₦airaland Forum

fast guy 10: Them wat 2 unsit a sitting president I dey see danger wahala dey
Them r just looking 4 trouble allow d man 2 contest if nigs vote him in he stay bt if we vote him out another person take over [b]does it mean dat middle belt or niger delta(minority) will never rule Nig [/b]or wht so only hausa,igbo n yoruba will rule Nig

Bt why we yorubas dnt like GEJ?

Haters am waiting oya start insulting me am use 2 it

See what this ignoramus is saying.
So in your mind: Gowon, IBB & Abdulsalam are not Middlebelters and neither are they Angas, Gwari & Nupe respectively but Hausa - well done, go clap for yourself.

Prowizy2: Old Picksure

No mind them, see Nigerian brands of bottled water and fruit juice before them, and they still want to lie to ppl.

[quote author=IGBO-SON]^^^While the rest of your post may hold true, the bolded of 'no victor no vanquished' and '3Rs' were just empty platitudes.....full of nothing but hot air!

What reconstruction, reconciliation or rehabilitation was done for Ndigbo and in Alaigbo after the civil war?; a period when there was too much money that the Gowon administration didn't know what to do with it......besides building up Lagos and other major cities in the north that is! Fuc/kall was done in Igboland!

They built a massive military industrial complex in Kaduna; built Ajaokuta steel company; built a refinery in Kaduna (tapping crude through pipes laid over hundreds of miles from the niger delta up to the north, at a huge expense); spent billions of dollars building dams and irrigation schemes all over the north, while they left the south east to battle their own environmental challenge of erosion (until the coming of GEJ that is); built flyovers and bridges all over Lagos; built or maintained int'l airports in Lagos and Kano (and later on Abuja) while Enugu -since the end of the uncivil war- only just had it's first int'l commercial flight a few months ago; sited nation building institutions all over the north and Lagos, with non in the south east; ignored the potential goldmines of Onitsha and Aba, while building and sustaining other cities like Lagos and Kano (if the river Niger had been dredged since the early 70s, and the Onitsha river port was given all necessary for it to succeed, by now Onitsha - and the south eastern economy in general- would be even more thriving and dynamic than is presently the case); and i could go on and on!

I've a little assignment for you. From the end of the civil war till date, list the number of Igbos that have occupied the following positions: head of state or president, chief justice of the federation, comptroller general of customs, MD or chairman of NPA, minister of petroleum, all the service chief positions, etc-etc-etc. When you've done this, also note the region/ethnicity that features most on your list.....it should then dawn on you that this country is a farce and one big scam![/quote]I am sorry that your sentiment seems to becloud you from reality.

I guess in your mind the Biafran infrastructure and institutions were left quite intact during the war and therefore did not need reconstruction afterwards, therefore according to your logic no reconstruction ever took place.

As for failure for Igbos to attain political office, they should blame no one but themselves for being politically immature and naive by pursuing the wrong kind of politics of bigotry and hatred which can never take them anywhere.

Igbos do not know how to reach out and form bridges to make alliances or make compromises in order to get their own agendas through; its always their way or the highway, by hook or by crook - they lack the art of persuasion so everything is by force to them.

Look at Igbo politics of today; they put all their eggs in one basket in the form of their APGA party which has no regional let alone national coverage, yet they want to aspire to be president and if they fail (as they are bound to in this manner) they'll be the first to cry marginalisation.
Igbo lack of penetration to the offices you mentioned is certainly not due to lack of opportunity but lack of skill to get there and stay up there; there are certainly no institutionalised obstacles stopping any Igbo man or woman from aspiring to the highest office, Ojukwu a former war criminal was pardoned and allowed to freely contest, same also for Alex Ekweme; so whats stopping other Igbos from doing so, if not themselves and the culture of bigotry and contempt they have developed that is working against them.

As for the so called lack of development in Igboland, so you want the federal govt to do everything for you, pls go ask your governors what they have been doing with their share from the federation account.
You see thats the difference between them and most northern leaders (even though also corrupt) the latter still have some sense of duty to their ppl and would spend part of their allocations on projects for all to see; of course your leaders would never accept these shortcomings and would rather deflect any blame from themselves to northerners for allegedly stealing money from the south - and what else could be suitable cover for their tracks than this fable, especially if they already have a sea of gullible minds filled with hateful propaganda and ready to hate even more on their perceived northern enemies.

It is really a pity that even though Igbos are generally intelligent (not to mention criminally brilliant) they are, however, proving to be politically very stewpid; unfortunately their current blind support (based on emotion) without question for the ongoing ineptitude and unprecedented level of wanton corruption with impunity at Aso Rock is also giving credence to the premise that given the opportunity, Igbos would even do far worse than Odechukwu and are therefore not worthy of trust with the country's future (should we still remain one).

PointB: Not necessarily an achievement, but it was a kind gesture. Something an Northern or yorobar president wouldn't have done. Some small gestures like that actually go a long way.
.

Sorry, didn't want to join issues with anyone on this thread, seeing that its an all Igbo affair; however, I cannot let you get away with the above ignorant/myopic statement without correction, lest others also will continue to believe same.

FYI, Chukwuma Nzeugwu, one of the 1966 coupists who murdered the former northern premier Sir Ahmadu Bello, the Sardauna of Sokoto (may his soul rest in peace), was himself later killed in the Biafran war by Nigerian troops, even though an enemy, was buried with full military honour in Kaduna in northern Nigeria, his grave still there in the Kaduna military cemetery for all to see.
In the same vein, pls be assured that northerners do not in general harbour that wicked vindictive streak ever present in you Igbos - just look at the policy of no victor no vanquished and the 3 R's of: Reconciliation, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction that followed soon after the war - enough said.

birdman: If several tribal warlords are starting threads accusing him of banning them, he must be doing something right. Kudos. Carry on

Rubbish, as far as I am concern he and other moderators are turning a blind eye, doing nothing to ppl insulting and inciting hate especially against Hausas, northerners and the religion of Islam.
The moderators are simply not doing enough to enforce the forum's own rules, violation of these rules with impunity (especially nos. 1, 2, 3, 8, 11 & 18) are evident everywhere.

django1: OMG is this that Enugu healing water?

I'm sure ngozi is somewhere there swimming in that dirty water but.t Na.k.ed.

Choi, is that not the river that recently emerged after one Fulani herdsman passed the place with his cattle?
Chineke! See as how old mama dem dey expose their expired bodies without shame and imagine how some of these so called advanced ppl are washing themselves naked, polluting the water with their various diseases; yet some are at the same time collecting this water in jerry cans to go and drink or sell to others for alleged healing properties - civilised ppl indeed.

^^^^^How I wish they'd hear your call (though I doubt if they would) but if they do, it would in deed be a welcomed blessing and good riddance to bad rubbish.
Now run along to the nearest synagogue and pray hard that the lost flock of the black Jews would find their way to Jerusalem - oya face your front make we hear word.

[quote author=Great_omotoy]true talk, but who will bell the cat'[/quote]Good question.
I also see the pot calling the kettle black and no sign of change from the downward spiral; only that things are shaping up to get real ugly - the gloves already off as they are squaring up and spoiling for a real big fight.
May God help us not to get in between the crossfire.

Come oO, there is something strange about this round of dispute; the doctors seem to be hiding their claims wrapped up in cotton wool, why can't they spell out their demands so that the general public can see and judge whether their expectations are reasonable or not - just saying.

Lusola15: Everything GEJ does in this country now as ethnicity attached to it.

What you sow is what you reap, he is the most ethnically biased president Nigeria has had so far and doesn't even hide it; so what do you expect?
Imagine publicly stating that a particular tribe are the backbone of his government - so why shouldn't his actions be judged from a tribal perspective?

Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Debunked: The Harold Smith Nigeria Census Lies




It is perhaps one of the most famously quoted references on the Nigerian blogosphere, particularly in ethnic squabbles. You probably heard or read it before if you are active on the Nigerian online community. Equivalent to the Holy Grail of anti-north Nigeria population dominance is a statement attributed to late controversial colonialist Harold Smith that goes something like this:


By Tunde Adekoya, as an alleged narrative by O. A. Olagbaiye, MBBS. FRCS; in the Vanguard of, Feb. 28, 2011:

‘Brothers and sisters; on Ben TV last Thursday, Harold Smith was on a program to reveal what went behind the scene before the independence. … Harold Smith confessed that the Census results were announced before they were counted. Despite seeing vast land with no human but cattle in the north, we still gave the north 55 million instead of 32 Million.’

The same account is also given on the Harold Smith memorial website.

Even late distinguished author Chinua Achebe referenced the Harold Smith ‘Holy Grail,’ in “There Was A Country” (Pg. 50), asserting that Harold was sent by Sir James Robertson ‘to oversee the rigging of Nigeria’s first election ‘so that its compliant friends in (Northern Nigeria) would win power, dominate the country, and serve British interests after independence.’

I proceed to debunk this claim on three premises.

Firstly, the population figures:

According to Harold’s Grail, in most sources, ‘he gave the north 55 million instead of 32 million.’ This is clearly incoherent information because the entire population of Nigeria at the time was 31.6 million, so there is absolutely no way a census could have given the north 55 million. So the Grail is debunked easily based on figures late Harold allegedly put forth. If he indeed quoted these figures, his old age state of mind may have been questionable. {populstat.info/Africa/nigeria}

Secondly, the timing of the event:

The census in question was the 1952-53 census. Nigeria conducted decennial censuses. It appears the 1953 census was about a year late, but this is the census referred to by Harold Smith. The problem with his account however was the fact that he said he was part of falsifying the census figures. But according to the Harold Smith memorial website, Genesis Nigeria and all other sources, Harold Smith was in school and then being a new father in London up until 1954 when he saw an advertisement for a Labour Officer position and applied and then travelled down to Nigeria with his lovely wife Carol, in 1955. He was 26 years old at the time. If he literally did not even know of Nigeria till 1954, how could he have possibly been ‘sent by Sir James Robertson to falsify our 1952-53 census figures?’ Here again, we easily debunk the popular tale attributed to Harold Smith. Perhaps young Harold heard something. Perhaps he saw massive land and imagined something—the north landscape is more than double the size of the South. It is also possible that some people had a drink with old Harold and convinced or bribed him to sell a tale; but for certain, he was definitely not part of anything related to the 1952/3 census based on the record of when he entered Nigeria a full three years after.

Thirdly, the fact of coincident earlier censuses:

Research into Nigeria’s earlier censuses actually substantiates the 55-45% North-South ratio in the 1953 census that Harold claimed to have falsified. According to AllAfrica, Nigeria’s most credible census was that held in 1921. I quote:

‘The first attempt to know the Nigerian population was in 1921, which could be regarded as the best and the properly-controlled census in Nigeria. The most successful censuses after the first were those of 1931 and 1952/1953. These three censuses were conducted under and by the colonial administration.’

The 1921 census gave the Northern Province 10.26 million and the south, 8.37 million.

The 1931 census gave the north a total of 11.44 million and the south, 8.49 million.

If we check the ratio’s of these results of earlier censuses, it is approximately 55-45% for both. This is the same as the results of the 1953 census to which Harold’s Grail referred. Now, we do have reasons to distrust the British, but the claim that the falsification of ‘Harold and team’ was in preparation for a handover does not apply to the earlier censuses since these were well before a handover. It is however possible that the British always counted-up the north. But this thought is not supported by Harold’s allegations since for one, he was not there and two, he got the numbers all completely wrong as he is quoted.

This completes my submission on this all important issue. It is possible Harold Smith has been quoted out of date, context and reference; but if so, it is a shame that dignified Nigerians have blindly used such an obviously erroneous and preposterous tale to unfairly promote agenda and ethnic strife. The truth is a better and stronger tool to get all we want and desire.

Nigeria has many reasons for beef and grief, however in the national conversation, as we decide if and how to exist, coexist or not coexist, it is important we separate facts from malicious and ill intended fabrications and conspiracies which do not speak well of our national intelligence.

Population density can never be estimated by the brain or imagination and can only be verified by a true count. There are concentrated large mega cities and trade hobs in deserts as there are in tropics. If someone imagined that little Lagos today has a population of 30 million, looking at the map, many will refuse to believe. 30 million was the population of the entire Nigeria in 1953. Concentrations could have been possible in any of many major trade hobs and large cities.

We hope for a census we all can believe sometime in the future; and that it be a census for measuring and planning opportunity for the regions or nation(s), and not for promoting and propelling xenophobia.

Source: Saharareporters

OYA! MAKE WE HEAR WORD!

This silly man should limit his gratitude to Johnathan to himself alone for giving him (Labaran Maku) the job of minister, so he can continue displaying his ignorance, like foolishly trying to credit the same Johnathan for bringing Facebook to Nigerians - can you imagine.
What insult to northerners and a discredit to Gowon, in view that the latter was a true leader to all Nigerians never favoured any region over and above another (it was therefore unfair of him to imply so); unlike his kleptomanic master who openly makes divisive statements while presiding over the on going maiming and demise of thousands of northerners by his PDP brand of Boko Haram, as he siphons trillions for himself and his goons in the name of security budget; as well as watching over the grounding down of most northern industries (particularly in Kano) through the disproportionate negative allocation of power to the region with attendant consequences.
Labaran should STFU and realize that only dullards like himself and the gullible will buy into his thinly veiled sycophantic lies.

MidasT: Guy, if only u will open ur mind and see reasons. The north have had greater access to the oil fortunes of Nigeria, what did they do with it? They are sunnis like the Saudis; do the saudis have almajiris? Are they not pro-education? The truth is, ur entire elites are to be blamed, they are manipulating ur religion to further their political dominance.

You are a nincompoop, can't you see the said prof's central argument was about the brand of Islam, which evidently was quite baseless because (as already mentioned) there is no such difference.

Typical of you (like other southerners) to zoom to the issue of oil money; well prove to me how the north had more access to this money than southern Nigeria ; besides, how much is the said oil money that was sufficient to enable the north to compete with countries like Saudi Arabia - how foolish can you get.

In the same vein, considering the increasing vast amounts southern states are enjoying from the derivation accounts, how much of that is being reflected in the elopement of your states, how of that has improved your town, village and your life?

Please show us this development Mr. advanced nincompoop.

If you want to talk about elites, just follow these links and appreciate how your leaders are robbing you blind by diverting accrue-able monies to you to their own personal use (and blaming it on the north to fool gullible dunces like you).
Its pity they can't even invest their ill-gotten wealth in the region, at least to give some of you job opportunities - see examples like Asari Dokobu, a freedom fighter who should be patriotic enough for his own region but choosing to invest in Abuja and Benin Republic - abeg go park well jor

https://www.nairaland.com/1487688/wikileaks-jonathan-part-niger-delta
http://www.osundefender.org/?p=85371
http://www.osundefender.org/?p=95572
https://www.nairaland.com/1550571/whereabouts-nnpcs-n8-trillion-crude

Orlando Owoh: When Tunde Bakare delivered a sermon some months ago, he was invited for questioning by the SSS. The same thing was done to Junaid Muhammed last week when he said there would be blood shed if Goodluck Jonathan should contest in 2015. Why hasn't Asari Dokubo been invited by the SSS for questioning for saying there would be blood shed if Goodluck Jonathan loses in 2015?

Double standards my friend, latest is a silly attempt at hoodwinking Nigerians from noticing the difference in treatment - much like an ostrich burying its head in the sand trying to deceive itself that nobody can see its obviously well exposed nyash, because it couldn't.

Na wa oo, so somebody saw 4 truckloads of goods carrying 10 -15 Hausa boys entering Imo and that amounts to a cause for alarm.
Well let do the maths; lets assume each truck carried 15 boys (15 x 4 trucks = 60), so 60 boys with goods entering Imo is sending chills on someones back.
Well imagine how Kano ppl feel as over 60 luxurious buses, each carrying about 60 Igbos entering their town daily - thats equivalent approx 360 Igbos.

Chai! Igbos accusing Hausa of carrying fake goods, world is indeed coming to an end.

Couldn't read all volume of comments so far but just have to jump in at this point and say I don't necessarily believe that guy is a professor, because if he was he wouldn't be making such ridiculous comparison, when clearly there is a world of difference in the economic fortunes between his examples.

Does he know that northern Muslims are in fact mostly Sunnis, the same brand of Islam as Saudis and the other counties he was mentioning, so how did he arrive at such conclusion?

This prof. (no, I refuse to call him prof.) this guy is certainly talking from his arse.

Let him give northern Nigeria the same kind of income and watch them also develop their own infrastructure - its about money not the brand of religion.

Oh, lest I forget; oil money, oil money from the south, same old abused and over-used words - popular with bigoted arseholes like him and his ilk.

@ OP and those castigating Buhari

It is a pity your hatred for this man along with your intolerance for anything resembling Islam has completely blinded you from noticing let alone reading into the meaning behind the following concluding part of the quote, even though the OP had taken the trouble (though unintentional) of highlighting and presenting it to you right there before your eyes - what a shame!

PLs be honest, try to analyse and explain to yourselves the intended message in this statement.

"It is a legal responsibility which God has given us, within the context of one Nigeria, to continue to uphold the practice of Sharia wholeheartedly , and to educate non-Muslims that they have nothing to fear," he said.

Why was he (Buhari) emphasizing on the need to especially educate non-Muslims about their fear? How does that suggest he had any ill-intent against non-Muslims or that he actually believed implementation of sharia would have any negative effect against non-Muslims?

Buhari's position should be clear to any right thinking and fair minded person; his call was simply for Muslims to be given their unalienable right to practice their religion in accordance with the Islamic code - which incidentally affects only Muslims but which mischievous intolerant Christians have been against through campaign of calumny and negative distortion/exaggeration (much in the same manner as we can see now against Buhari) in order to deprive Muslims of this constitutional right.

It is really a big shame that Christians in this country are exhibiting themselves as dishonest co-travelers in the Nigerian context, they continue to react blindly and wildly against what in actual effect does not truly and should not concern them. For example: How does sharia (as being implemented in the country) or for that matter Islamic Banking, let alone Arabic letters on Nigerian notes affect Christians or stop them from expressing or practicing their religion?

It should be obvious to anyone that the above old article, is being deliberately recycled over and over again for no reason other than what it is i.e. a campaign against Buhari to portray him as a religious bigot in order to thwart his political ambition, through the use of the thinly disguised biased Christian dominated media known for promoting the culture of Islamaphobia. SMH.

Codedrock: sorry o. Go on more tourism

Dude before you prescribe anything, pls try to look up the difference between a mountain and a hill, you can even impress me by naming one single mountain in Nigeria then I be glad to pay you handsomely to be my tour guide. SMH.

abdurrazaq: @Me_Aboki, the tone in your post up there shows the ‘born to rule‘ mentality that the likes of FFK and by extension a larger percentage of the south accuse the north of over the decades.
1. How can you conclude that it was the north that brought back from the brink of death and made him a president? Doesn‘t the opinion of other Nigerians count anymore?
2. There is no smoke without fire. The voices of Junaid and the likes represent the opinion of the average northerner, the reason why almost every northerner is ready to kill if their RULERS give them the go ahead.
What FFK wrote had nothing to do with appeasing the Igbos, it is the fact on ground and only hypocrites will want to dismiss that by bringing the personality of the writer into the writing.

My tone (though I see nothing wrong with it) is irrelevant, therefore concern yourself strictly with the content - agree or disagree, simple.

Oh let me guess, in your mind OBJ was released from prison and made president by southerners.

If you or FFK know anything concerning northern politics, you would appreciate that the views of Junaid or Kaita no longer carries any weight and therefore cannot be considered representative of the north; FFK should certainly know that but mischievously chose to elevate them to a level above their importance in order to score cheap political points.

The said FFK is a known tribal bigot who never misses the opportunity and indeed seems to take great delight in insulting the Igbos; his recent turnaround to insult northerners instead (incidentally much hated by the Igbos) can only be explained as a veiled attempt by him to placate the said long labored ppl at the brunt of his serial abuse.

Absolute rubbish, lies, Igbos yet again trying to re-write his history in order to wash off their guilt.

What those wicked soldiers did to the late prime minister was unspeakable, northerners in the know usually choose to not to talk about it out of due respect to the man and his family, in fact they strangled him and mutilated his body by cutting off his manhood and stuffing it into his mouth - God punish those bastards including all their subsequent generations !

Didn't bother to read the content; just wondering how Kaduna or any part of Nigeria managed to get MOUNTAIN?

^^^^ Even sef, his argument is baseless because he was busy pointing out availability of ARV drugs not minding the fact that by the time you need drugs it already too late and a reflection of failure in the important area of prevention.

luvmijeje: A word is truly enough for the wise.This is FFK, I can relate with.

But as much as Kaita and Mohammed's words are reprehensible ,those words are borne out as a result of leadership failure.

We have a President who doesn't understand the power behind words. He lacks knowledge on the arts of history and politics. A president who doesn't understand the principle behind the law of sowing .

If he did, he would have respond with immediate alacrity to press statement issue by Islamic apex body that Muslims are being scheme out of the military .He wouldn't have dare to make the statement that Igbos are the backbone of it's government. He wouldn't have mingled with criminals. He wouldn't have allowed his handlers and the opposition to create an image of anti-north and anti -moslem. He would have understand that the best politics to play politics of issue.

My issue is how this country will breakup with minimal bloodshed.

Most sensible response so far.

In addition to yours above, where was he when ASARI DOKUBO was threatening war (not once) should Nigerians not vote Johnathan or when Igbo movements were making secessionist statements openly with impunity.

Kaita's alleged threat of secession represents only one a few of such isolated cases from the north; whereas the same cannot be said for the south - besides, you need not to go any further than the author himself because he is guilty of exactly the same offence - though it is typically not surprising because we all know that hypocrisy runs deep in ppl below the River Niger.

He must also either be dishonest or intellectually lazy not note and understand that the predominant view in the north is not necessarily questioning (though some would disagree) Johnathan's constitutional right to run but simply holding him to honour his much publicized agreement - which even the BBC covered.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-12339017

Southerners continue to sell themselves short when they keep touting their much over-used propaganda of 'born to rule mentality' against the north because they end up exhibiting themselves as bereft of logical reasoning and blatantly as dishonest co-travellers.
Those who continue to believe this fallacy should pls ask themselves the following questions:

1) Why would northerners willingly cede power to the south, when by all indications they had complete control and the capacity to continue ruling - if not to give peace a chance - how does that reconcile with a born to rule mentality?
2) Who brought OBJ, a southerner from the shadows of death, placed him in Aso Rock and continued to support him even against open rejection by his own ppl? - (time flies, doesn't it, and they have already forgotten).
3) Why would the so called 'born to rule' agree to share power through rotational presidency (when they didn't have to) even though it was evidently a dishonest distortion of the principles of democracy - and what does that say of about those insisting upon it?
4)Why would northerners also accept geopolitical zoning knowing fully well it was a disadvantageous ploy by southerners to neutralize their political numerical advantage, in order to up southern chances to the presidency - again, how does that translate to born to rule mentality?

If FFK is suddenly feeling guilty about offending the Igbos, with regards to his tell all 'I tapped it first' prenuptial intimate saga with their demised hero's wife, Bianca; then he should come out openly and apologize to them for his alleged crime and in not resort to appease them through maligning northerners, like some sort of sacrificial offerings in order to wash off his perceived sins.

^^^ You must be a product of selective memory and teaching; no doubt your Biafran tutors must have failed to inform of Jan 15 1966 when your ppl jump-started the violence by brutally killing northern leaders and sparing their own.
Northerners were merely extracting their revenge by taking their pound of flesh and some more.

FYI, northerners were the first to want out of the Nigerian entity because they couldn't stand your nauseating evil selves, what did you think the ensuing northern riots was all about?
You should thank your lucky stars that north heeded the advice of the British not to secede and agreed to remain in one-Nigeria; otherwise you may by now be living in your infertile land locked red soil enclave, that is assuming you survive the ravenous appetite of your cannibalistic kinfolks.

Also you should thank your lucky stars that northerners were magnanimous in victory after the war, that they embraced the spirit of reconciliation, rehabilitation and reconstruction (no victor no vanquished) which welcomed you back into the folds of Nigerians where some of you even enjoyed the opportunity to nurse the ambition of becoming president; otherwise your fate, in accordance with history's prescription for the vanquished, would have been eternal slavery and subjugation at the hands of your conquerors - you should therefore learn to appreciate this magnanimity, else today you could have been my boi boi, polishing my shoes.

He he he he, educating your ppl or you mean brainwashing and filling them with hatred and distrust by weaning them on a diet of selfishly distorted edited history towards the ambition of the fraud called biafra.

Anyway, you should always remember to say thank you whenever you meet a northerner, for the generosity of his ppl for not limiting your progress below that of his houseboy - boi boi, you hear?

@1025:
You hit the nail on the head with your 1st post but unfortunately resorted to the usual Igbo self-centered mode of reasoning no sooner than after being prompted by your kinfolks.

@ SLIDE waxie:
Very witty and apt response

@ Topic:
Southerners are the cause of all this wahala (particularly Igbos - its no wonder hardly anyone likes them, even this thread is started by one of them to castigate the north, for the crimes of their fore-bearers).

They derailed our nascent democracy because they couldn't accept the rules of democratic majority which gave power to the north in our 1st republic, so they took over by force - thereby opening the Pandora's ox of military dictatorship that took us over 37 yrs to overcome.

Ironsi, a southerner, was the one who abolished our post independence regional govt s and introduced the unitary system we have inherited today, the motivation was to selfishly concentrate power to himself and favor his Igbo kinsmen at that time - ironically this is basic very system which the present generation of southerners are bitterly opposed to, since it no longer favors them.

Due to their greed and selfishness, southerners have resorted to distorting the true concept of democracy to suit themselves:
First, by insisting on rotational presidency in order to guarantee power revolves to them, through this 'by hook or by crook' skewed arrangement - yet they have the audacity to say northerners have a born to rule mentality.
Secondly, they insisted on dividing the country into geopolitical zones in order the dilute the north's superior numeral advantage for the same reasons.
Thirdly, despite the above given concessions, they are ones failing to honor the basic agreement of power shifting in timely manner between the north and south; as well as exemplified by the dishonesty of current president in reneging against his much publicized intra-party agreement with his northern colleagues.
Even though his governance is setting unprecedented records of gross mismanagement punctuated with milestones of corrupt scandals, one after the other, yet his kinsmen are making an issue of not only celebrating such ineptitude but also of prolonging it - by yet again shifting the goal post - in the rueful hypocrisy of our son can do no wrong.

Unfortunately, its the Igbos that are losing out, they pride themselves with intelligence yet they proving to be the most politically backward and myopic of all the major groups.
They are aggressively pursuing tribal politics by putting all their eggs in one basket in the form blind support of this president and AFGA , a party without any base beyond the Igbo enclave of the SE, yet they are hoping to have their turn of the presidency without appreciating that politics requires reaching out, identifying, compromise and sharing with others; instead they continue to foster hatred and mistrust thereby further isolating themselves - and should they fail in this ambition they'll be the first to cry marginalization.

OMG, how degrading, breeding human beings like animals

teepcee: Like a certified "aboki"

Hey small girl! Watch that mouth before it gets you into trouble

[quote author=Beaf!]Chai!!

This Otueke fisherman don suffer. Lamido take am easy abeg. He is still commando in chief [/quote]Ah! careful, Oga doesn't want to be regarded as commander in chief oO- otherwise ppl may be reminded about his failure on national security.

babyosisi: 5 pilgrims absconded and only one named a ndubuisi was identified by name
So no be only nairaland carry the tribalism banner
How shameful

Looks like some children of Israel are desperately trying to return home

talktimi: His name is "Ndubuisi" but shey no surname ? Something stinks here abeg. Anyways i see no reason why the govt should sponsor pilgrimage of any kind at all. In fact arent there enough christians of Lagos origin to go on this their pilgrimage for an Ndubuisi to come and shorten their ration sef ?

Lagos should take the same leaf from Kaduna State Govt. who seem to be planning to checkmate the image denting by non-indigens from other states.

[quote author=~Bluetooth]That is the problem with Nigerians. When you feel anything white, you suddenly forget who you are and go westernized even to jews . I've been to places and I've eaten with my hand but it has not taken away my identity. Pilgrimage is tourism and the israelis should know that the diversity of such will bring people of different cultures, traditions and races.

Why should people be forced to change their attitude or pretend to be who they are not just because they are in Israel on a religious mission which ought to break racial barriers and accept them for who they are for the few weeks ? How does coming to drink juice with a 2-litre cup compare to the seclusion/segregation they got ? The problem with some Nigerians is that you tend to downplay racial slur rather blaming it on your shortcomings. The saudis also receive people for pilgrimage, how come we don't hear of racial segregation like this against pilgrims ?
Nigerians lack decorum ? Yes does it warrant the seclusion ? NO !

If they are going to keep embarrassing people just because their culture differs from theirs, I guess they should include in their screening process procedures that would prevent those they consider unfit to mingle with white from coming to their country. Bloody racists ![/quote]Pls do not justify blatant greediness and unruly behavior; yes admittedly the Jews are extremely racists but on this occasion (judging from the story) they can be excused for trying to hide away the embarrassing behavior of the Nigerian pilgrims from other tourists, and thereby protecting the image and reputation of their hotel-ling business for obviously attracting the wrong kind of guests.

BTW, the Saudi Arabs (and Arabs generally) are also racists in their own right, it becomes evident when you get to know them.
On the other hand, black Africans and Nigerians in particular need to first respect themselves before accusing others of racism - how do they expect to be treated as equals when some of them conduct themselves like animals.

Omarbah: When the Fulani start retaliating, people will accuse them of barbarian acts. This is exactly why they are so violent in this part of Africa.

You are quite right on the issue of retaliation, most of the time press reports fail to link Fulani reprisals with the initial provocation against them, which may have taken place a while back (sometimes even several years ago).
In view of this, they are often unfairly portrayed by the media as the initiating aggressors without even bothering to investigate their side of the story.

Considering that an average cow costs over 100k, it is not too difficult to reason why the Fulanis can themselves be victims of frequent attacks and killed for their cattle by native tribes; unfortunately as it often plays out, these native tribes usually underestimate or forget the retaliatory nature entrenched in Fulani culture - and eventually pay for it.

Therefore anybody wishing to cross the Fulani should know and be ready for payback. It usually doesn't even matter how long it takes, one thing is always assured; the Fulani will surely return for their pound of flesh - even if this duty were to be passed down to successive generations over the years, they will always exact their revenge.

I remember receiving the following text msg just after the Dogo Nahauwa massacre which aptly described some of the characteristics of the THE FULANI WARRIOR:

Never fight a war (hot or cold) with the Fulani, because they have:
1. No rules of engagement (they just hit)
2. No POW's (they don't take prisoners)
3. No mercy (once they pick out an enemy)
4. No fighting fatigue (they are forever fit and prepared, due to their lifestyle)
5. No need for adequate food and permanent abode (they live on very little and live in the wilderness)
6. No end to hostilities (they fight to finish)
7. No ignorance of terrain & location (their lifestyle makes them human GPS)
8. No deterrence due to casualties (they are strategically distributed all over West and Central Africa, and highly mobile)
9. No need for tranquility (they have no permanent settlements which need peace to thrive)
10. No communication problem once they distribute cola nuts to allies.