₦airaland Forum

omoadeleye:
You want Dangote to be depressed fa?

Why will dangote be depressed. Dangote can buy crude any where to run his refinery and he can sell to any other country, especially west African countries. There are very few refineries in West Africa and most countries in West Africa, if not all of them import petroleum products.

Day169:
This 'arrangee' marriage (Nigeria) was conceived by the couple's parents (colonialists), after an unwanted pregnancy (amalgamation) but it later waxed with love (oil).
But when the love is finally gone, what becomes of the marriage? The parties involved (major tribes) will eventually go their seperate ways!
PS.. but a divorce (disintegration) is hardly amicable. God help us!

The arrangee marriage that was formalised in 1960. The arranged marriage that the tribe that is now complaining promoted and fully participated in.

Why just the major tribes, what happens to the other 200 tribes who where forced into the arrangee marriage without even acknowledging they exist or matter? Don't they deserve divorce from the marriage and not be forced to marry another major tribe? The three major tribes behave like cry babies, they start throwing tantrums and plung the country into crisis once they lose power. The most mature tribes in Nigeria are the minor tribes, who disputes decades of marginalisation by the major tribes, they continue to move on.

Davash222:
Before then, we’ll have Tesla cars that will be running on water. I pity Nigeria then, this place will look like Somalia before then.

You wish. God does not grant evil wishes. Nigeria will prosper against the wishes of distractors.

Charleys:
They've also adopted the Gregorian calender. Allowed women watch football matches, more too

See achievements in the 21st century. You are really going overboard and over reason defending the Saudis. Most probably it's because of Trump's alliance with the Saudis.

Adopting the Gregorian calender is an achievement? Did they have any choice, in this information age? Even their computer (browser and some apps) will not work with their Islamic calender.

Allowing women to watch football matches? Are you talking about women going to stadiums to watch football matches, or allowing them to watch on their homes or phones? I am yet to read that women are allowed outside their houses unaccompanied by men (relatives). How will the government monitor what women are watching on their phones or cable TV at home?

I wish you could defend Nigeria like this with all its numerous flaws.

CSTR2:
Your view is correct but simplistic.

Trump does not need Saudi for the Middle East.
The place can go to blazes for all they care. America is the largest exporter of oil now.
And Israel can handle its own.

What they cannot afford to lose is over $20 billion yearly in weapons sale from Saudi.

But this is contrary to what Trump has been saying and doing in the middle east. Trump says they are still in Iraq to secure the oil


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGo3rZoXksI

GMbuharii:
I don't give a damn about that if Edo is included in Biafra or not,I don't care.
Infact,Edo is more traditionally and culturally attached to the SW than any other region,buh that ain't the issue here.

You don't give a damn if Edo is not included in Biafra, but you defend Biafra and IPOB day and night, how will that work?

You know Edo is traditionally and culturally attached to the South West, but you hate the Yorubas with much venom, calling them all the names IPOB calls them. How will that work?

Everyone's thinking it in the country buh only ipob is saying it to their faces.

So you know what everyone is thinking? You must be some sort of God.

And if it ain't now biting the yorubas hard,why are they launching Amotekun? please

Amotekun is an Organized response to the problem causes by Fulani herdsmen ravaging the bushes and highways of Yoruba land. Since the federal government had been incompetent over the decades in arresting the Fulani herdsmen menace, the Yoruba people themselves decided to help themselves.

And ipob ain't the one against resources control,true federalism, restructuring, regionalism.

Since you have taken on the role of IPOB spokesman, please present a paper on the details of IPOB's proposal, so we can have a basis for debate. Throwing words around without details has no meaning.

When you rant against a policy a good and as beautiful as stronger units/weak centre,where everyone will develop at their own pace with their own God given resources,then you are nothing but a pure unity begger.

Please show me where such an arrangement where stronger units and weaker centre had worked anywhere and anytime in history. Even the US fought a bitter war to maintain a strong centre as against a strong confederation.

Ain't you ashamed as a Nigerian,that after how many decades we still living in darkness! We still have to run to Abuja every month for survival! That as a state governor,I cannot provide, the bloody law prevent me some providing electricity for my people!

Why should I be ashamed? My life is not dependent on government and I do not work for government. It's the governors and local government chairmen the who are grossly corrupt and incompetent that run to Abuja for handouts every month. In fact government is a hindrance for me.

I got resources in my domain,crude oil,I can't touch,all I get is gas flare and dark smokes and ashes on my atmosphere,that's bulshyttt!!!!!
Which Niger Deltan is as rich as Indimi of Borno and Theophilus danjuma who are mallams but got oil billions?
The richest woman,Alakijawhatd her source of wealth?
Are these people igbos?

Please gedda4K!!!!

Lzaa immhotep just imagine this bulshyttt

There are many rich Niger deltans, The Ibrus, the Igbinedions, Ayiri, Tompolo, etc are very rich Niger deltans. Dan Etete of malibu oil is one of the richest Niger deltans.

Emeka offor and Arthur Nzeribe are some of the richest Nigerians today.

You can't touch the oil in your domain because you don't have the technology to mine the oil. To mine for crude is a very complex and expensive venture. You first have to prospect for the oil, which costs millions of dollars, and if found in commercial quantity, mine it. The mining of crude itself costs tens to hundreds of millions of dollars. You think oil is like gold you pick on the ground? If foreigners are not invited to prospect for oil and given incentives, the oil will remain where it is for millions of years. Or you want the goverment and foreign oil forms to prospect for oil especially in the seas, then mine the oil and then hand you all the proceed from sales.

GMbuharii:
Shut up there!! I am a proud son of the Niger Delta from Edo state,I ain't a bastard to deny where I come from.

It will do your life a whollotta good to free your mind from your igbophobic mentality as not everyone that gat a dissenting opinion of your blsht is Igbo. You got a second thinking coming if that's the shtt you think always,thanks.


Lzaa immhotep bastardmod greenback

Which proud son of the Niger Delta from Edo state are you, that spend all your time on nairaland defending igbos with your life? What tribe are you or are you ashamed of your tribe?

All your atatements and words, and even memes are taken from IPOB playbook and you are here screaming " i am son of the Niger Delta from Edo state". Are you not aware IPOB says Edo state is not included in their Biafra, even though they want Benue state?

tartar9:
Nigerian xtians(Igbo especially) are already coming out to attack the presenter for defending them against their lord trump

That's how much they hate their motherland, because Buhari is president. They would be ready to join an enemy to attack and destroy Nigeria in order to blame Buhari, forgetting they would be destroying their homeland in the process. They don't care anyway, as long as Buhari can take the blame.

Awol1:
My girlfriend doesn't like Trump.

But I like the man.

She asked me why? Is because he's misogynistic and you wanna be like him and take women as shits?

I said na!

I like Trump because he is putting radical Muslims in their place in the world. If that's what he succeeds in doing in his 8 years, I'll be fine with it. I can endure to defer traveling to the States until the ban is lifted by whichever administration.

Before you call me Islamophobic, I want you to know that I'm a Pluralist who believes that "this" can be true while "that" is also true. That Islam is a true religion as much as Christianity is a true religion. With both worshipping a true God.

But what do you do when you have an intolerant neighbor who feels his way is superior to yours. And doesn't just stop at feeling superior but forcefully trying to convert you to his own way against your wish and choice.

Leave these terrorists and they will overrun the world while the UN and other world powers would interested in political correctness.

Ride on Trump.

You got a supporter in me.

If you like Trump because he is putting radical Muslims in their place, how come he is cozy with Saudi Arabia? How come he has not put Saudi Arabia or any Saudi Arabian in its place. Saudi Arabia is the world greatest sponsor of terrorism. They export wahabism around the world. Al-aqaeda, ISIS, Boko Haram, Al shabab, etc are wahabi movements, that intent to impose a strict interpretation of the Qur'an. Many Saudi Arabian has attacked the US both on foreign soil and in the US, why not ban on Saudi citizens?

I think your girlfriend is right, you like Trump because he is misogynistic and you wanna be like him.

Kingspin:
A compensational speech.

Why not compare state of our health, education, infrastructure and socio economic development at independence and now, and then see if it was a compensational speech?

It's like the Christian saying always count your blessings and not always dwell on the negatives.

You guys are pessimist to the point of fatalism.

GeneralShepherd:
I am an only son out of 4 girls and the last. My sisters paid my fees for my studies in the UK, before I could contribute financially they were the ones carrying the family.

I do not understand the obsession with having male kids, Kobe Bryant doesn't have a son, Tiger woods doesn't have a son, Obama doesn't have a son

There is no obsession with male kids, any family having just one sex of children is bound to get worried. After 2 boys, we were praying for a baby girl, in fact my wife was sleeping in church in prayers for a baby girl. That's because our maximum children target was 3. Had a friend that kept trying for a girl and gave up after 4 boys.

Different strokes for different folks. The way one man will react to having all girls us different from person to person. What the family needs is counselling by close family members or professionals.

Jokes apart, why is there an upsurge in the number of baby girls being born in Nigeria? Every hospital you go, girls, girls, girls, with very little boys. Even in primary schools nowadays, the ratio of girls to boys is sometimes 3 to 1. Who will marry all these girls? We might need a new law mandating 1 man to marry 3 wives like in Kenya or Eritrea, to avoid many women dying a spinster, Or spinsters might be required to start snatching already married men from careless wives.

manontree:
I like this answer even though you didn't present it properly

Africa is ripe with so much cultural adaptations of the male gender. This is obvious from the way the female are treated as second class gender and the male dominated the social strata. There were times no one bothered to even educate the female children and even the president stated on an international parlance that the women belongs to the "other room"

This dogma and the fact females move on to acquire their husband's identity and subjugated to his whims further documents why there is so much preference for male children

However the science of sex selection is not as straight forward as possible. Several reasons exist for this, not least the ethical issues of advancing knowledge to alter nature and bias against a fellow human being based on mere gender

That said for those interested in sex selection, it is a fact that the man has the X and Y chromosomes meaning if he gives the woman the X, she would produce XX (Female) as women have only the X chromosomes. If he fertilises her with the Y, they would go on to have XY, which is male. In this regard a man is deemed to be the gender determinant

Sounds simple. The body however is so complex that practically there are other factors that come into play other than this. Like you said the PH level of the woman is one. If she is highly acidic the Y chromosome won't survive to get any chance to fertilise the egg, leaving only the X which is stronger and able to survive acidic levels. The inverse is also true

This is a common reason why you see a woman having same gender children like the case here. It is one major reason and NOT the only reason. From experience once the PH level in a woman's follicular fluid is altered through medication, the issue of having numerous same gender children is solved. From experience I said. Some other doctors disagree with this but I know it works

Sadly most of our medical practitioners miss this or do not agree. I stand my ground. Should this poster still wish to have further children, discuss this with your health care provider and point him in this direction. You would thank me later

You made very valid and professional points but spoilt it by showing your political bias. Nothing concern Buhari with the topic at hand. You don't have to show your hatred for buhari on every topic, no matter unrelated it is.
You indictment of Buhari on this unrelated issue is even contradictory to the facts. You said "There were times no one bothered to even educate the female children and even the president stated on an international parlance that the women belongs to the other room", but Buhari not only educated all his female children to university level, he was also responsible for educating his wife to university level. So because he made the other room statement in reference to aisha interfering with government policies during interview with Amanpour, means he is against girl child education? Did Buhari ever relegate aisha to the other room?

Please don't let your political biases interfere with your professional judgements.

Kingspin:
Since the end of the war how is your Nigeria?

Nigeria is doing OK, given the mess the British left behind.
We are far from where we ought to be given the military's disruptions of our socio political life and the vicious struggle for power among politicians, but things could have been worse - much worse.

Dedetwo:
The bolded implicated few instances of your stream of thought. One of such instances remains you have nothing good to say about Igbo people. Another is the display of ignorance on the socio-political demeanor of Ndigbo. The people of Igbo do not have interest in one man's rule. It is not in their nature and shall never become. In addition, there are differences in human behavior when one searches for something as oppose when one finds it. The analogy of your friend telling a beer parlor story of Biafra and Kanu is silly at best.

You clamour for some ego caressing. well my people are not known for caressing anyone's ego, we tell you the brutal truth, whether you like it or not.

What's the socio political demeanour of Ndigbo? When Biafra existed for a brief 2 and a half years, was it not ruled as an absolute dictatorship? Was Ojukwu not an absolute dictator, even worse than Gowon? Could anyone politician or militarily officer challenge Ojukwu without consequences? Someone that killed 4 of his top Generals during a war. Kim Jong Un would have been a learner to Ojukwu had Biafra stood.

What of Kanu's concept of Biafra? Is it not an absolute dictatorship? Will anyone be able to question kanu if he is "given Biafra", with Benue and Rivers states as he demanded?
Is IPOB not being run as an absolute dictatorship? Can members ask kanu to account for donations and dues collected by the organization? What's the management structure and constitution of IPOB?

You are just living in denial. You guys have threatened time and time again here in nairaland, that dared people to go to Aba or any part of Igboland and denounce Biafra. You claim they would be lynched on the streets. Some when dared some people to go to anioma or Ikwerre and say they are not igbos.
You guys issue threats of violence up and down to people of opposing ideas and yet claim "we are Republicans " better look up the meaning of Republicans in the dictionary.

James289:
Technically, the man decides the sex of the baby... not the woman. You can only contribute an X since you are XX and the man's sperm contributed either an X or a Y - thus deciding the sex.
So, he wasn't able to give himself what he wanted, lol - no reason for you to feel guilty.

Not exactly correct, except you are insinuating some men carry XX chromosomes in their sperm.. The man donates both XX and XY, it sometimes depends on which is more favoured by the condition of the woman's reproductive organs at the time of conception. Other factors like acidity or alkalinity of the reproductive tracts and timing of sex within the menstrual cycle affects sex of the baby

A woman’s monthly bodily cycle includes alternating pH levels (acidic and alkaline) within her reproductive tract.

The changes in the pH environment within is now thought to affect baby’s gender. Experts say that alkaline in the follicular fluid will favour Y sperm (conceive a boy) while acidic in the follicular fluid gives preference to the X sperm (conceive a girl).
https://www.bountyparents.com.au/expert-advice/gender-selection-influence-sex-baby/

I personally believe sometimes it's hereditary. In some families, giving birth predominantly to one sex runs within the family for generations.

Rossippi:
Thanks bro. I just don't get the audacity some people have to come online and claim to know where you must come from based on your political views.

Because they base their own views solely on their ethnic loyalties rather than common sense, logic, and reasoning, they think everybody is like them. It's just so ignorant and primitive.

If you do not believe in Biafra or secession, then you must be not be an Igbo.

Which poll did these illiterates conduct showing that every Igbo person supports secession?

Can you imagine their effrontery?

Fascists pretending to be freedom fighters.

Can you imagine any of these ones in power in a 'Biafra'?

Won't they just kill anybody who doesn't meet their definition of who a Biafran or Igbo person is?

May their type NEVER EVER achieve any type of power in Igboland.

Amen.

Biafra would be an absolute dictatorship country worse than North Korea.

My very good friend was jisting me on how in a bar they were discussing Biafra and Kanu with his friends. When he said he does not support Biafra or kanu, some hefty men who overheard his conversation came up to him and told him to repeat what he said. Fearing for his life, he told them up Biafra, up kanu, and they went back to their seats. He said he got up and left the place without finishing his drinks.

You can see their attitude by the amount of venom the pour on anyone who refuses to worship kanu here on nairaland.

gidgiddy:
Really?

An agreement that made the centre weak and the federating units strong?

Why have a centre at all if the federating units are stronger? What stops a strong federating units from seceding? What's stops the strongest federating units from dominating others economically or militarily?

A country consisting of strong federating units with weak centre had never worked. It will look like Kingslanding and the Seven kingdoms of the game of thrones.

All super powers and most successful kingdoms in history had very strong centre, ie Babylon, Greece, Egypt, Rome, China and even modern day USA.

An agreement that ensured that no Region could hijack the centre and use it to dominate or marginalised others?

If the simple agreement could achieve all these, why did the independence agreement and constitution break down? Why did the regions lose their powers after the first and second coups?

An agreement that ensured resource control and the revenue sharing formular agreed at independence was in place?

An agreement that would leave the newly found oil fields at the hands of Ojukwu and the Igbos. It would have made Ojukwu and the Igbos the richest in the world.

It was all about oil.

As opposed to Gowons decree 14 which:

Created 12 states, giving his own Region 6 of them

Which took away the right of the people to control their resources

That reversed fiscal policy to make sure that Gowons Northern Region recieved the Lion share of revenue allocation due having 6 states and the other 3 Regons having 6?


I laugh in Chinese

Yes, the military messed up the sharing formula. Successive civilian administration has been trying to correct the anomaly. But to have 100% resource control in terms of mineral resources by any Region in Africa is impractical. We are getting there slowly, it's now 13% derivation. We the Niger delta would be satisfied with 25%. That's what the real owners of the crude are gunning for, not those eyeing our oil.

Communities (and even countries) in other African countries with huge resources have no control whatsoever of their mineral resources. Congo where most of the rare earth minerals are Mined or Sierra Leone with lots of diamonds have no control of their resources.

joeyfire:
So is Gowon's states model working?

It's not about regionalism or states, it's more about how resources are created, controlled, shared and utilised. Of course the federating units, whether regions or states are too many and are largely unviable, we have to find the most ultimal configuration considering the number of tribes in Nigeria.

Keep in mind that it was not Gowon that created the 36 states structure. It was subsequent military administrations that use state creation bribes for political support. Agitation for more states started right after independence till today. Most tribes and sub tribes in Nigeria are clamouring for their own states.

GMbuharii:
Shut up,Unity begger,thank you

An Igbo calling a riverine Niger deltan unity begger, isn't that an irony? Who unified Nigeria? Who shouted one Nigeria at independence? Which tribe is found in every hamlet in Nigeria? Which tribe has been shouting SS and SE are one?

gidgiddy:
No matter who conducted the coup, whether Gowon or Danjuma, it wouldn't have been possible to kill Ojukwu because Ojukwu was in the East. The coup that brought Gowon to power only happened in the North, the West and in Lagos. There were just about 800 Nothern troops in the whole of the East and that was just too small a number surrounded by millions of Igbos.

That's why I said that as long as Ojukwu refused to take command from Gowon, war was inevitable. There was no coup in mid west, yet Lt. Col. David Ejoor accepted Gowon as commander in chief.

I dont know why people keep defending Gowon for signing an agreement and failing to keep it. How is this Ojukwus fault?

If Gowon felt that the Aburi agreement he signed was not tenable, what he should have done is to seek another meeting with parties involved and renegotiate.

People pull out of agreements all the time, especially if the person feels he did not have all the relevant information during the signing of the agreement or the agreement is no longer in their interest. People sign cease fire agreements and break it the next day.

If Gowon tried to force the agreement on civil servants and the military, which rejected the agreement, I am sure he would have been overthrown.

But what Gowon did was absolute lunacy. To abolish all 4 Regions, create 12 unitary states, strip them of their resources, change the revenue sharing formular

Ironsi had already unified the whole country, Gowon had little to do to further divide it.

The creation of 12 states was a strategy to weaken Ojukwu. He divided Ojukwu's territory into three and appointed new governors to the remaining 2. Ojukwu had control of only one of the 3 states. Gowon was taking advantage of the grievances of the minorities in the former easterner region had with the igbos.
Ganduje is trying to use the same strategy to curtain the influence of Emir Sanusi, by dividing the Kano Emirate council into 4.

This is not a man who wanted peace, this was a man who wanted Northern domination of Nigeria.

What do you mean northern domination? Gowon was from a minority tribes in Plateau. Gowon was fighting for power as done by all humans since the dawn of history.

moshmusth:
I believe a Major road should be named Aburi.. to honor the historic meeting as a student of politics and history lots have been read on aburi.

Aburi was the most useless agreement in the history of mankind, if it was presented again today, it will be rejected by Nigerians, except IPOB and some illiterate youths.

Aburi Accord that put all executive powers in the hands of a few military officers, who had absolute powers over their regions. The politicians and the people would be serving the military.

gidgiddy:
This is absolute nonsense and an attempt to defend the indefensible. Gowon signed an agreement in Ghana. If Gowon did not know the import of what he was signing, it is hardly Ojukwus fault. If Gowon, returned to Nigeria and be was advised against honouring the agreement he signed, what he should have done is call Ojukwu to amend parts of the agreement he did not like.

Your guys employ emotions rather than tact and intelligence when dealing with political issues. Gowon would have removed Ojukwu once the coup succeeded and prepare to face Ojukwu loyalists in a war to remove him. That's why during and after coups, hostile officers were often murdered to prevent any resistance. Ojukwu, Gowon, Obasanjo, Danjuma were friends before the January 1966 coup and the murder of their colleagues was still fresh in his mind. Gowon did not want further bloodshed among friends. If it was Danjuma that headed the coup, he would have killed Ojukwu and other officers that oppose him. I am sure Nzeogwu and others killed officers they knew would oppose them.

Gowon hurriedly signed the Aburi Accord without understanding the implications. Both of them were locked in a room without any aids to iron out their differences as friends and colleagues. Ojukwu managed to convince Gowon to sign the accord.

When Gowon returned to Nigeria, there was so much opposition to the Accord not only from the military, but also from the civil service and even other regions. He held a meeting in Benin with

Along with others, he attended the Aburi meeting held at the Peduase Lodge where the conflict of Nigeria was discussed between January 4 and January 5, 1967. Aburi is a town in Ghana and a 45-minute drive from Accra, the capital of Ghana.

Those who attended the meeting were Lt. Col. Yakubu Gowon, Col. Robert Adebayo, Lt. Col. Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, Lt. Col. David Ejoor, Lt. Col. David Hassan Katsina, Commodore J.E.A. Wey, Major Mobolaji Johnson, Alhaji Kam Selem and Mr. J. Omo-Bare. Others were Prince S.I.A. Akenzua (Permanent Under-Secretary, Federal Cabinet Office.), Mr. P.T. Odumosu (Secretary to the Military Government, West.), Mr. N.U. Akpan (Secretary to the Military Government, East.), Mr. D.P. Lawani (Under-Secretary, Military Governor’s Office, Mid-West) and Alhaji Ali Akilu (Secretary to the Military Government, North.) The Chairman of the Ghana National Liberation Council, Lt. Gen. J.A. Ankrah, declared the meeting open in his capacity as then the head of state of Ghana.

The decisions at Aburi amounted to, in terms of political and military control of Nigeria, that the country should be governed as a confederation.

Suffice it to say that the vocal military officers like Lt. Col. Murtala Muhammed, Major Martin Adamu and Major Theophilus Yakubu Danjuma did not attend the Aburi meeting. Prince Akenzua along with top permanent secretaries including Alhaji Yusuf Gobir, Phillip Asiodu, Eme Ebong, B.N. Okagbue and Allison Ayida deconstructed in Lagos, all that was agreed in Aburi.


On arrival in Lagos, Prince Akenzua discussed with Gowon and raised objections to what was agreed in Aburi. Gowon asked him to raise a memo which he did. I am sure a copy of the memo is with Gowon today while a copy is in the archives in the Presidency. Civil servants are to be seen and not to be heard and that is why Akenzua never released a copy of the memo to the world.

The memo dated January 8, 1967 began with: “Your Excellency, in view of my discussion with you last night, I am raising this memo in the interest our fatherland, Nigeria”. Akenzua traced the long hard road that Nigeria had travelled and stressed on the need to keep a United Nigeria.

He said in the memo that Gowon had given too much away in Aburi and that it would lead to the destruction of the country. He further added that Gowon had “legalised” total regionalism which “will make the centre very weak.” Akenzua alluded in his memo that a weak centre would lead to confederation and total disintegration of the country. It was the memo that prompted Gowon to summon a meeting of the secretaries to the military governments and other officials which was held in Benin City between February 16 and 18, 1967. If you look at the minutes of the Benin meeting presided over by Mr. H. A. Ejueyitchie, Secretary to the Federal Military Government, you will discover that it was a total rejection of what was agreed upon in Aburi. The Benin meeting interpreted in its own way the agreement reached in Aburi.
Read more details here - https://www.nairaland.com/3143222/biafra-memo-oba-akenzua-aburi

You guys made it look as if Gowon just decided to reject the Aburi Accord because he was a dictator. This if far from the truth. He was trying to carry everyone alone. Even two senior cabinet members from the former east rejected the Aburi Accord.
If he was a power drunk dictator, he would not have attended Aburi in the first place. He conceded to popular concensus by civil servants and his military colleagues.

jerseyboy:
Let's go back to Aburi

You mean we should give all executive powers back to military officers and decentralise the military command structure?

solmus:
National Assembly Galerry should be a Public Place with just little retriction and secuirity checks

Imagine;

The Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, on Tuesday, raised security alarm that the National Assembly is under invasion by “many unknown and uninvited people ”. Lawan raised the alarm at an emergency meeting the leadership of the Senate had with top security officials in Abuja.

from a national assembly that is supposed to be a representation of the common people. We are not talking about the senate and house chambers where business of law making is done, but the national assembly complex.

It's only in Nigeria and Africa that political office holders isolate themselves from those the purport to represent. In Europe even the president or prime minister enters public transport and mingle with the people.

gidgiddy:
Why do you think Gowon met Ojukwu in Ghana if he could just fire Ojukwu and replace him with a loyalist? He couldn't because nobody would have listened to him in the East. Regionalism seriously curtails the powers of an executive President. During Ironsi's tenure, the North did not really recognise Ironsi as head of state. But there was one thing Ironsi had which Gowon did not have, he had seniority.

Believe me Gowon would have replaced Ojukwu and the worst that would have happened was Ojukwu declare secession immediately and the civil war would have started earlier. Gowon was a gentleman who wanted to avoid war at all costs. Gowon went to Ghana to try to avoid war. He gave unreasonable concessions in Ghana to avoid war. It was when he got to Nigeria that the civil service by led prince Akenzua (future Oba of Benin) wrote a memo to Gowon to reject the Aburi Accord, because it would lead to crisis in the future. Also remember that TY Danjuma and Murtala did not attend the Aburi meeting, meaning they rejected the whole accord.

Regionalism in a multi ethnic, cultural and religious society like Nigeria would not work. It will lead to perpetual conflict within and without the regions or confederation. Many such societies had tried it in the past with disastrous consequences. Political struggles within the military and political elite would lead to anarchy.

Rossippi:
Thanks for this response. I was also about to tell him that it was Ojukwu, the military governor, who refused to recognise Gowon, not the Eastern region. The conflict partly arose from this personality clash between Ojukwu and Gowon, in which Ojukwu did not believe Gowon should be head of state.

We often forget that these were just young guys in their early 30s, not sufficiently mature to take on the huge leadership responsibilities they assumed.

You just summarised what the whole conflict was about, a personality and ego clash between Ojukwu and Gowon against a back drop of the confusion arising from the 2 coups.

gidgiddy:
Thats not how things worked in Regional times. Back then, the Regions were even more powerful than the central government. Gowon had become military ruler but the Eastern Region did not recognize him as head of state.

What people dont seem to understand is that the Regionalism practiced then made it impossible for any Region or even the federal government, from dominating another Region. The reason is that the Regions were large and they practiced fiscal federalism. In other words, the regions had resource control and payed for the federal government to exist. Unlike what obtains now that the Federal government control everything and pay for states to exist.


Another problem Gowon had was that, of the 4 Regional military Governors of the time, Adebayo, Ejoor, Ojukwu and Katsina, only Katsina was junior to Gowon. The other 3 were senior to Gowon.

Gowon had become head of state and the Eastern Region did not recognize him and there nothing he could do about it. So Gowon had bo choice but meet Ojukwu in Ghana, or carry on being unrecognised by the Eastern Region

Thats why Gowon and his Northern cohorts had to remove Regionalism and fiscal federalism, they both stood in the way of the North talking over Nigeria

So on the 27th of May 1967, Gowon issued decree 14 which abolished the 4 Regions, replaced them with 12 unitary states, alloted 6 of those states to the North, siezed all resources so that it was now the federal government paying the states.

Ojukwu and the Eastern Region were not about to sit down and be enslaved in such a blatant way so Ojukwu declared the independence of the Eastern Region 3 days later and the rest is history

Its just human nature that people will fight subjugation

What do you mean by Eastern Region did not recognize Gowon as head of state? Who was the eastern region that did not recognise Gowon as head of State? If the eastern region recognised General Ironsi as head of State, how come they did not recognise Gowon as head of State? You should have said Lt.Col Ojukwu did not recognise Gowon as his commander in chief. So who did the east recognise as the head of State? -Ojukwu? In all successful coups the leader automatically becomes the head of state. Sergeants have become head of state after a successful could. Any officer that refuses to recognise the new head of state is mandated to retire.

Who appointed the 4 Regional governors? The former head of state of course. What happens if Gowon removes and reappoint the 4 Regional governors. Except you tell me that the 4 Regional governors are independent of the command structure of the army and they are already independent.

The January 1966 coup and July counter coup really messed things up. The aftermath and the war itself was just political struggles between senior officers of the military. The civilians including politicians were held hostage by the military. Even the so called Aburi Accord was power sharing agreement between the military. The politicians were practically left out.

DMerciful:
It is about the restoration of Biafra and not the creation of an Igbo country but if push comes to shove, the Igbos would go it alone including we Igbos in South South, Benue, kogi

This your Biafra is the most conflicting and confusing concept in the whole of humanity. You guys created a Biafra and fought a war for it because igbos were being killed in the north, but you insist it's not an Igbo agenda.

Igbos alleged marginalisation in Nigeria especially national politics, and so want out of Nigeria. But wants the ijaws, who are at a better political advantage and resource sharing advantage to go with them.

The igbos are angry at Nigeria but want to co-opt other tribes who are not so angry.

litaninja:
For everyone on here laughing their heads off about the combat gear, you need to realize that the westerners have really done a good job of replacing what you've always had with what they think you should have. It is high time we go back to embracing whats indigenous to us as africans and nigerians.
Here is a picture of jungle combat gear from western regions, compare with what the combatant from Ekiti is wearing.
Do you think he doesn't know what he's doing when he put on that combat gear
Think guys...think.

Don't mind them, they want to talk, eat, walk and look like a white man. No wonder many bleach their skins to resemble the white man, forgetting that Melanin is a gift to the black man.
Black Africans are the only people I know that hate hate their looks, culture and religion.

NothingDoMe:
All good except the one of not being able to sue them for activities carried out on duty. That one nor make sense.

Who no like immunity. Anyway, any immunity from prosecution granted them is against the constitution. The constitution clearly spelt out those it gave immunity.

Mizwisdom:
Lord have mercy, is this what Yorubas are fighting for? if you're a Christian and you support this, go for deliverance

Christianity has eaten into the brains some people. So Christianity says if your people are being killed, you should not organize to defend yourself and your people. OK go and attack Israel and see if they would need deliverance not to respond.

niyisky:
This joke is becoming stale... I taught Kayode Fayemi is an intelligent man? This commander nah owanbe Ankara him wear so

They had better come up with something better

You are the joke here. Every society has its combat gear, from the Greeks to the Romans to the vikings to the zulu. The white man's compact attire is not the only compact attire ever worn in the world.

Learn to be proud of your culture, a people that hate their tradition and culture to adopt those of the conquerors are forever a defeated people.