| Total Comments 3278 | Start A New Comment |
| Post Info | Comment |
| Posted By: Akan Adeniyi Posted On: May 12, 2010 Views: 679 | A Mothers Outcry Against Zamfaras Ahmed Sani A Mothers Outcry Against Zamfaras Ahmed Sani By Akan Adeniyi I am a daughter of a Nigerian, a wife of a Nigerian, a mother of Nigerians, and a grandmother of Nigerians. It is from this background that I raise my voice against the recent child-abuse committed by ex-Governor, Ahmed Sani of Zamfara in your newspaper. It concerns the shameful and barbaric act of the ex-governor of Zamfara State in buying a 13-year-old girl who is supposed to be his grand daughter for a wife. I am saying buying because there is no state in Nigeria and the world at large where bride price is up to one hundred thousand (100,000) USD that is fifteen million, three hundred thousand naira (N15,300,000) . The first thing is that Senator Ahmed Sani is into slave trade which had been abolished centuries ago. His going to Egypt to buy a girl is against the Law of humanity, not only against the Law of Nigeria, but that of the whole world. Secondly, Senator Ahmed Sani has committed an abomination against all Nigerian mothers including his wives and his mother. He was cutting peoples hands off,espscially those who did something wrong when he was the governor of Zamfara State and now I strongly believe that he should have his private part chopped off too because he has committed a great sacrilege. I am therefore, calling on all mothers, civil rights organizations, all freedom fighters to come to the rescue of that young girl and make sure she is sent back home to live her life and go to school and become great as the children of Senator Sani. This is because I know that his young girls are in school and not in homes of husbands. I am also calling on the wives of Senator Sani to rise up and make sure that they are not sharing their bed with a thirteen year-old child because it is a shame on their own part as their own thirteen year olds are in schools and not in homes of men or husbands. I call on all the members of the Federal House of Representative and all senators to stand up, especially the women among them to condemn this shameful act of indecency. I am drawing the attention of all women in high places in Nigeria , to this act. It will be very shameful if Nigerian women allow this act to be swept under the carpet as we do to other issues in the nation. Senator Ahmed Sani should be made to pay for all what other rich men in the Northern part of Nigeria usually do in the name of religion. Enough is enough. It is injustice against the girl child and we should all rise up and call it by its name. Moslem women should search the Koran and see if its written that old men in their fifties and sixties should get thirteen year-old girls as wives if not, they should join the fight to set women free from this bondage of slavery plaguing Nigerian women. I am calling on Nigerian lawyers, especially women to join hand in this fight because it is shameful. I am also calling on Nigerian women in Diaspora to join us in the fight because it is not only Senator Sani that is guilty of this crime. Let us stop this madness once and for all for the future of our children so that when the children yet unborn read it, they will call us blessed. Akan Adeniyi wrote in from Lagos. |
| Posted By: Stanley O Posted On: May 12, 2010 Views: 593 | RE:Tragedy of Pretense Ichie Ezinwanne, nnooo. Your non Igbo friend's comment on Igbo man's identity problem should worry any Igbo man. I hope you did remind him the origin of this identity crises. As it were, Nigeria and the system it operates will in no way help us rediscover ourselves.Our destiny is in our own hands. The Igbo question can only be addressed by realizing Biafra. But the road to Biafra is made more rough than necessary by the reason of your friend's observation. Not all Igbos have seen the real reason MANY IGBOS are asking for Biafra. It should be incumbent upon all Igbos to consider Biafra as the only alternative that will guarantee the re-establishment of our Igbonnes to its lost glory. The bitter truth is that Igbo man's identity crises can't be helped by Nigeria. The balkanization, as you put it, MUST top the reasons why Igbos are asking for Biafra. No other marginalization could be worse than that which stripped a people of the core essence of their being. I align my views with yours, Ichie, which seek to primarily unify Igbos before a common agenda that require our collective attention is set. But because Nigeria is a strange land, I have often wondered "how can we sing the lord's song in a strange land"? For the avoidance of doubt, my reference to Igbo unification does not in any way imply that we, Ndi-Igbo are not culturally united.Cultural unity or oneness is fundamental to a people and so it is to us.But because of the balkanization in question, ours should take the form of home coming of the Jews years after the holocaust. Therefore, I appeal to all Igbos any where in Nigeria to first of all see themselves as Igbos, and see any Igbo man/woman as a brother/sister. |
| Posted By: Nicolas o Posted On: May 12, 2010 Views: 586 | why did u delete my post???? why did this people deleted my opinion from this poll? i wrote something here that people need to see they deleted it just last night here i wrote it,if u can not allow people to express their selves here freely then u are just waisting peopl's time here.nonsence nigeria media.go to hell |
| Posted By: Amadi Posted On: May 12, 2010 Views: 499 | Foreign language mania It is a general disease in Nigeria that people belittle their own languages and are more than crazy with foreign language. Probably this sterotyped modern barbarism in Nigeria is more in the south. Ofcourse English language is a necessity in our society but discarding someones native language and fully embrace foreign language is ignorance to the high heaven. The Europeans never joke with their native languages . They are proud to speak it. A German even when he can speak English hardly speak it in his country. So is the case in other European countries. Then, are we not stupid to value other peoples language more than ours.Some families in Nigeria don't speak their native languages. They speak only English. The children grow up without knowing their native languages. What a stupidity branded civilization ? I speak three European languages but I am proud to speak my native language anywhere and any time with someone from my place. I strongly beleive that our collective development as Nigerians and Africans has to start with a change in our psyche or mentality. |
| Posted By: Snooper Posted On: May 12, 2010 Views: 504 | Reformation of Islam is Necessary In Zamfara, a parade of ignorance: By Banji Adisa WITH the rites of passage and the official days of mourning of former President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua over, it's time the country moved on. In fairness to Umaru as a person, Yar'Adua deserved his place on the positive side of history. Yes, that was a man who meant well for his country but was shortchanged by health challenges. No matter how one looks at it, even the all-star General, dark-goggled, fearful maximum ruler who divinely exited the scene in 1998 has his own place, whether on the wrong side of history or otherwise. So it's time to face other things, including the unfinished business of the alleged child abuse by a serving senator who cupped a supposedly underage girl's hand in (holy?) wedlock. The propriety of former Zamfara State governor, Sani Yerima, to add to his harem is not the issue in this comment any longer; that is his choice. The argument, we should not forget, has been that that choice offends morality. But Alhaji Yerima disagrees, arguing that whatever he did was in line with his religious beliefs, and that he cared less about any other human laws: "Whatever the Qur'an and the hadith of the Holy Prophet authorises, I try my best to live up to it. These are the guiding rules of my life. So, if anyone decides to judge me according to the rules other than those prescribed by Allah and the Holy Prophet, then he is wasting his time, because they are not my guiding principles," he told Daily Trust in an interview. Today, what is in contention in this piece is the misguided protest, by a supposed public advocacy group called Zamfara State Joint Youths Islamic Organisation in support of Yerima (who was accused of promoting child-bride). The protest denounced among others the child rights bill that the state ought to consider for its leaders of tomorrow (the Act is yet to be domesticated in Zamfara and a few other states in Nigeria). According to reports, the protesters, comprising school age girls and women thronged the streets in a peaceful demonstration against Yerima's chastisement for his engagement of an Egyptian minor in marriage (pity nobody has seen any picture from the event which the man himself has confirmed anyway). Some of the placards they carried read 'No to Zionism'; 'Islam is my religion'; 'We reject the child rights act', etc. The group's leader, a certain Hajiya Safiaya Haidara reportedly said: "The child rights bill is a contravention of Section 38 of the 1999 Constitution which grants every Nigerian right to practise his or her religion." Safiya was represented by the Muslims Sisters Organisation secretary who described the bill as an infringement of Muslims' right to practise their religion. Can somebody please explain to the religious groups in question that the Yerima engagement to the minor from Egypt - widely believed to be 13 years old (the claim has been denied by the senator who refused to be categorical) is clearly beyond religion. The unsuspecting youths pushed to the streets with some women were only publicly displaying their ignorance. They claim to be educated youths and women but they have only succeeded in promoting illiteracy on their part. They need to reassess the value of whatever education they might have acquired before more damage is done to the community and the younger generation. Such protests are uncalled for. They are not alone in the ignorance boat, as many imams have also rallied support for the husband of the year, united in the belief that critics of Yerima were only out to ridicule Islam. Far from it! This is the position of that respected columnist and versatile former editor Mohammed Haruna in his piece in The Nation of May 5 this year, incidentally the day the uninformed protesters hit the streets of Gusau to launch their infamous protests. Mallam Haruna, unapologetic for his extremist positions on may issues of religion and ethnicity in this country, however observed in that Wednesday piece (I simply agree with him) that Yerima was only abusing religion by his action. He concluded: " Whatever the imams and Yerima's supporters may say, his controversial marriage to a girl-child, not for the first time, is essentially an abuse of religion for personal pleasure. It is hard, if not impossible, to defend completely." Briefly, for the information of the ignorant protesters, Nigeria in 1991 and 2000 respectively ratified both international instruments of the adopted UN's Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and the African Union Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (CRCW). Both instruments contain universal standards and principles for survival, development, protection and participation of children. It reflects children as human beings and as subjects of their own rights. In addition, basic provisions of the child rights act (CRA) include, but are not limited to: provision of freedom from discrimination on the grounds of belonging to a particular community or ethnic group, place of origin, sex, religion, the circumstances of birth, disability, deprivation or political opinion. The dignity of the child shall be respected at all times, it further stated. Other provisions are that no Nigerian child shall be subjected to physical, mental, or emotional injury, abuse or neglect ...besides being protected in a manner that would enable them to achieve their fullest possible social integration and moral development. A special provision is that betrothal and marriage of children are prohibited. (A child by definition is anyone under 18 years). Like the Act frowns at institutionalization of pregnant children/teenagers and expectant mothers, it listed child abduction and forced exploitative labour as offences. Do we need to say more of the lofty plans for the total child the international community has for the child - the same (female) child those protesters in Zamfara seek to relegate to the background? Theirs is a limited view of issues at play.The irony of it all is that some of the children drafted by the Zamfara organisation to the streets are potential beneficiaries of the rejected child rights act. Incredible! Who shall we then send to educate these people and help them to open their eyes and minds to what they stand to gain from the CRA? Who will bail out the youths whose young minds are being imprisoned, and no one is standing up for them among the enlightened persons in Zamfara, or the northern part of the country generally which is equally guilty of mind imprisonment and life of servitude for majority of the citizens there? It is like mortgaging their collective future of the child by this generation. We are not being fair to them in any way. Already, the gap between this country and the developed world in educational opportunities, science and technology, economic growth and development, and more, is wide. So, wallowing in ignorance by our people would further set us on the road to nowhere. Hoodwinking and hero-worshipping must stop. It is hero-worshipping of personalities like Yerima when he was the governor, for his 'achievement' as the author of the controversial Sharia codes that would never free the minds of the people. We have a duty to fight this scourge in the interest of the country. By the way, who would in his wildest imagination see an educated teenager from, for instance Imo or Oyo or Lagos states protesting against his or her own rights on the streets? This is a challenge to leaders and relevant authorities in Zamfara or any other state promoting policies against a child's welfare to have a rethink and set the people free - freedom to think deep and hard for the progress of the community and society. Some groups are better deprived of the leverage to hold youths to ransom in the name of religion. I see their action as antithetical to youth development. The Joint Youth Islamic Organisation in Zamfara should be educated that Yerima's case is about morality, about the female child's total wellbeing and not religion. In the absence of that, the organisers of the circus show for Yerima should see themselves as enemies of progress. The final word: the Egyptian child-bride must be returned to school if the wedding revelers have not done so or have not thought it proper and fit to allow her build the required emotional stability and confidence needed for the conjugal duties. Yerima and the girl's parents have to save her tomorrow. |
| Posted By: Igwenga Posted On: May 12, 2010 Views: 520 | Igboman has a natural label Whether you believe it or not, an Igboman does not hide, he may try such just for few munites, but when the comes becomes you will know. Every effort has been made to disorganize the Igbos but even in our differences we are still Igbos. But the truth is that River state, Bayelsa, Delta and cross river even some part Benue are all Igbo nation in different dialets. It is the known enemy that is planting this confusion of divide and rule. We have had series of killings in Nigeria in the north and West since Independence only one people is being killed the Igbos i,e christians because there is no other way to describe these victims. So we are proud to be one indivisible Easterners or Igbos. The language SOUTH SOUTH, SOUTH EAST, DELTA,& BENUE is from demons who knew if we are together we will be great. If we are talking about other Igbos, if we further need them to come home for consultations periodically there are many of Igbo races in Togo,Ghana,IvoryCoast,Liberia RDC, Tanzania, Ouganda, Ethiopia & Eritrea although they did not speak Igbo language, but evidence shows that they are Igbo antecedants. I have met two girls from Ethiopa and Eritrea in the UK and they confirms they are Igbos,these are the Igbos we need because even our label are on them. We should all relax and work together. |
| Posted By: Ogboku Posted On: May 12, 2010 Views: 595 | WE ARE FED UP WITH CRIMINALS IN THIS NATION I do not know,if I am the only one passing through this trauma about crimes in this Country particularly the EAST i.e Aba and its environs, As I normally scroll back on news I did not read for some weeks now and found out, a certain case in which Armed Robbers killed many police officers in Aba around ikotekpene road if am right! then what are we doing? Please, what is happening in this country, if it has reached to a level that we will all vacate this country, kindly make it open and clear. How is it that nobody is safe again in this part of the country,kidnappings has not ended after the governor promised us heavens and earth. Why uptill now our brother IGP ONOVO has not arrested all these criminals without control.Why is the police now victims of this messe, why are the police not protected with modern bullet vest since their job is so dangerous to this extent,why to become a police officer is a very great risk in this modern Nigeria. What is our security operatives doing to combact this killings by hoodlums. Is it not yet time for this country to pull out of our so called geneva conventions against execution of armed robbers, because human right covers the right of everybody to live including the police who has been loosing their lives on daily basis protecting this country. Is it not yet time the Federal government calls an emergency meeting of all police chiefs as to arrest every criminals in this country. This is a serious case, already investors has been leaving this country en masse to a safer country along west Africa. What are still waiting, who may be the next victim? Pls answer me b4 I will leave to where I come from. |
| Posted By: Nnellyverb Posted On: May 12, 2010 Views: 627 | Time will tell I think in the case of Jonathan,it is God who gave him to us.It is true that Yar'dua tried his best but let us see what God can do with Jonathan.From every indication you can see that men could not stop Jonathan from ruling even if he ruled us for 3days.Have you imagine how on of a sudden after hearing that the late president will resume his office, just to wake up one morning and hear that he is dead and that Goodluck takes over as president.The misery of God surpases all our understanding. |
| Posted By: Ezinwanne Posted On: May 12, 2010 Views: 631 | Tragedy of Pretense Ichie Stanley, This one is for your attention. A non Igbo friend of mine who is conversant with todays balkanization of Igboland had this to say. The problem with Ndigbo is that pretense has gained such prominence in their lives that it is almost irreversible. Igboman pretends to be more English than Englishman and tries to master the language more than Englishman that he missed a great opportunity to re-invent himself, his language and his value system through Nollywood which he dominates so much. So this pretending has gone on to such an extent that today outside the Southeast, it is very difficult to know who is an Igboman. An Etche man is an Igboman who pretends to be an Ikwerre man. An Ikwerre man is an Igboman who pretends he is an Ijaw man. A Kwale man is an Igboman who pretends to be an Urhobo man. An Ika man is an Igbo who pretends to be a Bini man. The Southeast Igbo pretends that these other Igbos are not original Igbo. So when will these people rally round and present the real Igbo face to other Nigerians? When will the pretense end? Stan; What do you think??? |
| Posted By: 0yekola M.I Posted On: May 12, 2010 Views: 579 | Coming in of Jonathan as president is not the issu The coming in of Jonathan as the president can not solve the problem we have in nigeria, becouse we have people of bad character that are hiden some where, this are the people that will not make things work, they have take goverance as the personal property and the dont have any other thing to do than to be in government till the end of their live they have alredy plant their sibling to take over after they have left, ontill will get over of these people before wil can move forward in this contry. |
| Posted By: Ezinwanne Posted On: May 12, 2010 Views: 545 | To my pal Jide I know this is belated, but I've been away for a while. Anyway I don't think I will let you get away unreplied Jide, You are more naive than I thought. What did you expect Ojukwu to tell Babangida? Cmon man, you are no simpleton; read between the lines. June 12 for which Yorubas largely vilify Babangida was a national issue which was given unnecessary ethnic coloration. From then onwards it became a Yoruba struggle. So expecting Igbos to close ranks with Yoruba to fight for what is basically a Yoruba agenda leaves much to be desired. We still have memories of how the Yoruba crossed over to the Hausa/Fulan side to crush the Igbo under the guise of one Nigeria. Igbos basically have no quarrel with Babangida than they have with other idiots that have ruled Nigeria. Even if the greatest Yoruba man who ever lived the devil Chief Obasanjo were to announce his candidacy today Odumegwu Ojukwu will do exactly same thing to him. Ojukwu will bless him and wish him well. Even the greatest enemy of the Igbos; Awolowo was diplomatically referred to as the best President Nigeria never had by Odumegwu Ojukwu. The best epitaph that could ever written on that fellows tombstone. If Ojukwu would describe such a man in such terms How much more Ibrahim Babangida; a man who politically, did Ndigbo some good at least compared to all who have ruled Nigeria. Ojukwu as the living Igbo king is there to bless every aspirant including the Bandit Ibrahim Babangida. About appointing Igbos to electoral umpires position; It is quite funny hearing a member of the Yoruba race chiding Ndigbo for perennially being used to achieve selfish political goals and in the process rubbishing credible Igbo leaders one after the other. Yes it is funny. The goal of the war led by YORUBA and Hausa/Fulani was to 1. Annihilate The Igbo physically and mentally. 2. Forever destroy the Igbo capacity to be relevant in Nigerias political equation 3. Sever all and any political ties with Eastern minorities and sow seeds of eternal enmity 4. Stultify the economic growth of the Eastern Region. Today all these objectives have been achieved and here you are sounding off about the speed with which Igbo leaders are being humiliated. What did you expect from a people that 250 ethnic groups collectively set out to destroy? 40 years after the guns stopped booming you expect such people to provide the pedestal on which to launch your One Nigeria? No my friend. That wont happen. The guns have stopped booming but the socio-political and economic war still rages. In any case Igbos do not seek to destroy this false state. At the moment, we lack the wherewithal to do so... Nigeria however is already irretrievably on the road to Golgotha unless something drastic is done. The inherent injustice, inequality and contradictions of the Nigerian state if unchecked will ultimately serve its own death knell Meanwhile, Ojukwu did not do exactly what Gbenga Daniel and other Yoruba leaders did in Ogun state quite recently: Ojukwu did not invite IBB. Rather IBBs minions visited Ojukwu On the flip side, Yoruba leaders under the guise of celebrating Otunba Gbenga Daniels birthday gathered around; invited IBB and lavished praise on him right there in Moshood Abiolas backyard! The state government of Abiolas own home state officially launched IBBs bid for Presidency! Yet an event of lesser import in Anambra has elicited an expected jaundiced reaction from you Hahahahaha; typical of our YORUBA brothers Foul up the air and blame someone else |
| Posted By: Nicolas o Posted On: May 11, 2010 Views: 666 | dont spare any one who has stollen nigeria money Are we all fools?we nigerians are always clapping hands for any new leader that comes in power,let me tell u,any leader that come in and can not arrest obasanjo,ibb,buhari,lucky igbinadion,tony aneni,oji kalu,odili,tinubu,ibori,sam egwu,ogbulafor,and other corupt ex sevice men both from north and south is just another angel of darkness, if all these people are not hanged or jail for life we should all know that we will continue to be in the dark and nothing will ever go foward in this country.look at nigerians they are all in jail in diffrent part of the world either for drugs or 419 or human traficking or prostitution while those who has ruled this nation and stole nigerian wealth for themselves alone are enjoying their loot with their families.im from south south and let me tell this so called jonathan,if it is only ibori you have power to chase with efcc and spare the rest like i hv named above, you are only joking and mind you,those you are sparing from prosecution are the ones that will dig your grave ,,, |
| Posted By: Fred francis Posted On: May 11, 2010 Views: 726 | My country are dieing.....JONATHAN help us Our problem is not dat we lack political ability to govern our country in a well condition state bt our problem is corruption.Every1 want to be rich nd once their plan click,they take the chance.It does not happen in govt only but everywhere.A mere man wil say he wil pave way for good governce bt fact still remain that many nigerian view a position or previlege givin to them as (family business)and for us to have a good governce, we must delete those of our mind-set nd reason.In nigeria today many of our youth have constituted nuisance to d society be/cos of our govt stupid mistakes;some are arm robber,419,retualist etc nd even involve in shady deal.What the govt does is to execute d people involve, without finding the problem nd solve it.Million of graduates with ideas that wil help in boasting the country to the apex are here and the wasting their talent nd later they end up going into crime.Employment opportunity suppose to be like fishes in the ocean, companies,uncountable,even inflastratural resources,teacher payment, free education to the masses but all these were abandoned thereby concentrating on how satisfy his/her egocentric desire forgeting that what goes around come around.And now ibb and obj are now online to contest for 2011 presidential election forgeting the black spot they left that remain unclean (only a fool and anti progress person wil support them).We now look on goodluck who has been ful of goodluck all his life,to save our desolation land nd bring the govt nd nigeria to best state |
| Posted By: Kendo Posted On: May 11, 2010 Views: 728 | Posterity and the present My guys, I will advise all of you to stop wasting your time with these chicken heads known as Nigerian politicians. Though, Jonathan is a good man, I am very sure that they will never allow him to provide the dividends of democracy for ordinary Nigerians. The so called Ogboku or Mgbeke insisted that we should not criticize or insult anybody even when over 150 millions of people lives bellow poverty level in Nigeria. To hell with Ogboku’s advise if he think that Kendo will ever keep mute when his people are marginalized. It is no longer news that Igbo’s always end up as sacrificial lamb for saying the truth in Nigeria. We are committed to the truth because the truth remains the only weapon that destroys evil. I love the courage of Dora Akunyili when she said. If I die I die for saying the truth. I love the courage of Ngozi Iweala when she refused to condescend low to be appreciated under the tendency by selfishness. I love the courage of Chuba Okadigbo when he refused to be manipulated by a man who remianed his academic inferior until his death. I love the courage of Ken Nnamani when he insisted under the leadership of Nigerian senate president that OBJ has no right to stand for third term. I love the courage of Ebitu Ukiwe as the only Nigerian that ever sacrificed his exalted office to save the future generation. I love the courage of Dr. Alex Ekwume who played a pioneering role towards the formation of PDP but gave up his leadership position to save Nigeria. The Sun newspaper is the only media house in Nigeria that ever allowed every Nigerian including Hamza to express his democratic opinion. Some people have criticized the Sun as an Igbo newspaper and I am still waiting for a day when Tribune/ Punch and other newspapers will give us a space to criticize their directors and owners as others have criticized and insulted Orji Kalu on this forum. No one appreciates Igbo agenda in Nigeria because we are committed to the truth. When the truth and hard work is involved, lackadaisical attitudes of people will always consider the projector as an enemy. Every honest personality must not be shaken when people criticizes him/her. At least, Raji Fashola of Lagos state, Peter Obi of Anambra State and other honest politicians will always win their highly esteem positions as long as the process is not truncated. Honest people very much committed to good governance. Whatever happens, I believe I trust my Biafran spirit. I am not here to support either IBB or Jonathan because my objectives remain total commitments and service to humanity in an honest and transparent way. I wish all of you good luck. Quote of the day To live without the truth is a permanent spiritual death. To die while saying the truth guarantees eternal life even after death. As a youth, Always consider this quote before you do anything in your life. |
| Posted By: Stanley O Posted On: May 11, 2010 Views: 609 | 1999 Constitution "...and who will respect the sanctity of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria." [IBB] 1999 constitution is a document prepared by the military. Though Nigerians, but they are not empowered prepare such document for the people. |
| Pages [ 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 ] Next Page -> |