After  an  exhaustive  and  incisive  x-ray   of   Nigeria  since   the   1914 amalgamation,  we have  made  the  following  observations. Nigeria is  a  deeply  diverse  nation  of  many ethnic  nationalities  with little  if   anything in  common. Indeed  Nigeria  to a large  extent  is  a  microcosm  of the European  union. The  British  colonialists in  merging the  various  ethnic nationalities together in what became  known as  Nigeria  probably  knew and or intended it  to  fail  against the  backdrop of their  own  chequered  history  in  Europe.

For  hundreds  of  years   Europeans engaged in vicious  battles, fought  usually  on ethnic and  national  divides, culminating  in the bloodiest  world wars in human history, occasioned  by the  Germans, against the French, British, and other  European ethnic nations. Not until just  60 years ago did Europeans  finally achieve  lasting peace  through the deft, pragmatic political engineering of post war leaders. Thus if the plan and  intention of  British  and European  colonialists  by  merging various  ethnic nationalities  in Nigeria, and  Africa was to create  a  situation of  pervasive  hatred, distrust, instability, civil strife  and by extension poverty,  they have Largely  succeeded.  It is now left  for us as a people to re-appraise the situation  and  genuinely seek to break away  from a terrible past.  It  is also obvious that Nigeria being  an artificial and  un-negotiated  British creation cannot be forced  on any group or  ethnic  nationality. The  survival of  Nigeria  can only be achieved through negotiations, which will  conclusively determine the basis on which each ethnic  nationality wants to participate in a strictly federal or confederal Nigeria.

THE  FLAWED  DOCTRINE  OF  FORCE

Nigeria  since independence has demonstrated an uncanny and unprecedented appetite for violence. In her 45 years of existence Nigeria has consumed the lives of over 3 million  of her citizens. The Nigerian army since it’s creation has never fought any external war, the army exists primarily to wage war  and kill the same citizens it is trained and paid to protect .The orgy of killings, rape and pillage, has become a lasting legacy of an army of internal oppression, the most recent of which is the entire sacking, massacre and pillage of whole villages in Odi  and Zaki-biam, and mass rape in Choba.

The  Nigerian police force is another unrepentant instrument of internal oppression, it is an organisation that terrorises, maims, extorts, and serially kills innocent Nigerians with unquestionable impunity. Nigeria is a nation where the flawed doctrine of force takes precedence over dialogue and the rule of law. But the reality is that if might is right as is being practiced in Nigeria, we would  never have gained independence from  Great Britain whom we had no way  of confronting militarily. Powerful armies like that of the United states, France,  Great Britain etc are under strict civilian control in their respective countries, irrespective of being in possession of an arsenal of weapons enough to wipe out the whole of mankind, there has  never been an occasion where these armies  powerful as they are, seized power and or massacred their own citizens. Violence and conflict has never resolved any crisis, at best it postpones the evil day, which  is bound to come back in a more virulent form. Dialogue above all else has triumphed  as the greatest and surest means of resolving conflicts. The whole gung-ho attitude of the Nigerian Government exemplified by it’s  brazen extra judicial  killing of Nigerian citizens at the slightest  provocation  is  the  greatest  indictment   of  a  failed, barbaric, and  uncivilised  nation.

ETHNIC  TENSIONS,  INJUSTICE   AND  MARGINALISATION

That there is  so much inter-ethnic hatred, distrust  and unhealthy rivalry in  Nigeria is not in doubt. 35 years  after the end of a genocidal  civil war, the nation is more divided now, than at anytime in her chequered history. History it seems is about to repeat itself.

It is instructive to note that  the resurgence of ethnic nationalism and  separatism is rearing it’s head because the often overlooked fundamental reasons for which the civil war was fought  has never been addressed. The aftermath of the  civil  war heralded the beginning of a highly centralised Unitarian system, in outright disregard of the deeply entrenched diversity of the constituent ethnic nationalities, which ironically was one of the reasons the July 29th  1966 coupists  claimed they had to strike, it also heralded the beginning  of  unprecedented  marginalisation of the Igbo, corruption, and  misrule.
Whereas the war was purportedly a  â€œwar  of  unityâ€? to re-unite and re-integrate an aggrieved  Igbo,the  aftermath signalled  the complete opposite, there was no attempt by Yakubu Gowon. To  form  an inclusive Government of national unity. The properties of  the same Igbo who supposedly were being urged and even fought to  re-unite with Nigeria was seized in a  Government contrived  abandoned  property  mago -mago.All  monies belonging to  Igbos were frozen and in it’s place a paltry 20 pounds was given to each family. Extra judicial  killings, and mass rape continued in Igboland  even after the official end of the war. And so continued the premeditated, systematic exclusion, marginalisation  and  dispossession of the  Igbo at the end of a “war  of  unityâ€?? Nigeria  perhaps  missed a  historic opportunity  to totally  re-integrate the Igbos into all areas  of national life. That failure to genuinely re-integrate the Igbos,who undeniably are senior partners in Nigeria by virtue  of their collective history in the foundation  of the Nigerian state, and their population, has  predictably come back to haunt a  very fragile  and  stillborn  nation. Unless and until  the “Abandoned propertyâ€? saga, and all other  fundamental   issues  that   led  to  the war  are  addressed.  Nigeria is slowly but surely  heading  for disintegration.


ANOTHER WAR?


The  underlying factors and reasons that led to the civil war remains with us and even more so, there has  never been any genuine attempt by successive Governments to address once  and for all  the issues that militate against our unwilling polygamous marriage of  many   ethnics. Post war leaders  to date  have been  largely  tribal  leaders dug deep into their  ethnic  trenches.

The  Major  Gideon Orkar  1990 failed  coup  in which  some  Northern states were excised from the  nation, the inter-ethnic  and  religious  violence (Sharia ) and  the increasing rise  and  proliferation  of  ethnic  militia’s  is a grim pointer to the coming conflagration. The  greatest  mistake  the  federal Government  can make is to  assume  that  the Igbos  for  instance cannot  fight  again. History  has  shown that  most wars lead to other wars  when lessons are not learnt or mistakes corrected. Drawing parallels  with the  first  world war it is  pertinent to note that the perceived humiliation, injustice, and   punishment  meted out to  the  defeated Germany  by the victorious allied forces fired up the  nationalism that led  to the  second world war. At the end  of the second world  war  the victorious allied forces  taking a cue from their earlier mistakes invested  heavily  in the reconstruction of  the defeated Germany  and  Japan  in what became known as the “Marshall  planâ€? that  stroke  of good  judgement  by the  allies  has significantly  contributed to the enduring world peace.

The  same  cannot be said  of  Nigeria.  In the aftermath  of  the civil war  Nigerian leaders   chose the path of  political, economic, and  social  marginalisation  of  Ndigbo.This  error  of  judgement  has predictably ushered  in a new era  of  rising  Igbo  nationalism, which  could  possibly  lead to  conflict. We  live  in a world  of changed dynamics  where  waging  war  has  become  increasingly  easier  and  weapons  readily  available. New  and  effective methods  of Waging  war by  tiny  groups  and  individuals has  also  been introduced. As  can  be seen  in  Iraq  and  around  the  world,  a  group  of  just 100  men  or  individuals  can  effectively  wage  war  to  devastating  effects  against  a nation. One  thing  is  certain,  so  long  as  the  highly  centralised  lopsided structure, marginalisation, injustices,  and  the continuing  suppression  of  genuine  dialogue  continues. Militant  groups  and  individuals  will  continue  to  increasingly  seek  ways  of  actualising  self  determination. Nobody can  accurately  predict  what  can happen in the  near future, but there is abundant  evidence  that  â€œguerrilla warfare, terrorism  and even all out  conflictâ€?  are glaring possibilities.

 

PROPOSALS

STRUCTURE, ZONING  AND  ROTATIONAL  PRESIDENCY


 The  single  greatest  obstacle  to  Nigerian  unity  is  the  highly  centralised  Unitarian structure, it is  absolutely impossible  to  sustain  a nation with such obvious  diversity on a  Unitarian structure. Besides the 36  state  structure  is too expensive  for  a  poor  nation like Nigeria  whose total budget is less than the budget of the city of  New York or Paris. Most of the states are too small to be viable. If the  states are collapsed into  regions  or  zones  more money will be  freed  for roads, healthcare  and  education. In  recent  times there has been a  six zone structure  that  seems to be  acceptable to most Nigerians, but there are certain shortcomings  in the  six zone  structure, in that  it leaves some Yoruba’s in the North, and some  Igbos  in the  South-South. In order   to strike  a balance the Southwest zone should comprise all Yoruba’s including those in Kwara and Kogi states, the  Southeast  zone  should  comprise  all Igbos  including  those  in Delta, (Anioma) and  Rivers  states. The  South -South should be broken  down  further   in order to  achieve  a reasonable  level  of  homogeneity. Cross river  state  and  Akwa Ibom   state   can  merge to form a  zone,  Bayelsa  state  and  parts  of  Ijaw  speaking  delta  can merge to  form a  zone, while  Edo  state  and the  remaining parts  of  Delta state  can also merge to form a zone. In the  North,  the  Northeast  and  Northwest are reasonably homogenous, but  there  must  be further sub divisions  of  zones in the North central  zone in order to achieve a reasonable level of homogeneity. 3  relatively  homogenous  zones  are  likely  to  emerge  from  the  North  central  zone, which will add up to  a total  of  5  zones  in the North and  5   in the  South.  The ensuing  10  zones  will  replace  the  current  36 state Unitarian structure. Extensive  research  and  history  has  proved  beyond  all  reasonable  doubts  that  people  thrive better  when  they  are  reasonably homogenous  and  left to develop at their own pace. On independence  with  the  inherited  three region structure  the  Western  region had  taken off at breakneck speed, recording  unprecedented development, the  Eastern  and Northern regions  also did very  well  in several areas. Healthy competition among the zones  will bring out the best in them. Each zone  should have their chambers of commerce. Each  zone  should scout for  foreign  investments  etc, such  initiatives  by  the  zones  will  herald  a new era  of  mega prosperity. Great  Britain  is a classic  example  of  ethnic  federalism. The  Scottish  have a  largely  homogenous  and autonomous  Scotland  region, the   Irish   have  a  largely  autonomous  Northern  Ireland  region,  and the  Welsh  a  largely  autonomous  Wales, while  still remaining  part  of  Great  Britain. There  are  countless  examples  of  true  federalism  as an  instrument  or  system of  managing diversity effectively  in  many parts  of the world.

In recent  times  there has been the  argument by  some that  zoning  or rotational  presidency is undemocratic, these   people  have so soon forgotten the reasons for which zoning and rotational presidency crept into  the Nigerian discourse. In  reality  there is no given or  perfect democratic model, each  nation is expected  to evolve  a  peculiar  democratic system  that suits  their  given circumstances or  peculiarities, when   such  an invented  model succeeds  other nations  with similar peculiarities  will be encouraged  to adopt it.  Switzerland  is a  European  nation  that  operates  an  all  inclusive  presidential  council  system  with one  year  rotational chairmanships, designed  to  accommodate  their diverse ethnic groups. Zoning  and  rotational presidency will  go  a long  way  in  fostering  a   strong  and united  Nigeria. For  the  purposes  of   rotational  presidency  the  six geo political zones  can be  adopted, with the rotation swinging  like a  pendulum, from Southwest  to  Northwest,  Southeast  to  Northeast  and  South-South  to  North central etc.The   provision for zoning  and  rotational presidency  must  be enshrined  in the  constitution  in order  to avoid manipulation  or unnecessary struggle  for power. Another   option  could  be the  all  inclusive presidential council  system operated  by  Switzerland,  with  one  year rotational  chairmanship  of the  presidential council.

RESOURCE   CONTROL


Derivation   from  crude  oil  and  solid  mineral receipts  should be  between  20 and  25%. Agricultural products  should attract a derivation  of  between 50 and  60%  because  of the  labour  and practical  tilling of the land  involved. The  dependence  on crude oil  has  undeniably  become a scandal, and  has  significantly contributed to our current state of under-development. An effective  policy  of  diversification  must be  put in place  in  order  to  reduce  the  overwhelming  dependence  on  crude  oil. Every  zone  should  develop the  non oil resources, agricultural produce  and capabilities in areas  where they  have comparative  advantage.

POLICE  AND  ARMY   BRUTALITY



The  army  should  be totally  re-organised   and  re-trained  to make  them  more professional  and   under  strict  civilian control, an  â€œArmy  complaints  and  disciplinary  boardâ€? should  be  established  and made  accessible to the public, any  member  of the armed  who does not  follow the rules of engagement  in  controlling crisis, or who is found guilty of  molesting  and or  beating up civilians, should lose their commission and be dismissed  from the  armed forces. Civilians  who have any complaints of  harassment  or  brutality  against any member of the  armed  forces should  be  able  to  with ought let or hindrance report same to the “Army complaints and disciplinary boardâ€?  for  prompt follow up disciplinary action.

A high  powered  â€œPolice  ombudsmanâ€?  should  also  be established  to investigate and  punish cases of  brutality, and extra judicial  killings  by the police. The  police commissioner of any state where there has been an extra judicial  killing by the police should be held responsible in the first instance  until   the  policeman  responsible for the killing has been apprehended  and arrested. A clearly established rules of engagement  should  be established  and made available to the public, so that each individual can determine  where their rights has been trampled upon by the police.

CRISIS    MANAGEMENT


One  of the  main reasons  why ethnic  and  religious  crisis continue to occur  with it’s attendant loss  of innocent  lives  is  the  sense  of impunity  which  goes  along with it.Todate there has  been no trial of those  who  massacred  thousands  of  innocent Nigerians  during the sharia crisis  and other  inter-ethnic violence. The failure  to bring  such lawless murderers  to trial will only embolden them and ensure that we have  more of such violence  and killings in the near future. We cannot afford to live in a nation where there is no rule of law.  The federal Government  should  establish  a  â€œReligious  and  ethnic  offences  special  tribunalâ€?  to speedily try  and convict  all those responsible for such heinous crimes. A “Centre  for  conflict  resolutionâ€?  should  also be  established  in the six  geo political  zones, and the public should be sensitised  and  encouraged to report their grievances  to such  centres   rather than taking the law into their hands.

CONCLUSIONS

STRATEGIC   INTERESTS  OF  NDI-IGBO


The  formation of  Obasanjo’s  Government  in 1999  signalled  a record  marginalisation  of  Ndigbo,  and  perhaps  revealed  his true  intentions, indeed   the  administration of Alhaji Shehu   Shagari  in   1979,   coming  just  9  years  after  the  end of   the civil-war  had  made more progress  in terms  of   re-integration  of  Ndigbo  than  Olusegun Obasanjo  a  fellow  Southerner and  self confessed  born again christian. Obasanjo’s  regime coming 29 years after the end of the civil war  and at a time  when  injustices  and  a high level of discontent is threatening to tear the nation apart  can hardly justify  the  marginalisation of a major ethnic group, more so in a democracy. Ironically  Obasanjo  himself  has  also been a victim of  the inherent injustices  in Nigeria, which almost cost him his life in Gen. Abacha’s  gulag, yet he chose to continue  in the  normal  Nigerian tradition  of  blinding injustice,marginalisation  and  naked exploitation. Igboland  has  largely been ignored  and under-developed by successive  administrations  and Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo  has  continued in that obnoxious tradition.

During the civil  war  Igbos  designed  and built  â€œRefineries, Tanks, Armoured cars, Ogbunigwe bombs,  foot cutters, standard Pistols and Rifles, surface to surface  Rockets  and  surface  to air  Rockets, Rocket delivery systems, War boatsâ€?  etc. These  capabilities which could have formed the  nucleus of  a  technological  take off  and  self sufficiency in some strategic areas much as  some Asian countries like  Taiwan, Thailand, and  Malaysia have done where ignored  by the federal Government  at the end of the war. Such  capabilities  endures  in  Nnewi, Aba, Onitsha, and  Awka where the best gunsmiths  can still be  found. Indeed what is today known as “Igbo madeâ€? is a lasting legacy  of  such creativity, and industry demonstrated by the  Igbo people.  What we the Igbos want is not different from what a great majority of peace loving Nigerians want. Which is  peace, justice ,equity ,fairplay, progress  and   development. We hereby  call on the  federal  Government  to speedily dredge  the  River Niger  and  build an inland port at  Onitsha  in order to maximise the potentials  of the  Region. The  second  bridge across the Niger which is fast becoming a victim of tribal politics should  be  commenced  with ought delay. Akanu  Ibiam   international airport at Enugu  should  be upgraded and  made fully operational  with ought delay. The proposed cargo  airport at Oba  near  Onitsha  should be approved  designed and built in order to enhance  and facilitate the status of Onitsha as the largest market in west  Africa. Finally  substantial investments should  be made  in the  Nnewi, and  Aba  sectors  in order to commence the  nucleus  of the take off of  local technologies, a  national  metallurgical  factory  and  a  research  institute should  be established  in Aba or  Nnewi  to aid  fabrications, an  industrial or technological  park should also be established   in both towns  and all  associated industries localised in the technological parks. The  Nigerian car project  (PRODA) commenced  by the Gen. Ibrahim Babangida  regime in Enugu  and later  abandoned  for  political and tribal reasons should be resuscitated, to actualise the dream of a Nigerian car. It is noteworthy however that Gen. Babangida  is the first head of state to openly acknowledge such capabilities  and even went further to sponsor the Nigerian car project in Enugu before it was overtaken by tribal considerations.

It is our firm belief  that  the  nation cannot  continue  on a  part of  distrust and deliberate under-development of  certain regions. A vibrant West, vibrant East, and thriving North will be to the advantage of all Nigerians.  The attendant   multiplier effect  will  create jobs  and wealth  for all Nigerians. The  industrialised  nations  of the world  did  not  become  industrialised  by  accident, they achieved  industrialisation through a deliberate and sustained  plan of  development, with a clear  emphasis and focus in self sufficiency, and  local  technologies.

The  true  enemies  and  Pharaohs  of  Nigeria  are  those  of  them  like President  Olusegun  Obasanjo and others  before him, who  climb to the rooftop  to shout  â€œOne  Nigeriaâ€? while  at the same time pursuing  policies  of  persecution, exclusion  and  marginalisation   against other ethnic groups. The  â€œIndivisibility and indissolubility  of  Nigeriaâ€? has  become  a  favourite  song of  past and present leaders, who have done nothing  but engender  inequalities, injustices, and  outright ethnic and or religious killings, that have made Nigeria’s  break-up  an increasing possibility. Unity  cannot  be  achieved  by  singing and  dancing to the  â€œSong  of Unityâ€?  by hypocritical leaders.  Unity  can only  be achieved  by genuine  dialogue, and a  deliberate and sustained  plan  of  inclusion,  social justice, equity  and fairplay.

It is  a historical  even  Biblical  and  Koranic   fact  that  injustice  and or evil  cannot be sustained. For that  reason  Slavery, Colonialism, and Apartheid was defeated  . For that reason  human rights, democracy,  and  the  rule  of law, have  triumphed over tyranny, dictatorship and barbarism. The  likes  of  Jerry  Rawlings,  Mickael  Gorbachev, and  P.w.  De Klerk  amongst others, came  along  and changed the tide  of  history  in their respective  countries  for good. We  firmly  believe, that if,  it is Nigeria’s  destiny  to remain united, a pan-Nigerian  leader  will  emerge  who  will   courageously  address once and for all, all the  fundamental  issues  that militate  against  our common existence.In the  absence  of such  a  scenario, rather  than  constant  bloodletting, there might  be  a lot  to gain  from Nigeria’s  peaceful  disintegration, just  like the defunct  Soviet union  and Czechoslovakia.

Time  is  running out.


 Chinedu    Nwobu
 Dundalk. Republic  of  Ireland.

Robot  Villager

# 1 RECONSTRUCTING NIGERIA (AN OPEN MEMORANDA TO PRONACO)After an exhaustive and incisive x-ray of Nigeria since the 1914 amalgamation, we have made the following observations. ...Read the full article. Posted by Robot| 17.11.2005 00:45

Mango

# 2 Rubbish article. Like a lot of these articles, you make your conclusion, and then you try to build a case for it. Ndigbo's problems are the problems of every Nigerian: Poverty due to corruption and bad leadership. In an affluent society, ethnicity is irrelevant. It is only relevant, maybe, in terms of bringing government closer to the people, and preserving ethnic cultures (e.g. languages). I don't see the ethnic problems that you see. I have many Igbo friends, and Igbos and Yorubas inter-marry a lot. This is a problem that sectional leaders seek, so that they can enslave the minds of ordinary people, and use them to achieve their dubious minds. Let me tell you what should worry you. Go to your Local Government Chairman and ask him what he did with the council allocations. Ask him how he can afford several houses and wives on the salary of a Council Chairman. Then ask your state governor what he did with the state's allocation. Ask Chris Uba why he rigged elections in Igbo land. Afteral, Chris Uba is an Igbo Man. Then your people will thank you. With the money allocated to ANY state in Nigeria, there is NO REASON why there should be no basic amenities for ordinary people. Ndigbo do not need war. The people need basic amenities, that its government should be able to provide. I can assure you that the break-up of Nigeria will not solve any of the problems you 'identified'. If your Local Government becomes a country on its own, the leaders will still be corrupt. They will still find reasons to pit clans against each other. And there will still be poverty. Indeed more poverty, as you will have less natural and human resources. Make no mistake about it. Nigeria is stronger than the sum of its parts. Our population is a strength. We should be pushing our leaders in the direction of probity, so that the country can turn the corner to prosperity, rather than flogging dead horses. Look at the emergence of China and India. Look at the USA. They take their strength from their size. Of course I'm sure you know all this, but you will ignore because you probably have another motive - personal enhancement at the expense of the ordinary majority. Posted by Mango| 17.11.2005 08:03

Unregistered

# 3 =Mango>Rubbish article. Like a lot of these articles, you make your conclusion, and then you try to build a case for it. Ndigbo's problems are the problems of every Nigerian: Poverty due to corruption and bad leadership. In an affluent society, ethnicity is irrelevant. It is only relevant, maybe, in terms of bringing government closer to the people, and preserving ethnic cultures (e.g. languages). I don't see the ethnic problems that you see. I have many Igbo friends, and Igbos and Yorubas inter-marry a lot. This is a problem that sectional leaders seek, so that they can enslave the minds of ordinary people, and use them to achieve their dubious minds. Let me tell you what should worry you. Go to your Local Government Chairman and ask him what he did with the council allocations. Ask him how he can afford several houses and wives on the salary of a Council Chairman. Then ask your state governor what he did with the state's allocation. Ask Chris Uba why he rigged elections in Igbo land. Afteral, Chris Uba is an Igbo Man. Then your people will thank you. With the money allocated to ANY state in Nigeria, there is NO REASON why there should be no basic amenities for ordinary people. Ndigbo do not need war. The people need basic amenities, that its government should be able to provide. I can assure you that the break-up of Nigeria will not solve any of the problems you 'identified'. If your Local Government becomes a country on its own, the leaders will still be corrupt. They will still find reasons to pit clans against each other. And there will still be poverty. Indeed more poverty, as you will have less natural and human resources. Make no mistake about it. Nigeria is stronger than the sum of its parts. Our population is a strength. We should be pushing our leaders in the direction of probity, so that the country can turn the corner to prosperity, rather than flogging dead horses. Look at the emergence of China and India. Look at the USA. They take their strength from their size. Of course I'm sure you know all this, but you will ignore because you probably have another motive - personal enhancement at the expense of the ordinary majority. This is another diarrhea from the mouth of another immature Yoruba man. He wants to continue the present arrangement in Nigeria because he is afraid to stand on his own. What is he afraid of? He even has the guts to tell us to read this and that. Well, go and read about nations like Singapore, Australia, and Sweden. Each of these nations perform better than US in economic and health stats. Each of these nations maintains a population smaller than the population of the Igbos alone or the population of the Yorubas alone. Each of them also has no crude oil in their soil. Look at their infant mortality and morbidity rates. Consider their GDP growth per year. Look at their life expectancy. Look at their economic data. Look at their government structures. They enjoy more healthy life style than the residents of US. And they live longer than Nigerians. Start in the following site, data gathered by the US government: http://www.nigerianc.com/facts/pages/infant-mortality.php http://www.nigerianc.com/facts/pages/more-1/gdp-growth-rates.php Remove your head off you a'sshole. Posted by Unregistered| 17.11.2005 11:34

Unregistered

# 4 =Mango>Rubbish article. Like a lot of these articles, you make your conclusion, and then you try to build a case for it. Ndigbo's problems are the problems of every Nigerian: Poverty due to corruption and bad leadership. In an affluent society, ethnicity is irrelevant. It is only relevant, maybe, in terms of bringing government closer to the people, and preserving ethnic cultures (e.g. languages). I don't see the ethnic problems that you see. I have many Igbo friends, and Igbos and Yorubas inter-marry a lot. This is a problem that sectional leaders seek, so that they can enslave the minds of ordinary people, and use them to achieve their dubious minds. Let me tell you what should worry you. Go to your Local Government Chairman and ask him what he did with the council allocations. Ask him how he can afford several houses and wives on the salary of a Council Chairman. Then ask your state governor what he did with the state's allocation. Ask Chris Uba why he rigged elections in Igbo land. Afteral, Chris Uba is an Igbo Man. Then your people will thank you. With the money allocated to ANY state in Nigeria, there is NO REASON why there should be no basic amenities for ordinary people. Ndigbo do not need war. The people need basic amenities, that its government should be able to provide. I can assure you that the break-up of Nigeria will not solve any of the problems you 'identified'. If your Local Government becomes a country on its own, the leaders will still be corrupt. They will still find reasons to pit clans against each other. And there will still be poverty. Indeed more poverty, as you will have less natural and human resources. Make no mistake about it. Nigeria is stronger than the sum of its parts. Our population is a strength. We should be pushing our leaders in the direction of probity, so that the country can turn the corner to prosperity, rather than flogging dead horses. Look at the emergence of China and India. Look at the USA. They take their strength from their size. Of course I'm sure you know all this, but you will ignore because you probably have another motive - personal enhancement at the expense of the ordinary majority. This is another diarrhea from the mouth of another immature Yoruba man. He wants to continue the present arrangement in Nigeria because he is afraid to stand on his own. What is he afraid of? He even has the guts to tell us to read this and that. Well, go and read about nations like Singapore, Australia, and Sweden. Each of these nations perform better than US in economic and health stats. Each of these nations maintains a population smaller than the population of the Igbos alone or the population of the Yorubas alone. Each of them also has no crude oil in their soil. Look at their infant mortality and morbidity rates. Consider their GDP growth per year. Look at their life expectancy. Look at their economic data. Look at their government structures. They enjoy more healthy life style than the residents of US. And they live longer than Nigerians. Start in the following site, data gathered by the US government: http://www.nigerianc.com/facts/pages/infant-mortality.php http://www.nigerianc.com/facts/pages/more-1/gdp-growth-rates.php Remove your head off your a'sshole. Posted by Unregistered| 17.11.2005 11:34

Unregistered

# 5 Nigeria should be divided along ethnic lines. Many ignorant people rule Nigeria just because of their numbers. They have produced nothing for anybody. This must stop. We need to go our separate ways so that leaders can be held more accountable for their actions by their own ethnic groups. Posted by Unregistered| 17.11.2005 12:25

Unregistered

# 6 Cann't this be arrested by electing IGBO PRESIDENT? Posted by Unregistered| 17.11.2005 13:39

Unregistered

# 7 =Unregistered>Cann't this be arrested by electing IGBO PRESIDENT? Gani or Neop (all Yorubas) will make an excellent president for Nigeria. Anything else from Yorubas or Hausas is a waste of time. You can anoint OBJ as the eternal KING of Yoruba Nation. But allow us to live our lives in our own nations. Singapore has no single drop of oil, but they enjoy a GDP per capita of about $40,000 (40 times that of Nigeria). Leadership quality matters. Posted by Unregistered| 17.11.2005 14:06

Unregistered

# 8 "During the civil war Igbos designed and built “Refineries, Tanks, Armoured cars, Ogbunigwe bombs, foot cutters, standard Pistols and Rifles, surface to surface Rockets and surface to air Rockets, Rocket delivery systems, War boats” etc." Here we go again Forsa Nigeria Posted by Unregistered| 17.11.2005 14:29

Unregistered

# 9 =Unregistered>"During the civil war Igbos designed and built “Refineries, Tanks, Armoured cars, Ogbunigwe bombs, foot cutters, standard Pistols and Rifles, surface to surface Rockets and surface to air Rockets, Rocket delivery systems, War boats” etc." Here we go again Forsa Nigeria All true. All in the history museums in Britain. OBJ is yet to produce a toilet paper for your ass'hole! SP Posted by Unregistered| 17.11.2005 14:35

Unregistered

# 10 All these playground stuff - when are you going to grow up? Watch the "Discovery Channel" and see ordinary people build computers, bicycles cars, motorbikes, helicopters for an hobbies. Anyone with an average intelligence can make bomb. You are so backward Forsa Nigeria Posted by Unregistered| 17.11.2005 14:50

---

The conversation continues in our forum. Click here to read all comments

---