nlsmd:
That wld be a direct indictment on PMB

The North will never sell themselves out publicly unlike a particular region ever ready to do that

You fail to notice that security and democracy are intertwined.

The only region free of security tensions is also the only place where democracy and civic awareness is highest amongst its indigenes. Go figure!

mekaboy:
I remember how igbos were treated like outcasts after the elections. When they share positions and there is left over they throw to the igbos.

Everyone was like that's the price you pay for the wrong choice u made.

In just 2 years, seems like the whole table has turned. Should igbos be consulted before making political decisions in 2019?

Is the 97% now looking up to the 5% for direction.?

Maybe Nigerians should listen to obasanjo and get an Igbo president.

It is not a coincidence that the sun rises from the east.

The Ibo 5%ter is going through a worse situation that that faced by his 95% counterpart in Nigeria.

Which people lament about failed business when caught doing crime? Which people cry about their family is in poverty and they are trying to make ends meet hence excuse for carrying gun or drug or prostituting? Ibo people!

Mouth claim alone is no longer sufficient to hide your shames. In past before social media and wide availability of mobile internet you can make any claim about East. We didnt know because we never live there. That has changed. Your dirty laundry is on internet now. I can pull a site and find out about a village anywhere in Iboland. What you tell me is not sufficient to hide the fact and truth that internet will reveal about your filth, poverty and sufferhead.

jomoh:
Suleiman is in deep poo.

If this is true, it is only by Gods grace that Nigeria will avoid a war and it will forever be on record that one Apostle John Suleiman was the provocator.


BTW where's your source.

Some of you guys have voluntarily lied down for fulani to trample over you and he doesnt even need to ask you to oblige him anymore....you just do it on your own now.

How is Apostle Suleman in trouble, even if 100 fulani herdsmen were killed?

kaydutchboy:

Does that change the fact he forfeited $500K in his acounts for drug trafficking in the 90's?Daily Beast is a respected and well known American news media organization,look them up.

He did not forfeit money for drug trafficking. In US under Drug Enforcement law if your money is confiscated you dont get any part back. Tinubus money was confiscated for tax owed. Out of 1.4million they took .46 and returned rest to him.

lawani:


YOU PEOPLE ARE MERELY WRITING ENGLISH WITHOUT ADDING NEW KNOWLEDGE. I AM FROM IJESA, SO I AM USING WHAT IS BELIEVED IN IJESA AND NOT A GUESS! DO YOU HAVE ANOTHER MEANING? I MEAN FOR THOSE PLACE NAMES? IF YOU DONT, WHY DEBATE SOMEONE FROM THE AREA?

IJESA IS ONE OF THE MAIN YORUBA GROUPS ESTABLISHED AFTER THE ARRIVAL OF THE MECCAN ODUDUWA JUST LIKE MANY OTHERS LIKE OYO, IGBOMINA, EGBA, BENIN OWU, YAGBA ETC. THEY WERE NOT EXISTIN 1500 YEARS AGO. ANCIENT STATES CONTROLLED THOSE LANDS BEFORE THE NEW ONES WERE INAUGURATED.

Awesome!
So Lawani, if there is Ketu in Ijeshaland, Ketu in Popo, Ketu in Sabe, Ketu in Oyo, Ketu in Offa, Ketu in Kabba, Ketu in Bini, Ketu in Lagos, Ketu in Owu....should each of these Ketus not be identical in root history? Why, if you tell me the meaning of Ketu in Ijesha, can I not expect that it is identical to the other Ketus, and indeed applicable?

lawani:


BASED ON LINGUISTICS AND DNA, IGBOS AND YORUBA WERE ONE PEOPLE BUT OBVIOUSLY THEY BRANCHED OFF AND MERGED WITH DIFFERENT GROUPS, SAME APPLIES TO YORUBA AND NUPE. THE YORUBA ANCESTORS WERE PROTO NUPOID TO AN EXTENT, SAAKI WAS THE ROYAL GREETING BEFORE KABIYESI AND IT IS STILL USED BY NUPES, WE HAVE IGBO ITAPA IN ILE IFE AND ITAPA MEANS NUPE. OUR GREETING E KU IS A NUPE GREETING BUT THE RELATIONSHIP WITH IGBO IS SOMEHOW SIGNIFICANT BECAUSE WE DONT SHARE BORDERS WITH THEM.

MGBALA IS AGBALA COURTYARD
GIRIPA IS DIMKPA ADULT MALE
MGBA IS IGBA TIME
OKA IS OKA MAIZE
ATUPA IS ATUPA LAMP
EWU IS EWURE GOAT
EKWENSU IS ESU ORISA FOR RATIONALITY
OSA IS THIEF LIKE OLOSA
THERE ARE MANY MORE
IF ANYTHING IS BASIC, IT IS WORDS LIKE ESU, OKUTA, AGBALA ETC AND THEY ARE SAME IN IGBO. SO THERE IS NO DOUBT AT ALL THAT SOME OF THEIR ANCESTORS WERE THESAME AS YORUBA ANCESTORS. NO DOUBT AT ALL AND GIVEN THE DIFFERENCE IN CULTURE AND SOCIETAL ORGANISATION, WHAT CAUSED THE SEPARATION IS OBVIOUS ENOUGH AND THAT IS IGBO ANCESTORS WERE IFE PEOPLE WHO REFUSED TO ACCEPT KINGS OR PAY TAX TO ANYONE. THEY MAY HAVE BEEN REBELS. SO WHOEVER WAS KING THEN SAID 'IF THAT IS HOW THEY WISH TO LIVE, LET THEM BE!'. THAT TO ME IS OBVIOUS ENOUGH. SO THE FIRST IGBOS LEFT THE CITIES TO GO AND LIVE IN SMALL NON VIOLENT SELF SUBSISTENCE GROUPS WITH SETTLEMENT NEVER EXCEEDING 2000 IN POPULATION FOR EASY ADMINISTRATION IN THE VILLAGE SQUARE BY ALL.

If you do a comparative of words between Yoruba and other ethnics within Nigeria you will no doubt arrive at commonality with people as far as Kanuri and as well to Ijaw and Adamawa, in addition to Igbo and Nupe.

Yoruba share word commonality with Romans and even Egypt and Hebrew. These are all on the surface. Go beneath the surface and extract markers that tie Yoruba to Igbo and share with us.

ODVanguard:


Bro, I think it's safe to say that Mr. Lawani's theories are based on speculation without any hard evidence as I doubt there's any oral, written or documented evidence to prove what he's saying hence his usage of words like "it cannot be less than 3-5 thousand years ago". Na mere speculation. It's like saying all black people ultimately come from the same single source. That is only logical anyhow, but yet doesn't change the fact that Igalas and Zulus are different from Yorubas today.

Well, we have to start from somewhere when authentic records are missing or exist with gaps. Speculation is allowed, to build into theories. It is safe for the author to disclose that upfront than to leave audience guessing on where his claims stand.

So not to dismiss your sensibility about his contributions, which Im sure is valid, but on both sides I think an openess will help in encouraging extraction of information and knowledge.

igbodefender:
Scholars should do more DISPASSIONATE research on Igbo places like Ugbodu, Onitsha (Orissa) Ugbo, Ugbokko Araba, Ogba, Egbeda, all in the Igbo speaking areas of Nigeria (Igboland). What are their mysterious linkages to their present day Yoruba namesakes? For instance, why is their Ogba in both Lagos (Eko) and in the Igweocha (Port Harcourt) area of Rivers State?

There is a conscious state of mind and there is an unconscious state of mind, and they operate as a pair. The one is inseparable from the other.

When you study a society you will see a similar symmetry in the collective consciousness and unconsciousness of the people and their land.

That which is unconscious in them take the form of customs, rituals and traditions and congregate into a culture. Intangible heritage!

That which is conscious in them takes form of arts, commerce, wars, politics and history. These are tangible.

In doing comparative study of separate distinct societies we often neglect the unconscious aspect and focus totally on the tangible. We end up leaving behind the aspect of a people's origin that inform on the nativity of their progenitors and ancestral foot tracks from point to point, and particularly their observations of articles of faith and divinity. In the belief system are threads that distinguish and frame the disconnects of people A from people B, even though in contemporary society A and B probably speak same tongue and appear on the surface, tangibly, to be connected.

lawani:
THERE WAS A TIME IGBO AND YORUBA WERE ONE BEFORE THEY SPLIT BUT THE MECCAN ODUDUWA CAME AFTER ISLAM!. THAT IS A VERY RECENT ARRIVAL. THE MOREMI STORY HAPPENED AFTER IFE WAS RELOCATED TO THE PRESENT AREA FROM ELSEWHERE, SO THE UGBO PEOPLE UNDER THE OLU IGBO WERE TROUBLING THEM JUST LIKE PALESTINIAN TROUBLE JEWS TODAY! THOUGH ALL WERE THESAME IFE PEOPLE BUT THE OLU IGBO RECOGNISED A MORE ANCIENT IFE THAT HAD GONE UNDER, SO IT TOOK THEM SOME TIME TO GET USED TO THE NEW PEOPLE MASQUERADING AS IFES!. SO THEY RAIDED THEM AS WOULD BE EXPECTED! THAT IS THE STORY!.

WE DONT KNOW WHEN YORUBAS AND IGBOS SEPARATED BUT IT CAN NOT BE LESS THAN 3 TO 5 THOUSAND YEARS AGO!. I WILL SAY IT WAS BEFORE THE TIME OF OGUN ALARA BECAUSE IGBOS DONT SACRIFICE DOGS BUT NOT BEFORE OGUN ONIKOLA SINCE IGBOS PERFORM CIRCUMCISION ON MALES. IT MAY BE BEFORE ORUNMILA TOO. THE FIRST ALARA WAS ORUNMILA'S SON. YORUBA CALENDAR IS 10060 THIS YEAR, LET US JUST SAY THE FIRST FIVE THOUSAND YEARS PROBABLY SAW YORUBAS AND IGBOS AS ONE PEOPLE. THAT IS MY SUBMISSION

Could this just be a theory, or is there a convincing markers that you can inject to make it factual and conclusively historical?

absoluteSuccess:


If you hide under the twists to request that all words must be twisted to be true, your own claims too is open to 're twist'. Every Yoruba place name derived from just ' one idea', names where not given to confuse anyone, although later variant use of syllables in a place-name can mislead someone who subscribe to your way of thinking.

Place name can be really very simple, as given in Ode-Omu, which simply means 'hunter, won't you drink some water?' In that vicinity is ipetumodu, where a statue is mounted at the gate to the city depicting a hunter carrying an antelope across the shoulder, with a dane gun in his hand. Really false etymology that is.

Go to Ipetu-Ijesha, where Ipetu is said to mean something else, you'll understand that ipetu is not killing antelope, but 'I pe tu' kill the meek, which is a phrase or 'idiomatic expression' (of christianlike mood) that implies atone for or pacify someone who takes offence in you. Ipetu may be an alter where a 'gentle lamb is offered' or just 'call for calm'..

The moment we subscribe to your twist-is-fact, we stopped digging deep into the ancients and their wonderous worldview and settles for lame interpretation of ancient wisdom that intellectually complacent folks who are equally seeking to know the secrets of their/our ancestors offer us as 'gospel truth'. They may be wrong interpreters.

Every Yoruba place name preceded the people who were trying to tell us their meaning, its like hierogliph, you think you can tell what a word mean by the picture, but it may not be what you think it says. The rule of diction is, don't bend the meaning, don't help the word via ' water down interpretation', just the word only.

In Alimosho, you hear Ijanikin, ipaja, iikija: now in ancient Yoruba, the wordsmith gave us a mantra of the fathers as 'erinmoje omo saaja' I'm interested in saaja and it means 'retreating fighter'. Sa is flight and aja is fighter. Now you have the dictions of the ancestors that conveyed their mindset already.

Then employ this hindsight in appreciating words in this coinage style such as Ipaja: then it get clearer that Ipaja means 'battlecry' or 'call to arms'. Then if that's true, it may be that the place was named by people who knew how to call people to battle array.

Now if someone who do not have any clue to this idea is out to tell us the meaning, won't it be the simpleton idea that ipaja means 'anea epidemy'. Every connection to the wordsmith of old is severed and a place is isolated from her history from mere opinion that the originator himself is not sure of.

Crosscheck this definition on wider perspective:

Ikija: battle strong;
Ijanikin: battle is bravery;
Alakija: strong built for battle.

Your fact must agree with wordsmiths of ancient Yoruba, not some arbitrary-inclined misinterpretations called history or meaning of words given by one particular villager.

You are very thorough and enlightened. The difference I see between your approach to lawani is that you are conservative and he is liberal.

Place-names are part of the culture and we must not treat it with liberal attitude leaving interpretation open for anybody to assign meaning and identity.

I wonder if Yorubas have a place-name index on record. It will be good idea to do so.

lawani:


WHO ESTABLISHED AND NAMED LOKOJA? IT WAS THE OYO, NOT THE OWORO BUT THEY DID SO ON THE LAND OF OWORO JUST LIKE THEY ESTABLISHED EDE ON LAND THAT WAS IJESA. LOKOJA WAS A MAJOR OYO INLAND PORT. THE NAME IS SAID TO MEAN LOKEOJA. NORTH OF THE MARKET BUT THE OYO ARE NO LONGER THERE. THE PLACE NOW HAS OWORO AND NUPE. ITS A MIXTURE OF OWORO YORUBA AND NUPE.

6
I do not dispute that. I was using it as background to highlight social evolution and the impact on names and historicals.

The OJA is lost in pronounciation, the accent is anglocized and carries no identity in any of the languages of either its indigenes or the settlers.

absoluteSuccess:


Most of the scholars are deluded on Yoruba history: they want to reverence Odua and also reverence an unknown history at the same time. They want to say Odua existed but did not exist, they are confused.

Ile Ife may be the capital of Yorba at inception, as Lokoja is to Nigeria, but it is not where Yoruba originated from. Yoruba created Ile Ife, they were not created at Ile Ife. In fact the hero of Ife is not Odua but Moremi.

Omode gbon agba gbon lafi dale Ife: ife is an expanse built into city, most of the ancient cities said to be of Odua sons existed as at the same time Ile Ife was founded.

The creation theory sprang from deliberately misunderstanding the phrase 'nibi oju rere gbeti nmo wa le aye' which says the place is in the east, 'where sunrise spread across the land'.

This is where I became submisive to the arguments of metaphysical, who claimed that ile ife is borrowed from Nineveh, even people of middle east of hebrew time refer to the place (Nineveh) as east too.

Yoruba adopted place names from their wellspring. Its either that Ile-Ife history reminisce the Genesis account or Yoruba scholars are plagiarising hebrew tradition of creation. One was first published.

I always thought Levite is associated with Nineveh. This new angle of equating Ile Ife is astounding and connects the dots for me.

lawani:


I STILL INSIST YOU HAVE TO ASK THE OWNERS OF THE NAME THE MEANING! IJAMO FOR INSTANCE MEANS IJA KNEW, IN THESAME IJESA, IJEDA MEANS THE BLOOD STOPPED FLOWING AND ETC. SO, YORUBA IS A FLEXIBLE LANGUAGE THAT YOU CAN NOT STEREOTYPE. IJESA IS IJO ESA WHILE ILESA IS ILE ESA AND ILESA WAS RENAMED IN THE 16TH CENTURY, THE OLD CITY THERE BORE ANOTHER NAME.

No, not quite.

I just left another thread on discussion about Oworo and I put a contribution there about Lokoja.

No one of those who claim ownership in the town has been able to tell us what Lokoja means.

The lack of knowledge in the meaning of Lokoja arises because of colonial presence and administration of the town.

Same problen resulted in Oshodi (expressway in mainland) in Lagos.

I have seen this same problem with names. Descendants of slaves in Brazil named DoSimone and Cosoko. These are authentic African names. DoSimone is corrupted from Dosunmu and Cosoko from Kosoko.

In the rivalry war between brothers in the House of Ologun Kutere, the captives of war sold to Portuguese ended in Brazil and in display of die hard loyalty to their Lords kept the names for branding of personal pride.

As people settle places names and identities change and evolve. However the origin and root never loose its meaning. The meaning is singular, while the pronounciation, spelling may be in many formats and plural.



There is all kind of manners to ascribe meanings to thoughts and terms which form in our minds. If each individual followed the free flow then we will loose value in ethnicity itself. I say this because the strongest differentiator of ethnic grouping is tongue. Even when tongue changes sometimes the word sustains as a historical phenomenon.

Eastactivist:


We still love our Apga
They can only force their way to aso rock for the interest of Igbos but for governorship is a no no..
Igbos are coming to take over in the mainstream

Good luck! Who will lead your political voice in APC?

Whatsgoingon:
A proposal for California to secede from the United States was submitted to the Secretary of State’s Office Thursday – January 26, 2017.

The proposed “Calexit” initiative - its name borrowed from the UK's "Brexit" departure from the EU - would ask voters to repeal part of the state constitution that declares California an inseparable part of the U.S.
Would they succeed?

Click or tap the link below to read what’s going on right now!
http://www.mazeech.com/page/view/218

These people don spoil market for Biafra.

Trump wilnever allow Cali to exit out US, not under his watch!

So where will then find voice to support an exit of Biafra from Nigeria?


This is not good for ipob. Their market has been devalued.

kettykings:
The General Overseer of Omega Fire Ministries Worldwide, Apostle Johnson Suleman, has formally been invited by the Department of State Services to appear at its National Headquarters in Abuja, SUNDAY PUNCH has learnt.

Our correspondent learnt on Saturday that the cleric was invited for interrogation on Monday (tomorrow) by 10am, based on his recent alleged inciting comments that Christians should defend themselves against attacks by Fulani herdsmen.



“Suleman will be appearing before the DSS with about 30 lawyers because we believe that his persecution has become politicised,” a source stated.

The invitation is coming four days after Governor Ayo Fayose of Ekiti State foiled attempts by the DSS to arrest Suleman in his Hotel room at Ado-Ekiti.

The Christian Association of Nigeria had also raised the alarm that Suleman “has become a refugee in Ekiti State as security operatives are said to be searching every nook and cranny of the state to arrest him.”

The DSS had reportedly invaded a hotel in Ekiti where Suleman and his team, who were in the state capital for a crusade, were accommodated.

Sources close to Suleman told SUNDAY PUNCH that he had indicated his intention to respond to the invitation.

When contacted, the clerics Communications Adviser, Mr. Phrank Shaibu, confirmed the invitation, saying he would appear before the DSS on Monday.

He said, “Yes, I can confirm to you that he (Suleman) was officially invited and as a law-abiding citizen, he will honour the DSS invitation on Monday. The invitation, though ludicrous and an afterthought, is a welcome development.”

Reacting to the invitation, former Prelate of the Methodist Church of Nigeria, His Eminence Sunday Ola Makinde, told SUNDAY PUNCH that Nigeria should not be turned to a “police state.”

Makinde said, “He should be law-abiding, let him go and face the DSS. Let us see if they will detain him and they will detain so many religious leaders in Abuja.

“Nigeria is greater than any religion and Nigeria is greater than anybody. The DSS should watch it. If they like, let me be the next victim. What is annoying them is that Suleman converted from Islam to Christianity.

“Self-defence is permissible; they slapped our first cheek. They slapped the second cheek and we have no other cheek to turn for them. We may therefore resort to self-defence because this thing is becoming intolerable.”

The cleric is expected to tell the DSS how President Muhammadu Buhari would face impeachment threats and how Abuja would experience major fire explosion as contained in his predictions.

Suleman, according to a security source is also expected to give an insight into his prediction that “Buhari will be bereaved in 2017” and that the President’s “health needs attention.”

The security agency is also expected to drill him on his prediction that “Forces in Aso Rock are planning to poison current First Lady (Aisha Buhari).”

The security source said most of the actions and predictions of the prophet could destabilise the country.

As far as his prophecies are concerned he is on his own....he should have prophesied this encounter.


On the issue of his call for fulani herdsmen to be killed im on his side and if they would detain just for that im readybto hit the street and join marchers and protesters.

agabusta:



The reason Wike would not want to pay is simply because the aircrafts right from time were to be in custody of the airforce. Read the Premium Times link below.

He knows that due to political differences with the FG and also his belligerent nature to the FG, they will deny him access to the helicopters.

So what's the point in paying 300m?? When in actual sense, security operations falls under the purview of the FG and Rivers state govt cannot use the aircraft as they deem fit.

But wait a minute, who in his right sense will even release military-grade helicopters to a personality like Wike? Civil war don start be that na.

http://www.premiumtimesng.com/regional/ssouth-east/129199-we-bought-two-helicopters-but-for-security-reasons-governor-amaechi-says.html

The truth of the matter is the choppers were obtained in contravention of international laws regulating purchases of this type of hardware.

Wike cannot claim it because even if he were to pay the fees the hardware will be confiscated and of no use to him in Rivers.

The Air Force cannot claim it either because whoever smuggled them in did so in circumvention of rules and in fact a breach of national security.

If this has already been brought to the attention of US Im sure they are scratching their head and tracking the registration to trace its last point of ownership.

This is the kind of embarassment regulators wanted to avoid and therefore laid a process for transacting business of this nature. This outcome is outside of process and even if Air Force were to take ownership more than likely it would never be flown and would end up as scrap parts in maintenance hangar.

stuffs4me:



You are a compound f00l, a useless liar and a lunatic.

Lagos state government has helicopters that is being used by the police to combat crime.
The only issue is that Lagos is APC and can use their helicopters while Rivers state is PDP and the evil tyrant called Buhari will never allow them to use the helicopters.


As for those silly incompetent lying customs. Their head is that Hamid Ali whose only achievement in life is the gruesome murder of Ken Sarowiwa.

You can label me with what you want it does not take away the truth.

There is a process for purchasing airbone vehicles. The global standard is controlled very tightly and there are several checkpoints and oversights put in place to prevent an accidental slip where a highly sophisticated piece of engineering and proprietary technology will end in wrong hand and cause international embarassment and loss of political goodwill.

Bell Helicopters, USA, makes two categories of rotor blade aircraft, civilian and military grades. They are not interchangeable but can be retooled to arm the civilian chopper for military dispatch.

The particular chopper here in customs posession is military grade. Which means it is preconfigured for battle readiness. After 9/11 tighter regulations were passed relating to vibil and military aviation in US and through international agreements those regulations have pretty much become global best practice for offer, profurement, shipping and delivery of military grade crafts, whether fixed wing or rotor craft.

I know these things because Im intimately involved in trades and shows of militaryware exhibitions.

Lagos State, by international treaty, cannot submit interest direct to manufacturer for procurement of a military or para-military equipment. Their request must go through the sovereign authority that is signatory to the treaty. That will be the Federal Government of Nigeria. So Lagos State expresses interest to the ONSA to procure choppers for security and air patrol. Their specifications is reviewed and tendered for concurrence with the Defense Hqs. Defense forwards interest in the specifications through established vetted channels who first submits the application to US Consulate Security Officer to establish on record that the application is in conformance with rules. This seal of approval is communicated with Pentagon and State Dept inviting them to comment on the application. If their commentary is good the Nigerian buyer is put through to the American manufacturer/seller and the sale, shipment and delivery can proceed from there.

Sometimes Pentagon has its own surplused equipments and may act to refer the sale to a depot for execution.

So if Lagos State puts in an order today for chopper, considering the lengthy bureaucracy at the regulation check points in both countries it may end up lasting two years before the equipment itself gets here.

No state govt in Nigeria is a party to any defense or military treaty beyond the sovereign limits of Nigeria and they are therefore not qualified to go to the international market and purchase military hardware on their own.

So how did Rivers State get its assault-grade military choppers?

No need to speculate here. Start the trail by answering question on why billions of dollars seized on Pastor Oritsejafor private jet in SA was smuggled into that country and in violation of international banking rules and diplomatic protocols. Jonathan sucked up on the responsibility to cover up the dirty tracks of his errand boys shuttling across international airspace buying military hardware undercoverfor help launder money for terrorism.

These choppers were not bought from US.

Under Obama, and throughout Jonathan administration, US refused to sell us combat equipments. Reading from the first letter written by Wike and dated Sept 2015, this should serve as a reference point for Wike's role and possible incrimination in the attempted smuggle of military hardware into the country and subsequently his attempt at cover up to obstruct justice.


Feb 2015 - Electoral voting for Presidential Election postponed by NSA Dasuki.

March 2015 - Presidential Election held

April 2015 - Wike won election to succeed Amaechi as Governor of Rivers State.

Sept 2015 - Wike wrote letter


Question_
1. In what capacity did Wike draft and wrote his first letter of Sept of 2016?

2. Where is the letter of interest or order of procurement from the Chief Security of Rivers State, Amaechi, whom Wike claims is responsible? Just because Amae hi was in power does not mean he knew of the chopper purchase. This money laundry syndicate had a method of operation for forgery of documents and insurbordination of orders.

In a similar account Jonathan decries instances where the NSA released funds to agencies, depts and individuals outside of the President's awareness and approval.

Could similar thing have happened here in Rivers with Wike as Chief of Staff under Amaechi and forged authorization documents to effect the procurement?

3. How many of such smuggles have actually passed through undetected in the period when they had their lookout at the helm of affairs at Customs?

4. If US had military sale embargo on Nigeria, where the hell did Wike get this American made chopper?

5. Bokoharam is reputed to use helicopters for air drops and air lifts. What type of helicopters is in their posession, are they Bell, with night vision and fire power?

Dont come here to challenge with bare emotions...make sure your thoughts are logically and chronologically arranged. I will not use foul language on you....but I will demolish you with superior intellect.


In fact,after posting this i just thought to add that what happened in this chopper scandal also occurred with Stella Oduah as Minister of Aviation, though on a smaller scale but nonetheless demoralising in the precision with which the Minister, in collussion with Ngozi Iweala, first failed to obtain code authorization and approval for a bullet proof vehicle provisioned with light armour and imported illegally into the country through abuse of duty waivers and VAT forged and filed with wrong intent on the authorization of Lagos State Government and then the hard currency laundered throughCoscharis Motors.

When I say Ibos ruined GEJ administration Im serious!

Okimski:
Former finance minister, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, says she is not interested in contesting running for president in 2019.
Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala took to Facebook, Thursday, to post a disclaimer against a campaign on the social media site urging her to run for president in 2019, with the president of the African Development Bank, Akinwumi Adesina, as her running mate.
The campaign has a Facebook page “Okonjo-Iweala/Adesina 2019 Rescue” dedicated to it, with more than 25,000 people liking the page so far.
“I have nothing to do with this,” Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala said of the campaign, in her Facebook post. “I urge those behind it to stop, as I am focused on other things.
“While I thank those who want to have my name constantly in the headlines for one important position or the other in the country, rest assured I am fully occupied with my international assignments and loving it,” she said.
Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala, 62, served twice as Nigeria’s finance minister under former presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Goodluck Jonathan, and was credited with introducing reforms in the country’s financial sector especially during Mr. Obasanjo’s administration.
She holds a PhD in regional economics and development from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, MIT, in United States, and has been listed among the Forbes Magazine’s 100 Most Powerful Women in the World

http://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/headlines/221846-okonjo-iweala-says-shes-not-running-president.html

Iweala is a fugitive and has ran away from the country. She would not comr back here under any APC administration. She and Diezani have questions to answer and their hands are dirty, deep dirty like Dasuki's.

They will call Yoruba cowards but look at Ibos who served under Jonathan...they all have fled or gone under and shut their mouth.

FFK is here and constantly standing in opposition and voicing his dissent. Mrs Omobola Johnson is here. Mr Akinwunmi comes in periodically when his engagement allows. Where are the Ibos and their proud voices to oppose from PDP or even defend Jonathan?

Bloody cowards!

Eastactivist:
Afonjas won't like this

We love it, that transition puts him in self-submission to mainstream and thus disengages his availability for anything in Biafran ethnic agenda. He has made himself a pawn to kill off Biafran influence in Anambra. APC is winning Anambra in next election. Same goes for Abia.

By force or fire Iboland will belong to the party of amala and ewedu and cow herder.

Wike is lying.

It is not the job of Rivers State to fly air raids or patrol border for national assets. At the moment that job belongs to FG.

This cannot be the first shipment of armoured equipments into the country. If under Buhari's administration of scrutiny, and one in which the Director of Customs himself is a hawkeye, they can attempt to smuggle in armoured airships you can imagine under Jonathan and with an Ibo at the helm of affairs in Customs how many dangerous and counter-security equipments has been brought in under cover.

If we had not changed administration who would have uncovered the massive corruption going on with Diezani Maduekwe and Ngozi Iweala with funding from Dasuki's security allocations? The revelation about this chopper and saying it was imported under previous administration goes to say that EFCC need to sniff the ground thoroughly, they might unvover that the trail of heavy machinery and sophisticated weaponries found in bokoharam arsenals were channelled through access using money laundering syndicates based in SS/SE.

Recall that Jonathan had taken sea and coastal waters patrol and security away from Navy and contracted national security to a private company owned by Tompolo and ex-militants who then started importing military vessels and hardwares from abroad. The Ports Authority Director was a SS man, the Maritime Agency was an SS man, DSS was headed by SS woman, Customs was filled with Ibos, so it was all a tight arrangement for the syndication to succeed with zero oversight from NSA who was busy disbursing millions and billions to every d1ck Jack and Harry.

The current administration is not working well to relieve people of hardships but when it comes to national security Jonathan was a good riddance, thanks to Yoruba for supporting his replacement.

In Yoruba custom Elders are by "default" in position of honour. I emphasize default as a weight of the cultural value!

There can be exceptions to the rule.

An elder must uphold the virtue and reverence attached to age and guard at all times against actions, words and even thoughts that could demean and violate his/her honourable position in society. An elder that fails to recognize this or let the guard down has no recourse in customary rules.

scholes0:
lol whoever wrote that post does not know what he/she is talking about.
Oworo is a North-Eastern Yoruba dialect {NEY} of Lokoja Local Government near the Niger-Benue confluence.
Infact there is quite little Hausa influence in Oworo... The only other language that could have had significant influence is Nupe and Ebira.

Lokoja is historically a Yoruba town. Hausa presence there is explained by Lugard's action in Hausaland pre and post amalgamation. Those rulers who fought and opposed British imposition of indirect rule were exiled, if they survived the onslaught of military siege, and dumped in Lokoja as a punitive action. Yoruba are naturally hospitable and non discriminative. Their Yoruba hosts in Lokoja accomodated them warmly and vast of them remained behind in Lokoja while some returned after Lugard's departure to reclaim their lost privileges as nobles in Northern Emirates. Those who remained in Lokoja are exiled refugees whose descendants can be found there till today. Many have assimilated into the Yoruba culture. Traces of Hausa language also mixed with the local Yoruba dialect.

christopher123:
Welcome to Oworo land, where Igbo, Nupe, Yoruba etc tongues meet


A view of Agbaja in Oworo (2009). Photos: MAURICE ARCHIBONG. Copyrights Reserved.

Welcome to the Kogi State community of Oworo. Kogi State is in Nigeria’s Middle Belt area, and that state’s capital is Lokoja. Nigeria’s two major rivers, The Niger and Benue meet in Kogi near the state capital, which is why car number plates celebrate Kogi as Confluence State.

Oworo land is located on a plateau and is, therefore, very refreshing and rarely posts the torridity that sent colonial overlord, Federick Lugard, running out of town and relocating his seat of government to Zungeru, over Lokoja’s comparatively high ambient temperature.

Aside the cooler ambience of Oworo land, another plus for this terrain is the plenitude of prospective tourist attractions. A colonial catering rest house and another structure, which locals say served as Lugard’s country home is among these sites.

Vanishing: Ancient houses in Oworo.

In the same vein, Oworo throws up two streams and a spring. Elderly Oworo indigenes told us that this spring, which flows out of a rock on the way up the plateau, has never gone dry. Seeping from the rocks, many people collect its water for drinking with the belief that it has been purified by nature.

As Omu-iye, the name of one of the streams suggests, Oworo people believe there are therapeutic consequences after a wash in this river. In the same vein, we were also informed that Omu-Oke, one of the other waters located in Agbaja, also has spiritual cleansing powers.

A piece of Arigidi, Oworo traditional hand-woven textile.

“In ancient times, Omu-Oke was used to cure barrenness. A woman, who could not get pregnant, became fertile after a bath in Omu-Oke. We believe the waters are still potent, otherwise people would not be visiting tham as they do till date”, one of the chiefs told us.

Oworo water source.

Also, the Oworo settlement of Agbaja boasts Olu-iho, which translates as King of all holes. Olu-iho (or is it Oluwo) is the mouth of a tunnel that links Ebere-Aba to Agbaja, about 2km away. Olu-iho or Oluwo is worshipped every three years and features some sacrifices. And, a matrilineal son of the Aba Ruling House usually presents the offering.

During this one-day festival, always in the dry season and after necessary sacrifices had been made, there will be rainfall, even before the participants got back home. If no rainfall trailed the ritual, it means the gods had rejected the supplicants’ offering.

A view of Ojega Street in Oworo (2009).

It is worth noting, however, that this supposed triennial indaba had not taken place for roughly 10 years in Oworo land preceding our visit here in 2009. In fact, the latest Oluwo observance took place in 1999, and the one that should have been celebrated in 2002 was skipped because the then monarch had embarked on his final journey.
Apart from Agbaja, Oworo villages include Jakura, Ohiji and Tajimi. Over 40 villages make up Oworo country, which is bordered by Bunu Kabba, to the West; Igbirra Koto and Kogi Local Government Area (LGA), to the East; Adavi/Okehi LGA, to the South and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to the North.

Getting there and where to stay
As earlier stated, Oworo villages stand on a plateau near Lokoja, and the duration of the journey by car from the Kogi State capital is barely 30 minutes. But for the serpentine nature of the dirt road linking Oworo to the rest of this world, the trip would last much shorter.

To worsen matters, the narrow avenue carved out of the sides of the rocks throws up at least three hair-pin bends, which call for extreme care driving up or down. For our safety, we left the driving to a chauffeur provided by Nostalgia Hotel Limited, which also runs car hire and tours services in these parts.

We stayed at Nostalgia Hotel, during our latest trip to Lokoja, and operated from that town’s Lokongoma Quarters, where this lodge stands. After trudging up the narrow and dusty road in the hills, we finally made it safely to Agbaja, the spiritual headquarters of Oworo territory.

And our arrival could hardly be more fortuitous.

Five Oworo chiefs in 2009.

Encounter with Oworo chiefs
mauricearchibongtravels was lucky to meet at a go, at least five chiefs of different parts of Oworo nation. These royal fathers were Maasi (of Agbaja), Chief Abubakar Alugbere; Wokili of Oworo, Chief Abraham Mokelu, who is a retired Assistant Commissioner of Police; Mayaki of Oworo, Chief Gabriel Ehimni; and, Shaaba of Oworo, Chief Abdullahi Adama. Chief Adama (Shaaba) is also Chairman of Oworo Traditional Council (OTC).
The traditional rulers had gathered in the residence of the Maasi in Agbaja, District Headquarters of Oworo country, for a meeting; which is how we succeeded in meeting so many of them in one go.

The OTC is responsible for picking an Olu, paramount ruler of the Oworo nation, and we needed to find out why Oworo people have gone without a paramount ruler since the passage, on 25 March, 2002; of their last sovereign. Shortly, we shall dwell on that issue.
Welcome to Oworo land, where construction of a proposed new road has lasted more than seven years, yet the project remains far from completed!

Although Oworo lands stand on a plateau near the Kogi State capital, Lokoja, Nigeria’s famed Confluence City, only two of the 40 clans of Oworo; Agbaja and Tajimi, have pipe-borne water. In fact, Agbaja is the only settlement connected to the national electricity grid.

On a less depressing note, however, we gathered that Igbonla and Tajimi might soon join the league of electrified villages since a transformer had already been installed at each of these two settlements.

Another positive note: Commendable strides have been recorded in Oworo land with regard to the provision of healthcare and education. For example, each of the 40 Oworo villages boasts primary and secondary schools, and Agbaja has a cottage hospital, while other villages boasts dispensaries.

But, who are the Oworo?
Although numerous Yoruba words can be identified in Oworo vocabulary, there is no letter f in the latter’s alphabet. However, the more attentive listener would probably notice that more words are virtually the same, except that letter h takes the place of f in the Yoruba tongue.

Umebe Onyejekwe (extreme right) with five Oworo chiefs in 2009.

This explains why Oworo speakers call the local Lugard House Ile Onihun. Ile is the Yoruba word for house, while Onihun probably derived from enian-funfun a Yoruba phrase for white person. In the Oworo tongue, funfun comes down to hunhun because letter f is not part of their alphabet.

While the Oworo tongue sounds like a dialect of the Yoruba language, a few of their words are also common to the Igbo lingo. Apati and Oka, which stand for bag and maize in both Igbo and Oworo are two examples.

Moreover, whereas other Yoruba say, wa for come, Oworo’s equivalent of that call is the same as Igbo’s bia. Furthermore, the morsel meal made from a mix of guinea-corn and cassava, which the Ibo of Onitsha call Nri-oka comes out as Nje-ka in the Oworo tongue.

So, who really; are Oworo people? The chairman of Oworo kingmakers’ society said Oworo are ancestrally Yoruba from Ile-Ife. “We are descendants of Oduduwa”, was his remark.

However, the opinion of another chief was: “The ancestor of Oworo people emerged from the earth”.

Those, who share this view, believe that ancestor sprang from the bowels of the earth spontaneously at Aba.

While this myth does not tell us where this ancestor found a wife or wives through whom the clan multiplied, it throws up more curios; for, Aba; the place that the progenitor emerged from the belly of the earth, is pronounced exactly as the name of the Abia State traders’ hub, Aba, aka Enyinba City, is rendered.

The observations become more fascinating with the realisation that the name, Mokelu; is also borne by both Oworo and Igbo folks. However, Chief Mokelu, one of the five chiefs of Oworo we spoke with at Maasi’s residence in Agbaja, was keen to point out that there are tonal variations in the rendition of his Mokelu and the Igbo equivalent.
Welcome once again to Oworo land: One community with three palaces. As regards the age of Rani, the throne of Oworo paramount ruler; Chief Yakubu Ejinda had this to say: “Oworo has been in existence with paramount chiefs for more than 200 years”.

We gathered that Olu Aba, premiere paramount ruler of Oworo, was installed 1860. Prior to that coronation, this nation’s government was a confederacy, it seems.
Oworo nation boasts three ruling houses; namely, Aba Royal House, presently headed by Shaaba; Ajeto Royal House, headed by Rania Maasi and Adeopa Ruling House, headed by Wokili; while the Chairman of the kingmakers’ body is the Mayaki.

According to Chief Mayaki, a candidate had already been nominated and that the incumbent ruling house is called Akodi. Oworo, we were informed, has three palaces because there are three ruling houses in Agbaja.


Cultural diffusion and Oworo People
As has been the experience of other communities, the arrival of foreigners and their religious beliefs in Oworo land has had adverse impacts on these locals, where some traditional craft, like hand-woven cloth for which ancient Oworo was well-known, have virtually disappeared.

Many local shrines no longer see visitors bringing offerings because an uncountable number of Oworo indigenes now belong to either the Christian or Islamic faith. As one of the traditional rulers rued: “Civilization has taken its toll.”

Another impression of Oworo landscape in 2009.

Albeit, traditional worshipping persists, as could be gleaned from Oluwo observances; an annual festival, which takes place in the dry season. Oluwo is observed across Oworo land to this day, despite the adoption of Semitic faiths by virtually every member of this community.

Although Westernisation has taken evident tolls on Oworo people, Maasi of Agbaja declared; “Our masquerades have remained the same over the centuries. In fact, it is taboo to modify anything relating to these masquerades”.
In deed, there are various other festivals across Oworo Kingdom: Pre-planting season festivals in Oworo land include Egungun festival, called Ikoje.

Villages, where Ikoje takes place from April include Ogbabo, Tajimi and Jakura, according to Mr. A.A. Momoh, Maintenance Manager of Nostalgia Hotel, Lokoja.

Mr. Momoh, who is an indigene of Oworo, also named Boko, a festival that takes place in commemoration of the harvesting season, as one of his community’s most popular fiestas.
The Anglican Communion’s All Saints Church, which berthed at Oworo in 1912, is the oldest Christian House of worship in these parts, we gathered. As usual, the Christian mission established the first school in this community. That institution, set up in 1912 by the Anglican Mission in Lokoja is today known as the Local Government Education Authority Primary School.
Farming and hunting were the main traditional occupations in ancient Oworo society, and these trades predominate to this day. The major food crops include plantain, mango and cashew, while cocoa, coffee and kola-nut are the major cash crops cultivated by Oworo farmers.

However, local farmers, who entered the coffee planting business in 1950, began reaping the fruits of their labour, 10 years later, with the first harvest in 1960.

Vanishing mores
Arigidi is the Oworo word for hand-woven cloth. Until about a century ago, cloth-weaving was a thriving industry across Oworo country. Unfortunately, this craft has died out completely.

Such is the situation that only Chief Ejinda, one of the five chiefs, could come up with a small piece of this indigenous textile. That particular piece of cloth was woven by his late mother, Madam Ramatu Ejinda, who died in 1962 at the age of around 80 years.

Given that this weaver’s transition took place more than 45 years ago, and assuming she wove that textile at mid-age, say 40 years old, the fabric we saw was a veritable piece of antiquity!

Truly, Oworo is a goldmine waiting to be tapped. But, the mining can only begin in earnest after a befitting road has been built to enable tourists climb the plateau safely.

If, Oworo textile weaving tradition and other indigenous craft were revived, and the colonial Catering Rest House as well as Ile-Onihun reconstructed and turned into thriving tourist sites, economic activities; currently at very low ebb in these climes, would certainly witness a boom.
By MAURICE ARCHIBONG



http://mauricearchibongtravels..com.ng/2012/07/welcome-to-oworo-land-where-igbo-nupe.html

Ibos have no shame at all. So everywhere you encounter a term with same spelling for a term in your language will automatically be claimed as Ibo. This is what Ikwerre people have struggled with for many decades.

Yoruba will educate you on the origin of those names and terms you attach claim to.

lawani:


YOU TOTALLY MISS THE POINT. I SAY ONLY IJESA ACCOUNT PASSED AROUND IN IJESA. I CANT SPEAK FOR OTHERS UNLESS I HAVE READ THEIR ACCOUNT!. THAT IS WHY I SAID ASK THE IJEBU, DONT JUST ASSUME!.

If all are rooted to Ife by ancestry, shouldn't Ijo carry same meaning, whether its in Ijesha, Ijebu, Ijero or anywhere else? The Onikoyi at the coast does not differ to the Onikoyi of the hinterland. Maintaining a liberal approach for political correctness will soon lead to such towns with Ado prefix gaining independent and diverse meanings and lead to autonomy, which will be at counter purpose with the sacredness and function of the hereditary stool for each itedo.

Good job to ndigbo enemy namba 1

DDeliverer:
If you cannot come out on that day, stay in your house and shut up!

Simple!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XA7NlVn0PyE

ariesbull:


Greetings my dear friend! Your well-made point is well-taken.But ultimately, traitorous as it seems, the Yoruba made a democratic choice in 2015. Even you made that case for Wole Soyinka when he was hanged on the tree. Do you agree?
...
It is the common feeling. My advocacy in protection of our Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo is somewhat scorned and scoffed at in this season of anomie. The silent preference being let the Yoruba reap the harvest of their betrayal to any consequence. But in a democracy, choices are made strategically or stupidly. Sometimes, vindictively. The Yoruba made a vindictive choice. But before now the Igbo and the Niger Delta people had all sheepishly sucked up to the North self-ruinously.The Yoruba who had sustainably resisted them only just sucked up to them over 50 years after.

The tragedy of their case is that they had the experiences of the Igbo and the Niger Delta peoples to learn from. But they were too blinded by vengeance, the panic of a possible Igbo resurgence to political ascendancy and their hope of democratic benefits to see that. Goodluck Jonathan did not also quite help matters by his loose grip on governance; though a most democratic man with all the required democratic temperament and unpublicised but slow and steady achievements.

But the Yoruba have come out worse from it all. They have lost face with their southern counterparts, and have no clear face with the northerners. They have created an Abiku situation for themselves. Much more tragically, they have lost their national voice and the narrative they use to drive it with their dominance of the traditional newspapers that have now been overthrown by he social media and the new opposition - the Igbo and the Niger Delta peoples with some progressive thinking pro-Jonathanists Yoruba.

The Igbo on the other hand, for sacrificing their ambitions for the Niger Delta presidency in their lead support for Jonathan, though suffering political persecution and killings from the Buhari-led APC, have come to higher rating among all Nigerians, and have become almost fully reconciled to their war lost neighbours - the Niger Delta peoples.

They have also gained the respect of the same North whom the Yoruba sucked up to in order to betray the huge gain made from the Jonathan 2014 national conference that you participated in. The success of the ration 4 to 2 regions that got the Muslim far north succumbing to the rest of the nation at the Confab that saw them losing their Middle Belters of central Nigeria to southern thinking, was all lost in a terrible reversal of the same 4 to 2 in the way the 2015 elections went. This for me, is where the Yoruba became unforgivable sellouts.

That the restructuring they have shouted all their lives could be so worked against by even their very best such as Prof. Wole Soyinka and co of the PRONACO restructuring fame, that they could do such a 360 degree betrayal of same remains a national shame.

This is where for me the Yoruba betrayal went beyond making a democratic choice to sabotaging others, sabotaging themselves, and sabotaging the great possibility to turn the table on the Fulani-led northern politics of domination and backwardness that they have reversed us all into by their democratic choice of supporting the north for what has ended up their empty gain.

They have in turn been betrayed by the North and they now appear to be presenting Buhari through their arrowhead, Bola Tinubu a calabash, a vote of no confidence to use their traditional method of doing so; as the Oyo mesi would present to the King, Alafin of Oyo.

I hope they have learnt a lifelong lesson. This is however no reason for a kind of an eye for an eye situation that leaves the entire nation blind, and blinded to the possible Fulani-led manipulation or outright destruction of the entire democratic system for a Caliphated system or leadership along with their idolatrous attitude to power that even Allah has turned his back against them on. We must do all to protect this democracy if we still find it worthy of such; lest we all fall into a deep ditch.

We would deal with the Yoruba betrayal at the right time, but this is the time for the entire South and the Middle Belt of Central Nigeria pull together with any other progressive forces to snatch Nigeria out of an evil grip....https://etimesafrica./2017/01/28/%e2%80%8bthe-yoruba-understanding-but-rejecting-their-2015-democratic-choice/#more-4204

+Jokers!