₦airaland Forum

Logic Mind:
Abeg if I stay home I cannot not come to NL.
There are many ways to pay respect. Nothing should be imposed.
And please after calling jewish god, year on year for guidance without result, maybe we should call on own igbo gods. At least they did guide and answered our forefathers for thousands of years before we abandoned them for a foreign god. Since then nothing has been working for us.
Onye amaghi ebe mmiri bidoro maba ya agaghi ama mgbe okwusiri.

My brother, ndigbo si na ihe/ife nile/nine ga/ya ala/ana, mana ka o si so onye agaghi/aya ala/ana! (all things are ephemeral, except personal choice!). You basically choose your own god. That is a fact. I chose the God of the majority of Igbos and Eastern Nigerians today.

It is a fact that the predominant religion in Igboland and Eastern Nigeria is Christianity. If you have ever FULLY read the Bible (especially the old testament), you would see that it was almost written by an Igbo man!

So, choose ye this day whom thou shall serve. As for me and my house, we shall serve YAHWEH.
Blessed are those who do not take offense at me.

And BTW, the "stay off Nairaland" is purely VOLUNTARY.
Thank you.

Good Night Dim!
We shall never forget.
It is well.

On that day, or from now to that day, all Eastern Nigerians and Ndigbo should meditate on this Psalm,

[size=14pt]
Psalm 25[/size]

1 Unto thee, O LORD, do we lift up our soul.
2 O our God, we trust in thee:
       
let us not be ashamed,
let not our enemies triumph over us.
3 Yea, let none that wait on thee be ashamed:
       
let them be ashamed which transgress without cause.
4 Show us thy ways, O LORD;
       
teach us thy paths.
5 Lead us in thy truth, and teach us:
       
for thou art the God of our salvation;
on thee do we wait all the day.
6 Remember, O LORD, thy tender mercies and thy loving-kindnesses;
       
for they have been ever of old.
7 Remember not the sins of our youth, nor our transgressions:
       
according to thy mercy remember thou us
for thy goodness' sake, O LORD.
8 Good and upright is the LORD:
       
therefore will he teach sinners in the way.
9 The meek will he guide in judgment:
       
and the meek will he teach his way.
10 All the paths of the LORD are mercy and truth
       
unto such as keep his covenant and his testimonies.
11 For thy name's sake, O LORD,
       
pardon our iniquity; for it is great.
12 What man is he that feareth the LORD?
       
Him shall he teach in the way that he shall choose.
13 His soul shall dwell at ease;
       
and his seed shall inherit the earth.
14 The secret of the LORD is with them that fear him;
       
and he will show them his covenant.
15 Our eyes are ever toward the LORD;
       
for he shall pluck our feet out of the net.
16 Turn thee unto us, and have mercy upon us;
       
for we are desolate and afflicted.
17 The troubles of our heart are enlarged:
       
O bring thou us out of our distresses.
18 Look upon our affliction and our pain;
       
and forgive all our sins.
19 Consider our enemies; for they are many;
       
and they hate us with cruel hatred.
20 O keep our soul, and deliver us:
       
let us not be ashamed; for we put our trust in thee.
21 Let integrity and uprightness preserve us;
       
for we wait on thee.
22 Redeem us, O God,
       
out of all our troubles.

On February 3rd, 2012, an icon and war time leader of  Eastern Nigeria, Dim Emeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, will be interred in his home town of Nnewi in Anambra State. On that day, Ndigbo worldwide have been charged (by MASSOB) to observe a stay at home wherever they reside worldwide.

Nairalanders of Eastern Nigeria extraction should, as a mark of respect, stay away from Nairaland on that day. This is not compulsive by any means. It is just a mark of respect and honor to a man who deserves our respect and honor. For Ndigbo, this "stay at home" should enable us to thoroughly reflect on our situation in Nigeria, and avail us the opportunity to REALLY THINK about the way out of our entrapment in the Nigerian nation.
I used the term entrapment, because since the war ended on a no victor no vanquished basis, there has been very little evidence to show that we have been fully accepted as Nigerians.

Our political and economic marginalization have approached egregious proportions, and the cries of our people constantly murdered in the Nigerian experiment renders the heavens! Our fathers fought to extract some dignity for us, and we revel in that dignity today, in the face of constant taunts and mockery by heartless folks. I don't really pay much attention to our mockers and taunters, because, frankly they owe us nothing. The debt is owed to HUMANITY and it will be paid. What we need to do is stay at home and cry to our God, the Great Yahweh, to strengthen our hands, to empower us to change our situation. There is a limit to talk. Silence is powerful too. February 3rd is a day of silence folks!
Let's do it!

Here I stand.

Signed,

Onlytruth, Ndu di n'eziokwu 1 of Igboland, Eze Ndigbo Nairaland. 

Jakumo:
This formal statement by the United Nations is aimed SQUARELY at the prime instigator and financier of the Boko Haram terrorist gang, namely our very own perennial election LOSER, Ayatollah Momod Buhari Bin Laden, for it his he who made repeated PUBLIC statements specifically encouraging his virgin-seeking followers to "LYNCH" those deemed to have contributed to Buhari's most recent defeat at the presidential polls in Nigeria.

The legal definition of the word "LYNCH" refers to the wanton murder of a victim by a disorganized mob of killers,  and that, boys and girls, is the very human rights violation which has been instigated by Momod Buhari, who also has never missed a chance to crow with delight in the aftermath of every slaughter carried out by his bloodthirsty hordes of screaming fundamentalist savages.

The United Nations works hand-in-hand with the International Criminal Court, so there is now absolutely NO question that JUSTICE is about to be visited on Nigeria's fugitive genocide organizer, Ayatollah Momod Buhari Bin Laden, who will have no place to run when formal indictments lead to international arrest warrants, trial and ultimately a well-deserved and long-overdue life jail sentence.    The wheels of justice may turn slowly, but once they are in motion, there will be no preventing the roundup and incarceration of ALL human rights violators, particularly those guilty of leadership roles in documented hate crimes committed for political or religious reasons.

GBAM.

Jakumo, you never fail me.

Onowu Odumchi, please contact me by email.
Thanks.

Killing of unarmed innocent civilians is a WAR CRIME/crimes against humanity. ALL crimes against humanity are INTERNATIONAL crimes, whether committed by a sovereign state or a rogue organization.
Only a fool would think this statement irrelevant. Do I expect the UN to fight for me? NOPE.
But, I would save this statement for the judgement day. PERIOD.

The UN statement is VERY IMPORTANT because it should help to guide international opinion on the Nigerian problem, and help dissuade some evil international conspirators from siding with the North if ever a shooting war starts.

Obiagu1:
I'm going to book a day off on the 3rd so I'm going to observe it.

As for what we have to do on Nairaland, I think Eze Igbo OnlyTruth will say what's best.

I'm already leaning towards staying off Nairaland throughout that day. It will enable us to have ONE WHOLE DAY of quietness, meditation and thorough reflection about our current condition in Nigeria, and future moves towards our liberation from the Nigerian cage.
It is either we are FULL Nigerians with all the protections, entitlements and fulfillment, or we MUST LEAVE NIGERIA.
Talking has a limit. Sometimes one has to stop talking and silently reflect and focus for action.

So, we should stay off Nairaland on that day. I think I should open a thread to that effect.

Obiagu1, please contact me by email . Thanks.

A very welcome warning from the UN.

[size=16pt]Boko Haram members may face crimes against humanity – UN[/size]

BY SAM EYOBOKA,  INNOCENT  ANABA & UDUMA KALU

Geneva — United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Ms Navi Pillay, has warned that members of the Islamic sect, Boko Haram, who have claimed responsibility for series of bomb attacks in Nigeria leading to loss of lives could be guilty of crimes against humanity if they are judged to have carried out systematic attacks on religious targets.

The UN chief gave the warning as the National President of the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor berated governors from the southern part of the country who he said were yet to see the need to make deliberate efforts to engage their northern counterparts on ways to end the killings.

According to the UN statement, “members of Boko Haram and other groups and entities, if judged to have committed widespread or systematic attacks against a civilian population, including on grounds such as religion or ethnicity, could be found guilty of crimes against humanity.

Deliberate acts leading to population ‘cleansing’ on grounds of religion or ethnicity would also amount to a crime against humanity,”

The statement added: “It is essential that the country’s leadership, and especially its Muslim and Christian leaders, join forces to unequivocally condemn all violence, including retaliation, and encourage their followers to identify and help arrest all those involved in killings and other acts of violence that have been taking place.”

Meanwhile, Pastor Oritsejafor, who was piqued by the vandalisation of five churches in Gusau, Zamfara State in the guise of oil subsidy protest, said several Nigerian leaders, including the leadership of Labour and civil society coalition, owe this country an explanation for their conspiracy of silence while innocent Nigerians are being killed like animals in the North.

Ebenezer Baptist Church, Chapel of Grace, C and S Church, COCIN Church and CAC, all in Gangaren Yerima area of Gusau, were vandalised while a pastor was molested by people said to be protesting hike in oil prices.

Said he: “I am really ashamed at southern governors whose citizens are daily being mauled down by a group of Islamic fundamentalists who are hell bent on annihilating Christians from the nation without any attempt to engage their northern counterparts on ways to end the madness.

“I am really ashamed. Its amazing the kind of publicity the Borno State governor gave to the payment of N100 million compensation to the family of late Yussuff’s father-in-law.

“We were all witnesses to how this same Yussuff killed Rev. Orji like an animal in Maiduguri in 2009. Nobody in this country has thought of paying any compensation to the late reverend’s family to date nor rebuild the churches that are being burnt everywhere,” Oritsejafor said, adding that he had to relocate the man’s widow from Borno State for fear that her life also be in danger.

According to the CAN helmsman, “these are some of the injustices and imbalances we have been talking about. Who needs compensation? Is it the sponsored attacker or the victim of the attack who very often loses everything? We have, to no avail, consistently called on the Borno State government to pay adequate compensation to victims of the various attacks in that part of the country.”

Stating that he sympathised with the pains of the Nigerian people who are currently going through harsh economic conditions as a result of fuel subsidy removal, the CAN president said if the House of Representatives truly love the nation they should have demonstrated it by holding a special session to end the growing menace of terrorism in the country.

“Much as I identify with the pains of Nigerians at this dark moment of the nation’s history, I think those guys were on an ego trip, otherwise the security situation in the country should have been their number one priority.

“They reconvened a special plenary because of fuel subsidy removal as if the lives of those being killed don’t matter to them. If the government reverts to N65 who will buy the fuel—the dead or the living? How can the National Assembly be so insensitive to the plight of Christians who are being killed like animals daily?

“Are they by their silence over the security challenges occasioned by Boko Haram, saying that the Christians have no stake in the Nigerian project? The House was quick to reconvene on Sunday to deliberate on oil subsidy, why haven’t they taken one Friday to find ways to end the killings in the North?” Oritsejafor asked.

He maintained that the House was only playing to gallery because “the security situation in the North especially with Boko Haram giving an ultimatum to southerners to quit the North and vice versa is a much more serious issue than the oil subsidy removal because it is a threat to the corporate existence of the nation”.

It will be recalled that the CAN president resettled late Rev Orji’s widow who was pregnant at the time her husband was slaughtered, and gave the children scholarship in addition to giving her a car and money to start a new business.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2012/01/boko-haram-members-may-face-crimes-against-humanity-un/

This is a forum, and the last time I checked, forums are for free speech. I see that some of my brothers would rather play the ostrich game and pretend that Igbo are not being killed in the North. I since crossed that bridge of doubts after seeing the names of those killed in the Madalla church bombing. They were 98% Igbo.
Whether their bodies arrive en masse or individually is irrelevant to me.
My happiness is that Igbo leaders are beginning to talk in language that shows that they get it now.
I love what Kalu and Uche Chukwumerije said. So, we are headed in the right direction. Our agitations here IS NOT IN VAIN. Our voices are very important because we need to throw up all issues that may lead to a repeat of the 1966 and our loss in the civil war. We must deal with all those issues, and make sure we are not taken unawares again.
Nigeria has refused to be fair to us. These killings are only catalysts that would force us to change the situation and ensure a brighter and safer future for our children.

hollandis:
[b]Any igbo killed in the North has himself to blame.[/b]All they think about is money.what is money compared to your safety?

It is not as simplistic as that, my sister. What I blame those Igbos more for is not fighting back.
[b]Olodostein [/b]confirmed my fears that those were mainly Igbos living outside of Igbo enclaves (Sabon geris) in the North.
What I expect Igbos in the North to do is to design an effective self defense mechanism to fight back. It is tough, but very possible.
My survival instincts tell me that these Northerner will LIKELY bring that war to Igboland if we don't start fighting them in the North NOW. By fighting them in the North, we gain vital territorial intelligence which would aid us in future fights which will DEFINITELY require us invading the North and sacking the place.  

Igbos in the North should start fighting back! They did that before in Kano and Kaduna. They'd send their wives and children to the East and return to fight for their properties. They should do that now.

Our first lines of defense starts in the North.  

hercules07:
@Onlytruth

If you have the people behind you, you will tear them apart, all you need to do is take care of the armed forces, especially the GOCs and the brigade of guards.

One million different things would kill or topple a righteous Nigerian leader. We have tried all those strong arm leadership tactics in the past, they failed woefully.
BTW I would advise you to watch the animal channel TV, particularly where lions fight off hyenas. Hyenas CONSTANTLY snatch preys from lions, and they do it because they are more in number and are equally fierce. Nigerian elite are fiercer than hyenas; believe me, even your ordinary aid de camp would kill you if you try that in Nigeria.

What we need is a Sovereign National Conference. Period.

Mr. Globe:
^
[b]What he is proposing here is a war against corruption not the Nigerian state [/b]which jonathan is fighting with fuel subsidy removal.
He might wanna add send them to jail if they refuse. Jonathan is afraid of the elite but not the masses

I put the "Nigerian state" in quote for a reason, and I hope you are not taking it literally.
In any case, it is very close to it, if you know Nigeria very well.
No Nigerian leader will survive going against all those people in that list. That is why I gave the Buhari example.
What Nigeria needs is not some Robin Hood populist leader who -by the very nature of Nigeria- is CERTAIN TO FAIL if he dares any such moves.
What we need is a leader who will call for a Sovereign National Conference (SNC) where all of Nigeria's problems would be tabled and addressed. I hope you understand me now.

I like Rudolph Okonkwo and have been reading his articles from way back at Nigeriaworld.com. That is why I am a little disappointed in his rather simplistic analysis of the Nigerian national problem these days.
I always quarrel with academic findings and conclusions about Nigeria, because they are . .well. . academic!

What he is proposing here is that President Goodluck Jonathan declares war against the "Nigerian state", because all he listed for censure/arm-twisting are essentially what constitute the Nigerian state.
So, either he is being deliberately mischievous, or he is plain naive.
Even the most militaristic dictator in Nigerian history -General Buhari- still had to cower at the feet of the Emir of Gwandu. I laff with a thick Nnewi accent!

asorocker:
A memorial in respect of those who have been killed by these lunatic since 1945 needs to be established and this memorail will need to be celebrated yearly so that those unborn will not repeat this mistakes by going to live in the north

I am really beginning to think that the best memorial we can give to them is to leave Nigeria.
Everytime they kill one of us in the North, the spirits of those dead folks become more restless, and I don't know whom they are angrier at, we or they.

asorocker:
The igbos arent as smart as thew jews, repeating the same mistake over and over again does make for respect. as i am talking with you there are igbo business men in maiduguri, damaturu , potiskum , mubi, biu. Uwazurike must be an incompetent fool who had responsibilty entrusted on him accidentally by Ojukwu's death.
An agile , well experienced fellow like orji uzo kalu would have made a better leader.

Any way the killing will continue as long as there is no counter reaction. igbos need a more realistic and pragmatic step to operate at these times, igbos need to leave those axis of evil.

My brother I agree with the bolded.
For calling on Igbos to remain in the North, Uwazuruike lost a huge chunk of my personal respect and followership.
I am a STRONG Christian though, and the bible strongly advocates obedience and followership of constituted authority, except when that authority fails to protect me. So, Uwazuruike's first actions did not protect Ndigbo, it actually undermined their safety. That is part why I hate his so called non-violent agitation in the VIOLENT Nigerian jungle. It is like someone going unarmed into a forest of lions, hoping to tame them.
The emerging Igbo world in the days and years ahead, will not allow Uwazuruike's type to lead Ndigbo.
If Orji Uzor Kalu demonstrates the necessary courage to lead us, we will follow him!

Olodostein:
Eze, now you understand. we that do business mostly in Kano(although the BH menace hasn't reached there yet) live in an ENCLAVE of igbos. [/b]Sometimes we even fault our people why they live outskirt in what we refer to as "ugbo udu ugwu"( meaning villages of the Hausa's where you find the most stark illiterate). We just relocated a lot of families to the east.

We have reached a turning point in Nigeria history. Even though, things settles down at the end. We must initiate due process to start educating all our people in returning finally back HOME( some can be very adamant) and a website has to be created to get funding from our people within and outside Nigeria to help our people that is not very buoyant. We can't take this nonsense for too long.

[b]But you have to understand one thing and accept the bitter reality. We as Ndigbo need to know our priorities. No one is our friend. We should ONLY fight our own battles.  

I totally agree with all the bolded. ENCLAVE it is folks!
If we have 4 million Igbos in Northern Nigeria, I wonder why we can't raise a 500,000 man army there to defend ourselves if and when the jungle matures. What are all the people there doing if they cannot fight and defend themselves there? They should relocate if they can't fight there. I support the idea of funding their return too.
If only we have real leaders in Igboland. Well, time will tell.

PointB:
@Onlytruth, the next civil war might last weeks or days because of the potential for maximum destruction due to heavy weaponry. But we need to prepare for a protracted war potentially lasting 5 years or more. [/b]we must not overestimate or strength or underestimate our enemies. We must not put to much trust in our allies but must respect their wishes to be neutral or join us.

We need to prepare to acquire superior weapon even if an arms embargo is imposed. We need to assume also that oil might not fund the war, and we might also fight alone and against potential sabotage from supposed allies. To this end we need a large warchest and [b][size=14pt]powerful allies outside our shores.[/size]

[b]Funds, funds, funds! [/b]We cannot overemphasis the importance of these in war. We need a large warchest that is perpetually funded.

I powerfully agree with all the bolded, especially the largely bolded.
We need a country that will commit to bring a whole navy to Nigeria and neutralize the Nigerian one. This point is CRUCIAL. My mind is still on Israel because she is our friend and is supported and aided by USA.
I love the US, but I know she may be handicapped by her alliance with the British, and so may want to remain neutral again, but I know they would aid Israel. The British will have a moral problem supporting the North again because of all these mass murder going on in Northern Nigeria. So, Israel it is for me!
As for money, that is very much within our capacity. In the longer run, our oil and gas resources (in Igboland) will have to be used to offset all costs. I also agree that we must NOT rely on any LOCAL ally. Our past history must guide us.

Chyz*:
A nuru gi nwanne m. I don't appreciate the way he's been trying to get us to fight or makattack others and trying to do it in a cunning way. But because of you i will stop.

Dalu nwanne madu.
Ubochi nta, anyi ga achu na owerre nchi.

All our thoughts and meditations these days must be on HOW to defeat the Hausa/Fulani in any future war.
I don't want to say more for now. You cannot have peace in your home with a sworn enemy bent on your total destruction. One of these days, we shall bring this nonsense to a FINAL STOP.
Nuff said.

@Logic Mind

I hear you loud and clear my brother. If I were living in Northern Nigeria, I would not live in isolated areas. I would live in ENCLAVE of Igbos, and that enclave would be FULLY ARMED enough to defeat the Nigerian army if need be.
Frankly, if a place is good enough to make money in, I MUST HAVE SECURITY, else I move.
The best security for an Igbo man in Northern Nigeria is not the Nigerian army. These are almost elementary stuff, and I'm truly baffled that our folks still don't understand this.
I would build and attend only the church in that enclave. All my movements would be inside that enclave, which BTW must be easy to access without passing through potential enemy territory.
Our people are better educated these days, so why don't they think spatially?
Oh well.

PointB, what Ndigbo WORLDWIDE should be thinking about is how we would fight the next war. It is inevitable because some things just don't stop without a major conflict.
While we are at it, we must be thinking of how to REALLY make sure that these would never ever again happen in our part of West Africa. Our advantage is that those doing this somehow can't think past 1966. We should make sure that when the dust settles, the new reality would bring about a totally new paradigm for CENTURIES to come.

Chyz* nwanne m, biko hapu Beaf aka. I plead with you.
Iwe nwanne adighi eru na okpukpu.
Hapu ife belu na abani ka oburu anwu nta. I nu go?
Thanks in advance!  

As far as I'm concerned, there are TWO types of Igbos still in Northern Nigeria.
The first is the group that is trapped in the North and can't get out.
The second is the group that has decided to fight and die in the North.

I support BOTH groups and would assist them if and where I can.
My sympathy also go with both.

One day, all these nonsense will stop. That is a promise.

Abagworo has come again with one of his suspect posts. Well, maybe it is vanguard.

Nigeria Bar Association, Aba Branch is NOT = ABIA STATE.

Soon, Nnewi Local Hunters Association would be equal to Anambra state.

@Sam_Ikenna,

Great article by Adeoye.
Here is my take.

Adeoye was very correct with MOST of what he said, except that he was a little dishonest about the groups in the South.
He basically put every southern group in the same camp, and blamed them equally, but I know that Ndigbo have been the only group in the South that almost toppled the Hausa/Fulani hegemony in January 1966.
I know some would argue that Awo was more politically savvy than Zik before independence, and I would agree.
However, Awo never really understood the importance of the military to the power game. On the contrary, the East led by Igbo, dominated the officer corp of the armed forces in that era. So, that was one leg up. Where Adeoye was right is in the fact that if Aguiyi Ironsi were a Fulani, there is no way the Nzeogwu coup would have been wasted completely.
Ironsi failed woefully to understand the power he was handed. He died, still never understanding what killed him!
I would limit that naivety to Ironsi though, because Igbo led Eastern region fully understood these Fulani power games, and fought it to the bitter end during the civil war of 1967-70. It is the Southern groups that allied with Fulani that should be upbraided completely, because some of them still don't even understand what Biafra fought for.

I agree though that the fall of Hausa/Fulani power behemoth is inevitable, and I don't care where they go from there. I need peace in my backyard.  

^^
Like I said, believe whatever helps you sleep well at night. 

Negro_Ntns:
Their grievance is about igbo.  If anyone need to listen its you, not me.  maybe need an amplifier to hear what they are saying.  Just because its sagamu does not mean they want Yoruba blood. They know better!!

You are living in lala land. Aboki residents of Eastern Nigeria has NEVER EVER risen up against us in the East. They only flee Northwards.
I can't say that about your land. So, worry about aboki in your land.
Biafra will be just fine. 

BTW you can believe whatever you want, provided it makes you feel better. 

Negro_Ntns:
Double wahala for dead body. . . .

We know where things are heading and West is formulating ideas on its own sovereignty for its citizens only, no one else.  Its time for Biafra to begin, you all should head home, not just anywhere.

Don't worry about Biafra. Worry about Arewa boys in Sagamu and Lagos.
They are already speaking loud and clear.

NorthSharp:
HI NINETOFIVE,

If I know your bleeping wretched tribe, I could reply you more appropriately. I can cite many
instances in recent history where your lowly, good-for-nothing parents and uncles have been butchered like the pigs they were; and it was NOT by my people but by members of a neigbhouring ethnic group your wretched ethnic people had provoked, as a result of which  your relatives got their a-ses burnt! lol

If we know your own miserable tribe as well, we can figure out how to remind you of your own debacle in the Nigerian jungle. lol.

wesley80:
And the argument here's what? Subsidy had to go for local manufacturers to be patronized and jobs created?

HELL YEA! 
On a more serious note, when subsidy is officially gone, FG will have no other excuses for not developing the local economy, at least I hope.