₦airaland Forum

All these misguided people blabbing about the FG 'regretting turning weapons against the millitants' should ask themselves if we all will not regret it more if we let all these acts of MEND go unpunished.
We handled MEND with kid gloves in the past. See now how the kidnapping they pioneered has swept through the entire nation. As i type this, i constantly worry that any family member of mine may not be kidnapped eventually for ransom. This is what MEND started. THEY opened Pandora's box of kidnapping for ransom in NIgeria. We should have stopped this then, but we damn well had better stop this NOW while we still can.

It is reported that OSama Bin Laden became convinced that America was weak when the US pulled its troops out of Somalia after Black Hawk Down. It's fatal to show your enemy weakness all the time.

ono:
@Tex,

The military or the FG should have sent some military/security intelligence into the area to properly understand who the real agitators are and then fishout the criminal elements

And if the people we call leaders cannot think in that direction before carrying out a dastardly act like we have seen, then I wonder the crop of leaders we have governing us. A responsible government will not send out their military in the manner YarAdua did.

But, thinking about getting intelligence reports, I want to believe that the military, since the deployment of the JTF into the ND (since the early 2000) should already know who the criminal elements are. So, why not go after them? why raze down a make shift hospital? why kill innocent people? This basically underscores my fear that there is some elements of ethnic cleansing in the whole exercise.

So the federal government found out that the perpetrators are millitants from camps in delta state. So how would you go about 'fishing them out' from their well armed camps? Entice them with candy, maybe?

As for the civillian casualties, it's worth noting that the civillian casulaty figure is almost certainly exaggerated. and it's extremely difficult to completely prevent civillian casualties in a war zone. Look at what's happening in Pakistan. look at what happens in afghanistan every time american drones carry out attacks on taliban positions.

@JJYOU
The Kebbi guy spoke for himself, and he was roundly (and rightly) condemned for his stupid utterances. Why make a mountain out of one man's foolishness?

@4play
Discussion about the Niger Delta governors is apt in this situation. The constant explanation for the rise of millitancy in ND is the lack of development. Ergo, it becomes extremely important to identify the reasons why there's a lack of development.  Simple!

Out of curiosity, what would you guys have the JTF do, after the bloody ambush that killed 8 soldiers in cold blood? Resort to prayers, eh?

JJYOU:
you guys keep deceiving yourselves.  what did nigeria benefit from the biafran war?
you dont kill your own people.  there can never be a beautiful war.  if you think you are safe becos you live outside that aarea wait for some few months and see what war look like

And i suppose the reason why you didn't preach this same message to the murderous millitants is because the JTF personnel are from Chad or Sudan, eh?

What's the price on the mac mini alone. I don't care for the LG monitor.

@Batubo
When you call this meeting, at least have the honesty to admit to yourselves that most of the oil spillage in recent years have been caused by the activities of bunkerers and pipeline thieves. Look at the first photo showing the gas flare to see women voluntarily placing food stuff near flares to dry. Ask yourselves why ND communities often demand huge sums from oil companies to gain access to spill sites to do cleanup, even when it's clearly a case of sabotage.

Two pages of photos and you still have no words to speak against the state and local governments that fritter away monies intended for development of the region.

And whether used in Nigeria or not, the mileage is very high at over 100k.

cabali:
just downloaded terminator; took me 22mins (abt 120MB). I am having so much fun tex!

I'm sure you are!

Word on the streets is that unlockable 3Gs are extremely scarce now. sale price is approx 110 - 120k if you can actually find one.

Ibime:
Stop speaking from both sides of your mouth. . . .


Where do these statements come from, especially the bolded?


I can never be stigmatised by anything. In my village, you are nothing unless you come home with a Masters Degree. . . . all this talk of laziness is not something I recognise. . . . it is the justification of carpet-bombing of villages, and the criminalisation of common villagers that lead to genocidal acts that worry me. . . . last year 500 peeps were killed in Tombia by the incompetent military and nobody raised any dust. . . . .what idiots cannot tell me is whether these villagers themselves have any power to kick out MEND from their midst if they so wish. . . . the villagers are in the middle of a civil war, victims of the police's incompetence in dealing with criminals. . . . victims of Nigeria's failed society. . . . just like they were in the middle of a war between Biafra and Nigeria, getting bombed from both sides and having no say in the matter. . . .

I'm yet to see any proof that villages are being carpet bombed in the region. Please note that this remains hearsay until proven.
My stance has been that the JTF is justified in attacking millitant bases and killing these miscreants. If true proof comes out that there has been wholesale slaughter of civillians, then my stance will change.

One thing is clear, however. The ambush and killing of the 8 hapless soldiers could not have gone unpunished.

Ibime:
last year 500 peeps were killed in Tombia by the incompetent military and nobody raised any dust. . . . .

Did you yourself raise any dust?
New Year's day 2008, 8 innocent civillians were killed by Ateke Tom's boys during a rampage through port harcourt. Ateke Tom had gone on to take the lives of tens of other innocent civillians. This same fellow is affiliated to MEND, the same MEND you idolize. So where's the moral high ground for you? MEND themselves struck the Alakiri oil plant, killing two people who hailed from the NIger delta. When you shout 'Up MEND', Is this what you mean?

Ibime:
the villagers are in the middle of a civil war, victims of the police's incompetence in dealing with criminals. . . . victims of Nigeria's failed society. . . . just like they were in the middle of a war between Biafra and Nigeria, getting bombed from both sides and having no say in the matter. . . .

Good! I'm glad you realize that MEND themselves are also bringing suffering to the innocent villagers. So why do you still support them?

ThinkRait:
Igbinedion served TWO full terms. Now he is enjoying his loot.
Do u call that "Holding him responsible"?
Texazzpete, u dey very funny!

Be honest. The public perception to Obasanjo in 2007, is it the same as when he ended his first term in 2003?
It took two terms of Lucky's rule before the people reached their breaking point. Is it so far fetched to hope that a people who complain of marginalization would long have grown weary of the reckless looting carried out by their immediate leaders? At least in Edo state the people know where to place the blame. Many Niger Deltans still prefer to heap blame on the federal govt and the oil coys, turning a blind eye towards their looting kinsmen.

Ibime:
Yeah, Edoites are such wonderful people. Their genetic make-up abhors laziness and incompetence. . . . all those Esans, Bini's, Akoko's, Esako's, Owans and the other 100 tribes that inhabit the state. . . . there must be something in their genetic make-up to make them stand-up guys. . . .

My friend sharrap!. . . . . the only reason Edo State made a stand is because gangster (PDP) met gangster (trade-union) and gangster won. . . . Oshiomhole is a stand-up guy. . . . just like Amaechi. . . . if Oshiomhole was not a gangster himself, you would not be telling us these fanciful stories of Edo people standing up for their right. . . .

Is this the same Edo State we used to laugh at in the 1990's because they were the no 1 Armed Robbers and prostitutes in Nigeria. Those who've been stigmatised should know better than to stigmatize others.

If i had said that Edo State was the best in the country then your reply may have been apt. However you're so wide off the mark, it's not even funny.
Ordinary people were out there marching in ring road, burning tires and vigorously protesting the theft of their mandate. that's dedication to change!
A court of law proclaimed Oshiomhole the winner based on valid voted counted. Those votes came from people who decided to vote out the PDP, not because Oshiomhole was a 'gangster' as you childishly proclaim.

I have NEVER felt stigmatized because of robbers or prostitutes from Edo state. Why should i? Why should an innocent person from the ND feel 'stigmatized' because of MEND et al? Stop imagining things!

JJYOU:
oga where are you from and how do you hold your leaders accountable in your area of naija?

Learn to read. The information is on this page.
I don't live or work in my state, and yes, i hold the leaders in that state (specifically the ex-governor Lucky Igbinedion) responsible for the rot and lack of development in the state, NOT the federal government.
99% of people in Edo state will tell you that they blame Lucky Igbinedion for the present situation in the state, they'll tell you he stole the state resources and is perhaps the worst governor EVER in Nigeria.
What they won't do is praise and fete him at every occasion. What they did was to make his party (PDP) pay for leaving them in the hands of such a miscreant. THEY VOTED PDP OUT!! and they stood by that mandate even when it was stolen.

Does that answer your question?

ThinkRait:
If texazzpete was the Army chief, he'd have bombed out the entire Niger Delta.
He knows what the issues are, but his hatred for people prevents him from thinking constructively.
Alams stole billions, Saminu Turaki stole billions, Joshua Dariye stole billions, Abacha stole trillions. Corruption is not a Niger Delta thing, it is a Nigerian thing.

I'm not in support of militancy neither am I in support of military brutality.

Lets think like human beings PLEASE.

So expressing my own opinion = hatred of people, abi?
If i was the Army chief, the Nigerian army would be a lot more professional than it is. And i too would have dealt decisively with this latest affront from the millitants. What other choice would i have, with millitants killing JTF forces just out doing their job. Do you think these dead JTF don't have families? or loved ones?

Even when CNN was reporting on the war in Sri Lanka, they made sure they inserted a disclaimer to any news from the warfront, stating the sources and the possibility of the information being tainted with propaganda. Here i see people swallowing EVERY report from the MEND propaganda machine with reckless abandon. It's always a good call to confirm from unimpeachable sources before screaming  genocide.

ThinkRait:
Alams stole billions, Saminu Turaki stole billions, Joshua Dariye stole billions, Abacha stole trillions. Corruption is not a Niger Delta thing, it is a Nigerian thing.

I tried to make a point that the people of the area have not done enough to hold their leaders responsible and accountable for the lack of development, and you respond with this?!! You truly disappoint me.

babasoty:
you should have been bold enough to tell us your tribe maybe then we would have known if your state is also not affected by the mentality of every governor wanting to loot his state treasury, for the ijaws hailing alamco, its better for a house thief to steal your money than a foreigner to. no one said mend is fighting for the niger deltans but due to the inefficiencies of both the federal and state government mend came to being and for the huge sums you claim oil firms pay in taxes please you better check the revenue sharing formula again, then you would know the federal government gets the highest share which they use to develop your place before the people that actually produce the oil, would you compare what alams stole to what babangida, abacha and their cohorts carted away or even obasanjo, if the federal government doesn't work quickly to ameliorate the plight of the niger deltans expect more criminal gangs who would wanna fight in the name of the niger delta people, the fact that an organization like mend exists should be a wake up call to the nigerian state that something is definitely wrong in the delta and please its not only the activities of mend that drives away foreign investments in nigeria, the activities of the yoruba masterminded 419 or yahozee and the igbo dominated armed robbery and 419 too has left a sour taste in the nigerian psyche, our re branding nigeria isn't because of mend and its activities but because of these funny traits not found in the niger delta region, you can go on and say niger deltans are lazy good, but what causes a man to want to defraud another man if not laziness and greed. what of armed robbery and ritual killing would u say thats the handiwork of a hardworking person, and for hizbollah and hamas thats one funny line. those organizations were formed out of the same needs like mend even if mend did derail, hezbollah has also derailed killing innocent israelis what about the tamil tigers, do you know they invented the suicide bombing what can justify that, do you know they murdered a great man live rajiv ghandi  and use innocent civilians as human shields as for hamas please lets not talk about their criminality, all these organization too promote crime as a means to get more weapons and fund to achieve their goal, not that i justify kidnappings but tings have been going wrong in the niger delta and the government has been keeping a blind eye, the creation of mend is what happens when you let illegality run amok and deprivation run riot

I'm from Edo state. And you'll find it hard to see someone from that state singing Lucky Igbinedion's praises. As soon as Lucky got out, guess what the electorate did? They kicked out the PDP with their vote! Even when Oshiomhole was rigged out initially, you should have seen the riots that broke out. That is common knowledge and i digress.

There's no reason to be so antsy. I never said ALL Niger Deltans are greedy or lazy. I said greed and laziness is the problem in that region. Please, you and Ibime should take time to reflect on the difference between these statements. FWIW, Edo State is also part of the Niger Delta.

You failed to appreciate the point i made about Hezbollah et al. I've always been a strong critic of such terrorist movements, but the point i was trying to make was that they at least have some credibility when it comes to fighting for their people. I tried to point out a conscious effort at improving the lives of the people, and not overt self-enrichment like the MEND chieftains exhibit.

I made no attempt to speak about foreign investments in Nigeria, only in the Niger Delta. And in that region, the insecurity is the biggest barrier to progress.

Ibime:
I would advise you to get the phock out of the Niger Delta with such a racist attitude. Despite the fact that you work there, you have the nerve to talk such rubbish. You have gone from castigating MEND (which is fair enough) to stigmatising Ijaw people. . . . . anything that suits your agenda! Just like the Igbo guys said on that Biafra thread, you are a tribalist buffoon. . . . yes, Ijaws deserve Alams (who rigged his way thoroughly into power). . . . .just like Yorubas deserve Segun Oni, Obasanjo, Adedibu and all other thugs that lead your people. Stupid buffoon!

Sorry, my dear retard, but i'm not Yoruba. In fact, i don't belong to any of the major tribes in this country.
I find it amusing that you failed to respond to any of the assertions in my response, instead choosing the easy route of mindless insults. Kindly tell the house the last thing that your local government chairman did for his people instead of resorting to insults!

It's funny how Nigerians are quick to pull out the 'tribalist' card when an unbiased opinion is offered on any topic. A few moronic South Easterners called me tribalistic for daring to suggest that the first coup may have had something to do with the subsequent violence in the north. Now here you are calling me tribalistic for stating my opinion that much of the development issues with the ND region would have been solved if only the people (including the leaders) were alive to their own responsibilities. Do i have to embrace your flawed point of view before i'm politically correct?

here you are supporting a thieving, terrorist group that (as the topic implies) has added a tribalistic slant to their agenda by trying to harm Northerners. Yet you have the nerve to accuse someone else of tribalism. You hypocrisy stinks.

Finally, every JSS1 student knows that Nigerians ALL belong to the Negroid race. So how can a supposedly educated person be calling me 'racist'?

I give up on some of my fellow Nigerians. There is NOTHING in the article that states that the fighting has spread to other states. Why then indicate that in the title?

@Funkybaby
Download and use Cyder. It can install packages from cydia but runs on your desktop. Sorry i can't provide a link at the moment, my connection is as slow as molasses

Not sure about the issue you have with itunes. Please explain further!

It sickens me to see people who should know better spew this tribalist bullshit. I refuse to believe anyone of this generation with a tertiary education can be so bigoted, so i will continue to treat all you tribalistic retards like the illiterates you surely are.

For what it's worth, it's clear that the original poster is too daft to see that this actually paints a good picture of the schools in question. At least they have now shown that they are willing to crack down on corruption and ineptitude in the system.

Greed and foolishness is the problem with the Niger Delta.
Look at lagos and see how the state governor is bringing progress and change to the state. How many State Governors in the Delta are doing the same? This is despite the fact that they collect the usual 13% derivation cash as well as the huge sums in taxes from the operating oil companies in the states. Yet there is little or no development to show for it.
I laugh at these simpletons who delude themselves into thinking that MEND Is fighting for the people. After so many years of 'struggle', what has millitancy done to help develop the state? All they have so far achieved is to provide a climate of fear, making people wary of investing in the region.

What did MEND do with the money they collected from that southwest state that they rigged the elections for the PDP governor? What did they do with the N200 million they were collecting monthly from the Bayelsa state government?
Are you aware that N200 million can sink 2,000 boreholes, providing potable water for hundreds of thousands of Bayelsans? And that's just one month!

In Lebanon, Hezbollah builds schools, houses, they run courts, they build roads, tar streets and perform civil obligations. The Tamil Tigers were similarly active. Hamas also ploughs back money into the society.

What does MEND do? NOTHING!

But i'm not surprised. A whole generation of ND youths have been trained to be blind. They've been trained to aim their ire at the multinational oil companies and the federal government. Meanwhile, they are too blind to notice that their Local government chairmen are doing NOTHING, and their Governors are idle too. That is where a lot of development is meant to come from!!#

Who am i kidding? these are the same people that gave Alams a hero's welcome after he stole N50 billion.
The irony is rich. The 'Governor General' of Ijaw Land stole enough money to build over 200,000 boreholes across the Ijaw nation. Yet they revere him.
C'est la vie. The people deserve their leaders.

No, Mowire. I disagree with you. This isn't gullibilty or foolishness. It is abject stupidity!
Why would anyone in his right mind start condemning anyone based on an unverified and unproven allegation made by a newspaper which has a long history of stretching the truth?

Wait to read it in Vanguard, Guardian or thisDay. or even upcoming news agencies like 234Next. Even then, wait to see conclusive proof before you start condemning.
Finally, the original poster has to be a borderline retard for such a daft title. it's an allegation, isn't it? Even people with SSCE know enough to insert the word 'alleged' in the title since nothing has been proven yet.

And where's the source of this article? Hints? Ikebe Super?

The entire thing seems like an attempt to cast the thieving ex-minister's travails as the work of people bent on bringing him down.

ThinkRait:
The Niger delta crisis is more than we can see. Top FG officials are stockholders(not stakeholders) in the crisis business.
If you doubt this, ask yourself some simple questions
1. How do the militants get the sophisticated weapons they use?
2. Who negotiates for hostage release?
3. Why is NNPC under the direct supervision of the presidency?

Don't be naive. do the militia groups in Somalia get their weapons from the federal government of Nigeria also? or the rebels in chad?
There's a huge underground arms market that provides weapons for cash with ease, with weapons such as RPGs sold for a few hundred dollars. Do you kow how many thousands of barrels of oil these millitants bunker and sell daily?

ThinkRait:
I strongly believe President Yar'Adua, Vice-President Jonathan, former president Obasanjo, all know the identities of the so-called militant leaders. They are simply business partners.

Follow your own advice and learn the basic facts before making daft comments. The identities of the millitant leaders are known to almost every Nigerian, seeing as how they've been plastered all over the Nigerian media and celebrated by their 'elders'. Does that make us all business partners of the millitants?

Ibime:
Which action? The bombing of villages? MEND have long since dispersed from their position. All the military knows how to do is carpet-bomb the sitting targets i.e the villagers.

Exactly! A dispersed MEND will pose less of a threat as a credible attack force.
MEND propaganda aside, there's much of the blame to be apportioned to MEND for siting illegal armed camps so close to civillian locations.
All these claims of massive civillian casualties are attempts by an embattled criminal group to try and claim the moral high ground.

Ibime:
Texazzpete, may you fall into MEND hands in Jesus name. Amen.  

I will probably outlive Ateke Tom, Ekpemukpolo and the rest of the criminal gang you idolize.

I firmly support the action by the millitary. It's about time that thieving rabble called MEND was curbed.
Why is it fair game for millitants to hijack vessels, kidnap foreigners and kill naval personnel in cold blood yet people rush to condemn the millitary when they make the neccessary response?

MEND have let the media and their vocal, misguided supporters delude them that they are a match for the millitary might of a committed nation, and that propaganda alone will carry the day for them. As we saw last year, in every frontal assault by the Nigerian armed forces, this cabal of thieves have been routed in almost every encounter.

I expect the JTF will take steps to cripple these miscreants and make the delta safe once again.

Jakumo:
Nigeria can little afford a protracted scorched-earth war of attrition against a resourceful, suicidally determined enemy who holds the SUPREME tactical advantage of knowing the war zone terrain far more intimately than the federal forces ever will.

So you buy into this argument? The MEND forces are concentrated in well known camps, the locations of which are known to the Nigerian army for years now. Push aside any vietnam era imagery of soldiers trudging through thick jungles.
Against helicopter gunships and mortars, millitants firing RPGs, GPMGs  and Ak-47s from speedboats do not stand much of a chance.

MEND have been and will likely always be routed in pitched, open battles in the water. On land, bombardment of their camps pretty much brings the heat to them. And unlike the Iraqi insurgency, the taliban and the Tamil tigers, they lack the religious ideology and fanatical devotion to the cause that could make them a threat even when dispersed and defeated. All they will do is revert back to the stealing, bunkering and kidnapping they have perfected. And we've learnt to live with that.

hayprof:
@pete, lol. . I hacked my nokia e71 in less time .

Does that include the 1 day delay when you request for your cert key?

hayprof:
@ex, sure u can do am offline update for nokia fones.

You're missing the point. With iTunes, offline firmware update is built in and supported. With the Nokia phones you probably need to go the Phoenix route, which is pretty crappy. Not to mention not nearly as reliable as iTunes.

ayinisong:
Akwa Ibomites, our Governor has destroyed the Itam Peace Column which is a major landmark at Uyo and the beginning of the State to make way for the dualisaton and flyover project. Former Governor Attah spent 1bn on Itam peace column and Itam plaza beautification.

How do we rewrite our history now that the peace column has been destroyed. They should have diverted the flyover or what do you think?

So your state governor wants to improve roads and hence ease vehicular traffic yet all you can do is moan about a mere ornament, abi?

Infoseye:
I finaly got a game to install I did not update but I downloaded a mobileinstallation Patch for 2.0.2 but when I tried opening the game it says "The Application cannot be opened" man am getting tired of this Iphone wahala just to install a game only is trouble sha.I Just need the update.

The Iphone is a great Phone but its complexity is what put pple off the phone, Now I see why pple prefer Nokia all the same its a great phone.

You don't wanna know what i went through to hack my Nokia E71. At least with the iPhone it's more straightforward.

Are you really griping about how difficult it is to install a pirated game? Most iPhone users tend to install legal stuff

@Infoseye
jailbreaking isn't apple sanctioned. And even Nokia firmware updates wipe your phone completely.

I am willing to sponsor his execution if they'd let me.
Thank God we're getting somewhere. The next logical step is to rope in Helen Ukpabio (another evil one) and punish her accordingly for doing great harm to hundreds of children and families.

It's one thing to congratulate these guys for being skilled in something, it's another thing to lose sight of the big picture.
We must NEVER allow ourselves to become a nation of repairers. Every nation needs some level of invention and innovation. And that's what good technical education often provides.

Sorry, man. I haven't updated my antivirus in weeks now, so i'm afraid of clicking strange links on the internet . You've only got one post, so you may also be a spambot.

Summarize what that thingy does.

lungwun:
dont know why but my terminator and need for speed keep bugging out.
they load up and after a roughly about 30 seconds it blacks out and returns to the main menu.

You'll probably chew me out for stating the obvious, but did you reboot after installing?

Infoseye:
Hi how can I get games installed on my jailbroken iphone 2g v.2.0.2 thanks.

For an iPhone 2G, it should be an excellent idea to upgrade to 2.2.1 first so you don't miss out on all the latest games and apps. If you need help on this, let me have your phone number.

@all
Infoseye's been pretty active in the games section helping people with PSP stuff. Let's try and return the favour here

OFFTOPIC
Nokia N97's coming out soon. So will the Palm Pre. The Next gen iPhone should be announced at WWDC next month, and here Microsoft is promisin to announce a new product line with very impressive specs (i.e 256MB RAM + Nvidia's Tegra GPU).
What are y'all saving dough for?

Just managed to get hold of a decent internet connection. Now i can grab Assassins creed and terminator.