₦airaland Forum

@All, please everyone should add his/her voice to the effort to include ethnicity in future census forms. That's all.

Thank you in advance.

dayokanu: I am curious as to why Igbos are the ones most aggrieved by this Ijaw declaration

I guess one can also wonder why Yorubas are the most aggrieved and agitated by Goodluck Jonathan's presidency.
The most derogatory names given to GEJ has been by you for example.

Okay, here is my take.

I often wonder why some Ijaw elements always feel like insulting the Igbo as if there is anything to contest. In my own book, the Ijaw are not among the largest tribes in the so called N. delta (never mind all these noise making). The jury may still be out regarding the true population of Ijaw in Nigeria, but I don't need anyone to prove to me that an antelope can never be of the same weight as an elephant (strictly speaking about size). In the Nigerian jungle, there are at least THREE elephants, many rhinos and hippos, and even many more buffalos. . . and then antelopes, and the list continues to descend in that order. IMHO, I would group Ijaw among the antelopes. Please no una no vex.

I recall vividly that Ohanaeze Ndigbo and Igbo leaders recommended to the FG during OBJ's "census", to the effect that tribes and languages should be included in the biometric forms of the census. I cannot recall the Ijaw making a similar demand during that exercise. Effective action is the most credible way of staking a claim. You cannot claim to be the 4th largest tribe in Nigeria, but when the opportunity shows up to push for a ratification or legalizing of such claim, you suddenly go silent.

On a completely different point, I would continue to advise you Ijaw to tone down your rhetoric and diatribal attack on Ndigbo in Nigeria, because you have no genuine grievance whatsoever against Ndigbo (if you tell yourselves the truth), while Ndigbo have a HUGE grievance which they are trying their best to forgive and forget. We have moved one step in that direction by supporting GEJ in 2011. Chances are that we will support him again in 2015, because we consider him one of us. Don't spoil this rapport developing between the two peoples because you make trip a wire.

He who has ears let him hear.

NRI PRIEST: Ijaws are not more than 3.5m with all the languages classified under her that isn't intelligible to one another. These ppl think they have arrived! We Igbo played an integral role in making one of you an interim president and Jonathan got 98% vote from Anambra,second largest after Bayelsa. You ppl stabbed us in the back at our most vulnerable and weakest time(abandoned properties) but we looked past that and threw our weight behind you when you needed our support. Today,some of you are running around insulting the Igbo! Ingrates! Every tribe whom her ppl has despised the Igbo will get their package in due time! What goes around comes around! There is time to weep and time to rejoice! The future is bright for the Igbo! Joy comes in the morning! Deme nu UMu-Igbo.

Deme nwanne m!

Demdem: if i have my way, all states should be scrapped. read my last post. i dont want another additional entity that begs abuja every month as it is today.

The day will come when all the states will depend on their resources in geopolitical region basis or even state basis. For now, all the zones must be equal before we can move forward.
Thanks for explaining.

I wish to add my voice to urge the president on about an additional state for SE.
If you do this GEJ, you will convince us more that you deserve our mandate and support. We are in TOTAL support of your administration.
May God save you and your administration! Amen.

Demdem: states creation is not the way at all no matter what. anyway, my consolation is it will never come to past. not because i dont like the people but because of Nigeria complexities.

Some of you just can't seem to get over your hangups. Do you know that conspiracies don't last for ever? That soon, someone will start saying the truth for once in Nigeria, and do the right thing? Do you know that no other geopolitical zone in Nigeria deserves any state than SE? Do you know that if anyone is serious about keeping Nigeria together, that SE MUST get at least ONE state?

Honestly, your consolation is misplaced and if you don't repent, you will not be happy WHEN (not if) that SE state is created.

This must be the funniest demand since Nigeria's formation in 1906. They should as well demand that cattle men sleep with people's wives along the way as they move from state to state in Nigeria.
This is part of why there will never be peace in current Nigeria. Well, let's see who would indulge them this time.

Obiagu1: Is South South dead??!

The only thing I find amazing and at the same time puzzling is that everyone conveniently stepped over this very important question.
For, me and many other descerning folks, the answer is rather simple: THERE IS REALLY NO SOUTH SOUTH. Like duh!

That is why I personally don't recognize current geopolitical structure. The current system makes no damn sense.
There should be restructuring by democratic means (not by military dictatorship fiat, a la Sani Abacha junta created zones); the whole zones should be debated and restructured by the current national assembly, the boundaries should be redrawn to group tribes which live happily with one another into same geo-political zones. The geo-pol zones don't have to be ethnically homogeneous. I am a strong believer in FUNTIONAL POLITICAL GROUPINGS, not tribal groupings. If some same tribes end up in same zones and want to be alone there, then by all means they should be allowed to stay alone.

My fear remains that divisions often create new sets of problems. IMHO, Southern Nigeria worked better than Eastern Nigeria; Eastern Nigeria worked better than East Central State; East Central State worked better than Anambra State; and current Anambra state will work better than any future state to be carved out of it. That is how I feel about divisions, and that is why I nurse a special pain each time I sometimes advocate for division in Nigeria. It is often a last resort. That is also why I often blame and antagonize the Hausa/Fulani in Nigeria, because I believe that Nigeria's failure is largely because the Hausa/Fulani failed (you can argue all you like about this point, I'm not interested).

Back to this topic, let the Ijaw get a homogeneous zone if that is what they want. Let them get resource control too, though I believe that Nigeria's problem will not be solved by eating one's cake and having it at the same time.

After you have recorded your evidence, first post it on Youtube.com or other social media websites. There are other methods of bringing international war criminals to justice, but it cannot happen without some evidence.

Every human being living within the Nigerian national space should embrace this effort with vigor. If the moderators of this forum are partners in the effort to preserve human lives, rights and dignity within the Nigerian national space, they would put this on the front page because this should warn agents of state that gone are the days of impunity.

Arm yourselves with powerful video/audio recorders, and record away as much as you can folks! Those tools will help to bring war criminals to justice.

One GIANT step forward.

[size=14pt]JTF soldiers to face trial for rape, murder, torture[/size]



Worried by violations of the rules of engagement by security operatives in dealing with civilian population during disturbances, the Federal Government has sent a bill to the National Assembly for a law that will punish offenders in concert with international law.

The bill forbids unjustifiable attacks against civilian population.

Offences punishable include rape, torture, murder, extermination, deportation or forcible transfer of populations, enslavement, imprisonment, sexual slavery, enforced prostitution, forced pregnancy or enforced sterilisation or any form of sexual violence of comparable gravity.

Besides soldiers that may directly be involved in such abuses, military commanders will also be liable for war crimes committed by the troops, such as “extensive destruction and appropriation of property, not justified by military necessity and carried out unlawfully and wantonly.”

Consequently, culprits will be tried by the International Criminal Court.

The proposed law is known as ‘A Bill for an Act to provide for the Enforcement and Punishment of Crimes Against Humanity, War Crimes, Genocide and Related Offences, and to Give Effect to Certain Provisions of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court in Nigeria, 2012,’ a copy of which was exclusively obtained by SUNDAY PUNCH.

The Bill was gazetted on July 17, 2012.

The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Adoke, SAN, had, in an address at the opening session of the Annual General Conference of the Nigerian Bar Association on Monday, disclosed that the bill had been forwarded to the National Assembly.

The bill seeks to provide measures under Nigerian law for the punishment violators of international law and to consumate Nigeria’s cooperation with the ICC in the performance of its functions.

The international crimes and offences, as outlined in sections 4, 5 and 6 of the bill, include crimes such as genocide, and “attacks directed against any civilian population” by military forces, such as the Joint Task Force.

The bill states that genocide includes offences such as killing members of a group, causing serious bodily harm or mental harm to members of a group, deliberately inflicting on a group, conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in part or in whole or imposing measures to prevent births within a group.

Similar war crimes listed by the bill include intentionally directing attacks against civilian populations or individuals not taking direct part in hostilities; intentionally directing attacks against civilian and non-military objects; intentionally launching an attack in the knowledge that the attack will cause incidental loss of life or injury to civilians or damage civilian objects or cause widespread long term and severe damage to the natural environment.

Section 19 of the bill, which spelts out the ‘Responsibility of commanders and other superiors’, states that military commanders in the country are liable for any of the offences that fall under the International Crimes, when such an offence is committed by forces under their effective control.

Section 19 of the Bill states thus, “(1) A military commander or a person effectively acting as a military commander is responsible for an offence under section 4,5 or 6 of this Act committed by forces under his effective command, control or under his effective authority and control, as a result of his failure to exercise control properly over the forces.

Section five of the bill also deals with crimes against humanity. Sub section three reads, “Violations of fundamental rules of international law are (f) torture (g) rape, sexual slavery, forced prostitution, forced pregnancy, enforced sterilisation or other form of sexual violence of comparable gravity.”

Military campaigns launched in the country to quell civil disturbances have always been characterised by civilian casualties.

Currently, the Joint Task Force engaged in a military operation against the Boko Haram sect in parts of the North, and also trying to restore order in Jos, Plateau State, has been embroiled in controversies over civilian casualties.

Recently, the Borno Elders Forum claimed that the activities of the JTF in Borno and Yobe states had caused the death of hundreds of civilians in Maiduguri and Damaturu.

The Forum had said, “The killings run into hundreds, and it seems the people are facing genocide,” they said in the statement, entitled: ‘A Passionate Appeal for Restraint,’ which was signed by a former minister, Shettima Ali Monguno.

But the JTF in Borno State denied the allegations, saying there was no genocide in its activities.

Also, controversy trailed recent reports that the JTF killed 20 members of the Boko Haram sect in Maiduguri. While the force said those slain were members of Boko Haram, the sect disagreed.

Similarly, activities of the military in Jos have been mired in controversy, with several reports suggesting civilian casualties from the activities of the JTF.

Massive civilian casualties and destruction of property were rampant during military campaigns to quell insurgencies in Zaki Biam in Benue State and Odi in Bayelsa State, during the presidency of Olusegun Obasanjo.

Beside civilian deaths, there were also reports of large scale rape of women in Odi.

Military campaign against militants in the Niger Delta reportedly violated international law, particularly in Ayokoroma, Okerenkoko and Gbaramatu Kingdom in Delta State, badly damaged during the manhunt for militant leaders, John Togo and Tompolo.

The bill mandates the AGF to, upon request by the ICC for the arrest and surrender of a military commander, or any other person responsible for a said offence, to effect his arrest and surrender him for prosecution.

The bill also prescribes penalties for international crimes violated in the country.

The penalty for the international crimes “where the offence involves the wilful killing of a person,” is the same as the penalty for murder under the Penal Code or Criminal Code, and (Cap P16LFN and CAP C38 LFN, 2004).”

On the other hand, where the offence does not involve wilful killing, the bill stipulates a penalty of “imprisonment for a term not exceeding 30 years or a term of life imprisonment when justified by the extreme gravity of the offence and the individual circumstances of the convicted person.”

Section 69 of the bill provides that prisoners of the international criminal court, including foreign nationals, could serve their sentences in Nigerian prisons.

However, before acceding to the ICC’s request, the AGF shall consult with relevant ministries, departments and agencies of the Federal Government, including the National Security Adviser.

“The criminal court prisoner shall be detained in accordance with the laws of Nigeria as if he had been sentenced to imprisonment under the laws of Nigeria.”

However, the Bill also states that the laws of Nigeria relating to parole, remission, reduction, or variation of sentence and pardon do not apply to a sentence imposed by the Criminal Court.

The Bill, when passed into law, will also provide for the sitting of the ICC in the country for the purposes of taking evidence, conducting proceedings, giving a judgment, or reviewing sentences imposed by it.

It would be recalled that the Chief Prosecutor of the ICC, Mrs. Fatou Bensouda, had in July visited Nigeria, during which she met President Goodluck Jonathan and other relevant government officials, including the AGF.

During the visit, she disclosed that the ICC had put Nigeria under preliminary examination due to the Boko Haram insurgency in the North.

The Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (often referred to as the International Criminal Court Statute or the Rome Statute) is the treaty that established the International Criminal Court.

It was adopted at a diplomatic conference in Rome on July 17, 1998, and became operational on July 1, 2002.

As at February 1, 2012, 121 states had become party to the statute, including Nigeria.


http://www.punchng.com/news/jtf-soldiers-to-face-trial-for-rape-murder-torture/

I often wonder why there are two sets of rules in Nigeria; one for the North and another for the rest of Nigeria.
The Hisbah is a fully functional state police; why then is the North allowed to get away with bullying the rest of us on the topic of state police.

I would keep saying that the North is still ruling Nigeria through the back door, hence the very SLOW PROGRESS we have in Nigeria, otherwise how else can one explain this type of duplicity?

[size=14pt]North already operating state police – Ohanaeze[/size]

September 3, 2012 by James Azania, Benin 4 Comments

Kano State chapter of Ohanaeze Ndigbo has alleged that state police is already in existence in the North.

President of the chapter, Chief Tobias Idika, in an eletronic statement sent to our correspondent, alleged that Hisbah guards in parts of the North operate as policemen. Hisbah guards are saddled with the responsibility of enforcing Sharia Law.

Idika called for the disbandment of Hisbah guards, claiming that they had destroyed businesses owned by Igbo in some of the northern states.

The statement read in part, “Inasmuch as we are not surprised at the stand of the northern governors against the establishment of state police, we hereby make an urgent call on President Goodluck Jonathan to open his eyes on the activities of the Hisbah guards in the North.

“Over the years, the North has been running state police under the disguise of Hisbah guards. We have pragmatic evidence of the victimisation of our people by armed Hisbah guards who were given powers to waylay, arrest, fine and prosecute their victims. In Kano alone, Igbo businessmen have lost billions of naira on the several attacks by the Hisbah guards.

“The same situation is recorded in Minna, Kaduna, Bauchi, Maiduguri, Zamfara and other parts of the North where the Hisbah guards otherwise known as Sharia Police are holding sway. It is also pertinent to note that the northern governors fund Hisbah guards with taxpayers’ money.”

The organisation called for the dismantling of the Hisbah guards, claiming that their existence contributes to the escalation of insecurity in the North.

It said, “Inasmuch as Ohanaeze Ndigbo would not want to dabble in the politics of state police, we call on the President and the National Assembly to, as a matter of urgency, enact a law abolishing Hisbah and other militant organisations being sponsored with public funds.

“There is no gainsaying the fact that the proliferation of militant organisations such as Hisbah has contributed hugely to the spate of insecurity and socio-religious violence that have become the bane in the northern region.”

http://www.punchng.com/news/north-already-operating-state-police-ohanaeze/

Okay let me just say this.

I love CC Soludo and I would even volunteer for his campaign anytime he chooses, and for whatever office he may contest in the immediate future. I trust his judgement on most issues, BUT he would need people who think like me to get all things about Nigeria correct.

In this article, he basically sounded like Zik. In his "Pan Africanist/US of Africa"ist" worldview, I don't think he actually added anything new to show that Nigeria has been through a very brutal civil war experience. That civil war did not come out of the blues, and when it came, people like Zik were caught flat-footed. Nigeria had been talking and exercising political association for years before that civil war, and Ndigbo had been in the North and other parts of Nigeria before that war. We have basically seen this dance before. It is called the Zikist dance!

Am I a Pan Africanist? Err NOPE, because Africa is OLD, VERY OLD, and it is made up of very old and DIFFERENT peoples, with no clearly dominant culture. To prove my point, take a look at Europe. Europe remains an ECONOMIC not political enclave. Even at that, the EU is struggling seriously to admit Turkey -a very progressive Muslim country.
There is a reason for that, and I often tell my friends that one of the things I love about "white people" is that they are the most THOROUGH human beings that I know. The Nigeria that was partitioned by the British is far more accurate than the one done by Nigerians, for example.

The best thing anyone can do for Africa is to allow the different peoples and nations within it to perform an experiment -exercise self determination for a given period, and then form unions based on experiences derived from such experiments. The Nigerian experiment has been good, but we need to weaken the center more in order to deepen our experience living apart a little. Only after such experiments can we ever realistically dream of a Nigerian union, and then a west African union and maybe some day an African union. This is what I call building the whole from compact and solid pieces, instead of trying to build wholes with deeply fragmented pieces.

Maybe some day I may become a Pan Africanist, but I say that such a day is at least 100 years away.

Finally, I do not believe that Eastern Nigeria, and Igboland have been given a REAL SHOT at development, and we have HUGE empty lands and small cities begging for development and population increase. We should focus on that rather than continue this lie that our part of Nigeria cannot contain us. It simply ain't true!
We need an international airport fully functional in SE. We can survive without most things, but we cannot survive without our own international gateway.

That is what the Soludos should argue and advocate for because if we don't get it, then their theory (that we cannot survive without leaving Igboland) would prove correct.

All Igbo sons/daughters should live, breath and agitate for that international gateway.

Here I stand!

PointB: Sadly the 'fear' of what the Igboman will do has almost completely destroyed the country. 'For fear of death, Nigeria in on the verge of suicide!' She will either have to pull back or hasten the plunge! Change must happen!

Strong point. I don't know if that fear would ever end. It did not start today.

fixed.

asha 80: the chairman is not even igbo.

Does he need to be?

I respect Soludo a lot. He hit some points here but I think he missed a few others. Unless Ndigbo are prepared or ready to convert to Islam en masse (which some have actually argued for), Nigeria should be viewed for what it is. There is a very good chance that Nigeria can disintegrate, business or no business; money or no money, trade or no trade.

We Ndigbo should not seem desperate to save a system that is discriminating against us.
Nuff said.

I would state one more controversial truth: Nigerian presidency should not go to far north for at least 24 years.

Power should move from SS to SE and then SW. If we can find a good educated man from Benue or Kogi, I would vote for him/her too. The key idea here is to ensure that Nigerian presidency is kept far away from extreme form of Islam for THREE two term presidencies, before we elect one from that part.

Nigeria has come a LONG WAY from 1999 thanks to Obasanjo (love him or hate him), and Jonathan (love him or hate him). If we are serious about staying together as one, then CLEAR PROGRESS MUST BE RECORDED from the current to immediate future.

The shortest way to Nigeria's disintegration is to elect a "Sanusi-esque" or "Buhari-esque" or "El rufai-esque" notherner any time soon.

Secessionists (in the south mainly) are looking for a very good reason to secede, and I would support them TOTALLY AND WHOLLY if Nigeria's presidency is returned to the core north anytime sooner.


Here I stand!

ilugunboy: I hate to admit that am almost on the same page with Onlytruth on this.

The facts stated by the OP looks so true in the Nigerian context.

Thanks for agreeing with me for the first time! Seems I'm ONLY TRUTH afterall.

Anyway back to topic.

How can one explain the overdependence on oil by predominantly fundamentalist islamic states (22 arab countries).
Note that modernized Islamic states are different. Turkey is a good example. In order words, for Nigeria to ever develop, Nigeria's Muslims must copy Turkish ones.
Can that EVER happen in Nigeria? Look at our history for a cue.

Ileke-IdI:
Which takes us back to your question:



So you DO remember.

Is that so confusing to you? lol
If you make 1000 comments and I agree with 10, can't you situate my comment?
Nna na wa for dis kain low IQ.

Ileke-IdI:
Oh you must have forgotten the multiple times you kissed my azz on posts that agreed with your ideology.

Is there anything wrong with agreeing with you if you talk sense?
I call it common sense, I don't call it kissing azz.

juman: Shagari was far better than OBJ.

Man, OBJ failed woefully as president despite the price of oil during his time. He was an embodiment of corruption. OBJ is enemy of the nation.

I don't like OBJ but I can at least count ONE tranformative item achieved by him: cellphone.
Name one by shagari.

Ileke-IdI:
You're not known for making sense, so this one no dey surprise anyone

And YOU ever make sense? lol

Da infamous: Menn this make sense a lot....now i see the reason why hausa fulani muslims in the north want to bomb the wholle northern states just because of power....

It is obvious to all sane folks.

K'naan:
What about Iran? I would say Iran is more successful than Lebanon, Malaysia and Indonesia despite all the sanctions. And had the sanctions not been imposed, I would say Iran would be ahead of Turkey comfortably

What does Iran export apart from oil? If the western countries impose a truly effective sanctions regime on Iranian oil (which I doubt would ever happen though), what would Iran export?

The only way that Nigeria can actually stay together is that the core North -being the least developed in terms of human development in Nigeria (education for example) - stays away from Nigerian presidency for at least 20 -40 years, during which period an aggressive education program must be orchestrated in that part of Nigeria.
After this period, the region should change fundamentally. Only after then should that region vie for the presidency.
This might seem harsh, but I know that other Nigerians never enjoyed any handouts from the Nigerian government (in education development) disproportionately. It never happened in Nigeria. My parents hustled to put me through school by sacrificing that second or third wife option, etc, in order that I may get educated. It is deeply offensive and provocating to other Nigerians that far less educated and trained people would be running the country into less exports and more dependence on oil and government.
The whole thing is a recipe for a future conflict.

I have often wondered why the core North is almost obsessed with Nigerian presidency (especially as it is not the most developed in terms of education and human development index in Nigeria), often practically fighting non-Muslim presidents and cornering concessions, some of which would cost Nigeria dearly eventually. It happened severally during Obasanjo presidency, and now Boko Haram in Jonathan's.
I never was able to understand (I'm still not able to understand) WHY the obsession with Nigerian presidency by the core North. It is now beginning to make sense.
Every sane human would of course agree that such mindset is only going to lead to a major conflict eventually because humans are rational beings and they tend to protect their future by any means. A lot of Nigerians are without jobs, and the Nigerian economy exports almost nothing apart from oil.
It is a ticking timebomb (just like the 22 Arab countries). The West is beginning to lose interest in the middle east. Nigeria is almost next.
Do we wait until oil finishes before we solve this problem (one way or another)?
I told my Igbo brothers on this forum, that leaving Nigeria after the oil wells dried up would be tougher than doing so now.

I still stand on that.