₦airaland Forum

django1:
With all the anti-north sentiments of some dumb people down south, a northerner is doing better than the so called "our brother"?

asha80:
By the way I saw this

http://businessdayonline.com/2015/08/shallow-waters-stifle-crude-lifting-to-warri-refinery/

asha80:
I don't understand jb role in all these though
...can you explain to me better?

“When the news filtered in that it has opened for business, shippers doubted it until Julius Berger Services Nig. Ltd assembled importers/exporters on August 5 in Onitsha and August 6 in Nnewi, to confirm the good news.

“Another spice to the business in Warri wharf is that Julius Berger Services has floated vessels that carry containers from any location in the world to Warri Port at cheaper rate.

carnegiefan:
This is very good news. I'm also very happy that Onitsha importers are organized and making moves to start using Warri once more.
Why do I have this feeling that Gov Ifeanyi Okowa has something to do with this Warri port news?
Gradually but surely we shall get there.

pazienza:
The OP, a northerner masquerading as an Igbo, hopes to pitch Ndiigbo against the Ijaws with this thread.

I plead with Ndiigbo here to not bit the bait. Our relationship with the Ijaws is a rough one, but is nothing that can't be mended.

We don't need Ijaws to be Biafrans, we need them to not be Nigerians, that alone is enough.

shachris:
Biafra as it is pursued now is only a scam ring with some zombie pawns as 'actualizers'. Real igbos are not in support of the present scam called biafra and neither are Niger Deltans

shachris:
I'm igbo and these zombies are trying to drag my tribe into some zombie fantasy and u expect I remain silent?

shachris:
the opium is So strong that it has turned previously reasonable igbo boys like soundking into zombies on autopilot

CreampieAngela:
I think its a kind of economic policy by Northern industralists never to situate their business concerns anywhere in the south east. The fartherst we can go south is in the south south.

handie:
She typifies the Nigerian spirit! Thriving in adversity. Doubt it? Make oyibo student come Nigerian university... Na withdrawal go shele last last. But we thrive in harsh circumstances. U'll see okada men who have 2 or more children in universities. We've got the never say die spirit. May God continue to strengthen this woman and every other Nigerian who believes in dignity of labor.
P.S. FTC? Am I suppossed to be celebrating? Ok! I'll do that when I get a credit alert for making FTC. Btw, where's introvert and LadyF?

sigiyaya:
FORMER GOVERNOR OF AKWA IBOM STATE SENATOR GODSWILL AKPABIO SPEAKS ON BIAFRA AND GOWON WITH THEWILL NEWS
_________________________________________

THEWILL: You have been very vocal lately in dismissing and trashing the then federal military government’s post-civil war efforts at the 3 Rs: Reconstruction, Reconciliation and Rehabilitation. What don’t you agree with?


AKPABIO: As a young man, you definitely will not understand me. But I was a victim of the Civil War. I was one of those who suffered the pains of the war. I was born sometime in 1962; the civil war came really into our area in 1967. So, I was probably five or six years old during the war; and if I had been around nine years, I would probably have been conscripted.

I saw parents throw their children into pit toilets because they did not want their positions to be made known to the enemy. I saw devastation; I saw kwashiorkor; I saw hunger; I saw thousands of people and bodies littered everywhere and smelling while vultures had a field day every day. I saw houses destroyed; I saw families scattered such that till the end of the world, they can never gather themselves together again. There were children who were shipped away to Gabon, and they can never come back to Nigeria again because they were small. How would two-year-olds and three-year-olds ever know where they came from? They are now proud Gabonese and I don’t think Nigerians are even asking questions.

So, during the Silverbird Man of the Year Award, there were pictures that were shown of the Civil War. Somebody, sitting by me, who is from the West, was asking if those things were acted: the Kwashiorkor-ridden children with their swollen tummies, ugly shapes and bony structures because of hunger and starvation.

The then Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon attempted to explain that he tried everything to avoid the scenes that were being shown on the screen, that he did not want the war. The other person who could have answered him, unfortunately, that is Emeka Ojukwu, is dead. He said he tried everything to stop the war from breaking out but it’s only Ojukwu who could have answered whether he equally did his part in avoiding the war.

But something struck me: it was said that Gowon should be commended for initiating the three Rs: reconciliation, rehabilitation and reconstruction. And I asked a very simple question, that I came with a written text but I wasn’t going to read it. I thanked Silverbird for the award; and I said I did not want to criticise my leaders because I am also now a leader. But I asked to be allowed to ask a question: how come reconstruction started in the West when the war was actually fought in the East? They started the Third Mainland Bridge, the National Theatre, the international airport, and so on, in the West, while the war was fought in the eastern region. And if we really wanted to ensure total reconciliation, how come every account holder in the eastern region was given only £20? It did not matter whether your father had £10,000,000 or £50,000,000 before the war; you were given just £20. It was a take it or leave it situation. If your family survived and there was an account holder alive, he/she went to the bank, and collected just £20.

Could £20 pounds solve the Kwashiorkor that we were seeing? Could it reconstruct the houses that were burnt? Could it produce food? A lot of other things happened that I did not mention on that occasion. Don’t forget that it was shortly after the war in 1971 that the policy of indigenisation started, where most of the foreign industries and companies were sold to Nigerians, and the war-ravaged eastern regions, which include the entire South-South and the rest of them, could not buy, because no one who did not have money to even feed or clothe himself would have had money to buy any industry. So, I was just wondering, as a young man, if that was true reconciliation, because one would have thought that the government would have gone to any extent to give them more money so that they could truly rehabilitate themselves.

They needed money from reconstruction, and I would have thought that reconstruction would have also started from the East. I just asked because we were lucky to have the personal dramatis of the war right in still alive : General T. Y. Danjuma, General Yakubu Gowon, General Obasanjo, General Buhari and others. It is very rare to see these former heads of state in just one place, so I had to ask.

I said also that it is important, even for the current-day leaders, that we continue to take actions that will unite Nigeria. And we should purge ourselves of actions that tend to cause pains to Nigerians. For me, I believe that because of certain policies of the federal government after the war, the war did not cease in the eastern region until about 30 years after the war.

AuntySusan:
Good morning nlers,

I've bn observing nl politics section for sometime now. There's this trend I've noticed on this section. Once I see a moniker that displays deep hatred for Igbos, it usually turns out to be that the same moniker shows deep hatred for Jonathan too. By that I mean, the person never sees anything good about Jonathan just like they don't see anything good about Igbos.

Is it safe to say that the hatred for Jonathan attract hatred for Igbos or the hatred for Igbos attract the hatred for Jonathan. Is there a possibility that these two can be mutually exclusive?

I know this is an annonymous forum but please This is a research topic for me and I need honest answers. I need as many comments as possible so I can conclude my work.
I also hope to find anyone in the missing category so I can get their opinion on this too.

Thanks guys

Belmot:
Who is lying now?

Emilokoiyawon:
Good. Now, prove your assertion

Closecall:
Tinubu: Repeating mistakes of Afonja, Awolowo, Abiola, Diya 4
BY OUR REPORTER ON AUGUST 9, 2015 BACK PAGE / COLUMNS, RALPH EGBU
Peoples’ parliament

BY OGBONNAYA WILLIAMS

One of the tragedies of the Bourbon ruling class of France after Waterloo of June 18, 1815, was that they came back to power, having learnt and forgotten nothing. They came back to power in France and continued to repeat the same mistakes that gave birth to the rise of Napoleon Bonaparte and other characteristics of the era. This appears to be true of some per­sonalities in Yoruba history, who saw themselves as the messiahs of their era, but ended up disillusioned. They never got what they wanted because they were propelled by ego, blind hatred and illusions of what they wanted to achieve. This is the same with Alhaji Ahmed Bola Tinubu, who has erroneously been dressed in the robe of a political giant, when ordi­narily he is a political opportunist, masquerading and praying to be ad­dressed as Asiwaju Yorubaland.

He has got the first baptism of fire at the Senate where Senator Bukola Saraki emerged as Senate President. Tinubu wanted to have the Vice Presi­dency and Speaker of the House of Representatives in the Buhari presi­dency. What an illusion! The political amalgam that became the All Progres­sives Congress, APC, which Tinubu, no doubt was the midwife, would soon be the Achilles heel for his political ha­rakiri. The 3rd Republic Senator and former Lagos State governor will soon regret to have made the mistake of his life with the formation of APC. This was the mistake made by Afonja of Ilorin, who, as the Aare Onakanfanfo of Yorubaland, developed a morbid hatred for the reigning Alaafin of Oyo, his boss and emperor of the old Oyo Empire. Tinubu’s hatred for President Goodluck Jonathan was unparralled.

Afonja invited the Fulani jihadist, Alimi, whom he joined up with and destroyed the old Oyo Empire. He thought he would free himself from the influence and power of the Alaafin. The duo on getting back to Ilorin, af­ter the destruction of old Oyo town­ship and empire, Alimi taught Afonja the lesson of his life. Ilorin became an Emirate with Afonja killed. The Muslim Fulanis took over Ilorin land, where till date 95 per cent of the Yor­uba population is ruled by less than 5 pwer cent Fulanis.

Governor Mohammed Lawal, the ANPP Governor of Kwara State (1999- 2003) an Afonja descendent who thought he could force the Fulani’s to retreat and re-write the 200-years old history of the emirate was shoved aside by the Olooye himself, Senator Abuba­kar Olusola Saraki, a Yorubanised Fu­lani. Lawal’s elevation of the Baloguns of Ilorin to Obaship status, (including his father), was reversed by Governor Bukola Saraki.

Chief Obafemi Awolowo repeated the same mistake of Afonja during the Nigerian Civil war (1967-1970). When the then Lt. Colonel Yakubu Gowon came to power on August 1st, 1966, one of the first things he did was to re­lease Awolowo from prison. Realizing that he could not consolidate his grip on power without the backing of the Yoruba, Gowon promptly constituted a Federal Executive Council domi­nated by some of Awos-prewar allies like Joseph Tarka, Aminu Kano and Chief Anthony Enahoro etc. Gowon made Awolowo the Vice-Chairman of the Federal Executive Council and Federal Commissioner for Finance, a position that was equivalent of the position of Prime Minister of Nigeria, which Awolowo had been dreaming of all his life.

Having used Awolowo to vanquish the people of former Eastern Nigeria (Biafrans) Awolowo thought that be­coming the Prime Minister of Nigeria could be his by mere asking for it from those he served during the war (the Northern establishment) as soon as the war ended. Lo, that was never to be as he clearly saw the handwriting on the wall.

Early in 1971, Chief Jeremiah Obafemi Awolowo, to the consterna­tion of his people, resigned from Gow­on’s cabinet. Awolowo’s attempt to be President of Nigeria in 1979 and 1983 through his UPN failed. Neither Chief Philip Umeadi nor Alhaji Mohammed Kura (his running mates) could get him the Igbo or Northern votes in the two elections. Four years after 1983 (1987) Awolowo died, a frustrated man even though he was described as the best President Nigeria never had.

The late MKO Abiola, made the same mistake of Afonja and Awolowo during the 2nd Republic. Abiola in 1980 floated the Concord Group of Newspapers to fight the Tribune group owned by Obafemi Awolowo, in the Western states of Nigeria. He financed and bankrolled the National Party of Nigeria in Ogun State and other Odua states. Concord Press Nigeria Limited Group of newspapers fought and ex­posed Awolowo’s 1000 plots of land deal in Maroko. Having or thinking he had served the Northern establishment enough, in 1982, Umaru Dikko told Abiola to his face that Nigeria (North­ern) presidency was not for the highest bidder. In anger, Abiola resigned from the NPN and said good-bye to Nige­rian politics.

In 1993, Abiola, now the darling of Yorubas and Nigeria though he was ripe for Nigerian presidency was de­nied the victory of June 12, which is now a recurring point in the country’s history. His friend, Ibrahim Babangida and the Northern establishment denied him the Presidency, even when Abiola was a Muslim like them. Again, Abiola in November 18, 1993, was the first to go to Dodan Barracks to congratulate Sani Abacha for sacking his brother, Ernest Shonekan. Abiola even nomi­nated Ministers, with such Progres­sives as Lateef Jakande, Baba Gana Kingibe, Ebenezer Babatope, etc into Sani Abacha’s first cabinet. Abiola had the false belief that Abacha would hand over to him after one year. After a year, June 1994, Abiola made his fa­mous Epetedo Declaration, which led his detention by Abacha until July 8, 1998, when Abiola mysteriously died after drinking tea in the presence of Americans.

The foxy General Sani Abacha when he seized power in 1993, el­evated or demoted General Oladipo Diya as Chief of General Staff from position of Chief of Defence Staff to consolidate his grip on power. Very soon, Diya, acting his master’s script, used the Federal might to batter the NADECO, Afenifere, Odua Move­ment and other real Progressives of the Yoruba struggle. Tinubu even went on exile.

Soon after, Diya bankrolled the ac­tivities of the Imeri Group as Dr. Bode Olajumoke’s home in Imeri, at the periphery of Ondo state soon became the political Mecca and centre of Yor­uba politics. Diya even facilitated the Yoruba man’s position in the emerg­ing UNCP, which was begging Aba­cha among five leprous fingers of the same hand (apology to Bola Ige) to be their presidential candidate. Seeing that he would have no place in Abacha’s transmutation in a civilian presidency, Diya wanted to be clever through coup plotting. He almost paid with his head, thanks to expiration of General Sanni Abacha on June 8, 1998 in controver­sial circumstance.

With the failure of ACN, CPC and ANPP to wrest power from Goodluck Jonathan in 2011, Ahmed Bola Tinubu threw in everything and convinced all the others to dissolve and form the APC, which was meant to have Gen­eral Muhammadu Buhari achieve his ambition to be Nigerian Head of State once again.

Sooner than later, Tinubu would re­alize that the real owners of APC from the North would emerge. They will as Alimi did to Afonja in 1830 Ilorin. At the first post-election convention of the APC, this year, Tinubu would no longer be the National Leader of APC, while such paperweights as Odigie- Oyegun and Lai Mohammed will be swept aside. History, it is said, repeats itself. What can Tinubu manipulate with four APC controlled states in the southwest, while 16 Northern APC states, Imo and Edo states are not un­der his control.

This article is a reaction to the discourse titled “Let Saraki, Ekweremadu and Dogara be” which was published on this page on Sunday July 19, 2014.

Flyoruboy:
Igbos are proven empty vessels and get more than they contribute to the Nigerian state.

dearpreye:
If you don't eat oil because of yam, you must eat yam because of oil. O ye South South, its just imperative that you must unite with your brothers from the SE and seek to form a strong brotherhood determined to change this primitive lopsided system for the good of us all. Its no longer the time to be shouting THE IGBOS WANT TO TAKE OUR OYEL. They don't need your oyel; they just need your numbers. They are a resilient, courageous, determined and enterprising people. In fact, you need them more than they do need you.

The future of your unborn generation is already stifled; the Northern oligarchy have secured theirs. Your resources have been frittered away to build Abuja; your future is bleak with the current system. Don't expect the parasites to let go of the host on their own accord; the host must endeavor to extricate itself of the murderous parasites. i

dearpreye:
No sensible person, especially from our region, should be happy with this contraption that was wickedly designed to achieve what is currently doing. It's depressing and sad.

But there's hope.

dearpreye:
Where have you been?

dearpreye:
Don't mind them. They're only good when it comes to maltreating and manhandling defenseless civilians.