₦airaland Forum

Dudu_Negro:
The tongue is an enemy. . . the words it utters are time stamped and their impact is irreversible!   I refuse to believe in your response.  In talk you are different from him but in spirit you all are not hesitant to drape Biafran flag in public.  His statement and the flaunting of Biafran flag in our face has the same message!  

I suggest you tell your leaders to get an immediate protective status from UN in your effort forward to actualizing Biafra.  You know there is going to be a response to this statement from both Yoruba and North.  Yorubas will analyse it but not issue a public statement.  The North is not like us, they will add to the fire and give a more vitriolic statement.   Uwazurike has been posessed by Ojukwu's spirit!  Seriously, I am offended by that statement of bringing war to our doorstep and if I had the access to Uwazurike I will put a fvcking bullet in his gaddem skull.   You are better off without him!!

My friend I've told you to calm down and stop blowing smoke. No one is intimidated by your rant.

Ojukwu was a more strategic thinker than Uwazuiruike IMHO. Ojukwu never even wanted to secede talk less of a war. That is why he was able to mobilize all sane Igbo to the Biafran cause. That is why he is celebrated today. He obviously made mistakes, some of which led to our loss of the war, but at the end he was still a reluctant fighter.

My position has always been that Igbo should not cede an inch of land anywhere in Nigeria, and stand on that because it is one of the guarantees of a peaceful separation from Nigeria.
What I find almost irresponsible is for Uwazuruike to talk about southern groups who have nothing REALLY (especially militarily) against Ndigbo.
The only problem I see in Nigeria is the Hausa/Fulani "born to rule" mentality which they occassionally enforce violently. I can never lose focus on that fact.
He spoke as if Igbo are at war with everybody else in Nigeria, which is FAR FROM THE TRUTH.

BTW, you would do well to put that bullet in your own damn skull.  

9ja voice:
the total population of the northern soldiers is quite noted by us
and we know where and how to deal with them. but my point is that we dont need somebody like uwazuruike as a leader. his speech here speaks volume of mistakes he is vonurable of. we need a strategic leader who acts more than he talks. in another thought, what he says is also strategic in nature "make your enemy feel you are alone and silly"
the rest is  ,

I hope you are right my brother. I hope he is actually thinking like that; BUT our history is there to guide us. Some spoke like him in 1967 and we know how it ended.
No need picking fights with groups that are natural allies for instance.

For me, he should start by securing his own members in Igboland first. War is not a tea party, and STRATEGY (not emotions) almost always wins.

Dudu_Negro:
I can't stand Igbos with their stupidity. . . always putting the cart before the horse!  Looking at the above statement, people will get uneasy and start nursing the idea of taking the war to Ndigbo before Ndigbo bring them a war.  Why should Yoruba wait for you to rise against us when we can get it started right now and rise against you?   What a silly Uwazurike!!  

Ndigbo STOP making statements that unsettle people!

There are more of us than the Uwazuruike types in Igboland.
His methods will never be implemented by us. History is there to guide us. We will not fight the whole world.
Everybody calm down.

aribisala0:
regulation of banks is not a function performed internationally by central banks generally.

The real function should be monetary policy which again should be a collegiate responsibilty and that is why CBN governors tend to be quiet ,conservative  and largely anonymous.

It is not or should not be a political post and comparing two  central bank governors is really an exercise in futility at least as far as monetary policy is concerned.Regarding the banking regulation,this should ideally be with another body entirely as is common elsewhere.

You took the words right out of my mouth.

@Okija_juju

I hoped you've learned now.

I have some problem with some of his pronouncements. I am a very practical man too. He came off as if the SE will fight the whole of Nigeria. To me that WILL NEVER HAPPEN because it is a strategic disaster.

I find a strong conflict in his assertion that Igbo will take the fight to the North, with his call for Igbo to return home to the East. There is NO WAY to reconcile or achieve BOTH.
This is why I lamented here (Nairaland) that Igbo should never leave the North on any account. Our presence (and readiness to fight) in ALL parts of Nigeria is a form of deterrence and strategic positioning. So, when you ask folks to return to Igboland, and then threaten to fight in the North, pray how can you do that?

I really hate questioning people who should be leading me, but on this issue, I have no choice.  

Uwazuruike and MASSOB should first deter the killings of their members in Igboland, and do so effectively, before he starts talking about war and fighting in the North.
He should know better.

Some of us are determined NEVER to repeat the mistakes of 1967, and that is a solemn vow.
I already see a repeat of that mistake in some of his utterances here.

If he Uwazuruike will lead Ndigbo in this struggle, he must undertake a course in strategic planning and thinking.  

Okija_juju:
They both had their merits and demerits.

Soludo consolidated the banking sector by increasing their capital base and creating more jobs. Yet he failed to tightly regulate the banks hence creating a hole that allowed for the likes of Cecilia ibro and co to steal and declare false profits to stake holders.

Sanusi also consolidated the banks [/b]by first identifying those banks with false portfolios, also the cashless policy which would halp leave alot of paper trail and check corruption, islamic banking as well which I think is a brilliant idea especially for young enterprenuers.[b] His down side was that some of his policies has led to job loss.


If I were to pick my man, I would go with Lamido Sanusi Lamido. He comes across as a more honest man than Charles Soludo.

If ever anyone thought you were not an aboki to the core, this your post here should settle it once and for all.

Let's analyze it a little.
Both consolidated banks, BUT
Soludo's CREATED jobs
Sanusi's LOST jobs.

Then you use the most insulting criteria (purely subjective without any sane, logical or scientific backing) to state that Sanusi is more honest.

Aboki, stand up and HANSA YA PAPA NAME! lol  

Dudu_Negro:
what legacy is that, loosing two wars back to back? or fleeing from Katanga to Biafra and then fleeing Biafra back to South Africa?

Loosers and AWOLs are not qualified to tell us about bravery, their words land narrative of war lack credibility.

So, you honestly expect a mecenary to win YOUR war for you? lol
Keep hoping!
The man's point is well taken. Everything else is irrelevant.

homerac7:
^^^

Nwanne, what ethnic bigotry is doing to ur reasoning is very bad. Please learn to see issues wtout tribal or ethnic prejudice for once, it doesn't make u less Igbo in any way.

For your information, I'm also a mechanical engineer wt sound knowledge of automation, so I knw what I'm talking about but what abt u? I'm industry based and mix wt allied professionals daily, so I know that many people (of different tribes and tongues) do such thing even without university education. Don't even let me bring in Indian and Chinese technicians who also do these things here. Who also told u dt he didn't simply pay someone to do it, abi u don forget how most of us do our final year projects in school of engineering?

Nna, stop basking in dt fake and childish imaginative Igwe of ur posts on NL, and learn to discuss progressively without tribal whinning.

Bros I raised a genuine issue, which is that the army did not have this machine before now. Have you ever wondered why is that?lol

For an Igbo man to call another names just because I stated that this machine was not there before, and that the same weapon may be turned against Igbos like yourself, is the height of irresponsibility.

It is already happening with the army shooting unarmed MASSOB members in Igboland. So, I would say that it will LIKELY happen, therefore I am not happy about this, whether the invention is real or copied or contracted out. I am not waiting for better inventions or equipment for the army until Nigeria is discussed and agreed.

BTW I could care very least of what you think about my NL title. I have since found out that some of you can't live with it. Not my fault though. You have to wait till December 2012.

Some of us adighi agba ka anyi data ego! So, your opinion on that is irrelevant.

One_Naira:
Obiagu

+10000000 on this

You are not the only one harboring this feelings.
In the past, I believed in Nigeria, lying to myself constantly that at least Nigeria isn't sh1t but I woked up.
Nigeria is sh1t, always have been and always will be. It is not going anywhere, looking at Nigeria today, looking at all the stories about Nigeria, looking at this forum, I feel ashamed and disgust calling myself Nigerian; sometimes I wish I was from another African country, still Igbo, but any other African country: Cameroon, Ghana, Sierra Leone, even Ethiopia I no mind.
I'm channeling that disgust into separating out of this curse we deemed a nation.

lol, my brother you hit the nail on the head.
Some of our brothers can't separate being Igbo and being a Nigerian. Fact is that they are not necessarily the same thing, and can exist mutually exclusive of each other.
When some of my Igbo brothers say they love Nigeria, what they actually mean is that they love Igboland.
To be able to separate the two is what I call FREE THINKING.
Thanks bros!

^^

I left your thread for you and wished you luck, but obviously you cannot move on with it. lol
That is why I first said you would likely die of heart attack over this issue which you cannot do anything about.
This is a Nigerian forum, and as of today, Biafra is still part of Nigeria. So learn to live with us.

efisher:
As roadblocks are banned, they should also set up highway patrol services or at least have the police on standby along every highway (eg every 10km?) and major road intersections. If not, the police will wear another cloth and start robbing!

That is why this should only be a FIRST step. There should be a restructuring of the police to de-emphasize road blocks which BTW is a product of military rule.
Patrol is the civilized way of policing an area.

dem_people:
@Obiagu, I can assure you that you are not the only one who harbours such thoughts. My hatred for Nigeria is unsurpassed and intensive.

Its a name that conjures up very very negative feelings in my mind.

@Onlytruth Eze Ndiigbo 1 of Nairaland, kedu ije?

Nwanne anom ofuma.

Please[b] take note[/b] about police siege of Igboland.
I'm happy that the new IG seems to be doing something about it. We must resist the constant shooting of our people under all types of pretences.

Ohanaeze Ndigbo must hold his new IG's feet to fire to make sure he carries out his pledge FULLY.
The police seige of Igboland must end immediately!

Obiagu1:
I hope to one day start seeing what kept you guys optimistic.

As for me, Nigeria is like a sick person suffering from a known disease that has medication but rather than give him the right medication, he gets a placebo or an adulterated version of the medication or even neglected entirely.

You are spot on my brother. I feel your pain completely.
Your pain is felt by EVERY progressive minded individual in Nigeria.

Don't mind some people who cannot see the world outside of their immediate comfort zones. Some of us have absolutely no reason to feel sad about how things are in Nigeria, afterall we are FAR withdrawn from most of its impacts. But how can one be happy, when most of his people are sad?

c.fours:
your household will die of heart attack. please exit this thread if you only know how to make insults.
clearly you are one of them.

Did I ever say I wasn't ? lol
I'm already out of your thread. So good luck.

c.fours:
I think there should be a separate Biafra section on nairaland where the massob members should be limited to disseminating their propaganda.
Otherwise, they will just continue to stir tribal warfare on this site.

Well, I wish you goodluck with that. hehehe!

You will die of heart attack first before that ever happens.

Dudu_Negro:
So you admit then that this looser that was paid to command Biafran army was less skilled in warfare than the people he led to their death while he himself escaped with his life? If he was that immuned to bullets why did he run when he was cornered?

The man was a MECENARY. He was paid to fight. The war was not his, so why MUST he die when the war was already lost?
You are mixing issues again trying to obsfucate the main point which is that Biafrans were very brave in the war.
The man's bravery was never under discourse here, but I would guess that a man who LED mere 100 men against two batallions must be a very brave man.
Your attempts to destroy his "legacy" is invidious.

c.fours:
Just saw another anti-nigeria thread created yet again in the past hour by a massob member.

https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-870463.0.html
check out the profile picture of the thread creator (below) to understand what I mean.
https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria?action=profile;u=570348

c.fours alj harem, stop deceiving yourself and playing ad hominem games here.

The guy wanted to be a Biafran, you FORCED him back into Nigeria, killing millions. What do you want him to do? Sing kumbaya?
It is a HUGE challenge being a Nigerian. This fact is clear to most diaspora Nigerians. A lot have lost job opportunities just because of 419 letters from Nigeria alone.

The OP of that thread is free to state his feelings as long as he is still forced to be a Nigerian.
Wait, one day when Nigeria must have released him and his people, if you see him here then, only then should you open this type of thread.

Dudu_Negro:
Here is info on Taffy Williams.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taffy_Williams.  You are quoting a man who lost two wars back to back. . . Katanga and Biafra.  It does not matter how many men you provide Taffy, this was a looser!  His job is to earn money, not to die for you, even though your own men are dying around him.  Your Biafran men are more credible and trustworthy than this Williams you quoted.  He was part of Apartheid South Africa, why didn't he build an invincible army in South Africa?  Read his profile and notice the lie about standing upright in a open jeep and driven round under the barrage of firepower from Federal Troops to prove his body's immunity to bullets.  Why is wikipage devoted to telling the story and bravery of a mercenary but silent on Biafran bravery?  Where is the story of your brave men riding around in open jeep and brushing off bullets?

Mr man which of the statements about Biafran bravery are you disputing?
Are you disputing that mere 100 Biafran commandos were able to stand their grounds against two batallions of "gwodo gwodo" (Chadian) Nigerians?

This is another quote saying exactly the same thing:

[b]At this point he had 1000 soldiers under his command which [size=14pt]threw themselves head first [/size]against two Federal Battalions which had crossed the Imo River Bridge with Soviet advisers. For three days their light machine guns and repeater rifles did not stop. [/b]When Williams returned to Aba for additional ammunition to continue the fight, he was told that there was simply none to be had.

That was the mettle of the Biafrans, who were only slowed down by poor supply of weapons.

I am very proud of my fathers.  They were REAL men. Learn to live with it! 

I'm only worrying about Igbo youths of today. 

houvest:
What they fail to understand is that there was a very strong pro-Biafra lobby in US during the Civil War that split public opinion in two. Generally there was a strong global outrage over what the world powers were doing against Biafra and for US to have remained neutral  in face of a genocide was almost as criminal as the actions of Britain Russia,etc.

My brother, no country is infallible. The most important thing is to go back and make amends.
The way I see it, a horse would most likely be an ally of a donkey or a zebra, than say a cow.
These are natural things. I say this with a finality: The US is a NATURAL ally of Biafra.

Ejiné:
I'd like to correct one thing, though.
Contrary to the often repeated comments I've been seeing on these boards about the English colonizing the U.S, the statement is not entirely true.
While it is true that the English did colonize certain areas, it is wrong to attribute the current geographical area known as The United States of America, to the English.
The 'states' we see in that country right now, were actually meant to be separate countries on their own, and the U.K. is only responsible for the Northern and central regions, while the Spanish and Portuguese were responsible for the core Southern states like California, Texas, Florida etc. When the Americans fought the British for independence (as a result of taxation issues), California and Texas were still in Mexico, and the states were just 13 or so separate countries.
It was only after the war against Mexico that California and Texas (initially a country of its own called "Republic of Texas" agreed to join the United States of America.

Errrr. . . I know this has very little to do with the thread, but I just had to put it out there, make una no dey give U.K. too much credit for their colonial finesse.

hehehe! my brother I know the history of my own country. Maybe others need the history lesson. Not moi.
I never said that the US was colonized by Britain. I said it was FOUNDED by the English. Am I wrong there? 

Biafran alliance with the US can only be dwarfed by the UK alliance with the US, because of ancestral reasons (English formed the US).
Biafra however would almost certainly be the "Israel in Africa". No doubt about that.  

The US has HUGE Jewish population.
The US also has HUGE Igbo population.

Both are NATURAL allies.  

The only thing I know is that Biafra (by her very nature -95% Christian, hardworking, republican, peaceful, tech-inclined and business oriented) IS A NATURAL ALLY of the USA.
Policies can change. Presidents come and go. Nothing will ever change the natural disposition of Biafra to be a GREAT ally of the United States.
Simple and short.

Ojukwu's burial is around the corner, and MASSOB is gearing up to give him his final honor and respect. I won't be suprised if Nigerian security operatives choose this time again to shoot a few more MASSOB members, and our leaders will keep quiet again as usual.
I wonder whether our leaders understand the psychological impacts of these MASSOB member killings in Igboland on our youths. Soon our youths will start to think like cowards.
I will say it again, if MASSOB cannot protect its members and keep the Nigerian security at bay, it should disband immediately and allow another group take over the agitation for Biafra.

Everybody should warn his ward to stay away from MASSOB until they fix this nonsense of allowing their members to be killed without repercusions.

Nnunu isi akagh aka adighi aga ogu otukpokpo - a bird with a weak skull must never engage the woodpecker in a fight. 

MASSOB should shape up or ship out! hoha. 

9ja_I_hail:
Eze only truth your point is noted but i am impressed with the way our beloved brother chukwuawka is analyzing history and advices.Eze onlytruth may you live long

My brother, we all want what is best for Igboland. We have all been talking here, and we should continue talking, BUT that is all we've been doing in all the forums online.
We can still talk, but let us talk things that would lead to results on the ground, not just reharshing things we already know about ourselves. What about things we don't know about ourselves that may undermine all these dreams?

My main concern at this stage is that we should ask ourselves some honest questions; example, why are UNARMED MASSOB members being gunned down in Igboland without any consequences? Our people and politicians are going about their business as if our sons are not being killed unlawfully in our own land. This may seem little but if you think more carefully, you will see that it indicates something very debilitating and dangerous for Ndigbo. It indicates that we may have lost the courage that is necessary to fight for our survival as a people. So, my concern is that our people today are markedly different from our people described by Williams below:

zumbigbo:
Welsh mercenary

Williams found his Biafran troops to be completely different from those who he commanded in Katanga. "I've seen a lot of Africans at war" he was quoted as saying. "But there's nobody to touch these people. Give me 10,000 Biafrans for six months, and we'll build an army that would be invincible on this continent. I've seen men die in this war who would have won the Victoria Cross in another context".[2]

Williams was assigned one hundred Biafran commandos in early 1968, and managed to keep two battalions of black mercenaries from Chad serving with the Federal Army at bay for twelve weeks using only the crudest of weapons.

Chad = Boko Haram outpost No.1

The Biafrans that Williams describe is the only type that can get us what we want, whether inside Nigeria or in a Biafran nation. Maybe these types still exist, but the MASSOB type is damaging their psyche by allowing themselves to be killed carelessly in Igboland.

So, all the talks are good, but I stand with this my brother here:

PROUD-IGBO:
I hope we can soon move to the point of actually doing something, instead of talking about solutions all the time.

Here I stand!  

There was never any sane basis for wanting to compare Soludo and Sanusi.

Soludo is a FIRST CLASS economics brain, while Sanusi is just a Fulani prince.

One of the things I constantly lament about Nigeria is that Nigeria is a country at war with itself; always trying to impose quota system and national character on the most strategic of offices in the land. In doing so, competence is always sacrificed, and the nation set backwards.

Throughout Soludo's tenure, everyone could see clearly a very energetic, intelligent, optimistic and transformative character in charge at the CBN.
If Nigeria were USA, Soludo's tenure at the CBN would have survived MANY presidents, because why change a winning team at the central bank? But No. In Nigeria, even JEALOUSY play more important roles in our national planning. Soludo was about to become the greatest CBN governor, hence he had to be stopped lest his people recieve the credit due to him. Even if it meant that the nation would have to go back 20 years as it has under Sanusi.

This is why some Nigerians are convinced that the only way forward is total disintegration of Nigeria so that all who wants the Soludos of this world to lead would have the type of leader they deserve, while the Sanusi types would also have him to lead them.

I have a mixed feeling about this.

First I should like to commend Gen Ihejirika for allowing this project to see the light of day; BUT knowing that Nigeria is yet to resolve one way or another, I fear that he and his brother Nnaemeka might be arming the POTENTIAL enemy who would definitely use these weapons against us if ever a shooting war starts in the future.

It pains me that as a Nigerian I cannot rejoice for these types of feats, because Nigeria is resolutely wayward and kills unarmed people daily.
It is not by coincidence that no one has invented even the easiest of anything in the Nigerian army before now, apart from repackaging AK47 calling it OGJ gun.

On the strength of this logic, I think this my brother has a point:

Logic Mind:
Those biafrans in nigerian army should beware. let history not repeat itself.
They should also channel technology to biafraland and to massob members.

BTW I laugh when I read things like this below:

homerac7:
While not wanting to take wind out of d soldier's sail, I find it fraudulent to claim it as an "invention".

Obviously there were d manual types in use by same army. [b]He only retrofitted it to work automatically. [/b]Wt fair budget and knowing ur gadgetry, its not a thing NA should b hyping in 2012.

Let them develop our local version of Iron Dome or Patriotic Missile, then we take them serious. Afterall the technology is in public domain already. Not some mechanical shooting game toy retrofit.

Does this guy think it is easy to AUTOMATE anything?
If it were that easy, why hasn't anyone done it before now?

Nigerians have a serious problem. Walahi. 

chukwuawka:
@Onlytruth.
Fifty one years after the independence Will the sun ever rise again in the LAND OF THE RISING SUN (BIAFRA)? Well I think, there is an iota of hope in Ifeanyi Anyanwu’s word: "If tomorrow ever comes, the sun must rise as it did today." I have learnt over the years not to weep about yesterday because what happened yesterday was meant to be reaped today, and whatever that happens today shall determine the fate of tomorrow. Our forefathers fought for us and not for themselves. Unfortunately, they failed as it was PREDESTINED. Today we are reaping the consequences. But shall we sit back and watch our children go through this pain? That is where I disagree. We have to stand and correct the wrongs of yesterday now, so that our children shall see the sun rise very bright tomorrow.

On the contrary, that is where we both AGREE (not disagree) -something must be done today to secure the future for our children; but the question is WHO will do this?
Is it our people who formed a group like MASSOB, a tootthless bulldog organization whose only strategy is to offer its members' necks for the slaughter-man? I don't know whether I'm the only Igbo man who sees the psychological damage of the killing of MASSOB on Igbo youths. I have since lost count how many of our youths which have been gunned down for being MASSOB. Yet, they continue in their ways. Now, the police occupiers of Igboland have extended their crime to non-MASSOB members of our communities, shooting them without any fear of repercusions.

Personally, I think that MASSOB should be disbanded if it cannot defend itself against agents of mass murder; at least we would know that we are not yet ready to push for our needs. MASSOB's continued existence is a type of obstacle to the emergence of more realistic groups which can take this fight head-on, achieve CONCRETE results for us, and save what is left of our courage as a people. Much as I believe in destiny to a certain level, I also believe that MEN shape their destinies. It is never automatic.

If our people are more interested in playing the ostrich, our "destiny" will never change.

Here I stand.  

@chukwuawka

It seems you are new here. Welcome my brother.

You seem to be saying what every Igbo has been saying here since I joined Nairaland about 3 years ago. I have personally concluded that we don't need to be saying all these here because it doesn't add anything to our position or empower us in any meaningful way. What I have been doing, and have been advising our people here to do, is to TELL OURSELVES THE TRUTH about how we became so impotent in the Nigerian power game. I hope you understand that our situation can never change until we garner enough political power (whether inside or outside Nigeria).

What breaks my heart is that Ndigbo (MASSOB specifically) are being gunned down steadily in Igboland. This is a sign that something is SERIOUSLY wrong with Ndigbo today.
Mind you that MASSOB is a non-violent organization, yet they are being killed carelessly without anyone raising any voice. For that to be happening, one of two conditions must be in place. Either Ndigbo have become so goofy and foolish to allow an organization like MASSOB to become our face in Nigeria -a face that is used as a punch bag; or our people have since sold out our collective dreams and aspirations.

You cannot make scientitic inventions in a land of siege; neither can you write great works of literature.

We can beat our chests from now till the end of time about how we own half of Nigeria, but if an Afemai minority is able to pick up a phone and call his custom's officer brother to help me, an Igbo, clear my goods from the ports (because there are no Igbo there for instance, or the Igbo there is busy playing the ostrich like Anyim Pius Anyim is doing over our airports and roads), then, we need to stop beating our chests and start looking more carefully at ourselves. That is the point I'm making.

I would also let you know that I am not in a hurry to cede Eastern Nigeria (SE and SS) for the sake of pride. I know  that SE can make it alone, but I also know that we don't need to.
So, let us start being mature about our needs in Nigeria. In one of the threads here I shared a proverb from Shaka Zulu:" A leopard is a strong animal, but if he is offered wings, he would be a fool to reject them".

Let us keep our focus on our REAL problems, which is powerlessness and abuse in the Nigerian crucible, than blow our trumpets unnecessarily.  

9ja_I_hail:
Chukwu Emeka nwannem. i have been following this post in fact i am speechless you are wonderful.

where is Eze onlytruth plz you need to come across this post and encourage this our new Ikemba ojukwu in making.

bro keep it up and keep posting may God add more knowledge to your knowledge . it is well with us Ndigbo.Biafra my Nation i love you

There is a little piece of "Ikemba" in every responsible Eastern Nigerian. All you need is to scracth the surface a little and there it is!

Well, I personally believe that we Ndigbo must FIRST acknowledge that we have deviated seriously CULTURALLY. How did we do that?
We copied the cultures of the groups that defeated us in the war. The war dealt us a SEVERE blow, and has led to a situation where our people started adopting strange ways of life.
Before the war, a rich Igbo man was HARDLY known. That is why no one really knew how rich Sir Lious Odumegwu Ojukwu (Ikemba's father) was. Yes they knew he had money, but they never really knew how much. The Igbo of those days never worshipped anyone with money. The men we respected (not worshipped!) were HONEST and DECENT men.
We ran thieves and dubious men out of town! ALL OF THEM. 

One of my uncles become the leader of one very important Igbo organization (won't mention name) even though he was virtually a poor man without a secondary school level education. In that organization, there were all types of rich men and Ph.ds and other professionals; but guess what, they all chose an HONEST man. Today that would be almost impossible!

Today, we praise men and call it "iti mkpu" or "Oti mkpu" (praise singer). We never had that in Igboland. Please you all should bear with me and follow me here, because I'm going somewhere with this "preaching".

Now, before, an average Igboman knew that the ONLY way to greatness are HONESTY and HARDWORK. That is how we produced the Achebes and all the great men of Eastern Nigeria. Today, most of us believe in short cuts. Do you know the type of hardwork that produce masterpieces, be they works of art or scientific invention?
I lament, because we the youths of Igboland have abandoned the ways which our fathers followed, which made them great. That is why we have MASSOB, but they cannot do anything other than allowing themselves to be killed willy nilly by trigger happy Nigerian policemen and army. Do you all think that our fathers of the 50s and 60s would tolerate a permanent police seige of Igboland without doing something about it? How do you all think our fathers were able to withstand the civil war for almost 3 years? Is it by "iti mkpu"? I'm laughing! 

So, here me loud and clear:

NDIGBO MUST REJECT SELF AGGRANDIZEMENT ASAP! 

Today, our problem in Igboland are the Chiefs, Ph.ds, Doctors, Engineers, Lawyers and all types of titles which shield men from showing their individual achievements or prove their integrity before they are given positions of responsibility and leadership. This has to end before anyone takes us serious in Nigeria.

Recalling our achievement during the war is important, but what is more important is for us to honestly drop everything that would make it impossible for us to answer the call of defending ourselves and our children if need be. Self aggrandizement is a cancer that must be cut out of our land. TODAY!

I always knew that there is something that scares the living daylight out of some Nigerians about any talk of "Eastern Nigeria". The laughable thing about this is that the North is still ONE despite all these so called geopolitical zones. Same with the West (at least per 1963 reality). Any smart Easterner would quickly know that there must be some REAL power in that corner of Nigeria, hence the constant effort to balkanize the East into SS and SE.

Let me say this now.

I strongly believe that the destiny of Eastern Nigeria is ONE. By that I mean that at the end of the day, there is no way someone in Calabar, Uyo, Port Harcourt and Yenagoa would not be closer to someone in Aba, etc than anyone else in Nigeria. Now, this is chiseled in iron and no one can ever change that; we are gradually getting to this truth.

Igbo say that "agbachakwa egwu o na n'ukwu" (hip) -every dance must end in the hip.
There is an Eastern Nigeria hip which no one in SS and SE can ever dance without. FACT. 

@Topic
Gov Godswill Akpabio is ONE governor in the East that has defied his critics and is making waves in Akwa Ibom state. The last pictures of that state I saw a while ago shows that THERE IS NO STATE with the quality of infrastructure being developed by Akpabio in Akwa Ibom state; even Abuja is no match (quality-wise). 
Of course Abuja has more infrastructure, but I bet that Akwa-Ibom's is of better quality.

God's speed Godswill ! 

adewasco2k:
The issues of justice, which the late Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, the Ikemba of Nnewi, craved for and fought against, before the civil war, are replaying before the faces of Nigerians, Governor Godswill Akpabio warned Friday.

Governor Akpabio, who was speaking in a condolence visit to Barr.(Mrs) Bianca Ojukwu, the widow of the deceased statesman, who headed the secessionist bid of the still-born Biafra, stressed that Nigerians needed to study the philosophy and ideologies of the late Ikemba in order to find the pathway to lasting peace.

He insisted that Nigerians should always dialogue to achieve peace and not allow the country to move to the precipice of war, noting that the late Ikemba was a reluctant rebel and in him, Nigeria had a man who lived a good life, made valuable contributions to national development, exhibited true patriotism and greatness, and left indelible marks behind.

The governor, who was speaking in Kasabianka Lodge, Enugu, residence of the Ojukwus, described the late Dim Ojukwu as a crusader for justice and an icon even in death, and stated that all Akwa Ibom people shared the pain of his loss, because when he was alive [size=14pt]he fought for the justice of the entire Eastern Region[/size].

He advised the family not to mourn as a people without hope, because the late Ikemba, as a good Christian, had transited to higher glory and was assured of eternal rest for all his good works while he was on earth, adding that his good works on earth would also remain a lasting legacy.

In her response, Barr. (Mrs) Ojukwu, expressed appreciation to Governor Akpabio for the condolence visit and added that the enthusiasm and support the governor had given to the family so far had given them hope that the late Ikemba would be given a national burial.

She described Governor Akpabio as a leader who has the quality of achieving greatness, and who is sensitive to the plight of his people, adding that “this is the only way a leader can be enshrined in the hearts of the people he governs.”


http://www.tribune.com.ng/sun/news/6389-akpabio-urges-nigerians-to-study-ojukwu

Gov Godswill Akpabio is gradually building his stocks as a great governor, and a proud son of Eastern Nigeria. Every of his moves are measured and honest. As governor of Akwa Ibom state, he is making HUGE strides in infrastructure development, laying a solid foundation for the future of the state.
Mark my words, this man will go places!