₦airaland Forum

nex:
They were wearing Boko Haram ID Cards and T-shirts, I'm sure. Or maybe they were just screaming: "We are Boko Haram!".

By the way, Boko Haram are very much into Catapults, Arrows, Knives, Bottles, and Machetes.

LIE!

So, is it with catapults and machetes that they used in engaging and killing soldiers and police for hours last year?

Some people will go to any length to twist any issue to their favour.

princekevo:
Man you did not answer my question. Is it today you discovered that there was nobody like Mr. Gbomo Jomo. This article has been into existence as far back as october last 2009. Why did you not direct your question to media then? Is not too late, since i am that silly maybe you can explain to all the world media that has always addressed this speaker of MEND as Mr. Gbomo Jomo.

Every information we have gotten from MEND both past and present was issued by a person, office or source the whole world media knows as Gomo Jomo the spokesperson of MEND. All the statement issued by this person, or office as you guys might claim, has been taken seriouse as the true voice of Mend without any doubt or arguement. Including the message he release before the attack on March in Delta state, after the Amnesty.
So why suddenly we are now doubting these same voice or spokesperson? Pls, Explain this to me like am a 4 year old kid maybe i will understand better.

Abeg quote one of those media.

omojand:
I love this man OBJ!! I feel him so much. Too bad he's so misunderstood.

I kind of agree with you there.

400 people and CNN and BBC is not carrying it.

Looks like they ve known how cheap death is in Nigeria.

Cyberfreak:
That was uncalled for.

Dont mind them.

We have so many tereble individuals here

A politician or political leader (from Greek "polis" is an individual who is [size=14pt]involved[/size] in influencing public policy and decision making. This includes people who hold decision-making positions in government, and people who seek those positions, whether by means of election, coup d'état, appointment, electoral fraud, conquest, right of inheritance (see also: divine right) or other means. Politics is not limited to governance through public office. Political offices may also be held in corporations, and other entities that are governed by self-defined political processes.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Politician

How come u dint see that very first statement.

john david:
this is real tereble!

Ya! very [b]tereble [/b]ooo

Kobojunkie:
hm . . . . I love the way the SSS is saying something but never really saying something.  Let me play along for a bit  . . .

Dokpesi is not a politician, so he couldn't  be the one claimed to have been in South Africa two weeks ago. IBB was not in South Africa during the same period either. So What Nigerian politician(s) were in South Africa two weeks ago?

Now, in a country where people can still get unregistered cell phones with no hassle, we are to believe that Raymond Dokpesi used the same cell phone he uses for other transactions for his alleged communication with the nine bombing suspects? 

na wa ooo!!!

I can't wait to see how this all turns out  . . .

Kobojunkie:
This is part of the reason why a mere 0.1% or even less continue to rule a nation of over 150 million in corruption, year after year/decade after decade.

The article DOES NOT tell you that Dokpesi was in South Africa . . . in fact, it makes it clear that DOKPESI is NOT A POLITICIAN. All it tells you is that a Politician was in South Africa Two weeks ago and you have ALREADY CONCLUDED that the politician was Dokpesi and that the Politician was with Okah.

See how the truth really GETS TWISTED? Not necessarily by those in power but by ordinary people at the end of the day.

Why do you keep saying that Dokpesi is not a politician yet he is heading IBB's campaign organization.

What really makes one a politician?

They are always at the right place at the right time.

They need to answer many questions. How did they visit the militants just 48hrs b4 the blast?!!

spikedcylinder:
Is that Tony Tetuila? He still sings?

Na waa oooo. Una no de pity peson at all? Na peson brother be dat oo.

texazzpete:
http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/Opinion/5627142-182/ongoing_concerns__embarrassing_words_.csp

In 1939, at the beginning of the World War II, the British Ministry of Information printed more than two million copies of a poster that bore the words KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON, as one of a set of three posters designed to inspire a weary British public in the event of a German invasion. Today those words are famous - in Britain at least - despite the fact that the posters were never eventually distributed to the public.

Today, those words are sorely needed on the other side of the Atlantic. Over the weekend, the man we assumed was our president, who only a few weeks ago moved us with lofty words of hope, and a vision of transformation, shot himself in the foot and then put the bloody foot in his mouth.

When, in the aftermath of the October 1 blasts the president insisted on absolving the alleged perpetrators of responsibility, in that instant he ceased to be the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and became something much smaller.

In April, after an ailing President Yar’Adua played host to Islamic clerics in Aso Rock, I wrote (in this column): “When a man [who’s] supposed to be the president of a multi-religious country chooses to secretly reveal himself only to Islamic clerics, five weeks after being smuggled into the country, one begins to wonder if he’s actually the president, or merely the overrated leader of a shadowy Islamic sect.”

Today, sadly, I am compelled to apply a modified version of those words to Mr. Yar’Adua’s successor.

“When a man [who’s] supposed to be the president of a multi-ethnic country chooses to transform himself into the spokesperson of a regional militant group with an incontrovertible reputation for violence, one begins to wonder if perhaps it isn’t time to acknowledge the fact that there is indeed a vacancy in the presidential palace.’’

Mr. Jonathan was quoted as saying: “What happened yesterday was a terrorist act and MEND was just used as a straw; MEND is not a terrorist group. It is erroneous to think that my people who have been agitating for good living will deliberately blow up the opportunity they have now.”

With those embarrassing words Mr. President missed out on an amazing opportunity to use the tragedy to send a powerful message to the Nigerian people; a message of comfort, a rallying cry to unite against shedders of blood and enemies of progress.

Imagine if the president had gone on air immediately (his speech accompanied by translations into all major Nigerian languages) and paid tribute to all the lives sacrificed in the name of Nigeria since 1960: including, but not limited to, Biafra’s war dead; the thousands who have died in religious crises in the last three decades; even the five persons who died when MEND attacked the Atlas Cove jetty in July 2009 (the same MEND that the president would like us to believe are meek as lambs and innocent as babies).

Imagine if the President had sought to weave a sober narrative of hope and unity and righteous anger “from the sorrow, tears and blood”.

But no, instead of rising to the demands of the moment, Mr. Jonathan panicked, and sank, dragging the entire nation with him. The incident momentarily stripped him of his presidential garb and wrapped him in the gaudy garments of a ‘tribal’ chieftain.

Now I will leave the in-depth debate about ‘whether it was MEND or not’ for another time. My concern in this piece is less with ‘whodunit?’ than with ‘whatcanwelearn?’

You and I know that blowing Abuja up is hardly the most challenging task in a country where whole ships are liable to go missing, and where the original copy of the report of a probe into the disappearance of $12 billion can vanish without trace.

And for those who, like the president, insist that it was impostors using the name of MEND, I say, ‘what have you been smoking?’ MEND has never been known to be silent. Jomo Gbomo - whoever he/she/they/it might be - may be guilty of many things, but tongue biting is certainly not one of them.

[size=18pt]If MEND is indeed being ‘impersonated’, why isn’t the real MEND proclaiming its innocence to the highest heavens?[/size] Shaped as my generation has been by conspiracy series like ‘24’ and movies lik Salt’, perhaps we should be willing to concede to the possibility that the entire senior hierarchy of the real MEND has been kidnapped, is being held incommunicado, and is hence unable to defend itself. Anything is indeed possible in a country whose president panics in the most public of ways.

The first victory of Friday’s attackers was to blow Abuja up. The second victory was to cause Mr. Jonathan to blow himself up (using Words of Maximum Destruction) - in panic, I insist - and to severely damage our confidence in his ability to be the strong leader Nigeria needs.

Let me warn him: he will be tested again. The least he can do in preparation is to learn from this incident. The buck will stop, as always, at his table. Nigeria needs a Commander-in-Chief, not a Panicker-in-Power.

I will take it that the writer did not watch TV last night.

Africanson:
The president have stated MEND did not commit this murders. So, why is he holding Okah responsible at the same time?. There must be something else going on here

Some people are so dumb here.

Okah is not equal to MEND. Okah might be a member of MEND but that doesnt mean he did what he did under agreement with MEND authorities.

MEND is a group which Okah belongs to and it doesnt mean that eveything Okah doest is what MEND does.

Just like when a policeman uses his issued riffle to rob,  it doesnt mean that NIGERIA POLICE robs people.

Why is this so hard for people to get!

Gbawe:
Jonathan appealed to Okah through the Presidency. Listen to the interview yourself if you have Aljazeera or wait for transcript to reach the net. The point is that Okah claims that the Presidency wanted him to reach out to MEND and convince them to retract the statement they issued accepting responsible for the Indepedence day bombing. Even if he is lying , I don't need to point out that many will believe him because of the haste , which many of us criticised, of President Jonathan to [b]authoritatively absolve MEND of culpability when the militant group itself is happy to accept responsibility for its own action !!!! [/b]We should also wonder if it is acceptable International relations protocol for the South Africans to be allowing Okah grant interviews while in detention if they believe in his guilt.

I am certain that by absolving MEND, GEJ is simply implying that MEND did not do it for their cause as their warning claimed even though members of MEND was used in doing it.

Why is that hard to get. It is like one using armed robbers to carryout an assassination.

seunmsg:
This is the more reason to beleive that IBB/DOKPESI is behind the bomb blast.It is unfortunate that some people cant just read between the lines. Okah is simply saying what he has been paid to say.

EXACTLY!!!

Gbawe:
and I repeat that Okah's claim is not predicated on a need to admit guilt or involvement before it is seen as credible. We all know he is a former leader of MEND. I have listened to the interview . Okah claims that the President wanted him to use his influence ,within a group he once headed, to reach out to active members of MEND and convince them to retract their admission of culpability for the bombing. Na-so, even you can see that this makes sense given how quickly and prematurely Jonathan came out to say that this is not the work of MEND.

If GEj asked him to put the blame on the north, why will he then be arresting Dokpesi (a southerner) declare Ben Jessy and Chima Orlu ( two sotherners) wanted.

If Jonathan wanted it to look like what the north did, he will be implicating more northerners than southerners.

Believe a crook like Okah at your own peril

Care-Taker:
Jonathan couldn't have contacted this your Okah of a man by himself, knowing the polilitical implications or the jeopardy it can cause if a tout/criminal like this begins to spew out infos.

Gbam!!

Especially when all eyes and ears are already on Okah.

xterra2:
If it is not MEND how do they know about the attack?
They gave a Warning which means they knew
So if it is not them for sake of argument they should be punished as they knew about the attack and gave a warning
They are accomplice of a bad crime

You people are working on the assumption that IT IS MEND THAT ISSUED THE WARNING
AND

HAS BEEN CLAIMING RESPONSIBILITY AND APOLOGIZING.


What if it is not MEND that is doing all that?

Can you guys not tell me that one can steal anybody's identity and claim anything?

Have you seen any video of MEND militant claiming responsibility?

reubeno:
I totally agree with those people who termed our presido GEJ has been naive to the act of governance, that singular act has really lead to alot of people undermining his prowess to lead Nigeria including members of his own government (saraki and Gusua.
How on earth will he align himself to MEND? Pls let him mentioned names, however i want to advised he shud neva think that he can robe some of his political opponents into this poo.

Bad grammar.

texazzpete:
As the President of Nigeria, Goodluck Jonathan's job is to provide security for Nigerians.
He says MEND didn't do it. His supporters claim he must have some intel that we are not privy to. Fair enough.
but now he claims he knows who did it! And remember he also claims that the people behind the bombing aren't MEND, but 'terrorists'

In other words, Jonathan knows the terrorists that attacked Nigerians in full view of the world, killing and maiming innocent citizens.

In other words, if Jonathan does not name, shame and arrest these 'terrorists', then it shows that

1. He is shielding terrorists from Justice
2. He is not fit to be President.

I have been a keen Jonathan supporter all this while. But i will find it very difficult to cast my vote for him (if he scales the primaries hurdle) in 2011 if he cannot act on the information he claims to have.

So even though George Bush knew that Osama masterminded 9/11 and yet couldnt catch him so he:

1. shielded terrorist from justice?
2. he was not fit to be president?

Think of something else to say abeg.

Arysexy:
u dumb behind, who told u igbo day was being celebrated on independence day? u co.wards know how to twist story, i read imbec.ilic bluetooth talking of hosting biafra flag, where did u read that from the report? have u been to any ohaneze gathering before? if world igbo day is being held all over the world, why wouldn't it be held in Abuja, are we not nigerians? your tribal brain have blocked your sense of reasoning. The report said they have paid months before the rice sharing event crop up, in fairness who is entitled to that place?

All these yoriba f.ools envying anything igbo should go and rest, cos we are not of the same stock with them. Tribal hatred and envy will keep supressing your Yoruba generation while we match on with our ever winning spirit. u guys should al jump into the lagoon for all i care, u hatred for anything igbo is a morale booster for us. If u think too much of igbos, VERY HIGH BP go kill una, if u vex too much go hug 33KV transformer. IGBOs are setting the blaze, while yoribas are trailing behind. Fo.ols, bleaching tiger-whisker- tribalists!!!

Thank you so much, I have been waiting for someone to point that out.

Why do people like go out of their way to twist any igbo related story to fit their argument.

It quite a pity!

People should learn how to spell. Na waa oo

Militants?!!!

is that a new name for it now?

Even though the nigerian government refused to revisit the war and events dat led to it, the truth shall surface one day.

You cant follow your future if you dont know your past.

The enemy that lives at your backyard is more dangerous than the one up north.

~Bluetooth:
You may not be against jonathan but a lot of ibo have expressed their opposition toward his aspiration even on nl.what i still want to understand is why IBB would want to settle for Odili,a ND when he had made noise that he would want to see an ibo presidency in 2015.is that not a deception to the core ?

It amaze me how people like you take everything you read on nairaland as igbo opinions.

You should grow up abeg.

MyJoe:
I think you might be.

Take a pen a write down the ownership of the 25 recapitalised banks in Nigeria. Then move to Insurance and do same. These are the financial institutes. The person that controls them controls the economy. It was for this reason that many analysts blamed Obasanjo and Soludo for entrenching SW control of the Nigerian economy through the banking consolidation. Those analysts were right.

If you move away from banking to the real sector, the story is not much different. Check the ownership of blue chip institutions and hotels. The media is dominated by the South South. In fact, the South South is the only competitor the SW has in this country.

Import and export, buying and selling are fine but big money is controlled elsewhere. To achieve a balanced control of Nigeria's economy, the North needs to catch up educationally. SE governors need to find ways to encourage long terms investments. No can control the economy without being active in banking, insurance, oil, telecoms, or the media.

I cant pen down the ownership of the banks and that is no reason why I must agree that whoever you have in mind own most of them.

Again name those blue chip institutions and hotels and the owners and lets see who is incharge there.

Import and export are not just fine. Our economy depend on them so much and one can rightly argue that that is where the big money is.

Also  bulk of the  money being managed in the so called financial institutions are made from import and export.

~Bluetooth:
It means people should alwasy consider their tribesmen when taking stup!d decision out of greed.

~Bluetooth:
ROTFL. . .the two issues are very different from each other.tell me if ibo didn't react in the east during the kaduna riot back.

im happy that abagworo cited the Odi incidence for you.

Is it only Kaduna riot you know about? There has been dozens of it and hundred of thousands of igbos have died on it.

Now did igbo people go killing hausas in hundreds of thousands?

You asked if it is Ojukwu and the answer is that most likely, some few touts in the east might react but they will not kill hausas in hundreds of thousands and it will not be an organized pogrom that will be supported by igbo leaders.

@playmode,

your post is rather too long to comment on but you should just take it easy on Jonathan.

Tell me who has done better in Nigeria. And who told you that he 'has not drawn any proper plan to tackle Nigeria’s power problem'?
Do you even listen to news at all?

If you are saying that he has not started implementing, that will be different but when you say that he is yet to come up with a plan, it becomes obvious that you are not abreast with what is going on in the country.

As for one achievement: I no longer queue to fuel my car and I buy petrol at 64 naira since Jonathan happened.

saintchux:
Is IBB sharing or dashing Igbo's presidency, does it belong to him?

You never know. Some fools are already buying that load of crap.

MyJoe:
I don't think Igbos are in charge of the Nigerian economy. Why do you think so, sir?

I thought so because the igbos are the one doing most of the trading, production and own more financial institutions in the country.

Nigerias economy is very dependent on imported commodities and all the other things I mentioned above and igbo people are in control of them and that was why i believe igbo is in control of our economy.

I might be wrong though.

[center][size=28pt]Quran Burning Day Attack Preparations have started.

Sensible christians should Vacate North Before the D-Day.

You are warned![/size][/center]

nearest:
This news is confusing, is it that there's no Lt General in the nigerian army that a major general is now the chief of army staff?

Who is more senior a Lt. General or a Major General?

delegiwa:
Komando na enweghi egbe,  

^^^ that is quite hilarious.

@post, even though I have also wanted an igbo person to be an army chief, this move by GEJ is simply a move to counteract IBB's igbo-will-take-over-in-2015 rubbish.

Who even cares if an igbo man is the president. I dont know why some people desperately need that. As long as we are in charge of the economy and cash flow, others can entertain themselves with ruler-ship.  If not for anything, for sake of power balance.

Igbo person being there is not the most important thing but a good igbo person, unlike the  Onovo disgrace.

sbeezy8:
had to let nigguz know you are edo and not yoruba-

@ my previous post Infact thats human nature-

Nigerians TALK SHIOT ABOUT Kenyans and Americans ALL THE TIME -yet when Barack Obama become president Nigerians were saying hes making africa and black proud.

thats just how it is, Like white americans being racist towards blacks but when blacks compete in the Olympics and win gold medals- They suddenly become Americans and its less emphasis on them being black.

if you are sjeezy8,

this is the first time i have to agree wit u on something.
It just like you said. All the arguments, disagreements, accusations and allegations about 'other' tribes you see on NL are just human nature. None is peculiar to a particular tribe.

It just that NL are filled up with so many kids to figure this out.