WHY DOES BUHARI WANT TO WEAKEN GOVERORS?
VANGUARD NEWS ON JUNE 1, 2020
By Ochereome Nnanna
One thing many Nigerians do not know about Muhammadu Buhari is that he is very ideologically-driven. There are not many things he does out of mere whims. Before he proposes an idea, signs a document or refuses to sign, he carefully considers how it falls into the scope of his mission in power.
When he ignores Section 14(3) of the Constitution and appoints mostly Northern Muslims (especially Fulani) into high offices rather than equitably sharing them among all the stakeholders, it is part of a grand agenda.
Moderates of this ideology are ready to accommodate other Nigerians knowing it is a hopeful way of maintaining control for as long as possible. But the extremists want Nigeria to become the property of their tribe (not just region), including those among them who are not even Nigerians. And they want to take it by force.
This group sees Buhari’s ascent to power for the second time as a once in a lifetime opportunity to nail home this agenda. The high uptick of armed herdsmen’s occupation and marauding of the forests, farmlands and highways of the Middle Belt and South of Nigeria became pronounced under Buhari.
In view of the foregoing, let us ask ourselves what President Buhari them wants to achieve with his recent Executive Orders seeking the direct allocation of funds to the local government councils, LGCs; the State Houses of Assembly, SHAs and Judiciaries. Many of us, including eminent lawyers and sectional leaders of thought have applauded these measures. I had started applauding until I thought twice.
There is no doubt about it: the power the governors have been exerting over their LGCs, SHAs and Judiciaries is unconstitutional, undemocratic and corruption-enhancing. The governors thus continue to operate like emperors and military administrators in spite of our return to constitutional rule in 1999. They are so powerful that nobody can hold them to account while in power. The SHAs cannot impeach a governor unless there is a Federal hand in it.
Democracy is impossible at the grassroots because those in power at the LGCs are the governors’ agents. On the other hand, some of the governors (such as Orji Kalu, Bola Tinubu, Chibuike Amaechi, Samuel Ortom, Nyesom Wike, and others) have capitalised on their powers to assert the boldness of the state as a federating unit. Take away these powers and the Federal Government (which is under the control of a sectional and ethnic establishment) will neutralise any governor no matter how brave.
Could Tinubu have survived President Olusegun Obasanjo’s onslaughts when the former was the governor of Lagos without being in full grasp of the LGCs/LCDAs, Judiciary and LSHA? Could Wike have succeeded in his second term bid in Rivers amid the massive military and police might mounted against him if he had been similarly stripped?
Before we continue to clap for the “independence” of these state arms of governance, let’s consider this. With these “freedoms” the LG chairmen, speakers and members of the SHAs and state chief judges will acquire some level of independence. They will begin to resist their governors and fall out with some of them.
If these governors are in the bad books of Abuja, the heads of these governmental arms could be wooed by Abuja with money and police/military support to ruffle their governors. They could be tools in rendering governors incapable of holding their grounds against Abuja’s intentions which go@ against the interests of the people. Abuja will more easily get governors impeached, some chief judges playing along.
If Abuja comes back with the Ruga or Cattle Colony demands it will find compromised leaking points to get its way.
Buhari’s interest in promoting the independence of the LGCs, SHAs and State Judiciaries is a double-edged sword. With autonomy, good officers will be more able to rapidly develop the grassroots and hold the governors to account. Quislings can be empowered to sell out collective group interests and make the capture of states for the interest of an “empire building” ethnic group easier. That was what created crisis in the Western Region in the First Republic.
These sudden benevolences by an ultra-statist centralist are simply packaged to weaken the state governors for purposes that are neither altruistic nor compatriotic. If Buhari were such a democrat, he would have started the crusade from Abuja itself. He would have been promoting the independence of the National Assembly and Federal Judiciary. Why is he pocketing them and “freeing” state governance arms? It stinks.
If the President wants to promote true federalism and democracy, he should push for the six geopolitical zones to become the nation’s federating units with power drastically devolved to them. The Federal Government should have no business with the LGCs. The regions should create and legislate on all local government affairs. The respective regions should determine the paces of their development.
Abuja must give power back to the people and stop using Federal might, resources and institutions to drive the expansionist designs of an ethnic group or section. These Executive Orders are Greek gifts!
Wednesday, June 3, 2020
ISLAM HAS ALWAYS BEEN POLITICAL
ISLAM FROM CONCEPTION WAS DESIGNED TO TO BE AND HAS ALWAYS BEEN POLITICAL.
Islam has always undertaken Jihad of the sword (physical war) for political space; Jihad of Sharia for constitutional order which recognises no government based on Constitutions other than Sharia (Quran, Hadith/Sunna & opinion of Islamic scholars on issues not covered in the two).
With Jihad of Words & Deception Islamists turn followers into fanatical/incendiary militants; and also deceive the unbeliever.
And that is the deception Azikiwe, Awolowo, Ironsi, Obasanjo, Jonathan and most non- Moslems of Nigeria in Afenifere, OHANAEZE, SOUTH-SOUTH & MIDDLE BELT LEADERS of date, have suffered/ are suffering from the 1950s till date.
Gullibility of these leaders has brought Nigeria to where it is today - quarter to Islamic State.
Nigeria has been experimenting the impossible in its effort to breed carnivorous leopards with herbivorous lambs in the same pen. In Nigeria of today the leopards are devouring the lambs and unless there is separation into strongly partitioned pens, it is only a matter of time, there would be few lambs left, if at all any.
With Jihad of taxation & finance Islamists bribe their way through any obstacle.
With Jihad of Polygamy (Population) they breed children they have neither the capability nor the intension of bringing up properly (Almajiri). The intension is to overwhelm the non- MOSLEMS politically and also increase poverty which supplies the militants that fight their Jihad of the sword. Poverty is the life blood of feudalism. This same Jihad includes Manipulation of Census figures.
At the end of the day Sharia Jihad attempts to compel adherents live their lives as Prophet Mohammed lived (Hadith or Sunna) till he died in 632 AD. That is part of why primitive open grazing is preferred to civilised cattle ranching. They tell you is their way of life even though Saudi Arabia, the citadel of Islamism, breeds cattle in air-conditioned environment.
They have inflicted Jihad of Deception on Ohanaeze Ndigbo, like they did to Azikiwe, Awolowo etc
& and the leadership believes this DECEPTION.
Simply put, the young men streaming down South from the North might fight a Jihad of the Sword before 2023. Or they might not.
They might be employed to serve the purposes of RUGA. Marry or impregnate our poor daughters and form increased Fulani communities down South.
20/30 years from now, they can boast of substantial Fulani population in the South to engage in politics/physical war without importing any more Fulani into Nigeria!
On enslavement, the Fulani can plan for 50 years in advance, unlike us.
What is happening in Nigeria today is after all, the call to order for Jihad which the Sarduana (Chief Jihadist (warrior) of the Sultan Sarkin Mussulumi) declared in October 1960, a few days after Independence.
May we help ourselves so that God will find an effort to bless.
Emeka Onyesoh
1/6/20
Islam has always undertaken Jihad of the sword (physical war) for political space; Jihad of Sharia for constitutional order which recognises no government based on Constitutions other than Sharia (Quran, Hadith/Sunna & opinion of Islamic scholars on issues not covered in the two).
With Jihad of Words & Deception Islamists turn followers into fanatical/incendiary militants; and also deceive the unbeliever.
And that is the deception Azikiwe, Awolowo, Ironsi, Obasanjo, Jonathan and most non- Moslems of Nigeria in Afenifere, OHANAEZE, SOUTH-SOUTH & MIDDLE BELT LEADERS of date, have suffered/ are suffering from the 1950s till date.
Gullibility of these leaders has brought Nigeria to where it is today - quarter to Islamic State.
Nigeria has been experimenting the impossible in its effort to breed carnivorous leopards with herbivorous lambs in the same pen. In Nigeria of today the leopards are devouring the lambs and unless there is separation into strongly partitioned pens, it is only a matter of time, there would be few lambs left, if at all any.
With Jihad of taxation & finance Islamists bribe their way through any obstacle.
With Jihad of Polygamy (Population) they breed children they have neither the capability nor the intension of bringing up properly (Almajiri). The intension is to overwhelm the non- MOSLEMS politically and also increase poverty which supplies the militants that fight their Jihad of the sword. Poverty is the life blood of feudalism. This same Jihad includes Manipulation of Census figures.
At the end of the day Sharia Jihad attempts to compel adherents live their lives as Prophet Mohammed lived (Hadith or Sunna) till he died in 632 AD. That is part of why primitive open grazing is preferred to civilised cattle ranching. They tell you is their way of life even though Saudi Arabia, the citadel of Islamism, breeds cattle in air-conditioned environment.
They have inflicted Jihad of Deception on Ohanaeze Ndigbo, like they did to Azikiwe, Awolowo etc
& and the leadership believes this DECEPTION.
Simply put, the young men streaming down South from the North might fight a Jihad of the Sword before 2023. Or they might not.
They might be employed to serve the purposes of RUGA. Marry or impregnate our poor daughters and form increased Fulani communities down South.
20/30 years from now, they can boast of substantial Fulani population in the South to engage in politics/physical war without importing any more Fulani into Nigeria!
On enslavement, the Fulani can plan for 50 years in advance, unlike us.
What is happening in Nigeria today is after all, the call to order for Jihad which the Sarduana (Chief Jihadist (warrior) of the Sultan Sarkin Mussulumi) declared in October 1960, a few days after Independence.
May we help ourselves so that God will find an effort to bless.
Emeka Onyesoh
1/6/20
ELSE WE WANDER INTO CONJECTURE LIKE ENUGWU-UKWU & AGULERI
ELSE WE WANDER INTO CONJECTURING LIKE ENUGWU-UKWU, IGBOUKWU & AGULERI.
I must commend Prince Charles Tabansi for his first posting on the Enugwu-ukwu imbroglio. As is consistent in my coming title on Nri, he inexorably dismisses Enugwu-ukwu pretences without breaking any bones.
I congratulate him.
But his Posting titled " *NRIBUISI IGBO"* seems to raise more historical controversies than it appears to answer. I will discuss four of them hereunder:
1. *Menri was the First Son of Eri, not the Last:*
Historical evidence says so. Onoja, Nwa Oboli, who founded the Igala dynasty, was the last son of Eri. Oboli was the last wife of Eri. We used to crack jokes during moonlight plays in the 1950s on Onoja Nwa Oboli's IQ.
MeNri has been shown by renowned historians & anthropologists as the first son of Eri.
Please refer to MDW Jeffreys, PhD, a Cambridge scholar of Anthropology. He put Nri ahead of all the other Eri sons as the one who took charge after the demise of Eri. Whilst Menri was still at Eriaka (Obuga), famine struck. Menri was reported to have appealed to Chiukwu for palliatives for the Igbo nation. Chiukwu directed him to make some sacrifices which he did. The sacrifice with his son resulted in the yam and its culture - Ifejioku etc - Refs. MDW Jeffreys: _"The Umunri Tradition of Origin_ ," African Studies XV, 1956, pp. 122-3.
Elizabeth Isichei repeated Jeffreys legend in her 1983 book, " _A History of Nigeria_ ," p. 24.
I reproduced this myth in pages 20-22 of my 2014 published Public Lecture titled " _IWA OJI IN IGBO COSMOLOGY_ " in ABIA State University Uturu, Centre for Igbo Studies (Obi Ikenga). Copies of the published lecture are available in the extant Eze Nri Palace of Nrienwelani II.
Furthermore, our own dear Onwuejeogwu, in page 26 of no. 2, September 1977 edition of ODINANI Journal seems to have impliedly validated this when he wrote as follows:
" _Eri was sent by CHUKWU (the creator) from the sky to rule mankind; he came down the Anambra, near the present site of Aguleri. His first wife bore Nri, the founder of Agukwu Nri; Agulu who founded Aguleri; Onogu, the founder of Igboariam; Ogbodudu, the founder of Amanuke; a daughter Iguedo who bore the founders of Nteje, Nando, Ogbunike, Umuleri and Awkuzu. His second wife bore Onoja who left for the upper Anambra near Ogulugu, and to found Igalaland._ "
Continuing, he further asserted:
" __Nri the son of Eri left the Anambra southwards into the forest. He lived first in Amanuke, then near the present Enugwu-ukwu, finally at Agukwu."__
Ownership of Obuga, as the first son of his father, was probably why Nrifikwuanim instructed and his sons returned and buried his body in Eriaka, now known as Aguleri. As I confirmed in my 2014 Lecture, Aguleri claims, published in Sunday Vanguard newspaper of August 10, 2014, pp.36-37 assert that the had identified Nri grave along with that of his father, Eri; but no news of that of Agulu. This further development from Aguleri further authenticates my position.
Again this probably is reason why every emerging Eze Nri, returns to Obuga, MeNri's inheritance, for some rituals before finally ascending the Eze Nri throne.
If renowned historians/anthropologists and other credible evidence have accorded Nri the first position, why should we go for the conjecture of the last.
If however there are reliable evidence by published authorities; that would be a different thing. Even then, we shall have subject such source to thorough verification.
2. *UNION WITH AKAMKPISI & DIODO*
It is true that Eze Nribuife unified the thrones of Nri and Diodo during his reign 1159 - 1252 AD and as Onwuejeogwu wrote that _"was crucial to the process of the unification of the three settlements. . ."_ But as Onwuejeogwu also admits, that was the beginning of the process " _each unit still maintains its autonomy in several ways."_ Those several ways, however included the most critical aspect of unification of thrones - homage to the unified throne. Onwuejeogwu further admits " _that Diodo and AKAMKPISI sections must never pay tribute to Eze Nri."_
However in page 24 of Onwuejeogwu's 1981 book, " _An Igbo Civilisation, Nri Kingdom & Hegemony_ " he committed a faux pas by suggesting that Nzemabua, the Kingmakers of Nri, included four Ozo men from Diodo & AKAMKPISI. Till date this never happened. Onwuejeogwu could be excused for misunderstanding what our elders told him because at the time, he was indeed battling with more thorough grasp of Igbo language as his third language after Hausa and English. He admitted this much severally to me on Igbo language.
The unification under Nribuife can, at best, be regarded as superficial in most because the two settlements did not seem to have subjected themselves to Eze Nri Palace until the reign of Eze Nrijiofor II. There was no meeting point for the three units which continued to operate separately until later.
The amalgamation into a federation in actuality appeared to have commenced sometimes in the late 1940s. under my father, Prince JBN Onyesoh, as the founding PG of NPU in 1947. He was reported to have foreseen the present acrimonies from that amalgamation and expressed very serious reservations.
There was no OruNzenaino before EzeNrijofo II. It was founded under His Majesty during the amalgamation. My father, as one of the very tiny percentage of literate members of that Nzemabua, was overruled in his objection to according Akamkpisi/Diodo 12-man membership of the 24-man Ruling Council, despite their making less than 20% of the population of the Union. Till date, this disproportionately equating 20-26% to 74% has created very serious problems for the present generation, which is yet to muster the guts to resolve the obvious inequity.
Uruoji village alone constitutes 31% of amalgamated Nri!
Akamkpisi as we grew up in the late 1940s and 1950s, used to celebrate its Agwu, Onwasato and such other big festivals on their own separate dates, weeks apart, from Nri.
Initiation into their Ozo, till date is a different kettle of fish.
Agukwu shares no shrine with AKAMKPISI. It, instead, shares with Enugwu-ukwu.
3. *Nri Bu Is Omenani Igbo* : Above assertion is more plausible than "Nri Bu Isi Igbo. " If Nri as Menri or as Nrifikwuanim bu Isi Igbo, what was his father?
The over ten legacies of Nri puts Nri above & over all other Igbo Communities, as the Custodian of Igbo Culture & Tradition/ Ancestral Homeland.
Besides Diodo, Akamkpisi, Eriaka, it is common ground that Amanuke, Ugbene, Osili and a host of other Igbo Communities, also existed before Nri.
It thus seems to make more sense to define Nri supremacy by asserting it as follows: *Nri Bu Isi Omenani Igbo*
4. *History has two major sources*: First, Primary Sources, also called original sources; and secondly, Secondary. Sources.
Primary Sources are artefacts. documents, diaries, manuscripts, autobiographies, recordings or any other source of information that was created at the time under study by witnesses or participants to the event.
Secondary sources are generally *scholarly* books and articles, which invariably interpret and analyse primary sources and may contain pictures, quotes or graphics of primary sources.
Anything outside these, is mere conjecture or wishful thinking like Enugwu-ukwu, Igboukwu and Aguleri, do.
All articulate citizens of Nri of today are 20th Century children, including my humble self. Therefore to be more credible,
writers are advised to write without reference, only on what they witnessed. If they wish to go beyond that, the source of such information should be disclosed.
Let us learn to show superiority over Enugwu-ukwu, Igboukwu and Aguleri's wild claims and assertions.
The truth and nothing else, but the verifiable truth, is what puts Nri over and above all the other communities.
Igboukwu seems to have been put to rest. And so shall the rest eventually be.
Emeka Onyesoh,
Oba Agbalanze,
Obeagu Village,
Agukwu, Nri. 2nd June 2020.
I must commend Prince Charles Tabansi for his first posting on the Enugwu-ukwu imbroglio. As is consistent in my coming title on Nri, he inexorably dismisses Enugwu-ukwu pretences without breaking any bones.
I congratulate him.
But his Posting titled " *NRIBUISI IGBO"* seems to raise more historical controversies than it appears to answer. I will discuss four of them hereunder:
1. *Menri was the First Son of Eri, not the Last:*
Historical evidence says so. Onoja, Nwa Oboli, who founded the Igala dynasty, was the last son of Eri. Oboli was the last wife of Eri. We used to crack jokes during moonlight plays in the 1950s on Onoja Nwa Oboli's IQ.
MeNri has been shown by renowned historians & anthropologists as the first son of Eri.
Please refer to MDW Jeffreys, PhD, a Cambridge scholar of Anthropology. He put Nri ahead of all the other Eri sons as the one who took charge after the demise of Eri. Whilst Menri was still at Eriaka (Obuga), famine struck. Menri was reported to have appealed to Chiukwu for palliatives for the Igbo nation. Chiukwu directed him to make some sacrifices which he did. The sacrifice with his son resulted in the yam and its culture - Ifejioku etc - Refs. MDW Jeffreys: _"The Umunri Tradition of Origin_ ," African Studies XV, 1956, pp. 122-3.
Elizabeth Isichei repeated Jeffreys legend in her 1983 book, " _A History of Nigeria_ ," p. 24.
I reproduced this myth in pages 20-22 of my 2014 published Public Lecture titled " _IWA OJI IN IGBO COSMOLOGY_ " in ABIA State University Uturu, Centre for Igbo Studies (Obi Ikenga). Copies of the published lecture are available in the extant Eze Nri Palace of Nrienwelani II.
Furthermore, our own dear Onwuejeogwu, in page 26 of no. 2, September 1977 edition of ODINANI Journal seems to have impliedly validated this when he wrote as follows:
" _Eri was sent by CHUKWU (the creator) from the sky to rule mankind; he came down the Anambra, near the present site of Aguleri. His first wife bore Nri, the founder of Agukwu Nri; Agulu who founded Aguleri; Onogu, the founder of Igboariam; Ogbodudu, the founder of Amanuke; a daughter Iguedo who bore the founders of Nteje, Nando, Ogbunike, Umuleri and Awkuzu. His second wife bore Onoja who left for the upper Anambra near Ogulugu, and to found Igalaland._ "
Continuing, he further asserted:
" __Nri the son of Eri left the Anambra southwards into the forest. He lived first in Amanuke, then near the present Enugwu-ukwu, finally at Agukwu."__
Ownership of Obuga, as the first son of his father, was probably why Nrifikwuanim instructed and his sons returned and buried his body in Eriaka, now known as Aguleri. As I confirmed in my 2014 Lecture, Aguleri claims, published in Sunday Vanguard newspaper of August 10, 2014, pp.36-37 assert that the had identified Nri grave along with that of his father, Eri; but no news of that of Agulu. This further development from Aguleri further authenticates my position.
Again this probably is reason why every emerging Eze Nri, returns to Obuga, MeNri's inheritance, for some rituals before finally ascending the Eze Nri throne.
If renowned historians/anthropologists and other credible evidence have accorded Nri the first position, why should we go for the conjecture of the last.
If however there are reliable evidence by published authorities; that would be a different thing. Even then, we shall have subject such source to thorough verification.
2. *UNION WITH AKAMKPISI & DIODO*
It is true that Eze Nribuife unified the thrones of Nri and Diodo during his reign 1159 - 1252 AD and as Onwuejeogwu wrote that _"was crucial to the process of the unification of the three settlements. . ."_ But as Onwuejeogwu also admits, that was the beginning of the process " _each unit still maintains its autonomy in several ways."_ Those several ways, however included the most critical aspect of unification of thrones - homage to the unified throne. Onwuejeogwu further admits " _that Diodo and AKAMKPISI sections must never pay tribute to Eze Nri."_
However in page 24 of Onwuejeogwu's 1981 book, " _An Igbo Civilisation, Nri Kingdom & Hegemony_ " he committed a faux pas by suggesting that Nzemabua, the Kingmakers of Nri, included four Ozo men from Diodo & AKAMKPISI. Till date this never happened. Onwuejeogwu could be excused for misunderstanding what our elders told him because at the time, he was indeed battling with more thorough grasp of Igbo language as his third language after Hausa and English. He admitted this much severally to me on Igbo language.
The unification under Nribuife can, at best, be regarded as superficial in most because the two settlements did not seem to have subjected themselves to Eze Nri Palace until the reign of Eze Nrijiofor II. There was no meeting point for the three units which continued to operate separately until later.
The amalgamation into a federation in actuality appeared to have commenced sometimes in the late 1940s. under my father, Prince JBN Onyesoh, as the founding PG of NPU in 1947. He was reported to have foreseen the present acrimonies from that amalgamation and expressed very serious reservations.
There was no OruNzenaino before EzeNrijofo II. It was founded under His Majesty during the amalgamation. My father, as one of the very tiny percentage of literate members of that Nzemabua, was overruled in his objection to according Akamkpisi/Diodo 12-man membership of the 24-man Ruling Council, despite their making less than 20% of the population of the Union. Till date, this disproportionately equating 20-26% to 74% has created very serious problems for the present generation, which is yet to muster the guts to resolve the obvious inequity.
Uruoji village alone constitutes 31% of amalgamated Nri!
Akamkpisi as we grew up in the late 1940s and 1950s, used to celebrate its Agwu, Onwasato and such other big festivals on their own separate dates, weeks apart, from Nri.
Initiation into their Ozo, till date is a different kettle of fish.
Agukwu shares no shrine with AKAMKPISI. It, instead, shares with Enugwu-ukwu.
3. *Nri Bu Is Omenani Igbo* : Above assertion is more plausible than "Nri Bu Isi Igbo. " If Nri as Menri or as Nrifikwuanim bu Isi Igbo, what was his father?
The over ten legacies of Nri puts Nri above & over all other Igbo Communities, as the Custodian of Igbo Culture & Tradition/ Ancestral Homeland.
Besides Diodo, Akamkpisi, Eriaka, it is common ground that Amanuke, Ugbene, Osili and a host of other Igbo Communities, also existed before Nri.
It thus seems to make more sense to define Nri supremacy by asserting it as follows: *Nri Bu Isi Omenani Igbo*
4. *History has two major sources*: First, Primary Sources, also called original sources; and secondly, Secondary. Sources.
Primary Sources are artefacts. documents, diaries, manuscripts, autobiographies, recordings or any other source of information that was created at the time under study by witnesses or participants to the event.
Secondary sources are generally *scholarly* books and articles, which invariably interpret and analyse primary sources and may contain pictures, quotes or graphics of primary sources.
Anything outside these, is mere conjecture or wishful thinking like Enugwu-ukwu, Igboukwu and Aguleri, do.
All articulate citizens of Nri of today are 20th Century children, including my humble self. Therefore to be more credible,
writers are advised to write without reference, only on what they witnessed. If they wish to go beyond that, the source of such information should be disclosed.
Let us learn to show superiority over Enugwu-ukwu, Igboukwu and Aguleri's wild claims and assertions.
The truth and nothing else, but the verifiable truth, is what puts Nri over and above all the other communities.
Igboukwu seems to have been put to rest. And so shall the rest eventually be.
Emeka Onyesoh,
Oba Agbalanze,
Obeagu Village,
Agukwu, Nri. 2nd June 2020.
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