₦airaland Forum

zendy:
[b] I want to remind people about something that will be very important in the event of the creation of Biafra. Embossed in front of every Nigerian passport (and any west-African passport) is the acronym "ECOWAS". What this is trying to tell anyone with this on their passport is that they are are entitled to travel, live and settle anywhere in the West-African sub-region without need for any sort of visa. This same sort of system applies in Europe under the "EU" and all member nation can travel at will to each other's countries with no travel restrictions. It is most likely that Biafra,a west African nation, will become a member of "ECOWAS" and any Igbo man will be able to travel and live anywhere in Nigeria without any visa. In the event that the Nigerian Government is crazy enough to pull out of ECOWAS because it wants to Igbos to go, it will also have to ask all ECOWAS citizens living in Nigeria to also go. The mass exodus of not only Igbos but Biafrans and west Africans and the repartriation of their investments will lead to the decimation of the Lagos economy. What makes Lagos s great place is not its sea-port but it's population. Take away that population and Lagos will just be a "coastal town" as it was in the 30's and 40's before the massive influx of people from other regions. Yorubas did not make Lagos what it is, Lagos is the result of the joint effort of everybody. With the Igbo population of Lagos now getting to 50% or half Lagos, take the Igbos out of Lagos and there is no Lagos. Frankly, I want my people,the Igbos, out of Lagos and back home with their investments so we can build the future Biafra. Onitsha, Nnewi or Aba can be bigger than Lagos in a few years if we do this [/b]

phantom:
is it the north that kept aba in Its present State? Do we need the north to come together and Build independent Power plants for nnewi ,onitsha and ariaria markets? We dont need the FG to Build a 2nd Niger bridge to be honest.

7lives:
Stop deluding yourself Lagos is a gateway to prosperity, Lagos is like a gold mine were people go to seek fortune.
If Igbos move out today, other Nigerians and foreigners will move in. OJO NI WA A O BA ENIKAN SE OTA, ENI EJI RI L'EJI N'PA.
When the federal government moved to Abuja with all their billions it did not affect Lagos negatively, so how can Igbos moving out of Lagos cripple Lagos.
The success of Lagos does not depend on anybody but the owners of Lagos and their ability to mix freely with everybody.
And yes Aba can be bigger than Lagos provided your leaders share your dreams, but at the moment Lagos is the MAGIC WORD.
As for the ECOWAS passport i trust my people to fix the bugs in it, and why would any Igbo want to return to live anywhere in Nigeria after all Nigeria is zoo where Igbos pulled out from.

zendy:
If you are hoping to get federalism in Nigeria, forget it. The northerners will never agree to it. They are hugely benefiting from the current unitary system and they will never agree to change. You can bet that they will use their numerical strenght to vote out any bill Sponsoring federalism. Federalism at the National Assembly because federalism weakens the North politically and economically because they are too dependant on the Government for survival. Another reason why the North will never allow true federalism or regionalism is because it will easier for Nigeria to break up and for Biafra to emerge.

asha80:
you are extremely wrong on the 2nd niger bridge comment

sunnyb0b0:
Go to Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Togo, Ghana and Benin Republic and ask them why the Igbos control commercial activities in those countries alongside the French and Lebanese.

ayokellany:
It's baffling you forget that it was Aguiyi Ironsi that replaced federalism with a Unitary government, just the way it was an Igbo that orchestrated the first coup in Nigeria. You all need to take a moment and understand why you keep shouting blue murder after setting the tone to what in the long run would be injurious to your soul. The blame of this precarious system in Nigeria is the undoing of an Igbo and only the Igbo and not the Hausa should be solely held responsible for that.

obailala:
Are you aware that both Ghana and Nigeria were members of ecowas when Nigeria evicted Ghanaians in the infamous 'Ghana-must-go' saga?

With that in mind, radio biafra proponents think the best way to break away is through the very tasteless hate campaigns they are waging by insulting and inciting hate against every other Nigerian tribe.... and lets just imagine that Biafra finally succeeds through this hate campaigns, for some people to actually still think there would be a rosy diplomatic relationship with Nigeria is absurd.

phantom:
why?

OfoIgbo:
btw, my first choice is a restructured Nigeria. If this restructuring cannot be gotten by the end of this year, then Biafra or Lower Niger Republic will be my destination.

As for oil, Igboland is blessed with it in abundance. Go to Igbo areas of Rivers state, Delta state, Imo, Abia, Anambra my state

As for gas, my state Anambra has the largest reserve in the country, followed by Imo state.
Also it may interest you to know that Enugu and Ebonyi also have proven and untapped reserves of oil and gas

I know it may be painful for you to know, but it's God's handiwork. So we don't have to take over anyone's oil and gas reserves.
In spite of all these, I hinge my hope for a prosperous Biafra on the potentials of our human resources. Now, that's the key to Biafra's wealth

sunnyb0b0:
Go to Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Togo, Ghana and Benin Republic and ask them why the Igbos control commercial activities in those countries alongside the French and Lebanese.

ayokellany:
It's baffling you forget that it was Aguiyi Ironsi that replaced federalism with a Unitary government, just the way it was an Igbo that orchestrated the first coup in Nigeria. You all need to take a moment and understand why you keep shouting blue murder after setting the tone to what in the long run would be injurious to your soul. The blame of this precarious system in Nigeria is the undoing of an Igbo and only the Igbo and not the Hausa should be solely held responsible for that.

zendy:
If you are hoping to get federalism in Nigeria, forget it. The northerners will never agree to it. They are hugely benefiting from the current unitary system and they will never agree to change. You can bet that they will use their numerical strenght to vote out any bill Sponsoring federalism. Federalism at the National Assembly because federalism weakens the North politically and economically because they are too dependant on the Government for survival. Another reason why the North will never allow true federalism or regionalism is because it will easier for Nigeria to break up and for Biafra to emerge.

phantom:
the question to ask is.....what makes Lagos, Lagos?

ayokellany:
It's baffling you forget that it was Aguiyi Ironsi that replaced federalism with a Unitary government, just the way it was an Igbo that orchestrated the first coup in Nigeria. You all need to take a moment and understand why you keep shouting blue murder after setting the tone to what in the long run would be injurious to your soul. The blame of this precarious system in Nigeria is the undoing of an Igbo and only the Igbo and not the Hausa should be solely held responsible for that.

obailala:
[size=13pt]"When a people unite in a single purpose, there is absolutely nothing they cannot achieve" - Gen 11:6[/size]

It pains me that even after 45 years, my people cannot still see the big picture and have not still realised this simple fact. True federalism is absolutely possible in Nigeria but there is only one way to it; the entire SE, SS and SW must unite in this single purpose and speak with one voice and you would watch in awe as the northern hegemony will be dismantled instantly.

A case study is the 2011 and 2015 election; the entire norhtern establishment was against GEJ in 2011 but even with their population and dominance, their candidat Buhari failed woefully with a 10million votes gap. But in 2015, the north had to align with the SW and we all know the result today.

The SW, SS and SE wants true federalism but we've never thought it wise to unite in this purpose. Instead everyday you see Igbos and Yorubas fighting senselessly while our real adversaries who have actually kept the nation backward smile away at our collective foolishness. I can assure you that even the north central minorities would be very happy to align with the south if the south puts up a good united fight for federalism. But after many years of praying and wishing for this unity in purpose, the recent development we have is the SE trying to hoodwink the SS to breakaway from Nigeria even whilst we strangely accuse and insult the SW of being the problem.

Bro, please don't ever tell me the north is the reason why true federalism cannot be achieved, rather it is the foolishness of the south to unite in one goal that has kept us in this mess.

obailala:
[size=13pt]"When a people unite in a single purpose, there is absolutely nothing they cannot achieve" - Gen 11:6[/size]

It pains me that even after 45 years, my people cannot still see the big picture and have not still realised this simple fact. True federalism is absolutely possible in Nigeria but there is only one way to it; the entire SE, SS and SW must unite in this single purpose and speak with one voice and you would watch in awe as the northern hegemony will be dismantled instantly.

A case study is the 2011 and 2015 election; the entire norhtern establishment was against GEJ in 2011 but even with their population and dominance, their candidat Buhari failed woefully with a 10million votes gap. But in 2015, the north had to align with the SW and we all know the result today.

The SW, SS and SE wants true federalism but we've never thought it wise to unite in this purpose. Instead everyday you see Igbos and Yorubas fighting senselessly while our real adversaries who have actually kept the nation backward smile away at our collective foolishness. I can assure you that even the north central minorities would be very happy to align with the south if the south puts up a good united fight for federalism. But after many years of praying and wishing for this unity in purpose, the recent development we have is the SE trying to hoodwink the SS to breakaway from Nigeria even whilst we strangely accuse and insult the SW of being the problem.

Bro, please don't ever tell me the north is the reason why true federalism cannot be achieved, rather it is the foolishness of the south to unite in one goal that has kept us in this mess.

obailala:
[size=13pt]"When a people unite in a single purpose, there is absolutely nothing they cannot achieve" - Gen 11:6[/size]

It pains me that even after 45 years, my people cannot still see the big picture and have not still realised this simple fact. True federalism is absolutely possible in Nigeria but there is only one way to it; the entire SE, SS and SW must unite in this single purpose and speak with one voice and you would watch in awe as the northern hegemony will be dismantled instantly.

A case study is the 2011 and 2015 election; the entire norhtern establishment was against GEJ in 2011 but even with their population and dominance, their candidat Buhari failed woefully with a 10million votes gap. But in 2015, the north had to align with the SW and we all know the result today.

The SW, SS and SE wants true federalism but we've never thought it wise to unite in this purpose. Instead everyday you see Igbos and Yorubas fighting senselessly while our real adversaries who have actually kept the nation backward smile away at our collective foolishness. I can assure you that even the north central minorities would be very happy to align with the south if the south puts up a good united fight for federalism. But after many years of praying and wishing for this unity in purpose, the recent development we have is the SE trying to hoodwink the SS to breakaway from Nigeria even whilst we strangely accuse and insult the SW of being the problem.

Bro, please don't ever tell me the north is the reason why true federalism cannot be achieved, rather it is the foolishness of the south to unite in one goal that has kept us in this mess.

obailala:
[size=13pt]"When a people unite in a single purpose, there is absolutely nothing they cannot achieve" - Gen 11:6[/size]

It pains me that even after 45 years, my people cannot still see the big picture and have not still realised this simple fact. True federalism is absolutely possible in Nigeria but there is only one way to it; the entire SE, SS and SW must unite in this single purpose and speak with one voice and you would watch in awe as the northern hegemony will be dismantled instantly.

A case study is the 2011 and 2015 election; the entire norhtern establishment was against GEJ in 2011 but even with their population and dominance, their candidat Buhari failed woefully with a 10million votes gap. But in 2015, the north had to align with the SW and we all know the result today.

The SW, SS and SE wants true federalism but we've never thought it wise to unite in this purpose. Instead everyday you see Igbos and Yorubas fighting senselessly while our real adversaries who have actually kept the nation backward smile away at our collective foolishness. I can assure you that even the north central minorities would be very happy to align with the south if the south puts up a good united fight for federalism. But after many years of praying and wishing for this unity in purpose, the recent development we have is the SE trying to hoodwink the SS to breakaway from Nigeria even whilst we strangely accuse and insult the SW of being the problem.

Bro, please don't ever tell me the north is the reason why true federalism cannot be achieved, rather it is the foolishness of the south to unite in one goal that has kept us in this mess.

obailala:
Well, if you dont care, I care about my business and the businesses of my people.

There are advantages of remaining in a united Nigeria and there are also lots of dissadvantages. However, I believe all the dissadvantages would be eliminated if we return to true federalism and resource control even whilst we would still maintain the advantages of being in a single entity.

In summary, true federalism is the more practical and most convenient option for now not secession and to achieve that, the entire southern Nigeria must unite to make it happen.

OPCNAIRALAND:
Your whole reason calling for a union of Southern peoples is to defeat Northern hegemony.

After the hegemony is defeated then what.....

Southern peoples are disparate ethnics with no commonality in any aspect of socio-cultural institutions. A Southern union will be worse off than the current Northern hegemony you despise.

Everyman to his tent!

OfoIgbo:
The foolishness of the south manifested itself on 28th March 2015, when Yorubas opted for a dictator, just because their son will be vice president.

The SS and SE clearly voted for restructuring on that day. Yes, we knew GEJ was acting like a rookie while he was the president and his wife compounded his issues, but at least out of the two main contenders, he was more amenable to issues regarding the restructuring of Nigeria.

Perhaps the vice president that the SW wanted so badly should work on restructuring Nigeria from within.

28th March was a landmark date. Yorubas made their choice and they were fully informed. Instead they chose to use their media to run down only SS president that Nigeria has ever produced, thus throwing away the baby and the bathwater.

Presently the SE and SS are consolidating their partnership and brotherliness and we are happy with that. Only committed people are needed and both zones have shown their sincerity towards a restructured Nigeria or TO YOUR TENTS OH ISRAEL.

OfoIgbo:
The foolishness of the south manifested itself on 28th March 2015, when Yorubas opted for a dictator, just because their son will be vice president.

The SS and SE clearly voted for restructuring on that day. Yes, we knew GEJ was acting like a rookie while he was the president and his wife compounded his issues, but at least out of the two main contenders, he was more amenable to issues regarding the restructuring of Nigeria.

Perhaps the vice president that the SW wanted so badly should work on restructuring Nigeria from within.

28th March was a landmark date. Yorubas made their choice and they were fully informed. Instead they chose to use their media to run down only SS president that Nigeria has ever produced, thus throwing away the baby and the bathwater.

Presently the SE and SS are consolidating their partnership and brotherliness and we are happy with that. Only committed people are needed and both zones have shown their sincerity towards a restructured Nigeria or TO YOUR TENTS OH ISRAEL.

zendy:
Listen man, I'm an Igbo man. I would definitely want true federalism as would all of Southern Nigeria. But the reality is that true federalism can only come by way of a sovereign national conference or if it is passed at the National Assembly. The North has perished any thought about a sovereign conference. When it comes to th National Assembly, the North have more delegates. A federal structure bill will need 2/3ds vote to pass. So how will be done? You think a northerner will vote for it when he finds out it will mean that people from the Niger-Delta will get as much 50% of their oil and Gas money while decreasing the revenue coming to the north? Face reality, regionalism isn't ever coming back.

zendy:
At the time that Nigeria kicked Ghanaians out, the ECOWAS free movement and trade agreement had not yet been enshrined in its charter. Now, it is obligatory that at all member nations must sign up to this. This basically means that all those Ghanaians can come back and without any fear that they can be unjustly sent back. Should Biafra join ECOWAS, which is most likely, every Igbo can go anywhere in Nigeria that pleases him and with any visa. Unless Nigeria opts to get out of ECOWAS. As for the hate propaganda on Radio Biafra, frankly, if there was something similar against Igbo on another Radio station, I would agitate even more for Igbos to go as Biafra.

Heromaniaa:
wherever the igbos go they go with their market. Lagos will be the roadside retail and omonile hub of Africa should the Igbos give up on Nigeria.

Sincere9gerian:
** Igbos In Lagos State: My Experience, By Senator Adeseye Ogunlewe

Lagos State belongs as much to the ethnic Igbo as to the Yoruba, Ijaw, Hausa, Fulani, Efik, Idoma, Urhobo, Itshekiri, Edo, and so on who live in it, pay tax, identify with it, and settle in it. That compact was made the moment Nigeria became a single nation, and a successor power to the old principalities who were subdued and who ceded their sovereignty for the new commonwealth of Nigeria .
It was pragmatic. The Igbo had the skill and the industry, and Lagos was the seat of the Federal Government of Nigeria and its major port.

The Igbo have lived in Lagos since the 15th century when the Aro and other Igbo first settledin good number in a place we nowcall “Oyingbo” in the era of Benin and the Portuguese trade.

The arrival of Dr. Namdi Azikiwe to Lagos in 1937 from Accra after his studies in the United States, stimulated the political and cultural environment of Lagos as no other has before or after him. Zik literally resurrected the wizard of Kirsten hall from political death. Zik represented Lagos in the western house. The NCNC was the power in Lagos , and not the Action Group. The Igbo were prominent in the governance of Lagos in the Lagos City Hall.

The institutional development of Lagos – the railways, the ports andship yards; the education and research facilities; the Banking and Commodities Exchange, the development of towns like Yaba, Surulere, Ebutta-Metta, Festac Town, Victoria Island, and now increasing the Ajah-Lekki axis, and of course, the ghettoes along the Orile-Badagry axis, have profound Igbo imprimatur.

The circulation of the image of Lagos is to date best reflected in the cosmopolitan Igbo imagination of one of the greatest African writers of the 20th century, Cyprian Ekwensi, a thorough Lagosian if there was any. Igbo have built industries in Lagos and have been drivers of commerce and exchange.

Interestingly, I was born at plot number 8, Okoya Street , Idumagbo- Lagos, while the Ojukwu families were residing at number one to three on the same street. I grew up to know the father of Odumegwu Ojukwu. Chimbizie and Azuka grew up withus on the same street. Even the Chibeze small parking space at the end of Okoya Street is called Ojukwu. I later attended St. Patrick Primary School , Idumagbo, where I had very amiable classmates of Igbo origin in the persons of Azubike Ezenwa and Damian, Ihekuna, both now professors and doctors of today. They were brilliant, resourceful and friendly.

When we were playing bamboo and Tene Felele at Orikoriko at Onola playing ground, the Igbo participated actively. In the area of sports, school football and athletes, Igbo were dominant at Kings College, St. Gregory school, St. Finbars, Akoka, Igbobi College and Ahmadiyya College, Agege. Such boys, Njokwu, George Amu, Stephen Keshi, Henry Nwosu, Patrick Noquapor, Peter Anieke and Sammy Opone were dominant on the field of football, while Asiodu, Empire Kanu were prominent on the field of athletics.

Anytime we went to watch football match at Onikan stadium, my darling team, Stationery Stores and our adversary team I hated most was the E. C. N, where the centre forward, Paul Hamilton, the National Team, Fabian the captain who bit the dust. Our greatest captain was Duru, Oduah Onyenrekwa, Onyeador Onyeali and Opel, the greatest outside right Nigeria ever had, Cyril Azuluka.

So, during my early life at primary school, the Igbo were always there and delightful to watch, both in athletes and on the football field.

When I listened to radio at that time, both the commentary and drama series, the Igbo were there for you. The likes of Chris Ndaguba, Ernest Okwonkwo, Ralph Okpara ‘Alawo Sekiseki the traveler’. The episode will end with – The script was written by Ralph Okpara and edited by Yemi Lijadu.

Anytime I visited where I was born today in Idumagbo at Lagos Island, the entire place is covered by Igbo traders in their thousands. They were never troublesome but decent and accommodating. They have virtually taken over all properties of the indigenes. They succeeded in developing all our properties, married to most of our children even from the royal families. There is no single house you will visit without an Igbo man selling wares there.

So, who is saying something else? Only the strangers in our midst will not notice participation of economic development in our state by the Igbos. Most houses and shops in Lagos Island have been purchased, developed and occupied by the Igbos. The value of their investments in Lagos Island alone is in trillions of naira.

Instead of deporting the Igbos, whose contributions to the development of Lagos state are immensurable, you must keep on praising and encouraging them to keep on developing Lagos State.

•Senator Adeseye Ogunlewe is a former Nigerian minister for Works and Housing.

http://premiumtimesng.com/opinion/143249-igbos-in-lagos-state-my-experience-by-senator-adeseye-ogunlewe.html

phantom:
with the likes of ochendo abi? Look,the igboman has far more important things to sort out than biafra at the moment. Are we even United? Who will lead us in biafra? The fact we are mouthing off and chest beating because of one retard (yeah i think hes deranged) in the UK who keeps insulting people,shows we are not ready.