₦airaland Forum

againstGEJ:
and you didnt read this part:

Already, NLC and TUC have signed a contract agreement with a Chinese firm, Yutong Hong Kong Limited, for the bus supply.
Money for the project fund is being drawn from the N10 billion intervention fund released to the UDBN as part of its mandate as an infrastructure development bank.


The last time I checked, GEJ is not the head or member of TUC/NLC.

LOL.

The FG only provided the loan sir. Boosting the Transport sector is the contract with the FG/Chinese, buying buses, as part of the deal is between Chinese firms and the beneficiary of the deal - in this case TUC/NLC and the Chinese firm.

It is very pitiful you have chosen the plank of argument so far presented. The Federal Government of Nigeria is not only a guarantor but the provider of money for the loan. In addition, both TUC and NLC are not private organizations but agencies of the federal government of Nigeria that should strictly adhere to business principles laid down by the federal government of Nigeria which includes “buy-Nigeria-first”.

If the business principle that will sustain local business is found lacking in the government agencies such TUC and NLC, the government under GEJ should mount a thorough investigation within these agencies to fish out who dropped the ball. This is what transparency is all about for those who claim to practice government of people, by the people and for the people.

againstGEJ:
^^^

What has GEJ got to do with this? in all honesty?

What does this following sentence cull from the posted article indicate? Thus, “THE Federal Government and its Chinese counterpart have signed a N5.5 billion urban mass transit deal, with a view to boosting the Nigerian transport sector.” The last time I checked though, the contract was not awarded by Federal Government of Nigeria headed by Awolowo or Tafawa Balewa. It is a government under the watchful eyes of an executive president named Goodluck Ebelechukwu Azikiwe Jonathan.

againstGEJ:
Calm down or start a revolution.

sentiments dont drive home points.

A country of 120 million people not fit to be mentioned as a country? Even America thinks otherwise. Foul words and sentiments hardly ever convince anyone when trying to make a point. The wise ones just gloss through such.

There is absolutely nothing significant in the mode of Nigeria, except the natural creatures, to spur any human endeavor to elevate Nigeria to nationhood. Since the 1914s to present day, Nigeria has not development beyond geographical acreage.

The words of these noble men had provided the prism through which Nigeria could be viewed from stages of time.

Awolowo (Premier Western Region): “Nigeria is not a nation; it is a mere geographical expression”.

Sir Arthur Richard (Governor-General): “Nigeria is only the accident of British suzerainty which has made Nigeria one country”.

Tafawa Balewa (Nigerian Prime Minister): “Since the amalgamation of the southern and northern provinces in 1914, Nigeria has existed as one country only on paper”.

Chukwuemeka O Ojukwu (Military Governor Eastern Region): “Nigeria is an amorphous group of individuals pretending to be a nation”.

I do not need to add what I thought about Nigeria.

What has the so-called Ohanaeze said about the hateful orientated contractual deal and one of economic strangulations of Ndigbo set in motion by Nigerian government? This is contractual deal cooked by GEJ. Ndigbo should realize by now that political support is determined by political patronages to all but leaders of cultural organization.

It is embarrassing to read from the same punks who will readily invoke USA in their useless argument when engaged in debate about regressive state of Nigeria. USA government will never allow loan money given to any group to purchase vehicles not made in USA. It must be part of loan agreement that proceeds should be channeled towards local economy. Even local governments must make sure that brands of three major USA automakers are included their fleets.

The same approach of buy-America-first is also applied in acquiring weapons. There was no doubt that AK-47 proved to be a better assault rifle than M16 both in price, reliability and durability, yet USA insisted in purchasing the more expensive, less reliable and often jamming M16 rifles.

However, individuals in USA could buy any brand of products manufactured by any country since the government can not force individuals to buy from a particular manufacturer or country.

ANNAMCO is a subsidiary of Mercedes Benz and it’s products have proven beyond the scrutiny of time as most commercial and luxurious buses plying on Nigeria’s routes were built in Enugu.

I have said and will continue to say that Nigeria is a piece of lamb dung and do not qualify to be mentioned as a country.

T9ksy:
@ bolded . . . . . . . 4 Real!!! He fled like a thief in the night ,@ 03:00, to be precise.


Below is an excerpt from a book by one of Ojukwu's last "Peace mission"(sic!) member to IC;


Quote
As Isu and Nkwerre began to evacuate, I moved down to Nnewi to see the Head of State once more and brief him on the situation. At last and for the first time during the war, he appeared terrified, He wondered if we had not left our departure rather too late and if we would still make it. He advised me to come to the airport with my full escorts because he had been reliably informed that certain people were planning to stop us leaving Biafra. For that reason I went to the airport with more escorts than I ever used throughout the war. At that stage, I was no longer sure of our “peace mission”; my doubts had been confirmed and I realised that we were escaping Biafra for good.


By 2000 hours, the threat to Uli Airport was such that no one was sure it could be used again. While alternative arrangements were being made for a possible use of Uga Airport, the Biafra Air Force confirmed that Uli could still be used.



As a precautionary measure, General Ojukwu travelled incognito (like a sexy maiden with his full beard, . . .lol) in a Peugeot 403 car to the Airport while someone else who could pass for him in darkness, travelled in his official car. Ojukwu’s Peugeot was parked in a nearby jungle for over five hours until the plane was ready to take off at 0300 hours on the 11th of January.



Source: The Nigerian Revolution and the Biafran war. By General Alexander A. madiebo. (Biafran Army Commander) pp. 372-373.

I would have wondered aloud where you picked up these fallacies you posted. However the moment I read the footnote that indicated the source of the craps, I decided to allow you to wallow in your usual impish manner. It was the same book that gave wrong account of battle of Owerri in 1969 and branded a 68 brigade under Major T I Atumaka as battalion. Subsequently, every essay written on the battle of Owerri had referred to 68 as a battalion whereas such formation did not exist or participated in the battle for Owerri in 1969.

It is very idiotic to refer to any African as Black, White, Red, Green or Purple. Therefore, the title of this thread is as misplaced endeavor as the misguided poster.

[quote author=EzeUche_ link=topic=608945.msg7770484#msg7770484 date=1298275686]T.A. Orji

Orji Kalu

Ohakim

Peter Odili

All of these men are guilty in my eyes. The way I see things, members of the same ethnic group must carry out this action against their own. So each person should do so in their own respective regions. [/quote]Please, when issues pertaining to by-products of day-dreaming such as revolution in Nigeria appear on Nairaland, I beg you to apply caution to your fingers and temperament before posting the names of your people whom you presumed corrupt. If these names you have posted are the only corrupt personages in Nigeria, you have no business talking about revolution talk less partaking in one.

Since your last post, I guess you have not seen names of presumed corrupt personalities posted by other contributors to this forum. It does not mean that corrupt politicians are limited to one section of country. Rather it is exercise of prudent on the part of contributors.

The wise person is not the person that makes the loudest noise in deliberation but the person who try to understand others so that he/she could be understood. When everybody laughs, he/she who exposes his/her teeth is caught as cause of the laughter.

There is no doubt that revolution could have been a solution to certain societal decadence if Nigeria had been disintegrated into several nation states. But as Nigeria is presently configured, revolution is as good as figments of wild imagination.

Becomepoor is a master of distortion and an intelligent fellow with skewed ideas. He might not be able string two or more English words together to form a comprehensible sentence but delusional. He is not a racist as few people have alleged. By the way, the word – racist is a misnomer.

[quote author=Negro_Ntns link=topic=599800.msg7763126#msg7763126 date=1298146606]No Dede, not at all. Igbos fought the battle vigilantly to the best of your abilities but war is not limited to the violent act of bloodshed.

Nigeria should have been the first African nation to gain independence if Zik and Balewa had supported Awo's challenge to the British, which is simply that both charters of first, The League of Nations, and second, its successor The UN, made their continued presence in Nigeria illegitimate. If Britain would advocate against rival Netherlands and called their presence in South Africa an illegitimate station and demanded that they exit SA, then it ought to set a moral example for the world, by declaring sovereign independece for Nigeria.

Awo questioned the validity of England's intent when in middle 1800s it declared an end to slavery and patrolled the seas enforcing those demands. In effect and in its occupation of those lands, England was advocating economic interests, . . . . far from being a moral leader.

Awo never hid his contempt for the British but he was tactful and remained engaged to the extent that the interests of Western region was not thwarted.

The civil war did not start in 1966. . . . it erupted into bloodshed in that year, but it had brewed for years.

Artificial coalitions were created by Britain to frustrate the West. Part of that coalition was the military configuration mentioned earlier. If Yorubas had listened to Akintola instead of Awo, we would have ended up worse than Igbos are today. The plan was to put a coalition of North/East together to destroy West. Then use power and access to dominate East with North. In all of that the only winner will be Britain, because North will then be outwitted and contained.

Biafra fought the white man's war. . . thinking they fought a tribal war.[/quote]Believe me, it is either some of the Awolowo disciples think that most of us are undiscerning onlookers or the Awoists had monopoly on historical facts. I have read considerable amount of statements about constitutional conferences on Nigeria from 1946 to 1958. I have never picked up an iota where Awolow drew a line in the sand and threw a gauntlet to the feet of British colonialists demanding independent for Nigeria now or war.

Every article had indicated totally different aspect of events from this pathetic feel-happy fallacy. As a matter of fact, the colonialists had strategized a plan for a coalition partnership between NPC and AG because the colonial masters had thrills from politics of regionalism adopted by NPC and AG instead of nationalistic pictures painted by NCNC. However, the stunning victories scored by NCNC in eastern and western regions during 1954 federal election got the British scrambling backwards due to apparent NCNC’s strength in federal executive ministerial council.

I love all the Igbo dialects from the hills to the coasts. Ndigbo had already secured a centralized language, hence, central Igbo.

[quote author=Negro_Ntns link=topic=599800.msg7761691#msg7761691 date=1298128985]Eze,

You are funny and I'm glad that you find yourself amusing because I see you opened with laughter.

Look, I wish to disclose to you that the civil war was not your war. You fought a war that should have been directed externally at the British, not internally at other tribes.

Go and read Awo's conversation with Ojukwu. . . . reflect on what Awo was saying and you will get it. Ojukwu did not understand the implicit meaning.

Yoruba was disfavored by British because they knew our intent against their presence.[/quote]Are you suggesting Biafrans should have capitulated at the sight of drunken aggressors and probably head to neighboring country’s border like some people did?

Becomrichn:
dede, there were more northerners in that cabinet than igbo,so do you think that cabinet which had more northerners would agree to hand over power to the military.  NO. if you know nigeria well. azikiwe and others were telling a lie. look at his face while answering the question it is obvious to see, he was telling a lie.

everybody who was in that cabinet has nearly said, no sure decision was taken to hand over to the military. even richard akinjide is alife , go and ask him.

i am a yoruba, and i would not be defending the northerners, if the northerner were not right.  but i would not do anything against my heart and what is right , it was agreed to replace balewa, that decision had yorubas in it to make Zanna Bukar Dipcharima the prime minister. and all the yorubas involve said that was the decision they all took. to make Zanna Bukar Dipcharima the prime minister.

When did northern region equate to Igbo? And when did Yoruba participation in any crap amount to authenticity? What has been majority in ministerial cabinet got to do with the position of PM? The position of PM has and will always be decided by combined caucus of the parties in the coalition government. If the caucus fails to agree unanimously on particular candidate, there will be withdrawal and resubmission of fresh candidates from the coalition partners or there will no government.

Becomrichn:
houvent, when in the picture do you see oil in the south east, the south east has no oil. only 1 oil well, even if you had the ones in ndoniin rivers .it make 6 well in igboland.

Please read up on the cradle of crude oil exploration in southern protectorate of the British colony by Shell D’arcy.

Becomrichn:
dede, there is no ranking in politics, i can become president, even if someone else have been in politics all his life. politics is not the military.  you are funny, there is no ranking in politics. i can become president before tinubu. politics has no ranking.
are you a military man. if there was ranking balewa would never been prime minister, even Zanna Bukar Dipcharima would have been ranked above balewa.

ranking ko, ranking ni.

Pal, I suggest you spend little time in studying the type of government and the political arrangement that prevailed in Nigeria during era in discuss. Why should I worry about what Shehu Shagari or Alhaji Maitama Sule thought about hand-over of government to Ironsi? Both men were completely insignificant in the matters that transpired during the handover.

Zanna Bukar Dipcharima was another propaganda product of western regional government publications of 1966/67. He was not even an original member of NPC. He stated his political career as NCNC and switched to NPC on tribal grounds. There was no way turncoat will amount to anything.

Again, in parliamentary system of government especially when a single party can not win outright majority during election, government are formed strictly on coalition agreements. Of course, there were rankings in parliamentary system where you have backbenchers and junior ministers.

In such coalition agreement, the coalition partner that produced PM can not as well produce the ranking minister who deputizes for PM. Please, read up unadulterated political systems.

Becomrichn:
you are funny dede, how can majority decided to make Zanna Bukar Dipcharima prime minister and one acting president say NO.
that is not fair to the north. look even some yorubas were part of the decision to pick Zanna Bukar Dipcharima to replace balewa.

you are only showing the same arguement that it was an igbo coup.
zik was part of the people would agree that ojukwu should declear biafra because he assume, he would end up president.

if zik was working for everybody, the event of biafra when he was against ojukwu and biafra people. show clearly that azikiwe was clearly only self seeking all his life and he never worked for the igbo people.

do you think shehu shagari and Alhaji Maitama Sule would agree to hand over to a military igboman. NOway. shagari may be a quiet man. Alhaji Maitama Sule have never been a quiet man all his life. Alhaji Maitama Sule is what we will call a radical of the north. he only became a stateman when he got older my friend. all the time i know him. he was a pro north radical. it is old age that turn him to a stateman. and even if everybody agreed at that time Alhaji Maitama Sule would never had agree.


i am telling you. they never agree to hand over power to the military but to make Zanna Bukar Dipcharima the prime minister.

In 1966 Nigeria’s parliamentary system, there was no majority party. However, NPC won more seats than NCNC or AG. If NCNC and AG had formed a government, NPC would have been in minority hence opposition party. The government of the day was not based on fictitious population numbers but number of seats in the parliament.

Anybody who believed the unwanted war precipitated on Biafra was an endeavor geared towards keeping Nigeria as one entity could be a fool for ever. I say unequivocally the war was about crude oil. As a matter of fact, I am not upset with northern or western regions with their active roles in the war. However, I could not say the same on the participation of most southern minorities in war against Biafra.

It is very funny the so-called “Ijo youths” and nonsensical Niger Delta groups had audacious pedigree to shout marginalization. The loot of the war has been choreographically divided between the northern and western regions. The deceitful federal government of Nigeria developed Lagos as a mega city and left it for Yoruba then developed Abuja as another mega city for Fulani.

The same ethnically biased federal had to build refinery in Kaduna and spent resources that could be used to erect two refineries in the south just to lay pipe line from the south to fed Kaduna refinery. These actions are worse then colonialism. There was a time when Port Harcourt Wharf made easterners forget that Apapa Wharf ever existed. Is it a cause if federal government of Nigeria situated an airport in the level of MM and NAA in eastern region?  I am ashamed of behaviors of most of the peeps from southern Nigeria who seemed to be under the influence of a poison administered by northerners and yet feel happy about it.

Becomrichn:
It only show that Azikiwe supported the overthrow of the government.

If someone overthrown your government as president, you would be shouting for his head. So i can see why they claim , it is an igbo coup of 1966.

To correct listener, the cabinet did not agree with the transfer of power to the military. Nwafor Orizu the acting president was an igboman. he was the one who gave over power to another igbo man who headed the army at the time. This is why they called it an igbo coup.
Nwafor Orizu an igbo refused to transfer power to a northerner who became our acting Prime Minister called Zanna Bukar Dipcharima from borno state a kanuri. who was suppose to become the premier minister. appointed by majority.
Nwafor Orizu an igbo man and other igbos wanted Dr. Mbadiwe’s another igboman, when they did not get thier way. Nwafor Orizu hand govt to a military man who was igbo. This later lead to a military by northerners who lead to a civil war.


This is the true account of the event. Not the way Azikiwe told the story. shehu shagari, richard akinjide,Alhaji Maitama Sule, and others are still alive and they were members of the cabinet.

The bolded is crass uneducated statement. Nigeria, during the era in discuss, does not have position of Acting Prime Minister. You should stop standing truth on its head with your load of ethnical bias. Besides, Zana Dipcharima was not a junior minister. In the other, K O Mbadiwe was a ranking minister and would have been the Deputy Minister if such position had existed.

Kobojunkie: WOW . . . . This is what I mean by the lack of critical thinking skills. Rather than actually analyzing the current, you are still stuck in the loop of the past. How does one change the future that way? I am not certain if you are a Christian but please consult your pastor on what God says of the past and what we need to do with it.  

Education is an ONGOING process. Even the most college educated still has nothing if he does not understand his current surroundings and how to change it. He has to constantly educate himself so he can stay up to date on how to better his life. We just watched and saw how the young of Egypt, were able to set aside their past squabbles, educated themselves on their rights as individuals and as Egyptians -- then took to the streets to demand changes for themselves.

Critical thinking skills are lacking with majority of Nigerians . . . that is why people make excuses for the thieves-in-power and do not stand up for their right. Some do not even take the time to learn what their right is and if it is they to serve the politicians or the politicians to server them. How can you help these people? Simple -- by EDUCATING them on their rights, their place in government, and the need for them to demand change if they truly want change to the status quo.

I am settled with fact that those who failed to embrace corrective measures from the past events are bound to repeat the blunders. Also, I do not think that records are kept simply to jolt the idle memory of people but to function as a guide to the future.

It was not long ago that few Nigerian visionary soldiers decided to create such boldness in us but their actions were immediately turned into ethnical jingoism.  

If this newly found fantasy of yours called “critical thinking” clarifies goals, examines assumptions, understands hidden values, evaluates evidence, accomplishes actions and assesses conclusion, I say Nigerians, especially Biafrans in our mist, are centrally committed to “critical thinking” since January 15, 1966.

naijaking1:
The most vociferous enemies of Ndigbo are people who lived in Igboland, benefited from Igbo magnanimity, knows Igboland, but somehow had a personal problem they could attribute to an Igbo person(s).
Think about Adaka Boro---Igbos stidents made him student union president at UNN, not minding that he was Ijaw. Think about Ken Saro Wiwa who went to school in Igboland, had many Igbo friends. Then think about Chief Clark, whose personal grouse against Igbo people was the civil service----the list goes on.
So spare me from someone who has demonstrated knowledge of Igboland, but could never hide her venom for Igbo people and Igbo progress.
Onye ndi iro gbara gburugburu n'eche ndu ya nche mgbe nile, obugoduru n'onye iro ahu biri n'Aba.

Bros, I heard you clearly. It is even pathetically ridiculous when such turncoats are members of the so-called minority ethnic groups.

This is a practical joke. Until these full time jokers inaugurate a law stipulating death penalty for government officials who embezzled funds meant for betterment of the entire society, terrorism is a mainstay

I really do not give a ratarse if Kobojunkie is an Igbo, Yoruba, Tiv, Ibibio, Hausa or Ijo. However, I think she is of an Igbo mother and she did school at Aba. There is nothing wrong in her writing Ibo for Igbo after all in certain circles the ethnic group has been described as Eboe, Ibo or Igbo. There was a time when the language is known as Igbo and the people as Ibo. But recently, the ethnic group deemed it proper to be referred as Igbo instead of Ibo. Talking about education, if junkie insists on referring to Igbo as Ibo it is no doubt a testament to her level of education or lack thereof.

Kobojunkie: I have narrowed it down to Education – many of our people are not taught to be critical thinkers from early age and so when they see and know what is wrong, they instead move to justify it by pretending if they ignore it, it will all be fine, somehow. It is hard to not notice this.

Until we start re-educating our people and informing them, we are likely to see this trend continue. What is happening now in places like Egypt, Tunisia, etc, is more and more people are getting themselves informed, asking questions of those in leadership(rather than jumping to defend them from those who question their intelligence/integrity) and making demands on them. This is what we need our people to do, and this is not just an ibo problem but an all Nigeria problem.

Anyone who wants to save Ibo land, Yoruba Land, Or even Hausa land, should start by educating people on their rights and their place in our democracy. We need to stop this 'Omenala' attitude to deciphering right and wrong and instead embrace a more critical approach to solving our problems.

What is the education being highlighted on this post? Which category of the word-education is lacking among Nigerians. My take is Nigerians are adequately educated in every meaning of word however the political experiences and the configuration of the country are irreversible hindrances on the socio-political growth of Nigerian society.

Anybody who tends to tread light on the political issues of yesteryears starting from the period of protectorate through the civil war to post-civil war era of Nigeria is condescendingly disingenuous.

You can never run away from your shadow and can never teach ideology to an empty stomach. Nigeria is a cesspit and the inhabitants can not see a unified sense of growth until it’s is disintegrated.

Katsumoto:
Action Group was not a Yoruba party because it had members who were from the mid-west such as Alfred Rewane, Anthony Enahoro, Michael Okorodudu, Reece Edunkugho, Ogbemi Rewani, Gaius Obaseki, Ighodaro, Oronsaye, C. N. Ekwuyasi, etc. Granted the AG had more Yoruba members than the other groups but this was obviously because the Yoruba were a clear majority in the West. When the Western House of Assembly opened in 1952, 21 of the 24 delegates were NCNC candidates but over time, majority moved to the AG because of the pro-Igbo stance of the NCNC.

Also bear in mind that of the three regions, it was only the AG which allowed a state to be carved from with it. At the time there was agitation for mid-west state, there was also agitation for a COR state in the Eastern region and a middle-belt state in the Northern region. If AG wanted to dominate the minorities in its midst, it would have severely opposed the creation of the mid-west state just as the eastern and northern regions opposed the creation of COR and middle-belt states respectively.

Although Action Group could not be totally termed as Yoruba party but the formative nucleus of the party was Yoruba hence Egba Omo Oduduwa. I must say that Chike N Ekwuyasi was not a member of AG. However, S O Ighodaro was a turn coat who was elected to the regional house of assemebly under the platform of NCNC and switched to AG after been promised ministerial job at Ibadan. I know SG Ikoku was a member of Action Group.

Katsumoto:
[b]But the NCNC won in the East as well and Zik could have become Premier of the East instead of Eyo Ita or did leadership of the NCNC only mean that you can become leader of the Western region? Zik could have gone to the East and mandated one of the Yoruba sons to become premier of the West.

[/b]Funny comment about Dipcharima.

Zik, though the leader of NCNC, did not contest election either in northern region or eastern region. He contested election in one of the regional constituencies and won a seat in western region house of assembly. As a leader of his party in the house, he should be the regional premier designate unless he chooses to go to the federal level. The political settings of the era decreed that nobody could aspire for any position in regional house of assemblies without being a member. The only route to being a member of regional house of assembly was by winning electoral seat which did in Lagos.

Katsumoto:
Who started the NCNC and where was it started? You have to understand the origins of the NCNC to be able to address this appropriately. NCNC was a union amongst remnants of the Nigerian Youth Movement (NYM), Nigerian Youth Circle (NYC), and the Nigerian Reconstruction Group (NRG), Nigerian Union of Students and other small trade unions. All were formed in the Lagos with NUS being the exception as it was formed in Abeokuta,and all predominantly had Yoruba leaders with the inclusion of Zik.

At its third meeting, officers of NCNC were elected. Herbert Macaulay - President, Azikiwe - General Secretary, Oyeshile Omage - Financial Secretary, Dr Olorun-Nimbe - Treasurer, Onojobi and Ogedengbe - Auditors, Akerele and Odunsi - Legal advicers. Clearly, NCNC was a Yoruba party which later transformed into an Eastern party. In the spirit of democracy, Egbe Omo Yoruba was formed on the basis that the Yoruba did not have a political party. Before the Egbe Omo Yoruba, there were the Igbo Union, Ibibio State Union, Youth Social Circle in Sokoto. Egbe omo Yoruba later became the AG, Youth Social Circle became the NPC. The Igbo union and Ibibio State Union would later join with NCNC after the death of Herbert Macauley.

In effect, in the North, there was one heavyweight party, the NPC, in the East, NCNC but in the West, there were two big parties (AG and NCNC; both having well educated and erudite Yoruba sons. This was good for democracy in the West because it meant that there was no dominant party. It would have continued in this way if Zik did not seek to become the leader of the Western House. With the NCNC forming in the West and having many Yoruba sons as members, Zik was always going to have a following among some Yoruba. The AG did not form in the East so it would have been a tall order for the AG to win seats in the East; whereas the NCNC was a party even before Egbo Omo Yoruba was formed.

If one argues that the NCNC was successful in the West (we know why), why wasn't it successful in the North? Why did Zik not have a following in the North? I accept that Zik was an intelligent and charismatic leader and he probably had inter-tribal affluence more than the other politicians of his era but why wasn't he able to make inroads into the North? The fact is that Zik had a following in the West because the Yoruba are an open-minded bunch. This can also be seen in the manner the Oyo politicians and stalwarts of the Ibadan People Party such as Kola Balogun, Akintola, Akinloye, Adelabu, Olunloyo, etc aligned with the North.

I hope this answers the last question posed in your post.

Dr. Azikiwe was the unanimous leader of the NCNC going into the 1951 regional election. Even the Yoruba sons such as Dr Olorun-Nimbe, Aderini Ogunsanya, Prince Samuel Akinsaya, Olu Akinfosele and TOS Benson would not accept the idea of Zik stepping aside so that they could assume the premiership of western region because these folks were not tribal irredentists. Zik never sought to become the premier of western region.

However since he was the leader of NCNC, the party which clearly won the majority of the seats in western house of assembly and a coalition with IPP would have extended the insurmountable lead, Zik should be the premier by the rules of the game. 

In fact, it was Nigerian Youth Movement (NYM) under the leadership of Ernest Okoli, H.O Davis, Prince Samuel Akinsaya, JC Voughn and Azikwe that defeated the NNDP under the leadership of Herbet Macauley in 1938 for Lagos town council election that saw Ernest Okoli as mayor of Lagos.

It is not true that NCNC and Zik did not make in road to northern region. Before the formation of NPC, the political personality such as your man, Zana Dipcharima and many northerners were members of NCNC. Again, tribalism was/is the most important variable factor in Nigerian politics and it stood against Zik’s chances of becoming the first premier of western region and the caused declining support in northern region too.

fstranger3:
Are you crazy?

His brother was one of the first medical doctors in Nigeria and Yes, they both have real Yoruba names

Check your facts, good for nothing old man

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1081580/pdf/medhist00118-0071.pdf


That is a brief history of the first few Nigerian doctors, most of them had traceable history to Yorubaland

I doubt very seriously if you can read. Even within the link you posted, there were references to Dr Africanus Beale Horton who claimed Igbo heritage and probably the best physician among the returnees in Lagos and Dr. Oguntola Sapara-william the younger brother of Christopher Sapara-William who was born in Freetown, Sierra Leone to a parent of librated slave.

Ndigbo are not claiming Dr Beale Horton whose name graces a road in the premises of University of Ibadan. I do not know what part of the history that is giving you headache to understand.

I am not as crazy or lazy as you seem to appear. The facts remain that most of the personages you claimed for Yoruba were returnees from Sierra Leone and also from parents of liberated slave who claimed Yoruba heritage.  I guess since Lagos was the first administrative headquarters and colony of British colonialists who even encourage the returnees to relocate to Lagos, it was appropriate that many of the returnees would claim the heritage of ethnic group in close proximity to Lagos.

Katsumoto:
No insult intended; just questioning your rampant over-use of the word. Anyway, I apologise if you took offence. I look forward to our next debate.

I did not bend out of human form though but apology accepted nonetheless.

dayokanu:
Can't we have a list of Igbo freed slaves who had a degree too or were Igbos marginalised (as usual) by the Freetown admission officers?


Tell us how Alexander AKinyele was a returnee or free slave.

I believe that a woman Lady Kofo Ademola begged her Bachelors at least 10yrs before Azikwe.

Some perspective about early education in Nigeria

http://www.kwenu.com/lectures/madubuike_orient.htm

By this reference from an Igbo website shows at least a 50yrs difference.

This is another series of irresponsible claims dotting the surface of nairaland. The fact remains that Lady Kofo Ademola, the daughter of Barrister Eric Moore and wife of Sir Adetokumbo Ademola had not gained admission when Zik obtained his first degree.

As of the Barrister Christopher Alexander Sapara-Williams, I must admit he was another born in Free-town, Sierra Leone of liberated slave parentage who claimed Yoruba.

These numerous claims of Yoruba have something to with Lagos as the British colony. In fact, most of the returnees were encouraged to visit Lagos by the Governor-General of the colony.

Katsumoto:
Dede1

Why is every thread a competition for you. One would have expected that you would have listed the Igbo sons who returned from slavery as well who were one of the first to get university degrees, instead you argue that the individuals listed were returnee slaves or from Sierra Leone. Secondly, Alexander Akinyele was born and bred in Ibadan. Samuel Crowther was born in Osogun, the fact that he was captured and returned to Nigeria does not make him any less Yoruba. Charles Phillips was from Ondo whilst Isaac Oluwole and James Johnson were born to Yoruba (Egba) parents who were freed in Sierra Leone.

Were the children of British administrators who spent many years in Nigeria, British or Nigerian? I am beginning to suspect that you do not know the meaning of the word 'Conjecture'. What is conjecture about the heritage of the people mentioned above? It is a fact that they are of Yoruba heritage, so where did conjecture arise from? Please try to introduce logic and objectivity into your arguments and rely less on emotions. What does it matter that the first Nigerians to get degrees sometime in the 19th were Yoruba. We are in the 21st century and both the Yoruba, Igbo and other ethnic groups should be concentrating on educating their children for the future. The first universities were in the middle east, are Arabs leading innovation and change today?

No, all the post is not competition to me but it is zeal to right the facts regardless the remoteness. The post in discuss was not about heritage but advancement of ethnic regions in certain areas of human endeavor. I have no qualms if being sold into slavery was among the routes to greatness. However, the article’s intent with regards to on-going debate was deceitful at best. Except for one individual listed, the other persons were connected with slavery, born in Sierra Leone and claim of Yoruba heritage.

Our posts to public consumption should endeavor to present balanced and rational facts. After all, the first school of university grade was established in Yoruba land and did not deter other ethnic nationalities in Nigeria to equal or in some case surpass the Yoruba in the field of academia.

By the way, thanks for insult about conjecture.

I really do not know the extent of readiness of Ndigbo in the south-eastern states especially in Enugu to deal swiftly and decisively with the barbaric endeavors of these Fulani herdsmen. The trend is looking like a new and none military accomplishment of the prophetic dipping of Quran into Atlantic Ocean. The have already moved into Ogoja and Obudu and there is no doubt the recent harassment in the Benue axis is to link up with the inroad already established in Ogoja. Some minorities will always capitulate in the presence of aggressor. I am not surprised that the Governor of Benue State has gone begging.

fstranger3: PERMIT me to start this very important topic with an instructive quotation from a document, entitled: Ibo National Caucus-protocol and marked “secret and confidential” by Igbo leaders during the turbulent political situation arising from the Action Group (AG) crisis in the Western Region in the early 60s. The document stated inter alia:

“Play up Awolowo at all times, this will keep up the resistance of the Action Group members and stop them from uniting with the NNDP to form a solid Yoruba front. This is vital and there is no longer a headache or danger to us. Intensify all propaganda against Akintola. Don’t hold that he is sufficiently discredited already; he is still dangerous. We must always keep the quarrel between himself and the Action Group alive. This will ensure the disunity amongst the Yoruba leaders. Seek all means to discredit Fani-Kayode. He is the real and only barrier to OUR ULTIMATE DOMINATION OF THE WEST AND OUR ULTIMATE CONTROL OF THE FEDERATION.”

For the Yoruba, one of the major ethnic nationalities that make up the conglomeration called Nigeria, things have not been what they suppose to be for them in most cases in the polity, especially since independence. Things were even not as bad as they are now for the Yoruba ethnic group when the late Hubert Ogunde alerted the Yoruba to their shameful and avoidable descent into a pitiable situation in his popular song, “Yoruba ronu,” released in the early 60s. It was an advice for members of the Yoruba nation then to think deeply about the ignominy which had become their lot in the scheme of things within the political contraption called Nigeria.

According to the late renowned artiste, as a result of the careless (if not senseless) attitude of some Yoruba quislings then, the Yoruba nation was turned to a football for other competing ethnic groups in the polity to kick about in all directions of the nation’s murky political playing field. The pathetic current situation of the Yoruba in the scheme of things since independence becomes obvious when juxtaposed with their divine placement for excellence and leadership role in modernisation process.

For many decades, the Yoruba people were far ahead of their compatriots in other ethnic groups in the country in terms of Western education, both in quality and quantity, and consequently access to modern civilisation. For instance, the first university graduate among the Igbo nation, Nnamdi Azikiwe, did not emerge until 1934 and the first Igbo medical doctor, Francis Akanu Ibiam, was not produced until 1935. Also, the first university graduate in the whole of the defunct Northern Region, Dikko, did not emerge until 1952.

[b]But, in sharp contrast, the Yoruba nation had started producing university graduates, medical doctors, bishops and engineers since 1876. They included Dr Nathaniel Thomas King; Isaac Oluwole; Alexander Akinyele; Charles Phillips; James Johnson; Bishop Samuel Ajayi Crowther (1864) etc.[/b]Implicit in the above is the hard fact that the Yoruba ethnic group was far ahead of other ethnic groups in the country in modern civilisation. Others looked up to them mainly for direction to modern civilisation. This explains why Yorubaland became the beehives of activities that tended to showcase modern civilisation.

The sophistication of the Yoruba could partly explain the exclusive great landmarks under the premiership of the sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo. First class civil servants in the Western Region then made the Western Region civil service to be the best in the whole of Africa. The well planned and dexterously executed free primary education of the time remains a unique reference point throughout the country today.

The programme was so credible that even the premier himself and his top government functionaries could not hesitate to register their children in such public schools, unlike today that having one’s child in public primary school signifies the acme of penury. With various landmarks under Chief Awolowo, Western Region became the cynosure of all eyes, not only in Nigeria, but in the whole of Africa. Then, any Yoruba man or woman could boldly and proudly sing a song waxed by one of them to portray the cheering situation in the West. The song says: “Oh my dear lover, Western Region lawa, a jurawa.”

But things have turned upside down for the once vibrant people. Why? This is the main question. Why the descent into social and political backwardness? Agreed, Obasanjo is considered to be a Yoruba man and was at the helms of the nation’s affairs for good eight years apart from the three and a half years he spent as military head of state. But, this is subject to a debate. Obasanjo himself knows that his political factor is a minus rather than plus for the Yoruba nation.

What has made the Yoruba nation so susceptible to bastardisation and relegation by other ethnic nationalities in the country? Why was it possible for the satanically goggled General to attempt the total decimation of the race with such an unreserved impunity? Why were the Yoruba people the main targets for slaughter by the rampaging Fulani in the recent Jos serial unrest? We shall start from here next week by the grace of God

This is one of those deceitful conjures to defraud undiscerning onlooker. Everybody listed in bolded sentences was returnee or free slave from Freetown, Sierra Leone. Zik was one of the free persons from the protectorates to earn a College degree.