36 GOVERNORS TODAY ABAVO CHRONICLE ABEJUKOKO VANGUARD ABEOKUTA NEWS ABIA REPORTERS ABIA SUN ABIGBORODO SUN KONTO KARFE MAIL kwale KWALE NEWS KWARA BUSINESS JOURNAL KWARA DAILY SUN KWARA HERALD KWARA STAR LABOUR MOVEMENT LABOUR PARTY BELIEVERS LADIPO JOHNSON LAGOS EAGELE LAGOS GOVERNMENT HOUSE LAGOS NEWS LAGOS NOW LAMONDE EBIRERI ONITSHA NEWS Onumane news ONYEDEGA MIRROR OREROKPE ENTERPRISE OREROKPE NEWS OREROKPE PILOT OREROKPE VANGUARD Uncategorized URHOBO NATION URHOBO NEWS URHOBO PIONEER URHOBO RECORD URHOBO RECORDER URHOBO REVIEW YORUBA DAILY TRUST YORUBA GUARDIAN YORUBA LAND NEWS yoruba news YORUBA PEOPLE DAILY UNION YORUBA PUNCH YORUBA THISDAY YORUBA TRIBUNE YUSUF DANTALIE ZAMBIA NEWS ZAMFARA DAILY PROGRESS zipowei zipowei ochonogor
OUR RELIGIOUS ALBATROSS BY DR AUSTIN ORETTE

OUR RELIGIOUS ALBATROSS BY DR AUSTIN ORETTE

OUR RELIGIOUS ALBATROSS BY DR AUSTIN ORETTE

If we aspire to be a multi-religious and multi-ethnic society, we have to remove religion from the centrality of our politics. We must decentralize governance.

We have too many religious holidays and none of the religions is indigenous. Religion should have no place in our public lives.

The minds of our people have been seriously poisoned and corroded by religion. If we want to change our situation, we have to change the way we think. How can we think when the minds of the majority of our people have been corroded by religion?

 What is happening in Nigeria is akin to mass psychosis. How do we extricate our nation from this?  I am tempted to say let us pray. There goes my brain. Religion short circuits any thought process and leads to arrested development. What is the point of thinking when God is in charge? This leads to fatalism that is prevalent in Nigeria.

The present way and verve which Nigeria embraces religion is destructive to a society that is struggling to render service to its people in a pluralistic society. If Religion is such a good thing, the benefits will have been everywhere by now and the colonizers will never give it to us for free.

In order to create docility, they forced the Chinese to consume the real opium which was medicinal in China at that time. The Chinese leaders saw the harm it was doing to the people and they picked up arms. This led to the Opium wars that led to the loss of Hong Kong and Macao.

Africa had no opium and the colonizers discovered religion could be more addictive than opium and they cultivated it as it was cheaper than the real opium.

Docility has always been the endpoint of slavery and colonialism. Nigerians are more docile and self-destructive than any group of people I know. They worship and nurture those who steal and vandalize their commonwealth and without a blink lynch a person who steals a loaf of bread to ward off starvation. This level of cognitive dissonance is only seen amongst drug addicts.

When I hear of foreign aid, I squirm at the thought of adding foreign priests and pastors to these orgies of abuse of Africans.

The most religious geographies in Nigeria are the most violent and destructive to the body politics of Nigeria. Religion is not about love. It is about power.  Since rulers around the world adopted religion to fortify their legitimacy, religion has always been a tool of power.

Every religion started with the founder having some private revelation. These revelations were not corroborated by a third party or done in the glare of the public. Someone said he saw God and we believed him. The king believed him and the king adopted the religion and the king became God and no one can criticize the king because the king is God.

 In the prescientific world of yore, anything could be a miracle. Most early religious people directed their ire at the rulers. The wily rulers simply adopted the religion and usurped God’s power. The conundrum I continue to find is that none of the so-called founders actually set out to start a religion. These religions started many years after they were dead.

Moses criticized pharaoh and Jesus condemned the High Priests who were working in tandem with the Roman government in the occupation and oppression of the Palestinian people.

In today’s world, the Pope who is preaching Jesus will be on the side of Rome.  Mohammad was not loved by the rulers of his time. Early prophets told the truth. Nathan told David about his lust. Nigerian prophets of today would collect their tithes and personally get rid of Uriah.

Why should the king bother with such little people like Uriah? Every great prophet was anti-establishment. The prophets of today, especially in Nigeria are the establishment. Whatever they say is not of God but from their selfish desires to covet what belongs to others. This is why religion is at the root of all corruption in Nigeria.

For Nigeria to be whole, we must excise religion from all our public interaction. Those who want sharia should find another country.

Nigeria is an African Country. It has no relationship with Saudi Arabia. Any organization that condones the killing of Nigerians like those being ministered to by the likes of Gumi should be outlawed.

Our aspiration is to run a country with objective scientific principles that are objective and verifiable. Any religious gobbledygook must be rejected.

Religion has not developed in any country in the world. The poorest nations in the World are overwhelmingly religious. In Bangladesh, the average religious holiday is about 2 weeks.

The two regions that have religious extremism in Nigeria are the North and the South-East. If there is goodness in religion, we will see it in these regions.

What do we see? In the South East, we see violence, kidnappings, ritual killings and fake manufacturing of drinks and drugs that the good Christians there produced for their neighbors.

 Every morning in Aba, Onitsha and the environs, the good Christians wake up early to prepare a poison that will be unknowingly consumed by their neighbors for a fee. Did Jesus teach that? In the North, violence, human trafficking, child abuse, child marriages and religious killings, raping and kidnappings that numbs the mind. This is what religion breeds.

 Every Friday morning in Kano, Kaduna and Sokoto, the “good” Muslims lay their praying mats on the road oblivious to traffic and start praying. The road is blocked and others cannot engage in their activities of daily living. At the end, they rise up and sacrifice Deborah Samson to their Allah. Any person who challenges this barbaric behavior is subjected to vigilante justice. Is this what Mohammed taught them? Jesus actually referred to this kind of people as the Pharisees. Why do I have to know you are praying? Why is it necessary to obstruct my movement because you are praying? This is nothing but an exercise of power.

Religion is the devil but the priest has been able to convince their gullible and ignorant followers that the opposite is true. Most of the religionists in Nigeria will say they love God but will not blink as they kill their fellow man in the name of God.

From what is happening in Nigeria, it will be difficult for any of these religious gooks to convince me that they are not working for the devil. At times like this, I am beginning to think of Tom Payne, my Idol. If God is capable of these atrocities, then the devil has nothing else to do. The devil should join the Church or mosque and do what the devil does best: Destruction.

 What I try to emphasize in my writing is that at this time in our history, we have to learn to live together as black people. If we aspire to become the hope of the Black World, we must learn to have allegiance to each other. It is difficult to do so now because the colonizers left their Trojan horses of religion which we have fashioned into Molotov cocktails to haul at each other every now and then.

We must learn to love each other. We don’t have to like each other but we can develop the capacity to evolve a society where our laws prevent us from hurting each other.  The religions that are creating these divisions are imported and are tools the colonizer used to make us pliant for servitude.

We need to learn how to remove these barriers that were created by those who came into our land for conquest. This needs the art of diplomacy and time. We have to understand we need each other to survive. Things will change when we start seeing ourselves in each other.

Europe lived through a period where they were intolerant of each other and the continent is gradually resuming some semblance of civility towards each other. The world war was actually intertribal and religious wars. Kosovo is still almost a war zone with animosities but life is getting better.

This is where I fault the proponents of Biafra. The quickness in which they want to resolve issues with violence or war is akin to people who have no experience with the devastation war brings. They are quick to issue ultimatums and engage in kinetic actions that will rally an opponent against them. This bellicosity and lack of diplomacy is due to the fact their societies never engaged in many wars as a nation, where serious thought is given to the consequences of losing. They made this mistake in the Nigerian civil war and they are at it again.

The Oyo Empire was one of the bloodiest empires in West Africa. The fall of the Oyo Empire led to the wholesale enslavement of the Yoruba people. The Yoruba people are the largest enslaved tribe in Africa. From Brazil to Suriname Cuba, the Yoruba language and religion are the norm. This devastation had an effect on the Oyo Empire and they learned from it.

This is the reason why the Yoruba people are very diplomatic about thorny issues. They have been accused of being tricky. They learned a lot from their history and a Yoruba man will never beat his chest to a man who has an AK 47 pointing to his chest. If a Yoruba man decides to go to war, I will not have many questions to ask before I join because I know he has deliberated about everything and he has no other choice and I know he will win because he also understands the opposition.

When Nnamdi Kanu threatens a Buhari who is a President, Kanu assumes that Buhari is an idiot because of Igbo man’s arrogance and limited education. Where is Kanu today? Buhari could have eliminated Kanu in Nairobi if that was his mission. His mission was to arrest and prosecute him. Notwithstanding his theatrics, Nnamdi should thank Buhari for not murdering him in Nairobi or through a calculated plane crash. He should learn that a good leader is not a blood thirsty vagabond who issues orders to kill people at will. He should respect our courts and follow the due process of trial.

Those who are asking America to invade Nigeria have the same infantile thinking. They think Trump will drop the bombs, the Muslims will disappear and they will have their Biafra and everything is over. This naivety led to the colossal failure of Ojukwu and the Igbos still call him the people general.

Please turn the page. It is titled the “Day After “ For some reasons, the Biafrans don’t know that their book of dreams has  a next page. Ojukwu forgot that page too. “After Biafra lost, they blamed everyone but themselves. The people who rejected the advice of Nnamdi Azikiwe, a seasoned statesman for the bellicosity of a renegade now tell us it was other people’s fault.

Warriors don’t brag about battles. They don’t even show us their scars.  They leave that for amateurs who have never seen widows and orphans. Hitler tried it the second time and the results were the same and more devastating. It is not necessary to repeat a class if all lessons are learned.

My submission is that we should learn diplomacy. The making of a nation requires this. Those who negotiate on behalf of their people should always avoid the temptation to think their adversary is an idiot.

America has not given us creative leaders lately. They have become used to antiseptic wars. Donald Trump coming to Africa to save Christian sounds like a 419 proposition for the racist religious right of America. He doesn’t need to spend much effort to destroy Nigeria or kill those causing the problem.

Let’s be more creative. He should tell Nigeria he is dropping 20 billion dollars in Lokoja for Christians and Muslims to share equally. He should then sit and wait. All the Muslims and Christians will arrive with their swords and AK 47. There will be a holy war as each side tries to claim this loot. The only ones who will be left alive are Nigerians who didn’t believe the story and those who have not been converted or sent away by their priests because they are not real Muslims or Christians. The Catholics will ask for confessions before any one is allowed to join the broil. By morning, America can walk in and take the rare earths and minerals without firing a shot . They can collect their money from the pockets of all the dead Christians and Muslims who were engaged in a jihad.

Where are the good Christians in Nigeria? They have been raptured. Where are the Muslims? They are in paradise with their 72 virgins. Religion has always been a lie, a big lie. Religion is an intoxicant invented by men of power. This intoxicant is the greatest purveyor of violence and cruelty in our world. The exceptions don’t make the rules. Prove me wrong.

What is so holy about a war that God has to take sides? If America defeats Nigeria tomorrow, does it mean America was right and God was on their side? No, they have better intelligence and technology. God wasn’t the referee.

DR AUSTIN ORETTE WRITES FROM HOUSTON, TEXAS

admin
36 GOVERNORS TODAY ABAVO CHRONICLE ABEJUKOKO VANGUARD ABEOKUTA NEWS ABIA REPORTERS ABIA SUN ABIGBORODO SUN ABIRIBA NEWS OKEHI MONITOR OKEHI MUSIC OKEHI NEWSPAPER OKEHI OBSERVER OKEHI ONLINE OKEHI POINTER OKEHI POLITICS YORUBA PUNCH YORUBA THISDAY YORUBA TRIBUNE YUSUF DANTALIE ZAMBIA NEWS ZAMFARA DAILY PROGRESS zipowei zipowei ochonogor
CONTRACTORS GOVERNMENT AGENTS AND THE STABILITY OF NIGERIA BY DR AUSTIN ORETTE

CONTRACTORS, GOVERNMENT AGENTS AND THE STABILITY OF NIGERIA BY DR AUSTIN ORETTE

CONTRACTORS, GOVERNMENT AGENTS AND THE STABILITY OF NIGERIA BY DR AUSTIN ORETTE

 

 

Who makes these changes?

“I shoot an arrow right, it turns left“

I chase after a deer; I get chased by a lion.

I dig a hole for my enemies, and I fall into it……….

I should be careful about what I want” …. RUMI

 

Who makes these changes? Why can’t we understand that what goes around comes around? I have been doing some random musings lately. Why is it so easy for government agents not to pay contractors who have diligently completed an assignment on behalf of the government? The government being the largest employer is setting bad examples to rogue employers who are exploiting Nigerians daily.

 

 

How can the government compel private institutions to pay what they owe, when the government is the chief culprit in this regard? Those in government must ask the critical question. Is the non-payment for services part of the root cause of the various unrest in Nigeria? These actors may be those who have been damaged by government actions. This is a big issue that should worry any person or politician in any position of authority.

The stories concerning non-payment for duly executed contracts are very disturbing. The cavalier altitude of the elite in this regard is overwhelming and numbing. All tiers of governments in Nigeria treat their contractors and workers with arrogance and disdain like the military used to do. This attitude of not paying contractors and suppliers has become a culture that will cripple the country. A businessman takes a loan from a bank to execute contracts on behalf of government and there is no hope of him getting paid. The bank comes after him and he loses everything. This is cruel and unfair.

 

No government should consider owing contractors as a policy of development. Some of these folks die without collecting what is owed to them. There should be a law to stop the government from these abuses of citizens. The stories are so numerous and heartbreaking. There was the story of a contractor who procured vehicles for some state government.  Many months have passed, and nothing has been paid. The contractor lost his collateral to bank seizures.

 

We cannot develop Nigeria with this primitive way of thinking and interaction with citizens who use their resources and ingenuity to provide services to the government that have no respect for the sanctity of contacts.

 

 

All the politicians in this country profess some faith. It is sacrilege not to pay the laborer his just wages. No economy can develop if those who participate and deliver service are not paid their just wages after completion of set contracts.

There should be a law to stop this abuse of citizens. If this situation is not remedied, it will soon have a multiplier effect that will drag the economy down and increase the suffering of hard-working Nigerians who dare to participate in business ventures with the government and its agencies.

A law should apply here, that sixty days after completion of a project, the government must pay if the work is satisfactory. If there is any dispute, the agencies involved must pay fifty percent and the other fifty percent should be paid with interest when the dispute is resolved.

Those who are in charge and derive joy from withholding citizens legitimate earning should know that what goes around comes around. Someone may not release their pension until after their death. If this attitude becomes the Nigerian culture, they have a responsibility to be a bull work against rogue government policies. No one should protest to be paid his just earnings. This sordid behavior in the corridors of power should be stopped as it is beginning to be a culture.

The nature of Nigerian society is that the dark is always calling to the dark. Before we know it, all government agencies will be like NEPA that charges exorbitant fees without supplying a single unit of electricity.

Pay the laborer his just wages. Government should not engage in theft of service. The National Assembly should conduct a study to see how prevalent this malady is in this country and advance legislation to preclude it.

If you don’t pay those who work, don’t be surprised when your system becomes clogged with flotsam and jetsam that will sink the ship of state. No one should work for a government that does not pay. Those who will do so are desperados who are there to deplete and convert government resources. Some of the unrest throughout the country may be due to people who feel they have been taken advantage of by the state or federal government. These include those who executed contracts and were not paid and became desperate.

Government must at all times try to reduce the ranks of desperado by not deliberately pushing people into poverty.  This lack of regard of citizens leads to a culture of nonchalance that defines Nigeria today. We can do better by refusing to race to the bottom.

All governments must as a matter of urgency assume their responsibility to pay their workers and contractors their fair and just compensation. Any government that does not comply with this fundamental objective is a rogue government that has no place in civilized societies. Such governments can only produce discontent and anarchy.

DR AUSTIN ORETTE WRITES FROM HOUSTON, TEXAS

admin
36 GOVERNORS TODAY ABAVO CHRONICLE ABEJUKOKO VANGUARD ABEOKUTA NEWS ABIA REPORTERS ABIA SUN ABIGBORODO SUN ABIRIBA NEWS IBRAHIM SHEMA IBUSA ENTERPRISE Ichikirhe news ICPC NEWS IDAH LEADERSHIP IDAH TOWN TRUST IDOMA NEWS MEDIAGATE AGBOR MEDIAGATE AGHALOKPE MEDIAGATE AJAMIKAWA MEDIAGATE AMERICA MEDIAGATE ANTHONY MEDIAGATE ASABA PDP FOOT SOLDIERS PDP NEWS PETER OBI PETER UMEADI PETROLEUM PLATEAU EAGLE YORUBA DAILY TRUST YORUBA GUARDIAN YORUBA LAND NEWS yoruba news YORUBA PEOPLE DAILY UNION YORUBA PUNCH
FORMER BAYELSA STATE ATTORNEY GENERAL PENS TRIBUTE TO MADAM ELSIE AJAYI IKOLI

FORMER BAYELSA STATE ATTORNEY GENERAL PENS TRIBUTE TO MADAM ELSIE AJAYI IKOLI

 

 

The First Senior Advocate from Bayelsa State, Chief Anthony George-Ikoli, on Sunday described Madam Elsie Ajayi Ikoli as a paragon of virtue, compassion, and elegance.

‘’We will congregate on Friday, November 28, 2025, in Lagos to bid a fond farewell to a luminary whose radiance illuminated our lives for 93 extraordinary years. My mother, a paragon of virtue, compassion, and elegance, leaves behind a legacy that transcends mortal bounds.

In an emotional tribute, the former Bayelsa State Attorney General called Elsie Ajayi Ikoli the epicenter of the family, the thread that stitched them together with love, laughter, and tears.

“Like a sunrise that banishes the shadows, her presence brightened our lives, casting a warm glow that will forever be etched in our hearts. Her love knew no limits, her kindness unbridled, and her generosity boundless. She was the epicenter of our family, the thread that stitched us together with love, laughter, and tears’’.

The foremost lawyer talked about strong emotional bonds.

“As a guiding light, she navigated us through life’s turbulent waters, her wisdom and intuition serving as our North Star. Her unwavering support and encouragement instilled in us the courage to pursue our dreams, to chase the horizon, and to never surrender to the whispers of doubt’’.

The grandson of the fiery journalist and nationalist, Ernest Sisei Ikoli, emphasized the late mother’s principles.

“Her passing leaves a chasm that cannot be filled, a silence that cannot be broken. Yet, even in death, she teaches us the value of living, of loving, and of leaving a lasting impact on the lives we touch’’.

 

He also emphasized love, kindness, and generosity.

“As we say our final goodbyes, we take comfort in the memories of a life well-lived, a life that continues to inspire us to be better, to do better, and to love without condition. May her legacy of love, kindness, and generosity continue to illuminate our path, guiding us toward a brighter tomorrow’’

 

He recalled her infectious laughter, warm smile, and her remarkable ability to make everyone feel seen, heard, and loved.

‘’We recall her tireless devotion to her family, her friends, and her community, and the countless lives she touched through her selflessness, her compassion, and her unwavering commitment to making the world a brighter, more loving place’’.

 

He also urged Nigerians to emulate her example.

“Though she may be gone from our sight, her memory will remain with us, a blessing to cherish, a legacy to uphold. May we strive to emulate her example, to spread love, kindness, and joy wherever we go, and to honor her memory by living lives that reflect the values she held dear.

 

Ending the tribute, Ikoli said “Rest now, dear Mother, in the knowledge that your love, your legacy, and your memory will continue to inspire and uplift us. May your soul find peace, and may your memory be a blessing to us all.”

 

Madam Elsie Ajayi Ikoli died at her Lagos home on Tuesday, September 2, 2025. She was 93 years old.

admin
36 GOVERNORS TODAY ABAVO CHRONICLE ABEJUKOKO VANGUARD ABEOKUTA NEWS ABIA REPORTERS ABIA SUN ABIGBORODO SUN ABIRIBA NEWS ADVERTISING AGBARHO NEWS AGBON KINGDOM news AGBOR ADVERTISER AGHALOKPE JOURNAL AGHALOKPE MIRROR AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION AGRICULTURE NEWS MOPA MURO TELEVISION MOPA MURO TRIBUNE MOPA MURO VANGUARD MOPA MURO VOICE MOPA TELEGRAPH MOSCOW NEWS MOSES AYOM PLATEAU MESSENGER POLITICAL COMMUNICATION POLITICAL NEWS POLITICIAN Politics POPULATION PORT HARCOURT MESSENGER TAMINU TURAKI TARABA COASTER TARABA HERALD TARIFF TAXATION TEIN JACK RICH THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO NEWS YORUBA PUNCH YORUBA THISDAY YORUBA TRIBUNE YUSUF DANTALIE ZAMBIA NEWS ZAMFARA DAILY PROGRESS
WHERE IS OUR HISTORY? BY DR AUSTIN ORETTE

WHERE IS OUR HISTORY? BY DR AUSTIN ORETTE

 

 

We must teach our history. I cannot find any reason why Nigeria’s history is not being taught in Nigerian schools. This is a terrible mistake. What are we afraid of? Whose idea is it, that teaching Nigerian history will be unhealthy to our nation?

 

This must be one of the mediocre ideas of the mercenaries that imprisoned Nigeria for more than fifty years. Our history is who we are and why we are here and where we are going.

 

 

 

As a nation, we are not perfect. We have made mistakes and we have done some good things. Our history is the record of this journey as a nation. Our history should give us constant hindsight so that we don’t repeat mistakes. If we take the good and bad and give a proper account, it will be discovered we have made some great strides as a people.

 

We fought wars and we have managed to win the peace. Out of the cacophony of our existence, we have produced the Nigerian character. The Nigerian is the product from this blast furnace. It is this character that is under attack throughout the world. Nigeria does not have the monopoly of criminality. What the West is attacking is the virility of Nigeria. If we know this, it will give us the fortitude to persevere.

 

We cannot know who we are if our history is not made known to us. Knowing who we are will give us the ammunition to fight in a world that has become hostile to the Nigerian. We will be able to define ourselves instead of letting others define us. We must tell our story if not others will tell it and are unpalatable by using our least common denominator. We are Nigerians and we are not more corrupt than any other group of people.

 

The western press can make you hate your friends and make you love your enemies. At the end, it induces its audience into a state of celebrated ignorance. As Africa is waking up from its doldrums, the west is beginning to recalibrate their positions. They have chosen Nigeria as the bogeyman because the Nigerian represents everything they fear about the awake African.

 

For centuries, they used their instrument of coercion and education to tell the lion that it can only survive by stealing food from the hyena. A few Africans and the Nigerian never accepted this. The lion, within, was never slayed. It roamed without a purpose and it used its strength to attack its own kind and listen to the tails of the gazelle. It wandered in self-doubt. Every now and then, there is a glimpse of the glorious past which appeared as hallucinations. The dreams became more vivid and took on a reality of real life. He is the lion and must not wait for the meals provided by the hyena. He is the lion and must make his own kill and establish his pride. This is Nigeria from Slavery to Colonialism and Neo-colonialism. We lost our way. It is this awakening that the World is fighting. They have made the Nigerian a pariah because he wants to stand on his own two feet. The attack on the Nigerian is the attack on the manhood of Africa.

 

From wars, coups and disrespect, we have survived what the world has thrown at us.  Out of this crucible, we have created a citizen who believes in himself and his people. This is what the world is attacking. Every one of these attacks tries to gain legitimacy by using our own against us. In South Africa, the black South Africans blamed the Nigerian for his problem. In West Africa, the Ghanaians blamed Nigeria for their problems. In America, the black America blamed Nigeria for their problems.

 

When Trump started his orgy of deportation, the black Americans were celebrating the deportation of Nigerians. When the world and our own are against us, we have to rely on each other and our history. Due to the lack of this history, we cannot tell the world what Nigeria has done for the freedom of all black people in the world. If we have history, we will tell the South African that we paid a heavy price to fight for their freedom. Western Companies like Shell, Barclays and others were nationalized due to their relationship with apartheid South Africa. Nigeria spearheaded and funded the anti-apartheid committee that negotiated the final phase of apartheid.

 

If we have history, we will tell the Ghanaian that the stability they enjoy in West Africa today was made possible by Nigeria. When Sierra Leone and Liberia caught fire, Nigeria became the fire fighters. America that created Liberia was nowhere to be found. People were dying in thousands and they were preaching human rights to those who were dying. Nigeria created the peace and did not ask for their land or their gold. Nigeria brought the soldiers who died in that war to be buried in Nigeria. We did not even ask for a place to bury our dead. We did not ask for their Diamond or their Gold. Nigeria did not impose any system of government on them. America or Britain will never give that kind of selfless service.

 

My country Nigeria did that. If we have that history, we will tell the black Americans that during the oil embargo of the 1970, a certain American president visited Nigeria to request for energy. The price of energy was prohibitive .Americans were losing their homes and could not afford to mitigate the brutal winters. Nigeria helped America by supplying them fuel at a very reasonable price, and also donated fuel to various foundations in America who were helping the poor to survive those brutal winters.

 

To top it all, Nigeria took an unprecedented step to assist Historical Black Colleges in America who were in danger of closing due to a serious financial crisis. Nigeria seized this opportunity. Nigeria awarded scholarships to many Nigerians to further their education at these Historical Black Colleges.

 

This is the beginning of Nigerians moving to the United States for education. The presence of Nigerians in those colleges brought a new lease of life to them. Today the Black American and the South African and the rest have joined the league of those who hate Nigeria with passion.  Out of our difficulties, we have created a unique individual we call the Nigerian. He may be beaten but his head is unbowed. He is not bound by geography. His identity is justice, enterprise and fair play. We may tear at each other from North to South, East to West; let us never forget that the strength of our fabric will stand the test of time if we learn to understand that we are one people bound by a common identity that seeks justice and fair play in our common struggles. This struggles, created this individual we call the Nigerian.

When the World tugs at us, we remember that we are more than the sum of our differences. The Nigerian is not bound by geography or race. The Nigerian has a keen sense of justice. and knows that we are more than the sum total of our differences. He is indefatigable. The Nigerian is the hope of the African renaissance. The World is beginning to recognize this Nigerian and they all want to be members of this tribe. All that is needed to be members of this tribe is a keen sense of justice, agape love and fair play. Indeed, love of service and enterprise. Let us be this Nigerian. The world is waiting.

 

 DR AUSTIN ORETTE WRITES FROM HOUSTON, TEXAS

admin
36 GOVERNORS TODAY ABAVO CHRONICLE ABEJUKOKO VANGUARD ABEOKUTA NEWS ABIA REPORTERS ABIA SUN ABIGBORODO SUN ABIRIBA NEWS BORIPE STAR BORNO VOICE BRAZIL TELEGRAPH BRITISH NIGERIA TIMES BUDGET DEFICIT BUKOLA SARAKI BURUTU STAR IGBIMIDAKA ELUME TELEVISION IGBIMIDAKA ELUME THISDAY IGBIMIDAKA ELUME VANGUARD IGBO CULTURAL NEWS IGBO DAILY NEWS IGBO JOURNAL IGBOMINA DAILY LEDGER IGBOMINA NEWS KWARA BUSINESS JOURNAL KWARA DAILY SUN KWARA HERALD KWARA STAR LABOUR MOVEMENT LABOUR PARTY BELIEVERS OKENE NEWS OKENE TIDE OKENE TIMES OKERE SUN ADVERTIZER OKEY UDO OKIGWE NEWS SULE LAMIDO SUNDAY ADENUGA SURULERE NEWS SURULERE VOICE SWITZEERLAND NEWS TALLENSI NEWS YORUBA PUNCH YORUBA THISDAY YORUBA TRIBUNE YUSUF DANTALIE ZAMBIA NEWS ZAMFARA DAILY PROGRESS zipowei zipowei ochonogor
THE NIGERIAN JOURNEY BY DR AUSTIN ORETTE

THE NIGERIAN JOURNEY BY DR AUSTIN ORETTE

 

 

 

It takes time to form a country. It takes patience and dedication to change attitudes. When people from disparate places and cultures are brought together to form a Nation, it is never easy. In the long run, the tears and toil are worth it because the interactions lead to expansion of consciousness which drives human progress.

 

 

 

The journey of nationhood is not for timid souls.  It was never easy for countries like India and China to rise. These countries have more divisions, ethnic, religious cleavages and groupings than we can ever imagine. The main thing that worked for them was that they never gave upstart military officers the chance to upend their civilian administration and throw their country into a fratricide war.

 

 

 

In times of distress, there are people in Nigeria who still look to the military for solutions. This is shameful. The military caused our problems. How did we arrive at this place where a lot of Nigerians still think the military have solutions to our problem? Are these folks’ victims of Military Induced Mental Retardation (MIMR) (pronounced Mama)? These people still think this way despite the overwhelming evidence to the contrary. This is the reason why the various legislative bodies have not seen it fit to abrogate the decrees of the military that ruled Nigeria on behalf of a certain group of people. This mentality is dangerous to our body politics. This is why a lot of these politicians pay courtesy visits to these soldiers of fortune that turned Nigeria into the Pariah nation.

 

 

 

MIMR is the reason the Nigerian lawyers don’t know their role in a democratic society. MIMR is the reason why we don’t have legal reforms. In a constitution that guarantees freedom of movement, the Nigerian is harassed daily on the highways by state agents.

 

 

 

Are we at war? Why is our freedom restricted? No lawyer has taken the government to court for this constitutional violation. This is pathetic.  We need serious legal reforms. The method of appointing judges is very antiquated. We need to know the character of those who will be judges. Knowledge of jurisprudence should not be the only criteria. During the military years, the Nigerian lawyer played the role of stenographer for military decrees, and the judges took their decisions from the soldiers. Now they are playing almost the same role as politicians who have no idea why they were elected.  They have abandoned the practice of law to become jesters at the feet of reckless politicians and conveyors of injustice at our courts. Our courts harbor judges who suffocate justice under their robes and consider military decrees of bygone era as a guild post for our state of jurisprudence.

 

 

 

All over the country, you see governors and other politicians seizing and damaging people’s properties without just compensation and there is no lawyer in sight to argue on behalf of the afflicted. A Dangote truck will damage and incinerate people on the highways, and no case is brought on behalf of the victims. The Nigerian Armed Forces go into a village for security duties and destroy the village, no justice for the victims. The governor pays a courtesy visit to the commander in chief. No lawyer files a lawsuit on behalf of the victim. The officer who issued the command to murder sleeping villagers is left to repeat the same scenario in another jurisdiction. We will protest if this happens in Palestine. It is happening in the Democratic Republic of Nigeria where the rights of the citizens are undermined daily by those they elected. These politicians did not gain power by a coup. If you listen to them with your eyes closed, you will think they are military officers who have just gained power through a coup d’etat. They don’t seek consensus. They give directives. Some of them defy court rulings with fanfare. The military infantilized everyone in Nigeria, but they pushed the lawyer back into the womb. This is atrocious.

 

 

 

As a nation, we must consider the fifty-five years of military rule in Nigeria as the years of locust. The journey of great nations is always evolutionary. The military years were the years when hatred of each other became ossified and personalized as the military played us against each other to prolong their power. The revolution is always a lie.

 

 

 

In history, most periods of revolutionary zeal turn to mirage. We will have good leaders, and we will have bad leaders. Each period is an opportunity to learn what to do and what not to do. The rush to think that some army general will appear and use a magical wand to achieve all we wish for is infantile and dangerous. No soldier can develop any nation. Nigeria is a testament to that foolery. It is the willingness of the people to understand the necessity to build bridges and lasting institutions of harmony that moves a nation forward. The rule of law is the cornerstone in this exercise. If we have the rule of law, the Nigerian will feel protected in any place he calls home. Ethnic crisis and tensions will dampen because he knows no matter what happens, the law will protect him from ethnic or religious vigilantism that is the breeding ground for timid souls that are still married to the past.

 

 

 

These people must be made to see the supremacy of the law as the sign of our progress. The journey is arduous, and our dream should be about building frameworks that last beyond our existence, because the nation that we dream of should always be a continuous journey of those who believe in tomorrow and understand that the yearning and aspiration of our people shall never die. This is all we can ask for as we toil in our little corner, to build tomorrow for the next generation.

 

 

 

We must strive to make tomorrow a brighter proposition for those coming after us. It is when we arrive at that place, we can say our work is done. This singularity is love that binds us beyond ethnic and religious proclivities, which robs us of our basic humanity. We can start this journey today and also understand that others who share the same aspirations with us may start their journey tomorrow. The wisdom we seek should give us the patience to know the difference and endure the pain and loneliness of waiting for those who are not ready today but will join us tomorrow.

 

 

 

For those who seek truth, justice and fairness, tomorrow is a distant horizon we must gaze at with hope, endurance and fortitude. Tomorrow is not a destination; it is a state of our being. The futuristic tomorrow may never come but our state of will be fulfilled and rewarded as our collective struggles will build monuments that last beyond our time. That is the tomorrow we seek, a place where our dreams will never die.

 

 

 

DR AUSTIN ORETTE WRITES FROM HOUSTON TEXAS

admin
36 GOVERNORS TODAY ABAVO CHRONICLE ABEJUKOKO VANGUARD ABEOKUTA NEWS ABIA REPORTERS ABIA SUN ABIGBORODO SUN ABIRIBA NEWS MEDIAGATE LAGOS MEDIAGATE LISBON MEDIAGATE MANAGEMENT MEDIAGATE MILITARY MEDIAGATE MONITOR MEDIAGATE MOSOGAR MEDIAGATE NEWS MEDIAGATE NIGERIA PUBLIC RELATIONS QUALITY REPRESENTATION RAMADAN NEWS RAUF AREGBESOLA RECLAMATION TIMES YORUBA PUNCH YORUBA THISDAY YORUBA TRIBUNE YUSUF DANTALIE ZAMBIA NEWS ZAMFARA DAILY PROGRESS zipowei zipowei ochonogor
THE SIMILARITIES BETWEEN IGBO AND FULANI BY DR AUSTIN ORETTE

THE SIMILARITIES BETWEEN IGBO AND FULANI BY DR AUSTIN ORETTE

 

The more things look different, the higher the chances of finding similarities if we look closely. Those at the opposite end of the spectrum are mirror images. If we move too quickly, we are subjected to the parallax effect where everything is moving except us. In this scenario, we are not the cause but the effect.

 

I have lived with Igbo and Fulani people. As a student of behavioral science, I don’t see any difference in these groups. They may hate and admire each other but they are having the mirror effect on each other.

 

The Fulani people are fatalistic while Igbo are nihilistic. A keen observer can predict these groups in any given situation. The level of narcissism between these groups is superlative.  The Fulani trust no one outside their conclave.

 

In the last election, the South-East gave 99% of votes to Mr. Peter Obi. At what point does self-love become injurious to the group? This is the question we can answer if we are able to calibrate the interactions that might be injurious to people who are not members of the group.

 

Igbo and the Fulani may differ in temperament, but their world view is the same. Both groups want the same results, but their methods are different. The Fulani people use religious manipulation while the Igbo people use manipulated commerce. At the end of the day, the objective is the same.  They want to be in charge. The Fulani will boast of their piety while the Igbo people will brag about their wealth. The Fulani man tells us he is closer to God so he should be the head while the Igbo people will tell us God has blessed them with so much wealth so he should be the leader.

 

It is the failure to understand this mirror effect that has made some promoters of Fulani and Igbo agenda to jump to conclusion with emotional fervor.

 

The Igbo and the Fulani people were in alliance in the First Republic. Due to the oversized egos of these ethnic groups, Nigeria suffered a mortal injury. They were in Alliance in the First Republic and that Republic fell apart because they could not control each other and they could not control their basic instincts.

 

 

From this ancient grudge are the seeds of the new mutiny. The first person that told Nigerians that God bequeathed Nigeria to Igbo people for proper stewardship was Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe. Ahmadu Bello heard the speech and rephrased it and made it abundantly clear that Nigeria was the estate of his grandfather. The alliance between Igbo and Fulani was a marriage of convenience. Ahmadu Bello saw it as an opportunity to keep Igbo close so that he could put a check on their behavior. Nnamdi Azikiwe saw it as an opportunity to plant the Igbo people in every federal position to fulfill the manifest destiny of Igbo as ordained by God.

 

As soon as the alliance was formed, things fell apart and the nation was no longer at ease.  The friction within this alliance was so bad that Ahmadu Bello had to remind Zik that it is the Prime Minister who is the Commander in Chief of the Army, and he was the only one who can give directive to the Army. When the name of Aguyi Ironsi was submitted to be the next Chief of Army staff, Ahmadu Bello vetoed it three times. Tafawa Balewa made a personal trip to Kaduna to accede on behalf of Ironsi. Ahmadu Bello reluctantly agreed and told Balewa that he is surrounded by Igbo, and he fears he will not be able to extricate himself from Lagos. He told him that the Igbo people in the cabinet are conducting themselves as if they were the senior partners in the alliance.

 

His worries came to pass, and the rest is history. Our democracy was derailed, and war ensued. When Ojukwu declared secession, he sent a message to David Ejoor who was the Governor of the MidWest Region that he was going to invade the Midwest region. David Ejoor pleaded with him that the Midwest region was neutral in the quarrel between Igbo and Fulani. Ojukwu ignored his plea and invaded the Midwest Region. Ejoor barely escaped with his life. Ojukwu appointed Colonel Okonkwo as Governor, and the Mid-west region became hell on earth. It was murder, rape and forcible conscription of the youth into the Biafran Army. Banks were looted and public institutions were vandalized. Nothing was sacrosanct.

 

 

 

Why kill us if you ask us to be in the same country of Biafra with you. What would we be if Biafra had prevailed? We could have been prisoners of war. If the Fulani people did this to us, the Igbo people will call it a Jihad. Nigeria has had an uneasy peace since the end of the war. There were some ill feelings between the Igbo and the Fulani, but it was not this palpable.

 

During the Presidency of Goodluck Jonathan, the Igbo people were a majority in his cabinet. The Fulani people were on edge. There was no Biafran agitation. Then Buhari came in and there was a sudden effervescence of bitterness and animosity. Why? The Igbo like the Fulani people have become uneasy because Buhari‘s compass only pointed North. His family was his cabinet. Suddenly, Nigeria became a zoo because the Igbo man was no longer in charge.

 

You can now see clearly the mirror effect. When the Fulani ran the North, all the important positions were occupied by the Fulani. When Igbo ran the East, all the important positions were occupied by the Igbo. The minority in the North suffered and the minority in the East suffered. It was the oppression by the Igbo that drove Southern Cameroon out of Nigeria. The minority in the East is uncomfortable with the Igbo and the minority in the North is uncomfortable with the Fulani. You can now see the similarities   clearly.

 

The Fulani don’t see themselves as Nigerians because they colonized the North and no local force has been able to force them out. The administrative system of the whole North was put in place by the Fulani.

 

What is happening in the North is akin to apartheid. In their shrewdness, they tell the Hausa people that they are superior because they are Muslims. Igbo people regale others with their prowess as the richest people God created, and the minorities of the East are very lazy. This propensity to be crude and vulgar is no different from the Fulani who calls someone infidel and want the person to submit to his authority. The Fulani people have a sword, and the Igbo people have a machete.

 

Promoters of the Igbo agenda take affront to this comparison because in their world view, they placed themselves higher than the Fulani because of education. Education and civilization are not synonymous. Education makes you haughty. Civilization gives you the ability to adapt. They took offense because of this observation. Their offense is not about the observation. They take offense because one ascribes everything negative to the Fulani, and they see this observation as pejorative. That is on them for failing to see the kaleidoscopic mirage that have blinded them to see how they can forge a relationship that is not based on animus.

 

In our present Nigeria, we have to find a way to work together without distrust. The Fulani man sees himself as a colonial master. This leads to arrogance and aloofness that is offensive to others.  On the other hand, the Igbo are the only tribe in Nigeria that never had any form of monarchy in their history. This led to a culture of individualism that could be injurious to group cohesion. This is why someone who calls himself an Igbo king does not understand the lack of etiquette in forming a kingdom under another kingdom. In the past, that is considered an act of war because you have to conquer the kingdom before you can set up your Royal lineage. This lack of awareness can only be celebrated by those who trivialize the culture of others. This is similar to the Sultan of Sokoto in telling Nigerians that Islam trumps our culture. The more things look different, the more they look the same. Be observant. The two regions that are very restive in Nigeria today are the North and the East.  They are ready to destroy the edifice if their group is not in charge. You can you see the similarities now. The umbrage in the response by a promoter of the agenda of the two groups will be the same if a Fulani had replied. You feel you are superior, and the Fulani man feels the same. This egotistic behavior blinds them from seeing the ripples of their actions.  This lack of self-reflection is the reason Nigeria is in a vicious cycle today. The Fulani people want Nigeria to be Arewa while the Igbo people want Biafra. This syndrome of atomization is the cumulative resultant forces unleashed by these ethnic groups.

 

We will never resolve this state of our entropy as long as these groups think the only way forward is to subjugate each other and the rest of us. The Igbo and the Fulani people are very much alike. Both have nomadic instincts. The Fulani people want a mosque in every corner. The South-East people want a shop in every corner. They don’t care about what the landlord wants. In the rare occasions when the landlord dares to suggest his existence, the Fulani will call you an infidel while the Igbos will call you Igbo-phobia. These groups have insularity built into their cultures with culpable deniability. It is more glaring with the Fulani people.  This insularity is what makes assimilation with them almost impossible.

 

The Fulani people are trying their best to give the Igbos the Cameroon option while the South-East people are looking for a way to give the Fulani the minority option. Both groups are not in favour of structural reforms.  The shared vision of both groups is to be allowed to roam in Nigeria without the encumbrance of local leaders. The Igbos will have Eze-Igbo in every village, and the Fulani man will roam his cattle everywhere and build his mosque in every village.  This will make the needs of the locals subservient to their incursion because they will be protected by the federal might which they control.

 

 

DR AUSTIN ORETTE WRITES FROM HOUSTON TEXAS

admin
36 GOVERNORS TODAY ABAVO CHRONICLE ABEJUKOKO VANGUARD ABEOKUTA NEWS ABIA REPORTERS ABIA SUN ABIGBORODO SUN EDE DEMOCRAT EDE SOUTH NEWS EDITH OKOWA EDO COURIER EDO EXPRESS EDO MORNING NEWS KANO NEWS KASHIM IBRAHIM SHETIMA KATSINA DAILY TIMES KAYODE FAYEMI KEN NNAMANI ken ochonogor Okuekpagha news Okuighele news Okuimodje news Okuisiorho news OKUKU COURIER OKUKU TIMES Okuokpokpo news SERAP NEWS SEYI MAKINDE SHERIFF OBOREVWORI SHINA PETER SOCIETY NEWS SOUTH AFRICA NEWS Uncategorized YORUBA PUNCH YORUBA THISDAY YORUBA TRIBUNE YUSUF DANTALIE ZAMBIA NEWS ZAMFARA DAILY PROGRESS zipowei zipowei ochonogor
ABUSE OF CITIZENS AND PRODUCTIVITY BY DR AUSTIN ORETTE CHAOS IN GOVERNMENT AGENCIES

CHAOS IN GOVERNMENT AGENCIES, ABUSE OF CITIZENS AND PRODUCTIVITY BY DR AUSTIN ORETTE

CHAOS IN GOVERNMENT AGENCIES, ABUSE OF CITIZENS AND PRODUCTIVITY BY DR AUSTIN ORETTE

 

 

 

 

This is not an endorsement of any leader in Nigeria. I have observed that Nigerians have formed a subculture of always complaining as a means of coping with the realities. My observation is that the blaming of leaders is a veritable past time in the country. I am beginning to see these complaints as a quarrel amongst accomplices. They robbed a bank, and the leader of the gang drove off with the loot in their getaway car and left them stranded. They cannot call the police, so they are left with the infighting which they consider as protest.

 

 

 

 

They start plotting who will hold the key in the next operation. The plot to be the driver in the next robbery is the cacophony we are witnessing daily. They put the blame on the leadership and exempt themselves from the rot within. In this confusion, they blame the wrong people for their woes.

 

 

 

 

Most of the people complaining don’t know the role of their governors, senators and local government chairmen. As soon as anything goes astray, they call Tinubu. This ignorance has allowed the governors and LGA chairman to operate under the radar.

 

 

 

 

What has Tinubu got to do with a house fire in Lagos or kaduna? The governors and the state assembly and local government chairmen are those responsible for policy implementation at the local level. This ignorance is costing the nation a lot.

 

 

 

 

Some of these critics don’t even know the kind of government we are running. They still think we are in the military regime. The president and the senate have not done anything to enlighten the people. Some of their actions like suspending governors and senators by fiat have given the impression that we are still in a military dictatorship.

 

 

 

 

Every Nigerian wants good leadership, but none wants to aspire to be good citizens. All the negative things perpetrated are done by regular people in Nigeria. These are the people who complain everyday about hardship in Nigeria. These people are those who show extreme wickedness when they are given a little opportunity to intercede in the affairs of their local communities.

 

 

 

 

Any encounter with these folks will lead you to the field of tears. They could be market women, police, Customs or regular soldiers; they become   gods in their little domain. In this domain, they are very dictatorial, callous and imperious and exercise power with vehemence in their various jurisdictions. They make sure they inflict pain on you during any interaction.

 

 

 

 

From the trader selling fake goods at exorbitant prices to the policemen at the checkpoint, the rule is to dish out as much pain as possible. There is no sense of brotherhood. There is no sense of “we are in this together, let us help each other “.

 

 

 

 

Dishing out pain is the culture. You must pay before being served even when you have paid. This is the ugliness that hides behind these excessive criticisms of leaders. Anytime a Nigerian comes in contact with a government agent, it is time to be punished. There is no agency in Nigeria where those employed there don’t make the abuse of the citizens the metric of their productivity. Trying to get a driver’s license, you must jump through hoops, trying to get a passport is almost as bad as trying to obtain a visa to another country. In most cases, the visa ordeal is friendlier and there are no inducements involved. Trying to clear goods from a Lagos port is like squeezing through the eye of the needle. There are no rules and regulations, just chaos and cruelty that numbs the mind.

 

 

 

 

A lot of people choose to walk away from the abuse of the Customs and other various governments and their agents leaving their goods behind. Flying into Lagos airport is the worst ordeal. Every government agency is there including the touts from Iddo Park. They are trying to tell you they are there to hurt you. There is no cordial welcome.

 

 

 

 

There is nowhere in Nigeria the citizen does not try to erect his own obstacles. A visit to any government office to collect a document to verify you are still alive will lead to your death. You must pay before you die. This is Nigeria; don’t ask for a death certificate if you cannot afford to die. This is very sad.

 

 

 

 

Do we need many checkpoints with menacing police touting Ak47s on our roads? Are we at war? Why so many checkpoints? What is the relationship between checkpoints and crimes? Why are Nigerians criminalized and humiliated daily by agencies that are supposed to serve them?

 

 

 

 

The ordeal of being a citizen in Nigeria can drive one into a mental institution. Nigerians are resilient and quietly watch their country being turned into one huge mental asylum. The madness has become cultural. At the end, the extortionists get together and blame the leaders who are the product of their thievery. This is the problem. People who have no sense of good citizenship are crying daily for good leadership. You cannot get one without the other because if they meet, they will not recognize each other. Let’s learn to recognize that the microcosm must be organized to care for each other in order to harmoniously evolve a macrocosm that is habitable.

 

 

 

 

Imagine that police don’t harass and shake down farmers bringing food to markets. Imagine that the employees at the poultry company don’t steal all the eggs and poison the chickens. This may lower the price of food and prevent the decay of food due to loss of time at checkpoints. This will lead to full employment and reduction of inflation. Let us learn to care, maybe one day we can have someone who cares to assume leadership. Then we can be proud to say:  that is one of us. The ratio of the naira to the dollar is not a measure of the Nigerian economy. It is a measure of the lack of productivity of the Nigerian. Nigerians produce nothing and they expect everything.

 

 

 

 

Let us start by producing harmony. Blaming the leaders is a subterfuge that subtracts leadership from the people. How many unemployed people are willing to do an honest job, when given the opportunity? Do these people have the ethical compass that reflects honesty and dedication to their employer?

 

 

 

 

I am pushed to be equivocal here because of my observations. The employer may stumble into that employee who will steal all the eggs and poison the chickens and the business is bankrupt. There is no penalty for the offender and he moves to reenact the scenario in another organization.  Should we blame Tinubu for this? An enterprise cannot grow in a sea of perfidy. Leadership is always a reflection of the consciousness of the people. Bad people can only produce bad leaders. Good people, good leaders. You cannot have one without the other.

 

 

 

 

Let us begin the process of removing the logs in our eyes. This is the only way we can have the vision to point to a better path for our country. This new road will lead us to love ourselves and our neighbors. Our self-hatred is what is manifesting as hatred and cruelty to others. We find it easy to destroy and humiliate and extort others because we are miserable due to lack of self-esteem and self-love. No legislation can make us love ourselves. We must learn how to fight these battles within. We must evolve a system to isolate those who violate community standards, ethics and morality.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dr Austin Orette writes from Houston Texas

admin
NGBO NEWS NGWA NEWS NICHOLAS FELIX NIGER DELTA BUSINESS NEWS NIGER DELTA NEWS NIGER NEWS NIGER VANGUARD NIGERIA YORUBA PUNCH YORUBA THISDAY YORUBA TRIBUNE YUSUF DANTALIE ZAMBIA NEWS ZAMFARA DAILY PROGRESS zipowei zipowei ochonogor
THE LAST JIHAD PART 5B BY DR AUSTINE ORETTE

THE LAST JIHAD PART 5B BY DR AUSTINE ORETTE

 

“For everything under the sun, there is time. There is time for peace and there is the time for war’’. They will always lie to you. The Fulani Muslim will raise his right hand and put his left hand on the Quran, look you in eye and lie to you. He is practicing Takiya which is allowed by their religion. The art of lying to further the cause of Islam. You will never be at peace with Islamic fundamentalists. It is always a lie. “

 

Africans have a better understanding of religion. There is nowhere in traditional African history you will find Africans going to prove that their god is superior by killing other Africans. Africans fought wars of conquest for material things and territories. Fighting for Heaven was not part of their geography. That was for angels. They did not fight wars of religious imposition. They have a clear understanding that God is big enough for everyone.

 

The African traditional worshippers believe that no house built by man can accommodate the majesty and fullness of God. They did not indulge in the grandiosity of calling any place they constructed, the house Of God.

 

The concept of holy wars was brought to Africa by foreign people like the Fulani Jihadists. After experiencing aspects of religion in my childhood, I came to the firm belief that I don’t need to be introduced to any god filled with human passions of rage and revenge. God is love. That is enough for me. I don’t need to kill or hurt anyone to prove my loyalty to God. God is not in any book. God is not in any building. God is closer to us than our heart beat. The God essence is in every creature of God. We are compelled to give God’s love to all creatures of God. This is where I vehemently disagree with the Fulani and Wahhabi brand of Islam.

 

They consider their wrath to be the same as the wrath of God. They should direct that wrath towards solving the poverty, ignorance and disease they have created in the North. They should leave the South out of their map of conquest. If they love God as they claim, there is so much work for them to do , to repair all the damage they  brought to the North of Nigeria. Eternity will not be enough for them to repair the damage they have done to the Hausa people of Nigeria. If they love God, they should concentrate on the rehabilitation of the Hausa men, women and children they have destroyed in the name of Islam.

 

The Fulani are the first to bring holy wars to Nigeria and they have never had a change of mind and strategy since then. These wars intensified when they started being used by invaders to push their tribal and religious domination. They have no love for anyone who is not a Muslim or Fulani. God is Love. This love can be found in all religions and the loneliest places. This love gave me security and the wings to fly. This is the love that made Mary Slessor to stop the killing of twins in the Niger Delta. I believe in this love and the sanctity of life for all people. This is my belief and because of this love, I will not impose this belief on the Fulani who think differently.

 

I consider it sacrilegious for them to force me to accept the doctrines that led to the wanton killing of Deborah Samson and others in the land of the Fulani.

 

If the Fulani are sincere, they should spend their energy to clean up the children of the North they have destroyed and turned to weapons of mass destruction for Nigeria. They should adopt the Almajiris and rehabilitate them instead of using them and Sharia as weapons of war.

 

These children are cast away as refuse and made to beg for their survival. They are married away when they could barely walk. The rate of child abuse and neglect in the North is mortifying. About 15 million children in the North of Nigeria are destitute and malnourished. They are moribund and homeless. If the sight of children did not draw on their hearts and make them to show love to children, then it means the religion they are willing to kill and die for has no empathy in their doctrines.  What is a religion if it cannot hear the cries of suffering and dying children? Whatever they do or say is nothing but power grab.

 

They are deaf and dumb to the destitution and misery they created in Hausa land and they are bent on expanding this misery to the South. We have a duty to stop them. Islam in Nigeria is a political movement of the Fulani. It has nothing to do with those of us in the South. Their push to force Sharia into the South is nothing but an act of war. We can never reason with any people who consider us less human because we don’t subscribe to their religious beliefs.

 

In this wise, those in the Middle Belt and the South of Nigeria must be prepared to defend themselves from those who will not only kill us in the name of their God but also lie to us in the name of their god about their intent.

 

A military head of state told Obasanjo that he has not seen and not privy to the constitution when he was asked to produce it when Obasanjo was being propped to be president. This was a lie. He knew that Sharia was part of that constitution that was written without the consent of Nigerians. The General knew that if this was revealed before the election it will cause chaos. As soon as Obasanjo was sworn in, the constitution appeared. Did the constitution appear from heaven? Everything the former head of state did or said was deliberate. He followed the Fulani manuscript of TAKIYA. He was one of the architects of that fake document. After that election, that fraudulent constitution was revealed and the core north declared they are Sharia states, based on the sharia that was fraudulently embedded in   that fraudulent document. This is classic TAKIYA in Islamic practice where Muslims are obligated to lie to unbelievers to further the cause of Islam.

 

Recently, Northern Fulani Muslims have been going on television to say they don’t know what restructuring mean. This is another bold face lie. They know we were restructured in the First Republic and all we are saying is adopt the ways of the First Republic. They would rather confuse this with nebulous terms like “lack of good leadership “ because they want to continue with this odious system that enables their thievery and ability to import criminals and terrorists into Nigeria to cause unrest. are so duplicitous they think we don’t know Sharia is a form of restructuring. They want us to fund Sharia with our labour and wealth in our terrain. They are gamblers. They want to continue the centralization that gives all powers to the Fulani in all cadre of government so they can control the economy and wealth of Nigeria and use it to empower the caliphate. If they don’t achieve that, they will set up their parallel government of Sharia where a northern monarch is the Prime minister of all Nigeria Muslims   and every mosque their military command post.

 

They tell us Islam is superior to our culture. The Europeans who colonized us did not go this far in their grandiosity. We cannot be in the same country with those who will use lies as instruments of statecraft. The Caliphate has used fictitious population figures to advantage the caliphate. All over the world, the coast is more densely populated. This is true in the Republic of Benin and Cameroon but reversed in Nigeria.

 

The Fulani Islamic movement in Nigeria is about conquest. It has nothing to do about heaven. It is about the oil which Fulani believe is their gift from God as a Muslim nation like Saudi Arabia and the Gulf States. The Fulani has been at war with us, but we don’t know it.

 

 

 

All the negative indices in Nigeria are what obtains in a war-torn country. To say otherwise is hiding our head in the sand.

 

All the uncertainties in Nigeria are deliberate creation of the Fulani caliphate.  Just like the creation of the Almajiris in the North. Gradually they are beginning the total Amajirification of Southern graduates. They have made them jobless and penurious. They are hungry and their clothing is becoming tattered. The females are selling themselves at any price to the members of the caliphate in Abuja. The caliphate has no interest to engage in solving the perennial problems of Nigeria. Their end point is the total subjugation of the non-Muslim populations of Nigeria and makes them second class citizens as obtained in most Muslim countries. Their plan is to weaken the enemy by destroying the institutions they believe in. They would create more problems to distract and confuse us. All money marked for development are stolen and directed to the Fulani treasury for their conquest and purchase of Southerners into their camp. They have opened all the borders in the North for the Fulani fighters to come in as they gradually intensify their position. Their loss of central power to accelerate this process has rendered them apoplectic. The mere adjustment of the tax bill to reflect productivity pushed them to accelerate Sharia in the Southwest. To them, this is war and the camp of the enemy must be divided. This is why they push for Sharia in the South west. Divide and conquer is their MO .This is why in the past fifty years, they used their government and military people to erode any semblance of a functioning state. They created the hardship in Nigeria. They want every Southerner to Japa so they can take over the land. Those left will be too weak to fight. We are in a war zone. We must draw a clear red line they should not cross.

 

Imposing Islam on us is a red line. The progress made in Nigeria was through their military surrogates who usurped power. This has emboldened them. They use the military to enrich their people, they used the military to push Nigeria into OIC. They used the military to smuggle Sharia into the constitution.

 

They are talking about war and secession. On question of secession they are bluffing. They are parasites who cannot live without their host. On war, we should take them serious and prepare for one. Our preparation should start by us in the South telling our children to refuse any posting by the NYSC to the North. There is no security for them and the NYSC is a source of cheap labor for indolent Northern states who consider education a haram  and deliberately render their citizens illiterate and ignorant  .They spend more on pilgrimages to Mecca than they spend on education. Using our children as cheap labor is a tax that is imposed on non-believers.  The Fulani considers this normal based on the tenet of their religion. It is a form of Tax the unbelievers must pay in an Islamic society.

 

The NYSC should be converted to one year of full military training as it was initially conceived when the caliphate thwarted this plan because they want their Islamic army to have monopoly of weapons. All military commands in Nigeria must be decentralized. Police and other security institutions must be regionalized. We have to fight to preserve our way of life and reject any form of religious compulsion or imposition.

 

The next phase is to encourage the Hausa and other tribes that have been oppressed in the North to use their numerical advantage to deny the Fulani any political position in the North. I f you cannot elect an Hausa person, look for the nearest indigenous Yoruba, Igbo or Biron or Igala. The Fulani must not be allowed to hold power in Nigeria. They must be ostracized from our body politics until they prove their allegiance is to Nigeria. They are a cancer in our body politics. The Fulani Caliphate erroneously believes that a Christian is docile. This is going to be their undoing. Christians are not known for shedding innocent blood like that of Deborah Samson. Wanton killing is not part of Christian theology. Christians will always fight to defend themselves. In the eleventh century when the holy land Jerusalem was conquered by Islamic warriors who prevented Christian’s entry into the Holy land, Pope Urban 11, cried to Christendom, the Christians fought and took over the Holy land. These battles were called the crusades. Since then the holy land is open to anyone of any faith, including Muslims to visit. The Nigerian civil war was fought and won by southerners and the people from the middle belt. Most of the generals of Northern extraction were colossal failures as they confused the civil war with Islamic jihad. They have to be pulled from the war front due to their extreme cruelty that violated the laws of war. This is their weakness. The whole of North Africa was black. All the places in the Bible like Turkey were Christian enclaves. Today it is difficult to find a black man in Egypt and also difficult to find a church in Constantinople. This is what the Fulani are aiming for.

 

It is our responsibility to make them understand they are in the wrong century; we must make it our duty to wake them up from the toxic intoxication of their religion. We cannot do this by preachment alone as the toxic brew of their religion makes them to think they are fighting for Allah. They are fighting for domination. There is nothing more sinister than a person who kills in the name of God. Be prepared. We have a duty to defend ourselves.

 

 

 

Dr Austin Orette writes from Houston Texas

admin
Uwuahwa news UYO MIRROR UYO REPORTERS VERONICA IKPERA EBIRERI WARRI HIGHLANDER WARRI NATION WARRI NEWS WARRI NORTH PIONEER WARRI REPORTERS WARRI SOUTH NEWS WEATHER NEWS WESTERN DINKA NEWS WESTERN REGION SENTINEL WESTERN STATE DEFENDER World News YABANJI SANI YAGBA EAST DAILY YAGBA WEST MONITOR YEMOJA SUN YORUBA DAILY TRUST YORUBA GUARDIAN YORUBA LAND NEWS yoruba news YORUBA PUNCH YORUBA THISDAY YORUBA TRIBUNE ZAMBIA NEWS ZAMFARA DAILY PROGRESS
Julius Berger is the best – Wike Whether everybody likes it or not

Whether everybody likes it or not, Julius Berger is the best – Wike

Flag-off Ceremony of Arterial Road N5, Abuja

 

 

. As usual, we’ll deliver as promised, says Managing Director Lubasch

 

 

 

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike has praised top-notch engineering construction company, Julius Berger Nigeria Plc for its quality and timely delivery on assigned projects declaring that the company remains the best in the country’s engineering construction sector.

 

Speaking at the official flag-off ceremony of the development of Arterial Road N5 (Obafemi Awolowo Way) from Life Camp Junction to Ring Road 111 in the Federal Capital city Friday, the minister traced his relationship with Julius Berger right from his days as Rivers State governor, and declared; that’s why I have always said I enjoyed the best, that is why I always go to Julius Berger to do construction work for us because I know they are the best whether everybody likes it or not.

 

The road is approximately 4.4 km inclusive of box culverts, one river bridge and the junction at N3/N30 to be delivered within 18 months construction time.

 

According to Wike, he had never been to the part of the FCT where the project was flagged off. However, he revealed that from the several messages he had received on the state of the road in the area and given what he later saw on ground, the need to rework the road was not in doubt.

 

As a minister I have never been to this part. I thought the junction they were talking about was Life Camp; that is the other one you take going to our official residences. No wonder every time I get text messages asking when we will do this Life Camp route. The text messages were always saying, the traffic is chaotic; and seeing the number of persons who are around today, tells you this neighbourhood is heavily populated, and that is why we thank God Almighty that we are starting this road and giving it to the constructions giant Julius Berger, Wike said.

 

The minister was not done as he recalled how the need for his administration as state governor in Rivers state gingered him to amend critical procurement policies to accommodate the quality services of Julius Berger.

 

He continued; let me tell you, one company that made me to move from amendment to procurement law in Rivers state was Julius Berger. How? When I knew that the law permitted 15 to 30 percent up for the variation fee, I realised there would be a problem; and that problem would be, by the time the 15 to 30 percent is paid and another milestone to variation certificate is being submitted, we may not have the money to pay. All I did was to seek the support of the State’s House of Assembly to amend the Procurement Law to allow the Executive Council to pay up to 70% if they believe that the firm or company is competent to carry out the job without running away. And I know Julius Berger is on ground. If you go to where they are living you will know that they will never live this country again. So, we amended the laws. And I could say that in every job that I did with Julius Berger then, we paid 70% upfront; that was how we were able to do 12 flyovers in four years.

 

The minister disclosed that his foregoing revelation was on purpose, to tell most of the National Assembly members among others that, part of our predicament and that our major headache is the Procurement Law. The law we know is to protect and make sure our money is safe; but again, if you look at it, it brings us backward. That is why in most cases you put procurement for almost four months before it is approved; before it goes to the Federal Executive Council and before you know it, six months have gone; six months for procurement alone; that is half of the year already.

 

Thanking the FCT Administration, FCTA for the contract award, the Managing Director of Julious Berger Nigeria Plc, Engr Dr Peer Lubasch said, on behalf of the entire management and Board of Directors of Julius Berger, I thank you for your trust and for giving our company the opportunity to deliver on these projects

 

Lubasch said that the contract stands on the long-lasting relationship the company has with the FCT Administration, the company’s partner for progress, even as he commended the FCTA for its vision and foresight in its true investment in infrastructure for progress and we are honoured to be the chosen partners for the realisation of this vision

 

Lubasch assured the administration and people of the FCT of quality and timely delivery on the project.

 

The representative of the Senate President and Senator of the Federal Republic, Ibrahim Bomai later flagged off the road construction thanking the FCT administration of Wike and the construction company.

 

At the event to witness the flagoff, were the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio represented by Senator Ibrahim Bomai, Minister of State for the FCT, Mariya Mahmoud Bunkure, Senator George Skibo; House of Representatives member representing Gwagwalada, Kuje, Kwali, Abaji FCT, Abdul Rahman Ajiya among others.

 

Team Julius Berger at the flag-off included the outgoing Managing Director, Engr Dr Lars Richter, Head Corporate Communications Department, James Agama and Happiness Moses of the Media Relations Department

admin
WESTERN REGION SENTINEL WESTERN STATE DEFENDER WORLD BANK World News YABANJI SANI YAGBA EAST DAILY YAGBA WEST MONITOR YEMOJA SUN YORUBA DAILY TRUST YORUBA GUARDIAN YORUBA LAND NEWS yoruba news YORUBA PEOPLE DAILY UNION YORUBA PUNCH YORUBA THISDAY YORUBA TRIBUNE YUSUF DANTALIE ZAMBIA NEWS ZAMFARA DAILY PROGRESS zipowei zipowei ochonogor
EDO LEADERS INSIST ON OKPEBHOLO

EDO LEADERS INSIST ON OKPEBHOLO

  • SAY APC GOVERNORSHIP CANDIDATE REPRESENTS THE COLLECTIVE DREAM OF EDO PEOPLE
  • MOVE AGAINST PDP, LP, OTHERS

A group of political leaders under the aegis of Edo State Political Leaders Forum (EDPLF) on Friday met in Auchi, Edo North Senatorial District, describing the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Monday Opebholo, as a man of integrity and principle.

 

“Many qualities separate Monday Opebholo from other candidates: vision, courage, character, loyalty and sincerity. He will chart the right course and provide a clear focus for where the people and the state want to be and how to get there” the leaders said.

 

At the meeting to perfect strategies towards ensuring the emergence of Opebholo as the next governor of Edo State, the leaders said Okpebholo remains the best for Edo State”

 

‘’We want a governor that can unite the people, provide security and good roads throughout the state. Okpebholo will not step on the toes of Edo people. He will fast track development in all the communities, embark on large housing development for low-income earners, create the enabling environment for investors within and outside to invest in Edo State in order to create more job opportunities for the people’’

 

In a statement issued by the group’s spokesman, Dr. Kenneth Agweh, the leaders urged Edo indigenes at home and abroad to think about the future of the state and reject the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) for contributing to the state’s adversity.

 

‘’We are building critical alliances with the various communities. We are dialoguing with major players in the country. We are talking with opinion leaders, influencers in Edo State and Edo indigenes abroad. We are in touch with traditional rulers, market women, youth leaders and professionals. Okpebholo will win the September governorship election’’

 

They described the APC candidate as a good leader, competent administrator and one of the most influential and uniting figures in Nigerian history.

 

“Monday Opebholo symbolizes the very best.  He will boost the tourism sector, provide for the well-being of our people, deepen the mechanics of governance and service delivery in the state” the leaders said.

 

They praised the APC governorship candidate for his exceptional qualities, impeccable honesty, competence and humble lifestyle.

 

They also praised him for having the type of empathy and direction the state needs.

 

“Monday Opebholo is well known for his innovative ideas and clean image. He is down to earth, clear sighted about issues facing the state.”

 

The APC candidate, a cerebral, competent manager and good example of leadership in Africa, is expected to win the governorship election in September.

 

“We are sure of victory” the leaders said.

 

EDPLF is a political group striving for the enthronement of accountable and responsible government in Edo State.

 

Political leaders from Etsako West, East and Central, Owan East and West and Akoko-Edo were present at the meeting.

admin