₦airaland Forum

~Sauron~:
The position of his shop is not LEGAL.
Things that were legal in 1978 may not necessarily be LEGAL in 2009.
The decision makers in Lagos State in 78 are not the ones in power today. . . . .

so whose fault is it?
if his structures have lasted 31 years who the fried fish is Fashola to wake up and destroy them without a ready alternative.
all this agbero justice is leading us no where.
This is a father of young children for heaven's sake

moneygurl:
No, because they had legal jobs, in a legal company, approved by the government. And they had their salary deducted for unemployment. So they have a legal right to collect money from the government when they lose their jobs. Even in the countries that you are talking about, the taxpayers complain that government is taking their money to feed and help people who are living off the government. That is why when you ready about British government buying a woman of 5 kids, a 5 bedroom house, taxpayers are up in arms.

you are comparing apples and oranges
The question is does Nigeria have the money to erect legal sheds for these people and the answer is yes.
If one erected an illegal building in 1978 in Boston,no one has a right to demolish it in 2009 without compensating him.
You can't even easily evict someone who occupied your home legally for non payment of rent if you never requested rent from him.
Those structures were not erected today.
Most of you were not even born in 1978.
This is wrong.

moneygurl:
People say government should provide alternative.

I agree with that but, the problem is most of them cannot afford it. That is why most of them were using free illegal structures that lead to drainage problem, traffic, a dirty environment, outbreak of diseases etc.

The only alternative the government can provide is free Shops. If that is the case more people from other states will be coming to Lagos for their free shops. And I do not think the Lagos government can afford to provide free shops.

Yes the govt should have provided them with legal structures and charged them rent for it.
That's what soceity ought to do
The country has the money to do so
You don't go demolish peoples sources of livelihood just like that.
There's something like low cost housing
low cost stores are not unheard of.

iReport:
Ukraine-based Nigerian pastor in fraud charges

EZRA IJIOMA

Pastor Sunday Adelaja, left, prays with parishioners before delivering his sermon at a service in Sacramento, Calif., on Sunday, Nov. 18, 2007.
Flambouyant Nigerian pastor and apparently Ukraine’s most prominent Pentecostal leader, Sunday Adelaja, has been indicted on fraud charges. Pastor Adelaja is the senior pastor of the largest church in the Ukraine, "The Embassy of the Blessed Kingdom of God for All Nations, Kiev."

https://nigeriaworld.com/images/news/big/international/nigerian/ukraine/pastor-sunday-adelaja.jpg

The Ukrainian Interior Ministry has accused him of defrauding citizens of money, the ministry’s Department for Media Liaison and International Activity said. Sunday Champion gathered that the amount is over $100m.

"The investigator has brought charges against Nigerian citizen Sunday Adelaja, who permanently resides in Ukraine and is a senior pastor at the Embassy of God church. The charges were brought under Part 4, Article 190 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (the embezzlement of funds in very large amounts via fraud)," the ministry said.

Last month, several church members went to authorities saying they were unable to recover the money they invested, which left many of them bankrupt. Police later arrested one of King’s Capital leaders, Aleksandr Bandurchenko, on suspicion of fraud.

Speculation about Adelaja’s involvement with King’s Capital grew after reports surfaced that he was part of a bank in Nigeria known as GS Microfinance Bank Limited. Some speculated that Adelaja, a native of Nigeria, invested funds from King’s Capital in the African bank and planned to leave the country.

Adelaja, however, said those accusations are unfounded. He said he has never been involved with King’s Capital but denied that it is a Ponzi scheme, which uses later investments to pay dividends to earlier investors.

He said King’s Capital was a legitimate business that failed under the pressure of the global financial crisis. He said because the company poured most of the investment capital into real estate, which decreased in value, it has been unable to pay investors.

"When the economic crisis came, all the real estate is no more selling. The land is enough to pay back the money owed. , The problem is , everything is stopped in the country--nothing is selling now in Ukraine,’’ he said.

Adelaja said Interior Affairs Minister Yurii Lutsenko accused the church of involvement because he wants to undermine the evangelical movement in Ukraine. With several thousand members across the nation, God’s Embassy is one of the most influential congregations in Ukraine.

"(Lutsenko) is in a very bad situation," Adelaja said. "He’s got to prove now that (King’s Capital) is a pyramid scheme, but he cannot."

Adelaja said he never encouraged his church members to invest in the company and cautioned them to invest in businesses that offer insurance. "Of course , if you invest with insurance you get less percentage," he said. "What happened was many people said they didn’t need insurance because the (King’s Capital leaders) were Christians."

He acknowledged being affiliated with GS Microfinance, but said he invested his name and influence in the bank, not millions of dollars. He said GS Microfinance was formed to give small loans to poor Nigerians as a way of lifting them out of poverty. "It’s not about what you can get, but the vision of the program is to elevate and get as many people out of poverty as possible," Adelaja said. "That is one of my lifetime passions , because I grew up in poverty."

Although Adelaja has repeatedly denied any involvement in King’s Capital, which has not officially been deemed a fraudulent business, Pentecostal and charismatic leaders across Ukraine are calling on him to repent, saying they heard him encourage church members to invest in the company on several occasions.

"He was not a president of this company, but he was the No. 1 spiritual leader, and he told them what they have to do," said Bishop M. S.Panochko, leader of the All-Ukrainian Union of Pentecostal Churches of Evangelical Faith, which is comprised of 1,500 churches across the nation. "He can do everything to tell them that he is not involved, but all the leaders have a lot of facts, and we have a lot of video of when he was pushing people, and he encouraged people to invest in this business."

Panochko was one of 10 leaders who met with Adelaja last Tuesday to confront him about his alleged support of King’s Capital and the negative impact some of his actions have had on the evangelical church in Ukraine.

The Pentecostal bishops, who together represent more than 2,500 congregations, listed seven items of concern and said Adelaja has a pattern of making exaggerated statements. They pointed particularly to his alleged claim that he led the 2004 Orange Revolution--when Ukrainian voters protested a presidential election many considered fraudulent--and his reports that God’s Embassy has 100,000 members across the nation. The bishops say those and other statements are untrue.

After the meeting, Adelaja issued a statement saying he did not organize the Orange Revolution, though his congregation participated in the demonstrations. He also asked forgiveness for the negative impact the King’s Capital scandal has had on Ukrainian churches, but he added that he did not personally have any involvement in the company.

Despite the statement, Panochko said the bishops would continue waiting for Adelaja to apologize for allegedly endorsing King’s Capital. If he does not repent, Panochko said the bishops would issue a statement to Christians in Ukraine and abroad, and to the Ukrainian government, denouncing Adelaja and claiming no affiliation with him.

Moscow-based pastor Rick Renner, founder of the Good News Association of Churches and Ministries for Russia, Latvia and Ukraine, said Adelaja’s claims are hurting Christians in the former Soviet Union.

If convicted, Adelaja may spend up to 12 years in imprisonment, according to Part 4, Article 190 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.

http://odili.net/news/source/2009/mar/21/806.html

They are just looking for a scape goat.
who in the stock market hasn't lost money with the economic situation?
Let me sue Fidelity and Charles Schwabb abi?
Nonsense!

Moderators and their ever itchy fingers to place any alleged Christian crime on the front page.
and consciously keeping the Muslim ones buried in the background.
There was a Muslim man that beheaded his wife in a TV station New york,where is it?
The 75 year old grandma that was lashed with Koboko by Sharia in Saudi,where is it?
how about the Muslim cleric sucking his almajiris in the middle of the night and using their sperm for juju

I guess the fear of the "great religion" is the beginning of "wisdom"
allahu arched bar!

On that thread about Fashola demolishing peoples sources of livelihood,I said this.
He'll push people into illegal acts and now Pa Ibrahim is threatening to pick up arms.
I know Fashola has the best intentions but he should have provided alternatives before the demolition.
What's this husband and father of 7 expected to do?
no unemployment pay out
no social security
no council flats or homeless shelter
no food stamps and Govt help

I do feel for him.
He and several others have been treated very unfairly in a bid to clean up Lagos.
Should we trample on the low income wage earners just because we can?
This is very very sad.
He could have been any of our parents or even us.

amu is laughter

does he ned to announce it first.
He should just start na
Funny

I said everywhere, did I mention any specific place? When Abacha was ruling, did he say he is a Nigerian, you people said he came from foreign land, also you people talk of Marwa coming from Cameroon but he led you, Ribadu from borders of Chad, Buhari from Niger republic, Obasanjo from Dahomey, name them, and I will tell you where they come from.

Foreigners have been ruling us eh kwa?

From ISMAIL OMIPIDAN, Kaduna
Monday, March 23, 2009

Sun News Publishing

"General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida’s (IBB) in-law and President, Black Gold Group, Chief Sunny Okogwu has said that Professor Wole Soyinka is not a Nigerian, and as such he has no locus standi to continue to criticize IBB.

Speaking in exclusive interview with Daily Sun in Kaduna, Okogwu who was apparently reacting to Soyinka’s recent lecture, wherein he said among other things that IBB denied Nigeria the opportunity of a nationhood, noted that it was high time Nigerians stopped blaming IBB for whatever happened during his rule, insisting that if he (Okogwu) should open his mouth to speak on the person of Soyinka, Nigerians would not “buy him for 10 kobo.”

“He (Soyinka) was invited to speak on a particular person who has a political legacy; instead he took on a man that has nothing to do with the occasion. If I should open my mouth to speak about Wole Soyinka, that I know, as someone close to IBB, [b]Nigerians will not buy him (Soyinka) for 10 kobo. Pitifully too, Wole is not a Nigerian, so he has no right, no privilege to represent Nigeria and talk about Nigeria or about the situation of Nigeria.

“He is not a Nigerian, he is a settler. The man is a nationalized Nigerian. He is a beneficiary of our generous constitution. He knows where he came from. Have you ever seen a Nigerian like Wole Soyinka, the man who puts on white hair, unruly like a Rasta man, white beard not taken care of? Have you ever seen any Nigerian leader growing white hair like Wole Soyinka or white beard like Wole Soyinka? It is only Wole Soyinka that wears that kind of hair. A true Nigerian does not wear such hair, and we don’t have one like Soyinka.“[/b]He also spoke on why he would not ask IBB to run in 2011, but was quick to add that, if he runs and wins, he (Okogwu) would be glad to return to the corridors of power once more.

He also spoke on other issues of national interest, including the claim that like Soyinka, Obasanjo, former Nigeria’s President, is equally not a Nigerian.
Excerpts:

Since after General IBB relinquished power, there is hardly any public discuss about the political situation in Nigeria that his name will not feature. Just recently, Wole Soyinka again pointed the finger at him for depriving Nigeria the opportunity of transforming into nationhood. How do you feel as somebody who was close to the man when he was in power and still close to him even out of power?

The accusation by Wole Soyinka was wrong and is still wrong. It was not true, and it was an insult to Chief Obafemi Awolowo’s kind of politics. If Wole wants to talk about anybody, let him call his own press conference. He was invited to speak on a particular person who has a political legacy; instead he took on a man that has nothing to do with the occasion. If I should open my mouth to speak about Wole Soyinka, that I know, as someone close to IBB, Nigerians will not buy him (Soyinka) for 10 kobo. Pitifully too, Wole is not a Nigerian, so he has no right, no privilege to represent Nigeria and talk about Nigeria or about the situation of Nigeria.

How do you mean he is not a Nigerian ?

He is not a Nigerian, he is a settler. The man is a nationalized Nigerian. He is a beneficiary our generous constitution. He knows where he came from. Have you ever seen a Nigerian like Wole Soyinka, the man who puts on white hair, unruly like a Rasta man, white bear, not taken care of? Have you ever seen any Nigerian leader growing white hair like Wole Soyinka or white bear like Wole Soyinka? It is only Wole Soyinka that wears that kind of hair. A true Nigerian does not wear such hair, and we don’t have one like Soyinka.

But his origin is traceable to Ogun State, and his family is well known there. How about that?

Not everybody in Ogun state is a Nigerian. We know them very well. They either came to trade from Cotonou and settled in Nigeria. They trade mostly in kolanuts, and sometimes they even come from Togo or Ghana, but what I am saying is that when you are not a true Nigerian, don’t talk about Nigeria in a way that is insulting. If he is a nationalist, why did he oppose the rule of Abiola, why did he oppose the rule of Chief Obafemi Awolowo and why did he oppose Obasanjo? Now he has been opposing the rule of General IBB. Can he, Wole Soyinka rule? The answer is no. He was given opportunity, but he failed.

When was that?


It was during the IBB’s regime, was he not made something? The only thing he could do and did well was to introduce cultism into our university system, which caused the death of our children. Is cultism a tradition of Nigeria? No, it is foreign.

But he has always come out to defend that position that when they were in school, the pirate confraternity was not a cult to harass people, but a group to defend their collective rights as students?
That is what he preached to you, he was a preacher of that tradition that does not belong to Nigeria, and he brought it, is that not enough? There are so many preachers in Nigeria that will preach something and do something else.

There was also this general belief that when he was in charge of the Road Safety Commission under IBB, there was sanity in the system, how come you now say he could not perform?

There was no sanity anywhere. In fact, the situation became worst. He knows what he did, I am not supposed to say it, if you talk about people, talk about yourself. We in the IBB family have family value and we maintain it. Soyinka doesn’t seem to have that value, and anywhere he goes he talks the untalkable.

But most of the things he said were the things other Nigerians have said about IBB, so why are you singling out Soyinka for attack?

Yes, most of things Nigerians say about IBB were things the likes of Soyinka were always saying, not necessarily that they were the truth. You can see how he changes Nigerians’ mind and take his view and put into their mind. Is that a true citizen?

But one cross that IBB has continued to carry and will remain for a very long time to come is this issue of June 12, is that not enough to pour venoms on IBB?


It was not IBB who annulled the election, and as such it will be unfair to continue to attack him on June 12 issue.

But do you agree that annulment of June 12 really has devastating effects on Nigeria?

It may have, I don’t know, but if Nigeria has a law it must be obeyed, IBB obeyed the law.

In annulling June 12?

He did not annul June 12, the court annulled June 12 and the court was higher than IBB. You people should talk things as they come, it was the court, go to the archives, the court still exists and the document still exists, and because Wole Soyinka is not a Nigerian he wants to contravene the court order. Who is he? Nigerians obey court order and we are still obeying court order whether you like it or not. Who was the person who took the case to court, was it IBB, the answer is no. How did Abiola join politics? And which political party was he into? How long was he in that party before he was nominated presidential candidate? What happened between him and Arthur Nzeribe, the man who took the case to the court and made sure Abiola never became the president of this country? And I am quoting him, go and ask him, he was the one, and he is the one and he still will not, even if you wake Abiola up, Nzeribe will never allow Abiola to rule this country.

Why?

The story is wide and long. He brought Abiola to the party late and he was the principal actor and when he (Abiola) came in he was nominated, Abiola refused to greet him and even to answer his (Nzeribe) greeting became a problem, and he (Nzeribe) told him clean and clear, ‘you have not gone anywhere, you are behaving like this,’ over his dead body, ‘you will never rule this country.’ And you know Nzeribe for what he is, he concluded his project, you can go and ask Saraki (Oloye), Saraki went and begged him in his house, personal home in his hometown, he said no, Abiola went there he said no. what is IBB’s own there? IBB heard the annulment on radio. IBB was here (in Kaduna) passing through to Katsina. He was asking me, did you hear the radio news and I said yes. What is his own there; he quickly ran back and complied. Why is Soyinka not telling Nigerians the truth, Soyinka knew about Nzeribe, let him tell Nigerians.

What you are saying in essence is that Nigerians should stop blaming IBB for the annulment of June 12 and other things that happened during his regime?

They should put the blame on the party and those who took part in the annulment that was highly concluded professionally and legally by the court.

Do you think Yar’Adua should run in 2011?

That is not for me to say, he has the decision to make.

Some people have already started urging your in-law to come and contest, the way they had always done. How would you react to that?

That is up to them.

What is your advise as somebody who is close to him, should he run for Presidency in 2011?

If I advise him, people will say I am greedy. But I am the one who suffered during President Babangida’s rule. My family and Babangida family gained nothing during his regime other than insult, threat, loss of our property. Is it now that I will ask him to pursue the position of President again, what will we gain? He himself, what did he gain? Bullets all over the places, who is saying sorry to him, you want him to start going all over places and by the time he collapses who will say sorry to him.

Supposing your in-law decides to contest in 2011, what will you do?

What will I do? I will do what I did before.

What did you do before?


I will sit on the chair and go to the corridor of power and make sure he comes out alive.

But you will not ask him to contest?

No, I can’t control him, it is an offence to control a mature man and stop him from what he wants to do. He is matured, I can’t control him.

IBB made a lot of people while in power, how come you said members of his family did not benefit anything?

That is a good leader;. Yes, he helped a lot of people thinking that it would be smooth for him so that towards the end he could help his family, but he didn’t see the end, so the family lost. Which leader do you see doing that now? That was a good leader.


What will be your advice to Nigerians?

Keep your country, and make sure that these people who come from neighboring countries do not rule you. If you give them chance, they will take your money, take your property, take everything and destroy your country and leave you.

Who are those people from neighboring countries ruling us?

We have many of them, they came enmass during the civil war and they refused to go. Some of them even changed their names, bearing names that you don’t understand. I don’t need to mention names. So many of them came from the waterfront.

We also have them here in the North?

I said everywhere, did I mention any specific place? When Abacha was ruling, did he say he is a Nigerian, you people said he came from foreign land, also you people talk of Marwa coming from Cameroon but he led you, Ribadu from borders of Chad, Buhari from Niger republic, Obasanjo from Dahomey, name them, and I will tell you where they come from.

What of IBB?

IBB is from Nigeria.

How come it is only IBB that is from Nigeria? His name is there, Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida

Olusegun Obasanjo is a Yoruba name, how come you say he is not a Nigerian?

Olusegun Obasanjo is not a name. Olusegun is not a Yoruba name. Obasanjo is not a name. Oba means what? Chief, Sanjo means what, Oba forbids sin, Sanjo is Igbo, so he has emerged from where, he has emerged from where and settled where; don’t let me bring those historical things. Give me another name and I will tell you where they come from.

Wole Soyinka?

Of course, you know, Wole is not a name, Soyinka is not name. It is Yinka that is a name, so where did ‘So’ come from. They came from somewhere and took kolanut to Badagry. I don’t want to tell you this type of things. They begin to organize rallies, amass power and they become the leader of the multitude and the multitude use propaganda tool to make them prominent and they become Wole Soyinkas of this world. I think the trend must stop."

dgreatrock:
Anioma state we must have.

Iseeeeeeeeeee

Igbos Of Delta State And Crisis Of Identity (Conclusion)

By Ephraim Adinlofu Published 09/5/2008 Nigeria Matters Rating:  Unrated

Ephraim Adinlofu


Continued from: Part 1

In 1999, Mr. Peter Okocha { from Ibusa} contributed financially and campaigned vigorously for the OBJ/ Atiku ticket. In 2003, as a PDP party loyalist, he did exactly the same, supporting the duo. There was an unwritten agreement that after James Ibori, the governorship would be zoned to the Delta Igbo senatorial district. All eyes were on Peter Okocha who belonged to the Atiku camp to clinch that ticket.

Thus when the war of ‘attrition’ between OBJ and his Deputy started, Peter Okocha, rather than following the much hackneyed principles that in politics, there is no permanent friend but permanent interest, remained loyal to Atiku. That, became his undoing. He probably thought he was still doing business. So, OBJ mobilized the state apparatus to make sure that he did not clinch the ticket. Okocha  decided to go under AC to contest. Prof. Maurice Iwu’s INEC did another abracadabra on him. He was ‘disqualified’. His case is still pending in the electoral appeal court- to be determined by only God knows when, by a seemingly compromised section of the judiciary.

Chief Ibori, who benefited from Peter Okocha’s electoral largesse and support throughout his stay as governor, did a u-turn and stabbed Okocha on the back. Overnight before the 2007 charade called election, a decision was taken that the PDP governorship race should be zoned to the other senatorial district while Delta Igbos were to make do with state Chairman of the party. That was how Mr. Peter Nwaoboshi became the state PDP Chairman. The Urhobos, Itsekiris, Izons, Ijaws, and Isokos, aptly supported by OBJ, ganged up and executed that coup against us. They rounded it up with the puerile logic that since we have the state capital, we should not produce the next governor.

Again in the 2007 election, as a prelude to that charade, Prof. Pat Utomi { from Ibusa}, whose wife is from the East, went to OHANAEZE to solicit for support for his presidential ambition. Chief Orji Uzor Kalu also went to solicit for his too. A section of OHANAEZE  that rejected Pat Utomi, gave me a terrible food for thought. One of them, according to some daily Nigerian newspapers’ reports, hankered abject adroitly : “Is he really a proper Igbo man? Look at him, he cannot even speak Igbo properly.” Others even insinuated that his name did not sound Igbo. I was shocked to the bone marrow.  I couldn’t believe what I was reading from prominent Igbo citizens.

Instead of asking the two candidates to present their programmes and manifestoes, they were busy hankering on whether one of them is a “proper Igbo” or not. I was shocked of words. If any Igbo person does not know the meaning of Utomi, then that person should take a suicidal dive into the river Niger.

I guess some Igbos will ask of the true meaning of my surname - ADINLOFU. An Igbo man ones asked me in London whether I am a Yoruba man, that my surname looks like one. I just laughed { even though my spouse is Yoruba} and politely asked the man to pronounce my name. He ended up pronouncing it with all the Igbo-ness and accent which goes with it. While he was slowly pronouncing it, the meaning was unfolding before his eyes. He simply laughed and  laughed himself to scorn.

Besides, it is a historical fact writes Emma Okocha of Izu-Anioma, that when Ojukwu even declared the Biafran Republic, he never had us in mind. Ojukwu’s Biafran and its boundary ended at Onitsha, living his kiths and kin - Midwestern Igbos - to their destiny. And yet during that pogrom of 1966, most Delta Igbo officers ran, not to Mid -West or to the West but to their kiths and kin in the East. The Chief of Biafran Navy,  the late Captain W. A. Anuku, was from Agbor.

Ojukwu went further to choose Col. Banjo against the overwhelming preference of Nzeogwu {a then Mid-Western Igbo officer}, to lead that tactical assault on Midwest and on to Lagos. Most writers call it tactical because, the choice of Banjo and his subsequent antics {Read WHY WE STRUCK 1983 by Ademoyega} changed and swung the war to the advantage of the Federal troops. In that assault, Col. Banjo, who was then assisted by Lt. Col Igboba { from Ibusa}, got his assistant locked up in Benin prison over disagreements on tactics and the way and manner the invasion was being compromised.

However, while the Biafran soldiers were retreating from the Federal counter attack, Banjo, Ademoyega, and coy deliberately left Lt. Col Igboba behind at the Benin prisons only for the invading ‘British troops’ called Federal forces under the command of  Lt. Col. Murtala Muhammed to stroll casually into Benin prison, locate Igboba and had him beheaded. That was the same Igboba who helped General Ironsi to quell Nzeogwu’s coup in Lagos.

Even in their genuine demand for more Igbo states, the East never count the Igbos in Delta state as worthy. Their request ought to always incorporate the demand of our people for the creation of Anioma State out of the present amorphous Delta State. After all, it will still be another seemingly full fledged Igbo State. However, I still remembered quite vividly that the late Dr. Chuba Okadigbo ones in while, had requested that the Igbos of Delta State should be given appropriate hearing in their quest for Anioma State which would have extricated and freed  us from the strangle-hold of the Urhobos. But that was a lone support in the wilderness.

There is a need for the Igbos in the East to reach out to their brothers and sisters across the river Niger. This is not to say that we cannot stand on our own. The point here is that there is strength in number-“Igwe-buike”. The Igbos in the East should always seize the initiative because of their strength. They should make it their statutory duty to come to us and embrace us.

They are our fathers and, like most migration theories have confirmed about the origin of most of these communities, we are their children. We may not be business inclined like them because we are not cut out for such but we are educated and are good civil servants. Our word in most cases is always our bond. Our people are sincere to a fault and are prepared to fight with anybody for a just and sincere cause in as much as you don’t cunningly backslide or sabotage the cause. The causes that Major Nzeogwu, Pat Utomi, Col Tim Onwuatuegwu, Dr. Okonjo-Iweala, Col.Nwanwo, Col. Achuzia had fought and still fighting for, is a testimony to our strength and character.

In fact to reinforce this view, I want OHANAEZE to move forthwith, their headquarters to either Asaba, Ibusa, or Ogwashi-Ukwu. I believed that the closer you are to us the better. Let us have a sense of belonging. By this invitation, I am not saying you should now come and colonise us. I am saying that we should relate and that there should be a strong cultural affinity and rapport.

Anybody in the Igbo culture area of Delta state who is in doubt about his or her Igbo historical connection, should contact Prof. Nolue Emenanjo, E

xecutive-Director, National Institute Of Nigerian Languages, Aba, for more explanation and Professor Okoh, UNIBEN. The late intellectually versatile Prof. M. A Onwuejeogwu, another Igbo encyclopedist, who was from Ogboli-Ibusa, and founder of the Nri Museum, should have been  another contact but for his death.

The intellectual bloc of OHANAEZE should not shy away from its responsibility. The bloc should pickup the pieces and do more research work in this Igbo culture area of Delta state to establish more historical connectedness and build on such relationships. The Israelis are doing exactly that all over the world. When the State of Israel was created, most Falashas of Ethiopia, were lifted to that state because it was established that they were Jews. The Yoruba is doing the same, tracking their Oduduwa kiths and kin all over Africa and even beyond, as far as to Brazil.

Besides, this is not a question of whether the people of Agbor or Ndokwa are disclaiming their Igbo-ness or have decided or deciding to opt-out, no, it is a question of research, based on solid historical and archaeological evidences. I reckoned that all research should focus on that title of “Obi” which has been handed over to our traditional rulers from generation to generation. “Obi”, as the title designate, is an undiluted Igbo nomenclature. It is not an Hausa, Bini, Yoruba, Ishan or Fulani terminology. Apart from the differences in Igbo dialects, accents or phonetics, and historical variances in origin, the other common variable for research revolves around this term and title of “Obi ”.

Flowing from this, and of secondary relevance, is the Igbo name of their subjects. For Example, the people of Agbor and Ndokwa bear names like Isioma, Ngozi,Nwabuzor, Nduka, Chukwuma, Chukwuekwu, Chukwuka, Ibegbulem, Nwanyimogor, Nwajei, Obika, Ijeoma, Ifeoma, Nwaokolo, Nwoko, Iwebelua, Chiedu, and other names with the prefix-“Umu”. And “Umu” is a complete Igbo terminology which means “Children”. Thus “Umu-dein” means the “ Children of Dein” and there is a street in Agbor with that name- Umudein street.

It is not an issue of sentiments, emotions and unsubstantiated trivialities. Almost all the traditional leaders of  Delta Igbo communities that I’d  listed in part {1} hold the title of  “Obi” and not Oba. And if any of them wants to invoke the anger of the gods by changing to another title, just because the leader does not want any linkage with the Igbos, may the ancestors and IGBOPHOBIA take care of that person.

In about 1979, I travelled from Agbor to Benin-city to spend some days with late Prof. Mike Onwujeogwu, who was then { I think}, either the Dean of Faculty of Social Sciences or the Head of Department of Sociology and Anthropology, University of Benin. One day, he told me to get  dressed that we will all be travelling to Enugwu-Ukwu, the wife‘s village. While we were meandering through pot holes and following some short cuts here and there and stopping over here and now for the Prof. to greet his friends and for the wife to greet relatives, we came to a village called { I think} Isu or Isu-Aniocha near Awka. I was already fast asleep in the car.

Then the Prof. woke me up and said. This is Isu, where the founder of Igbouzo anglicised Ibusa, migrated from. He then gave me a thorough lecture of what happened. I was so stunned and  flabbergasted. Since then, that indelible sight and lecture, even though he has written a book on it since 1972, has not left my memory.

After the civil war in 1970, my parents decided to migrate to Agbor. The Obi of Agbor then, Obi Ikechukwu, welcomed Igbos like wise was the Obi of Owa. Obi Ikechukwu has a friendly, approachable and welcoming disposition. By 1978, the Obi, just like any other Obi and going by the principles and practice of the patrilineal system, was anxious to have a son - a heir apparent. Fortunately, his Royal Highness had one from one of his wives, who was pregnant for him before he {the obi} died.

It was alleged that the heir’s life was in danger from other jealous wives and sensing that, the Agbor Council-of-Chiefs in consonance with perhaps, the Oba of Benin, decided to smuggle the young “Obi” out of Nigeria to London, where he lived and studied at Lewisham college, imbibed western cultures, MORES and ways of life and came back to assume his throne in about 2002. Since then, the young “Obi” has been behaving like the Duke of Edinburgh.

The Royal Highness should take time to study the history of his community. He should thrive to do away with most of his westernised ways. His subjects are complaining about that. Rumours have it that he wants to, or has changed his title from “Obi” to “Dein”. If unchecked by Agbor elders, then I won’t be surprised if at a later date he changes to Emir of Agbor. Although, I learnt from my source that it is a rumour; however, if is true and it is assented to by his Agbor Council-of-Chiefs, may the council direct all their subjects with Igbo names to drop such names and choose Benin names like Anini or Osunbor. Enough of this hypocrisy! If in this age some educated people are still contesting their culture and cannot make do with profound evidence before them because of a peculiar phobia of their own creation, then such a culture is a dead culture. “A contested culture is a dead culture.”

And this is why I call on OHANAEZE to embark on further research in this “Igbo culture area” of Delta state, establish the historical links, migration trends, patterns of settlement, cultural diffusion, symbolisms, feast and festivals and their resemblances, contacts and acculturation in the whole amalgam and; to try as much as possible, to harmonise researches that have been done already and to stand firmly by the synthesized result. There is a need to focus research on the following movements in their chronological order as culled in the late Professor Onwuejeogwu,s book titled: The traditional Political System Of Ibusa {1972}, namely;

“the Owerri-movement before A.D. 800 ; the Eri-movement about A.D. 800; the Nri-movement about A.D. 900 to 1911; the Isu-movement between the 15th and 16th centuries; the Ubulu-movement around the 17th century; the Aro-movement around the 17th and 19th centuries; the Idu or Bini-movement around the 18th century and the Igala-movement between the 18th and 19th centuries.”  These movements, especially the Nri, Isu, Ubulu, Idu, Aro and the Igala movements should be of tremendous interest to OHANAEZE research unit and this is because these movements seemed to be the ones which have had profound impact on the cultures and thought processes of the people of these communities.

The studies and research should be based on technique of participant observation. By this, I mean the researchers have to live with the people they are studying over a long period of time. You don’t stay in the USA and London and lift opinionated articles devoid of any research technique to claim that you are Urhobo or Benin while your name is Emeka Okafor.

I believed strongly that If tomorrow the Jews are to prove that there is a trace of archaeological evidence establishing consanguinity between Igbo and Hebrew and as such, have come to lift the willing Igbos to the State of Israel, as they did to the Falashas of Ethiopia, [b]I guess those people of Ika and Ndokwa and some others, who are still in a state of denial about their Igbo linkage, will automatically turn around to announce that their father’s father’s father’s father’s name is NRIJIOFO, just because they want to migrate to Israe[/b]l. Funny world! I rest my case!

afam4eva:
Pls i heard that TIV and Igbo culture are similar. How true is that.

No it's Idoma
History has it that Igbos and Idomas (and I think Igalas) have the same origin theres a saying in Anambra state about that.
That's why  some Idomas have names like Okoh, Eke, Obi,Abbah,Okwute etc just like Igbos.
Those that border with Nsukka area have typical Igbo names.
Even in looks,we look very alike and intermarry a great deal too.
their traditional ruler is called Ochi Idoma

blinx4real:
[b][/b]as far from the truth as it can ever be! The Tiv people have nothing in common with the Ibos.

Uk Pande ver to all my Tiv people, msu pishi, msu gbin, for taking care of me during my short stay in Adkipo-London, even though the entire Kwande was at war fighting against PDP imposition and domination. I love you guys.

na fight?
do you people have nostrils that draw in air?
sheesh

janedoe:
Got this from face book,hope it helps?

-we are a warrior nation of Bantu xtraction originally from eastern Africa.
-Tiv had a wyf & 2 sons.

-we emigrated to our present location in d 18th century.

-when we were emigrating from the congo, a “friendly” snake called “ikyarem” laid on the river & became a bridge 4 us 2 cross over as an escape frm our enemies.2 this day the ikyarem dsnt hurt us, & neither do we.(pls don’t g playin w/ any green snake!lol…!!!)

-we 1st camped @ a place called swem, located on the cameroun hills bordering Nigeria.

- we are said 2 # abt 6m, & our ancestral homes are mostly in Nigeria & cameroun.

-on descending from swem we settled in d benue trough, b/c of it’s fertile soils, b/c we’re mainly farmers.

-b/c of our warrior nature, we displaced many tribes on arrival in d benue trough.

- in Nigeria our ancestral homes are found in plateau, benue, taraba, nasarawa, & cross river states, tho’ most tiv u’ll meet r frm benue.

-we put an end 2 sultan Othman dan fodio’s jihad on d eastern flank, we made a mess of his armies, who @ d time was more sophisticated.

-whitehall acknowledges that we were not “conquered” or “suppressed” like others by d british colonialists, they had to dialogue & negotiate.it is on record that we were the last tribe to be “pacified” by d british in 1903.

-D capital of tivland or tartiv ‘s gboko, said a2b d central location of tartiv (combu tar I tiv).

-gboko was founded in 1930 by capt Downes, a british admin officer.it’s named aft d hill on the western syd of d town.d hill’s in turn named after the shrubs that grow on it.

-the king or paramount ruler of tiv’s called d Tor tiv, his palce’s in gboko.among d many other tourist sites of interest in gboko’s d late senator J.s. tarka’s tomb.

-senator J.s. tarka was a political ldr of tiv extraction frm d 50s up 2 1980 when he died.

-d symbol of d tiv’s d lion, d king of d jungle.d tor tiv’s title’s “begha u tiv” “d lion of d tiv” (more on d tortiv l8r).

-d supreme council of d tiv’s called “ijirtamen” or d tiv area traditional council.
-ijirtamen’s headed by d begha u tiv, & is held in the council chambers near d palace.

-ijirtamen consists of all traditional rulers in d area.

-d tor tiv’s d 1st clas ruler, there’r d 2nd class, 3rd class, etc. (more on that l8r).

-it’s called “tiv area, ” b/c we met sm tribes & they still inhabit tartiv, & r therefore tiv by osmosis.

-of d 518 distinct languages in Nigeria, tiv’s d only 1 without dialects.

-our official colour r black&white.prime & most significant clothing‘s called d “a’nger” it’s a black7white zebra-strippd piece of thick cotton cloth.

-d black & white represents relativity or yin & yang.

-d anger’s only worn ceremonially, not as an every day attire.

Thank God you folks dealt with Othman dan fodio mercilessly or else I could have been Sikiratu the wife of a 70 year old man had he made it to Obollo afor (Nsukka /Benue state border)

I read that the Tiv nation is actually the 4th largest ethnicity in Nigeria _{not Ijaw people that won't let us hear.}

Why do Nigerians tell these lies?
Over the years,I've had several colleagues who when they find out I'm Nigerian tell me of a Nigerian prince they schooled with.
The other day some Oyibo man told me his room mate in college was a prince of Nigeria and  I almost burst out in laughter.
What's with all these lies
Including some busdriver in the bronx
Prince ko, pirinsi ni

iReport:
What of your igwes and obis and Ezes, don't they have princes and princesses that will inherit their kingdom?

Igweship is not hereditary.
It means absolutely nothing
It's just ceremonial
only Nri and Aro had kings in Igboland.
Igbos always had a democratic government for the most part.

security, love

"Our husband" has gone mad again

just kidding

Mrs I will do

iReport:
Is it Nnenna A**Eze.

sharap Olufunmilayo osuntokun

MrCrackles:

Bloody hell!!

that's just one half o
before the hyphen

MrCrackles:
Go on tell me!

Igbogbahaka-Agbugbaeruleke

MrCrackles:
Oh dear!

Deadout!!!

Wait till you hear my last name

not in Igboland.
Igbo ama eze (Igbos know no kings)

there's another name Otagburuagu meaning the one that has bitten a tiger to death

Ofiafuluagu is a powerful name.
It means the forest that has seen a tiger

grafikdon:
For those looking for cute Igbo names, here ya go

Zikora (Unisex) - Show the People

Chika (Unisex but more common among the females)  - God is great/test

Ola (Female) - Precious, pretty stuff, Ornament (gold/bronze/diamond. . . )

Zinachidi (Unisex) - Show that God exists

Somadina (Male/Female) - I will not exist alone (More like "No man is an Island"

Akunna (Female)- Father's wealth

Chetanna(Female) - Remember the father (ie God)

Enuma (Female)- Haven knows

Obinna (Male) - Will of the father (or you can say Will of God) Same as Uchechi/Uchenna/Uchechukwu

Chioma (Female) - Good fortune/luck.

Chisom (Female) - God is with me



Now for the not so cute or plain 'weird 'Igbo names . . .

Ogbenyeanu (female) - Out of the reach of the poor man   (This mus be Abia/Imo state name   *hides from ***osis people   )

Ekwutosi (female) (probably the ugliest Igbo name when pronounced) - Do not ridicule. . .

Mgbeke(female) - Born on Eke market day. Unfortunately some silly people changed it to Bush village woman

Uchichi/Ochichi (male) - Midnight/Darkness

Meremereninukwampetenazu- Hypocrisy  

nice names up there.
what's with the sententence down below?
other nice names

Yagazie (Yaggy), God's speed i.e may everything be good.

Zimife (Zim), Fill me with knowledge

Zimuzo (zim), Show me the way

Chikamso (Kamso) , I'm following the Lord

Nesochi  , Following God

Dubem, Lead me

Kanayo, let's keep asking God


@ grafikdon,that name Ekwytosi is terrible.
people called them everything but ekwutosi
ekwitos
ekwitox
ekwutos
then they shorten it to ekwyyyy
tufiakwa

Sponge bob square pants