undercurrent:
Bank of the Dead.

PMB's bank

Union Bank of Nigeria Plc (Union Bank) unveiled a new brand identity at a spectacular launch event in Onikan Stadium, Lagos.

The refreshed brand is in line with Union Bank’s strategic ambition to become a highly respected provider of quality financial services in Nigeria.

Speaking at the unveiling of the new identity, the Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Union Bank, Mr Emeka Emuwa, said “We believe that critical milestones we have achieved in the past three years have laid a solid foundation for us as a bank. The launch of this refreshed identity signals a new phase in Union Bank’s transformation as we set our sights on attracting a new base of customers while remaining focused on providing simple and smart banking solutions to all our customers.”

The bank was founded in 1917 as Colonial Bank. In 1925, Barclays Bank acquired Colonial Bank, changing the bank's name to Barclays Bank (Dominion, Colonial and Overseas) or Barclays Bank (DCO). In 1969, Barclays Bank DCO was incorporated in Nigeria, as Barclays Bank of Nigeria Limited, to comply with new banking laws enacted in 1968.

In 1971, the shares of the bank stock were listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange. In the same year, 8.33% of the bank’s shares were offered to Nigerians. The following year, the Federal Government of Nigeria acquired 51.67% ownership of the bank, leaving Barclays Bank Plc. of London with 40% ownership. In 1979, that 40% was sold to Nigerian individuals and businesses to comply with then recently enacted banking and investment laws. The bank changed its name to Union Bank of Nigeria Plc,to reflect its new ownership structure.

In 1993, the Federal Government of Nigeria completely divested its ownership in the bank. Subsequently, Union Bank of Nigeria Plc. acquired the formeeUniversal Trust Bank Plc and Broad Bank Limited. It also absorbed its former subsidiary Union Merchant Bank Limited.

Courtesy sunnewsonline.com and wikipedia

Irelokeh:
8. Sunset in my workplace
9. A lamp on my way home
10. A Canned Coke for real

Creative, very very

Liverpool announced Rodgers will leave his post with immediate effect after having his contract terminated. The club say a process to appoint a new manager is underway.
Liverpool FC has announced that Brendan Rodgers will leave his post with immediate effect: http:///it2bKIJQbc
http:///M3Af12Xnk3
In a joint Fenway Sports Group statement, Principal Owner John W Henry, Chairman Tom Werner and President Mike Gordon said:
We would like to place on record our sincere thanks to Brendan Rodgers for the significant contribution he has made to the club and express our gratitude for his hard work and commitment.
All of us have experienced some wonderful moments with Brendan as manager and we are confident he will enjoy a long career in the game.
Although this has been a difficult decision, we believe it provides us with the best opportunity for success on the pitch. Ambition and winning are at the heart of what we want to bring to Liverpool and we believe this change gives us the best opportunity to deliver it.
The search for a new manager is underway and we hope to make an appointment in a decisive and timely manner.

www.itv.com/news/2015-10-04/brendan-rodgers-sacked-by-liverpool/

LOVE! LOVE!! LOVE!!!

A friend shared this interesting conversation with me and I am doing same with you this Monday morning trusting it resonates in your world.

One day I decided to quit it all - my job, relationships, spirituality and business concerns because I felt everything was not working out as planned. As I thought of quitting my life, I went to the woods to have one last talk with God. I said. “God can you give me one good reason not to quit?” His answer surprised me. “Look around”, He said. “Do you see the fern and the bamboo?” “Yes” I replied. “When I planted the fern and the bamboo seeds, I took very good care of them. I gave them light and water but the fern quickly grew from the earth. Its brilliant green covered the floor. Yet nothing came from the bamboo seed. But I did not quit on the bamboo.

In the second year the fern grew more vibrant and plentiful. And again, nothing came from the bamboo seed yet I did not quit on the bamboo. In the third year there was still nothing from the bamboo seed. But I would not quit. The same repeated itself in her fourth year. Then in the fifth year, a tiny sprout emerged from the earth. Compared to the fern, it was seemingly small and insignificant. But just six months later, the bamboo rose to over 100 feet tall because it had spent the whole five years growing roots.

Those roots made it strong and gave it all that is needed for survival. I will never give any of my creations a challenge they cannot handle. “Did you know, that all these times you have been wondering what went wrong, have actually been your opportunities for growing roots? If I will not quit on the bamboo, I will never quit on you no matter your interpretations. “Don’t compare yourself with others as your life race differs.” “The bamboo had a different purpose from the fern. Yet they both make the forest beautiful."

I left the forest, realizing that God will never give up on me. And He will never give up on you. Never regret a day in your life any longer. Good days give you happiness, bad days give you experiences and both are essential to our life journey.

Serenity isn’t freedom from the storm, but peace within the storm. (Tweet This)

Shalom and lovely week ahead!

Ayo Daniels

Click here to read and share online (share on WhatsApp available)

@ayodaniels (Follow me on twitter for more inspirational thoughts)

Neatly used 2001 Toyota corolla for sale..... Manual Transmission..... call 08033407607 for more details

Thumbprint technology - The next generation technology for comfort and convenience

Mileage 39000
Condition Locally Used
Body Type Saloons
Drive Type 4 Wheel Drive
Fuel Petrol
Drive Setup Lefthand Drive
Transmission Automatic
Interior Type Leather
Door Count 4
Colour Dark Grey
Year 2012

Reviewers agreed that the standard four-cylinder engine in the 2012 Toyota Camry delivers respectable acceleration around town and on the highway. A more powerful V6 is available, but critics said the four-cylinder provides plenty of power for most buyers. A six-speed automatic transmission is standard on all models. The four-cylinder Toyota Camry gets an EPA-estimated 25/35 mpg city/highway, which is excellent for a 2012 midsize car. The V6 model gets 21/30 mpg city/highway, which is also good for the class. Test drivers said the Camry has a comfortable ride, and they noted that its handling is composed, but falls short of sporty.

The Toyota Camry was completely redesigned for the 2012 model year, and automotive journalists said its upscale interior design is a major improvement over the 2011 model. They wrote that high-quality interior materials, like the soft-touch dashboard, help the 2012 Camry stand out in the class. Reviewers agreed that both the front and rear seats are spacious enough for most adults, even very tall ones. The Camry has 15.4 cubic feet of trunk space, which is on par for the class. Some of the 2012 Camry’s new features appealed to reviewers when it was new, like the available Entune multimedia system, which allows you to control apps, like Pandora Internet radio, on your smartphone. Standard features in the 2012 Camry include Bluetooth phone connectivity, a USB port and a six-speaker audio system. Available features include a moonroof, dual-zone automatic climate control, leather upholstery, heated front seats, a backup camera, Bluetooth music streaming, satellite radio, HD Radio, navigation and a blind spot monitoring system.

The 2012 Camry is built for comfort, and test drivers say it delivers.

"Count on the '12 Toyota Camry to deliver the kind of drive you'd expect. It's smooth, comfortable, and quiet, and otherwise unremarkable." -- Motor Trend
"The Camry's liquid-butter driving experience is better than ever." -- Automobile Magazine
"All versions we're driving, from the LE four-cylinder to the XLE V6 to the vitamin-enriched SE, perform better than the models they replace." -- Inside Line

NOTE: Commision of 5% of car value available if you can get this car sold.

Frankly, I want to state here that as we bid Fashola farewell, we should all remember that there are no perfect human beings.

So I dare say we should be as realistic and logical as possible when giving an appraisal of someone else's performance.

So, the ball is in your court, How was BRF performance in Lagos and Do you think Ambode is capable of performing better?

Share your views...Happy Democracy day!!!

My Appraisal of brf - 7/10

Frankly, I want to state here that we should all remember that there is no perfect human being.

So I dare say we should be as logical as possible when giving an appraisal of soneone else's performance.

So, the ball is in your court, How was BRF performance in Lagos and Do you think Ambode is capable of performing better?

Share your views...Happy Democracy day!!!

My Appraisal of brf - 7/10

vimi:
1. School Uniform(Primary&Secondary School)

2. Matriculation Gown(wen entering University)

3. Graduation Gown(After passing out of university)

4. Wedding Gown

5. Maternity Gown(During Delivery)...

To be sincere most girls skip no.3 to no.5 then no.4 which is kinda wrong last tym i checked... whats ur opinion peep

NB: I am too smart to be insulted in public pls

How about NYSC uniform?

SirChelseaAmb:
7. Nigeria Produced the First-ever female OPEC President

https://m.facebook.com/profile.php?id=756822227770836

Don't forget to like my Facebook page here

Abeg, how does producing First female OPEC president relate with the achievements of okonjo and Alison?

Please give us more information...

A Nigerian hairdresser recently said that he would rather cut the hair of three Ghanaians than that of one Nigerian. Why?

...and My Cousin, Floyd wins

cyprus000:
[size=15pt]
Cos it doesn't make sense.

The naija guy asked a question which doesn't have an anwers so he could get $400.[/size]

$490 actually

Yea, i downloaded that spiderman game too, very disappointing game.

vislabraye:
True talk.. . Downloaded one spider man game. It was 40mb when i checked the store. After playibg 2ce, they said i should download the remaining. By the time i knew it, i had spent 350mb and still counting.
I had to end it...

We recently shared a list of Top 100 Most Influential People
by TIMES, where Abubakar Shekau made the cut.
Apparently, a group on Social Media, Instagram have now
written an open letter to the magazine concerning their
opinion.
Read below:
Dear times magazine,
Shekau is not influential in my country, the basis of this
statement and ranking amongst the most popular positive great
Nigerians you mentioned in that list makes it even more difficult
for me to understand, how would you call a man who has killed
over 15,000 of my people as influential? How would you call a
man the world has called mad influential?
This is a man whose image has been generally of terrible
reckoning and the you call him influential? I don’t understand
the basis for that, if you wanted a list of most influential wicked
terrorists in the world, if shekau tops that list, I would never
have any problems with that, I would understand if you
compiled a list filled with members of ISIS, alshabab and other
terrorist groups we Nigerians would understand that.
Nigerians have converged together as one to hate this creature,
our people have come together to make sure we normalize this
situation. You put up some positive Nigerians on this list, like
Our Baba, Obi Ezekwesili, we thank you for this, but why
Shekau or what ever pseudonym he chooses to be called is on
this list is what I still find very hard to understand.
Please times magazine don’t give this lunatic of a man any
international recognition he doesn’t deserve, that’s the basis of
their ill killings, they want worldwide coverage, they want the
world to know about them, by putting them in a list like that
makes their propaganda message more pronounced, think about
a little child who is being taught to be a terrorist somewhere in
Iraq, Iran or Libya, do you know what they have to say to him
now?
Hi Habeeb, do you see our brother terrorist in Nigeria? He is
among the 100 most influential people in the world, do you
want to be influential too someday in the world? This is the
right path! It gives them fuel to someday be on this list! Please
times, take him out of this list and replace with a positive
Nigerian!
Thank you…..
Bakare A.A for @wecarewelovenig on IG

http://yabaleftonline.com/2015/04/open-letter-to-times-magazine-on-shekau-making-their-100-most-influential-list/

AKINWUNMI AMBODE
INTRODUCTION
Akinwunmi Ambode (born June 14, 1963) is
an accountant, an administrator and a public
finance management expert. He is the Chief
Executive Officer of Brandsmiths Consulting
Limited – a firm that specializes in public
sector finance management. Ambode was
formerly the Accountant-General of Lagos
State, Nigeria, and held many sensitive
financial positions in the Lagos State
government in a 27-year career in the Lagos
State Civil Service. He is a Fellow of the
Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria
(ICAN) and a Member of the Nigerian
Institute of Management. He is the founder
of La Roche Leadership Foundation, a non-
profit organization focused on developing
the next generation of leaders. He is married
to Bolanle Patience Ambode (nee
Odukomaiya) and they are blessed with
children.
EARLY LIFE AND EDUCATION
Akinwunmi was born on June 14, 1963 at the
Epe General Hospital, Epe, Lagos, as the sixth
of ten children. His late father, Festus
Akinwale Ambode was a teacher while his
mother, Christianah Oluleye Ambode (nee
Oresanya) was an entrepreneur who ran a
thriving sewing business in her prime. In
1967, when Akin was still four years old, his
father moved to the mainland part of Lagos
with the family and continued his teaching
career until his death in 1981. Akinwunmi
Ambode began his education at St. Jude’s
Primary School, Ebutte Meta, Lagos, Nigeria
in 1969. In 1974, while still in Primary 5, he
sat for the National Common Entrance
Examinations and was admitted to Federal
Government College, Warri in the same year.
Ambode spent 7 years in Warri, where he
completed his Ordinary and Advanced
Levels and had the distinction of achieving
the second best result in all of West Africa in
the Higher School Certificate Examinations
in 1981. He was on the school’s Hockey and
Cricket teams and was part of the then
Bendel State Cricket team while still a
student.
Ambode proceeded to University of Lagos
where he studied Accounting, graduating at
the age of 21 in 1984. He completed his
mandatory[National Youth Service Corps
year serving with the Central Bank of
Nigeria, Sokoto, Sokoto State, where he
started his relationship with the Public
Service.
CIVIL SERVICE CAREER
After his NYSC year, Ambode commenced his
career at the Lagos State Waste Disposal
Board (now LAWMA) as Accountant Grade II.
He enrolled for Institute of Chartered
Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) exams and at
the same time was awarded a Federal
Government Scholarship to pursue a Masters
Degree in Accounting at the University of
Lagos. By the time he was 24, Ambode had
qualified as a Chartered Accountant and had
completed his Masters Degree programme in
Accounting, specializing in Financial
Management.
His career was fast-tracked and in 1988,
Akinwunmi Ambode was appointed the
Assistant Treasurer, Badagry Local
Government. In 1991, he was posted to
Shomolu Local Government as Auditor. He
was later deployed to Alimosho Local
Government as Council Treasurer. Ambode
was posted back to Shomolu as Council
Treasurer and later on to Mushin Local
Government as Council Treasurer. He criss-
crossed many Local Government Councils in
different roles in a 10-year period and got a
first-hand experience of the direct impact of
governance on the citizenry.
In 1998, Ambode was awarded the US
Fulbright Scholarship for the Hubert H.
Humphrey Fellowship program, in Boston
University, Massachusetts, USA. His
Fellowship Year was spent studying Public
Leadership with emphasis on Finance and
Accounting. During this programme Ambode
had professional internships at The Federal
Reserve Bank of Boston, the Cabinet Office of
Administration and Finance (Governor’s
Office), City of Boston Treasury Office as well
as with the World Bank and IMF.
On his return from the programme, Ambode
became acting AuditorGeneral for Local
Government. This position was confirmed by
the State House of Assembly in 2001.
In January 2005, Ambode was redeployed to
mainstream public service as the permanent
secretary of the Ministry of Finance. By
February 2006, Ambode was given the added
responsibility ofaccountant general for Lagos
State, in charge of all the financial activities
of the state and directly responsible for over
1400 accountants in the state service. Under
his watch, the State Treasury Office (STO)
revolutionized the way Lagos State finances
were raised, budgeted, managed and
planned. In his six years as the Lagos State
accountant general, the state's financial
performance improved visibly with the
budget performing at a remarkable average
of 85% annually. Ambode believes that
"public financial management is about
ensuring that public money is well spent and
it is made to stretch as far as possible. It
provides leaders and public-sector managers
with information to make decisions and to
know if they are using resources effectively.
SOCIAL ENGAGEMENT
Ambode is a very active member of the
Federal Government College, Warri Old
Students Association (FEGOCOWOSA) and is
credited with revitalizing the Lagos branch
of the Association. Ambode was a two-time
chairman of the Lagos State Branch, and,
until recently, was the National President of
the Association, a position he held for three
years. In those three years, he executed key
projects in the school in conjunction with the
alumni network to improve the educational
and living standards of the students.
THE PUBLIC FINANCE CONSULTANT
After 27 years in the civil service, Ambode
voluntarily retired in August 2012. He
founded Brandsmiths Consulting Limited to
provide Public Finance and Management
Consulting services to government at all
levels, its parastatals and agencies.
Brandsmiths, in collaboration withPrice
Waterhouse Coopers, has trained
government accountants and finance
personnel to prepare them for the cut-over
to the International Public Sector Accounting
System (IPSAS) which is to become effective
in 2015.
COMMUNITY SERVICE
His belief in mentoring and passion for
passing on leadership skills gave birth to La
Roche Leadership Foundation , which he
founded in 2012. This is a non-profit
organization that has a mandate to develop
the educational and leadership skills of
young Nigerians, to inculcate in them
leadership values as a way of grooming
future leaders in all spheres of life. La Roche
is presently spearheading an initiative, ‘The
Flags Project’, to install Nigerian and Lagos
State flags in all government owned schools
in Lagos State. The Foundation has also
donated tools to technical colleges to support
training of artisans.

miraclewonder:


there's a huge difference between a campaign rally & threatening people not to vote for someone of their choice.

NO DIFFERENCE TO BE HONEST, HATE SPEECH IS HATE SPEECH... AND ITS CONDEMNABLE

helinues:
The All Progressives Congress, APC, has incurred the wrath of the Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Nnaemeka Achebe, for flagging off the gubernatorial campaign of its candidate in the November 16 Anambra polls, Senator Chris Ngige on the same he was rounding up his annual Ofala Festival.
The APC kicked off its campaign yesterday, which was witnessed by a mammoth crowd that defied the rains to converge on the Basilica of the Most Holy Trinity, Onitsha – the commercial city was also host to the Ofala festival which was holding a stone throw away at the Palace of the Onistsha monarch.


The monarch, who expressed surprise, said it was very disrespectful for a political party and its governorship candidate, in spite of almost one year notice for the Ofala, to fix its rally the same day and out of annoyance, struck his symbol of tradition three times to express his feelings.

Igwe Achebe, while praying at the Ime Obi as part of activities, marking this year’s Ofala festival said, “Today, a political party has chosen to launch its campaign for governorship in Onitsha at the same time the Ofala is going on despite the one-year notice we gave to them. If anybody defiles the land, the land shall defile the person,” he stated.
Speaking in the same vein, Anambra State governor, Peter Obi frowned at the time the APC campaign train chose to storm Onitsha, adding that a true Igbo man should not have allowed the tradition of his people to be trampled upon because of sheer interest for one office or another.
Gov. Obi further said for APC to fix its rally on the same day the Obi of Onitsha was marking his Ofala festival, was an insult on the leadership of Ndigbo.
He recalled that his party, All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, had shifted their rally from Tuesday, October 8 to Monday, October 7, so as to avoid a clash with the Ofala festival.
“A dog bears the name given it by its owner and that it behooves on Igbo to stand firmly and insist that their traditional institution must be accorded full respect at all times” the governor said, while pleading with Onitsha youths, who were already spoiling for a showdown with placards, to sheathe their swords.


Source: http://www.informationng.com/2013/10/obi-of-onitsha-places-curse-on-apc-for-holding-campaign-rally-same-day-with-his-annual-ofala-festival.html

[/b]Igwe Achebe, while praying at the Ime Obi as part of activities, marking this year’s Ofala festival said, “Today, a political party has chosen to launch its campaign for governorship in Onitsha at the same time the Ofala is going on despite the one-year notice we gave to them. If anybody defiles the land, the land shall defile the person,” he stated.[b]

tHAT IS THE SAME THREAT THE OBA OF LAGOS MADE ... IF YOU DEFILE THE WISHES OF THE LAGOON PEOPLE, YOU SHALL PERISH IN THEIR LAGOON.

SO MUCH FOR THE STATEMENTS COMING FROM OUR TRADITIONAL RULERS. SMH

A former Minister of Defence and Chairman of Victim
Support Fund, Theophilus Danjuma, has blamed the leader
of the defunct Biafra, the late Chukwuemeka Ojukwu, for
the civil war, which resulted in the death of nearly a million
Nigerians.
Danjuma said this on Wednesday after President Goodluck
Jonathan paid him a private visit in his Asokoro, Abuja
residence.
He argued that had the late Ojukwu conceded victory to the
federal troops after the fall of Enugu during the civil war in
the same manner President Jonathan accepted defeat after
the March 28 presidential poll to Maj. Gen. Muhammadu
Buhari (retd.) of the All Progressives Congress, the nation
would have been saved “a full year of bloodshed.”
Jonathan visited Danjuma, who is the Chairman of the
Victims Support Fund, in company with some of his aides.
The two leaders however met behind closed doors and they
did not make the purpose of the parley public.
Danjuma however told journalists at the end of the meeting
that the President, by conceding defeat in the March 28
presidential election to Buhari, had set a record.
He said Africa and the world should emulate Jonathan.
He observed that if the late Ojukwu had done the same
thing after the fall of Enugu, he would have saved the nation
of bloodshed.
He said, “The outcome of the election and the manner in
which President Jonathan conceded victory to Buhari, is
totally un-African, it is very important in the history of
Africa.
“If Ojukwu did the same after the fall of Enugu, if he had
conceded victory to the federal troops, he would have saved
the nation one full year of bloodshed.
“President Jonathan has set a history, a record as
something to be emulated by the rest of Africa and indeed
the whole world. It’s an excellent thing he did.”
Jonathan simply thanked Danjuma for his fatherly support
during the election.
It will be recalled that the former minister had on March 11
visited Jonathan at the Presidential Villa during which they
met behind closed doors inside Jonathan’s official
residence.
Danjuma had after the first meeting warned reporters not to
speculate the purpose of the visit.
He said having just returned to the country from a foreign
trip, he needed to see Jonathan and find out developments
in the country.
“Don’t speculate. I came to visit the President and find out
how things are going. I have been abroad. I just came
back,” he had said.
When asked whether he was ready to support Jonathan’s
re-election, Danjuma had said he could not canvass votes
for anybody because he does not belong to any political
party.
“I don’t canvass (for votes). I am not in any of the political
parties. The President is Nigeria’s President,” he simply
said.
Danjuma in January drew the ire of some ex-Niger Delta
militants, including Alhaji Mujahid Asari Dokubo and
Government Ekpemudo (a.k.a Tompolo), when he called for
their arrests for threatening war if Jonathan loses the
presidential election.
Apart from declaring the former minister persona non grata
in the region where Jonathan hails from, the ex-militants
also demanded an apology from Danjuma within seven
days or face their wrath.
The repentant militant leaders said in a statement issued in
Port Harcourt, that Danjuma was among northerners who
had become very comfortable in life because of the oil
money from Niger Delta.

http://www.punchng.com/news/civil-war-danjuma-blames-ojukwu-for-not-emulating-jonathan/

Even though i’m not German but towards the end of this joke, i can feel as if i speak very good German already… iz not difficult after all, trust me! hehe…
————————————————————————–

The European Commission has just announced an
agreement whereby English will be the official language of the European Union rather than German, which was the other possibility.

As part of the negotiations, the British Government
conceded that English spelling had some room for
improvement and has accepted a 5- year phase-in plan that would become known as “Euro-English”.

In the first year, “s” will replace the soft “c”. Sertainly, this will make the sivil servants jump with joy. The hard “c” will be dropped in favour of “k”. This should klear up konfusion, and keyboards kan have one less letter.

There will be growing publik enthusiasm in the sekond year when the troublesome “ph” will be replaced with “f”. This will make words like fotograf 20% shorter.

In the 3rd year, publik akseptanse of the new spelling kan be expekted to reach the stage where more komplikated changes are possible. Governments will enkourage the removal of double letters which have always ben a deterent to akurate speling. Also, al wil agre that the horibl mes of the silent “e” in the languag is disgrasful and it should go away.

By the 4th yer people wil be reseptiv to steps such as replasing “th” with “z” and “w” with “v”.
During ze fifz yer, ze unesesary “o” kan be dropd from vords kontaining “ou” and after ziz fifz yer, ve vil hav a reil sensi bl riten styl.
Zer vil be no mor trubl or difikultis and evrivun vil find it ezi TU understand ech oza.

Ze drem of a united urop vil finali kum tru.

Und efter ze fifz yer, ve vil al be speking German like zey vunted in ze forst plas.

If zis mad you smil, pleas pas on to oza pepl.

Shollypopzz:
I like your analysis. Do you believe Yorubas should be blamed for their "silence" in the Biafra war?

The Yoruba play what I refer to as Safe Politics, they hardly ever put all their eggs in one basket... The Biafra war is between Nigeria and the state of Biafra ... if only the Yoruba's also wanted a sovereign state, they would HV made it know back then.

It is difficult to say if Igbo and Yoruba are friends or enemies or merely tolerating each other. On the surface, they seem to be friends, because you rarely hear of any clashes or killings between the two in over 100 years. People from the two ethnic groups work together, live together, laugh together, worship together, and play together. Everything seems all right. Nobody wants to be seen as publicly making any comment seen as tribalistic or intolerant.

But if you look deeper, there seems to be something you cannot truly place a finger on. It’s like a volcano waiting for the least provocation to erupt. It only needs an excerpt from Chinua Achebe’s There Was a Country to be made public, or for Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos to “deport” some Igbo to Onitsha for hell to be let loose. Commentators immediately line up behind their ethnic groups, releasing venom against the other side. Luckily, such altercations usually end in words and not in violent acts.

But on Nigerian online sites like the punchng.com and others, where commentators can use anonymous names, such fights are a daily affair, and they always get embarrassingly nasty. At such times, combatants throw caution to the wind and rake up gut-wrenching jibes dripping of hate and bordering on insanity. You wonder if the purveyors of such vitriol would feel at ease afterwards interacting with someone from the ethnic group they have maligned so viciously. Some see it as fun, but many don’t. They see it as a war that must be won at all costs.

Regrettably, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe and Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, whose direct and indirect action and inaction sowed the seed of hate and distrust between the Igbo and the Yoruba, have died without uprooting that dangerous plant or even denying it water and nutrients. Therefore, till this day, the Igbo and Yoruba still enjoy shooting at each other with accusations of betrayal, expansionism, hate, ingratitude, greed, as well as trying to prove that each ethnic group is superior to the other.

And it seems the contest for superiority is at the root of that frosty relationship. The Igbo and Yoruba are unarguably the most competitive in Nigeria. They are the ethnic groups that easily and forcefully ask for the removal of quota system in all national life. They believe that if things are done on merit, they will excel. The Igbo think that the Yoruba are the major competitors they have in Nigeria, while the Yoruba think that the Igbo are the key competitors they have in Nigeria.

This shows in almost all spheres of life. The Yoruba had a head-start in western education because the British colonialists and missionaries arrived on their land first. The Igbo, who resisted and rejected the British initially, eventually accepted them and thereby began a sprint to catch up with the Yoruba. And they succeeded.

Whatever the Igbo achieve, the Yoruba have an answer to it, and whatever the Yoruba achieve the Igbo have a response. So, if you have a Wole Soyinka from the South-West winning the first Nobel Prize for Literature in Africa, you have a Chinua Achebe from the South-East holding the record of the most popular and most-selling literary writer in Africa. If you have a Rangers International Football Club of Enugu shaking the Nigerian football scene in the 1970s and early 80s, you have the Shooting Stars Football Club of Ibadan shining brightly at the same period. If Rashidi Yekini is noted for scoring Nigeria’s first World Cup goal and being Nigeria’s all-time highest goal scorer, then Nwankwo Kanu boasts of being Nigeria’s most decorated footballer, while Austin Jay-Jay Okocha flaunts his status as Nigeria’s most glamorous and mesmerising footballer. If Genevieve Nnaji boasts of being named by Oprah Winfrey in 2009 among the most popular people in the world, Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde will show off her name in TIME magazine’s most influential people of 2013. If P-Square and Flavour think they rock the music scene, D’Banj and Davido smash the charts.

So, in all areas of life, the Igbo and the Yoruba are competing, and in the process boosting the nation’s economy and bringing glory to the nation. Yet, some inferiority-complex-afflicted people who feel threatened within each of the ethnic groups look for every excuse to spread hate among the two peoples.

My close study of the Igbo and the Yoruba makes me see them as the Germans and the French of Nigeria respectively. Even the Igbo language is like the German language in many respects. In German and Igbo, there are no silent words. Excluding a few words in Germans which are sounded differently from the way the English sound theirs (like “j” which is pronounced like “y,” “w” which is pronounced as “v,” etc), whatever you say in both languages is what you write. For example, the “g” is always pronounced /g/ in Igbo and German and never as “j.” “Danke” and “obante” are pronounced as written.

But in French and Yoruba, what you say may be different from how you write it. Some letters are either silent or semi-silent. For example, the Yoruba and the French would pronounce “san” as if it were “saw,” or “son,” but the Igbo and Germans would pronounce it /san/: exactly the way it is spelt. Also, the “h” is usually silent or glossed over in French and Yoruba: Hospital or Kehinde.

The Igbo and the German are bullish and technology-minded. They have fought and lost wars but staged successful comebacks in a short time. Conversely, the Yoruba and the French are subtle and supercilious, with good administrative skills, regaling in their years of history and culture.

A country that has such two success-driven ethnic groups should be at a great advantage. The Yoruba have been great hosts to the Igbo; and the Igbo have reciprocated by contributing immensely to the building of Yoruba land, especially Lagos State, including buying swamps at a high price and turning such places to residential or commercial estates. The sleepiness of Lagos during the Christmas-New Year period, when the Igbo usually travel home en masse, bears testimony to their contribution to making Lagos lively.

Just like the French always wish they could cut the Germans to size, so do the Yoruba to the Igbo, but it will never work. And just as the Germans always try to flaunt their success at the French, so do the Igbo do to the Yoruba, but it is completely pointless. The Yoruba can never be like the Igbo, and the Igbo can never be like the Yoruba. There is nothing the Yoruba can do to suppress the Igbo, neither is there anything the Igbo can do to suppress the Yoruba. Both of them can actually succeed without the other, but working closely together will be very beneficial to each of them as well as the nation.

The younger generations are forging greater ties, despite the baggage of enmity the older generations handed over to them. Working together, attending church together and living together seem to have increased the rate of marriage between the two people. Most Sundays when I look at the church bulletin, I see increasing higher number of banns of marriage between Yoruba and Igbo people. These days, it is common to see women whose names are Temilade Amadi or Ngozi Adesanya because of marriage. The ethnic barriers are being broken, even though ethnic jingoists continue to spread hate. Such hate speech and thoughts need to be stopped, for ethnic bloodshed or xenophobia does not burst out in one day.

Since the older generations are passing away without bringing these two great ethnic groups together, the onus is on those born after the Civil War to consciously take steps to bring the two ethnic groups together for their own good and for the good of the nation. It is high time this Tom and Jerry relationship between the two ethnic groups ended, for the good of both and the nation at large.

Dear President-Elect,

To kick off, I congratulate the Nigerian people who have chosen to take hold of their fate, the ultimate winners of the election. I congratulate President Jonathan for the grace he has shown in defeat. In truth the President is a good man personally. He could have reneged on his words, but chose to uphold integrity. I congratulate Professor Jega for birthing a true democratic process in the face of unimaginable pressure. I congratulate General Muhammadu Buhari over his victory, however his race has just started. I congratulate Mr. Bola Tinubu for engineering a platform that matched the ruling PDP.

Now to the crux. Mr. President-elect, when the world witnessed the Arab Spring that commenced in 2011 we marvelled. Albeit violent and bloody, we, especially in Nigeria, concluded immediately that this could never happen in Nigeria. We said that no matter how bad Nigeria is run, the people are docile, love life and would rather eat the crumbs falling off the tables of our callous political class. What we didn't realize then was the power we possessed as a collective if given a free and fair medium by which we could express that power. We got that power through the PVC and card reader technology. It must hence be noted in our history lores that President Goodluck Jonathan gave us that power and we all must be eternally grateful to that statesman. It doesn't matter if we turned against him in your favour, we did so in the interest of Nigeria. What matters is that he, Goodluck Jonathan, let the will of the people prevailed and we must thus start to speak good of the man.

In retrospect, you, sir, must now ask yourself the question: What happened along the way that made President Jonathan, who scored 22million votes in the 2011 elections, lose his popularity and nationwide appeal now? How did a smooth ride get so bumpy? Could it be his PDP Party, their attack dogs and hate campigns? Could the fault be layed at the footstools of people he surrounded himself with, and how non-realistic advisers and non-performers of his Government brought aspersions on his humble and good person? Could it be sabotage or the free reign of corruption in his tenure? Whatever answers you may come up with in your reflections, I am sure you will not be far from "inaction". It is often said that, when good men are not percieved as decisive and proactive they are seen as ineffective.

Basking in the euphoria, which is your right to do so after 4 dogged attempts at offering your leadership and service to a Country you are so passionate about, I would rather advise that now is the time to roll up your sleeves and get to work. The work to be done in Nigeria is on a scale of frightening magnitude and not for men of pleasures, but men of grit. First shall we look at a simple analysis of the recently concluded polls. The outcome shows a Nigeria State has been deeply polarised, subtly if I may, along religious and ethnic lines. This polarisation dampens your victory and any crave for an elongated celebration. Sir, seeing that you couldn't win any state in the South East and South South Geopolitical zones of the country is nothing for your party to be gay about. Likewise, we could also juxtapose by looking at the current President of six years, Goodluck Jonathan and how he hardly made any in-roads into the South West and North Central, save Ekiti and Nassarawa states. And he had no victories in the North East and North West, not like we expected much from him in those zones anyway.

A conclusion could thus beckon the question: Was the President ruling only over the South South and South East, which palpably are his people by tribe. You also sir, even by virtue of the merger that formed the new beast called APC in our political jungle, your victory can still be hinged on your partnership with regional Stalwarts such as Tinubu, Amaechi, Oyegun, Tambuwal, Okorocha etc. Yet you still couldn't win any state in the South South and South East. Suffice to say we are playing ethnic politics. This is not a good sign in leadership acceptability.

What you hence need to do, Sir, as your first effort, is to play the role of a "National Healer". You sir, need to take the pain to re-orientate Nigerians to shelve their religious and ethnic bigotry. You need to heal the wounds that date as far back as 1966. I would suggest you go the route Lee Kuan Yew by banning or ameliorating over-the-top religious indoctrination, proselytic activities and ethnic superiority and favouritism in place of religious tolerance, ethnic unity, intertribal-marriages, meritocracy, good leadership, trust, Government Accountability, equity and justice to all.

To buttress my point, we witnessed how the divisiveness mentioned above held sway during the campaigns. Some went as far as saying you were a member of Boko Haram, ISIS and ISIL. Some said you were a Muslim and that they are Christians, and they feared you to be a Islamic fundamentalist. Some said you were from the North. I was amazed also that many didn't think anything was wrong in Nigeria so long as the status quo remained. And for this reason sir, we fought tooth and nail for you. We responded to these propagandas like we were being paid. Social Media became a war zone and a lot of friends turned against each other. We argued in our little corners on what and who is best for Nigeria. However in the ultimate interest of Nigeria, and since you have been magnanimous in victory, we who voted for you must hence proffer our arms towards our friends and foes (of whatever tribe or religious affiliation) and embrace as one Nigeria. Nigeria won.

Let me cast light on the fact that we didn't vote APC, though their platform was necessary for your victory. We voted You, the people's General. And now that we have realised our new found power in democracy, we would not hesistate to vote you out in 2019 if you fail to deliver. The needs of Nigerians are the same whether in Ijebu Ode, Abakaliki, Onitsha, Sapele, Jalingo, Daura, London or America. We have voted you, to use your iron hands, to set the new rules of righteousness and progress that would guide the new Nigeria to its destined seat in the committee of nations. It can be thus said that what we witnessed in Nigeria is a people's revolution, through the ballot and not violence, as we voted out the tyrants who vowed to rule us for 50 years. Under the sun and under the rain, some of us were bent that the result would not be rigged against you. A sick old man was carried from his hospital bed to vote and then returned to the hospital. An 82 year old woman was seen voting. Reason, because we believe Nigeria should be and can a better place. And the voice of the people became the voice of God.

As we look forward to May 29. As we look forward to a pleasant future set into motion by you and your structures of transformation, we pray with you that your God whom you faithful serve will protect you, keep you in good health and sound mind, surround you with men and women of wisdom and result, a cooperative populace and a repentant and sensible political class.


Personal advice: Do your best in four years and leave the office for younger brains. You will be regarded as our own Mandela.
God bless you, sir. Sai Buhari. God bless Nigeria. The effort was worth it.

By Theo O O