₦airaland Forum

Tippy Top:
What are you smoking? So you want us to believe that Mid-West was created to appease the Oba of Benin? My friend are you sane?

Before supporting bayooooooooo you should've read his post. His arguement was that every one would want their own states given the opportunity. He gave examples of the middlebelt. What would have been the reason if the middle belt had voted to leave the North in a  referendum?
According to you it would be the Tor Tiv wanted to be called an Emir.

No need for the insult as I have not insulted you.
I did not support any one. I was simply debunking a lie and for people to educate themselves. They should research instead of listening to a faceless paid agent who brain wash peeps on the net. While those guys are in Nigeria getting shot, you have people who come on the internet from Uk and USA shouting war.

Secondly, I did not read his comment. There was no need for me to, after all, I did not quote him but if that was Bayooooo's point (I hope I got the context right), then YES, he is too right.
Look my friend, if there is an all-out-split in Nigeria (not the North-South split), trust me, people would align with their brothers and sister, wherever they maybe.
And this brings be the the Niger-delta republic question, really, the name should be changed to Ijaw republic (no disrespect to my Ijaw bros ). If given the chance, every "majority" would do what the "Hausa-Fulani" on every "minority", that my friend is a FACT in Nigeria. Secondly, Niger-delta republic will be swimming in "oil-wars" instigated by the WEST so we could sell our oil for cheap to get weapons to kill each other off quickly.
To me, that is a hell I do not want my people to face.

Even the "Middle belt", what is it? Is it the same Middle belt that consist of Fulanis in Nasarawa, Niger and other parts of the MB? Or Yorubas in Kogi and Kwara ? Oh please, this is foresight. The euphoria of a united Niger-delta will quickly end when the "oil-wars" start.

Those are my points. There is no need to reply. . .

Before I go, people and brothers (including Kpogede) and sister, this is NOT a oil war, neither is it a religious war. Boko Haram is a NATIONAL ISSUE and should be treated as such. Toady, we all watched Muslims die along side their Christian counter parts. I know its hard not to be partisan aginst the "North" ( I'm also guilty of it) but let us reduce it as much as possible. Let us respect the dead.

Thank you!

I am just here to correct a lie.

The Itsekiris opposed the creation of the Mid-west region so the I don't know where 99% was gotten from since the population of warri was this:

Here are the official 1963 population census figures and the ethnic distribution pattern for Warri Division (now the 3 Warri Local Government areas.)

Ethnic group                                  Population                  % of Total

I.   Itsekiri                                    92,711                      64%

II.  Ijaw in 3 enclaves                    20,702                      14%  

III.     Urhobo of Agbassa             2,000                        1.4%

IV.     Urhobo of Idimi Sobo of Okere         480               0.3%

V  Others – Urhobo, Edo, Hausa,Ibo     29,167                 20%                          

Total                                                     145,060                        100%

http://www.waado.org/urhobohistory/WesternNigerDelta/Danjuma/Itsekiri/PositionPaper.html

Also, about the vote pattern. I once saw it but this is the closest I could find for now:

The Itsekiri ab- initio had opposed their inclusion in the Mid West Region until they had the guarantee of the protection clause in the Mid West Constitution of 1964. Therefore when the military abrogated the clause, they struggled to the limit of their and resources to be excluded from the then proposed Delta State for fear of oppression and marginalisation-today’s pogrom and ethnic cleansing in Warri were not even contemplated then.

http://www.itsekiri.org/files/communique/communique_details.php?selected_id=81

Secondly, PEOPLE PLEASE do a bit of research before you get carried away by lies and propaganda.

Lastly, the creation of the Mid-west was not because of oppression as people want us to believe, it was because the Oba of Benin was not used to the whole idea Ogboni confraternity unlike the Oba of the Yorubas.
It was more of a political thing since you cannot have two kings in one palace! So, to prevent friction between the Benins and the Yorubas, the Mid-west had to be created.
This is apart from the obvious external influence to reduce the political and economic power of the West by the other "two".

maclatunji:
The only things worse than Boko Haram attacks are the government's laughable/pathetic reactions to them and the comments, hate-propaganda of tribalists and religious bigots who would rather see evil prevail so that they can further their myopic agenda.

GEJ keep lying to yourself that all of this is not your fault, you hear. Imagine, terrorists now have more organisational acumen than our government. It should not surprise us, people who cannot count as proven by the House of Representatives' Ad Hoc Committee's investigation into fuel subsidy cannot be expected to be strategic in security management.

Please, take care tomorrow if you live in Lagos, protesters and police/military look set to clash!

My brother, you UNDERSTAND the situation well . . .

Olodostein:
Everywhere is calm now. Soldiers in the streets. Stopping and searching.

We will begin to count the dead as things unfolds by morning.

Shalom .

Let me tell you people the bitter truth. President Jonathan made a big mistake of removing subsidy on January first instead of focusing on Security. Human lives is worth more than anything. Very MISPLACED priority. I warned about this on Nairaland here.

Expect mass exodus in days to come. I will even spread the message amongst our people here. Those who have ears, let them hear. If you have relatives or friends, start telling them NOW. Although it would be hard for them, since Kano provides jobs and business for millions. What can a man do? Your life is more precious and as far as there is life, There is Hope. The heart of Northern Nigeria has finally been hit.

If no CONCRETE action is taken by the authorities, clerics and other important VIP's like Emir's and the Kano natives, expect Northern Nigeria to be like Somalia and the possible breakup of Nigeria.


@Odunnu

Shagari qtrs should be safe. Where the attacks took place where in mostly official places and residence. And not in residential areas where average and poor folks live. However, we are yet to confirm as events unfold.

May the lord be with us .

You just said the TRUTH my brother! GEJ has very bad advisers. Instead of creating unnecessary tension in the country by subsidy removal n dividing the south by sending soldiers to Lagos, he should have sorted out boko haram first!
he himself confirmed that there are BH members in his cabinet. The funny thing is that he, Jonathan, still gets advise from them. Smh
GEJ should be very careful. May God guide him

https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-850262.0.html#msg10004387

Front page if possible. Pls!

May God bless this man. This is why he has many enemies,both on the internet and real life!

This is all too funny!

This was why I warned people not to tribalise the issue. Corruption does not know an igbo man from a hausa man or yoruba, efik from ijaw, etc.

Guys, do not allow shallow minds to tribalise the issue!


What a shame!

Religion.

Humanity and her wars are shaped by Religion.

sbeezy8:
No, Why would yorubas hate igbo? 4 wut?

Yorubas dont hate anyone actually. To your Average yorubaman- Igbo,efik,Ijaw, etc (ALL non yorubas and non yoruba related ethnic groups) are basically the same, which is why we don't really differentiate. Cause we dont care

Has nothing to do with Civil war or anything- Majority of yorubas under the age of 50 dont even acknowledge there was a war unless they are interested in History- I KNOW in my family no one even thinks about Civil war- I didnt even know sht about what biafra was until this ibo girl was ranting their normal "Yoruba this n that".

So that being said to me igbo are funny people always talking about "Yoruba Fulani or hausa this n that", "Civil war this n that" "Biafra this n that" - LOL funny people sef

I have to agree . . . .

@OP
They don't hate eachother, all you see on NL is gra-gra!
If they did, Lagos would have been hell.

sbeezy8:
There is Heavy crude in Ondo Ogun Edo and Lagos states over 30 billion barrels-

Canada uses around 47% of its Heavy crude/Bitumen to make its petroleum products Why cant naija?
Canada has I think the second largest oil reserves in the world but Half if not Majority comes from Heavy crude found in SW Nigeria.


Naija - dont worry

Very correct. It is also called heavy crude oil!

Bitumen communities seek FG’s protection

The bitumen producing states in the country are Ondo, Ogun and Edo. . . . . . .
Vanguard gathered that the country has the third largest bitumen deposits in the world with Venezuela and Canada, coming first and second, respectively.
http://www.vanguardngr.com/2011/11/bitumen-communities-seek-fgs-protection/

I wonder what business Nigeria has in import both heavy and light crude oil

So, its not even true?!

Well, back to square one!

If true, the country needs to apologize to GEJ.
I once told my friend here that GEJ is not the bad person but his advisers are his enemy, hence, it makes him look clueless.

GEJ should be careful. He has people around him that want to see his downfall! He needs to start taking more of these sort of decisions.

Anyway, lets see if this is true or[b] they are simply playing with our intelligence as usual[/b]. GEJ, prove yourself!

DaLover:
Jason, what people? Is lagos and kano representative of the whole of nigeria? We in 9ja delta are fully in support of a deregulation of the oil industry, like i said before, we call the yorubas and the hausas our oppressors because while they ran the FG, the shared in the spoils, the hausas benefitted from the political angle while the yorubas enjoyed the economic benefits, presently they have strangulated the oil economy to the lagos axis, and we are not happy about it, they control pengassan, the oil marketters, the oil company executives etc etc, it not right, for years they have pushed the 9ja delta people to the side lines while we have watched, we are waiting for the right opportunity,

It is not a coincidence that Lagos and Kano where the arrow head of violent protest against GEJs attempt to dereguate the oil sector, they rightly percieve this as the begining of the end, did you se who the major marketters are? You sit down there and tell me i am tribalistic while otedola, tinubu, jimoh ibrahim, danjuma, adenuga, Ibb make billions where you can hardly see an ijaw man,

Its only in nigeria that mobil would run operational offices from lagos, denying people of akwa ibom the opportunity to influence decisions on there God given gifts,

If we are really sincere about fighting corruptionwe should be asking ourselves key questions about the structure of this country, for me the reason why there is so much curruption is because of the structure, 36 states, 700 lgas contributing no wealth to the common good of the country, lets the lagos and kano protesters insist on resource control, where every states pays at least 50billion naira monthly to maintain the nation and not the other way round, lets get rid of institiutionalized laziness, then i can know that they really want to move on the path of development,

A situation wher we complain about the size of federal govt but size expect the govt to brush our teeth border on what most people refer to as hypocrazy.

My fellow Deltan; let me first say this, I am on your side on this. After all, we produce the oil, why should every thing be located elsewhere.

You see my point of view is that GEJ wants to leave a legacy for us in the NDelta (check the SURE program), after all, the oil will dry up in 30-45 yrs (according to him). I agree! (this is one of the NUMEROUS reasons why I want Southern-Nigeria instead of all these fragments but that aside).

With that said, I want you to know that I, as a common man, will feel the pinch more than this so-called cabals. Can't the cabals be arrested? Why must I feel the pain because of the fear of some certain cabals? To me, it does not make sense. Are you telling me that Otedola and co cannot be arrested?? Even ordinary Lagosians protested in front of Otedola's house, are you then telling me that this man is out of the government's reach?

Also, these people, Dangote and co are PART and PARCEL of the economic team. So, is it not hypocrisy to call him a cabal when you hand-picked him to be part of your economic team?

As for the economic center being in Lagos, through out my stay in Nigeria (six yrs), I visited some cities and I can tell you that Lagos is the only place a Yoruba, Igbo, Ndeltan, Hausa and co will feel at home without prejudice. Even if we move the economic center (how? I don't know. May be you can explain) to let's say Bayelsa, do you think that will change the status of Lagos?? Lagos was like that before independence (before oil and etc was discovered), so what do you mean that by the statement that "Yorubas" benefited economy. Also, Hausas, can you blame them?? Did they want to be part of Nigeria? Why did we southerners kill their leader through the first military coup. The Coup led to a chain reaction where any man in Khaki can just come to announce his presidency!

Really, guys, the removal and sudden inflation led to the reaction you are seeing on TV, whether politicians have hijacked it is a different discussion all together.

In my humble opinion, we should not tribalise this. After all, before the removal, did you hear people shout this much? C'mon, this is not healthy for OUR relationship in Southern Nigeria.

Before I go, I want to debunk the idea among us South-Southerners that ONLY the SS has oil. That is not true, the SE and SW has oil. Most, if not all, Southern ethnic group has oil. Because of politics, Anambra and Lagos were not called oil producing states.

Beaf, you got the idea all wrong. People are not fight on the subsidy per say but are fighting the systematic corruption. I don't know whether you have been to some poverty stricken places in Nigeria, you'll almost cry.
Some people have said you are a government agent, whether or not that is true is a different subject all together. But one thing is certain, you are NOT from a poor background.

In as much as subsidy needs to go, you cannot beat a kid and expect him not to cry. It is not possible! GEJ increase petrol and in-turn, other commodities by over 100% in a country where people 90% live on less than $2 a day without constant power supply, good road etc and you expect people to believe that with this increment in prices of goods and services (speaking as a layman), they will suddenly have good roads, constant power supply, no more corruption and we will have a utopian economy. It is not possible given the distance between the government and the people.

You see, GEJ is a man who is being stirred to trouble by his enemies close to him. The man is a GOOD man but has bad advisers. His enemies want to see his down fall and what better way can you see his down fall than to turn the people who voted for him, against him?

The idea of turning this into a tribal war is quite silly and will further fragment his(GEJ) power source, rendering him powerless. He knows this and that is why he has no choice but to listen to the people because the people are his source of strength (they put him there when he was not allowed to be the president after Yaradua's death).

My suggested solution is for GEJ to first of all, listen to the people. Listen to his source of strength. Gain their support as he did during the election time. Phase out the removal and use the money gained to build some infrastructures so people can believe in him again.

They said: “President Goodluck  Jonathan should listen to the voice of Nigerians and revert to status quo of N65.00 per litre as the removal of subsidy will further impoverish the down-trodden Nigerians, who  are living from hand to mouth and further enrich the cabal, that are in government.

“The Federal Government should, as a matter of urgency, identify the cabal and they should be brought to book in accordance with the law of the federation.”

T[b]he youth leaders said the issue of fuel subsidy “goes beyond ethnic borders
[/b]
“Mr. President should not put the South – South region in a disadvantaged position in the politics of Nigeria, as the decision on the removal of fuel subsidy has cast a negative image on the entire region,” they added.
http://www.vanguardngr.com/2012/01/s-south-youths-disagree-with-elders-over-removal-of-fuel-subsidy/

This is my piece. . . . . . .

SO MUCH HATE!!!

Leave Igbos alone. It is not by force to protest! I am terribly disappointed by the move but it does not mean I should call them out like this. After all, there is freedom to speech and association et.al.

Leave them alone!!! God bless all of us!

All this is "one foot in and the other out".

Its either we continue with the current system where everyone looks to the FG as their savior or we do this:

1) Create 6 autonomous regions with the FCT as the central for us to mingle.
2) Contribute about 10% of our annul revenue (each state, that is) to the FG .
3) Have a quota system in the army, FG appointments etc.
4) The six regions should have their own laws to govern their people as they deem fit. Obviously, there would be a Federal law to govern both the FG and the States/Regions.
5) The sea ports will be free for use to any region that is willing to pay the coastal regions for her services.
6) It must be mandatory for Oil producing states to find another source of revenue because Oil will finish in less than 45 yrs. A total dependence on oil will lead the regions (SW,SS,SE) to the "Nigerian quagmire".
7) If a citizen works in another region that is not his/her region, they will be liable to pay extra tax.
8 ) The FG is liable to NATIONAL PROJECTS ONLY (eg, the a national rail service that connects all regions)
9) An region caught with weapons, possibly to be used for secession, or any region that wants to secede without a unanimous vote from other regions should be dealt with and the leaders executed.
10) Inter Regional/State co-operation should be allowed as both regions deem fit.
11) The regional governors are TOTALLY responsible for their regions.


Suggestion: Regions should be a homogenous as possible. That is, Anioma and any other group where applicable should be added to the SE region. Some NEastern states should be added to the NW. Igalas in Anambra should go to the NC. Igbominas, Okuns and Ofas should go to the SW.

Other states, ethnic groups etc should be allowed to choose where they want to be and/ or be allowed to form an independent state as long as the state is SELF-SUFFICIENT and non-dependent on oil because, again, oil will finish soon and the state might be rendered redundant!

This is madness.

First of all, it is because Igbos did not kill Okpara that was why there was suspicion back then. Though, the revolution in 1966 was noble but because only Easterners were spared that made it look like an ethnic agenda.

That aside, does the writer of the article realise that the president is THE president of Nigeria not Bayelsa? Anyone has the right to criticize anyone in Nigeria.

[size=3pt]It makes you wonder what future heterogeneous republics will be like if this is the mentality![/size]

edo.girl:
there are legitimate questions to be asked about his leadership qualities and overall performance. it's unrealistic to suggest that only ijaws may raise these questions. he's the president of the country, not his village.

Very well put!

Guys please, respect the office of the presidency. Also, GEJ is old enough to be your parent or grand-parent. Respect please!








Police kill one, injure many in Kogi protest
http://www.vanguardngr.com/2012/01/police-kill-one-injure-many-in-kogi-protest/


[size=14pt]
The silly attempt to tribalise this will not work. Try another avenue![/size]

One person was shot dead and several others injured when armed policemen and soldiers involved in the control of anti-fuel subsidy withdrawal protest invaded Kabawa area of Lokoja on Thursday.

The protesters had gathered at the Freedom Square at about 8.am to continue with their peaceful protest when armed policemen and soldiers arrived and fired tear gas canisters to dislodge them.

Reports alleged that it was in the process of scaring away the protesters that a 25-year-old man identified as Anas Gambo, was shot from behind at Madabo quarters by a security man.

An eyewitness told NAN that the police also went away with the corpse, while several other women and children sustained various degrees of injuries.

NAN also reports that a team of lawyers from the state chapter of the NBA narrowly escaped death when they were attacked by the angry youths, thinking they were NLC leaders who they accused of betrayal.

The team was actually going to the deceased’s home to obtain more information about his death when they ran into the youths.

Two leaders of the Lokoja branch of the National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN) had earlier been picked up by the police on their way to a meeting at the local government secretariat.

The leaders, Abdulahi Ademu and Danladi Mayaki, the President and Vice-President of the NYCN respectively, were on their way to the meeting when they were arrested, according to the Secretary of the council, Mr Abdulkadir Ismaila.

Ismaila urged the police to release the two men immediately in the interest of peace.

The Police Commissioner in the state, Mr Marvel Akpoyibo, had on Wednesday warned that street protest and blockade of roads would no longer be allowed in Lokoja and other towns.

The warning was sequel to an agreement between the police and the leadership of the NLC and TUC as well as the civil society groups to suspend street protest. (NAN)

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2012/01/police-kill-one-injure-many-in-kogi-protest/

ifeci:
silly eediot, its people like you that we need to weed out of this country.

Supported!

@the tribalist:
Now that the news has been confirmed, what do you lot have to say?? SHAME!

Guys, this is not the time to start pointing fingers or yoruba-igbo e-fights.

If SEasterners don't want to protest, please, it is not by force. Though disappointed, they have their freedom to do whatever as long as they know what they are doing (which I think they know).

This is the time to demand accountability and good governance. If we are silenced now, we may forever be silenced!

Ndigbo, Omo Yorubas, THROW AWAY YOUR PETTY ARGUMENTS AND DEMAND ACCOUNTABILITY. The time for divide and rule has ended! Now or never.
Guys, do not allow people to tribalise this issue.

https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-844551.0.html#msg9949572
FP please, so people will educate themselves on the reason for protest

Sorry guys, couldn't post the video but check the CNN website for it. . . .
http://edition.cnn.com/2012/01/12/world/africa/nigeria-strike/index.html?hpt=iaf_c1

Video coming soon . . .

Lagos, Nigeria (CNN) -- Protests that started over a scrapped fuel subsidy expanded into an outcry against the government's shortcomings as throngs of Nigerians of all classes took to the streets again Thursday.

Businesses including shops, banks and gas stations remained closed. Downtown Lagos, usually jam-packed on a regular day, was a ghost town as tires burned in the middle of empty streets.

In some areas, angry youth manned major highways.

"People of all walks are coming out to protest," said Olumide Adeleye, a Lagos entrepreneur. "There are young people and old people. People parking their Mercedes-Benzs and Land Rovers. People walking bare foot."

The government removed fuel subsidies January 1, doubling gas prices that in turn led to high transportation costs and soaring prices of food and other goods.

The government also faces another crisis -- a wave of religious attacks which has led some to fear that the current anger over fuel prices may set off sectarian violence.

As prices at the pump skyrocketed overnight, Nigerians rallied, accusing their leaders of corruption and squandering oil revenues as a majority of citizens battle grinding poverty.

In solidarity with the protesters, a union representing the oil industry threatened to halt production, which would affect global oil prices.

"Now that the federal government has decided to be callous minded, we hereby direct all production platforms to be on red alert in preparation for total production shutdown," the union PENGASSAN said in a statement.

Nigeria is the world's eighth-largest oil exporter.

"Our leaders don't do most of the things a responsible government should do," Adeleye said. "Frankly, we would pay for that high oil price if the roads were better, if our infrastructure was better. But we can't trust the government ,  removing the fuel subsidy is just one of the many ways they have failed us."

Two Nigerian trade unions have accused President Goodluck Jonathan of using "armed thugs" to attack protesters, which the government denied Thursday.

"If these claims are properly investigated, you will find out that failed and bitter politicians have not only hijacked this protest, but have diverted it from a protest against deregulation policy," said Reuben Abati, the government spokesman.

He said negotiations between the labor unions and the government are under way.

The protests -- dubbed "Occupy Nigeria" -- have galvanized the continent's most populous nation. Citizens have harnessed social media to plan rallies and warn demonstrators of dangers at particular protests sites. Others posted private cell phone numbers of government officials and urged fellow Nigerians to call and demand the return of the fuel subsidy.

"In a country with hundreds of distinct ethnic groups and little sense of national identity, citizens rarely rally around a common cause," said Gordon Bottomley, an associate at Ergo, a global intelligence and advisory firm. "The sudden inability to procure fuel for basic needs such as transportation, however, has inspired Nigerians of all stripes to take to the streets en masse."

Most of the demands so far are centered around calls for government accountability and reinstatement of the fuel subsidy, though a few have gone as far as calling for the president's ouster.

"Protesters are not seeking to overthrow the government of President Goodluck Jonathan, not yet anyway," Bottomley said.

Many Nigerians view the subsidy as the only benefit of living in an oil-producing country that has little infrastructure, poor roads, high unemployment and intermittent electric power. The government has said the removal will help free up funds to improve the infrastructure.

But there is a widespread lack of trust in the government to provide the infrastructure -- Nigeria is regularly voted among the most corrupt countries in the world.

"Though we know that in the long run, removal of (the) subsidy will help the economy, for now it is a high-profile lifestyle that is unbearable for most Nigerians, and soon the poorer ones will die out," protester Diane Awunah said.

Much of the country was shut down as the national strike entered its fourth day Thursday. Some stayed home to join the local protests while others feared the violence may escalate.

"People are getting tired, people are getting frustrated because the government has been adamant," Adeleye said. "In the past few days, people were dancing and keeping their spirits up. It was fun ,  but people are now getting tired and the level of anger is going up. I just pray that it does not get violent."

He said the frustration is shifting the direction of the protests, which started off with a call for peace.

"People are now advocating violence. The government has to tread carefully. More than 80% of the people don't support subsidy removal," the entrepreneur said.

Clashes have left at least 16 people dead and 205 injured, the Nigerian Red Cross said earlier this week.

Continued anti-Christian violence in the north and a long-simmering separatist movement are among the issues also increasing tensions on the street.

More than 30 Christians died in recent violence in Adamawa, prompting a 24-hour curfew in that northwestern Nigerian state to guard against Christian reprisals, a government chaplain said Saturday.

Boko Haram, a shadowy militant Islamic group that is said to favor strict Sharia law, is frequently blamed for the sectarian violence.

The group claimed responsibility for a series of attacks on churches on Christmas Day and issued an ultimatum earlier this month for the country's minority Christians to leave the mainly Muslim north within days.

Rumors have also swirled that Muslims in the largely Christian and animist south may become the targets of attacks.

The rising tide of violence led Jonathan to declare a partial state of emergency in four northern states two weeks ago.

Corruption, poverty and a lack of government services have helped Boko Haram gain support, especially among young Muslims out of work. So has a perception that the Muslim north has been marginalized by a political establishment drawn largely from the south, the president among them.

http://edition.cnn.com/2012/01/12/world/africa/nigeria-strike/index.html?hpt=iaf_c1

https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-844229.0.html#msg9946546

Please, Front page.

Umuahia—Abia State chairman of NLC, Comrade Sylvanus Eyeh, yesterday escaped being lynched by angry workers who accused him of sabotaging ongoing nationwide strike in the state.

Eyeh and other labour leaders had scheduled to hold their first rally in the state and directed the workers to assemble at the School Road Primary School for its commencement.

It was gathered that while the workers were waiting, Eyeh and other labour leaders, including the TUC chairman, were invited to Government House by Governor Theodore Orji who appealed to them to shelve the rally and protest for fear that it would be hijacked by hoodlums alleged to have infiltrated the state.

The labour leaders were said to have promised the governor that although they could not unilaterally call off the strike, since it was a national issue, the rally would be called off.

However, on arrival at the venue of the rally, where the other workers were already waiting for it to commence, Eyeh and his colleagues announced that it had been put off and asked them to go home.

But, apparently infuriated by the alleged double-speak of their leader, the workers descended on him.

It was said that luck, however, was on his side as he managed to escape in an unmarked vehicle but not without some beating by the irate mob.

The nationwide strike flopped in the state as labour has not held any rally since the protest began on Monday.

Meanwhile, Umuahia and Aba branches of NBA have thrown their weight behind the protest and called on the Federal Government to revert the pump price of petrol to N65.

According to the NBA, removal of fuel subsidy should be done in phases, as the removal this time amounts “to a coup against Nigerians.”

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2012/01/abia-nlc-chairman-escapes-lynching/

^^^
SMH!