Martins Oloja and Madu Onuorah
President Absolves MEND, Admits Security Blunder
11 Police Officers Injured, Hospitalised
No Arrest Made So Far
Security On Red Alert Nationwide
MOVEMENT for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) has expressed regrets over Friday's multiple bombings in Abuja that claimed many lives.
This comes even as President Goodluck Jonathan has ascribed security lapses to the attacks he said had nothing to do with MEND or the Niger Delta.
The President said the people who sponsored the actions were flaunting MEND and the Niger Delta to perpetrate their evil acts.
The explosions killed and/or injured an unspecified number of people and destroyed several vehicles around the Eagle Square where President Jonathan reviewed the parade and took salute for the anniversary.
Besides Nigerians, many heads of state and governments and their representatives were present when the bombs went off between 10.55am and 11am.
The militant group yesterday said it deeply regrets the avoidable loss of lives during our bomb attack in Abuja on Friday, October 1, 2010.
Our hearts go to the families of those killed, who we know were sympathetic to our cause, it said in an electronic message authored by its spokesman, Jomo Gbomo.
According to MEND, the irresponsible attitude of the government security forces is to blame for the loss of lives. They were given five days prior notice, which led to the harassment of Henry Okah on Thursday, September 30 in South Africa.
Okah has never been involved in any MEND operations but has always been blamed for every attack, which is strange to us.
Gbomo said, the security forces were also warned one full hour to the first bomb blast ahead of the general alert sent to the media and told to steer the public from all parked cars, which was not done.
The explosions had blighted the 50th Independence anniversary celebration, prompting President Jonathan to promise an overhaul of the security system in the country while security has been placed on red alert nationwide to prevent a recurrence.
In particular, Abuja, the seat of governmental power, is brimming with massive security layout even as the police have made no arrest of the perpetrators of the explosions that almost dampened the country's celebration of its golden jubilee yesterday.
Instructively, the scene of the blast has been cordoned off with heavy security presence.
The Police yesterday said that, at least, 11 of their men were seriously injured by the blast. Confirming the incident to The Guardian, FCT Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Moshood Jimoh, said the injured officers were receiving treatment in various hospitals in Abuja.
He confirmed that no arrest had been made more than 36 hours after the blast.
But President Jonathan said those who sponsored the twin attacks were merely masquerading as MEND to perpetrate the bloody crime.
The president, who barely three weeks ago changed heads of security and intelligence agencies, told journalists that the incidences of bomb blasts, while Nigeria was celebrating its 50 years anniversary are acts of terrorism that succeeded through security lapses.
After a visit to casualties of the blast at the National Hospital in Abuja yesterday, Jonathan said the bombings had nothing to do with the Niger Delta and the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND).
He stated that people, who were flaunting MEND and the Niger Delta, sponsored the actions to perpetrate their evil acts.
He disclosed that the Federal Government knew the perpetrators and would fish them out as investigations proceeds.
President Jonathan sympathised with the victims and promised to pick the bills and also take care of dependants of those who lost their lives in the dastardly actions
The Minister of State for Health, Alhaji Suleiman Bello, said the situation with the bomb blast victims is quite fair.
There are about 101 involved in the explosion. Out of this, we have about 36 on admission. About 53 had already been discharged, he said.
One of the victims, who gave his name as Sergeant Tonoshi, said he was hit by the second blast.
According to him, they were controlling the crowd at the Eagle Square when he and his group were alerted of a blast around Transcorp Hilton.
However, President Jonathan said the government was on the trail of the sponsors of the act and they would all be brought to book.
He reiterated this warning yesterday at the opening session of the first organised colloquium by the ECOWAS Parliament to mark the 50th Independence Anniversary of African States at the ECOWAS Parliament Building, Abuja.
The President thanked members of ECOWAS and the distinguished invited guests to the Anniversary celebration, for joining to condemn the sad incidence.
While commending the ECOWAS Parliament for organising the colloquium, he called on African leaders and all stakeholders to devote time to reflect on the continent's performances so far and treat various perspectives of issues to be discussed in order to arrive at a synthesis of proposals to move the continent forward.
He said: Our today's reality is that many countries in the continent are plagued by difficult challenges ranging from poverty, poor healthcare delivery, corruption, insecurity and mal-administration.
As a result, the continent is in dire need of solutions to these critical problems, which must be articulated and fully implemented to uplift the living standards of our populace.
Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament, Mahamane Ousmane, said the colloquium was an avenue for sober reflection on the continent's performance in the last 50 years with the aim of correcting past mistakes.
The Senate President, David Mark, in his remarks, noted that the colloquium would assist the continent in reassessing and re-engineering achievements made so far and review the policy of integration that will help the continent forge ahead and align with international best practices for a better future.
Contacted last night on the Abuja bombings, a senior security operative and manager has urged the presidency not to lose sight of a recent report that the security and intelligence agencies had been under-funded.
Specifically, the operative said the capital votes of the agencies were reduced by 70 per cent just as other agencies in this year's budget. Similarly, there had been no security votes for the forthcoming elections.
Four weeks ago, The Guardian had exclusively reported that there had been some disquiet in the security and intelligence community about under-funding and failure to include security institutions in the budget for the 2011 elections that have effectively begun.
They had then feared that the security agencies would be the scapegoat for lapses that would be recorded as a result of lack of modern equipment and gadgets to face security challenges in these times.
Meanwhile, condemnation has trailed the attacks. A Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Mr. Yusuf Ali described the incident as senseless, cowardly and ungodly bombing of innocent people.
Ali said, nothing can justify the spilling of innocent blood in the name of whatever cause,stressing that our country has enough problems already to now add terrorism.
All true patriots must stand in unison to condemn this abominable act. It is time for the security agencies to rise up to the challenges of a modern country. Anyone could be the next victim, he said.
He prayed Allah grant repose to the souls of those that died and provide succour to the wounded.
Friday, October 8, 2010
Why Nigerians are left in the dark
Catriona Davies for CNN
Surgeons operating with kerosene lanterns and accident victims waiting in dark hospital corridors because there's no light to see their injuries; these are among the realities of life during Nigeria's long power outages, according to a group campaigning to improve electricity supply.
Nigeria, the world's seventh largest exporter of oil, has suffered from disruptions to its power supply for decades, and successive governments have struggled to improve the situation.
President Goodluck Jonathan recently launched a strategy that he hopes will bring reliable power to millions of Nigerians.
Amara Nwankpa, a 32-year-old IT consultant who lives in Abuja, set up the website Light Up Nigeria to raise awareness of the power problems and encourage people to report disruptions to their supply.
Nwankpa said: "We have had power problems for as long as I can remember; the best part of three decades.
"Less than half the population has access to grid electricity and those who do typically have power for nine or 10 hours a day, but sometimes go for three or four days with no power at all."
Those who can afford it use generators, but these are costly for individuals and businesses. Nwankpa estimated many householders spend $3,000 to $5,000 a year on fuel for their generators.
A report by the Energy Commission of Nigeria in 2008 estimated that householders spent 796.4 billion naira ($5.1 bn) a year on self-generation.
Nwankpa added: "The small things that affect our lives day to day are that many nights there are no lights to fix dinner, you lose power half way through a haircut, the television goes off in the middle of your favorite football match and there is the noise of generators everywhere."
Industry expert and engineer D.J. Obadote wrote in a report last year that only 10 percent of the rural communities, and 40 percent of the population as a whole, has access to electricity.
In it he said: "Nigeria's economy has been described as a Diesel Generator Economy and small and medium scale businesses incur extremely high overhead cost maintaining their expensive -- economically, environmentally and healthwise -- fossil fuel-powered generators."
In August this year, Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan unveiled a Power Sector Road Map aimed at ending the chronic shortages.
Surgeons operating with kerosene lanterns and accident victims waiting in dark hospital corridors because there's no light to see their injuries; these are among the realities of life during Nigeria's long power outages, according to a group campaigning to improve electricity supply.
Nigeria, the world's seventh largest exporter of oil, has suffered from disruptions to its power supply for decades, and successive governments have struggled to improve the situation.
President Goodluck Jonathan recently launched a strategy that he hopes will bring reliable power to millions of Nigerians.
Amara Nwankpa, a 32-year-old IT consultant who lives in Abuja, set up the website Light Up Nigeria to raise awareness of the power problems and encourage people to report disruptions to their supply.
Nwankpa said: "We have had power problems for as long as I can remember; the best part of three decades.
"Less than half the population has access to grid electricity and those who do typically have power for nine or 10 hours a day, but sometimes go for three or four days with no power at all."
Those who can afford it use generators, but these are costly for individuals and businesses. Nwankpa estimated many householders spend $3,000 to $5,000 a year on fuel for their generators.
A report by the Energy Commission of Nigeria in 2008 estimated that householders spent 796.4 billion naira ($5.1 bn) a year on self-generation.
Nwankpa added: "The small things that affect our lives day to day are that many nights there are no lights to fix dinner, you lose power half way through a haircut, the television goes off in the middle of your favorite football match and there is the noise of generators everywhere."
Industry expert and engineer D.J. Obadote wrote in a report last year that only 10 percent of the rural communities, and 40 percent of the population as a whole, has access to electricity.
In it he said: "Nigeria's economy has been described as a Diesel Generator Economy and small and medium scale businesses incur extremely high overhead cost maintaining their expensive -- economically, environmentally and healthwise -- fossil fuel-powered generators."
In August this year, Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan unveiled a Power Sector Road Map aimed at ending the chronic shortages.
Jonathan decries politicisation of bomb blasts
Chiawo Nwankwo, Ihuoma Chiedozie and Simon Utebor
President Goodluck Jonathan on Wednesday decried the politicisation of the October 1 bomb blasts in Abuja.
Jonathan, who stated this on his social networking site, Facebook, said those playing politics with such tragedy were enemies of the country bent on riding on sectional sentiments to promote their parochial interests.
He said, It is unfortunate that an unprecedented national tragedy of this nature has been politicised by people whose only interest is what they can get from the country and not what the country can get from them.
They specialise in playing one part of the country against the other and riding on sectional sentiments to promote their narrow ambitions. I believe that Nigeria has grown beyond this parochial mentality.
The President alleged that the aim of the attackers was to create a sense of insecurity in the country in order to advance their narrow interests. He stressed that Nigerians would stand up to and make it clear to them that they could not be intimidated.
Jonathan added that though the experience(bomb blast) was somewhat new to Nigerians, the security agencies had been instructed to leave no stone unturned in securing lives and properties in the country.
Meanwhile, Jonathan has directed all the ministries, departments and agencies of the Federal Government to clear their tax arrears.
The President, in a note he presented at the Federal Executive Council meeting in Abuja on Wednesday, said the challenges relating to tax payments and remittances from the MDAs to the Federal Inland Revenue Service had adversely affected government's revenue generation efforts.
He said, Tax payments and remittances from the MDAs are being delayed and this is already affecting the revenue generation efforts of government. All MDAs should clear the backlog of tax arrears incurred by them.
The President added that the MDAs were expected to request for Tax Identification Numbers as a mandatory requirement for the award of any contract and for all payments made.
Jonathan , therefore, directed that henceforth, all contracts awarded by FEC should be supported by properly issued TIN and with Tax Clearance Certificates authenticated by FIRS.
Also at the FEC meeting , the Federal Government said that it had plans to create about one million jobs within the next six months through the implementation of the National Action Plan on Employment Creation.
NAPEC, which was developed by the Ministry of Labour and Productivity, and approved by FEC , is a strategic national working document to be incorporated into national development plans.
NAPEC stipulates that all memoranda to FEC for contract awards by all MDAs should indicate the local employment content implication of the project or programme before approval could be given.
The action plan was the outcome of a National Employment Summit convened by the Ministry of Labour and Productivity and the National Employment Council.
The summit examined the employment crisis facing the country, the effect of which had been compounded by the global economic crisis.
Amongst the many commitments made by stakeholders and development partners, especially the International Labour Organisation, at the summit was to place the creation of decent employmen at the centre of socio-economic policy in Nigeria.
The Minister of Information and Communications, Prof. Dora Akunyili, who briefed journalists on the development, explained that the implementation of NAPEC would strengthen national drive towards the achievement of Vision 2020.
NAPEC needs to be implemented in a coordinated and coherent manner to ensure success, Akunyili said.
President Goodluck Jonathan on Wednesday decried the politicisation of the October 1 bomb blasts in Abuja.
Jonathan, who stated this on his social networking site, Facebook, said those playing politics with such tragedy were enemies of the country bent on riding on sectional sentiments to promote their parochial interests.
He said, It is unfortunate that an unprecedented national tragedy of this nature has been politicised by people whose only interest is what they can get from the country and not what the country can get from them.
They specialise in playing one part of the country against the other and riding on sectional sentiments to promote their narrow ambitions. I believe that Nigeria has grown beyond this parochial mentality.
The President alleged that the aim of the attackers was to create a sense of insecurity in the country in order to advance their narrow interests. He stressed that Nigerians would stand up to and make it clear to them that they could not be intimidated.
Jonathan added that though the experience(bomb blast) was somewhat new to Nigerians, the security agencies had been instructed to leave no stone unturned in securing lives and properties in the country.
Meanwhile, Jonathan has directed all the ministries, departments and agencies of the Federal Government to clear their tax arrears.
The President, in a note he presented at the Federal Executive Council meeting in Abuja on Wednesday, said the challenges relating to tax payments and remittances from the MDAs to the Federal Inland Revenue Service had adversely affected government's revenue generation efforts.
He said, Tax payments and remittances from the MDAs are being delayed and this is already affecting the revenue generation efforts of government. All MDAs should clear the backlog of tax arrears incurred by them.
The President added that the MDAs were expected to request for Tax Identification Numbers as a mandatory requirement for the award of any contract and for all payments made.
Jonathan , therefore, directed that henceforth, all contracts awarded by FEC should be supported by properly issued TIN and with Tax Clearance Certificates authenticated by FIRS.
Also at the FEC meeting , the Federal Government said that it had plans to create about one million jobs within the next six months through the implementation of the National Action Plan on Employment Creation.
NAPEC, which was developed by the Ministry of Labour and Productivity, and approved by FEC , is a strategic national working document to be incorporated into national development plans.
NAPEC stipulates that all memoranda to FEC for contract awards by all MDAs should indicate the local employment content implication of the project or programme before approval could be given.
The action plan was the outcome of a National Employment Summit convened by the Ministry of Labour and Productivity and the National Employment Council.
The summit examined the employment crisis facing the country, the effect of which had been compounded by the global economic crisis.
Amongst the many commitments made by stakeholders and development partners, especially the International Labour Organisation, at the summit was to place the creation of decent employmen at the centre of socio-economic policy in Nigeria.
The Minister of Information and Communications, Prof. Dora Akunyili, who briefed journalists on the development, explained that the implementation of NAPEC would strengthen national drive towards the achievement of Vision 2020.
NAPEC needs to be implemented in a coordinated and coherent manner to ensure success, Akunyili said.
Presidency claims Okah's Al-Jazeera interview is fake
Ihuoma Chiedozie
The Presidency has cast doubts on the authenticity of Tuesday's interview granted an international satellite network, Al Jazeera, by a former leader of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, Mr. Henry Okah.
The interview, in which Okah claimed that a close aide of President Goodluck Jonathan called him to get MEND to retract an email statement claiming responsibility for the October 1 bomb blasts in Abuja, had been a subject of controversy, particularly relating to the 2011 presidential election.
Okah, who is currently standing trial on terrorism charges in South Africa, claimed in the interview that Jonathan intended to put the blame for the attacks on Northern politicians contending for the Peoples Democratic Party's presidential ticket with him.
But the Presidency on Thursday added another twist to the development, which had since become a political issue.
A highly placed presidential source in the presidency, who did not wish to be named because of the sensitivity of the matter, told journalists on Thursday that there were considerable doubts about the authenticity of the interview.
The source explained that the doubts stemmed from latest findings by intelligence operatives. The source claimed that the voice in the report might not have been Oka's own, but was faked and sold to the network.
The Presidency has cast doubts on the authenticity of Tuesday's interview granted an international satellite network, Al Jazeera, by a former leader of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, Mr. Henry Okah.
The interview, in which Okah claimed that a close aide of President Goodluck Jonathan called him to get MEND to retract an email statement claiming responsibility for the October 1 bomb blasts in Abuja, had been a subject of controversy, particularly relating to the 2011 presidential election.
Okah, who is currently standing trial on terrorism charges in South Africa, claimed in the interview that Jonathan intended to put the blame for the attacks on Northern politicians contending for the Peoples Democratic Party's presidential ticket with him.
But the Presidency on Thursday added another twist to the development, which had since become a political issue.
A highly placed presidential source in the presidency, who did not wish to be named because of the sensitivity of the matter, told journalists on Thursday that there were considerable doubts about the authenticity of the interview.
The source explained that the doubts stemmed from latest findings by intelligence operatives. The source claimed that the voice in the report might not have been Oka's own, but was faked and sold to the network.
Nigeria, the North, And How It Will All End
Leonard Karshima Shilgba, PhD
To the families of Nigerians that lost their lives in the dastardly bombing act on October 1, 2010, I can only express regrets that with unabashed abandon, elders such as Adamu Ciroma and his colleagues, under a nondescript organization called NORTHERN POLITICAL LEADERS FORUM, are exploiting their misfortune and that of the nation to make as much political capital as possible.
I am a Tiv man from Benue State, who happens to be a Nigerian by the craftsmanship of the British. I am called a Northerner by geographical convenience. Accordingly, I shall open my heart and speak advisedly on some serious issues that have beset us as a nation most lately. I appeal to the reader to follow me carefully and thoughtfully as I make reference to some statements I have made in some previous articles for elucidation.
I saw and wrote about what I saw in November 2009 in an article entitled: On Yarâ Adua's Incapacitation, the Constitution, and a Dream the following words:
It was Sunday night on November 22, 2009. I went to bed and had what you may call an open vision or a dream. Nigeria's president at the time, Mr. Umar Yarâ Adua had died.
I saw that Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, the Vice-President assumed the position of President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. There was uneasiness, particularly in the northern part of Nigeria. In this dream, Dr. Goodluck declined the request by the North not to contest the presidential elections in 2011. Then, the unease turned to something inexplicably dastardly.
The bomb blasts on October 1, 2010 and the near euphoric reaction by people like Adamu Ciroma, the Northern Political Leaders Forum and their supporters did not come to me as a surprise. But I know exactly how the drama shall play out. Nigerians, we must not forget so soon:
When Boko Haram struck in 2009, Ciroma and his Northern Political Leaders Foru did not ask the late president (Umar Yarâ Adua) to resign. When the leader of Boko Haram was killed in the custody of Nigerian security agents in an extra-judicial manner, apparently to silence him in order to protect his sponsors, Ciroma and his collaborators did not ask Yara Adua to resign. How dare Ciroma and his collaborators to insult the intelligence of Nigerians!
Repeatedly, Nigerians have been butchered and killed during religious riots in Northern Nigeria, the latest and most recurring being the Jos and Plateau State pogrom. Ciroma and his group were silent and did not ask President Yarâ Adua, who was president during the peak of the crisis last year, to resign.
I am sure Ciroma was in Nigeria when the first act of bombing was carried out in Nigeria under the dictatorship of General Babangida, when Dele Giwa was killed. I dont know if he called on the General to resign.
We have lived in numerous crises orchestrated by the generation of Adamu Ciroma; I am not aware that Adamu Ciroma has reacted passionately, calling on the president or Head of State during those crises to resign.
Just recently, when the late President Yarâ Adua left the country without a leader, and so in crisis, it was people like Adamu Ciroma, who threatened that nobody should remove Yarâ Adua. He has never shown any interest in the preservation of this country, Nigeria.
We know exactly what the generation of Adamu Ciroma is trying to do. We know what exploiters of the nations recent misfortune are eager to accomplish. They seek to sow seeds of discord and split further the north and south. They seek to cut off whatever remaining emotional attachment between the north and south. To what use is our education if we fail to see through this? They want to sustain the politics of divide that has left our nation swooning.
They delight in holding the back of the mirror before us and yet abusing us for our inability to see our faces. They use religion to separate us while by their acts and utterances they show they arent religious at all. But the end of the present drama shall depend on how President Jonathan handles issues. I shall provide some insight into what he can do and should do if Nigeria will survive this latest onslaught:
Avoid Distraction: The end has definitely come for those veterans of divide-and-rule politics. President Jonathan should desist from making further comments about the on-going investigation into the bombings of October 1, 2010 and allow his aides and relevant security officials to address us on the progress of the case. The reason is simple; whatever he says shall be misconstrued by professional politicians who want to mock the nation and distract from hunting down killers of our patriots who innocently lost their lives on October 1, 2010.
Take, for instance, his recent statement that MEND did not bomb Abuja on October 1, 2010, but terrorists did. I listened to him. He went further to say that terrorists such as bombed Abuja and engaged in kidnapping recently in Nigeria committed such heinous acts, not for any altruistic reasons such as the liberation of the oppressed, but for personal selfish gain.
An objective listener understood what the president was saying, Dont hide under a group such as MEND to commit criminal acts; you are a terrorist, pure and simple. The question is, who is MEND that bombed Abuja? Let us see his face. If some criminals claiming to be MEND have refused to show their faces, but rather chosen to hide behind some four-one-nine-like emails, and others, who have been known to be MENDs leaders have publicly disassociated themselves from the crime, then it is not difficult to say MEND did not commit the act but terrorists did. And once investigations unearth sufficient evidence, those individuals shall be charged to court in their names and not in the name of some faceless MEND. What the president said was deep, but people choose to hear what they may.
Avoid deceit: In an article, Nigeria: Interpreting Times And Events, I warned, based on what I saw at the time, that we were living in a period of great deception; that the mutually assured destruction of politicians, who shall betray each other leading up to the 2011 elections, shall lead to the liberation of the good people. I then warned that Jonathan was not clean. If President Jonathan will help himself and therefore, Nigeria, he must not use any information at his disposal, which should have been used to free Nigeria, to rather score for himself political points and blackmail his political opponents. He must not allow himself to be frightened from taking decisive steps simply because some people may impute wrong motives. If he does, he is done for. The law must strictly take its course, whosoever is affected.
Avoid destructions: Why will the president go beyond the INEC's request for extension of time to seek further amendments to the electoral Act 2010, which shall allow his aides, ministers, Ambassadors, Chairmen of Boards of parastatals etc., to vote in party indirect primaries? This is exactly what I was wary about when I wrote the article INEC Should Stop This Distraction and Confusion President Jonathan must not shred any existing laws for the immediacy of self-service.
No zone or region of Nigeria presently has a stable and strong leadership to guarantee a convenient split-up of the nation. I therefore, believe that should Nigeria be forced to break up by the provocations of elders such as Adamu Ciroma, who have lost self-control, the consequences of further break-ups shall make every mile a country in the aftermath.
The North (of which I am a member) has no right to decide who should run for an elective office or not. Besides, no man or woman, elder or youth has the mandate to speak on behalf of the North in the same way no man presently (post-amnesty) can speak on behalf of MEND. Ciroma and his Northern Elder Politicians Forum do not speak for me and many other Northerners. I understand that Dr. Iorchiya Ayu, a fellow Tiv man, is a top official of that forum.
He and all his colleagues in that forum do not speak for Dr. Leonard Shilgba and Northerners in general. And I believe that given my training and passion, I deserve to be heard and my views deserve to be examined too. Ciroma speaks for himself; and his group must not arrogate to itself the responsibility to speak on behalf of the North. I will surely speak at the polls just like any Northerner or Nigerian from whatever region can do if they so choose.
When I reach out to cast my vote, at that moment I have the power to decide politically who shall govern me. Enough of this nonsense! These are people that have destroyed Nigeria, left our children dying before they reach the age of five; left the amajiris of the North uneducated while they send their children abroad and to expensive private schools in Nigeria; left the north far poorer than any region in this country; left the north with horrible roads just as in other regions of Nigeria; and left our country with poor social services. They cannot deceive northerners of my generation, not with our education at least, unless our degrees are as useless as their arguments have been.
As I conclude, permit me to make some profound assertions:
There shall be no military take-over of government in Nigeria.
Many politicians will make a snare and fall inside. Some shall pay with their lives. Stray arrows shall get them.
The mystery woven shall be broken; the faces shall be revealed. That is the task of President Jonathan. If he deviates an inch from the true rule of law, betrays compassion, yields to pressure from Traditional rulers and stakeholders, he himself shall be consumed. Remember King Saul. If you spare King Agag, the throne shall be taken from you. I have spoken. He that has an ear let him hear.
I speak to King Agag. Although you say in your foolish haste, Surely the bitterness of death is past, you are deluded. For you shall be hewn down, even if not by the hands of a disobedient President Jonathan. As your sword has made women childless, so shall your mother be childless among women. You shall be blown up in pieces.
These are no ordinary times.
Leonard Karshima Shilgba is an Associate Professor of Mathematics with the American University of Nigeria and President of the Nigeria Rally Movement
To the families of Nigerians that lost their lives in the dastardly bombing act on October 1, 2010, I can only express regrets that with unabashed abandon, elders such as Adamu Ciroma and his colleagues, under a nondescript organization called NORTHERN POLITICAL LEADERS FORUM, are exploiting their misfortune and that of the nation to make as much political capital as possible.
I am a Tiv man from Benue State, who happens to be a Nigerian by the craftsmanship of the British. I am called a Northerner by geographical convenience. Accordingly, I shall open my heart and speak advisedly on some serious issues that have beset us as a nation most lately. I appeal to the reader to follow me carefully and thoughtfully as I make reference to some statements I have made in some previous articles for elucidation.
I saw and wrote about what I saw in November 2009 in an article entitled: On Yarâ Adua's Incapacitation, the Constitution, and a Dream the following words:
It was Sunday night on November 22, 2009. I went to bed and had what you may call an open vision or a dream. Nigeria's president at the time, Mr. Umar Yarâ Adua had died.
I saw that Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, the Vice-President assumed the position of President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. There was uneasiness, particularly in the northern part of Nigeria. In this dream, Dr. Goodluck declined the request by the North not to contest the presidential elections in 2011. Then, the unease turned to something inexplicably dastardly.
The bomb blasts on October 1, 2010 and the near euphoric reaction by people like Adamu Ciroma, the Northern Political Leaders Forum and their supporters did not come to me as a surprise. But I know exactly how the drama shall play out. Nigerians, we must not forget so soon:
When Boko Haram struck in 2009, Ciroma and his Northern Political Leaders Foru did not ask the late president (Umar Yarâ Adua) to resign. When the leader of Boko Haram was killed in the custody of Nigerian security agents in an extra-judicial manner, apparently to silence him in order to protect his sponsors, Ciroma and his collaborators did not ask Yara Adua to resign. How dare Ciroma and his collaborators to insult the intelligence of Nigerians!
Repeatedly, Nigerians have been butchered and killed during religious riots in Northern Nigeria, the latest and most recurring being the Jos and Plateau State pogrom. Ciroma and his group were silent and did not ask President Yarâ Adua, who was president during the peak of the crisis last year, to resign.
I am sure Ciroma was in Nigeria when the first act of bombing was carried out in Nigeria under the dictatorship of General Babangida, when Dele Giwa was killed. I dont know if he called on the General to resign.
We have lived in numerous crises orchestrated by the generation of Adamu Ciroma; I am not aware that Adamu Ciroma has reacted passionately, calling on the president or Head of State during those crises to resign.
Just recently, when the late President Yarâ Adua left the country without a leader, and so in crisis, it was people like Adamu Ciroma, who threatened that nobody should remove Yarâ Adua. He has never shown any interest in the preservation of this country, Nigeria.
We know exactly what the generation of Adamu Ciroma is trying to do. We know what exploiters of the nations recent misfortune are eager to accomplish. They seek to sow seeds of discord and split further the north and south. They seek to cut off whatever remaining emotional attachment between the north and south. To what use is our education if we fail to see through this? They want to sustain the politics of divide that has left our nation swooning.
They delight in holding the back of the mirror before us and yet abusing us for our inability to see our faces. They use religion to separate us while by their acts and utterances they show they arent religious at all. But the end of the present drama shall depend on how President Jonathan handles issues. I shall provide some insight into what he can do and should do if Nigeria will survive this latest onslaught:
Avoid Distraction: The end has definitely come for those veterans of divide-and-rule politics. President Jonathan should desist from making further comments about the on-going investigation into the bombings of October 1, 2010 and allow his aides and relevant security officials to address us on the progress of the case. The reason is simple; whatever he says shall be misconstrued by professional politicians who want to mock the nation and distract from hunting down killers of our patriots who innocently lost their lives on October 1, 2010.
Take, for instance, his recent statement that MEND did not bomb Abuja on October 1, 2010, but terrorists did. I listened to him. He went further to say that terrorists such as bombed Abuja and engaged in kidnapping recently in Nigeria committed such heinous acts, not for any altruistic reasons such as the liberation of the oppressed, but for personal selfish gain.
An objective listener understood what the president was saying, Dont hide under a group such as MEND to commit criminal acts; you are a terrorist, pure and simple. The question is, who is MEND that bombed Abuja? Let us see his face. If some criminals claiming to be MEND have refused to show their faces, but rather chosen to hide behind some four-one-nine-like emails, and others, who have been known to be MENDs leaders have publicly disassociated themselves from the crime, then it is not difficult to say MEND did not commit the act but terrorists did. And once investigations unearth sufficient evidence, those individuals shall be charged to court in their names and not in the name of some faceless MEND. What the president said was deep, but people choose to hear what they may.
Avoid deceit: In an article, Nigeria: Interpreting Times And Events, I warned, based on what I saw at the time, that we were living in a period of great deception; that the mutually assured destruction of politicians, who shall betray each other leading up to the 2011 elections, shall lead to the liberation of the good people. I then warned that Jonathan was not clean. If President Jonathan will help himself and therefore, Nigeria, he must not use any information at his disposal, which should have been used to free Nigeria, to rather score for himself political points and blackmail his political opponents. He must not allow himself to be frightened from taking decisive steps simply because some people may impute wrong motives. If he does, he is done for. The law must strictly take its course, whosoever is affected.
Avoid destructions: Why will the president go beyond the INEC's request for extension of time to seek further amendments to the electoral Act 2010, which shall allow his aides, ministers, Ambassadors, Chairmen of Boards of parastatals etc., to vote in party indirect primaries? This is exactly what I was wary about when I wrote the article INEC Should Stop This Distraction and Confusion President Jonathan must not shred any existing laws for the immediacy of self-service.
No zone or region of Nigeria presently has a stable and strong leadership to guarantee a convenient split-up of the nation. I therefore, believe that should Nigeria be forced to break up by the provocations of elders such as Adamu Ciroma, who have lost self-control, the consequences of further break-ups shall make every mile a country in the aftermath.
The North (of which I am a member) has no right to decide who should run for an elective office or not. Besides, no man or woman, elder or youth has the mandate to speak on behalf of the North in the same way no man presently (post-amnesty) can speak on behalf of MEND. Ciroma and his Northern Elder Politicians Forum do not speak for me and many other Northerners. I understand that Dr. Iorchiya Ayu, a fellow Tiv man, is a top official of that forum.
He and all his colleagues in that forum do not speak for Dr. Leonard Shilgba and Northerners in general. And I believe that given my training and passion, I deserve to be heard and my views deserve to be examined too. Ciroma speaks for himself; and his group must not arrogate to itself the responsibility to speak on behalf of the North. I will surely speak at the polls just like any Northerner or Nigerian from whatever region can do if they so choose.
When I reach out to cast my vote, at that moment I have the power to decide politically who shall govern me. Enough of this nonsense! These are people that have destroyed Nigeria, left our children dying before they reach the age of five; left the amajiris of the North uneducated while they send their children abroad and to expensive private schools in Nigeria; left the north far poorer than any region in this country; left the north with horrible roads just as in other regions of Nigeria; and left our country with poor social services. They cannot deceive northerners of my generation, not with our education at least, unless our degrees are as useless as their arguments have been.
As I conclude, permit me to make some profound assertions:
There shall be no military take-over of government in Nigeria.
Many politicians will make a snare and fall inside. Some shall pay with their lives. Stray arrows shall get them.
The mystery woven shall be broken; the faces shall be revealed. That is the task of President Jonathan. If he deviates an inch from the true rule of law, betrays compassion, yields to pressure from Traditional rulers and stakeholders, he himself shall be consumed. Remember King Saul. If you spare King Agag, the throne shall be taken from you. I have spoken. He that has an ear let him hear.
I speak to King Agag. Although you say in your foolish haste, Surely the bitterness of death is past, you are deluded. For you shall be hewn down, even if not by the hands of a disobedient President Jonathan. As your sword has made women childless, so shall your mother be childless among women. You shall be blown up in pieces.
These are no ordinary times.
Leonard Karshima Shilgba is an Associate Professor of Mathematics with the American University of Nigeria and President of the Nigeria Rally Movement
A dawn of socio-political Re-awakening in Anioma
Emeka Esogbue
That the Anioma people of Delta State are gradually arousing from a deep slumber is not an understatement. A look into the socio-political activities of the group in recent times buttresses this argument. Quite increasingly, the Anioma indigenes are phenomenally taking interest in the socio-political events of their lives as a people. Decades back, he people were overtaken by socio-political sleep which, saw them tiredly snoring with indifference in the things that concern them as a people but it is a different scenario altogether for them today.
Several factors can be deduced as responsible for the re-awakening among the people of the state. One cannot rule that the ethnic identity problem which the group is facing and unsuccessful struggles towards producing a governor for the state. These two factors among several others have emboldened the people to arouse from slumber. The reasons presented here have more than anything quickened the race for re-awakening which the people say there is no going back on.
The emergence of Izu Anioma is viewed as a blessing to the group of people in the face of frenzy and discordant tunes which the people have associated with over the past decades. The importance of Izu Anioma cannot be over-emphasized for it has ushered a dawn of a new era in the socio-political life of the Anioma. The birth of Izu Anioma is like the emergence of shepherd for the people. Izu Anioma is now the umbrella body of the Anioma nation with a lot of responsibilities. On Saturday, April 3, 2010, the Group with its national President, Chief (Col) Mike Nduka Okwechime visited the Governor of the State, His Excellency, Dr Emmanuel Ewetan Uduagha in Asaba, Delta State pledging its support to the Governor and the people of the state.
Chief (Col) Okwechime lauded the development strides of Governor uduagha in Anioma areas in what was termed "Celebration of Civilization". The on-going speedy construction of the Asaba International Airport was one area the Group expressed its gratitude to the Governor that has favoured the people. The Governor appears to be been a friend of the Anioma with his recent speech that "there is no going back on Asaba as the capital of Delta State"
Concerned groups and individuals of Anioma extraction with acclaimed mandates to champion the socio-political cause of the region are fast emerging thus setting another dawn of a new era for the people of the Delta North. Recently, one Barrister Alex Nnamdi Nwadionu from Illah granted The Nation an interview on 31, October 2009 in what he termed "Delta 2015: Its Anioma or northing" Barrister Nwadionu's view is that it is the turn of anioma to produce the next governor of the state.
Another group of individuals of Anioma indigenes under the aegis of Concerned Aniomas for Transparency Leadership (CANTRAL) was recently reported to have issued a strong warning to politicians and other political groups in the state against the imposition of candidates on the Anioma people while noting that "the people of Delta North Senatorial District have suffered in the hands of selfish politicians whose stock of trade is to promote divide and rule among the people rather than engendering unity, oneness of purpose and exemplary leadership which is the hallmark of modern democracy".
The setting-up and activities of the Anioma Political Forum and the Anioma National Congress geared towards the political emancipation of the people have upon inauguration transformed to the champions of the Anioma nation. The confidence reposed on them by the people is high and cannot be taken lightly. The Anioma Political Forum has truly emerged as the mouth-piece of the people and gathering and drumming support. Lastly, the creation of Umu Anioma "Ofu Obi Bu Nke Anyi" Group on Facebook, a social utility tool is helping to find a sense of direction for the representatives of the people. The group accommodates thousands of Anioma indigenes and focuses on finding solutions to the problems troubling the region. Twice, the group has successfully organized a telephone conference in which ideas and solutions were offered towards the develop0ment of the region.
It has in no small way added to the socio-political re-awakening of the people which is what every indigene prays for. Surely, the Anioma will fight for a place in the 2011 election and perhaps produce a governor of its extraction and most importantly win the much coveted Anioma State.
That the Anioma people of Delta State are gradually arousing from a deep slumber is not an understatement. A look into the socio-political activities of the group in recent times buttresses this argument. Quite increasingly, the Anioma indigenes are phenomenally taking interest in the socio-political events of their lives as a people. Decades back, he people were overtaken by socio-political sleep which, saw them tiredly snoring with indifference in the things that concern them as a people but it is a different scenario altogether for them today.
Several factors can be deduced as responsible for the re-awakening among the people of the state. One cannot rule that the ethnic identity problem which the group is facing and unsuccessful struggles towards producing a governor for the state. These two factors among several others have emboldened the people to arouse from slumber. The reasons presented here have more than anything quickened the race for re-awakening which the people say there is no going back on.
The emergence of Izu Anioma is viewed as a blessing to the group of people in the face of frenzy and discordant tunes which the people have associated with over the past decades. The importance of Izu Anioma cannot be over-emphasized for it has ushered a dawn of a new era in the socio-political life of the Anioma. The birth of Izu Anioma is like the emergence of shepherd for the people. Izu Anioma is now the umbrella body of the Anioma nation with a lot of responsibilities. On Saturday, April 3, 2010, the Group with its national President, Chief (Col) Mike Nduka Okwechime visited the Governor of the State, His Excellency, Dr Emmanuel Ewetan Uduagha in Asaba, Delta State pledging its support to the Governor and the people of the state.
Chief (Col) Okwechime lauded the development strides of Governor uduagha in Anioma areas in what was termed "Celebration of Civilization". The on-going speedy construction of the Asaba International Airport was one area the Group expressed its gratitude to the Governor that has favoured the people. The Governor appears to be been a friend of the Anioma with his recent speech that "there is no going back on Asaba as the capital of Delta State"
Concerned groups and individuals of Anioma extraction with acclaimed mandates to champion the socio-political cause of the region are fast emerging thus setting another dawn of a new era for the people of the Delta North. Recently, one Barrister Alex Nnamdi Nwadionu from Illah granted The Nation an interview on 31, October 2009 in what he termed "Delta 2015: Its Anioma or northing" Barrister Nwadionu's view is that it is the turn of anioma to produce the next governor of the state.
Another group of individuals of Anioma indigenes under the aegis of Concerned Aniomas for Transparency Leadership (CANTRAL) was recently reported to have issued a strong warning to politicians and other political groups in the state against the imposition of candidates on the Anioma people while noting that "the people of Delta North Senatorial District have suffered in the hands of selfish politicians whose stock of trade is to promote divide and rule among the people rather than engendering unity, oneness of purpose and exemplary leadership which is the hallmark of modern democracy".
The setting-up and activities of the Anioma Political Forum and the Anioma National Congress geared towards the political emancipation of the people have upon inauguration transformed to the champions of the Anioma nation. The confidence reposed on them by the people is high and cannot be taken lightly. The Anioma Political Forum has truly emerged as the mouth-piece of the people and gathering and drumming support. Lastly, the creation of Umu Anioma "Ofu Obi Bu Nke Anyi" Group on Facebook, a social utility tool is helping to find a sense of direction for the representatives of the people. The group accommodates thousands of Anioma indigenes and focuses on finding solutions to the problems troubling the region. Twice, the group has successfully organized a telephone conference in which ideas and solutions were offered towards the develop0ment of the region.
It has in no small way added to the socio-political re-awakening of the people which is what every indigene prays for. Surely, the Anioma will fight for a place in the 2011 election and perhaps produce a governor of its extraction and most importantly win the much coveted Anioma State.
Ekumeku War of the Anioma People
Emeka Esogbue
The Anioma-British war popularly referred to in history as Ekumeku or Ekwumekwu in some Anioma quarters occurred between 1883-1914 and involved Anioma and the British. The Anioma are mostly Igbo therefore all Anioma speak Igbo beyond the enclaves of non Igbo ancestry of the Anioma region. It is therefore easier to recognize that Ekwumekwu is an Igbo word. However, different sources have interpreted "Ekumeku" differently.
Ekumeku is indigenously known in Anioma historical context as "Aya Ekumeku". Aya in Igbo language denotes "war" while Ekwumekwu in Igbo onomatopoeia connotes "Do not talk about it" or "Not to be spoken about". This is a portrayal od secrecy associated with Ekumeku movement. The terribly fast, devastating and invisible nature or strategy employed to wage the war couples with the initiation requirement necessary for the recruitment of soldiers may have warranted the word "Ekumeku" In the years of the Ekumeku war, it was a taboo to reveal the secrecy behind the activities of the cult regarding initiation, operational bases, movement and sources of the cult group.
This situation posed the British with so much difficulty as they were unable to manage the activities of the Anioma perceived worrisome to their imperialist policies. The mystery surrounding the activities from which the people derived unexplainable strength puzzled the British who perhaps were hasty to abolish what they believe could become established in the socio-cultural society of the Anioma and constitute hindrances towards realizing their economic aims if nothing was speedily done.
Resistance was strong in western Igboland with series of wars waged to resist the British who had strong economic interest in the region and Ekumeku with well organized leaders joined in oath-taking secrecy to forestall the activities of the British in the region. Guerrilla warfare was the effective weapon if this was to be achieved. The Ekumeku became the greatest of the Igbo nationalism that instilled fear and discipline in the minds of the British on how and how not to deal with the Igbo people generally. It was from Ekumeku that other Igbo regions derived boldness to confront the British. Perahps, there existed no region in Southern Nigeria where the people ferociously and collectively rose to resist the British imperial conquest as in the Anioma region where the war lasted for 16 years with heavy casualties on both belligerents.
Attempts in the 19th and 20th centuries by the British to impose imperialistic and hegemonic measures that would subjugate the Anioma people for their own economic gains triggered-off the Ekwumekwu war. Anioma had viewed socio-economic activities of the British in the Anioma region as an intrusion that must be resisted at all cost and the British decided to employ the use of force to subdue the people. This became a threat in the Anioma society. Scholars of the Anioma History believe that while Britain because of its experiences derived from other parts of the country was well prepared for the outcome, the Anioma were little prepared and only ready to defend its territory from economic violation of the British. This gave the Britisn an upper hand over their Anioma counterparts. It was not until towards the end of the war that the rest of the Anioma towns prepared themselves for the battle the British.
The Anioma nation had before 1898 engaged in violent clashes with the British resulting in the identification of the Anioma region as a difficult terrain and it was the feeling of the British that the area needed to be purged if they would derive economic gains from the region and for the social activities of the British to be impacted on the people. Interestingly, the British had already noted the leaders of the region as violent because of their unpleasant experiences with the people. In 1830, the Lander Brothers reported their sour experiences in the hands of the Anioma back home as they were captured by the Anioma community who did not understand their reason for crossing through their territory. It was a crisis that put the Anioma in the bad book of Britain only waiting to explode.
By 1870, the crisis between Anioma and Britain had escalated culminating in the invasion of Ndoni, an Anioma community by the British in the same year. The British parliament had ruled that the use of force would be necessary to compel the people of Ndoni to cooperate with their economic terms among several others. Atani another Anioma community would suffer the same fate as it engaged the Royal Niger Company in 1880 in a bid to control the trade of the region. The Royal Niger Company with its charter perpetuated what Joseph Egwu an erudite scholar regarded as the first genocide against the Anioma people. Finally, in November 2, 1897, Onicha-Ado (Onitsha) an Anioma community was bombarded in what was to set the Anioma rulers against the British in many years of guerrilla warfare.
Ibusa-Royal Niger Company War (1898)
The real first of the Ekumeku wars was between Ibusa and Royal Niger Company. Dr. Joseph Egwu in an article titled"Ekwumekwu Movement" published in Anioma Essence Vol. 1, No. 4, 2008 edition delivers a beautiful account of the Ibusa-Royal Niger Company War in which the Royal Niger Company forces commandeered by Major Festing decided to attack Ibusa.
Strangely, the Royal Niger Company launched a surprise attack on Ibusa and thus won an initial victory which through was temporary. The Ibusa forces retreated and the feeling of the British was absolute victory.
Writing further, Father Zappa in 1898 emphasized that rather than surrender, the Ekwumekwu soldiers continued to resist as the Ibusa forces reinforced. Major Festing's further appeal and indeed reinforcement of troops from Lokoja that joined the forces of the Royal Niger Company helped the Forces to sustain victory over the Anioma community of Ibusa.
"Indeed it was not the possession of more sophisticated firearms that ensured Major Festing's ultimate victory, it was rather wanton and callous destruction of Ibusa farms and villages that forced them to sue for peace.
Ukwunzu/Owa-the British (1904)
On the 11th February 1904, severe fighting increased between Ukwunze and Owa on one side and the British as the other party. W. E. B. Crawford Coupland, the Divisional Commissioner ordered for 4 Connaught Rangers, 2.95 artillery and other weapons with which the people were subdued.
Owa-the British (1906)
The Ika people displaying prowess of the most war-like of the Western Igbo speaking people with the fierce wars fought to end S. O. Crave-Read and his British styled inhuman treatment. In this war, Ekute provided military support to the Ekwumekwu soldiers. The Ika people fought a well prepared battle as Lt H. C. Moorhouse would later put up a brilliant defence of himself on why he appeared prone to sustaining casualties stating that the Ekwumekwu soldiers operated with a well trained soldiers and geographical knowledge was an advantage. Mr. S. O. Crewe lost his life in the battle.
Ogwashi-Uku-the British
The Anglo-Ogwashi-Uku war which began on November 2, 1909 with a mandate to the British Forces to kill everybody proved to be a partial disappointment ion the part of the British and more than anything proved that the British Forces could collapse if matched with sophisticated arms and ammunition. In that war the British sustained 34 casualties with the death of Captain H. C. Chapman.
With the fall of Ogwashi-Uku, the Anioma was doomed for balkanization. Dr. Egwu briefly summarizes what thereafter befell the Anioma as thus:
"Anioma Region was divided into four and joined to other groups neighbours who were then given political precedence over Anioma. Asaba Division was joined to the Benin Province and Aboh Division (Ndi-Olu) were joined with Urhobo, Ijaws and Itsekiris to make up the Delta Province. Onitsha, Oguta and environs were joined to the Eastern Provinces. This made political unity nearly impossible. This was the genesis of our woes!
With the fall of Anioma, the great price for losing a war was paid by the people. The region was balkanized by the British and many Anioma territories such as Onicha-Ado (Onitsha) and Oguta were permanently lost to the easterners. That of Onitsha was characterized with a change of the name that disassociated it from Onicha-Olona, Onicha-Ukwu, Onicha-Uku kinsmen but in all Anioma achieved for the Igbo nation a movement more extensive and resisting than what the British had experienced in Africa South of the Sahara.
Igbafe in his work opines "the ability to manipulate their Age Grade system and other associations building an extensive network of communication throughout the whole of Anioma…no matter its cost, honour, bravery and integrity which have been internalized and consolidated in their myths, legends, proverbs and typical behaviour patterns.
The Anioma Ekwumekwu commanders were:
1. Dunkwu Isusu (Onicha-Olona)
2. Ochei Nwayazia (Onicha-Olona)
3. Nwabuzo Olimagwo (Issele-Uku)
4. Mokobia Odiajo (Ogwashi-Uku)
5. Nwaiyogolo (Ogwashi-Uku)
6. Eninwizomo (Ugbodu)
7. Idegwu Otokpoike (Ubulu-Uku)
8. Monye Ukpe
9. Diei Nwobodo
10. Egbune Uza
11. Awunor Ugbo (Akumazi)
12. Abuzu (Idumuje-Unor)
13. Idabor (Issele-Uku)
14. Agbambu Oshue (Ibusa)
Some of the Anioma towns that participated were:
1. Isheagwu
2. Kwale
3. Ugbolu
4. Obiaruku
5. Aboh
6. Ebu
7. Ubulu-Uku
8. Ogwashi-Uku
9. Akumazi-Umuocha
10. Onicha-Ado (Onitsha)
11. Obomkpa
12. Ezi
13. Issele-Uku
14. Ilah
15. Okpanam
16. Issele-Azagba
17. Owa
18. Ibusa
19. Idumuje-Ugboko
20. Agbor
21. Igbodo
22. Umunede
23. Asaba
24. Ute-Okpu
25. Ashama
26. Idume-Ugbo
The Anioma-British war popularly referred to in history as Ekumeku or Ekwumekwu in some Anioma quarters occurred between 1883-1914 and involved Anioma and the British. The Anioma are mostly Igbo therefore all Anioma speak Igbo beyond the enclaves of non Igbo ancestry of the Anioma region. It is therefore easier to recognize that Ekwumekwu is an Igbo word. However, different sources have interpreted "Ekumeku" differently.
Ekumeku is indigenously known in Anioma historical context as "Aya Ekumeku". Aya in Igbo language denotes "war" while Ekwumekwu in Igbo onomatopoeia connotes "Do not talk about it" or "Not to be spoken about". This is a portrayal od secrecy associated with Ekumeku movement. The terribly fast, devastating and invisible nature or strategy employed to wage the war couples with the initiation requirement necessary for the recruitment of soldiers may have warranted the word "Ekumeku" In the years of the Ekumeku war, it was a taboo to reveal the secrecy behind the activities of the cult regarding initiation, operational bases, movement and sources of the cult group.
This situation posed the British with so much difficulty as they were unable to manage the activities of the Anioma perceived worrisome to their imperialist policies. The mystery surrounding the activities from which the people derived unexplainable strength puzzled the British who perhaps were hasty to abolish what they believe could become established in the socio-cultural society of the Anioma and constitute hindrances towards realizing their economic aims if nothing was speedily done.
Resistance was strong in western Igboland with series of wars waged to resist the British who had strong economic interest in the region and Ekumeku with well organized leaders joined in oath-taking secrecy to forestall the activities of the British in the region. Guerrilla warfare was the effective weapon if this was to be achieved. The Ekumeku became the greatest of the Igbo nationalism that instilled fear and discipline in the minds of the British on how and how not to deal with the Igbo people generally. It was from Ekumeku that other Igbo regions derived boldness to confront the British. Perahps, there existed no region in Southern Nigeria where the people ferociously and collectively rose to resist the British imperial conquest as in the Anioma region where the war lasted for 16 years with heavy casualties on both belligerents.
Attempts in the 19th and 20th centuries by the British to impose imperialistic and hegemonic measures that would subjugate the Anioma people for their own economic gains triggered-off the Ekwumekwu war. Anioma had viewed socio-economic activities of the British in the Anioma region as an intrusion that must be resisted at all cost and the British decided to employ the use of force to subdue the people. This became a threat in the Anioma society. Scholars of the Anioma History believe that while Britain because of its experiences derived from other parts of the country was well prepared for the outcome, the Anioma were little prepared and only ready to defend its territory from economic violation of the British. This gave the Britisn an upper hand over their Anioma counterparts. It was not until towards the end of the war that the rest of the Anioma towns prepared themselves for the battle the British.
The Anioma nation had before 1898 engaged in violent clashes with the British resulting in the identification of the Anioma region as a difficult terrain and it was the feeling of the British that the area needed to be purged if they would derive economic gains from the region and for the social activities of the British to be impacted on the people. Interestingly, the British had already noted the leaders of the region as violent because of their unpleasant experiences with the people. In 1830, the Lander Brothers reported their sour experiences in the hands of the Anioma back home as they were captured by the Anioma community who did not understand their reason for crossing through their territory. It was a crisis that put the Anioma in the bad book of Britain only waiting to explode.
By 1870, the crisis between Anioma and Britain had escalated culminating in the invasion of Ndoni, an Anioma community by the British in the same year. The British parliament had ruled that the use of force would be necessary to compel the people of Ndoni to cooperate with their economic terms among several others. Atani another Anioma community would suffer the same fate as it engaged the Royal Niger Company in 1880 in a bid to control the trade of the region. The Royal Niger Company with its charter perpetuated what Joseph Egwu an erudite scholar regarded as the first genocide against the Anioma people. Finally, in November 2, 1897, Onicha-Ado (Onitsha) an Anioma community was bombarded in what was to set the Anioma rulers against the British in many years of guerrilla warfare.
Ibusa-Royal Niger Company War (1898)
The real first of the Ekumeku wars was between Ibusa and Royal Niger Company. Dr. Joseph Egwu in an article titled"Ekwumekwu Movement" published in Anioma Essence Vol. 1, No. 4, 2008 edition delivers a beautiful account of the Ibusa-Royal Niger Company War in which the Royal Niger Company forces commandeered by Major Festing decided to attack Ibusa.
Strangely, the Royal Niger Company launched a surprise attack on Ibusa and thus won an initial victory which through was temporary. The Ibusa forces retreated and the feeling of the British was absolute victory.
Writing further, Father Zappa in 1898 emphasized that rather than surrender, the Ekwumekwu soldiers continued to resist as the Ibusa forces reinforced. Major Festing's further appeal and indeed reinforcement of troops from Lokoja that joined the forces of the Royal Niger Company helped the Forces to sustain victory over the Anioma community of Ibusa.
"Indeed it was not the possession of more sophisticated firearms that ensured Major Festing's ultimate victory, it was rather wanton and callous destruction of Ibusa farms and villages that forced them to sue for peace.
Ukwunzu/Owa-the British (1904)
On the 11th February 1904, severe fighting increased between Ukwunze and Owa on one side and the British as the other party. W. E. B. Crawford Coupland, the Divisional Commissioner ordered for 4 Connaught Rangers, 2.95 artillery and other weapons with which the people were subdued.
Owa-the British (1906)
The Ika people displaying prowess of the most war-like of the Western Igbo speaking people with the fierce wars fought to end S. O. Crave-Read and his British styled inhuman treatment. In this war, Ekute provided military support to the Ekwumekwu soldiers. The Ika people fought a well prepared battle as Lt H. C. Moorhouse would later put up a brilliant defence of himself on why he appeared prone to sustaining casualties stating that the Ekwumekwu soldiers operated with a well trained soldiers and geographical knowledge was an advantage. Mr. S. O. Crewe lost his life in the battle.
Ogwashi-Uku-the British
The Anglo-Ogwashi-Uku war which began on November 2, 1909 with a mandate to the British Forces to kill everybody proved to be a partial disappointment ion the part of the British and more than anything proved that the British Forces could collapse if matched with sophisticated arms and ammunition. In that war the British sustained 34 casualties with the death of Captain H. C. Chapman.
With the fall of Ogwashi-Uku, the Anioma was doomed for balkanization. Dr. Egwu briefly summarizes what thereafter befell the Anioma as thus:
"Anioma Region was divided into four and joined to other groups neighbours who were then given political precedence over Anioma. Asaba Division was joined to the Benin Province and Aboh Division (Ndi-Olu) were joined with Urhobo, Ijaws and Itsekiris to make up the Delta Province. Onitsha, Oguta and environs were joined to the Eastern Provinces. This made political unity nearly impossible. This was the genesis of our woes!
With the fall of Anioma, the great price for losing a war was paid by the people. The region was balkanized by the British and many Anioma territories such as Onicha-Ado (Onitsha) and Oguta were permanently lost to the easterners. That of Onitsha was characterized with a change of the name that disassociated it from Onicha-Olona, Onicha-Ukwu, Onicha-Uku kinsmen but in all Anioma achieved for the Igbo nation a movement more extensive and resisting than what the British had experienced in Africa South of the Sahara.
Igbafe in his work opines "the ability to manipulate their Age Grade system and other associations building an extensive network of communication throughout the whole of Anioma…no matter its cost, honour, bravery and integrity which have been internalized and consolidated in their myths, legends, proverbs and typical behaviour patterns.
The Anioma Ekwumekwu commanders were:
1. Dunkwu Isusu (Onicha-Olona)
2. Ochei Nwayazia (Onicha-Olona)
3. Nwabuzo Olimagwo (Issele-Uku)
4. Mokobia Odiajo (Ogwashi-Uku)
5. Nwaiyogolo (Ogwashi-Uku)
6. Eninwizomo (Ugbodu)
7. Idegwu Otokpoike (Ubulu-Uku)
8. Monye Ukpe
9. Diei Nwobodo
10. Egbune Uza
11. Awunor Ugbo (Akumazi)
12. Abuzu (Idumuje-Unor)
13. Idabor (Issele-Uku)
14. Agbambu Oshue (Ibusa)
Some of the Anioma towns that participated were:
1. Isheagwu
2. Kwale
3. Ugbolu
4. Obiaruku
5. Aboh
6. Ebu
7. Ubulu-Uku
8. Ogwashi-Uku
9. Akumazi-Umuocha
10. Onicha-Ado (Onitsha)
11. Obomkpa
12. Ezi
13. Issele-Uku
14. Ilah
15. Okpanam
16. Issele-Azagba
17. Owa
18. Ibusa
19. Idumuje-Ugboko
20. Agbor
21. Igbodo
22. Umunede
23. Asaba
24. Ute-Okpu
25. Ashama
26. Idume-Ugbo
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