₦airaland Forum

I love development, especially that of the Green variety. A big thumbs up and reap a bumper harvest.

What a misguided man!! He never repented while on Earth, how is he going to be any better in heaven? And its so sad to think he thought everyone including God can be bought with money.

Ps. Those are kenya shilling notes. It would have been fitting if you put picture of Ugandan shilling notes.

vicenzo:
"There has been genocide, for example on the occasion of the 1966 massacres , Two areas have suffered badly [from the fighting]. Firstly the region between the towns of Benin and Asaba where only widows and orphans remain, Federal troops having for unknown reasons massacred all the men. According to eyewitnesses of that massacre the Nigerian commander ordered the execution of every Ibo male over the age of ten years.
" Monsignor Georges (sent down on a fact-finding mission by His holiness the Pope reporting his finding in Vatican Rome
Le Monde (French Evening newspaper) April 5, 1968. ",

650 refugee camps, contained about 700,000 haggard bundles of human flotsam waiting hopelessly for a meal, outside the camps, was the reminder of an estimated four and a half to five million displaced persons, the Kwashiokor scourge, a million and half children, suffer(ed) from it during January; that put the forecast death toll at another 300,000 children, More than the pogroms of 1966, more than the war casualties, more than the terror bombings, it was the experience of watching helplessly their children waste away and die that gave birth to, a deep and unrelenting loathing, It is a feeling that will one day reap a bitter harvest unless, "

(Frederick Forsyth, British writer January 21st 1969) ",

I saw several hundred of Zombie-like creatures -men, women and children, lying, sitting or squatting in the midst of others who were dead. The living ones were completely reduced to skeletons and could not talk. I was seeing for the first time, kwashiorkor, Frankly, I took fright, I believe that any foreign troops from anywhere in the world occupying Ikot Ekpene or any other town in Biafra would have shown much more sympathy, "
(Gen. Alex Madiebo, Ikot Ekpene, July 1968)


"One word now describes the policy of the Nigerian military government towards Biafra:- genocide. It is ugly and extreme but it is the only word which fits Nigeria's decision to stop the International Committee of the red Cross, and other relief agencies, from flying food to Biafra , " The Nazis had ressurrected just here as Nigerian forces,
Washington Post (editorial) July 2, 1969

"The loss of life from starvation continues at more than 10,000 persons per day - over 1,000,000 lives in recent months. Without emergency measures now, the number will climb to 25,000 per day within a month - and some 2,000,000 deaths by the end of the year. The new year will only bring greater disaster to a people caught in the passion of fratricidal war, we can't allow this to continue or those responsible to go free."
Senator Kennedy appeals to Americans - Sunday, November 17, 1968 ",


I want to see no Red Cross, no Caritas, no World Council of Churches, no Pope, no missionary and no UN delegation. I want to prevent even one Ibo from having even one piece to eat before their capitulation. We shoot at everything that moves and when our troops march into the centre of Ibo territory, we shoot at everything even at things that do not move, "

( Benjamin Adekunle. Commander, 3rd Marine Commando Division, Nigerian Army to French radio reporter). ",


The war aim and (final) solution properly speaking of the entire problem, is to discriminate against the Igbos and in their own interest. Such discrimination would include above all the detachment of those oil-rich territories in the Eastern Region, in addition, the Igbos' freedom of movement would be restricted, to prevent their renewed penetration into other parts, leaving any access to the sea to the Igbos, is quite out of the question, "
(Federal Nigerian Minister speaking to E. C. Schwarzenback, Swiss Review of Africa, February 1968)


"Let us go and crush them. We will pillage their property, rape their womenfolk, kill off their menfolk and leave them uselessly weeping. We will complete the pogrom of 1966"
(The theme song of Radio Kaduna, government-controlled, 1967-1970).


"Unfortunately this [Gowon's] enlightenment at the top level does not penetrate very deep: a Lagos police officer was quoted last month as saying that the Igbos must be considerably reduced in number"
Dr Conor cruise O'Bien , 21 December 1967 New York Review


"Myself and The same UNICEF representatives went on to convey something of what lay behind this intransigence: "Among the large majority hailing from that tribe (Yorubas) who are most vocal in inciting the complete extermination of the Igbos, I often heard remarks that all Nigeria's ills will be cured once the Igbos has been extaminated from the human map , "
Dr Conor Cruise O'Bien (21 December, 1967, New York Review).

OK OK, these situations that arose in the past were and always will be abominable. FYI am also fully aware of the circumstances of the Nigerian civil war and the sad fate that befell the ibos. I always say to people who care to listen that that war killed more people than the equally reprehensible Rwandan civil war of 1994.
It's still off topic.

2SWT:
I thought Kenyans were the most stupid and crazy people never knew SA was on the line too

Don't make me tell you what Kenyans think of Nigerians. This is family space, so we have to try and be civil.

Ugosample:
I see the problem...
You guys don't understand the pidgin....


Look, Pidgin has its own structure, and it is even used as a language of instruction in many parts of Nigeria, it has a good percentage of local words, and as such could be considered a distinct language.

This is why we have problems in verbal communication with Nigerians. Alot of them speak pidgin to other when outside of their country, not knowing the difference between it and English, and also the fact that its mostly confined to Nigeria.
On the other hand if i were to bump into a Tanzanian or a Congolese, i would talk to them in kiswahili.

Is pidgin a regulated language with its own certification and standardization board? Has it been lobbied for use in international fora? Do they have exams for pidgin?

Ugosample:
And why can't you compare Swahili with the two?

Swahili probably at some point was a corrupted language too, but none of you are old enough to know...

Just as you can say English is "corrupted French" because 60-65% of English words have French origins (Due to the fact that the French colonised them 1000 years ago)

Or how say Spanish is a "corrupted" language because of its foundation in Latin.

Swahili provably has such history too

Nope, Swahili is not the mate of pidgin.
English has alot of loan words from French, and your claim that it's 60-65% is outlandish to say the least. English remains a Germanic tongue and its closest relative is the Frisian tongue spoken in the Netherlands.
Swahili has bantu language at its core and loan words from Arabic, Portuguese, Turkish, Farsi due to the natal land of kiswahili being at the crossroads of ancient Indian Ocean trade and the influence of Islam.
I wonder if one can study pidgin to PhD level.

eduj:
The ogbanje which deals with the death and subsequent reincarnation of a child before adulthood is still believed to exist by a faction of the Igbo (most especially the pre-1960 peeps) .The ogbanje is born to the same woman over and over again .To stop that heart breaking cycle ,the ogbanjes iyi uwa(stone linking it to the spirit world) is dug up and ceremonies done .If the ogbanje is dead its corpse can be marked or heavily mutilated- it was believed that such mutilation would encourage the ogbanje not to return to its mother. Most of the younger generation-especially those who didn't grow up in the states the igbos are indigenous to do not even know about this phenomenon.
The advent of Christianity and western education has made most Igbos to disavow the ogbanje phenomena ,but their are families that witnesses such deaths till today.

Oh boy! I would love to see it in person. But it should be discouraged by all means. I believe that rational explanations are a much preferable way of thinking to superstition.

eduj:
The OSU's in Igbo culture are people regarded as properties of deities (chi/alusi/agbara) .In other words, they are dedicated to oracles.In ancient pre-colonial times, they commanded respect and instill fear because a crime committed against an OSU is termed as a crime committed against the gods of the land .
when a man commits a crime that entails grievous punishment such as death,he can run to their communal diety and do the necessary rites to become an osu-after which his indiscretion is absolved. Some other people who as a result of unfavorable conditions above their authority or laziness ,couldn't feed themselves can also become OSU's. people captured in battle can also become OSU's if the winning party dedicates them to their deity.A child born of an OSU is automatically an OSU.The OSU lives on offerings offered to the gods. lands of people whom the gods purportedly killed as a result of various indiscretion (ala ikugbu onye nsi) are lived and toiled on by the osu.In fact the OSU can use without payment or questioning any property dedicated to the communal deity ,but the OSU can never take a chieftaincy title in his community or marry a non-osu of his community.
however,the biggest sub-clan of the Igbo (Ngwa )mostly didn't practice this caste system so,an OSU who migrated to Ngwa land was treated no differently as other indigenes. As for Kenyans answering Igbo like names, I can't offer any explanation because the origin of the Igbo is still an ambiguous topic till date.

When I was in highschool we also read of ogbanje phenomenon and the little stone called iyi uwa (not sure about the spelling ) they were reputed to have . Do these still exist?

Ugosample:
Pidgin is our own, just as Swahili is yours ...

The Jamaicans speak their patua, and I kid you not, the world knows more about their patua than any back water language (Swahili)

And to call pidgin corrupted says a lot about you.
Will you call Afrikaans a corrupted version of Dutch, as Afrikaans is basically "Pidgin Dutch"?

This "back water " language that you barely conceal your contempt for is taught in foreign universities. Its the quintessential African language.

UnknownT:
Who else noticed that towards the end of last year and this year, topics that have VIDEOS included in them are becoming "rampant" on front page! Hope it's not a conspiracy btw "you know who" and NL admin to finish our data faster

Even this video in swahili(whatever language she used) with no subtitle is on frontage

My point exactly. Am sure one can count on one's fingers how many Nigerians understand kiswahili. And how are this random lady's marriage wishes any of your concern let alone fp material. You guys strike me as the sort of people who go around discussing how your neighbor bought new socks last week. Just plain petty.

Muafrika2:
Thanks for that info.

What of seed preservation? Would keeping seed in ash preserve it?

I suppose it can.
It's also very effective in masking foul odours and apparently also repels serpents.

OPAUGBEE:
Kenya, Uganda, east african countries. Most news from dt region are damm so wired. Some 1 help me with dt Zuma's pic- Kenya n wired developments b like 5 n 6. Lol

Actually we're quite normal That must have been one seriously unhinged pilot with no self respect. I never ask for directions to a known geographical place unless am a stranger in a place where am locating a particular house which only a local would know.

Muafrika2:
Good news for aspiring farmers like me. So what else can ash preserve?

More like what else can ash do?
If you're building an earthen structure and you mix 3-4% ash into it, the strength increases significantly.
Ash can also act as cheap insecticide.

emmanuelpopson:
wood burning for ash production is gonna lead to ecosystem degradation and green house effects... so one problem solved create another one...

Yes, true. But remember African countries are not the major contributors of greenhouse gases. In fact, we suffer the most from the effects, while our corrupt leaders go to rich countries to collect carbon credits which they promptly put to personal use. It's a huge conundrum.

Can someone explain to me slowly like am a 3yr old kid why random unnewsworthy events from Kenya keep on making front page? Why this obsession ? Is there an angle to this?

vicenzo:
Please, for the Africans here. If you want to learn anything about the Igbo people, our tradition, culture, social and political idiosyncrasies. Do open a topic about that and tag, vicenzo, Bigfrancis21, Abagworo,Cheruv, etc.

Nigeria is a tribally charged nation, you are only going to get biased, jaundiced and tainted opinions about the Igbo from Nigerians.
If you want to know anything about the Igbo, ask the Igbo themselves.

ok then. When I was in highschool, we read several books from Nigerian authors not least Things Fall Apart and The Concubine by the late greats Chinua Achebe and Elechi Amadi respectively. I still have both books with me. Both mention the Osu or outcast phenomenon.
Luos of Kenya have several names that are eerily also igbo names. To wit : Okoro, Agumbah, Okech(a), Oguta that come immediately to mind.
Kikuyus of Kenya also have the name Ngige, as do igbos.
An honest response devoid of hyperbole is much appreciated.

ianSweet:
Infact, i must confirm to you that this is one of the most embarrasing challenges we are facing in Nigeria. It just seems like a certain region is superior to Nigerian laws, the southernerns always play the victim card here but the truth is that they (southernerns) are as guilty as the northern muslims who practice sharia law against our constitution, because many southernerns (traditionalists especially) do uphold their cultural laws over the national constitutional laws and everyone in their territory (natives and non-natives) are forced to obey them.
The northern muslims tried and are still trying to make sharia law equal to our Federal civil laws (can u imagine?). The move has continually been rejected, so it was taken to the state level in 2001 and about 12 out of the 19 northern states declared sharia law and believe u me that as long as these northernerns are concerned, that Sharia law could be deemed superior over our federal laws. It lead to a very terrible conflict in some of these 12 northern states with huge christian populations (like Kaduna state).
However due to southern social (western) influence, many of the rich and elite and even educated middle class northern muslims find it hard to comply to sharia laws and this is what sometimes kill the vigour of enforcement of sharia laws in the core-north. I think in the heat of the sharia wave of 2001, there was a northern governor's son who went against the sharia law and nothing could be done against him. See our President's daughter's wedding (although it was done in Abuja which is not under sharia), but the president is from a sharia state and there was secular music, performance and dancing in the wedding, infact it was very much a secular wedding.

Core-northern Nigerian muslims have refused to face the reality that as long as they share one country with us (christians), they can never enforce sharia law fully or even practice it fully, it will always be watered down.

At that same time of the sharia heat wave in the past, there were 2 muslims who converted to christianity in a sharia state and according to sharia law they were supposed to be killed, but these muslim converts claimed that they were never muslims in their lives and have always been christians and definitely all manners of human right and chrisitian agencies came to their defence and sharia law could not take place.

Imagine if i were an investor in your country and i happened to land a contract. In case of a breach or misunderstanding, which code of practice shall i seek recourse from? And if i commit a civil offence, where shall I be judged? You guys should create an app that reads your GPS location and tells you where and how you shall be judged should you at anytime interract with the law.
They say one must obey the law of the land. I guess one must always ask them self :which law and which land.

I think if the presdo doesn't practice it, why should the subjects ?
What are your thoughts of living in society that practices feudal and exclusionary social norms? I think it's sad to determine one's prospects in life on account of the family he/she is born into.

ianSweet:
Almost all Nigerians have access to education now because the state and federal govt have been doing so much im that aspect. State owned schools are scott free from the primary to secondary levels and almost all communities have at least a primary and secondary school, it is their right.
Middle class and richer Nigerians only send their children to private schools and sometimes federal govt schools but never state govt schools. Our federal and state govt universities are also very cheap that even the poor people can afford them and many states govts even pay their own indigenes money for being in schools. So, going to school in Nigeria is more of choice.

Southern Nigerian soil is more fertile, just that the north has more vast lands (bigger) and have a higher rural population. The south being about a quarter of the north is smaller and is rapidly becoming urbanized. The discovery and exploration of crude oil in the south is also not helping matters as almsot everyone there want to eat crude oil money, so they rapidly abandoned farming in the last few decades, if not, during colonial times there was a tough competition between all Nigerian regions om farming, we all farmed equally then.

I am disturbed by the fact that going to school now becomes a choice!!!! Education is everything. Education Education Education!! It must be compulsory for all school going kids. You are liable for arrest in Kenya if you fail to take your kids to school.
Now explain to me further about this decree thing. Does this decree by a traditional leader supercede the (secular ) law? By the way, am fully aware that there are Nigerian states that practice Sharia Law. How does this situation stand with regard to the Nigerian constitution? Also, how do we have separate laws for separate people within the same country : are people equal in Nigeria, is it wrong to say that technically there is no Nigeria since you will be judged differently based on one's religion. I find it so confusing that different codes of law can operate in a "country " ,that is if we understand a country to be a single political entity governed by a code known as a constitution.

Muafrika2:
My God!!

It explains the rebellion by BH and co. all over the North

As in 9-10 year old girls regularly become brides to 40 + year old men. I also discovered that in that half of Nigeria, Koranic education or what we call madrassa in Kenya ,is the predominant form of education. No wonder hare brained schemes like BH take root easily : the people are poor, uneducated and uninformed. Mtaji wa ugaidi.
My research also led me to discover that depending on alot of things, one can say that the southern and predominantly Christian south are more receptive to formal education. Still lots of people are disadvantaged and access to education depends hugely on one's socio economic station. And gender.
I also know that most of agriculture takes place in the north where the climate is savanna, as opposed to the southern tropical forest belt.
There are many Nigerias.

Bashirjaja01:
Apart from swahili which language is more useful in Africa...........

French and Arabic

Muafrika2:
Aristocrats? How do they do that one

I have been doing some reading lately. Apparently, in northern Nigeria, there exist a rigid class/social dichotomy between the classes which can't be broken anytime soon. Straight outta 1500. Ufalme na watawalwa. Sultan vs subjects. Strict and unyielding. The devaluation of women goes without saying as does access to formal education.

Just30:
our political appointees lack the courage to do the needful so we will need an outsider to take those decisions.

I agree.We all need hard nosed serious professionals in charge. Real capn's. Some of the people put in charge are simply spineless or are shameless pawns of their political or ethnic overlords.

Kenyanstar:
PLO is the worst kind of guy to lead a public institution...

But how my brother? I know many who studied law and were taught by him who say he's a very ethical man. His tenure at EACC was doomed from the start since that agency is very insincere and flooded by moles of the corrupt classes.

There are serious international copyright laws on vehicle and other engineering designs Let's wait and see how Audi, Daimler Benz and Porsche react.

We kenyans use Swahili as the national language, and English as the medium of instruction in institutions of learning. I have no problem if you guys tried it out, it's an African language you see. When two or more random kenyans meet, they converse with each other in Swahili.

CAF has a shitty twitter account.

VIDEO] Nairobi ranked third best 2017 travel destination
Jan. 04, 2017, 12:00 pm
By EUGENE OKUMU @eugene_okumu

Nairobi has been ranked the third most desirable city to visit in 2017 and described as “Africa’s youngest, fastest-growing metropolis and the beating heart of the continent’s largest economy”.

The administrative capital is the only African city in a which includes Paris, Isfahan, Bristol, Antwerp, Medellín, Atlanta, Osaka, Guadalajara and Palma.

British travel publisher Rough Guides, which carried out the ranking, has released a two-minute time lapse video of the city’s skyline.



Nairobi- A Timelapse Portrait from xixo collective on Vimeo.

Citing the world-famous Nairobi National Park, the guide recommends forays into the city’s dynamic urban landscape, restaurants in their dozens, art projects and a growing fashion scene.

The guide that has been published since 1982 mentions these as alternatives to the traditional trips to curio shops, coffee houses and museums. A host of thrift and boutiques are also highlighted.



“Skip Nairobi now and you’re missing out, big time,” the guide concludes.

The ranking comes days into the new year when tourist numbers are traditionally high following the December holiday period.

But a number of Western nations including the United Kingdom, where the travel guide is based, still have travel advisories for several areas in the country, Nairobi included.

Advisories by the US, UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand describe the Eastleigh suburb as a high-risk area and advise against all but essential travel. Other areas include Kibera, Mathare, Kasarani and Buru Buru .

Kenya has been the target of terrorist attacks dating back to the 1998 bombing of the US Embassy and the 2013 attack on Westgate shopping mall that left about 65 dead.

http://www.the-star.co.ke/news/2017/01/04/video-nairobi-ranked-third-best-2017-travel-destination_c1482126

AfroCircus:
I remember saying here once, take a trip around Africa and you'll be stunned. Even for Somalia, the country everyone believes is bombed to Smithereens, they've got this 2 amazing towns called hargeisa and barawa.

On the issue of Nairobi and slums, they're quite a bunch in existence, the living situation in these slums is usually very nauseating. But then their size and population are but a tiny fraction of what is stated in blogs

There existence is largely due to the segregation in settlement for the haves, have nots and those in between. you'll never see in most of Kenya an estate containing a shanty sandwiched in between a bungalow and a 1-2 bedroom apartments flat on either side. This is caused by affordability of provisions whereby one settles where they can buy daily requirements at a rate they're comfortable with. It's the same thing in SA, Botswana and Egypt. In direct contrast, my observation of Ethiopia, Tanzania, Ivory coast is that Estates normally contain houses for all classes of people side by side. This could explain why real estate development, formal retail penetration and also numbers of slums aren't as high as the former mentioned countries.

Let me add by saying : to be stunned depends on ones previous notion. Don't engorge yourself with news from western news agencies. Meet and befriend (for life!! ) other africans.

PissedYagami:
Perception is not everything. In my mind, I always thought Kenya is another underdeveloped war torn African country reeling in regional and internal pressure. The country has been getting too much sympathy from the West and East as they try to prop it up from its yesteryear woes.
I was not too excited about visiting Nairobi as I honestly felt Harare could be better. The whole journey towards the Huawei Safe City, I was just looking forward to another African country struggling with terrorism bombings and recently established government. Landing at the Nairobi international airport did not quickly give a new perspective .Yes the airport is bigger than Harare International but the standards were not really stunning which was unimpressive.
Lo and behold, as we slowly drove from the airport into the city there was massive congestion that almost resembled my Experience in Beijing. Nairobi quickly moved from an African typical city. I had an instant shift to undeniable reality. Was I still in an African country or hypnotised to another continent?
To be simply blunt , it would be just insane to try and compare Nairobi to Harare. Nairobi in my own words is only close to Capetown and it beats Johannesburg hands down.

Not my words. Some guy from Zim wrote this on his site
http://www.technomag.co.zw/2016/11/04/myexperienceinkenya-nairobi-10times-better-harare/#sthash.BKnQSeTP.ZpOBqJOf.dpbs

I have also been to Harare and i can assure you, its very pretty. As a matter of fact, they don't have crazy slum development. And they are very civil people. They get bad (western ) press because they have rightfully decided to correct grievous historical wrongs viz. land ownership.

ianSweet:
Another question i have for Kenyans here

Pls i want to know, what are Kenyan citizens and the Kenyan govt really doing about these Nairobi slums?

Nairobi slums really appear numerous and quite large for the population of Nairobi and how did these slums evolve?
Makoko the only slum in Lagos which has been demolished started out or was originally a fishing community where most of the population were from Benin republic boundary areas with Nigeria.

I have seen a few pictures of some new mass housing buildings done in Nairobi slums to resettle the slum dwellers but i also heard that some of the resettled slum dwellers sold the comfortable houses they were given and went back to the slums, i mean that's terrible.

KenyanStar, MtuMsuper, PissedYagami, Muafrika2

Open and read, follow important links : https://nairobiplanninginnovations.com/projects/kenya-slum-upgrading-programme-kensup/

jstbeinhonest:
It wont be absolutely correct to say Yorubas voted Buhari because a Yoruba man was his VP, It sure played a big role in getting yoruba votes tho. So u r quite correct.

However, d popularity of d candidate matters alot. In '11, Buhari ran with a Yoruba man, Bakare -who was more popular than 'Bajo- yet he lost, ACN was d most popular party in d west also had a Yoruba candidate, they lost. Jonah ran with Sambo, a Northerner, yet he won the west by a clear margin. He Was Popular!.

In '15, Jonah became unpopular in d west, Buhari was more popular after his merger with d ACN. So it was a combination of Buharists, ACN Supporters, d Press -which is strong in d west, due to urbanization- & most importantly neutrals who felt Jonah was Clueless & we needed Change.

He still got 40% of western votes & won Ekiti, a state with atleast 90% Yoruba population.

Nigerians hardly display tribalism in public, they need a keyboard.

I beg to differ : this thread summarises it all. Nigeria is a poster child of ethno religious intolerance.Viewer discretion advised. :
https://www.nairaland.com/3554442/chronicles-hausa-fulani-islamists-expansion-southern

Muafrika2:
Alright, so Igbos can give their votes to Fulanis and Hausas. I stand corrected. Other than that I believe this post demonstrates the importance of tribe in Nigerian elections.

Actually i think my assessment of Nigerian politics is pretty much like that across most African countries i. e stomach infrastructure first, people last. Look at how senior PDP figures trooped to the APC as soon as the latter won. They use political parties as a convenient tool, and not because they are driven by their ideology.