RE: How national dialogue unsettled opposition, core North

[Collins Ezebuihe]

Chief Ezi,
 
This is the right time for The SNC. Situations in Nigeria since Independence have begged for this type of conference, but politicians ignored the call and kept looting along tribal lines, because they felt SNC will bring their looting and exploitative ways to a screeching halt. Especially the core north --which boasts serial looters!
 
Goodluck Jonathan is on the right track
 
We either get Nigeria right...now...or no election should be conducted --only another SNC to split Nigeria, North and South, like it was before 1914, and with the middle belt joining the south; thats judging from the region's voting pattern. Azikiwe, Awolowo, and now Goodluck Jonathan have all done well in that middle belt. And with the core north embracing sharia and Boko Haram, the middle belt --up to southern Kaduna-- have less in common with Zamfara, Sokoto, Borno, etc. Taraba state is already an Eastern Nigerian state. 
 
The only other option is for the middle belt to have a nation to bring the number of the offshoots of the current woebegone Nigeria to 3.
 
Cheers,
 
Collins Ezebuihe.
 

---

To: emeka....@yahoo.com; okonkwo...@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: How national dialogue unsettled opposition, core North
From: eoch...@aol.com
Date: Mon, 7 Oct 2013 11:34:19 -0400

"Jonathan may allow the conference

to take place...as a means of diverting

attention...and consolidate for 2015."

--"Ezii"

Saturday, October 5, 2013

 

* * *

Yes, My Dear Brethren:

 

Please compare and contrast what the "Sunday Tribune's

investigation  revealed" on Sunday, October 6, 2013

and the above comment made on Saturday, October 5.

 

Yes, the Sunday Tribune through "investigation"

is "revealing" what Brother "Ezii" - the way,

e soro, a mara uzo already hinted.

 

At any rate, please see for yourself. As you

fine brethren, may already know, I hate to toot

my own horn. LOL! Someone, just say: thank you bro.

 

Peace,

"Ezii"

(ukwuenyiadimmanubi)

 

 

* * *

 

"Jonathan may allow the conference

to take place...as a means of diverting

attention...and consolidate for 2015."

--"Ezii"

Saturday, October 5, 2013

 

* * *

 

 

"THE presidential endorsement of national

 dialogue may have weakened the push by the

core north and political opposition to secure

the 2015 presidency Sunday Tribune 

investigation has revealed.

.

"....the unexpected announcement had

since thrown political  caucuses of the three

northern geo-political zones into frenzy... .

.

"A ...leader in Kano...said the president's 

sudden endorsement of the conference despite

 northern opposition showed  that the intention

 was political and with direct link with 2015.

 

"We are worried as the timing is suspicious.

We think the announcement is politically

motivated but we are waiting to see how the

whole thing will play out..."

--Sunday Tribune, Sunday, October 6, 2013

(Written by Olawale Rasheed - Abuja)

.

 

 

 

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Sent: Mon, Oct 7, 2013 12:10 am
Subject: How national dialogue unsettled opposition, core North

Nigerian Tribune

How national dialogue unsettled opposition, core North

Written by  Olawale Rasheed - Abuja
Sunday, October 6, 2013

.

THE presidential endorsement of national dialogue may have weakened the push by the core north and political opposition to secure the 2015 presidency, Sunday Tribune investigation has revealed.

.

Checks showed that the unexpected announcement had since thrown political caucuses of the three northern geo-political zones into frenzy of activities, with the core north gradually openly moving against the convocation of the conference whether sovereign or not.

.

While some core north leaders are faulting the composition of the dialogue panel and the whole idea of a conférence, the Middle Belt Forum had jumped at what its chieftains called opportunity to finally assert its separate identity as a distinct region in the middle of Nigeria.

.

Investigations by Sunday Tribune showed that even the Niger state governor, Babangida Aliyu was rebuked for his initial endorsement of the conférence with a source hinting that the core north believed it was under siege following the announcement by the President.

.

A top northern leader in Kano who spoke under anonymity said the president's sudden endorsement of the conference despite northern opposition showed that the intention was political and with direct link with 2015.

.

"We are worried as the timing is suspicious. We think the announcement is politically motivated but we are waiting to see how the whole thing will play out" he said.

.

Another leader in Kaduna who described the decision and appointment into the committee as worrisome said "the South has its first eleven on the panel. We in the north are represented by our 13th team."

.

Saying leaders of Arewa Consultative Forum would soon meet on the matter, the leader who was active during the Babangida transition said "the conférence may be a trap for the core north going by happenings between the core north and the middle belt region."

.

The Joint Action Committee of Northern Groups comprising of leaders from leading pro-north groups urgently came out with a position on Friday opposing the dialogue and masking its position as a pan-Nigerian position. The statement signed by Dr Hakeem Bab Ahmed argued that the problem of the north was security-related and that the president should work Harder in that line.

.

The real reason why the north is afraid of a conférence was however explained by the youth leader of the Middle Belt Forum, ,Hon Jonathan Asake, in an interview with the Sunday Tribune. He posited that the core north was afraid of the whole nation knowing that the north was no longer monolithic.

.

"We are liberating ourselves and that explains why you see us becoming more active before and after the civil war, the North looked like one solid bloc, until the eyes of the Middle Belt started noticing incredible unfairness in the way it was treated by its core-North counterpart, even when, in actual fact, the Middle Belt is in the majority.

.

"I am sorry to say that the media has helped to force the majority status on the Hausa-Fulani when talking about the North. That is only true when you take the two as a single tribal group. Yes, they have more numbers if you compare them to Tiv, Nupe, or Atayp, each standing on its own. But, on the aggregate, the Hausa-Fulani is a minority to the rest of the tribal groups of the Middle Belt, the way I have defined the Middle Belt.

.

"The Hausa-Fulani in the 19 northern states are not in the majority in Benue, Kwara, Kogi, Taraba, Nasarawa, Plateau, Niger, FCT, Adamawa. They are hardly even present in Borno State - Boko Haram notwithstanding.

.

"The Kanuris are in the majority in Borno and Yobe. It is only 49 per cent of the population of Kaduna State; the Middle Belt of southern Kaduna is 51 per cent according to the 2006 census. It is just 45 per cent of Gombe State, it is not an overwhelming majority in Kebbi State. The Middle Belt is 30 per cent of Bauchi. The main area of strength of the Hausa-Fulani is: Sokoto, Kano, Zamfara, Katsina, Jigawa, Bauchi and part of Gombe and Kaduna.

.

"So, you see, the Hausa-Fulani who, everyone has so made the lord of the North, are actually in the minority, unlike what you have in the South-west and South-east with the Yoruba and the Igbo. The Hausa-Fulani, though found everywhere in the 19 northern states, are really in minority if it comes as a bloc. The so-called minorities as an aggregate, are the majority. And that is the Middle Belt. If you doubt this, look at the 2006 census result, and the way votes in the 2011 elections were cast in our areas," Jonathan said.

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[Collins Ezebuihe]

 
Mazi Benny Aduba --the big, bad Bruin fan:
 
You are right when you implied that there was not a standing southern or northern Nigeria before the arrival of the British with their wahala. But I have said time without number that southern Nigeria is simply a home of people with similar destiny and very secular ideals. It is those factors, plus economic realities that will make a southern Nigeria a winning concept. The worst thing that will happen to Lagos is if the nation splits into more than 2 portions. That's because I and other Easterners --like you, will like to make Aba, Onicha, Owerre, Enugu, Abakaliki, Asaba, PH, Calabar, Ikot Ekpene, Yenegoa another Lagos.  Other nationalities arising from post-SNC Nigeria will make similar strides, though the East remains the Tiger with the capability to build a more superior Lagos. But with just 2 republics, Lagos will continue to reign supreme as the capital center of West Africa and perhaps the entire Africa. Especially given that Igbos, Ijaws, Efik/Ibibio are already in Lagos in large number --to the tune of about 50% of that city state. Therefore, if the core north becomes so selfish to the point of costly stupidity as to pose an impediment to the ushering in of fairness and equity during the SNC, then Yorubas will need to work hard for the actualization of a federal southern Nigeria. It is in their best interest to pursue that, while the importance of one Nigeria to the core north needs no clarification. But northerners are so hard headed --as they often are-- as to actualize the waterloo they are unknowingly creating for themselves by trying to pocket Nigeria.
 
However, apart from the commonalities among southerners, the north also boasts a uniting factor of its own --which will make Arewa Republic plausible. The north is bound by Sharia law, Islamic banking, marriage to underage girls, tolerance of Boko Haram as a winning hand, exclusion of southerners from jobs out north, quota system, etc. The British figured out some of these facts early and proceeded to have 2 Nigerias until 1914 when they benched the interest of the various nationalities in favor of British administrative convenience! 
 
The above postulates are precisely why a shadow south and north preceded the amalgamation, and why the south and north are very different entities, but united by "fruits of the loom;" such as southern Nigerian oil, gas, coal, etc. I'm sure you read Mazi Okechukwu Okonjo's well-researched essays about the umbilical cord binding Igbos and Yorubas and, by extension, the rest of the South-south and a significant portion of the middle belt.
 
By the way, before 1914, inclusion of the middle belt in the north was perhaps at best a rolling of the dice --which favored the north, but also a clear travesty of respect for Igbos and Yorubas! Afterall, large portions of the middle belt are clear relatives of Igbos and Yorubas. For instance, why in the world did the Brits make Otukpo part of the north  (didn't stop the assault there)?
 
The south --from Plateau to Cross river state and about 24 states-- inadvertently were able to put punctuation mark on their unity without formal meeting, by their near unanimous (except Osun state) casting of a larger portion of their vote in the last presidential election to Goodluck Jonathan.
 
Your highness, need I say more?
 
Ndewo,
 
Collins Ezebuihe.
 

 

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To: neec-co...@googlegroups.com; eoch...@aol.com; emeka....@yahoo.com; okonkwo...@googlegroups.com; africanw...@googlesgroup.com; africanw...@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: [neec-committee] RE: How national dialogue unsettled opposition, core North
From: badu...@aol.com
Date: Mon, 7 Oct 2013 15:06:28 -0400

The principal argument against Nigeria is that it was a British concoction without input from Nigerians. If this is true, how are the South and North different? Both were British concoctions. Could somebody explain this to me for I fail to understand? Collins may be you are the one. But I will appreciate any response from any one.

 

Benjamin Obiajulu Aduba

Boston Massachusetts,

October 7, 2013

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[Collins Ezebuihe]

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[Chris Udoh]

Collins,

I quite agree with you. We have better commonality with the Middle belt than the others; However, having the 6 geopolitical zones as separate entities makes better sense.

Chris

---

From: Collins Ezebuihe <collye...@hotmail.com>
To: "eoch...@aol.com" <eoch...@aol.com>; Nnaemeka Onumonu-Uzoaru <emeka....@yahoo.com>; "okonkwo...@googlegroups.com" <okonkwo...@googlegroups.com>; "africanw...@googlesgroup.com" <africanw...@googlesgroup.com>; "africanw...@googlegroups.com" <africanw...@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Monday, October 7, 2013 7:38 PM
Subject: [africanworldforum] RE: How national dialogue unsettled opposition, core North

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[GEORGE Kerley]

Fact is we must define what UNITES us and put it on a balance with what DIVIDES us. If what UNITES us is far stronger than what DIVIDES us, then the Nation state called Nigeria can continue as one Nation.

However, if the forces that DIVIDE us are far strong than what UNITES us, then we cannot continue in the falsehood called the Nigerian state.

Re-read the Gettysburg Address of Abraham Lincoln. "Four scores and Seven years ago, OUR FORE-FATHERS (pls note: not Lugard or whatever) brought forth on this continent a NEW NATION" - Abraham Lincoln, The Gettysburg Address, 19 November 1863

It should be as simple as that.

GK

[George Kerley]

Fact is we must define what UNITES us and put it on a balance with what DIVIDES us. If what UNITES us is far stronger than what DIVIDES us, then the Nation state called Nigeria can continue as one Nation.

However, if the forces that DIVIDE us are far strong than what UNITES us, then we cannot continue in the falsehood called the Nigerian state.

Re-read the Gettysburg Address of Abraham Lincoln. "Four scores and Seven years ago, OUR FORE-FATHERS (pls note: not Lugard or whatever) brought forth on this continent a NEW NATION" - Abraham Lincoln, The Gettysburg Address, 19 November 1863

It should be as simple as that.

GK

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['Segun Olude]

What unites us are far stronger than what divides us. But…

We have been victims of greed and selfishness and cannot see beyond ourselves anymore. 

Until each man, woman and child see themselves as part of the problem and part of the solution to Nigeria's troubles, we will not survive. In fact, the smaller sections and tribes that we think we belong to cannot survive our selfishness. Nothing on this planet can survive selfishness and greed. Nothing.

There are no forces that divide us except our laziness to want to change and be better people. There are no forces that divide us except for greed and selfishness. We are our own [worst] enemies.

'Segun Olude

[aauwn...@aol.com]

And who is to make that determination of the what for unity and division - we the people of the country within and in the diaspora or just a handful of select people unrepresentative of the views of the majority.

Best
Nkechi

Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

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Date: Sat, 12 Oct 2013 04:01:23 +0000

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Subject: Re: [africanworldforum] RE: How national dialogue unsettled opposition, core North

"Fact is we must define what UNITES us and put it on a balance with what DIVIDES us. If what UNITES us is far stronger than what DIVIDES us, then the Nation state called Nigeria can continue as one Nation.

However, if the forces that DIVIDE us are far strong than what UNITES us, then we cannot continue in the falsehood called the Nigerian state" - George Kerley.

My comment - what unites us is corruption and what divides us is greed and impunity. If we can deal with these issues Nigeria will be paradise on earth.
Nigerians from the six geo political zones are united in corruption. There is always a bond of brotherhood and friendship between Hausas, Igbos, Yorubas, Ijaws, Efiks, Edos etc when an act of corruption is being committed. Nothing comes in between these rival tribes once there is an opportunity to be corrupt. Trouble starts when in the process of being corrupt one group decides to be greedy or act with inpunity, then you hear a babel of voices, as if they are fighting in the national interest or even in the tribal interest. Nothing can be further from the truth. The same people who are making a lot of noise purportedly in the national interest or tribal interest will not utter a whimper if they get what they consider a fair share of proceeds from corruption.

Extremely very few of our people are altruistic or are fighting for the over riding interest of their group. A recent case in point is the South South people's struggle for equity in the sharing of the proceeds from oil. Since God helped them to win the fight, what has happened? A handful of South South political and militant elite are enjoying the booties of war. Nothing has changed for a vast majority of the South South people. The South South political and militant elite are doing all the things that the Northern elite were accused of perpetrating when they were in power. So, where is the differences between us, which we eagerly magnify? It is a question of who is in the driver's seat for a particular group of elite. Those in the driver's seat never fight in the interest of the masses of their people. It is therefore dishonest to make it look as if there is a wide gulf between the north and the south. Let no group pretend to be on a higher moral ground - we are same of the same.
Since we don't have an altruistic elite, north or south, there is need for an elite consensus on how to share power and resources equitably. Enlightened self interest also dictates that they have to reach a consensus on how to curb their greed and limit impunity. In our march to nationhood, these are imperatives we must overcome. If you go through European history,the then nation states of europe went through the same phases of greed, corruption and impunity that we are going through today. We have the benefit of their history to learn from, so that we do not repeat the mistakes they made two to three hundred years ago. The choice is ours.
Regards,
Emma Onyilofor

Sent from my BlackBerry wireless device from MTN

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From: GEORGE Kerley <gke...@gmail.com>

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Subject: Re: [africanworldforum] RE: How national dialogue unsettled opposition, core North