₦airaland Forum

FreedomArmy:
so of you are so stupid. Those guns is what made America a great country. Take away their guns and watch Americans become slave to the political ruling class just like. You have it in Nigeria

WriterNig:
🇺🇸 Banana Republic Of America.

Where political opponents are killed and voters are imported just like how Nigeriens were imported to vote for APC.


November elections would be so hot, can't wait for the chaos that would break out after the Democrats rig the election again.

richmond500:
it is economically impossible for Dangote to sell below N766 per litre

odumorun1:
For Nigerians of my generation, who grew up in the 70's, too young to have witnessed the civil war and the horror that preceded it, but old enough to still pick up snippets of conversation about it from our parents, their friends and our relatives and browse through the old newspapers and magazines, not reading the text, but creating ours from the grainy black and white pictures of those dramatic days, the events, the images of the last few weeks will have an eerie feeling of deja vu to them.
Perhaps the most haunting images of those days were the images tracing the peace trek of the then head of state, Major General Aguyi Ironsi, even as the first pogroms in the northern cities were starting, round the power bases of the real rulers of the country he pretended to lead, the Hausa Fulani aristocracy who wined and dined him and talked of peace even as they plotted his overthrow and murder.

I remember looking through Peter Obey's great pictorial album of the civil war and the coups that preceeded it, gazing at at the picture of a smiling Ironsi and one of the Northern emirs wearing an even broader grin both waving to the crowds and my uncle looking over my shoulder and sneering in a knowing manner at the picture of the emir at him in his Yoruba inflected broken english – no min am o na dem kill am . Too young to understand the silent treacheries of .the adult world I protested with child like firmness, 'but they like each other said I how could he kill him, they are not even fighting' I continued since people who don't like each other don't share smiles they share blows as we did in the play ground, my mind in a whirl. Iwo lo mo he said with a note of what I felt was resignation to my unassailable logic, to be further confirmed by his older brother, my dad, when I told him that evening what his brother had said 'Don't mind him' my father said dismissively dismissed his kid brother. Later I heard him telling his brother off in their thick ekiti dialect and I turned satisfactorily in my bed – my precocity confirmed - of course uncle got it wrong the jolly looking man in the uniform and that man in the Arabian night robes were friends how could one have killed the other even my dad knew that -but poor uncle did not. Little did I know then that the older brother was only admionishing his younger sibling for initiating a nine year old boy into the horrors of human treachery before he was ready.

Aguyi-Ironsi was probably as well intentioned, well meaning and decent as Goodluck Jonathan, and equally hapless. A boy doing a man's job, thrown out of his depth by circumstances beyond his understanding let alone his control let alone control. A question mark of history posturing as its answer an accidental figure helplessly waiting for the accident to happen.

For it is now clear to paraphrase a great Philosopher that Nigerian history is repeating itself twice first time as tragedy and the second time as farce. Ironsi at least carried enough of an air of authority even in those old pictures to make his inevitable doom carry the ring of tragedy. Jonathan who at the best of times carries all the authority of an overworked, underpaid and harrassed primary school teacher without a cane, looked more like the Town crier of Kano, than its august visitor as he stood inefectual and impotent before the sprawling eminence of the emir last week . If the buff Ironsi, a soldiers, soldier who redeemed himself by his bravery at the point of death could not hide his weakness from the wolves of the Northern Oligarchy, one trembles of what these man eaters must make of Goodluck
As I have argued before on this website and elsewhere,The Boko Haram crisis is not about religion, it is not about al Quaeda, it is not about world wide jihad. It is about politics, Nigerian politics. Boko Haram is the armed wing of the Northern Oligarchy and the current spate of bombings and terror is aimed at preparing the ground for a coup or perhaps the forced resignation or even assassination of Goodluck Johnathan.

I will explain what I mean below

ANALYSIS OF THE CURRENT SITUATION AND WHY THE OLIGARCHY ARE RAISNG THEIR HEAD
The Nigerian ruling class comprising aLl its tribes are responsible for the destruction of the country over the last 5 decades. However they are not homogeneous. This has nothing do with their personal morals or intelligence but their circumstances. All over the world rich politicians think only of themselves, What they do for the ordinary man depends not just on their own will but the willingess of the people they lead to stand up and push them. They don't take the light in London because if they did the prime minister would be impeached not because the Members of Parliament are any better, they are not necessarily, but if they didn't their homes would be stormed, their wives abused in the shop, their cars stoned in the street.

In Nigeria the social circumstances of each region has determined the level of responsibility of their leaders. Lagos has always been relatively better governed than any other state in Nigeria, even under military rule, not just because it is richer, but also because the sheer size of the city and its population and the lack of meaningful regional divisions, (you can't divide the people or Agege from say mushin, since most people there are not there by virtue of birth but circumstance) means any of its governments would have to rely to a certain extent on some social support. Revolutions always start in crowded cities – Paris, Soweto, Havana. Even Nigeria's worst and most murderous ever head of state Sanni Abacha had to give Lagos Marwa.

Due to the heavy urbanisation of the southern part of the country and the political power this brings the downtrodden, through the sheer concentration of their forces, its leaders like Awolowo, Azikiwe, Abiola and Ojukwu have been forced to better reflect the needs and demands of their people based on the simple knowledge that if they didn't they would be replaced by someone who would. If Obafemi Awolowo, inheriting a western region seething with anti colonial sedition had not pacified the masses by opening the doors of education and learning to them, another leader would have arisen who would. After the pogroms in the east such was the sense of mass anger and injustice in the east that if Ojukwu had not declared Biafra, he would have been swept aside and replaced by someone who would have such is the nature of politics.

However this rule applies less in the north of Nigeria because of the social conditions there. It is the least urbanised and developed of the regions, and the few cities that have large populations like Kaduna and Kano are effectively counterbalanced by the huge underclass there and the vast empty grasslands that dominate the north with its scattered villages and tiny homesteads where the aristocracy with the help of the imams can more easily manipulate the people. In the south the cities lead the countryside, in the north it is the other way round. Most of the northern towns are little more than glorified villages. Politics like war requires the concentration of forces to secure an edge. Where the poor and middle classes are more they exert greater pressure. It is for this reason that the rich and powerful in the north have always been political stronger than their rivals in the south.

It is the very reason why the British handed over power to them at independence. The fear was that Awolowo or Azikwe would have been compelled to pander to their base and take steps not to the liking of the western powers who wanted to control their richest African prize even after granting it 'independence' The west for instance do not want policies of free education as it makes people 'think above their station' it makes them enlightened. Allows them to think for themselves when they're betters should be doing that for them

WHY THE NORTH ARE PLANNING TO STRIKE BACK NOW
The Nigerian ruling class has always been dominated by the Northern aristocracy. its conquest of the petroleum producing regions after crushing the Biafran rebellion, gave it huge powers of patronage which it used to buy off the other sections of the elite regardless of their tribe. When money speaks it does so in one language. Nigeria richest southerners were all created in the seventies by the Oligarchy and the oil they controlled, Abiola, Okoya, Arisekola, Fernandez, Iwanyanwum, Ibru all to a man owe their wealth to the dominant hausa Fulani oligarchy and patronage they doled out, fulfilling the dream of Nigeria's most brilliant conservative politician of all time , Ladoke Akintola the ideological father of the Nigerian elite - a man before his times who dreamed of a country of two tribes only the rich and poor and to hell with the rest

However the collapse of the economy in the 1980's and the explosion of corruption destroyed its credibility and power, always unpopular even in the north, it had always relied on the military to rule. Every successful coup in the country's history has either been planed or endorsed by the oligarchy, all the failed ones have been those they opposed. However by 1993, the military had been morally and politically bankrupted, exhausted by economic bankruptcy and civilian uprisings and international isolation it fell apart in 1998 leaving the oligarchy in a quandry.

The Islamic Oligarchy retreated partly due to the June 12 unrest in the south west which although contained could not be crushed but also due to the knowledge that the world had changed. Products of the cold war, they now witnessed a global stage where Islamic fundamentalism had replaced the fear of Soviet communism as the new western enemy. From being the west's firm friends they had become like the Saudi’s, and Pakistanis, potential enemies.

To save themselves they sacrificed Abacha in a deal with the Americans that also included the elimination of Abiola. A compromise was reached and they turned to their old ally Olusegun Obasanjo. The man who had always been willing to play ball and bail out the Oligarchy when they were in trouble. Helping remove the headstrong Benjamin Adekunle without provoking a mutiny in his Awolowo supporting division that was closest of the three federal divisions during the war capital Lagos and which the Oligarchy feared could place the Yoruba chief in power there, He also rigged the Oligarchy back into power in 1979 and placed their younger officers Buhari, Babangida, Abacha in key positions allowing a return in 1983.

Obasonjo they reckoned would be a safe pair of hands. But they had overplayed their hand. In 1998 al Quada had blown up the American embassy in Nairobi. Al-Qaeda was a creation of rogue members of the Saudi and Pakistani establishment like the Hausa Fulani historical allies of the west. All Muslim elites were now suspect. The wily Obasanjo knew he had a free hand and he moved against the oligarchy in the army and economy. In September 2001, the planes crashed into the twin towers and as they say everything changed. If the oligarchy had moved against Obasanjo after September 11, American marines would have occupied Abuja - he knew it and so did they. From ignoring them, Obsanjo a former servant who had found a a new more powerful master now openly scorned them
However things have changed over the last ten years and the Oligarchy are now raising their head again, Having licked their wounds for the last 10 years and drank the cup of humiliation to the full they are now ready to move again.

But what has changed

A CHANGED INTERNATIOL SITUATION
Just as the Oligarchy overreached so have the Americans. They have lost the war ion Iraq, driven out by Muslim insurgents, they are loosing the war in Afghanistan in the process of being driven out of that country by Muslim insurgents, their positioned weakened they are being openly defied by Iran, bankrupted by endless wars and invasions its economy is in crisis, a crisis so deep that they were forced to elect a liberal black man to the highest office in the land.
America is no longer as powerful as it was 10 years ago and the Oligarchy know it.
Their calculation is that the Americans will accept the overthrow of Jonathan after initial verbal condemnation if they keep can the oil flowing. The plot is to make the country ungovernable blowing up people across the north and then present themselves as the only solution. It is like a chemist administering a poison to which only his shop sells the antidote.

To force the hands of the Americans and the west by creating the threat of Islamic induced anarchy which only their old friends the northern oligarchy can resolve and hope that a war weary west would accept them rather than see Nigeria turn to another somalia.
They might not actually physically overthrow or harm Jonathan, to prevent an explosion down south although this itself can't be ruled out, the situation is that fluid. But they could intimidate him to resign and allow his VP ( a northern arisitocrat) take over with the Americans brokering a deal. If Jonathan accepts this 'in the interest of the country' nobody in the south will be able to resist since it will appear voluntary and he will not be harmed. He'll probably go into exile to America to munch burghers write his memoirs. They will Shonekan him. But in a constituional manner. Once they assume power the Boko Haram outrages will stop as suddenly as they started. The lesson – only the Oligarchy can rule Nigeria.

If the Oligarchy decide to act it will have to be in the next couple of months when they have a window of opportunity before the American election. No sitting American president goes to war or seeks out a crisis in an election year if they are running for reselection, definitely not a black man running for re-election.
If the Oligarchy are going to make their move to install a civil regime backed regime under their control, it will be soon very soon. I smell danger ahead.

Praxis758:
When you’re eating, you don’t talk.

Nigeria is a fraud when the evil is against us while it is one Nigeria while we are the one committing the evil.

History555:
Even restructuring that tinubu and sw were making so much noise about, they are not even talking about it, until north enter power. You will start hearing restructuring

Slytiger:
It was the likes of Adekunle, ObJ, Alabi Isama, and Akinrinade that won the war for Nigeria. Ojukwu's greatest blunder in that war was trying to invade western Nigeria after Victor Banjo helped him capture the Midwest. The moment news filtered in that the rebels were entering Owo, several Yorubas that day on the fence immediately enlisted into the Nigerian Army. I know several uncles that signed up for posting to the front when the news filtered into the western region.

At that point, Ojukwu wasn't fighting a defensive fight any more, he himself became an invader. He mistook the warring Yoruba for the Midwest clans that Banjo captured in 24 hours. It's like Zelensky (Ojukwu) saying he wants to capture Moscow (Lagos)

paramakina202:
Your personal opinion.Just accept the fact that for whatever reasons majority of Nigerians accross the 6 regions do not think separation is the solution to their problems.When you accept this reality you will surely wake up from your ipob induced delusions that Nigeria is not breaking up today or tomorrow until the rest of Nigerians are ready for it.

coputa:
What does Yoruba need their own republic for,is it not a call to neutralize Biafra agitation.

Yoruba only has one oil producing state(Ondo) and if their republic is granted, Lagos will loose its economic and commercial value.

Yoruba cannot sustain itself,if given their own republic, they are only surviving due to the union called Nigeria

atiku4President:
For where? They won't say pim. Most of them think saying the obvious is fighting the government of their own son. Forget them.

They would rather prefer to tell their members to pray away their sufferings and hardships to intervening and stopping the nonsense their son has plunged the nation into.

IamANigerianMan:
I don't know why some of you don't do research before make comments, Nigerians are greedy, these POS companies charge them flat rate as low as N20, some N10 for every transaction, even if government decided to add N50 now, it is still N70 or N60, they still gain N130 or N20 for transaction of N10,000.. I blame government in all this, how can they allow this for a long time... No country allow everything to free like Nigeria

Dalohad:
Nigeria should start thinking about pulling out their monies from the bank and doing business cash-only.

30 years ago, these greedy buffoons were always lamenting that 85% of Nigeria are unbanked, as they do not have bank accounts.

Fast forward to today, they are frustrating bank accounts owner with all manners of levies, fees and charges..Criminals.

theTranslator:
this man was a good man

igbos only hate him for the lies they were told


Rest in peace Awolowo!

ebu dola

the more you curse,the more he is blessed!

Gbajure:
Excellent piece. But you won't see the son's if eight here bri g objective.

flokii:
There is an article here on Nairaland about this Awolowo's £20 to Igbos lie.. Pa Awolowo granted an interview that someone published where he explained in detail all he did to make sure the Igbos didn't fall behind others after the civil war.

Awolowo out of his good heart gave Igbos stipends of £20 to help those who had nothing reintegrate into the society after the war (£20 back then was huge money, most Nigerians didn't have such to their name, what Igbos got as handout free) some of the Igbos that had money in the bank, properties etc. all got their belongings returned to them provided they had evidence to show as proof of ownership. All the Igbos you see that have grown old in Lagos, Ibadan and likes all got their properties back from Yorubas (who could have seized the properties and take possession of the lands sold to them by Yorubas).
These people are just ingrates jor, they expect you to displease yourself in order to please them.

Noone asked what happened to the lands and properties owned by other Nigerians living in the East before the war.. The Igbos took possession of all of them and claimed they are now ancestral lands. Igbos didn't return properties belonging to other tribes but they got theirs returned to them especially in South West.

Moreover, Ojukwu was pardoned and he returned to Nigeria, why didn't the Igbos ask him about the whereabout of their money, since he convinced them to change their Pounds to Biafran pounds.. It means he kept no record, the whereabout of the money collected unknown and Igbos didn't bother to ask

Awolowo even created a special fund like trust fund specifically to give grants to Igbos and help them procure equipment or other machines they need to upskill themselves and recoup after the civil war.. These ingrates will never mention all those good gestures of Awolowo to their race, all they do is demonize the man simply because he is Yoruba.

Jayhome24:
Children of hate and pardition from my region will soon be here and come upon you OP. Very very unfortunate none of my own people could be intelligent enough to asked Ojukwu pls who and who in Igboland did you consulted before going into war or when did he conducted referedum and he was asked to go ahead? Mbanu.

None of my own people is intelligent enough to asked Ojukwu that pls among those 3million innocent souls that perished is there any of his family among the dead? None.

So many questions to ask in fairness but same juju ojukwu used to brainwashed them to diverted his fault on Yoruba peoople for him to escaped questioning the same juju grigory bitch obi using on them right now it is unimaginable that 90% of entire region sleep and face one direction.

They will soon be here to masturbte for just seen the name Awolowo keep watching

Lizzysamuel:
Lmao

The same doctor who diagnosed "Emotional Exhaustion" for Wailers in 8years, couldn't survive 1½years before suffering from same "Emotional Exhaustion".

I'm prescribing 2 tablets of aspirin 2 times daily for 6½years for her.

Godwin4444:
Nigeria is not disintegrating anytime soon but if u people can't mind your business u will b dealt with like it is done everywhere

U will add Yoruba to your xenophobic list soon

Warrior99:
No wahala.

The people of Ireland have a right to determine who they want, same as the Yorubas in Lagos.

ALL THESE GASLIGHTING ATTEMPTS BY IGBOS AGAINST YORUBAS WILL NOT WORK!

Try another thing 🤡

chiagozien:
Yoruba man with Igbo name

Nonny95:
"Go Back To Your Country & Contest"—Irish People Attack Nigerian Vying For Post

Codepain:
Talk to your fellow Igbo
They nearly sell dummy to us during 2023 elections because they want Igbo presidency.
They are signs that this administration will favor Nigeria

Truth is I don't care about this south south people ....let's form our Igbo nation with the few south south igbos that accept they are igbos

After airports ...we should come together to build our ports ...start a shipping line and link them by rail to our major cities ....in our Igbo nation

Then let me see the maga ...that would block Igbo access to sea ...then they would sea what Igbo dominance really looks like

South South can go to hell for all I care really ...what have igbos gained from them ? Tell me ?

Gadafii:
Imagine Buhari a saint compared to tinubu 😂😂


Northerners no wan gree free tinubu blokos se

Racoon:
Everyday this nation is going down under the disaster that was foist upon it. Meanwhile, this same Adelabu was overhyped as a wonder man first class OAU financial guru by the likes of LegendHero the same way he did with the heroin-white powder sniffing druglord Nigeria is unfortunate to have on seat today.

Mrchippychappy:
Soyinka na comedian I swear.

He gave a presentation riddled with Word salad and verbose rantings that mean very little.

maasoap:
You do realise that Wole Soyinka was imprisoned for his solidarity with Biafra struggle and that was 1960s? Today, he has become Gbaju e coroner, lol. Give the man some breathing space because he had been speaking up before your father was born.

YorubaNiBaba:
And nah that sadness go kill them

YorubaNiBaba:
Peppering time be this.... Our blodas from 5 plots of land no go like this

logica:
I can assure you that there was no such agreement. The order to free Awolowo came from Gowon; even though Ojukwu could have refused to release him if he chose to. Problem was Ojukwu felt Awolowo owed him for this show of magnanimity; and chose not to consult with Awolowo and expected Awolowo to court him (when it should have been the other way round). Gowon was wiser and actively courted Awolowo. That made the difference.

GeneralTee:
United Nigeria for whose benefit? Why would you want a united Nigeria that is structured to enslave you and your unborn generation?

This is the more reason why you should read the book on him later to be published this month.

I'll argue that Banjo made the right decision to stay and fight for a united Nigeria. It is those who decided to kill him that should be held responsible for his death.