₦airaland Forum

texazzpete: That is not the sensible solution. Involving the locals will only add more avenues for theft and mismanagement.



i'm sorry but this is not an intelligent contribution. How will a country that cannot meet its own internal consumption capacity now start exporting refined crude?

AFTER THE REFERENDUM



In Ibadan, less than 48 hours afterwards, the Premier, SL Akintola ordered civil servants of Midwestern origin to leave, with less than 24 hours notice. As federal referendum officers were returning to their places of work in Lagos on July 22nd, long columns of vehicles carrying over 600 Midwestern families returning from Ibadan, jammed the roads from Owo, and headed for Benin City. As one witness put it, it was like the “great trek.”



For many months, Benin City became a large refugee camp with Western region returnees squatting all over the place in open fields, verandahs etc. There were very few quarters and the sleepy old provincial capital with dusty untarred roads had long been denied the kind of infrastructure that could support such a sudden population influx. Drivers of western region official vehicles disposed of their vehicles in ways that depended on their place of origin. If they were Yoruba, they tried to make it to Ifon just beyond the border. If they were Midwesterners, they hid their vehicles within Midwestern territory. As things turned out, to this day, the Western region has never shared its joint assets with the Midwest, a sub-region which accounted for one third of its area and one quarter of its population. All these years the Midwest (later Bendel State) has had to remain contented with whatever fixed assets were physically on the ground as of August 9, 1963 and could not be moved out. The Western region and its successor States took what was left

Before settling down to prepare for the Willink Commission visit, reaction to the outcome of the London Conference among members of the MSM was extremely negative. Chief Omo-Osagie, for example, said,

“The people of the Midwest would willingly submit to the use of nuclear weapons, devastating bombs or machine guns to annihilate them, rather than remain in a self governing West.” [West African Pilot. July 14, 1957]

Another development in the Western Regional Assembly that created consternation in the Benin and Delta provinces was the attempt in 1956 to enforce Yoruba as a language medium in all schools throughout ALL the provinces. The British Lt. Governor, Sir John Rankine, vetoed compulsory implementation in the Benin and Delta provinces, explaining that it was a time–bomb. It is not clear what role Oba Akenzua II played in securing this veto. [personal communication, D. A. Omoigui]

Under these circumstances, on March 8th, 1955, Obafemi Awolowo invited Oba Akenzua II for a meeting in Ibadan. According to the minutes of the meeting, Chief Awolowo told Oba Akenzua II to disengage himself from politics before it becomes a disadvantage. Awolowo told him that he had planned to preserve the position of traditional rulers as an "important part of the social and spiritual life of the people" outside the political arena. In response, Oba Akenzua II politely but firmly drew a distinction between politics and his activities with the Midwest State movement. He went further to query why the Ooni of Ife and the Alake of Abeokuta were open supporters and contributors to the Action Group but were not being similarly advised. Awolowo reacted by promising to give other Obas similar advice, but also told Oba Akenzua II to go back to Benin and seriously reflect over his comments. [National Archives, Ibadan; File B.P.215 Correspondence with the Oba of Benin.]

In 1954, Obafemi Awolowo became Premier of the Western region under the 1954 Constitution that created the Federation of Nigeria. At the same time Chief Festus Okotie-Eboh of Warri, representing the NCNC, became the Regional Minister of Labour and Welfare. Dennis Osadebay emerged as NCNC Opposition leader in the West, while V.I. Amadasun became NCNC Chief Whip. Meanwhile the BDPP relied increasingly on the local NCNC operational infrastructure, even while foreswearing any party links in public. As time went on, therefore, pressure grew from within the BDPP to formally ally the party with the NCNC – which the Oba was opposed to. Meanwhile there were unconfirmed rumors at the end of 1954 that the Oba had reached a secret deal with Chief Awolowo. [Michael Vickers, Ethnicity and Sub-Nationalism in Nigeria, p93] Concerned about these rumours, Chief Omo-Osagie decided to ignore the General Secretary of Otu-Edo, Mr. J. Osadolo Edomwonyi, who had close links to the Palace, and unilaterally nominate Mr. Eric Imafidon to contest the All-Nigerian Parliamentary elections. Both Omo-Osagie and Imafidon defeated Edomwonyi’s “Oba of Benin BDPP faction” candidates. [Uwaifo, Op. Cit.; Oronsaye, Op. Cit.]

The Action Group had in the meantime conceptualized a plan to seize political control of Benin by co-opting the Oba and destroying Chief H Omo-Osagie.

According to testimony from Dr. Obas. J. Ebohon,

[b]“My father was the personal driver of Chief Omo-Osagie through out his political career and what both himself and B2 went through before, during, and after the creation of Mid-West is unimaginable and sometimes better than some of 007 epic films. My father once told me that the journeys to and from the Western House of Assembly in Ibadan was the type of journeys one makes to and from the battle field. Firstly, they never exceeded four people and they travelled by Bedford Lorry instead of a car to which his status demanded. The reason for this was security as his life was threatened openly by those enraged by his demands for Mid-West State. He said on approaching Ore, they would disembark and B2 would come out of the comfortable second row and climb into the back of the Bedford lorry and be covered with trampoline and that is where he would remain through the numerous roadblocks put out to hunt him down and, that is how he would remain until they arrive Ibadan. Sometimes, for the need to confuse his detractors, he would be hidden in lorries carrying plantain to Ibadan and guess where he would be sitting - buried among the plantain and that is how he remains until the outskirts of Ibadan and be transferred into the Bedford lorry again. On numerous occasions they escaped death with the skin of his teeth. My father indicated that when they are travelling, it usually was like preparing for a funeral at B2's house and those of his entourage and the worst is expected and, when they return unharmed, it was jubilation.” (Source: OJ Ebohon. Edo-Nation Egroup, July 5, 2002. RE: [Edo-Nation] The Last Edo Political Titan: Chief Humphrey Omo-Osagie)[/b]

“In the Western region, as a reaction against the allegedly Yoruba-dominated Action group, the Mid-West State movement was started, supported largely by non-Yoruba-speaking peoples and in particular the people of the old Benin Empire.” [M Crowder: The Story of Nigeria. 3rd Edition, 1972. Faber]



Indeed, at the very next Benin Provincial Conference at Ogwashi-Uku in June 1952, attended by pro-Midwesterners like JO Odigie of Ishan, Chike Ekwuyasi of Benin and Dennis Osadebay of Asaba, separatist sentiments were strongly expressed, resulting in the creation of the “Central State Congress”. [File BP/2328/1 National Archives, Ibadan] One of the criticisms of the Western region government was the alleged decision to spend 225,000 pounds in Awolowo’s home province of Ijebu with a population of 383,000, as compared with 169,000 pounds in the Benin province with a population of 624,000. Subsequently, a subgroup known as the Committee of the Midwest Organization emerged under R.O. Odita.



Before the end of 1952 another significant event occurred. It was the decision of the Action Group government based in Ibadan to restore the title of the ‘Olu of Itsekiri’ to ‘Olu of Warri’ as it had been known in previous centuries. Non-Itsekiris in Warri Province reacted violently, concerned that there was an implication of suzerainty over the whole province. Thus a compromise was reached. In exchange for acceptance of the designation of the Olu as ‘Olu of Warri’, the province was renamed ‘Delta province’. [personal papers, Alfred O. Rewane] In spite of this compromise, the experience soured the relationship between many Urhobo leaders of thought and the Action group leadership, which they felt, had been beholden to a powerful Itsekiri lobby. It served to drive Urhobos, already so inclined, further into the warm embrace of the Midwest Separatist Movement.

alj harem: Dalover I am not even going to drag this on. Abeg just tell GEJ to split Nigeria and if mid-west joins Biafra, the better.


I have told you times without number that is not Oil that builds a Nation to be great but God and the spirit of unity.

I am done here

When the Western House of Assembly opened in January 1952, 21 out of 24 Midwesterners were allied with the NCNC while three – S.O. Ighodaro, Arthur Prest, and Anthony Enahoro - were allied with the Action Group. One immediate source of irritation was the government’s official pamphlet, which insensitively described the Parliamentary Mace with four ceremonial swords as representing the authority of Yoruba Chiefs. To aggravate matters, when the unicameral Western House of Assembly was formally declared open by then Lt. Governor Sir Hugo Marshall, the Alake of Abeokuta, rose to speak immediately after Sir Marshall and said:

“On my right sits the Oni of Ife; On my left, the Leader of our Government, Obafemi Awolowo. The Voice of the West is complete.” [Hansard of Western House of Assembly: January 7, 1952]

In other words, as the delegates from Benin and Delta saw it, the “voice of the West” did not include those of the people of Benin and Delta provinces. To compound matters, Benin and Delta delegates later complained too about derogatory epithets that had allegedly been hurled at them, such as “KoboKobo”, used to refer to persons (or barbarians) whose diction cannot be understood. [File BP/2328/1 National Archives, Ibadan]

From this point on, the Oba of Benin, Akenzua II, supported by the Benin and Warri (Delta) legislative delegation, began openly touring Benin and other Divisions of Benin province as well as the Delta province to campaign for the Midwest (Central) region. According to Professor Michael Crowder:

alj harem: And that was why Yorubas did not complain when the mid-west went ?

Should we say because of mid-west we should lose our culture ?

That is how daf.t some of you all can be at times. LOL

alj harem: So it is no longer Oil that built Lagos now, it is the British ?

LOL dude you are confused, really really confused

DaLover: And who is beefing lagos? R u sure u have been following the thread...people tried to say Lagos was developed in a particular way and another set of people said no... How does that amount to beefing Lagos?

I have pointed out that the reasons for development are...1..the way the british treated it differently from other places initially, 2...it later was the capital of the country, and benefited from funds from across the county 3...Growth in Lagos exploded with the oil boom...

But someone here says it the level of tolerance of the people....can u beat that reasoning?

Pls kindly show me where the 13% only applies to 9ja delta states?...because my understanding is that 13% should apply to all revenues generated by states.
Please dont make me lauge further by saying lagos state is producing so much oil but does not need the extra 13% from oil.....because i know for a fact that Lagos has being trying to get more money from the VAT, and port revenues....i dont believe they will let that substantial revenue go becuase or what u call oil.politics.....

Its either they produce no oil or very little.....but that still does not negate the fact that oil from the.9ja deta played a major role in development of lagos

In August 1942, the conference of traditional Obas and rulers in what was now the Western Provinces of Nigeria took place in Benin City. It is said that at that meeting, there was an attempt to speak Yoruba as the Lingua Franca, thus causing some irritation among delegates from the Benin and Warri provinces. Nevertheless, the Second World War was in progress and all efforts were focused on its successful prosecution, so sleeping dogs were allowed to lie. The war was interrupted only by reports that the Institute for Home-Benin Improvement had transformed into the Edo National Union in 1943 and that Nnamdi Azikiwe proposed eight ( protectorates in his “Political Blueprint for Nigeria” [RL Sklar: Nigerian Political Parties. Princeton, 1963]. At about this time tribal unions like the Bauchi Improvement Association, Ibibio State Union, and the Pan-Ibo Federal Union became known. The pro-independence National Council for Nigeria and the Cameroons (NCNC) was formed by Herbert Macaulay in 1944. It attracted many young educated elite from the Benin and Warri provinces initially. Among them were men like Mr. Anthony Enahoro, TJ Akagbosu, Chief Gaius Obaseki, Arthur Prest, O.N. Rewane, Begho and Edukugho. [EA Enahoro: Fugitive Offender, London: Cassell, 1966]

alj harem: Shut up and stop the lies

NO JEW WOULD SAY ANYTHING NICE ABOUT HITLER.

Who are you liking Hitler to ? Yorubas and Hausas or Who ?

NCNC split the west because of some reason best known to Nnamdi Okpara and co

Why should he stop the mid-west when Nnamdi arrested Awolowo and Enaharo (representative of the mid-west) ? He could not have split it into 2 eqaul halves thanks to Oba Benin that saw through all the rubbish your Igbotic leaders were doing.

IS the mid-west happier now ? Yes or No

I love the idea of people having their own destiny and if for any reason the groups in the mid-west don't feel comfortable about being in the west because according to some Urhobos it is yoruba domination. Then fine. It is all well and good.

I would not want to be dominated as well. but the question is, is the mid-west better now ? Yes or No ?

jason123: I'm not into this argument but I have to correct the impression on your first paragraph.
It was MAINLY an NCNC initiated split not because Mid-westerners were suffering.
Read professor Omoruyi's account!

alj harem: LOL they had it bad under the western region and that was why Yorubas freed them ?

NCNC aka Nnamdi Azikwe split the western region for political reasons best know to him.

THE MID-WEST DID NOT FIGHT NIGHT AND DAY, In fact there was no fight so stop lying your stu.pid igbo man. There was a referendum and Oba Bini decided to have the mid-west.

Thus the west was the first region to split, Yorubas did not fight a war because of that neither did the mid-west. Only for years later Ojukwu to invade them. So you see, you sir are not from the mid-west and I dare any mid-western to challenge me on this. I am not talking about your Igbotic goons

Ok ! You lair

The links I brought out were by Ijaws and Urhobos so go figure

don't allow Lagos people to deceive you ooo...you will end up being a bigger F00L than you are looking now

Wole should have protested during OBJ era

alj harem: Dalover please and Please you are not Ijaw, stop lying to Nairalanders. If truly by any chance you are Ijaw, I take you mama beg you, tell GEJ to split this country fast !

When your fore-fathers where getting Awolowo free education in delta state where were likes of Ibori and co ?

When cocoa was funding the west before oil, what were your leaders feeding on ?

Just so you know I am not lying

http://tribune.com.ng/index.php/community-news/18603-ijaw-people-invoke-awos-spirit

http://www.nigerdeltacongress.com/articles/awolowos_peoples_republic.htm

http://www.thenationonlineng.net/2011/index.php/columnist/thursday/jide-osuntokun/16327-obafemi-awolowo-and-the-making-of-remo-a-review-2.html

http://www.nigerianmuse.com/projects/Awoproject/?PHPSESSID=80a333ce9b34574eeaf9416291533225

Please, I cannot live in a country like this. Just tell GEJ to split the country insisted to ranting about Yoruba and Hausa all day while the innocent Igbos that have nothing to do with oil companies are good.

Just tell GEJ to split the country. We are protesting for SNC in the West, North and middle belt. I bet the same is what is going on in the minds of Igbos and Ijaws, so what is the wait for ?


If you allow this country to continue after GEJ without a split, then don't complain whatever happens after that.

Enuff said

alj harem: Where you not the same person saying Wole should have protested during OBJ era ?

Moreover the fuel I buy to my car, is it your father that bought it for me ?

Which free fuel are you yarning about ? Dude stop thinking silly here. Explain how fuel is free.

If you are not happy with the current structure of Nigeria, tell GEJ to split the country

Rossikk: Thanks Naptu2.. Corrected.





I wouldn't go that far... but thanks for the compliment.

We need to get it out of our heads that the British did wonders in Nigeria. They exploited the place terribly for 100 years, and look at the state of Broad Street when they were there! Even my village market looks better than it.

Now look at Johannesburg, in this same Africa. In the 1950s. Under the same British:

https://farm3.static.flickr.com/2606/3852589182_04149ba320.jpg

See, the reason they developed their South African colony while neglecting and abusing their Nigerian colony was because they were large numbers of white settlers in SA, so they did not siphon all the money from exports, like they did in Nigeria, but reinvested some into the country.

If the British had reinvested in those 100 years, just 20% of what they earned from Nigerian resources, we would not have been talking about being a developing country today. We would be like South Africa.

So they essentially ROBBED US BLIND, which is why we are starting late and playing catch up to SA and other developed countries today.

But we will catch up.

Demdem: only ignorant foools will not support the proposed protest.

tribalism: @Delafruita
accept my condolence. i lived in the north when boko haram was only known in MAIDUGIRI, and just after the presidential election crisis, i smelt a rat, i now live in WARRI DELTA state. you need to know how desperate the north wants power back. its crazy, its time nigeria disintegrate.

alj harem: You must be crazy, what statues quo ?

When the Yorubas and Hausas were protesting against their leaders, where were yours ?

When Soyinka was holding hands with Gani, where were your leaders ?

Is it the Igbos that quiet are the Innocent ones ?

Tribalism is indeed killing this country



Willy willy is Igbo jare. Stop this ideeiot crazy

we have already caught her out on this board

Along side Dalover

Nigerian federalism is fraudulent - Tinubu, Aregbesola, Fashola

Tunde Odesola

The leadership of the Action Congress of Nigeria has described the country's federalism as anti-people.


Former Lagos State Governor, A

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Leaders of the party, who spoke at an induction ceremony held in Osogbo for all ACN's legislators, nationwide, on Thursday, said the country's federalism ran counter to development.

The leaders, who spoke at the ceremony included the National Chairman of the party, Chief Bisi Akande; a former Governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu; Osun State Governor, Mr Rauf Aregbesola, Lagos State Governor, Mr Babatunde Fashola, and the National Secretary of the party, Dr Usman Bugaje.

A cross-section of the leaders called for a review of the constitution to reflect the desires of the citizenry.

In his paper entitled, Leadership and party supremacy, Akande said, "The twin major ingredients of cohesion and discipline are leadership and ideology.

"Ideology represents objectives while leadership provides social influence that motivates people to serve.

"We are constantly promising Nigerians to effect a measured change from what Peoples Democratic Party had fraudulently been doing in the past 12 years."

Tinubu said the Federal Government had no solution to the myriad problems besetting the country, stressing that the government at the centre was perpetrating corruption via the country's federal structure.

The National Secretary of the party, Dr Usman Bugaje, said only the ACN was capable of providing the template for Nigeria's greatness, stressing that the party would continue to work out the political salvation of the country.

Tinubu contended that it was wrong for the Federal Government to unilaterally fix a minimum wage for the 36 states of the country.

Tinubu explained that it was wrong of the Federal Government to unilaterally operate the Excess Crude Account, sell national properties and institutions without giving the proceeds to the state governments.

He said, "The country's Constitution was not written, debated and adopted by the generality of Nigerians. It was the military that wrote it without inputs from the generality of Nigerians. Sovereignty, in our constitution, was taken from the people and given to the Federal Government."

Fashola called for a new allocation sharing formula, which would see the Federal Government receiving 35 per cent of the country's monetary resources while the states take 42 per cent and local government takes 23 per cent.

Like Tinubu, Fashola faulted the Federal Government for fixing the minimum wage for all states, saying that the action negated productivity and creativity.

Fashola, who explained that the minimum wage of blue collar jobs could be fixed, however, argued that it is difficult to fix the wage of white collar jobs.

Supporting the clamour for the establishment of state police, Fashola described the present arrangement wherein the Federal Government controls the police as an aberration.

He said the creation of state police was a veritable avenue of providing mass employment to teeming Nigerian youths, adding that it was wrong of the Federal Government to keep the money charged on Value Added Tax.

alj harem: [size=13pt]No we don't want him to fail. We would never want him to fail

If you want someone to succeed in life you drive the person by telling the person the truth. If he learns his lesson, then he might actually be the best president Nigeria ever had. But would he is the question.

You and Dalover are just to myopic to see this[/size]

alj harem: You must be crazy, what statues quo ?

When the Yorubas and Hausas were protesting against their leaders, where were yours ?

When Soyinka was holding hands with Gani, where were your leaders ?

Is it the Igbos that quiet are the Innocent ones ?

Tribalism is indeed killing this country



Willy willy is Igbo jare. Stop this ideeiot crazy

we have already caught her out on this board

Along side Dalover

maasoap: You people are not sincere at all. He won 5 out 6 states in Yoruba land and he also won many states in the Northern region. During primary election, he won Atiku simply because many Hausa voted for him. The simple but bitter truth is that your Retarden has disappointed and still disappointing many Nigerians. The people that are criticising him today once believed in him and trusted him and that was why they all voted him but he's simply not getting it right. Protecting thieves, protecting criminals, irrational and senseless comments all the time. His cabinet is full of thieves.

jason123: On a side note, is this the Onitsha people talk about on NL ??

No part of Nigeria is developed apart from Lagos, Rivers (PH), AkwaIbom and Abuja!!!

Wily+Wily:
Majority of Yorubas and Hausa/Fulani North want him to fail, they are trying all their best to frustrate him.

CyberG: Clearly, jealousy and bad belleism is the problem of some people in Nigeria. When Nigeria breaks up (if it ever does), then we will see how many people want to stay in ANOTHER man's land for ANY reason. Rwanda will be small for the millions of people who will be nailed to the stake whether they try to steal land in the north, east or west or anywhere. Until then, let haters hate and progressives keep moving on!

shymmex: Why do you keep spamming this thread with 9ja delta?

Please, talk about your lousy Ijaw tribe - which produces minimal amount of crude oil in Nigeria.. There is no 9ja delta - it's just a political acronym for oil producing states... The Itsekiris, Ilajes, Ibibios etc. don't want nothing to do with Ijaws.. Talk about your lousy Ijaw tribe and what you guys bring to the federal coffers.

The olu of Warri has already warned you guys to stay away from Warri - adhere to that, and stop spamming this thread, clown.