As preparations for the next general elections gathers momentum, a former Catholic Archbishop of Abuja Diocese, John Cardinal Onaiyekan, has raised fears that Nigeria may split before 2023 because of the sad realities in the country, including security challenges.

He said Nigerian leaders would always want to remain in office even after their tenure because of “greed, wickedness and stupidity”.

The cleric stated that one of the obstacles that had been threatening democracy in Nigeria was that incumbent governments did not want free and fair election.

Onaiyekan stated these in an interview with Saturday PUNCH in Abuja.

He said, “There is no reason why the spate of insecurity should continue like this till 2023. There is no reason why we should not be able to finally settle this problem before the year 2022 is over.

“If it is not over, it means we have failed as a nation and the question will no longer be whether we can have election or not, but whether it makes sense even having an election because we don’t have a country; the matter is serious.

“As for the election, we are not even sure whether Nigeria will be one country or whether we would have an independent country. So, those are issues we must face now. As for holding election, it is not a big deal really. Election is a normal practice and in a democratic environment, if the environment is really democratic and peaceful, the election will come by its own.

“All of it; greed, wickedness and stupidity. Not only in Nigeria; go abroad, our next door neighbour, Cameroon, Paul Biya has been there for more than 30 years. Cameroon is not moving and he is not moving, why is he sitting there? So, they are worse than us.’’

Source: https://punchng.com/Nigeria-may-split-before-2023-elections-Onaiyekan

I can't factor why people who are supposed to be carriers of good news, hope and bright future has turned their selves to doomsday preachers & naysayers.
May Nigeria succeed.

Anything that can separate us from the cancerous North is welcome

May When we are in December

Buhari have already splitted Nigeria among religious and tribal lines

Sb will say this is a prophecy naw. Even the person who said it used "may" to protect himself from queries when it doesn't come to past.

helinues:
May When we are in December

When we split, we can then face the consequences of splitting.

Nigeria as a single entity is not working and it's not even showing any symptoms of working in any distance future. So where is the sense of continue living in the fear of splitting?


Lord have mercy.

Nigeria is not going to split for the following reasons (my opinion)

1.The minority tribes don't want Nigeria to split. Sure, most minority tribes are not enjoying Nigeria, but splitting Nigeria leaves them exposed to the rapacious bigger tribes. No thanks.

2.The elite don't want Nigeria to split...especially those with business interests across the country

3.The political class don't want Nigeria to split. No chances to loot.

4.International community too doesn't want Nigeria to split...because 1) higher oil prices 2) refugees swarming their countries....

5.Even most secessionists on this site don't want Nigeria to split. They back secessionists because they want to scare the North out of power, not because they want to leave Nigeria.(Wait till election starts, and 90% of the Biafranists and OOduaists will be backing PDP. E get why.)

6.As one recent article on banditry reveals, the bandits themselves are not one unified group, fight among themselves, and create more problems for themselves than the country.

7.Did I mention that most secessionists don't want Nigeria to split, and that most of them are more interested in their side winning the power game, than secession? Secession to them is a last card to play when all hope is lost.

8. Splitting Nigeria now, is not as clear cut as it was in 1966-7. Old Biafra is split into two, and the South SOuth wants resource control, rather than splitting up

9.As much as Ibos and Yorubas scream loud and clear about 'WE CAN SURVIVE ON OUR OWN' the fact is, in the event of a split, and in the event of the South South refusing to join either side...the fact is, (and you can abuse me all day long, but facts is facts)...Iboland and Yoruba land cannot survive without oil money...and are just dependent on oil money as the Hausas, and the Middle Belt.

Or where do you think Ibo and Yoruba states get most of their revenue for budget from (apart from Lagos)? OIL MONEY.(Or why do you think no Southern governor stood up to contradict El Rufai when he made the comment about subsidy needing to go or governors won't have money for their budgets next year? If Southern states were standing on their own financially, they would have said that he is on his own. Their silence shows they agree with him).

10. Most of Nigeria does not rely on export of industrial products to survive. Thus in the event of a split, all the new countries, apart from the South South, would end up relying on agriculture...and even if the SOuth south goes with Biafra...oil. All these commodites have one thing in common...the price of all of them is set elsewhere.

And that means, that at the end of the day, Oodua and Biafra are going to be as debt ridden as many African countries. You think I am lying? Most African countries that 'rely on agriculture' are in debt, some even higher than Nigeria's own.

And even if Biafra gets 'the oil' with the SOuth south...the same thing applies. At the end...Biafra would be debt ridden.

We haven't talked about the North. Sure the North has 'mineral and agricultural resources...but at the end of the day, who is setting the international prices for all these resources? They don't live in Kaduna, and Sokoto, that's what I know.

11. Let's even talk about agriculture. Less than 10% of our agric is mechanized. If we want to compete on the international market....we would have a real battle on our hands. We won't get the right international price of our agric goods. Western farms, with their tech, better soils , better soil management, better farming practice, would run us into the ground.

Remember that most African countries who 'rely on agriculture' are debt ridden. (Ghana has a debt of 26 billion dollars, Burkina 4 billion dollars,Kenya 35.9 billion dollars)

12. In the event of a split...there would be war. And anyone who tells me otherwise should go and rest. There is going to be a fight over resources , and it would be neverending.

13. Of course, any new nation arising from Nigeria, in ten years is going to be broke and poor, is what I am trying to say.


Nigeria is a contraption, but the alternatives are far far worse.

backbencher:
Nigeria is not going to split for the following reasons (my opinion)

1.The minority tribes don't want Nigeria to split. Sure, most minority tribes are not enjoying Nigeria, but splitting Nigeria leaves them exposed to the rapacious bigger tribes. No thanks.

2.The elite don't want Nigeria to split...especially those with business interests across the country

3.The political class don't want Nigeria to split. No chances to loot.

4.International community too doesn't want Nigeria to split...because 1) higher oil prices 2) refugees swarming their coey as the Hausas, and the Middle Belt.

10. Most of Nigeria does not rely on export of industrial products to survive. Thus in the event of a split, all the new countries, apart from the South South, would end up relying on agriculture...and even if the SOuth south goes with Biafra...oil. All these commodites have one thing in common...the price of all of them is set elsewhere.

And that means, that at the end of the day, Oodua and Biafra are going to be as debt ridden as many African countries. You think I am lying? Most African countries that 'rely on agriculture' are in debt, some even higher than Nigeria's own.

And even if Biafra gets 'the oil' with the SOuth south...the same thing applies. At the end...Biafra would be debt ridden.

We haven't talked about the North

Oga any side the south south goes with can never be poor except if they choose bad leaders

Vichot:

Oga any side the south south goes with can never be poor except if they choose bad leaders

1.Who told you the South south would go with any side?

2.Who also told you that oil would remain profitable for any length of time?

3.Why are you interested in where the South south goes...if not that you are eyeing the oil money?

4.Who told you that the North, Ibo and Yourba would just let the South south go like that? They will fight , and it won't be pretty.

Splitting Nigeria is a fantasy. Nigeria is a mess, and a contraption, but so are most African countries, and splitting all of them is going to create a mess that you and i won't like.

Aufbauh:
I can't factor why people who are supposed to be carriers of good news, hope and bright future has turned their selves to doomsday preachers & naysayers.
May Nigeria succeed.

Truth is a very bitter pill to swallow, especially to the hypocrites

luvinhubby:

Truth is a very bitter pill to swallow, especially to the hypocrites

Wao!.........

The only solution to Nigeria is forming a federal system where regions control security and resources

But the map of the regions 6 has to be redrawn completely with ethnic boundaries not this political map we have today

Prophet of doom

It is not going to split again, ndi Yoruba self. For the sake of Lagos, Nigeria will not break again

Meanwhile, I heard from exclusive source that Fulanis have been begging Igbos to stop Biafra agitation and they promised Igbos presidency in 2023 and that herdsmen will also avoid SE.

These Fulanis are smart I must say, they've realized that only Igbos truly have what it takes to actually break Nigeria, that's why they're now trying to make peace with them. If they succeed, then forget it, this country will never break again

mrvitalis:
The only solution to Nigeria is forming a federal system where regions control security and resources

But the map of the regions 6 has to be redrawn completely with ethnic boundaries not this political map we have today

Then for the sake of fairness and equity, Lagos and Abuja would have to be independent of any region. You can't use resources from other places to develop them only to hand them over to a particular region, that would be injustice and should never happen!!

Biafrarep:


Then for the sake of fairness and equity, Lagos and Abuja would have to be independent of any region. You can't use resources from other places to develop them only to hand them over to a particular region, that would be injustice and should never happen!!

Nah I'm igbo but let yorubas take Lagos and let middle belt take Abuja ...it's their luck

Would they share the over 160 trillion cubic of gas in Igbo land ? ... would north share sea access ?

Yes igbos would lose out but we move ...give them head start so that the over taking go sweet

mrvitalis:

Nah I'm igbo but let yorubas take Lagos and let middle belt take Abuja ...it's their luck

Would they share the over 160 trillion cubic of gas in Igbo land ? ... would north share sea access ?

Yes igbos would lose out but we move ...give them head start so that the over taking go sweet

You're not being realistic, stop fantasizing!
Yorubas can only have Lagos if Nigeria breaks up, same applies to North/Middle belt with Abuja!

Go and check your history, Lagos even used to be an independent region separate from Western region!

The oil and gas in Igboland and SS will never be enjoyed 100% by the owners except Nigeria breaks up completely. Even in the first republic, the regions were paying certain percentage to the central government from resources in their domain.

Never support something that will put you in serious disadvantage!

Aufbauh:
I can't factor why people who are supposed to be carriers of good news, hope and bright future has turned their selves to doomsday preachers & naysayers.
May Nigeria succeed.

So, good news should mean covering up mess? This man hasn't even said it as he should.

Why is everyone afraid to tell Buhari to his face that he is responsible for 90% of the insecurity in Nigeria? Look at this https://www.instagram.com/p/CXDWM8Xo1kf/?utm_medium=copy_link

adenigga:



As preparations for the next general elections gathers momentum, a former Catholic Archbishop of Abuja Diocese, John Cardinal Onaiyekan, has raised fears that Nigeria may split before 2023 because of the sad realities in the country, including security challenges.

He said Nigerian leaders would always want to remain in office even after their tenure because of “greed, wickedness and stupidity”.

The cleric stated that one of the obstacles that had been threatening democracy in Nigeria was that incumbent governments did not want free and fair election.

Onaiyekan stated these in an interview with Saturday PUNCH in Abuja.

He said, “There is no reason why the spate of insecurity should continue like this till 2023. There is no reason why we should not be able to finally settle this problem before the year 2022 is over.

“If it is not over, it means we have failed as a nation and the question will no longer be whether we can have election or not, but whether it makes sense even having an election because we don’t have a country; the matter is serious.


“As for the election, we are not even sure whether Nigeria will be one country or whether we would have an independent country. So, those are issues we must face now. As for holding election, it is not a big deal really. Election is a normal practice and in a democratic environment, if the environment is really democratic and peaceful, the election will come by its own.



“All of it; greed, wickedness and stupidity. Not only in Nigeria; go abroad, our next door neighbour, Cameroon, Paul Biya has been there for more than 30 years. Cameroon is not moving and he is not moving, why is he sitting there? So, they are worse than us.’’


Source: https://punchng.com/Nigeria-may-split-before-2023-elections-Onaiyekan

God will help us, but I fear most for the youth defending evil done by 'quarter to go men'

Yoruba Muslims miscreants are on high to come and beg for unity in this thread,

DSS should arrest this man

This country will never witness any growth until we all go our separate ways

We are not one

We don't have the same ideology

You can never compare southerners ways of life, reasoning with northerners

Imagine a country whereby if northern stidents scored 80 out of 400 in jamb, they will be offered admission into university but if southern student scored 280 they will be denied admission for same course

backbencher:
Nigeria is not going to split for the following reasons (my opinion)

1.The minority tribes don't want Nigeria to split. Sure, most minority tribes are not enjoying Nigeria, but splitting Nigeria leaves them exposed to the rapacious bigger tribes. No thanks.

2.The elite don't want Nigeria to split...especially those with business interests across the country

3.The political class don't want Nigeria to split. No chances to loot.

4.International community too doesn't want Nigeria to split...because 1) higher oil prices 2) refugees swarming their countries....

5.Even most secessionists on this site don't want Nigeria to split. They back secessionists because they want to scare the North out of power, not because they want to leave Nigeria.(Wait till election starts, and 90% of the Biafranists and OOduaists will be backing PDP. E get why.)

6.As one recent article on banditry reveals, the bandits themselves are not one unified group, fight among themselves, and create more problems for themselves than the country.

7.Did I mention that most secessionists don't want Nigeria to split, and that most of them are more interested in their side winning the power game, than secession? Secession to them is a last card to play when all hope is lost.

8. Splitting Nigeria now, is not as clear cut as it was in 1966-7. Old Biafra is split into two, and the South SOuth wants resource control, rather than splitting up

9.As much as Ibos and Yorubas scream loud and clear about 'WE CAN SURVIVE ON OUR OWN' the fact is, in the event of a split, and in the event of the South South refusing to join either side...the fact is, (and you can abuse me all day long, but facts is facts)...Iboland and Yoruba land cannot survive without oil money...and are just dependent on oil money as the Hausas, and the Middle Belt.

Or where do you think Ibo and Yoruba states get most of their revenue for budget from (apart from Lagos)? OIL MONEY.(Or why do you think no Southern governor stood up to contradict El Rufai when he made the comment about subsidy needing to go or governors won't have money for their budgets next year? If Southern states were standing on their own financially, they would have said that he is on his own. Their silence shows they agree with him).

10. Most of Nigeria does not rely on export of industrial products to survive. Thus in the event of a split, all the new countries, apart from the South South, would end up relying on agriculture...and even if the SOuth south goes with Biafra...oil. All these commodites have one thing in common...the price of all of them is set elsewhere.

And that means, that at the end of the day, Oodua and Biafra are going to be as debt ridden as many African countries. You think I am lying? Most African countries that 'rely on agriculture' are in debt, some even higher than Nigeria's own.

And even if Biafra gets 'the oil' with the SOuth south...the same thing applies. At the end...Biafra would be debt ridden.

We haven't talked about the North. Sure the North has 'mineral and agricultural resources...but at the end of the day, who is setting the international prices for all these resources? They don't live in Kaduna, and Sokoto, that's what I know.

11. Let's even talk about agriculture. Less than 10% of our agric is mechanized. If we want to compete on the international market....we would have a real battle on our hands. We won't get the right international price of our agric goods. Western farms, with their tech, better soils , better soil management, better farming practice, would run us into the ground.

Remember that most African countries who 'rely on agriculture' are debt ridden. (Ghana has a debt of 26 billion dollars, Burkina 4 billion dollars,Kenya 35.9 billion dollars)

12. In the event of a split...there would be war. And anyone who tells me otherwise should go and rest. There is going to be a fight over resources , and it would be neverending.

13. Of course, any new nation arising from Nigeria, in ten years is going to be broke and poor, is what I am trying to say.


Nigeria is a contraption, but the alternatives are far far worse.

Southsouth will have their own independent country, unless they willingly agree to form a united nation with Southeast, with each region being solely in charge of their resources.


I am Igbo, but I tell you, majority of Igbos desire Nigeria to split and the reason is not about crude oil or economy, but mostly because of Northern peoples greed and way of life which does not allow equity and security of lives and properties, so Igbos don't want to wait until Northerners crash the nation with their barbaric Islamic religious practices which is not the same with what UAE, Qatar and other forward thinking Muslim countries are practicing.



Yes the start won't be smooth economically but the love and passion Igbos have for Biafra will make all Igbo sons and daughters to give in their best to make the new nation succeed, even if it means contributing money like Igbos have been doing under IPOB which no other tribe can do.



South Koreans contributed money to Kickstart their country and look at where they are today.


Crude oil is a curse to black nations.


Biafra will depend mostly on human capital development, craft, trade, etc, not just on mineral resources. All these have been discussed and tabled ahead and solutions already put in place.



Also mind you, southeast have crud oil. The crude oil reserve might not be as huge as the ones currently explored in Niger Delta regions because it is being shared among huge population, but when it is shared among southeast regions alone, it will become enough with adequate management and leadership.



Also Southeast have the highest natural gas reserve in Nigeria and you know what that means?

Biafrarep:
It is not going to split again, ndi Yoruba self. For the sake of Lagos, Nigeria will not break again

Meanwhile, I heard from exclusive source that Fulanis have been begging Igbos to stop Biafra agitation and they promised Igbos presidency in 2023 and that herdsmen will also avoid SE.

These Fulanis are smart I must say, they've realized that only Igbos truly have what it takes to actually break Nigeria, that's why they're now trying to make peace with them. If they succeed, then forget it, this country will never break again

Where did you hear that one?

franchasng:
Southsouth will have their own independent country, unless they willingly agree to form a united nation with Southeast, with each region being solely in charge of their resources.


I am Igbo, but I tell you, majority of Igbos desire Nigeria to split and the reason is not about crude oil or economy, but mostly because of Northern peoples greed and way of life which does not allow equity and security of lives and properties, so Igbos don't want to wait until Northerners crash the nation with their barbaric Islamic religious practices which is not the same with what UAE, Qatar and other forward thinking Muslim countries are practicing.



Yes the start won't be smooth economically but the love and passion Igbos have for Biafra will make all Igbo sons and daughters to give in their best to make the new nation succeed, even if it means contributing money like Igbos have been doing under IPOB which no other tribe can do.



South Koreans contributed money to Kickstart their country and look at where they are today.


Crude oil is a curse to black nations.


Biafra will depend mostly on human capital development, craft, trade, etc, not just on mineral resources. All these have been discussed and tabled ahead and solutions already put in place.



Also mind you, southeast have crud oil. The crude oil reserve might not be as huge as the ones currently explored in Niger Delta regions because it is being shared among huge population, but when it is shared among southeast regions alone, it will become enough with adequate management and leadership.



Also Southeast have the highest natural gas reserve in Nigeria and you know what that means?

At the end of the day the new countries would be broke because

1.They rely on selling oil and gas and agriculture...whose prices they do not control, and whose prices they do not set. And I am here to tell you that the prices would never be at a level that can sustain anyone...including gas

2.Most Nigerians when they talk about 'business' think that it is all about selling imported stuff. Manufacturing....it's for the birds. (That's why your new countries would never be like South Korea. )

3.Nigerians also have a 'national cake attitude' to their economy. Split the country into how many countries...and that attitude will remain.

As an example, the reason why we don't have stable power is because, and I know people don't like hearing this...we don't want to pay the price for stable power. And I know that in the event of Biafra...Biafrans are going to ask for 'free power' or 'cheap power' because 'we have oil or we have gas, why should we suffer?'...and that's how the road to debt starts.

4.If anyone thinks that the rest of the country would let the South south alone with their oil...I've a bridge in London to sell you.

We should stop fooling ourselves. Nigeria won't break up. Know this and know peace

Okay. Hopefully soon let everyone go their separate way

thesicilian:
Anything that can separate us from the cancerous North is welcome

Go & commit suicide, that is your best option.

Skybridge33:
Okay. Hopefully soon let everyone go their separate way

Failure blame your parents for bringing you into this world, of all places go & ask them why they chose to give birth to you Nigeria?