[size=15pt]"Biafrans Are Better-of Staying in The United Nigeria" - Igbo Conscience Group[/size]
The Igbo Conscience (TIC) led by Barrister Monday Ubani hosts a Press Conference in Lagos, dismissing the renewed agitation for the State of Biafra as a misplaced effort. In one of the series comments during the conference, Joe Igbokwe said "Biafra is history".
The stooges are entitled to their opinions regardless how silly they appear.
It is not even the capital city. Anyway, the people of UAE are not as moronic as Nigerians who think everything about a country should be situated in the capital city.
I guess Dubai is a city not country and does not have Prime Minister. Most Nigerians continue to disgrace the zoo as does Daura Dumbass a.k.a Muhammadu Buhari
Pavore9: We have far smaller areas that exists as a Country today. The land for agricultural activities is not a UN's requirement for self-determination but l brought it up within the context of self-sustaining food-wise to an extent. The person l quoted gave off the impression that we in the South East are presently doing well agriculturally which l disproved. Let me cite 2 two examples around when l was involved in agro projects in Anambra and Enugu. There was a rice project which was FG sponsored from which Anambra was given a variety of rice for multiplication so the local farmers will be growing the rice variety that takes only 3 months to harvest, disease and flood-resistant. They left the tonnes of the rice paddy to waste away at the state ministry of agriculture store in Awka, some workers were even taking it to go and parboil, de-husk and sell the read to eat rice in the market, the rice that was suppose to be multiplied to create better harvest and more income for the local farmers.
There was a time the FG had tractors distributed to every state in the Country, we went to Enugu State Ministry of Agriculture to go hire the tractors but we couldn't get because most of them have been hired out to farmers in BENUE STATE!
I fully understood the plank of you argument and happy Biafra or Republic of Igbo land will have a great mind such as you. But what matters now is attainment of independence in the territories that will be regarded as Biafra or Republic of Igbo land. There are many things Biafra or Republic of Igbo land will do in terms of food sustainability. Like you stated in hiring tractor or lack therefore for mechanized agriculture borders on the policy of federal government of Nigeria that militates against anything Igbo. In Biafra or more preferable Republic of Igbo land, the policy of the central government towards sustainable agriculture will be different from what it obtained today in the zoo called Nigeria. The land from Abakiliki to Baminda or even from Owerri to Isiokpo or Nkalagu to Nsukka shall be declared agriculture zone in Biafra or Republic of Igbo land. There are many Igbo people who have the same mindset as you do but chose to remain apathetic to Nigeria due to the way and manner the Nigeria is structured. There are many Igbo professional chaps in Diaspora who have promised to return home in Biafra or Republic of Igbo land to lend their services and expertise on pro bono if Biafra or Republic of Igbo land could be actualized. The most important thing now is the mean to actualize independent nation .
Pavore9: Refer to my earlier post where l cited human capital development making the difference. For any region be it South West, South East or the North it has to go through a complete turn around. My specialization is in Small space, More harvest Agriculture and having worked in both Anambra and Enugu States and can boldly say we are presently not doing well agriculturally, go to the Agric section where l moderate, you will read igbos complaining about their inability to access land for their agro projects because of the high cost, where a plot is offered for what a hectare is offered for in Oyo State. The South easterners are more leaned towards to enterprises outside Agriculture, when l was working in Awka North, to get farm hands was an issue despite having idle youths in the villages most would say they don't look like someone from Abakaliki...how denigrating!
I presently work with many agro projects outside Nigeria and know that what South East need is a far different approach from what is even obtainable in other parts of Nigeria adopting what will make 2 tonnes of strawberries be harvested on a monthly basis from a plot of land in any part of the South East, how to produce 500 litres of fresh milk daily from cows within a plot of land.
The government do have a role to play but the change need start from the individual because running diary farms and horticulture which l earlier highlighted do not need Political will to get it going, it is all about interest.
The land for agricultural activities does not factor into self-determination. What matters in the present scenario remains that Igbo or Republic of Biafra has a territory which can be declared as independent nation.
Of late, two Ijaws citizens have come under the light of the agents charged with corruption: Mrs. Diezani Allison-Maduekwe, and Chief D. S. P Alamieyesiegha. One was arrested in London plushest address at No.1 Park Lane; another one was being sought out by the British police to answer charges of money laundering.
This piece in no way condones alleged corrupt practices and no one should read it as such. For the benefit of doubt, Mrs. Deziani Allison-Madueke was charged with corruption; the NNPC over which she presided was the Sodom and Gomorrah of corruption and the stories about how allegedly corrupt NNPC was, is a legion.
As for Governor DSP Alamieyesiegha, he ran away from Nigeria to undergo a tummy tuck operation in Germany. When the warrant for his arrest was issued in Dubai, he ran to London where he was thoroughly watched by the secret services of Britain. He left London, according to some sources, with the active connivance of the British authorities, for Cote de Ivorie en route to Nigeria. On arrival to Nigeria, he was promptly arrested by EFCC. But he spent several months in the hospital in Lagos and Abuja before he was released.
A couple of years later, he was pardoned by President Goodluck Jonathan. About a fourth night ago he was said to be wanted by the British authorities for money laundering. He has not been enjoying good health, although the incessant and unrelenting pursuit by the British and other authorities could not have improved his health. He died soon after.
Let's go back to the antecedent of Alamieyesiegha's impeachment. A good precedent in law is that, although an enthusiastic officer may pursue a case with all due diligence, he may not do so while breaking the law. Alamieyesiegha's impeachment was a travesty of the Nigerian constitution. He may have been a thief but the law demands proof in a proper court by the prosecution that the culprit is indeed guilty. The impeachment provision in our constitution is antithetical to that very constitution which guarantees to every individual the right of justice. Mr. DSP Alamieyesiegha was dragooned into impeachment by overzealous EFCC members, on the order of higher authorities.
There are 24 members of the Bayelsa State House of Assembly. The EFCC simply picked up all of them and asked them to account for the one billion Naira constituency project they signed for, they were all locked up at 15 Awolowo road and asked to sign a declaration condemning the government or explain a one billion naira constituency project each received in their states.
This declaration formed the basis of the impeachment, which lasted eight hours from when they returned, to Yenagoa in Bayelsa. The House formed a committee to impeach, asked the Chief Judge to draw up charges and set up an impeachment tribunal which reported to the Chief Judge who rubber stamped this Kangaroo court.
Our constitution although is a legal document, is written in simple English which could be understood even by the near illiterate. Can impeachment proceed if it does ask for a committee to draw up the charges, it does ask for the intervention of the chief judge but it further asks, as is normal in other cases, for the accused to be informed of the charges against him on both occasions and more importantly that the accused must be given a right of reply within 21days after the charges preferred against him have been published.
None of this was done in Bayelsa. Mr. Goodluck was the Deputy Governor and he saw all these illegalities yet he accepted them so that he may be Governor. When he became President he attempted to right a palpable wrong. He granted Governor Alamieyesiegha a pardon. The impeachment of Alamieyesiegha took all of seven hours from when the assembly men came back to Bayelsa. Does this mean that the Governor was not corrupt? Not at all.
But it does mean that our Law enforcement agencies cannot in the pursuit of a particular case commit a plethora of offences and get away with them. Most Nigerians have a simplistic view of matters such as this: but the man was corrupt etc. he should be in jail. Should this be the case then for all the Governors, Presidents, Vice Presidents we have ever had; should they on then say so of Nigerians be in jail.
The case against Alamieyesiegha wasn't proved and can never be proved since he is now dead. Many people would be puzzled as to my stand in this issue clearly; they would say Alamieyesiegha was guilty of corruption. Why waste government's time and money to prove the clear evidence? You do it because it's the basis of Democracy - a man is free, innocent until proven guilty. Alamieyesiegha was one of 36 thriving governors, one of thousands thieving politicians; his death in no way reduces the culpability of the others.
Alamieyesiegha was hounded to death because he was a minority. Diezani's case is more difficult to defend because so far, it is going according to Law. Many Ijaws have complained about her implacable hatred of her fellow ethnic comperes; that her shadow fell far away from the Ijaws: her favour went to many non-Ijaws all of whom are lining up to put bigger nails on her coffin. I am on record of saying that the job was too big for her, just as Jonathan's job, turned out to be big for him. She inherited a broken NNPC, totally unfit for purpose.
She had no one to advise her on what to do; those who advised her became instant enemies. She worked in a kleptocracy and there was no cause for her to distinguish herself in that group except maybe excel in their peculiar calling. Her appointment confirms a simple fact - the International Oil Companies (IOC) are inherently in an antagonist relationship with NNPC. This is not that bad but one cannot keep going to those one regulates to pick the head of NNPC. Her knowledge of the business was skimpy but does she deserve her present treatment?
To answer such question, we have to delve into history. Oil which though no more than 10% of GDP produces over 90% of funds for the Federal Government which then divides the proceeds among the 36 states. The governors of the nine oil producing states are the super stars of Committee of Governors (COGs).
I HAVE been accused of being like Mark Anthony making a speech after Caesar’s assassination : “I come to bury Caesar, and not to praise him.” As far as corruption is concerned, Mr. President must use the same broom to sweep it out in both the PDP and the APC. We wait with baited breadth.
The Ijaws are bigger than the Urhobos, the Tivs, the Idomas, the Ibibios yet they lack the power of these groups. The oil that feeds the Federal Government is mainly from Ijaw land and waters. Has anyone thought of how much it would cost to clean these lands and waters?
The reality is that when the oil dries up, the IOCs will pick up and leave. This has been the lot of small powerless people the world over – look at what has happened to Southern Louisiana where the blacks and poor whites live.
Less than 30 years ago, there was one petrol station in Yenagoa in the whole of Bayelsa. There was none anywhere else: in Buguma, Tombia, Bakana, Abonnema, Okrika, even Bonny. None in Brass, Nembe, Oporokuma, etc. In all these places till to-day Kerosene, which is their main fuel for cooking, costs more than anywhere else in Nigeria? Children still go to school in canoes and buildings are still on sticks jutting out of the water. There is nowhere in Ijaw land with potable water to drink. We drink from wells. The toilets are still at the water side, next to where they bathe. This degree of poverty is no excuse for the excesses of our ministers and governors who obviously have not learnt the art of hiding their wealth. What wealth is there to hide when 80 per cent of the buildings are made of mangrove trees. There is no need to go to Brazil to see how the natives live – just a few miles out of Port Harcourt or Yenagoa or Bomadi or Patani and you are in Ijaw country. The water has the inevitable shine of oil spillages.
The people stand by the waterside and watch their land being drained of its wealth as the service boats and badges speed along to destinations unknown. The Ijaws are a modern misfit; cannot move speedily because the boats cost too much. Cannot keep nurses and doctors in the cottage hospitals built because these people have no after work recreation; there is no recreation club in any Ijaw town that I know, so no football, tennis, billiards, etc. The people are just emerging from ravages that insect parasites visit on their hairs, their legs and feet – lice, jiggers, etc. The men have to go further afield for fishing; the women sell next to nothing. Yet their culture is rich and calls for wealth. The Chiefs are so poor that they are no better than beggars and their Local Government Chairmen know this and treat them with the ignominy beggars deserve. Chiefs go to parties with plastic bags to carry away food and drinks. The elegant chiefs’ dresses many see when these chiefs go to Abuja, Port Harcourt, Asaba, Yenogoa – are a chimera – a phantom of an age long gone to which they pretend to succeed. No serious Ijaw man stays in his village – to do what?
He may have a decent house in Port Harcourt, Yenagoa, Asaba, Warri and visits home like a holiday maker at the weekends to see what he can get.
If an Ijaw man is president or governor, he will try to sleep with five or six women every two or three hours of the day. He will drink, usually with his friends, with complete abandon. It is not that he does not realise the weight of his office. He does. But it does not matter to his psyche. We drink with one glass out of a basin of home-made spirit. If it is a woman and she has money, she will spend it like water. She will order containers from China that will seat for six years without opening it. If she sees new things, she will order more; she has no recollection what she has ordered or how much. She will beg her husband to kingdom come for more money for more orders. If she is rich enough she will buy houses in almost all cities and may never enter one of them. She will have no idea where her documents are.
All the above is obviously a caricature. Even so, given the resources he so abundantly has, if Nigeria’s law on minerals were different, the Ijaws would react differently.
In conclusion, the Ijaws have to stop being small minded and come together. The Federal Government destroyed an Ijaw town which today remains destroyed. If we apply the same rule, how much of the North East, Niger, Abuja, etc would be destroyed, flattened, because of Boko Haram? The Ijaws were being punished for failure to stop an insurgency. The Ijaws are consumed by small minded jealousies: Okrika vs Ogoloma vs Bakana; inter chieftaincy fights in Bonny and Finima; Abonnema vs Buguma, Nembe vs Brass and so forth. These divisions sap Ijaw power and make them open to exploitation. Their land is polluted, their rivers are non-habitable, their people remain the poorest; the pollution in Ijaw land cannot be ended given decades of pollution by oil and gas; their livelihood is precarious. And now to the rest of Nigeria, the Ijaws are saying that no one has the right to ask an Ijaw man “what have you done with the money we gave to you.” When last I checked, you cannot give me what is mine.
Ambassadoe Cole, I am afraid to say that Ijo had the opportunity for good life in paradise but chose to waste it. It is said that opportunity comes but once. It pained to me to reach Yenegoa in the 70s only to found that canoe was the means of house to house call. Yet I look at Lagos and lately Abuja, I swear the crude oil wells came from those environs. History owes posterity to every one of us.
Donarozzi: Identity crisis exists in Igboland especially among some Igbo communities in the South-South region of Nigeria. Igbo leaders should solve this problem fundamentally by declaring that all Igbo communities in the South-South should be merged together with the South-East region. Igbo leaders should make this demand a top priority and work together to achieve the goal.
Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe foresaw the present predicament in 1949 when he said, "The only worthwhile stand we can make as a nation is to assert our right to self-determination, as a unit of a prospective Federal Commonwealth of Nigeria and the Cameroons, where our rights will be respected and safeguarded. Roughly speaking, there are twenty main dialectal regions in the Ibo nation, which can be conveniently departmentalized as Provinces of an Ibo State, to wit: Mbamili in the northwest, Aniocha in the west, Anidinma and Ukwuani in the southeast, Nsukka and Udi in the north, Awgu, Awka and Onitsha in the centre, Ogbaru in the south, Abakaliki and Afikpo in the northwest, Okigwi, Orlu, Owerri and Mbaise in the east, Ngwa, Bende, Abiriba Ohafia and Etche in the southwest. These Provinces can have their territorial boundaries delimited, they can select their capitals, and then can conveniently develop their resources both for their common benefit and for those of the other nationalities who make up this great country called Nigeria and the Cameroons.
"Let us establish an Ibo State, based on linguistic and ethnic factors, enabling us to take our place side by side with the other linguistic and ethnic groups which make up Nigeria and the Cameroons."
Similarly, the Eze of Asaba, Professor Chike Edozien with great wisdom and intelligence advised Igbo politicians to work towards unifying all Igbo communities into one geopolitical zone. Professor Edozien actually laid out conditions he believes will cement Igbo unity permanently. He called on the people of the South-East zone to support the creation of Anioma State and another for Igbo-speaking people of Rivers State to make for seven states, all of which will be lumped together in one zone or region.
The people of Anioma have shown that they are bona fide Igbo both in their actions and words. Even Igbanke people have resolutely stated they are Igbo. Now, the mantle of prove to be Igbo does not rest in the hands of Igbo leaders but in the hands of people who have ominously denied being Igbo.
size40: Nigeria cannot divide. Unless it is divided along the 6 Geopolitical zones. But anything other than that, it is for "Better Or Worst" situation here. It is either we all join hands to build Nigeria or we all go our various ways in pieces.
Who the hell are you to tell how Nigeria should divided? The so-called 6 geopolitical zone is fraud that is as good as Nigeria. I do not care how nation states come out of disintegrated zoo called Nigeria as long as Republic of Igbo land shall be among nation states.
laudate: Go back into the archives and read up on what Aguiyi-Ironsi did. The 4 regions were federating units in name only, after he took over.
Ironsi did not take over any government in the zoo called Nigeria. Gen Ironsi was invited to lead a nation without a government, in this case the government has been sacked by a group of junior military officers. One of the drawback about Nigeria is lack of intellectual honesty.
perkyendy: IT IS NOT ALL FIGHT THAT END WELL EVEN WHEN IT ONLY STARTED WITH MERE TALK, WE MIGHT UNDERSTAND HOW IT START BUT THE END IS HIDDEN FROM US… LET’S KNOW WHAT WE ARE ACTUALLY FIGHTING FOR… EVEN IF WE MUST BREAK-UP JUST AS IT HAPPENS IN EVERY RELATIONSHIP THAT IS NOT MEANT TO BE, THEN LET IT BE IN PEACE!
By: Seyi S Adesina
I have tried my possible best to look into this issue of division calling on our dear nation Nigeria several times from different angle, though I might be wrong in my thought but maybe there might also be some sense in some of the thinking running through my head now!
Nigeria has been together as a giant of Africa for a while now, so where is the division coming from? Who are the sponsors of this initiatives? I know aim is not for the poor masses but the question remains, can they handle the aftermath?
Calling for separation yes will benefit a lot of thieves who pose to be helping Nigeria now, I know some other continent are also in support of this movement because of their selfish gain and business ties they are looking for to, but what if it dint work out the way they plan it?
I love Nigeria and pray it stays together as we are and find how to fix things and make it work
But if it must go the question is still broad? Can it go without shedding blood? Can this break-apart we are calling comes easy? Will some part of the country allow this to happen? Will there be peace in all the country that will go apart? Will it make things surplus and end poverty? Will the free country start generating funds immediately?
I know you have lots of answers to this questions my brain is popping out now and I know you have more than enough answer to all my questions, but remember its easier said than done…
Lets join hands together to make it work so things can be a beat better
The above crap is very useless because its theme is born out of silly assumptions. Per the bolded, who made the cesspit called Nigeria the giant of Africa? It would have been appropriate if it is fondly called the giant fool of Africa. Some of the assumptions are liken to question of how to cross a bridge when the bridge has not been built. It is a misplaced endeavor to insinuate that Biafra shall be a replica of Nigeria The dishonesty induced by the weighty idiocy of tribalism that gave rise to corruption in the cesspit called Nigeria would be a thing of the past.
Eziachi: I am not a Moslem, so educate me. What is a big hijab and small/medium/xlarge hijabs? Which one has Buhari recommended for the Islamization project?
Per the bolded, why in the hell do you dabble into what you know little about?
Akpobaro: Hello my fellow Nigerians and Africans. The black Americans are bringing disgrace to us. I just saw a poster on the internet. It is about Donald trump- presidential candidate for America 2016 elections. He organized a National show inviting black American pastors. The stupid black American pastors agreed to participate in it. This is the same Donald trump that abused Africans- that we are only foods and have sex. Read this site:http://www.politics.co.ke/news/some-africans-are-lazy-fools-only-good-at-eating-lovemaking-and-stealing-donald-trump-2/ . this crazy black Americans are bringing disgrace to us. They are the most ignorant black group in the world . my fellow Nigerians and Africans, what will have to say about this?
The only disgraceful joker in this discussion is you who seemed to identify human beings with color. Dummy, nobody is blue, green, black, white or red. The picture you posted indicated Coalition of African-American ministers not black.
What manner of idiocy and insult is this fool named Rochas Okorocha seems to dump on the people of Imo State all in the name of cheap political publicity? From JAMB to ordianry common entrance examination is there anyone Imo State does not fill the uppermost cader? Imo State has been and will ramain academic heavtweight in Nigeria long after the Mallam Rochas Okoroewu has left governemnt house in Owerri.
This dumbass fool seems ready to tarnish the image of Imo State in particular and Igbo in general in order to welcome silly arcolade.
I am for Republic of Igbo land so that the dumbasses such as you from the so-called south-south will have absolutely nothing to with the people of Igbo land. In fact, it is not even mandatory that a given country should have diplomatic relationship with all the zoos such as Nigeria in the world.
Acidosis: I curse the man who merged the good and loving people of Okun (from Kwara) with these sets of barbaric animals.
I curse Babangida, I curse Audu, I curse Wada, I curse Ibrahim Idris and every single leader from Igala Kingdom.
These folks have all contributed collectively towards the incredible destruction and collapse of Kogi state.
We the good people of Okun land will keep fighting for our State until we get it.
Besides tribalism, the two major factors that had contributed to lack of progressiveness in the cesspit called Nigeria are dishonesty and idiocy. You, of all people, would want Biafra to be part of the zoo called Nigeria.
Politics › Re: Troop Repels Boko Haram Attack In Gulak, Recover Vehicles, Ammunitions(Pics) by Duru1(m): 12:01pm On Dec 02, 2015
