₦airaland Forum

Katsumoto: Were they jubilating when their fathers, uncles, brothers switched sides and uniforms on the 8th of August 1967 as Biafran forces swept through Igbo areas in the mid-west?

The massacre at Asaba was deplorable but don't try and create an illusion.

Thats what I heard
I do not know the full story. I wasn't born then either,
but some elderly folks narrate this particular story with so much bitternes it makes me cringe

kingoflag: You "hear" from "Eye Witness".... I'm betting that how we write is usually how we speak, so, these eye witnesses couldn't be kind enough to tell you that you sound
Ills a bonafide illiterate and that you should seek the four walls of a school ASAP?

Thank you for pointing just a finger at me o great n' mighty wordsmith
The other fingers are recoiled and perfectly aimed

@PhysicsQED

I hear from eyewitness that Murtala Muhamed was very much involved in the massacre in the then midwestern region.
I hear he invited the young men, all dressed in cremonial robes, and jubilant in welcoming them
....they were massacred in cold blood

@OP

Royal courts are always in need of their royal jesters
Welcome Sir Obahiagbon

Intelligent?
what exactly is that?

I know I wont like to date a lady that feels she's more intelligent than me and tries to rub it in
I will so break that 'feeling' into may irreconcilable pieces

Nacking her to calm her down might not be a bad idea any time she starts growing horns
adding an extra wife or concubine might also be a great strategy to keep her in check too

@queensmith

I must say your analysis on my analysis skewed off completely
Critisism on Nigeria military are welcomed alright
But such hearsays should not be passed of as facts by the writers
and swallowed hook line and sinker by readers
Such articles are also subject to criticism

Our military has poor human rights record -indiscipline
You agree with this, and so do I

Afua did not make a good job of highlighting this
What her article suggests is that indiscipline = lack of military manouver capabilities

Don't you get it yet?
What I now find worrying as we pursue this critique is why would her news report(without 'evidence') be taken as the gospel truth?
Simply because she works for the guardian uk, or the Western press?

really worrying

@ queensmith

infact em, I dey vex
Afua should have simply explained what she meant by indiscipline
We all know that the Nigerian military lacks human rights ethos (even she says she witnessed our boys brutality https://twitter.com/afuahirsch)
She's a lawyer and I guess will be passionate about this

But she no for try equating indiscipline to say "our boys no sabi fight"
na there I get beef with am

She fine sha, so I forgive her for trying us

@queensmith

I don't know if you see what I see
Putting on a political spec, I can see a subtle blackmail to the western governments, that if you want Nigerians to lead this battle, you'd better spend more money on them. Chikena!!

But I think the naughty writer just couldn't get it. She was more excited about writing a shallow soft-sell that fits her her pay masters model for Africa

@queensmith

that an article originates from the guardian does not make it valid.
newspapers have humans working in them, and this exposes them to errors of judgement or account

ask Fareed Zachari and Time

Common queensmith

when you ask for source, what exactly are you asking for?
That I reference where Chima talked about her professors 'in-the-box' mentality regarding the African narative?
or is it Nigerian military econiums outside its shores?
If that is the case, then I dare say the writer and I are in the same boat without much references

the writer herself made this statement

"Nigeria has a lot of past experience in successful military and diplomatic interventions on the continent."

But before this, she sets the tone for her argument by stating that

"The "shocking" state of the Nigerian army has delayed plans for a military intervention in Mali, amid reports that it lacks the capability to fight on the frontline."

She then goes on to quote a "senior source in Mali" as providing her with this 'gossip'.
And is this what we are to rely on?
Is this person a Malian, a West African, a Westerner, a bureacrat or in the military?
what is this person's objective?


Hear her or her source:

"The Nigerian forces lack training and kit, so they simply don't have the capability to carry out even basic military manoeuvres," the source added. "They have poor discipline and support. They are more likely to play a behind-the-scenes role in logistics and providing security."

You can see from the above that the source is arriving at his or her conclusion based on his/her observations

Some parts of this assesmnet is coraborated by a Nigerian spokesperson

"A spokesperson for the Nigerian national security agencies admitted that the army was suffering from a lack of resources, but said it had achieved success in previous military interventions.

"The situation is that Nigeria has the trained personnel, what we require however is additional funding and logistic support,"

What both sources agree to, is the need for funding or better still logistic support
But, it is so clear from her article that she ran with her 'senior source's' subjective account

A big question is why was she swayed towards drawing such haphazard conclusions?
My bet is that she conciously or subconciously arrived at a caption and news that fits a western press lopsided narrative

@queensmith

kryptonites?

Anyway sha, the writer's article is an intellectual scam.
She simply wove her story around a narrative that the west enjoys hearing and presented same as news
a narrative in which african nations are ridden with corruption, poverty, hunger, crime and incompetence -*yes tis true*
and in need of western heroes bringing financial and intellectual aid (plus religious salvation in the not too distant past)-*this is condescending*

*Chima Adichie of the 'half a yellow sun' fame also alluded to such a narrative which her professor was not impressed that she was jettisoning*

Yeah, we have terrible issues, but all stories must not be forced into that mold
She just cant go around cherry-picking points here and there to fit into a preconceived endgame

ROSSIKE: Oh shut up ignoramus. And you can take that Guardian report and wipe your asss with it.

No need for that my friend. She is only airing her views

@queensmith
Our army has been know to serve comendably offshore
The writer even alluded to this by citing success stories of Nigeriaan military

They might be indisciplined in their internal fights alright
but the meaning of 'indisplined' in the two scenarios (onshore and offshore) are quite different
I think she erroneosly transposed the definition of one on another or somehow got it mixed up

The indisipline that she refers to seems to reflect a ragtag army, much like the Libyan rebels that where almost uncontrollable and disorganised because of lack of proper training
In Nigeria, when we say the military is indisciplined, we mainly refer to their disrespect for human rights (like you rightly noticed), and not their submission to military authority


As per the journalist skills (not qualification). I think this is extremely important
I won't expect a strong, rigorous media analysis of global military strategy from Dele Momodu of Ovation

@Op

yesterday's gone
I guess that's just the way it is

Our little world initially made up only of our immediate family -dad mum and siblings
Sooon expands with time -boyfriends, girlfriends, ex's, hubbys, friends, in-laws, office colleagues, goals, children

our emotional pool is finite,
there is only so much emotions we can invest even on our immediate family members

I guess what we eternally owe them
....is loyalty

queensmith: This article answered some questions, the Nigerian army are way too undisciplined for missions like these. They can't even handle their own people, people they understand. Talkless of foreign countries, they won't be made to do anything too sophisticated so we don't need to worry too much about their lives. *sigh of relief*

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/nov/05/nigerian-army-mali-mission-delayed

I read the article
It lacks depth and appears to be built around rumours and condescending preconceived notions
passed of as rigorous analysis

Also, the authors profile doesnt seem to belly the skills needed for such miltary assessment

in fact, too much gaps in the article. Almost like a soft sell

after depolying our troops to Mali,we must ensure that our business organisations employing Nigerian graduates follow closely behind and are arwarded contracts and access to mineral resources by the Malian government.
I hope Abati has whispered something like this to GEJ

The 9th thing that remarkably successful people in the west do is apparently
selling their books that others buy into


Ajanlekoko where are you??
I need my book
I demand my book
I beg for my book ooooooooooooooo

He was angry at such waste of wealth "This perfume could have been sold and the money distributed to the poor"
Judas the Betrayer also called Iscariot said to Jesus

Jesus looked at Judas and smiled saying
"The poor will always be with you"
Jesus went on to enjoy the perfumed anointing from Mary


Floood victims and poor church members go always dey church
Does this mean that we should not buy motor, private jet or get married because they exist?

What is the difference between a private jet and a Land rover?
For one person, okada na big thing, for the next its a brand new sedan, for the other its a yatch
and yet for another its a jet
And guess what?
Some are already having space shuttles

umh.... is this all in the mind?

*just musing*

@OP

Do urself a big favour
When folks advice you on Naraland, and it gets u thinking
simply check their profiles pages on NL to weigh their level of intelligence or stewpidity

Then u know the best companies to keep



***
*But that rat infested fella 'solid whatever' should not have used that word 'ode'*
*Well let him pass, do not go down that pit*

solidbroda: Like the way Michele Obama asked Obama 30 years ago, and Obama told her he was gonna be president abi? Ode! Mind you, relationship is different from Marriage. If you think you are compatible with a person in a relationship, you guys are only lying to urselves! That's why many marriages come crashing down because people pretend in relationships a lot only to show their real colors when they get married to there partners. Reason, they have not learnt to compromise, but only pretense

Dude, from ur statement
ur apparently one of those planning to go no where (except by sheer luck and prayers)
I dont think you've read Obama's books have you?

There are some things one compromise on......food, hairdo, who go cook, little things etc
But not on your goal and ambitions
(Your goals and ambitions are who u are)
You build your steps, friends and partners around it
even when u are playing around in Nairaland, you plug it to your goals

Jeez, I can't even begin to explain to u.
ur soooooo far of my radar

Following from my earlier post (2 posts up there)

An example is this:
i enjoy jetting around, and I'm building a career/business that enables me do this
I therefore pick my seriuos dates carefully, and always try to find out their life's goal

I expect that my partner no matter the country she lives in
would live in a city where there is an airport close by

My partner would be confident, corteous and intelligent enough to relate to folks from diverse backgrounds

My partner would not be the type that cannot do without a man for a short period
either sexually, emotionally, financially etc
My partners actions or inactions should not be capable of seriously detering my from my goals

I think this is the way it should be. Correct me if I am wrong

He's a great guy. Yeah
Hurt it will, but you might need to let go of this guy

The reason is simply that you both don't seem to share similar or complimentary goals
That is one of the resons u might be finding it hard to commit to him

Stylishly ask him to share a vivid picture of both of you in 2, 5, 10 or 30 years time
and see if you can relate with the picture he shares