₦airaland Forum

Akure and audacity of settlers

October 17, 2015

Akureland has been in the news of recent, on two unpleasant platforms. One was the abduction of its highly revered son and traditional ruler of Ilu-Abo, Akure, Chief Olu Falae. The other is the alleged unruly behaviour of a man, who until recently was the Eze Ndigbo of Akure. The two stories have conspired to pollute the waters of a land known for its metropolitan nature and peaceful people.

I begin with Falae. A couple of weeks ago, societal reverence and respect for him notwithstanding, a band of violent and virulent Fulani herdsmen had stormed his Ilado farm in Akure, abducted him and only released the former Secretary to the Government of the Federation after a ransom had been paid. The equivocation of that abduction looms large. Falae, as the Olu of Ilu-Abo, presides over a section of Akure that is known to be a refuge for all tribes in Nigeria. On the streets of the small village, languages jam one another and the cultures of the inhabitants are almost subsuming that of their host. What that means in essence is that Chief Falae is head of virtually all tribes in Nigeria in his domain. It is in Ilu-Abo where they find their daily bread. You could call the inhabitants farm workers and labourers, but the fact remains that the land provides refuge for their esophagus. Those who know the peculiar nature of Falae’s cosmopolitanism and the village he administers were shocked that a nationalist like him could fall prey to the antics of some evil men who did not respect his nationalism and political pedigree.

[b]Then comes the story of an Eze. Worried by his alleged disrespect for his host and apparent disdain for the Akure monarchy, the man had been suspended as the Eze Ndigbo by the Deji of Akureland, Oba Ogunlade Aladelusi Aladetoyinbo, Odundun II, whose office had bestowed on him the title in the first instance. What was Iloh’s infraction? A market in the city, which had hitherto enjoyed the leadership of indigenes of the state capital, had succumbed to the subtle but powerful mercantile and commercial power of their Igbo brothers. Before the natives knew what was happening, the Igbo had imposed their suzerainty on the market and were not only determining the leadership of the market but ensuring that natives did not have a say in the affairs of their own market.

Worried by what they tagged native colonialism on their own land, a spat had occurred between some Igbo in the market and the natives. Afraid that this could turn violent, the Deji, one of the most humble kings to have ascended the monarchy in this part of the country, was said to have invited the Igbo leader for a meeting last Saturday through his Iru Okun, the king’s staff of office. The insignia was reportedly seized by some Igbo hirelings of the man, while the Eze did not honour the Kabiyesi’s invitation.[/b] Oba Aladetoyinbo was said to have invited the man again for another meeting on Monday and the latter stormed the palace wearing his haughtiness and conceit on his sleeves. He was reported to have preened himself in the presence of the Kabiyesi, making calls on his cell phone before him and telling the Deji that even King Solomon in his wisdom could not dare to look down on those who had equal intelligence as him. Disturbed by this ride on a self horse and spit on their king, the chiefs present in the palace had collected his beads. The man reportedly later mobilised some Igbo youth to protest against the monarchy.

In his defence, the Eze told the story of how the Igbo had been living in Akureland for over 70 years and how he contributed money towards the ascendance of the king. The natives must be told that modernity dictates that the Igbo, like their Akure host, should be able to compete in an open market and whoever had an upper muzzle should hold the suzerainty of the said market, so far as the contest is open and legal. The advent of capitalism has dictated that the pursuit of wealth of nations is a survival-of-the-fittest contest. What, however, the writer finds loathsome is his alleged disrespect for his host and especially their tradition as embodied in the Deji. The Akure people do not joke with their traditional institution and revere their monarch as next to God on earth.

Having lived in Akureland for 70 years, in the words of the man himself, there is a failure on his part in recognising that in a choice between Mammon and their king, Akure will pick the latter. The current Deji, Oba Aladetoyinbo, from what this writer has been able to piece together about him and his pedigree, is an embodiment of humility and respect for tradition. He will stand by his people, no matter whose ox is gored.

Iloh occupied the title of Eze at the instance of the Deji. Like such fancy title of the Eze which has neither traditional foundation nor any royal reckoning but for administrative purposes, the day the man who bestows the title feels the holder is no longer fit to occupy it, he is shown the door. In this instance, this writer was told that the chiefs, who represent all sections of Akure, who witnessed Eze’s grandstanding and peacock-like desecration of their traditional chieftaincy stool, apparently because of his proximity to the allures of cash, removed his chieftaincy beads.

Methinks what the ex-Eze should seek is peace and forgiveness of the Deji, his council of chiefs and by that very fact, the people of Akure. Yes, modernity had duded the issue of settlers/indigenes but I am yet to hear that modernity has decreed that anyone should ride roughshod on the remains of culture of respect for kings which the people hold on to jealously. Affronts on Falae and the Deji by two distinct settlers are apparently too heavy for Akure to shoulder.

AYINLA MUKAIBA ON SATURDAY

anonimi:
The one that makes you SCRUTINISE all things from different perspectives instead of nodding like some brain-washed ZOMBIE.

BTW, how did a borehole become a mini water works
Yet you dey talk sey person dey shift goal post.

anonimi:
You have NO shame walahi.
Talking about borehole drilling in Ikoyi-Lekki-VI when these are supposed to be posh, elite areas with RUNNING tap water.
Thanks for further confirming Fahola is a total, complete and comprehensive FAILURE in the provision of the very BASIC amenities of modern life.
You should hide your face before you expose your idol even further.
#Friendly_Advice

A borehole contractor, Mr. Elijah Idowu, who runs Noble Fourstar Hydro Resources, explained to Saturday PUNCH the process it takes to reach a depth where drinkable water can be extracted in the Ikoyi-Victoria Island-Lekki zone.

He said, “Digging borehole is never a child’s play in that zone because you will be talking of about 500 or 700 metres before one can reach a drinkable water depth.

“We know that only few landlords can finance standard boreholes. The common 100 feet deep boreholes being financed by property owners in Lagos metropolis is nothing but shallow wells. The depth of the boreholes being drilled at LSWC is a minimum of 250 metres. This is to ensure that un-diluted water is tapped from the earth for public consumption”, Holloway noted.

anonimi:
Such as this one, abi?

#32 of 40
Stop Public Defecation To Preserve Underground Water
Governor Babatunde Fashola (SAN)
4 June 2013 12:00 pm

Most of the waters we need to survive as a people today is not the water from Lagoon or the water at the bar beach, it is water under the ground.

Most of us who defecate and urinate on the ground contaminate the underground water. So in few years, your children may be drinking your urine.

That is the reality. In a few years, your children may be drinking water containing some of your own waste. So we must stop polluting the groundwater. Stop dumping refuse in water body, as it will come back to hurt us.

We are not saying don't drill bore hole, we are saying get information before doing it. We are saying one borehole may be enough for a whole street, don't drill 20. We can share to preserve water.

Water means many things to many people. For some it is a business. What we call "pure water", how pure is it? I don't know but it provides money to sustain life.

For some people it is also a resource, manufacturers rely on a lot of water to get so many things out with which we get on with life. For us on this side, it is a critical component necessary for us to discharge public responsibility to save lives and public property.

Water is an important part of our public strategy. Its management is important in our security and defense system.

www.tundefashola.com

StOla:
The guy is a revisionist. His hobby is to be celebrating criminals.

chukwudi44:
so Stella Oduah was a car marketer ni and yet people wanted to crucify her.This brown roof people and hypocrisy

A highly reliable source has told SaharaReporters that the shady deal for the car was done entirely between Coscharis Motors Limited, a dealership from which the cars were purchased, one of Ms. Oduah’s private firms based in Abuja, and First Bank of Nigeria. SaharaReporters had revealed the account number at the First Bank into which the monies were paid on behalf of the NCAA.

“The NCAA was not even aware of the deal until the minister told them to sign that they had received two BMW cars,” said our source.

After inking the deal, Coscharis Motors, sellers of the highly inflated automobiles, reportedly gave the Aviation Minister more than N112 million as kickbacks. Our source added that Cosmas Maduka, who owns Coscharis Motors, pocked N60 million for each of the two BMW cars.

“I don’t fix contract prices, it is an institutional process. The only training I have is that of a lawyer, But in order to execute works on a project we need the input of architect, quantity surveyors, structural engineer and we have consulting ministries; For civil works it is the Ministry of Works, for science it is the Ministry of Science and Technology among others.

Now periodically, they do market surveys with the Ministry of Economic Planning , the Statisticians are there to fix prices from biro to Iron rod to cement and it is approved and becomes the benchmark price of government procurements, nobody can award any other contract over that benchmark.”

IGBOS HAVE BEAT YORUBAS TO THIS ONE! -E BI IYANJU OMO IGBO! -YORUBA RUNU!-ALL AFRICAN LANGUAGES MUST HAVE LAWS LIKE THIS TO KEEP THEIR LANGUAGES FROM DYING AS THEY ARE NOW!

March 5, 2012

Nigeria: Igbo Language Law Debuts in Anambra
By Chukwujekwu Ilozue, 7 June 2010

Onitsha — Principals of secondary schools in Anambra State who promote pupils from Junior Secondary School III (JSS III) to Senior Secondary School I (SSS I) without the pupils passing Igbo language are to be removed from their positions and fined N5,000, for each of the pupils so promoted.

Also, any state or privately owned tertiary institution in the state which is found not to have established an Igbo language department or made Igbo language a mandatory general studies course by September, 2011 shall pay a fine of N100,000 for every month in which the offence continues.

These are some of the punishments prescribed by the newly enacted law, which is cited as Igbo Language Enforcement Law, 2010, which came into force on May 11, 2010.

It would be recalled that Governor Peter Obi signed the Bill into Law on the day he launched Suwakwa Igbo (speak Igbo) designed to enhance wide usage of Igbo language to save it from extinction.

At the public signing of the Bill into Law Obi also announced the stoppage of corporal punishment to students who speak Igbo in schools in the state and announced that Igbo Language would henceforth be compulsory in all the categories of educational institution in the state just as English and Mathematics are.

Among other things, the law prescribes that Igbo language as a subject must be passed by an Igbo student before he can be promoted from JSS III to SSS I in all secondary schools in the state; every state or privately owned tertiary institution in the state must establish an Independent department of Igbo language a mandatory general studies course in the institution and that any state or privately owned tertiary institution within the state and which is found not to have established an Igbo language department, or made Igbo language a mandatory general studies course in accordance with the provisions of the relevant sections by September, shall be liable to a fine of N100,000 for every month in which the offence continues.

Also, a head of the relevant department who finds a staff of that department dressed in Western attire in contravention of the provisions of a particular section of the law shall send that staff home to change into an Igbo traditional attire.

Also, from the commencement of the law, every Wednesday in every week shall be observed as Igbo day. That means that every staff of the state public service shall dress in Igbo traditional attire and all businesses and transactions in all offices and departments of the public service, including proceedings in the legislative chamber shall be conducted in the language.

However, the law excludes some professional bodies like judicial officers and nurses which are bound by the law.

The explanatory note of the law states that it is meant to ensure and enforce such level of fluency and vibrancy in the usage of Igbo language as befits its status as one of the three officially recognized indigenous languages of Nigeria pursuant to the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 such that the language will once more be proudly spoken and written by Ndigbo in Nigeria and the Diaspora, and used for broadcasts in reputable international media.

Recently, Governor Obi also promised to build Chief Chiedozie Ogbalu Igbo Language School that will cost the government N50.5 million for specialized and holiday programmes in Igbo.

HOUSE AT A GLANCE

Lagos State House of Assembly is the legislative arm of Lagos State Government. It is one of the State Houses of Assembly established by Section 90 of the Constitution of Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended and endowed with powers to legislate as well as privileges and immunities to enable it exercise these powers without hindrance.

The House of Assembly is made up of forty Honorable Members elected to represent their constituencies for a period of four (4) years.

.... ..... ...... ......

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The Sergeant-At-Arms:

The Sergeant-at-Arms who must be a retired military personnel is the Chief Security Officer (CSO) of the Assembly. He attends the sittings of the House and performs the following duties:

· Maintains order on the instruction of the Speaker of the House during sittings;

· Keeps the mace and carries it to the Chamber at the commencement of legislative business;

· Leads Mr. Speaker’s procession to the Chamber on legislative days;

· Ensures that visitors or members do not enter the Chamber or public gallery of the House with walking sticks, offensive or dangerous weapons, or mobile phones;

· Ensures that no visitors or members of the public are allowed into the Chamber with a camera or any other recording equipment for the purpose of taking photographs or recording the proceedings of the House, except with the approval of the Speaker.

Sitting of the House:

The House sits on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays at a time resolved to at the previous sitting. It is instructive to note that the House conducts its business in Yoruba language on Thursdays except it otherwise resolved.

Imo Assembly to conduct business in Igbo

Sunday, August 9, 2015

https://i2.wp.com/theleaderassumpta.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/imo-state-house-of-assembly-inaugration1.jpg

Henceforth, the Imo State House of Assembly will strictly conduct its legislative businesses in Igbo Language on special days set aside for such.

Information reaching our News Desk indicate that this is a deliberate policy by the State Law makers to protect, preserve and promote the Language.

Members of the House will on such days be required to dress in Igbo Traditional attire only before stepping in Igbo into the hallowed chambers.

According to our source, the new speakers, Rt. Hon. Dr. Acho Ihim is worried not only about the seeming apathy towards intergenerational transmission of Igbo Language, but also the negative influences of Western culture on Nigerian youths, particularly with regards to exposing sensitive parts of their body in the name of fashion. It is for this reason that the present Assembly wants to lead by example.

Our source further stated that the speaker also believes that communicating in the mother tongue would strengthen members ties and build a psychological oneness. The members of the House are said to be determined to revive the Igbo Language and culture because they are aware of the fact that whoever loses his language and culture has lost his identity.

National Assembly, Nigeria Live Stream


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPS7rHsk9WY

Nigeria’s President Enlists the West to Help Recover Stolen Money

U.S., U.K. act quickly at behest of Muhammadu Buhari, who took office in May on a pledge to stamp out corruption; ex-oil minister detained in London

By DREW HINSHAW in Lagos, Nigeria, and BENOÎT FAUCON in London
Oct. 12, 2015 6:43 p.m. ET

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The U.K. and U.S. have thrown their muscle behind Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari’s bid to recover billions of dollars he says his compatriots embezzled and stashed abroad.

At stake is whether courtrooms thousands of miles from Africa can help the continent track down stolen money, seize it, try the culprits and return the funds in timely fashion.

In May, Mr. Buhari became the first Nigerian to unseat an incumbent president, elected on his vow to recover a vast fortune of money lost to corruption. Within weeks, he was at the White House to ask for help.

“We’re all in,” replied Vice President Joe Biden, said Garba Shehu, spokesman for the Nigerian president.

When it comes to helping Africa’s top economy battle graft, this month has offered the first glimpse of how fast and far Mr. Buhari’s friends abroad can move. In the past, Western governments have acted on similar pleas from other African states—but this time, they have operated with unprecedented nimbleness.

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Following a summer meeting in Washington between British and American investigators, London police on Oct. 2 raided a luxurious home near Regent’s Park. There they briefly detained Dieziani Alison-Madueke, Nigeria’s oil minister from 2010 to 2015.

Hours later, her neighbors in Nigeria watched as scores of cops searched her house: “The former minister has questions to answer,” said Bitrus Babuje, a fellow resident of the leafy Abuja suburb called Asokoro.

One of Africa’s most prominent politicians, Mrs. Alison-Madueke and her associates are suspected of bribery, corruption and laundering money through British and U.S. banks. She has previously denied those allegations and police haven’t charged her with anything.

A lawyer speaking on behalf of Mrs. Alison-Madueke, Oscar Onwudiwe, said she was invited by the police in London this month but not arrested. He said he didn’t know the purpose of the invitation. “If the police come to your house for any reason, does it make you a criminal?” he told The Wall Street Journal.

For Nigeria’s government, the detention announces Mr. Buhari’s intent to root out endemic corruption, a promise at the core of his campaign. Eventually, the crackdown could help recover much-needed funds for an exchequer hit hard by collapsing oil prices.

“Most of the money taken out of Nigeria is taken to the West,” said Femi Adesina, a spokesman for Mr. Buhari. “So Nigeria will need collaboration with the West.”

Nigeria isn’t the first African country to find its officials investigated abroad for financial crimes. But the current flurry of legal action seems unique for its speed and scope. Mr. Buhari is president of Africa’s most populous state—and he has leveraged that position to steer a global hunt for laundered money.

Anticorruption investigators in Nigeria have arrested three directors at the state oil company in recent days, said two people close to the administration. None were charged; the oil company says it is eager to expose corrupt employees.

American officials have also considered a visa ban or financial sanctions against Mrs. Alison-Madueke and a dozen of her associates, oil officials and politicians, U.S. officials said. Washington is scrutinizing whether her associates laundered money in the U.S., the U.K. and other countries, the officials said.

Both the State Department and the U.K.’s National Crime Agency declined to comment on their investigations: “We continue to work with Nigeria to fight corruption,” a State Department official said.

Together, the litany of legal actions—conducted on three continents— point to a swift but uncertain precedent for Africa’s struggle against corruption.

“The real issue is the signaling effect: that holding public office in Nigeria should not be a license to plunder,” said Bismarck Rewane, managing director of Lagos research firm Financial Derivatives Co. “It’s working. The number of bribes I’m being asked for has dropped.”

For the better part of a decade, graft fighters in Africa, having lost faith in their own courts, have asked judges in Europe and America to wage their battles.

Major political figures in Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, and Republic of Congo have all seen their assets frozen or targeted by French or American courts.

But those investigations have proceeded slowly. In some cases, they have stalled. Prosecutors have struggled to prove that cars, houses, and artwork there were purchased with money stolen thousands of miles away.

For now, a civil court in West London has frozen £27,000 ($41,400) confiscated by the police from Mrs. Alison-Madueke, said a clerk at the court. Police also seized £5,000 and $2,000 from her mother, court clerks added. The small amount is the first publicly recorded evidence that legal action has been taken against the former minister and her family.

Mr. Buhari has also been in London lately: He met with Prime Minister David Cameron at his Downing Street office in May.

On the flight there, he sat in British Airways’ first class—just a few rows in front of Mrs. Alison-Madueke—said two people familiar with the matter. The incoming president refused to speak to her, they said, for the entire six-hour flight.

—Gbenga Akingbule in Abuja, Nigeria, contributed to this article.

Write to Drew Hinshaw at drew.hinshaw@wsj.com and Benoît Faucon at benoit.faucon@wsj.com