₦airaland Forum

ogunonire:
It is a sad but instructive irony that Lt. Col. Odumegwu Ojukwn, one of Africa’s one-time most brilliant political promises, was the man who led his own people with such a lack of ingenuity into what was clearly a foreseeable disaster. This agonizing paradox is resolved only by an understanding of the man.

There are scholars who hold the view that the personality of Adolf Hitler was the factor, which, more than any other, determined the destiny of Second World War Germany, as much indeed, as they argue that Winston Churchill’s determined that of Great Britain. Leaning a little on the basic hypothesis of this school of thought, it can be said for the Nigerian Civil War that the personality of Odumegwu Ojukwu, more than any other single factor, determined much of the course and certainly the character of the end of the Biafran adventure.

Avid for power, he paid more attention to the politics of the war than to the one basic question of security. Biafra’s efforts were trimmed to his size and through much of the conflict reflected his own strength as well as his own weaknesses. This personification of the struggle and the lethal cloud of illusion, which it created around him, were to persist until the end. Thus on the same day as his more down-to-earth successor, General (Phillip) Effiong, signed the formal act of Biafra’s surrender, General Ojukwu was still declaring: “While I live, Biafra lives. If I am no more, it would be only a matter of time for the noble concept to be swept into oblivion.”

Ojukwu’s error, which proved fatal for millions of Ibos, was that he put the latter first. A good deal of the war effort was diverted into promoting Ojukwu and his leadership. Be it the question of starvation and relief or other vital matters affecting the population at large, propaganda considerations took precedence over cold realities. Calculation as a method was replaced by hopeful interpretations of ambitious wishes. Personal ambition thus adroitly grafted onto the genuine grievances of an injured people produced a mixture, which lacked the purity and sanity that the Ibos needed badly in so unequal a fight. The result was that in the end Biafrans secured an undisputed head but not the body of their state

On Yoruba Role:
At the beginning of the struggle, the Ibos had a very good chance, if not of winning against the authorities in Lagos, certainly of avoiding a humiliating defeat. Politically, Ojukwu inherited considerable assets. The political alignment in Nigeria just before the introduction of military rule was by no means unfavourable. Up until the eve of the civil war, Nigerian politics were dominated by the three big tribes: the Hausa-Fulani of the North, the Ibos of the East and the Yorubas of the West. In this triangular fight, the key to victory was the combination of any two sides. It did not matter which two.

The seeds of Biafra’s failure took root from this point. Eastern Nigeria’s leadership failed to appreciate what Gowon saw so clearly – the vital necessity of securing the alliance of Chief Awolowo and the Western Region. Was General Ojukwu simply and innocently overconfident? Or, too anxious for his own position, did he feel that an alliance with Chief Awolowo, already a towering national figure, would dwarf his own fledgling personality and jeopardize his chances for supreme leadership? The fact remains that too little or nothing was done to woo Chief Awolowo. When on 7th May 1967 the Yoruba leader came to Enugu at the head of a reconciliation committee, Ojukwu had a handsome opportunity to play his card. He missed. Dr. Michael Okpara who still enjoyed popular support in Eastern Nigeria and whose friendship with Chief Awolowo had sustained the UPGA alliance was not even invited to meet Chief Awolowo. After a hurried reception, Chief Awolowo’s delegation left Eastern Nigeria. Ojukwu saw fit to describe the mission as an “ill-conceived child.”
General Gowon sensed this mood and acted swiftly. Not only did he release Chief Awolowo immediately from prison, he wooed him with the unprecedented flattery of welcoming him, with a guard of honour, at Ikeja airport. Gowon’s clever release of Chief Awolowo had the effect of reducing but not eliminating Yoruba dislike for the North. This fact soon became evident. In March 1967, Chief Awolowo, now free and still the undisputed leader of the Yorubas, made a public statement, which reflected very clearly his sympathy for Col. Ojukwu’s Eastern Region. In an open letter to the government, he demanded that the two battalions of northern troops stationed in the West should be withdrawn from that region which, according to him, was being treated by the northerners as an occupied territory.

He went further to threaten that if “the Eastern Region was pushed out of the federation, Western Nigeria would quit the federation as well.” Faced with this threat of an alliance between the Yoruba West and the Ibo East, the Northern controlled Federal Military Government became visibly alarmed.

General Gowon sensed this mood, studiously drew Chief Awolowo closer to himself. He offered him the highest civilian post in the Federal Military Government – the vice-presidency of the Federal Executive Council – with the unspoken understanding that Nigeria was his as soon as the war was over and the army withdrew.
By this act, the East-West alliance foreshadowed by UPGA was destroyed and a new North-West axis was born.

From this moment on, Ojukwu’s Eastern Nigeria was isolated and when war broke out she had to fight it alone. Eastern Nigeria’s political choice of secession completed the region’s isolation. The struggle was no longer between the so-called Christian East and Moslem North. That decision united all shades of opinion in Nigeria, giving to them a sense of oneness – and to the Northern-dominated Federal Government an invaluable instrument-in the common fight to defend Nigeria’s unity.

http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/news/national/2009/oct/24/national-24-10-2009-002.html

Based on this fact from President General of Pan Igbo social group (Ohanaeze) why should any sensible and intelligent Ibo be putting blame of Biafra downfall and Ibo misfortunes in Nigeria politics on Yoruba people/nation? Why calling Yoruba names i.e. btrayers and cowards on what we did not have hands in, why? why? What did Yoruba do to the Ibos to warrant being hate by many ignorant Ibos?

santislim8:
Rest In Peace to the dead, it’s cases like this that makes me really wish they really is something like law of karma.

dukeprince50:
When u say North has the lion share, u are completely not making sense. The elites have lion share and not just a region, Kalu networth is close to a billion dollar but his state is the dirtiest and detrimental to human health.
How does the north get the lion share, keep fanning tribalism, u think politician have any problem with region? as long as they can steal, they are fine and not worried about who steals with them.

u guys better make good use of that your shapeless, scattered, unbalanced, undesigned, unplanned, flat and hilled, rough sketch kerosene container you call head.

Obamaofusa:
Bring it on so I can tell you a couple of Yorubas that will buy up the whole of the mediocre billionaires in Igboland and all the entire Igboland without breaking a sweat...there is none that is a dollar billionaire anyway...lol.
Poor people with delusions.

Yorubas deal in facts and realities not delusions.

reactman:
DJ RENO ON THE BEAT.THE ONLY DJ THAT KNOWS THE RIGHT TRACK TO PLAY TO CALM IGBO AND IPOB DOWN AND MAKE THEM FORGET BIAFRA AND SUPPORT HAUSA/FULANI DURING ELECTION, WHAT A GOOD STRATEGY

thesicilian:
The passengers are lucky it was a train moving on the ground and not an aeroplane. Trust anything certified fit for use by the Nigerian government at your own peril.

octembu:
Donald Trump is a very useless man, he had his hands full with the US election, but he still tried to impede Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala bid to become WTO chairman.

Now that Joe Biden have defeated him in the US election, he is running from Pilar to post trying to overturn the result of the election and no longer have the leeway to block Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, she is already about to be announced as the new WTO chairman.

In the same vain, anyone that is trying to stand in the way of us achieving out God given destiny, they shall stumbled and fall. Crisis shall befall their life that they will no longer have time to pursue our matter. And by the time they turn to focus on us again, we will have succeeded in achieving our God given destiny.

SLAP44:
The Ikemba Nnewi, Chief Dr. General (rtd.) Emeka Odumegwu Ojukwu was a genius.

The more Nigeria falls deeper into the abyss, the more we look back to see that he was completely correct in all the decisions he took then.

kingzizzy:
When Ojukwu rose to declare the freedom of his people from the British concocted country called Nigeria, some said he was stupid

When Ojukwu told them that these people would seek to kill and dominate his people, they didn't understand

When Ojukwu was fighting to liberate his people from the clutches of darkness, they called him unprintable names

Today, all Ojukwu warned about has come to pass

What Ojukwu saw 50 years ago, some needed Ruga to start seeing today.

attackgat:
What justice and equity means to a Hausa/ Yoruba/ Igbo man is veey different. That why Nigeria is not a nation and never will

To and Igbo man, justice and equity in Nigeria is nothing less than a confederation where Igbos have a very high degree of autonomy, complete resource control and fiscal independence as well as the right to secession.

To the Hausa/Fulani man, justice and equity mean control of the political and structural leadership of Nigeria under a strong center or unitary government. Since the south controls the economy, the North might as well control political power.


To the Yorubas, justice and equity means something close to what Igbos want but without the option of secession and not necessarily a confederation


Nigeria is just not workable

Yenefer:
Rhino omokery doing all this stupidity so that the UK government will not deport him, on the ground of threat to his life. Stupid Scammer. We hope all the enemies of the state to leave this country, So that we will live in peace. Even if they go to other countries, they can't live in peace or without scamming people. Lazy people

They take for granted our peaceful nature and intellect. We are warlords too. Lol we conquered the Ashanti army when we went to war with them, we conquered Dahomey, Tapa, our territories extend all the way to Togo and beyond, most of the kingdoms to the west paid us tributaries, don’t get it twisted.

favor914:
Aren’t the state regions? can they take of themselves? Bureau of statistics has said only 4 States in Nigeria can survive without statutory (free money) allocation, championed by the Federal Government, Which Eastern State In Nigeria can survive without Federal allocation? Lagos State’s alone internal generated revenue in 1 month, surpasses the whole south east combined for 6 months, people from eastern Nigeria will suffer the most.

They have no resources other than small oil in Abia, & imo states, coal as fossil fuel that made the east relevant in the last century is basically worthless today, they can’t even use the large deposit of coal in their region to enhance electricity generation? Lack of innovation.

tamdun:
Baba Buhari, u are a disappointment, I wonder why some southerners are still supporting Buhari, he really disappointed a lot of us who used to support him.
Am 100% sure most of the tax will come from south, the burden on South is just too much, our leaders better wake up.

bro4u:
Nothing new here, because she's a northerner that's why you're masturbating over it.

Igbos are the most versatile in terms of language adoption as most Igbos wherever they find themselves speak the indigenous language of their host community. No other tribe is as versatile and sharp on that except the Igbos. I give them gbosa for that.

Karlman:
Now that has been what Nnamdi Kanu has always been talking about!

Wike is now killing his kith and kin in other to appear good to the North but his case would be worse than that of Saro Wiwa and Adaka Boro!

The same north will end u like abiola

daddytime:
Mission accomplished, corruption triumphed, and no English again to take continue to dey defend the looting in the name of TAM when the original refinery (Dangote refinery) don come on board.

What a country.

Until we all go back to the basics, to agree on where we got it all wrong, even though we have an idea from when we got it wrong, we all still need to accept our respective culpabilities, no matter how damning or painful to the ears they might sound, and honestly agree to work towards mending the burnt bridges and rebirthing that much-eroded trust that is presently our bane as a nation/people, we shall continue to run around in circles with the same oppressive and vengeful system still in place because true repentance and forgiveness from all parties involved aren't being talked about.

Everyone is still stubbornly claiming to be politically right.

The present system and constitution upon which Nigeria is being run were deliberately crafted in that manner to be vengeful, spiteful, evil, lopsided, and generally rotten.

To have a glimpse of an idea about what I mean, ask yourself this; why is it that, those who seem and sound sane from the sidelines, and supposedly activists for the masses easily get to lose their voices and instead get swallowed up in the quagmire of everything decrepit within the system the moment they ascend the ladder on to the corridors of power?

The answer is simple, and it is akin to wearing a spotless babaringa or well-tailored suit to climb down sewage and expect not to reek of poo or get blemished. How possible can this be?

I keep telling people that the problem with Nigeria is fundamental, foundational, and structural. And until we begin to sincerely seek a way to address these issues, we'd only be piling up more blocks or floors on a structurally defect sky scrapper and the result will always be an eventual collapse besides the severe and un-healable injuries that'd have been sustained along the way.

If we don't come out, in all honesty, to discuss, seek genuine forgiveness from each other, we won't make any headway even with a million #Endsars protest or youth parties combined.

I've always thought the oldies in power are 100% the problem and as such, a chance for the youths at governance will rectify all the malaise we are presently faced with. But having tried in my little way to birth a youth movement to realize the above and getting stuck along the way, I was forced back to the drawing table to have a rethink, go back in time to history, and find out what the problem truly is.

I soon realized that the problem isn't the people that get into government perse, neither is it their qualification, age, religion, or region, but the system through which they come and upon which they operate is flawed and deliberately so to achieve a set goal.

A set goal which boils down to the history of this country, a history set on "never again", a history set on the perceived or actual betrayal of trust, a history built on " fool me once, you are the fool but fool me twice, then I'm the fool", in short, a history set on, "forgetting and forgiving is a sin".

We all need to know our history to some extent to understand where we are coming from, where we are presently, including how we got here, and ultimately, where we are headed, how we intend to get there, and of all, if we will ever get there.

To understand our history, it would be important to understand where we were as a people pre-independence, post-independence, the 1966 coup, the post-coup events, the counter-coup, the civil war, and the subsequent events that have led us here today.

We need to go back to understanding our respective regions without any bias, prejudices, arrogance, name-calling or seeing our individual regions superior to the other, et al

It is one thing to meet someone as a man or woman, feel a connect, mutual love based on trust and decide to become a couple, it is another thing to see a young girl, and decide to use all your powers including but not limited to religion, popularity, culture, and external backing to hold her to ransom and against her wish for marriage. While the first can be seen as mutual and free-willing, the latter is clearly forced, and will only breed resentment, rancor, hate, and where all these are present, retrogression naturally takes root.

We need to get rid of a system that breeds youths to power and perpetuate them into oldies in power without recourse to their downlines.

How do we go back to our pre-1966 era?
How do we rebuild the trust for one another which our actions and inactions have eroded over time?
How do we rebuild a nation where no part of the union will feel more superior politically, economically, educationally, or otherwise to the other, and rub it in without any remorse?

Always remember that if you feel justified in your myopic and selfish belief that whatever god you worship has blessed you beyond measure and above your neighbor intellectually and educationally, and as such reserve the right to see that neighbor as a sub-human or second class human, do not be surprised when that neighbor also prays to his god and gets answered when he requests to be blessed with his own gift which could be the gift to be the custodian of "Power" to rule over those who mocks him for his inability to assimilate or learn the ways of the white man as expected by his supposedly more "intelligent" and turenci speaking neighbors who would end up becoming spoke people for the supposedly "backward and unintelligent" neighbors. I hope say somebody dey understand me here...

E get reason why no be everybody dey sabi the white man language or way because everybody get him own unique gift from the sharer of gifts. Apart from that, who tell una say dem dey share sense, kindness, humility or how to be a good human being for school, and above all, una know wetin dem dey call native intelligence? Lol

Me wey dey write so na WAEC I get reach oh, I no even know where the certificate dey sef.

Humility and respect for one another should be a good way to start in our quest for restructuring.

God and nature can not be mocked at the same time, and if you are a fellow youth who still believes that the issues of this country Nigeria are solely physical, you had better woken up and smell the coffee.

The spiritual angle to it all dwarfs the physical you can see.

If the truth dey always sweet you for ear, you never hear better truth be that.

The truth dey bitter for the most part and e dey pain person for ear, but if you listen to am come agree say na the truth, come implement or refuse to implement am accordingly, you go dey on your way to freedom and peace of mind.

We have a way to go my people.

I be Nigerian boy from Edo State oh!

Anybody wey ready to do him best to see how we fit take heal together and rescue whatever we can of our country, I dey ready make we work together with genuine sincerity of purpose.

crestedaguiyi:
mtchew.

working for a bad company makes you a bad person

working for a clueless boss makes you a clueless person

working for a genocidist makes you a genocidist

i no accuse any body o

lie lie pastor i hail o.

wetin you dey wait to condemn the state governors that hid the masses palliative. That is not part of your job i guess. evidence of cluelessness

Biodun556:
According to economists, 50% of the total volume of the money in circulation in Nigeria resides in Lagos, South West Nigeria.

Ports and international airport also located in Lagos creat lots of job making the South West the lowest unemployment rate in Nigeria.

Lagos is the 4th largest economy in Africa with IGR of over 30 billion naira monthly.

All these advantages will be lost if Nigeria seceded.

Have you seen Lagos during ileya festival and Christmas? when foreigners and non indigene go for celebration, Lagos is usually the shadow of itself resulting in lower economic activities. This is just a small example of what will happen if Nigeria splits.

Those who want biafra know that they can't survive alone, they needed to pull either South South or South West along to serve as cusion.

Let them go and fight for biafra in their village enough of all this destruction, propaganda and incessant call for violence which they called revolution.

We have seen example during the #ENDSARS protest. The wanton destruction, loss of lives, properties and jobs.

Such things must never be allowed to repeat itself. If we must protest, it should be well coordinated with clear objectives.

They said Buhari will islamise Nigeria, that has not happen. They said the Fulanis will colonise us, since 1960, we have not seen that. We can manage any situation we find ourselves.

To successfully seced, it will be a tough war and the biafra agitators are looking for those that will fight with them. They have looked jewish DNA by conducted DNA test to look for jewish gene in their blood all to no avail.

postbox:
Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has offered a fresh impetus on how true federalism can solve the current security challenges bedevilling Nigeria and put the country on the path of accelerated development.

Sanwo-Olu said decentralisation of some exclusive functions of the Federal Government, including the provision of security, would provide an instant answer to the current agitations threatening the unity of the country. The Governor said the emergence of “beggar-states” as the major constituents of Nigeria’s federation would not take the country to the future it desires in a world that is developing rapidly.

He said the flawed federalist ideals enshrined in the 1999 Constitution had continuously limited the power of the states to pursue individual development at their own pace, stressing that Nigeria must holistically address the “fundamental question” of federalism if the political class was serious about lifting the country out of the current quagmire.

Sanwo-Olu spoke on Tuesday while delivering a paper at the Freedom Online third annual lecture with the theme: “Nigeria: Foundation, Fundamentals and Future”. The Governor, represented by his deputy, Dr Obafemi Hamzat, was the guest speaker at the event held at Sheraton Hotels in Ikeja.

Lagos Governor recalled that Nigeria was administered efficiently during the period of the regional arrangement, pointing out that the feat was achieved because each region assumed autonomy on its resources and developed at its own paces without relying on handouts from the centre.

He said: “One of the legacies of military rule was the abolition of powerful and largely financially independent regional governments and replacement with weaker entities known as States. These States were, of course, beholden to a very powerful central government that doled out resources to them and used every opportunity to make it clear that the states were appendages of the centre.

“At the time, the regions worked hard, earned their revenues from exports, from taxes, and so on, and kept a large chunk of what they earned. None of them came to Lagos – the then Federal Capital – with caps in hands for what we now refer to as ‘Federal Allocation’. Every region survived mainly on its internally generated revenue. There was also a healthy competition among the regions.”

The Governor stressed that provision of security must be “highly” decentralised, adding that States must play a significant role in providing internal security, while the Federal Government must face the issue of defence, foreign policy, border controls, currency, and customs among others.

Sanwo-Olu also called for a review of the terms of fiscal federalism between the centre and state governments, saying that the Federal Government must consciously devolve more responsibilities and resources to states and local governments as those entities are the closest to the people.

He said: “Today, the revenue sharing formula is 52.6 per cent for the Federal Government, 26.7 per cent to the States and 20.6 per cent to local governments. The Federal Government takes the lion share, out-muscling the State and Local Governments, which are the closest tiers to the populace. State and local governments ordinarily should be drivers of development. As it is today, it is common knowledge that most states depend on a monthly allowance from Abuja to survive.

“States should be free to control the drilling of oil and mining of solid minerals and pay the required taxes and royalties to the Federation Account. The many States really have no business being poor or suffering a cash-crunch given their huge mineral deposits. There is also no reason why States cannot generate and distribute electricity and license the same, within their geographical limits. This can be done in a way in which necessary returns will be made to the Federal Government.”

In spite of challenges facing the nation, Sanwo-Olu said no one should lose hope of a better future, observing that the ongoing revolution in the agricultural sector and investment in infrastructure by the President Muhammadu Buhari administration had started to gradually change the outlook of the national economy. The Governor said ongoing reforms in agriculture must continue to sustain non-oil revenue and reduce dependency on a single commodity economy.

He said: “What is clear to me is that to achieve these reforms that we require, many of our laws need to change. We need to re-write and update obsolete laws to bring them in line with the realities of today.

“We must believe in what we produce, and encourage everyone who seeks to make a difference in this regard. We must also consume what we produce. One advantage we have is our population; we have a local market that is sufficient to sustain as much local produce as we can achieve. Many other countries are too small to enjoy this kind of privilege.”

Sanwo-Olu also called for increased investment in technology and innovation, which he described as the magic wand Nigeria could employ to be on the same page with global development.

The convener and publisher of Freedom Online, Mr Gabriel Akinadewo, observed that the nation’s security challenges required the collective sacrifice of all citizens, stressing that the blame game among the ruling elite would not bring about a solution to the problem.

He noted that the Nigeria Police Force was efficiently run until the collapse of the second republic when the degradation of the police force began.

He said: “We cannot continue to use the central method to tackle challenges. We need a national conversation on the current situation as the political class is challenged. Nigeria cannot afford to lag behind while the world moves at speed in development.”

SOURCE:https://brandspurng.com/2020/02/26/nigerias-salvation-lies-in-decentralisation-of-federal-powers-sanwo-olu/

Rahkman:
guy mistakenly go kano or kaduna just this two cities make u see ibo ppl investments running into billions of naira...na dem go loose pass ......

decatalyst:
So many people on this table this man is shaking ooo



Afonjas rushing to get on the bus to this thread in order to hammer the writer and the Op

dokie:
Osibanjo is on a completely separate lane. History may be kind to him.

He's always been different, and that's why some of us are wondering what he's doing in the midst of these men.

mmb:
I think Igbos hate Buhari more than Buhari hates Igbos.

Twice he fielded Igbo running mates in 2003 and 2007, but due to the hatred they have for Buhari, they rejected him and their own brothers as running mates to Buhari. What a shame.

Exc2000:
since you aint man enough to be on the ballot, why not let a brave Fulani man ask a brave Yoruba man questions of 2023 while the cowards can bite the dust

atleast Abiola fought till the last day he was poisoned by condoleza rice and other US agent, Ojukwu on the other hand ran off living 3 million ibo dead behind and that's why MKO is respected in Nigeria and Ojukwu is disregarded

like I said before discussing Mainstream politics with Ibo is a waste of time, its not like any party would allow you contest anyway

chatinent:

GeneralStan:
Genocidal Animal....
In saner climes Should be in jail for numerous war crimes...
Well he is already reaping the sorrows he planted...
May Sorrows and weeping never depart from your household and may be alive to watch it replay countless times until you beg for death!!!!
Devil's Incarnate.

Uchek:
You suffer from ahistorism for equating Gowon and Ojukwu. Ojukwu and Gowon never became friends.

Ategberoson:
in a sane society, this clown and Ojukwu would have been forced to pay for their sins of wasting millions of both military and civilians in something they can address with diplomatic reconciliation


these useless fools killed people and still became friends later but thousands of innocent kids were forced to die cheaply

notoriousbabe:
The man that showed ojukwu and his people pepper