Those that call me a tribalist and an igbo-hater are simply misguided and ignorant. Perhaps they do not know the meaning of those words or the true import of their meaning.
Those that know me well like you can confirm the fact that I am not a racist or a bigot and that I consider such sentiments as being unworthy of a man of class, good breeding and culture. I am however a firm believer in the propagation of truth and I, like you, appreciate the value and importance of history. Sadly many of our igbo brothers and sisters do not believe in that. History for them consists of only one thing-how other Nigerians have always marginalised them and treated them badly.
If only they knew their own history, where they are coming from, what they used to be and where they were 100 years ago and what their forefathers did to the rest of Nigeria over the last 80 years they would know why they have always had such a hard time in this country. Sadly because they dont know any of these things they cannot learn from it. And if they cannot learn from it they will continue to make the same mistakes. That is why they can come to another mans land and territory and call it their own and when we say ''no'' they tell us to shut up and call us tribalists.
I was not a tribalist when I wrote a tribute to Ojukwu after he died or when I condemned the '60's pogroms that took place in the north in which their people were slaughtered like flies. I was not a tribalist when I wrote against Yarima and child marriage in the north. Yet now I am a tribalist because I spoke the truth about our history and who we the yoruba are.
I was not a tribalist when I had a long-standing and intimate relationship with Miss Bianca Onoh, an igbo lady, who later married Colonel Emeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu the leader of Biafra and who is now our Ambassador in Spain. I was not a tribalist when I had a long-standing and intimate relationship with Miss Chioma Anasoh, another igbo lady, who I almost married. I was not a tribalist when I had a long-standing and intimate relationship with Miss Adaobi Uchegbu, another igbo lady, who was exceptionally close to me and who is now a leading figure at the National Headquarters of the ruling PDP.
I was not an tribalist when I wrote essays defending the rights of the igbo and every other Nigerian nationality to exercise their right of self-determination and leave Nigeria if that is what they wanted to do. I was not a tribalist when I consistently wrote that Nigeria must have a Sovereign National Conference where the rights and obligations of all its various nationalities will be clearly defined and agreed upon. I was not a tribalist when I employed more igbo people as a Minister of the Federal Republic than even my own yoruba. I was not a tribalist when I wrote an essay, just two years ago, extolling the virtues of igbo women. I was not a tribalist when I condemned the bombing of predominantly igbo and catholic churches and the killing of the igbo and others by Boko Haram in the north over the last three years.
I was not a tribalist when I risked my life by consistently writing against Boko Haram even though I live in the north. I was not a tribalist when I wrote against political sharia. I was not a tribalist when I wrote in defence of the igbo when it came to the abandoned property issue. I could go on and on.These people have very short memories and anyone that does not agree with them all the time or that says one word against them at any point in time is labelled a tribalist for life.
They called Chief Obafemi Awolowo a tribalist, a genocidal maniac, a child-killer and an igbo-hater simply because the man refused to join sides with them in the war yet they forgot that when Awolowo ran for the Presidency his running mate was from the east and not from the north. They called Chief Festus Okotie-Eboh, Chief S.L Akintola and Sir Ahmadu Bello as igbo-haters and tribalists simply because they saw through the igbo agenda at a very early stage and they killed them for it. They called General Yakubu Gowon a genocidal maniac, a child-killer, an igbo-hater and a tribalist simply because he stood up to Ojukwu and insisted on keeping Nigeria together and even though he declared that there was ''no victor and no vanquished'' after the war.
They accused President Olusegun Obasanjo of being a tribalist and an igbo-hater even though he appointed an igbo man as the first GOC in the Nigerian Army since 1966 and even though he appointed more igbos into key positions in his government than any President before him. They accused President Shehu Shagari and the northerners of being tribalists and igbo-haters even though he pardoned Ojukwu and allowed him to return back home after the civil war. They have accused the Nigerian people of being tribalist and igbo-haters simply because we have not had an igbo President since 1966 forgetting that Nigeria was magnamonious in victory and that she not only gladly welcomed them back into the fold after the civil war but that she also gave them the Vice Presidency only ten years later.
They have labelled the yoruba as tribalists and igbo-haters simply because we have refused to accept their claims to our land and territory and even though we were more charitable, hospitable, accomodating and generous to them than any other nationality in Nigeria after the civil war. We have been too kind and gentle with them. That is the problem. They see our liberal and accomodating nature as stupidity and weakness. That is why they always like to go around calling the yoruba cowards forgetting that the history of the yoruba proves otherwise. It is now time to tell the truth. They despise the yoruba and they only pretend to believe in one Nigeria as long as they can always have their way and laud it over others. Worst of all they have no restraining factors because money and the acquisition of wealth is their sole objective and purpose in life.
Someone ought to tell them that this is not a virtue but a vice. It is a cultural deficiency which is borne out of not having any history. If they did they would be less aggressive, more restrained and far more civil to others. If speaking these bitter home truths and yearning and fighting for a better Nigeria makes me a tribalist then it is a toga that I would be happy to wear. I will not sit by quietly and allow my people, the yoruba people of south western Nigeria, to be rubbished, insulted and cheated by anyone no matter how aggressive that anyone may believe he is. I make or offer no apology for my views. My numerous assertions in my two essays titled ''Lagos, The Igbo and the Servants Of Truth'' and ''The Bitter Truth About The Igbo'' respectively stand.
Meanwhile I have read all sorts of strange submissions in various newspapers and blogs that have held themselves out as rejoinders to my two articles titled "Lagos, The Igbo and the Servants Of Truth" and "The Bitter Truth About The Igbo". Sadly other than the usual abuse and irreverant thrash not one of those so-called ''rejoinders'' has been able to address ANY of the issues that I raised in either of the two articles, answer any of the questions that I posed in them or successfully challenge my presentation of historical facts.
The bellicose nature and vulgarity of these so-called rejoinders goes to prove two things. Firstly that those that I have descibed as being collectively unlettered, uncouth, uncultured, unrestrained and crude in all their ways really are all those things and a lot more and secondly that they cannot put up any reasonable or serious arguement to discredit or refute the message so instead they are attempting to destroy the messanger. Meanwhile the two essays have been published in various newspapers in our country and outside and it will continue to be published by others long into the forseeable future.
The message is clear and it is already out there. It cannot be called back in. The horse has bolted from the stable and the falcon has left the nest. No matter how hard those that are attempting to intimidate us into silence may try it will not work and we will not be cowed. The message is already out there and the genie is already out of the bottle. Those that seek to continue to denigrate and belittle the yoruba and lay claim to what is rightfully ours should desist from doing so. They should grant us our peace and give us our due respect and they will get the same in return. If they do not do so those things will elude them and eventually history will repeat itself again in this country.
Meanwhile when anyone reads a rejoinder that addresses the issues that I raised in my essays and that has some level of scholarship and intellectual content they should please let me know and I may well dignify it with a response. The shameless and emotional thrash and disjointed verbiage that have been described as rejoinders so far are just not up to scratch. They are bereft of any scholarship and intellectual content. They also invoke pity in me for the the faceless plebians that wrote them and those they claim to represent. When the igbo, or anyone else, find a real writer that can cross swords with me and give me a good run for my money someone should please let me know. I am itching for a real debate with a worthy adversary on this issue.
Friday, 16 August 2013
NIGERIANS ARE WAITING
by Bayo Olupohunda
Open letter to Buhari and Tinubu
Dear Sirs, I hope this letter meets you in a good, patriotic spirit. Let me first use this opportunity to join other Nigerians in congratulating the opposition on the registration of the long-awaited alternative party, the All Progressives Congress. Its registration by the Independent National Electoral Commission was a significant moment for Nigerians. It, hopefully, signals a new dawn considering that for once, a truly national opposition platform which has been elusive in the Fourth Republic, appears to have emerged to challenge the ruling party in 2015 and beyond. In many ways too, the merger of the once disparate opposition parties under a unifying bloc represents a milestone in the quest for the enthronement of genuine democracy. That the union has come at a time when this democracy is under imminent threat of annihilation by anti-democratic forces gives Nigerians cause to cheer. Now, they hope that the ruling party will subsequently be held accountable and its excesses curtailed. While also admitting that your union may not be a gathering of saints, it nonetheless, represents a starting point.
It is the recognition of the role of a credible opposition that Nigerians anxiously anticipated the success of the merger. No wonder also that they celebrated its registration. The widespread euphoria is at once a show of gratitude as well as appreciation of your commitment. That you all agreed to dissolve your existing parties to coalesce under a broad-based opposition is the mark of true patriots. The sacrifices your parties have made to bury individual egos and sectional interests may well be what our country needs to move this democracy forward. You will also have to agree with me that Nigerians were initially sceptical when the opposition initiated another merger plan. Do not blame them because the nightmare of past disappointment is still fresh. On three occasions, you let Nigerians down. The most significant was the 2011 merger fiasco. Your failure to unite at the time is the reason why our country in a mess today. Now, the APC optimistically presents us with the opportunity to right the wrongs of the last 14 years.
Of course, Nigerians know that this may not be a perfect union, yet, they hope you may put your house in order to challenge the Peoples Democratic Party’s 14 years’ misrule. And they are waiting to show the power of their votes in the next elections. They celebrated the APC because they want to trust you. Having been battered, bruised and left in the lurch by this government, they look forward to a new dawn in 2015 and beyond. Nigerians want security of lives and property, regular power supply, good roads, better schools, quality health care, end to ethnic strife, corruption and wasteful government. Can your party deliver? Is the APC the new messiah? Will your party put an end to this vicious circle of poverty and oppression that is synonymous with this government?
That is why both of you stand on the threshold of history.
That is why it is important that you must both realise your place in history. Will you continue to act like true patriots to ensure that the APC becomes a genuine opposition party? Can both of you ditch your personal ambitions for the common good? Nigerians are still worried about the danger your political egos pose to the survival of the new party. Indeed, there is a widely held belief that conflicts arising from clash of egos may yet destroy this union. Knowing that the 2011 merger collapsed for this same reason gives cause for concern. For example, there are already speculations that you, Muhammadu Buhari, will present yourself as candidate again in 2015? While I do not doubt your personal integrity, it is also within your constitutional right to seek election. But will your candidacy be politically wise in 2015? Rather than fuel speculations about your possible candidacy, I will suggest that your party begins a search for a younger candidate with national appeal. This means that you must accept to ditch your ambitions for the common good. That is the mark of true patriots. The opposition cannot afford to repeat the mistakes of the past. Nigerians have waited for this moment. They yearn for better life in 2015. They hope to be liberated from hunger, poverty and misery that have become their lot with the ruling party. They want to see improvement in their quality of life. They want to remove the horrible stigma of a people living on less than one dollar a day. They also hope that your party will save this country from hurtling down the precipice plotted for it by the ruling party.
The APC can put an end to this circle of impunity in 2015. But the road ahead will not be easy. In the words of the great Tai Solarin, may your road be rough! There are still fundamental issues your party has not resolved. These issues are the heart of putting in place an enduring opposition that will outlive both of you. First, Nigerians want to see an agenda that is different from the PDP. They want to see how you intend to www.facebook.comwww.google.comgovern. Thus, apart from shopping for credible candidates, your next objective will be to show Nigerians how you intend to govern differently. They do not want business as usual. Even while they cannot wait to kick out the PDP in 2015, they do not want a party that is a clone of the ruling party.
Now you have to figure out how you intend to resolve the ideological differences you brought into this alliance. How does your party intend to rule? How will the APC be different in ideology? Will you continue the looting of our commonwealth? Will you concentrate the wealth into the hands of a few at the expense of the suffering masses? Will you retain this expensive contraption called democracy or will you cut down on the size of government? Our lawmakers are said to be the highest paid globally. How do you intend to deal with a wasteful National Assembly that is a clear burden on the resources of this nation? What is your vision of the economic development that will ensure no Nigerian is left behind? Nigerians hope the APC will not continue this reckless waste of public funds at all levels by the PDP. They are also eager to see how you will address the age-long lopsided federal structure that concentrates too much power at the centre. If your party shows a clear path for nationhood, Nigerians are ready to give you the benefit of the doubt.
The starting point will be to engage Nigerians in a continuous debate about your manifesto. They want to see the APC’s road map for the future. They are waiting to be convinced. It is not enough to just assume you want to replace the ruling party. Both of you have shown that you can make a difference. The defunct Action Congress has demonstrated this in the South-West. If the opposition party gets its act together, perhaps, our country will be saved from this gradual descent into a state of anomie. The judgment of history will be more than too harsh if your generation fails to seize this moment.
in my own opinion i believe opposition is one of those elements that can actually make a government to sit tight and do what they are suppose to do but my fear is that those that are channeling the cause of opposition lack the moral justification to do that. just recently Bola Ahmed Tinubu single handedly appointed his daughter to become the Iyaloja General for a reason which is well known to all nigerians.
Open letter to Buhari and Tinubu
Dear Sirs, I hope this letter meets you in a good, patriotic spirit. Let me first use this opportunity to join other Nigerians in congratulating the opposition on the registration of the long-awaited alternative party, the All Progressives Congress. Its registration by the Independent National Electoral Commission was a significant moment for Nigerians. It, hopefully, signals a new dawn considering that for once, a truly national opposition platform which has been elusive in the Fourth Republic, appears to have emerged to challenge the ruling party in 2015 and beyond. In many ways too, the merger of the once disparate opposition parties under a unifying bloc represents a milestone in the quest for the enthronement of genuine democracy. That the union has come at a time when this democracy is under imminent threat of annihilation by anti-democratic forces gives Nigerians cause to cheer. Now, they hope that the ruling party will subsequently be held accountable and its excesses curtailed. While also admitting that your union may not be a gathering of saints, it nonetheless, represents a starting point.
It is the recognition of the role of a credible opposition that Nigerians anxiously anticipated the success of the merger. No wonder also that they celebrated its registration. The widespread euphoria is at once a show of gratitude as well as appreciation of your commitment. That you all agreed to dissolve your existing parties to coalesce under a broad-based opposition is the mark of true patriots. The sacrifices your parties have made to bury individual egos and sectional interests may well be what our country needs to move this democracy forward. You will also have to agree with me that Nigerians were initially sceptical when the opposition initiated another merger plan. Do not blame them because the nightmare of past disappointment is still fresh. On three occasions, you let Nigerians down. The most significant was the 2011 merger fiasco. Your failure to unite at the time is the reason why our country in a mess today. Now, the APC optimistically presents us with the opportunity to right the wrongs of the last 14 years.
Of course, Nigerians know that this may not be a perfect union, yet, they hope you may put your house in order to challenge the Peoples Democratic Party’s 14 years’ misrule. And they are waiting to show the power of their votes in the next elections. They celebrated the APC because they want to trust you. Having been battered, bruised and left in the lurch by this government, they look forward to a new dawn in 2015 and beyond. Nigerians want security of lives and property, regular power supply, good roads, better schools, quality health care, end to ethnic strife, corruption and wasteful government. Can your party deliver? Is the APC the new messiah? Will your party put an end to this vicious circle of poverty and oppression that is synonymous with this government?
That is why both of you stand on the threshold of history.
That is why it is important that you must both realise your place in history. Will you continue to act like true patriots to ensure that the APC becomes a genuine opposition party? Can both of you ditch your personal ambitions for the common good? Nigerians are still worried about the danger your political egos pose to the survival of the new party. Indeed, there is a widely held belief that conflicts arising from clash of egos may yet destroy this union. Knowing that the 2011 merger collapsed for this same reason gives cause for concern. For example, there are already speculations that you, Muhammadu Buhari, will present yourself as candidate again in 2015? While I do not doubt your personal integrity, it is also within your constitutional right to seek election. But will your candidacy be politically wise in 2015? Rather than fuel speculations about your possible candidacy, I will suggest that your party begins a search for a younger candidate with national appeal. This means that you must accept to ditch your ambitions for the common good. That is the mark of true patriots. The opposition cannot afford to repeat the mistakes of the past. Nigerians have waited for this moment. They yearn for better life in 2015. They hope to be liberated from hunger, poverty and misery that have become their lot with the ruling party. They want to see improvement in their quality of life. They want to remove the horrible stigma of a people living on less than one dollar a day. They also hope that your party will save this country from hurtling down the precipice plotted for it by the ruling party.
The APC can put an end to this circle of impunity in 2015. But the road ahead will not be easy. In the words of the great Tai Solarin, may your road be rough! There are still fundamental issues your party has not resolved. These issues are the heart of putting in place an enduring opposition that will outlive both of you. First, Nigerians want to see an agenda that is different from the PDP. They want to see how you intend to www.facebook.comwww.google.comgovern. Thus, apart from shopping for credible candidates, your next objective will be to show Nigerians how you intend to govern differently. They do not want business as usual. Even while they cannot wait to kick out the PDP in 2015, they do not want a party that is a clone of the ruling party.
Now you have to figure out how you intend to resolve the ideological differences you brought into this alliance. How does your party intend to rule? How will the APC be different in ideology? Will you continue the looting of our commonwealth? Will you concentrate the wealth into the hands of a few at the expense of the suffering masses? Will you retain this expensive contraption called democracy or will you cut down on the size of government? Our lawmakers are said to be the highest paid globally. How do you intend to deal with a wasteful National Assembly that is a clear burden on the resources of this nation? What is your vision of the economic development that will ensure no Nigerian is left behind? Nigerians hope the APC will not continue this reckless waste of public funds at all levels by the PDP. They are also eager to see how you will address the age-long lopsided federal structure that concentrates too much power at the centre. If your party shows a clear path for nationhood, Nigerians are ready to give you the benefit of the doubt.
The starting point will be to engage Nigerians in a continuous debate about your manifesto. They want to see the APC’s road map for the future. They are waiting to be convinced. It is not enough to just assume you want to replace the ruling party. Both of you have shown that you can make a difference. The defunct Action Congress has demonstrated this in the South-West. If the opposition party gets its act together, perhaps, our country will be saved from this gradual descent into a state of anomie. The judgment of history will be more than too harsh if your generation fails to seize this moment.
in my own opinion i believe opposition is one of those elements that can actually make a government to sit tight and do what they are suppose to do but my fear is that those that are channeling the cause of opposition lack the moral justification to do that. just recently Bola Ahmed Tinubu single handedly appointed his daughter to become the Iyaloja General for a reason which is well known to all nigerians.
Thursday, 15 August 2013
Pounds Sterling vs Naira
Revenge? Nigeria Plans To Impose £5,000 Visa Bond On British Citizens; is that the right approach?
Apparently very insulted by the British government’s decision to impose a £3,000 visa bonf on Nigerian immigranrs, the Federal Government has put plans in place to place a similar bond on incoming British citizens.
The Osun Defender reports that this is in retaliation to the new but controversial immigration policy of the UK scheduled to commence in November 2013.
The Home Office of the United Kingdom, recently classified Nigeria, India, as “high risk” and placed a £3,000 bond on every Nigerian visiting Britain. The bond will be forfeited to the British government if an immigrant overstays his permit. More than two million Nigerians are residing in the UK.
Uproar had greeted the immigration policy described as “discriminatory” since its announcement in June. Nigeria is one of the countries put on the British “high-risk-list”. Others are India, Ghana,Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The countries are slated for the pilot scheme ofthe new immigration policy to check immigration abuses.
A reliable source at the Nigerian High Commission in London told National Mirror thatthe refusal of the British Government to backpedal on the visa bond compelled Nigeria to fight back. The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Olugbenga Ashiru, had earlier assured that Nigeria would react appropriately if the policy was eventually implemented.
The source, who is a senior officer of the High Commission but did not want his name mentioned, told our correspondent in London that Nigeria had officially protested to the British government over the policy. He, however, said that there was no sign that the British would rescind the decision.
“As a responsible country, we have protested officially against the discriminatory policy to the British government. But from all indications there is no going back on the policy. We have tried to make them see reasons on the need to review the new immigration policy, but it is like a done deal.
“Don’t forget that Nigeria has threatened to retaliate if the policy is implemented. So, we are only waiting for the implementation and the modalities of the new British immigration policy. But I can assure you that the Nigerian government won’t fold its hands. We would even raise the stake beyond the £3,000 they are asking Nigerians to pay as bond. We are looking at £5,000 as visa bond for UK citizens visiting Nigeria. This is our plan, which is subject to the approval of the Federal Government,” the source told National Mirror yesterday.
This stand is bound to strain the diplomatic relations between Britain and its former colony,Nigeria. Early this year, British Prime Minister David Cameron chided Nigeria for passing anti-gay bill and threatened to cut aid to the country. Also, Cameron recently berated Nigerian leaders for the mismanagement of the country’s huge natural resources.
But the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ spokesman, Ogbole Amedu Odeh, denied knowledge of the £5,000 visa bond. “I’m just hearing that from you. I’m not aware of any £5,000 visa bond for British citizens,” Odeh told National Mirror on phone yesterday.
“Nigeria has not got official correspondence from the British government. Anytime Nigeria gets official communication on the policy, we will react appropriately.”
Meanwhile, Nigerians in the UK under the umbrella of the Central Association of Nigerians in the United Kingdom, CANUK, have said that if this bond is implemented, wrong people will be targeted.
In an interview with National Mirror in London, CANUK Chairman, Bimbo Folayan, said: “On the visa bond, we’ve expressed our feelings that this is not a right policy. We feel that the wrong people are being targeted. We believe that this will be counter-productive and we think this is more political, more economical than immigration related.
“We have protested to the Commonwealth Office, they have listened to us and they promised to get back to us.
“Because of the present situation of British economy, it is probably another way for the Home Office to make money. But that will be to the detriment of genuine travellers. The £3,000 bond will only swell the purse of the British government.”
They, however, opposed the planned retaliation of the British immigration policy by the Federal Government of Nigeria.
Folayan added: “Our position is that two wrongs cannot make a right. I believe that Nigerian government should not retaliate wrongly. Three times this year, I have gone to Nigeria with British investors. So, it means if I’m going to Nigeria, I will have to look for £5,000 visa bond for each of the visitors.
“So, this can only hurt Nigeria. This can hurt investment inflow in Nigeria. We do not support the £5,000 proposed visa bond. Either way, from the British government or Nigerian government, we do not support the policy.
“Policies are made and can be changed. If this is injurious to the economy of the UK, they have to change the policy. I don’t see anything cast in stone on the matter.”
The group, however, said that there was no basis for Nigerians to come to UK illegally.
“The region of the world that is enjoying growth is Africa and that is where the focus is. In UK, we are not recording so much growth and the economic forecast is not too promising.
“So, everybody is feeling the pain. There are not many jobs in the UK any more. There is actually no basis for any youth to leave Nigeria and live in UK illegally because, one, there are no jobs. Two, if you come illegally, that is even worse because you cannot get a job without relevant papers like work permit whereas there are opportunities in Nigeria,” Folayan said.
Nigerians also decried their being labelled as “high risks”. “Nigeria is not high risk. The vast majority of Nigerians living in UK are students, workers and those born in the country. That is not to say that there are no illegal immigrants.
“We strongly feel that Nigeria is not a high risk country regardless of the statistics they might have gathered. We object to targeting a few countries, calling them ‘high risk’.
“We do not support illegal immigrants. We actually encourage Nigerians in the UK to regularise their papers. We’re also in the forefront of encouraging Nigerians living in UK illegally to embrace the opportunity that have been provided by the International Organisation of Migration, IOM, for them to go back home and live more meaningfully than staying in UK without getting a job because of lack of regular papers.”
The group noted that the £3,000 bond would only embolden desperate people rather than serve as deterrent.
In my own opinion i believe Nigerian governement should give us enough reasons why we need to stay in our own country and all this non sense will die a natural death.
Apparently very insulted by the British government’s decision to impose a £3,000 visa bonf on Nigerian immigranrs, the Federal Government has put plans in place to place a similar bond on incoming British citizens.
The Osun Defender reports that this is in retaliation to the new but controversial immigration policy of the UK scheduled to commence in November 2013.
The Home Office of the United Kingdom, recently classified Nigeria, India, as “high risk” and placed a £3,000 bond on every Nigerian visiting Britain. The bond will be forfeited to the British government if an immigrant overstays his permit. More than two million Nigerians are residing in the UK.
Uproar had greeted the immigration policy described as “discriminatory” since its announcement in June. Nigeria is one of the countries put on the British “high-risk-list”. Others are India, Ghana,Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The countries are slated for the pilot scheme ofthe new immigration policy to check immigration abuses.
A reliable source at the Nigerian High Commission in London told National Mirror thatthe refusal of the British Government to backpedal on the visa bond compelled Nigeria to fight back. The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Olugbenga Ashiru, had earlier assured that Nigeria would react appropriately if the policy was eventually implemented.
The source, who is a senior officer of the High Commission but did not want his name mentioned, told our correspondent in London that Nigeria had officially protested to the British government over the policy. He, however, said that there was no sign that the British would rescind the decision.
“As a responsible country, we have protested officially against the discriminatory policy to the British government. But from all indications there is no going back on the policy. We have tried to make them see reasons on the need to review the new immigration policy, but it is like a done deal.
“Don’t forget that Nigeria has threatened to retaliate if the policy is implemented. So, we are only waiting for the implementation and the modalities of the new British immigration policy. But I can assure you that the Nigerian government won’t fold its hands. We would even raise the stake beyond the £3,000 they are asking Nigerians to pay as bond. We are looking at £5,000 as visa bond for UK citizens visiting Nigeria. This is our plan, which is subject to the approval of the Federal Government,” the source told National Mirror yesterday.
This stand is bound to strain the diplomatic relations between Britain and its former colony,Nigeria. Early this year, British Prime Minister David Cameron chided Nigeria for passing anti-gay bill and threatened to cut aid to the country. Also, Cameron recently berated Nigerian leaders for the mismanagement of the country’s huge natural resources.
But the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ spokesman, Ogbole Amedu Odeh, denied knowledge of the £5,000 visa bond. “I’m just hearing that from you. I’m not aware of any £5,000 visa bond for British citizens,” Odeh told National Mirror on phone yesterday.
“Nigeria has not got official correspondence from the British government. Anytime Nigeria gets official communication on the policy, we will react appropriately.”
Meanwhile, Nigerians in the UK under the umbrella of the Central Association of Nigerians in the United Kingdom, CANUK, have said that if this bond is implemented, wrong people will be targeted.
In an interview with National Mirror in London, CANUK Chairman, Bimbo Folayan, said: “On the visa bond, we’ve expressed our feelings that this is not a right policy. We feel that the wrong people are being targeted. We believe that this will be counter-productive and we think this is more political, more economical than immigration related.
“We have protested to the Commonwealth Office, they have listened to us and they promised to get back to us.
“Because of the present situation of British economy, it is probably another way for the Home Office to make money. But that will be to the detriment of genuine travellers. The £3,000 bond will only swell the purse of the British government.”
They, however, opposed the planned retaliation of the British immigration policy by the Federal Government of Nigeria.
Folayan added: “Our position is that two wrongs cannot make a right. I believe that Nigerian government should not retaliate wrongly. Three times this year, I have gone to Nigeria with British investors. So, it means if I’m going to Nigeria, I will have to look for £5,000 visa bond for each of the visitors.
“So, this can only hurt Nigeria. This can hurt investment inflow in Nigeria. We do not support the £5,000 proposed visa bond. Either way, from the British government or Nigerian government, we do not support the policy.
“Policies are made and can be changed. If this is injurious to the economy of the UK, they have to change the policy. I don’t see anything cast in stone on the matter.”
The group, however, said that there was no basis for Nigerians to come to UK illegally.
“The region of the world that is enjoying growth is Africa and that is where the focus is. In UK, we are not recording so much growth and the economic forecast is not too promising.
“So, everybody is feeling the pain. There are not many jobs in the UK any more. There is actually no basis for any youth to leave Nigeria and live in UK illegally because, one, there are no jobs. Two, if you come illegally, that is even worse because you cannot get a job without relevant papers like work permit whereas there are opportunities in Nigeria,” Folayan said.
Nigerians also decried their being labelled as “high risks”. “Nigeria is not high risk. The vast majority of Nigerians living in UK are students, workers and those born in the country. That is not to say that there are no illegal immigrants.
“We strongly feel that Nigeria is not a high risk country regardless of the statistics they might have gathered. We object to targeting a few countries, calling them ‘high risk’.
“We do not support illegal immigrants. We actually encourage Nigerians in the UK to regularise their papers. We’re also in the forefront of encouraging Nigerians living in UK illegally to embrace the opportunity that have been provided by the International Organisation of Migration, IOM, for them to go back home and live more meaningfully than staying in UK without getting a job because of lack of regular papers.”
The group noted that the £3,000 bond would only embolden desperate people rather than serve as deterrent.
In my own opinion i believe Nigerian governement should give us enough reasons why we need to stay in our own country and all this non sense will die a natural death.
Tuesday, 13 August 2013
ASUU STRIKE; GRAMMAR OR COMMON SENSE
House Member, Hon. Patrick Obahiagbon never fails to amaze us with his grammatically inclined words.www.google.com
Read what he said on the current ASUU strike issue battling higher institutions in the country;
“This ASUU strike is a miasma of a deprecable apothesis of an hemorrhaging plutocracy, cascadinly oozing into a maladorous excresence of mobocracy.
With all tarmangant ossifying proclivities of a kakistocracy, our knowledgia centura is enveloped in a paraphlegic crinkum crankum. Therefore, ASUU, cest in dejavu, dejavu peret ologomabia.”
I imagine when the people in Government will start doing things with maturity. at a time when the whole tertiary institutions in nigeria is turning into desolate desert of ignorance and cannot even be among the top 500 in the world.
I imagine when nigerian
READ MORE: http://news.naij.com/43132.html
READ MORE: http://news.naij.com/43132.html
Read what he said on the current ASUU strike issue battling higher institutions in the country;
“This ASUU strike is a miasma of a deprecable apothesis of an hemorrhaging plutocracy, cascadinly oozing into a maladorous excresence of mobocracy.
With all tarmangant ossifying proclivities of a kakistocracy, our knowledgia centura is enveloped in a paraphlegic crinkum crankum. Therefore, ASUU, cest in dejavu, dejavu peret ologomabia.”
I imagine when the people in Government will start doing things with maturity. at a time when the whole tertiary institutions in nigeria is turning into desolate desert of ignorance and cannot even be among the top 500 in the world.
I imagine when nigerian
READ MORE: http://news.naij.com/43132.html
READ MORE: http://news.naij.com/43132.html
Friday, 2 August 2013
THE STRUGGLE CONTINUES: PDP VS APC
THE STRUGGLE CONTINUES: PDP VS APCwww.google.com
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has congratulated Nigerians on the
emergence of the new party, saying with the birth of APC, Nigerians now have an
alternative to a ruling party that has taken the people for a bad ride in the
past 14 years.In a statement issued by its interim National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, in Lagos on Wednesday, APC said its emergence is a victory for Nigeria and for democracy, and that it has now also propelled the country to the league of top democratic nations with two major political parties.
”The journey has been long and tortuous. All sorts of obstacles were thrown into our path by anti-democratic forces, but we were painstaking, determined and unrelenting in our quest for a formidable platform that will allow our country, Nigeria, to achieve her full potentials and join the league of respectable nations.
”With the approval of our merger by INEC and the emergence of APC, today marks the beginning of a new dawn for our country and her long-suffering people. We thank Nigerians both here and in the Diaspora for standing by us. We thank the media for their fairness, and we commend INEC for doing the right thing and for not succumbing to pressures from phantom
political associations that sought to force it to circumvent the law.
”We promise not to disappoint Nigerians who have reposed much confidence in us. We say that contrary to the lies being peddled by the naysayers, we are not seeking political power for the sake of getting it, but in order to use it to empower our people and allow their long-nursed hopes and dreams to become a reality.
”And to those who have vowed to change their names if APC survives for a year, we hope they will live up to their words,” it said.
APC said Nigerians can now look forward to a truly democratic party in the best traditions of what the world considers as the best form of government.
The party promised to unveil, in the days ahead, its membership registration plans to give all Nigerians, especially those who have become disenchanted with the way things are going in the country, the much-awaited opportunity to be part of the country’s democratic process in the true sense of the word.
”We will also be unveiling our plans to turn today’s hopelessness into a time of great opportunities, to reverse the downward slide in our socio-economic development, and to ensure that every Nigerian benefits from the commonwealth, instead of the present situation in which a few fat cats are milking the system dry at the expense of the citizenry,” APC said.
In my own opinion I think it is still going to be the same story; as we all to know that it is still going to be the new wine in the same old bottle.
The Nigerian youths are watching!
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