₦airaland Forum

This is why I do not like fashola and tinubu or even ACN. When an awori or even other yorubas from other states are not yet represented, then an ibo man will come and give conditions for there votes (very annoying). If you people keep voting for ACN then I am sure we yorubas will no longer be relevent again in lagos and nigeria. All this diplomacy and love we show to igbos are not done in other parts of the country eg awka ibom, delta, balysea, kogi, kano and co
this states do not allow ibos in there carbinent, then why did fashola or tinubu allowed an ibo man to be a commissioner, is that not stu.pid and silly of ACN.
Certainly Acn is not getting my vote.

semasir:
@TewMuch: the multi-ethnicity in Nigeria doesn't mean that Egun is a subset of Yoruba, rather it simply means they're considered or grouped as Yorubas simply because they fall on the same geopolitical zone. I need you to convince me that a Calabar indigene considering self as an Igbo or others doing same.

Mr egun if you want to preserve your heritage, then no one is stopping you. I am awori as well from isale-eko and i can tell you egun is part of Yoruba as a whole. Do you agree ?

CPC ko, CPC ni. Goodluck to them

Obiagu1:
Now can I say the Yorubas are claimimg other people    

Oga I am awori myself and my grand father was the oba of lagos at a point. My father was in tinubu term and there are streets in lagos after my surname. I am a yoruba first before awori. We aworis are yorubas in heart and in blood so no one is claiming here, we see ourselves as yorubas ok!

Katsumoto:
Eyon mi, that language is a bit extreme.

Sorry brother if you can not read my yoruba, it is the awori dialect. Hope you can read it

Katsumoto:
Eyon mi, that language is a bit extreme.

ok mo ti gbo, sugbo a ni la ti sur ra fun awon omo inna ta bi ijaw ni. bawo lo ma she pe emi omo awori ni ijaw ? it is very annoying
[quote author=EzeUche_ link=topic=607521.msg7756508#msg7756508 date=1298051974]What the hell does Igbos have to do with this topic?

Most Igbos do not claim Lagos.

And the Igbos who refered to claiming Lagos, such as myself were only doing so jokingly, because we know how some Yorubas get when we discuss Lagos.

We Igbos have more pressing matters like Port Harcourt and Bonny. [/quote]My ina brother, I was just joking. In lagos we and the igbos love each other very much since igbos behave themselves we will respect them.

This is madness, I have come from to realise that until we yorubas from awori, egun, oyo etc come together and kill this ijaw and igbos in lagos then we will have no peace.

Alj harem do you remember Alausa when Hausa people were claim lagos because it is call alausa

[quote author=isale_gan2 link=topic=607521.msg7755852#msg7755852 date=1298046158]What if she is?  Isn't an Ijaw a human being? 

Our President Goodluck is Ijaw nau.  [/quote]I am also an Awori man from Isele eko, but the question is how can be called Ijaw :beats me

Jason123. Please the people are very funny, just ignore them

Obiagu1:
Who is this laying b.astard  
You are Awori and you are from Kwara proper.
Just move away, agwo!

Go kill youself bas.tard

killayut:
On the issue of Ijaw in Lagos state. People should go back in history. In no Yoruba history there is a mention of Coastal area. The ancien Oyo empire does not extend to the coast. The coast of todays Lagos state has always been settled by a fishing people. The MAHINS. Ilajes and AWORIS. who are these people. These people were Ijaws  who over many many years due to  many different reasons ( arrival of Igbiras through the creeks from Igbira land ) and other mixes  resulted in to the Ijaw minorities there being influenced to change their culture,  a big example of such changes is in to todays  town of ekiadolor where the natives  speak uhrobo but the town is an IJAW TOWN. CHIEF EDWIN CLARK is from EKIADOLOR. almost every body in Ekiadolor speak uhrobo. I dont want to talk about Aladja which is also the same with Ekiadolo.  In ONDO state the people of AROGBO were able to maintaion their Ijawness although a good number f them speak yoruba and have yoruba names. The APOIS of Ondo and parts of Edo are another Ijaw groups that have half of them speaking Yoruba and having yoruba names. along the same coast from ONDO through Ogun to lagos  are the same Ijaw people that got to the Ibeju leki area of LAGOS and eventaully setled at the coastal LAGOS ,  Till tomorrow  Ijaw people sell land in TARKWA,  The word APAPA IN Lagos is an Ijaw word meaning groundnut,  It was named after the minority natives who were fishing there when the seaport was built  to export ground nut from KANO . The sea port became known as groundnut port which is apapa port, Apapa is ground nut in Ijaw.

Today we know that there are mixes in ILORIN AND the pepople there have a lot of fulanis but that does not mean Fulanis  own Ilorin.
It is just unfortunate that the Ijaw man has a very good hospitality that other people  take advantage of,  Its the same hospitality the Ijaw people have in the eastern side where they had a lot of Igbos in to their fold and even made an Igbo freed slave their king. In   KALABARI  there is a tradition call KINI-IYA,  it means to adopt some one or to marry some one,  At that time wealth in KALABARI LAND WAS MEASured BASED ON THE NUMBER OF OTHER PEOPLE you bought or adopted. This led to a rush to acquire as many Igbos as possible. Some KALABARI CHIEFS HAD as many Igbo adopted people like  more than 200 and all these people were given equal right. a CEREMONY was  always made where all the adopted people would be shaven in the public and given KALABARI-IJAW names. It was the same practice in Bonny , Okrika and Nembe,

You people should know that no one from Opobo, Bonny, KALABARI and Okrika would say they are Igbos. Pretty much like no naturalized american would claim that he is from a foreign country.  The natives of those places  are IJAWS but no doubt Igbos came  to play some good parts in their midst. 

Coastal Lagos was owned by IJAW people. the  AWORIS are va mixture of IJAWS AND Eguns,  The Ijaw in Olodi APAPA is too strong all the way to Ijaw ra ( Ijo-ra ). KIRI-KIRI was an aijaw settlement it means  LAND or mainly land in Ijaw and  every one knows   Ijaw people were the ones that lived there before this time,

Yoruba people of  Ijebu and Egba have just migrated to the area hence the awori  egba wars and trouble. Most of the traditional stools now in LAGOS were recently created,  I was in laggos when they created  the Onikoyi stool in Ikoyi. a stool that never existed. In victoria island the APESE community has always been there and they owned it  the Oniru is the stool but that was  it cos maroko  through ajah to ibeju were settled by Ijaws,  The lagos state government does not just recognize this and unfortunately the Ijaws do not have serious plans for all that since their main occupation isnot threatened.

Man see how you are making a big fo.ol of yourself
So I was Ijaw Man i did not know I was Ijaw before oooooo. Oga please tell me about my history because i am confused.

Mr man look my family is the long line of obas in lagos, many streets in lagos are named after my family surname so now are you calling us Ijaws because i think you are seriously confused and need medical help.

Me ijaw , i would even accept bini (although that's rubbish). How can a grown man like you call me an Awori man ijaw when you are not going craze.

Well Nairaland wonders shall never end. ::::::SMH::::::

very surprising

Obiagu1:
This Ijaw issue is getting out of hand. A people that live in canoe houses and anchor at sea shores and river banks and traditionally don't have “land” settlements, are now claiming the hinterland of every area they ever anchored their canoes. Soon you'll start hearing that they are natives in Gabon whereas they are there as fishermen and no one troubles them. Tomorrow, they'll clam all the creeks in Gabon and next claim the hinterland proper.

The Ijaws were in Bonny as fishermen but the town was founded by the Igbos who have proper settlements there. Now the Ijaws are abandoning their canoes and are seeking “land” settlements in other areas whether the area was scantly populated or not, those areas do not belong to a people that live in canoes.

The Fulanis are doing the same thing now, claiming native in every town they have wandered with their cattle.


@ Abagworo, Ijaws were in both Imo and Aba rivers as fishermen and have no settlement in those areas. That is how they start their claims. Now they even claim to be natives in Lagos whereas they are mere fishermen on the rivers.


It is high time people started driving them away from their waters before it becomes too late. I blame the Igbos that allowed them to fish in our waters. Now they’ve encircled us and even claim we have no access to sea. Who lives in water and creeks except them? Is water and creeks supposed to be inhabited by humans or by fish?

Are you daft or just plain stu.pid, I said there are no ijaw indigenes in Lagos at all. The fishermen then were the eguns and awori. You people better know what you are saying, how can ijaw claim any part of yorubaland even worse lagos!

Please show me were ijaws are saying they are lagosians or are indigenes of lagos. Idi.ot

Look bros, I am a proper Awori man because my father is an Awori. His grand father was the Oba of Lagos at some point in time.
There is and was nothing like Ijaw in Lagos history. ijaw ko aja ni. You better know you history if you do not want ijaws to start getting killed in Lagos.
From Lagos-Ogun-Ondo there is nothing like ijaw in there history.ok. Maybe Ondo but that is it. So please know you history.

Andre Uweh:
^^^
I disagree with the Ijaw linkage of Ndoki people. In Lagos and Ondo states where Ijaws have links, names, language and occupation are easily traceable. But in Ndokiland, it is virtually non existent.
There are Ndoki villages in Ibibioland especially Ika and Etim Ekpo LGA's but not the other way round.

By Dele Moses, Special Correspondent, Ilorin

When the delegates from Kwara State to the National Political Reform Conference (NPRC) were nominated, the nomination attracted criticisms from various quarters, which kicked against some of the nominees. One of the critics of the exercise, Alhaji Abdulkareem Olola Kasum, the president of Afonja Descendants Union [ADU], said the nominees did not reflect the two most contentious issues in the state.

According to Kasum, the two most contentious issues are the creation of a state out of the present Kwara State, an agitation that has been on for a long time, and the leadership problem between the Afonja family and the Fulani over the ownership of Ilorin town.

The state’s delegates to the conference are: Alhaji Saidu Isa, a former minister of state for foreign affairs; Alhaji Mahmud Ibrahim, Alhaji Ayinla Folorunsho Alhaji Abubakar Kawu Baraje, Prof. Albert Ogunshola, and Engr kola Shittu. Most of these people are politicians loyal to the former Senate Leader, Dr Olusola Saraki. They are within the fold of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) in the state.

Kasum accused the state government of influencing the emergence of the delegates who would defend the status quo at the conference and leave the popular agitation for political restructuring of the state in the lurch.

The ADU president alleged that the delegates would work against the carving out of a state out of Kwara, notebly that of Oya, a state being proposed to comprise the Yoruba in Kwara and Kogi states and to be merged with the geo-political zone of South West where their fellow Yoruba kith and kin are located.

His words: "All the nominees are against the proposed state for the Yoruba, which is now a popular issue in Kwara State. The government hates the state being reduced through the creation of Oya or any Yoruba state, so it has deliberately chosen people who would not speak in favour of the creation."

Now that the conference is on, agitation for the creation of a state out of Kwara is now being confirmed to be a most contentious issue in one of the Nigeria’s first generation states.The people of Kwara South Senatorial District have forwarded to the conference a memorandum demanding for their own state. But opposition within the district is being mustered against the proposal.

According to the memorandum signed by 24 people who are elders and leaders in the Kwara South and presented to the conference on March 30,2005, the district wants a state to be known as Oke-Oodua. The people of the district comprise the Yoruba sub ethnic groups of Igbomina, Ibolo and Ekiti.They share boundaries in the north-east with the Okun (the Yoruba in Kogi State), in the South with the Ekiti State, in the west, Osun State and , in the north with Ilorin.

The district was initially under the old Ilorin Province of the then Northern Nigeria until the creation of Kwara State in 1967.The area was then divided into two administrative units of Igbomina/Ekiti and Oyun Divisions and was later divided into three local government areas in 1976. It now comprises seven local government areas, namely Irepodun, Ifelodun, Isin, Ekiti, Oke-Ero, Offa, and Oyun.

The people itemised in the memorandum problems that prompted them to demand for their own state. The problems were outlined as follows:

The General Problems

• The forced dismemberment of the various groups in Kwara from their kith and kin in the South West of Nigeria, which the British carried out in 1906 has produced perpetual social, political, and economic problems for each Yoruba group listed above. They have by force of that circumstance become minorities in the North.

• It is glaring that the people of Kwara South are disadvantaged and marginalised in terms of development if compared to its counterparts like Nassarawa, among others.

Social Effects

• Culturally, we are Yoruba and we share same aspirations with our kith and kin in the South West.

• However, in addition to our other Yoruba groups, we are grouped in the same state with other tribes, such as Baruba, Nupe, Hausa and Fulani who naturally share the same aspiration with their own people in the North.

• We are also zoned to the North and therefore we are regarded as Northerners.

• The unanticipated and perhaps unplanned consequences of the forced association has been the gradual erosion of our culture and identity.

• Our dilemma has been and still is this, in which direction do we look?

Political Problems

• We have a problem of identity either in the name of Kwara or when if comes to aspiring for national political office. Kwara has no meaning or identification,

• We cannot aspire for any position slated for the Yoruba because we are treated as "Northerners"

• Neither can we aspire for that slated for the North because we are regarded as "Yoruba".

Economic Problem

• We lost some projects when it comes to this arrangement with the North while creation of states and more local government areas eluded Kwara South because it does not belong to proper North.

• Key projects in Kwara were moved or de-emphasised to state regarded as more North than Kwara.

• Before the coming of President Olusegun Obasanjo, who made appointment opportunities open to all Nigerians, top Federal Government positions coming to Kwara have always been given largely on the basis of royalty and or historical link to the powers that be in the North.

In summary, current absurdity where Yoruba groups (Igbomina, Ibololo, Ekiti, Ilorin and Okun people) are dismembered from their majority tribe location with the Yoruba of the South West and made to become minority in the North is creating hardship and embarrassment for the groups, the memorandum added.

The people therefore demanded for a state to be known and called Oke-Oodua. They said their request was based on expressed wishes of the people and communities within the area founded on common institutions; the historical association of the people before and after independence; geographical contiguity, especially the need to avoid the "divide and rule" syndrome inherited in present power structure and resources allocation; the need to achieve a measure of relative balance in population and resources distribution; and the ability to sustain the state through the abundant human and material potential in the area.

To complement the demand, the people also requested for twenty-two local government areas to be created within the new state to be granted. They said they had suffered negligence in the creation of local government areas, therefore, the 22 requested should be created as compensation.

Their prayers as stated in the memorandum are:

• The creation of a state called Oke-Oodua for the Igbomina, Ibolo and Ekiti from the present Kwara South Senatorial District.

• Re-group the proposed state with the South West of Nigeria with their kith and kin (the Oduduwa Stock); and

• Conduct a plebiscite, if necessary, among the people in the proposed state (Oke-Oodua).

Justifying the qualification of the district to become a state, the people said some areas, which were like Kwara South senatorial district in 1979 have transformed into states. They cited Nassarawa State which they said was a senatorial district in 1979 with a less population than Kwara South, including land mass.

However, some people in the same district have kicked against the proposal. A group of Ieaders in some communities in Ifelodun Local Government Area while opposing the proposal, claimed that the people of the communities were not consulted before the memorandum was presented to the conference.

The people, who include the Secretary to the Kwara State Government, Alhaji Ibrahim Adelokun; the Commissioner for Rural Development, Dr Femi Ogunsola, who is a son of one of the state’s delegates to the conference, Prof Albert Ogunsola; and Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed, the Commissioner for Finance, dissociated themselves from the proposed state. They said their local government area was not part of the agitation.

The spokesman of the people, Alhaji Kola Yusuf, the chairman of Kwara State Investment Company, alleged that the memorandum was drawn up and forwarded to the conference by "faceless, disgruntled, and ill-motivated individuals". He said that the consent of the people and leadership of the local government area was not sought before the memorandum was drawn up.

He declared: "We the people of the local government believe strongly in the leadership of Dr Bukola Saraki and without any doubt at all, we believe that our present geographical location and the status of our people and comfortability cast no doubt in our mind that Kwara is ours and Ifelodun Local Government is Kwara.

"We are not interested in moving from the various groups who are agitating for such state creation. Rather we employ our people to continue to work for the benefit of Kwara State. Ifelodun Local Government shall not be part of such agitation. We shall live together to savage Kwara."

Yusuf said Ifelodun being the largest and second most populated local government in the state has enjoyed political privileges in the areas of appointment of commissioners, secretary to the state government, board chairman and members of parastatals while they were well taken care of in the provision of infrastructure. He said the area have been enjoying a comfortable, political and socio-economic relationship with the leadership of the state, adding that "we are therefore very comfortable to remain an integral part of Kwara State.

"The majority of our people in Ifelodun feel fulfilled and actualised in Kwara, and have at no time in history agitated for their excision to another state, either alone or in conjunction with others. It is for this reason that the unsolicited agitation by proxy by some faceless, disgruntled, and ill-motivated individuals is not only surprising and disturbing as well," he stated.

Yusuf added: "We have confidence in the leadership of Dr Olusola Saraki. He is our mentor and a great leader with vision. He has never for one day betrayed us and Ifelodun shall continue to repose their trust in him and his leadership. Ifelodun is part of the formation of this government right from the beginning to the present day. We were never marginalised, we are not traitors that betrayed our leaders, we stand for the growth of Ifelodun Local Government and we stand for the growth of Kwara.

“We therefore wish to use this medium to dissociate ourselves from the proposed Osin [Oke-Oodua] State which some selfish individuals and politicians, who have lost bearing with the political realities, are agitating for without consultation and consent with the people and leadership of the local government."

He said rather than the creation of a new state out of the present Kwara State, their desire was the creation of more local government areas out of Ifelodun.

Another group from Ekiti and Oke-Ero local government areas of the district also raised opposition to the proposed state. Led by Olosi of Osi-Ekiti, Oba Saliu Abdulkareem Adasofegbe Arowobeku, the people said they were not involved in the preparation of the memorandum and dissociated themselves from the proposed state.

"We the traditional rulers and the entire people of Ekitiland strongly and unequivocally dissociate ourselves from the said proposed state as we were not consulted. We and our people say that we are currently satisfied with the present Kwara State as it is now constituted", declared Oba Arowobeku.

The people claimed that in the memorandum, no new local government area was proposed for the Ekiti as against more areas for the Igbomina and Ibolo, alleging that the development was a blueprint for their economic, political and social marginalisation.

The opposition by this group to the proposed state has been criticised by the majority of the Ekiti in Kwara State. The people under the umbrella of Kwara Ekiti Indigenes said they joined their kith and kin of Igbomina, Ibolo and allied groups to ask for a separate state of their own.

A communiqué issued after the general meeting of the people signed by their president, Chief J.O Daniel; and Secretary, Hon. Ayo Oluleye stated that their members, who opposed the proposed state, were invited to the meeting where they saw reasons and accepted the wish of the people to demand for a state of their own.

The people stated that the agitation for the new state had been on for a long time and borne out of the principle of self determination with a wish to develop. They recalled that they together with the Igbomina and Ibolo demanded their own state at the Mbanefo Panel in 1996 while other groups of people in Kwara State made cases for their own.

"In 1996, the Mbanefo Panel on Boundary Adjustment and Creation of State got our Charter of Demand for the creation of a new state to accommodate our cultural, political, economic and social interests," they said, adding:

“Whereas at the Mbanefo Panel, other ethnic groups, including the Ilorin Emirate as represented and defended by lawyer Alarape Salman {SAN], demanded for their own state, which excluded the Igbomina, Ibolo and Ekiti people. The Nupe in Kwara ( Patigi, Edu and Lafiagi) joined their kith and kin in Niger State to demand for Ndaduma State.".

The people said the persistent demand, for over 10 years now, had not been swayed by any intervening factor from their resolve, to restate the demand for a new state. They alleged that successive civilian and military governments in Kwara State had not paid attention to their health, welfare and education.

They expressed displeasure over absence of a first class traditional ruler in the are which they believed is caused by their persistent stay in Kwara State and classification as part of the Northern Region.

"The Oore of Otun that secured his release from the North in 1936 is not only a First Class monarch but is the chairman of the Traditional Rulers Council in Ekiti State whereas his colleagues of equal status who remained in Kwara State are yet to be acknowledged, lest being upgraded to first class," they said

An Igbomina group known as Igbomina Liberty Forum has also expressed support for the proposed Oke-Oodua State. The group, in a communique issued at the end of its emergency session, gave reasons for its support for the proposed state.

A statement by Mr Adeyinka Gbadeyan, Mr Kayode Banji and Prince Saheed Murtala Arinlopooye supported the proposed state because of "the reality of the incompatibility of the Igbomina, Ibolo and Ekiti with the Ilorin Fulani descendants, which was recognised and documented by the British Colonial Administrators as far back as 1930”.

The previous agitations for the merger of the people with their fellow Yoruba in the West led by the late Chief J. G. Eunrin of Oke-Ode, the submissions by the late Ooni of Ife, Sir Adesoji Aderemi in 1950 conference for grouping of Yoruba in the North with West, the agitation by the late Chief J. S. Olawoyin in 1957 conference, the recommendations of Willinks Commission and the joint demand for a new state by the Asepo Omo Yoruba Kwara and Okun Development Association in Kogi State also informed the support for the proposed state.

The group said that their support was also borne out of long standing collective wish of their people to be grouped together in a state of theirs where they could channel their resources to the development of their communities.

The Forum said the Igbomina, Ibolo and Ekiti of Kwara South are Yoruba by tribe, culture and language and that they are bonafide descendants of Oduduwa. It said the merger of Kwara South with the Northern Region had led to the erosion and distortion of the culture of the people as well as the retardation of their collective growth and development.

"We of the Igbomina Liberty Forum hereby declare our unequivocal support for the patriotic and selfless efforts by credible representatives of Igbomina, Ibolo and Ekiti people to actualise our just demand for the creation of a new state for the people of Kwara South within a united Federal Republic of Nigeria," stated the group.

News -- Yoruba in Kwara and burden of identity

xreal:
@ step1
e n lé fa!

Our so-called political leaders in Kwara are the 'confusionists',  they believe associating with the hausa/fulani will earn them better political power, influence and respect among the other Yorubas.

bawo la se fa
were, asiwen, oloshi eni ti ko le se ori re bukola saraki ye lo fa
I mean how can he call himself a fulani when his father and sister are claiming otherwise. The man is a real naughty person.

Me I am form kwara infact illorin to be precise. I am a born breed of Yoruba to the bone, we are considered northerners but I consider MYSELF and my people as south-westerners anyday anytime.

I am not confused neither are the fulani or hausa people would confuse us as northerners, they know we are yorubas and that is that. Why will an hausa or any northerner call me a fulani or a northerner. Why will any yoruba man from kwara consider himself as a northerner or a fulani, it is insane.

For all my kwara brothers and sisters out there, the sooner we unite with our other yoruba brother, the better it is for us to retain our identity as a south-westerner and as yorubas. The hausa/fulani are just using us to inflate there population so as to retain power for themselves.

Jason123 i dey ba dun you, I am a Yoruba Muslim myself and i will defend the Yoruba cause with my life.
To all Yorubas whether Muslim or Christian, we all have to unite for the oduduwa cause. As Jason said Yoruba Roun. Please all yorubas put your ethnicity first before any religious sentiment.
I am a devoted Muslim, but i will put yoruba first before any religious nonsense, I am from Kwara state and I have Igala blood in me. We Yorubas must hold on to ourselves and protect ourselves first before we lose everything.

Where are all the omo ibos on this forum and their lies?

"Who shall we send and who will go for us" Holy Bible.

As Nigeria tethers at the brink of disaster, it has become hell for Southerners. But each time it tries to forge a common alliance that will throw off the yoke of the Hausa-Fulani tyranny it becomes more divided than ever because of the distrust and animosity between the Igbos and the Yorubas that arose out of the ashes of the Biafran war.

It is barely 30 years since the end of the war but any attempt to examine the source of these animosities has tended to generate more heat than light. Due extreme emotions, objectivity is lost. To move forward, it is necessary to expose these animosities since this is the root of the great divide in the South and the source of strength for the Hausa-Fulani oligarchy.

Rightly or wrongly, the Igbos have blamed the Yorubas for their lack of support of the Biafran cause. They have accused the Yorubas of everything from being cowards to traitors. Their esteemed leader, Awolowo, is the bogey man. He has been blamed for everything from famine in the East to the drought in the North. This is not an attempt to hold brief for Awo, because I know this gentleman can hold his own from the grave.

This war was a very traumatic period in Nigerian history especially for the Igbos. But how did we get there? Are the Yorubas or Western region really responsible for what befell the Igbos? Since the end of the war, it has not been to obtain records and transcripts of official deliberations that took place in the immediate period leading to the war. Most of the major players are dead. The few who are still alive are silent. Ojukwu who was a major player is loquacious but whatever he has said or still saying is empty, peripheral and to a great degree, self-serving. The Biafran war needs to be studied so we can learn from the mistakes of the actors who were human and acted according to the dictates of their time. With these lessons we can free ourselves from recrimination, bury the hatchet and salvage the South from the choke-hold of the Northern hegemony.

There is much blame to go around but as a minority person who has watched the three tribes fight one another over the resources of the minorities, I sincerely believe that the Yorubas have been blamed out of proportion to their roles during the war. It is time for the Igbos to forgo the emotions and re-examine the war and the period in which it was fought. Perhaps, they will discover that the war was lost before it was started. No matter how noble your cause is, nobody wants to die for a lost cause. This was a tactical war that resulted from the action of Igbo officers. If Nzeogwu and the gang of coup plotters had not struck, maybe the history of Nigeria would have been different. Perhaps the pogrom that took place in the North would not have happened. The various regions would have matured and Nigeria would have evolved a strong confederation through dialogue.

There were various issues and personalities that played themselves out in periods before and during the war. There were rivalries between individuals with different approaches to solving problems. Zik and Awo worked hard to gain the trust of their people. Ojukwu and Gowon were trusted into the limelight by the events that unfolded. It is difficult to fathom the extent to which the wish to hold center stage can corrupt good motives,  The rivalry between Zik and Awolowo dates back before independence. Either out of intellectual laziness or the need to divert attention from the failings of the Igbo leaders during the war, the role of Awo has been played up to mythical proportions.

It is easier to mention external factors than to look at the intrinsic weakness that led to the fall of Biafra. It was a war that came too early and was badly prosecuted. It was fought in a period of national hysteria when all the regions were going through their individual crisis: from the conflagration in the West to assassination of Ahmadu Bello and the ensuing pogrom. It was a period of mob hysteria and the loudest voices were not necessarily the voices of reason. It should be recalled that at the beginning of the war, Awo had spent almost three years in prison. Here was a man who, at the peak of his career found himself in jail. His region in crisis and his much beloved son dead. He watched all he had toiled for literally go up in flames. This no doubt may have had a profound effect on him. Is it possible for him to think that the Eastern leaders did not support him in his hour of need. Is it impossible that the years in solitary and his experience in the West and the lives lost may have taught him that political solution was the best way to go at the time, and that no region can go it alone?

It should also be recalled that Zik, also opposed the war. But this eloquence was no match for Ojukwu’s arrogance and bravado. Till his death there was an uneasy silence between these two. Because both were Igbos, the relationship between them was not explored. Maybe political scholars did not consider it controversial enough. Ojukwu has used Awo to explain his failing for a long time and it is time that this issue is explored and the characters of the two men compared. In one his rare interviews, Awo explained that when he met Ojukwu at the Calabar prison, he did ask the young man to try and explore a political option but Ojukwu in reply said Awo was talking platitudes. But granted that Awo gave Ojukwu his verbal support what does it say about the Igbos when on the verbal proclamation of one man they would embark upon a war? What other Yoruba leaders did they meet? Awo is just one man in Yoruba land. However much they revere him, they are not gong to on a suicide mission just because Awo said so. Any good leader looks to the long term interest of his people.

Those who have accused Awo of tribalism forget one thing: Awo was elected to defend the interest of the Western region. It was somebody else’s to do the same for the Eastern region. At various times, each region has threatened to secede from the Nigerian federation. When in 1957 Nigeria was to be granted independence the North said it was not ready. Awo was said to have had discussions with Zik saying the South should go ahead with independence because the North will never be ready even if given a hundred years. Zik turned around and formed an alliance with Ahmadu Bello and the South waited three years for the North to prepare for independence (Similarities between Pakistan and India. The British divided India into two nations –India and Pakistan because of religious differences).

This is the origin of our problems. Awo never forgave Zik for this. This pattern of alliance and betrayal was to repeat itself until their death. They could no longer trust each other on issues of South-South dialogue as Zik was always prone to renege at the last moment only to emerge with a Northern alliance. Because of this, Awo fought tooth and nail to gain ascendancy over Zik in the West. He played a role in the carpet crossing in the West that deprived Zik the leadership. He was accused of exploiting tribal sentiments to further his purpose but he was a man who acted according to the dictates of his time. To do otherwise is to suffer perdition. Zik learnt quickly from this episode, made a dash to the East and practically threw Eyo Ita out of the Eastern house to become the premier. This was the politics of the time. Everybody played the game.

It is against this background that I see Awo as a leader who loved his people and this should not be seen as hatred for others. Those who also say that the Yorubas gained ascendancy of industry because of the marginalization of the Igbos fail to see the fact that most institutions in the West had been built before independence under the captainship of Awo.

Awo is a man who looked for the long term interest of his people. The sooner the Igbos stop using him as an excuse for the failure of Biafra, the easier it is for them to discern good leadership that would serve them.

After all the atrocities that resulted from his faulty judgment during the war, I am amazed that Ojukwu is still a celebrated figure in Igboland. If he were in other lands he would be confined to the heap of infamy because so many lives were lost due to his decisions. His conduct and utterances since his return from exile leaves much to be desired. He is a spoilt child who never grew up. He did not learn nor forgot anything. He is a man who loves power and not for what he can do for his people but for what power can do for his ego. To continue to blame the Yorubas for his failures shows that he has not learnt to take responsibility for his actions. He is a lost cause but I am amazed at the gullibility of his followers. Despite being labeled as cowards and traitors, the Yorubas have learned to thread very carefully. They have taken the lessons of the Biafran war to heart and fully understands that going it alone will not yield good results. Each time they try to seek the alliance with the Igbos because they know it is the right thing to do fully realizing that arrogance in this enterprise will serve no good purpose. While they may be outraged about the condition they find themselves, they do not consider it good judgment to endanger the lives of millions in a precipitate action that will not have a lasting solution

When it concerns Abiola and Obasanjo they are in a difficult situation. This is what you might call a tight situation because these two individuals did everything to demean Awo whom the Yorubas revered. In fact, Abiola in a bid to gain ascendancy in the Hausa-dominated process derided Awo to the great satisfaction of his Northern masters. Today, Awo must be laughing in his grave! This is the dilemma faced by the Yorubas. Their love for justice and freedom on one hand and a desire to avenge the humiliation of Papa Awo, on the other.

After all is said and done, I know that the three big tribes have one thing in common: a desire to exploit the resources of the minorities. This is the only place they are united. But the Ogonis and other minorities have decided they would not tolerate this situation any longer. After watching the politics of the big three, I will state categorically that it is the precipitate actions of the Igbos that brought us to this present predicament and the onus is on them to join alliances with forces that will extricate us from the present situation. I am not asking them to lead. They are war weary. This is understandable. They should, however understand that Nigeria is not a better place for the Igbo man than for the Yoruba man. At present, the South has become an object of derision.

CONCLUSION: The Igbos should understand that the crisis facing the South today was directly or remotely caused by them. But because their leaders had not been sincere to them, they have continuously propagated the lie that the West is responsible for their problem. A few facts should illuminate this:

  [b] 1. In 1957, the North threatened to secede if independence was granted to Nigeria because they were not ready. Zik, was supposed to have reached an understanding with Awo to let the North go. But to Awo’s consternation, Zik formed an alliance with the North which succeeded in delaying independence and allowed the North to get ready.
   2. In 1966, a group of young Igbo officers planned a coup that killed only non-Igbo politicians. Included among the politicians was Ahmadu Bello who was a god-like figure to the Northerners. Before you could say Jihad, all the Sabongaris were on fire and the pogrom that would lead to the civil war has started,
   3. Instead of trying to seek immediate political solution to the crisis, the Igbos declared Biafra. They war lasted for 30 months. The Igbos lost everything. The Hausa-Fulani oligarchy took this defeat of Biafra as the conquest of the South. Since then, they have transformed the privilege of leadership into that of a birthright and they have used it not only to stunt the growth of the South but also to subject their people to a state of perpetual servitude and feudalistic iniquities.[/b]

I stand to be corrected

http://www.nigerdeltacongress.com/iarticles/igbo.htm

superboi:
We have to show this people that the can not use violence as a political currency. If they dare attacker people from other region or religion they should be attacked back also. Haba as their father Abacha would say, Enaff is enaff.

You could not have said it better. NO ONE HAS A MONOPOLY ON VIOLENCE, KILL ONE SOUTHERNER=20 NORTHERNERS DEAD! ENOUGH IS ENOUGH OF THIS INTIMIDATION!!! Crazy people!!!

[b]Quote
CONCLUSION: The Igbos should understand that the crisis facing the South today was directly or remotely caused by them. But because their leaders had not been sincere to them, they have continuously propagated the lie that the West is responsible for their problem. A few facts should illuminate this:

   1. In 1957, the North threatened to secede if independence was granted to Nigeria because they were not ready. Zik, was supposed to have reached an understanding with Awo to let the North go. But to Awo’s consternation, Zik formed an alliance with the North which succeeded in delaying independence and allowed the North to get ready.
   2. In 1966, a group of young Igbo officers planned a coup that killed only non-Igbo politicians. Included among the politicians was Ahmadu Bello who was a god-like figure to the Northerners. Before you could say Jihad, all the Sabongaris were on fire and the pogrom that would lead to the civil war has started,
   3. Instead of trying to seek immediate political solution to the crisis, the Igbos declared Biafra. They war lasted for 30 months. The Igbos lost everything. The Hausa-Fulani oligarchy took this defeat of Biafra as the conquest of the South. Since then, they have transformed the privilege of leadership into that of a birthright and they have used it not only to stunt the growth of the South but also to subject their people to a state of perpetual servitude and feudalistic iniquities.

The Igbo/Yoruba Relationship

[/b]
http://www.nigerdeltacongress.com/iarticles/igbo.htm

Quote
CONCLUSION: The Igbos should understand that the crisis facing the South today was directly or remotely caused by them. But because their leaders had not been sincere to them, they have continuously propagated the lie that the West is responsible for their problem. A few facts should illuminate this:

1. In 1957, the North threatened to secede if independence was granted to Nigeria because they were not ready. Zik, was supposed to have reached an understanding with Awo to let the North go. But to Awo’s consternation, Zik formed an alliance with the North which succeeded in delaying independence and allowed the North to get ready.
2. In 1966, a group of young Igbo officers planned a coup that killed only non-Igbo politicians. Included among the politicians was Ahmadu Bello who was a god-like figure to the Northerners. Before you could say Jihad, all the Sabongaris were on fire and the pogrom that would lead to the civil war has started,
3. Instead of trying to seek immediate political solution to the crisis, the Igbos declared Biafra. They war lasted for 30 months. The Igbos lost everything. The Hausa-Fulani oligarchy took this defeat of Biafra as the conquest of the South. Since then, they have transformed the privilege of leadership into that of a birthright and they have used it not only to stunt the growth of the South but also to subject their people to a state of perpetual servitude and feudalistic iniquities.

The Igbo/Yoruba Relationship


http://www.nigerdeltacongress.com/iarticles/igbo.htm

O se eko ile

Quote
CONCLUSION: The Igbos should understand that the crisis facing the South today was directly or remotely caused by them. But because their leaders had not been sincere to them, they have continuously propagated the lie that the West is responsible for their problem. A few facts should illuminate this:

1. In 1957, the North threatened to secede if independence was granted to Nigeria because they were not ready. Zik, was supposed to have reached an understanding with Awo to let the North go. But to Awo’s consternation, Zik formed an alliance with the North which succeeded in delaying independence and allowed the North to get ready.
2. In 1966, a group of young Igbo officers planned a coup that killed only non-Igbo politicians. Included among the politicians was Ahmadu Bello who was a god-like figure to the Northerners. Before you could say Jihad, all the Sabongaris were on fire and the pogrom that would lead to the civil war has started,
3. Instead of trying to seek immediate political solution to the crisis, the Igbos declared Biafra. They war lasted for 30 months. The Igbos lost everything. The Hausa-Fulani oligarchy took this defeat of Biafra as the conquest of the South. Since then, they have transformed the privilege of leadership into that of a birthright and they have used it not only to stunt the growth of the South but also to subject their people to a state of perpetual servitude and feudalistic iniquities.

The Igbo/Yoruba Relationship


http://www.nigerdeltacongress.com/iarticles/igbo.htm

O se eko ile

IBO KE? I am an awori man and I do not even like the tinubu of a man who is a fellow yoruba to rule lagos not to talk of omo nna aje eniyan? Olorun maje! Its like they want to wipe themselves out of Lagos!

These igbos sef! Don't you all like your lives? Don't you all like peace? Don't you all like the way you are welcomed in Lagos? Why do you cause trouble where ever you go? No offience!