₦airaland Forum

DerideGull:
Arrant nonsense. This was tableted after the carpet-crossing. One major plank of the episode that the author deceitfully omitted were the platform and manifesto the mushroom parties used during the election. It must be noted that parties that did not have national coverage or presence were not allowed to contest election. Those who crossed carpet included individuals who ran under the NCNC's platform and manifesto.

For the bolded, why not then supply your own correct account? Is that supposed to be easier than the expletive you issued above? Bring your own account and list let us examine them. Debates are as simple as that.

naijjaman:
Stop wasting your uncle's data, typing rubbish. Go get a decent job, loser!

When you threatened to start with me I thought it was facts you were bringing to the table to prove me wrong only for me to see wailing and gnashing of teeth. It is obvious you are a lilliputian where facts and logic drive a debate. So I will not bother responding to you again until you supply facts and logic based arguments.

Igboid:
1. Nzeogwu coup, Ifeajuna coup, Ademoyega coup. Anyone that tickles your Igbophobic brain cells, is the first military rule, as it took power off the civilian government.
Ironsi met no citing civilian government. Dipcharima was not in power, and Orizu was on the run. The government had been sacked and were no longer functional.
They civilians were plotting a comeback, but Ironsi snuffed it out in its bud. Simple.
So No, Ironsi took power from Nzeogwu and co, not from dead Saraduna, run away Zik, and hiding and yet to be sworn Orizu or Dipcharima.

2. The argument of my brothers, was that Ironsi didn't destroy the vestiges of the regional system and structures before he left, when Ironsi died, the Regions were still intact. And all had military governors.
Gowon it was who finally eviscerated the regional structures with his creation of abominations called states.


3." The Core North's objective for toppling Ironsi was not primarily to correct his blunders but to further perpetrate them so that Igbos might through practical experience understand why unitary system is not desirable for a multi-ethnic nation and therefore unlearn their belief in it".

How do we reconcile you above vomitus with your below vituperation :

"Gowon, on a personal note, had actually begun to reverse Ironsi's blunders until it was overtaken by Ojukwu's intransigence".

On one hand, you claim the North had no plans of reversing Ironsi "blunders", on second hand, you claim Gowon was already reversing Ironsi "blunders", you just can't keep your ish straight, can you?


Regardless of your meandering, Gowon didn't reverse Ironsi "blunders " in the end, he had 9yrs to do that, and didn't.
You can't run away from this.


4. The Nigerian unity project was an NCNC project. Zik spoke on the conference as an NCNC leader, and not an Igbo leader.
NCNC was a multiethinic national party with many non Igbo henchmen, and not one of them of note, opposed Zik and NCNC one Nigeria project.
On why NCNC and NPC chose to dump AG and go into alliance with Each other, blame Awolowo treachery for that.
No one wants to go into alliance with someone with trust issues.
Awo and AG through their shenanigans, proved not to be trust worthy. It's simple as that.

6. But the event you speak of, the constitutional conference and NCNC one Nigeria stance, occurred pre independence, so even if we accept your lie, that NCNC became an Igbo only party post independence, how exactly does it help your argument of trying to prove that NCNC one Nigeria stance in pre independence represents Igbo stand and not NCNC , a multiethinic national party, stance?
You see, you had maneuverd your self into a cul-de-sac.


7. You are a liar, no part of Kwara or Kogi was part of Southern region by 1906.
Here is the proof:https://www.nairaland.com/1019602/dont-blame-1914-amalgamation-rather/1

Stop wasting my time on redundant arguments.
The regions were created in 1939 by Bernard Bourdillion.
Stop wasting my time.

1. Ifeajuna and Nzeogwu did not successfully take over power hence your argument that Ironsi took over from them is built on nothing and turns logic on its head.
A civilian government is defined not by the personalities in power but by the offices set up by the constitution. Ironsi met the constitution intact, and by extension met the government offices intact and was therefore advised by the civilians to follow what the intact constitution recommend by way of swearing in Dipcharima so that the coup plotters would be punished for treasonable felony. But he declined and decided to subvert the constitution.

2. However, neither you nor your brothers have been able to answer the question as to what exactly Ironsi therefore meant when in his May 24 national broadcast declared that:
i. the former regions have now become groups of provinces.
ii. the country ceased to be what is called a federation but had become just "Republic of Nigeria".
iii. every well meaning citizen agreed that the main impediment to national progress was regionalism and all its vestiges must be rooted out of the system.
Moreover, if Ironsi did not kill the regions, why did Gowon find it necessary to issue his own Decree 56 which restored them with their full autonomy for 11 months?
3. If only you know what the term "primarily' connotes in the context you would not have been in your delusional discovery of a contradiction. Please consult your dictionary and read with comprehension skills.
I claim that the Core North (Not just the North). So don't misquote me.
4.Why have you consistently been dodging the question about why four years later NCNC decided to join forces with the supposedly untrustworthy AG towards fostering the UPGA alliance to the point that Michael Okpara had to on behalf of Zik visit Ibadan to mend fences with an "untrustworthy" party whose leader was serving a jail term slammed on him by a ruling coalition in which NCNC was part and parcel of? Doesn't it sound absurd to common sense? You termed a party as untrustworthy yet you later went seeking that party's friendship. Then what are you yourself?
The fact that it was the same NCNC that later dumped the UPGA alliance for an offer in the NNA brought to power by brazen rigging lays it bare that Zik and NCNC were the merchants of treachery.
Above all, attaching Zik's preference for the NPC-NCNC alliance to the phantom Awolowo double deal does not make sense if one recalls that even before independence Zik had through several utterances made it clear that he was ready to sacrifice anything to keep the North in Nigeria at his own personal cost and at the risk of the entire South. The situation after the 1959 election was such that the North's condition for remaining in Nigeria was to be given political power to which Zik obliged in his quest to hold the North back. How this Awolowo double deal theory later came through backdoor to rationalize that blunder of Zik after it had boomeranged is what remains a puzzle.
Awolowo's phantom double play had not occurred when Zik declared in the 40s that he was ready to pay the ultimate price to keep Nigeria intact, and even later gave a long speech warning those Northerners asking for secession earlier on and promising them political concessions from the South if they changed their minds.

6. My claim that "The NCNC had become an Igbo party at that moment" is totally different from you own suggestion which puts me as saying that "The NCNC became an Igbo party at independence"
I don't want to believe you don't know the function of 'had' in that sentence I made.
And in any case the presence of non-Igbo members in NCNC did not strip it of its Igbo-centric outlook any more than the presence of non-Hausa-Fulani members in NPC strip NPC of its Hausa-Fulani focused outlook. Recall that Zik had shifted NCNC's base to the East. How did a nationalist party have its base shifted from the federal capital to a regional one?

7. I have taken my time all this while to study that thread you referenced and discovered you have no point.
The map shown there is a purely trade based demarcation of territories which illustrates Richard Akinjide's recent exposition that Nigeria's Protectorates started purely as British trade entities and not ethnicity based political administrative units. The straight line boundary at the Eastern axis is a testimonial to this as it was hardly possible for yet uncolonized African tribes to have maintained a perfectly straight line boundary with one another in their settlement patterns.
The straight line boundary in question falls on latitude 7.3°N beneath which a lot of the present Kogi East towns and Benue towns native to Igbos and Tivs fall. Examples are Idah, Ajaka, Onyedega, Adoru, Okpo, Orukpa, Otukpa, Orokam, Angba, Otukpo, Oju, Igumale, Koniya, Vande Ikiya, Adikpo, Kashimbila, Utonkon, etc.
Your own quoted map has revealed you as the liar here and boxed you to a dead end.
However, the real ethnicity based boundaries which came into being when Protectorates assumed administrative forms is what you see below and you can see the whole of present Kogi East and the entire current Benue State in the Southern Protectorate. This image is taken from page 39 of Macmillan Atlas authored by seasoned academics of Geography and history under the editorial guidance of others like Dr. Frederick O.A. Dada (Hons) Geography ABU, MSc Glasgow and PhD UI, together with Garba Musa Jibrin and Dr. Adane Ijeoma. I guess you also call them liars.
You may get a copy from your nearest bookshop to cure your ignorance.
The 1939 Bouillon Constitution did not create regions but territories which only became re-created regions amidst gerrymandering in 1951 and then accorded autonomous powers same year. The change from territories to regions involved serious nationwide consultations. Why couldn't Zik use the opportunity to speak up against the gerrymandering as the leader of the East? Rather, in his one Nigeria delusion, he was far away in Ibadan thwarting Awolowo's irredentist efforts targeted at Yorubas native to the current Kwara and Kogi.



If my arguments were redundant you would not have bothered replying.

naijjaman:
In your little brain abi? Where are the books you wrote about it?

Don't let me start with you

And your "big" brain has never read it anywhere on internet that is just a click away? You are very welcome to start with me. Go ahead please.

naijjaman:
You don't have to mention me ok. Live with your conclusions.

Are those my conclusions or the undeniable facts of history?

naijjaman:
You don't have to mention me ok. Live with your conclusions.

Are those my conclusions or the undeniable facts of history?

28Toronto1:
..

Your map is brazenly fake. You cut the Southern part of the Midwest into the Eastern Region and cut the Northern part into the Kwara area. Una no dey tire for all these Biafra egotistical gerrymandering?
When was the present Delta State area ever part of the Eastern Region?
Attitudes like these are what make the Nigerian government believe that the call for Biafra is not sincerely about breaking off from Nigeria but about seeking an opportunity just to achieve more relevance in the Nigeria power equation context through the domination of Southern minorities and the subsequent supplanting of their identities and freewill within.

naijjaman:


Those who see the injustice of today will admire heroes like Odumegwu Ojukwu.

The truth is that the Igbo man is the engine that drives Nigeria and he means well.

The Igbo man is the last to pick a fight but he will fight till the end once the battle line is drawn.

Now, tell me about your own tribe or jump in the nearest lake

He foresaw the injustice of today, yet he so much defended injustice called "One-Nigeria" that he crushed Isaac Adaka Boro's attempt to pull Niger Delta Republic out of it 15 months before he (Ojukwu) himself would later ask for Biafra after belatedly realizing that "One-Nigeria" was a delusional hope and serious injustice defended and sustained by Zik his brother.
Again, the same Mr. See injustice nodded his head in approval when Ironsi later promulgated his Anti-seccession Decree which made any attempt to get out of the injustice punishable with death by hanging.
Your credit to Ojukwu obviously lacks logical and factual basis.
Read up Nigeria's history between the lines please.
Ojukwu actually saw Zilch.
Igbos were actually the last tribe to realize that Nigeria was a fraud and injustice.

Paperwhite:
I'm telling you man.Igbos saw the real Nigeria from afar.

The same Igbos who invented the "One-Nigeria" delusional slogan at a time every other tribe was asking for the de-amalgamation of Nigeria?

emmanuelewumi:
I think Edo state government should be held responsible for the quagmire, the site belongs to BUA.

Correct. The site really belongs to BUA. On the first occasion of harassment of BUA workers, thugs came from Kogi all of a sudden and attacked with guns and matchet. The Edo State Government is not dealing with the matter decisively because it is wooing Dangote to invest in some other industries which raw materials abound in the state in addition to the recently commissioned fertilizer plant in Auchi.
Talk of Nigeria politics.
On his part, Dangote is being driven by the allure that Edo State limestone deposits are of highest quality coupled with the strategic location of Edo North in terms of centrality to most parts of the North and South.

wanaj0:
How many SUGAR refining companies do we have?

Are the likes of Elder Demspter still allowed to import Sugar?

Look at the fight going on now in the Cement sector. See how BUA is giving him a run for his money?

On the bolded, so much that he currently is in a seeming malice motivated battle with BUA over a limestone deposit site in BUA's territory in Edo State.

InfiniteLoopx:
You still end up writing up exactly what I predicted. One question for you; does the action of one man translate to the act and will of more than 19 million people?
Waiting for your answer.

Indirect democracy which we practised then and presently is government by representation. So the one man was a leader of those 19 million people's forebears who elected him to represent them.
Whenever an elected representative's home constituency begin to feel that his actions and contributions on the floor no longer represent their wishes they float recall motion against him.
If Igbos did not approve Zik's deprecation of attempts to canonize the secession clause, then why could none of them rise in public condemnation of him or commence collection of signatures for his recall? I have never read any article written by an Igbo at that time in condemnation of Zik's rejection of the secession clause. Silence is consent. However, if you can provide a link to just one of such article I and many others may change our opinions
And recall that he was cheered on by his fellow Igbo members in the parliament while he embarked on that myopic resistance.

Igboid:
You were the one who dubiously introduced neutrality issue here, forcing me to make it clear that you are too Igbophobic to lay claim to any neutrality claim on any discussion involving Igbos on this board. Your antecedents and posts history speak for you. You can't lay claim to neutrality, neither can you lay claim to being good, you had since crossed that line.

1. Military rule in Nigeria was first introduced by Nzeogwu and people like Ademoyega, who decided to usurp a sitting civilian government in Jan 1966.


2. True. Yet those who removed and killed him for it, decided to consolidate and entrench the same military and unity government rule they accused Ironsi of being guilty of.
9yrs, Gowon had to return the country back to civilian rule, but chose to perpetuate himself in government, but we are supposed to blame Ironsi who ruled for just 6 months for Gowon failures?

3. Even more senseless is the fact that Gowon the man you present as hero, and his gang saw to the death of Ironsi, on the ground of his unity government, yet they perpetuated the unity system and refused to change it for 9yrs, isn't this more senseless?
Of course, I expect you to come up with excuses on why Gowon refused to correct Ironsi "senseless" decision, but rather perpetuated it.

4. Zik was a leader of NCNC, a multi ethnic national party with members spread between the then three regions of the federation, the decision to pursue Nigerian unity using diplomatic means was an NCNC decision, not Ziks personal decision, the party members never objected.
Were NCNC shortsighted for pursing and believing in Nigeria unity? Well events that occurred later and current failed state of Nigeria, suggests they were.

5. Again, NCNC was not East's NCNC, I understand why you are diabolically trying to make NCNC an east only party. But facts remain that NCNC was a national party with members across the three regions.
Here : https://www.nairaland.com/3780719/politics-first-coalition-govt-nigeria
We can see why Zik and NCNC were pushed into alliance with the NPC.
Awo and AG were treacherous and dishonest in their dealings with both NPC and NCNC.

7. How old exactly was Zik in 1900, how could Zik travel back in time and undo and event that occurred before the first almagamation of 1906? Can you see how far your Igbophobia had driven you? Why wasn't Awo advocating and fighting for unification of Western Kogi and Kwara which even had ethnic Yorubas in them with Southern region.


I know you stock in trade is to unnecessary lengthen discussions with unnecessary diversions until your opponent gets bored, but I will only try to avoid your unnecessary diversions.

Where did I even mention neutrality in my very first comment that attracted your response? For your information neutrality is not about apportioning blames equally but correctly which is what I did. The blame for the pioneership of the events which led Nigeria astray rests squarely on Zik and Ironsi's myopic quests for unitary system disguised as a call, albeit dubious, for One-Nigeria. Note the term pioneership
As a minority person, why should I not be igbophobic when the unitary system which Igbos brought into Nigeria through the backdoor has perpetually endangered the minorities? Are you expecting them to send you kisses and thank you cards for for being the first to dismantle federalism which guaranteed their protection from the overbearing attitude of the majorities?


1. Stop being clever by half. As long as the Ifeajuna (not Nzeogwu) coup was unsuccessful it can't be the originator of military rule. Ironsi's coup which actually took power from the civilians was.

2. You personally agree that Ironsi brought unitary system? But some of your brothers here go all lengths to deny it. So who should we believe now?
The Core North's objective for toppling Ironsi was not primarily to correct his blunders but to further perpetrate them so that Igbos might through practical experience understand why unitary system is not desirable for a multi-ethnic nation and therefore unlearn their belief in it. On that account, Gowon's 9 year stay was not even enough to purge Igbos of their over 40 year old fixation with unitary system against every reality on ground.
3. Gowon, on a personal note, had actually begun to reverse Ironsi's blunders until it was overtaken by Ojukwu's intransigence.
4. A party is as good as its leader. Besides that, majority of those asking for one Nigeria were Igbos both in NCNC and outside it. The few Yorubas who joined Zik in that stupid One-Nigeria sloganeering did so to avoid being guilty of anti-party activities. Don't forget that the quest for unitary system disguised as the call for One-Nigeria was initially not in the NCNC's ideology until Zik became its leader.

By the way, how did all your diversion on this answer my question as to why Zik decided to take NCNC into an alliance with the NPC despite the entire South and especially the East rejected it at the polls? What sort of nationalism was Zik pursing by acting against the will of the entire South in favour of the North? Was Nigeria made up of the North alone? In which Southern voter's interest did he do such?
Let us even take it hypothetically that Awolowo was treacherous. Should that have justified going into an alliance that would on a platter of gold give absolute powers to those who had made themselves clear that they would not mind killing and subduing Southerners and even proving it with the 1945 and 1953 Jos and Kano massacres respectively?
Was the independence alliance question about Awolowo or about the need to forestall the impending second class citizen status of all of Southerners spelt by the North's born to rule philosophy?
It is just like how the same Zik gave Ojukwu's egocentric leadership style as excuse for his defection to the federal side during the Biafra War. Was the war in question was about Ojukwu or the freedom, safety and dignity of a whole race?

5. As at independence the NCNC's operational base had shifted to the East thus it had become an Igbo party and representative of Igbo interests considering the fact that other Southern tribes had found reasons to break away from it into splinters like OIL, IPP, Otu Edo, Niger Delta Congress, etc. Moreover Zik had tribalized it by making an Igbo man his successor as leader despite he himself succeeded a non-Igbo.
The story of Awolowo's double dealing with NCNC and AG was an afterthought account seeking to transfer responsibility of their blunder of aligning with the North after it boomeranged explosively on them.
It was obvious to common sense that two fractions had always existed in AG and that Akintola's faction's visit to Ahmad Bello was independent of Awolowo's faction's visit to Zik. Moreover, Akintola was already a minister under the Balewa headed shadow government set up by the colonial masters in 1957 and was therefore in pursuit of sustaining his power relationship with the North into independence. Knowing fully well that AG was already a fictionalized party between Akintola and Awolowo,
what stopped Zik from just placing a call across to Awolowo to ascertain his awareness and approval of Akintola's visit to Bello if not prejudice?
If Zik's decision to team up with the North was based on a conviction that Awolowo was treacherous, then how come just four years later the same Zik would enter into the UPGA alliance with the same Awolowo to displace the same North? Also, why would Okpara later openly regret ever advising Zik to reject the proposed AG-NCNC alliance at independence? Why would Okpara, a staunch Zik loyalist, later travel from Enugu to Ibadan to mend fences and make peace with Awolowo's wife and AG members?
If Awolowo were treacherous how could he have turned down Balewa's offer to release him from jail on the condition that he ordered his faction within the AG to back out of the UPGA deal with Zik and align with the NPC going into the 1965 elections?
Awolowo's major mistake was that he bent over backwards too much just to forge that Southern unity with Zik who was rather a Northerner in mind. Had he accepted Balewa's offer, secured his release and dealt with Igbos decisively, he would not have been labeled a traitor today. I don't pity him. Tinubu obviously learnt from Awolowo's experience hence he never seeks any Southern unity deal with Igbos and consequently he is not termed treacherous.

7. Do you read what you write at all? Did I say that the gerrymandering was done in 1900 to warrant the reasoning that a yet unborn Zik could not have undone or prevented it?
Can you see how far your quest to defend Zik's gaffes have driven you into illogicality?

Go back and read that comment again. I made it clear that those three territories were parts of the Southern Protectorate from 1900 and that they remained in the Southern province post amalgamation until early fifties when regions were being created. Was Zik still yet unborn during the time of regions creation? By all available evidences Zik was at least 46 years and was the leader of the East as at when the regions were being created. What stopped him from rushing back to Enugu to checkmate the gerrymandering? Can't you see that Kanu's current quest to have Benue and Kogi East in Biafra is a pointer to Zik's failure to resist the gerrymandering back then?
You probably never read that while Zik was indifferent to the excision of part of the East to the North back then Awolowo was busy mounting irredentist pressure over the present Kwaras and Kogi Okuns with Zik acting as a spoiler all in his blind quest for a phantom One-Nigeria through which he hoped to acquire the very mundane "Zik of Africa" title.

When you can't address the posers I raise based on your own claim you call it diversion.

Igboid:
Lol!

Neutral? I guess Hitler too were neutral.
You fool no one, your obvious Igbophobic nature is laid bare before everyone on this forum.

If you are neutral, Igbos here would be the first to say it, and not you and your Yoruba fans.

How exactly were Zik and Ironsi the worst villains in Nigerian history?

You mind itemizing your reasons for pushing this falsehood?

You deceive yourself. How does neutrality question come in here? Of course there is no neutrality between good and evil. I made myself clear that I don't fancy Ironsi and Zik. How you saw that as a claim to neutrality is beyond my comprehension.
Moreover, how can Igbos be the judge on neutrality when they themselves are an interested party to the issue under discuss by virtue of being the brothers of Zik and Ironsi who put us in this mess through the following:
1. Ironsi introduced military rule into Nigeria through the excuse of the Ifeajuna coup which after foiling he could have saved democracy by simply handing power back to the civilian structure still on ground.
2. At a time when the public was not complaining about the more or less "we the people" independence constitution, Ironsi unilaterally pioneered a review process which would result in a constitutional crisis around which all the national controversies now revolve.
3. Despite the fact that the crisis which led to the anarchical situation in the first republic was a fall out of abuse of power by the government at the center, Ironsi promulgated decrees which further concentrated powers at the center. How sensible was that?
4. At a time when things started falling apart and every tribe, except Igbos, simultaneously wanted an end to Nigeria Ironsi stopped Isaac Adaka Boro who set the ball rolling for others to just follow.
5. Zik and his cheerleaders deprecated and mocked every attempt to have the secession clause in the independence constitution. Such a clause would definitely have instilled the fear of the consequences of misgovernance in all our post independence leaders thus Nigeria would not have been this misruled.
6. Despite the fact that everyone in the Eastern Region registered an aversion for the NPC in the 1959 election where the party scored zero, Zik, in pursuit of his selfish interest, subsequently took the East's NCNC into alliance with NPC thereby giving power to the North to actualize and institutionalize her born-to-rule philosophy as we have it today.
7. The current Benue State, Kogi East Senatorial District and Southern Taraba were all in the Southern Protectorate as at 1900, therefore the South was obviously going to be stronger than the North in all future democratic bargains. But while these three territories were being gerrymandered to the North at the time of regions creation, the Zik who was supposed to be mounting irredentist opposition to it from Enugu as the leader of the Eastern Region into which they should naturally fall was far away in Ibadan greedily seeking to become premier there.
Talk of pursuing a selfish agenda in a far away land while his own home was in flames.
How many would one even enumerate?

Strikethem:
God bless you, but we thank God he wasn't allowed to be the premier of western region where he would have used tribalism to destroy but imposing his tribesmen on us. We saw that when he was president. Awo saw the future then and quickly quenched it.

Though I am neither Yoruba nor Igbo, my open minded research of Nigeria's history leads me to the conclusion that Nigeria's current failure as a country is 95℅ attributable to the self delusions, short-sightedness/greed and stupidity of Zik and Ironsi.
These two figures did a lot of damage to the future of the entire Southerners in the context of the North-South dichotomy.
While there are generally no heroes in Nigeria in the true sense of the word, Zik and Ironsi are relatively the worst villains whose choices and actions laid the foundations of all the present confusion, bloodshed, misrule, etc that have come to define Nigeria as a Shithole.

Throwback:
I already know the details of that election where till today, the NCNC loyalists still alive cannot mention the names of their party candidates who contested or who won while AG had their own records of all those who contested on their platform and those who lost and those who one.

I once had a record of that list, but can't locate same now.

Kindly furnish me here with all available historical fact.

Here it is below. It is very long on account of its being very detailed in order to put an end the lie that Zik won and Awolowo used tribalism to deny him of victory.


First Nigeria Regional Elections:
Western Nigeria 1951 Elections
Matthew Mbu and history:
Ambassador Mathew Mbu is a well-
respected Nigerian. But in this piece,
veteran journalist, Mr Felix Adenaike
challenges some of his claims about
Nigeria's past 'Falsehood may have
its hour, but it has no future' -
Francois D. Pressense
In what seemed his 48th
independence anniversary gift to
Nigerians, Dr. Matthew Tawo Mbu,
politician, lawyer and diplomat, gave
The Nation an interview run in its
October 1 edition addressing some
political issues in Nigeria of which he
had been a key player. Among
others, he spoke on the Western
Nigeria election held in 1951, two
generations ago, and repeated the
claim of the National Council of
Nigeria and the Cameroon (NCNC)
that it won that poll, but had been
robbed of victory. Then as now, Dr.
Mbu did not provide any evidence to
substantiate the NCNC claim.
Dr. Mbu said of that election held on
24 September 1951 that: "Dr.
Nnamdi Azikiwe was betrayed by the
Western Region of Nigeria, not by
the electorate, but by the leaders.
The NCNC won the election against
the Action Group (led by Chief
Obafemi Awolowo), but the Action
Group introduced what was
unknown to Nigerian history",
namely, "carpet crossing. They
Action Group bought members of
the NCNC to join the Action Group
after these people had won election
on the platform of the NCNC. Zik, the
leader of a majority party in the
Western Region became the Leader
of Opposition overnight".
Reminded by the interviewer that the
late Chief AMA Akinloye had
maintained in his lifetime that he
and his group had contested the
election on a neutral platform from
the NCNC, Dr. Mbu said: "That is his
version. He is entitled to say what he
wants to say. I don't want to say ill of
the dead. He knew he was NCNC and
his group was NCNC. Adelabu
remained NCNC. He stuck on to
NCNC till he died".
The late Dr. Kingsley Ozumba
Mbadiwe said in his autobiography,
Rebirth of a nation, among others
that: "But in pursuance of the policy
of creating a political climate healthy
enough to make one a citizen
wherever he lived, Dr. Azikiwe
contested and won the general
elections in 1951 into the Western
House of Assembly. To stultify this
policy of one Nigeria in favour of his
tribally-based philosophy, Chief
Awolowo got some elected members
to cross carpet from the NCNC to his
AG side. Zik the victor lost. And
Awolowo's party was able to form the
government of the Western Region."
At a news conference in Lagos on 20
September 1989, more than two
years after Chief Awolowo's death,
Dr. Mbadiwe returned to the topic
saying: "Dr. Azikiwe and his party
won the majority of seats in the
Western House of Assembly. He was
due to be elected the Leader of
Government Business, when
overnight, the Action Group
introduced the notorious carpet-
crossing. By this manipulation,
members who won under the NCNC
crossed over to the Action Group
building it to become the majority
party in the West. As a result of this,
Chief Awolowo was elected Leader of
Government Business and Dr.
Azikiwe had to resign."
Neither Dr. Mbu nor Dr. Mbadiwe
named the members of the NCNC
who contested the election on the
party's platform and later joined the
Action Group to enable Chief
Awolowo form the government to
the exclusion of Dr. Azikiwe. These
are weighty allegations such that
they would have assisted their
readers to clear the issues rather just
repeat their own version of the
events at that time in the hope that
such repetition would turn
falsehood into facts.
To avert conflicting claims over
candidates, Mr. Harold Cooper, the
Government Public Relations Officer,
wrote to the parties to furnish a list
of the candidates contesting election
on their platforms. Only the Action
Group complied with this request
and its list of candidates was as
follows:
1. Ijebu Remo Division - Obafemi Awolowo and M.S. Sowole;
2. Ijebu Ode Division - S.O. Awokoya,
Rev. S.A. Banjo and V.D. Phillips;
3. Oyo Division - Chief Bode Thomas,
Abiodun Akerele, A.B.P. Martins, T.A.
Amao and SB Eyitayo;
4. Osun Division - SL Akintola, JO. Adigun, JO Oroge, S.I. Ogunwale, I.A. Adejare, J.A.
Ogunmuyiwa and S.O. Ola;
5. Ondo Division - P.A. Ladapo and G.A. Deko;
6. Okitipupa Division - Dr. L.B. Lebi, CA
Tewe and SO Tubo;
7. Epe Division - SL Edu, AB Gbajumo, Obafemi Ajayi and
C.A. Williams;
8. Ikeja Division - O. Akeredolu-Ale, SO Gbadamosi and FO
Okuntola;
9. Badagry Division - Chief
CD Akran, Akinyemi Amosu and Rev.
GM Fisher;
10. Egba Division - J.F.
Odunjo, Alhaji A.T. Ahmed, CPA Cole,
Rev S.A. Daramola, Akintoye Tejuoso,
SB Sobande, IO Delano and A
Adedamola.
The others were as follows:
11. Egbado Division - J.A.O. Odebiyi, D.A.
Fafunmi, Adebiyi Adejumo, A. Akin
Illo and P.O. Otegbeye;
12. Ife Division -
Rev S.A. Adeyefa, D.A. Ademiluyi, J.O.
Opadina, and S.O. Olagbaju;
13. Ekiti Division - E.A. Babalola, Rev. J Ade
Ajayi, S.K. Familoni, S.A. Okeya and D
Atolagbe;
14. Owo Division - Michael
Adekunle Ajasin, A.O. Ogedengbe, JA
Agunloye, LO Omojola and R.A.
Olusa;
15. Western Ijaw Division - Pere
EH Sapre-Obi and MF Agidee;
16. Ishan Division - Anthony Enahoro;
17. Urhobo Division - WE Mowarin, J.B. Ohwinbiri
and JD Ifode;
18.Warri Division - Arthur
Prest and O. Otere, and
19. Kukuruku Division - D.J.I. Igenuma.
Of the names on the list, only MA
Ajasin from Owo Division, which
comprised Akoko then, did not run
because of party solidarity and unity
in Owo. He stood down for A.O.
Ogedengbe and R.A. Olusa to contest
two of the three seats, which they
won, while D.K. Olumofin won the
third for the NCNC.
Three secretaries of the Action Group, who ran as independents and won were:
1. Egba Division- Alhaji D.S. Adegbenro
2. Ekiti Division - J.O. Osuntokun, and
3. Epe Division - S.O. Hassan.
At the close of polls on 24 September
1951, the Action Group had won 38
of the 72 seats in contention out of the total of 80 in the Regional Assembly. The shortfall was due to the fact that elections had been postponed in Lagos and Benin due to security concerns. Lagos had five seats in the West Regional Assembly all later won by the NCNC in the election of 20 November 1951, while Benin had three all later won by Otu Edo candidates in the election of 6 December 1951.
Of the 68 candidates on the list furnished by the Action Group to the Government PR
Department, 38 of the elected AG
members were from that list, and were as follows:
1. Ijebu Remo - Obafemi Awolowo and M.S. Sowole;
2. Ijebu Ode - Rev. SA Banjo and S.O. Awokoya;
3. Oyo - Bode Thomas,
Abiodun Akerele, ABP Thomas, TA Amao and SB Eyitayo;
4. Osun - S.L. Akintola, J.O. Adigun, JA Oroge, S.I. Ogunwale, I.A. Adejare, J.A.
Ogunmuyiwa and S.O. Ola.
Other elected AG members from the
list were:
5. Egba - J.F. Odunjo, Alhaji
AT Ahmed, Rev. S.A. Daramola and
Prince Adedamola;
6. Egbado (now Yewa) - J.A.O. Odebiyi, D.A. Fafunmi and A. Akin Illo;
7. Ekiti - E.A. Babalola
and Rev. J. Ade-Ajayi; Badagry - Chief
CD Akran and Rev. G.M. Fisher;
8. Ikeja - SO Gbadamosi and O Akeredolu-
Ale;
9. Ife - Rev. SA Adeyefa and SO Olagbaju;
10. Owo - AO Ogedengbe and RA Olusa;
11. Epe - Safi Lawal Edu;
12. Okitipupa - C.A. Tewe;
13. Western Ijaw - M.F. Agidee;
14. Ishan - Anthony Enahoro, and
15. Warri - Arthur Prest.
In addition to the Action Group and
the NCNC, there were local/divisional
parties such as the Ibadan People's
Party (IPP), led by Chief AMA
Akinloye; Ondo Improvement
League, and Otu Edo of Benin. At the
end of poll, the standing of the
parties was as follows:
1. Action Group - 38;
2. NCNC and its loyal Independents - 25;
3. IPP - 6
4. Ondo Improvement League - 2.
5. Otu Edo candidates won the three
Benin seats, namely, Chief SO
Ighodaro, Chief Humphrey Omo-
Osagie and Chief Chike Ekwuyasi.
Chief Ighodaro opted for the AG,
while the latter two went to the
NCNC. And of the six IPP elected
members, only Adegoke Adelabu
joined the NCNC. The rest of them:
AMA Akinloye, Chief DT Akinbiyi
(who later became the Olubadan of
Ibadan), Chief SO Lanlehin,
Moyosore Aboderin and SA
Akinyemi, opted for the Action
Group. The NCNC National Secretary,
the late Chief Kola Balogun had sent
declaration forms to the IPP
assemblymen asking them to declare
for the NCNC but Chief Akinloye
returned all the forms uncompleted.
The three AG secretaries who had
run as independents - Adegbenro,
Osuntokun and Hassan, five IPP
members, one Etu Edo, and one
Ondo Improvement League, Chief
F.O. Awosika; and Chief Timothy
Adeola Odutola (Independent, Ijebu
Ode) had swollen the number of the
AG elected members. All the
transactions had taken place before
the inauguration of the Regional
Assembly on 7 January 1952. These
were not known members of the
NCNC, nor did the party publish their
names on the list of its candidates,
but claimed them as its "members,
supporters or sympathisers",
according to inimitable Zik in his My
Odyssey, " It takes more than
speculation to claim a person as a
member of your political party". You
cannot just be under the
"impression" as Zik had claimed that
they were and go ahead to field them
as electoral candidates.
For over a
half century, the NCNC is yet to
provide evidence to back its claim
that it had won the West Regional
election in 1951.
Mr Cooper absolved his department
of responsibility for the controversy
generated by the NCNC after the
election. At a post election news
conference in Lagos he said that "Of
the winning candidates, the names
of 38 were on the list sent to me by
the Action Group. The six successful
candidates at Ibadan were all among
those who had been identified to me
as representing the Ibadan People's
Party. No claim of any kind had
reached us about the party affiliation
of the remaining successful
candidates." Why did the NCNC not
send a list of its candidates for the
poll to the Government PR
Department before that poll? And
why have Dr. Mbu and the others not
published the list of NCNC
candidates to substantiate their
electoral victory claim in over 50
years but merely kept reaping false
claims? The records of the poll
conducted in the West and all over
Nigeria by the colonial administration are available at the National Archives and can be accessed by any honest researcher.
In this matter, it is facts that speak,
not what some political/ethnic
partisan said or did not say.
Dr Azikiwe's frustration was not only
in losing the regional election, he
also lost the election to the House of
Representatives held on 10 January
1951 at the House of Assembly, Ibadan, among NCNC members. The total tally for the 1951 poll in the 80 member Western Regional Assembly was as follows:
1. Action Group - 38;
2. Independent/AG - 15;
3. NCNC - 24;
4. Independent/NCNC - 3.
Three
members of the NCNC who had been
elected to the House changed party
allegiance that day ahead of the
House of Representatives vote. They
were: Chief SY Kesington-Momoh, JG
Ako, and Awodi Orisaremi, from
Urhobo and Kukuruku Divisions.
They were running for the House of
Representatives and wanted Action
Group votes. Kesington-Momoh and
Ako were elected, but Orisaremi went
back to the NCNC. That was all the
carpet-crossing that took place on 10
January 1952, namely, three at first
to the AG and one back to the NCNC.
From the vote tally, it is clear that the
NCNC and the Independent /NCNC
totalling 27 seats altogether out of
80 seats could not have formed the
Government of Western Nigeria.
Even if the local/divisional parties
had chosen the NCNC, it would still
be some seats short of 41 required to
form the government. The Action
Group won 38 seats; its independent
candidates - Adegbenro, Osuntokun,
Hassan and Odutola won four seats
making a total of 42 seats. The AG
could have formed the government
without the support of the other
small parties. It did not have to
"bribe" anybody to join it to form the
government. Since politics is a game
of number, only few principled
politicians would not be disposed to
joining the winning party, in this
case, the AG.
Dr. Mbadiwe also claimed in his
book: "Successful NCNC men who
were not Yoruba were scared away.
Dr. Azikiwe who won a seat to the
Western House (of) Assembly from a
Lagos constituency decided to resign.
Since membership of the House of
Representatives was by an electoral
college in the regional house, no
NCNC from the West came to the
House of Representatives in Lagos".
This is blatantly false. Zik resigned
because he lost election to the
federal house from the West, while
Prince Adeleke Adedoyin, Dr. Ibiyinka
Olorun-Nimbe, Chief Frank Oputa-
Otutu, Chief Denis Osadebey and Sir
Odeleye Fadahunsi were elected
from Ibadan to Lagos. Who ever
scared non-Yoruba NCNC people
from the West? Chief Denis
Osadebey succeeded Adegoke
Adelabu as Opposition Leader in the
West and the likes of Humphrey
Omo-Osagie, Festus Okotie-Eboh,
Chike Ekwuyasi, Fidelis H Utomi, Obi
Osagie, Yamu Numa, GO Oweh and
GB Ometan were non-Yoruba NCNC
in that Assembly.
As Mme De Stael says: The "search
for the truth is the noblest
occupation of man; its publication is
a duty". Dr. Mbu and his political
entourage have chosen their own
side of history. It remains to be seen
whether or not history will absolve
them. Their contemporary audience
is composed of intelligent people
who will search after the truth
without inheriting the political
prejudice and stereotype of their
lying grand-parents. That is the way
ahead for Nigeria. And "the greatest
friend of truth is time; her greatest
enemy is prejudice". - CC Calton

Throwback:
How dare you say they started tribal politics in Nigeria?

Haven't you heard that it was Awolowo that started it by daring to compete for the premiership of his tribal region, and ultimately prevented Azikiwe of the opponent party from becoming Premier of a region where he was not born nor originated from, but was supposed to be unchallenged even by opposing political parties.

That they went on to to dominate federal offices by appointing themselves to high office and ensuring to use those high offices to recruit fellow Igbos as a deliberate majority, is what is known as meritocracy not tribalism or nepotism.

As per the first bolded, Zik was the originator of tribal slurs in Nigeria. As far back as 1944 he had, among several other reckless tribalistic utterances, enthused that "the god of Igbos had placed on their hands the future of leading Africa out of slavery".

On the second bolded; what you seem to believe is actually a lie which has come to stick like a truth because it has been repeated over the years for nearly six decades running now. But documented facts show clearly that Zik did not really win that election or even come close to winning it. The so much hackneyed cross carpeting essentially done by just two persons and without it Zik would have still lost the election. I have the comprehensive and detailed account of the election and I can furnish you with it if you will not mind.
How does it even make sense that Awolowo was so superhuman that he could use tribalism to change the results of an election for which the Electoral body had openly declared Zik winner and yet Zik could not approach any single court to recover his mandate?

Awolowo's clarion call in that election was that it was wrong under federal principle for a non-Westerner (not necessarily a non-Yoruba) to be allowed to rule the Western Region since the creation of regions was in the first instance done in response to the demand for self governance by each region's natives.
Recall that there were non-Yoruba tribes like Binis, Akoko-Edos, Etsakos, Owans, Esans, Urhobos, Itshekiris, Isokos, Ijaws and even Igboids (Aniomas) native to the Western Region back then. Was Awolowo against the ambition of any of these non-Yoruba Westerners to become premier? Did any Anioma (the Igboid) show interest and Awolowo kicked against it? He did not want an Easterner to rule the Western Region and vise versa. That was not tribalism but advocacy of strict regionalism.
Awolowo was a hard core federalist, and federalism seeks, in principle, to allow every tribe and regions to be in total control of her own affairs and assert herself, hence strict adherence to federalism naturally appears like tribalism. That was what Zik failed to realize despite all his acquired degrees.

InfiniteLoopx:
Oya, tell us how Zik made you a Nigerian by all means. The old sermon of one man's action translating into the action of more than 18 million people. We are all ears.

My opposition to secession.
By Nnamdi Azikiwe
When the 1954 constitution conference started, my good friend, Chief Obafemi Awolowo tabled a motion to the effect that in the new constitution, provision should be made that any state which feels like seceding should do so. I was opposed to it and said ‘no’ and said that once we have a federation, we are indivisible and perpetual.
That was when we began to use that expression – ‘The Indivisibility and perpetuity of the federation’ – and that to secede would amount to treason.
And so, a debate ensued.
The Secretary of State then was Oliver Littleton, later Lord Chandos and he was very much interested and that was his first time in saying that the people of African descent were people actually debating at a high level.
So a full day was given to Chief Awolowo to make his points. He spoke brilliantly as a lawyer. He made his points why secession should be incorporated in the constitution. He cited the case of the Soviet Union which is a federation, and that secession is written there so that any state in the Soviet Union can secede at will. He also cited the case of Western Australia and eventually he finished his case and was applauded.
Lord Chandos said that on the face of the arguments before him it would be suicidal to incorporate secession in our constitution and that is why we have section 86 in our constitution that if any region or state should secede, then it will be an act of treason
We adjourned. The next day, I had to reply. I availed myself of the opportunity to, well, demolish the arguments of my friend and I cited the case of United States which based its constitution on that of the Swiss Confederation. That is Switzerland. I pointed out a case, I think, that of Texas versus White, where Mr. Salmon Chase, the Chief Justice laid down the principle – he was really an arbiter – that the union was intended to be perpetual and indivisible and that any attempt to divide the union by secession was treasonable.

The North (NPC) supported Action Group. The question was then: Should we have secession? The Colonial Office came to our rescue. You know, the usual principle of Britain – ‘divide and rule’ (laughs) but this time, it was in our favour. So, the colonial office backed us.
Lord Chandos said that on the face of the arguments before him it would be suicidal to incorporate secession in our constitution and that is why we have section 86 in our constitution that if any region or state should secede, then it will be an act of treason and that was what led to this war, because Col. Ojukwu seceded and so violated the constitution.
— Excerpt: Nnamdi Azikiwe’s interview with New Nigeria in 1975

http://thenewsnigeria.com.ng/2017/06/my-opposition-to-secession-zik/


Also do recall that when Isaac Adaka Boro tried to pull the Niger Delta Republic out of Nigeria 15 good months before the idea of Biafra ever occurred to Ojukwu, it was Ironsi your brother extant Military Head of State that ordered Ojukwu to attack Isaac Adaka Boro, crush his new republic within two weeks with federal (One-Nigeria) might, got him arrested, convicted of treasonable felony through accelerated hearing, and sentenced him to death by hanging. This gave Ojukwu a sweet sense of fulfilment in his military career for being the first military officer to prevent the breakup of Nigeria and deserving of an award.
Ironically the same Ojukwu would soon afterwards ask for the same secession from the same Nigeria.
Are you therefore still looking for proofs of who were first to forcefully hold others back in Nigeria against their wishes?

adegeye38:
Nigeria is a country that never should have been, Luggard almagation in 1914 was devilish, Nigeria is a diverse country of extremely different people, with different ideologies, culture, problems, and culture
Nigeria should have been at least six different countries
this current structure aint working and will never work

After Lord Laggard did that demonic amalgamation in 1914, several opportunities later came for a reversal. But those who thwarted all such opportunities thinking that the evil amalgamation would somehow miraculously survive are the ones now eventually complaining most bitterly about it all.

victorvezx:
Uwazurike seems to be more reasonable than Kanu. He knows there is no way the south east can force their useless Biafra on the South south people

Yes, Uwazurike is more realistic. I am still at loss till today as to how his MASSOB was hijacked. He appears more serious and practical to me.

Coastal territory of Ogun State.

Cadillac15:
No vex jare. Sometimes, to play dey hungey me


Some stones i throw here are meant to call out the individuals. Not to insult them

No wahala. Overcorrect worry you.

Cadillac15:
Guy. Na play i dey with you. Wetin sef?

Okay o. But small ojoro dey that kin play o.

Cadillac15:
Shows you have been making noise since. You did not even open the result before spewing rubb1sh.

No talk for here again o.

I mixed up the gray bars with the interstitial white background in my initial view.
But it will be wiser of you to just point things out without gutter language as if yourself are immune to mistakes or else you could be equally trolled the day you make one.
Why play God?

longlife20:
http://www.nse.com.ng/Financial_NewsDocs/21289_DANGOTE_CEMENT_PLC_FINANCIAL_STATEMENTS_MARCH_2018.pdf

A drop on all fronts.
Could this be foreshadowing those of SUGAR and FLOUR arms?

Is CI LEASING at the verge of a breakout?
Cc: Fxuser

Yayira:
FBNH 12.20 so they were waiting for me to get out.

Let's us celebrate our discovery of Peterichy's sister today.

afope:
Still cannot open an account with Morgan. I am still waiting for the account opening package to be sent to me after filling their online inquiries form. This is almost 24hrs later and still yet nothing from them. Does it mean Morgan is not hungry for business ]

I know this is not a Morgan platform but Please can anybody assist on how to resolve this issue?

When I was having similar challenge I just packed the hard copies of the required documents and headed for their office on Biaduo Street Off Keffi Road Obalende, and within 30 minutes I was through. On my way back home I saw the account opening confirmation message in my inbox.

bestidafa:
Am.also wondering why he cant share here so we can benefit. Thats what this forum is for. I believe

Exactly my sentiments. I wonder why he is trying to carry out a capitalist endeavor in a forum built on communism with respect to sharing information.

Coolcash1:
Na lie...GSK don draw NSEMPAs out of their caves....

That GSK windfall is just something else.

Very bearish house.