₦airaland Forum

5.10.2 INTERNAL BOUNDARIES
1. There is need for the Federal Government to embark on full scale sensitization program to address the challenges faced on the resolution of internal boundary disputes. Lack of political will on the part of some State Governments to support the implementation of the agreed boundary resolutions has hindered the success of the process;

2. Traditional institutions have key role to play in ensuring peaceful coexistence between border dwellers. They command respect and at such must be involved in the facilitation of the peace process;

3. On the issue of resource control, sole claims of resources that straddle interstate boundaries by one community or State have also created problems in the management of boundaries in Nigeria. In this regard it is hereby recommended that joint exploitation of cross-border resources be pursued;

4. A policy for equitable sharing of straddling resources between affected States and Local Government Areas, and Communities should be evolved and applied;

5. National Boundary Commission being an agency of the Federal Government charged with the responsibility of defining and determining the limits of the boundary should be strengthened and adequately funded to enable it discharge its responsibilities effectively and timely;

6. The National Boundary Commission’s mandate should be broadened to include recommendations on boundary adjustments where necessary and be given powers to implement its decisions, working in collaboration with the relevant authorities of States of the Federation; and

7. The Federal Government should ensure that approved boundaries are enforced.

5.10.3 ADJUSTMENT OF INTERNAL BOUNDARIES
1. Conference agreed that all stringent conditions should be removed from the Constitution so as to give effective implementation to the result of settlement of disputes over boundaries, and in response to credible application by communities for boundary adjustment;

2. In particular, Conference agreed that Section 8(2) of the Constitution should be expunged and replaced with the following provisions;

3. The boundary of any existing State(s) and Local Governments and shall be adjusted by the National Boundary Commission, which shall act upon receiving an application from the area requesting boundary adjustment, provided that:
i. the application is supported by relevant stakeholders from/representing the communities in the area demanding;
ii. the area concerned is geographically contiguous with the state to which the area will be adjusted;
iii. The proposal for adjustment is approved by a simple majority in a plebiscite conducted for residents of communities situated in
the area to be adjusted, provided that the receiving state agrees to accommodate the adjustment; and
iv. A National Boundary Tribunal should be established to adjudicate on boundary disputes.

5.10.4 In concluding its deliberations on Land Tenure Matters and National Boundaries, Conference observed that:
i. proper land management is essential for guaranteeing citizens’ and communities’ access to shelter, employment and for achieving food security
and other social conditions necessary for decent living. At the same time, land resources should constitute an important source of revenues for States of the Federation and other sub-national public authorities. Improvement of public revenues could enhance our common drive towards socio-economic development, including the provision of enabling public infrastructures. However, the achievement of these goals is hampered by the existing land management framework, which is governed by the Land Use (Decree) Act. The Act, which contains inconsistencies, has not been properly implemented. Moreover, the insertion of the Act in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria has made its amendment impossible;

ii. Issues of proper delineation and delimitation of internal and external boundaries are important. The elimination of extra-rigid stipulations for
adjustment of internal boundaries, which have been drawn following colonial era frames, could have profound implications for security and the attainment of developmental objectives and social justice for individuals and communities, and the Nigerian nation at large; and

iii. While there is a general consensus in Nigeria on the imperative of reforming the current weak and contradictory land and boundary governance
frameworks, access to land is an issue of rights, and that land administration should recognise the importance of strengthening the federating States as building blocks of a united Nigeria.

FFKfuckedBIANCA:
Yorubas got NOTHING out of the last Confab. Odumakin is just trying to sound politically correct. We know that the Confab itself was more or less like a campaign tool for Jonathan's re-election bid. After Odumakin, Gani Adams and some Yoruba delegates were 'dollarized' at the Confab, they all became PDP's exponent in the south west.


Some Yoruba delegate were demanding for special status(only God knows what that means), some were arguing for the creation of additional states. They never reached a consensus. The Lamido of Adamawa was the only one who was bold enough to demand that Nigeria grant his domain the permission to go join their Adamawa kinsfolk in Cameroon. Yoruba delegates had no wherewithal to make such extreme suggestion. Chief Bisi Adegbuyi, a delegate from Ogun state was one of the few who fervently and vehemently made a case for regionalsim in the South West

All in all, the last Confab was a waste of time and resources. It was everything far from a genuine , legitimate and constitutionally backed national dialogue. It was a wasteful Jamboree which served as an avenue for jonathan to bribe and get the support of some 'regional elder state men'

Katsumoto:
OnReflection

Thanks for that. It would appear that the groundwork has been done already. All that remains is for the appropriate reps/senators to politic to bring this to actualization in their respective states.

5.12 POLITICAL RESTRUCTURING AND FORMS OF GOVERNMENT

1. FEDERALISM
Conference agreed that Federalism denotes a political arrangement in which a country is made up of component parts otherwise called Federating Units. Thus in a Federation, political powers are constitutionally shared between the central government and the federating units. These powers basically, represent the functions of each tier of the federation.

Conference also noted the inherent advantages of a federal system of government in a heterogenous society such as ours. These
include:

- the sustenance of unity in diversity;
- expanded opportunities for the various peoples, including minority groups, to participate in the governance of the country; thus minimizing the fears of domination and/or marginalization among minority groups. It also and promotes broad-based development

Consequently, Conference unanimously resolved as follows:

1. Nigeria shall retain a Federal system of Government;
2. The core elements of the Federation shall be as follows:
i. A Federal (Central) Government with States as the federating units; and
ii. Without prejudice to States constituting the federating units, States that wish to merge may do so in accordance with the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended).

Provided that:
(a) A two-thirds majority of all members in each of the Houses of Assembly of each of the States, in which such merger is proposed,
support by resolution, the merger;
(b) a Referendum is conducted in each of the States proposing to merge with 75% of the eligible voters in each of those States approving the
merger;
(c) the National Assembly, by resolution passed by a simple majority of membership, approves of the merger; and
(d) States that decide to merge shall also reserve the right to demerge following the same procedure and processes for merger.

2. REGIONALISM
At independence in 1960, Nigeria had three regions and by 1964 had added a fourth region. All four were autonomous but subordinated
only to the Federal Constitution. Then came the military in 1966 when aspects of the Federal Constitution were suspended leading to the
creation of 12 states, (six in the north and six in the south) in answer to political exigencies including the protection of minority rights;

More states were created to satisfy the yearnings of various ethnic nationalities which fear domination by some others. Nigeria now has 36 States plus the Federal Capital Territory. In spite of this subsisting arrangement, there continues to be demands for the creation
of more States.

After extensive consideration of Regionalism/Zones, Conference decided as follows:
(i) The States shall be the federating units; and
(ii)Any group of States may create a self-funding Zonal Commission to promote economic development, good governance, equity, peace and security in accordance with the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended).

IlekeHD:
[size=18pt]He [Afenifere] said, "We are 80 per cent satisfied with the outcome of the National Conference. You cannot go into any negotiation in a multi-ethnic country like Nigeria, and hope to come back with 100 per cent. Of all the items we took to the conference, perhaps the only one we could not get was regionalism".
[/size]

Interesting....... would like to know which regions declined regionialism....buch of leeches and tse-tse flies.

Afenifere Threatens Secession

"As the National Conference enters its plenary session Monday, the Afenifere has demanded for a regional autonomy to be granted the Yoruba in the Southwest or the Yoruba will secede from Nigeria.

The Yoruba group at a news conference to unveil the Publication of “Regional Autonomy or Nothing” at the Gani Fawehinmi Park, Ojota in Lagos, Southwest Nigeria Monday said it was displeased that many of its demands at the conference had been thrown away as the Northern group had ganged up to defeat autonomy for the regions.

Speaking at the news conference on Monday, General Secretary, Afenifere Renewal Group, ARG, Ayo Afolabi, said as the nation was going through trying period, one would have expected that “we all should seize any opportunity to build consensus and reclaim the country from wrong-footed ideas and practices that brought Nigeria to this sorry state where it is difficult to imagine a better future.

“We are therefore baffled at the take-it-or-Ieave-it attitude of delegates from other ethnic nationalities, particularly the Northern delegates who circulated a document full of fallacies few weeks ago. Those fallacies have now been exposed by the facts and figures contained in the publication we are unveiling today.”

Afolabi said it was inconceivable that northern leaders were the ones leading the campaign against devolution of power and restructuring of government, saying that if any region needed a stronger federating unit with greater capacity to provide education, health, security, wealth creation and other social amenities, it was the North where strong links exist between the level of poverty and conscription of innocent youths into extremist tendencies.

“It appears Northern leaders are not concerned, and indeed have no plan for the teeming youth from the region, as long as they are able to continue clinging to their hold on power. However, we are never in doubt that regionalism is the most viable instrument for a stronger and united Nigeria.”

He stated that the Yoruba people demanded a regional government with its own constitution and unfettered political and fiscal autonomy, except on issues it agreed to cede to the federal government, adding that the South West Region must include all Yoruba people outside the imposed artificial boundaries in Edo, Delta, Kogi and Kwara States.

Afolabi said the Yoruba people demanded a negotiated legislative exclusive, concurrent and residual list as well as a unicameral legislature at the centre as details of the Regional legislature shall be clearly set out in the constitution.
“We demand a parliamentary form of government at the centre and the right to self determination on and up to the right to secede. We demand a just and equitable taxation system that will treat the federating units with equality and better coordination at the federal level in order to eliminate the current rentier syndrome.

“We demand Fiscal Federalism and Resource Control: a system whereby a substantial part of the proceeds accruable from every federating unit will be retained and an agreed percentage contributed to the centre by the federating units for the responsibility of the Federal Government and the establishment of Regional Police,” he said.

Afenifere also demanded a new people‘s constitution, saying that the resolutions and conclusions of the 2014 National Conference shall lead to an autonomous Constitution, that is a home-grown and all inclusive draft that shall be submitted to the Nigerian electorate voting in a Referendum
The group further demanded a special status for Lagos as the economic nerve centre of Nigeria and the West African sub-Region.

“We are not enforcing our demands on others. They are free to explore whatever suits them while we should be free to organise our governance the way it suits us. For us Yoruba people, we demand Regional Autonomy for the South West Region within a united Nigeria. Yoruba people will effectively communicate to all other ethnic nationalities an understanding of the aims and objectives of the Yoruba people,” Afolabi added."

CabbieAC:
Hmmmmmn Onreflection should know more about this

Nduchuks you wan help us?

Yoruba got 80% of its demands at confab – Afenifere

Pan-Yoruba group, Afenifere, says the Yoruba nation is satisfied with the outcome of the just concluded National Conference, saying it got about 80 per cent of its demands.

The spokesperson for Afenifere, Mr. Yinka Odumakin, told our correspondent on Thursday, that the major demand of the South-West that was not met was regionalism, adding that if implemented, the conference report could help move Nigeria in the right direction.

He said, “We are 80 per cent satisfied with the outcome of the National Conference. You cannot go into any negotiation in a multi-ethnic country like Nigeria, and hope to come back with 100 per cent. Of all the items we took to the conference, perhaps the only one we could not get was regionalism.

“That was conceded for the sake of the minorities who said going back to regionalism will take them back to servitude. What they wanted was for their own autonomy to be guaranteed through states. We got the other things that we wanted. We got state police; we got states to have their own constitution; we got the immunity clause removed.

“We got more resources to the states from the federal. We delisted local government areas from the constitution and made it state affairs. We removed some items like mines from the exclusive list to the concurrent list. These are the ingredients of true federal agenda that Yoruba wants for Nigeria. By and large, we got 80 per cent of our demands.”

Odumakin added that in place of regionalism, the South-West also got the right of states to come together and have zonal commissions, to pursue common interests among them, and we got states to have their constitutions.

The Afenifere spokesperson said they are optimistic that the Federal Government would implement the outcome of the conference as the President promised.

When asked if he had confidence that the report of the conference would be implemented, he said, “People said they didn’t believe that the President could conduct the conference. Now that it has been successfully conducted, I want to be on the side of those who have hope that the Jonathan administration would implement the outcome of the conference.”

He advised the President to ensure that the report was fully implemented as a legacy of his administration.

Oyotunji Village, South Carolina, USA
More info: http://www.oyotunji.org/


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkF2TDouGpE

Bekuta Jamaica

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUX-2NplE7A

"To find myself again in Kingston on a lecture engagement in 1990, for the first time in nearly fifteen years, just as the entire city was emptying itself out for Mandela, was already more than sufficient. It was a symbolic gift that I regarded as personal, not shared with the millions of ecstatic hordes that has laboured for, and now celebrated his freedom. To discover a portion of my own homeland in that far-off place at the same time - now, as that was a miracle that could only be wrought by a Mandelan Avatar.

For it was only on this visit, my second over to that island, that I was made aware of a slave settlement called Bekuta, a name that immediately resonated in my head as none other than the name of my hometown, Abeokuta. This centuries-wide reunion with my own history sent a tingle down my vertebrae - an encounter with descendants from my own hometown, Abeokuta, on a far-flung Caribbean Island, in the hills of a once slave settlement called Jamaica?" -- (source: Wole Soyinka - http://www.amazon.com/You-Must-Set-Forth-Dawn/dp/0375755144)

CabbieAC:
Oooh that's true!

Unfortunately,its quite difficult to find any Info about these guys but I'm still digging as usual

Shymm8x we need to discuss about that option B

I see you dodging from the question since yesterday

OLA LADE BACK WITH "ALIMA"

He composes and sings in Yoruba (a language spoken in Togo, Benin, Nigeria ...), English, Ewe ... He has to his credit two albums "Adire" released in 1999 and "Ola" released in 2001. In 2003, he released a single "Aye" and for nothing. Ola Lade is back with another single "Alima" released Monday, March 12, and the clip will be on the Web from Friday, March 16, 2012. I let you discover this talented artist who drew a full house for its first concert 19 December 1999 at the French Institute of Lomé "Ex French Cultural Center."

Ola Lade, thank you for granting us this interview. Can you introduce yourself briefly?

I am author Ola Lade singer songwriter, of Nigerian Togolese origin.

How and when was your first click music?

Wow !!! My first click if I remember correctly it was at the age of 12 when I wrote my first song I appointed Caroline a love song.

What made you retire from the music scene since 2004?

Uh! I can not say that a particular thing pushed me to leave the music scene but rather for personal reasons which were in some kind behind my premature withdrawal.

What questions you ask yourself after the long wait of nine years without a single or album?

Yes, the first thing that is important to me is whether my fans remained faithful to me after all these years, moreover I had the confirmation that they are. And also how do they expect the output of the first Single "Alima" the upcoming new Album.

Do you think it was a good thing to make your fans wait so long?

Yes and no. Yes in one direction especially when I have to present something new to my fans it must be perfect and professional and obviously it takes time. And not the other way my fans have my much awaited comeback with anticipation.

Now, are you ready for the return or is it just a nod to your fans?

Obviously I am ready for the return and also be careful because it will be heated. Laughs ...

Let's talk about the colors of your music?

Uh! I always stayed in my style that I named Afro-Pop that is my mix of African rhythms and pop music but more refined.

What are your projects ?

Yes, of course we have concerts planned in Africa in the sub-region including Togo, Nigeria and Benin as well as in Europe and the United States.

Do you have a last word to say?

I would like to say thank you particularly enjoy my fans who remained faithful to me and to you. Thank you and be the RDV Friday, March 16, 2012 for my new single "Alima".

CabbieAC:
Maaaaan not only Benin.we need to carry out extensive research on our brothers/sisters in Brazil,Cuba,Togo,Ivory coast and every other country with significant Yoruba population

shymm8x:
Where is Alaafin Shango, the only man with fire balls like Chun Li? Lol

A spotlight on Yoruba culture

Long ago having embraced the culture and native faith of the ancient Yoruba people, Chief Nathaniel Styles has traveled to West Africa dozens of times over the decades.

His latest trip will feature a national audience.

Styles, of Pompano Beach, is a focal point 9 p.m. Tuesday on the finale of PBS’s Sacred Journeys, a six-part documentary that follows religious pilgrims from the United States to world holy sites, including Mecca and Jerusalem.

Author Bruce Feiler followed Styles and several priestesses in training to Nigeria for the annual Osun Festival, which draws thousands from around the world to celebrate the river goddess of the ancient faith.

“PBS has such a respected audience, and the program will let people know this is much bigger than any cult or any type of religious sect,” Styles said of the program. “This is a comprehensive spiritual culture.”

For Styles, who was raised in South Florida, the documentary is the product of decades of promoting the Yoruba culture in the United States.

He runs the Miami non-profit group Osun Village — also the name of the Nigerian state in which the festival is held — which sponsors cultural exchange and hosts artists from Africa.

In 2006, Florida lawmakers named a portion of Northwest Seventh Avenue in Miami after the organization, which hopes to establish a permanent Yoruba cultural center here.

Elements of the culture are familiar to many in Miami, particularly to Cubans — hundreds of years ago, the island became home to Yoruba slaves brought from West Africa. They practiced their faith in secret, incorporating Catholic traditions into a faith that today is popularly known as Santeria or Lukumi.

In Nigeria today, the Yoruba religion is generally known as Ifá, who is the messenger of a supreme being known as Oludumare, or Olòrún. Followers seeking predictions or help with problems in their lives can turn to dozens of deities known as orishas. To do so, they consult with a priest known as a babalawo, who uses a chain and palm nuts in a process known as divination.

Today in Nigeria, where Muslim and booming Christian Evangelical faiths often clash, the native faith is often derided as pagan idolatry, something practitioners have fought hard to dispel. In the heart of Yorubaland, forests used by ancient practitioners have all but disappeared, but in 2005, the United Nations designated the venerated “Sacred Grove” a world heritage site.

Styles, 52, has long traced his family lineage to the region. He made his first visit to Nigeria in 1984 and has since been initiated as a chief in several communities in West Africa.

“I really felt an overwhelming connection,” Styles said of his first trip. “The love, the bonding I experienced there was something I’d never experienced before from complete strangers.”

Feiler, a New York Times columnist and bestselling author, accompanied Styles in August 2013 to the Osun Festival in the town of Osogbo for 16 days of colorful festivities and rituals that drew followers from around the world. Feiler called it “electrifying and intense.”

“Chief Styles is like this celebrity there. He’s big, he’s charismatic. He knows all the artisans,” Feiler said. “He’s such a great spokesman for the community.”

CabbieAC:
Onreflection that Zeynab song is the best song I've heard this year.NO CONTEST!

For those who haven't heard it, oun re


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHftxPi5BP4

The Global Yoruba Lexical Database v. 1.0 is a set of related dictionaries providing definitions and translations for over 450,000 words from the Yoruba language and its variants: Standard Yoruba (over 368,000 words), Gullah (over 3,600 words), Lucumí (over 8,000 words) and Trinidadian (over 1,000 words).

Yoruba is a Niger-Congo language (sub classification: Kwa > Yoruboid) spoken natively by nearly 20 million people, the vast majority of them in southwestern Nigeria. There are also approximately a half million Yoruba speakers in Benin, as well as speakers in Togo and Ghana and among the emigrant populations in the United States and the United Kingdom. In addition, roughly two million people in Nigeria speak Yoruba as a second language.

The Yoruba language diaspora is wide, stretching from southwestern Nigeria and Benin westward to the Caribbean and islands along the southeastern United States coast. Yoruba and other African dialects arrived in the Americas and the Caribbean as a consequence of the Atlantic slave trade. Throughout the region, Yoruba dialects blended with each other and with languages like Spanish and French to form a variety of creoles such as Gullah in the United States and Nagô in Brazil. Many of those creoles have become the language of liturgy and music in Cuba, Brazil, Argentina, Trinidad, Jamaica and parts of the United States and Canada. The ultimate goal of this dictionary is to provide coverage for all Yoruba dialects across the globe. For that reason, it will continue to be a work in progress.


This release encompasses the following languages and dialects:

Languages Description Number of words
Yoruba->English

This dictionary of Standard Yoruba contains detailed lexicographic entries which include the part of speech, the English definition of the Yoruba headword, cross references, examples in English and the morphemic decomposition of the Yoruba headword. 142,389
English->Yoruba

This dictionary maps the English headword back to Standard Yoruba and includes the part of speech, Yoruba definition, and morphemic decomposition of the Yoruba word. 226,585
Gullah->English and Yoruba

Gullah is a creole spoken in the coastal Low Country of South Carolina and Georgia in the United States. Although the language is no longer spoken to a great extent, its words are still commonly used for personal names and nicknames. The dictionary translates from Gullah headwords to English and to Standard Yoruba. 3,636
Lucumí->Spanish, English and Yoruba

Lucumí is the ritual language of the Santeria religion practiced in Cuba. The Lucumí dictionary translates from a Lucumí headword to Cuban Spanish to English to Standard Yoruba. At the time of this publication in 2008, some entries do not have complete translations and only map from Lucumí to Cuban Spanish. 8,075
Trinidadian->English and Yoruba

Trinidadian is a creole which blends English, French, Spanish and African languages. The Trinidadian dictionary presents those words that have Yoruban roots and maps from the Trinidadian headword to English and Standard Yoruba. 1,187

Excerpt from Olodumare from IFÉ, three Yoruba Songs by Philip Glass

https://i.huffpost.com/gen/3156222/images/n-KIDJO-AND-GLASS-large570.jpg

One of the most common misconceptions about Africa, my continent, is that its culture and its arts are primitive. It suggests that African art is closest to the beginning of mankind, closer to a time when we were still half-beast/half-man! Why so much ignorance? Would it be because the story of Africa has been told by the Western and Middle Eastern civilizations, who had to dehumanize African people in order to justify slavery?

But the truth is our culture is extraordinarily rich, diverse and beautiful. A few years ago, I was visiting the IFÉ exhibition of Nigerian art at the British Museum in London. I was struck by these magnificent bronze sculptures with very realistic features. When they were discovered in the Yoruba kingdom at the beginning of the 20th century, scientists were so puzzled by their realism that they claimed a Greek tribe must have landed on the shore of the African Gold coast in the 14th century. Such sophistication could not belong to what used to be called the "Dark Continent"!

As a globe-trotting singer-songwriter from West Africa, I have always felt that my mission on this earth was to bring the warmth, the beauty and sophistication of African culture to the attention of the rest of the world. I wanted to fight the preconception of a primitive Africa. On this journey, I have made many musical collaborations with Brazilian, Cuban and American artists. It came naturally because the music of the slaves has travelled so much and influenced the music of these cultures. But through all that, one last frontier always remained: the world of Classical music. It appeared insurmountable because it had been made to embody the essence of civilization and contrasted with the supposed primitiveness of African music.

Then, one day Timothy Walker, the artistic director of the London Philharmonic Orchestra, heard me sing in New York and told me: "I am not familiar with the African musical traditions but I love your voice and I think it would be a perfect match with an Orchestra." When he asked which contemporary composer I would like to work with, I told him: Philip Glass. I loved the man and his music and I knew the respect and knowledge he had for cultures outside of the Western world.

And there it was: the idea for the philharmonic piece -- IFE, THREE YORÙBÁ SONGS, which will premiere on July 10th with the San Francisco Symphony -- was born out of a discussion in Philip's kitchen. It was all about the marriage between the mysterious Yoruba legends of the kingdom of IFÉ and the beautiful style of his music, which is like a living organism, constantly growing, moving and developing in a hypnotic way, all of which resembles the trance of my Beninese rhythms.

Philip told me: "Angelique, together we have built a bridge that no one has walked on before." In this world we're living in today, in which every community seems so connected yet so isolated from one another, it is all the more important to build this kind of bridge.

Maybe I am naïve, but I believe music is a powerful tool of social change. Last year in August, on the night Ferguson was burning, during a James Brown tribute at the Hollywood Bowl, I told the crowd: Music has to be the language of the people, has to be the freedom of the people. Now I want you to understand one thing tonight: we're all Africans, so when I say "Say It Loud", please tell me, all of you, it doesn't matter what skin color you think you have, that you are "Black and Proud"! To my amazement, I saw 15,000 people, from all origins, stand up and, caught in the moment, they sung with me James Brown's Anthem: "Say It Loud, I'm Black and I'm Proud." It made me feel so good!

Music has the power of breaking boundaries and unifying people beyond all the barriers we create. IFE, my collaboration with Philip Glass, represents exactly this: we're the living proof cultures are not exclusive one to the other -- they can and they will melt with each other. I hope this piece will change the meaning of "African music" and "Classical music." Their limits are just in our minds. The reason this kind of collaboration hasn't been done before is because, for hundred and hundred of years, the legacy of colonization has made everyone think of African people as primitive and ignorant people. This is the same logic that prevented Jazz music from entering the concert hall for decades and rap lyricists from being considered great poets. But, in the end, when politics fail, art can succeed.

In her famous TED talk, Chimamanda Adiche has warned us that people are easily buying into the single story of Africa. In fact, it's not just about the single story of Africa or the single story of Classical music, it's about fighting the danger of the single story everywhere. It tends to always be "us" versus "them" but I believe, in art, there should only be "us"!

Philip, I'm so proud of the bridge we have built and I encourage everyone to built his or her own.

Yoruba culture in the Caribbean and surrounding region

"Etu & Nago: The Yoruba Connection is the story of a select group of Jamaicans living in the western parishes of Hanover and Westmoreland whose Yoruba/Nago ancestors arrived in Jamaica as indentured servants during the 1840s. The backdrop to this story is Jamaica, once a colony dotted with sugarcane plantations and populated by enslaved Africans from West and Central Africa. It was home to the first Maroons to sign a treaty of freedom with their British colonizers.

After the emancipation of African enslavement in the British colonies in 1834, slavers bound for Brazil and Cuba were captured and taken to Sierra Leone, West Africa, where their human cargo was released. This action bankrupted many plantation owners in the Caribbean. After the vestiges of slavery were completely abolished, African recaptives in Sierra Leone were lured into migrating to Caribbean islands as indentured servants. They were promised ongoing contact with relatives on the African continent and a return ticket home at the end of their tenure. However, these promises were never kept except to a small group of Africans in Jamaica who protested and agitated until they were granted passage home.

Stranded Africans raised families and finally died in Jamaica. Nigerian Yoruba/Nago were among these immigrants. Some of them settled in the parish of Westmoreland and named the place Abeokuta in memory of their hometown in Nigeria. Descendants of other Yoruba who were located in the parish of Hanover preserved their forefathers’ legacy in their Etu ritual. This ceremony of thanksgiving and supplication to the ancestral spirits is a vital link to the past from which their forefathers were rudely uprooted."

Yoruba in Latin-America

The Yoruba Diaspora in Latin-America - Dr Félix Ayoh Omidire
"The present research takes as its point of departure the concept of a mundialized Yoruba identity observable in the Americas. In his doctoral research which concentrated mainly on the Yoruba Diaspora in Brazil, Dr. Félix Ayoh Omidire referred to this identity as the concept of YoruBaianidade. This concept was defined as the spirit of ethnic, ideological, political, symbolic, cultural and religious affiliation of contemporary Latin-American subjects to what Matory (1994) called the Yoruba Atlantic Complex, a world in which predominates the worldview as well as the philosophy of life of the Yorubas"

CabbieAC:
I haven't seen Sirs Katsumoto and Terracotta in a while

Se ko si

Sir Onreflection is making more appearances these days

Question: So much has been said about your refusal to honor the invitation extended to you by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over alleged bribery and corruption. What is your story?

Response: The whole episode was stage-managed just to tarnish my image because some people felt my profile was rising. How on earth could a person of my caliber be asking for a bribe? It is very embarrassing. And besides, the so-called petitioner before the EFCC (Rasheed Taiwo, a retired comptroller of customs charged before the Code of Conduct Tribunal for allegedly failing to declare his assets), if he said that I asked him for money, and he has paid that money—if he has done that with the intention of setting me up, what stops him from going straight away to the EFCC on the very first day that he paid that money? According to him, he paid the money to the account number of my personal assistant on December 12th 2012. What took him so long, up to eight months, before he went to report at the EFCC after I already ruled that I have jurisdiction, and I must try him? You can imagine the scenario here. If he knew he did that purposely to set me up, he would have immediately gone to EFCC and told them, but he did not until I ruled against him, [stating] I have jurisdiction against him, and I must try him. That was when he now went to cook up that issue. And, thank God, the money was not paid to me; the money was found in my personal assistant’s account. I had no idea he had collected any money from that man. And one thing you must be aware of is, this is somebody who was introduced to me by a retired Justice of the Supreme Court, Justice George Oguntade, who I did not even know myself but because we lawyers and judges, we do have respect for our elders. When the man (Justice Oguntade) called me—you know he stays here in Lagos—he called me to say that he has a brother who has a problem in my court and asked whether there was any way I could help him. For him to even open his mouth to ask whether I could help his brother was even wrong, which means he wanted me to commit an illegality. So, I now said to him, “My Lord, this is the position I’m going to take, and you should ask your cousin to look for a very good lawyer to defend him, and that is all I can do.” And that was all that happened. You see, at the time Justice Oguntade wanted to see me, I was putting up at Eko Meridian Hotel in Lagos. And so, when he called me, he got my number from a judge friend, Justice Sadiq. Justice Sadiq called me and said to me that one Justice Oguntade wanted to speak to me. “I was one-time his chief registrar when he was at the Court of Appeal. Please, can he call you?” Justice Sadiq asked. And I said, who am I? A retired justice of the Supreme Court wants to talk to me, I cannot say no. So, I said, “Give him my number.” And seven minutes later, Justice Oguntade called and said, “Ah my lord, how are you? I want to come to Abuja and see you.” And I said, “Well, incidentally, I’m in Lagos.” He said, “What! What a coincidence. Please where are you staying in Lagos?” I said, “I’m at Eko Meridian,” and he said could he come. I replied, “How can you come to me?

Rather send your driver to take me to you,” because of the respect I had for him as a retired justice of the Supreme Court. When I got to his house, I saw him, very old. Of course, he had retired from the Supreme Court since 2004, and so he clocked 70 as far back as 2004. When he saw me, he said, “You look so very young.” Usually, people who occupy the position I’m occupying are people who are above 60 years, because you must have been a retired judge or a retired chief judge of a state and then, after a year or so, you begin to vie for this particular office. So, usually they retire at the age of 65. And for them to actually get a position as the chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal may take them about another year, and so, they usually assume the position at the age of 66 and then they retire after four years. But in my own case, I became the chairman of the tribunal at the age of 36. And so, a lot of people have been wondering how I made it. To them, how on earth did I even get that and they have forgotten the fact that it is only God that gives power to whom He wishes. And so I begin to have a problem with some people based on that. And so, Justice Oguntade now said, “I would like you to help me.” And I told him I would see what I could do, “but I want you to tell your cousin to get a very good lawyer.” And at the time I met with Justice Oguntade, the man in question (Rasheed Taiwo) had not even been served because he was evading summons. So, I went back to my hotel and the next day, I flew back to Abuja. After about a week—my office is a public office, you can just fill in a form from my secretary and come in to see me—so he (Rasheed Taiwo) filled a form and requested to see me. He came him, and when he sat down, I said, “How can I help you?” He said, “I’m Rasheed Taiwo Owolabi from Justice Oguntade.” Now it clicked in my mind, and I said, “Okay, I have spoken about you with the Honorable Justice Oguntade and I told him that you should go and get a good counsel, and that is the only thing I can do for you. Go and get a counsel to represent you,” I told him, and in less than three minutes, the man left my office. That was the last I heard of him. So, whether he had given my personal assistant money, I don’t know what transpired after that. If he had given me money, would I have given judgment against him? Definitely I would have found a way to take him out of that situation. But [the accusation] was just arranged for some people to get me out of office, and they have forgotten that I did not give this position to myself, it was God who gave it to me, and it is only God Himself that can take it from me, but nobody. So, this is the situation. They have written all sorts of petitions against me to everywhere, and once I respond with my side of the story, that ends it because there is no substance whatsoever in their allegations.

Ex-Supreme Court Justice, Oguntade, Attempted To Subvert Justice—CCT Chairman

https://www.newsexpressngr.com/images/news/CCT%20Chairman.%20Justice%20Danladi%20Umar.jpg

The chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal, Justice Danladi Umar, has been in the news recently for several reasons, including his tribunal’s trial of Senate President Bukola Saraki as well as allegations of graft against him. A SaharaReporters correspondent recently saw Justice Umar at an inter-agency anti-corruption workshop held in Lagos. We asked him to speak on some issues in the public space pertaining to him and the tribunal.

Below are excerpts from our interview:

Question: How would you react to the allegation that the Code of Conduct Tribunal, as presently constituted, is not properly formed owing to a lack of quorum?

Response: Well, once there is a chairman and one other member, the quorum of the Tribunal is duly constituted. When you look at the interpretation of the act, the tribunal can form a quorum when there is a chairman and one single member. And so the fact that the tribunal currently has a chairman and a member [means] the quorum has been duly formed and can adjudicate on any matter as if the other second member [were] around. So, in a nutshell, the absence of the other second member will not invalidate any proceeding, any decision or action taken by the Tribunal in that regard.

Question: There have been insinuations that many of the cases brought before the tribunal are politically motivated, and are targeted at perceived political opponents of the government of the day.

Response: That is not true. The Code of Conduct Tribunal is a court that applies to every public officer in the country. We are not selective. We have had cases involving councilors, and you can imagine that people working in the local government as councilors have been charged before the Tribunal. The bottom line is that, once you breach any of the provisions of the act—and that is to say, specifically, by not filling your asset declaration form or for failure to declare or late submission of asset declaration form within the prescribed time—it can attract punishment. Just because somebody holds a prominent office and he is brought before the tribunal, people say it is political. They don’t care about the majority of the downtrodden ones who have been several times summoned to appear before the tribunal in their hundreds. So, I don’t know why and there should not be that kind of misconception. The tribunal is for everyone and the law is no respecter of persons. I don’t know why people would begin to say that someone very important should not be punished in the society. That is not correct. Our justice is for all and that is just what I have to say.

Question: How would you react to those insisting that members of the Code of Conduct Tribunal are not judicial officers, especially considering a letter written to the tribunal by the Chief Justice of Nigeria expressing the same point that CCT members are not judicial officers?

Response: Let me put it to you this way. When you look at the Constitution, and, of course, the constitution is the ground norm, the constitution recognizes that members and chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal perform judicial functions, and then also the guidelines for appointment and removal of judges also include members and chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal. So, whoever has the insinuation that the members or the chairman of the CCT are not judicial officers may have his own interpretation, but the fact remains that we perform judicial functions. And that is why appeals from our decisions go to the Court of Appeal, just like [from] any other conventional court. So, I can tell you very clearly that the Code of Conduct Tribunal has simple jurisdiction as it is vested in it just like the Federal High Court or the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court or just like any high court of any state. So, that is it. It is just a misnomer and misinformation; people don’t get to know things, but that is just the point. We perform judicial functions, and we enjoy all the privileges that judicial officers enjoy.

Question: What do you think about the suggestion that the Code of Conduct Tribunal should be empowered and elevated to be the anti-corruption court of Nigeria, since there have been persistent calls for the creation of a special court to adjudicate on corruption cases?

Response: That is very good. The idea of establishing a special court does not even arise. If the Code of Conduct Tribunal can be empowered as you said—empowered, as you can see, contains a lot of meaning. Empowered, one, by way of adequate funding. Two, by way of enlarging the scope of the composition of the judges. Third, by way of infrastructure development. If that can be done, truly, there will not be any need to set up a special court for anti-corruption [cases] because the Code of Conduct Tribunal basically deals with public officers who enrich themselves in office. And that is the corruption we are talking about. Or, in another case, the Code of Conduct Tribunal deals with officers who breach any of the provisions contained in the fifth schedule to the 1999 constitution by either giving themselves, their cronies or their relations contracts from their political offices. That is an abuse of office. So, generally speaking, the Code of Conduct Tribunal has a wider jurisdiction. In fact, I can tell you without fear of contradiction that the powers vested in the Code of Conduct Tribunal are enormous. And that is why you can see that the recommendation for the appointment of the chairman and members of the tribunal is being done by the National Judicial Council (NJC) side by side with that of other judges who are called judges of superior courts. We are appointed alongside with them on the same procedure and everything. But then, the president, in the case of appointment, will give approval back to the Chief Justice of Nigeria—[indicating] that he has given approval for the appointment of so so and so person as chairman or a member of the tribunal. Once the president has given his approval, that particular chairman or member cannot be [easily] removed even by the president who approved the appointment. It is a court that has enormous guarantee of security in the sense that, for you to remove a member or chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal, he must have been duly investigated for committing a very serious misconduct. And such investigation must have been taken to the president. And the president must certify and address to the National Assembly, [stating] that this is what the chairman or a member of the tribunal did, and I’m imploring you to remove him from office. It is then that a motion will be tabled before the National Assembly. And the National Assembly I’m talking about are the two chambers—the Senate and the House of Representatives. And there must be two/third majority of these two chambers to remove the chairman or members of the tribunal. So, in a nutshell, I can say it is quite tedious. The procedure to remove a chairman before the end of his tenure of office is just like impeaching the president. And of course, to impeach the president, you know the difficulty and the procedure. That is just it.

zimoni:
Won se bi n o leniyan, mo weyin firi mo r'alejo repete.

Nice video. Thanks Sir.

She kept mentioning "Anago". She reminds me of Mr Anago

Zeynab: Beninese golden voice, Goodwill ambassadress of UNICEF

9jacrip:
I think making it a seceet group has affected its activities some type of way. Its status of being secret should be looked into and other means of sustaining quality should be drawn up sir. Else, the group will die o.

Considering other option is a good idea egbon. Whatever you come up with please share with us to see how we can fit in. This group should not die.

9jacrip:
I'm learning a lot here as well, so I'll be around this thread for a while.

Hopefully the group will pick up steam. Why not tell folks on here about it and maybe we have another playform to discuss Yoruba themed stuff?

Hope the week has been well sir.

CabbieAC:
[size=16pt]Ogun development needs support of all – Commissioner[/size]

The Ogun State Policies and programmes initiated by Senator Ibikunle Amosun-led administration cannot be shouldered alone by the Government, hence the need for corporate organisations, associations and personalities in the State to contribute their quota towards actualizing the goals and objectives.

The State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Chief Adedayo Adeneye stated this while receiving members of Ogun Indigenes Entertainment Professional Forum who paid him a courtesy call in his office, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta.

Adeneye, in a statement signed by his Press Officer, Mr Temitayo Taylor, said Government had expended so much in rebuilding some of the comatose sectors in the State especially in its five cardinal programmes since assumption of office on May 29, 2011, adding that the goals and aspirations of the Government can be fully actualized if all and sundry contribute their quota toward moving the State to greater height.

“We are all a living witness of the development the State has recorded so far in Education, Health, Agricultural sectors, Infrastructure, Security, Housing and Employment Generation but a lot still need to be done and that is why the support and gesture of well-meaning individuals, groups and associations is required so as to collectively make Ogun State an envy of all.” He said.

The Commissioner however appreciated the team’s congratulatory visit while counting on their support in the discharge at his duties as Commissioner for Information and Strategy.

Earlier in his remarks, the Secretary, Ogun Indigenes Entertainment Professionals Forum, Mr. Kehinde Soaga congratulated the Commissioner on his appointment and by extension an ambassador of the forum.

“We are using this medium do express our intention to cooperate with the State Government just as we have been doing before now” Soaga said.

Also speaking, the Governor, Federation Independent Broadcaster Association of Nigeria (FIBAN) Mr. Akinyemi Olatoye assured the Commissioner of his team willingness to support the State Government programmes and policies.

http://www.worldstagegroup.com/worldstagenew/index.php?active=news&newscid=26223&catid=28

Stuntingblack,Shymm3x and Onreflection. There's so much happening in your state

FROM DIRECTORATE OF ARMY PUBLIC RELATIONS

https://army.mil.ng/images/Corps%20and%20Services/dapr.jpg

PRESS RELEASE:ALERT ON IMPENDING SMEAR CAMPAIGN BY SOME DISGRUNTLED ELEMENTS 23 NOVEMBER, 2015

The Nigerian Army has received report of some elements both within the Nigerian Army and outside, especially through the use of the social media circle to ridicule the Nigerian Army and the person of the Chief of Army Staff for reasons best known to them. They intend to execute this plan as from next month, December 2015, using all means possible; lies, fabricating baseless stories, falsehood, publishing and broadcasting them through some designated print and electronic media, most especially the Social Media.
The Nigerian Army has identified some of the officers involved and their collaborators. The officers are being investigated to unravel their motive and motivation. The public and the media are please requested to be careful and wary of these disgruntled persons. They should please disregard any such material from them.

The Nigerian Army holds the media in high esteem. The Nigerian media is one of the best in the world and have consistently been partners in progress and very supportive, understanding and cooperative with the Nigerian Army especially in the fight against terrorism and insurgency. This at times comes at the risk of their personal safety and corporate existence.

The role of the media in nation building and conflict resolution, peace building and social responsibility is never in doubt. They have proven to be very important stakeholders in our collective efforts to restore peace and stability in our great nation.

With this and so many other things, the media, especially the online publications, should not be involved or lured into such dubious campaign. As always, our doors are open for clarification, enquiries and reactions on any issue concerning the Nigerian Army before filing or publicizing such stories.

It is imperative to note that the fight against Boko Haram terrorists is at critical stage, any attack on the Nigerian Army will be counter productive and serious distraction on the fight against terrorism and insurgency. More so, as we are busy trying to defeat Boko Haram terrorists based on the given presidential mandate.

Consequent upon this, we are calling on all Nigerians not to fall prey to their campaign of calumny. This is because their evil intents would be distractive and capable of reversing the gains on the fight against Boko Haram Terrorists.

Therefore, all hands must be on deck to ensure the defeat of Boko Haram terrorists and safety of lives and property in our country before the end of the year.

Thank you.

SANI KUKASHEKA USMAN Colonel
Acting Director Army Public Relations

Alhajalondon:
I don't think this is true. People who left the UK voluntarily do so through a UK approved refugee company called CHOICES. Through this company, the home office gives each volunteer £2000 each. They have their offices in Nigeria and other African countries too. I know families who's left the UK through this scheme and some get £4000 and above depending on number of children. This prof alexia Thomas one the other hand is a fraud who's duping vulnerable Nigerians who are stranded in the UK £1000 and above for Sham documents. She was caught in 2009 and sentenced to jail for fraud. She's also have a mental history and psychiatrists has diagnosed her to be DELUTUONAL. Please do not be deceived by all this crap she says...she's only saying one side of the story (and the wrong side that is...) and looking for blind followers

lastpage:
Thank you for these insight!

I was wondering how any "sensible person" will be threatening to burn down a High Commission, OPENLY!

Seems mental disorder is setting-in, for this criminal!


Lastpage!

HungerBAD:
This Story is not right.

The £3,000 is supposed to be for those "WHO WILLINGLY REPORT FOR SELF DEPORTATION" and not those who were grabbed, for one immigration offense or the other.

The way this article is written, you will think everybody deported was to be given £3,000.

Alexia Thomas styles herself Her Knowledgeable Professor Alexia Thomas; she has a degree in what and from where? That is another question. She is also known as or has been known as Lizzy Henz. As it is less likely someone calling herself Professor Alexia Thomas would change her name to Lizzy Henz, it is reasonable to assume the latter came first, and indeed a little research reveals this to be the case. She was born in Nigeria, and her first vocation was as a singer. A mother of four, when she and her husband separated, he took custody of their offspring.

How she came to the UK is probably not important, how she is continuing to run the Independent Diplomat Commission is something of a mystery, because in August 2010 she was convicted at Southwark Crown Court – as Lizzy Henz – on eight counts of providing immigration advice and services while not qualified to do so. She was charging people £35 each for an identity card, and then £1500 for an engagement fee.

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