₦airaland Forum

In this Interview with JOHN ALECHENU, a former Minister of Health, Prof. A.B.C Nwosu, speaks on the Nigerian Civil War, the life of late Biafran warlord, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, the proposed national conference, the PDP crisis and sundry other issues

This is 53 years after independence. Can you assess Nigeria’s progress in social, political and infrastructural development?

If you look at certain things that are on the ground, you will say that we have made progress. But for me, the problem has always been human development and our fire brigade approach. Administrations in the past anticipated growth; in 1953, seven years before independence, they built Government Secondary School, Afikpo where I went to. And a year later, they found they had none for girls; so, they built one. They anticipated for the population and tried to recreate what was there. We had CKC, and others. But sadly, we have not added to these things. We should have anticipated the growth.

What could be responsible for the seeming deterioration in governance and leadership in the country? Would you blame this on military incursion into governance as many have done?

I have a strange attitude to the military, which is unlike others. I judge every administration on its own. For example, it was the military that built the Third Mainland Bridge. Since 1999, why haven’t a civilian government done a forth mainland bridge or any? So, it’s not the military. It was the military that did the fuel depots, it was the military that did the Federal Unity Colleges. I don’t have a dichotomy between military and civilian governments, maybe because of the school I attended. Government Secondary School, Afikpo had a cadet unit, so many who made Division 1 opted for the Army, the same with Umuahia, many who went to schools that had cadet units made Division 1 and opted for the Army. It is an individual thing but what I think is responsible was captured properly in two novels of Chinua Achebe, ‘No Longer at Ease’ where Obi Okonkwo, brilliant, trained by the community came and got obsessed with the perks of the civil service instead of thinking about how the community that trained him could be mobilised to be lifted up. He was thinking of his cars, his Government Reserved Area quarters and in the end, he got jailed for taking two pounds bribe. It was that early that we lost the spirit of public service. In the second book, “Anthills on the Savannah,” he had completely lost interest in the military. He looked at the military, and the civilian regimes, whose ills the military came to correct, he found no difference. In fact, he found that the military was worse and he made a profound statement that ‘those who make plans for us only make plans for themselves and their families.’

If we are to get back the spirit of public service into public officials such as (Nnamdi)Azikiwe, late Michael Okpara, Sardauna and the wonderful Prime Minister we had in the person of the late Tafawa Balewa, if we get that type of spirit back into the people, who lead us, it will be a good start.

South-East PDP governors recently endorsed President Goodluck Jonathan for a second term and some other Igbo groups have done so. What has happened to the aspiration for Igbo presidency? Will there ever be an Igbo man in the Aso Rock and when?

I neither belong to the South-East PDP governors forum nor to any of those groups that you have referred to. More importantly, President Jonathan has not declared that he is running. As for the Igbo becoming President, it used to be a make or break point for me, it is not any longer. What I want is a nation where there is a level-playing field. I believe in restructuring this country in a way that it will give every ethnic nationality a sense of belonging so that each ethnic group has a chance to produce the President.

Since Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu died, there has been no clear leadership or unity of the Igbo. Why is it so?

Even the late Dim, never considered himself as an Igbo leader; if you called him an Igbo leader, he would just chuckle. Don’t get me wrong, he enjoyed the respect and adulation he got from his people. If you saw the way he lived his life among Ndi’igbo, everybody is trying to recreate those attributes that made him so loved by his people. Leaders emerge; leaders are not crowned in Igbo land. By their fruits you shall known them. The greatest unity the Ndi’igbo had was from 1966 to 1970.

Can you tell us your civil war experience. Did Ojukwu conscript you to fight during the war?

No person of my age was conscripted. We desired to join the Biafran Army, we did not fear the military front, we did not fear to die and that was what made the war last as long as it did. If Ojukwu didn’t declare that war at the time he did, we would have killed him. In my set in the Biafran School of Infantry, I was commissioned the same day with Ojo Maduekwe, he wasn’t conscripted. I was commissioned the same day with Joseph Okonkwo, the first Peoples Democratic Party Chairman in Anambra State, he wasn’t conscripted and so many. In fact, if you were turned down, you agonised you didn’t take part. We didn’t regret dying, that was a war we didn’t regret any wound we got. And I had serious wounds in 1968, which I’ve carried till today.

Looking back now, would you say that as a nation we have learnt lessons from that sad episode?

Definitely, we have learnt lessons. To us, the issue was not a matter of Biafra; it was a matter of security of lives and property. It was also a traumatic psychological experience for us to feel unwanted by brethren and by societies where we wanted to belong. In typical Igbo fashion, we said to ourselves that if people rejected us, we should not reject ourselves. I think we’ve learnt that lesson now and we are all over Nigeria and even the killings that happen now, only a few are targeted at us. Many are collateral damage. In 1966, it was definite pogrom. We’ve learnt the lesson that you can’t have pogrom and expect to be one country, if that is one lesson we have learnt, I think we have learnt something.

South south governor dole out 500 miller just like that. Tomorrow the gulluble SS masses will still blame the common suya man in sokoto for all his woes.

TB Joshua predicted that a former governor will die twice.

The level boko haram have reached is still not known to us. Haven wounder why Shekau use to laugh anytime the Nigerian Army says they have deciminated the group.

We should thank God Boko haram have not yet perfected the use of human bombs , as in some crazy dude warping some powerful TNT liquid explosive around him and blowing himself in government buildings. What they have so far been doing is driving a car ladden with explosive to their targets.

As for me, the day we had our first. Comfirm suicide bombing that day I knew this boko thing is far far beyond local politics.

Didn't vanguard also published it

SHEKAU IS DEAD. Most of our local journalists are so
lazy when it comes to investigative journalism. They
just sit around waiting for press releases which they
sometimes just publish without editing or analyzing.
How can someone who wants to proof he is still alive
send audio message instead of his trade mark video
message. Already Nigeria media have started
circulating it. I still stand by Col Sagir JTF spokesman
that the idiot is dead. Mtceeee copy copy journalism. I watch the clip it was a still video kinda of a photo
video with an audio. The bastard is 10000 fit inside
hell. Where Allah wraths and anger is already on him
for causing unnecessary insults to islam

SHEKAU IS DEAD. Most of our local journalists are so
lazy when it comes to investigative journalism. They
just sit around waiting for press releases which they
sometimes just publish without editing or analyzing.
How can someone who wants to proof he is still alive
send audio message instead of his trade mark video
message. Already Nigeria media have started
circulating it. I still stand by Col Sagir JTF spokesman
that the idiot is dead. Mtceeee copy copy journalism. I watch the clip it was a still video kinda of a photo
video with an audio. The bastard is 10000 fit inside
hell. Where Allah wraths and anger is already on him
for causing unnecessary insults to islam

SHEKAU IS DEAD. Most of our local journalists are so
lazy when it comes to investigative journalism. They
just sit around waiting for press releases which they
sometimes just publish without editing or analyzing.
How can someone who wants to proof he is still alive
send audio message instead of his trade mark video
message. Already Nigeria media have started
circulating it. I still stand by Col Sagir JTF spokesman
that the idiot is dead. Mtceeee copy copy journalism. I
watch the clip it was a still video kinda of a photo
video with an audio. The bastard is 10000 fit inside
hell. Where Allah wraths and anger is already on him
for causing unnecessary insults to islam

Where the video but am afraid to say I ve this chilling fear it might be true. Daily trust will not just released this report without having proof .

BREAKING NEWS: Three of the attackers at the
Westgate Mall in Nairobi, Kenya, are from the United
States, according to sources within the terror group
Al-Shabaab. http://on.cnn.com/QZYZDc
o

Mario Ballatoli just missed a penaly, and milan are loosing 2 nil in favour of Napoli. Ballatoli has scored 21 caeer penalties and has never missed one untill now Pepe Raina saved this one. Match still in progress

The couples

Before

Pix

'Once we are married, my body is for his eyes only': Glamour model to cover up and
convert to Islam after falling for Tunisian lifeguard.

* Carley Watts, 24, is to marry Tunisian lifeguard Mohammed Salah, 25
* Carley will move to Tunisia in October and convert to Islam
* His parents will not be told about her career as they 'wouldn't understand'
* Carley's two-year-old daughter Alanah will also move to Monastir

She used to spend her days posing in her underwear but now glamour model
Carley Watts, 24, is to cover up after falling in love with Tunisian lifeguard,
Mohammed Salah, 25. The model, from Dearham in Norfolk, met Salah during a holiday in Tunisia in April and says she is so serious about the lifeguard she is set to Islam to become his wife.
From October, Carley and her daughter Alannah, two, will live close to his family in
the city of Monastir, where she will spend six months learning about the faith - and
planning their wedding.
Convert: Carley Watts will convert to Islam ahead of her marriage to Tunisian
lifeguard Mohammed Salah Carley told the Sun on Sunday that her friends think she is mad and that this is just a phase: 'They can’t get their heads round me going from being the last girl standing on every night out to wearing a veil and converting to Islam. Meeting Mohammed has made me really look at my life. I don’t want to be going wild, flashing my boobs and falling out of nightclubs any more. But we couldn’t be more different.

'As a glamour model I show off my boobs, dress up in kinky outfits and generally
act outrageous. Mohammed is solely focused on family life. If I’m drunk I like to
take my clothes off and recently I walked all the way home from a nightclub totally
starkers. I love going to raves and staying up dancing all night in little tutus and
bra tops. Now my life is set to change beyond belief. I don’t have any worries,
though.'
The day job: Mohammed's parents won't be told about Carley's glamour modelling
career Although Mohammed does know what Carley does for a living, she told the Sun
that his family aren't aware of her career and won't be told.
She explained that the fact she is a single mother was already enough of a shock
for them.
She said: 'He explained that he loved me and wanted me to be his wife and they
have come round to that. He accepts that [glamour modelling] is what I do and
doesn’t try to change me. But he says once we are married my body is for his eyes
only.' Single mothers are almost unheard of in Tunisia, where sex outside of marriage is frowned upon and is punishable by law.
'Single mums don’t exist in his world and men who get unmarried women pregnant
go to prison. It is all about family and he idolises his mother,' she added.
'These are the kind of values I love about their culture. Women are treated with
respect and they also respect themselves and their bodies. They don’t do one-night
stands or casual flings. When I’m with Mohammed I feel so content, calm and
happy. I know he’s the kind, family man for me.'


http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2397038/Glamour-model-Carley-Watts-cover-convert-Islam-marriage-Tunisian-lifeguard.html

hmmm

I attended the burial of a colleague in Imo State, Apart from the burial arrangement and paying the staffs, they have to do a big party probably slaughtered about 4 cows and several bags of rice, everything calls for celebration in Igbo land, the family spent about 2 million naira, bcoz many people came not out of sympathy but the prospect of free food.

As a Muslim, this is my first hand experience of a Christian funeral, in my area burial are no big deal irrespective of your status, seeing the wastage of money on the burial day left me shocked, considering our firm have to pay the medical bills of the lady b4 she passed away as no help was coming from the family.

I just don't know why Nigerians will always go a step further in anything they do? From gold casket, synchronised burial guards, in fact they will import the burial clothes if possible i heard a family delayed their burial because they were waiting for a musician to come back from overseas.

NO SPACE FOR YORUBA : PDP Special Convention election Results

1. Deputy National Chairman- Secundus Uche
2241 votes

2. National Treasurer: Bala Buhari 2181

3. Deputy National Publicity Secretary- Jalo
Abdullahi Ibrahim 2215

4. National Organizing Secretary – Mustapha
Abubakar 2125

5. Deputy National Legal Adviser – Bashir
Maidugu 2011

6. Deputy National Organizing Secretary –
Nnadozie Okechkwu 2226

7. National Legal Adviser – Kwonm Victor Yususfu
2053

8. Deputy National Financial Secretary-Gwadabe
Awwalu Abdu 2316

9. Deputy National Secretary – Onwe Solomon
Onwe 2051

10. National Publicity Secretary (2 Candidates)
Olisa Metuh 1956 and Tony Nwabuna 129

11. National Woman Leader (2 candidates) Kema
Chikwe 2011 and Ann Nnosike 129

12. Deputy National Auditor- Lawal Anche- 2221

13. Deputy National Woman Leader- Ulam
Hannatu- 2154
18.13u

Why are kidnappers increasingly associated with Pastors?

Policewoman: Because the muslim women do their own codedly.

No wonder they account for the least HIV PREVALENCE rates.

Don Allah MR. Moderator stop moderating from a Beer Parlour. This shitt happened in Kanuri infested Boko Haram enclave of Borno not in Kano.

I ve been hearing about this new series called THE WIRE but am yet to watch it, I know PRISON BREAK is a world class masterpiece until the Michael Scofield guy turn to Gay.
I need an objective analysis of this new series called THE WIRE so that I can place my order for all the available episodes.

Now I understand, Patience GEJ controls Aso Rock, Patricia Etteh controls the SEC and Diezaini Madueke controls the treasury and GEJ rubber stamps their decisions.

where is the picture of the bombs?

Kataka don bust 3 -1

Soreza: this simply means abukar sheakur we are looking for is comfortable under an air condition room with gangs in one of a bigger politicians,i will stop looking at niger,cameroon,mali,look in their bedrooms of the northern leader,elders

Extend your search light to the bed rooms of southern politicians and elders as well. Unlike Abacha own the dude probably escape the CIVILIAN JTF and came hiding in Kano, your own unko, Bayelsa State Government owned the house in which Boko haram suspects with several guns were arrested in Lagos.