₦airaland Forum

nwando:
The governors aides could have just shot in the air.

But people must remember that Easterners are used to Muslim violence and the first thing they did was to react to what they already know is no more news in Muslim Nigeria since no one knew if these were almajiris out to kill Igbos again.

The report says that they were students of Kogi state university. How many almajiris that you know, attend university? And now that the aides of an Eastern governor have shot & killed two students, please what should be the next step to resolve this issue? Because I know if the shoe was on the other foot, and it was a Kogi governor whose aides shot two students in a South-eastern university, the reactions on this thread would have been far different, from what it is now.

Danmasani:
Nwando, I bet you that u have never been to Kogi State. If u had, then you would have known that Kogi state, despite being in the North has predominately Yoruba, Igbira et al people. No "almajiris to kill Ibo man". It amazes me alot when people like you post rubbish on stuff u don't know!

Ah, thank you o!! At long last, someone who knows more about what goes on in an actual location, instead of jumping on the bandwagon, to generalise about things based on hearsay.

Kogi state is a mini-Nigeria composed of Igala people, Igbirra (i.e. Ebira), Nupe, Okun, Ibaji (mixed Igbo & Igala tribe), Fulani (who are in the minority), etc. In fact, one of the longest borders that Kogi shares with its' neighbours, is the southern border which it shares with Anambra and Enugu state. Going from Ankpa in Kogi, to Nsukka in Enugu state is a journey of less than two hours. If the proposed new road linking Abuja to Nsukka is done, that road is expected to go through Ankpa and cut down the travelling time from the East to Abuja, to not more than three hours.  The state is quite large, and you can spend 8 hours on the road, and yet you are still driving within the borders of Kogi.

Lokoja the capital, is one of the most peaceful places I have ever lived in. I spent most of my holidays there, while I was in school. Yet, someone is coming here to insinuate that almajiris in Kogi are responsible for the killing of students. Nothing wey person no go see for here! When I say the North is a widely diverse place, people ignore that fact and would rather latch on to rumour. Afterall, if almajiris killed southerners in Kano, in their own thinking - the same thing must happen in Lokoja. How juvenile.

jjuummaaii:
Tribalism started from our uneducated/educated fore fathers. the yorubas will warn their children against the igbos with terrible storries about them, the igbo's will do same against the hausas and so on and that was how it ate dip into our blood
Solution: Encourage intertribal marriages, this will in turn give offsprings broader chances to mix with relations from two/more different tribes that way tribalism might be reduced in the nearest future
i'm mixed, Kogi&Delta and am married to Yoruba i must confess i don't have any trait of tribalism in me because i have cousins all over the country being that most of my mumsi's sisters married other tribes like Yoruba,Ibo,Rivers etc so i got cousins inlaws from all over so tell me HOW CAN I BE TRIBALISTIC

May God bless you and may you live long!! When I try to explain that I have relatives from all parts of this country and as such I don't buy into this tribalism business, people give me all kinds of stupid labels. Thank goodness someone is pointing out such a beautiful example of inter-ethnic harmony.

@ doctor b,

Am sure there are many negative stereotypes about people who come from your own ethnic group, as well. How would you feel if folks from another ethnic group decide to view you with suspicion, because of all the unsavoury tales they have heard about your own people? Or how would you feel if you are treated as guilty until proven innocent, based on such stereotypes?

nwando:
I wonder where babyosisi or donzman endorsed osu.
are you okay?

Nobody said they 'endorsed' osu. Are you okay?

@Feese,

Na wa o! But what gives you the idea that because one Yoruba man says he cannot marry from another ethnic group, therefore all or most Yoruba men feel the same way? Haven't you seen other Yoruba men that married  outside their ethnic group? I know about 8 of them in my office, that got married to women from different parts of Nigeria. One actually married a Birom lady from Benue state last christmas. Their wedding was fun!!

Look, it all depends on the individual's perspective. My own creed is simple: Find out what works for you & stick with it. I have seen folks come from the same village, get married and end up in an acrimonious divorce three years down the line. It also works the other way, too. Like I said before, it all depends on the individual.

[quote author=@labiyemmy link=topic=82424.msg1553594#msg1553594 date=1191428273]why were they there illegally in the first instance? that a law is in place and is not enforced is not an invitation to every tom privates and harry to break the law. Dont you know the law always catch up no matter how long a time?

Why should government give them a place, do u have a business? did government rent your business apartment for you? if government allows  the kiosks and sheds that sell food over septic tanks and gutters and people die of disease and water borne illness or if an outbreak of illness comes due to the location of these stalls - who will you blame - the same government.

Near my office on Allen, every night - the hausa people come and put their wares right on top of gutters and people come there and buy fried egs and breads and tea and u see their wooden stalls etc almost right on the road th next morning - and you say government should fold her arms and look?[/quote]Thank you o! I thought I was the only one that saw the evils of street trading, until you came and added another perspective that showed us the unhygenic aspect of the whole thing.

Those claiming govt. should build shops, keep forgetting that even if you build shops and some of these street trading folks move in there, another batch of people will spring up to take up their place and trade on that same spot on the street. It has happened before.

They will always tell you, they don't have money to rent stalls inside the market, no matter how cheap those stalls are. I know some women who have shops inside the market, but deliberately left those shops to come out and trade on the street because according to them, "market moves faster on the streets." A few of those women live in my cousin's neighbourhood. So not all those street traders are poor, destitute people who cannot afford to rent their own shops. Am not saying that govt. does not have its' own flaws, or does not build expensive shops, but there are other markets with less expensive stalls, that are curiously boycotted by traders, who want to continue earning their living from undisciplined buyers who patronise them by the roadside, or on the streets!

I also gave an example of Aswani market, where large open spaces abound within the market towards the rear, but the traders ignore those spaces and prefer to still move to the roads to sell their wares. Nobody passed a comment on that.

Instead everyone is blaming govt. for trying to enforce trading regulations, and environmental laws. When Oniru market was demolished recently off Lekki-Epe expressway, the traders were given an open field with little stalls, where they could continue to trade not too far from the market, until the market could be rebuilt.

Some of them shunned the open field, and decided to line the road with their wares. Meanwhile, the leaders of the market men/women who are traders too like themselves, turned their association into a cartel and extorted money from the roadside sellers. So apprently, these roadside sellers or street traders have enough money to pay as bribe to the market leaders, but no money to pay as rent for the little stalls. 

Babasin, I thought your headline was Kogi governor killed students. . . .but the link to the story, gives us a different view.

almondjoy:
No thank you--you do not have to agree with me. Just maintain some consistency as to whose side and what issues you stand on.   Then I guess I will stick with my Turret's and you have become a "flipping flip-flopper"!!!  You could lose a lot of elections that way you know.  You do not change opinions because you fear repeating yourself.  Have you ever heard of the word "emphasis"?  Who in the world is condoning lawlessness or defending the indefensible?

I said make a safe transition for the traders and stop wasting our money by pretending to maintain law and order in Nigeria.  What has been accomplished with your proposal of dealing with these undesirable elements in our society.  As you can see back to "square one".  I guess my "bad case of Turret's" isn't so bad afterall.

In what way have I become a "flipping flip-flopper" to use your own words? Everything I wrote is still there in black & white for people to read and draw their own conclusions.

You are the one that shifts your position with every page. From stating that govt. is lawless so those who break laws should not be punished, you moved straight on to use a kid's tractor on a refuse dumpsite as an analogy, which didn't even fit the bill. Now you have switched to another mode: advocating transition. Hehehe. . .don't get too confused before you land at your final destination. We can all see where you are coming from, but I guess you are the only one who knows where you will end up.

My position from day one has been clear. Traders should NOT engage in buying & selling on the streets or the highways. It is risky, and directly contravenes safety & environmental rules, and it also causes traffic bottlenecks on our highways. Secondly by providing shops to these street traders & railway line sellers, govt. would be rewarding wrong behaviour, as people would think that all they need to do is trade on the highway, and they would be rewarded with a shop. 

My points were written in simple English, easy enough for anyone to understand. If you find it hard to make sense of it or if it sounds like 'Turret's syndrome', a 'dogmatic' view or 'flip-flops' to you. . . .then am sorry, I really can't help you. It means someone should call for a refund of the money spent on your education.

davidylan:
alhaji mallam, don't worry i am also in favor of African unity.

Yeah. . . . .we all know you are in favour of it, as long as such unity doesn't include the Northern part of Nigeria. African unity, indeed!

denex:
These must be the Southern Nigerian Kills Christians I guess.

ROFLMAO!!

almondjoy: Stop being so dogmatic Laudate.  I used that kid and tractor analogy to show that a government should have love and compassion for it's citizenry!  You get so fixated sometimes you cannot see outside your box.  You keep hitting corners with no outlet of expression.  Then you get stuck on one point like someone with Turret's Syndrome!

So because I do not agree with you, I have now become dogmatic? Thanks for the compliment.
Looking at what you wrote, anyone would conclude that you are actually the one with a bad case of Turret's syndrome.

Yes, govt. should have love & compassion for its' citizenry, but that love & compassion should not include rewarding wrong behaviour. That is the point am making, that you seem to be missing. Well-run societies thrive under the rule of law. Period. If everyone commits an act of illegality in order to draw govt.'s attention to their plight, where do you think society would be?

One little point of correction. . . .am not fixated. You are the one who cannot think outside the box, because you feel since govt. cannot enforce laws, its' okay for everyone to keep breaking them. Free your mind and stop defending the indefensible!

almondjoy: No one says to keep breaking the laws.  But you must understand that in a lawless country, anything goes.   To work with the lawless impoverished masses, you have to be diplomatic and caring so they can respect you in return like you will treat a kid.  What alternative are you providing for these petty traders to beautify a pigsty?

Go through all the posts that have been made here, and you would see that various alternatives have been suggested. Must everyone repeat what they have said more than once, so that you can get the message?

almondjoy:
Of what use are your "laws" when they are not "enforceable"?  Just to sit in some dusty cartons in a room and watch the whole country go to the pits?  Nigerian citizens are only the product of what leaders we have.  You should deal with the problem of leadership first.  

A government is supposed to make things easier for its citizens because it loves them.  Not make things harder for them because it hates them.  How can I have a child I say a I love and because he plays with his "tractor" on my refuse dump--I decide to destroy his tractor and make him misearable and sad?  Instead, I will build him a designated playground, clear my dumpter and plant a fantastic landscape to make sure my child recognizes that that is a "flower bed" and not a dumpster!  You get my drift?

So if those laws are not enforceable, we should all join hands in breaking them so that the society degenrates into a state of anarchy?

That example of your kid playing with his tractor by a dumpster does not suit the topic under discussion. The street traders are NOT kids, but full-grown adults. They know the difference between right & wrong.

Kobojunkie:
So before people told you about going inside the market, you never stopped say at tejuosho to buy from those stalls in the front there that were not even stores?? Not even to buy gari or tomatoes?? @Laudate

Absolutely NOT. If you have ever taken time out to study those who buy things along the road, you will notice that it is risky for them as they stand in the middle of the road haggling with traders, with horns blaring from other motorists and even okada drivers brushing past and threatening to hit them. Or do you get a kick out of shopping along the road? Is that why you feel other people would do the same thing?

Kobojunkie:
@laudate,  if you had read that post of mine in the first place,  you would at least understand that that post was to ALL persons who replied my last and more. Not just you. Again Laudate, NO WHERE DO I STATE THAT WHAT THE PEOPLE ARE DOING IS RIGHT, that is not EVEN the argument here. The debate remains about how best to deal with the situation ONCE AND FOR ALL. Not for us to come back to the same 2 years or a year from now and then again a year later.


About patronizing them. Here is a direct question for you. Have yoU EVER bought any ware from a street trader in your life,  yes or No?? @Laudate

NO!! For just one simple reason. . . .I value my life. And I would not endanger another person's life, by buying from them on the street.

Secondly, people have once told me that you can get much better bargains by going inside the markets to make your purchases. That is why I always go inside the markets to buy what I need.

Thirdly, a neighbour of mine who bought drinks on the road from a street hawker, discovered that those drinks had expired. By the time she checked, money had exchanged hands and the seller had disappeared. It taught me one valuable lesson. If you need to return goods or you need a warranty. . . .pls go inside the market and patronise someone with a fixed shop location or trading address, rather than a roadside seller who might disappear after collecting your money.

almondjoy:
That is the fault of the government that cannot provide laws to guide and protect its citizens. What is the #1 responsibility of "governmens"? To rule. If you cannot rule, then guess what? The citizen take to the streets in anarchy. Why can't they build stores in other areas and relocate these traders gradually instead of causing more problems to ugly cities? The cities are already ugly, so why bother with them anyway?

While I do not support strip malls on highways and side streets, it is only a symptom of lawlessness and the people are only imbibing what they have learned by example--that anything goes!  Can't prunish them for that.  What most countries do is to give the traders alternatives then make it as easy a transition as possible without loss of lives and property.  No, not in Nigeria.

There are enough laws in our statute books that deal with the safety & security of citizens. Go through them. You are merely advocating for offenders to be spared from any form of punishment.  So according to you: "it is only a symptom of lawlessness and the people are only imbibing what they have learned by example--that anything goes!  Can't prunish them for that." I see. So do we give them a medal for imbibing lawlessness?

There is nothing wrong with govt. building more shops, but there is everything wrong with a person breaking the law by trading on the street or on railway lines & then expecting govt. to turn round and build you a shop after you have broken the rules, by trading on the street.

I guess if we go by your analogy, all other offenders who have broken the rules & imbibed lawlessness[i](e.g. exam cheats, robbers, petty thieves etc.) [/i] should also be allowed to go scot free, after breaking the law in order to meet their own needs!

Kobojunkie:
I agree with that line of your post. If we are looking for the wrong doers in this case. ALL LAGOSIANS ARE GUILTY. I mean Most all of us have at one time or another patronized these people.

Pls speak for yourself. Just because you patronise them, does not mean that other people do. Not everyone behaves alike.

Kobojunkie:
@LAUDATE,  NO WHERE IN MY STATEMENT did I say ANYTHING ABOUT REWARDING THE SELLERS. NO WHERE IN MY STATEMENT did I say Anything about Sending them all to JAIL WHILE people like you and I who have Patronized them for years are to be seen as non-offenders. Do you people read at all?? Simple, just as the government has in the past provided LOW INCOME HOUSING for the poor people who happened to have occupied areas that were not conduscive, we can try the same here.

Go back and re-read my previous posts. . . . .slowly. I never said that you made a statement about 'rewarding sellers or sending them to jail'. I did. And I still stand by those comments. It is not right for govt. to reward wrong behaviour, by providing stalls to people who 'trade' on railway tracks & highways. If they do so, they would be sending a wrong message to the rest of the citizens. That is my point.
Selling items on the highways or placing goods on rail tracks is not acceptable behaviour. I don't know of other societies where such activities would be considered appropriate.

yemmight:
Loudate

This is your post right? So if govt. dragged out traders from Awolowo market, does that justify their trading on the streets?

In one sentence please tell me where you want them to go, in one sentence or otherwise forget about this discussion.

They should go to other markets where there are affordable stalls, or look for other markets where there are open spaces and display their wares on such open grounds, within those markets. I gave the example of Aswani market in one of my previous posts.

I will not support them trading on the streets, because they are exposing themselves to danger from passing motorists, causing traffic hold-ups and bottlenecks that lead to loss of working hours and congestion.

Human life is valuable, in my own books. No one should make himself or herself an cheap target for an accident, by trading on the street!!

yemmight:
You just said that reward wrong behaviour by providing them shop. You should be very reasonable in your responses. In a market, fenced like Awolowo that govt dragged them out without providing alternative, so those affected people you want to call wrong behavior? I am very sure most shopping you do is by the road side becasue how many conducive market do we have in Lag. So you should have been arrested by now.

Please tell me, what is unreasonable in my responses? So if govt. dragged out traders from Awolowo market, does that justify their trading on the streets? Do you even know what purpose the road, street or highway is meant to serve? Do you know why it was built in the first place? Was it to serve as a trading post? I beg, correct me if am wrong. If govt. dragged out the traders, can't they look for stalls in other markets, or look for other markets where they can place their wares on the ground? Must they block whole lanes by turning such lanes into a trading mall?  

One last word: I do NOT do my own shopping by the roadside. God forbid. I would not endanger my life, by patronising a street trader where vehicles are moving alongside their wares. With all the weird drivers in Lagos, why should i put myself at risk by patronising a trader outside the market? Most of the time, you even get better & cheaper deals from those inside the market, so why should I subject myself to the stress of buying from one trader on the street?

If on the other hand, you wish to patronise street traders, ah it is your call. The day a danfo drivers' brakes fail, and it rams into the nearest section of street traders, let us hope you will not be there to witness it.

I repeat, if I was a governor of Lagos state I would ARREST all those who patronise street traders. Once you make an 'example' out of those buyers by dealing with them squarely, no one would tell the street traders to stop hawking on the streets or displaying their wares right on the road.

dimcod:
I have a friend in The Gambia, a 90 % Islamic state. They do not go about killing Christians.
I have a friend in Senegal, a 95 % Islamic state. They do not go about killing Christians.
Even in Iraq, the 0.5 % Christians have not been reportedly always slaughtered like chicken.
The Yoruba muslims, at almost 50 % of the population, do not go about looking for a fight with their Christian tribesmen
In Niger Republic, just north of Islamic northern Nigeria, there are christians yet they are not attacked, maimed or killed at the slightest provocation.

Yet, in northern Nigeria, muslims kill non-northerners on the one hand, and non-christians, on the other, even when the provocation (like the present case where an islamic adherent denigrated their Muhammed in Bangladesh) did not come from christians or within Nigeria.

Thank you for outlining the problems. Now what are the solutions?

What is the level of education and literacy among the Muslims in the Gambia, Sengal, Iraq & the Yoruba muslims? Remember what Awolowo wrote in one of his books: "Education makes a people easier to govern, and difficult to enslave."

Those who would like to solve these problems, should propose methods through which education at all levels can be used to penetrate every strata of 'Northern' society, starting from the hamlets to the urban areas, in a way that would enable the youth to get access to quality affordable education, irrespective of their poor background.

Villifying the 'North' isn't going to make Nigeria's problems disappear overnight. The talakawas are not the problem. The political elite in all parts of the country are the major causes of Nigeria's problems.

dimcod:
Indeed, Denex is a camel with a shallow sense of reasoning. Is he an Arab?

[quote author=I-man link=topic=82702.msg1552049#msg1552049 date=1191403018]@dimcod

Don't mind that Arab camel.The killings over Muhammad cartoons are down to Nzeogwu.Tell that to Northern Christians.There were riots in Kano back in the 50s.

Even the Dan Fodio jihads are traceable back to Nzeogwu[/quote]Here we go again! Dem don start! Why is it that whenever anyone makes a point you don't agree with, instead of addressing the points one by one in a logical manner and stating the grounds of disagreement, you guys just resort to name-calling & insults, at the slightest excuse? Na wa o!  

By the way, denex how many names them don call you sef? Last time, it was 'hater'. . . .today na 'camel!' O di egwu!

@Kobojunkie & yemmight,

So when people decide to commit an illegal act by displaying their wares in the middle of the road, or right on top of railway lines, where they are NOT even supposed to be in the first place, (instead of displaying such goods on the bare ground within the market), do you expect govt. to reward their wrong behaviour by providing them with shops? What signal would that be sending to the rest of the populace? "Just place your calabash, pepper, tomatoes and yams right on the road in total disregard of law, order and safety regulations. . . .in order to get govt. to reward you with an affordable shop?" Do people even realise that there are trading regulations in our statute books? Why must we justify every excuse at breaking the law?

If I was governor of Lagos, honestly I would first of all arrest all those lazy drones that patronise them. If there were no buyers, there would be no sellers. Chikena! If you want to shop, come down from your car or hop down from the bus and ENTER the market to buy what you need. Don't haggle with traders on the road. Period!

dcdal:
You cannot turn a road into a market. Roads were built for cars to move around freely not for someone to sell their goods. Additionally, you cannot build a store in a location you do not own. Why do you feel you have the right to setup a shop anywhere you please? Did you pay for the land? Another thing is the governments have zoning rights. Whether you like it or not they have the right to restrict certain areas for certain purpose. It creates order.

I love all the things Fashola is doing and I think he is/will be a great governor. He will change the face of Lagos and it will be a great place to live. Lagos and Nigeria as a whole needs to become organized. We cannot keep living a lawless life in Nigeria.

May you live long!! A lot of those street traders have now turned our highways, tarred streets and bus-stops into a market place under the excuse that they are busy trying to earn a living. Dual carriage-ways which should make traffic flow with ease have become bottle-necks of misery, simply because some traders have turned a whole lane into a market. Under whose orders?

Go to Tejuosho market in Yaba, Lagos. The whole place is an eyesore, right down to the street. Whole lanes on either side of the road have been turned into markets, so you can spend one hour or more on a road that is less than five hundred metres, just because some folks have colonised a whole section of the street. Then take the railway tracks in Lagos. Oshodi and Yaba railway lines have become markets. The traders don't even give a damn about the trains when they come hooting down the line. So many of them have been killed along those tracks, but the next minute (despite the no. of accidents) other traders place their wares right back on the track, and continue with their trading. Why people keep playing Ludo with their lives, is something am yet to understand.

Aswani market in Isolo, nko? Traders have since abandoned the interior of the market, to take up space on the street. You can spend three hours on a good day trying to turn into that area from the Murtala Muhammed International Airport road that links that place with Isolo. Ask those who reside there, what they go through on Tuesdays. The day I entered inside the market, I was suprised. There were vast empty spaces within the market, where traders could display their wares on the bare ground, yet only very few chose to do so. Most of them headed for the express way, and decided to turn it into a shopping centre. Yet, trailers, trucks and other heavy-duty vehicles ply that road. Those traders refuse to think of the risk, forgetting that only the living can enjoy the fruit of the day's sales. 

Then go to Okokomaiko, down to Ojo side. Traders have turned the divider right in the middle of the expressway which separates one lane from the other, into a trading joint. Na centre of road I dey talk o, no be bush path or sidewalk. The day I saw this, I was weak. It really makes me wonder if people place any value on their lives.

Go to Benin Republic next door, as tiny as it is, there is law and order in that place. You cannot trade on the streets. If the chips are down and you can't afford to rent a shop, nothing stops you from spreading your wares on the floor in those open spaces within the market, not outside on the street. That was what people were doing, when I visited Benin Republic. In fact, the minute you cross Seme border and you see the orderly way things are done in Cotonou, you start wondering what has gone wrong with our psyche in Nigeria.

orobo 50cl:
Actually, there is nothing wrong in marrying a girl that makes more than me. For example, although am not yet married now by i plan to do that any time soon. My girl friend is rich, very very rich. He father was a former speaker of one of the southern states in Nigeria for 8 years and before he became a speaker, he was a director in one of the largest blue chip companies in the world. My people pepper rest die! She de buy my cloth, arrange my alawee, arrange my trips money, bought my last car, hell even pays for my internet subscription every month.

O boy i be super scrub and i de enjoy am die! If women have been scrubbing for 1000s of years, why man no fit chop belle full from them too. As i de like this, the moment i even hear gist say she de think of marriage, o boy, na Holy cross cathederal be that o! And any thing she say make i do, i must, i repeat , i must 2 do!

who get time to de form van damme say i be man, rubbish! King kong don die for hin last film. No need to do gragra say i must show say i be man of the house. No be only house, na hotel! Me wey never chop belle full, i go come de display one stupid pride and ego for the person wey de do family support for me!

All boys, it's time to find your own paris hilton or abacha pickin and chop am well well because if the roles were reversed, na the girl go chop you finish wey bone no go even remain

Oh mi gosh!! You be ba-aa-ad guy!! I don laugh so tay, my eye don dey water! Nothing wey person no go see for Nairaland! Okay, if una do wedding for Holy Cross Cathedral, na for where una go do reception? Shey na Civic Centre, Balmoral or Muson? Abeg, make sure say you distribute di wedding I.V come this side o! Include di free aso-ebi if you wan make I show face!

Wait o! Orobo 50cl you sure say your last name no be "Gigolo"? Talk quick o, make we sabi how we go take solve yah matter. . .

dearstan:
I am so behind david.

The northerners have never contributed anything positive to this country, instead all they do is topple governments, siphon funds, amass wealth for unborn generations. And worst of all these monies are stolen from the rich resources of the south, used to better their barren land.
For e.g Abuja is being built to word-class standard with funds from the poverty stricken niger delta region.

I stand to be corrected if what the typical northern male do is join the military, loiter all day waiting for a call for jihad. And their female counterpart get married away at a very tender age by their illiterate parent.

Ofcourse there are a few exception, but the reasonable ones can be rated on a scale of 1 - 1million

I would be interested in knowing how you arrived at your statistics of 1-1 million.

For your information, it is the military boys that topple government, not the Hausa suya seller on the street, or the poor masses searching for their daily bread. And the coup plotters include both Northerners[i] and [/i] Southerners. As for early marriage, it is due to a combination of poverty and ignorance. The trend is changing rapidly, as many of the girls are graduating from university before they settle down into marriage. There are now female judges in the North, female lawyers, teachers, medical doctors etc. Justice Amina Augie is a good example. So is Justice Binta Nyako, and Justice Alooma Mukhtar, the first female justice to be appointed to the Supreme court.

As for men who loiter around, there are several cases of loitering men in other parts of Nigeria. Check out area boys in downtown Lagos. Not only do they loiter, they also cause havoc. Go to some parts of the East, and you will see the same thing being done by some men, who will hide in a corner only to flag down unsuspecting motorists to demand money from them, using road transport levy as an excuse.

londoner:
Lets be honest, how many of our politicians in all the zones in Nigeria are guilty of stealing,looting,abusing their position and generally neglecting the Nigerian people:? If it was about the North, then the terrible story of decay, abuse and neglect of Nigeria and its resources would not be evident in every single state in Nigeria. Regardless of the tribal background of its political leaders.

Of all the Hausa people in Nigeria, how many have you met, to be such an authority about whatthey do and how they reason? Have you even met up to 1 million? You are behaving as if Hausa people are not also suffering under the woeful position of Nigeria. [/b]The average Hausa man or woman is not looting the federal purse.  At least be rational.

[b]Oh thank you!! This is one of the most rational responses that I have read on this thread, concerning the topic. Most people are talking as if the North is one homogenous entity, comprised of one ethnic group. The North is a widely diverse place. So many different ethnic groups live there. From the Tiv, to the Igala, Idoma, Yakurr, Kanuri, Kataf, Bachama, Nupe, Igbirra, Fulani, Birom, Hausa, Takum, etc. they are as different as chalk and cheese. Yes, there is a large concentration of muslims in the North. But there are also several Christians as well. Simple, easy-going people who want the basic necessities of life, like every other person.

In fact, there is a lot of discrimination in the North even among Northern tribes, but people don't see this. To be a Northern christian is a difficult task and most of them take their faith more seriously than we think, despite the persecution. The Northern talakawas (or poor masses) have been the most deprived, out of all other regions in Nigeria, (except for probably the Niger-Delta). Poverty, ignorance and disease bites hard in many Northern communities, but those in the South hardly see it.

Among the most down-trodden are children of the poor who attend Arabic schools, because their parents cannot afford to send them to regular public schools that offer Western education. Some of these schools brainwash the poor, uneducated youth with fanatical doctrines and unleash them on the streets to cause mayhem. These are the almajiris, and they do NOT represent all facets of the North. Yet, everyone has this stereotype about the North, that they are ALL [i]almajiris and nothing good can come out of any region in the North[/i].

Unlike other parts of Nigeria, whose leaders at least try to serve some of the people as they are serving their own pockets, the North has not had selfless leaders who have their best interest at heart. Many of these politicians come on air and make grandiose statements calculated to inflame passions and soothe their ego. None of those statements are a reflection of the reality on the ground. The last set of leaders who tried to serve their people to the best of their ability, included the late Sardauna of Sokoto Alhaji Ahmadu Bello who offered free education to everyone in his domain, irrespective of wether they were Hausa, Fulani, Nupe, Idoma, Yakurr, Kanuri or whatever. He wanted them all to have an adequate grasp of Western education for political reasons, as well as Arabic education for religious reasons. The late Aminu Kano also tried to improve the lot of the talakawas. Sadly, after the death of these two men, no Northern politican has been able to lived up to their dream or actualise some of their plans for improving the North.

It is so easy to malign the North, yet I know of perfect strangers from the North who have helped others from different parts of Nigeria, even at considerable risk to their lives. I know of those who stood between rampaging mobs and non-Northerners, in order to defend their non-Northern neighbours and lost their lives in the process. Yet, nobody acknowledges this. They find it convenient to tar every Northerner with the same brush.

Many people say Northerners are 'uneducated.' I often ask if the polytechnics, universities, colleges of education and training schools in the North, are inhabited by cattle, and not people. I also ask if they have never graduated ANY competent graduate in the North. All the state civil service in the Northern states, are they run by Southerners or foreigners? We need to be objective here. Yes. . . .parts of the North are backward, just like many other parts of the South. Yes. . . .there are more educated people in the South than the North, due to several factors. But one must give credit to those who have managed to scale the odds and are contributing something to their communities, in their own quiet way without making a noise. Unlike many Southern communities, where a lot of fanfare is made about projects, many Northern communities commission projects without any noise or info. And life goes on. Climatic conditions in the North are far harsher than in the South, while infrastructure in many towns and villages remain poor, yet the folks there still try in their own little way to make ends meet and eke out a living. If there is too much rain, it sweeps away villages. If there is too little, crops wither and people die. Go to Gombe, Maiduguri, Gashua etc. and spend a few weeks there in that scorching heat, and then come back and tell me if you think the 'North', is a paradise whose people have looted Nigeria blind.

It is easy to criticise, tear apart and pull people down. Walk a mile in their shoes, before you jump to conclusions. Yes. . . .there are a lot of Northern politicians who have looted the treasury of their states and the federal government, just like their Southern counterparts have done. . . . .but what do the masses in their Northern territory have to show for it? Nothing. They are the ones that are hardest hit, by all the years of misrule, after the Niger-Delta territories.  People need to rely less on hearsay, when addressing issues that concern the North.

Don't forget one thing. A lot of Ijaw people & Kalabaris lived (and still live) along the coastal areas of Nigeria. These were the areas that first had contact with the Europeans, during the slave trade & during colonialism. One should expect that there were probably a large number of inter-racial relationships between the Caucasian colonial masters and some of the Ijaw women. Such early contact with the foreigners also probably explains why a lot of Ijaw & Kalabari people bear European names. That may explain why there are such unusual genetic features among some Ijaw families.

The Ben-Murray Bruce clan is a good example. Their great-grandfather was a Scotsman who came to Nigeria to trade & first settled in whatis now called Bayelsa state. Their great grandmum was a Kalabari woman. The man met her fell in love & married her and decided to make Nigeria his home, permanently.

@Richyblack,

That's a lot of info. in there. Thanks for the education. Let us hope all folks like babyosisi & Donzman are reading this.

@Babeelove a.k.a Militia a.k.a Afrodixie,

So from 2 votes, it has now become 4? Who are the the nominees? You sure say you no fail maths for O'Levels? Talk true o! No shame for this one. We fit arrange lesson teacher for you!

Yes, I believe in one Nigeria. That is why people like you who hate and insult other ethnic groups, and play the ethnic card are totally daft! Mumu!

davidylan:
You made a bogus statement, slammed "period" after it without a single proof and yet you ask for research?

- For proof, look no further than the leprous governments of Shagari, Babangida and Abacha. Quota system, federal character commission and zoning did not appear on our political scence by magic and without reason.

My statement was not bogus. And yes, I slammed period after it, meaning I had finished what i wanted to say. It did not mean anyone else could not pass a comment or even disagree with what I had said if he had a valid point.

As for quota system, federal character and zoning. . . .do you actually understand what they mean or represent? Federal character is a method of trying to have equal representation of all sections of the country in a government parastatal, institution or cabinet. That is why we have such a bloated number of ministers and aides, because all states are to be represented in cabinet.

Zoning is another thing. What was zoned from where to where? Am still trying to figure that one out. How has that benefited the masses, in the north or south? Beats me. As for quota, it was supposed to help candidates from educationally-disadvantaged states get into government-owned institutions and parastatals. But what happened? Did it benefit the masses even from those areas? No! Politicians used it to benefit themselves, their pockets & their immediate families, and also used it as a form of patronage. Go and live in different parts of the North, and see if you can identify the benefits that quota system brought to the masses of those areas. Don't use your one-year youth corps experience in one village as a reservoir of experience. Talk to the talakawas and the educated common Nigerians on the street, and feel their pulse.

So you can see what I mean when I say the only constituency that politicians represent is themselves and their bellies.

afrodixie:
See you?---too much grammar! That is why you are called "insiduous"---Don't get it?   Nobody said you should not go there?  Appearing there makes you guilty in the watching eyes!  How do you find yourself in a basket full of "rotten apples"?  You will always smell of it no matter how hard you try--because the "grafikdon's" of the tribalistic mess will contaminate you!  I do not go to those areas.  What my name is doing here I do not understand.  If it is "Agbero Wall of Shame" I will understand--or "Flirting Wall of Shame" I will gladly answer!  But religious, tribalistic and plain old prejudicial nonsense or bigotry---count me out!--

No. . .I don't get it. Kindly enlighten me. Why should appearing on a particular thread make me 'guilty'? Guilty of what. . .exactly? And since when has offering an opinion on a public website, qualified an individual to be described as being[i] part of a basket of rotten apples?[/i] Sorry, your analogy is unclear.

Let me give you a little example. All kinds of people are found in a hospital. Some are patients, others are care-givers, administrators or visitors. So why will you conclude that everyone who crosses the threshold of a hospital is therefore, looking for a doctor? I leave that to your imagination.

As for tribalism, bigotry etc., I leave such things to people with small minds. I don't have time to engage in prejudice, ethnic brick bats or religious semantics.

afrodixie:
You are like grafrikdon--the ever present "spectator" in tribalistic threads!  The impartial goal-keeper!   Sometimes playing devil's advocate makes you even worse than the main contestants! Wetin you dey do for there?  I always ask you that question!  See?  You will be nominated. We do not need proof for what we can smell. You do not need to taste it! How many times have I asked you what you are doing in "Mkparakpor" threads?

I do not understand your question. Are certain threads reserved for certain kinds of people or are some people to be barred from certain threads? Last time I checked, facts were sacred, and comments were free. Last time I also checked, nairaland was and still is, a public forum. Anyone who wants to retain exclusive rights over a particualr thread or feels that some threads are for him and his own group alone, should please go and set up their own website. Chikena! You will never find me becoming a member of www.arewa-online.com or ! Neither will you see me visit any oodua website.

But as long as it is nairaland, Madam I feel everyone (irrespective of their ethnic origin) has the liberty to comment on any thread, in any section, on any topic. The only thing is to ensure you do not insult, denigrate or belittle any ethnic group, religious group or anyone's parental background. Only politics is exempted from the list. So be fair to all concerned. Period. I am still waiting for people to point out in black & white any place where I have pulled down any ethnic group, or say where I have cast aspersions on them.

Seun the owner of Nairaland has not declared that certain threads are reserved for cerain people of a particular background, neither has he said that some topics are no-go areas for others. Until I see such a disclaimer, I shall happily browse all threads in Nairaland and pass comments on whatever takes my fancy, without fear or favour! Erm. . . .does that make sense?

You cannot escape what? Babeelove a.k.a Militia a.k.a Afrodixie, na God I take beg you, provide proof before you hop on the bandwagon that I-man has set in motion. The guy is an attention-seeker. He will throw unsubstantiated comments around, and then run away when you ask for facts to back up his allegations. Coward!

He has made this comment on another thread in the past, and when I asked him for proof, he took off. Na im style be that!