Thnks Missy B

Me too. Could you please also send it through thi?

Why is it that it is the girl that is being called all kind of silly names? What about Flavour himself? He isnt a saint either!!! He is as crappy as any guy can be. Bird of the same feather flock together!!!

There is nothing wrong in being bororo. As far as I understand it is used to describe the 100% nomadic fulbe. Hausa, farmers and other 'domesticated' fulbe use it as a derogatory term to refer to other fulbe in villages and nomadic ones.

It is really a shame that the language is very fast disappearing. In places like Gombe, 20-30years ago Fulfulde was the most common language but now, unless in the smaller towns and villages, Fulfulde is fast disappearing.

The Fulbe in Nigeria face considerable challenge of identification because of the aggressive hausanization necessitated by domestication, lost of grazing land, intermarriage and lack of political will to promote indigenous languages.

In the North-Eastern Nigeria, particularly in Gombe, Yobe, and Bauchi a lot of Fulani had to abandon the nomadic life to urbanization because of the constant crises between farmers and cattle herders. Because of the population growth competition of fertile land led to massive ethnic crises in the late 90s and early 2000s when many Fulani were massacred by the army and police on the orders of the Bauchi, Gombe and Yobe states governments. I remember vividly then when fulani were being hunted even in local market days and accused of being bororo. There is this local hunter called Ali Kwara (a terrible bastard) in Bauchi state who the government gave contract to hunt down nomadic fulani in central and northern Bauchi State. This guy was instrumental to the genocidal extermination of large number of fulani in Bauchi State.

Let me see how many holid

Jan 1st- New Year - 1 day
Maulud - anywhere - 1 day
Easter Holiday - 2 days
Labour day - 1 day
Small Sallah - 2 days
Ram Sallah - 2 days
October First - 1 day
Christmas - 2 days

Have I missed any?
12 days in total

Nigerians are really funny. What does he expect in a hospital in a developed country? People should converge there and make a nuisance? The guy was in hospital for medical attention for God sake.

I see the guy that went there was thinking like a Nigerian hospital when a very important person is admitted, a camp of family, friends, well wishers, sycophants and beggars will be set up outside the hospital. hssss

I think this is a case of proliferation or copy cat. There already exist various kind of religious sects and I wont be surprise if this is just another one.

This has nothing to do with Igbo, Ijaw, or Sunni vs Shiites.

The Northern Nigerian and MB issue is fundamentally different from others, and therefore we should look at the problems and proffer solutions based on our unique problems.

I am not shooting down your idea, however, for somebody trying to find solution for 70 million people and over 100 years of conflict, you will agree with me that any proposal presented need to be debated to avoid creating a much bigger problem. I am by all means open to finding a permanent settlement to the crises in Northern Nigeria, the larger problem of national unity.

karfe:

My answer is (2), and I have been trying to make that clear from the start of this thread

I have also made it clear, and ekt-bear supported me and explained better, that a clean break is not possible. No illusions about that

If there are contrary opinions to the list, from you or anyone else, let us discuss. Remove the places you think are not MB from the list presented and inform other forumists why they cannot be part of my fantasy as you call it. My ultimate aim is to also learn from you and have a better understanding

If you do not agree with the MB concept, what is your alternative apart from the status quo? Because I do not think what we have is working

Not that I do not agree with your concept, but I strongly believe you are insincere in your assessment and proposal. To every discerning mind, the fundamental problem in Northern Nigeria is the religious difference. I do not have to repeat what others wrote earlier but you have to look at all the issues objectively.

I am certain, in Plataeu State, if the Biroms and Angas were Muslims, there wouldn't have been any sectarian (religious) crises. Similarly if the Hausas were Christians.

You talked about some ethnic groups (Sayawa) in Bauchi retaining their cultural heritage? What cultural heritage? The only reason why the Sayawa are different from other ethnic groups in Bauchi is because they are Christians and the others Muslims. There is no cultural heritage left in Northern Nigeria - you are either Christian or Muslim, both of which are imported religions.

Places like Nasarawa, Adamawa, Taraba are mix-and-match and I cannot see how you will ever achieve your object of separating them from the rest of Northern Nigeria.

JaaizTech:

Kai Sanusi you just fell into a big hole, even if you felt that the North needed more funding to help it out of its misery, you should never have spewed it out at this time. Any other person (a Non-northerner) would have gotten away with these comments, with no notice. But with the vultures in the South waiting for the slightest slip, to further desecrate the North, you made a big time mistake.
Although, I disagree I think every state is getting enough, but their government is not doing enough. And it is the same for South-South and other Southern states. The only reason we are better of is the better education we have. That is just it. The North needs to wake up from her deep sleep and realise the urgent need to educate her people. Even artisans of northern extraction are scarce. Something drastic needs to be done. Lastly, enough of all these hate, the north is not the evil we make of it.

Sanusi is a disgrace to the hardworking Kanawa. People survived in the North for hundreds of years without oil revenue and lack of oil revenue is not a justification of killing and maiming people. His psychology of Nigerian problem is distorted. He clearly do not understand what is our problem.

TRUTHTELA:


By William Wallis






Attempts to redress historic grievances in Nigeria’s oil-rich south may inadvertently have helped create the conditions for the Islamic insurgency spreading from the impoverished north-east of the country, says Lamido Sanusi, Nigeria’s central bank governor.

In the past year, the Boko Haram sect has been responsible for proliferating attacks on churches, police stations and other state targets. Last week, it claimed responsibility for multiple bomb blasts which claimed nearly 200 lives in t e northern city of Kano. The size and sophistication of the attacks underlined fears that the conflict is spiralling out of control.







“There is clearly a direct link between the very uneven nature of distribution of resources and the rising level of violence,” Mr Sanusi told the Financial Times in an interview, arguing that it was now necessary to focus funds on regenerating other regions if Nigeria wants to secure long-term stability.

Oil-producing areas in the predominantly Christian south benefit from 13 per cent of the revenues generated from oil in their area, on top of the federal allocations they and other states receive. As world oil prices have risen over the past decade, this has led to a widening gulf in income between oil-producing states and those without oil. The commercial capital Lagos, which raises 75 per cent of its own revenue from taxes, is the exception.

This formula was introduced after the military relinquished power in 1999 among a series of measures aimed at redressing historic grievances among those living closest to the oil and quelling a conflict that was jeopardising output.

But by seeking to address one problem, Nigeria may have created another, weakening other states in the federation and fostering resentment in the poorest region which has spawned the Boko Haram sect.

“When you look at the figures and look at the size of the population in the north you can see there is a structural imbalance of enormous proportions,” Mr Sanusi said. “Those states simply do not have enough money to meet basic needs while some states have too much money.”

According to official figures, the leading oil producing state, Rivers, received N1,053bn between 1999 and 2008 in federal allocations. By contrast the north-eastern states of Yobe and Borno, where the Boko Haram sect was created, received N175bn and N213bn respectively. Broken down on a per capita basis, the contrast is even starker. In 2008 the 18.97m people who lived in the six states in the north-east received on average N1,156 per person.

By contrast Rivers state was allocated N3,965 per capita, and on average the oil producing South- South region received on average N3,332 per capita.

This imbalance is compounded when the cost of an amnesty programme for militants in the delta is included together with an additional 1 per cent for a special development body for the Niger delta. To boot, the theft of oil by profiteers in the region diverts tens of millions more weekly from federal coffers.

The imbalance is so stark, he added, because the state still depends on oil for more than 80 per cent of its revenues. Nigeria has made little headway raising taxes for example from agriculture, which accounts for 42 per cent of GDP.

Inhabitants of the delta tend to have little sympathy with complaints about the revenue formula, given that Nigeria was ruled and at times plundered for much of the four decades after independence by northern leaders. Indeed, state governors from the region are now lobbying for an even greater share of oil revenues – in some cases they believe it should be as high as 50 per cent.

Northern Nigeria’s economy has traditionally depended on the government more than the south. Many of the industries set up as part of earlier efforts to promote national balance have gone bust or been sold off during a decade of liberal market reforms, power shortages and infrastructure collapse.

The north’s inhabitants, although more numerous, are also among the poorest in Africa, and therefore represent a less attractive market for the banks, telecoms and retail companies booming in pockets of comparative affluence in Nigeria’s south. “We now need some sort of Marshall plan for these areas so we can begin to regenerate industrialisation,” Mr Sanusi argued.


http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/02ce9e7e-4837-11e1-b1b4-00144feabdc0.html#axzz1kmwnisFe

If this is what this guy said, then I have lost all confidence in him. A person in his position should be thinking of the possible ways of diversifying our economy, particularly that of Northern Nigeria. For how long will Nigeria continue to depend of oil and gas revenue for even basic expenditures. Sanusi is a digress to Nigeria, and Northern Nigeria in particular.

I have no problems with people organizing and actualizing their quest for freedom, and as you can read from my previous post, I have a very good understand of Northern Nigeria. However, I realized long time ago certain ambitions are going to remain a dream.

My concern is you still haven't clearly define your concept of MB. Is your middle belt based on (1) religious identity: Muslim - North and Christians (MB), (2) Ethnicity: Hausa, Fulani, Kanuri - North and Everyone else- MB.

These are the fundamental differences in Northern Nigeria.

I have no doubt that your current proposal is not only unacceptable to many people, but very very very very very unworkable. You have to be realistic in your ambitions.

karfe:

This thread has tried to identify all the areas which may or may not be part of the MIDDLE BELT (CENTRAL) REGION

Non-Yoruba Kwara
Non-Yoruba Kogi
Benue
Niger
Nasarawa
Plateau
Taraba
Adamawa
Southern Kaduna
Southern Kebbi
Southern Bauchi
Southern Gombe
Southern Borno (not sure)

It would be useful if MB persons, and other Nigerians could identify which regions should be removed from the list or retained. It would also be useful to hear the views of Hausa-Fulani and Kanuri persons who come from these areas or from the Far North

For those from the Yoruba parts of Kwara and Kogi, please state if these areas should be part of the MB

Could you put these places you are talking about here in a map so that we can visualize how realistic your fantasies are?

Obiagu1:

^^^

To cut the story short, it's almost impossible for all the Igbos in the North to relocate even if Nigeria divides.
Some of them can't stay in any other place than the North, same with some Northerners in the East that have decided never to leave the East.

This is the issue. But almost every Igbo calls for evacuation of Igbos from North as if they do really care for them.

Rhino.5dm:

Read how stuupidly and ridiculous you guys allowed yourself to be used.

Yeah, Igbos represent 40% of voting populace in Kano according to your brother. How absurd and foolish could this be?? kano of all palces?!!


http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/jonathan-buhari-in-crossfire-over-jos-campaign-
deaths/88314/

You know in Nigeria, there is always tendency to over exaggerate, particularly when it come to population. However, we know the Igbo population in the North is very large, and I do not support the call for all of them to move back to the East. Eze Igbo and Ohaneze should hold their leaders accountable for the insecurity of their people. If they move back to the East, are they going to give them jobs, is there any social safety net to absorb them? Most of the Igbo in the North are traders, and when they move back to the East what are they going to do?

doctokwus:

3m my foot,Nigerians just like to throw figures about,more like 300,000 if u ask me.Useless organisation of men that make pretences to being important so as to line their own pockets

Even if the number is not 3 million or 300k, in reality though, there is a large number of Igbo in the North, no doubt about that. Evacuating all them is just near impossible and huge humanitarian crises. Re-settling them back in to their states of Origin will result in huge financial burden on the states. There is already too much pressure on land, bringing back all the Igbos to the East is not wise.

3 million people in the state of 9 million is a huge proportion. If there are 3 million Igbo in Kano, then the Eze Igbo is not right to call for their evacuation. 3 million people are sufficient to make an army of defence, join forces with other peace loving Kano residents and defend their city. There is not state in the East that can accommodate 3 million more people over a year without serious humanitarian crises

The negative issues associated with this programme far outweigh the merit and if GEJ was intending to cut wasteful spending then NYSC, Senate, NASS , Road Safety, NOA, UBE and Nomadic Education should be scrapped.

You are also understating the enimity between various ethnic groups in the middle belt. Most of these ethnic groups occupied the same narrow strip of land and have fought each other for centuries: the Jukuns, Tivs and Idoma have fought each, and the enmity is still manifesting today, having an independent region made of these groups alone will not usher in peace and prosperity. I think the Nigerian umbrella which provided the State and Local Government structure have reduced tension significantly between various ethnic groups in the central of Nigeria. The defunct Benue-Plateau State is an example of what would happen when such autonomous region exist.

My understanding, purely based on synthesizing what I read over the years, is that the same reason why MD is strongly resisted by many today is the same reason why the MD could not be created in the 1963.

Over the years, a large number of ethnic groups have metamorphosed into Hausa speaking, and as Leonard said, most of these ethnic groups have similarities and more affinity to the Hausa people than the next ethnic group, except where the religion is different. The ethnic groups that make up Southern Bauchi State for instance, are largely related with those of Plateau State, however, because of Islam most of these ethnic groups, apart from Seyawa who are majority Christains, have gradually turn into Hausa (example - Jarawa, Miya, Burra). Even the Kanuri in Northern Bauchi and Yobe States are today gradually becoming hausanised. Until the beginning of the recent religious crises, the Birom and Angas in Plateau State have no problems relating to, and also being called hausa. In fact, at the fore front of the vanguards of One North, mostly were the Plateau guys.

I am particularly interested in understanding the rational behind how you define MD apart from the main stream one which specifically define MD as the non-islamic majority areas/states.

Our understanding from reading newspaper articles and lectures I attended mostly centred around making MD an expression against the historical oppression of the more dominant Hausa ethnic group.

However, to be realistic, when one start looking at your definition of MD the Northern Nigeria will be a very small area. Just to be clear on this, are you defining MB as areas exclusively dominated by non-Hausa speaking ethnic groups?

jamace:

Sanunku mai jama'a. Ya ya sabo shekara?

Sannun ka jamace! Sabuwar shekara an fara ta da tashin hankali da ru[i]d[/i]anin [i]k[/i]arin farashin man-petur wanda ya jan[i]y[/i]o tashin farashin kayan masarufi, da abinci , da ku[i]d[/i]a[i]d[/i]en mota safara. Allah ya yi kyautayin rayuwa.

auwal87:

But then comes our fair, if we do not have leaders to choose for our own nation why choose to lead Nigeria? If we don't have leaders in all north, then fine, let us forget about leadership. example a house with 12 children under the care of very bad person, when you remove 6 children from the house and take them to another house you have at least reduced their number even if their new house guarantees nothing better. What we are currently set in is called "suicide" lets not live and lets not allow others live.

We do have leaders who are capable and progressive but the current system excludes such people from smelling seat of power. What I am saying, if Nigeria dissolve under the current system, the same set of leaders we have would be inherited. If you, I and any other Northern Nigerian believe that we would be better off under an independent nation, then certainly, it is better we start educating our local people, plan for it, and fight for it. However, a system that is capable of returning Kwankoso as Gov of Kano State after disastrous 4 years as Gov and 4 years as defence minister is not worth to inherit.

auwal87:

Believe me, new sets of nation building leaders will emerge because the people will be more patriotic and will try to compete with former states in development.

Believe is not reality. We believed for a very long time that we would be a great Nation, and the reality is proving contrary. Unless there is already a movement with principle personalities and progressive minded that clamoured for independence, what you would have is hijacking of the new governments by the present elites.

A very good look at our people in the north, one know that it would take more than just independence to spur us into action of abandoning the present set of leaders, or even the system for more competent people.

But no one will give you independence on a platter of gold. you have to work for it, plan for it and execute it before you achieve your final objective. At the current state, if the Nigeria disintegrate, we are going to inherit the current set of leaders, who we all know are incompetent, very corrupt and parochial; and thus we are going to start on a wrong foot. We also most likely be forced to recognize the traditional rulers as legitimate institution of governance, and which we all know, in northern Nigeria they represent oppression and reminds us of the tyranny our grand fathers suffered in the hands of these feudal lords.

I personally do not want this country to continue in this format, regional autonomy will present a better system of government under the umbrella of Nigeria, if complete divorce from this union is not achievable.

iskoki:

Fellow Nigerians, bokoharam are able to purchase weapons and other materials through resources they got from oil diversion. Many of these Islamic extremists in the far north have their networks in Niger and Chad, when they divert petrol bought at 63naira in Nigeria, it is then smuggled outside and sold at over 170naira if you convert the rate.

Through these monies, arms and ammunition are then bought. Sometimes the petrol is bartered directly for bullets and explosives in Chad. One tanker can provide you with over 50. submachine guns and hundreds of thousands of Russian and Eastern European made live munitions brought in via Algeria, Libya and Sudan.

I'll type more later, i don't want to get caught.

Desperate to justify Jonathan's economic policies!!!!!!
Some people will never learn from their mistakes for the rest of their lives.!!!!!
If it is Jonathan you are supporting, it wont take another 2 months before he blunders again.


Smuggling of petroleum products have been going on for years, and is done not by BH, but by wealthy individuals with connections within the government.

Smuggling has been going on for years, we never had BH until recently.

Beaf:

Lol! I hope you had nice dreams?

Unfortunately, there can never be a right time to make corrections in Nigeria. Every last thing is wrong with our system and shock treatment is necessay in some instances. It is unfortunate that people will have a hard time, but it shouldn't last too long.
What we really need in Nigeria is to start manufacturing, if there was a magic wand to kickstart that, I would wave it; but we've got to face the reality of how messed up our system is, chomp the bit and get on with it.

Just to emphasis on what you said, Nigerians have been living a life of lie for quite a very long time. Subsidizing petrol, which will not last forever, led us to the current mess. People, at this point point, will start appreciating the true cost of living. Making unnecessary life choices of everybody having more than 10 children and insisting government to provide free or subsidize health care, education and transportation without paying taxes, is unsustainable.

knock on effect.

- Increasing the cost of fuel directly means corresponding increase in cost of transportation. Increase in cost of transportation will lead to increase in cost of food and other commodities. This will inevitably increase the cost of living for a common man. The next coming months will be hard for common man.

Gbawe:

True. Comical that Kano is "officially" the most populous Nigerian State at 9.3 million while Lagos is next at 9.01 million. Such deception may serve the purpose of some in the short term but ends up harming Nigeria badly overall considering how accurate censors are powerful tools that assist vital forecasting and planning.

This is one of the reason why sometimes it is annoying discussing Nigerian fundamental problems. There are only few official statistics or data sources that one could rely trust. Having witnessed how the previous census was conducted, there is no way I will ever believe in the data.

however, whatever the real figure is, one do not need the census figure to tell us that our population is growing out of control. And it is important that we do our own part in educating other Nigerians about the importance of having fewer kids. Personally I have started doing that about 4 years now in my town, and many people are gradually becoming aware this, and are also helping to pass the message

The negative impact of population increase is currently being faced in almost all the northern states where nomadic Fulani roam about with their cattle in search of greener pastures and water. Most of the routes and green fields used by the Fulani for decades have steadily being colonized by the Hausa and other indigenous people for farming and housing, and thus resulting in incessant inter tribal clashes between the Fulani and other Northern Nigeria ethnic groups.

More worrying, are the inter community crises in some Northern states on ownership of land and drinking water sources that are gradually spreading and becoming more common. These crises mostly go about unreported because they are not the classical-large scale religious fight that erupt between Christains and Muslims in northern Nigeria.

Conversation with many Yoruba and Igbo resident in Northern Nigeria, highlights the challenge posed by population growth in the southern Nigeria. Despite the recurring religious crises, these folks moves in droves in search of cheaper and spacious housing.

no, im not saying marriage is a must.

what I am saying is, assuming she is from Northern Nigeria, there is an easy way out without the hassles of going through the sperm donor syndicate.

I do not believe that a single mother is a bad woman, but sometimes fate could be cruel. i have read stories of children deserting their mothers for not knowing the identity of their fathers. i have seen adverts of children looking for their fathers. Life could be cruel. it is better for her to have a known person as a father than some faceless laboratory specimen