₦airaland Forum

Jennyclay:
Beautiful hotel.

I wonder how nightlife in Onitsha looks like with these insecurity happening over there because I like to waka waka.

waka waka is not good for you as a woman.......make dem no ff you and pack your body parts in a ghana must go sack! If you must go out at night ,,,do so in a group! Advise is relevent in any part of the world!

FuglyGurl:
https://dailytrust.com/shoprite-stores-shut-in-ibadan-ilorin-shelves-empty-in-lagos-abuja/

Robans stores, Everyday supermarket and market square reign in Eastern Nigeria................Real SA shoprite left Nigeria years ago...............what is remaining in Nigeria today is Agbado shoprite........they thought it is government finances......where you can loot to your hearts content

saintcasmir:
More pictures of the snake. We are already preparing it for pepper soup

I fear Lagos slums......any abominable creature can live and thrive in the filth and swampy waters in those areas .....Aba have similar areas but Otti is doing a better job of clearing slums than Sanwaolu ..

IGBOSON1:
Given the high expectations i had for the Soludo admnistration, i'm sorely disappointed with what's been achieved so far! Had what we see delivered in Anambra in the past 3+ years been done by any other administration other than the Soludo admin', i'd have said they've done relatively well! But for someone like Soludo, it's a sub-par performance! Just goes to show that governance is more than academic theorising and cho cho cho!

It's not his performance that has been subpar. ..I sincerely believe his cabinet is subpar.....there are jewels in the cabinet but there are way 2 many political deadwood from APGA in that cabinet! Or is it lack of sufficient experienced ppl but all the same. .we must give room for personal and professional growth!

I want Soludo to be reelected ......he deserves a 2nd term! Ukadike and hajia ekwunife are just political gangsters that have no business even running in the gubernatorial elections!<<

wizzyvibes:
I just found out that the MRO facility Airpeace Ceo wanted to build in anambra is now being built in Lagos. Soludo can hardly get indigenes to come invest here, how much more foreign investors. We have had month on month, no foreign investment in Anambra state. Its sad really.

I am quite aware that the governor has tried in road construction which i congratulate him for that, but for Anambra to move to the next level, a whole lot of focus should be put on industrialisation and power. This would help generate/increase the internal generated revenue he has been clamouring for. Its not by task force that our IGR will increase.

I am just so sad today for anambra. Another potential investment gone

That's not unique to Anambra state......I cannot think of any new substantial foreign investment in the southeast as a whole in the past 4 years...

shortgun:
I am glad he mentioned the Ekwumeku War, which lasted for 31 years against the British army. That was a defining moment in the history of the Igbo nation and her people.

Many people know about the Biafran War, but it was not the first time the Igbo stood defiantly against invaders. The first war recorded in history was against the British army and it lasted for over 30 years.

The colonialists could only claim victory only after resorting to the slaughter of unarmed women, children and the elderly, eventually forcing Igbo men to surrender. No other African tribe challenged colonial powers with such resistance, and it was precisely this boldness that made the Igbo a target of colonial suppression.

This battle dealt a heavy blow to the British army, resulting in many casualties including the death of Captain H. C. Chapman, Lieutenant Moorhouse.
Frustrated by their inability to subdue the Igbo, the British unleashed unimaginable terror burning towns, desecrating shrines, destroying sacred places, burning Igbo farmlands and carrying out massacres designed to completely crush the Igbo spirit.....this was the same template used by the Gowon troops during the Biafran war.
Large bounties were placed on Igbo heads and neighboring tribes who were loyal to the colonial authorities were told to hate the Igbos and were rewarded for capturing them. Yet still, the Igbo refused to bow.

It took more than three decades of bloodshed before the British could assert control. From that point onward, every Igbo person was seen as a threat to the colonial authorities and their motives...
Survival and opportunities for the Igbos often demanded that some hide their identity.
But the courage, resilience and spirit of the Igbo could never be extinguished.

The legacy of that bravery endures. It is a reminder that the Igbo people, time and again have stood unbroken in the face of oppression, subjugation and forging a history of resilience that continues to inspire generations to this day.

https://www.vanguardngr.com/2019/04/ekumeku-war-why-britain-balkanised-anioma-land/

Nnamdi Azikiwe, Emeka Ojukwu and Nnamdi kanu ............were formidable thorns on the genitals for the British afterwards...........british hate ndigbo with an uncommon hatred!

Orlandoo:
If that's true, then we sane and hardworking Nigerians will vote for Jonathan.

Lol........you just fall yakata!

lordm:
All the police people that Nnamdi Kanu ordered to killed are what?

you are just a fool.....! prove it now! if policemen are killed in the process of murdering of ESN members ...is that not self defence! the bandits are murdering men, women and children on an industrial case

Kukutente23:
Ghana is doing 6.3% growth presently
Benin is at 7.5%
Togo is at 5.3%
Senegal is at 6%
Even Mali is doing 5% under military rule

And we are at 3%. Very sad

Tax,borrow and spend master.............that is the only economic policy oga emilokan knows ! Republic of benin charges little import duty...yet they have been growing in double digits for over 20 years! Harmonize your contraband list.........to fit your industrialization policy! Then cut duties and fees on legal imports, thats one way of achieving growth faster! Improve power supply is another way!

naptu2:
https://www.thecable.ng/jerry-useni-ozekhome-tali-shani-caught-in-a-web-of-forgery-fake-deaths-false-names-in-uk-property-case/


Useni was military governor of Bendel state, minister of transport and minister of FCT during his military career

Una think say Whiteman no get sense....the property will be taxed to pluto and the inheritors will automatically go in debt.......las las they will have to transfer the property to the Crown! Larceny does not pay..............where are all the northern military power mongers today? IBB wheelchair bound, Useni dead, Abacha dead, Buhari dead, Dongoyaro dead, kure dead, Vatsa executed,Dimka executed, Bissalla executed, Murtala assasinated, Shuwa killed,Ifeajuna executed,Banjo executed, Nzeogwu killed...............do not shed innocent blood in times of PEACE! If you violate this divine mandate...........your end will be swift and painful!

Obasanjo and Gowon are relatively ok cos they never shed innocent blood....leadership fell upon them by default! ditto Ojukwu..destiny does not lie!

franchasng:
It seems the federal government felt the heat that a section of the new tax law generated last week when it was circulated on social media platforms, including traditional media that Nigerians will require TIN to open or operate a bank account starting January 1 2026.

As reported by Punch newspaper, below,



Source: https://punchng.com/no-need-for-separate-tin-to-operate-bank-accounts-firs-official/

They collect all tax from all Nigerians ......only to spend 90% in their emilokan states! go figure!

HisaacPlus:
Below is the first ever colonial Northern/ southern Nigeria Revenue profile of 1914

What do you think?

My own is let every group mind its own business, southern Nigeria solidarity is a scam...let us dissolve the fraudulent union altogether! Let agbado go and do their gragra in Oduanistan .....make we check sommetin

xjiggy:
Oxygen is in compressed cylinders. There's not much wrong with the vehicle. The condition of the cylinders should be of concern rather.

Center of excellence ! This is how medical emergency vehicles look in the USA and UK......in fact their own vehicles are worse than this one in Lagos! The road to Hohn Hopkins hospital is worse than this road sef! keep on deceiving urself!

LagosOrigin:
Yeye people , creating avenue to steal more funds. They are never satisfied with all that they've stolen already. They must steal more with projects that probably won't be completed forever.

Meanwhile the chochocho minister is about to complete his 10 storey 4 star hotel in Enugu! he has done his turn!

OgaSeun:
Tinubu is the hardest working president in the world right now.

Yes o! Working hard to borrow!

Glimpsetv:
Summary:

Foreigners on a recent podcast questioned tourism in Nigeria, citing safety concerns, armed escorts, and subpar hotel experiences despite the country’s wealth and vibrant entertainment industry. Their remarks sparked mixed reactions online, with debates on whether these views reflect reality or exaggeration.

Nigeria is not a tourist destination .......I am not sure we understand what that means!

NwekereNdokl:
Wherever you are going is useless. Owerri flyover is yet another mistake just like Okorocha flyover that has been abandoned. Ekwuluobia flyover is of better quality and functionality than Owerri flyover.

This is the fourth Anambra city competing with Owerri. Imo is a failed state.

I love those images of the Ekwuluobia bridge and light of the nation tower.............how I wish something similar is done in nnewi! Its iconic! such structures aside from its functional purpose......elicits confidence and silent joy in residents,,,,Its always a sign of hope and stability! I like those towers Soludo is building...reminds me of the idumota tower clock back in the day..........it was a cultural icon until area boys and agbado filth overwhelmed the whole area! My suggestion is that Soludo also adds a chirmin clock on the structures..............make the clock they nack every hour on the hour with popular hilife or gospel ringtones! Travel to any US small town you will see such structures near their mainstreets or town council buildings!

One more request for soludo..........We need a well conceptualized BIAFRAN war memorial for our foreign heroes! We are the only people who fought such a war, that have refused to remember the hundreds of thousands of fighting men and women who died for alaigbo......It is a travesty! Nigeria should go and do their January 15 stuff at Alex Ekwueme square.............but we want a dedicated BIAFRA WAR MEMORIAL and PARK............crafted in natural stone,marble and granite, with the names of all our anambra indigenes that fell in battle incribed on the walls of the cenotaph............our youth need to be reminded that 'agha bu onwu'...........war is not to be toiled with! A small digital war museum can be added to the complex later........style and class should be the watchword.......the design can be thrown open to all people of goodwill around the globe! What our Traducers and adversaries in other parts of the country think is not our concern...........Our Political elite have to purge themselves of their traditional timidity and effaciveness in politics..................Let us reclaim our pride and land! I am sick and tired of being asked to go back to where i come from!

ShoeMarket:
Among the peoples of Africa, the Igbo of Southeast Nigeria stand apart for their unique political philosophy. For centuries, the Igbo thrived without kings or centralized monarchies. We built a society in which every village was autonomous, every adult man had a voice, and authority flowed upward from the people, not downward from a throne. We gave the world republican democracy long before Athen knew what republic means.

Yet, in recent decades, a disturbing woke trend has emerged. Communities across Igboland now describe themselves as “ancient kingdoms,” inventing crowns and palaces where none historically existed. Coronations are staged with borrowed regalia, chiefs are styled “His Royal Majesty,” and towns with centuries-old republican traditions now market themselves as monarchies.
This reinvention may appear harmless, but it is, in truth, a distortion of Igbo history. To describe an Igbo town as a “kingdom” is not only historically inaccurate but culturally misleading and politically dangerous. We know that the origin of monarchies, anywhere on earth is banditry. It is against Chukwu Okike Abiama to suggest that all men are not born equal.

Precolonial Igbo society was marked by a system of acephalous republicanism. There were no central monarchs. Instead, power was dispersed across several institutions:
i. The Village Assembly (Ama Ala): The ultimate decision-making body, where every adult male had the right to speak. Decisions were reached by persuasion and consensus.
ii. Age-Grade Systems (Ogbo): Civic groups that ensured discipline, security, and development.
iii. Councils of Elders (Ndi Ichie): Senior men whose wisdom guided, but who remained accountable to the people.
iv. Title Societies (e.g., Ozo): Structures of merit and prestige earned by service and achievement, not inherited through bloodline.

Yes, some communities used titles such as Eze or Obi, but these did not correspond to monarchs in the mould of the Benin Oba or Sokoto Sultan. The Igbo eze was often a ritual figurehead, symbolic representative, or spiritual custodian, never an absolute ruler.
The Igbo proverb says it clearly: Igbo enwe eze; the Igbo have no king.


When the British invaders colonised Igboland, they struggled to apply indirect rule. In the North, emirs served as convenient intermediaries. In Yoruba land, kings fulfilled the same role. The Igbo, however, had no monarchs. To solve this “problem,” the British manufactured rulers called Warrant Chiefs.
These men, many chosen arbitrarily, were given colonial certificates of authority. Lacking legitimacy, they deployed banditry and ruled harshly, sparking resentment. The Aba Women’s War of 1929 was a direct revolt against the abuses of these imposed chiefs.
Over time, however, families of warrant chiefs entrenched themselves as hereditary rulers, constructing palaces, inventing genealogies, and retroactively branding themselves as “ancient kings.”
Today, these distortions live on in the growing number of Igbo “kingdoms.”

One may cite Onitsha as an Igbo town with a king. However, it needs be said that the people of Idu (Igbo people) were escaping from the Ogu Idu na Oba (the war between the people of Idu and the marauding people of Ife with their Oba. Onitsha today proudly proclaims its Obi as the custodian of one of Igboland’s most prominent “kingdoms.” But Onitsha’s monarchy is a historical exception, not the Igbo norm. Onitsha returnees from across the Niger (though Igbo who sojourned in Benin) but retained elements of their Edo-Benin culture, including kingship traditions. To hold up Onitsha as proof that the Igbo were monarchic is misleading. Onitsha is an outlier, not a template.

In the case of Nri often described as the “cradle of Igbo civilization” and home to an ancient kingship system, their priests exercised ritual and spiritual authority, their power was not political or coercive. They were respected for their role in cleansing abominations and preserving Igbo cosmology, not for issuing decrees or ruling subjects. To call Nri an “ancient kingdom” is to impose monarchic language on what was essentially a sacred priesthood.

For the Aro Confederacy, they commanded influence across Igboland and beyond, but it was built on networks of trade, religion, and alliances, not centralized monarchy. The so-called “Eze Aro” was one among equals, and Aro dominance stemmed from the oracle of Ibini Ukpabi and its commercial might. Describing Arochukwu as a kingdom erases the federated, republican nature of its governance.

In recent years, many Nsukka-area towns have embraced kingship titles, often justifying them with thin claims of “ancient stools.” These were autonomous communities that only acquired “royal fathers” in the colonial and postcolonial periods. The proliferation of such “kingdoms” has created endless disputes over who holds the “true” crown, a problem unknown in authentic Igbo republican life.

The kingdom narrative persists because:
i. Warrant chiefs became hereditary rulers, later rebranded as “traditional rulers.”
ii. In a Nigeria where monarchs are revered, Igbo communities fear being seen as “lesser” without a king.
iii. State and federal governments often channel patronage through traditional rulers, incentivizing communities to invent monarchs.
iv. Younger generations are disconnected from precolonial traditions and readily accept crowns as symbols of authenticity.
v. Pentecostalism and Western fascination with royalty romanticize crowns and thrones.


There are inherent dangers in the false kingship we now have in Igboland:
i. The more “kingdoms” we invent, the further we drift from historical truth thereby destroying our history.
ii. Igbo uniqueness lies in its republicanism, not monarchy. To abandon this is to erase what sets us apart.
iii. Artificial monarchies breed endless disputes, two or three “kings” in the same town, rival claims to thrones, and inter-village rivalries.
iv. Where kingship takes root, hereditary privilege trumps Igbo traditions of self-made prestige. This renders our Umunna model irrelevant.
v. At a time when democracy is under threat globally, we risk abandoning our ancient, indigenous form of participatory governance.

We can reclaim our republican legacy. To achieve this and remain true to ourselves, urgent steps are required:
i. Teach Igbo children that their ancestors were republicans, not monarchists.
ii. Our universities must research and publish accessible works on Igbo governance.
iii. The Nigerian media and Igbo stakeholder should stop uncritically parroting “ancient kingdom” narratives.
iv. Our villages must resist the urge to invent crowns for prestige or government recognition.
v. Our festivals, films, and literature should glorify Igbo republicanism as a legacy equal in dignity to the monarchies of other nations.

There is the fierce urgency to rally behind honesty and repudiate any attempt to rewrite our history. It is not shameful that the Igbo had no kings. On the contrary, it is our pride. While other nations bowed to crowns, the Igbo bowed only to the collective will of the people. While others exalted monarchs, the Igbo exalted the village assembly.

Onitsha may have its Obi, Nri its priest-kings, Arochukwu its oracle, but these are exceptions within a broader republican fabric. To inflate them into proof of “ancient Igbo kingdoms” is to commit historical fraud.

We are very clear: the Igbo were never kingdoms. We were, and remain, a people of the republic. To our misguided communities who cling to crowns, your ancestors would not recognize them. Your people deserve better. And history demands honesty.

*Dr. EK Gwuru can be reached at Nkolo Ikembe.*
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The ancient kingdom narrative is just hilarious and comic.........In imo state they share traditional rulers like confetti and chocolate! They all look like bozo the clown in their ''shiny funeral clothes" royal robes..........we all know most of these so called kings have scant respect outside their immediate families !