BlackPikiN:

How about the Madalla, Mubi and Gombe Christmas  day bomb victims?

Sanusi must be one hardcore Islamist bigot we have in Nigeria.

Damn!

afam4eva:

This is not about ethnic bigotry. Even if the shoot-at-sight was targeted at his blood relative, he should be brought to book nonetheless. You must be ethnically bigoted yourself to think that this is about tribalism.

afam4eva:

Are you suggesting that if a criminal lives in your neigbourhood, that soldiers should be ordered to level the place killing anything that moves including women and children. What's your point exactly.

lucom:

I'm surprised reading all these comments on here, what you people don't understand is that OBJ is first a state's man before a Yoruba man. Looking at the personality of the man OBJ you'll realise this is a no nonsense soldier who believe in the military way of doing things, let me remind some of you here if you condemn OBJ of sending troops to Tiv land and Odi, have you forgotten the "shoot at sight order" against the OPC that OBJ gave when OPC wanted to turn Lagos to a war zone? if you care to know, that did the miracle in Lagos then and calmness returned. Please stop spewing ethnic bigotry here and for Waku that's a shoe too big for him, he's not in the class of people who can drag OBJ to any court in this life or next.

sucre cruz:

IT IS HEART BREAKING THAT THE FEMALE FOLKS WHOM WE THOUGHT WERE SINCERE ARE EVEN BETTER FRUDSTERS THAN THE MALE FOLKS FRO EXAMPLE
WE ONCE HAD A FEMALE HOUSE OF REPS MEMBER THAT USED 640MILLION NAIRA TO FURNISH HER HOUSE
WE ONCE HAD A FEMALE MD/CEO OF A BANK WHO UTILISED CUSTOMERS FUNDS FOR HERSELF THAT PLACE THE BANK FOR AQUISITION
WE ONCE HAD A FEMALE MINISTER OF EDUCATION THAT COULD NOT BEAR BUT TO INFLUENCE THE NATIONS BUDGET FOR HER SELFISH GAINS
AND NOW WE ARE TALKING ABOUT DIEZANI ALISON MADUEKE, MAY GOD ALMIGHTY HELP US ALL

OAM4J:

EFCC swoops on PPPRA, carts away files

ABUJA — Following a directive by the Federal Government for the immediate review and investigation into all payments made in respect of subsidies on Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) and kerosene, operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, yesterday, swooped on the Petroleum Products Pricing and Regulatory Agency, PPPRA.

PPPRA is the agency saddled with the responsibility of ensuring petroleum products availability, moderating price volatility as well as regulating activities of operators in the petroleum industry.

Acting Head of Media and Publicity in the Commission, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren, who disclosed the operation to our correspondent in Abuja, said  the EFCC would also visit other government agencies involved in the management of the nation’s oil and gas resources.

Uwujaren noted that EFCC operatives visited the PPPRA “in line with the invitation from the Minister of Petroleum Resources to investigate the process of subsidy payments on petroleum products. This is only the first step in our investigation.

“We shall also be visiting other agencies and corporations that manage oil and gas resources on behalf of the country, as well as the marketers of the petroleum products.”

He, however, would not confirm if any arrests were made so far by the Commission, stressing that the operation at PPPRA was only the first leg of “a long and rigorous investigation into the activities of these agencies that regulate petroleum products production and distribution in the country.”

As part of the outcome of negotiations by the Federal Government and organized labour over the removal of subsidy, the government promised to clamp down on alleged acts of corruption within the petroleum industry.

This led to approval by President Goodluck Jonathan for the anti-graft agency to review all  payments made in respect of subsidies on PMS and kerosene, and to take all necessary steps prosecute any incidence of malfeasance, fraud, over-invoicing, and related illegalities in an open and transparent manner.

According to the letter dated January 12, 2012, addressed to the Acting Chairman of EFCC, Mr. Ibrahim Lamorde, and signed by the Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, the Commission is to “immediately review and investigate all payments made in respect of subsidies checked against actual importations and to take all necessary steps to prosecute any persons involved in any incidence of malfeasance, fraud, over-payments and related illegalities.”

It noted that the Federal Government has over the years run a subsidy regime in petroleum imports where the difference between the cost of importation and the pump price is paid for by the government to pre-approved oil marketing companies and importers.

“Over the years, this bill has grown exponentially to unsustainable levels,” Alison-Madueke observed, adding that as Petroleum Minister, she has been extremely concerned with the figures.

She added that, “Following the recent transfer of the PPPRA to my ministry last year, I have moved quickly to change management and inaugurate a comprehensive reform process which include drastic cuts in the list of importers, review of payments and procedures, as well as massive redeployment of staff within the agency.”

The Minister further noted that she has set up a unit within her Ministry to be headed by an independent auditor to review the KPMG and other audit reports on the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, and other parastatals and to immediately begin implementation of their findings.

“I am en-paneling another unit in my office to begin a comprehensive review of the management and controls within all parastatals and in the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, including but not limited to NNPC, PPPRA and DPR. Accordingly, I expect a report in 30 days to enable us take further action reforming management, personnel, and other practices and procedures in parastatals within the Ministry,” Alison-Madueke added.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2012/01/efcc-swoops-on-pppra-carts-away-files/

ogugua88:

Who is mocking the death of innocent people? I won't answer questions for tribalists, no, because their train of thought is very narrow. I am an Igbo woman and I support Nigeria, regardless of tribe. The problem in Nigeria is not a Hausa problem, Yoruba problem, Igbo problem, Fulani problem, etc. It's a Nigerian problem. There is good and bad in every tribe, so to look at one tribe and point and say who is wrong or right or good or bad, is naive.

The protests are more than subsidy related. You think Muslims and Christians in Kano are holding hands because of fuel price? You think Muslims are standing outside Christian churches, protecting Christians and vice versa because of N97 or N141?
[/quote

Your contribution is agog !.I respect your knowledgeable thought.

freed:

The Igbos are very traditional people, there is a strong pull towards preserving inherited ethos and values (also known as omenani or odinani). This manifests in the continued celebration and sustenance of cultural festivals and feasts such as Mmanwu or masquerade festivals. Ndigbo still observe traditional marriage rites such as Ime ego (bride price) and Igba nkwu.

Ndigbo are known to be deeply religious, while majority may have converted to Christianity, others are still practising Igbo traditional religion. The kola nut still remains a significant aspect of Igbo culture; as Ndigbo would say, ‘He who brings kola brings life’. Titles and title taking are still propagated in Igbo communities. In Igbo land, people are known and greeted mainly by their titles rather than by their given names hence Ndigbo will say – Nke onye chiri, ya zaa (let each person answer and uphold his title). It is common for Ndigbo, particularly titled and elderly men to speak using proverbs.

While some may argue that the culture of respect for elders is waning as a result of the swagger life style of nouveau rich Igbo men and women and including politicians, respect for elders is still very much observed by many in line with the admonition by one of Ndigbo’s most revered sons, the late Nnamdi Azikiwe, the Owelle of Onitsha and Nigeria’s first President who had cautioned that “those that do not respect greatness will never live to be great”.

Amongst the Igbos are also to be observed strong bonds of kinship and brotherhood as evidenced in the maintenance of cultural groups, town unions and community development associations (CDAs) in distant lands where Ndigbo reside. Perhaps this may be a way of fostering the Umunna, Igwebuike and Nwanne di na mba philosophy (unity and strength in togetherness). Though Ndigbo may be widely travelled, they do have a strong home coming mentality.

Some negative aspects have also been observed about Igbo culture, these have now been massively exploited by non-Igbos in Nigeria’s political terrain to create a divide and rule situation that has led to Ndigbo’s perennial search for credible leadership. Many argue that Ndigbo love money but I will argue rather that this is just a mis-interpretation of the highly ambitious and competitive spirit of the Igbo man which finds credence in the almost spiritual understanding that Onye ruo, ya rie. By their nature, Ndigbo are very hardworking and enterprising. Another is the saying, propagated by Ndigbo themselves that Igbo enwe Eze. This belief that Ndigbo have no central leader is far from the truth as it at the same time contradicts the Igbo belief that Onye fee eze, Eze eru ya (Give honour to the deserving and you shall also be honoured). These prejudices, real and imagined may have unwittingly made Ndigbo objects of envy and fear by their Nigerian brothers and sisters.

Ndigbo have always relied on self-help and self-enterprise in their business endeavours. This perhaps may have been as a result of the victim mentality created by the losses they suffered during the Nigeria-Biafra civil war. Olanrewaju Akinpelu Olutayo in his paper, The Igbo Entrepreneur in the political economy of Nigeria (African Study Monographs, 20(3): 147-174, September 1999) writes that “One major and unique trait of the Igbo entrepreneur is the courage, perseverance, and determination with which they carry on in spite of the bad experiences and losses during the Nigerian civil war from 1967 to 1970”. This in-group survivalist thinking may have served Ndigbo right in post-civil war Nigeria when the exigencies of the time required that one only trusted people of his race.

The post-war era witnessed many successes especially amongst Igbo business men who despite the trauma and losses still managed to build large enterprises relying on self-help. Augustine Ilodibe was easily Nigeria’s biggest transporter with his Ekene Dili Chukwu transport business. There were others that built large scale contracting and construction enterprises such as R.O. Nkwocha, D.O Nkwonta and F.G.N Okoye, all from Enugwu-Ukwu. Others thrived in industry and real estate such as John Anyaehie, Nnanna Kalu, Chief Ferdinand Anaghara, Louis Odumegwu-Ojukwu and Onwuka Kalu. Those that focused on commerce (import and export) thrived as well, such as G.E Chikeluba and his partners at the GMO Group. Unfortunately, most of these worthy pioneering Igbo sons have all passed on and the estates and business empires they left behind have also crumpled. Ndigbo should learn their lessons from some of these experiences. The world over, many businesses which began as family businesses such as Ford, Daimler Benz etc have since become publicly owned enterprises. When new shareholders and investors are allowed to come in, they bring in new ideas and capital thus enhancing further the chances of survival.

Source: businessdayonline.com

Igbodefender.com’s Comment: The Igbo penchant for success, that is spoken about in this article is as a result of Equianoism, that formular of Igbo cultural practices that have made the Igbos a hard working culture for thousands of years.

LEXYLOV:

Mr Falana Thanks so much for at least be the first person to tell Oga GEJ what to do even though that is not the issue, but still ok if people like you who can talk and the media pay attention can try and helping the fisherman with sort of advice, because you all knows that he is a zoology man that taking care of his animal without wearing any shoe, you call him to be deputy governor of a state, he does and something happen you said he should be governor he does yet something happen again you said he should be vice presido he does again and eventually another thing happen again you say he should be president all the way from zoo to aso rock, what did you expect then

, So anywhere he occupied something most happen, !! hmmm, NIGERIA!

LEXYLOV:

Mr Falana Thanks so much for at least be the first person to tell Oga GEJ what to do even though that is not the issue, but still ok if people like you who can talk and the media pay attention can try and helping the fisherman with sort of advice, because you all knows that he is a zoology man that taking care of his animal without wearing any shoe, you call him to be deputy governor of a state, he does and something happen you said he should be governor he does yet something happen again you said he should be vice presido he does again and eventually another thing happen again you say he should be president all the way from zoo to aso rock, what did you expect then

[font=Lucida Sans Unicode][font=Lucida Sans Unicode][font=Lucida Sans Unicode][size=8pt] , So anywhere he occupied something most happen, !! hmmm, NIGERIA! [/size]