₦airaland Forum

adjain: Of course, I had heard all the media hype about P-Square's "Alingo", but I still hadn't mustered the time to watch it. Besides, I don't always sit in front of the TV to soak media garbage.

That said, I had the opportunity to do so as I waited in a friend's living room uesterday. That was when "Alingo" by P-Square came up.

Nice, I think. I mean, it's been quite a while since I saw those nigglets dance. However, I have this to say: why do Peter and Paul always copy tunes?

As I listened to "Alingo", a point came in the song where I felt the urge to scream in Chuddy-K's voice "mo ni who's in d garden? A sexy fine girl/ can I come and see her?/ no no no no..." And you know why? The Alingo chorus thingy sounds a lot like "dance like sunita, sunita.." In Chuddy-K's "Go gaga". Damn.

If you were intuitive enough, you'd have noticed that "Alingo" was a barely disguised word for "azonto". So P-square were in essence killing two birds with one stone: copying Azonto and Chuddy-K without appearing to do so.

If this were the first time these lads were doing this, I wouldn't have been writing this. In "Omoge mi", we see the niggers totally twist the classic "unbreak my heart" in the way they know best.

Well, I wish them good luck. I'm not saying they aren't awesome. God, no. Those boys make me proud to be Nigerian. But there should be a point where they say "Shout out to Chuddy-k! He was d inspiration behind this..." Or some bullshit like that.

Maestro, for ceewahala..com

This crap you wrote is the definition of BAD BELLE

Eko Ile: And what name are we talking about?

Writing and peddling the same biafra nonsense that only misguided ibo losers like ashebe and the rest of you clowns on NL swim in?

ibo people are shallow than 1 kobo sha.

Sometimes i wonder why Nigerians are such evil and conscienceless creatures. In so called communist China, when prisoners go on hunger strike, the mighty Chinese government often backs down on their demand.
In Nigeria, 2 million children were watched as they slowly died from starvation and people like Eko Ile think it's no big deal.No matter how strongly or who we blame for that war, it is wrong to starve those kids like that.

I had always wanted to avoid this civil war debate largely going on between Igbos and Yoruba.
But Chimamanda mentioned something i had always had in my mind.Which is that Nigeria always knew it would defeat Biafra because it had more weapons,soldiers and the entire international community, so why then do you need to starve Igbos on top of it? I don't know who advised that policy,but it was a wicked over kill.
It is even more painful that in the end, Biafrans were defeated purely by military capture of all their towns and their airports. So why were those children starved to death?

mankind777: since u guys are not are not convince that Prof. Chinua Achebe book was a big lie read this:

Since it was first previewed in a foreign newspaper, There Was A Country, Prof. Chinua Achebe’s latest addition to the world of literature, has become an object of intense debate, particularly the allegation of genocide the literary giant levelled against the duo of Gen. Yakubu Gowon and Chief Obafemi Awolowo for their roles in the Nigerian civil war between 1967 and 1970. A veteran of the war, Gen. Alabi Isama, who was one of the commanders of the federal troops during the war, joined the debate in an interview he granted GBENGA ADERANTI, describing Achebe’s account of the war as grossly inadequate, particularly as it relates to the activities of the 3rd Marine Commando (3MCDO) where he led the Sector 3 and also functioned as the Chief of Staff.

Brimming with rage over what he described as the many lies that had been told about the war, Isama said he had initially chosen to keep quiet in order that Nigeria might move forward instead of pondering endlessly over the unfortunate incident. But he said he had decided to break his silence because Achebe’s book is full of inaccuracies.

He is particularly pained that most of the accounts in Achebe’s book were sourced from the third party. He said while he would not talk about the politics of the book, he has a responsibility as one of the war commanders to clarify “certain lies that are contained in the book.” “This book will be out there forever, and I need to defend myself and my actions during the civil war for posterity. Nothing but the truth will be good enough for today and tomorrow,” Isama stated. He began by faulting Achebe’s account of the Asaba Massacre, saying that the incident that occurred at about 10 pm on August 8, 1967 was different from the account in Achebe’s book. He said: “I was the commander of the federal troops of 4th Area Command at Asaba.

The Biafran troops broke the barricade on Niger River Bridge and went straight to a place called Ogbe Hausa at Cable Point area; where the Hausa community lived. “Biafran troops pounced on them and killed many of them. The few that escaped were moved to Onitsha end and they jubilated. Before my troops could reach me to report the situation, about 20 Biafran soldiers had attacked me at Catering Rest House where I was living at the time.

I fought my way through and overpowered the 20 soldiers. I reported the situation to my boss, Major Henry Igboba, at Agbor. “When the tide turned and the federal troops recaptured the Midwestern Region and Asaba, the Hausa people among them retaliated. The Hausa who were there never denied doing that.” On the Calabar massacre, as contained on Page 137 of Achebe ‘s book, Isama said contrary to what Achebe wrote, the Nigerian forces overran Calabar in early 1968 without much resistance and decided to purge the city of its Igbo inhabitants. By the time the Nigerian troops were done, he said, between 1,000 and 2,000 Igbo were killed.

Describing this part of the story as unfortunate, Isama said as at that time, intelligence reports showed that Biafran troops had alienated the Efik people of Calabar. They did not recruit many into the Biafran Army and “had lousily defended the town and the beach area of Atimbo. 3MDCO therefore, led by Col Benjamin Adekunle, had an amphibious landing at Calabar, which was proof that the town and the beaches were not defended by Biafran troops with the seriousness they deserved. Hence, the natives welcomed 3MCDO with all the enthusiasm and the support it deserved. “I landed three days after the amphibious unit landed and the natives gave us all the support we needed—medical, casualty evacuation, food, off loading the ship of our supplies and heavy weapons, “ he said.

He said Achebe’s claim on the same Page 137 that the Nigerian forces opened fire and murdered 14 nurses and the patients in the wards in Uyo could not be true because the federal troops needed all these personnel and there was no way they would have killed them. He said rather than accuse the federal troops of atrocities, the atrocities committed by Biafran troops on the people of Uyo and Annang were legendary. To drive home his point, he showed the reporter some pictures portraying the damages caused by Biafran soldiers among the Annang and the people of Uyo.

He wondered why someone would hold the 3MDCO responsible for crimes committed by Biafran soldiers. Most of the atrocities allegedly committed by the 3MDCO, Isama insisted, were actually perpetrated by Biafran soldiers. He said his observations as an active participant in the war could be corroborated with a book written by Phillip Effiong, a former Biafran general who, apart from being the Chief of Defence Staff of the Biafran Armed Forces was also a Mid-Western Igbo.

According to Effiong in his book, Nigeria and Biafra: My Story (Pages 220 and 221) “… When I visited the Brigade shortly before the invasion, particularly in Uyo and Calabar areas, I received a lot of complaints from the local people about unsavoury treatment by our (Biafran) troops. I drew Colonel Eze’s attention to the complaints and urged him to improve relations with the civilians. “At Uyo, military-civilian relations were so strained that I had to personally intervene to release a local newspaper editor from detention. Such acts on my part were not just a question of feeling alone for my people, but also a question of justice and sense of belonging in an emergent Biafran State. Were these arrests, false accusations, and detentions a sign of things to come in an independent Biafra? These issues bothered me as they would anyone else in my position then….. “… With the fall of Calabar, Itu, Uyo and Ikot Ekpene the rest of the mainland was militarily threatened. Before this threat became imminent, I had strongly suggested junction town, it should be strongly defended.

All he did was to sarcastically remind me that in fact we should also put a battalion at Nnewi. Nnewi was Ojukwu’s home town as Ikot Ekpene was supposed to be mine, because I lived and grew up there. However, I am from Ibiono in Itu, and not Ikot Ekpene. “After I received his sarcastic message, I did not mention the subject again. As it eventually turned out, the fall of Ikot Ekpene hastened the collapse of the Biafran 12th Division and, consequently, of Biafra….” Faulting Achebe’s account on Page 139 of the book where he wrote that on the northern front, Mohammed Shuwa’s First Division easily overran Abakaliki and Afikpo, Isama insisted that he led the troops that captured Afikpo in February 1968.

He said: “As part of my order to clear Biafran troops from South Eastern State and block the international border with Cameroun, after the capture of Ugep, Ediba, Itigidi and Obubra, I decided to have a feel of how fighting would be like in Igbo land. Therefore with 12 BDE commanded by Major Aliyu, we attacked Afikpo. But due to the urgency of Port Harcourt operation, which had to be captured before the Kampala peace conference in May 1968, I was ordered by Adekunle, the 3MDCO Commander, to hand over Afikpo to Ist Division and withdraw my troops to Calabar within seven days. “The capture of Port Harcourt was described on Page 137 of Achebe’s book, that in April 1968, the Nigerians decided to mount a major strategic and tactical offensive designed to cut Biafra off from the sea coast; and that over 40,000 troops of the Third Division, led by Col. Benjamin Adekunle, engaged in an amphibious land and air onslaught on the Niger River Delta City of Port Harcourt. He went on to say that after several weeks of sustained air, land and sea pounding, a period reportedly characterised by military atrocities like rape, looting, outright brigandage – Port Harcourt fell to the Nigerians on May 12, 1968.” Isama agreed with Achebe that the advance to capture Port Harcourt started from Calabar on 17th April 1968, a distance of about 300 miles.

Port Harcourt, he said, had to be captured not later than 30 days. But he said the attack was not led by Adekunle, but he ordered him (Isama) to plan and lead the attack from Calabar to Port Harcourt. He said he did so and captured Port Harcourt in 30 days while Col Adekunle was in Lagos gathering supplies. He recalled that Port Harcourt was captured on May 18 1968 and not May 12, 1968 as contained in Achebe’s book. The general also took an exception to the words ‘rape, looting, and outright bigandry,’ which were used in describing the activities of the soldiers under his sector. He said: “Firstly, you do not rape Efik, Ibibio or Annang women. They were too sophisticated for that.

Ikweres were the best people I had ever lived and worked with in my life.” He also said it was impossible for his troops to embark on such frivolities because he being in command and “with only 30 days to accomplish my task of capturing 300 miles, my troops had no time for nonsense, as they had to cover at least 10 miles per day, including the plan to cross Opobo River. We advanced day and night fighting for every inch of the land. “With our back to the Atlantic Ocean and our chest to Biafran bullets, we had no place to hide loots even if we had time for that. That operation was in the mangrove forest in the rainy season and with rivers overflowing their banks.

Every bit of land was marshy and water logged.” On the capture of Aba on Pages 137 and 138, Achebe wrote that the Third Division slowly marched north, crossing the Imo River towards the market town of Aba. He further wrote that with heavy casualties along the way, Adekunle and his men shot gleefully through a fierce Biafran resistance and took Aba in August and Owerri in September. The Aba offensive, he said, was particularly gruesome.

On Page 138, he wrote that on the Third Division’s entry into Aba, the Nigerian soldiers massacred more than 2,000 civilians. Achebe also wrote about a report written by one Susan Masid of the French Press Agency on the horrifying incident. Faulting this, Isama said: “When we got to Aba, it was a ghost town because Biafran troops had blown bridges and advised the natives to vacate the town.” According to the general, being the Chief of Staff of 3MCDO during the period between 1967 and May 1969, the plans, strategy and the tactics applied by him were directed by Col. Adekunle, the General Officer Commanding the Division. He described Achebe as a story teller, noting that on many pages of his book, he either said ‘the story I heard’ (Page 133), ‘I was told’ (Page 138) or ‘we were told’ (Page 150). On Achebe’s cattle story, Isama said: “In 3MCDO, we had not enough cattle to do that. I am only concerned about the Atlantic sector of the war. The other sectors, if they wish, may defend their honour for posterity. “When Achebe spoke about bombing markets and many more, he forgot the first bombing of the war in Lagos in early 1967 when, despite the fact that the Igbo were killed in their hundreds in the northern part of the country during the unrest at the time, it was Yaba market and Casino, the most populated part of Lagos that the Biafran B-26 bomber came to throw bomb at civilians. Nigeria had no planes to bomb at that time. And in any case, 3MCDO while at Calabar had no planes capable of bombing beyond Uyo and Eket. Not even Ikot–Ekpene or Opobo and beyond.” Isama said whatever starvation was experienced in Biafra was self-induced.

He alleged that during the war, planes and ships, which supposedly carried relief materials, were caught shipping arms into Biafran zone. Not only that, Ojukwu preferred to ship in the so-called relief materials in the night, which the federal troops were uncomfortable with. He believes that what Ojukwu did during the war made things difficult for Biafrans. According to Isama, while the Pope was in one of the countries in East Africa thinking about how to broker peace, Ojukwu allegedly killed some Europeans; a development that made the Pope and other European countries hands-off Biafra’s matter. He said the killing of the Europeans put paid to the food aid the State of Biafra was getting from Europe. He said while Biafran soldiers abandoned refugees and children, the federal troops picked them up anywhere and everywhere. Isama said: “Those that suffered most were children from ages three to five. They were too heavy to be carried about by their parents and too young to walk the distance. The aged, pregnant women and the disabled suffered more. My troops fed once a day at 5pm, in order to have enough for all. “When elders like him (Achebe) talk, we listen. But I say here that his story is inconsistent with the truth. Many words had been used to describe Nigeria’s situation as at today many years after the civil war. Unfortunately, I am not sure if my dear elder feels the same way as I do right now.

Many of the readers of this book never saw or experienced the war. Those who saw it and were really involved, like myself, are over 70 years old, I was only 27 years old then; and on our way now to meet our Maker. Many others are gone. Are we really telling the truth to the next generation on what we did wrong?“ Isama doubted if Achebe meant what he wrote in the book because, according to him, he only succeeded in sowing a seed of discord between the progressive youths across the country.

While Achebe writes about marginalisation and the Igbo not being fully integrated into Nigeria, Isama says there is no way one would discuss these without sounding like a tribalist. He said: “My mother was from Kwara – the backyard of the West or the front yard of the North when it suites those concerned. So also was my father from Kwale area, which also is the back yard of the West or the front yard of the East. I know that I have been detribalised in such a way that I can discuss Nigeria with the truth that the youths deserve with no apology to anybody. “In my opinion, Achebe’s book is tribal and inconsistent with the truth. The Hausa did not deny killing the Igbo. And as Gen. Haruna said at the Oputa Panel in 2001, he had no apology for that. Bringing the 3MCDO into it and Awolowo in a derogatory way is evil and ungodly.” He said contrary to the starvation stories being bandied, the 3MCDO were feeding natives and Biafran soldiers to the extent that the federal troops under his command were feeding once in a day. He also argued that since independence in 1960, the Igbo have always been in the ruling class. In the First Republic, he said, it was NPC/NCNC (Hausa/Igbo); Second Republic, NPN/NPP (Hausa/Igbo); Third Republic, –PDP/PDP (Hausa/Ibo); Fourth Republic, it is PDP majority in the North, in the East and Delta State, again Hausa/Igbo. “So, who is Achebe writing about?” he queried. He said in the Balewa cabinet of 1960, there were 12 Hausa-led NPC ministers and 11 Igbo-led NCNC ministers. The army, the police, the navy, the air force were all from the East. He wondered why the Igbo ran back to the North after the civil war if they were so marginalised. “It is so easy to kill the Igbo because they own the sales of attractive items like cars, electronic items, building materials and others. The Yoruba man in the North or East is a low-lifer.

The man drives a taxi, while the wife sells amala. As soon as there is unrest, the wife puts the cooking pot in the taxi and home they go. “I am sure that we all know the number of Igbo in western states and Lagos compared to the number of Yoruba in eastern states. Let’s get real. If the union of Igbo and Hausa is not working since 1960 till date, then change your direction. You cannot repeat the same thing and get a different result.” He said he had put his war memoirs into print and it would be out soon.

[url][/url]http://247nigerianewsupdate.com/lies-achebe-told-about-the-civil-war-by-gen-alabi-isama/

... another tales by moonlight. Personally, I'm tired of these drunkards called Generals.Soon it will be tales how they overpowered 20 girls in one night of rumpus. Where is David Ejoor nah ?

Da infamous: who u be?wafi abi isoko?

No i be bonafide Itsekiri boy. But i went to school in Ebonyi State University, Presco Campus Abakaliki. So i know Enugu very very well.That where we rocked parties!

spyder880: @ Odenigbo aroli, van bonattel, please lets try and be civil. Please keep to the topic, thanks.

Abeg Spyder880, don't mind them. Some of these people are not even Igbos. Me sef, i love Enugu and your project here die.

Jarus: Below is an effort at ranking Nigeria's major towns based on some yardsticks. it's just an opinion based on knowledge of activities in Nigeria and peculiarities of these cities:

Economy-wiseDefined by totality of corporate, commercial, and industrial activities)
1, Lagos- Corporate capital of Nigeria.Head Offices of virtually all the companies that matter are in Lagos.
2, Port Harcourt- The Oil capital of Nigeria.
3, Kano- Arguably No 1 commercial city in Nigeria, but commerce is just a fragment of economy
4, Abuja- The political capital of course, but can't stand Lagos, PH or Kano in terms of economic activities. Regulatory agencies that control the economy(CBN etc) are there
5, Kaduna-Another hub of economic activities. Lagos of the North
6, Ibadan- Hub of grassroot, informal economic activities
7, Warri- If Warri is bombed today, it will tell on the world economy via crude oil prices.

Commerce-wiseDefined by no and size of markets, volume of trading activities etc)
1, Kano: Commerce is another name for Kano
2, Ibadan:Commercial capital of the South(East and West). Trading activities, especially, informal activities, boom here.Millions of market women
3, Lagos: Many markets, formal and informal
4, Onitsha: The 'Dubai' of Ibo-made products. Has one of the largest markets in West africa
5, Kaduna: Also has one of the largest markets in west Africa
6, Aba: Made in Aba! You get me, ?
7, Port Harcourt: A good place to tap some money from the OIL MILLIONAIRES!

Industrial-wise:
1, Lagos: Highly industralized
2, Port Harcourt: Refinery plus other oil-related industries
3, Warri: Ditto
4, Otta: Home of Medium sized industries
5, Kaduna: Refinery plus other industries
6, Kano: Many indigenous plants are here
7, Ibadan:Oluyole industrial estate. Not doing badly

Political-wise:
1, Abuja- The official political capital of Nigeria
2, Ibadan- The political capital of old Western Nigeria and today's S/West. Ibadan politics matters in the country
3, Lagos- More of an economic city than political, but more than a decade after FCT was moved to Abuja, Lagos is still
4, Kaduna- The political h/quarters of the North, politically speaking.Capital of old Northern Nigeria.Till today critical political meetings still hold here. Power-broking city      
5, Kano- The religious capital of the North(apology to Sokoto). And in the North, politics and religion are intertwined. So
6, Enugu- The capital of the old Eastern Nigeria. Still powerful in political dealings today.
7, Ilorin- Another force to reckon with, politically speaking

You dey craze to put Ibadan before Warri in anything else except the quantity of rusty zinc roofs!

jason123: I agree with almost all except one. If Lagos is not a SWestern state, then what is it??

Lagos is Nigeria's commercial capital. Just like Abuja isn't a north central state,but Nigeria's political capital.

searay2: And now if the Malian's Islamist group join forces with Boko Haram, what do you think would happen to us? Our security forces knows what they they are doing.

Bros,they have already joined forces with Boko, they should not have allowed Abubakar Shekau in their territory and should not have allowed Boko boys to train in their territory.

[quote author=.Nairaland]Instead of Mali's mission, me think Northern crises mission should be our priority.[/quote]Northern crisis cannot be solved if you leave northern Mali as a safe haven for Boko Haram to run to regroup and train new attackers. That safe haven should be denied the terrorists,so they are forced to stay in Nigeria and negotiate for peace or be routed out.

Why not set up Awolowo church of satan worshippers and good killers

ACM10: Maturity is not synonymous to naivety. I can never descend so low with you to attack our brothers and sisters. Afam is a strong defender of Ndigbo. He's only crime(to you) is his criticism of Peter Obi's incompetence. Afam is not an Igbo supremacist in the mold of Chino. I'm impressed with his objectivity on this forum. He often cautions some rogue characters who are bent on sparking an internal fight. He has track record on that. Do you expect him to continually play the role of internet police here?

I will still dine with my Igbo brothers and sisters of Enugu extraction; even if they fails to condemn the disgraceful attacks on the good people of Anambra. The destiny of Umuigbo is so intricately linked that we can't afford to fight or discriminate within ourselves.

You, Chino(+ his multiple ids) and Abagworo started this unnecessary fight. I'm pleading with you, Nri Priest to sheath your sword. Please let the sleeping dog lie. What do you gain by pulling your brother down? Why can't you ignore this thread if it gives you hard-on?

I also condemn the attacks from both sides in the strongest term. Why can't you guys see the big picture? Why waste you energy fighting each other?

Is it not a shame that you adults on this forum allowed these psychotic kindergarten kids Chino,Abagworo and nri priest to drag Igbos to disrepute here?
I had admired the effort of Spyder880 in this thread and wondered if i could do the same for my great Warri city. You guys should stop responding to their childish posts.Let them continue in their delusions and post what they must, until they exorcise themselves of the demons living in them.

Aljazeera,that terrorist TV channel and So many "innocent" western nations want the CIA 2015 breakup prediction to come true.They are unhappy that the Nigerian security forces have beaten the Boko Haram terror boys, so now they want to tarnish their image by accepting a movie staged by Boko Haram terrorists killing a captured Nigerian police officer or soldier they have unclad and dressed up in civilian clothes.

Negro1: Family sources said that special adviser to Enugu state governor Gov. Sullivan Chime,in person of Mrs. Jane Ugwu died of food poisoning on Sunday.

Read more
http://naijaxplorer..com/2012/11/special-adviser-to-enugu-state-governor.html

Some people are moving around paying close confidants of people in power to poison them.It started with Patience Jonathan,then the Enugu governor and now his aide dies too.

This is what Christianity should be. spend all your savings on the least of your brothers.
May God continue to replenish and encourage Prophet TB Joshua. All those wicked pastors bad mouthing the guy shall be put to shame.

Abeg una,
Stop these yeye yabis here. Enugu is indeed a pearl in the East and Nigeria at large. Yes, Imo and Anambra aren't far behind, but Enugu,Abuja,Calabar and Kaduna are the undisputed habitable cities in Nigeria. Others are chaotic,noisy,disorganized,filthy and tantamount to living in a filthy market square.
Anambra sure has amazing buildings in places like Awada,but everything is so shoddy and poorly planned that they turn out to look ugly. My Anambra people in the house should tell their governor to imbibe the word "City or Town planning" in erecting buildings haphazardly in Awka and Onitsha.