₦airaland Forum

Nigeria: Belgium Seeks Partnership With Govt

This Day (Lagos)

12 March 2008
Posted to the web 13 March 2008

Emeka Osondu
Awka

The Ambassador of Belgium to Nigeria, Mr. Michel Dewez, says the people of Belgium and Anambra shared a lot in common, including being great traders and highly entrepreneurial people, which should necessitate a cordial relationship between his country and the state.

Speaking during a courtesy visit on the Anambra state Governor, Mr. Peter Obi, at Government HouseAwka yesterday, Dewez said the visit to Anambra was enable Belgium and the people of Anambra State "to know each other better and for the Belgium Embassy to discover the numerous potentialities of the people and its population." He said the visit, which according to him, was his first official visit to states in the country in his capacity of the Belgian Ambassador was part of his job of exploring the country, meeting people and making new contacts that would enhance the relationship between his country and Nigeria . His words: "people told me that Anambra is one of the biggest market in West Africa with the most entrepreneurial people. I am here to see with my own eyes your bustling economy, and I am not disappointed."


The Ambassador equally disclosed that Belgian exports to Nigeria in 2006 were more than 400 Million Euro and commended the Governor for his efforts to promote the economic re-birth of the state which according to economic indices has begun to yeild dividends. Responding, Governor Peter Obi expressed gratitude to the Belgian Ambassador for the interest of his country in Anambra State and assured him that the state is ready to collaborate with Belgium in any manner that will be mutually re-warding.

http://allafrica.com/stories/200803130336.html

These are typical Ijebu Igbo faces

Niger Delta crisis has boosted business climate in Imo – Ikoku
By CHRISTIAN OCHIAMA
Thursday, March 13, 2008

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Obiron Group of Companies, Evangelist Myke Ikoku has added a new twist to the crisis in the Niger Delta with the claim that it has actually given a boost to the economy of Imo State.

To him, the crisis, sad and unfortunate as it is, might have become a blessing in disguise for the business climate of the South East state.

The problem in the Niger Delta has really given a boost to the business environment here because people find it more conducive, safer, more convenient to live in Owerri and then go for their businesses in the South South,” he said.

Ikoku who owns the five-star All Seasons Hotel, Owerri said “You see, mainly, the people that stay here are people from multi-national companies and most of them have their businesses in the South South, Anambra and elsewhere in the zone.”

The Chief Executive who sits on a multi billion naira business empire which also include real estate, electrical, electronics and manufacturing spoke on the cost of funds, exchange rates, interest rates as well as policy fluctuation and its impact on business practice in Nigeria.

Business climate in Imo State

To be honest with you, I think the business in Imo has improved tremendously when compared to what obtained when we started in 2004. It was not the same thing as today. People were not very keen on bringing investment down here because, may be, they were afraid of the profit margin which could be low or marginal. But we took the bull by the horn knowing fully well that a good product can sale no matter where it is. Good things must attract their own patronage. That gave us the vision to come here and we did it and we are not regretting it.

Now, things have improved very well. Even the problem in the Niger Delta has really given a boost to the business environment because people find it more conducive, safer, more convenient to live in Owerri and then go for their businesses in the South South. You know, Owerri is strategically located. It is like a hub in the South East. It takes less than one hour to get to every other South East state and South South. That means you can live in Owerri and do business in Abia, Anambra, Enugu, Ebonyi, Bayelsa, Rivers. Owerri is very safe. Night life is fantastic and that’s why we are really making it great here. In our kind of hospitality business, we not only give you accommodation we also give you happiness

What a blatant misinformation. Are there only 2 Africans on Forbes list? Or are you one of the racist blacks who think ''white'' Africans are not Africans

smile4kenn:
Africa is now home to two of Forbes Magazine's richest people in the world.South Africa's Patrice Motsepe made an estimated $2.4 billion from mining and Nigeria's Aliko Dangote made his money through industry

Nevertheless, there are a number of private hospitals in Hadejia and Karfin hausa where my g/friend served in 1999. I was there several times and I could observe that most of those clinics are owned/manned by Igbo/Yoruba.

tlops:
Jigawa ke. is there any hospital in jigawa (dutse) apart from the general hospital on kiyawa road.

ok there is one private one on hakimi road, Jigawa in the last administration had alot of indonesians in its work force. IT and teaching majorly

Opss my mistake. I meant Adamawa

tlops:
Jigawa ke. is there any hospital in jigawa (dutse) apart from the general hospital on kiyawa road.

ok there is one private one on hakimi road, Jigawa in the last administration had alot of indonesians in its work force. IT and teaching majorly

How can Malus and donkeys learn?

Ibime:
Hausa people will never learn. Despite all the rubbish they have done to our country, they will never learn from history. Its sad.

Are these ragamuffins (sp?) the so-called sons of prominent Nigerians, the reason why their names were witheld when the robbery incidence occured? Shame, shame, shame.

Jigawa state once employed 14 North Korean ''doctors'' and at the end of the day, they turned out to be medical technicians. The doctors in most private clinics in parts of the North, at least in Jigawa and Kano that I know too well, are Igbos and Yorubas.

To MC Usman

The stupid southerners allowed moronic northerners to rule and the moronic northerners who thought rulership is their birthright ended up misruling big time. So who is more idiotic? Of course, those who have had the opportunity to rule and misused it.

Dangote: Billionaire without a cause       
Written by Garba Deen Mo-ha-mmed     
Sunday, 09 March 2008 


Alh. Aliko DangoteIf we agree with Forbes Magazine, the American publication that released its list of 1000 richest people in the world for 2007, then Alhaji Aliko Dangote is the richest Nigerian alive, and the seventh richest African. Many Nigerians would raise their eyebrows at this revelation though; they, or come to think of it, we will wonder: "What has happened to the fortunes of Generals T. Y. Danjuma, Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, Abdul-Salam Abubakar, Olusegun Obasanjo?" Elsewhere on the Continent, many brothers would blink, trying to locate the places of disgraced former Liberian despot, Charles Taylor and the inheritors of Shehu Musa Yar’Adua, Sani Abacha and Mobuto Seseseko, who at some point in his long dictatorship in Zaire, was reportedly richer than his diamond and copper-rich country.

Among Nigerian civilians the names of Alhaji Aminu Dantata, Michael Otedola, Femi Fernandez and Alex Ibru are also conspicuously missing. But by far the most conspicuous missing name is that of Chief—or is it Dr.?—Andy Uba. Andy Uba, to those who have just landed from Mars, was former President Obasanjo’s special advisor on domestic affairs. He reportedly declared a frightening 1.6 trillion naira as his net worth in his brief period as the erstwhile governor of Anambra state. So what happened to all those people?

According to the American magazine its, numbers were calculated from the total holdings of individuals in all quoted stocks, and it based its conclusions on snapshots of balance sheets taken on February 9. This could only mean that those who did not make the list either were not rich enough, or that stolen billions didn’t count. You know.

For Dangote to be the only Nigerian on the list means that his billions were considered both adequate enough and ‘pure enough’. For that he deserves to be congratulated. Accordingly Alhaji, please accept my congratulations.

Now then we know who the richest Nigerian is, at least by the reckoning of Forbes Magazine. Say, who is the poorest? Does anybody know?

Here is a simple irony: If you answer "Aliko Dangote" you would not be too far from being correct. This is because Dangote is from the Hausa –Fulani tribe, located mainly in the northern part of Nigeria; and various studies and practical results have shown that Dangote’s people are the country’s poorest. So if you are good with polemics, you could easily defend the choice of Dangote as Nigeria’s poorest man. This is what makes Dangote’s position on Forbes list (334th out of 1000) very interesting.

On the up side, it shows that Dangote’s people need not be poor at all; that they are the poorest in relation to all other parts of the country is not because they lack the capacity to be rich or even to be the best. By whatever means he’s made his fortune, Forbes clearly did not think Dangote stole it. Dangote has also provided some kind of defense to his people against any insinuation that their wretchedness is either genetic, or a course. Please note that ‘some kind of defense’ may not be defense at all. So thank you, Alhaji. Sadly, this may be the only benefit Dangote’s people may derive from their kinsman’s celebrated fabulous fortune.

Experts on poverty have concluded that poverty itself is not a disease, but the symptom of one; they say that the commonest cause of poverty is lack of education.

Again Dangote’s people provide evidence in support of this thesis. Recent statistics released by some local and international agencies show that of the total number of students currently in Nigerian universities, Dangote’s people make up only about 7 per cent even though according to the latest census figures they constitute about 52 per cent of the total population of the country. This is the disturbing aspect of having a Dangote as ‘a brother’. How does he situate his phenomenal success, for instance, in relation to the abject backwardness of his people?

Whereas it is normal for Dangote to relish his privileges, it is less so if he is found to be insensitive to the dangerous paradox he represents. If Dangote is disturbed by the squalor around him, he’s kept that worry very much to himself, as, indeed, he’s successfully kept nearly everything about his private life and thoughts to himself.

There is of course the Dangote Foundation, which is younger than Chief Gani Fawehinmi’s scholarship for indigent students from among Dangote’s own people. But the impact of the Foundation is at best unknown and at worst insignificant in relation to Dangote’s wealth and the volume of the problem at hand. It is also not certain whether the foundation is funded by Dangote or by his companies or both (in identifying its 48 biggest philanthropist, Forbes made this distinction and excluded all charities funded by companies. Dangote did not make that other Forbes’ list even though his people are among the world’s neediest).

Again the foundation is chaired by the emir of Kano, Alhaji Ado Bayero. His revered status notwithstanding, the emir is certainly the least qualified for such a task. This certainly raises the question of Dangote’s motive for floating the foundation in the first place.

If Dangote truly intended to help the millions of poor people in Kano alone, not to talk of the other millions in neighbouring states, he is the only person who believes that he could do so through a moribund, backward, oppressive feudal institution as symbolized by the various emirates in the North. Over the years the northern traditional institution has connived with various military and civilian regimes to plunder the resources that had accrued to the region.

The result is the sorry situation that the region now finds itself in: the most impoverished, least educated and least competitive in comparison to all other parts of the country. To establish a foundation and place it under the supervision of such people is dubious, to say the least. Rather, Dangote would have served humanity better if he simply pays the Great One tax of Zakkat as and when due and disband his and Bayero’s foundation.

Again until quite recently, Dangote’s investments have been largely in the areas of commodity trading rather than in the more solid areas of wealth and job creation such as construction and manufacturing; and now that he’s venturing into those areas, many people from his home state of Kano grumble that he creates by far greater employment opportunities in the southern part of the country than amongst the desperate people of his constituency. By contrast a Chinese consortium running a shoemaking factory in Jogana, near Kano provides employment for nearly a million people, most of them from Dangote’s Kano state. Another proof that given the opportunity Dangote’s people, like Dangote himself, can help themselves.

Lastly, there is Dangote’s disastrous foray into political cronyism under the guise of national service, and his curios association with a very dubious former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo. Some people even suggest that Dangote is in fact a convenient front for the former president.

Interestingly, Dangote has never really denied those insinuations, and the more dirty revelations about Obasanjo’s shady deals that emerge, the more tainted the reputation of his associates and cronies become, Dangote very prominent among them.

Still, everything being equal, as the American would say, it is better to be a rich bastard than a poor bastard. In which case it is better to have the Dangotes in your backyard, than to read only about them in the media. So once again, congratulations to Nigeria’s richest man, courtesy, Forbes magazine. Long live dole. Long live begging.


http://dailytrust.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4191&Itemid=1

‘Film directors have not explored a quarter of my talent and I can’t understand why’    8/3/2008
     





anambra state-born actor and model, Tuvi James appeals to anyone who has seen some of his movies to consider him as an actor who is under-utilized. He told Victor Akande in this interview of the politics in Nollywood and how a film director from Hollywood is looking into his case, among other issues bothering on his family and love life.

CAN you tell us about your background?

I’m an Igbo boy from Nnewi Local Government Area of Anambra State. I was born in Lagos; and I lived all my live in the city. I love sports; I’m athletic. I’m also a motivational speaker.

Since you like sports so much, why did you opt for acting?

The fact that I like sports does not mean I have to be a sports person. When I looked inward, I realized that acting is where I’m most fitted. So, I pursued it. I know it is not going to be easy trying to breakthrough in the movie industry but as long as you are in touch with your inner-self in terms of knowing what area you need to improve yourself, such that when you are being given a role, you interpret it well, then you will arrive. You need to build yourself up in other areas like academics, sports, music and so on. That means you need to be versatile because that is what makes you a good actor.

Is your acting carrier influenced by what you read in school?

Basically I did Computer Engineering and later, Broadcasting at the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN). Well! It has not influenced me but when you have academic qualifications, they add a touch of life to you. But really, what you study does not matter. When I was a kid, I used to take part in dramas. It’s a gift, talent is not something you have to go to schoool to study.

You strike me like someone with so much untapped potentials. For instance, why haven’t you practiced Broadcasting even if it’s on a part-time?

I did a bit of voice-over after my course. I still do voice-over sometimes when the job comes, but I don’t do it because I want to go into broadcasting, rather, because I want to be in tune with my acting carrier. I want to be able to have a voice; as an actor, your voice, your face, your carriage, your interpretation, and charisma put together make up your personality. Broadcasting helps in enhancing my pronounciation of words. As an actor, you are not supposed to have any particular kind of intonations especially when you are speaking English language, your local dialect must not reflect your tribe.

Would you say that as an actor that the best you have got to offer has been explored by any director?

Nobody has explored it so far. It’s been difficult and I don’t understand why things are like that, that’s why my good friend Gugu is here in Nigeria at the moment. Gugu is from Wanna Bros Pictures, to see how some of us he thinks have the potentials can be used in good movies.

How did you meet him?

I do a lot of research on films, and when I watched one of his films, I mailed him. He saw my passion towards the film in the industry and acting, so he picked interest and replied my mail. I later found out that he is a Nigerian but he’s being in the US for over 20 years. He has a direct link with a lot of studios in Hollywood. He’s in Nigeria right now because of me and for the same vision and the same kind of potential we are trying to off-load for the industry. Because if you ask me, I’ll say the industry is doing so well, but with so much limitations in the area of professionalism.

What do you think is the problem?

Well, I don’t know but I think it’s a case of ‘man-knows-man’ or you need to belong to a clique. I respect the council of elders who started the industry but I’m not going to short-change myself by trying to ‘kiss too many asses’ just because I want to get roles.

Who are the directors that you are in tune with in the industry?

I’m quite in tune with everybody, its just that I’ve not really worked with most of them; I’m close to Chico Ejiro, Ernest Obi, Terilah Thompson, Teco Benson, and a few others.

As a model, would we say that your modelling carrier could be a distraction to the acting itself?


No! I don’t think so, I’m more into the industry than modelling. Besides, modelling and acting go together. It’s not something that takes one’s time well enough to snatch me away from my first love which is acting. I believe there is time for everything, there is time and purpose for everyone, you must keep digging until you strike water, and you must not stop and say because you are not working. For instance, I’m not on location now, but I’m busy having meetings with Gugu and with people of like minds who want to change Nollywood.

From your own observations, which areas do you think Nollywood needs to improve upon?

Well, from my experience in Nollywood, the production outfit needs to be seriously worked on. As a director before you cast an artiste, you must, first and foremost be able to win his heart to a particular job that you have chosen him to do. There is something they call moral support; a situation where you as the director would need to hang out with the actor, maybe over dinner or lunch and get to talk about the character and the role you are playing, and you begin to have a deeper understanding of what you are about to do. Then, the producers also will need to improve on the kind of hospitality they give to actors, you know it is a team work.

Your name Tuvi does not sound native, where did you get it from?

My names are Ugochukwu Emeka Ogenetuviere James. A lot of people mistake me for a Benue man, but I’m an Igbo guy. My father is Igbo and my mum is from Delta State, from Urobo, and that’s where the name Tuvi emanated from. So, I will call myself a high-breed.

What was growing-up like?

Growing-up, for me, was splendid! Beautiful! I grew up with my mother and father and we spent time travelling to places together. I remember travelling to Egypt with my mum when I was young. So, my growing-up was fun, really. Now, as an adult, I’m faced with the usual challenges of surviving on my own.

How are you catching up with the challenges of being a man?

Yes! Challenges will come, that’s what makes you stronger, and that’s what makes a man. When challenges come, you just have to face them. I love challenges personally, and that is because of my kind of background. I was brought up in a Christian way, I would say that we were being given the best nurture of life by my parents and my grand parents. It’s really helping out today.

Apart from the fact that you are a celebrity, you are obviously a ladies’ man. How do you manage that?

People use that word for me a lot ‘ladies man’ but I’m God’s man. Every man who works hard, and is successful is a ladies’ man. Every achiever is a ladies’ man, every man that carries himself very well is a ladies man. So, it depends on the kind of ladies you are reaching out to. Well! I carry myself very well, so maybe I’m a ladies’ man. I’m very friendly with women because I know women are strong and they play strong roles in the society. They also play a very important role in the life of a man. So, you need to respect them.

For someone like you, don’t you think that in trying to respect every woman, you might be caught in the love net?

Yes! That is where self-control comes in. Being disciplined can protect you from dangers out there. That does not mean I don’t hang out, as a matter of fact, I have a woman and I’m seriously planning something with her.

Are you likely to settle down very soon?


Yes! I’m seriously working on that. I’m working on it.

This year?

I hope by God’s grace. You will know when the time comes.

http://www.thenationonlineng.com/dynamicpage.asp?id=46597

Bad belle for what, if I may ask? Fact

Rank   Name                                Citizenship   Age Net Worth ($bil) Residence

173  Nicky Oppenheimer & family South Africa  62  5.7  South Africa 
284  Johann Rupert & family        South Africa  57  3.8  South Africa 
503  Patrice Motsepe                   South Africa  46  2.4  South Africa 
605  Donald Gordon                    South Africa  77  2.0  United Kingdom 
60  Naguib Sawiris                      Egypt            53  12.7  Egypt 
68  Nassef Sawiris                      Egypt            46  11.0  Egypt 
96  Onsi Sawiris                          Egypt            78  9.1  Egypt 
396  Samih Sawiris                     Egypt             51  2.9  Egypt 
334  Aliko Dangote                    Nigeria            NA  3.3  Nigeria 

http://www.forbes.com/lists/2008/10/billionaires08_The-Worlds-Billionaires_CountryOfCitizen.html

EFCC is still probing, but the thieving lady will be fired soon, as Yaradua reshuffles his cabinet. Watch out.

Why Health Minister Is In Trouble
By Oluokun Ayorinde/ Abuja

Disagreement over the sharing of N300 million meant to be returned to the national treasury as part of unspent 2007 national budget, but converted into Christmas bonus, is at the root of the ongoing probe of Minister of Health, Professor Adenike Grange and other top officials of the ministry by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, P.M.News has gathered.

The Minister of Health was reported to have been quizzed by the anti-graft agency last weekend. However, while Oswald Shodeinde, the Minister’s Special Assistant said her boss was never arrested, she agreed that the Health Ministry boss was called upon last Friday to make a statement to the EFCC on the on-going corruption probe in the ministry.

P.M.News gathered that the anti-corruption agency has continued to beam its searchlight on the Health Ministry. following a petition to the anti-graft agency by an aggrieved member of staff of the ministry who felt cheated in the sharing of the N300 million Christmas bonus.

Sources told P.M.News that rather than return the unspent funds to the national treasury as directed by President Umar Yar’Adua, some top officials had advised that it be used to pay Christmas bonus to workers in the ministry.

A sharing formula in which the lowest paid worker in the Ministry would receive at least N175,000 was said to have been agreed upon.

But a greedy director in the ministry was said to have changed this when the time came for the sharing such that the amount received by the staff at the lowest rung of the ladder came to a ‘miserly’ N40,000, while the directors still receive their full share.

This prompted the aggrieved member of staff, who felt cheated, to petition the EFCC with the vouchers for the payment of the Christmas bonus as evidence.

The anti-graft agency is said to have the full backing of President Umaru Yar’Adua in its investigations.

Apart from the minister, it was gathered that a Permanent Secretary in the ministry as well as two directors have been quizzed by the EFCC.

P.M.News gathered that the investigation is continuing and if the minister is found culpable, she may be one of those to be asked to go in the expected cabinet reshuffle by President Yar’Adua.

http://thepmnews.com/article/549

Yar’Adua Moves Against Health Minister
From Stanley Nkwazema in Abuja and Kingsley Nwezeh in Lagos
Monday, March 3, 2008
• N’Assembly meets on returned budget

The Health Minister, Prof. Adenike Grange, who was arrested last Thursday on the orders of President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua over the handling of unspent funds in the 2007 budget and award of contracts, has been released.


Grange was released at the weekend by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) after she was interrogated over the allegation.

THISDAY learnt that the health minister claimed she was misadvised by her directors.

Operatives of EFCC are now moving against the directors following the minister’s claim but Grange may be invited again for further interrogation as more details are unveiled.

President Yar’Adua is said to have ordered that no stone should be left unturned over the matter and anyone found culpable should be dealt with in accordance with the law.

Grange is alleged to have awarded contracts without following due process, in addition to flouting the presidential order that unspent votes for 2007 should be returned to the treasury.

“It was discovered that many ministries flouted the order,” a government official told THISDAY last night.

“The main problem is that without the cooperation of key officials in the affected ministries, investigation will be stalled. I can confirm, for instance, that the minister who was quizzed has already been implicated by top officials of the ministry. In fact, over N40 million has been recovered already from the last-minute contract bazaar and sharing of money.”

Investigators are banking on the possibility that if the indicted minister is made a scapegoat, more ministers may be exposed soon.

And following allegations that some ministers colluded with some members of the National Assembly to inflate allocations for their ministries’ in this year’s budget, THISDAY has learnt that EFCC has beamed its searchlight on more ministers.

At a Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting last year, President Yar’Adua had directed that all unspent funds in the last days of that year be returned to the public treasury.

The President, who may soon embark on a major cabinet shake-up before his first anniversary in office in May, had withheld his assent to the harmonised 2008 Appropriation Bill partly because of the inflation of budgetary figures which not only threatens macro-economic stability but is believed to be capable of hampering the long-term economic targets of the present administration.

A National Assembly source said the President was very worried about the spending spree that was built into the budget.

“He was obviously angry over the inflation of figures which he strongly believed was the handiwork of some ministers in collaboration with some lawmakers,” the source said. “He did not hide the fact that if any case could be established that something untoward happened, the ministers would face the music.”

In 2004, the then minster of education, Prof. Fabian Osuji, lost his position following allegations that National Assembly members were bribed to inflate Education Ministry’s budget in what was christened bribe-for-budget scandal.

The case is still in court but the Senate President then, Chief Adolphus Wabara, resigned over the allegation.

Meanwhile, worried over the delay caused by the inability of President Yar’Adua to assent to the N2.8 trillion 2008 Appropr-iation Bill, the committee set up by both chambers of the National Assembly is scheduled to meet today to take a final look at the document.

The committee set up last week by the Senate and House of Representatives to go through the areas the President considered inappropriate started meeting since last week and is expected to submit a joint report to the leadership of the two chambers soon.

The report will then be presented for ratification in plenary.

The Senate committee is led by the Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, while the House committee is led by the Deputy Speaker, Hon. Bayero Usman Nafada.

THISDAY learnt that the National Assembly members are worried that the President returned the bill whereas they expected him to have assented to it while other disagreements are resolved later.

The Chief Whip of the House, Hon. Emeka Ihedioha, when contacted yesterday in Abuja told THISDAY that there was no cause for alarm over the 2008 Appropriation Bill returned by President Yar’Adua.

He said though the committee had started work on the areas of disagreements, the leadership of the House was yet to be briefed on the outcome.

“It is too early now to take decisions. We have to allow the joint committee to work and report back before the House will take a position. It is a healthy development. I think that is the beauty of democracy.

We have to disagree to agree. But I must tell you that we represent the people and know how they feel and the pressing areas that require urgent intervention. We will sort it out soonest,” he said.

President Yar’Adua had returned the bill saying he was not comfortable with some aspects introduced by the lawmakers.

After almost three months of working on the bill, the Senate and House had initially passed different figures.

But they later harmonised their differences on the budget and jointly settled for N2.898, 801,095,668 as the harmonised figure of the 2008 Appropriation Bill.

http://odili.net/news/source/2008/mar/3/299.html

The Americans use paper
Europeans use paper
Asians use paper

Who else uses water apart from the Yoruba?

Just make sure you do not offer me a handshake (I hope you have not offered me one already) with those bacteria-flocculated palms of yours.   

Gen. T.Y. Danjuma’s ‘tongue of fury’
By Tiko Emmanuel

Penultimate Sunday, The Guardian published its interview with General Theophilus Yakubu (T.Y. for short) Danjuma. By the time I was done reading the full text, I had concluded that the General possessed a ‘tongue of fury.’ Like the late legendary kung-fu exponent Bruce Lee whose ‘fist of fury’ single-handedly annihilated entire broods of fighters, Danjuma’s fiery mouth dealt devastating mortal blows to several high profile Nigerians – both the living and the dead! A great number of people, however, have been scratching their heads over why the retired General – who has been part of the ruling clique from time immemorial – should only now be vilifying the “rotten” system of which he has been a major beneficiary.

Danjuma can be forgiven for understandably acting like the cock who thought the sun had risen to hear him crow via his Canterbury Tales because in the not too distant past, the fear of T.Y. was the beginning of political and military wisdom. Maybe the whole thing centered on the fact that he was a taciturn, stone-faced top military officer whose bulging eyeballs behind thick horn-rimmed lenses made his penetrating gaze more fearsome. Expressed then, his outburst would have amounted to setting the cat among the pigeons – sparking many real and unfounded coup rumors and shooting spasms of cold jitters down the spine of whoever was running the government! The fact that the polity has carried on without a stir is proof that our democracy has outgrown its fledgling and nascent labels. But the largely negative press he continues to garner only goes to affirm the veracity of US. philosophical essayist and poet Ralph Waldo Emerson’s contention that “Every hero becomes a bore at last.”

At a time the rosy predictions of the Iraqi invasion by the US. and its ‘coalition of the willing’ were going awry, then US. Secretary of Defense, Don Rumsfeld, had a verbal brainwave. “There are known knowns,” he quipped, “there are known unknowns, and there are unknown unknowns.” General Danjuma’s disclosures can be similarly pigeon-holed into these three major compartments.

Among the ‘known knowns’ are his take on the master-servant relationship between Aremu of Ota and Umoru of Katsina. Others would include his character judgment of both Aremu and Umoru, the state of corruption under Obasanjo and the failure of the National Assembly’s mandatory oversight responsibility over the Executive branch.

Among the ‘known unknowns’ would be President Yar’Adua’s retrogression from Baba go-slow to Baba standstill and that he (T.Y.) was eagerly looking forward with satisfaction to the next life whenever it comes – although the final place of abode hereafter still remains an ‘unknown unknown’ because only God can decide that. Danjuma’s surprising high praise of OBJ’s wartime heroics would also fall within this category. But given the benefit of hindsight, what initially seems like an aberration – Danjuma’s testament of OBJ – shouldn’t really come as a shock. The former president has proven himself to be a meticulous planner with a streak of pluckiness, daredevilry and luck.

Albeit, Nigerians must collectively thank the respected General for enriching pubic discourse with his valued personal experiences. My only regret is that he didn’t state his ‘own side’ of the story early on when all the emotions and explanatory factors were still fresh in his memory and when other principal characters were still alive to rebut the one-sided presentations. I have no doubts that the public would have been better served with the ‘idealism’ and youthful exuberance that guided Danjuma’s actions, especially as they related to the period between January – August 1966 and the post-Murtala period, if his planned memoir had been rolled out earlier.

T.Y. may not be the originator or the only guilty party but has anyone noticed that the ‘victims’ of the January 15, 1966 military putsch are always invariably ‘Northern’ officers while the ‘perpetrators’ are ‘Igbo’ officers (and that it is usually the irredentist pretenders to the throne who strive to be more catholic than the Pope)? The victims are never described as Hausa or Tiv or Kanuri or Igala, etc. But when it concerns those below the Rivers Benue and Niger, the nomenclature changes to Igbo or Yoruba or ‘Calabar,’ or Ijaw officers, among others, and never ‘Eastern’ or ‘Western’ or ‘Midwestern’! Thus, the alleged perpetrators of the first military coup are never described as Eastern officers but as Igbo, (although several non-Igbo and non-Eastern officers like Major Ademoyega, among others, were very much involved).

Gen. Danjuma lambasted a journalistic icon like Peter Enahoro (Peter Pan) as ‘foolish’ and ‘stupid’ for daring to canvass views he finds disagreeable. He didn’t end there. He also disclosed that “the Igbo officers eliminated the cream of the Army leaving behind absolutely useless people like Ironsi who was a desk-clerk Head of State.” I’m shocked beyond words. How could such a highly placed and powerful Nigerian jettison the cherished African tradition of not speaking ill of the dead? Great responsibility comes with great power and one would have expected the General to exercise greater restraint and discretion. The same man who wanted Peter Enahoro crucified for expressing ‘satanic’ thoughts now wants us to canonize him (Danjuma) for ventilating his own highly contentious viewpoint. What insufferable arrogance! Of course, Danjuma may choose to ride the high horse by insisting he’s only calling a spade a spade. But as the English poet and painter William Blake observed: “(Even) a truth that’s told with bad intent beats all the lies you can invent”!

I am equally nonplussed that an officer at the bottom-rung of the military pecking order – Danjuma was just a Major when Ironside was a two-star General (the first Nigerian ever) – could have the temerity to now use such vitriolic language to castigate his former Supreme Commander. This shows that the cankerworm of indiscipline has long eaten deeply into the fabric of our armed forces. Like all human beings, Ironsi definitely had his shortcomings (one of which was his naivety in ‘over-trusting’ the wrong people and another was his non-release of Chief Obafemi Awolowo from prison) but this is a man that received widespread international plaudits for his exemplary leadership of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in the Congo (in the early 60s!). If the Igbo officers indeed eliminated the cream of the Army leaving only boneheads how come the two highest officers after Ironsi were Brig. Babafemi Ogundipe and Col. Adeyinka Adebayo (both Yoruba) – unless they too fell under the label of “useless people” (and was that why the former No. 2 man was bullied into accepting a ‘safe’ job as the High Commissioner to Britain)?

And what were Danjuma’s excuses for betraying his Supreme Commander? First, that young Northern military Turks like him “bottled up their anger” while waiting for the opportune moment to vengefully extract their pound of Igbo flesh. Secondly, that Garba Paiko, an army adjutant, woke him up at 1a.m. to reveal that Igbo officers, who were supposedly holding a furtive meeting, had all been ‘patriotically’ assassinated. This was the stimulus that Danjuma needed to, in his own glib words, “arrest Ironsi and lock him up and then interrogate him to find out the role he played in the coup.” And the man died! It is worth noting that the crusader who was so eager to humiliatingly arrest, lock up and interrogate a head of state just to pick his brain was the same person resolutely restraining his hysterical colleagues in the Supreme Military Council from demanding that Gen. Gowon be extradited from Britain for questioning on the basis of Col. Dimka’s confession because “it’ll just be Dimka’s word against Gowon’s.”

Left to me, T.Y. should be seeking penance for failing in his military duty – that of defending his commander-in-chief against all forms of aggression. In civilized climes, it is a capital offence for metaphorical rats to devour any fish – whether useless or nutritious – kept in their protective custody and I’m totally flummoxed by Danjuma’s inability to follow Col. Fajuyi’s immortal example.

When asked why he overruled the dissenting voices in the first post-Murtala meeting of the Supreme Military Council who wanted him – rather than OBJ – to become Head of State, T.Y. explained: “The Army functions on hierarchy. The moment you start disturbing the hierarchy, you run into all sorts of troubles.” Finally, a Daniel is come to judgment! All those who disparaged Ojukwu for “blanching” on “mundane” issues like military hierarchy when he should’ve focused on the “higher points of reconciliation” can now eat out their hearts. Finally, having evaluated Danjuma’s ‘tongue of fury,’ I can’t help wondering whether the events of January 15, 1966 alone could have caused his apparently incurable ethnocentric malady called Igbophobia.

Nigeria: Northern Region - Below the Horizon


Leadership (Abuja)

COLUMN
22 February 2008
Posted to the web 22 February 2008

Capt Daniel Omale
Abuja

To me, Northern Nigeria starts from Kwara, Kogi, Benue and Taraba States upward. Any state below these boundaries is considered as Southern Nigeria, irrespective of tribe, ethnic group or religious affiliation. The same goes for the Northern part of Nigeria. God naturally divided the country into two spheres with so many differences, like the climatic system, vegetation, economic disposition and social orientation.

By this definition, I am a full Northerner by virtue of my state of origin, place of birth and place of abode. When I travel from my state, Kogi, all the way to my home in Kaduna, I can hardly differentiate people's orientation and social behaviours. Those who carved-out, the names of Middle Belt and core North, did so for their own political and personal interests. The same people use religion and ethnicity to create segregation, which has ultimately established little cohesion or synergy in driving home a collective economic prosperity for the North as a whole. Each state, among the 19 Northern states, is economically backward.


A typical Northern politician or" big man" is more concerned about his political and economic relevance than the economic well being of his people. A Northerner is individualistic, selfish and power drunk in economic endowment, power acquisition and utilisation. Obtaining power and authority, which are mirage in nature, have confused the minds of most top Northern elite to the absolute detriment of the North and its indigenes. Community developments and social responsibilities are replaced by lordship and domination. Money is power and authority, and education is less relevant than power and authority in our myopic minds. Illiteracy is our tradition, while political domination and financial relevance are goals to attain in a lifetime.

The North is empty economically, backward academically, and visionless. While there have been more Northern heads of state in Nigeria, there are less economic developments in the North than anywhere else in the country. After the late Sir Ahmadu Bello, who was committed to the development of the North in both academic and economic objectives, subsequent Northern leaders, if any, were more interested in self-aggrandising and affluence.

The North is suffering from what psychologists define as "learned helplessness."

The only Northern businessman that has sustained, at least, 2000 employees in our contemporary existence today is Aliko Dangote. I challenge any one to name another person from any of the nineteen states. In the South, I can name over 20 people with such investments.

Unfortunately, I am only competent to speak on only a sector- transportation, and in the transportation-- strictly on aviation issues

Throughout the life span of Nigeria Airways, more than 90 % of the employees were from the South, despite the so-called, federal character, a system that was used to lure Northern-below- standards into the scheme of things, as a refection of the dichotomy in our unity.

In every sector of our economy, the North is in the valley. From education, health-care, agriculture, financial and transportation sectors- Northern Nigeria is at the back seat, ironically and unfortunately, with Northern drivers. The North has driven the vehicle of economic development off the road, and it is really stuck in the mud far away from Northern destinations.

When president Obasanjo woke up one morning to commence his "reform" of the aviation sector, his prime advisers on aviation and privatisation were Northerners (whether the president listened to them or not, is another issue entirely). The reform, in my own opinion, was to slice northern Nigeria off the frequent flier program. Nigeria Airways was sold; sadly, it was the only airline that linked the whole country together. Southern investors were called to establish a new airline as our flag carrier-a partnership with South African Airways failed because, a South African radio made a scornful remark about Obasanjo. President Obasanjo personally invited Richard Branson to start an airline in Nigeria with private placement of shares from Southern business investors.

Kema Chikwe, Aborishade and Fani Kayode, the former ministers of aviation during Obasanjo's regime, flooded the Ministry of Aviation, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) and the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) with their people, while flushing out most Northern employees in the name of reform.

There are five airlines in Nigeria now: Arik Air, Bellview, Aero, Chanchangi and Virgin Nigeria; only Chanchangi Airline is based in the North, and it is the least in terms of operational strength and equipment values of all the five. There are two epileptic airlines, Kabo and IRS. Although they are in need of financial support, but would not accept partnership from investors to strengthen their liquidity and management skills.

The four airlines based in the South have strong investors and are supported by their regional "heavy weights" through direct financial investments and other physical and operational assistance. When Bellview Airlines' B737-200 enroute from Lagos to Abuja crashed about three years ago, it resumed flying activities almost immediately, with the then minister of aviation spearheading the support and defending the airline in its operational capability. Chanchangi Airline that did not have any incident was grounded along with Sosoliso that crashed in Port Harcourt for reasons best known to the former president. Every one watched with dismay at the president's action to ground Chanchangi, but no one dared to challenge the injustice.

It is highly interesting to note that the first commercial aircraft to come to Nigeria landed at Kano Airport, and the pioneer of private airlines operation in Nigeria, was Alhaji Adamu Dankabo, the owner of Kabo Air. Despite Nigeria Airways' objection and the then Ministry of Aviation's lukewarm approval and permit for Kabo Travels and Tours to operate scheduled flights, Dankabo changed the face of private airlines ownership in Nigeria for good. This effort by Dankabo should have been followed by airline vibrancy in the North, but instead, the effect created a big boom in Southern Nigeria.

Transportation is the backbone of any economic development in any region; there are no regular air links to any part of the North, except Abuja. Kaduna is entirely at the mercy of Chanchangi Airline while Sokoto, Kano, Maiduguri, Yola, Jos, Minna and Ilorin seldom have flights. The rail system as we all know has been buried in the dungeon for the past 15 years and it will take another ten years, at least, for the North to sight a functional cargo or passenger train operating northern routes.

Many airlines in Nigeria have gone bankrupted but the effect of this bankruptcy is felt more in the North, which is so vast in land size, but yet, grossly neglected by its own people to effectively air-link the region.

It is quite interesting to see that the emerging young Northern businessmen are more excited about having private jets as a sign of economic arrival and affluence among peers, as opposed to developing a strong business base with future prospects. Most Southern business people with private jets can boast of a prolonged business growth and survival with a clear cut pedigree of their business derivation. Apart from Aliko Dangote, every northern businessman today, is comfortable with chasing contracts and depending on a known godfather in government. Once the godfather is out of office, the business withers. The North needs a strong manufacturing and agricultural base supported by a dependable transportation system.

Through this medium, we wish to praise the only relative of a Northern financial institution, Unity bank plc, for their encouragement and support towards Kabo Airlines and their interest in promoting Northern youths, but Unity Bank alone cannot be the only Northern affiliated bank in this dispensation. We need more banks to originate from the north to back more airlines and more businesses. We also need more viable Northern airlines to fly the northern skies.

While we support the governments of Zamfara and Bauchi in their views to establish cargo hubs in the respective states, our advice is that, they must also endeavour to lure foreign cargo flights into both airports through a strong partnership agreement that will enhance the economic growth of the states, or they will end up like Katsina State, which has a beautiful, well renovated, but inactive airport. Job creation through this arrangement cannot be over emphasised. Bauchi State government has started in the right direction by sending 20 of its indigenes for commercial pilot training. This effort is laudable since there are no more bursaries and scholarships to support our northern youths in schools again.

The North has become an appendage of the South in every facet of economic development. Who can lead us out of this storm?

Northern Nigeria is at a cross road between situational awareness and economic dependency on Southern institutions, established by the Southerners. This article is not about sectionalism, discrimination and prejudice, but is about reaffirming the realties on ground. That is why the coming conference, being organised by LEADERSHIP NEWSPAPERS GROUP on de-industrialisation of Northern Nigeria in all its ramifications next week, February 27 and 2008, is right on spot!

The Yoruba should leave already and not just talk, talk, no action. Nigeria is tired of the Shenanigens of OBJ, Adedibu and Bode George, etc, and the hardships these guys have wrought on us. Before they leave, though, they should not forget to empty their kabu kabu and Okada tanks of Niger Delta (and Abia and Imo) oil.

Oh! I forgot that Ondo is also oil-producing.

And, no one, not even the OPC, should declare my flat at Ijegun, behind Satellite town on Lagos-Badagry expressway an abandoned property ohhhhhhhh!

The New Kosovo: Path For The Yoruba Nation
By Remi Oyeyemi
Monday, 18 February 2008
“The Czech Republic and Slovakia engaged in their velvet divorce 15 years ago. Membership of the European Union has more than doubled since that date. It has been a fantastic two decades for those who make flags or sell maps but it has been a thoroughly confusing period otherwise. There are today, if one includes some of the smaller entities such as Andorra and San Marino, some 50 or more states in this continent.” - TIM HAMES of LONDON TIMES commenting on the declaration of Independence of KOSOVO earlier today.

The quote above is an evidence of the wave of self determination that is sweeping across the continent of Europe. It is a testimony to the fact that nothing is stronger than the primordial loyalty and self governance. It is a proof that no matter how long a people was held in bondage, freedom will always come. It is a testimony to the fact that among the peoples of Europe, globalization has no effect on the desire to have one’s own country.

Today, as I celebrate the birth of the Kosovo nation and congratulate the Kosovo people for their tenacity and victory, one is seizing this opportunity to call on other peoples of the world who wish to self determine to wake up and grab their destiny. I am particularly calling on my Yoruba people to begin to think of their own country and begin to work towards it. It is time for the birth of OODUA NATION.

One of the dangers for a public events analyst is to flow with the current of emotions, when facts on a particular issue points to a different direction. Despite the inherent dangers of predicting public events and the course of History based on what History itself has taught us, it is still an alluring adventure especially when the facts of the situation remains stubborn as in Nigeria’s case. But the fact that the Yoruba nation will be born would not have been a prediction along this line. This is because it is part of the natural course of events that will come to pass. And very soon too!

Despite the advancement of science and technology and the beauty of globalization, nature is the best propeller of regionalism. Nature as in your natural environment with the full right to determine how you want to live your life, without any outside power or influence raising any concern explains why there will be the Oodua Nation, why Biafra will be born again why other nations entangled in Nigerian quagmire will be free eventually and why Kosovo became free as a NATION today against all odds.

The OODUA nation must begin its journey to fruition right now. It is time for the leaders of Yoruba nation to begin coalescing and start to put in place the philosophical underpinnings of the Yoruba nation state. I am aware that there are fears. I am aware that there are concerns. I am aware there are nay Sayers. I am aware that there are arijenimodarus that can only survive in the Nigerian context and would work to undermine our dream. I am aware that there are internal and external enemies of the Yoruba nation who would rather see the Yoruba in perpetual subjugation to the Nigerian state. I am aware that the journey will not be easy. BUT I AM CONVINCED THAT IT IS UNSTOPPABLE.

Even the United Nations General Assembly in its resolution A/RES/61/295 of October 2, 2007 has contended inter alia:

“Concerned that indigenous peoples have suffered from historic injustices as a result of, inter alia, their colonization and dispossession of their lands, territories and resources, thus preventing them from exercising, in particular, their right to development in accordance with their own needs and interests,

Recognizing the urgent need to respect and promote the inherent rights of indigenous peoples which derive from their political, economic and social structures and from their cultures, spiritual traditions, histories and philosophies, especially their rights to their lands, territories and resources,

Recognizing also the urgent need to respect and promote the rights of indigenous peoples affirmed in treaties, agreements and other constructive arrangements with States,

Welcoming the fact that indigenous peoples are organizing themselves for political, economic, social and cultural enhancement and in order to bring to an end all forms of discrimination and oppression wherever they occur…”

As a student of history, one of the major lessons I have learnt is that no empire or amalgam can hold another race of people in bondage forever. This is why empires fall. It is why Nigeria will fail. It is why OODUA nation will be born. There is nothing like having your own country with your own people. Artificial countries like Nigeria never survive for ever. Such countries may survive for some time, but eventually, the power of primordial attachment and loyalty always overcome. The powers to self determine our future will prove too strong. The power to be free will not and can not be ignored.

United Kingdom has had a great History. It once upon a time ruled over the greater part of our world. But today, this proud history means nothing to the Scottish, the Welsh or the Irish who have been part of that History one way or the other. This History is not a factor in the desire of these peoples to have control over their own destinies. That country, the United Kingdom that engineered the amalgamation of the Nigerian behemoth is breaking down!

As far as I am concerned, any worry about the Nigerian mess is a waste of time. One discusses the Nigerian issues nowadays with a distant emotion. This is because it is an exercise in futility. Nigeria can not work. My concern right now is the future of the Oodua Nation that will soon be given birth to. This is because it is a natural course of events for Oodua nation to become a reality, no matter the obstacles, no matter how long it takes.

Even then, the issue now for me has gone beyond the inefficiency of the Nigerian state as a Country. The issue now is no longer about the corruption of the ruling class. It is no longer about the unfulfilled dreams of Nigeria. The fact now is that if Nigeria was paved with gold on its streets, in its houses, in its hospitals, in its market places and even in its toilets, it will still not matter to me anymore. In my view, it is time for the Yoruba Nation to be born. As Osagyefo Kwameh Nkrumah once said “Ask ye for the political kingdom and all other things shall be added unto thee.” Freedom and independence is the fullest of all richness. It is the best that this present generation of Yoruba leaders will bequeath to our future generation.

The birth of the Yoruba nation has become inevitable. I know that some are going to pooh-pooh this as illusions. Others will deride this. Some still will attack and call names. Often, those who do not understand the force of history can only see illusions in an idea that is in tune with nature and whose time has come. As the write-up below culled from the London Times attests to “If anyone had predicted in these pages in February 1988 that the atlas would look as it does now, they would have been dismissed. The notion then that Kosovo would become an independent nation would have been regarded as laughable.” Please read the full story:

I am an Igbo, but how come I never observed this paper thing in all my years on earth?

[quote author=@tomX link=topic=87060.msg1980152#msg1980152 date=1203587833]Tissue paper is soft and absorbent enogh to do some thorough cleaning with. The coarse kind of paper you rip off a note book will not do the same. It might evenn cause injury. As a little experiment. Take two saucers and smear them with palm oil. Use a tissue to wipe one then try to wipe the other with ordinay paper and see if you get the same result.
I disagree with you. It's always better to wash with soap and water than to just wipe. If you are afraid of getting doody on your hands (quite understandable) then wipe first and wash afterwards with toilet soap and water. It's a lot more hygenic.[/quote]Now you are complicating a simple exercise as ''shitting'' by advocating to wipe with tissue, then hand, water and soap. This is becoming ridiculous and laborious.

Plus, what makes you assume that those who use paper do so with coarse paper? What makes you think they do not moisten the paper in water before use?

It is often believed that Benue women are offered to visitors as ''Kola''. Is this one helluva culture that might well explain why Benue has the highest HIV/AIDS incidence in Nigeria?

last poster

Gosh! Your hands must be bacteria-laden. When you check it out on a microscope, you will certainly find a thick flocculation of bacteria (biofilm). And to think that you eat and shake decent others with those filthy hands of yours?

But the truth is, it is better to use paper (and that is if what the first poster observed is indeed an Igbo-wide thing, or just a few poor people who apparently can't afford tissue papers), which is actually what the so-called tissue paper is, than to use hands or to be shitting all over the place like is the case in Ibadan and Yoruba-dominated parts of Lagos.