Chyz*:
[size=18pt]ACF, Yakasai hit Mark over comment[/size]

By Tony Akowe, Kaduna From Kolade Adeyemi, Kano 3 hours 43 minutes ago


Senate Presdient David Mark came under attack from the North yesterday over his comments on the activities of militant sect Boko Haram.

Mark, speaking at the opening session of the Senate retreat in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital on Monday urged North leaders to rein in the sect members. He also said the insurgency of the sect could lead to Nigeria, split, if unchecked

But the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), activist Shehu Sani and elder stateman Tanko Yakassai attacked his position.

The ACF said North’s leaders are doing their best to stop the sect, wondering why they were being criticised by Mark.

National Publicity Secretary of the Forum, Mr Anthony Sani, told The Nation in an interview that Northern leaders including former President Ibrahim Babangida, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar have all condemned the bombings while appealing to government to do something drastic to bring the situation under control.

The ACF spokesman said: “[size=14pt]Is David Mark not from the North? Is he not part of the Northern leaders[/size]? Why is he talking like that? If you talk about the country breaking up, in what direction is this going to take?

“What are we supposed to do as Northern leaders that we have not done besides condemning the act of bombings? We have asked the government to go and negotiate with these people. Where ever those people are, it is the responsibility of the government to find them and engage them.

“They used force on the group in 2009 when Jonathan was not there. They killed their leader and many of their members and that did not solve the problem. We do not think that the use of force will solve the problem now.

“The government has the capacity to engage these people, get them where ever they are. I think that is what should be done at this stage instead of government passing the bulk. [size=14pt]Mark is part of the North and is one of the leaders of the North and there is no reason for him to speak that way[/size]”.

Yakasai called for the resignation of the Senate President, who he said, was inciting the disintegration of Nigeria.

Yakasai, who spoke to reporters in Kano yesterday, argued that the statement credited to the Senate President, “means he doesn’t believe in the future of the country and demonstrates that he is not qualified to hold his current position.”

Yakassai, argued that out of the 774 local governments in Nigeria, only 18 local governments are affected by the Boko Haram menace, pointing out that the Senate President was ignorant of the security challenges facing the nation in recent times.

In his words, “the Boko Haram insurgency is only affecting 18 local governments in Nigeria out of over 700 local governments I can say 700 are free from this disturbances. Therefore, the statement credited to Mark is a betrayal of his lack of grasp of the actual situation in the country. Majority of Nigerians are going about their usual businesses without any hindrance.”

Describing the Senate President’s remark as unguided and inflammatory, Yakassai wondered why a person of his calibre, occupying number three position in the country could display such “unpatriotic” the characteristic.


http://www.thenationonlineng.net/2011/index.php/news/51810-acf-yakasai-hit-mark-over-comment.html

Dudu_Negro: Eze Onlytruth,

"Oh God my father" has nothing to do with this political drama. Present a analysis of the article please.

Some of the southern candidates that may succeed Jonathan actually are more competent than Northern candidates, and will likely help the North more than a Northern person.

If Nigeria should disintegrate, Mark is saying that his people will not go with the core North. That to me is the bottom line issue, and I think that is what ACF and Yakassai are fretting/shouting about.

Dudu_Negro: Eze, That's a good view you presented. I have questions for you.

1. From your quote,

Wasn't this the same script used to bring Jonathan in. . . that he was an academician and well educated and competent than other party candidates? We need to create a new check list for candidature and on top of that list we need to start demanding accountability upfront. "What have you done", instead of "what do you know"! So using this for background, these "Southern candidates" that have comeptencies, who are they and what have they accomplished? Give us just top five.


2. From this quote,

What if Nigeria does not integrate, they remain attached to core North? Never mind that the core North has vehemently declared war on the Davids, Anthonys, Michaels, Johns, Peters, Pauls, Theresas, Deborahs and all other Christians in the North and continue to discriminate against then in the Northern land they are supposed to co-own.

ACF and Yakassai only need these people for the political adavantage and tactical buffer upward from South.


To me, ACF and Yakassai did not fret. Here is what I see. . . .

The six geopolitical zoning is a decoy to further disenfranchize the South. It is a scam! ACF called IBB a Northerner and challenged Mark if he did not consider himself a Northerner, inspite everyone know these people are in a different geo zone with a different majority bloc (religious and cultural). The statement by ACF and Yakassai is analogous to MASSOB saying SS zone and its political aspirations will be directed from the East.

While in South we attach ourselves to SW, SS and SE. . . .in the North, everything is business as usual. So tell me again that Southern politicians are more competent than Northeners. As far as geo zones. . . the South need to return to business as usual.

My last observation is on the calculation that out of 774 LGs, only 18 are affected. This is a very silly remark from Yakassai and his ACF. The numerical value is abstract and vague in terms of any useful statistical comparison to measure the devastation to the population. These "only 18 LGs", in terms of land mass, how vast is their coverage? We are talking about local governments as big the size of Southern states.

Murphy7h4: Good point

Onlytruth:

What you stated in the bolded words are well known facts. Honestly, I am more optimistic about a southern political renaissance now than ever, because at least the president is still in the south, even if you don't like the holder of the office, it is easier to retain it in the south now, as long as Bola Ahmed Tinubu does not enter into any political alliance with Buhari/core North in 2015. Never forget that there is a history of political betrayals in the south which makes our moving together always a sticky issue as you noted. It is almost like a curse!
For me, I pray that the SS/SE continues to move together in 2015, and hope that the SW joins us, or we join SW, either way. I personally think that the whole south should support an Igbo candidate whenever Jonathan leaves. If that ever happens, then the South will rise for ever in Nigeria because all civil war-induced suspicions/grudges would die a natural death. I personally don't think it is that hard to heal our civil war wounds. The North is using it to keep the South divided so that it can continue to rule us. One of the biggest victory against Northern schemes in Nigeria political history was when we Igbo voted massively to make Jonathan president. The North is yet to recover from that political knock out.

Dudu_Negro:

I am against a Southern sovereignty. SS has lost its political virginity and tasted power and they now act and behave typical of a newly dis-virgined young woman in her new found power over men; deliriously intoxicated and mischievious. The only way West should form any merger and cohabit in Southern nationality is if SE will regain its authority and power over SS and there exist just West and East.

Dudu_Negro:

I am against a Southern sovereignty. SS has lost its political virginity and tasted power and they now act and behave typical of a newly dis-virgined young woman in her new found power over men; deliriously intoxicated and mischievious. The only way West should form any merger and cohabit in Southern nationality is if SE will regain its authority and power over SS and there exist just West and East.

Dudu_Negro:

I am against a Southern sovereignty. SS has lost its political virginity and tasted power and they now act and behave typical of a newly dis-virgined young woman in her new found power over men; deliriously intoxicated and mischievious. The only way West should form any merger and cohabit in Southern nationality is if SE will regain its authority and power over SS and there exist just West and East.

musiwa1: Sam_Ikenna, who created the south south. Asari dokubo. you make me laugh. On people land..


Why do you think Ojukwu did not claim delta state as biafra.


Itsekiri land is nearly half of delta state.

that is Itseriki.. is that not Yoruba. The correct word for God in Yorubaland is Orise. Not Oluwa. it was during the written of the bible , that I think Bishop ajayi crowther was the one who change the word God from Orise to Oluwa. If you look at Older Yoruba people, their names are Orisebunmi etc. Nobody was bearing Oluwabunmi or Oluwakemi.. All yorubas use to bear Orisebunmi, Orisewale, Orisedayo, Oriseyomi etc.. Nobody bear Oluwa anything. It is christain who change it from Orise to Oluwa..




[img]http://3.bp..com/-4mKmCF9s3R8/TWlqau-hfsI/AAAAAAAAAFs/cDcnwjk6SSk/s1600/Crowther_Bishop_Samuel_Ajayi2.jpg[/img]




https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixMAuueTtSo&feature=relmfu

musiwa1: This is the olu of warri.. Is name is Seju Emiko, the one before him as Olu of warri. His name is Ayo emiko.(yoruba name)

Sam_Ikenna:

Negro, you need to let the sleeping dog lie. By sleeping dog I mean your bolded. Every man has the right to determine his destiny so to that end I say - let people in SS choose, exist, allign, relate etc, as they deem fit. The survival of SE or SW does not and will never hinge on SS.

Its like you're sending SE on land-grab warfare. Even if that were to be the case, dont you think SW should also initiate their own expansion into Edo and Delta? My brother, like I said earlier - let the sleeping dog enjoy her sleep. SS and SE will always be friends, brothers, and neighbors just as, I hope I'm not wrong, SW will always be Friends with SS/SE.

We dont need to regain anything 'cause we're already whole. If only you looked carefully you would've noticed our long, arduous, and often - lonely walk to strength, power, wealth, destiny and lastly, re-establishment of a 40 year broken bond with our friends and brothers in the SS. We did this from the ashes of a bitter civil war that hadly left a tree standing in the Eastern heartland.

We're wise and magnanimous enough to let SS be without seeking for any expansion of any kind. If its natural that we'll come together under the banner of old East then so be it, but if not - we're still just fine. This is Nigeria, everyone is wiser and "sophisticated" now to bail the cat - meaning - we'll all (the south) defeat our enemy together and live or we'll play dead and let him sodomize us as many times as satisfy his dark desires.