₦airaland Forum

osaze2017:
Atiku Abubakar has unveiled a fast-food restaurant.

The former vice president tweeted about his first Chicken Cottage outlet on Saturday evening, saying he was excited and promised to patronize local farmers to boost local agriculture earnings.



https://mobile.twitter.com/atiku/status/942083228613083136

https://www.ireporteronline.com/presidential-hopeful-atiku-opens-fast-food-restaurant-patronises-local-farmers/

safarigirl:
they are advocating for the banning of the list AND bride price... Take your own advice

Someone asked how much is bride price in my village and I responded, did he ask about any list?

Even the list in my village cannot pass 150k at most....Mbaise is obviously the only part of Igbo land where they charge outrageous fees....the annoying thing is that parts of Rivers state also have outrageous fees, but nobody comes online to whine about it

bennynaza:
a pastor went to marry an Mbaise girl. The brides dad and kinsmen received the bride price after it has been paid and give his blessings to the union. Immediately after, he pulled out #100 naira only, put it his pocket and gave the rest back to his inlaws. During the weeding, he gave the young man a pathfinder.

Bride price does not mean buying the woman, it is a cultural symbolism that shows that the man has the wherewithal to take care of another mans daughter

bennynaza:
Abolish what? That's how we are almost calling everything we inherited from our forefathers useless and stupid just because we think the white mans way is better.
Our parents that paid it did they die?
I don't know about other tribes, but my people say, " anaghi alucha nwanyi alucha".
Every true son of the soil knows that the bride price is always negotiable and you are not even expected to do everything on the list. Lets not kill what is left of our culture and identity because we want to be as "cool and easy" as the whites

safarigirl:
Atani in Arochukwu....a lady got married there as early as two weeks ago, and it was 25 naira that was paid as bride price. It was an Idoma guy that confirmed it sef

Marriage list is very much different from bride price. They are not the same

This lady sef is yarning trash, shey she sat down and allowed them extort her future husband.

Slimberry1:
Well, I am not an Igbo lady, but I think what the igbos demand on their daughters ain't too much, it's not bank breaking for an hardworking guy. People paint it as if, only the father and mother will eat it all, she has relatives after all, and her marriage needs their blessings as well, to me, the hot drink, one tuber of yam that will reach some members of the family is all they'll ever get from the lady. So let them take it in peace, Biko, besides you ain't paying that everyday now, it's once in a lifetime thing, do it and fulfil all righteousness, besides, if you can't afford all that, how dyu intend to take care of their daughter? If my man can give as much as that to my family when marrying me, I don't mind, I am from a very large family, all those listed things cannot go round sef if they're to share it. Let's respect cultures Biko, and the lady too can always support financially in getting those stuffs, it's for her people anyways.

nwakibie3:
There has been a lot of assertions that Igbo Marriage in Eastern Nigeria is expensive.
•While this is widely believed, a lot people do not also know what is required to get married in the East
•This article seeks to show that bride prices in the east do not cost much.
•It provides a generally accepted must-know info of what is considered to be bride price.


For an Igbo girl, it is when you come of age, that you start hearing stories of how Igbo bride price is costly. Guys, Igbos and non-Igbos, now seem to weave their delay in marrying their Igbo girlfriends with explanations/excuses of wanting to save more to accommodate the cost. To me, it’s a myth; one that most people find interesting and do not want to disabuse their minds from.

These days, lots of Igbo brides are getting married and no one is breaking into the bank to do so. Men are marrying Igbo women according to their means. So why does this assumption persist? I know my husband did not have to get a loan or save for a trillion years to get married and I was there for my traditional marriage to see that no one was wailing about spending all of his life’s savings in marrying me. I was there! I have also attended lots of Igbo traditional law and custom marriages to know that the groom did not spend everything he had to get a wife and that is why I write this.

The Igbos are the predominant occupants of Eastern Nigeria. They are a very industrious people with an estimated population of 33 Million as recorded in 2016. They are spread across Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, Imo, and some parts of Delta state.

They have a very rich traditional heritage with a long-standing respect for culture and tradition in every aspect of their day to day lives. When it comes to marriage in Igbo land, there is a process involved before the bride and the groom are pronounced as husband and wife according to the native law and custom generally known as the igba nkwu nwanyi.

Recognized steps to paying bride price

Courtship (knowing each other)

When a man is interested in an Igbo lady, the usual practice is to get to know each other’s likes and dislikes before making intentions known to the family of the lady. This process is common to all tribes in Nigeria. The courtship period will also afford the man the opportunity of knowing where the lady hails from and what some of their traditions are. In Igbo tradition however, a man’s family may handpick a girl they like and arrange for marriage on behalf of the man. This is common with mothers who want their successful sons to marry girls they choose. I call this protecting your investment; infact, most mothers do this.

Knocking at the door

This is a serious stage, more like a semi marriage ceremony with the whole works. These days though, most people do it on a low-key level due to costs, circumstances or so that people with evil intentions won’t foil wedding plans. When a man’s intention has been known and he is serious in having an Igbo lady’s hand in marriage, the first process is to undergo what is known as knocking at the door, called iku aka n’uzo.


This ceremony is done thrice and it is accompanied by the carriage of palm wine. These three times must coincide with three market days. If the first iku aka n’uzo falls on an Eke market day for example, it means the man will repeat the second and third iku aka n’uzo on Eke market days. If it falls on Nkwor market day, same process is followed. Mine was only done once though. The three visits were discarded due to distance and convenience.

The man must come with at least two members of his family to see his future bride’s family and specially inquire for the hand of that particular lady. In the olden days, palm wine used to be the main drink that was used in coming for this mission, but modern life has seen the use of beer and hot drinks in carrying out the iku aka n’uzo ceremony. Though, some still stick to that tradition. When you come for this ceremony, you will be asked series of questions by the girl’s people.

Your future in-laws will then make their own investigations about where you come from and your family lineage and background. This is done to avoid marriages between closely related families and to same blood lines. It is also done to uncover if there is a history of madness, or any taboo related occurrence. After the iku aka n’uzo, if the investigation is not favorable, the family of the girl will disapprove of the union.

What Igbo bride price contains

After the third iku aka n’uzo, the man’s family will request for a list containing all the items for the traditional marriage rites. Most times, the list is gotten after conferring with the family elders. In circumstances where the girl comes from a royal or highly respected family, the Eze or chief compiles the list.

Before the list is given to the man’s family, a bottle of hot drink is given to the eldest man of the lady’s family. A sum ranging from N1000 to N2000 is given to the secretary who is usually member of the girl’s family. The secretary will go through the list and then give the man’s family a copy.

Details of the list

The father of the girl has his own part in the list that must be fulfilled. These items must be bought according to how they appear on the list.
•Walking stick
•Traditional cap
•Native dress that has been sewn
•Pair of shoes
•N20,000 to N30,000 cash depending on the family

Mother’s part

The bride’s mother also has items to be bought for her on the list. These include:

•1 big basin
•1 big covered basin
•1 George wrapper
•2 Abada (Ordinary wrapper popularly called Hollandis)
•3 blouses which have been sewn
•A Set of earrings and necklace
•Wrist watch
•Handbag
•3 big head ties
•Pair of shoes
•20 tubers of yam
•2 big stock fishes
•1 bag of rice
•1 bag of salt
•Carton of tin tomatoes
•20 liters of Tin groundnut oil
•N2,000 to N5,000 cash

Umunna (men)

After settling the list for the father and mother, next you get to the list for Umunna. Their list also contains items that must be bought and presented to them before the marriage rites are approved.
•Head of tobacco
•A roll of cigarette
•Potash
•20 gallons of palm wine
•4 cartons of beer
•4 cartons of maltina
•6 bottles of Hot drink
•Goat
•N10,000 cash

Umuada (women)

The women’s group is not left out. They have their own list which must be fulfilled.
•20 tubers of yam
•1 tin of 20 litres kerosene
•1 bag of salt
•1 carton of bar soap
•1 carton of Lux soap
•4 big containers of talcum powder
•N10,000 cash

Some of the above listed items can be monetized by the groom in agreement with the girl’s family to make it convenient for them in cases where the location of the ceremony is a bit far. After settling the father, mother, Umunna (men) and Umuada (women), the next and crucial stage is the payment of dowry which is regarded as bride price. This is not done outside, but inside the room. The man and two members of his family will go inside to meet his father in-law and discuss the bride price (dowry).

On the cost of Igbo bride price

In the East, there is no fixed amount for bride price, each family determines what their son in-law pays. Some parts of Abia state set the bride price at 30 shillings – mine, for example. The irony is that if you provide all that is stated in the list and neglect to pay the 30 shillings, you are not yet married. I tell you this, because hubby was unable to give the ’30 shillings’ and despite the list completed, my dad at various moments would say, ”you’re still not married, so…,” But I digress. I also know that some things we could not bring due to distance were covered with the cash that we could afford and they let us be.

On the other hand, apart from the aforementioned, Anambra, Enugu, Ebonyi and Imo states do not have any particular amount known as bride price. The prices vary, I dare say, “as the spirit leads”, when it comes to this. As regularly observed, parents of the bride will decline accepting the bride price, stating instead that the list for the Umunne be fulfilled and to go ahead and live in peace with their daughter. Even more notable in some cases is parents collecting a particular amount for bride price and then returning it back to the groom with the instruction/advice to take care of their daughter. They always assert that their daughters are not for sale.

The government price for dowry is N60 (Sixty Naira) which is boldly written on the government stamp that is given to the groom’s family. Most families in the East do not make huge demands for bride prices because they believe they are not selling their daughters. So no matter how much one pays for dowry, what is officially given as evidence is the N60 government stamped receipt. After the dowry has been paid, the father of the girl or elder brother, elder in the family will then place the girl’s hand in that of the boy’s father. The father of the boy will then bless the couple and as soon as the girl is handed over, there is jubilation and singing by both families. If the bride has a little sister who is not married, she will follow the couple home and stay for about a week before going back home. They will buy things for her when she is returning.

On Igbo marriage

In the case of serious disagreement, if the woman is no longer interested in the marriage, she will return the dowry to her husband through her family. This must be done before the woman is free to marry another man.

In the East, once the dowry of a woman is paid, you both become one. If she dies, her corpse is usually taken to her husband’s place for burial. In extreme cases, where the woman has complained to her family about maltreatment by the man before she dies and the man goes ahead to bury her in his place, her corpse can be exhumed by her own family for reburial in her own village.

Is Igbo bride price cheap?

In summary, the dowry paid for the average Igbo lady cannot be pegged because it differs from family to family, but it is generally small. What consumes a lot is the traditional marriage expenses in tagged ‘lists’ and this discourages a lot of eligible bachelors from taking an average Igbo girl’s hand in marriage. A rough estimate of a million naira is usually needed to accomplish all the various rites before the actual dowry is paid and both partners are declared as husband and wife according to the standard Igbo tradition.

On the other hand, most of the items on the lists could be monetized according to the pockets of the prospective grooms all depending on the understanding among all parties involved so men need not shy away from proposing to their Igbo sweethearts.

https://nairametrics.com/the-economics-of-igbo-marriage-explained/?utm_source=Nairametrics+Newsletter&utm_campaign=872eceff98-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2017_04_25&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_c96c21e814-872eceff98-110392609

onatisi:
to be honest , atiku is far far far more intelligent than buhari and all his ministers
he submitted an economic recovery blueprint to buhari immediately after buhari assumed office , it was dumped
obj too submitted his own , it was also dumped
buhari never had a plan , he never knew what he was coming to do
atiku can participate in an economic debate anytime , he is just like obj . they are both highly intelligent and know the worth of young brains
look at the composition of buharis cabinet compared to that of obj or even gej
all Nigeria needs now is someone who can bring all these brains together and give them a political covering in order to make them deliver their best.
he seems to be a man that already has a plan laid down already to follow unlike buhari who didnt have any , even right now he still hasnt got a plan about how to move the nation forward

http://cutandnail..com/2014/10/how-atikus-economic-blueprint-plan-to.html

https://economicconfidential.com/exclusive-interviews/interview-too-much-government-in-the-economy-atiku/

http://atiku.org/policydocument/

http://www.pulse.ng/news/local/recession-atiku-tells-government-to-collect-more-tax-to-solve-economic-problems-id5547724.html

http://todaysimpact.org/atiku-gives-reason-fg-declare-state-emergence-education

Frumentum:
Foreign exchange reserves VS externally held reserves!!! I'm no fan of Socrates but you guys should first define what you're discussing. It's what happens when the state doesn't fully disclose the books to its shareholders, the citizens.

QuietMynd:
Sorry are u being sarcastic.
you just describe yourself mehn,
Now u re jst one of the educated illiterate of nairaland.
I saw the story u typed earlier.
mr "I too know" continue disgracing urself on the net,a simple google search will have helped you out on what foreign reserve is all about.

QuietMynd:
Nigerian foreign reserve is with the cbn.
If nigeria reserve is abroad wont we be hearing fg have requested for $20b from our reserve kept abroad to fund a capital project.

Am I nt be active in a military related discussion but when it comes to economics am very sure about what am talking about because this is what i study in school and what deal in everyday.

Am sure u dnt even knw how reserve works,
How it increases, why it was depleting before, why it is increasing now, how it influences a countrys currency against foreign currencies.

SimplyFabulous:
Your farher..... If you had a brain you wont use insultive words anyhow especially if you dont know how to read and comprehend. Since its you tat have sense, why not go and give your father and your family members some of it. Ode

Adminisher:
I am very shocked by how little you know about what foreign reserves are. How it is built up, maintained and why it fluctuates.
It is only on Nairaland you can post this and not feel embarrassed. Sad.

QuietMynd:
Bro, no country saves its foreign reserve abroad except some france puppet in west africa which choose to give france their own reserve to save.

First of all "what is foreign reserve"
"Foreign reserve" is also "Foreign exchange reserves"
Foreign exchange reserves are reserve assets held by a central bank in foreign currencies, used to back liabilities on their own issued currency as well as to influence monetary policy.

let me also explain this way.
Whenever there is FDI ( foreign direct investment)
It comes in hard currency( dollar, euro, yen, pounds), and it goes into a bank,once it is in a bank it is visible to the system.
Once the owner start converting it to naira to buy something then it start going into the federation reserve.

Malawian:
Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised,
In the city of our God,
In the mountain of His holiness.
Beautiful in elevation, the joy of the whole earth,
Is Mount Zion, on the sides of the north,
The city of the great King.
Is Mount Zion, on the sides of the north,
The city of the great King.

ycmdng:
Today, President Donad Trump of the United States of America make a life broadcast from the White House, that America will now recognise Jerusalem as the Administrative capital of Israel and the location for new USA Embassy.

SalamRushdie:
That fool trying to correct the Senator doesnt even know what he is saying , the truth is that Buhari is sky rocketed our debt profile in just two years thatn the entire 16 years of the PDP and the worst thing here is that he has zero expenditure from it on capital projects meaning he just borrowed and burnt it mysteriously without capital infrastructure to show for it ...

Blue3k:
Read more at: https://www.vanguardngr.com/2017/12/budgeted-n82bn-deep-seaport-ayade/

SlyCharlie:
PAMO actually stands for 'Peter And Mary Odili'.
They own the hospital, now they wana run a university.

SimplyFabulous:
Very sad. And as this is happening some Nigerians are still moving there right now. If Nigeria was a peaceful place, this wouldn't be happening. What a shame to Nigeria.

dainformant:
While the issue of tithing appears to be causing ripples and division among Nigerians, an investigative journalist and writer, Femi Owolabi, has come to the defence of some pastors and what they do with the tithes and offerings they get from the church.

Femi Owolabi took to his Facebook account to speak on the trending issue. Below is what he posted...

I live around Yaba area of Lagos. From Sabo down to Iwaya, you see boreholes donated by Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries, MFM.

Many months ago, I was working on a report and I needed to carry out some laboratory tests. When I got to University of Lagos' Chemical Engineering lab, I was directed to the university's central lab which I gathered is the largest and most equipped. Entering, I saw that the lab was donated by Daniel Olukoya, founder of MFM who is actually an alumnus of the school.

As much as the leadership of the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, embarrasses itself on the pages of newspaper, CAN runs one of the largest displaced persons camps in the northeast. For three years that I have been mobilizing relief materials for displaced persons in the northeast, aside individuals and a few NGOs, Christian organizations have been a larger donor of relief materials. My phone would ring, and the caller goes, "I am Pastor JJ. We have bags of cloths, please how do we get these to the displaced persons in the northeast?"

Charis Family Church, in 2015, opened its facility as a collection center for relief materials. The pastor, Bayo Adeyinka, and a team raised almost a million naira to sort logistics.

Just yesterday, another pastor whose church's team once gave me bags of relief materials for IDPs, told me they have 33k left in the account, and he asked what this can sort for the IDPs. He also wants us to meet this week so he can drop with me, bags of relief materials.

A man reached out to me many months ago. He needed information on how he can move 1000 cartons of flour (or wheat?) from Lagos to any of the IDPs camps in the northeast. I did a check on the man, he is a pastor.

In Lagos here, the Catholic Mission and a couple of other missionary hospitals are always on medical outreach to the IDPs.

I understand there is an ongoing debate on whether or not paying tithe is a Christian practice. Sincerely, those arguing against come with strong points. And sadly, responses from Daddy GO and others are so weak, far from convincing.

Get it right, it is the duty of Lagos Water Board to provide water for Lagosians, but MFM now shares in this responsibility. It is the duty of NEMA and the Refugees' Commission to attend to the victims of insurgency, but CAN and a couple of other Christian organizations share largely in this.

So, above all, if I am paying tithe or giving church my money, I do so because of some of these things I have mentioned in this post

Source; https://www.nationalhelm.co/2017/12/journalist-femi-owolabi-speaks-on-the-issue-of-tithes-and-offerings.html

Ibrahimanees:
He certainly sounds like Minister of finance Which is why I am asking for enlightenment. Because according to the Senate, they are scrapping the Excess crude account because "it's unconstitutional for the president to have an unchecked access". That's exactly what they said. But if he says it's wrong, then I believe him because this will not the first time NASS has made a total joke of themselves.
https://www.google.com.ng/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.vanguardngr.com/2017/11/senate-calls-abolition-excess-crude-account/amp/&ved=0ahUKEwiqzZeQ8_XXAhUB-6QKHWesACwQFgg5MAQ&usg=AOvVaw3MUsVbk4W4mHfogqIqGuwf&ampcf=1

homerac7:
Bad guy, Maj Gen Lucky Irabor. The dude still moves around with his side arm.

My guy feeling is he's next COAS. So experienced on field operations. Hope the politics favour him.

Ibrahimanees:
Can you please explain then, I am not challenging you, just curious. Both Foreign reserves and excess crude account.

Ibrahimanees:
God, I am feeling dizzy with all that English. Unless there is something I am missing here, section 162 is talking about Federation Account

Ibrahimanees:
The ECA is supposedly under the full control of the president (though NASS are in the process of scrapping it) the president can use it for anything, but for some reason I don't know it's always been dormant even during the past administration which get me thinking maybe there are restrictions.

Odunayaw:
Ibro(if permitted). Can't something be taken from the Excess Crude account. The official benchmark is about some $20 below what is selling ATM. Can't we just take $2 bpd and fund defence needs