PDP’s Tired Card: Overreaching the Courts

The PDP is on a collision course with the administration of justice, writes Chukwuma Ekomaru SAN

History will always repeat itself in a nation where the political class has a predilection for impunity, disrespect for court orders and the rule of Law.
Senator Ifeanyi Ararume wanted to be Governor of Imo State. As a civilised man he went to court and fought his case up to the Supreme Court of Nigeria. On April 5, 2007, the Supreme Court held that Senator Ararume is the authentic PDP Governorship candidate of Imo State and not Chief Charles Ugwu. How did PDP react to the Supreme Court decision in Ararume case?
On April 10, 2007 exactly five days after the Supreme Court decision, the National Working Committee of Peoples Democratic Party expelled Senator Ifeanyi Araraume from the party. On that same day, the National Executive Committee of PDP met and ratified the expulsion of Senator Ifeanyi Araraume.
On that same April 10, 2007 the then Head of State, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo and the National Chairman of PDP Senator Ahmadu Ali boarded a helicopter landed at Dan Anyiam Stadium, Owerri, and in full capacity attendance of thousands of  PDP members announced that in obedience to Supreme Court decision they have withdrawn Engineer Charles Uwgu as PDP candidate and they have also expelled Senator Ifeanyi Araraume from the Peoples Democratic Party. In consequence they announced that PDP Imo State had no candidate  for the Governorship Election slated for April 14, 2007. The governorship election took place but Engr. Charles Ugwu’s picture appeared on the ballot paper. This could easily be explained as the ballot papers had been printed given that from April 10, 2007 to April 14, 2007 was only four days.
However, INEC had promised to bring ballot papers with only party symbols and no picture of party candidates. This was not to be on April 14, 2007 at the Imo State Governorship Election. The net result was that INEC cancelled the result of the Imo State Governorship Election held on April 14, 2007 and re-scheduled it for April 28, 2007. What happened on April 28, 2007 in Imo State is a matter for another discussion. However, what is clear is that the whole machinery of Federal Government, State Government, INEC was brought against Senator Ifeanyi Araraume. It is a big surprise that after everything, they placed Senator Ifeanyi Araraume second in the Governorship result declared.
In the indomitable Spirit of an enlightened man, Senator Ifeanyi Araraume went back to court to challenge his expulsion from the party on the grounds that he took the party to court. In a Writ of Summons filed on his behalf by C.U. Ekomaru  Esq. the reliefs sought in the Suit No. HME/26/2007. SENATOR IFEANYI ARARAUME  v PEOPLES DEMOCRATIC PARTY & 4 ORS, were as follows:
‘(a)    A declaration that the Plaintiff did not violate Article 21 1 (L) of the Constitution of the peoples Democratic Party 2001 (as amended) in that the Plaintiff did not institute a court action against the Peoples Democratic Party in Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/9/2007 at the Federal High Court Abuja (any other Law suit whatsoever against the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
(b) A declaration that in the said Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/9/2007 the Peoples Democratic Party and Engr. Charles Ugwu were joined by leave of Court upon an application made by Engr. Charles Ugwu and Independent National Electoral Commission respectively.
(c) A declaration that it is unlawful, illegal and unconstitutional to expel the Plaintiff from the Peoples Democratic Party without regard to the rules of natural justice as provided in Article 21.3, Article 21.5,   Article 21.6. Article 21.13. and 21.14 of the Constitution of Peoples Democratic Party 2001 (as  amended) and the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999.
(d) A declaration that the Plaintiff did not commit any of the offences listed in Article 21.1 of the Constitution of Peoples Democratic Party as to warrant the Plaintiffs expulsion from the party as provided under Article 21. 7(g) of the Constitution of the Peoples Democratic Party 2001 (as amended)
(e) An order of court nullifying the expulsion of the plaintiff from the Peoples Democratic Party in that the purported expulsion is unconstitutional, illegal and therefore null and void.
(f) An order of perpetual injunction restraining the Defendants, their agents servant and privies from implementing the illegal order of expulsion on the Plaintiff.’
At the conclusion of the case, Hon. Justice C.A. Ononeze-Madu (Mrs.) sitting at High Court of Imo State holden at Mbano on May 31, 2007 in a 26-page judgment nullified the expulsion of Senator Ifeanyi Araraume from PDP by declaring the action of the Peoples Democratic Party unlawful, illegal and unconstitutional.
On page 24 of the Judgment of Ononeze-Madu J. My Lord had this to say and I quote her-
“Upon these Supreme Court authorities cited, I hereby declare the decision of   Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) expelling the Plaintiff on 10th April, 2007 null and void.
The decision of the Supreme Court is binding on all persons and authorities within the Federal Republic of Nigeria and as a court of subordinate jurisdiction I am enjoined and duty bound to enforce that judgment to the letter. The decision to expel the Plaintiff by the Defendants at the time and the manner it was done, if allowed to stand, will erode public confidence in the Judiciary as the last hope of the common man. The said expulsion was only intended to ridicule the Apex Court and make its decision and orders unenforceable. In fact, Democracy cannot survive where the rule of law and the decision of court are violated. No individual or organization is above the law. The act of the 1st -3rd Defendants run contrary to the rules of natural justice. It also offends the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as well as Exhibit A. It is unconstitutional to condemn a man without being heard.
In line with these plethora of authorities, can the expulsion of the Plaintiff be allowed to stand? The answer is NO because the constitution of Nigeria is Supreme and any act or law which is inconsistent with provisions of the constitution is void.
Both the constitution of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) 2001                       (as amended) and the 1999 constitution of Nigeria all forbid the act of the Defendants and therefore, I hold that the said expulsion is a nullity and is hereby set aside.
I hasten to add that the purported expulsion and the manner in which it was done is only intended to overreach the decision of the Apex Court i.e. The Supreme Court delivered on 5th April 2007. An organization which made provision for the rules of natural justice in its constitution as in the instant case should not be allowed to violate it or approbate and reprobate as to do so will bring anarchy in the cherished system.
Furthermore the defendants cannot be allowed to get from the back door what they did not get through the front door. The act of the defendants constitute an affront to the rule of law. Those who have the privilege of determining the fate of their fellow men should do so in accordance with the rule of law.
In the final analysis, it is my view and I hold very strongly that the action of the defendants runs contrary to the principles of our ground norm. I therefore hold that the Plaintiff has succeeded in proving his case against  the defendants and is entitled to judgment which I now proceed to grant. I hereby declare as follows:
1) That the plaintiff did not violate article 21.1 (L) of the Constitution if the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) 2001 (as amended) in that the Plaintiff did not institute a Court action against the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS /9/2007 at the Federal high Court Abuja or any other law suit whatsoever against the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)
2) The court further declares that in the said Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/9/2007 the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and engr. Charlse Ugwu were joined by leave of Court upon an application made by Engr. Charlse Ugwu and Independent National Electoral Commission, respectively.
3) It is the further declaration of this court that it is unlawful, illegal and unconstitutional to expel the Plaintiff from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) without regard to the rules of natural justice as provided in Article 21.3, 21.5, 21.6, 21.13 and 21.14  of the constitution of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) 2001 (as amended) and the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999.
4) The court further declare that the Plaintiff did not commit any of the offences listed in Article 21.1 of the Constitution of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as to warrant the Plaintiff’s expulsion from the party as provided under Article 21.7 of the Constitution of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) 2001 (as amended).
5) The court orders that the expulsion of the Plaintiff from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is unconstitutional, illegal and therefore null and void.
6) It is the further order of this court that perpetual injunction is granted restraining the defendants, their agents servants and privies from implementing the illegal order of expulsion on the Plaintiff.’
In Governor Olagunsoye Oyinola’s case, the Court of Appeal has held that he is the duly elected National Secretary of  PDP. The civilised thing to do is for the PDP to appeal the judgment to the Supreme Court. Once the PDP lawyers file an appeal and ensure that the records of Appeal are entered into the Supreme Court, no further action will be taken on the matter at the Court of Appeal.
I do not know if PDP has taken the lawful steps to appeal but what is in the newspaper and on the news is that PDP has taken the unlawful step of suspending Oyinola from PDP. That action in my humble view was absolutely unnecessary. In Ararume’s case, Tobi JSC stated in open court that had Ararume’s lawyers brought a motion for the committal of the National Chairman of PDP, Senator Ahmadu Ali, the Supreme Court would have formally granted it.
In Oyinola’s case, the PDP is on a collision course with the administration of justice. There is no way Oyinola can be National Secretary if there is a pending appeal at the Supreme Court. The PDP ought to know that but in the impunity and lawlessness of politicians, the PDP chose to ride roughshod over the rule of law and did the unlawful by suspending Oyinola. It is this type of behavior that led to the Governorship of Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State. The Supreme Court decision in Amaechi’s case in 2007 was because of the impunity and impertinence in Ararume’s case by politicians. No one knows but the actions in Oyinlola’s case could have been avoided.
Chief Ekomaru SAN writes from Owerri

ThisDay

Winnie… the woman who stood out of Madiba’s women

Their relationship was a love story, which some believe was tragically tempered by politics. It was a love story almost like none other. A love tale classical in nature, yet down-to-heart. The late Nelson Mandela’s relationship with Winnie Madikizela was an affair of two larger-than-life protagonists.


Winnie endured a lot because she was his wife: the years of imprisonment, solitary confinement and house arrests. But no matter his loyalty to her, Winnie and his family always came second to his other great love: the ANC and by extension, the liberation struggle, a fact Winnie still sees as an act of betrayal.

Their love story gave room for love letters laced with poetry, music, imageries and drama. For the 27 years he spent in prison, Mandela wrote Winnie several letters from Robben Island.

In one of such letters written on April 15, 1976, Mandela said: “My dearest Winnie, Your beautiful photo still stands about two feet above my left shoulder as I write this note. I dust it carefully every morning, for to do so gives me the pleasant feeling that I’m caressing you as in the old days. I even touch your nose with mine to recapture the electric current that used to flush through my blood whenever I did so. Nolitha stands on the table directly opposite me. How can my spirits ever be down when I enjoy the fond attentions of such wonderful ladies?”

The one he wrote on October 26, 1976 was about Winnie’s detention. It drilled of sadness. In it, he said: “I am struggling to suppress my emotions as I write this letter. I have received only one letter since you were detained, that one dated August 22. I do not know anything about family affairs, such as payment of rent, telephone bills, care of children and their expenses, whether you will get a job when released. As long as I don’t hear from you, I will remain worried and dry like a desert.

“ I recall the Karoo I crossed on several occasions. I saw the desert again in Botswana on my way to and from Africa—endless pits of sand and not a drop of water. I have not had a letter from you. I feel dry like a desert.

“ Letters from you and the family are like the arrival of summer rains and spring that livens my life and make it enjoyable.

“ Whenever I write you, I feel that inside physical warmth, that makes me forget all my problems. I become full of love.”

Then on June 26, 1977, he wrote of their daughters, their unfulfilled dream of having a baby boy and all that. “We couldn’t fulfill our wishes, as we had planned, to have a baby boy. I had hoped to build you a refuge, no matter how small, so that we would have a place for rest and sustenance before the arrival of the sad, dry days. I fell down and couldn’t do these things. I am as one building castles in the air,” he said.

His letter of November 22, 1979 was poetic-prose at its best. It was about her visit five days earlier. He described what she looked like and how he “felt like singing, even if just to say Hallelujah!”

But, time and political tides blew their love away. And on April 13, 1992, at a press conference in Johannesburg, flanked by his two oldest friends and comrades, Walter and Oliver, the late Mandela announced his separation from Winnie. He said the situation had grown so difficult that he felt that it was in the best interests of all concerned – the ANC, the family, and Winnie – that they part. He said though he discussed the matter with the ANC, the separation itself was made for personal reasons.

The statement he read at the news conference reads:”The relationship between myself and my wife, Comrade Nomzamo Winnie Mandela, has become the subject of much media speculation. I am issuing this statement to clarify the position and in the hope that it will bring an end to further conjecture.

“Comrade Nomzamo and myself contracted our marriage at a critical time in the struggle for liberation in our country. Owing to the pressures of our shared commitment to the ANC and the struggle to end apartheid, we were unable to enjoy a normal family life. Despite these pressures our love for each other and our devotion to our marriage grew and intensified….

“During the two decades I spent on Robben Island she was an indispensable pillar of support and comfort to myself personally…. Comrade Nomzamo accepted the onerous burden of raising our children on her own … She endured the persecutions heaped upon her by the Government with exemplary fortitude and never wavered from her commitment to the freedom struggle. Her tenacity reinforced my personal respect, love and growing affection. It also attracted the admiration of the world at large. My love for her remains undiminished.

“However, in view of the tensions that have arisen owing to differences between ourselves on a number of issues in recent months, we have mutually agreed that a separation would be best for each of us. My action was not prompted by the current allegations being made against her in the media…. Comrade Nomzamo has and can continue to rely on my unstinting support during these trying moments in her life.

“I shall personally never regret the life Comrade Nomzamo and I tried to share together. Circumstances beyond our control however dictated it should be otherwise. I part from my wife with no recriminations. I embrace her with all the love and affection I have nursed for her inside and outside prison from the moment I first met her. Ladies and gentlemen, I hope you will appreciate the pain I have gone through.

“Perhaps I was blinded to certain things because of the pain I felt for not being able to fulfill my role as a husband to my wife and a father to my children. But just as I am convinced that my wife’s life while I was in prison was more difficult than mine, my own return was also more difficult for her than it was for me. She married a man who soon left her; that man became a myth; and then that myth returned home and proved to be just a man after all.

“As I later said at my daughter Zindzi’s wedding, it seems to be the destiny of freedom fighters to have unstable personal lives. When your life is the struggle, as mine was, there is little room left for family. That has always been my greatest regret, and the most painful aspect of the choice I made.

“We watched our children growing without our guidance,’ I said at the wedding, ‘ and when we did come out (of prison), my children said, ‘We thought we had a father and one day he’d come back. But to our dismay, our father came back and he left us alone because he has now become the father of the nation.’” To be the father of a nation is a great honour, but to be the father of a family is a greater joy. But it was a joy I had far too little of.”

The separation of April 1992 became a divorce in March 1996, having spent only five of their 38 married years together. And Winnie became history in his life. Now, he is history to South Africa, which he loved more than his family, and the world, which appropriated him to the extent of setting out his birthday to honour his humanity. In November 2009, the United Nations General Assembly announced that his birthday, July 18, is to be known as “Mandela Day” to mark his contribution to world freedom.

Winnie, who felt betrayed by the Madiba, once said: “This name Mandela is an albatross around the necks of my family. You all must realise that Mandela was not the only man who suffered. There were many others, hundreds who languished in prison and died. Many unsung and unknown heroes of the struggle, and there were others in the leadership too, like poor Steve Biko, who died of the beatings, horribly all alone. Mandela did go to prison and he went in there as a burning young revolutionary. But look what came out.

“Mandela let us down. He agreed to a bad deal for the blacks. Economically, we are still on the outside. The economy is very much ‘white’. It has a few token blacks, but so many who gave their life in the struggle have died unrewarded.

“I cannot forgive him for going to receive the Nobel (Peace Prize in 1993) with his jailer (FW) de Klerk. Hand in hand they went. Do you think de Klerk released him from the goodness of his heart? He had to. The times dictated it, the world had changed, and our struggle was not a flash in the pan, it was bloody to say the least and we had given rivers of blood. I had kept it alive with every means at my disposal.

“Look at this Truth and Reconciliation charade. He should never have agreed to it. What good does the truth do? How does it help anyone to know where and how their loved ones were killed or buried? That Bishop Tutu who turned it all into a religious circus came here.

“He had the cheek to tell me to appear. I told him a few home truths. I told him that he and his other like-minded cretins were only sitting here because of our struggle and me. Because of the things I and people like me had done to get freedom.

“Look what they make him do. The great Mandela. He has no control or say any more. They put that huge statue of him right in the middle of the most affluent ‘white’ area of Johannesburg. Not here where we spilled our blood and where it all started. Mandela is now a corporate foundation. He is wheeled out globally to collect the money and he is content doing that. The ANC has effectively sidelined him but they keep him as a figurehead for the sake of appearance.”

NigerianEye

Olunloyo And The `Wild, Wild West’, By Fani-Kayode

In an interview with a newspaper on November 30, 2013, Dr. Omololu Olunloyo, a great nationalist, a two-time former Commisioner of Education of the old Western Region, a former Governor of Oyo State, one of our few remaining elderstatesman and a man that played a prominent role in the politics of both the First and Second republics, said the following: "Chief S.L. Akintola was the supreme leader.
Chief Obafemi Awolowo left (the Premiership of the Western Region) of his own volition without advice to contest the federal election. In the federal election he contested but he had no alliances. Stubborn, aggressive, very hardworking, visionary leader that Awolowo was, he never understood real politics at any time. In real politics you have to look at the figures, you have to have allies- there are no permanent friends or permanent enemies. You must have some allies.
Nigeria is too fragmented for you not to have allies. If you are counting in the presence of someone with nine fingers, you don't count in the person's presence and say 'so you have nine fingers'. We had a brilliant man called S.L. Akintola who understood real politics. Awolowo believed that book knowledge was so important but he (Akintola) knew better.
A situation arose- Awolowo wanted to ally with the East and Akintola wanted to align with the North. So there was a crisis". These are interesting historical perspectives and insights from a man that was appointed as a Commissioner (or Regional Minister) for a region that comprised of no less than what are seven states of the Federation today (Oyo, Osun, Ekiti, Ondo, Ogun, Edo and Delta) at the tender age of 27. I am not sure that I entirely agree with Olunloyo's assertion that Awolowo did not appreciate the importance of building bridges with other ethnic groups and forming alliances given the fact that he and his Action Group did build bridges and form an alliance with the ethnic minorities of both the old Northern and Eastern regions and did in fact champion their cause and fight for their rights.
Yet that is neither here nor there. The important thing is that we are witnesses to an important contribution from a major player and participant to the debate about a period in our history that affected the fortunes of our country in a very real and profound manner. I say this because it could be argued that the bitter fight that took place between Chief Obafemi Awolowo and Chief S.L. Akintola and their respective supporters throughout the early '60s, the division within the Action Group and its eventual splitting into two separate and distinct parties, the ugly events in the South-west at the time and the unrestrained and brutal violence that was unleashed by both sides against one another led directly to the first coup d'etat of January 15, 1966.
This in turn led to the second coup d'etat of July 29, 1966, to the shocking pogroms and mass killings of the Igbo in the North and ultimately to the Nigerian civil war. It is therefore good news when those that participated at the highest level of governance at the time and that are living witnesses to those events, like Dr. Omololu Olunloyo, speak out and share their insights and wealth of knowledge with us. I sincerely hope that he will continue to do this and that other participants and witnesses from both sides of the political divide, like Chief Olaniyun Ajayi, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, Chief Richard Akinjide, Chief Ayo Fasoranti will also share their views and insights with us as well.
Agreement
When one considers and reflects on Olunloyo's words and the entire background of the Awolowo/Akintola feud ultimately one has to make a choice and come to a decision as to who was right and wrong and determine which side was really at fault. Yet many questions still need to be answered before one can take a legitimate and definitive position on this. For example as Mr. Adeniji Mudahir Akinniyi, a young and insightful commentator on facebook, asked '' What was the agreement between Akintola and Awolowo before Awolowo left for the Federal Government poll? Who was the traitor amongst the two? Who is the father of civilization in the South-west? Who is responsible for the socio-political and economic development of the old Western Region? I need answers to these questions before I post my final comment''.
For the answers to these questions one has to look at the history books even though, as Napoleon Bonaparte once said, ''history is more often than not written by the victor and not the vanquished''. Akinniyi has indeed asked the relevant questions. I know the answers to them but I will not share them here or anywhere else because I will not say or do anything that will resurrect the great division of the past. Suffice it to say that both Awolowo and Akintola were great Yoruba leaders and great men and they were both human beings and were therefore prone to making errors of judgement from time to time.
We the Yoruba owe EVERYTHING to them both and it is very unhelpful for our collective cause to attempt to demonise one and idolise the other. Neither of them was a demon or an angel- they both had their faults, strengths and weaknesses. Yet they were both great men. One of the things that fascinated me about Dr. Olunloyo's interview and which is historically factual, is what he said about Akintola entering into a political alliance with the North (which was known as the NNA) and Awolowo entering into a political alliance with the East (which was known as UPGA). This was the essential difference in strategy between the two and it represented their respective worldviews.
Akintola, who had deep suspicions for the Igbo, felt that the interests of the Yoruba were better protected and served by an alliance with the northern ruling class whilst Awolowo, who had equally deep suspicions for the northern ruling class and the Hausa-Fulani oligarchy, felt that the Yoruba interest was better served and protected by an alliance with the Igbo. The Western Region became the intellectual, spiritual and physical battle ground for the two opposing and conflicting strategies and world views and the rest is history.
My only mild criticism of both of these two great Yoruba leaders is that they and their respective supporters and followers in the old Western Region, including Dr. Omololu Olunloyo himself, did not sufficiently understand or appreciate the importance and benefits of building bridges between themselves and avoiding a major conflict. Instead of making peace, making the necessary concessions and attempting to foster unity in the collective interest of the Yoruba nation BOTH camps went for the jugular and an all out war ensued which did not end until May 1 1967 at the Yoruba "Leaders of Thought" meeting in Ibadan.
Even after that tensions and suspicion still existed between the two sides for many decades and, to a certain extent, still remain till today.
June 12
The annulment of Chief MKO Abiola's election of June 12, 1993 by the northern ruling class and ''their'' military dealt a death blow to the Akintola philosophy and strategy of a strong northern and western alliance. However that alliance and trust is being slowly and carefully rebuilt and resurrected today with the recent merger between the ACN, ANPP and CPC and the formation of the APC as a political party.
Whether anyone likes to admit it or not the APC essentially represents an alliance between the North, the South- west and the Mid-west. The annulment of Abiola's June 12 mandate was sad and unfortunate but it had one positive result- it brought the two sides in Yorubaland much closer together in a very meaningful way and from that point on till today they have operated more or less with one accord. This is so even though there is still an uneasy peace between the two camps and their descendants and even though from time to time flashpoints of disagreements are voiced out.
My view is that if we are really interested in fostering Yoruba unity and perhaps one day forging and establishing our own nation we must keep that peace at all costs and move forward as one. Yet given the disposition of Awolowo towards the Igbo as Mr. Jide Olajolu, another young facebook commentator, asked, ''is it not ironical that the average Easterner detests the same Awolowo and equates Yoruba nationalism with him?'' Jide is absolutely right.
The greatest irony of all is that, generally speaking, the Igbo detest Awolowo and have done everything that is physically possible to malign and discredit him since 1967. Yet this was the man whose party went into an alliance with them at the most critical point in our history (between 1964 and 1966) and who urged his faction of the Yoruba to work closely with them even though by that time he was in prison. That is what the UPGA alliance represented- an Igbo/Yoruba alliance which was pitted against the Hausa-Fulani North and Akintola's pro-northern faction in the West.
Awolowo suffered immensely in the hands of the North and the other group in the South-west because his party refused to compromise with them and because they took that position. Yet very few Igbo are prepared to admit this even when they know it to be true and most of them don't even know it because they were never taught it in their schools. The Igbo do not teach their children all these things and instead they tell them that Awolowo was the devil incarnate, a murderer of children, a genocidal maniac and an Igbo-hater who ended up committing suicide out of frustration. These of course were all lies and well orchestrated fabrications that were designed to rubbish the man's memory and legacy.
They demonised Chief Awolowo, their friend and political ally, and on the night of Jan 15 1966, during the course of the Ifeajuna-led Igbo coup, they murdered Chief S.L. Akintola and Sir Ahmadu Bello (the Premiers of the Western and Northern Regions respectively) who were both their political adversaries, who saw through them at an early stage and who had open contempt for them. Yet only the Igbo can explain why they hated and still hate Awolowo so much. I say this because he was their friend and ally when the crisis in the Western Region took place.
I guess that their hatred stems from the role that he and the Yoruba played during the civil war. Yet I believe that Col. Emeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, the Igbo rebel leader, made the greatest mistake by attempting to secede at the time that he did (against Awolowo's advice and better judgement) and, worse still, he attacked the Western Region with his Biafran forces even when many of our people had sympathy for their cause and plight.
As a matter of fact the man that led the Biafran forces in the attack against the Midwest and the West was a gallant and courageous Yoruba officer by the name of Col. Victor Banjo who believed strongly in the Igbo cause and who (along with Major Emmanuel Ifeajuna, the leader and arrowhead of the Jan 15, 1966 coup) was later executed by Ojukwu.
Ojukwu betrayal
The truth is that it was Ojukwu that betrayed Awolowo and the Yoruba and not the other way around. I say this because they fired the first shot and tried to overwhelm, capture and enslave us by attacking our territory with their forces. They overwhelmed the people of the Niger Delta and the Midwest very easily but when they got to the gates of the Western Region at a place called Ore they were stopped in their tracks by the Yoruba forces and the famous 3rd Marine Commando which was 98 per cent Yoruba fighting force.
That is how they were prevented from entering Yoruba land and they were pushed back, inch by inch, from the Midwest and the Niger Delta area (by the same 3rd Marine Commando) back into the very heart of Igboland from whence they came until they were broken, defeated and forced to surrender. After being attacked the Yoruba had no choice but to fight back and we did so very successfully.
Chief Awolowo, General Benjamin Adekunle, General Olusegun Obasanjo, Brigadier Sotomi, Col. Alabi Isama, General Adeyinka Adebayo, General Olutoye, General Ogundipe, General Alani Akinrinade, General Ogunleye and a number of other key Yoruba officers and public servants played a key role in that war and that struggle to protect our people and our territory and I am very proud of their efforts. If not for them we would have been conquered and enslaved and we would all have been speaking Igbo as our first language by now.
Finally I believe that Akintola's position about the Igbo has been vindicated. Both he and Ahmadu Bello were right about them all along and Awolowo obviously did not fully understand them. Today, though he was once their best friend, they hate Awolowo with as much passion as they once hated Akintola and Ahmadu Bello.
'Achebe's racist categorisations'
Permit me to make reference to what the late Professor Chinua Achebe had to say about Awolowo and the Yoruba in his last, and most controversial book, entitled, ''There Was A Country''.
I will not repeat his words and racist categorisations here but I would urge all those that are interested in it and that can stomach it to go and read those words in the book. I believe that those words reflect the real thinking of most Igbo about the Yoruba even though they tend to make attempts to hide it until they are pushed to the wall and lose their cool. This is proved by the fact that, to date, not one single Igbo leader or commentator of note has condemned the book or disagreed with Achebe's comments and assessment. As a matter of fact rather than condemn it they have wholeheartedly endorsed and applauded it.
The real reasons for the deep hatred that most Igbo have for Awolowo, Akintola and the Yoruba generally can be found in that book. Sadly most of the Igbo youth since the end of the civil war were weaned on such fairytale of genocide and betrayal at the hands of and by the Yoruba. This explains the attitude of many of them and the tendency for them to view even the mildest form of criticism as evidence of ''Igbophobia'' and proof of a deep-seated hatred for the Igbo people. Yet nothing could be further from the truth. The Yoruba have always been very kind, very generous and very accommodating to the Igbo and history attests to this.
As a matter of fact, if the truth is to be told, the unbridled political ambition of the Igbo to dominate and control the whole country and their strong dislike for the Yoruba can be traced back to 1945 when key Igbo leaders like Charles Daddy Onyeama (who was a member of the Legislative Council at the time and who, many years later, went on to become one of the most revered and respected judges in the World Court at the Hague) made some openly racist, provocative and incendiary remarks about what he described as the ''inevitability'' of the Igbo to eventually ''dominate Nigeria''.
'God of the Igbo' Two years later, in 1947, this was followed by Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe's famous speech about the ''god of the Igbo'' who he believed would eventually give them leadership over Nigeria and Africa. These were the deeply offensive sentiments of those that belonged to the Igbo State Union which was the umbrella organisation of all the Igbo at the time and which spoke for every single Igbo in the country. It was this rabid and violent expression of Igbo nationalism and intention to take control of the levers of power in our country at all costs, even at that early stage, that created all our problems in the south.
That is where and when tribalism started in the southern Nigeria and the truth is that the Igbo started it. It cost Azikiwe the Western Regional elections in 1951 after the founding of the Action Group that same year. If not for that we would have had an Igbo man as the first Premier of the Western Region in 1951 and Nigeria's history would have been very different. For more details on this permit me to refer readers to my essay entitled, ''The Bitter Truth About The Igbo'', which was widely published in various newspapers and which can be found in the essay column of my website- www.femifanikayode.org. Permit me to conclude this essay by making a final point. I believe that it is important for us to know our history and to have a clear understanding about what went on in our past.
This is the only way forward if we do not want to repeat the mistakes of that past. Whether we are pro-Akintola or pro-Awolowo does not really matter and whether we are from the North, South, East or West is neither here nor there. The most important thing is for us to be well acquainted with ALL the relevant facts of history after which we can then make an informed judgement about past events and past leaders. Contributions from informed and experienced leaders like Dr. Olunloyo are therefore most welcome even though some may not share all his views or his interpretation and understanding of past events.
My prayer for him and indeed for all those that served our country during that turbulent and troubled era that are still with us is that they continue to live long and prosper and that they continue to share their deep wisdom and vast reservoir of knowledge with us. Given the unfolding events in our country today, God knows that we need it now more than ever.

Naij.com

2015: Inec to commence voter registration next year

INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega

The Independent National Electoral Commission has concluded arrangements to commence a nationwide continuous voter registration ahead of the general elections in 2015.

The Chief Press Secretary to the Chairman of INEC, Mr. Kayode Idowu, told one of our correspondents on the telephone on Friday that the nationwide voter registration would commence early next year.

Idowu said the commission had planned the continuous voter registration for the end of 2013 but had to shift it because of administrative delays.

He  explained that it became necessary to postpone the exercise because the batteries for the Direct Data Capture Machines, which were in the store got worn out and needed replacement.

Idowu added that the commission opted to import new batteries for the DDC machines to avoid the technical hitches that dogged the just concluded governorship elections in Anambra State.

“It (voter registration) would happen next year.

“What is happening is administrative. It would have started before the end of this year. The batteries for the DDC machines had worn out, so we have placed order for a new set of batteries.

“Hopefully, as early as possible, next year, we hope to start.  These are just administrative issues that delay things.

“When you store laptops for a long period of time, the batteries would wear out. We didn’t want the technical hitches that we experienced in Anambra to be replicated in the national exercise; that is why we placed order for new ones.”

Idowu said fears over the non registration of voters were unnecessary as the commission had made a definite commitment that it would carry out continuous voter registration.

He said  the CVR was designed to avail those who had turned 18 since the last exercise in 2011 and those who were 18 and above but were not registered the opportunity of registration.

“There is absolutely no basis for such fear. The commission has made a commitment to the nation that it will roll out voter registration before the 2015 elections and that commitment remains inviolable.

“It will also provide opportunity for those whose data were somehow defective and were thus on addendum register to get properly captured into the biometric registration.

“While awaiting the national roll-out of CVR, we have been carrying out the exercise preparatory to the governorship elections. We did it in Anambra State; we will do it in Ekiti and Osun states. So the fear is unwarranted,” he added

Meanwhile, the commission has asked aggrieved parties in the recently concluded governorship election in Anambra State, particularly the All Progressives Congress, to proceed to the Election Tribunal if they were not satisfied with its conduct and result.

The APC governorship candidate, Senator Chris Ngige, had said he would proceed to court to seek redress over what he described as irregularities in the election.

Also,  the APC had, in its letter to INEC signed by its Chairman, Chief Bisi Akande, said prior to the date for the Anambra State governorship election,  “the ominous signs of an election that was predetermined to favour specific interests against the wish of the electorate were already clear.”

The APC had therefore demanded “an outright cancellation of the Anambra election.”

Punch

General Muhammadu Buhari is My Choice to be the Next President of Nigeria By Dr. Abubakar A. Muhammad

 

 

The country called Nigeria is under serious strain and if it is to survive it needs a leader that has the integrity, trust, patriotism, and a positive experience to lead. That servant must be selfless; firm but decent; talented not an intellectual; a person that has seen us through a life of despair and yet hope; an achiever and a team player; a person with the vision to take the country out of the deep seas of trouble brought about by an uncaring leadership in Asorock. It makes one wonder the very people that should have been locked away for good not only for violating our constitution, considering illegalities they committed to remain in power, have the audacity to tell us they intend to retain that power, come what may, for another thirty years, according to OBJ, their Commander- in- Chief. Mr. Aneni, another anointed buffoon of the PDP recently told the World that Mr. President has “the right” to choose who succeeds him in 2007. Those that are mindful of numerous other Aneni’s tongue in cheek outbursts have concluded that the poor man was only carrying out the message from his master, and the fact that OBJ followed Aneni’s statement and announced publicly that his own PDP had not zoned the presidency to the North only confirmed people’s assertion. Never mind the fact that OBJ had said he knew “those” that would not succeed him. Remember we are still operating ‘a democracy’, but does one doubt the General is talking tough and once again bashing the legitimate right of the electorate to elect a leader to be the next president of this country? Lest anyone rushes to conclusion, I am not supporting zoning as a homemade democracy. I say categorically again I am against zoning of any political office, especially the office of the president. And because I firmly believe in the democratic process in a pluralistic society like Nigeria , I am not against any credible contender from the North or the South whose ambition it is to be elected president. The issue I am talking about is the scandalous PDP project of 1999 that smuggled through, albeit democratic protests, a rotten candidate that was elected president because he came from the Southwest, and then we were told there was “needed” to correct the June 12. Nigerians know better that two wrongs do not make a right and it is time the PDP, ANPP, and other parties possessed by the zoning maniac face the rule in a democracy that allows all candidates the right to contest elective posts subject only to the rules of our constitution, and not subject to parochialism, ethnicity, geographic or even religious considerations. It is this view that I, like other well meaning Nigerians strongly hold, that I wish to comment on the mature leadership qualities of General Muhammadu Buhari, a leader per excellence that has been described by numerous political, traditional, and religious leaders, as well as writers and general masses of this country as the most transparent, honest, hard working and performance oriented leader. I might add at no time in the history of this country are such rare qualities of a leader so needed than today, after living through hell and knowing what alternative leadership has brought to Nigeria.  

 

Let me quickly state reasons why General Muhammadu Buhari is different from other Generals, and some of the civilian leaders that one hears have their eyes to the presidency. Unlike General Olusegun Obasanjo who had the fortune to be drafted president from the prison, General Muhammadu Buhari started to seek the office by undertaking personal political transformation. On his own General Bubari first formed a social-political movement, The Buhari Organzation [TBO] to gather public support for a kinder and gentler Nigeria before he saw it fit to join a political party that he believed he could use to bring the leadership difference that could make Nigeria great again. Unlike the General that is now occupying Asorock, and unlike the General from Minna, General Buhari had gone into the rough and tumbles of politics, visiting all the four corners of Nigeria in a campaign mode and seeing first hand for himself the suffering and stresses the populace go through on daily basis and with that knowledge in hand he vowed solemnly and publicly to be a candidate for change. The rest is history when ANPP, the party the General revived through his sheer dedication and public appeal declared him to be its presidential candidate in 2003. While OBJ became “the President” without any political transformation, hence his habitual dictatorial style and temper tantrums, the idea that the Minna General will be a candidate for the 2007 presidency has so far remained speculative at best as he has made no such commitment to begin with. Nigerians have also reason to wonder if the General will not recycle the dreaded SAP or other failed projects of the first time he was president. Another rumor has it that Brigadier Marwa is also considering a run for the presidency; if he does he is going into politics so far with neither political platform nor experience he would surely need to be successful should he be elected president. A successful ‘Military Governor’ does not necessarily translate success in Asorock. While it may not be argued that Atiku Abubakar, the Vice President, has had experience in politics, indeed lots of experience, it can be stated that the duo’s current performance in Asorock is one that Nigerians look forward to put behind them. Clearly, if truth must be told none of those mentioned this far and more could be the success story like General Muhammadu Buhari has been in different leadership positions.

 

I am aware that innuendos, distortions, and even outright falsehood had been propagated to trash and denigrate the General’s tenure as a successful and disciplined Military Head of State between 1983-1985. Partly we seem to forget that General Muhammadu Buhari’s time was a defining moment to re-invent morality and deal with the cancer of corruption, that seemed to be out of hand, hence, some draconian emergency decrees were introduced by his Supreme Military Executive Council to deal with those and other pertinent issues endemic to the society. Compared to other military regimes before and after him, General Buhari’s administration can be described as a benevolent dictatorship though ruthless at times and the regime succeeded in saving the moral fibers and souls of its citizens, or at least until General Buhari’s government was untimely replaced by the “evil genius”. More importantly, by leading people with qualitative and disciplined leadership that was free of corruption, inertia, nepotism, racial and religious disharmony; it also gave Nigerians hope and reason to work diligently and selflessly together for the benefit of Nigeria. Remember the numerous new culture on self-reliance, discipline, honesty, integrity, reporting to work in time, queuing up to get things, while traditional artist’s like Sani Dandawo and Musa Dankwairo have had field day composing songs on morality, diligence and discipline? And while all that was happening Buhari was telling the world that he would not sell our oil in the cheap even if he had to go by trade barter to import commodities we needed while saving our foreign reserves. The “leaders” of a gang that stroke and terminated that revolution did Nigeria an irreparable damage. Comparing the military administration of General Muhammadu Buhari and the past regimes before and after him gives one the picture of a leader that was different, and caring; one that spared the lives of its citizens whereas other governments murdered them; it was a government that gave Nigerians total security and peace, a period that was certainly at variance with the current failed administration under OBJ and ATK; an administration that has seen thousands of Nigerians murdered in cold blood due to pervasive insecurity. Still thousands of other innocent citizens lost their lives through government’s extra judicial slaughter by a gang masquerading as “security agents”: the police, the army, and hired thugs and they are committing such as of murder under the very eyes of those who are supposed to be in power. In a way some would argue that General Buhari’s military regime was excessive in part in its effort to bring some of our corrupt politicians and business tycoons to book and penalized others in numerous ways because of high corruption. In such isolated cases of abuse the regime must be held accountable, like all governments of sort, for some violation of human rights. By the way the current administration that is supposedly “democratic” stands tall more than others, civilian or military, in the history of the Nigerian State when it comes to brutality and violation of human rights. One thing is certain; General Muhammadu Buhari as a transformed democrat would never take the route of a dictator to govern this country again even as we all know a leader that is not committed to true democracy like OBJ-ATK leadership can still use a symbolic National Assembly and the Judiciary to push through draconian policies to suffocate civil rights and labor movements, to impose deregulation, local government reforms, party de-registration and numerous other anti-people hidden agendas that are in reality aimed at giving the president powers the constitution has not provided him. And watch my word, if OBJ can have his way before 2007 Nigeria will end up with one political party totally controlled by one cruel and vindictive dictator. My point is that General Muhammadu Buhari understands the difference between a military and a democratic government with its attendant checks and balances and unlike those leaders that are supposedly thinking to join the political arena, General Buhari can be trusted to keep his words. Here is a man who for almost two years now is still fighting over the rape of our democracy that was the “419 elections” when others rumored to have declared their ambition for the presidency have either financed or supported the same election frauds that brought the current illegitimate regime back to power. For this alone General Buhari is a qualified champion and defender of democracy on behalf of all of us that care for democracy. Here is a man who is still speaking out his mind over the same illegality when others have remained mute. In this General Buhari, more than any leader today stands to represent our voice and freedom of expression. Here is a man that believes the power to elect a leader rests with the electorate when those touted to enter the presidential race with him believe you can either use the power of incumbency, money or brutal force to grab power and keep it. In this General Buhari has become the embodiment per excellence of the idea and ideals of a free and fair election, and while others shamelessly hold on to illegality, General Buhari is holding on our behalf the expression and practice of legitimate representation. Here is a man that majority of Nigerians feared could not change the national political ethics that suggest only moneybags can “win”, but he has proved the doubters wrong. In this he is taking us back to the good old days when service for the nation does not have to be bought and yes, the poor too deserves the right to serve or lead. Here is a man who is deeply dedicated to salvage his wounded country and people when others only want to become president for the sake of power and keeping it for good. In this fight he leads all of us to win and to accept patriotism as a high national honor. Here is a man that continues to warn the masses and the electorate who listen to protect their votes and their rights when other “leaders” are only too eager to buy those votes and rights. In this General Buhari practices what he preaches and he is making us aware enfranchisement is the most potent tool of democracy. What a leader! What a General! What a true democrat!

 

It is an open secret that many of our so-called “leaders” fear the General because nowadays in our society one is feared when one stands up for the truth. General Buhari as such is the last person our “leaders” want to see back in limelight not because they love the country but because they fear they will have no chance of winning in a contest one to one with the General. But then should he win their days are numbered and I make bold to say the cause the General is leading us may end up creating yet another revolution of a kind. Who knows?  So the idea is they must all stand up in arms to stop someone who is doggedly unstoppable because he only cares for the truth and by God we want to see him win so that he can with the support of the Nigerian people that he deeply cares about remove the rot that is about to destroy all of us. If he wins people win and if he looses what a tragedy again! I have no doubt corruption will be dealt a heavy and fatal blow not by gimmicks, antics and hypocritical slogans but by action and in practice while General Buhari leads. I am also confident he will institute legality in the process of apprehending the thieves and making them pay their dues in full for their economic racketeering and political crimes they continue to commit even as I write. I am optimistic the General as a democratic leader understands that he does not need the Wabaras, Mantus, Jibrils, Ubas, and a host of them to defend or cover up his political or economic interests to remain in power. I am optimistic the General will, perhaps on his first one hundred days in office send packing the INEC, ICPC, SSS, NNPC, FRAC, EFCC, NEED, and a host of them because they have not performed and he is not one that surrounds himself with inglorious, corrupt and non-performing commissions or parastatals only to disguise himself and fool the public. I am optimistic General Buhari is neither the “Maradona” nor the “Baba” that aid and abet Assemblymen who did not win elections to make our laws. I am optimistic General Buhari will have no political or economic godfathers that take delight in trashing the constitution and whom he rewards with patronage and sale of our natural endowments and holdings. And those in power, including Governors, may have distaste of the General because he overshadows their deceitful image and personality, and because they know should he become the president they will be sent to the cleaners to give account of their loot.  

 

That General Muhammadu Buhari is a religious zealot who will turn Nigeria into an Islamic State is yet one more diet in the menu of those political, ethnic, and religious rumormongers and pundits. This nonsense is tragically believed by even some of our innocent citizens because the media of the Lagos-Ibadan axis in particular, see it fit to carry out the tale for sensationalism, for profit, and because they have been financial induced by Muhammadu Buhari’s rivals. One wonders how General Buhari who introduced severe restrictions on the number of pilgrims to perform Hajj [in order to conserve the foreign exchange] could under any imagination be the one to establish an Islamic State? General Buhari’s curtailing of the rights of Muslims to perform a fundamental religious obligation was a feat no past leader, military or civilian had dared to conceive, hence the action was certainly unwelcome by all Muslims and it brought General Buhari’s government at logger head with our clerics. It was reported that our erudite scholar, Sheikh Abubakar Mahmood Gummi [May Allah have Mercy on him] was actually placed under house arrest over the issue and other matters of concern for “security” of the State. So to ignore all these unpopular actions that General Buhari’s government took, and to lampoon the same person as an “Islamic zealot”, “fundamentalist”, and so forth, is beyond human intellect of reasoning. If Muhammadu Buhari could not establish an Islamic State at the time his word was not often challenged, how could he possibly create the same in a democracy?  Yet even as I write we have a "president" that has misused government’s resource to build a Church and pulpit, with a   paid and full time Chaplain, and uses these facilities every Sunday to broadcast live on national networks his evangelical Christian prayers to Muslims, Christians, Traditionalists and atheists Nigerian population. Not one of our so called national electronic and or print media from the South found it fit to cry foul because the president should know that such hypocritical sermons do not represent the Faiths of the majority in Nigeria and it was time he was told his insensitivity has been “a joke carried too far”. It is all well and good when national houses of worship are built from resources of followers of those Faiths, but when the president builds a Church in Asorock, the seat of government, and used the naira and kobo of the tax payer to do that then the message is loud and clear. Religious partisanship in a multi-religious, multi-cultural society like Nigeria is unacceptable, and I believe in my heart General Muhammadu Buhari will not be that president. So all the hyperbole about the man’s religious extremism does not hold water and leaders like Reverend Hasan Kukah and General Yakubu Gowon who know Muhammadu Buhari have spoken out in favor of his non-partisanship.

 

I have another concern. The debate that our ex-Generals or ex-members of the Armed Forces should not participate in politics is bankrupt as it is undemocratic. Nigerians should be ready to embrace any leader worth his or her salt because our constitution has made no such segregation of people by their work for them to participate in politics. Nor is it reasonable to bar any Nigerian from partisan politics because they have made too much money they can use against opponents. After all one can make the same argument that over the years our civilian leaders have equally been involved in acquiring illicit wealth for their own benefit and so the idea that Generals are too corrupt is also true with majority of our politicians who are not only selfish and greedy but they go into politics more so to steal that to provide national service.  I consider it as an act in futility to ask General Babangida for instance to apologize to the nation for the so called June 12 annulment when it is clear even to Wole Soyinkas that what happened then could not be conceived as the sin of one man even though he was the Head of State. Besides why does he [Wole Soyinka] not demand for the same apology from both the military and civilians [representing all groups in the country] for forcefully removing our First and Second Republics and especially for the unwarranted, brutal and barbaric massacres of our leaders in the first military incursion? Indeed to most Nigerians the January 15, 1966, army rebellion and the uprising of December 31, 1983, that toppled two democratically elected and fully operational governments of Abubakar Tafawa Balewa and Alhaji Shehu Shagari were much more serious and critical to our democracy and our survival as a nation than the so called June 12 annulment of an election that frankly was at best in-conclusive. But the likes of Professor Soyinka are only interested in issues they can use for their own diabolical agenda of divide and conquer. It must be stated though that ex-Generals had tarnished their profession and perhaps the honor of the country when they got involved in every dirty politics for power and that was how they became victims of their own selfish motives. We cannot though ban them wholesale from exercising their fundamental right to lead in a political process, and having put their lives on the line at different occasions to defend the territorial integrity of our country they certainly deserve equal voice when it comes to seeking elective office, including the presidency. True, many of those ex-army Generals and politicians that we know are thoroughly corrupt, but it must be stated in fairness there are some among them that are not and General Buhari and others of his caliber are our beacons of hope. We surely need a leader of his stature to succeed; a leader that has Faith and audacity to face challenges; and one that has no fear but the fear of God, Almighty, should he fail. I know no one at this time that can do better and take the country safely and gloriously to success than the General from Daura.

 

Nigeria needs and deserves a leader it can trust. It needs and deserves a leader that is strong and visionary; he is strong not because he is stubborn but he has tenacity to get through the most difficult of circumstances the office and duties of the president require. Nigeria needs a can do leader, a listener, a team leader, and a high achiever because the numerous years since our independence had been wasted through greed and graft by our leaders; through war and unrest; and through countless changes of rules and governments that were run by people most unqualified to move the country forward. Instead new and great ideas were often abandoned midstream while another bunch of new ones came into play; it was like a merry-go round without achieving much. If we have courage to practice real democracy one would hope we have finally landed on the promised land of great opportunities.  The truth is we are still far from those democratic ideals and practices that can give a country both promises and realities of success. And Nigeria just like any other nations on this planet has the God given talents to work and explore workable solutions and ideas we can harness to reach our destination, not destruction. That is why a visionary, strong, trustful and dynamic leader as president is needed the more this time around. And should the “419” presidential election case in the Appeal Court drag on unresolved through the year 2007; or should the “victory” be confirmed in favor of the PDP [as I am afraid it may turn out], the 2007 elections will perhaps be the most eventful this country will face; it is also one that in my view may make or break the country. Only time will tell!

 

 

Dr. Abubakar A. Muhammad writes from the State of Pennsylvania, United States of America.

---

Male, Female Brains Are Wired Very Differently, Scans Show

LiveScience  |  By Tanya Lewis 

Men aren't from Mars and women aren't from Venus, but their brains really are wired differently, a new study suggests.
The research, which involved imaging the brains of nearly 1,000 adolescents, found that male brains had more connections within hemispheres, whereas female brains were more connected between hemispheres. The results, which apply to the population as a whole and not individuals, suggest that male brains may be optimized for motor skills, and female brains may be optimized for combining analytical and intuitive thinking.
"On average, men connect front to back [parts of the brain] more strongly than women," whereas "women have stronger connections left to right," said study leader Ragini Verma, an associate professor of radiology at the University of Pennsylvania medical school. But Verma cautioned against making sweeping generalizations about men and women based on the results. [10 Surprising Facts About a Man's Brain]
Previous studies have found behavioral differences between men and women. For example, women may have better verbal memory and social cognition, whereas men may have better motor and spatial skills, on average. Brain imaging studies have shown that women have a higher percentage of gray matter, the computational tissue of the brain, while men have a higher percentage of white matter, the connective cables of the brain. But few studies have shown that men's and women's brains are connected differently.
In the study, researchers scanned the brains of 949 young people ages 8 to 22 (428 males and 521 females), using a form of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) known as diffusion tensor imaging, which maps the diffusion of water molecules within brain tissue. The researchers analyzed the participants as a single group, and as three separate groups split up by age.
As a whole, the young men had stronger connections within cerebral hemispheres while the young women had stronger connections between hemispheres, the study, detailed today (Dec. 2) in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, found. However, the cerebellum, a part of the brain below the cerebrum that plays a role in coordinating muscle movement, showed the opposite pattern, with males having stronger connections between hemispheres.
Roughly speaking, the back of the brain handles perception and the front of the brain handles action; the left hemisphere of the brain is the seat of logical thinking, while the right side of the brain begets intuitive thinking. The findings lend support to the view that males may excel at motor skills, while women may be better at integrating analysis and intuitive thinking.
"It is fascinating that we can see some of functional differences in men and women structurally," Verma told LiveScience. However, the results do not apply to individual men and women, she said. "Every individual could have part of both men and women in them," she said, referring to the connectivity patterns her team observed.
When the researchers compared the young people by age group, they saw the most pronounced brain differences among adolescents (13.4 to 17 years old), suggesting the sexes begin to diverge in the teen years. Males and females showed the greatest differences in inter-hemisphere brain connectivity during this time, with females having more connections between hemispheres primarily in the frontal lobe. These differences got smaller with age, with older females showing more widely distributed connections throughout the brain rather than just in the frontal lobe.
Currently, scientists can't quantify how much an individual has male- or female-like patterns of brain connectivity. Another lingering question is whether the structural differences result in differences in brain function, or whether differences in function result in structural changes.
The findings could also help scientists understand why certain diseases, such as autism, are more prevalent in males, Verma said.

HuffingtonPost

A Must Read: 11 Things You’re Doing That Could Cause You To Die Young

Are you sitting down while reading this? Well that could be shortening your lifespan.

Let’s be honest: From the moment we’re born, we’re all dying just as we’re living. But certain mundane things we do every day may actually be helping us get there faster. None of this means we should even try to eliminate these behaviors from our lives entirely, but it’s proof that overdoing anything, even when seemingly innocuous, can have serious impacts on our health. Below we’ve rounded up 11 everyday things you’re probably doing that could potentially shorten your lifespan.
1. You’re having a hard time finding love.
Having a difficult time finding a mate can shave off months of your life, while being single for prolonged periods of time could cost you a whole decade. A study found that communities with gender ratios skewing significantly more male or female caused the minority s*x to have shorter lifespans. Even when exposed to short time frames of competition, such as attending a high school entirely of one gender, participants were found to have generally shorter lives.
On top of all this, another study found that never getting married could increase risk of death over a lifetime by 32 percent, and led to the previously mentioned loss of a decade.

2. You’re sitting down for more than a few hours every day.
Two whole years of your life could be cut just from sitting more than three hours a day. Australian researchers found that even regular exercise couldn’t deter the potential negative effects of sitting for long stretches of time. Another study published in the JAMA Internal Medicine found that sitting for more than 11 hours a day increased the risk of death by 40 percent over the next three years, compared to sitting for under four hours a day. Time to get that stand-up desk.
3. No Friends.
People with weak social connections were found to die at much higher rates than their counterparts, according to research. The same researchers found that prolonged loneliness could be as bad for your lifespan as smoking 15 cigarettes a day.
On top of all this, elderly people with large circles of friends were found to be 22 percent less likely to die over a tested study period, and those social connections generally promote brain health in aging brains.

4. You’re vegging out in front of your TV.

Watching just two hours of television a day can lead to an increased risk of premature death, heart disease and Type 2 diabetes, according to Harvard researchers. The negative effects of watching television seem to overlap with the potential negative effects of sitting too much, but watching television seems to make the negative effects of sitting even worse. According to the New York Times, “every single hour of television watched after the age of 25 reduces the viewer’s life expectancy by 21.8 minutes.”

5. You’re eating too much unhealthy food.

Perhaps this sounds obvious, but the truth is that so many of us continue to do it. As far as what foods to especially avoid, eating red meat seems to shorten life expectancy by as much as 20 percent when eating extra portions.

6. You’re still looking for a job.

Being unemployed can increase a person’s risk of premature death by 63 percent. Other more specific studies found that “the two factors most strongly associated with higher death rates were smoking and not having a job.” Another found that older people who lost their jobs during the recession could have seen their lifespan decrease by as many as three years.

7. You’re dealing with a long commute.

Commutes of about an hour have been found to increase stress and have been linked to the same negative effects as sitting. Long commutes also reduce the likelihood that individuals will consistently participate in health related activities. The greatest lifespan risk is with female commuters, who were found to have significantly shorter lifespans after consistently commuting for 31 miles or more. The cause for the dip in female life expectancies has been the topic of much speculation lately, but while the Swedish research was able to link commuting to obesity, insomnia and a higher rate of divorce, it wasn’t able to pinpoint why female mortality rates are higher.

8. You’re having a dry-spell.
A study among men found that failing to climax for extended periods of time can potentially cause your mortality rate to be 50 percent higher than for those who have frequent orgasms. This result was found even when controlling for factors such as age, smoking, and social class. On the opposite spectrum, orgasms have been linked to quite a few additional health benefits.
9. You’re putting up with annoying co-workers.
Missing out on strong connections with your co-workers can also potentially mean missing out on a longer life. Peer social support, which could represent how well a participant is socially integrated in his or her employment context, is a potent predictor of the risk of all causes of mortality. Although having feelings of encouragement coming from bosses and managers didn’t seem to affect the subjects’ lifespans, those who reported feelings of low social support at work were 2.4 times more likely to die over the study period.
10. You’re not sleeping enough (or maybe too much?)
Harvard Medical School points out that research has shown that life expectancies significantly decrease in subjects who average less than five or more than nine hours a night.
Most of us suffer from too little rather than too much sleep, but research suggests there truly is a sleep “sweet spot” — at least if you’re primarily concerned about living for as long as possible.
Chronic lack of sleep is associated with a greater risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, some cancers, dementia, cognitive and memory problems, weight gain and early death. And some research shows that too much (dramatically, unusually too much) regular sleep could be problematic as well.
Research has also shown that we need an average of eight hours to function optimally, but another, somewhat controversial study found that getting more than seven hours of sleep a night has been linked to shortened lifespans.

11. You’re fearing death or that you won’t live for as long as you’d like.
This is a painful paradox. A fear of a shortened lifespans, or Thanatophobia, can potentially end up causing – a shortened lifespan. A 2012 study on cancer patients ended up finding that, “life expectancy was perceived as shortened in patients with death anxiety.”
Outside of cancer patients, an intense fear of death can also lead to a three to five times increase in the risk of cardiovascular ailments, according to research on Americans who feared death from another terrorist attack following Sept. 11, 2001. Although a slight fear of death has been shown to have positive benefits, like an increase in exercise and healthy eating, the fear has been shown to significantly affect lifespans, especially in adults nearing the age of being considered elderly. These effects can also be correlated to especially paranoid people having weaker connections with society and increased feelings of alienation – the negative effects of which were both discussed above.
Huffington Post