₦airaland Forum

SmartPolician:
Ogbeni, people here are not the ones making decisions on where to develop and where not to develop.

If you feel things should be done differently, use the appropriate channels to contact the state government.

This platform enables us to track development; nobody decides where projects will be sited here. So stop disturbing us!

Leave you as you use this platform to clamour for IMSG to build skyscrapers in Owerri because capital cities, according to folks like you, have skyscrapers as skyline, while there is no common pipe borne water supply system in your Imo state?
Who are the us? You half-baked literate who believes he can blackmail another with silly statements.

Your forebears from Owerri side ensured during the military era that all institutions of government that spur development in a state were located in Owerri side. That led to population flow from other parts of the state into Owerri. Therefore, successive governors have to grapple with urban explosions in Owerri.
You don’t give a fcuck about the other places in Imo state outside the state capital.

Lordave:
Since Buhari is directly and openly funding his Banditry Arm of Government in case of any resistance against the Fulani political hegemony, the best thing for every governor not a Fulani man to do is to channel resources and funds to local militias who will counter this rampaging political Jihadist if Buhari decides to launch a full offensive like he tried to do in the South West and Orlu.

The quicker you realize that Buhari won't send the Army to protect you against his Bandits the better chances you have in living to see another day in Nigeria.

A country where regions or states fund militia groups to protect their respective region/state and its people from attacks by people of other regions/states; such a country is as good as a FAILED STATE deserving dissolution.

OBALOLA55:
WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO THE LIKES OF FEMI ADESINA, LAURETTA ONOCHIE NGENEUKWUENU, SEUNMSG, THATFAIRGUY, OJIOFOR, AND JULIUSMALEMA IF SOUTHERNERS SECEDES FROM LORD LUGARDS ENCLAVE

AS FOR ME O, DEM GO FIRST RECEIVE GENERAL SHIPOPO BEFORE I GO SEND EM GO MEET THEIR ANCESTORS

South with unreasonable people like Wike seceding from Nigeria is a tall dream.

The Wikes in the south are on selfish politics, as they known that Arewa 12 sharia states raped Nigeria’s constitution and adopted Islamic Sharia criminal justice system, thus carved a new Arewa country in the waiting, but still clutch tight to one Nigeria because of resources in Wike’s backyard.

Wike knows that banditry will not end in Nigeria, yet he attacked people asking for restoration of Biafra.

Wike sense sef.

illicit:
When will this war start sef....


Una too dey make mouth both north and south

What war? Arewa can’t fight back for one Nigeria once Oduduwa Republic is proclaimed by leaders of Yoruba land.
After all, leaders of Arewa 12 sharia states had tactically established a new Arewa Islamic Sharia country since 1999 when they adopted unconstitutional Islamic Sharia criminal laws.

Once Oduduwa Republic is proclaimed, Biafra and other Republics in the SS and Middle belt follow.

As usual, Arewa youths would start massacre without warning when they were serious.

These ones are joking.

PrinceOfLagos:
Tinubu wants to be president by all means

We understand this game and won't fall for it.

Lol. You mean this?
The game of mouthing Oduduwa Republic after MKO Abiola was denied president, and which led to Arewa military generals assigning two SW people - Olu Falae and Olusegun Obasanjo - to run for president on the tickets of the two largest political parties in 1999, to ensure that next president of Nigeria was a Yoruba.

Blackmail Nigeria with threat of secession or terrorist forces has become the game for presidential campaign for some groups in Nigeria.

Charmingrascal:
Northern borders with neighbouring countries are open but you shut South Western borders with neighbouring countries.

Fulani terrorists bring in arms and ammunition from those Northern borders but the boarders remain open but Southern bothers are shut.

Yet you are asking if Buhari is supporting terrorism or not, which other prove do you need?

He allows them to bring in arms so that they can attack the South while the South especially South West have been sleeping and relaxing Fulanis are stock piling arms and preparing for imminent war.

It not too late!
Yorubas stand up!!

Yoruba nation is what we want!!
Yoruba ronu oo!!

No amount of arms available to Fulani can make Arewa succeed in fight to get one Nigeria back if Oduduwa truly secedes from Nigeria.

Because Biafra and other possible new countries in the SS and Middle belt must declare independence immediately after Oduduwa Republic.

By the way, through adoption of unconstitutional Islamic Sharia criminal laws, Arewa has since 1999 drawn the borders of its Arewa Islamic Sharia Republic; but still clutches tight to one Nigeria because of lucre.

@Idiko1,

What do you people of Owerri side think state capital means, other than the seat of government of a state?
Too many state capitals are less developed than other cities in the same state in many states in and out of Nigeria.
Nigeria’s constitution did not stipulate that governors must develop the state capital more than other areas of the state.
And you want people of Imo state to have Owerri as their new home.

Idiko1:
We cannot start falling from the trees because there are pots of hot water on the fire. I detest land grab by government to compensate investors. Any genuine investor must be willing to purchase land from the owners. Any investor who runs behind to the corrupt government to grab land is not an investor but swindler. Nigeria is not communist country and it is silly for corrupt government such as Imo State government led Okoroawusa to embark on land grab under the guise of investment.

Rochas Okorocha you gleefully refer to as Rochas Okoroawusa was solely responsible for rapid urban expansion of your Owerri hometown within 8 years. That urban expansion must be reason why you say people from Okorocha‘a area and other parts of Imo state should see Owerri as their new home. You speak heresy. Many of you have no atom of GOODWILL for others in the other two senatorial zones that are supposed to have been sharing urban development by government in near equal proportions with Owerri. But your people want everything good from government in Imo state for only Owerri. You pressure every governor to build flyovers, tunnels, skyscrapers, underground car park, boulevards, airport, in Owerri. Perhaps you pressure for underground metro transportation system in Owerri soon, since traffic jam is biting harder on Owerri these days.
You give no thought that other parts of your state are being flooded, eroded and have no good roads in them.

morgstreme:
How old are you, BLOODY PATHOLOGICAL PAINED NUMBSKULL

Insulting epithets are normally resorted to by dumbos when truth is presented before them.

Idiko1:
If an Nsukka man does not see his state capital as his home, it is safe to say the Nsukka man is a basement fool.

Most ridiculous statement ever.
Bros, if you are not from Owerri side in Imo state but abandoned your native hometown because of neglect by government, and living in Owerri, adopted Owerri side as your new hometown, you are a compound fool.

No Nsukka man or Nnewi man can ever say Enugu or Awka respectively, is his hometown.

Chibuike21:
I know it's not my problem but I just feel sad for them. Imagine Kanu using the money to patronise ashewo joints in London.

And how is that your business?

You soldiers are fighting against Boko Haram which shares the same objective with the leaders of the 12 northern sharia states who adopted unconstitutional Islamic Sharia criminal laws. Boko Haram says it’s fighting for a country to be governed with Islamic Sharia criminal laws.

christistruth01:
At least OBJ successfully increased Oil Derivation from the meagre 3% which Shagari had reduced it to , to 13.5 %

Emeka Ojukwu’s long legs and pressure resulted to increase in derivation from 3% to 13% and affirmed by the Supreme Court during Obasanjo‘a civilian government. Ask knowledgeable people, in the SS and the SE. Peter Odili who was Rivers State governor then will educate you on who made increase to 13% possible before the Supreme Court affirmed it.
Obasanjo did not unilaterally increase the percentage.

christistruth01:
The Truth is that Ojukwu's Biafra had a Policy of Slaughtering all it's own Prisoners of War and because of that wicked Policy failed to release any Federal Prisoners of War after it Surrendered
in 1970

Biafra had already Slaughtered all Military POWs
despite it been a War Crime

That doesn't mean the Federal Troops were like them.

Gen Gowon had given the Federal Troops a standard Code of Conduct order and so the Federal Troops had to keep
Prisoners of War from the Biafran Troops that Surrendered to it.



Below is a Photograph of Biafran Soldiers who were Prisoners of War being fed by federal Troops

Truth is that Nigeria’s so-called civil war was a Jihad mistaken for civil war; that’s what led to millions of people, mostly civilians on Biafra side died during the war.

The high death toll is mouth gaping. Nigeria’s war against Biafra is considered as resulted in urban the 2nd largest Genocide in history after the Holocaust.

GEJ a man from the Niger Delta didn't restructure Nigeria, you now expect GMB a Fulani man from Kastina to restructure Nigeria

GEJ concluded a National Confab for political restructuring or reforms. But waited till he would get to second term in office so as to get a friendlier Legislators at the National Assembly to stamp the conference recommendations into law.
Jonathan begged a huge crowd of Yorubas in his Lagos campaign to vote him for second term so that the CONFAB recommendations be implemented.
Again, Yoruba helped PMB to emerge president to push out GEJ.


OBJ also failed in his National Political Reforms Conference aimed to restructure Nigeria politically, because Arewa and some Yoruba leaders in the conference teamed up to deny the percentage increase in payoffs on derivations from natural resources as asked by conferees from the Southsouth and Southeast zones.
The conference ended from there.

The certain EXTREMES the author of this piece said we have gotten used to in Nigeria since independence is southern Nigerians being like 2nd Class Citizens in one Nigeria, after Arewa soldiers recreated Nigeria into 36 states and Abuja, with 19 states in one region - north - but an average of 8.5 new states each in the east and west regions that formed Nigeria with the northern region during independence.
It’s only a fool who would not understand that land mass or population is never used as criterion to proliferate too many states in a region with larger land mass or population, once a country was formed by diverse regions.

State creation was thus used to acquire absolute political and economic advantages for the northern region, but rob the two southern regions of economic and political powers.

christistruth01:
CONTINUATION Part 2


The NEWS
Posted in National News
Blast from the Past: Why the Aburi Accord Failed- Philip Asiodu

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.thenewsnigeria.com.ng/2019/10/12/blast-from-the-past-why-the-aburi-accord-failed-philip-asiodu/amp/

When I left kings college, I went straight to Oxford University. Can you do that today? The five thousand kilometres of telegraph lines, crisscrossing the county. And the four thousand kilometres of railway crisis crossing the country. Thousands of kilometres of telegraph lines, were constructed under Gowon, and since Gowon nothing has been added and mark you, it was only in 1975 that after negotiation, we agreed with partial nationalization of shell and other oil companies did we begin to think of these oil revenue that you are talking about. And under Gowon, in that 1975 revenue was to come to about 4bilion naira. But he was removed three months of implementation, but I know that from January 1999 to 2007, because of the unprecedented escalation of oil prices, this country must have earned about 300billion US dollar.What have we done? …Abuja. That is all. But even Abuja is about 60 per cent private investment in property and all that. So, you see the consequences of leaders not adhering to the discipline of planning.

Two, they rail roaded us to the destruction of our political evolution. Because after 13 years in 1979, the Army said politicians should come back to power. At that time, Zik was still alive. Shagari, others. So, the politicians of the second republic still had the dreams and motivation of our founding fathers. Then came the terrible coup of December 1983. Politicians , many of them were locked up. 24 months, 27 months, no questions asked. Everybody scattered. Then in 1985 another coup, Babangida came to power. He was nice, his intention would have been good, but it was in turn characterized by things beginning to happen without base. People talk about the age of settlement. It seemed as if integrity, honesty, respect for public property, use of public fund went backward. Finally, the civil service having been practically destroyed in the 1975 putsch, this time introduced a new reform whereby permanent secretaries were no longer to be called permanent secretaries but director generals. They were no longer accounting officers. And the principle of having accounting officers who are permanent secretaries is because ministers come and go. Parliament come and go, but the officials should be there to account to subsequent Public Accounts Committee of subsequent parliaments. That was the system. But worse than that, ministers now think they could hire and fire civil servants. And if there is anything, the British did to where they were, to India, Canada, Australia, Malaysia, it was that professional, objective civil service, tenure guaranteed, rules upheld, if you breach those rules, you are punished instantly. We now politicised our civil service, made them impermanent, made them insecure, and of course what has happened? They have been cohorts with the rest of the politicians in the total abuse of public funds. As we are now reading, scams of billions, it is unthinkable.

You spoke about the coup, Ojukwu and the famous Aburi accord which tried to address some of these problems. What in your opinion led to the collapse of the Aburi Accord.

You see unfortunately, the dramatist personae of the time, many of them have gone. Anything not founded on objectivity , transparency and truth cannot last. Somehow, Ojukwu persuaded Gowon that they were going to Aburi as gentlemen of the Nigerian Army to discuss certain things. Acknowledgement of what happened. Already, of course he knew that after the pogrom against Easterners, against Igbo in 1966, the Army, except in Lagos and the West had gone back to their places of origin. Now, no need bringing officials. So, guys we’re going to talk as officers and gentlemen. Of course Gowon did not inform his secretary to government. He did not tell anybody, until the eve of the day he was going. So, if you were going to a conference, you will normally say what is the agenda. You will prepare, with the assistance of the agenda.

Think about them. Think about various scenarios, and go and discuss. That didn’t happen. Lo and behold when they reached Aburi, there was Ojukwu with a battery of permanent secretaries and one of the most formidable intellectual this country has ever produced, Dr Pius Okigbo. All in the delegation. Who went with Gowon? Nobody. Not even secretary to the government. None of the so-called permanent secretaries. And they went there and talked and said they reached agreement. He stepped down as supreme military commander and they talked about the divisions in the Nigerian army and if Nigeria was attacked, then they will consult and decide whether they are going to fight.

In modern days it took like 24 hours to finish Poland. You will still be consulting. Anyway, be that as it may, nobody could make ambassador, nobody becomes a super scale officer, senior assistant secretary, group 7 except there was a unanimous agreement. And if you know history, there was once in history where a single member of the parliament can exercise veto.

They did this and they came back. Just like they looked at the proposal after the second coup of July 66, some of the northern assistants in Nigeria, were saying we will blow up Carter bridge, blow up the second mainland bridge.

When they subjected this Aburi accord to simple analysis, it was simply saying Nigeria is no more practically. And civil war or no civil war, then chaos would have started later. All the same, we said look, … if we still want to be a country….authority which deals with customs, currency, federal trunk roads, foreign and external defences, that is more than enough for a government. But it must be able to act. You can not say that in the Ministry of Defence, you can not promote somebody a Lt Col, except you have a unanimity. You cannot move one plane to another place except through unanimity. Even when you have those limited powers, they must be able to function. And you cannot function in the context of those things they said. And then what you have is four countries.

And the permanent secretaries vetoed it?

No . the permanent secretary made analysis and said look, if you are really serious, if you say you are having Nigeria, you must have central function which must be fulfilled. There is no need saying this is central function and you cannot fulfill it. So, we analysed and said these were based on incorrect premises. People came with proper papers, well formulated. The other side just went thinking they were going to do initial breaking of the ice. Therefore, please try to reconcile this to ensure that we still have a country. Gowon in fairness, vetoed that approach, and still proceeded to have decree number 8 of 1967. If you go and read that decree, and if the East had accepted that decree, there would have been no need for secession. Nigeria would have disintegrated within three months. And you cannot move anybody without unanimity. You collect revenue, you cannot transfer it…

Decree 8 was an affirmation of Aburi accord?

It was an affirmation of the Aburi accord which gave the East under Ojukwu, more than 95 per cent of what Aburi meant. But because there were maybe one or two phrases which they didn’t like, if they read that thing and it is still there, they have got what they wanted. But if it was such, that hostilities would have broken out among four independent countries. Not one on one.

And I think, we don’t have much time now. With the present challenges in the country and the lack of serious effort to address the issue, we may even be in worse position if we are not careful. Because, this time, it will not be federal versus Biafra, but among 110 million people. So we are going to end up with warlords, if authorities should finally break down and I appeal to God that we avoid that, by stopping all these jokes as if we can continue milking this country forever. What we are doing is not sustainable. And the sooner we address, try to create a new national austerity programme, discipline ourselves, decide that we cannot be millionaires, billionaires in little islands with a whole ocean of poor wretched people, there would be this tsunami which will overwhelm all of us.

So, the leadership now has a big challenge to begin to readdress things. We can’t carry on like this. But I am saying that whereas in 1967 we had an authoritative civil service which commanded respect, across Nigeria and internationally, we still had a fairly disciplined Police Force. We still had fear. People didn’t take government fund and use it with impunity. There was shame to be jailed or detained for corruption. All these underpinnings of society must be respected and because the things to prevent us from horrendous, murderous anarchy are not in place and we should not over try our luck.

But coming back from what I was saying. Go and read decree 8, if we had implemented it in three months, we would have had four independent states.

Why was it not implemented?

Because, it didn’t satisfy the Easterners. The decree had been promulgated by Gowon. It was to be implemented then. But it was seen by Ojukwu as not being sufficient. I am saying that politics is something which has to be played with some tact. Sometimes my brothers there see black and white where there is immediately green in between. Sometimes, there is really no finesse in politics. They will think the reality is not important as how you get there. The reality was that Nigeria was finished under decree number 8. The reality is that although it was finished, they didn’t proclaim ‘we hereby dissolve Nigeria’. But that was of no effect. You go and read it. But it was rejected . Having been rejected, these people have no obligation to it anymore.

And that led to the civil war and Gowon now declared Police action on Biafra?

Ojukwu now called his people and said we went to Aburi , Aburi has not been respected. We must defend ourselves. We must think a way of saving Nigeria, and if it came to secession. I want your mandate. He got the mandate.

Gowon then replied. Before then, he had told the Northerners that the killings had gone too far, and must have to stop. He then said everything will be done to make amends. He said we will bend backwards, implement certain decision these soldiers, go back to your places of origin. But then, he added that if it becomes necessary to defend the integrity of Nigeria by force of arms, he will do so.

I was a friend of Emeka Ojukwu from Kings College, we were friends in Oxford. And when he was made military governor, he invited me to go with him. And I told him, that I do not believe in regional politics. And of course, at that time in fairness to Ojukwu and co, nobody was talking about regions. He said we will abolish the regions in a few months. Obviously, like Army men, they still talked of unitary structure and all that. And I simply told him that by the time you live with a people, participate in their hopes and dreams, you are a different person. That is that.

Then few of us- Alison Ayida, late Aliu Martins, myself, Abdulaziz, who served in the East, ‘we went to ask Ojukwu what is it you want so that we could prepare the ground for a meaningful conference, where every side would know what they are saying.’ Eventually, just as Ojukwu was warming up to tell us what he wanted , so that we could have come back to Lagos, sell those ideas to Gowon, and see if we can reach agreement, C. C. Mojekwu came and broke up the meeting.

He destroyed that last chance, and we flew back empty handed. Before they started cooking up the Aburi, they went there with unequal preparation. But before then, General Gowon was only communicating with him as an officer. He did know that behind Ojukwu, people were working. So, we didn’t want Ojukwu to get the wrong impression. In anyway, we then agreed that a letter be prepared, addressed from my house, signed by Alison Ayida,who was in Oxford (cuts in, he was in Oxford too?) at the same time? Two of us signed this letter trying to spell out to him the consequences of what will happen if secession was declared. That there would be war and if there is war, until you vanquished federal authority, you will not get recognition which will give you access to the sea, and so on.

I can be embittered. I can feel for my people. But I have a duty to make sure that every step I take, I have calculated all the scenarios and make sure that in the worst scenario , I am not taking them to a worst decision.

If one was there, one would have pointed out certain things. He knew that we proclaimed a state for Rivers people, Ogoja people. One thing the federal government did was to order a sea blockade. And instead of making loose speeches like no power in black Africa can stop Biafra, you had to sit down and count what guns you have. Igbos were three quarter of the officer corps before the coup of 1966. But I doubt if they were even 5 per cent of those carrying guns. Fulani maybe five per cent of the officer corps. But the people carrying guns were mainly from Benue / Plateau area.

But the critical thing is that the man who said they can’t be blockaded; didn’t do much. If at that time Igbos probably went and bought two merchant ships, with Igbo captains who were ready to risk their lives, it is a different thing. But to have no boats, and think a white man or a blue man with captain will risk his life against NNS Nigeria? No.

These were some of the things. One thing is to draw up an agreement. Rhetoric. Our job as good civil servants was to see how this can be implemented. How it can be monitored to achieve what you say is your purpose? I am sorry, that was not quite there. Hence, we went into what we went into.

I still believe that when you go and read it and see all the powers which had been conceded, and all the things which were subject to veto by just one person because it required unanimity, decree number 8 promulgated by Gowon had given 95 percent of the substance. And if it was taken, it was only a matter of three months for everybody to realize that there was no Nigeria.

But as night follows day, we have become used to economic integration. So, the point is whether 1914 was described by whoever, was it Sar’duana, I don’t know, as a mistake, and has been taken up by some southern irredentists as a mistake, the point is that we have gotten used to certain extremes, which we cannot wish away. Which if we wish away will bring us to a lower standard of living than we are used to now.

-nigerianvoice.com

Arewa soldiers had since restructured Nigeria politically by creating too many states and political constituencies in Arewa, thus gave absolute political powers to Arewa politicians.


If you are a southern Nigerian, remain the second class citizen brought to all in the south by political restructuring done by Arewa soldiers.
Soldiers don’t create political structure and constitution of a country formed by different regions.

Show us any modern country where soldiers from one part of the country created political structure and supervised the country’s Constitution? Doesn’t exist except Nigeria.

You think berating people from one part of Nigeria solves your political problems in Nigeria?

christistruth01:
CONTINUATION Part 2


The NEWS
Posted in National News
Blast from the Past: Why the Aburi Accord Failed- Philip Asiodu

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.thenewsnigeria.com.ng/2019/10/12/blast-from-the-past-why-the-aburi-accord-failed-philip-asiodu/amp/

When I left kings college, I went straight to Oxford University. Can you do that today? The five thousand kilometres of telegraph lines, crisscrossing the county. And the four thousand kilometres of railway crisis crossing the country. Thousands of kilometres of telegraph lines, were constructed under Gowon, and since Gowon nothing has been added and mark you, it was only in 1975 that after negotiation, we agreed with partial nationalization of shell and other oil companies did we begin to think of these oil revenue that you are talking about. And under Gowon, in that 1975 revenue was to come to about 4bilion naira. But he was removed three months of implementation, but I know that from January 1999 to 2007, because of the unprecedented escalation of oil prices, this country must have earned about 300billion US dollar.What have we done? …Abuja. That is all. But even Abuja is about 60 per cent private investment in property and all that. So, you see the consequences of leaders not adhering to the discipline of planning.

Two, they rail roaded us to the destruction of our political evolution. Because after 13 years in 1979, the Army said politicians should come back to power. At that time, Zik was still alive. Shagari, others. So, the politicians of the second republic still had the dreams and motivation of our founding fathers. Then came the terrible coup of December 1983. Politicians , many of them were locked up. 24 months, 27 months, no questions asked. Everybody scattered. Then in 1985 another coup, Babangida came to power. He was nice, his intention would have been good, but it was in turn characterized by things beginning to happen without base. People talk about the age of settlement. It seemed as if integrity, honesty, respect for public property, use of public fund went backward. Finally, the civil service having been practically destroyed in the 1975 putsch, this time introduced a new reform whereby permanent secretaries were no longer to be called permanent secretaries but director generals. They were no longer accounting officers. And the principle of having accounting officers who are permanent secretaries is because ministers come and go. Parliament come and go, but the officials should be there to account to subsequent Public Accounts Committee of subsequent parliaments. That was the system. But worse than that, ministers now think they could hire and fire civil servants. And if there is anything, the British did to where they were, to India, Canada, Australia, Malaysia, it was that professional, objective civil service, tenure guaranteed, rules upheld, if you breach those rules, you are punished instantly. We now politicised our civil service, made them impermanent, made them insecure, and of course what has happened? They have been cohorts with the rest of the politicians in the total abuse of public funds. As we are now reading, scams of billions, it is unthinkable.

You spoke about the coup, Ojukwu and the famous Aburi accord which tried to address some of these problems. What in your opinion led to the collapse of the Aburi Accord.

You see unfortunately, the dramatist personae of the time, many of them have gone. Anything not founded on objectivity , transparency and truth cannot last. Somehow, Ojukwu persuaded Gowon that they were going to Aburi as gentlemen of the Nigerian Army to discuss certain things. Acknowledgement of what happened. Already, of course he knew that after the pogrom against Easterners, against Igbo in 1966, the Army, except in Lagos and the West had gone back to their places of origin. Now, no need bringing officials. So, guys we’re going to talk as officers and gentlemen. Of course Gowon did not inform his secretary to government. He did not tell anybody, until the eve of the day he was going. So, if you were going to a conference, you will normally say what is the agenda. You will prepare, with the assistance of the agenda.

Think about them. Think about various scenarios, and go and discuss. That didn’t happen. Lo and behold when they reached Aburi, there was Ojukwu with a battery of permanent secretaries and one of the most formidable intellectual this country has ever produced, Dr Pius Okigbo. All in the delegation. Who went with Gowon? Nobody. Not even secretary to the government. None of the so-called permanent secretaries. And they went there and talked and said they reached agreement. He stepped down as supreme military commander and they talked about the divisions in the Nigerian army and if Nigeria was attacked, then they will consult and decide whether they are going to fight.

In modern days it took like 24 hours to finish Poland. You will still be consulting. Anyway, be that as it may, nobody could make ambassador, nobody becomes a super scale officer, senior assistant secretary, group 7 except there was a unanimous agreement. And if you know history, there was once in history where a single member of the parliament can exercise veto.

They did this and they came back. Just like they looked at the proposal after the second coup of July 66, some of the northern assistants in Nigeria, were saying we will blow up Carter bridge, blow up the second mainland bridge.

When they subjected this Aburi accord to simple analysis, it was simply saying Nigeria is no more practically. And civil war or no civil war, then chaos would have started later. All the same, we said look, … if we still want to be a country….authority which deals with customs, currency, federal trunk roads, foreign and external defences, that is more than enough for a government. But it must be able to act. You can not say that in the Ministry of Defence, you can not promote somebody a Lt Col, except you have a unanimity. You cannot move one plane to another place except through unanimity. Even when you have those limited powers, they must be able to function. And you cannot function in the context of those things they said. And then what you have is four countries.

And the permanent secretaries vetoed it?

No . the permanent secretary made analysis and said look, if you are really serious, if you say you are having Nigeria, you must have central function which must be fulfilled. There is no need saying this is central function and you cannot fulfill it. So, we analysed and said these were based on incorrect premises. People came with proper papers, well formulated. The other side just went thinking they were going to do initial breaking of the ice. Therefore, please try to reconcile this to ensure that we still have a country. Gowon in fairness, vetoed that approach, and still proceeded to have decree number 8 of 1967. If you go and read that decree, and if the East had accepted that decree, there would have been no need for secession. Nigeria would have disintegrated within three months. And you cannot move anybody without unanimity. You collect revenue, you cannot transfer it…

Decree 8 was an affirmation of Aburi accord?

It was an affirmation of the Aburi accord which gave the East under Ojukwu, more than 95 per cent of what Aburi meant. But because there were maybe one or two phrases which they didn’t like, if they read that thing and it is still there, they have got what they wanted. But if it was such, that hostilities would have broken out among four independent countries. Not one on one.

And I think, we don’t have much time now. With the present challenges in the country and the lack of serious effort to address the issue, we may even be in worse position if we are not careful. Because, this time, it will not be federal versus Biafra, but among 110 million people. So we are going to end up with warlords, if authorities should finally break down and I appeal to God that we avoid that, by stopping all these jokes as if we can continue milking this country forever. What we are doing is not sustainable. And the sooner we address, try to create a new national austerity programme, discipline ourselves, decide that we cannot be millionaires, billionaires in little islands with a whole ocean of poor wretched people, there would be this tsunami which will overwhelm all of us.

So, the leadership now has a big challenge to begin to readdress things. We can’t carry on like this. But I am saying that whereas in 1967 we had an authoritative civil service which commanded respect, across Nigeria and internationally, we still had a fairly disciplined Police Force. We still had fear. People didn’t take government fund and use it with impunity. There was shame to be jailed or detained for corruption. All these underpinnings of society must be respected and because the things to prevent us from horrendous, murderous anarchy are not in place and we should not over try our luck.

But coming back from what I was saying. Go and read decree 8, if we had implemented it in three months, we would have had four independent states.

Why was it not implemented?

Because, it didn’t satisfy the Easterners. The decree had been promulgated by Gowon. It was to be implemented then. But it was seen by Ojukwu as not being sufficient. I am saying that politics is something which has to be played with some tact. Sometimes my brothers there see black and white where there is immediately green in between. Sometimes, there is really no finesse in politics. They will think the reality is not important as how you get there. The reality was that Nigeria was finished under decree number 8. The reality is that although it was finished, they didn’t proclaim ‘we hereby dissolve Nigeria’. But that was of no effect. You go and read it. But it was rejected . Having been rejected, these people have no obligation to it anymore.

And that led to the civil war and Gowon now declared Police action on Biafra?

Ojukwu now called his people and said we went to Aburi , Aburi has not been respected. We must defend ourselves. We must think a way of saving Nigeria, and if it came to secession. I want your mandate. He got the mandate.

Gowon then replied. Before then, he had told the Northerners that the killings had gone too far, and must have to stop. He then said everything will be done to make amends. He said we will bend backwards, implement certain decision these soldiers, go back to your places of origin. But then, he added that if it becomes necessary to defend the integrity of Nigeria by force of arms, he will do so.

I was a friend of Emeka Ojukwu from Kings College, we were friends in Oxford. And when he was made military governor, he invited me to go with him. And I told him, that I do not believe in regional politics. And of course, at that time in fairness to Ojukwu and co, nobody was talking about regions. He said we will abolish the regions in a few months. Obviously, like Army men, they still talked of unitary structure and all that. And I simply told him that by the time you live with a people, participate in their hopes and dreams, you are a different person. That is that.

Then few of us- Alison Ayida, late Aliu Martins, myself, Abdulaziz, who served in the East, ‘we went to ask Ojukwu what is it you want so that we could prepare the ground for a meaningful conference, where every side would know what they are saying.’ Eventually, just as Ojukwu was warming up to tell us what he wanted , so that we could have come back to Lagos, sell those ideas to Gowon, and see if we can reach agreement, C. C. Mojekwu came and broke up the meeting.

He destroyed that last chance, and we flew back empty handed. Before they started cooking up the Aburi, they went there with unequal preparation. But before then, General Gowon was only communicating with him as an officer. He did know that behind Ojukwu, people were working. So, we didn’t want Ojukwu to get the wrong impression. In anyway, we then agreed that a letter be prepared, addressed from my house, signed by Alison Ayida,who was in Oxford (cuts in, he was in Oxford too?) at the same time? Two of us signed this letter trying to spell out to him the consequences of what will happen if secession was declared. That there would be war and if there is war, until you vanquished federal authority, you will not get recognition which will give you access to the sea, and so on.

I can be embittered. I can feel for my people. But I have a duty to make sure that every step I take, I have calculated all the scenarios and make sure that in the worst scenario , I am not taking them to a worst decision.

If one was there, one would have pointed out certain things. He knew that we proclaimed a state for Rivers people, Ogoja people. One thing the federal government did was to order a sea blockade. And instead of making loose speeches like no power in black Africa can stop Biafra, you had to sit down and count what guns you have. Igbos were three quarter of the officer corps before the coup of 1966. But I doubt if they were even 5 per cent of those carrying guns. Fulani maybe five per cent of the officer corps. But the people carrying guns were mainly from Benue / Plateau area.

But the critical thing is that the man who said they can’t be blockaded; didn’t do much. If at that time Igbos probably went and bought two merchant ships, with Igbo captains who were ready to risk their lives, it is a different thing. But to have no boats, and think a white man or a blue man with captain will risk his life against NNS Nigeria? No.

These were some of the things. One thing is to draw up an agreement. Rhetoric. Our job as good civil servants was to see how this can be implemented. How it can be monitored to achieve what you say is your purpose? I am sorry, that was not quite there. Hence, we went into what we went into.

I still believe that when you go and read it and see all the powers which had been conceded, and all the things which were subject to veto by just one person because it required unanimity, decree number 8 promulgated by Gowon had given 95 percent of the substance. And if it was taken, it was only a matter of three months for everybody to realize that there was no Nigeria.

But as night follows day, we have become used to economic integration. So, the point is whether 1914 was described by whoever, was it Sar’duana, I don’t know, as a mistake, and has been taken up by some southern irredentists as a mistake, the point is that we have gotten used to certain extremes, which we cannot wish away. Which if we wish away will bring us to a lower standard of living than we are used to now.

-nigerianvoice.com

Jones4190:
ARE YOU A BIAFRAN?
Those who arrested and sentenced Isaac Adaka Boro to death for declaring Niger Delta Republic were neither Hausa-Fulanis nor Yorubas but two supposed brothers of his and Biafrans named Odumegwu Ojukwu and Aguiyi Ironsi who were still on the side of Gambaris and still trying to please them as at then. For declaring Niger-Delta Republic Ironsi, the then military head of state, ordered Ojukwu to get Isaac Boro arrested for treason.
Ojukwu, in an attempt to please Gambaris, fought Isaac Boro for 14 days within which he used federal might of “one-Nigeria” to kill 150 soldiers loyal to Isaac Boro, caught Isaac Boro, stripped him naked and sent him over to Lagos where Ironsi charged him to court and within just 2 months got him convicted, at the Supreme Court, of treasonable felony of trying to break away from Azikiwe’s one Nigeria, got him sentenced to death by hanging. While Ironsi​ and Ojukwu did all that to Isaac Boro​, they left untouched their own Igbo brother soldiers who planned a coup with which they killed Innocent Hausas, Yorubas, Niger Deltans, Middle belters leaving Igbo politicians unharmed despite they, like Zik and Okpara, were part and parcel of the corrupt Balewa government.
However, before Ojukwu and Ironsi could execute their sentence on Isaac Boro God intervened and the counter coup happened. Ironsi was overthrown and killed. Gowon took over declared Isaac Boro innocent and released him. But just fifteen months later Ojukwu too declared Biafra Republic due to the way Igbos were being killed in the North. In declaring Biafra, rather than first apologise to Isaac Boro for what he earlier did to him and then ask for his cooperation in fighting to realize the Biafra dream, Ojukwu did nothing like that but without consulting Boro at all went as far as arrogantly including in his Biafra map the very Niger Delta areas which Isaac Boro earlier tried to pull out of Nigeria and which he (Ojukwu) nearly killed him for.
This angered Isaac Boro and Ken Saro Wiwa who both pledged support for Gowon in order to teach Ojukwu a bitter lesson for his arrogance and dishonesty. That was why Isaac Boro and Saro Wiwa fought on the side of Gowon during the war. Naturally Isaac Boro couldn’t have come out of prison to join the Ojukwu who jailed him and fight against the Gowon who released him. It would have been absurd. No rational human being does that.
This is the truth of what happened and which Igbos hate to hear but prefer to blame everyone else as if they themselves were 100℅ innocent.
Igbos must learn to say the truth because if the Biafra/Niger Delta Republic they now seek is founded on lies and deliberate falsehood, like Nigeria, it will not stand but will soon become a failed state like Nigeria. We can’t leave Nigeria for another Nigeria.
But we however know that Igbos allergy to truth is incurable, therefore Niger-Delta states will never be part of Biafra

See how your enemies are thumbing you up, assuming you are truly from the SS, but 95% in doubt that you are from the SS.

Genuine SS people who want Nigerdelta Republic know that it’s easier for Niger Delta Republic to emerge from Biafra, but next to impossible for Niger Delta Republic to emerge from Nigeria.

And who do you think you are for representing the opinions of people from the SS?

I even doubt that you are from the SS, given your derision of the Igbo. Igbo are also distributed in nearly all the states in the SS.

Aboki of one Nigeriyaa for ever is what you represent. Aboki lives and survives from one Nigeria.

It’s not APC Senators. It’s Arewa north representatives that is over representing Arewa in the National Assembly due to the excess number of states created by Arewa soldiers in the north.

Nothing good can ever come from the National Assembly over populated by Arewa.

flokii:
Enough of Fulani madness under guise of One Nigeria.. we're self sufficient and we have everything.

SOS to whom it may concern, I won't leave Nigeria and her problems to Odualand harbouring Igbos. Everyone must go back to their region else the whole movement is in futility.

I repeat we won't allow Igbos live in Odualand. Let them all go to biafra and do as they please there.

Amen.

ThePlainTruth:
Lagos can not be the capital of Oduduwa Republic, unless they can pay back the billions of Dollas that have been invested from the resources of other parts of Nigeria.

Lagos is Yoruba land: Plain truth.

Yoruba can choose wherever it wants its capital of Oduduwa Republic.

TruthHurts1:
Yoruba Youths Hoist Oduduwa Republic Flags In Lagos



http://saharareporters.com/2021/03/17/yoruba-youths-hoist-oduduwa-republic-flags-lagos

Before long, Fulani-led armed forces of Nigeria shall start to hunt for these Yoruba youths, capture and take the females to Abuja prisons where they will be raped severely to induce fears in other youths.


People of Arewa northern Nigeria eat and breed from one Nigeria.

ArrewaDrugGang:
Northern Nigeria leaders embrace terrorism. They see it as an option in case the illegitimate authority is challenged by the people.

Guess what, the challenge is here already, and terrorism won't save them

Right from the period between 1999-2001 when the political and religious leaders of the 12 far northern states adopted Unconstitutional Islamic Sharia criminal justice system; Arewa imported violence. BokoHaram first emerged shortly after their adoption of sharia criminal laws. Boko Haram says it’s fighting for a country to be governed with Islamic Sharia criminal laws.

A BBC female reporter asked the harbinger of Sharia criminal laws, Sani Yerima, then governor of Zamfara state, if he did not see that adoption of sharia criminal laws in the north could lead to break up of Nigeria.

Liposure:
https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/headlines/449304-why-children-are-prime-targets-of-armed-groups-in-northern-nigeria.html

A country to be governed with Islamic Sharia criminal justice system.

Insecurity that originated from the extreme and political Islam in far north of Nigeria.


All the agencies of terror in northern Nigeria and the people of the 12 sharia states in far north Nigeria have one thing in common: they are struggling to have a country to be governed with Islamic Sharia criminal justice system.

molotough:
What does that prove if not that they are the same fulani black arab jihadists funding this blood consuming endless war and yet all the ignorant fools down south and across the middle belt can't see it for what it is. [b]Sharia-advocates, bokoharam, miyetti allah, bandits, herdsmen and unknown gunmen are all one and the same landless fulanis black arabs in various mongrelized forms who share one thing in common - islam. T[/b]he fight to dominate and subjugate all native indigeneous people

Bolded:

The politicians of one Nigeria in the south know that a country of Islamic Sharia criminal laws is what the bandits, Myetti Allah, herdsmen, Boko Haram and ISWAP, are fighting for, and that the above organizations share common objective with the 12 sharia states that adopted unconstitutional Islamic Sharia criminal laws between 1999-2001. But political pursuits for their private bank accounts deter these southerners to declare independence from northern sharia criminal states in northern Nigeria.

Oh you southern Nigerians still bent on One Nigeria -you need to be at a best Psychiatric Hospital.

BokoHaram like Arewa 12 sharia states are gunning for a country to be governed with Islamic Sharia criminal laws.

Endless war -so long as one Nigeria exists.
A country that is to be governed with Islamic Sharia criminal laws is what Boko Haram says it’s fighting for.

The same Islamic Sharia criminal laws adopted by 12 northern sharia states.

BKayy:
See how people dey put their family name into trouble.
I see Hopeless Ozodimgba family name becoming the next Ifeajuna of Igboland.
A so shameful, nobody dare claim to relate to the family

A man who represented his senatorial district for 8 years but nothing to show on constituency project in the district. He names road built by his predecessors after pouring asphalt on the road.

udoakwa:
This IPOB get bad mouth sha, they called Hopeless Uzo supreme Court administrator. I'm not Igbo but i love the way they are organized

Wow. Arewa-led government of Nigeria made Nigeria difficult for Igbos. Igbos fled abroad in droves.

Now, that Nigeria is hell for Arewa. Arewa people now flee to Igbo land for safety.

Without the help of the colonial master to Arewa, Igbos can easily regain their own country free from Nigeria.

EastisBae:
Up ESN!

Down to slavish puppets who don't care about us.

With the backing of millions of Igbos abroad, I doubt if ESN would ever lack anything

Wow. Arewa-led government of Nigeria made Nigeria difficult for Igbos. Igbos fled abroad in droves.

Now that Nigeria is hell for Arewa.

Without the help of the colonial master to Arewa, Igbos can easily regain their own country free from Nigeria.