₦airaland Forum

Rawani: These Cankerworms are passionately ignorant. He said he wants to give party members a sense of belonging in states that are not APC ruled. Rochas is teaching the SE politics of inclusion, which is the only kind of politics that can rescue the SE from the pit of political irrelevance, but trust dimwits to cry foul. Is the N10,000 TAN is sharing coming from the fisherman's sales? Hypocrites.

Oh shut it! Did you ask the people of the South-east if they are interested in politics of inclusion or relevance? Most of the people of the South-east want to opt out of Nigeria and leave you people to carry on whatever politics you want to. Rochas is a 'turn coat' and traitor to his people. For the sake of his presidential ambition,he sold his conscience to the supporters of APC. I really doubt if this man is from Igboland. Anyway, I trust Imo people and I'm sure they will kick him out of Government house next year. APC will not win one single elections in Igboland! Igbos will not participate in any political venture designed to return power to the north!! Which is exactly what Mallam Rochas and Yorubas intend to do with the 'Muslim advancement party' called APC. Sheik Rochas Okoro-hausa must leave Government house next year,never to return!!!! Ndimo Kwenu!!

In 1967,my parents were still dating. Both of them watched as the Nigerian flag was lowered and Biafran 'rising sun' flag was hoisted up. My parents later told me that the sense of pride they both felt that they had finally got a nation that they could believe in and was representative of their goals and aspirations was overwhelming. Both of them have never felt that way since then. I want to one day feel what my parents felt and I know that I will never feel this way about Nigeria because Nigeria represents nobody. Nigeria is a scam. First it was a scam for the British to enrich themselves and now it's a scam for the northerners to continue where the British stopped at the expense of southerners. I'm a proud Igbo man and Biafran,the shambles known as Nigeria means nothing to me.

I think that when anyone looks at the history of Nigeria,they realise that this country has no future. In relation to this thread,and as I said before,Yorubas and Igbos are too different to live side by side under one banner. But both ethnic groups could actually forge a lasting relationship as independent nations. This is the only way to remove unhealthy rivalry and mutual suspicion both people have for each other. I have no doubt in my that Nigeria is a doomed enterprise that will end in my life time,maybe even next year. It is the inalienable right of any group of people to seek self determination any time they so wish. It is the right of the Igbos to seek Biafra if they wish same as it is for the Ijaw,Efik,Ibibio etc people to seek the republic of the Niger-Delta. Nobody can force another to be 'Nigerian' no matter how hard they try.It will be interesting to see how Yoruba/Igbo relationship progresses without the northerners in the equation.


Below should make interesting reading for people who still believe in 'one Nigeria'

http://slikinsight..co.uk/2013/12/the-timeline-of-igbo-massacre-in-n.html?m=1

iwonbaoko: "a few more than 10" That is easy to say when they are faceless and remote
actions do not have to be equal. In war it seldom is ,war is not football. The numbers should be heavily skewed that way to leave an indellible mark on your psyche so next time you think twice. If I throw a stone at the head of state what is thrown back at me will probably be worse than a stone.
Fact is that it was an Ibo coup. Another fact is Ironsi did nothing to bring the coup plotters to justice and to make matters worse Ibos started taunting Hausas in barracks and making songs like "
"ewu be na akwa"
You guys are always childish and emotional ,hear yourself "there was nothing stopping Awo from declaring Oduduwa republic" but there was young man.....common sense which obviously was in short supply in Enugu. Was Awolowo a soldier or a commander of troops that he would just come out of prison and start declaring republics. Why did Nigerians not "DECLARE" independence before the British granted it.
You claim Ogoni and Ijaw signed up to Biafra but Ibo did not sign up to Nigeria. That is funny and does not merit any further response from me.
Since Awolowo was so important in the West then one must presume Zik was equally important in the East so tell what role Zik played in this so called Asssembly that gave Ojukwu a mandate an tell us the names of those who signed for Ijaw,Ogoni,Ikwerre,Efik,Ibibio,Annang,Ekoi etc

Man,you are something else but you represent a general thinking in Nigeria,particularly amongst the Yoruba people and Igbos like me sigh in amazement. Your're right, "a few more than 10"is easy for me to say when I compare the later slaughter of over 40,000 easterners that followed. I guess those 40,000 are faceless to you? Let me ask you this. In 1994 there was tension in Rwanda between Hutus and Tutsis. The Hutu president was was killed by still unidentified people but the Hutus blamed the Tutsis and saw the killing of the president as a grand plot for the Tutsis to take over and thousands of Tutsis were killed in the ensuing weeks. Would you say this Genocide was justified? In the Nigerian context,let's assume that the first coup was indeed an Igbo coup were the Igbos wanted kill off Nigerian leaders and that Igbos taunted the Hausas after this,would you say that the 40,000 easterners massacred across Nigeria mainly in the north was justified? Can you truly justify easterner drowned in wells,beheaded, pregnant women's bellies ripped open and the foetus executed? Or maybe you can ask the dead foetus why Ironsi did not purnish the coup plotters and why he signed the unification decree? Let's go further on this, have you asked the northerners why they massacred easterners in Jos in 1945 and in Kano in 1953 long before the so called Igbo coup? Let's forget that and talk about the Igbo coup,anyone can see that these mid level officers mainly of Igbo origin rose up to remove the "bad eggs" in the system. No coup is justified but anyone can see that they did not initiate the coup because they wanted power for themselves like all other coups that followed. It is also on record that at the end of the war,all of them still alive were jailed and dismissed from the army while all the northerners like Murutla Mohammed,Yaradua,IBB,Abacha,Jerry Useni,Danjuma,Shuwa,Haruna and Buhari who all commited far worse atrocities were commended and promoted and some later became head state. Some justice!! As for Ore and Awolowo,what a tragedy for the Yoruba nation. Ore is still regarded by Igbos like me as one of the biggest acts of cowardice by the Yorubas. Victor Banjo had already declared the republic of the mid-west after overrunning that region. He would have declared the republic of Odua had he got to Lagos like he planned. Victor Banjo contacted Awolowo and asked for support but was rebuffed. Had Awlolowo rallied the Yoruba nation,the story today would have been different. Had the Yoruba people welcomed Banjo,swelled his ranks and marched to Lagos where Gowon and his northern bandits were holed up,we would have had 3 or 4 different nations living side by side today. There would have been no war,millions would not have died. We would have never heard of the Buharis,IBB,Abacha. June 12th would have never happened. It's a Tragedy that the Yoruba nation let a gang of northern criminals in uniform like Gowon and Murutala Mohammed to sit in Yorubaland (Lagos) and define Nigeria but I guess that's what happens when people lose all sense of self determination.Look at the Nigeria that Notherners presided over for 40 years with the tacit help of Yorubas,a complete and utter failure. So much for 'one Nigeria'. Even Asari Dokubo said that the biggest regret of the Niger-Delta people was turning their backs on Biafra because they now realise it was their last chance at attaining freedom.

iwonbaoko: You must be very young, recycling childish lies
Akintola was the one that opened fired first? SO HE DESERVED TO DIE

The refusal of the President of the Senate (Nwafor Orizu, an easterner from the NCNC - who was also acting President) to accept the appointment by the NPC dominated cabinet of an interim Prime Minister (Dipcharima, a northerner) closed whatever option remained to formally invite British Troops in (with or without a pact). With no constitutional provision for such a move, Orizu and the rump cabinet chose to "hand over" to the Army Chief, Major Gen Ironsi, (himself an easterner) allegedly to give him needed authority to put down the coup attempt which had already collapsed in the south.
In a parliamentary system the parties win elections NOT INDIVIDUALS. No one is elected as prime minister rather the party with the majority chooses one of its legislators as LEADER . So when Balewa was killed why did Orizu reject Dipcharima??
people that died

Alhaji Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, Prime Minister of the Federation of Nigeria.

b. Chief F. S. Okotie-Eboh, Finance Minister of the Federation.

c. Brigadier Z. Mai-Malari, Commander of the 2nd Brigade NA

d. Colonel K. Mohammed, Chief of Staff Nigerian Army

e. Lieut-Colonel A. C. Unegbe, Quartermaster General.

f. Lieut-Colonel J.T. Pam, Adjutant General, Nigerian Army

g. Lieut-Colonel A. Largema, Commanding Officer 4th Battalion Ibadan


h. S. L. Akintola, Premier of Western Nigeria


i. Alhaji Sir Ahmadu Bello, the Sarduana of Sokoto and Premier of Northern Nigeria

j. Brigadier S. Ademulegun, Commander of the 1st Brigade NA

k. Colonel R. A. Shodeinde, Deputy Commandant, Nigerian Defence Academy

l. Ahmed Dan Musa, Senior Assistant Secretary (Security) to the North Regional Government

m. Sergeant Duromola Oyegoke of the Nigerian Army

n. The senior wife of Sir Ahmadu Bello

o. The wife of Brigadier Ademulegun

IS THIS LESS THAN TEN AS YOU CLAIM

Why did Ojukwu March on Ore/Lagos

The Ibos Never "signed" to be part of Nigeria??
Did Ijaws,Ogoni Efik etc SIGN TO BE PART OF BIAFRA>

The problem with you folk is you think you are the smartest when you are indeed very dull

Oh come on man! So a few more people died than 10,is that your aguement? There was minimal loss of life compared to the genicide that was the counter coup.Maybe you should go and also make a list of the over 300 Igbo soldiers and officers including Ironsi who were butchered in the counter coup so we can compare and contrast (it should also be noted that after the civil war,all those who were involved in Nzeogwus coup were jailed and dismissed from the army while nothing happend to the perpetrators of the counter coup which was by far bloodier) Someone like 2nd Lt Ugokwe was commissioned into the army just few days after the first coup and knew nothing about it but that didn't stop the northerners coming for him during the counter coup and only managed to escape because of Useman Kastina who helped him. My aguement about the coup was that it was not carried out to make Ironsi head of state,if it was,why would he need parliaments approval to take over? Parliament,for whatever reason,handed power to Ironsi. If you want to say that it was all a grand plot for Orizu to hand over to his fellow Igbo,I can say that it is a known fact that Nzeogwu and co wanted to hand over power Awolowo but that's argument for another day. Ojukwu had every right to march on Lagos because the war had started with the Nigerians shelling the Biafran border town of Garkem. Ore just happend to be on the way to Lagos. As for the insinuation that the minorities never signed up to Biafra,I will have you know that Ojukwu did not just get up one day and declare Biafra. Ojukwu constituted the Eastern Nigerian consultative assembly made up representatives of the indegenious people of Eastern Nigeria and mandated them to go and ask their people if they would want to join the new nation in the event of the Igbos pulling out of Nigeria. That consultative assembly came back and gave Ojukwu an 'overwhelming' mandate to declare Biafra. Yes the minorities signed up to Biafra. They may have turned their back on Biafra when the harsh realities of war started but they were not forced into Biafra,Infact, Ojukwus second in command (Effiong)as well the secretary to the Biafran government (Akpan) were from the minorities. One thing I want touch on again is Ore because Ore was a tragedy for not just Biafrans but for the Yoruba people too and till today,it still remains a sticking point for Yoruba/Igbo relationship. Ore was the last chance for the people of Southern Nigeria to remove Hausa/Fulani Hegemony. The real enemy was never the Yorubas but that gang of northern criminals in Lagos led Gowon and Murtala. That's who Ojukwu was gunning for. There was nothing stopping Awolowo from declaring the Republic of Oduduwa and sending Gowon and his usurping northern cohorts back to where they can from,instead,he took a plum Governement job and helped to entrench Northern hegemony all over Nigeria. It is a tragedy that Yorubas helped the Northerners perpetuate themselves in power right from Yorubaland (Lagos) only for the same northerners to tranfer the capital to the north and use the proceeds of their economic plundering of Southern Nigeria to build up what will later be the capital of Arewa Republic.

Interesting to see pictures of what the Northern oligarchy are doing with some of the money they stole from the oil wealth of the Niger Delta people. No wonder why they want 'one Nigeria',to carry on their fraud. If this is the best the north has to offer then the people are even more backward than I thought. As an Anambra man,if I put up pictures of the palatial residences of Billionaires from my town Nnewi,these people will jump in fear. If I post pictures of factories from just my town,who ever set up this thread will remove it in shame. Lion my foot!! All they have is a feudal system which encourages a few Rich families while the rest of 10's of millions of them live in abject poverty and delusion. These Northerners have a long long long way to go. Take away oil money and the sea port and everything you see in these pictures will crumble to dust. The Northerners are junior players in the context of Nigeria,they just don't know it yet. That's why they are throwing bombs all over the place because a south-south man is president.

So Mallam Rochas now wants to spread his 'ISIS' party to Abia O kwa ya? ngwanu! Rochas should be thinking about the best haulage vehicle to remove his belongings from Government house next year.

iwonbaoko: In January 1966 the Ibos staged a coup and slaughtered Yoruba and Fulani politicians. They spared Zik and Okpara and not a single Ibo was killed. Another Ibo ; Ironsi took over at that point.At that stage there was no need for Ibos to fight everything was "perfect" the Hausas revenged and took over and then Ibos decided they did not want to play any more.They wanted to stop the game at half time . Where is that done Please let us play the second half!!
Now you are talking of "NOBLE IDEALS" LWKMD. Talking of entrenching military rule. Who introduced miltary rule to Nigeria? Ibos
Who cancelled federalism and introduced the UNITARY state? Ibos Who introduce the infamous Decrre 34 ? Ibos . As long as Ironsi an Ibo was in power the Ibos saw no problem but lost out and wanted to secede taking OUR OYEL?? Imagine!!
You wanted to take OUR OYEL !! Una get sense no be small

Such an unintelligent write-up. For starters,it was not an Igbo coup because even Yorubas (Fajuyi,Ademoyega and Banjo were all involved at the conceptual stage)where involved. You say no Igbo died? One of the most senior Igbo officers of the time,Lt colonel Unegbe,was killed. Even Ironsi was targeted. Unlike all other coups that followed in Nigeria,it was the Nigerian Parliament that directly asked Ironsi to take over. The man wasn't even interested in the position.Less than 10 people died in the so called 'Igbo coup' ,do you know how many people died in the 'Hausa counter-coup'? Even your so called Akintola was the one who opened fire first on the coupists before he was mowed down himself. As for secession,Igbos have the God given right to secede from Nigeria any time they like,wether start time,half time or finish time. The Igbos never signed any contract about being Nigerians. As for the oil you are being melodramatic about. Who owns the oil? 'Nigeria' is the fraud that Yorubas and Notherners have used for many years to siphon away the oil wealth of the Niger-Delta people. It is because of Nigeria that the Ijaw man was told that the waters his fore- fathers have fished on for years is not theirs. Oil is why the war was fought,it is what the entire existence of Nigeria is all about,the sharing of oil booty. The people of the Niger-delta know that we Igbos are not after their oil,all five Igbo States have oil in commercial quantity and 3 of them (Abia,Anambra,Imo) are oil producing states. Let me tell you here and now that the rest of a Nigeria holds little or no economic value to the region once known as Eastern Nigeria.

Rochas is a drowning man

As an Igbo man,I have this much to say. In 1999 when Obasunjo and Falae were running for the presidency,the Yorubas conveniently voted AD because they already had the presidency in the bag. When Obasunjo was running again 4 years later,the Yorubas cunningly switched to PDP to enable him win. When Yaradua was running,they returned to ACN so as to remain a power bloc. For a people who continually switching sides to protect their political interests, it is laughable that they expect the Igbos not to do the same. As things stand now,the Igbos know that none of the main political parties will field a Yoruba or Igbo as it's presidential candidate (the Yorubas know that they have had their turn in Obasunjo) so it makes more sense to the Igbos to remain a power bloc while lending support to the person (or people) who is in their best interests and that person is Jonathan. I don't like GEJ. I think he is one of the most incompetent presidents to come out of Nigeria but as an Igbo man,the reality on the ground is that it is either him or northerner coming in. The devil I know is better than the saint I don't know. APC is just a vehicle for either Buhari or Atiku to get into Aso Rock,with Tinubu waiting in the wings for the vice presidential slot.APC is a contraption the Yorubas and northerners have come up with to control the state of affairs to the detriment of Igbos and the SS. Why should I,as an Igbo man,support a northern supporter of APC to be president over a son of the south-south and my next door neighbour? So that an APC president will come and change our lives for the better? The same way the northerners ruled for over 30 years and destroyed the Nigerian economy? It is the same Buhari who destroyed democracy as a military man and an Atiku indicted for gross corruption I should support? Tufiakwa !! GEJ might not be the leader Nigeria needs but I would be a fool to help the Yorubas perpetuate one of their northern supporter of APC 'paymasters' as president. Political power must stay in the south!! The Yorubas are more comfortable with a northerner being president than an Igbo man. Well,an Igbo man is far more comfortable with a south-south man being president than a northern supporter of APC masquerading as a democrat.

Also in Obi's credit being a proud Anambra man myself.
Obi left 75 Billion in Anambra coffers as he was leaving office, APC and PDP supporters,go and look if there will be anything in your states when your Governors hand over next year


Obi left Anambra without borrowing a kobo and not owing any financial institution a dime. APC and PDP states,what is the debt profile of your states?

Obi was promised every Political office known to man by 3 different Nigerian presidents just to leave APGA but he said no! How many politicians in Nigeria do this?

Obi said he is done with politics when he steps down and is not interested in higher office and this resignation proves it,

The moral of the story is this, a good Governor is good Governor. The ones who defecting to APC and PDP are the ones who have put personal ambition above the people. Being relevant in national politics of Nigeria is no longer important. What is the point of such relevancy if there is nothing on ground? Have Niger-Delta people benefited in any way because GEJ is president? A peter Obi who put or is putting things on the ground is far more important than a Hausa/Yoruba/Igbo president. So all those saying that APGA is irrelevant because it hasn't joined APC or PDP should go 'siddon for dirty'. One well governed APGA state is worth 20 'misruled' PDP or APC state combined.

padeolu: APGA is a one state party with no representation at the federal level, so this shouldn't be news at all.

And what has federal representation done for anyone in Nigeria? APGA is the only veritable platform which the people of the south-east identify with. Anyone thinking that the Igbos will ally with APC any time soon should forget the idea. We are not about to help Yorubas perpetuate northerners in power. Peter Obi has done his bit and left politics and still remains a member of APGA. He is not like the average Nigerian politician who is only thinking about the next 'office' to occupy,thus defecting for political gain. The man is a billionaire and is not looking for a job. Peter Obi is probably the only Governor in the history of Nigeria who doesn't own a personal house in his home state. The man does not believe in noise making or ostentation,the man wore only 2 pairs of shoes throughout his tenure despite being the owner of Fidelity Bank!!So for those thinking he resigned because of some political position,give it a rest. I do hope he gets to higher office one day because Nigeria needs people like him. I don't know of any Governor who left 75 Billion Naira as they were leaving office!!

Proud to be Nigerian? What is there to be proud about? High unemployment rate,insecurity,Boko haram,massive corruption and the monumental farce you people call elections. It's not until the average Nigerian travels abroad that they find out that there is no sense of pride being a Nigerian. I am an Igbo man and a proud Biafran,I don't know anything about this 'tragedy' called Nigeria.

This is my prediction for the 2015 presidential election. Either Atiku or Buhari will fly the flag for APC while GEJ will represent PDP. GEJ will win massively in his south-south because it is impossible that APC can convince these people not to vote for their own son. In the south east, APC supporter of APC party has long been rejected and the main parties (APGA and PDP) have obviously given their support to GEJ so Jonathan will clean up house in the south-east and south-south. Buhari or Atiku will do well in the APC stronghold of the south-west and also in the north west and north-east. North Central is up for grabs. Ultimately,if things stay as they are, APC and PDP will win 3 geo-political zones each which will leave no one with an outright majority on the first ballot. The second ballot will be about numbers. GEJ might just steal it,who knows? I'm from Anambra and I can say that I am disappointed with PDP and Jonathan's performance but when it comes to that election,I would rather vote for an incompetent southern president like GEJ than have power return to the northern supporters of APC like Buhari and Atiku. Power must stay in the south! For too long,these northerners have held it like it's their birthright and that's why Boko haram are killing people all over the place,just because a Southern Christian man who is not willing to do their bidding like obasunjo is president. This is just a prediction,but things might change and there will be crises in 2015 and the country will implode and we divide and my people go as Biafra. I pray for this because I love Biafra and 2015 will hopefully be the year when all this "I must rule over you" nonsense ends we all go our separate ways and rule over ourselves. Long live Biafra!!!

Do the Igbos ( there is no such word as 'Ibo' in the Igbo language) and Yorubas hate each other? I think 'hate' here is a strong word. As an Igbo man, I can't speak for Yorubas but I do know that both ethnic groups do not see each other in a good light. Both ethnic groups have contempt and mistrust for each other. The Yorubas see Igbos as ungrateful,expansionist,money loving prats who cannot be trusted while Igbos see Yorubas as lazy, 2 faced cowards who's 'dobale' mentality extends to the northerners. I don't think we hate each other,but we can't stand each other either. One thing that increases this tension is that Yorubas know that there are millions of Igbos living on Yoruba land with hardly any Yoruba presence in Igboland.This is one of the reasons that the Igbos believe they understand Yorubas better than Yorubas understand Igbos. Both ethnic groups are in excess of 30 million individuals each so it's only natural that there will be intense rivalry. The good thing about Igbos and Yorubas is that both ethnic groups don't see any need for sectarian violence unlike the north. We tolerate each other but we don't love each other.

OdenigboAroli: And please stop talking about Biafra...Its dead and gone!
Its reeks of hopelessness to talk about Biafra...Infact,it makes me angry to hear about Biafra. What makes you think Nigeria is about to divide? Talking about Biafra is further isolating yourself in addition to your present position. I cant say everything here but a clever mind can see the big picture.

Look Mr man,if you want to be a slave of 'one Nigeria' like the Yorubas then be my guest. However,over 90% of all Igbos and the people of the south-south are long tired of Nigeria and if there was a referendum today,I guarantee they would vote to leave (either as one sovereign nation or as two different countries living side by side). Biafra is about the right of a people to choose their destiny and be free. What is in the so called 'Nigeria' to be proud about? Boko Haram? Corruption? Unemployment? Gross incompetence in all levels and disregard for the rule of law? Hurray!! Nigeria is doing very well!! Back to the topic. Peter Obi said in his first interview after leaving office that many people in PDP approached him to leave APGA to PDP but that the reason he never thought about it was that he realised that he could achieve anything he wanted without jumping from one party to the other like most politicians in Nigeria. A good Governor is a good Governor whether he is in PDP Or not (and vice-versa). What can Obiano possibly gain by joining PDP? If his main commitment is giving the Anambra people good governance,then he can do it from anywhere.But if his main agenda is the next 'political position' he can get,he will jump ship like that traitor called Okorohausa (sorry,I mean Okorocha) .Another thing Obi said was that a lot of people think that APGA is an appendage of PDP. The truth is that APGA has nothing to do with PDP, APGA simply supports Jonathan because it's the most pragmatic thing to do. A lot of people confuse this support for Jonathan as support for PDP. What some people don't seem to realise is that for now,Jonathan is the closest that APGA has to producing an Igbo man as president and he (Jonathan) also represents the only alternative to having an APC northern Janjaweedian like Buhari or Atiku getting elected into office.

One of the things I like about advanced democracies like America and Britain is that the bar to cross before anyone is regarded as a 'good man' is set vey high. In Nigeria,it's almost relish exalting mediocrity and faliures. How can anyone describe Murtala Mohammed as a good man? It's a national disgrace that this man adorns the 20 Naira note and has landmarks named after him. Murtala led the 1966 counter coup which saw the killings of officers based on ethnicity alone. This man led many soldiers to their deaths in senseless military adventures. This man became the face of the Hausa/Fulani oligarchy and their born to rule mentality of which Boko Haram is an of-shoot. Murtala literally destroyed democracy in Nigeria. Thousands of Nigerians died because of this man and his coup and the pogrom's in the north. Troops under him commited war crimes from the killing of defenceless civilians to rape and looting. This blood- thirsty war criminal is good man? If he was alive, I would spit on his face.

ajoguegbe: What's the origin of Oga is it Igbo or Yoruba?

Oga is definitely not an Igbo word, I have always thought it was a Yoruba word but I could be wrong. I'm not sure about the origins of the word 'Oyibo' but in Olaudah Equianos book (Olauda was an Igbo slave who was sold off in the West Indies in the 18th century but later regained his freedom and wrote about his experience) he stated that Igbos called foreigners who came to trade in the market place 'Oyibo'.

obailala: Rochas was never a saint
but he was loved to bits by all
The day he decided to join APC..
The love suddenly turned to hate...

80% of the Igbos who hate Rochas today suddenly started hating him the day he joined APC...

Majority of easterners voted GEJ and not PDP. There was a general believe that the party didn't matter. I still cannot understand how easterners suddenly realised that the party matters in the case of Rochas...

Ok let me break it down for you. Rochas and GEJ represent 2 different things to Igbos. In the case of Rochas,this was a man who ran from PDP to ANPP to AA in 3 different elections looking for political salvation. He failed in all 3 bids. In 2011,Rochas approached the leadership of APGA for its gubernatorial flag bearer in Imo. At first,they were sceptical of this man with a penchant for jumping from one political party to the other for political gain. But Rochas was a well known philanthropist and liked by the people so they gave him the opportunity to run under APGA, a position he literally begged on his knees for but no without certain conditions. Rochas was asked to promise that he would observe the Imo charter of equity which provided that he would only govern for one term and allow the Owerri zone to produce the next governor. He was also asked to promise to promote the cause of APGA as the political formation that would unite all Igbos. Rochas then went about campaigning and stating that APGA was the best place to be for the Igbos. Everybody knows how difficult it is to upstage an incumbent Governor who had all the state and security apparatus at his disposal,especially one from the ruling PDP. The APGA faithful and the people of Imo state who wanted change spent blood and sweat to make Rochas Governor. It was believed with capturing Imo,APGA now controlling 2 states was on its way to politically annihilating the south-east. But Rochas had other plans. I was one person who was happy when APC was formed because I felt the country needed a breath of fresh air from the stranglehold of PDP. No sooner did this happen than Okorocha start his anti-party activity. He the went on to renege on all the promises he made and called APGA a regional party that had nothing to offer Igbos,thus,insulting those who laboured for his victory. As if that was not enough,Okorocha sponsored 180 'election riggers' from Osun to come to my home state of Anambra to rig his supporter of APC party in. It's incredible that an Igbo man will bring in 'foreigners' into Igboland to rig elections. I have not been to Imo since Okorocha won elections so I'm in no position to say if he has performed or not but in-terms of overall Igbo unity and advancement,people like Okorocha are bad news because he is a willing tool of the Yorubas and Hausas. Ndigbo,as the 2015 elections approaches,just know that we Igbos have no place in APC or PDP. Vote out the sellout called Okorocha who only cares about his presidential ambition along with PDP so we can unite under the party that our great leader Ojukwu left us. APC is just a vehicle for Yorubas and Hausas to subjugate us and they will never field an Igbo man as president because although the Yorubas and Hausas will
never admit it,they are not comfortable with an Igbo man ever becoming president. I don't like GEJ but he is the best of a bad bunch and he is not a supporter of APC .Don't let Janjaweedians back into power!!'

Just look at the way tax paid soldiers are slaughtering their fellow men like fowl! I don't understand the mentality of these Northerners. How can a man calmly lay down and 'present' his neck to be cut like this?? Ihe n'eme n'enu uwa Anyi no!

mainman7: These diametrically demented cacophonous toilet tissues called igbos always ululating about the Great Yorubas. Nya miri Gwongworos! Ojukwu, your acclaimed igbo lord and the greatest igbo of all time was a coward just like every other igbo and he took to his heels dressed as a female (What an height of cowardice!). The fact that igbos are fools is highly substantiated and corroborated by the fact that someone that deceived millions of igbos into being slaughtered like chickens in Biafran war (who himself ran away dressed like a woman) was being celebrated when he came back. Also during Abacha regime of tyranny, coward Ojukwu kept his mouth shut throughout. He only found his voice again when OBJ became the president. Before they left, the Colonial British Army rightly observed, that the Yorubas are the most militarily intelligent in Nigeria, especially when it comes to developing disastrously destructive military strategies. "Brain is better than brawn" Biafra was actually initially winning the war (igbos read your own history) until the Great Awolowo(a typical Yoruba Man), the ununiformed General, stepped in on the side of Nigeria and came up with the intelligent military strategy that gave Nigeria Victory over Biafra. "In warfare it's all fair". You know that Hausas only hear go! Just give the military order, they'll carry it out to the letter. Even long after Biafra had surrendered, the killing of igbos continued untill Awolowo, the greatest Nigerian Generalissimo of all time, intervened again and told the Military to allow the remaining igbos to be alive. So, you senseless igbo mofos still have the to thank the Yorubas today, understand?! "Next time you see a Yoruba man, duff your hat and bow before him!"

So what was this whole write up about? To tell the whole world how the Yorubas practically enslaved themselves to the Northern Hausa/Fulani oligarchy by fighting for them? At least the Igbos were fighting for noble ideals such as an independent homeland,their right to self determination and freedom from Hausa/Fulani hegemony. The Yorubas and Awolowo on the other hand,were fighting to perpetuate the same Northerners in power. What did the so called victory bring? The war was the perfect excuse the northerners needed not only to entrench military rule,but to hold power for over 30 years. You are proud to be fighting to be the slave of another man. As for the comment on Ojukwu, no one expected Ojukwu to stay behind and become a martyr for a cause that was already lost. Same people who say that Ojukwu was a coward for leaving would have been the same people to have called the man a fool for allowing himself to be captured and killed. Yorubas were a willing tool for the Northerners subjugate Nigeria and it is shameful.

profjustine458: don't vote party, vote individuals... let's make
Nigeria a better place. please, as we go for
election, put party affiliation or sympathy,
religion and tribe aside, ROCHAS 2015

Oh really? I'm from Anambra. Do you think the Yorubas will share the same sentiments if I was vying for Governor of Oyo? Or you think Hausas will see your point if I was in the Gubernatorial race in Kastina? People like Rochas may be doing well in their state but in the larger scheme of things,they are bad for business. We will not let a Yoruba/Hausa 'representative' into Igboland. Mallam Rochas must leave Government house in 2015 and back to his Mosque!

Rochas and Anyawu are birds of the same feathers. When it was convenient for them,they come to APGA. Soon after they were elected they went to 'rogue' parties. While I respect the right of any body to move to to whatever political party they wish to,it doesn't mean I should forget treachery. Rochas reminds me of Chris Ngige. Ngige was popular and had grassroots support. Wherever he went,people shouted Onwa! Same as Imo people shout 'Owelle' for Rochas. The reason why Ngige lost to a political neophyte like Obiano is because he was on the APC losing train. Okorocha is going to have a Herculean task convincing Imolites to vote in a Yoruba/Hausa over the Igbo based APGA. I hope Imo do not forget how this same Rochas hosted 180 'election riggers' from Osun to come and hand Anambra to his Yoruba/Hausa friends. My prayers are that in 2015,all 5 Igbo States will be under the control of APGA. This will increase unity amongst Igbos and make us an effective political force within the scheme of things. Ndimo, don't let the Janjaweedians into your state because of Rochas!!!!!!

Sloan: You are merely ranting, my post has nothing to do with your gibberish! It is this type of foolishness that made ojukwu declare an unwinnable war and a gluttonous biafra based on his plan to seize the lands of minorities and their oil, of course his caveman foolishness to want to capture Lagos when the ibo killers are in the north! Well, in a technological age, no one will be left behind! Technological products will be blocked from even coming through ports to landlocked biafra, internet will be cut off and there are already your traducers in the north who are willing to blow themselves up with as many ibos as they can find. I wonder why you don't look to the north but crying around like a bereaved monkey of okilaibo!

Don't talk like a fool. Ojukwu never declared any war,he declared Biafra. The Nigerian government were the ones who declared war by shelling the Biafran border town of Garkem triggering the war. And who told the war was not winnable? The only reason Nigeria won was the overwhelming military support and money they got from Britain and Russia while Biafra fought with very little and still managed to hold her own for 3 years and many spectacular victories. Can you imagine if Biafra had received quarter of the support Nigeria got? You said Igboland landlocked? Even if this is actually true,so what? Switzerland and Austria are two land locked countries with a combined population less than Lagos but each of these countries are richer than Nigeria.It is not a sea port that makes a nation wealthy but what you do with the manpower available . Finally, Nigeria attacked the Biafran capital of Enugu. Biafra then replied by trying to reach the Nigerian capital of Lagos. Tit-for-tat.

dozzybaba: The battle at Ore capitulated because a Cowardly yoruba soldier Col. Banjo led the Lagos-bound troop from Biafra, the man simply got into ore, inhaled some zinc oxide from the rusted roof and surrendered to the federal, hardly was any shot recorded. When a yorubaman leads you to battle, you'll lose without firing a single shot. The illorin emirate comes to mind.

I think Ojukwu was too diplomatic trying to make friends with the yoruba by appointing one of their own as the commander of the Lagos-bound troop. If he had sent military tacticians like Col. Achuzia aka Biafran hannibal or even Col. Ogbogu kalu, Lagos would have been overrun in matter of days. He didn't treat yorubaland like an aggresor that it was. That's the only disagrement i had with Ikemba's tactics and i believe the lesson's have been learn't-Even if the enemy hides in your brother's house to throw stones into your compound in connivance with your brother, "Your brother" should be treated as a pure enemy. No sentiments in war. Even the North koreans killed their South korean brothers when the Americans were 'throwing stones" from the south.

This singular mistake should not be repeated in any future war....An enemy is an ENEMY..no half-enemy, no half-friends in Wars.

The worst thing about the battle of Ore which Yorubas do not realise is that it was actually the last hope of the Yorubas to ever be emancipated. Victor Banjo declared the republic of the mid-west after capturing that territory. He would have declared the Republic of Oduduwa had the Yorubas had the Spine to help him capture the west and Lagos. It was a Golden opportunity to throw off the northerners and liberate the entire south Nigeria from the Hausa/Fulani oligarchy that ran the Nigerian nation into the ground. But what did the Yorubas do? They chose the role of 'lackeys' of the north and did all they could to frustrate that venture in their desperate bid to remain in the geographical prison yard called Nigeria. The Yoruba man has all but lost all sense of self determination. It is on record that in Nigeria,the Yorubas are the only people who have never taken up arms against the northern oligarchy. Even their officer corps have never conducted a coup but a common major called Orkah from the south-south almost changed the course of Nigeria. It was the great Bob Marley that sang "Emancipate your self from mental slavery". It almost sounded like he was singing to the Yorubas.