Obi1kenobi: Wow. I wouldn't even know where to start to address the avalanche of nonsensical claims in this article. The worst was the claim that "God created every tribe and tongue". The typical ignorant lunacy that is spread by the cult influence of religion and asserted with confidence. You think the language you speak was magically invented in the sky rather than socially evolving over centuries and millenia of human civilization? A reason that languages in geographical clusters are more closely related than languages from further regions - which is why we have something called "language families" where geographically close speak languages in the same family of languages, even if the languages are distinct. Studying the history of the English language alone, and the influence that Greek and Latin (languages of learning centuries ago), and French (from the Norman conquests of the British Isles), and Germanic influences (from Viking conquerors) had on today's modern language that you speak and write should have been enough debunk the nonsensical theory that God manufactured languages in the sky and threw them down for different people to learn. The concept of "tribe" is just as malleable. Human beings through history have diverged from common roots through migration and splintered and evolved new identities. God did not invent any tribe either. Human civilization over tens of thousands of years evolved ethnic identities.
Many of you religious people need to be a little more intellectually curious about the world you live in. About history. About science. About anthropology. About geography. Burying yourselves in Bible myths of the Jewish people does not educate you about the world you live in. The world is a very complex place, and its complexity is not explained by the Garden of Eden or the Tower of Babel and all the children's entertainment stories you read in the Bible.
easy! facts are stubborn things. Aren't you same person as morpheus24?
morpheus24: The s.t.u.pidest religious and bigoted gibberish I have ever read. The person that wrote tis cannot be over 30 because it reeks of infantile thought and un-rational thought.
Love is an emotion therefore it is an emotional response to a physical, psychological and spiritutal connection one develops with another human being driven by natural hormones that enhances the experience.
Marriage is different from love, it is an institutional body created to facilitate and propagate life in a meaningful and constructive manner that helps further a societies norms.
Tribes,ethnic groups, religious beliefs, creeds, and the likes are social constructs that also help foster societies which is why they are interlinked in the choice of your marriage partner.
IF they put a black man, a white woman, a jewish man an arab muslim, a catholic Asian etc on a deserted island and left them to their own demise, they would create a brand new race, a brand new culture with brand new systems and a brand new religion that would foster their survival and existence and would " fall in love" with each other as a function of proximity and attraction.
The poster of this thread is a child and best and a blind religious I.diot at worst
" Marriage is different from love, it is an institutional body created to" created by who? by you or GOD that you don't believe in.
Mobilia: Hmmmm.... Interesting and I agree with a few of your points (being a product (from a union) of two different cultures and my challenge with fully identifying with both..still don't have that conquered just yet). But...
It would seem to me (if we're talking from a spiritual standpoint) that spirituality/religion would transcend culture in a Godly marriage (at least from a Christianity viewpoint).
most things that keep a marriage going aren't connected to spirtuality. eg however godly a woman is if she is a terrible cook or the dirty type the marriage will suffer. let's not forget the part where it is stated that a man shall cling unto his wife and they become one FLESH (not spirit) or the part were the wife is asked to submitt to the husband in everything (not just the spiritual). so analyzing it from the standpoint of religion wouldn't do justice to it
Yes, there will be some differences and challenges (which are normal); however two people from separate tribes who fundamentally agree within the dictates/doctrines of their religion should be able to peacefully and happily live a fulfilling life on this earth. To me, inter-tribal "mixed religions" marriages would be the most problematic because of fundamental differences. Ex. Christianity and Islam have non-negotiable fundamental differences. Atheism and Christianity (Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism etc) have non-negotiable fundamental differences...and so forth. But how would a marriage between a Christian Igbo man/woman and Christian Yoruba man/woman be a problem though, if what fundamentally unites them (in one accord) is Christ and His message? Can't the Christian Yoruba wife learn some of the Christian Igbo husband's customs and vice versa?
it is not just about the religion, value as a whole has a role to play. most times the simplest aspects of our behavior which we underrate can cause misunderstanding when used beyond our culture.eg shrugging is a European thing, while the tufiakwa sign is an African thing. language, gestures, mannerism are essential in our everyday relationship. Any conflict in them can abridge the flow of communication in a marriage, leading to misunderstanding and mistrust. If these natural obstacles are not given adequate consideration, they could sunder a union faster than the most committed human enemy
God was instructing His children to marry within their religious beliefs and not outside of Him (no marriages between unbelievers and believers)..which is where Samson and King Solomon made grave mistakes. God was not against inter-tribal marriages..ex. Moses and Zipporah. It's a lot more of a society/human thing to stay within one's own "race/group/tribe" cause familiarity is simply more comfortable...(and I understand that).
of course not true. Isaac asked Jacob to get a wife from among his people. Aaron spoke against moses in Numbers 12
I don't get though, how your " tribal separation" doctrine will unite Nigeria as one...if inter-tribal marriages should never exist? Am I missing something?
It is important we notify the world at large and the indefatigable global IPOB family in particular that our supreme leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu has called-off the election boycott in Biafraland. After a brief emergency session of the Directorate of State (DOS) late last night, presided over by our leader, where it was determined that all our terms and conditions had been met by those wishing us to lift the ban on voting, it was unanimously agreed that the boycott should be lifted. The signed document agreeing to IPOB terms and consitions are in our possession and will be made public in due course.
We can therefore state with utmost sense of responsibility and pride that IPOB has accomplished what no other people or group has been able to do in the history of our people. Without prejudice, this will go down as the defining moment when the irreversibibility of the restoration of Biafra was firmly entrenched in the subconscious of all and sundry. As a result of which we can state categorically that Biafra is a lot closer than we think as a result of this.
Our detractors and opponents have also realised that IPOB is a super-structure that can't be blackmailed nor intimidated into conceeding an inch without getting what they want. We regret the lateness of this agreement that led to the calling off at the eleventh hour but it must be seen as a negotiating ploy designed to wear IPOB down which failed woefully. We stood very firm and got every concession we asked for in line with what our leader outlined in nemerous recent broadcasts.
If there were any doubt before regarding the potency of IPOB, this successful outcome has dispelled all of it. Therefore it is full steam ahead towards Biafra restoration because IPOB has achieved something most people thought was impossible. IPOB worldwide has proven that the impossible is achievable with dedication and demonstrable sense of purpose.
Our leader made it clear on many occassions that unless our terms are met the elections will be boycotted. Having met those conditions, our leader triumphantly lifted the boycott late last night.
The leadership hereby commend the worldwide IPOB family, especially our legendary volunteers, our fathers, mothers and e-warriors that battled the enemy to standstill. We salute their doggedness, resoluteness and resilience towards this fight for Biafra freedom and this greatest achievement we have so far made.
Therefore, we wish to inform the world that our preconditions and demands which we set out to accomplish from the onset, has been conceded to and taken care of without much alteration. Our struggle for total Biafra independence has been enhanced as a result of this.
COMRADE EMMA POWERFUL MEDIA AND PUBLICITY SECRETARY FOR IPOB.
I have seen posts where people were asked whether they could go into an inter- tribal marriage and some ignorantly answered yes. Most of those who said yes backed it up with their misguided understanding of love, and some, on civilization. I heard things like “love conquers all” “when you’re in love” “na where love carry you” “love has no barrier”. I have even seen some nollywood movies trying to promote this lately. My intention is not to hurt or judge those who already are into such unions but to disabuse some of our people’s mind from the belief that inter -tribal marriage is cool. Firstly, the truth is most people don’t know what love truly means. What most people call love is just romantic attraction. They have an amorous depiction of love which does not last. I asked a guy who swore that he ‘loves’ his fiancée whether he would still marry her if her both legs were amputated after an accident, he frankly said no. I told him “you don’t love her, what you share is attraction”. Many marriages have collapsed because they began on emotional footing. The truth is that love is not something you fall into. Anything you fall into such as temptation Sin and “love” is not of God. Sampson fell in love with Delilah, Solomon loved foreign women but we all know the end. Love is not a feeling that overwhelms, It a choice, a decision, a commitment and, an act of will. You chose and learn to love just like hate. That is why it is always given by God as a command eg love you neighbor, husband love your wife. Falling in love is not biblical, and it’s not a valid reason for marriage. In other words, love happens inside marriage not before it. Marriage is quite bigger than love and it lasts till death. This is why it so important that you set aside emotion and consider natural pillars and avoid issues that can stress a union. Love comes in to bind and seal these natural and tangible elements and help the union hold together. If love is all that matters, it means the marriage ends when couple ’fall out’ of love. When on a very important journey, would you rather take a beautiful venza headed to somewhere else than taking a modest bus heading to your destination?. Of course taking the bus will make your journey successful but the venza that caught your fancy will keep you stranded in a strange destination. The venza decision is emotional while that of bus is hinged on reason. One of, if not the most important criteria for a successful marriage is culture and value compatibility. It is God who created every tribe and tongue( Acts 17:26) (Deut 32: 8 ) this wasn’t an act of tribalism. values and ideas about marriage vary across cultures, yet every Tribe is right in their own culture and values .The friction only comes when one tries to mix their different values and bloodline through marriage. Hence GOD instructed his people to marry from among themselves (Deut 7:1-3) (Num 36:6) (Num 12:1) (Gen 28:1)(Ezra 9:12). Moreover, every girl is trained in a specific cultural and religious environment and can only find her niche within her own tribe. Marriage is not just about the two persons involved. When you marry a man, the man’s people become your people, his language, god, culture become yours. There is no such thing as “respect each others’ culture” in marriage, otherwise you are no longer really married. There is more to marital bliss than your husband’s love. This includes enjoying through marriage those social privileges your culture gives to your new status as married women, which you were born to appreciate and cherish, and which has shaped your personality. This will not make much sense to you if you marry out your ethnic group and as such, affect your happiness in the long run. With these, those who like to think otherwise can see that Marriage is almost absolutely cultural. Again, do you know there is a connection between marriage and ethnic loyalty? Men who marry from outside their ethnic group shy away from ethnic nationalism and things that promote the uniqueness of their ethnic groups. They brand such things “tribalism” but we know their actions are not normal…this is why God spoke against it in Joshua (23:12-13) Again, Wives are called helpers. They help their husband achieve their purpose. Can an Igbo woman (or vice versa) ‘help’ make her Yoruba children functional members of the Yoruba society when she knows nothing about their culture? No. compatibility plays an all-important role in the success of a marriage and sharing same value is the first step towards that. In inter tribal marriage, conflict of culture and value happen right there within a family, which even defeats the essence of the family To be clear, there are issues generally common to marriage but these ones highlighted are peculiar to inter-tribal marriages, and when added to the general ones make inter-ethnic marriage very much likely to fail. This explains why they fail more. The silent majority are struggling to hold together. What is more is the fate of the children. They suffer from identity crisis. Theirs is a spirit yearning for a full sense of belonging from either of the two different cultures and identity which meet in their own family. Conflicting social identity is not healthy to an individual’s sense of self realization. Most offspring of mixed marriages naturally don’t involve deeply in their fathers society and culture. This is why they end up being open to intertribal marriage, again continuing the cycle of ‘normlessness’. Don’t be deceived. Not everything popular is right. Peoples future are not built on fables fantasies and fiction. Most important decisions of life are not taken for political correctness. If you start what you can’t finish, what you started will finish you. Those married should try and make it work while those about to should look before they leap.
OAM4J Lalasticlala mynd44 Pls wider publicity is needed
kolaxed98: Shut the fukk u igbos even though u claim u are the most educated in Nigeria, u fall my hand sometimes.
Do u know the walking dead is shown on fox TV .but is own by AMC, on AMC it will show AMC original because they develop it by themselves that doesn't mean AMC is better that fox TV, so a movie that shows Netflix original,does it mean its better than Disney or warner bros,I'm sure Netflix is better Disney that owns the avengers, but u can watch this same avengers on Netflix, what does that say to u?if a movie is good its good not celebrating mediocre because it is Netflix original,who Netflix original epp,are they not a mostly movie streaming service,
This was the reason y Genevieve ran to Netflix, so that dumb idiot like u can be feeling fly on top nothing.
I say it again search for Nigerian movies on Netflix and the most watched most rated one are made by yoruba.
At least yoruba are producing high quality movie,changing the landscape from crap u guys made.
Whenever a Yoruba produced movie gets out expect to see cinema jam packed raking in millions of naira,I heard wedding party one Alone made 3 billion naira total including cinema and DVD sells and movie streaming online, which Igbo has come close to that record.
Cinema is controlled by Yoruba in Nigeria, I didn't even hear anything about lion heart on social media or on news,how much has she made from cinema, I'm sure u can't say,rubbish.
Here is a near accurate prophesy made about nigeria in Jan 2017. pls Take note of The ones in bold, thery have either happened or on course.
Prophet Olagunju's 2017 Prophecies: "Atiku Will Defeat Buhari In 2019 & More" by AllTheWayUp: 2:01pm On Jan 01, 2017
- Prophet Olagunju, who accurately predicted President Muhammadu Buhari victory in the 2015 election, has said the president will be dethroned in 2019 election by former vice president Atiku Abubakar
- He says that Igbo’s desire for Biafra nation has received divine approval
- The prophet says no amount of peace talk can prevent Nigeria’s disintegration
Prophet Wale Olagunju, the presiding Bishop of Divine Seed of God Chapel Ministries in Ibadan, Oyo state, has released his prophecies for 2017.
Prophet Olagunju, who accurately predicted President Muhammadu Buhari victory in the 2015 election, has revealed that the Nigerian president will be dethroned in 2019 election by former vice president Atiku Abubakar, The Sun reports.
The man of God, in a 52-point prophecy for the Year 2017 also foretold the possibility of the country splitting into five as he claimed to have foreseen, “the map of Nigeria torn into five,” saying, “no amount of peace talk can prevent Nigeria’s disintegration. It is a matter of time.”
He predicted that the Igbo’s desire for Biafra nation has received divine approval.
Below are his prophecies for Nigeria in the year:
1. As revealed by the Almighty God who will never share his glory with mortal man, the present generation of Nigerian leaders in the likes of Obasanjo, Babangida, Gowon, Danjuma, Abdusallam and Buhari will pass away before the emergence of the Messiah that will lead Nigeria to the promise land. The problem in our Nation will be so much that what we are witnessing now will be a child play to what we will see and hear and there will be chaos and distrust all over the nation as a result of which the messiah will emerge.
This messiah, an unknown person, will proffer solutions (to the problems); conduct referendum and will break Nigeria peacefully. As revealed to me further by the creator of the universe, the reign of this messiah will be brief. God of Abraham has concluded in heaven to raise for Himself the young man who will give divine solution and execute God’s programme for Nigeria.
2. There is going to be serious fight between Obasanjo and Buhari as revealed by God Almighty.
3. Notable chieftains of the APC and the PDP who are talking of 2019 without due reference to God will not live to witness that year.
4. There is going to be rowdy session in the National Assembly in the coming year.
5. The present war against Bola Tinubu will continue but many of those fighting him will come back to eat their words.
6. God again revealed to me that Nigeria is seriously sick and that the only drug that can cure her is National Repentance Prayer. Failure to do this, God says Nigeria will continue to wallow in problems. God warned Nigerians not to look up to their leaders for solutions but to God Almighty as they have none to their problems.
7. God of heaven says He is angry with President Buhari because of his failure to alleviate the sufferings of Nigerians but instead adding to it. God says Buhari’s government is like a weed on the surface of the Atlantic Ocean.
8. God says those who think the PDP is dead are making a mistake as He [God] does not work in the counsel of men but in the reasoning of His words. God says the party will bounce back and its members in the APC will return to their original house.
9. The present rumpus in the APC will continue.
10. The Nigerian nation will continue to experience hardship unless serious steps are taken to seek the face of God.
11. Nigerians should pray for Buhari against high blood pressure, liver and kidney problem as the President is sick.
12. God says that He deliberately raised Donald Trump of America to execute His judgment on America for their sin of homosexuality being propagated by Obama/Hillary Clinton. God says Trump will at a stage behave like an anti-Christ.
13. God says the Yoruba nation will unite and rise again.
14. There is going to be sharp misunderstanding between Buhari and Osinbajo as a result of political differences.
15. God says any party that fields Buhari for the 2019 presidential election will be fielding liability as his candidacy will make the party lose the election. God says this will be so because Buhari has disappointed God by his failure to carry out His instruction as published in my 2016 predictions by national dailies to “wage war against corruption, execute God’s fierce judgment on those who sinned against God by looting as well as for his failure to demonstrate love to the poor by alleviating their suffering. God says for these reasons, He has torn his government and given it to another man after His heart to rule Nigeria. God says Buhari will continue to have problem till his last day in Aso Rock and people will continue to hate him because of his failure to rule with the fear of God.
16. To show the extent to which Buhari’s disappointment is grieving God, God says he has rejected Buhari just like He did to Jonathan and even his people the Hausas will reject him come 2019. In the presence of Almighty God as revealed to me, Buhari have become a complete disappointing king/failure just like king Saul in the bible.
17. God says the name Atiku Abubakar will continue to ring like a bell. He will be so popular among Nigerian politicians to the extent that many will root for him.
18. God says should Atiku Abubakar contest the 2019 election, he will defeat Buhari hands down.
19. The 2018 Governorship election in Ekiti state will cause a sharp division in the APC camp because of the inordinate ambition of some of their self-centred leaders. The party in the state will break into three factions as revealed to me by God.
20. God says the APC is being faced by three major problems of backbiting, unnecessary petition against former leaders and total hijack of the party structure from pioneer members.
21. Tambuwal and David Mark will be drafted to contest the 2019 Presidential election but God says the cabal of our nation will prefer Governor Tambuwal of Sokoto state.
22. Nigerians should pray against fire accident in the coming year.
23. God says that except that the Nigeria nation repent of the sin of its leaders who killed innocent souls, sin of FESTAC ’77 and sin of corruption which placed the country under the curse of the Almighty, the country’s problem will continue.
24. Prophet T. B. Joshua should pray seriously to avert sickness.
25. General T. Y. Danjuma should also pray against sickness.
26. God says I. B. B. will continue to remain in sickness.
27. God says for Buhari to have taken the problem of Nigeria to Kaaba in Mecca as if there is no God in Nigeria and rather than motivate the entire nation to fast and seek the face of God, He [God] will continue to raise adversaries against his government and Nigerians will continue to hate him.
28. God again warned that should the APC field Buhari in 2019, the broom will be broken and thrown into fire just like I predicted to PDP in 2014.
29. God Almighty says President Buhari is too rigid and stubborn. God says the President has set aside His mandate for him to cleanse the nation of corruption. God says He is only giving the President the grace to motivate Nigerians for special repentance prayer.
30. Serving ministers in Buhari’s government should watch their steps as the President is set to drop some of them and reshuffle his government.
31. God says Governor Aregbesola of Osun state will continue to swim in problems until he gets out of office as a result of the recognition he gave to the Osun Osogbo idol.
32. God says he will inflict those who loot Nigeria treasury with sickness. They will henceforth be inflicted with dreaded sicknesses that will lead to untimely death unless they repent.
33. God says Goodluck Jonathan will never win any election again in Nigeria as a result of his sin against the Almighty.
34. God says 2019 election will be tougher than the 2015.
35. The executive and the National Assembly will go on a serious collision course in the coming year. Buhari should be careful lest he is accused of non-implementation of budget.
36. Nigerians should pray for Awujale of Ijebu land.
37. Those who say the Biafra nation will not materialise are dreaming for the Igbos have taken their case to the creator of the universe and He has granted their heart desire.
38. PDP will bounce back to become a formidable party in Oyo state again.
39. Buhari should watch his steps to avoid impeachment.
40. As revealed by God, should Buhari fail to take it easy with the people of the South-South and South-East and go ahead to use military power, Nigeria may go to civil war.
41. As revealed by God, a new generation of military officers will in future overthrow the government of Nigeria to clear the rot perpetrated by reckless politicians.
42. Before 2019, there will be amalgamation of political heavyweight and political party that will give the APC sleepless nights.
43. The on-going war against corruption will soon lose value as the President will bend the rules and soft pedal because of inordinate and self-interest.
44. A prominent artiste will fall sick in the coming year.
45. Nigerians should pray for Baba Sala.
46. Come 2019 general election, PDP will fight the APC to a standstill.
47. APC should forget about winning 2019 election for another government will emerge that will probe their government.
48. Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode should be prayerful to avoid being at loggerhead with the elite. He should also pray to avert sickness.
49. Another strong party will emerge before the 2019 election.
50. God Almighty who revealed to me in my 2015/2016 prediction that Buhari is not the Messiah says the promised Messiah will use his mandate to settle all problems confronting Nigeria. The said Messiah will conduct a referendum so as to peacefully break Nigeria without civil war.
51. God says three out of the four pillars that are holding the APC have broken down as a result of their greed, inordinate ambition, stubbornness, favouritism, tribal and religious sentiment and therefore their days in government are numbered.
52. God revealed to me and I saw the map of Nigeria torn into five, by this no amount of peace talk can prevent Nigeria’s disintegration. It is a matter of time. This one sweet me
Rstc: So much social entropy, that the nation can give way at anytime.
And yet some people still wants buhari to win. I am not even talking about the hopeless bigots who are voting for him because of the fake Yoruba pastor.
I am talking about genuine patriots who actually believe buhari is the best thing for this country. How misguided they are.
Are there patriots in nigeria? a country ithout common value wouldn't have a common definition of who a patriot is.
JERUSALEM — Nigerian separatist leader Nnamdi Kanu announced that he is in Israel a year after he disappeared from his home in southeast Nigeria.
Kanu has been campaigning for an independent state called Biafra in south-eastern Nigeria.
A video live-streamed on Friday on social media showed him praying at the Western Wall in Jerusalem, wearing a kipa and tallit.
Kanu claims the Igbo people, who are the majority in southeast Nigeria, are a lost tribe of Israel and that he will lead them to the promised land of Biafra.
In a broadcast Sunday on his pirate radio station, Radio Biafra, Kanu announced “I’m in Israel.”
“I owe my survival to the State of Israel,” he said, noting that he received help from Israel’s Mossad, though he did not indicate what kind of assistance he may have received from Israeli authorities.
In 2015, Kanu was charged with “criminal conspiracy, intimidation and membership of an illegal organization,” which are charges that could amount to treason, according to the BBC. He was released on bail last year after spending more than 19 months without trial on treason charges.
Nigerian troops raided his home city of Umuahia in Abia state, southeast Nigeria, in September 2017, after which he went missing until Friday, including failing to show up at his scheduled trial.
In his broadcast on Sunday, Kanu called on his followers to boycott elections next year in Nigeria unless there is a referendum for a state of Biafra in the country’s southeast on the ballot. He said he would not return to Nigeria for his trial, the Daily Post of Nigeria reported.
I am not a fan of these so called prophets but this trending youtube video of a pastor in March 2018 giving prophesy about the return of Nnamdi kanu caught my attention. He said he sees "a great danger coming to Nigeria...i'm seeing darkness". he said he sees a "dangerous preparation" and the return of "a firehorse with an angry spirit". According to him people should forget about the prevailing calmness for what people experience isn't really calmness because there will be "a rising of action in a full force". "I am seeing a firehorse coming to bring his vision through...I'm seeing everywhere shaking"
It's no longer news that Kanu has resurfaced but in the closing speech of his broadcast said that " I am coming back to Biafraland and i'll bring hell with me"
the out come of this election will play strongly on nig-Us relations. it will determine trump's response to killings in MB, buhari's anti Israel policies and their official position on Biafra. I so feel.
This article was written a year ago. You might want to read it if you are Igbo and still shout one nigeria.
Just over 50 years ago, on May 30, 1967, Biafra, a region in southeastern Nigeria, declared its independence. A few weeks later, the government of Nigeria began a bloodthirsty war against the secessionist area. In the course of this two-and-half-year conflict, in which the Nigerian army committed unspeakable atrocities, some 1.5 million people died, mainly members of the Igbo ethnic group. Some 80 percent died due to famine.
Nigeria was formed as a colony by Britain and received its independence in 1960. Today it is a presidential republic. It calls itself a federal state, but in fact, it is strongly centralized. It has a population of some 190 million, made up of about 500 different ethnic groups. Deep divides
The largest of these are the Hausa-Fulani, who mostly live in the north and account for about 30 percent of the population. Other large groups include the Yorubas in the southwest, with more than 20 percent of the population, and the Igbos in the southeast, also accounting for about 20 percent. The Hausa-Fulani are nearly all Muslims, the Yorubas practice Christianity and Islam with strong influences from traditional religions, while the Igbos are mostly Catholics. The overall literacy rate is about two-thirds, but it is very low in the north and very high in the southeast.
The Igbos were an easy target – they were better educated, more industrious and they were Christians
The southeast is prosperous. As the region of the country where oil and gas are produced, it is crucial for the Nigerian government. All revenues from fossil-fuel exploitation go into federal coffers, leaving the southeast only with the environmental repercussions.
Gowon’s repression
When Lieutenant Colonel Yakubu Gowon, a northerner, took power in Nigeria in 1966, a murderous pogrom against Igbos in the north began. The Igbos were an easy target – they were better educated, more industrious and they were Christians. Some 30,000 to 50,000 men, women and children were massacred under the auspices of the federal government.
The repression that followed under the regime of then General Gowon led the Igbo-inhabited southeast to declare its independence as the Republic of Biafra. The result was a murderous war and the intentional starvation of Igbos.
General Gowon had the support of the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, the Arab countries and diplomatic backing from the United States, despite his horrific tactics. France (at the time under President Charles de Gaulle), Spain, Portugal, South Africa, Israel, Taiwan and especially the Vatican tried to help Biafra’s people. United Nations Secretary-General U Thant deliberately closed his eyes to the suffering. The defeat of Biafra and the murderous revenge the federal troops took in 1970 did not close this dark chapter in Nigerian and African history
Chief Obafemi Awolowo, a supporter of the Gowon government, said at the time: “All is fair in war, and starvation is one of the weapons of war. I don’t see why we should feed our enemies fat in order for them to fight harder.” Still marginalized
The defeat of Biafra and the murderous revenge the federal troops took in 1970 did not close this dark chapter in Nigerian and African history. Igbos continue to be marginalized. They are underrepresented in nearly all top government positions. The southeast is thoroughly neglected by federal authorities, except in the quasi-confiscation of oil revenues.
President Muhammadu Buhari received few votes from the southeast in the 2015 elections. When, during a trip to the U.S. later that year, he was asked what he would do to help the region, he responded: “I hope you have a copy of the election results. Naturally, the constituencies that gave me 97 percent cannot, in all honesty, be treated [in the same way] on some issues with constituencies that gave me five percent. I think this is a political reality” – indicating a willingness to give the areas that support him preferential treatment.
Last year, at a gathering of Igbos commemorating the start of the Biafra war, federal police killed some 50 people. The 50th anniversary will take place this year, and we can only hope that there will not be a repeat of such a massacre.
No wonder new secessionist movements in Nigeria are gaining momentum. Nnamdi Kanu is the leader of a growing group demanding Biafran independence. “Nothing seems to be working in Nigeria,” Al-Jazeera quoted him as saying. “There is pain and hardship everywhere. What we’re fighting [for] is not self-determination for the sake of it. It’s because Nigeria is not functioning and can never function.” Corruption trap
Nigeria, with its geographic, ethnic and institutional structure, is a political and economic monster – a real “Frankenstein.” The wish for self-determination is natural and understandable under the circumstances, with such discrimination ongoing. A peaceful separation would be the best outcome.
The only way out of Nigeria’s corruption trap is for the regions to have strong governments within a true federal system, or to secede
Unfortunately, since Nigeria’s corrupt federal state apparatus lives off the oil revenues and has neglected non-oil-related economic development, it is unlikely to agree. If a situation like the one 50 years ago recurs, we can only hope that the international community will act more responsibly, and not try to maintain the integrity of an inherently corrupt state at any price.
The only way out of Nigeria’s corruption trap is for the regions to have strong governments within a true federal system, or to secede. The problem is that not only the federal government, but many of the regions depend on the oil revenue earned in the country’s southeast.
In doing business with Nigeria, it must be kept in the back of one’s mind that Biafra’s secession would drastically change Nigeria’s financial situation. In terms of the country’s politics, one has to consider the possibility that Nigeria could become much poorer than it is already.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) at The Hague has said it will investigate the September 2017 invasion of a community in Abia State by soldiers of the Nigerian Army during a military exercise code-named Operation Python Dance 2 (Egwu Eke Abuo).
The Office of the Prosecutor, ICC, stated this in response to a petition filed to the court by a Nigerian journalist, Ahaoma Kanu, following the military occupation of Afara Ukwu community in Umuahia, Abia State, in a bid to arrest the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, which led to the killing of several unarmed members of the group.
In the letter obtained by Daily Sun with reference number OTP-CR-413/17 dated March 20, 2018, which is the second response by the court to the petitioner, it was confirmed that the military invasion and deaths recorded were already under preliminary examination by the Office of the Prosecutor.
Part of the letter signed by Mark Dillon, head of the information and evidence unit at the Office of the Prosecutor, read: “Accordingly, your communication will be analysed in this context, with the assistance of other related communications and other available information.”
The Federal Government had proscribed the IPOB even as its members came under attack by security agencies in the country, including the Nigerian Army, Department of State Services (DSS) and the police, leading to the alleged extra-judicial killing of hundreds of IPOB members since 2015 when Kanu was arrested on charges of treason.
After the September 16, 2017, attack on his country home, Kanu and his aged father have not been seen till date, fuelling speculations he was being held by the state.
However, following petitions by civil rights groups, the ICC commenced and concluded preliminary investigations into the alleged killing of over 200 members of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) in December 2015 as well as opened preliminary investigations into the killing of members of the IPOB by the Army in October 2015.
The petitioner, in his petition of September 24, 2017, to the ICC, called for an investigation and prosecution of the Chief of Army Staff, Lt-Gen. Tukur Buratai, and all members of the Nigerian Army involved in the extra-judicial killings of IPOB members during the Operation Python Dance 2 exercise.
Dillon stated that “under Article 53 of the Rome Statutes, the prosecutor must consider whether there is reasonable basis to believe that crimes within the jurisdiction of the court have been committed, the gravity of the crimes, whether national systems are investigating and prosecuting the relevant crimes, and the interests of justice.”
He went further to say that “analysis will be carried out as expeditiously as possible, but please be aware that meaningful analysis of these factors can take some time.”
He further promised to provide reasons for any decision reached by the court to proceed with the investigation.
It was the second time that the ICC would exchange correspondences with the petitioner on the killings in Abia State by the Nigerian military.
Afara Ukwu community recently said it would require about N500 million from the Federal Government to cleanse its land reportedly desecrated by the military invasion,
Ilovemystate: BITTER tribe can't stop Innoson http://www.bbc.com/news/business-31536706 From Motorcycle king to vehicle manufacture and other products Nigeria has Africa's largest economy. It is mostly known for oil, but that wealth has not trickled down. As it joins the global economic top table, what kind of businesses and businesspeople are thriving in Africa's most populous nation?
"You're supposed to hold something," I was told. "Hold what?" I replied naively.
"A sample, you're supposed to hold a sample of what you're selling."
Amaka was wondering what a reporter holding a microphone was doing hanging around Onitsha's main market, neither buying nor selling. She looked at me with pity, as if to say, "if you don't even know about samples, you have a lot to learn."
I had been at the market for less than five minutes, and someone was already trying to get the measure of what my business was about.
There's plenty to learn about Nigeria in Onitsha, a city in Anambra state on the banks of the River Niger in the south-east of the country.
Something like three million people flock here every day, and some call it the biggest market in west Africa. They come from across the region, to buy everything from high-end mobile phones to low tech plastic containers.
But in Onitsha and elsewhere while making Six Routes for the BBC, the people I met show that the Nigerian economy is finding other lubricants.
Innocent Chukwuma is a successful businessman. He owns five different manufacturing companies around the south-east, and is very optimistic about Nigeria's future.
Looking out over his sprawling complex just down the road in Enugu, it's easy to see why. The government gave him land to expand his business and now he's probably the largest private sector employer in Enugu state. 4,300 people work at the plastics plant we visited.
"In Africa today anyone who can invest in manufacturing - in a short time you'll make money as you want," says Innocent.
Innocent started small. He was a spare parts trader in his native Nnewi. He had graduated from turning his brother's spare parts side business to establishing his own import venture.
As the prices of motorcycles coming in from Japan increased in the 1980s, he noticed something about the way they were shipped.
They were coming in by barge in containers. And being a spare parts trader he recognized that a motorcycle is made up of individual parts.
And so, he thought, if he imported the motorcycle in pieces it would take up a lot less space in the shipping container. And he was right.
At the time importers could fit about 40 pre-assembled motorcycles in a single shipping container. But as individual parts, Innocent could fit more than 200 motorcycles in each container. He now had a significant advantage over his competitors - and could sell his motorcycles for much less. Image copyright Innocent Image caption Importing bikes unassembled gave Innocent a key price advantage Labour costs
Another advantage he had over his competitors was the cost of labour in Nigeria being relatively cheap. A factory worker in Nigeria would earn around $500 a month.
He explains, "When I brought the first one I called the local people, and gave them some training, they assembled it perfectly and the price was cheaper."
Much cheaper in fact: "When they are selling for about 150,000 [naira] for one motorcycle, I sold my own for 80,000 ($400; £260)."
Innocent's bikes were nearly half the price of his competitors. He sold three containers' worth of motorcycles in about three months.
"So I went back and brought about 10 containers, and the 10 containers took me about one month to finish."
By the time he had the process down he was buying 200 containers.
But Innocent's advantage didn't last forever, and soon everyone was copying his strategy.
"The price crashed to 60,000 but when I saw that the price had come down and everybody was doing it - that's why I built this plastic plant."
Motorcycles were just the beginning for Innocent. He had another realization, that he could manufacture some of the motorcycle parts himself. Specifically the plastic parts. Image caption Innocent's business now makes a range of plastic goods Power cuts
The Innoson Group now makes all kinds of products. His motorcycle business has expanded to cars and buses while his plastics plants now manufacture tables, chairs, water drums, plates, boxes for electricity meters, and much else.
He believes anyone can follow his lead in Africa, which he refers to as a virgin place for entrepreneurs. Innocent's optimism is infectious and it's easy to get swept up in the euphoria of success, but business in Nigeria is not easy.
Back in Onitsha market it's also a microcosm of the obstacles entrepreneurs face every day.
The day I was there the traders were protesting against a new levy. The trade association decided to charge for a CCTV system, which the traders said the state governor had given them for free. It's the sort of surprise cost that wrecks a business plan.
But corruption is not even the biggest problem in Nigeria. Other countries have thrived despite corruption, and Nigeria shouldn't be different.
The lights go out constantly and nobody bats an eyelid or feigns surprise, everyone just carries on. Image copyright Innocent Image caption High energy costs are a limiting factor for many Nigerian businesses 'Credit tomorrow'
People make do with costly diesel generators, and that even applies to big factories.
For Innocent the high cost of energy is a necessary part of doing business in Nigeria. But it puts a real brake on what entrepreneurs can achieve.
The people I met are not put off by these obstacles. If you walk into some shops in Nigeria, there's a sign which reads: "No credit today, come back tomorrow."
If you keep waiting for the perfect conditions in which to do business, you'll be like the shopper who returns day after day, hoping that the shopkeeper might sell them goods on credit.
everyone is watching them. yorubas are very very hateful and bitter lots
Innoson: GTbank In Desperate Move To Stop Customers From Closing Bank Accounts
Abuja – Guaranty Trust Bank (GTBank) on Thursday put up desperate moves to calm customers who were aggrieved over the arrest of Innoson Motors’ boss, Innocent Chukwuma, from closing their accounts.
Many aggrieved customers of bank stormed the branches of the bank in Abuja requesting their bank accounts be closed.
Many others were seen transferring their deposits to other banks.
But the banks requested some aggrieved customers to officially write and wait for the bank’s response while the bank’s staff were seen speaking one-on-one with others.
Some who requested for fund transfers were told that the “network was down.”
Speaking with some of the customers, they blamed GTbank over the arrest of Chukwuma by the Economic and Financial Crime Commission.
INDEPENDENT correspondent who visited many of the branches following threats of closing their accounts on social media saw long queues.
The customers were told at the Customer Service Section of the bank to apply to their account officers and wait for response while those wanting to make inter-bank transfers were told to either wait or come back the next day.
A miffed customer in one of the branches engaged one of the Customer Relation Officers (CRO) on a heated debate asking why he should apply.
“Why should I apply?” he asked in a loud voice with support from other customers who were queuing to make the same application.
“It’s my account so I want it close now, now! And don’t send me any alert again after today,” he boomed.
When approached why he was ending his relationship with the bank, John, as he could only identify himself said, “The bank owes Innoson billions of naira but they are using EFCC against him.
“They don’t want to pay; that is fraud. They are committing fraud and using government against Innoson. We won’t allow that.”
One of the CROs when approached said, they are just doing this out of anger adding, “They might regret it later.
“It’s not their problem; it’s an issue that would be resolved in the court of law. I wonder why they are angry,” she said hiding the name tag on her chest.”
At the Wuse 2 branch, the queue extended outside with the security finding it difficult to control the crowd.
One of the customers who spoke in Pidgin English said, “Any person who wants to bring down Innoson would go down first.
“I am here to show solidarity with my brother, Innocent Chukwuma. GTbank will fail.
“Innoson has won the bank in many court cases so they want to use EFCC so that he will forget his money. That won’t work,” he thundered.
Another customer who volunteered to speak said he had transferred millions to another bank. He also said the wife who had travelled would do same as they were ready to move their domiciliary accounts as well.
Inside the banking hall, the aggrieved customers were seen chatting and discussing the Innoson case with the bank and why EFCC was involved.
When INDEPENDENT approached a middle-aged man said to be the branch manager, he declined to comment, urging our correspondent to write an official letter to Lagos.
Innoson Group has been engaged in serious court cases with GTbank. It accused the bank of being indebted to the auto manufacturing company to the tune of N8.5 billion in a series of damages stemming from illegal service deductions by the bank. An initial fraud case brought against Mr. Chukwuma was withdrawn earlier this year.
Christianity Etc › Re: Love And Inter-tribal Marriage: The Sad Reality by Noneroone(op): 11:52pm On Feb 15, 2019
