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nigeriacelebrates50.orgForty-six years back this month, Nigeria's civil war came to an end with the surrender of the secessionist Republic of Biafra. The two plus a half years of fighting took some two million lives, but when the bitter conflict stopped the victorious Nigerian authorities proclaimed, "No Victor, No Vanquished." However, the displeasure of the ethnic Igbo people of southeast Nigeria lingers on.

In 1999, a group called the Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra emerged, seeking through political agitation and demonstrations to re establish an independent nation. Recently it's been overshadowed by another group, the Indigenous People of Biafra, which also calls for autonomy, by violence if needed.

Almost every day since Mr. Kanu's arrest, there have been demonstrations and calls for the authorities to free him. In managing his case, the authorities needs to tread carefully, ensuring that it doesn't transform him into a cause celebre.

A few weeks ago, Nigerian papers reported the existence of a handwritten statement Mr. Kanu submitted to law enforcement agents shortly after his arrest, in which he apologized "unreservedly" for the "regrettable" and "uncomplimentary things" he had said about President Buhari and some other folks. The government should consider capitalizing on this particular breath of remorse and making an offer of amnesty to Mr. Kanu in exchange for a pledge to be less-tumultuous in his strategy.

Led by Nnamdi Kanu, a Nigerian who was living in Britain until last October, it has demonstrated greater sophistication than Massob. Its main marketing tool is Radio Biafra, an online station that spreads the call for "liberation" and "self-emancipation" from the "zoo" called Nigeria. These tasks have annoyed President Muhammadu Buhari, who has openly backed Mr. Kanu's on-going trial for treason.

When the Biafran War broke out in 1967 in the aftermath of widespread communal violence, Lieut. Col. Odumegwu Ojukwu, a top Igbo officer, declared that "asian Nigerians are no longer wanted as equal partners in the Federation of Nigeria." That feeling is still widely shared among the Igbo. But the frustrations of today's would-be Biafrans are no different from those of their neighbors in the Niger Delta, whose oil keeps Nigeria News but gets them little in return, apart from gas fires and oil spills. Nor do they differ from the grievances of the fellow countrymen in the north, who continue to wallow in amounts of poverty and illiteracy that make the south seem prosperous in comparison.



yohaig.ngThe reality is the fact that no part of Nigeria has a monopoly on victimhood. The urge to protest suffering also to seek to decide one's destiny is just not wrongheaded; the issue lies in seeking change in a fashion that incites violence and ethnic hatred. It might not be worse for Biafran separatists to drop their calls for autonomy and press for constitutional change that will strengthen the federal system Nigeria purports to practice. Our current Constitution, just like the others that followed independence in 1960, is the product of military leaders whose program has rarely coincided with the public good. Though it opens with the necessary words ("We the individuals of the Federal Republic of Nigeria ... "), it had been crafted by a handpicked committee rather than made public before the military transferred power to the civilian government on May 29, 1999.

Igbo separatists would do better to follow the example of Scotland and push to get a referendum to determine the future of the region. True, the central government will be unlikely to back this type of call for concern that it may trigger an avalanche of referendum requests in this nation of more than 250 ethnic groups. But were one my guess is the fact that it could turn out overwhelmingly in favor of preserving union with Nigeria.

There'll never be enough support in the southeast for independence from Nigeria, mostly because many of the folks there realize that there could be little to lose and much to gain. It is dubious that the several minority in the delta agitators the oil-rich delta states really are a natural section of Biafra. Biafra would be a its enterprising individuals hobbled by a requirement to acquire visas to work in places where they've lived and traded in for decades, a tiny, landlocked country.

Additionally, an independent Biafra would stay riven across religious lines that are being invoked to justify its leaving Nigeria and the very tribal. It is simple for the Igbo to regard themselves as a monolith that is cultural and spiritual provided that they stay in Nigeria. But all Nigerians should know that there's no end to subdividing ourselves, once we give in to the urge. In an independent, irresistibly Christian Biafra, as they sometimes do in local politics -- people would begin to identify themselves as Anglicans and Catholics and Methodists. In the Igbo state of Enugu, Anglican bishops warned the ruling party in the run up to the elections of last year, for instance that they would not accept a gubernatorial ticket composed entirely of Catholic nominees. The warning was disregarded by the party.

The clamor to get a referendum would give an excellent chance for all those like me who consider (to take a phrase from British opponents of Scottish autonomy) that Nigeria would be "Better Together." True it is hard to find this in a country where on-line comments typically degenerate into ethnic sniping, but with appropriate framing Nigeria's diversity could, in fact, be turned right into a unifying motif.

That "Better Together" effort would require much soul searching about our country's painful past. It would also require recognizing the complaints of the many Igbo voices who are exhausted of marginalization but tend not to support the notion of secession.

The most effective method for the government to permanently sideline those who call for political violence is to push for the economic reforms that President Buhari has vowed to carry through. Handling corruption and ensuring more equitable distribution of the wealth in Nigeria will help all its individuals. Splintering the country into a hodgepodge of independent states wont.

Nigerian Papers Headlines Today


Today, February 16, major Nigerian newspapers focus on various issues including the secret meeting involving the presidency and also the National Assembly to correct the mistakes in the 2016 budget as well as the sack of the director general (Budget) Yahaya Gusau for various disparities identified in the 2016 budget propositions among others.


The Guardian reports that the presidency may no more need to remove and re-write the 2016 budget to correct discrepancies identified therein adhering to a likely secret deal involving the National Assembly and Federal Executive Council (FEC) members to correct the anomalies associated with the N6.077 trillion budget.




nigeriacelebrates50.orgStill on the side effect of the 2016 budget, The Clout reports that the director general (Budget), Yahaya Gusau was dismissed and replaced with Tijjani Mohammed Abdullahi. The newspaper mentioned various incongruities as the likely reason for his sack. Supporting this theory, a source told the Punch that: "His removal must do with mistakes and discrepancies in the budget. I could assure you that more heads will roll."


Following the sack of the 26 DGs and heads of parastatals, The Nation reports that 10 of the sacked DGs could be handed over to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) for investigation.


The newspaper reports that PM News of large-scale fraud within their agencies informed President Muhammadu Buhari decision to terminate the DGs and heads of parastatals Some of the bureaus under investigation by the EFCC and ICPC comprise: National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN), Bureau of Public Enterprises(BPE), National Women Development Centre(NWDC); Industrial Training Fund(ITF); Nigerian Investment Promotion Council; Nigeria Export-Import Bank (NEXIM) and Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSIT), among others. A source told The Nation that: "At least 10 of those dismissed chief executives will probably be handed over to the EFCC as well as the ICPC. The report on their misconduct is ready for these anti-graft agencies to act upon. "All security agencies received the list of those impacted about 24 hours before the formal announcement. They are going to all be placed on surveillance until cleared. "Some of them have really appeared before EFCC and ICPC in the past eight months.


The newspaper says that under the arraignment, ministers dissatisfied with the distribution of figures in their ministries are to send to the National Assembly the distributions as they prefer them without surpassing the sums allocated to the different ministries, departments, and agencies under them. The Sun reports on the immediate dismissal of the 26 chief executive officers (CEOs) of parastatals and agencies by President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday, February 15, after the embarrassing mistakes that trailed the 2016 Budget.


Among those impacted by the sack are the DGs of the National Agency for Food, Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON and Nigeria Television Authority (NTA), Dr. Paul Orhii, Dr Joseph Odumodu and Mr Sola Omole respectively.


Their cases are under various phases of investigation. "The revelations are mind-boggling and it's sad that some of these chief executives continued using the impunity even after having a fresh government had taken over." In another development, Vanguard reports that the former House of Representatives member, Abike Dabiri-Erewa has been appointed on the diaspora and foreign affairs. President Buhari has also approved the appointment of Mr Akabueze as the special adviser to the president on national preparation.

I Never Allowed Any Interview About Buhari's Anti-Corruption War-- Itse

Itse Sagay, a legal scholar, has denied ever granting an interview to deride President Muhammadu Buhari's anti-corruption efforts.

Talking with a correspondent of SaharaReporters by phone from Lagos, Mr. Sagay, a professor of law, well known constitutional attorney and head of President Buhari's advisory committee on anti-corruption, said he was shocked to read a report concocted by the paper, crediting him with pointed criticism of the current administration's anti-corruption strategy. According to him, the paper's report on his interview that was purported signified a desperate attempt to discredit President Buhari's anti-corruption war.

Mr. Sagay told our correspondent that he had ceased granting interviews to the Tribune after the paper's editors had spun an interview he granted them in August. According to him, the paper's report of his August interview was tailored to match the devious plan of its editors thus his rejection of all attempts by the newspaper to talk with him.

The Nigerian Tribune is among the papers named as beneficiaries of a payout from funds that were meant for the purchase of weapons to resist with Islamist insurgent group, Boko Haram. The disclosure of a prevalent dole-out of money to media groups, such as the Tribune, has emerged as portion of a scandal involving former National Security Adviser, Colonel Sambo Dasuki (ret.), who's accused of diverting more than $2 billion budgeted for weaponry.

Researchers have revealed that several Nigerian newspapers received N10 million each in the slush fund managed by Mr. Dasuki. At least 12 newspapers were paid from your fund through Nduka Obaigbena, chair of the Newspaper Proprietors Association of Nigeria (NPAN), according to investigators. Even though the Tribune denied receiving the funds, subsequent disclosures signaled that the paper's editors took part in a meeting where it was agreed that the booty needs to be taken.

In disregarding the view imputed to him by the Tribune, Mr. Sagay said he had never met or spoken to the journalist who wrote the report, insisting that the interview was made up. He challenged newspaper and the reporter 's editors to provide the public using a tape recording of the so-called interview.

The late Obafemi Awolowo founded the Tribune, and his family still owns the newspaper, which can be among Nigeria's longest enduring daily newspapers.


Nigerian press others, on mass terminations

The sacking of vice chancellors of some federal universities and also the release of Boko Haram suspects were a few of the top reports in Nigerian newspapers of Sunday.The Nation reported the sacking of 13 vice chancellors, pointing out the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) as well as the 12 Federal Universities created by the Jonathan management now have new vice chancellors after the sudden removal of the incumbents by President Muhammadu Buhari.

The Nigerian army was said by Guardian on Saturday released 275 Boko Haram defendants that were arrested and detained by the military for alleged terrorism and insurgency actions in Borno State.

This Day said following the federal government bailed out 19 of the 27 states that were enmeshed in financial crisis, states are seeking another bailout.



ogenwaozuzu.comNigerian Tribune said police detectives in Enugu on Saturday uncovered an object supposed to be an exploded ordinance ((UXO) near the Enugu State House of Assembly Complex along with the Nigeria Television Authority (NTA) Hostel in Ogui all in Enugu metropolis.

The Daily Independent reported that Nigerian and Cameroonian forces have killed suspected Boko Haram terrorists and freed more than three dozen hostages during a raid to battle the insurgency in several West African nations, a military spokesman said Saturday.

The Dangote Group, on Saturday launched 20,000 hectare rice creation scheme, aimed at making the country self sufficient in rice production and food safe by the year 2018, the Leadership newspaper reported.