what I heard, their opposition to this project is based on the fact that they believed Amaechi’s his Igbo brothers will buy up development tomorrow when it’s finished.   Which in my opinion is a legitimate concern, as Igbo’s are more likely to have the financial power to buy the new development or get mortgage on them, so Amaechi, should do all he can to address that fear with an advance policies.
But If it were before, he would had been kitty-footing around them because of the Ijaw block vote in elections, but since they calved out Bayelsa, those Okrika, Tai people now knew that they are in minority and can’t do anything. But having said that, there are great link between Okrika and Ndigbo as many family are very much related through blood, though their politicians will tell them otherwise because of wicked politics.

afam4eva:
Pls i'll appreciate it if you name those 5 ministers or could it be that their portfolios are somewhat irrelevant? And pls what has the Chairman of a party got to do with Jonathan's cabinet. Pls just tell us the real reason why you nwant igbos to support Jonathan. We Igbo must stop fooling ourselves. This is 2010 bro.

asha 80:
You gave a thought you know.I thought all 'rivers'people claim to be one and in harmony.So why the furore?Some people you ask them their ethnic group and they claim rivers no be so?

EzeUche22:
Should of known when there are huge number of Igbos congregating in one thread, that these fools would be coming to disrupt the threat. Couldn't they have watched from the sidelines and see us Igbos debate instead of adding their re-tarded comments that do not make any sense?

Kobojunkie:
Wait a second . . . you mean the WISDOM of the Ohaneze leaders don't need to mean much after all?

Last I checked, the choice is not even between IBB and GEJ(both belong to the same Party). There are the donald dukes and the other candidates out there.

marcdunu:
[size=18pt]10 Reasons why this endorsement is ridiculous from an Igbo viewpoint[/size].

1. Goodluck Johnathan is not the best candidate from the old eastern region.

2. Goodluck Johnathan's Ijaw ethnic group do not believe in the old East and are still the highest opposers of Old East, so the sentiment of Old East is based on nothing.

3. Goodluck Jonathan Has less Igbos in his Government than Yar'adua or OBJ and can not claim to love the Igbos when his actions suggest otherwise.

4. Goodluck Jonathan as President has taken the South East for granted. Maurice Iwu, Sam Egwu, Ojo Maduekwe, Onyiuke-Okereke, may not all be great public servants but their are better public servants from the East who could have at least replaced half of these folks. But GEJ prefered others.

5. GEJ was part of those who initially ganged up to highlight the difference between a South-East Igbo ONOVO and a South-South Igbo Okiro when Yar'adua first took office. GEJ can not be a friend of the South East.

6. Vincent Ogbulafor could have made mistakes in his utterances. But his removal and rubbishing of Ogbulafor, the appointment of a compromised Nwodo whom GEJ can use to play football does not signify he holds the Igbos in high esteem. He is simply geering up to use Igbo sons and daughters as his tool. They even flirted with replacing Ogbulafor with Polycap Nwite because he is from River State. Talk about being divisive.

7. The retention of Dora Akunyili as info Minister instead moving her to a more suitable ministry proves the above. Dora Akunyili has been replaced by Ima Niboro in being the spokesman of GEJ which obviously is the right thing. But  whenever there is a controversial announcement GEJ hides Ima Niboro and deploys Dora Akunyili to do his dirty job.

8. Since GEJ became President he has not flirted with the SouthEast in anyway, not openly nor subtly. He has largely ignored the SouthEast believing that by mere making up middle names like "Ebele", "Azikiwe", "Nnamdi", "Okeke" he will simply get the Igbo Vote. Surely we are not as empty as that.

9. The Ijaws were never our allies and never will be. If GEJ was Efik or Ibibio, I could see justifications for these baseless sentiments. But Iwuanyanwu's sentiments are based on nothing.

10. As we speak everybody who is somebody in Ijaw land from Oronto Douglas to Edwin Clark do not spare any opportunity to remind us who their allies are. They say the North are their allies and they have a proud history of working with the North for the progress of Nigeria. WELL IT IS TIME FOR THEIR NORTHERN BROTHERS TO STEP DOWN FOR JONATHAN GOODLUCK. THEY DON'T NEED ANY ENDORESEMENTS FROM THE EAST.

If Iwuanyanwu and Ezeife believe that Jonathan Goodluck is the best candidate they should tell us that. That sounds more honourable. But if this is based on sentiments, Jonathan does not deserve any sentiment from the East. They should go and liaise with their born-to-ruin allies.

Kobojunkie:
Deceit in my words? Am I the one responsible for the problems in Ibo land now? lol  Am I now to blame for all the many terrible endorsements from many of these same leaders in the past? Are my now to blame for the ibos who have somehow dumbed themselves down so they can enforce the will of the few leaders,many of whom are marred in corruption and deceit? Am I responsible for the decisions made by these ohaneze leaders that have gone far to help in destroying ibo land over the last 5 decades?

The reason for a democracy is so people can dispense with the old follow-follow mentality and as individuals plot the path to the future for themselves. Ibos can live united even with different opinions and votes. A group does not have to vote the same way, speak the same language, dress the same way and share the same culture to be regarded as united. That old way of reasoning has failed over and over that I think it is it is overwhelmingly clear that not all these Ibo leaders necessarily have the good of Ibos at heart.

Again, I ask you, how competent are these individuals to whom to whom you have given the power to make decisions for you?

Kobojunkie:
Why are they making any decision for anything but their own selves? Why are they making it for Ibo people?

Please desist from offering up the equally silly reason of how every other group is doing the same. Should Ibos also plunge to their deaths if any other socio-cultural group in Nigeria is doing the same? Must Ibos continue  the culture of follow-follow that has brought us to where we are today?

Are these Ohaneze leaders really competent beings for them to go about claiming to make decisions almost on behalf of Ibos? Why should an endorsement possibly made of personal bias or greed translate into a group endorsing the same?

Kobojunkie:
That is actually a silly conclusion to reach considering I have never advocated for an IBB government in anyway and if you have been following the posts so far, you would note that some of your Ohaneze leaders did that all by themselves for you.

Wake up and smell the roses. How competent are those who you conveniently consider Ohanaze leaders here? Some advocating IBB, while others advocating Jonathan(both from the same PDP party Ibos are trying to get away from) and you feel attacking me will make the facts disappear or something?

Kobojunkie:
Yes, would that also include Ojukwu's wise decision to endorse IBB on behalf of Ibos? ** hiss**

People wake up, Oha na eze does not necessarily vote for the good of the Ibo people. Are these leaders competent enough to decide for the Ibo people?

Onlytruth:
Bros, believe me I feel every bit of your pain. I'm only hoping that the Ijaws have changed for sure, because we won't be anyone's fall guy again in Nigeria.

All these have the handwritings of Amb Ralph Uwechue. I suspect that he/Ohanaeze and Ijaw National Council reached some kind of agreement.
The man is working hard behind the scenes. So, I hope they know a lot more than we do.

Ekwueme presented the 6 geopolitical regions in the 1995 Abacha constitutional conference. It was adopted.

That is how south south came to be.

gadogado:
Why don't you focus on the argument being made and intellectually argue a point as opposed to attacking my personality and "people like me" we're not arguing about THEORIES or evolution which are controversial to say the least. we're talking about the[b] AFRICAN's INABILITY TO BUILD A STABLE AND PROSPEROUS SOCIETY/ENLIGHTENED CIVILIZATION on his own (without Arabs and Europeans) and whether this is caused by a lack of intellectual capacity[/b] as implied by Friedman (The wheel hadn't been invented in parts of Africa by the 19th century) Take your theories of evolution elsewhere.

Kobojunkie:
Please answer the question that you pretended to respond to.

Justcash:
[b]"I read your complaints about the Settler/Indigene dichotomy and many of you are calling for a constitutional amendment to solve this issue, however, the truth is that the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria has already abrogated that dichotomy for the simple reason that it does not recognise any difference between the two , sets of people. If there is a difference as some insist, it is only in their minds and we must as Nigerians begin the peaceful processes of rebuilding the foundations of our citizenship. As far as our present Constitution is concerned, ALL Nigerian citizens are indigenes of any part of Nigeria. And our history is replete with a demonstration of this fact. For example the Great Zik of Africa won an election in Ibadan. Malam Umaru Altine was the first elected Mayor of Enugu and Felix Okonkwo (known as Okonkwo 'Kano') was a member of the Northern Nigeria House of chiefs. Since there is precedent for it in the past, we have to remove the glass ceiling in our minds that still believes in the Settler/Indigene dichotomy. Under the Nigerian Constitution, there is absolutely nothing stopping any Nigerian citizen who has taken residency in a state, town or ward from participating in the governance processes of that State, Town or Ward including contesting elections if the individual fulfils the constitutional requirements of residency and tax payment. If Nigerian immigrants can win City Council elections in the U.S, mayoral elections in Ireland and most recently Parliamentary seats in the British House of Commons, it should certainly be possible for a Nigerian with ancestral origins from Sokoto to win an election in Port Harcourt and vice versa. As I said, the Nigerian Constitution permits it, there are precedents for it and the only thing we have to do is to give effect to our constitutional rights which speak to our unity and our collective aspirations for peaceful co-existence and greatness. GEJ"[/b]

ola olabiy:
the question is:
when was the time sub-saharan africans were ahead of any other race?
good you knw that north africans were better at a stage. and asians too.
but, what about blacks? when? or is this due to some inherent factors?