Saving Northern Nigeria.

It Pays Well to be a Bandit.

You're never prosecuted.

One of their own is the President.

That defines our helplessness.

Which Strengthens their Resolve.

No one gets caught. They enjoy unqualified (without limit) immunity. And no arrest is ever contemplated. The family of the victims and the security agencies negotiate with the Bandits/Terrorists openly. Therefore, the talk of being caught is simply an oxymoron. And that's the Nigeria of Sheikh Ahmad Gumi - the apostle of kidnap-for-ransom.

We didn't send them to school, comes a bizarre narrative. Thus, excluding them from participating directly in the social and economic largesse available to other Nigerians. False. In other words, they are simply harnessing their shares of the national cake by any means necessary. That's what Dr. Gumi wants the world to believe.

Yet, none of them, not even Sheikh Gumi, a Medical Doctor, had the scruple to raise a voice of dissent when President Buhari's administration abandoned the Almajiri Educational Initiative begun by President Goodluck Jonathan.

Guess what, the almajiri of today is the hoodlum, the bandit, the terrorist, the kidnapper, and the Boko Haram sect of tomorrow under the incitement and tutelage of highly placed community and political leaders.

Meanwhile, hundreds of other Nigerian youths are wasting their lives, dying painful death every day while traversing the hostile terrain of the Sahara Deserts and the unfriendly waves of the Mediterranean Sea trying to make it to Europe in search of a greener pasture and better life for their family members back home.

No one, no other tribe is having it on a platter of gold in Nigeria, except the privileged few like Dr. Gumi. So, what's all this fuss about bandits being left out of the economic equations?

And he has threatened Armageddon if the bandits are ever prosecuted or killed by the military. You can understand why the Presidency or Aso Rock is yet to declare the group a terrorist organization and why they have been able to continuously obtain their ransom and disappear into the thin effortlessly. Only to come back again and again for more kidnapping and much more ransom.

The leadership knows what to do to stem the tide of terrorism and banditry in Nigeria. Political correctness aside, if it is another tribe or region where this lawlessness is happening, President Buhari would have long ago ordered ground, sea, and air bombardments on the entire tribe and the territory until no one is left standing.

President Idris Debby of Chad came to Nigeria and gave the Boko Haram sect members a bloody nose - hundreds of them were killed and hundreds of weapons were confiscated. Where is Mr. Debby, today? Assassinated in a bloody coup orchestrated by the same people he tried to vanquish in Nigeria.

And that's the extent of the immunity they enjoy, bolstered by the pronouncements and conduct of a President who has difficulties separating ethnic chauvinism and bigotry from national pride. The "we are untouchable" philosophy that underscores their actions, began to gain currency under the present administration.

You cannot serve God and mammon. You are either a Nigerian, serving the interest of Nigeria and protecting lives and properties in Nigeria, or you park and go and leave us to fight our war our own way and for the best interest of all Nigerians. Nigeria is greater than all the Dr. Gumi and Bandit and Boko Haram sympathizers, and the interest they represent.

The President should stop being neutral and deliberately indecisive. If we can boast of the technological expertise that culminated in the kidnapping and shipment of Nnamdi Kanu from Nairobi to Abuja, with or without the knowledge of the Kenya security agencies, certainly we can round up all the bandits and kidnappers who have turned Nigeria into a war zone.

THE SEARCH FOR COMPASSION AND ACCOUNTABILITY IN OUR LEADERSHIP

I do not think there is any Governor, Senator, or House of Reps member in Nigeria who has never travelled overseas or taken a ride around town while overseas. Adding to that, I do not think any of them can boast of seeing this picture (please, see the video playing) during their visit. That willful, deliberate ignorance of what is right and expected of true leadership defines the greed and selfishness that are the hallmarks of Nigerian leadership. If your Mama, for instance, as a Governor, Senator, or President, cannot climb onto that train, why should you expect my Mama to risk the climb or forget the train?

That's where love or compassion comes in. You can't fake compassion or love for your people; it evolves effortlessly, reflecting in your words and performances on the ground. That's Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno State. When Chief Obafemi Awolowo was leaving for overseas in pursuit of his advanced degree, he stated unequivocally: When I come back, no child of school-going age will walk a long distance to school again. He came back and he did it. Today, his educational program in the old Western Region remains unbeatable. That's Vision. And that's Love for the people.

Today, they are acquiring wealth they cannot use; building houses whose rental income they have no need of; stealing and accumulating cash they can never spend in their lifetime. Even NDDC, a government agency is building roads that cannot withstand two seasons of rainfall. Sadly, Abuja cannot enforce the basic regulatory mechanisms that would bring the best out of the investments in infrastructural facilities. That is where Governor Dave Umahi of Ebonyi State is setting the pace worthy of emulation.

On Military Presence in the Anambra Gubernatorial Race

If you have these, and Bandits still go about freely, invading Schools and Churches in Kaduna State and the entire North West, kidnapping and killing randomly, then, you do not deserve another day on your job. They are killing Nigerians every day, demanding money recklessly, and getting paid ceaselessly, while Aso Rock and members of the National Assembly remain inconsiderate spectators. I have never seen such an absurd level of disconnect about Nigerian leadership since my teenage years. Nigerians are dying every day and there is no end in sight. Sunday Igboho almost dies, but is now in exile, on the run for his dear life. Nnamdi Kanu travelled to Nairobi, Kenya, from the UK a free man, only to wake up one day in Abuja, Nigeria, hands, and legs in handcuffs. If you have the resources to do what you did to Kanu and Igboho, invariably, you have the resources to stem the tide of banditry and kidnapping all over Nigeria. And if you can invade my Facebook account and delete my work while I am typing it, it means you can unravel the whereabouts and movement of Bandits and Kidnappers all over Nigeria. That you are not doing it, is not only a shame, but a betrayal of the trust that the people of Nigeria have in every one of you (Mr. President, the National Assembly, National Security Adviser, and the Minister of the Defense) who you have sworn an oath to defend and protect.

The Enemies Within the Nigerian Armed Forces. November 09, 2021

The enemies within are so daring because President Mohammadu Buhari made it clear to them via his body language and utterances that Nigeria is not one country. Time and time again, after every ambush and attack by the Boko Haram sect on members of our armed forces, those who were lucky to survive always say the same thing. That they were being shot at from different directions. Reading those stories does make me sad. And I have never stopped asking myself the question: who are the armed men shooting at our soldiers from different directions after every ambush? Also, how did the attackers obtain information about the deployment or movement of our soldiers and the routes they were taking or where they were going?

These are the enemies in military uniforms. And they are the ones who always collaborate with the attackers to shoot at their colleagues from different directions. You are seeing one of them in the picture before your eyes. In a few days, he will be out of prison, free to continue the killing of our finest young men and women in uniforms. And that's what President Buhari and his unpatriotic trusted security clique have turned Nigeria into - a highly compromised military. And I called it the disappearance of esprit de corps in the Nigerian Military establishment in my previous essays on this subject. This man is destroying Nigeria, destabilizing Nigeria for goals that remain undecipherable.

It will take years before the Nigerian Armed Forces can purge itself of these Boko Haram-sympathetic elements the Buhari's team is perpetuating on our security networks. For what purpose? I do not know. To continue to gain an undue advantage in the Nigerian political equation? To continue spending massively on defence procurements for the enrichment of bogus defence contractors, like the guy from the Niger Republic? So, what do President Buhari and his people really want from Nigeria? You have the crude oil, NPA, Customs and Immigration, DSS, NNPC, and the entire Military and Security networks, yet your people are still carrying guns all over the place kidnapping and killing Nigerians.

What is the war for or about? To conquer the Middle Belt and dip the Quran into the Ocean? What exactly do you guys want? Even though you have dominated the Military establishment and the entire political leadership structure since the end of the civil war in 1970, your region, your people, our Talakawas, our Abokis, and our Almajiri remain Nigerian worst nightmare. You hijacked the political system and the leadership structure; opposed free education at all levels to punish and frustrate Southern children, and in the process, failed to educate your people. Without hope on the horizon for the Nigerian leadership, Southern children ran away from Nigeria in record numbers by any means necessary to seek refuge in foreign lands. Sadly, because you have left the Northern region so undeveloped, mentally, socially, and economically, over-dependence on handouts from the government turns out to be the culture.

That culture is traceable to the curse of crude oil. And that's a Master's Thesis or PhD project for any Nigerian student who cares: Why is the impact of the Curse of Crude Oil in Nigeria more pronounced in the Northern region where there is no crude oil as opposed to the South or Niger Delta where the crude oil and natural gas are located? It's about control and who benefits or depends on it.

The Day Egbe Omo Oduduwa Loses One of Its Warriors.

August 22 at 7:00 AM

 

 

"I am highly impressed with this title given to me as one of the heroes of Shinkafi emirate." Mr. Femi Fani Kayode.

The day Mr. Femi Fani-Kayode bagged the traditional title of Sadaukin Shinkafi in Zamfara State, conferred on him by the Emir of Shinkafi, Alhaji Muhammad Makwashe was the day Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland suffered the greatest defeat in modern information warfare. Losing one of its emerging heroes, an irrepressible pugilist of no comparison to a world of illusions is something this author doesn't find amusing.

Since the conferment of that Chieftaincy title on FFK, he has become a changed man, traversing state capitals, chasing nothing in particular. Given the ferocity of his descent, sad to say, redemption is seemingly unlikely. And Oduduwa has reasons to be concerned, too.

The most stupefying of his misadventures is how one political neophyte from Kogi State he once dubbed a nitwit and a lightweight has become his beloved brilliant brother from another mother and in whom he is well pleased. That the Bello dude he now idolizes lacks vision is indisputable, but why and how he has become the chosen one for the Cambridge-trained ajebo remains unfathomable.

Please, don't get me wrong; there is nothing wrong with concocting a patchwork of brotherhood or "political brothers" across tribal or religious lines. After all, Asiwaju did it successfully in 2015, though he was later pushed under the bus. (Apology to Senator Oluremi Tinubu). However, there is everything wrong when conscience and principles are on the line and discounted in favour of accessibility to the razmataz of power and photoshoots oozing from all the Governors' mansions.

Today, all the characters who were once, in his own words, the sponsors of armageddon and the merchants behind the merciless, savage, barbaric, heartless Fulani Herders are now his beloved brothers, doing wonderful things and doing no wrong.

Surprisingly, none of these emerging elite cliques he finds endless nights and days carousing and catering to, has come forward to empathize with him or identify with the wisdom or concerns that underlie the resurgence of the Oduduwa dream. So far, none of them has seen the reasonableness of the demands for Regionalism, True Federalism, Decentralization of Power, or Restructuring.

To be cavorting unhinged, any time anywhere, in the company of those who stand in solidarity for everything that makes Mr. Sunday Igboho a target for elimination or persecution is nothing strange to FFK. That sense of denial is condemnable. It's not only a betrayal but a shame.

So, how can they see the tears in your eyes, the reasonableness of your Oduduwa judgment, when your unsolicited kisses betray a sense of opportunism and unseriousness? Tell me, brother, where is thy sting?

To him, President Buhari is now a purist, to be loved and respected. A few days ago, the same President reiterated his demand for the resuscitation of grazing reserves that are products of only his imagination. Even though the demand is invigorating the conquest mission of the killer herders, and totally inconsistent with the position of Egbe Omo Oduduwa, Mr. FFK's newfound love for unity and brotherliness persuades him to look at the bright side.

That Mr. Sunday Igboho is feared is an understatement. That he is not well-lettered or well-red is not in doubt. But one thing is clear: He is not a sophisticated moron. The facts on the ground define the struggle he champions. Not fame. And not political calculations, compelled by undefined expectations.

Now that he's gone, forced into exile by the same forces that turned the once gregarious FFK into a folk hero and a highly coveted Bride for every available Arewa Groom, Oduduwa has something big to be worried about in the grave.

On Open Grazing and Restructuring: The Follow-up Questions Dr. Abati Didn't Ask.

When the President began his well-rehearsed ripost, emphasizing the archaic culture of grazing routes and grazing areas, I did expect Dr Abati to ask a follow-up question. He never did. Also, I did expect him to remind the President that the process he is hammering on (open grazing) is no longer realistic in light of the urbanization that is catching up with the rural communities and our countryside, unforced. Instead, they jumped to the Devolution of Power.

When the President asked for the definition of Devolution of Power, instead of jumping to legislative List hogwash, go into Resource Control, State Police, and the ability of the State Governors to exercise jurisdiction over certain elements of the security networks. They ran out of questions and the President veered the discussion into the same old defense of State Governors hijacking local govt funds. There is more to Devolution of Power and Restructuring than the sharing of funds between State Governors and Local Government Council Leaders.

The President is entitled to his defences, but you have to present the facts and stick to the facts, even if the President remains evasive. He talks about gazettes, encroachments, and compensations ad infinitum as if we are still in the 50s or 60s. How many of our farmers and victims of herders' brutality and destruction have been compensated after destruction? Which Gazettes? Is it hard to tell the President that the views he holds are no longer supported, not just by modern trends, but by the facts on the ground in Nigeria?

For instance, when I got to my village a few years ago more than twenty years after my last visit, I saw streets, roads, and houses where there were none when I left the country. I saw houses and a motorable road behind my Dad's house that was previously bounded by rubber plantations. That is the same story all over Southern Nigeria.

So, when the President kept hammering on the old and now non-existent grazing routes or reserves in the interview, what it shows is how far the President and Miyetti Allah have gone in an alternative universe. OPEN GRAZING IS SIMPLY NOT REALISTIC. The earlier his advisers counsel him about the futility of his antediluvian-held belief, the better for the safety of every Nigeria and our peaceful co-existence.

Besides, why didn't Dr. Abati and his crew remind the President that open grazing is not done in Dubai where his family members and his Executive team go shopping and rewind regularly. Is it only in Nigeria that we have Fulani Cattle Herders? Why are the Fulani Cattle Herders doing in Nigeria what they cannot do in Mauritania, Central Africa Republic, Mali, Senegal, Ghana, or the Niger Republic? Why are they killing indiscriminately, with brazen audacity in Nigeria? Is it because the Buhari's, the Miyetti Allah, and the Nigerian Fulanis are occuyping important strategic security positions in Nigeria? You are influencing and facilitating the exodus of foreign Fulanis into Nigeria, and continue to feign ignorance of their bestialities and barbarism.

If we cannot distinguish a Nigerian Fulani Cattle Herder from a Killer Fulani Cattle Herder from the Mauritian or the Central African Republic (as the President alluded to during the interview), then, under no circumstance will we allow any Cattle Herders of whatever extraction access into our region or territory? It is a no-no to Cattle Colony. Period.

Their major targets or bargaining chips are the Ndigbo communities and businesses all over the Northern Region. They are there, not necessarily as of right or under section 41(1) of the 1999 Constitution, but legally and awfully like any other non-natives, doing their things according to the laws of the land. Fulani Cattle Herders are killers, heartless, destructive, and barbaric on a conquest mission to sack native landowners from their ancestral homes and then convert the vacated land to their exclusive use and ownership. That is the mission. And that is the inevitable war that President Buhari and Miyetti Allah are forcing on Nigerian communities to fight.

That war of conquest and target killings has been ongoing in the Middle Belt and Southern Kaduna for many years. It is spreading like wildfire into the South West, South East, and South-South presently, and the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is adding and abetting the foreign Fulani invaders and Miyetti Allah in their conquest mission.

If President Buhari wants to hand over his Daura Community or Katsina State to them, that's his prerogative. This is the position of all Nigerians. It's about tolerance, peaceful co-existence, and respect for laws and orders. Miyetti Allah and the entire Fulani Cattle Herders do not subscribe to that. The children of the Miyetti Allah enablers or cattle merchants, live and attend schools overseas. And whenever they are at home, they live in gated communities and highly secured mansions. In other words, we live in a different world. Kidnapping and extortions are not on their priority list.

It is now left for all Nigerians to start asking the question: Do we stand by and allow Miyetti Allah and President Buhari to plunge Nigeria into avoidable intertribal war because they want to rear and sell cattle? No. It won't happen. The culture of open grazing has been overtaken by events. WE WILL NOT STAND BY AND ALLOW FOREIGNERS, NO MATTER THE EXTRACTION, TO TURN NIGERIAN INTO ANOTHER AFGHANISTAN. Nigeria is worth saving and it is greater than President Buhari and Miyetti Allah.

My Spiritual Encounter With Sr Prophet T.B Joshua.

According to the Gospel of Luke, "And when the men had come to him, they said, “John the Baptist has sent us to you, saying, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another? In that hour he healed many people of diseases and plagues and evil spirits, and on many who were blind, he bestowed sight. And he answered them, “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers[e] are cleansed, and the deaf hears, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.” 

And that's how I saw Sr. Prophet, T.B Joshua. His spiritual works and philanthropy interceded unmistakenly on his behalf. 

I have never met him. But I have followed him religiously over the years since 2012 when one of my sisters at the time, introduced him to me. I didn't take her seriously initially. When she called the third time about the same issue, she said "I am not hanging up off the phone until you go to your laptop and turn into the Emmanuel TV broadcast and loud the audio for me to hear and know you are exactly there." To stop her from wasting her data, I did as she instructed. And the rest is now history.

Watching him the first time, was amazing. I didn't doubt what I saw. Nevertheless, I decided to go to Google to dig out more facts or information about the man. The only allegation that came close to being dubbed a fake prophet in the opinion of one European lady who published the story was that he prophesied that there was going to be a plane crash in a named country, but didn't happen at the time of the day that the Prophet said it was going to happen. And that was it, I couldn't see anything damaging, scandalous, or bordering on heresy.

However, the more I dig, the more videos, pictures, and stories of healing the sick and of philanthropic giving I see. Then I saw the video of how he started from scratch. I saw him sharing food on top of a bench with a kid after a day job, building his church. I saw him washing the toilet in his church. And I saw him in a white robe, in the rain, labouring to salvage his flooded makeshift church from ruin. So, seeing all that labour of compassion, commitment, and passion, spanning decades, I fell in love with him in spirit. And he was to save my life a few years later the way I did not expect.

When I first saw the story of departing to meet with the Lord around Saturday Midnight American Time, I thought it was an expensive prank and I went to bed, unconcerned. Waking up this Sunday morning to see the same story, flooding social media, left me dumbfounded.

I have completed an arrangement to visit his church on my next visit to Nigeria to meet with him on one and tell him about my dreams. And give testimony on how his Morning Water saved me in 2016 in Benin City during my last visit to Nigeria. Why I have procrastinated about it over the years remains unexplainable. May God forgive me. He was authentic and simply one of a kind.

I have seen a few great men in the dream, but not in the same magnitude that I have seen Senior Prophet, T.B Joshua. Four times in the dream in about ten years is unprecedented.

Yes, his Morning Water saved me. You may not believe it, but it is TRUE.

A few weeks after my recovery from the illness that lasted 30 days, something dramatic happened. Someone broke into my travelling bag, ransacked it, and didn't take my money, clothes shoes, or anything material or monetary. The person took the bottle of the Morning Water from where it was placed inside a secured and unseen wallet-size compartment inside the travelling bag, emptied the entire content of the Morning Water, and placed the bottle back. Yes, emptied the half-full bottle of Morning Water.

When I saw my travelling bag was tampered with, the Morning Water didn't come to my mind, for two reasons. Who would want to tamper with God's property? Besides, I didn't tell anyone I had it? And two, where it was placed inside the travelling bag was not visible - the zip to the compartment was also concealed. Yet, the intruder was able to find it and clean the entire content. But thank God, it has done its job already, saving my life.

This story might sound anyhow to you, but pray that what happened to me in Benin City in 2016 doesn't come near your doorstep. So, when you see me sharing videos of Sr. Prophet T.B Joshua or of Bishop Adeboye on my Facebook Wall, it is for real. I serve God with all my life and that's why I am still standing. He lives in me.

Sr. Prophet T.B Joshua saved me via his Morning Water. You went to bed healthy, and you woke up almost paralyzed, not able to walk normally. You cried out that something was wrong. You didn't go to any hospital for the surgery they anticipated. But you got healed. How? And that explains the invasion of my travelling bag.

My plan was to go to his Church and give testimony of what happened to me - the nature of the illness, the process, and how long it took me to fully recover. It was between me, my God, and the Morning Water for 31 days. And thank Sr. Prophet T.B Joshua for everything.

His passing, though sad, is a lesson. Do that thing now that you have the time. He played his part and played it diligently and fruitfully. He placed Nigeria on the global stage. To be a healer and a philanthropic at the same time, was most endearing. And he will surely be missed by all.

Once again, may his soul rest in peace and I pray that God gives his family the grace and strength to bear the loss. Amen.

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Professor Tamuno's Revisionism

 (1) I have yet to read where the late Papa Awo laid claim to the building of UI. Every student of my generation knows that UI is the premier university of Nigeria and not of the Western Region.

(2) The First Olympic-size stadium in Africa, at Ibadan was not a figment of someone's imagination.

(3) The First Television Station in the developing world at Ibadan was real and not a utopia

(4) The Present Nigerian House in London, England, was the Western House, belonging to the Action Group Party in the West. It was later converted into a Nigerian House.

(5) The Awo Free Education Program was the best organized in the developing world

(6) The economy of the Western Region pre-independent was stronger than that of Spain and Portugal.

(7) The Western Region was the first of the three regions to have a regional university (IFE). UI, ABU, & UNN, are federal institutions. 

The facts speak volumes and they are indisputable. With all due respect, I think Professor Tamuno is the one pushing a false narrative. 

PRESIDENT JONATHAN WAS UNLIKE YAR'ADUA AS PRESIDENT

Granted, former President Jonathan is now a celebrated man of valour, but he didn't come across as a man with a Bachelor's Degree throughout his five years in office as President. His former boss, Mr Yar Adua, with a Master's Degree, was more astute, more learned, and apparently more politically sophisticated. He didn't know who was who in the Nigerian polity. And he appeared too blank as an academic or a PhD holder from the ivory tower. 

He was just too shallow and his cognitive ability did not pass as one from the Niger Delta. Most often, he had difficulties putting a sentence together. That was the problem most non-aligned political commentators like Mr. Sonala Olumhense and his colleagues had with him. 

They expect him to cast a brand and dismantle the old order, but he gravitated towards them childishly.

Even though President Jonathan had all the so-called Easterners in his administration, he had more projects in the North than in his own region. How many International Airports did Stella Odua build in the South-East? There was no superhighway linking Delta State with Yenagoa and Port Harcourt. 

He was too afraid to use his power. Maybe naivety is the right word. For instance, President Yar'Adua locked up the entire management team of the NERC without trial over allegations of massive corruption and squandering of public funds in the Energy Commission. 

He removed Nnaji from the Energy or Electricity position over a stupid allegation. He also removed one Ibo guy from the Nigerian Population Commission because Northerners protested that a few years back, the guy doubted the authenticity of the Northern population's superiority over the South. 

By the way, the Senate Committee report on the bogus Petroleum Marketers should've made him a superstar President, but he tried to punch holes in the report, via Chief Otedola. Even went the Aig Imoukhuede Committee that he set up, established beyond a reasonable doubt in its report that the Marketers did indeed scam the NNPC and DPPPR of the Subsidy Funds, President Jonathan didn't know what to do with the report. Two of the fraudulent marketers were the children of the two previous leaders of the PDP.  

Today, he is a global hero, thanks to the Nigerian culture of low expectations and the bigotry of his successor. 

Southern Youths: Making it to Europe on Shoe Strings.

What you are seeing on the video is the third stage of the voyage to the unknown by Southern Youths of Nigeria. (The video is no longer)

The first stage is surviving the harassment and extortion from the officials of the Nigerian National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEa), stationed at Oworo town, by the intersection of the Lagos-Ibadan-Ondno highway and Benin-Auchi-Okene road to Abuja.

The second stage is surviving the ferocious heatwaves of the Sahara Desert and the Janjawid Arab militia who navigate the Sahara Desert mercilessly, fishing for vulnerable voyagers to extort.

The third stage is the transit camps in Rabat, Algiers, and Tripoli. This is where you now come across a retinue of dubious Nigerian commission agents, working hand-in-hand with native swindlers, feeding helpless Nigerian travellers with bogus stories of the safest routes to Italy or Spain across the Mediterranean Sea. These agents are heartless and deadly. They would arrange for ill-serviced and ill-equipped boats for a treacherous journey they cannot guarantee. Most of the boats cannot survive mild currents and that explains the waves of incessant drownings you see every day across the Mediterranean Sea. 

The fourth stage is making it out to safety after surviving the Mediterranean Sea. And that's the video that you are watching now. 

I do not write this story for the fun of it or for entertainment value, but to show the Fulani Bandits and Kidnappers, reaping where they did not sow the travail and tribulations that Southern Youths contend with every day trying to make it out of Nigeria to Europe. The majority of them are university-educated, but they would rather die on the way trying to get out than remain here and suffer and die. 

Education is free in the North, but you would rather send your kids to the streets to become an Almajiri than send them to school where they can learn to read and write and have government jobs waiting for them. A luxury Southern youths do not enjoy. 

When they grow up, they turn ready reservoir of recruitment bonanza for recruiters who are recruiting Killer-Herders, Kidnappers, and Election Rigging Tools. How can you break the poverty circle, when Boko is forbidden? 

To Dr. Sheikh Gumi and all the Bandit, Herder-killer, and Kidnapper sympathizers, it is not an Eldorado in the South, this is just one example of what Southern youths go through to survive the perilous situation that your people plunge Nigeria into. 

A NATIONAL MISTRUST OF TWO NATIONS IN ONE

(1) On March 17, 2016, according to verified newspapers and television report, 'Armed men in Military uniform invaded the Ugwuneshi community in Awgu Local Government Area of Enugu State and arrested 76 of their men on the allegation that they were planning a counterattack against Fulani Herdsmen who kidnapped two of their women. In spite of the fact that they came in Military trucks and fully dressed in military fatigue and took their captives to Umuhia Prison, the Military did not claim responsibility. They were released about two weeks later. No accountability on record and no explanation or compensation for their ordeals. No one could give an account of who authorized the military invasion, and whether or not they were a contingent of the Nigerian Armed Forces.  

(2) On April 25, 2016, about 500 armed Fulani Herders invaded Nimbo Village in Enugu State at about 6 a.m in the early morning. They came without notice and at about 7 a.m., they began the onslaught. They slaughtered, killed, maimed, and disappeared into the tin air just the way they came. It was a very successful mission. And I remember seeing the State Governor crying like a baby on TV at the sight of a butchered cadaver of a lady - with matchet cuts all over her head.

How did they get to Nimbo Village? How come when the Governor called Abuja, the IGP, and the State Commissioner of Police for help, help did not come?

(3) On February 14, 2018, one Efe, the head of a vigilante group in a village near Benin City was shot to death execution-style by a member of the Nigerian Armed Forces. That's not the end of the story. The tragic event was exacerbated when the apprehended headsmen who wreaked havoc on their farmlands were released by the Military Personnel who shot Efe to death. Efe was a target because he had the audacity to organize and repel the incursions of herders into their farmlands. His death is an indictment of the Nigerian Armed Forces and sure proof of their overt support of the Fulani Cattle Herders in their conquering mission.

Two Governors are now on records, stating that they alerted the IGP, the Presidency, and the State Commissioner of Police of pending attacks and asked for protection. And on each occasion, no support came from the Police or the Army. The attackers came, killed every human being in sight, and disappeared into the thin air, unapprehended. 

(4) The Stultification of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB).

You are originally from the Niger Delta, so the story of the PIB will interest you - it is how the Northern Governors, contrary to the terms of the meeting they had in Rivers State, went against their Southern colleagues when they got. Mr. Rotimi Amaechi was the Governor and the Governors Forum Group met and resolved that all the Governors should conference with the Senators and House of Rep members in their respective states to expedite the process of the passage of the PIB into law.  A few days after they got home, the Northern Governors, led by their Chairman at the time, backtracked. He reneged on the agreement, arguing that until they (Northern Governors) meet with experts in the energy industry, they are suspending action on the passage. 

This Day Newspaper of August 06, 2013: “Niger State Governor, Dr. Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu, and his Kaduna State counterpart, Alhaji Ramalan Yero, had opposed the provision of 10 percent host community fund in the PIB positing that it may negatively impact their fiscal position by skewing yet more resources to the oil-producing states."

Vanguard April 24, 2013. Govs Yero and Kwankwaso reject PIB

Kwankwaso told members of the Adhoc Committee on Petroleum Industry Bill, North-West zonal public hearing held in Kaduna, that the people of Kano State opposed the bill in its totality.

Here you are theorizing and faulting the inability of Southern Governors to meet with their colleagues to find solutions to their problems. Where is the PIB today? Still undergoing debate, at the National Assembly, because of the 10% of the Net Profit of the yearly income of the oil companies doing biz in the Niger Delta set aside for the host communities for unforeseen environmental hazards and catastrophes. Northern Governors opposed it, even when funding is NOT from the Federation Account, but from IOCs doing biz in the communities.

By the way, your Boss, Chief Asiwaju Tinuubu, in collaboration with APC Governors of the Southwest, worked behind the scene to frustrate the outcome of President Jonathan's held National Conference. That's also a fact and not a theoretical analysis as you did here.

I love you brother, but I beg to disagree with you on this.

LEADERSHIP: The Palestinian-Israeli Unending Conflict. Part two.

I fell in love with international relations after reading the story of the Six Days War and the Camp David Accords that were brokered by President Jimmy Carter between Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin on September 17, 1978. 

The accord culminated in the recognition of the State of Israel by the Egyptians, led by President Sadat, and the return of the Sinai Peninsula to Egypt by President  Menachem Begin of Israel. As a result of the peace accord, Menachem Begin and Anwar Sadat received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979. Sad to say, they later paid for the peace with their own lives. The two leaders were assassinated by their own citizens for choosing the part of peace. 

With their assassination, comes everlasting peace between the two nation-states. Since the signing of the Camp David Accords, no Egyptian citizen or Israeli citizen has lost his or her life over any form of conflict, dispute, or war between the two countries over land or water. Economically and socially, the two nations are better off today than they were before September 17, 1978, for daring to be bold and willing to be conciliatory. It was not about campaign slogans for the next Presidential election. 

The unending conflict between the Palestinian people and the State of Israel has more to do with the leadership than actually what their people want. For instance, the late Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) leader Yasser Arafat was married to an Israeli woman. But on one occasion, he would rather return home to a heroic welcome for refusing to sign a peace deal put together by President Clinton, than be a peacemaker like King Hussein of Jordan or Anwar Sadat of Egypt and bring stability to his people. 

The problem with the State of Palestine is that when the State of Isreal had Menachem Begin, Yitzhak Rabin, and  Simon Peres as Foreign Minister, they didn't have a leader, but a fighter, Yasser Arafat. Today, it is tough, very tough. On both sides, we have leaders who want to be relevant under crises and conflicts in other to remain popular and be electable and remain in power. It should be what is in the best interest of the Palestinian State as well as the people of the State of Israel. 

A few years ago under President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden flew to Tel Aviv to meet with President Netanyahu, specifically to negotiate a cessation of activities and building of a new settlement in the disputed territory. And they had a gentleman's agreement. Guess what, as soon as the Vice President departed and while he was on his plane, in the air, flying back to Washington DC, President Netanyahu reneged on the agreement or understanding. And construction works began immediately in utter violation of the negotiated agreement. That was humiliatory, not just to Vice President Biden, but to President Obama's Administration. I am not recounting a newspaper's story or someone's historic account here. It happened live and was witnessed by those who could make sense of President Netanyahu's disrespect and tough-guy disposition. 

Today, many people are dying on both sides, and properties worth billions of Dollars are ruined. We replace the damaged and destroyed properties, but we cannot bring back those who have lost their lives in the process. That's why leaders like Anwar Sadat, King Hussien, King Asad, President Menachem Begin, President Yitzhak Rabin, and Mr. Simon Peres will forever remain celebrated for the sacrifices they made for peace to reign in the region. 

The major issue now is not really who is right or wrong on the disputed territory it is about leadership, who is willing to accept the reality on the ground, especially concerning Jerusalem. Jerusalem can never go extinct. The Palestinians can not expel the Israelis from the Holy Land. Neither can the Israelis totally vanquish Palestinian Muslims from the territory. Though they subscribe to different religions and speak different languages, they have ancestral connections to the city of Jerusalem. We cannot dispute that biblical fact. They just have to find a way to live in peace. 

Concerning the disputed land and new construction, I beg to add that land for peace is not new and certainly not a making of weakness, but of strength and for sustainable peace and economic growth in the two nation-states. That the Palestinians must recognize the right of the Jewish State to exit is not negotiable. Egyp did that decades ago. Same with Jordan and Syria. In return, Israel must cease building new settlements in the disputed territory and allow the State of Palestine to function as a sovereign nation. It is as simple as that. However, if one side provokes attacks, rest assured that the attacked side has the inalienable right to retaliate and defend its people and territory.   

 

TO THE MOTHER WHO RAISED ME

To the Mother who raised me, who taught me love, respect, and dignity; and to all the mothers and potential mothers out there, HAPPY MOTHERS' DAY.

Growing up, I could say anything - abusive or curse words - when in conflict with other kids in school, on the playground, or on the streets. But "your mama" was a no-go area. No matter how tough the disagreement might be, "your mama" or any curse word directed at "your mama" was forbidden - completely out of the question.

I adopted that mantra, not because anyone taught me the morality of such abstinence. I just didn't want to subject my Mama to disrepute or create an opportunity for other kids to curse her or be abusive of her in retaliation for my imprudence.

Going by her public records or reputation in the community, she was more than a woman. Indisputably infallible and proudly admired by the young and old. And it was always about "what is Irhierhe's opinion" whenever there was a dispute in the community among the women. And that places me in an uncomfortable position. You can't afford to be her son and be irresponsible.

In observance of her grace, unblemished reputation, and queenship personality, I imbibed discipline, leadership virtues, and genuine empathy. And for her, all eyes were on me. Not in the negative sense, but to be a role model.

Thank God, it comes with a prize - protected and untouchable, at home and on the road. And as she would always say, don't be afraid to speak your mind, and stand by what you know is right. You are Ehimhantioria-aiyo. Go in peace, God is with you. And in response to that, I would always say, ise, Nene in the Esan dialect.

She made me change schools when I was in elementary school so that I could learn in an environment where the English language is the means of communication. Also, she gave me the registration fee for the Common Entrance Examination when the registration was about six months ahead. If she hadn't taken either decision, I don't where I would be today. She wasn't educated, but she knew when to transfer her infant son from one elementary school to another so that he could take advantage of the English language, which was the means of communication in the new school. How was she able to execute the transfer? Simple.

She was visiting her Big Sister, Ose, at Olenokhua Eguare Ewohimi, when she saw some kids playing on the ground and communicating in the English language. She asked if someone was visiting from a big city like Warri, Benin City, or Lagos, with his kids. They told her no. Then whose kids are these speaking  English? They told her they were neighbours' kids in the next compounds. Where did they learn to speak English, she asked in amazement. Her nephew told her that they communicate in English in school. Hearing that, she made up her mind that her son was going to change schools at the end of the year. 

The school is Saint Mathias Catholic School at Eguare Ewohimi, which is directly opposite Chief Ereomhan's house, her big sister's husband. That was actually the same house that she grew up in before she got married. But at that time in the 30s or 40s, the Catholic school was still a local school and Eguare was not cosmopolitan a city the way it was at the time of the happening of this story.  Now there is Pilgrim Baptist Grammar School, the Oil Palm Company, the Water Board, the Yoruba Quarter, and the Eastern Ishan District Council, just to name a few. 

The majority of the workers in the listed organization have children and all of them attend Saint Mathias Elementary School. So, by default, every child in that school must learn to speak English. In fact, about 90 of the Teachers in the school were non-natives. And that was how the children in the surroundings adopted the English language as their mode of communication, even when they were not in school.  

Her word was her bond and her helpers unfailingly exhibited a sense of privilege or honour to earn her request for a favour. She was that good and amiable and many people wanted to identify with her.

I knew she was intelligent, but I didn't know how politically savvy or knowledgeable she was on Nigerian leadership and political system until my Government classes in Form Three in Grammar School. All the stories of NCNC, Action Group, NPC, Siaka Momodu, Okotieboh, Osadebey, Ahmadu Bello, Akintola, Anthony Enahoro, Azikiwe, and of course, her favourite, Papa Obafemie Awolowo that she told me while I was in elementary school, were all in the recommended Government Textbook, written by one Mr Ojo.

To her, Papa Awo was next to God. I was not surprised when she came home in 1979 to tell us that Mrs. Ughehi (Madam VIP) Atalakpa, the UPN Women leader, offered her the position of Women Leader of Okaigbe-Ewohimi.

Thanks to her, I completed the entire WAEC syllabus in Government in Form Four. When I got to Form Five, I bought A-Level Textbooks for Government. While all my classmates who registered for Government like me were trying to make meaning out of the Rule of Law, I was already deep into Montesquieu's theory of Separation of Powers and Checks and Balances, as well as Devolution of Powers and Delegated Legislations.

So, scoring A1 in Government in the West Africa School Certificate (WASC) examination by the West African Examination Council (WAEC) was not unexpected. All thanks to my Mama who gave me an edge ahead of the class. She was simply a one-of-a-kind Mama. May her soul continue to rest in peace. Amen.