₦airaland Forum

From which rat hole you dig these unknown names out. It took you almost 4 hours to do so, yet, one has not heard these jaw-breaking names before because they have not impacted significantly on anything worthy. Now compare them to Iweala, Emeagwali, Chinua Achebe, Chimamanda Adichie, Chike Obi, Barth Nnaji, Rotimi, Soyinka, Arunma Otteh (ADB, Vice president-an Igbo), Okezie Aruoma (http://nsh2007-sns2007.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca/presenters/aruoma_e.html) , Jerome Nriagu (http://www.sph.umich.edu/iscr/faculty/profile.cfm?uniqname=jnriagu), and hundreds of thousands, if not millions of Igbo and Yoruba, the only two tribes that have ACTUALLY done Nigeria proud, both inside and outside of Nigeria.

Please go and dig for world reknown people of Tiv origin, if any at all, and not these names you have displayed here.

DRANOEL:
there was never such a practice in benue,the whole rumour started beause of the free attitude,fun loving and sex loving nature of benue people

So tivs are sex maniacs? No wonder fo HIV. HAHAHAHAHAHA

Gamine, you are a fraud. EFCC please catch this thief and lock her up.

Do us a favour, pull out of Nigeria now

There is no doubt that Benue has one of the highest HIV infection rates in Nigeria.

Mention one TIV MAN that is recognised outside of Nigeria. Tiv= local champions. Who cares about Benue local politics, anyways? Do us a favour, pull out of Nigeria now; you and your poverty-striken lot. Are you pulling out with TIVS in Kogi, Plateau, Taraba or just Tiv in Benue? Yardua will skin your arse, boy.

Better people never secede na ''tifs'' go come secede?

The chickens of TIVS are coming home to roost. Zaki Biam will be a child's play compared to what will happen next.

Those students in those ''good'' schools in Lagos were not Yoruba.

Which Ekiti? The one wey drug use don pafuka?

In Nigeria, Igbos are obviously the whizkids.

Does anyone remember any Tiv that is internationally known? I do not remember anyone. The Tivs are one of the most backward tribes in Nigeria. The Politics of Benue is dominated by the Idomas. If the Tivs were as strong as Dranoel makes out, how come a few military men razed Zaki Biam and, as we hear, even burnt the house of that mad dog soldier who was in Ecomog. They should secede already and not sit down and make loads of noise. Hunger and poverty will be their portion, because they are a bunch of Lazy folks. They have nothing to offer the rest of the country, except, like their big Hausa/Fulani cousins further north, a parasitic relationship. Tiv ko, thief ni. Gbe lo jare. 

Kobojunkie:
You suspect and I hope. I mean there are mother's out there who are not easy to please. I have met some of them and I am glad I do not have one of them. What ticks me off about this is we might get Nigerian's who will come in to claim this one for Nigeria. Even when the man may have been kicked in the behind by Nigeria and Nigerians in the past. LMAO!!

This is a personal feat, having little or nothing to do with Nigeria. I believe the man is now an ''American''. The only thing here for Nigeria is the fact that the man obtained his Bachelors in Nigeria. That is all.

For us in the field of genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics, this is a significant achievement. Does anyone know if the US NCBI is among the agencies Dr. Rotimi will be overseeing?

Akunyili, Osotimehin, Lambo are top contenders    26/3/2008
     

Barely a few hours after the forced resignation of the Minister of Health, Prof. Adenike Grange, and her deputy, Chief Gabriel Aduku, indications emerged that some experienced experts are being considered for the office.

Investigations by our correspondent show that some experts being peddled are the Director-General of NAFDAC, Prof. Dora Akunyili, the Director-General of the National Agency for the Control of AIDS, Prof. Babatunde Osotimehin, and a former Minister of Health, Prof. Eyitayo Lambo.

A source said more names may still be recommended to President Umaru Yar’Adua, who is keen on the revitalisation of the health sector.

The source, however, said: "This time around, visible achievements may be the yardsticks for the appointment. Both Akunyili and Osotimehin are said to be top contenders for the office.

"When the President constituted his cabinet, it was a tough decision before he could pick Grange because many people were lobbying for Akunyili and Osotimehin in view of their international reputation.

"In fact, Akunyili was involved in the presidential campaign to the extent that it was almost taken for granted that she would be the substantive Minister of Health.

"And since the scandal broke out, the two names have been recurring. Some are only rooting for Lambo because he ensured stability in the sector during his tenure.

"But most health experts have been complaining that Lambo is not a medical doctor."

With the resignation of the ministers, their names have been recurring.

Nigeria has 42 ministers, who are made up of 36 from the states and six others from the six geopolitical zones.

The ministers from the six geopolitical zones are selected at the discretion of the President. They are presidential nominees.

While Grange came in as a Minister to represent the South-West, the Minister of State, Aduku, represented Kogi State.

It was not immediately clear if the President will still pick the new Minister of Health from the South-West.

The President has the prerogative to reshuffle his cabinet and swap their portfolios.

Yar’Adua is, however, duty bound to replace the existing vacancies in line with the provisions of the 1999 Constitution.

Section 14(3) says: "The composition of the Government of the Federation or any of its agencies and the conduct of its affairs shall be carried out in such a manner as to reflect the federal character of Nigeria and to promote national unity…"

Section 147 (1 and 3) says: "There shall be such offices of Ministers of the Government of the Federation as may be established by the President.

"Any appointment under subsection(2) of this section by the President shall be in conformity with the provisions of Section 14(3) of this Constitution, provided that in giving effect to the provisions aforesaid, the President shall appoint at least one Minister from each state, who shall be an indigene of such state."

Although it is not a constitutional provision, state governors and Peoples Democratic Party chapters at the state level have always been assisting the President to choose his cabinet.

When Yar’Adua came on board, three nominees were recommended from each state to guide the President in his choice of ministers.

As at press time a source said that some members of the kitchen cabinet of the President are advising the President to stay action on the choice of a new Minister of Health and his deputy.

It was learnt that the kitchen advisers wanted the President to make the appointment of the new ministers a part of his cabinet overhaul.

END.

Osu cast system
''Let me tell you frankly, you know there is a law banning the Osu caste system and all that, but luckily for us in Ebonyi State, we don’t have Osu in the entire state. You can’t see anybody who is Osu or Ohu, but I know it exists in some parts of Imo and other Igbo states in a subtle way. But I can tell you it does not exist here.
My advice to those in the areas where Osu system exists, they should condemn it. It should not be allowed to continue in modern day Nigeria, there is a law in the former Eastern Nigeria that abolished it''.

The Chairman, Ebonyi State Traditional Rulers Council, His Royal Highness, Eze Agom Eze

http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/news/national/2008/mar/26/national-26-03-2008-005.htm

Ms Arunma Otteh, Vice President African development bank
Okonjo Iweala, Managing Director World Bank
Oby, Ezekwesili, Vice President World Bank

The Tiv are plain stupid late risers (from the bad bed that Nigeria is). They formed the bulk of the Nigerian army that fought against Biafra when the latter sought to get out of Nigeria. It is ironical that the Tivs are now whinning. If they as much as dare attempt to secede, they will be crushed by the rest of Nigeria, much like tiny nuisance bugs are. They are too insignificant, especially as they have no economic resources (unlike the Niger Delta +Imo and Abia) or demographic power with which to threaten the rest of the country. Too late (40 years late) to cry, my good Tiv bros.

I am vindicated about Grange? She has been fired Where is Mamajama?

Now back to the question; what is the problem with Yoruba women at the Federal level?

Mobolaji Osomo fired for housing ministry graft
Etteh fired for house of rep graft
Grange fired for health ministry graft.
Prof Bolanle Aweh also had some problems with money mismanagement sometime ago.

Na wa for WAEC OOOHHHHH

Big deal? If you are happy that somebody (apparently, an unknown entity) from CU becomes am Assistant to some other person, then you still have a long way to go. Please key in the name of the appointee in google and see if you find anything worthwhile about him. That guy is only an Ogun state local champion, as no one knows him outside there. Nairaland is not about Ogun state, I suppose

Global Energy prospects for gas in Anambra Basin
By LOUIS IBA
Monday, March 24, 2008

Global Energy Company (GEC) Limited has signed a production sharing contract (PSC) for Oil Prospecting Licence (OPL) 917 and OPL 907. The two blocks are located within the gas rich Anambra basin onshore Nigeria.
A signature bonus of US$1.6 million has been paid for each licence by the licence participants.
GEC is the Nigerian international energy resources & infrastructure services firm.

In the first quarter of 2006, GEC through a Joint Venture (JV) vehicle with AFREN Plc UK christened “AFREN Global Energy Resources” (“AGER”), acquired interest and became the Operator of OPLs 917 and 907. The two contiguous oil acreages cover an area extending from the northern part of Delta State, covering the state capital Asaba, through to Anambra and Enugu States. This strategic move provides additional basis for making oil and gas exploration and development a core activity for the Global Energy Group.

At the PSC signing ceremony, Mr. Joe Obiago, Chairman/Chief Executive of GEC, was quoted as saying: “We are pleased to have formed the AGER joint venture with Afren and to have successfully executed Production Sharing Contracts on two highly prospective gas rich licences in the Anambra Basin. This is a significant step forward in GEC’s mission to be a major industrial player in the emerging gas utilization market in Nigeria.”

The blocks contain estimated gas resources in excess of 5 trillion cubic feet (tcf) of gas and are located in the largely unexplored Anambra basin which is believed to be the second most prospective hydrocarbon bearing basin in Nigeria. The two licences cover a total area of over 3,500 square kilometers.

Both blocks contain substantial oil and gas discoveries that require further appraisal in order to delineate and quantify the hydrocarbon resources. Additional leads and prospects have also been identified on older vintage 2D seismic.
OPL 907 contains the Akukwa gas and condensate discovery, with discovered gas-in-place volumes of up to 400 billion cubic feet (bcf). Other participants on the licence are Buston Energy Resources Ltd (25 per cent), Allenne Exploration & Production Ltd (14%), Kaztec Engineering Ltd (5 per cent), VP Energy Ltd (3 per cent), De Atai Oil Services International Limited (2 per cent) and Bepta Oil & Gas Ltd (10 per cent).

OPL 917 contains the Igbariam gas and oil discovery, with discovered gas-in–place volumes up to 300 Bcf and oil-in-place estimates up to 80 mmbbl. Other participants on the licence are Petrolog Oil & Gas Ltd (18 per cent), VP Energy Ltd (17 per cent), De Atai Oil Services International Limited (10 per cent) and Goland Petroleum Development Co. Limited (13 per cent).

The current work programme for OPLs 907 and 917 envisages the gathering and analyses of additional data on the existing discoveries. Additional high density 2D seismic data will be acquired in 2008 in the area in readiness for appraisal drilling in 2009. The seismic will also be used to further evaluate the identified exploration leads and prospects.
The JV partners plan to also initiate a community engagement and Sustainable Development programme for the region.



http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/features/energy/2008/mar/24/energy-24-03-2008-001.htm

OBJ, Ehindero, TAFA, Etteh, Bode George, Kenny Martins, Iyabo, Gbenga. They all should be strung up with a rope until they  kpafuka .

Iwu is a true Igbo man engineered by a true Yoruba man (Obasanjo) and protected by another true Yoruba man (Former Police IG Ehindero) to rig elections that saw a true Yoruba woman (Rep. Etteh) mount the rostrum as a ''speaker''.

Some of us know who the real Nigerian spoilers are.

detruth:
You forgot that when country splits in Africa, its with blood and death of innocent souls.
I wish you mention Eritrea and Ethiopia as part of your examples.

You are correct. But pray, tell, why do countries in other continents split without war, but African countries have to fight wars before they can split? What does that tell you?

Topsido:
All THINGS BEING SAID, I STILL BELIEVE Obasanjo is one of the greatest, if not the greatest black man living.

Another Obasanjo arse-licking nut on the prowl. Somebody get a big leash, fast.

Now, people, imagine how scheeming, thieving and conniving this fellow can get if he becomes a leader? I have always known that our corrupt leaders were corrupt even before becoming leaders. That explains the ease with which the corruption enterprise thrives.

Argungu: Winner Arrested For Smuggling Dead Fish Into River

The winner of the just concluded Argungu International Fishing Festival Competition, Malam

Bello Ya’u, has been stripped of the title and detained by the Police in Argungu for cheating in the contest.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that Ya’u caught the biggest fish, weighing

65.95kg at the grand finale, held on Saturday.

Ya'u received a brand new Honda Car from Maltina, two Hajj Seats to Saudi Arabia, one each from Kebbi

State Government and Argungu Emirate Council and a television set from MTN.

Ya'u, however, lost the title and prizes for refusing to swear by the Holy The Great Book to defend an allegations that he smuggled a dead fish into the river a day before the competition.

Confirming this development to NAN in his palace today, the Emir of Argungu, Alhaji Sama'ila Mera, said he personally investigated the case and found that the suspect with one Zazzagawa, committed the offence.

He said the two suspects, who were handed over to the Police, had since confessed their crime and that appropriate actions would be taken against them.

The emir dismissed the assertion that the incident would negatively affect the festival and Argungu Emirate.

"We must expose this kind of cheating because our tradition and culture hate cheating and hence we will not accept this to happen here," he said.

NAN reliably learnt that the person who came second, with a catch of 62kg, would be crowned as the champion.

NAN reports that the car won by Ya'u has been confiscated and parked at the premises of the Emirate Council.

Efforts to speak to either Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in-charge of Argungu or Commissioner of Police in Kebbi State, Alhaji Muktari Ibrahim, on the incident proved abortive.

While the DPO refused to comment, the commissioner did not answer telephone calls to him.

More than 30,000 fishermen from within and outside Nigeria participated in the competition.


http://www.leadershipnigeria.com/product_info.php?products_id=24416

Doesn't ''Ile Eru'' mean something like ''house of loads''?

Ile Eru Jailed
By Akin Kuponoyi

A Lagos drug baron, Akindele Kumoluyi a.k.a. Ile-Eru is to spend the next 10 years behind bars.

The sentence was handed down this morning by the Federal High Court sitting in Lagos after the accused drug baron pleaded guilty to two count of criminal charges of importation of illegal drugs, and aiding and abetting a courier to import illegal drugs.

Initially, Akindele, who was standing trial before Justice Tijani Abubakar, pleaded not guilty to charges against him.

However, this morning he changed his plea from not guilty to guilty after the charges were read to him.

In the first charge, Kumoluyi was accused of importing 10 kilogrammes of cocaine while in the second charge, he was accused of aiding Abdul Fatai Olori, to import a consignment of illegal substances from Brazil.

The charge was filed by the NDLEA Director of Prosecution and Legal Practices, Femi Oloruntoba, who urged the court to convict him as charged.

In his plea for leniency, the counsel to the convicted baron, Wahab Shittu, said the court should be lenient because he lost his father during his incarceration.

The counsel said Ile Eru has an aged mother who is over 80 years, and she has been traumatised by this case, adding that the convict has had no contact with his wives and 10 children and that the children’s education has been affected.

Shittu further appealed to the court to be lenient. He cited Mathew 6 : 9, Mark 10 and likened the case of the convicted baron to that of a prodigal son.

In his own reaction, Mr. Oloruntoba told the court that the convict had no previous record of conviction.

In his judgement, Justice Tijani Abubakar said the allocutus of Shittu is unprecedented and asked when he became Pastor and Imam.

Consequently he sentenced the convict to 20 years imprisonment, five years for each count charge, to run concurrently from the day of his arrest.

He has already spent three years in prison.



http://thepmnews.com/article/863

Reviving North-South rivalry over economy

By OSCARLINE ONWUEMENYI


The perceived imbalance in the Nigerian economy came to the fore in an ugly way at the recent Leadership Conference on the De-Industrialisation of Northern Nigeria, held in Abuja. The conference, which attracted the best and the powerful in the region, questioned “the significant and de-industrialisation and stagnation of the North at a time the South is prospering and developing.”

It, subsequently, called for drastic policy measures, including moderation of certain policies of previous administrations, which it claimed ruined the northern economy, especially as perpetrated by the Federal Government,

A former governor of the defunct North Central State, Brig. Gen. Abba Kyari (rtd.), noted that “not too long ago, Kaduna and Kano were not only the political and commercial capitals of the North; they were its industrial heartlands as well.

“Today, both cities are industrial wastelands. Kakuri in Kaduna and Bompai in Kano are replete with closed factories. The textile industry, the largest employer of labour has lost over 300, 000 workers, which means that over 300, 000 families have lost their means of livelihood. The multiplier effect means that any figure between three and five million have lost their breadwinners.”

Kyari said the ‘de-industrialisatio’n and ‘de-agriculturisation’ of the North had reduced people in the region to penury.

According to him, “Northern Nigeria is home to the wretched of the earth. Illiteracy, malnutrition, infant mortality and death from easily preventable diseases mark the stark reality in the region.”

He heaped the blame on unpatriotic leadership and defective policies of government, saying that “policies have been wrong-headed and wrong-footed. They have been characterised by seeking salvation through a dependency on multi-lateral institutions, foreign investment and foreign aid at the national level, incompetence and corruption at all levels.”

Late in 2006, the Central Bank of Nigeria’s Governor, Professor Chukwuma Soludo, came out with a post mortem report on Nigeria’s economic restructuring programme. Titled ‘Reforms and Outcomes,’ it was an overview of the prevailing trends in the Nigerian economy. It was chilling in its conclusion and was a clear confirmation of what many had always known but never contemplated in such graphic details. In summary, it concluded that “poverty is essentially a Northern phenomenon.”

It further stated that 70 per cent of bank credits in the country are held within the Lagos and Ogun axis, while the North holds a paltry 8.5 per cent. In terms of bank deposits, while Lagos State alone accounts for 48, the entire North had less bank deposits than the South-South alone. The report further pointed out that the Northern problem lies with a chronic dependency syndrome, dependency on government and a near-total absence of private sector-led wealth creation culture.

The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Unity Bank of Nigeria Plc, Mallam Falalu Bello, was more war-like in his condemnation of the economic prosperity of the South West and South East regions of the country, to the detriment of the North and other regions.

Bello stated this in a paper titled: “Nigeria , One Country, Four Economies” He said peace would elude the country until regional economic imbalance was addressed. According to him, “The so-called religious disturbances in the Northern states and the Port Harcourt conundrum of kids terrorizing the population will not stop until the imbalances are consciously addressed and redressed.”

He added that it is indeed in the interest of the South-Westerners and South-Easterners for some affirmative actions to be taken to redress the situation “else there will be no real peace in this country moving forward.”

Bello blamed the reform agenda of the President Olusegun Obasanjo for creating “very dangerous economic structure,” which had worsened the situation of the North.

He said, “Geography, history and particularly the reform agenda of Obasanjo’s regime have created very dangerous economic structure in Nigeria. By design or accident, Northerners and South-Southerners as peoples and regions have been made third and fourth-class citizens. We may well choose to ignore these happenings and pretend that they have not happened but doing so will be at the peril of the Nigerian polity.”

He noted that the economic dominance of the two regions had seen them control a combined 94per cent of the nation’s banking assets, 88 per cent of insurance assets, and more than 90 per cent of industrial assets.

According to him, The South West with a land mass of 76,852 square kilometers and population of 25.2m today owns and or controls 60 per cent of the nation’s industrial capacity, 44per cent of banking assets, 67 per cent of insurance assets and is home to the nation’s three deep sea ports of Apapa, Tin Can Island and Roro. The region, he added, also has the busiest international airport in the country, three thermal stations of Egbin, Papalanto and Omotosho as well as three major industrial estates of Agbara, Ikeja and Ota. Added to these, he said, democratisation of education, availability of resources and economic empowerment during the Obasanjo administration have collectively enabled the South Western economy to rank as the first of the four economies in Nigeria.

He added, “The South West as a region can boast of having a defined middle-class and is perceived to have at least 20,000 of its indigenes with net worth of over N100 million each. Take it out of Nigeria, the South-West economy with its defined growing middle class and resources, will be one of the fastest growing economies in the world.”

Bello further noted that the South-East (plus their cousins across the Onitsha bridge) control commerce in all parts of the country and are thus largely employed. “The region has clusters of small-scale industries around Nnewi and Aba . The banking consolidation has assisted these people to now have ownership and control of over 50 per cent of Nigerian banking assets. It also controls 21per cent of insurance assets and 30 per cent of industrial assets,” he added. With this development, he said the region, which had not had a commanding control over the nation’s economy, will certainly begin to do that now.

He noted, “Commercial activities backed by finance can only grow the economy of the South-East plus Delta. The growing strength of financial muscle of this region has been aptly demonstrated by the recent licensing of micro-finance banks. Of the over 600 MFBs recently licensed by the Central Bank of Nigeria , Anambra State alone has 74, whilst Yobe State has one, Sokoto has five and Zamfara has six.”

On the other hand, he said, the North which covers 719,435 square kilometres or 79 per cent of the nation’s landmass and had 75 million or 53.6per cent of the population has its economy totally grounded as a consequence of various reforms introduced. “Today, the North has ownership and control of no more than three per cent of banking assets, two per cent of insurance assets and 10 per cent of industrial assets.”

He added, “True, the North has a huge landmass but this has remained under-exploited due to jettisoning of time-tested policies of price support (as a result of abolishing of marketing boards without putting alternatives and abandonment of extension services and quality control.”

Bello said that though the North had a huge population, it had remained largely uneducated because of near failure of governance. “Currently, the most distinguishing characteristic of the North is grinding poverty, recent poverty statistics indicate that the poverty level of states in the North has been on the increase in the last nine years and reached over 80 percent. Its two industrial and commercial nerve centre ( Kano and Kaduna ) have seen industrial capacity utilisation decline to an all time low of less than 10 per cent.”

He urged the government to moderate certain policies of previous administrations which ruined Northern economy, noting that, “ the implementation of undiluted market-oriented reforms as we have seen do not bring about human development; any policy of government which hurts majority of its people no matter how good need be re-examined.”

Most of the speakers, however, noted that the North must turn its focus on industrialisation, with emphasis on the development of small and medium-sized industries, to process agro-allied products for the local and export markets. The choice, he said, is informed by the fact that small and medium-sized industries require fewer capitalisations to set up and also less energy and skill to run.

“Processing of agro-allied products will impact positively on growth of agriculture, the mainstay of Northern economy. Until we move as a community from agriculture to industry, our growth is tied down to agriculture,” he said.

We are in the same pedestal, bro. Both observations (yours and mine) are shameless

deleted

GENERAL T. Y. DANJUMA: THE PROBLEM WITH THE NORTH
igeria is a very interesting country; as soon as one controversy is rested, another comes to fore. General Theophilus Yakubu Danjuma's interview in the Guardian Newspaper made interesting reading. One just has to hand it to him, it was brilliant. It was also, albeit inadvertently, revealing; at least to discerning minds. Danjuma has stirred the hornet's nest and will certainly be stung. Perhaps if he had not open his mouth so wide, he would still be carrying on as a hero, a soldier's soldier and statesman. As it were, we now know better.

The problem with the North is not government presence and infrastructures for the Igbos have shown that without government infrastructures, a determined and hardworking people can still survive. The Northern part of Nigeria has more government presence and infrastructure than any part of Nigeria yet there is so much poverty and under-development in the North than in the government neglected Eastern part of Nigeria. The problem with the North is not because they have no oil, crude oil can be a curse, as the Niger Deltans will willingly attest. The problem with the North is not their land; they have the most arable land in the country. The problem with the North is not lack of political power; they have ruled Nigeria for almost thirty-seven years with nothing to show for it. It is neither their air nor their skin colour. It is neither Obasanjo nor the Igbos. The problem with the North is the North and it is symbolised and represented by people like General Danjuma.

General Danjuma is a symbol of what is wrong with the North. He is a symbol of the educational backwardness of the North. Education is the key to development; it is the easiest way of moving out of poverty. A nation without education can never be considered developed and will never develop. "Knowledge is power," says Francis Bacon. For many years, generations of Northerners have erroneously believed that the easiest way to be somebody in the society is to enter the army, police or customs. They have believed that the easiest way of breaking out of poverty is to join the army, organise a coup and steal government money. Education has been neglected because of that by a whole generation of Northerners. This has been made possible by the heroic symbol of what people like General Danjuma are in the Northern community. They have been idolised by a whole generation of Northerners as symbol of success. Without being in the military and organising coups, where will people like Danjuma, Buhari, Babangida, Shehu Musa Yaradua, Abudsalami, David Mark and many others be? It is these people that are the political and economic leaders in the North. They are the role models for young people in the society.

The North will continue to be backward educationally if these people continue to dictate the life, rhythm and politics of the North. They would be sending the wrong message and signal that education is not necessary. Soldiers have never been friends of education and enlightenment. Northerners must learn how to send their children to school instead of army, police and customs. Their children must be taught how to listen to their teachers and not behead them at the slightest provocation. They must get new heroes, leaders and role models that are not retired generals and inspectors. Retired Generals, Inspectors and Custom Officers like Danjuma must be bleached out of the life and landscape of the North.

General Danjuma is a symbol of what is wrong with the North. He is a government made man. He amassed huge amount of wealth through corruption while he was in government. How else would Danjuma explain the stupendous wealth he has acquired? How much did he earn legitimately as a soldier, even if he saved and invested all his salaries, it cannot give him a million percent of the vast wealth that he has today. How much is his pension and gratuity in the Nigerian army that is known for owing both serving and retired soldiers? So where did he get his famed wealth? General Danjuma is a representation that hard work is not necessary to be somebody in Nigeria and to be wealthy. This is the mindset of the North. Government must make everyone wealthy; government must build industries and provide employment. Government must build industries that are to be looted. This is the position of the communiqué of the talk show that the Leadership Newspaper recently organised on the de-industrialization of the North.

The recommendation of the conference is all about what Government can do. Was it the government that built all the industries in the west and the small-scale industries in Lagos, Aba and Nnewi? What about the many industries that the government built in the North in the past? What happened to them? Who are those that looted and ruined it? It was Northerners like Danjuma that turned such industries into personal companies. Who are those that liquidated the Bank of the North? The era of waiting for government handout is gradually phasing out. The era of political contractors is going. The era of waiting for government to build industries that will be looted by the elite and Northern retired generals is gradually coming to an end. That has been the bane of Nigeria's development. The North must recognize this if it is sincere in tackling poverty and under-development. It is no longer business as usual. Personal effort and hard work must be emphasised and encouraged as a virtue. Government should not be an avenue of making money but service to the people.

General Danjuma is the classical representation of the ideology of intolerance that is in the North. Intolerance is greatly part of the reason the North is the way it is today. The North is simply not investment friendly. He is the chief architect of Northern hatred for their Southern brothers and foreigners. He promoted and organised the first pogrom against the Igbos, he has been a rabid hater of everything that is in the South except its crude oil and women. He has poisoned the mind and soul of his people against foreigners. In the recent leadership conference, he labelled Mittal who is the fourth richest man in the world as a terrorist. What confidence would Mittal and other investors have in investing anywhere in the North?

The religious, ethnic and social intolerance that characterised the North for many years have absolutely decimated the economic and industrial capacity of the North. It has made it a no go area for investors. Who in his right thinking sense will go to the North to invest when you know that a religious or ethnic riot can wipe out your investment and all your life -savings? Who will invest in the North when a mere cartoon in Denmark is enough to inspire a deadly religious riot in the North? Who will go to the North to invest when your mode of dressing can make you lose your body organs or even your life? Until the North demonstrates they are ready to live in peace and tolerate other religions, viewpoints and ethnic group, no investor will take them seriously. Have the Northerners ever asked themselves why even their own son, Aliko Dangote, who is the richest African according to Forbes situated almost all his investment in the South. General Danjuma represents that intolerance which scares every investor away from the North. Danjuma asking people to come and invest in the North is like Osama Bin Laden asking Americans to come and invest in Afghanistan. Nobody will take the North seriously if genocide and pogrom organisers like Danjuma are marketing and advertising her potentialities.

Danjuma is the representation of the deep social injustice that is in the North. The structure of life in the North is built on injustice. It is a feudalistic society where lords and overlords own people's lives. It is a society of Lords and slaves, a society of rulers and subjects. The Overlords do everything to suppress and subdue the masses in other to maintain the status quo of oppression. They deny them information and education. They teach them how to beg for fish and not how to fish so that they will be dependent on them for life. The North is nothing but a conglomeration of fiefdoms dominated by many overlords who bestrode their communities like gods. Everything that comes to the North in form of oil wealth, political appointment, contracts and others belong to these lords who shares them among themselves and uses them as they wish. People cannot do better when they are slaves and dependent. These overlords own vast acres of community Land that they appropriated illegally while the rest of the community make do with little or nothing. Most of the Overlords of the North own vast Oil wells in the Niger Delta. The Akpo Oil well that General Abacha allocated to Danjuma will account for nine percent of Nigerian oil when it becomes operational this year. What will Danjuma do with this wealth if not stashing it in foreign accounts, propping up another Obasanjo or financing another genocide against the Southerners? What have the Northern elites done with all their wealth? How many schools, hospitals, Industries and road have people like Danjuma built for their communities with their massive stolen wealth? They only give handouts to the Almajiris when they want to use them for their selfish agenda. It would be amazing what the stolen wealth of people like Danjuma, Babangida, Abacha, Atiku and many others will do in the North if it is invested in education and social service rather than left dormant in foreign banks.

The Northern elites creates dependence in other to increase their relevance. They created the Almajiri culture for the survival of their sinful unjust structure and the perpetuation of blind fellowship. They have deliberately kept their people uneducated in other to maintain the status quo. They have used religion to sedate their people while they indulged themselves in an uninterrupted looting spree of the wealth of their people. That is the recent case in Zamfara state where a man who stole a cow has his hand chopped off while the Governor who directly stole billions of his people's money is made a honourable senator. This is the pure injustice that the North and most of Nigeria is based on. No structure built on injustice and oppression survives. Lordship and domination that northern elites like General Danjuma represents must be replaced by social equality and community development if the North hopes to bring herself out of this quagmire. If not, they would still be living in the past as archaeological relic of history.

The North must engage in serious soul search, it must look into herself for as the philosopher Socrates once said, "an unexamined life is not worth living." The North must look at herself in the mirror to see how she looks. She must stop engaging in self-delusion. She must stop blaming others for her plight. People like General Danjuma should be relegated to the dustbins of history and not made the symbol and spoke person of the North. General Danjuma and others should be allowed to go on the exile he once threatened that he would go if Obasanjo were not made the President of Nigeria. The North must stop setting bad examples of leadership for her people and for Nigeria. For the measure you give out, that is the measure you will receive. Until these are done, everything is mere cheap talk.

PDP convention dinner: Security men humiliate OBJ at Aso Rock
Bankole Makinde, Abuja - 16.03.2008

Things are indeed no longer rosy for former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo , as he was humiliated by security personnel attached to the Presidential Villa, Aso Rock, Abuja, last Sunday.


Ironically,the effort by President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua to save Obasanjo from further embarrassment at the hands of the stern-looking security-men was professionally rebuffed.


The setting was the dinner hall in Aso Rock where President Yar’Adua hosted the outgone executive committee members of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) led by Dr. Ahmadu Ali and the new one headed by Chief Vincent Ogbulafor, to a post-convention dinner.


After the usual speeches by stakeholders toasting to the successful conduct of the consensus convention, it was time for dinner and the wife of Dr. Ali, Mary, a member of the Board of Trustees (BOT) of PDP, was called to lead dignitaries on a queue to serve the buffet.


After Mrs. Ali got up, her husband followed in tow and then, probably miscalculating, former president Obasanjo made to join the queue after Dr. Ali.


It was at this juncture that stern-looking security-men headed towards him (Obasanjo) and effectively prevented him from joining the queue, reminding him of the need to observe and obey protocol.


Not ready to put his former boss and godfather to public opprobrium, President Yar’Adua waded into the matter and ordered the security-men to allow Obasanjo join the queue after Dr. Ali and before him (Yar’Adua).


By this time, an angry Obasanjo had made for his seat leaving Yar’Adua to sort things out with his security-men.


After some pep talk with the security personnel, President Yar’Adua joined the queue behind Dr. Ali while the Senate President, David Mark and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Oladimeji Bankole queued behind the President.


Probably thinking that the protocol issue had been settled, OBJ again attempted to join the queue just behind the Speaker but was again effectively prevented from doing so by the security-men who obviously knew, by training, that the “protocol list” had not been exhausted.


President Yar’Adua, who had already joined the queue and was far away in front could not witness the second part of the drama and so could not rescue the former president.

http://www.tribune.com.ng/16032008/news/news1.html

OBJ, Atiku, Anenih meet, trade words on corruption
• At Yar’Adua memorial lecture
By LUCKY NWANKWERE and JACOB EDI, Abuja
Sunday, March 16, 2008

The trio of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and former Works Minister, Chief Tony Anenih yesterday turned the Ninth Shehu Yar’Adua Memorial Lecture in Abuja into an occasion for trading words as they poured venom on one another.

Anenih who was dethroned as the ruling party’s board of trustees chairman by his former boss and friend, Obasanjo, fired the first salvo during his opening prayer, when he asked God to give the incumbent president, Alhaji Umaru Yar’Adua, the wisdom to clear the mess heaped on the country by the immediate past administration.

“Thank God for the president we have now. We pray that God will give you the courage, wisdom and political will to clear the rot you inherited from the previous administration,” Anenih prayed.

Hardly had he finished than Obasanjo, as Chairman of the Board of Trustess of the Yar’Adua Foundation, characteristically took on Anenih, and in a veiled language, accusing the Edo chief of abandoning the late Shehu Musa Yar’Adua (Tafidan) in his hour of need.
Said Obasanjo: “Some people stood by the late Tafidan in his hours of need, while some chose to abandon him,” he stated in apparent reference to the betrayal Shehu Yar’Adua suffered when Anenih allegedly mobilized members of the National Constitutional Conference to campaign for the elongation of late General Sani Abacha regime. That action was in defiance of late Yar’Adua’s admonition to his followers in the Peoples Democratic Movement (PDM) to quit the administration within a year.

When it was his turn to speak, Atiku described Musa Yar’Adua as a leader who would not use power to terrorize anybody, pointing out that he (Yar’Adua) stood for good governance, good election and did not use powers to intimidate anybody - even his opponents - and saw politics as a means of bringing people together for common good.
It was a day the former leaders and once political associates proved to Nigerians and the rest of the world, including visiting Rwandan president, Mr. Paul Kagame, that the animosity they nurse against one another still festers.
Indeed the atmosphere was palpably tense as Obasanjo and Atiku, for the first time in several months, sat side-by-side even though they refused to exchange pleasantries. In fact, each completely avoided the other.

Atiku paid tribute to the late Yar’Adua, acknowledging him as a bridge builder in his lifetime. He also acknowledged that the Yar’Adua political dynasty had been ruling Nigeria for the past eight years, no matter how imperfect it had been.
On his part, Obasanjo who commended the late Yar’Adua for his sense of unity, administration and governance said “Yar’Adua unites Nigerians even in death, because here today, there are people who would not ordinarily like to sit together.”

The former President also commended the resilience of Yar’Adua in his cause for democracy and democractic principles, sense of judgment and rule of law, adding, “if not for Yar’Adua, those seated here would not be here to talk of corrupting themselves or self aggrandizement.”
In his address at the occasion, President Umaru Yar’Adua commended the President of Rwanda, Paul Kagame for his lecture on good governance, stating however that Africa should stop blaming colonialism for its troubles.

Instead, he called on Africans to stand up and embrace the challenges facing it, stating that the roadmap out of the present woes is good governance and respect for rule of law, which he described as the road to free enterprises.
He reiterated the need and importance of his seven-point agenda, which he said is capable of leading Nigeria out of its present economic woes.
Earlier former President Obasanjo and Atiku attended a meeting as members of Board of Trustees of the Yar’Adua Centre.
Dignitaries at the occasion included Chief Yomi Edu, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Ambassador Baba Gana Kingibe, top government functionaries and politicians.


http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/news/national/2008/mar/16/national-16-03-2008-001.htm

Apparently, the man displays a bit of clownishness like saying ''Overgasted'' and ''flaberwhelmed''. These are childish coinages which he certainly knows are grammatically incorrect. I think the man just feels overly cool teasing his fellow house members with both intentionally faked and correct English vocabulary.