₦airaland Forum

The anonymity offered by NL gives it an edge.
I prefer NL to FB. After 10-15 minutes, FB becomes boring to me. I can stay on NL for 5 hours.


We must however not forget that they serve different purposes: NL is a discussion forum, FB is a social network.

DRANOEL:
@pukkah

you 'sir' are the one misinforming people!

the deputy governor you mentioned under aper aku is actually an igala muslim. this was when the igalas were part of benue.

abubakar tsav you mentioned is a tiv man from vandeikya lga who settled in kano where he embraced islam. his own children are all christians (one works with efcc).

on the issue of minority muslims in katsina ala,gboko oturkpo etc. you can't farther from the truth!. just like you find hausas in all states of the federation so it is you find them in benue!

not to say they are no indigeneous benue muslims,the truth is in tiv land i doubt if you can find up to ten muslim families and up to fifteen muslim families in idoma land (incusive young alhaji)

What of Alhaji Aliyu Mohammed, late Zegemule n Tiv, former SSG to IBB?

Sanusi said tackling poverty/resource distribution is key to solving the violence in teh North, he was labelled a bigot and BH member
Bill Clinton said practically same few days later, it was rationalized
US government is also saying something within the context, I have not heard anyone say US is also BH.

Even if we disagree with these views, intellectual rebuttals should be put forward and practical alternatives put forward rather than label the advocates!

No problems. But you could have asked in a better way, rather than dismissing our reports as 'unprofessional and raising questions on credibility'

As a member of TeHN, actively involved in the background activities and knowing the discomfort we went through on this case, I take serious exception to your post above, synthesis. It is very uncharitable.

First, we did not publicly announce Perx's death until more than 24 hours after we heard all in order to confirm. Chelseabmw risked his life to drive from Ekpoma to Benin to go confirm at the hospital. We spoke with perx's  brother through her phone(the regular phone we spoke with Perx) and he broke the news to us. Yet, we didn't publicize it until 24 hours later, just because we wanted to confirm ourselves. Or you want all TeHN members to travel from Lagos to Benin before we can report 'credibly'?

If you followed this thread well, not just bumping in now, you will know that we had reported that we had sent Chelsea to visit her post-surgery. The death confirmation visit was the 3rd time he visited.

How do you expect us to know the cause of the death other than what we were told by her family and nurse? And you think we will report her demise in one week if we wanted to get to the very bottom of the cause before reporting?
What else do you want us to do, Mr credible and professional reporter?

I wrote as Nairalander Jarus, not necessarily the official response of TeHN to your diatribe, because I think people deserve some appreciation and understanding even in voluntary works.

Why are you look for me. Do you want to kindap me? See I has moved to thisgloob .cm
I tel seun to sell niaraland to me he said no. I lauf. I want to hlep him. I help jonathan.
Merge edo oyo beniin lagos ogun ondo rivers to becom benin. Hawusa is minortiy.
See I don't lie bcaus my roommate in unilorin was tinubu's aunty. He know me. Ask seun. Wen u come to canada u will see my face

Only an ignoramus  will think southern Kaduna and other parts of middle belt will go with the south at the expense of the north. Forget about the rantings of a few, majority of them wll prefer North. Or you think it is for nothing that a Sunday Awoniyi, Christian, Yoruba, will be a close disciple of Sarduana and Arewa Chairman?

Ilorin is also a settled case, they will go with the North. Ditto Kogi with their Yorubas.

The only part that is debatable is Kwara South, where I am from. We have always had affinity with our brothers in the SW. We were AG pre-independence and first republic, UPN second republic, AD in 1999, and now CAN. We were always minority/opposition. J.S Oolawoyin, from Offa, a core Awoist, was opposition leader in northern parliament in the first republic. My Grand Dad was also a core Awoist and was also detained in the first republic. So if it comes to referendumm, we Southern Kwarans may decide to go with West.

But until then, I remain a Yoruba northerner.

;DI dey laff o  

One, First class is not 'given', it is earned.
Two, performance in exams, nay eventual class of degree, is not entirely by the number of hours you spend reading. If you like forgo your sleep, your food, you room etc, it doesn't automatically mean you will get a First. You can read for 24 hours and someone will read foor 8 hours and will outperform you. Matter of fact, the heaviest reader in my class when I was in the uni was not among the Top 50 students and he struggled to end up with 3.50 on the dot. So your assumption that because you forwent your sleep, food, room etc, you must make a First is weak.

So sad.

Salam alaikum

OAU Faculty of Tech: Is it the best? I can't say. But probably the most competitive in the country. You meet and compete with extremely brilliant students and it brings out the best in you.

Yes, I am Sanusi. If I catch you

I think Accountants take the cake. Not because I am one( I actually don't like the profession that much). Give it to these Accountants, especially the old generation ones, they are very passionate about their profession and guard it so jealously, almost turning it into a cult. They value integrity and professionalism and are very hardworking. Until very recently, you look at a Chartered Accountant with awe. The Akintola Williams of this world. They have strict disciplinary procedure in place. When any of their members errs, it's as if he has killed the whole world. They also have impressive succession processes in place.

No, give it to Nigerian accountants.

I heard in office this afternoon. It was very shocking.

One of the four young turks(interestingly, all of them born same year) that built a company that is today Nigeria's pride in energy sector before he and Jite Okoloko left the stage for the remaining two few years ago.

Good night, Osaze!

Dialogue with a Critic
By
Sanusi Lamido Sanusi
sanusis@ubaplc.com
[LAGOS, NIGERIA]
January 31 2001
 

Mr. Critic: " Mallam Sanusi, why are you so controversial?"

Me: "Not  knowing what you mean, I am unable to answer."

Mr. Critic: "Of course you know what I mean.  Sometime ago, you wrote a Fulani article in which you said Igbos had no culture."

Me: "I said no such thing.  I said the political structures in Igboland at the time of arrival  of the colonialist were  udimentary in comparison with the Sokoto Caliphate and  Yoruba Kingdoms."

Mr. Critic:  "You see what I mean!  How could you say such a thing? For six weeks Igbos were up in arms in the Newspapers. You almost started a second Biafran war.  But that is not even the issue now."

Me: "Really! What is the matter on hand?"

Mr. Critic: "Look, it is one thing to attack Igbos, another to attack your own people."

Me:"Who did I attack now?"

Mr. Critic: "Stop pretending.  Your article on Faseun was an insult to the north.  Uncle W has already said you support genocide."

Me: "Uncle W did not mention my name.  He was referring to somebody else."

Mr. Critic: "Tell that to the birds.  Everyone knows he was talking back to you and you deserved it.  He was even soft on you.  How could you say the killing of northerners in Lagos was identical to the retaliatory killings of Yorubas in Kano."

Me: "I did not say they were identical.  I said they were similar?"

Mr. Critic: "You talk too much English.  Identical, similar, same difference."

Me: "The presence of certain common features is one thing.  The absence of all difference is another."

Mr. Critic: "Oyingbo! So tell me, in what sense are they similar?"

Me: "In the sense that many innocent Nigerian lives were taken, that the State could not protect those lives and that no one was brought to Justice at the end of the day."

Mr. Critic: "I see.  Do you believe that the killing of northerners by OPC vandals is an attempt at ethnic cleansing?"

Me: "I do."

Mr. Critic: "Do you agree that the murder of the Hausa woman in Shagamu for seeing Oro was barbaric?"

Me: "I do."

Mr. Critic: "Do you believe the killing of Yorubas in Kano was retaliatory?"

Me: "I do."

Mr. Critic: "Stop being sarcastic."

Me: "I am not.  I sincerely believe these things and have written that in my articles.  Read my Afonja article, or my Restructuring paper and you will see.  However…."

Mr. Critic: "Now what?"

Me: "I am honest enough to admit that my views are subjective, and reflect my identity as a Muslim, Fulani Northerner."

Mr. Critic: "How is that?"

Me: "Take the woman in Shagamu.  A Yoruba man is likely to believe she deserved to be killed for seeing Oro.  The cult would have killed her even if she was Yoruba."

Mr. Critic: "But is that not barbaric?"

Me: "Let me ask you a question.  If a Christian in Maiduguri defecated on the Qur'an what would the indegenes do?"

Mr. Critic: "Probably sever his head, deservingly so!"

Me: "Christians would think that  barbaric.  While you see the murder of Yorubas in Kano as an excusable retaliation for the murder of Hausas in Shagamu, the Yorubas see it as a callous and unjustifiable attack on innocent citizens because the people of Shagamu defended the integrity of their culture.  It is a matter of opinion."

Mr. Critic: "I see your point.  But does that mean motives do not matter?"

Me: "They do but in these cases they can not be established because we can not be objective.  Even if we could, the nobility of the motive does not confer legitimacy on mass murder."

Mr. Critic: "Okay.  Let us move on.  Uncle W. made a very sound point.  While Yoruba leaders defended OPC, the JNI and CAN in Kaduna were calling for trial of culprits.  What do you say to that?"

Me: "Did you read the reports of religious groups to the Board of inquiry?  Muslim groups claimed Christians were responsible for the carnage.  Christians blamed Muslims"

Mr. Critic: "Where are you heading?"

Me: "JNI was calling for conviction of Christians. CAN was calling for conviction of Muslims. Each party had already pronounced the other guilty. That is not what uncle W claimed they were doing."

Mr. Critic: "Let us go to the substance of your article, the continued detention of our brothers…."

Me: "Which uncle W deliberately side-stepped…"

Mr. Critic: "Shut up and listen.  All Yorubas supported Faseun and called for his release. When Bola Tinubu lied to a court they refused to prosecute him and the police refused to investigate.  Are you not naïve, asking us alone to give up our own for trial?"

Me: "I am happy you mentioned Bola Tinubu.  Tell me, what role did Gani Fawehinmi play in Tinubu's case?"

Mr. Critic: "He went to court as a private citizen asking the court to compel the police to investigate the charges."

Me: "Exactly.  How many lawyers do we have in the north?"

Mr. Critic: "Don't be stupid how can I know?  Very many."

Me: "Did they study the same law as Gani?"

Mr. Critic: "Of course they did, get to your point!"

Me: "How many of them have gone to court in the name of the north they love, and the northerners who were murdered, asking the court to compel police to investigate or the A.G of Lagos to prosecute Faseun?"

Mr. Critic: "I never thought of that…."

Me: "Of course you did not.  How many lawyers has the Arewa Forum retained as Advisers on this issue, or mandated to play the role of Gani?"

Mr. Critic: "None."

Me: "Does that speak of seriousness to get a conviction?  The Lagos State CP recently alleged tampering with Faseun's case file.  Still no lawyers in court!"

Mr. Critic: "Are you questioning the sincerity of our leaders?"

Me: "They are demagogues."

Mr. Critic: "Now you have abused them."

Me: "I have not.  What is a demagogue, do you know?"

Mr. Critic: "All I know is that it sounds abusive."

Me: "A demagogue is one who argues based on sentiment and emotion, rather than rationality."

Mr. Critic: "You see!  I knew you abused them.  Our Emirs, past Presidents, Leaders.  You have no respect for your elders."

Me: "If you insist.  Can you listen to me for a change?"

Mr. Critic: "I will try."

Me: "Do you know that not too long ago, Obasanjo really wanted Na'abba removed from his Speakership post?"

Mr. Critic: "Who doesn't know that?

Me: "Then suddenly some Ghana-must-go bags appeared in the House…."

Mr. Critic: "Yes! Members said they were bribes from the presidency."

Me: "Good.  What happened after that?"

Mr. Critic: "Apparently nothing."

Me: "Nothing!  No more talk about corruption in the House and self-probe.  No talk about presidential bribery."

Mr. Critic: "Okay, I get your drift.  So a deal was struck.  What does that have to do with this matter."

Me: "It is the same pattern.  Our politicians are not really after Faseun.  They are after a deal."

Mr. Critic: "What deal?"

"They want to release Bamaiyi, Abacha, Al-Mustapha and co."

Mr. Critic: "That is not fair"

Me: "Why do they link the two cases?  They can go after Faseun and those who perpetrate genocide but why say: Release my sons since you released yours?  They want a deal"

Mr. Critic: "Now look here…."

Me: "This time you shut up and listen!  So many of our politicians were on the Abacha gravy train.  They were Ministers and Advisers, friends of the First Lady and First Sons and First Daughters, in the forefront of the self-succession program-the notorious ta zarce.  So many of them turned up in one party it was called Abacha Peoples' Party by opponents.  Is that true?"

Mr. Critic: "Yes."

Me: "They all backed Obasanjo.  At that time no one said he was Yoruba.  Now Obasanjo picked his Running-Mate, his Ministers, his Ambassadors and Advisers, and contracts have been flying left right and centre but their number has not come up.  They remember the man who buttered their bread and try to get our uneducated masses to join their battle .  When some of us screamed against power-shift where were you?"

Mr. Critic: "You make sense.  But let me ask you a question.  In your heart do you consider it right to break ranks with your people?"

Me: "I believe the detainees have a case to answer and they should answer it.  If they are acquitted or convicted based on evidence so be it."

Mr. Critic: "But do you know you hold a minority view in the north today?  Should you speak against the current, as it were?"

Me: "Do you read philosophy?"

Mr. Critic: "Philosophers are pagans, I have no time for them."

Me: "Good for you.  Let me tell you a story from one of Plato's Socratic Dialogues.  Do you mind?"

Mr. Critic: "Go ahead if you must.  Do you really care if I mind?"

Me: "Calm down.  This story is from one of the early Platonic dialogues.  Socrates quizzes a man called Euthryphro on the nature of holiness.  The occasion was Euthryphro's prosecution of his own father for unintentionally killing a slave who had himself murdered another slave."

Mr. Critic: "The man prosecuted his own father?"

Me: "Yes.  His family thought it impious but Euthryphro said his family were ignorant of what is holy.  He saw holiness as doing what the gods love, and was willing to do it even if it offended his own family."

Mr. Critic: "Interesting.  Go on."

Me: "Does this not remind you of a verse in the Qur'an, asking believers to bear true witness even against themselves or their parents and close relations?"

Mr. Critic: "Are you suggesting that the Qur'an was copied from Greeks?"

Me: "Stop being silly.  This is why in the north we will never progress. When we fail to confute an argument we libel the advocate."

Mr. Critic: "Like accusing you of supporting genocide?"

Me: "You really are smart. You read between the lines. My point is this.  You ask me to bear false witness, or defend fellow-Northerners on trial for killing Southerners based on one of two reasons: Our adversaries are doing the same or our compatriots have joined them and abandoned their values. Not because you believe they have no case to answer.  Is that so?"

Mr. Critic: "In a manner of speaking, yes."

Me: "If I did that I would be taking my values from the Yoruba or from Northern politicians rather than Islam and would then be worse than Euthryphro, who in your books is a pagan, wouldn't I?"

Mr. Critic: "You know you are not as horrible as I thought you were.  But before you go, do you know what people say about you?"

Me: "Does any one ever know such things?"

Mr. Critic: "Sorry to say this.  Some people think you are mad.  Why are you laughing?"

"Because they may well be correct."

Me: "I can not believe this! You are horrible!"

One word? Quite difficult, because of the 'but' that will be there.

Best I can describe him: Honest man, but whose passion can make him go extreme at times.

If I must use one word: Honest

Love
Trust/understanding
Money

In that order

To make matters worse, many people that have not being to Lagos feel inferior, watering this superiority claim by Lagosians.

We once discussed that here: https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-222544.0.html

For someone who won Best player award in his former league, makes it sadder.

I don't accept FB friend requests from Nairalanders, except very few ones. But based on your last comment(on ping pong), I can see you have access to me FB wall, probably having accepted your request in the past. Or perhaps you're one of those with multiple IDs.

I will get Farooq.

Andre,
No mind the guy. For someone who doesn't know the spelling of 'comma' (one of the very first things you will be taught in English Grammar classes in elementary school), you begin to wonder what grade of error his articles, if he ever write one, will be riddled with. And this is the person I will be engaging in writing contest.


I suspect he is fstranger, the guy that couldn't get admission into Ife and easily resorts to Ife(my alma mater) anytime he wants to attack me.

igbaodun:
Well said, local champion!  For someone who has never had the opportunity to publish in a reputable Newspaper  let me point out that you have no idea what it takes to write well and persuade people. Your shabbily written articles are a disgrace to every college educated Nigerian. Whats worse is that you actually graduated with distinction from OAU, our very own Harvard. ***Shrugs*** Anyone with half a brain can publish anything in any Nigerian newspaper.  Heck, My HS buddy, another OAU grad, just published an article in some major Nigerian newspapers; suffice to say, the quality, like what is obtainable in your articles, left much to be desired. TBH, you are not fit to publish in my college newspaper, let alone become a guest columnist in any reputable newspaper where I live. But I know, in the land of the blind, the one eyed man is king.

I am being honest with you here. You need to work on your writing skills. Its atrocious! The saddest thing is you don't know any better, that's why you seem to be taking my benign and very constructive criticism personal.

I have thrown a challenge at you? Take it and let's go into a writing competition. i can invite Prof Pius Adesanmi or Dr Farooq Kperoogi or any other respected English teacher of your choice as judge.

Take the challenge, young man.

When what you consider your greatest asset is attacked, then off your cloth and fight

Even professional journalists with trainings in writing(unlike me) can hardly do better.

And when I say publication, I don't mean in popular side(letters to the editor), I mean full page article or those worthy of 'Guest columnist' status.

I may not be immune from errors(and no one is) but I know my quality. It's not arrogance, it's confidence.

To call my articles riddled with 'third grade errors' is height of ignorance, if not jealousy.

Only few of my mates can write better in this generation of Nigerians. Even professional journalists with trainings in writing(unlike me) will do better. And I have seen many editors confess to that.

Or you wanna enter for a writing challenge?

When you can write an article good enough for publication, you can come back.

Another similarity between Zik and Ojukwu is, both of them speak Igbo, Hausa and Yoruba fluently.

None of the above.

Nobody needs an accountant to understand what the position is. Upon all we have posted up there. Simple.

GboyegaD:
Something similar happened to my tenant's daughter when we were in JSS2. There was this girl in her class who happened to be the best in almost every subject but in 3rd term she focused so much on her maths and though she did better but other subjects dropped and so she ended worse off. The girl she was competing with in her usual manner came 1st with less stress and all through she topped the set even in WAEC. Her family had that record in the school then as they were always topping their class but in life, abeg wetin mata na say we succeed. Nobody go ask for position now.

I remembered another achievement that despite my not topping the class, I won a national merit scholarship and enjoyed N75k per session then. Moreso, all the aptitude test I wrote, I passed and I think that proved I was intelligent.

Na true you talk, GboyegaD. You were never serious in class. In fact I think I first knew you were in my class when we were in part 3. I'm not sure you attended half of the classes, always going to collect notes from S****r in Faj annex. It's either you were running parallel programme in Poly or serving. Always traveling around then. Interesting, you were one of the first 3 pple that got job in our set

GboyegaD:
Never came 1st and the best was 2nd in Primary 4 2nd term but trust me, people usually reckoned with me because despite my unseriousness, I pass well and that is what matters. The worst was my 1st term in JSS 1, I came 52nd. I thought I was still in primary school and the interesting part was me mocking my friends who came 27th and 30th respectively that they were dullards that in primary school with my unseriousness I never went below 5th to see 52nd. I got home and had to lie on my teachers that they hated me because I was barely 10 when I resumed JSS 1 and then Ogun State required you to be at least 12. My dad though he never believed me had to write letters for me to give to my teachers to correct my grade but thank God say housemaster no dey when we resumed 2nd term else, na the man my pale for give the letters to. In secondary school, I had the best result in SS1 and the 2nd best in SS2 in my class. Even for university sef, the best that ever happened to me was having the 2nd highest score in ECN 313 which implied say I no need dey struggle my head abeg since I am still doing well in life. Anyways, it is now history at least Jarus go fit talk say with my unseriousness, I still represent for class abi I talk lie make you ja mi for hia.