Nigeria’s foremost novelist Chinua Achebe has claimed that Nigerians, especially of the Hausa/Fulani and the Yoruba stocks, do not like his Igbo ethnic group because of the southeast’s cultural advantage.

He made this claim in his new book, There was a Country, which has generated controversy for his onslaught on the role of Obafemi Awolowo as the federal commissioner of finance during the Nigeria civil war. He accused Awolowo of genocide and imposition of food blockade on Biafra, a claim that has drawn rebuttals and contradictions of emotional intensity from some southwest leaders and commentators.

“I have written in my small book entitled The Trouble with Nigeria that Nigerians will probably achieve consensus on no other matter than their common resentment of the Igbo,” he wrote under the heading, A History of Ethnic Tension and Resentment. He traced the origin of “the national resentment of the Igbo” to its culture that “gave the Igbo man an unquestioned advantage over his compatriots in securing credentials for advancement in Nigerian colonial society.”

He observed that the Igbo culture’s emphasis on change, individualism and competitiveness gave his ethnic group an edge over the Hausa/Fulani man who was hindered by a “wary religion” and the Yoruba man who was hampered by” traditional hierarchies.”

He therefore described the Igbo, who are predominantly Catholic, as “fearing no god or man, was “custom-made to grasp the opportunities, such as they were, of the white man’s dispensations. And the Igbo did so with both hands.”

He delved into history with his claim, asserting that the Igbo overcame the earlier Yoruba advantage within two decades earlier in the twentieth century.

“Although the Yoruba had a huge historical and geographical head start, the Igbo wiped out their handicap in one fantastic burst of energy in the twenty years between 1930 and 1950.”

He narrated the earlier advantage of Yoruba as contingent on their location on the coastline, but once the missionaries crossed the Niger, the Igbo took advantage of the opportunity and overtook the Yoruba.

‘The increase was so exponential in such a short time that within three short decades the Igbos had closed the gap and quickly moved ahead as the group with the highest literacy rate, the highest standard of living, and the greatest of citizens with postsecondary education in Nigeria,” he contended.

He said Nigerian leadership should have taken advantage of the gbo talent and this failure was partly responsible for the failure of the Nigerian state, explaining further that competitive individualism and the adventurous spirit of the Igbo was a boon Nigerian leaders failed to recognize and harness for modernization.

“Nigeria’s pathetic attempt to crush these idiosyncrasies rather than celebrate them is one of the fundamental reasons the country has not developed as it should and has emerged as a laughingstock,” he claimed.

He noted that the ousting of prominent Igbos from top offices was a ploy to achieve a simple and crude goal. He said what the Nigerians wanted was to “get the achievers out and replace them with less qualified individuals from the desired ethnic background so as to gain access to the resources of the state.”

Achebe, however, saved some criticisms for his kinsmen. He criticised them for what he described as “hubris, overweening pride and thoughtlessness, which invite envy and hatred or even worse that can obsess the mind with material success and dispose it to all kinds of crude showiness.”

He added that “contemporary Igbo behavior(that) cab offend by its noisy exhibitionism and disregard for humility and quietness.

Culled: The Nation

In the Central Senatorial district of Kogi State, another bloodbath was averted last Sunday following the intervention by security operatives.

What would have been a major tragedy in Kogi State was averted on the Eid- ul- fitr day, when security operatives scuttled what they said was a planned attack on worshippers at the eid grounds and churches in the Central Senatorial district of the state.

On the fateful day, Sunday, August 19, which was incidentally, Sallah, men of the Kogi State Police Command, arrested the leader of gang of suspected gunmen who have been terrorizing the area, while also discovering two bomb making factories in a major operation.

At Eyika factory, 204 cans and chemical as well as other bomb-making devices were found in a room and parlour apartment said to be occupied by the gunmen. At Abu limit Estate in Okene, a police vest, a Quran and a sack of cans used for bomb-making were found inside a one room apartment of 3 block of story buildings in the estate which also serves as a factory where electrical poles are manufactured.

A resident of Adagu, who only gave his name as Saliu for ‘fear of the unknown,’ said they were shocked with the discovery as they had no premonition that such activities were going in the area.

“We only see them coming like every other person in the evening after the days’ job but we don’t even know that such activity is going on there. We thank God they were caught,” he said.

Meanwhile, Kogi State Commissioner of Police, Muhammed Katsina, while conducting newsmen round the factories, said information from the arrested leader of the 21-man gang who masterminded the attack on Deeper Life Bible and killing of the soldiers led to the new discovery.

He said after the attack on the soldiers, the police got information that the gang were at their training camp at Eter hill planning another attack and on sighting the police they opened fire on them. He said some of the gunmen were injured in the operation, while others escaped to a farm settlement in neighbouring Ondo State.

“Two of them were sent to somewhere within the North for more bomb- making devices, but were arrested throug intelligent report in a luxury bus at Jamata while returning to Kogi State with the materials.

“Through intelligence, the suspected gang leader was also arrested at a farm settlement in Ulowo in Owor, Ondo State after he was injured following a shootout with the police,” the police boss explained.

According to him, the gang planned to launch massive attack on Sunday which coincided with Eid- ul-filtr celebration before the arrest of their leader.

“They planned the attacks on the Deeper Life Church and the soldiers from their hideout in Eyika. Three persons each were detailed to attack the church and the soldiers respectively. The pastor was the target of the attack but because of confusion from church members as the gunmen entered the church, they started shooting indiscriminately, while also looking for their target. The attack on the soldiers was to get more arms and ammunitions preparatory for last Sunday and sallah attack,” he explained.

Items recovered by the police during the last operation are seven AK 47 riffles, 1000 live ammunition, 29 loaded magazines, six locally made guns, gas cylinder, two rocket launchers and several bomb making devices.

Source Weekly Trust

He buttressed this with the fact that the “Hausa-Fulani ‘empire’ in the state has grown in leaps and bounds. The bond between them is also likened to Siamese twins that have been joined by fate.”

Today, Obalende could boast of thousands of Hausa people, some of whom have inter-married with the local Yoruba population. Indeed, the Hausa have dominated prominent streets in the area such as Odo, Eleshin, Moshalashi, Ajeniya and Obalende road.

Some of the fruits produced by the inter-marriages between the Hausa and the locals have also given the Hausa a measure of dominance and relevance in the environment.

“Unlike other Hausa communities in Lagos and environs, Obalende stands out. It is hard to witness any fight or crisis between us and other tribes like Yoruba. We have co-existed for several years without crisis. We have mosques and churches in Obalende and no one takes up arms with his neighbours over religious issue.

“We have inter-married and culturally exchanged among ourselves. I have lots of Yoruba and Ibo friends here. This affords me the opportunity to speak and dress like Yoruba and Ibo man. To me, Obalende is the centre of Nigeria in Lagos,” Abdullahi, a Hausa resident of Obalende told our correspondent.

Many people spoken to said one thing that is difficult to take away from the Hausa community in Obalende is their love for mosque and timeliness in observing their prayers. “That is why they have their mini-mosques around with congregation to facilitate people access to places of worship,” said a resident, who added that “Besides, the closeness of Obalende Community to Dodan Military Barrack, former seat of power, also guarantees some level of peace and tranquillity among the Hausa in the area.”

Speaking, 40-year-old Christopher Anani, who was born in Obalende, also confirmed the age-long bond that existed between the Hausa and other ethnic groups in Obalende.

According to him, he grew up among the Hausa community in Obalende, who showered him with love and treated him and his siblings as their sons and daughters.

“I cannot count the number of Hausa friends I have in Obalende while growing up and now. Despite our different religious belief, they always throw their doors open and are ever-ready to render assistance to you. It is great to live and grow up here in Obalende because it offered me the opportunity to understand certain ethnic groups, especially the Hausa better.”

Apart from the modest and simple architecture with which Hausa build their houses in Obalende, the people also excell in commerce and trading in the area.

Odo street in Obalende is famous for delicious suya and has been there for several years courtesy of these Hausa traders, who have given Lagosians a whole new idea of how roasted meat should be enjoyed.

Little wonder, prominent people travelled far and near to Odo street to buy suya every day. Most of the early sellers of suya have bequeathed the business to their offspring who are now growing in number.

A suya seller, who craved anonymity, said that he has been doing the business in the area for over six years. He said the spot is very advantageous to the business hence the number of customers who troop to him daily to buy suya.

“I think Odo street is a moving spot for suya business. Suya is one of the things that made Hausa people popular not only in Obalende but also in Lagos. Different kinds of people buy suya from us every day and we are proud of this job.”

Suya sellers share similar boundaries with commercial motorcycle operators, popularly called okada riders, many of who are Hausa. They are at beck and call of customers who need a ride to any part of the area in Obalende and outside it.

The growing patronage of suya has also caused increase in the number of okada riders, who milled around Odo street.

Another area of trading the Hausa flourished in Obalende is in the area of selling rice, tuwo shinkafa, kunu, tea, fried plantain and yam. Inhabitants of Obalende mostly depend on the Hausa for these services.

A plantain seller, who identified herself as Hajiya said she has been doing the business for over five years and has no regret “because it is giving me and my family our daily bread.”

Tailoring and cloth weaving are professions the Hausa in Obalende have established their presence. One in every four best sowed or weaved robes and gowns in the heart of Lagos is a product of Obalende, a resident boasted to Weekly Trust. “This explains why several customers patronize these tailors.”

one of them told our correspondent, adding that the beauty of their excellence is premised on commitment and skills on the job.

“We learnt the skills of weaving and tailoring and gave our best on the job. We also put Allah first and last in all we do. Besides, we feel we have a name to protect so we don’t cheat our customers in terms of charges and quality of our service.”

Mohammed Haruna, one of the tailors, said he enjoys what he is doing because it has brought him comfort. He said he has been doing the job for close to ten years and have no cause to regret doing tailoring and being among the Hausa community in Obalende.

Another job that thrives in Obalende is water vending, which is also being done by the Hausa. These hawkers have not only increased in number but have also devised more amenable trucks to serve their customers in the community well.

Most people in the community depend on the hawkers to supply them water at their doorstep at affordable price.

One of the hawkers told our correspondent that hawking water in Obalende is better than roaming about the streets of Lagos without any job.

“My prayer is that after doing this job for some years I will save enough money to rent affordable shop here or own a mobile shop and start selling provisions.”

The Hausa community in Obalende also cherishes alms giving to the poor, thereby drawing so many people, including non-Hausa, to the area.

Source Weekly Trust

They say the wombs of some women are too good at letting embryos implant, even those of poor quality which should be rejected.

The UK-Dutch study published in the journal PLoS ONE said the resulting pregnancies would then fail.

One expert welcomed the findings and hoped a test could be developed for identifying the condition in women.

Recurrent miscarriages - losing three or more pregnancies in a row - affect one in 100 women in the UK.

Doctors at Princess Anne Hospital in Southampton and the University Medical Center Utrecht, took samples from the wombs of six women who had normal fertility and six who had had recurrent miscarriages.

High or low-quality embryos were placed in a channel created between two strips of the womb cells.

Cells from women with normal fertility started to grow and reach out towards the high-quality embryos. Poor-quality embryos were ignored.

However, the cells of women who had recurrent miscarriages started to grow towards both kinds of embryo.

Prof Nick Macklon, a consultant at the Princess Anne Hospital, said: "Many affected women feel guilty that they are simply rejecting their pregnancy.

"But we have discovered it may not be because they cannot carry, [but] it is because they may simply be super-fertile, as they allow embryos which would normally not survive to implant."

He added: "When poorer embryos are allowed to implant, they may last long enough in cases of recurrent miscarriage to give a positive pregnancy test."

This theory still needs further testing and will not explain all miscarriages.

Dr Siobhan Quenby, from the Royal College Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, told the BBC: "This theory is really quite attractive. It is lovely. It's a really important paper that will change the way we think about implantation."

"It had been thought that rejecting normal embryos resulted in miscarriage, but what explains the clinical syndrome is that everything is being let in."

She said research would now need to discover whether this could be tested for in women and whether their receptiveness to embryos could be altered.