₦airaland Forum

If you can't name names, then you don't really have much of an argument.

Honestly, Obama's only obligations are to Americans regardless of ethnic origin, but if he were to have any obligation it would be more of an obligation to black Americans than to Africans, since black Americans fought for the civil rights laws that allowed him to attain the highest political office in the country.

And he has actually appointed some accomplished black Americans to important positions:

- the attorney general of the U.S. (this is a cabinet level position), Eric Holder, is a black American, and the first black person to hold that position

- the administrator of NASA, Charles F. Bolden, Jr., is a black American (and the first black person to hold that position permanently)

- the ambassador to the UN (this is a cabinet level position), Susan Rice, is a black American

- the United States Trade Representative (this is a cabinet level position), Ron Kirk, is a black American, and the first black person to hold that position

- the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency or EPA (and this is a cabinet level position as well), Lisa Perez Jackson, is a black + Hispanic American, and is the first person with any black ancestry to hold that position


So I would say Obama actually did a good job as far as diversity given the ethnic/racial demographics of the U.S. He was able to appoint multiple accomplished African Americans/black Americans to cabinet positions, including to some positions where a black person had never held that post, and was able to appoint at least two accomplished Africans to important (non-cabinet) government advisory committees/boards even in spite of the fact that African immigrants comprise only a small percentage of the U.S. population.

Ishilove: Voltron,Defender of the Universe.

A lot of NLers are too young to remember the series but that cartoon is a cult classic

I remember Voltron. Another classic show.

@ panafrican, can you give names of the specific people (Africans that are U.S. citizens) you're referring to that you believe were passed over for cabinet-level positions?

ijaw citizen: HELL NO, YOU CANT CORRECT ME! WHAT YOU SAID ABOUT UZAMA IS CORRECT BUT THERE IS A TOWN CALLED UZAMA LOCATED NORTH OF SILUKU RIVER ( FURUPAGHA IJAW TERRITORY). I'M BASED IN BENIN CITY & I HAVE BEEN THERE MYSELF. GET THAT INTO UR IGNORANT SKULL!

If there is some Ijaw settlement called Uzama then it must be tiny or recent or both.

And you're still an ignorant liar for claiming the Bini Uzama was derived from some stuff about 'Ijaw town.' That's just raw ignorance.

fagamite: Those arent cabinet level positions. Thats his point. Surprised you missed that!

Critical thinking isnt something they teach at Physics school?

I didn't miss it. Reread (or read for the first time) the last sentence of my post that you quoted. Or if you have difficulty understanding the meaning of that sentence, I can break it down for you.

@ panafrican, look before you leap to conclusions:

Kase Lawal was appointed (although he has now been removed from the trade advisory board following the Congo gold scandal) to the trade advisory board by Obama:

http://www.camac.com/kase-lawal-receives-obama-administration-appointment

http://usafricaonline.com/2010/09/20/obama-kaselawal-trade-committee-appointment-chido/

And Dr. Olufunmilayo Olopade was appointed to the National Cancer Advisory Board:

http://news.uchicago.edu/article/2011/03/02/president-obama-names-olopade-national-cancer-advisory-board

http://anpa.org/blog/2011/02/27/president-obama-taps-anpa-member-dr-funmi-olopade-for-key-white-house-post/

If there was a U.S. citizen of recent African origin whose past accomplishments merited an even higher post (such as a Cabinet position), there's no reason to automatically assume Obama wouldn't have appointed them to such a position.

ijaw citizen: NOW LISTEN SON, THE IJAWS, YORUBAS AND WHAT IS NOW KNOWN AS EDO SHARE A VERY COMPLEX HISTORY WHICH IS INTERTWINED. I WONt BOTHER TO EXPLAIN TO YOU.

I don't need you to explain history to me that you don't even understand yourself. Why make claims about a group of people (Edo) whose history you haven't even bothered to study at all? The Uzama claim was just preposterous and I corrected you, so take correction and move on. Uzama does not refer to a town and there is no Edo town called Uzama. Just because there is some intertwined history between neighboring groups, it doesn't mean you can make any and every claim you want.

There are many Edo names with "ama" in them and "ama" is an Edo word as well as Ijaw and Igbo, although it has a very different meaning. Wouldn't it be strange if any Edo person started claiming, against all logic, that some group of Edo migrated to where the Engenni are, then spread further out from there and started founding the Ijaw towns with "ama" in their names? That's basically what you're doing now. I don't see why you have such an issue with others making controversial claims when you're willing to make claims that are more suspect than the ones you dislike.

Top Cat was a slick bastard, but I have to give the title to Tom and Jerry. Just too many classics.

El-rufai is annoying. With him, it's just one obnoxious statement after another.

This show is fire!

One of my favorite shows ever.

ijaw citizen: So there is no particular language called izon/ijaw in bayelsa state and beyond, it is the name of the common ancestor to which the various tribes identify themselves with.

The real pronounciation of the word is IZON, Ijaw is only the anglicized version. One of the orinal towns he founded was IZON AMA now Edonized to Uzama in Edo. The town is now fully taken over by binis just like the Ndokis. Its a complex history which the Binis themselves can't explain.

killayut: They wont understand all that.

There was and is no town called Uzama among the Bini. There is not even a town called Uzama in Edo state. Uzama (Uzama N'Ihinron) is a class of Edo nobles, not a town or a "town that was taken over by Binis". The real meaning of the name Uzama is those who don't have reverence/respect for a person and it derives from the history of disputes between the Uzama and the king.

Earlier killayut actually claimed that the Ala in Alaafin/Olofin - a king many miles from any Ijaws - and the ala in all of the other Yoruba words with ala in them, was borrowed from Ijaws but was being "misused" by the Yoruba. Putting aside the question of whether this could somehow actually be true, isn't this basically exactly the same as the kind of claims Dede1 makes and has been making that you guys object so strongly to?

What's funny is that although you guys are doing the exact same thing, you will complain when some other groups make their own interpretations of (presumably Ijaw) words, such as those that include "ama" in them. Now that you have extended your claims to Alaafin and Uzama, why should you guys complain on this forum when Dede1 or any other people do the same thing that you guys have been doing?

Earlier, there was an issue over Egbema, which was resolved by acknowledging that some words with different meanings but identical or nearly identical form and spelling existed among different peoples and that terms were not always identical due to borrowing or having a single origin. There are even places and people in Japan with the same name as some places and people in Nigeria. This is not a difficult concept to grasp and I have come to terms with it myself in the past when I had similar speculations about certain words being borrowed by some groups. If the issue is really that serious then maybe both you two and those you are arguing against should take some time to learn more about the languages of the other group(s) to see what was borrowed from neighbors and what is indigenous.

ndu_chucks: Even if the ban was temporary, it is still a ban which restricts the free movement of the herdsmen in violation of the constitution. Not all these herdsmen are trouble makers or commit crimes in Ogun state.

So when a ban is made until requirements of the herdsmen and standards can be put in place to avoid clashes and deaths, your biggest concern is the temporary suspension of freedom of movement, not the deaths that will be prevented by the government taking the time out to address the problem? There is something very wrong with your way of thinking. Like I said, sue the Ogun state government. Take them to court and see if the courts will rule against them for trying to prevent violence and deaths. I want to see the outcome.

Why can't Ogun officials enforce existing laws against trespassing and arrest anyone who breaks the laws?

I don't know whether they don't actually enforce such laws to some degree at the present, but this is a good suggestion. By enforcing such laws, many nomadic herdsmen can just be arrested outright the minute they step on anyone else's land, long before any crops are damaged. The only issue is whether the police will respond quickly enough before the trespasser grazes and moves on in search of the next piece of land to trespass on.

Why can't they educate their farmers on how to use barbed wires to protect their farms?

Farmers that want to use barbed wire will pay for barbed wire, and those that don't like it will do without it. They don't have to be forced to get barbed wire if they don't want it.

ndu_chucks: Frankly, if folks believe that the Kano law is unconstitutional, then they should take the state to court. I do not agree with the notion that "because one state has a law which violates the constitution" then another state, such as Ogun can perpetrate its own criminal violation of the constitution. For now, the Kano state law has not been tested in court or overturned by any court, so it remains the law of the land in Kano. Frankly, I don't believe Ogun state officials will or can enforce this new law/rule of theirs.

Are you reading the same thing I'm reading? Or are you starting to see things that aren't there just because the topic pertains to Fulani herdsmen?

Olubori added that issues concerning grazing land, cattle routes, registration and the signing of agreement by the nomads would be resolved at another meeting.

He, however, directed the chairmen of Imeko-Afon, Yewa North and Abeokuta North local governments to convene a meeting of traditional rulers, youths, Fulani herdsmen, farmers and community leaders in their areas to inform them about the government’s efforts aimed at forestalling a recurrence of the crises.

The commissioner said, “Fulani herdsmen who are bringing their cattle into the state for grazing should suspend their coming until proper arrangements have been made to ensure that the crises that usually occur between them and farmers do not happen again.

“Government is working to ensure that farmers and herdsmen can cohabit peacefully without a breakdown of law and order and we will not tolerate a recurrence of what was witnessed last year.”

Where in there do you see some attempt to infringe upon the rights of freedom of movement of the Fulani herdsmen? Their current behavior is troublesome and the state is working to fix it by setting some standards and requirements for them to adhere to. Letting them continue that current behavior unchecked even knowing that it would lead to violent clashes would not make sense.

Kano state is in clear violation of the constitution, whereas Ogun state has not passed any law permanently prohibiting the freedom of movement of the herdsmen but is instead trying to suspend their activities so deaths can be avoided while they come up with a way that the herdsmen can avoid causing problems for the farmers.

Although it doesn't look like the Ogun state government actually plans to ban Fulani herdsmen from their state permanently, I personally feel that nomadic herdsmen in general should be banned from places where they are not wanted and their activities can lead to disputes and clashes.

Ndu chucks, I know about the fines (rather than compensation) that come with possession of alcohol in Kano and my point is that it is definitely in violation of the constitution of Nigeria. If that law can be put in place in clear and obvious violation of the constitution's protection of property rights because of the Islamic culture of the state of Kano, then I don't see how the migration of herdsmen cannot also be fully or partially blocked in a southern state just because it apparently violates freedom of movement. The lifestyle of the nomadic herdsmen is a threat to the lifestyle and property of farmers and other sedentary people in the south and the lifestyle and property of these people should be respected. If you have the funds, time and expertise, take the Ogun state government to court and see what happens. I'd be interested in knowing the outcome.

ndu_chucks: BTW, you will not find any constitution in the world which would state that the selling of alcoholic beverages is prohibited or allowed under any circumstance. Neither will not find it in the Nigerian constitution.

Actually, in the U.S.A. there was something called the eighteenth amendment to the U.S. constitution, i.e. Prohibition. Look it up. The law of the land did have to be changed to make selling alcohol illegal. Then there was the 21st amendment to the constitution which served as a correction to the previous ban on alcohol in terms of how any kind of bans on alcohol could be carried out.

What you'll find in Chapter IV of our constitution, is a list of Fundamental rights of Nigerians which cannot be violated by the federal government, state government, or any other entity. Look it up. The list includes:

(1)Right to freedom of movement.
(2)Right to freedom from discrimination.
(3)Right to life.

There are 11 more fundamental rights which I have not listed. Ogun state's action violates the rights of the herdsmen to freedom of movement - its that simple.

Which of the fundamental rights listed in Chapter IV was violated by the Kano law? If you can find any, take Kano state to court and the law you are concerned about will be overturned. You should find it interesting that no one has filed a single lawsuit challenging the Kano law.

Ogun state will be challenged in court and elsewhere upon its first attempt to enforce this sad law/rule.

And what's your interpretation of the following:

""44. (1) No moveable property or any interest in an immovable property shall be taken possession of compulsorily and no right over or interest in any such property shall be acquired compulsorily in any part of Nigeria except in the manner and for the purposes prescribed by a law that, among other things -

(a) requires the prompt payment of compensation therefore and

(b) gives to any person claiming such compensation a right of access for the determination of his interest in the property and the amount of compensation to a court of law or tribunal or body having jurisdiction in that part of Nigeria."


Are you telling me that the Sharia laws in Kano require anyone possessing and/or selling alcohol to be compensated in accordance with the amount they think is appropriate and that this has been carried out and is still carried out in Kano?

@ ndu chucks

Can you provide a quote from the section of the constitution of Nigeria which states that the selling or possession of alcoholic beverages by non-Muslims is prohibited in a state where Sharia law is applicable?

The office looks good.

I certainly know who I'm voting for.


https://www.nypost.com/rw/nypost/2010/10/21/news/photos_stories/cropped/jimmy_mcMillan--300x300.jpg

https://images.politico.com/global/click/101019_mcmillan_ap_392_regular.jpg

https://cdn.eurweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/jimmy_mcmillan_in_car2011-med-big.jpg

https://www.faithmouse.com/rent_too_damn_high_pancake.jpg

http://www.rentistoodamnhigh.org/

This guy is a visionary. The rent is too damn high.

.

cjrane: All these stupid waste of money. Some people in Nigeria have vested interest to make sure Nigerians are not counted. They begin one controversy or another just to thwart the census. Why? They benefit from citing bogus population figures to corner more federal revenue from other people's resources.We need to have true federalism before wasting more money on census.Then,we would have removed the incentive for some people to count their goats and chicken as human beings

The point of this action is to get real population figures and to prevent the counting of livestock as humans. I thought that would be obvious.

Dudu_Negro: The constittional review is not on account of fulani. The constitution speaks for all, not fulani. Fulani is a subset of "all". Therefore what is applicable to Obi, an igbo trader in Kano is applicable to Hassan, a fulani herder in Ogun.

In as much as the commercial interest and way of life of Obi in Kano is not violated by a state that says he cannot sell beer in the state serves to protect the traditions and interest of Kano, whatever those interrsts may be.....and the provisions of the constitution are not violated, then it is legitimately applicable to this position where Ogun state has said the traditions and interests of its domain are not in harmony with the transport of goods by fulani and by extension it posesses the sole right to bring about a harmony and order on its land in the best way possible.

What Ogun has done and what Kano has done are rights which the Federal Constitution reserves to the states, so far it does not counter any Federal law to the contrary.

This says it all right here. End of discussion.

What a thread!

Both sides provided some enlightening posts and some entertainment. I doff my hat to you guys.



@ the actual topic, both unicameral and bicameral legislatures have their advantages:

In a bicameral system, the authority of the two houses or chambers varies broadly in each country. In some countries with weak bicameralism, the upper chamber has only consultative powers. In the UK, for example, the lower chamber, the popularly elected House of Commons, has evolved into the superior legislative power, and its decisions override those of the upper chamber-The House of Lords. In the U.S. system, however, both chambers pose equal or offsetting powers and legislation must be approved by both. In Canada, the House of Commons has most of the power, but the Senate can amend legislation and investigate policy questions. In Germany, which has a federal system, states’ interests are represented by the upper house in the German parliament (Bundesrat), the members of which are appointed by the respective state governments. While their legislative powers are not as strong as those of the lower house, the Bundesrat has the final say in disputes among states and between the states and the federal government.

In centralized states with bicameral systems, some countries use the upper house as a way to reserve representation for certain societal groups and/or to place a further check on the power of the lower house with a more conservative body. For example, the House of Chiefs in Botswana is made up of elected and appointed members of traditional ethnic groups. The House of Chiefs plays a limited role but must be consulted on proposed changes to the constitution and on tribal matters. In Burkino Faso, the upper house (Chamber of Representations) is a purely consultative body designed to provide a voice for different regional and social groupings. It consists of 178 appointed and indirectly elected members, including representatives from elected provincial councils, women’s associations, traditional leaders and other civil society organizations.

Upper Houses are usually chosen in one of the following ways:

- direct elections -- voters cast their ballots directly for a specific candidate or party (US)
- indirect elections where voters elect local or provincial governments, who in turn select the upper house members (Argentina, Austria, German, India and Yugoslavia);
- indirect elections whereby the lower house selects the upper house (Zimbabwe);
- appointment by the head of state (Canada, Jordan and Thailand); and
- inheritence (UK -- the majority of members in the upper House of Lords are hereditary peers).

[size=13pt]Following are some advantages cited of the bicameral system:

- It has the capacity to formally represent diverse constituencies (regional, class, ethnic, etc.)
- It hinders the passage of flawed legislation (one chamber can act as a check upon the other)
- With two legislative bodies, there is enhanced oversight of the executive branch.[/size]

Unicameral Chambers

One-chamber or unicameral legislatures have most often been established in countries with a centralized, or unitary structure and in small, more homogenous countries. Countries with unicameral systems include Costa Rica, Portugal, Hungary, Iceland, Sweden, Slovenia, Uganda and New Zealand. While constitutional structures have varied a great deal in countries that have transitioned to democratic systems over the past decade, one trend that seems fairly consistent is that smaller countries chose unicameral legislatures. This has occurred in all of the smaller Eastern European countries, with the exception of Ukraine. In a few cases, electoral provisions have allowed for one chamber to represent various points of interest. For example, Slovenia’s constitution guarantees certain ethnic minorities one seat each in the unicameral National Assembly. In Uganda, a parliamentary seat from each of the 39 districts is reserved for women in the unicameral legislature, and seats are also set aside for such groups as handicapped and salaried workers.

[size=13pt]Advantages of a Unicameral System:

- There is the potential to enact proposed legislation more rapidly, since differences don’t have to be reconciled by two chambers.
- There is the potential of greater accountability, since only one body is responsible for legislation.
- It is less expensive to maintain one body and fewer legislative members.[/size]

http://mirror.undp.org/magnet/Docs/parliaments/Legislative%20Chambers.htm



In light of the above, I think a unicameral system would actually be better in Nigeria's case. I think the advantages of having only one chamber would be more useful than the advantages of having two at the present time.

How did I know ndu chucks was going to show up and say something inane simply because it pertains to Fulani herdsmen?

Cross dressing?!

This grandfather is on the down-low. Definitely some kind of gay.

Very funny post. Somebody has a very clever sense of humor.

The guy who is always holding the hat. . .wtf is with his beard at the end?

Also it looks like they were sitting on a very weak structure (a short fence) at a high place from which they could fall and injure themselves in each picture.

@ KingMichael, Fulani are not Afroasiatic speakers. Also I don't know if there's any evidence that they came from northeast Africa.

Interesting article.