₦airaland Forum

Umunne m ana m ekele unu nile o!

I wish to thank everyone that has contributed his/her opinion/voice to this effort.
Together we shall march forward and claim the future!

I wish to explain my position more on the use of "Eastern Nigeria" and also my opinion about not necessarily using an Igbo name (please note that I am not opposed at all to using an Igbo name). I was hoping that the idea should be self explanatory, but apparently it is not because some of our brothers are having a problem with it.

Okay here we go.

Nigeria is a country standing on a tripod; I know that this fact tends to hurt some feelings in some parts of Nigeria, but the fact remains that Nigeria is driven in the main by THREE main tribes -Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba who are in the North, East and West respectively.
There is the Hausa in the North, the Yoruba in the West and the Igbo in the East. Have any of you seen where the Hausa are forming a group called "Hausa" anything in Nigeria? Instead you have "Arewa", the membership of which span the whole 19 Northern states. Even the Yoruba is seriously exacting influence up to Edo and Delta states using ACN and other vehicles. Why should we Ndigbo then start confining ourselves to "Igbo" in name and scope of influence in Nigeria? It is my studied opinion that this mentality is the reason why some Igbo deny their "Igboness", because frankly it makes us very vulnerable. No group has a HARD AND FAST territory in Nigeria, if you doubt it you would find that some Yoruba even claim Igala people.
I am not saying that we should be claiming people who have nothing to do with us, but I maintain that it is the worst form of self defeatism to confine oneself. With all due respect only a blind, deaf and dumb person would not associate Eastern Nigeria with Igbo. However, by far the biggest reason behind my support for a non-Igbo name for this group is that there are COUNTLESS Igbo groups out there, and they aren't making much impact on our fortune. We want to be able to contact and work with highly placed individuals in Nigeria; therefore we don't want to be hamstrung from the beginning, thereby crippling ourselves even before we take off. Finally, we are planning to make this movement INDESTRUCTIBLE. One of the best ways to insure that is by affixing its foundation to the ORIGINAL foundation of Nigeria.
I doubt that world powers see Nigeria in any different way. When they look at Nigeria, they still see North, East and West. Period. So, let's not work against old established and accepted foundations.


Let the debate continue. . .

Mr Spyder880, thanks for starting this thread because we the diaspora Igbo will like constant update on how our land is shaping up for the 21st century.
Please QUICKLY post pictures, and make sure you include pictures of Enugu International Airport. If you don't have them, please get them because that is what would keep this thread here in the politics section. If you don't add pictures of that airport, this thread will likely end up in the travel/tourism section.
I would like to believe that the aim of this thread is to challenge/encourage our politicians to keep working hard and to keep developing the East to give us cities/towns that we all can be proud of.

I hereby appeal to all Igbo sons to abstain from any comparison match between Enugu and any other city in Igboland. Enugu is a product of our collective efforts. We are all very proud of this city, just as we are all very proud of Owerri and other Eastern cities. Thanks in advance!

So, get on with PICTURES.
Thanks!

I think that folks should first know the criteria which guided the findings about failed states in this case.
I will not support any side of this issue; I would only state HOW they reached the conclusion.

So here we go.

Some of the core criteria included security apparatus, factionalised elite, legitimacy of the state, external intervention, poverty and economic decline, uneven development, group grievance and demographic pressures, human flight and public services.

Each of the bolded items is HUGE enough in the Nigerian context to weigh heavily against Nigeria.
Looking carefully, the only item from which Nigeria may have escaped is the "external intervention" criteria, which if you even look carefully, Nigeria may not have escaped that either.

So, let's focus on facts and stop trying to deviate from clearly stated findings.
The group may be doing a hatch job against Nigeria, but hey they are using FACTS to do that.

Let me grab the first spot in nominating a slogan: Reclaiming The Future


This slogan is born out of a thorough understanding of the past, an acknowledgement and acceptance of faults and blames where necessary, a firm commitment to change, and a vow to succeed.

As for the logo, I think I like some of the things in Sam_Ikenna's logo, specifically the handshake(friendship/consensus) and the palm tree (Eastern Nigeria). If we can throw in an elephant somewhere in the midst of it all, it may turn out superb.
I also want to enlighten more on the "Enyi" acronym. "Enyi" (of a different intonation) in Igbo also means a friend, so we are either extending friendship (a handshake) or we move forward without caring whose ox is gored- elephant (basically stampede our way forward ). Change is always resisted, so we must expect resistance.
I suspect that we may never need to use the latter tactic. It is good that the option stays there though.

Umunna, today is the second day of our deliberation on the name and scope of influence of our movement.
By the end of tomorrow, we must adopt one of the names and move on.

I have to digress a little to touch another part of what this movement will tackle, with the hope to help shape the name and scope of influence.
In addition to acute and deft politicking for the betterment of Igboland, we shall also tackle the following:

(1) Haughtiness and tendency to oppress: "i makwa onye m bu?" -(do you know who I am?} spirit destroying Igboland
(2) Mad rush for money: Which is a direct response to the "i makwa onye m bu" plague in Igboland
(3) Culture of Vanity: Still a product of item 1 above, which manifests in how some of our people seek self aggrandizement through acquisition of vainglorious titles and appellations: Chief, Dr, Engr, and all other titles that mask failure. In civilized climes, a simple Mr or Mrs/Ms would do.
(4) Religious fraud: It is becoming almost impossible to belong to a church in Igboland these days without losing an arm or a leg. We have the highest concentration of churches in Nigeria, yet we don't have some of most basic infrastructure. Everybody is celebrated irrespective of how one acquired one's wealth. Widows are neglected and even abused. If you fail to pay church duties, the church will not bury you. Where is that from? Would Jesus do that?
(5)Unbridled Individualism: A product of all of the above.

By far the biggest evil bedeviling our land is item 1 above. It makes it IMPOSSIBLE for a neighbor to share in the grief of another, or to pray for a neighbor's success ('cos the neighbor may oppress you once he "makes it". ). It is the reason we send our reps to Abuja, and they go there to amass wealth and neglect our homeland. It is the reason we have kidnappers in Igboland because these rich people refuse to invest and create jobs for the young ones. They want to keep the money in their own families alone. How can one have peace when his neighbor is hungry.
So as part of our mission, we may have to be contacting some of these rich people in Igboland to explain to them the irrationality of their behavior.

I hope you can all see that the scope of this thing is big and the mission unprecedented.

I wish us God's speed.

I also don't think that the name of the group should necessarily be Igbo. It can be an English name provided it carries our interest and mission.

And yes, our reach should eventually reach all the relevant parts of Nigeria.
So, we must think strategic, but act locally.

PointB: We are still debating name, symbol, and color. So far no conclusion has been reached, but the ideas are taking shape.

Let me remind us, that our Eze Ndi Igbo election started like this, but today we are here.

What will are doing here today has the potential for explosive impact on Igboland. Our commitment is a critical success factor.

Put on you thinking cap, imagine how you want Igboland to look like in 20 years time. What are you willing to do today to help achieve that? This is what this is all about. We are putting structure in place to channel our energy, thoughts, and ideas uniformly in aid of development of Igboland.

Let this debate continue...

To support the bolded, we must do things differently from what others are already doing.
There are already MANY groups by various names out there claiming to be representing us and our interests, yet we don't see much difference in our land. That is why I am not really in support of not ruffling feathers. We have done that for 40 years since the end of the civil war. The result is that our land is being taken over by thieves and charlatans. We need to be bold and fearless because that is what would make a difference.

PointB: We are still debating name, symbol, and color. So far no conclusion has been reached, but the ideas are taking shape.

Let me remind us, that our Eze Ndi Igbo election started like this, but today we are here.

What will are doing here today has the potential for explosive impact on Igboland. Our commitment is a critical success factor.

Put on you thinking cap, imagine how you want Igboland to look like in 20 years time. What are you willing to do today to help achieve that? This is what this is all about. We are putting structure in place to channel our energy, thoughts, and ideas uniformly in aid of development of Igboland.

Let this debate continue...

To support the bolded, we must do things differently from what others are already doing.
There are already MANY groups by various names out there claiming to be representing us and our interests, yet we don't see much difference in our land. That is why I am not really in support of not ruffling feathers. We have done that for 40 years since the end of the civil war. The result is that our land is being taken over by thieves and charlatans. We need to be bold and fearless because that is what would make a difference.

PointB: Thanks to all those who have contributed in this debate so far. Let us continue to brain-storm and give more ideas.

Apparently the leading symbolism are:

1. Elephant and tusk,
2. Trees, book, handshake and people combo
3. Iroko and Tusk
4. The Phoenix

The name suggested so far inlcudes:
- Oganiru Ndi Igbo (ONI)
- Eastern Nigeria Youth Initiative__ENYI)
- Oganiru Progressive Movement(OPM),
- Ohakwuru Progressive Association (OPA)
- Obi NdiIgbbo Movement(ONM)

However, passionate discussion is still on-going around scope and sphere of influence of the organisation. Specifically, there seems to be an even split on how to relate with our 'allies' and 'friends' in the South-South. While some are of the opinion that we should adopt names, symbolism, and by extension and all encompassing philosophy, some are of the opinion that we should 'think and act' only in the interest of Igbos and Igboland. Certainly both divides have merits (and of course demerits).

I will however appeal to conference members (all of us) to look into the crystal ball - look far into the future. Say 10 years, 20, or 30 years from now. How do we want this group to look? Centrist, conservative, progressive? Do we see a divided or united Nigeria? Does perception matters to us now, and will it matter 'tomorrow'?

Perhaps, we would be able to navigate this potential landmine of inclusiveness versus exclusiveness, when we start debating 'Aims and Objectives' and 'Patrons, Power, Scope and Limitation of the Association' . The lists we generate then will give more insight about who and what we are, and perhaps our help shape our name.

Let me dissect one suggestion that appeals to so far - Eastern Nigeria Youth Initiative.

Eastern Nigeria Youth Initiative. With this name, we can sell our ideas across state capitals in perhaps all the old Eastern Region, in the long run.
Nigeria Youth Initiative - With this we can sell in the long term sell to Nigeria
Youth Initiative - This will have global appeal in the long run

In contrast...
Oganiru Ndi Igbo
Oganiru Progressive Movement(OPM),
Ohakwuru Progressive Association (OPA)
Obi Ndi Igbo Movement(ONM)
The above may appeal to many Igbos, but may not have strategic reach. Besides, there is no guarantee that some local Igbo groups have not adopted some of these names. They seem quite generic.

Basically, I prefer we choose a broad based name, even while acting locally. If Nigeria remains one, who says we will not eventually act nationally? On this note, [size=14pt]I will encourage us to think strategically, not tactically. Lets 'think globally, while acting locally[/size]!'

Exactly bro.

I also want to add one more thought as we continue deliberating on the name of our group.

Somehow I cannot shake this feeling that if we get Igboland to function ECONOMICALLY, that almost all our problems would be solved in one fell swoop. Think of it, what can't we do if we can grow our economy without being interrupted by the cacophony of the Nigerian nation? Imagine if we can grow our economy uninterrupted. Somehow I can't shake this feeling that there is a grand scheme to force us to abandon Igboland. Why is everybody keeping quiet when our heartland lacks direct international access? It is almost akin to abandoning ones farm and to keep farming on other farmers land hoping that they would be fair in sharing the harvest with us. Honestly, this keeps me awake at nights!

Let us get our economy to function independent of other regions. Kano functions independent of Enugu and Lagos. Why can't Enugu function independent of Lagos or Kano? Lagos is in Yorubaland, Kano is in Hausaland, Enugu is in Igboland. Why can't we have direct international access? If we have it, we will prove ourselves. Nigeria was founded by three major tribes. There have been attempts to mask this fact. Only we Ndigbo can remind the rest of Nigeria that we are still here- a major tribe. If we keep quiet about this, soon someone will even tell us that we don't count, and would anyone blame such person.
Let us bear these in mind as we plan the name and mission of our group.
A hungry man is an angry man. I really don't think we should care much about what others think until we get our fair share. Nobody is mourning with us as we die on Lagos -Onitsha expressway on our way to board a flight to Japan.
So, I guess a little militancy on our part won't be a bad idea.

I could be wrong though, but I had to say these things 'cos the feeling is very real in me.

I just recalled something I read here earlier about the role of Igbo language in this endeavor. I will give the same advise I always give on this issue because it is a very tricky and important issue.

We must always bear in mind that Igbo language is becoming endangered, and with the way we Ndigbo are spread all over the world, more and more of our people are becoming lazy in learning the language. Some parents have even given up entirely on the need to teach their children to speak the language, hence we have people who cannot share in the realities of their people back home. This issue is very deep, and I don't think we can, or should attempt to resolve it here. However, we must lay a foundation for the path to its eventual resolution using the instrument of this constitution.
I personally can learn ANY language within a month. If given time, I can speak almost any language like a native within one year! So, if folks are seriously interested in learning Igbo, they will grasp the language fairly fast. We must encourage or nudge them to learn it, because if they don't, there is no way they can be passionate about Igboland. They would be viewing Igboland like any non-Igbo would, and that is unacceptable to us.

Part of our renaissance is the resurgence of Igbo language and culture. These propel our values and ethics.

Brother Sam_Ikenna,

I put together your logo into one element.
How does it look?

ebere1712: Let me first of all say that I'm very excited about this and really, really hope we pull this off. This could be the begining of a great thing. I will help in whatever way I can (so far as the organisation remains sane). For the logo, I will suggest the two locked horns beside a really tall iroko tree. I can help in logo creation if it is needed. I can help in a whole other things. Lets just wait and see how it goes.

My brother you are welcome to join the movement. If you have talent, we need you. Please note that we will not beg you (or anybody) to join us, just like it is not wise for a man to beg his brother-in-law or trying to woe his approval on trivial things.
If this movement bears fruit, ALL of us will reap it. Nobody will claim any special role or place. That is the spirit behind this movement. If you feel passionate enough to join us, please send me an email or join the newsletter website.
Thanks in advance!

My simple suggestions

1) If this is an Igbo organisation, it must have an igbo name (complete igbo, no association or union)
2) The phoenix is very offensive to me because it is not seen anywhere in igbo land and has no bearing in this discussion at all

I agree

3) We have to start looking inwards; whilst borrowing and transliterating other things that could be of gud to our society

I strongly agree!

4) I vehemently reject the suggestion that we have to base our union on "it's friendliness to our supposed allies" (Allies that betrayed us in the past. This is an affront to our mothers and fathers that fought for our present freedoms)

Let me just say this.
It is not in the interest of Ndigbo to kowtow to anybody in Nigeria. Period. I personally don't think it is wise to begin our movement by tiptoeing around folks who may not even care about us. That we are pursuing our survival does not mean that we are trampling upon anybody. We have our values which I believe is a very good one based on the following: Hardwork, repudiation of evil, peaceful nature,courage, pursuit of excellence, egalitarianism, love for once's family and community, and fear of God. Anybody familiar with Nigeria's movie industry popularly called Nollywood would attest to the fact that these are the predominant value systems there and these propel the industry to world wide acclaim. So we are very proud to be Igbo.
The history of Nigeria has not been very kind to us because of our civil war loss, so some of our neighbors are still caught up in that. I agree that we should mind our business and focus on ourselves for now. When we have our international airports at Enugu and Owerri, and when we develop Igboland, nobody will tell anybody to work with us.
We bear no ill will against anybody as our brother Sam_Ikenna emphasized. We are not going to overstate that though, lest it becomes misunderstood. Human beings are very funny.
So, lets get those international airports at Enugu and Owerri and maybe even Onitsha or Asaba. The rest will take shape.

5) I also vehemently reject the suggestion that we should pursue this with igbos, who have in the past claimed not to be igbos. Instead we should make a provision for them to reclaim there igboness and come back to their father's land(figuratively)

I STRONGLY agree. As far as we are concerned, if you say you are Igbo, you are Igbo. If you say you are not, then you are not. Simple and short.

7) Leaders elected in this position, should never be seen to have any political alliance and should never be seen to benefit a dime from their positions. It should be 100% voluntary.

We can have political opinions but we should not push them so hard on others, except when it is clear that the political position will benefit Ndigbo the most.
The bolded is precisely the CORE IDEA behind this movement. We have ZERO tolerance for self. It is a collectivist movement. That is part of why we move very slowly. If you have followed this thread from the beginning, you would see that I gave an example of a chainsaw. Each of us is a tooth in the chain. The engine is universal truth and justice.

[b]Avoid those trying to make this into a Nigerian endeavour, [/b]avoid them like leprosy, they hate you. Nothing in Nigeria has ever worked, nothing will ever work in the present design.

We are still in Nigeria. We MUST operate within a Nigerian setting at least until the country ceases to exist. If we successfully develop Igboland, we may find out that secession is not necessary. If all of us work as hard as is needed, I bet you that all political thieves in Igboland will be out of jobs by 2015. Our journey becomes a downhill journey afterwards.

We are youths and we are the enforcing arm of society. Let's get this done!

I will be back later to continue making my own contribution.

Arise and build brothers! The God of heaven he will prosper us!

Signing off,

Yours truly,

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

Umu Igbo mma mma nu o!

We are off and running!

I have ONE quick suggestion. I don't know whether it would be accepted or rejected. My suggestion is that each item should be discussed for at least 2 days or even three days before we move to the next item.
Adighi eme ngwa amicha aka maka na agaghi afanye ya n'uko! You should not hurriedly lick up the fingers because it will never be shelved!

So, it is better to get the SOLID outcome than just to glide over them and move on.

Umu nna, we may have to settle for that Eastern Nigeria Youth Initiative (Enyi) afterall. That is a youth movement because our fathers have not really given us the best outcome. It is time we improve on their achievements.

I recon that our Anioma brothers are not Easterners, but I bet you they are Easterners at heart, and when Anioma state is created, they will join South East. In any case Eastern Nigeria can still expand.

My own humble contribution.

My brother Beneli, ebe ka i no kamgbe? Umunna choro enyemaka gi! Dere m imeelu.

These are the type of news I celebrate. It makes me to believe that folks in that space understand how to survive the 21st century. It is small but definitely in the right direction.
Anyone with pics please?
I hope it is not the same one they unveiled last time.

PointB: Greeting Igbos and Allies.

Starting from 8.00 GMT tomorrow, we shall begin take a step further in line with the journey we embarked about 6 months ago.

As you are aware last December, we took a historic step towards unifying and promoting our peculiar interest by electing an Eze.
The important step led to the birth of Eze Ndi Igbo 1, of Nairaland - Onlytruth, ndu di n'eziokwu 1 of Igboland, Eze Ndigbo Nairaland.

Within his first week in office, Eze OnlyTruth, assembled his cabinet and has since never looked back. Those who have followed development since would agree that his impact has been roundly felt in his this portfolio.

However, the need for continuity, preservation, and to some extent legitimacy has informed the need for us to (re)write the rules. On this note, I enjoin my brethren, allies, and friends of Igbo to join us as we embark on Premier Nairaland Constitution Conference. Let us set the rule for our group, empower it, and use it to launch serious offensive against our politicians whose kleptomania, corruptions, and incompetence rob us and our allies our legitimate dividend of democracy and one Nigeria.

To make this process more productive, the time table below shall guide us:


We should be starting this process on Friday (8.00 GMT or thereabout?)

Day 0. We sensitive members tomorrow and establish the ground rules for the constitution drafting.
Day 1. Article 1: Name, and symbol(s) (including color) (pls bear in mind that we prefer name acceptable to our allies especially from SS)
Day 2: Article 1 continued: Aims, Objectives, and Affiliation(s) of the Association
Day 3: Article 2: Patrons, Power, Scope and Limitation of the Association
Day 4: Article 3: Membership and Eligibility
Day 5: [/b]Article 4: Officer, Cabinet Members and responsibilities
[b]Day 6: Article 5: Meetings and Quorom
Day 7: Article 6: Terms of Office and Elections, Removal from office
Day 8: Article 7: Hand-Over Process and Continuity
Day 9 [/b]Article 8: Finance ?
[b]Day 10: Article 9: Amendment of Constitution
Day 11: Article 10: Dissolution
Day 12: Debate closes collation begins,

Should you wish to assist in moderation and collation of the debates, kindly inform me on this thread. The plan is to keep the debate on this thread, however, we may create another thread if necessary. Time is of essence.

The Pre [/b]Nairaland Constitution Conference debate is hereby now open.

[b]Shall we begin?

I endorse this message. Tomorrow, we begin!

Signed,

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

PROUD-IGBO:
I'm still keeping an eye on this project, even if everyone else seems to have forgotten about it. We were told after the commissioning date was moved from may that a few things were still left to be done, and that Mr President would commission the project in June. So by my calculations, we have a little over 48 hours left.

The MD of NIWA, Alhaji Yar'radua is on record to have said that the port is already in operation, so i'd like any Onitsha bruhs to please help with pics of the whole set-up. I expect to see a bustling and busy port [/b]since we've been told it's already in use and is for passengers as well as goods.

[b]Let this not be like the case of Enugu airport that GEJ commissioned for int'l flights way back in 2010, which is presently anything but 'international' despite numerous closures for upgrades and renovations since his unfortunate visit.

So PICS please.

Thank you my brother.
Our Onitsha based brothers, over to you. We need pictures!
Thanks in advance.

Dudu_Negro: Eze, That's a good view you presented. I have questions for you.

1. From your quote,

Wasn't this the same script used to bring Jonathan in. . . that he was an academician and well educated and competent than other party candidates? We need to create a new check list for candidature and on top of that list we need to start demanding accountability upfront. "What have you done", instead of "what do you know"! So using this for background, these "Southern candidates" that have comeptencies, who are they and what have they accomplished? Give us just top five.


2. From this quote,

What if Nigeria does not integrate, they remain attached to core North? Never mind that the core North has vehemently declared war on the Davids, Anthonys, Michaels, Johns, Peters, Pauls, Theresas, Deborahs and all other Christians in the North and continue to discriminate against then in the Northern land they are supposed to co-own.

ACF and Yakassai only need these people for the political adavantage and tactical buffer upward from South.


To me, ACF and Yakassai did not fret. Here is what I see. . . .

The six geopolitical zoning is a decoy to further disenfranchize the South. It is a scam! ACF called IBB a Northerner and challenged Mark if he did not consider himself a Northerner, inspite everyone know these people are in a different geo zone with a different majority bloc (religious and cultural). The statement by ACF and Yakassai is analogous to MASSOB saying SS zone and its political aspirations will be directed from the East.

While in South we attach ourselves to SW, SS and SE. . . .in the North, everything is business as usual. So tell me again that Southern politicians are more competent than Northeners. As far as geo zones. . . the South need to return to business as usual.

My last observation is on the calculation that out of 774 LGs, only 18 are affected. This is a very silly remark from Yakassai and his ACF. The numerical value is abstract and vague in terms of any useful statistical comparison to measure the devastation to the population. These "only 18 LGs", in terms of land mass, how vast is their coverage? We are talking about local governments as big the size of Southern states.

What you stated in the bolded words are well known facts. Honestly, I am more optimistic about a southern political renaissance now than ever, because at least the president is still in the south, even if you don't like the holder of the office, it is easier to retain it in the south now, as long as Bola Ahmed Tinubu does not enter into any political alliance with Buhari/core North in 2015. Never forget that there is a history of political betrayals in the south which makes our moving together always a sticky issue as you noted. It is almost like a curse!
For me, I pray that the SS/SE continues to move together in 2015, and hope that the SW joins us, or we join SW, either way. I personally think that the whole south should support an Igbo candidate whenever Jonathan leaves. If that ever happens, then the South will rise for ever in Nigeria because all civil war-induced suspicions/grudges would die a natural death. I personally don't think it is that hard to heal our civil war wounds. The North is using it to keep the South divided so that it can continue to rule us. One of the biggest victory against Northern schemes in Nigeria political history was when we Igbo voted massively to make Jonathan president. The North is yet to recover from that political knock out.

A quiet revolution is taking place with the appointment of a distinguished Nigerian in the person of Festus Odimegwu as the new NPC boss. We may finally have a credible census. Let's watch.

bashr8: who told you the north feeds the south ? the only thing that comes from the north are cows, every region feeds itself and import the rest which requires igbo traders to distribute from the south to the north or from one state to the other so when u distrupt the activities of igbo traders you will all go hungry. go to onithsa on wednesdays especially and see convoy of trilers and wagons loading food stuffs and other items from onithsa to southwest and north, ijebu women also come to buy food stuffs and other materials to sell in the south west

Most non-Igbo Nigerians think that Igboland imports food.lol
Growing up in Igboland, I only ate local foods, yams from Otu ocha and Anam, Cassava from everywhere local, and rice from Adani and Abakaliki. Apart from nama (Zebu cattle) and maybe onions, I can't recall what we don't grow locally. I am talking about Anambra o. Now try other SE states like Imo, Abia and Ebonyi. Across the Niger in Anioma, food plenty there -plantain, garri. Ol' boy, I won't be surprised if the North actually depends on the South for food.

Dudu_Negro: Eze Onlytruth,

"Oh God my father" has nothing to do with this political drama. Present a analysis of the article please.

Don't be scared of God. I like to glorify him at critical times.

Okay my analysis.

David Mark is reading the tea leaves accurately. Of course he may also be positioning himself as the compromise candidate for 2015. His main huddle is that SE also wants that position anytime Jonathan leaves. His other huddle is that the whole south is not prepared to allow power to go up North so soon in light of the Boko issue.
Nigeria is actually facing a possible disintegration if the North insist on getting the presidency in 2015.
The only sensible thing for the North is to wait for at least 12 years from now. It will not kill them; infact it will even save the North from destruction. Some of the southern candidates that may succeed Jonathan actually are more competent than Northern candidates, and will likely help the North more than a Northern person. Something tells me that the North knows this fact, but is only attempting the "last kick of a dying horse" through Boko Haram.

If Nigeria should disintegrate, Mark is saying that his people will not go with the core North. That to me is the bottom line issue, and I think that is what ACF and Yakassai are fretting/shouting about. Igbo say that a toad does not run in the daytime for no good reason.

Ileke-IdI:
TBH, that was not meant to be offensive. Trust me, I would have been a lot harsher lol



So the farmer eats another farmer's products, but he wouldn't eat his own. Hmm.
I don't believe Nigerian government provide food subsidization to their farmers or even provide much governmental help. Correct me on this if I'm wrong.
I believe most Nigerian LOCAL farmers just sell what they have "left over". That's why we import most of what we eat.

They sell what they can afford to sell, but some of them are big farmers who produce say 100 and keep only 1 and sell 99.
The point is that they are not traders. The traders come to buy the produce from them and take them to towns and cities where they sell them. These are the people that are missing now in KD. So, hunger don enter town.

Chyz*:
[size=18pt]ACF, Yakasai hit Mark over comment[/size]

By Tony Akowe, Kaduna From Kolade Adeyemi, Kano 3 hours 43 minutes ago


Senate Presdient David Mark came under attack from the North yesterday over his comments on the activities of militant sect Boko Haram.

Mark, speaking at the opening session of the Senate retreat in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital on Monday urged North leaders to rein in the sect members. He also said the insurgency of the sect could lead to Nigeria, split, if unchecked

But the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), activist Shehu Sani and elder stateman Tanko Yakassai attacked his position.

The ACF said North’s leaders are doing their best to stop the sect, wondering why they were being criticised by Mark.

National Publicity Secretary of the Forum, Mr Anthony Sani, told The Nation in an interview that Northern leaders including former President Ibrahim Babangida, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar have all condemned the bombings while appealing to government to do something drastic to bring the situation under control.

The ACF spokesman said: “[size=14pt]Is David Mark not from the North? Is he not part of the Northern leaders[/size]? Why is he talking like that? If you talk about the country breaking up, in what direction is this going to take?

“What are we supposed to do as Northern leaders that we have not done besides condemning the act of bombings? We have asked the government to go and negotiate with these people. Where ever those people are, it is the responsibility of the government to find them and engage them.

“They used force on the group in 2009 when Jonathan was not there. They killed their leader and many of their members and that did not solve the problem. We do not think that the use of force will solve the problem now.

“The government has the capacity to engage these people, get them where ever they are. I think that is what should be done at this stage instead of government passing the bulk. [size=14pt]Mark is part of the North and is one of the leaders of the North and there is no reason for him to speak that way[/size]”.

Yakasai called for the resignation of the Senate President, who he said, was inciting the disintegration of Nigeria.

Yakasai, who spoke to reporters in Kano yesterday, argued that the statement credited to the Senate President, “means he doesn’t believe in the future of the country and demonstrates that he is not qualified to hold his current position.”

Yakassai, argued that out of the 774 local governments in Nigeria, only 18 local governments are affected by the Boko Haram menace, pointing out that the Senate President was ignorant of the security challenges facing the nation in recent times.

In his words, “the Boko Haram insurgency is only affecting 18 local governments in Nigeria out of over 700 local governments I can say 700 are free from this disturbances. Therefore, the statement credited to Mark is a betrayal of his lack of grasp of the actual situation in the country. Majority of Nigerians are going about their usual businesses without any hindrance.”

Describing the Senate President’s remark as unguided and inflammatory, Yakassai wondered why a person of his calibre, occupying number three position in the country could display such “unpatriotic” the characteristic.


http://www.thenationonlineng.net/2011/index.php/news/51810-acf-yakasai-hit-mark-over-comment.html

The Core North gets rattled to the core.
Mark's point is that by implication he is not from the North.
Never thought I'd see a day like this. Oh God my father, may your name be gloried.

Nigeria's problem is about to be solved.
Power MUST NOT return to the North in 2015 under any guise. We need to defeat "born to rule" and religious and feudalistic chauvinism in Nigeria. Only then would true peace come.

Ileke-IdI:
Gbagaun!!



I doubt the move was altruistic.

hehe. Spot on. The move was self preserving. Why didn't they see Olu Falae to support? Falae was much more qualified than OBJ, but they chose to support OBJ because they thought they could control him.

Honestly I am very proud of some of our Yoruba brothers.
Imagine to chose between Falae and OBJ. hehe. Either way, the North had to lose.
Whenever I get angry at OBJ I remember that he single handedly defeated the North in the game of power in Nigeria, so I chill down again.

@OP, ol' boy calm down, we are also praying with you that Boko Haram is defeated. I hope you would also know that our prayer can only go as far as your desire to take back power, because you and I know that the end game for the Boko boys is the Nigerian Aso rock.

Heartland will always make us proud.
Ala Imo, anyi ga eruriri ebe ahu!

These are the types of investments we need in the East. We need more of these, afterall the oil and gas is from there! Our people need jobs!
Kudos Rochas.

alj harem: pure crap !!!!! unless ego

Better talk some sense to yourselves and your leaders and stop disgracing yourselves with some egocentric post. If Nigeria economy is that good, why do Nigerians migrate to Ghana then ?

So Nigeria is a CRAP country then. At least we agree on something.
It took the Ghanaian attack to make you support my position which you have lied about for years.
Kudos to you Alj_harem.
So when are you going to support the creation of Biafra?

I wish him God's speed. He is a pioneer of sorts.

Inferiority complex is a very bad disease. Just tell me what a Ghanaian is doing on a Nigerian website and ranting for that matter. I've never been to Ghanaweb in my life, and have only heard about it here, today, for the very first time, and still didn't go. lol

Here in the US, I've met only four Ghanians; two VERY GOOD people and two VERY BAD people.
So, I hold no special interest or opinion about Ghana. They are irrelevant as far as I know because more Ghanaian top elites are eying Nigeria than Nigerian elite eying Ghana. Never mind a few not-so-top Nigerians who send their kids to Ghana for education. Topmost Nigerians send their kids to US and Europe for education.

What I said was an advise to them against engaging Nigeria in a diplomatic tussle. It is a take it or leave it advise.
No argument about anything. lol

Ironi: Talking big talk for nothing. Diplo my asss!

You are talking as if Nigeria does a lot of trading with it's West African countries.
Maybe you are ignorant but the trade between West African countries are virtually non-existent.
There isn't much trade for any country to feel a damn thing.
Nigeria has 70% of the WA economy and what does Ghana export to Nigeria, tell me Mr big Mouth?

lol, I never thought I'd see myself "defending" Nigeria against any West African country.
Methinks the country is big enough to defend herself even while asleep or in deep coma. It's not as if any West African country is that much better. Tell me bro, what can a rat do to a sleeping elephant? Not much.

I was talking about a diplomatic tussle in the event that Nigeria cuts off diplomatic links. The Reps who threaten this know why they threatened it.

The international community is not kind to small countries. There are a lot of countries who want to do some damage in West Africa but have not done so because they fear Nigeria. You may not understand this.

Internationally, Nigeria is not always viewed from the perspective of what the country is doing now, BUT ON WHAT THE COUNTRY CAN POTENTIALLY DO if she sees the need to do them. Don't give Nigeria any reason to do harm to your country.

When the powers of this world look at Africa, they see South Africa, they see Nigeria and they see Egypt. Period.

chima12: People should read between the lines;this man is only patronizing southerners due to his faint 2015 hopes.no matter what he says against buhari and castigates buhari openly,the hausa/fulanis,NE and NW will still support him against any candidate from the south in a presidential election,and he knows it.As 2015 approaches,watch how niger state gov,lamido and others will castigate buhari in the press.

I thought about this, BUT one thing I love about politics is that unity is always easier to destroy than to build.
I know that there is no way a Northerner would be Nigeria's president in 2015. That is almost an unspoken fact. The north will produce a president; just not in 2015. Meanwhile, the separation between Hausa and Fulani is inevitable because the Hausa is not as blood thirsty as the Fulani. FACT. I can almost bet that the Hausa are getting more and more restless about Fulani militancy. I read where some Muslim folks were defending churches on Sunday in the North. Do you think a Fulani would do that? My bet is that those guys are Hausas. Soon every Nigerian will learn that Hausa are not Fulani and Fulani are not Hausa.
The longer we keep power away from the North, the more this truth will come to light.