GUN VIOLENCE IN AMERICA: FOR WHO THE BELL TOLLS NEXT.

Just five people shy of Sandy Hook elementary school mass shooting incident that claimed 26 lives, the Uvalde Texas Robb elementary school mass shooting at 21 victims, now ranks among the highest grossing gun carnage in America. It is sad that such frequent blood spilling has tragically become part of our culture as a society. May the souls of the killed now rest.

25th AMENDMENT: ITS NOW ALL CRICKET.

Madam Speaker Nancy Pelosi once questioned former President Donald John Trump's fitness to remain in office due to what she claimed was his declining mental capacity. Does anyone know what Madam Speaker presently thinks about the incontrovertible case which America is now saddled with? Just curious!

WHO WILL REBUILD UKRAINE?

The West should convert frozen Russian assets, both state's and oligarchs' owned, into a full seizure and set them aside for the future rebuilding of Ukraine. Like the Marshal Plan, call it the Putin Plan.

A HERO IS BORN.

I am staying put. I will not run away and abandon my people. The fight is here in Ukraine. What I need are weapons and ammunitions, not a ride out of town like former Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani - President Volodymyr Zelensky.

IT IS WHAT IT IS.

"There is too much hate in America because there is too much anger in America." - Trevor Noah.

WORD!

A life without challenges is not a life lived at all. A life lived is a life that has problems, confronts problems, solves problems and then learns from problems. - Tunde Fashola.

NOW, YOU KNOW.

When fishing for love, bait with your heart and not your brain, because you cannot rationalize love. - Mark Twain.

JUST THE FACT.

In our country, you can shoot and kill a nigger, but you better not hurt a gay person’s feelings - Dave Chappelle

DO YOU?.

“What you believe in can only be defined by what you’re willing to risk for it." - Stuart Scheller.

HEDGE YOUR CRISIS.

Never get in bed with a woman whose problems are worse than yours. - Chicago PD.

PROBLEM SOLVED.

'The best way to keep peace is to be ready to destroy evil. If you Pearl Harbor me, I Nagasaki you.' - Ted Nugent.

OUR SHARED HUMANITY.

Empathy is at the heart of who we are as human beings. - Cardinal Matthew Kukah.

WORDS ON MARBLE.

"Birth is agony. Life is hard. Death is cruel." - Japanese pithy.

REPENT OR PERISH - POPE.

Homosexuality is a sin. It is not ordained by God, therefore same sex marriage cannot be blessed by the church - Pope Francis.

CANCEL CULTURE IS CORROSIVE.


FOR SAKE OF COUNTRY.


MAGA LIVES ON: NO RETREAT, NO SURRENDER!

TWITTER IS BORING WITHOUT HIS TWEETS. #RestorePresidentTrump'sTwitterHandle.


WORD.

"If you cannot speak the truth when it matters, then nothing else you says matters.” - Tucker Carlson.

#MeToo MOVEMENT: A BAD NEWS GONE CRAZY.

"To all the women who testified, we may have different truth, but I have a great remorse for all of you. I have great remorse for all of the men and women going through this crisis right now in our country. You know, the movement started basically with me, and I think what happened, you know, I was the first example, and now there are thousands of men who are being accused and a regeneration of things that I think none of us understood. I’m not going to say these aren’t great people. I had wonderful times with these people. I’m just genuinely confused. Men are confused about this issue. We are going through this #MeToo movement crisis right now in this country." - Harvey Weinstein.


RON DELLUMS: UNAPOLOGETICALLY RADICAL.

"If it’s radical to oppose the insanity and cruelty of the Vietnam War, if it’s radical to oppose racism and sexism and all other forms of oppression, if it’s radical to want to alleviate poverty, hunger, disease, homelessness, and other forms of human misery, then I’m proud to be called a radical.” - Ron Vernie Dellums.


WHAT REALLY MATTERS IN LIFE - STEVE JOBS

“I reached the pinnacle of success in the business world. In others’ eyes, my life is an epitome of success. However, aside from work, I have little joy. Non-stop pursuing of wealth will only turn a person into a twisted being, just like me. God gave us the senses to let us feel the love in everyone’s heart, not the illusions brought about by wealth. Memories precipitated by love is the only true riches which will follow you, accompany you, giving you strength and light to go on. The most expensive bed in the world is the sick bed. You can employ someone to drive the car for you, make money for you but you cannot have someone to bear sickness for you. Material things lost can be found. But there is one thing that can never be found when it is lost – Life. Treasure Love for your family, love for your spouse, love for your friends. Treat yourself well. Cherish others.” - SJ

EVIL CANNOT BE TRULY DESTROYED.

"The threat of evil is ever present. We can contain it as long as we stay vigilant, but it can never truly be destroyed. - Lorraine Warren (Annabelle, the movie)


ONLY THE POOR WISH THEY HAD STUFF?

“I’m not that interested in material things. As long as I find a good bed that I can sleep in, that’s enough.” - Nicolas Berggruem, the homeless billionaire.

Monday, June 28, 2010

DIASPORA NIGERIANS, READY TO TAKE THE FIGHT HOME TO MOTHERLAND?

Tired of arm-chair pontifications about the rot back home, motivated by patriotic fervor, sense of duty, purpose-driven urge; and fully aware of what needs to be done to fix what is broken, many Diaspora Nigerians are heading back to Nigeria to help effect much needed changes! In droves, many of them, highly successful professionals and business people alike, are answering that clarion call to return home and help a Nigeria on tethers. They are strategically and tactically making that move, a somewhat reverse migration back to motherland, to offer their wealth of experience-backed services, to the electorates and in various capacities come 2011.
Majority of these people are well accomplished, both professionally and financially, seasoned and peaked in the Western World way of getting things done; which
is a very strong asset and selling point for their candidacy, except of course they eventually fall victim to the ever present corruption-bug in Nigeria, which have conquered many other well-intentioned Nigerians of the past? Usually they set out with a clear sense of purpose and all the good intentions in this world only to deviate enroute; forced to so do, when mired and bogged down as the only saints in a land of destitution and decrepitude, overwhelmed and outnumbered by a putrid humanity walking the landscape. But shall Nigerians throw their hands up in the air of despair and despondency, just because the political landscape is strewn with thorns and barbs? Icheoku does not think so, only that anyone venturing to the land of strange happenings must and should be prepared to wage a battle of his life in order to bring about the much needed change. It would appear that the political and military class are perpetuating what is in order to have reason to remain relevant in the land of many-have-not, to who they play the proverbial godfather feeding them the crumbs from their table of excessive indulgence. But like they say, a nation or country or people deserves the leadership it gets, so it for Nigerians to say in unison, enough to these tired old recycled politicians and give these new generation budding politicians a chance at power; and watch them sizzle!
From Chicago to Boston to New York to Miami to Los Angeles to Oakland to San Jose to Toronto to London to Berlin and South Africa, are legion of Nigerians who have decided to answer motherland's call of "who shall I send", and are seriously preparing to go home and offer their services to their fatherland through elected offices. These Nigerians, having succeeded abroad competing with the legendary "white-men", are playing no second fiddle to anyone or waiting for any damn godfather to anoint them for office; no, they are taking the bull by the horn, going full throttle to vie for every position and every office, from state governors to senates to house of representatives etc. Except for one Engineer Udoh who
Icheoku ran into in Santa Fe New Mexico-USA, who is running for his Cross River State's house of assembly seat, practically all these Diaspora Nigerian heading home for elections in 2011 see themselves good enough for even the highest office in the land and are not prepared to settle for any less. But the good news is that each and everyone of these Diaspora Nigerians seems better and more qualified than all those 'Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves' running Nigeria aground for ages and since independence; and might as well be in those offices for all Icheoku cares.

The number of these expatriate Nigerians, desirous of taking their knowledge and expertise home to contribute and help out, are rapidly growing like Santa Anna wildfire; and those home-based politicians should be put on notice that their days of business as usual is over. These Ghana-must-go bag local Nigerian politicians should be prepared to contest for every vote and wage a grueling battle of political ideology with these emergent, well educated and successful returnees. It is a new-breed time for politics in Nigeria as these new generation politicians are promising a different kind of politicking in Nigeria of 2011. These Nigerians are simply fed up with the way things have been, are and continues to be in Nigeria, which will surely persist except something is done about it; and have decided to challenge the status-quo. Using their valuable experience, education, resources and courage acquired by constantly locking heads with the best and brightest of the world, who they daily butt-heads with in the competitive world of living abroad and in foreign lands amidst strangers, they will outperform, out-legislate and out-govern the present crop of incumbents?
Even some Diaspora Nigerians in America have formed a somewhat government in exile with a functioning legislature called "
Peoples Parliament" whose membership include the publisher of SaharaReporters, Omoyele Sowore. In their last legislative seating, they passed a resolution banning the enfant-terrible of Nigeria, the evil-genius Ibrahim Babangida from ever running for any elective political office in Nigeria. They also passed another resolution declaring IBB the enemy of the Nigerian State and Icheoku is happy to identify with both resolutions, being what we have been urging ever since IBB indicated his interest to re-emerge from his "stepping-aside" doldrums and go finish off what remains of his enemies and some marked men? They also plan to see election observers/monitors to motherland during the coming 2011 elections. The publisher of SaharaReporters is one prominent Diaspora Nigerian whose effort to remedy a broken Nigeria by throwing searchlights into its dark-sides and its corrupt political/military class, has caught the world's attention and Icheoku is proud to have an association with SR as a reporter. There is also the "Transform Nigeria Group" with offices in California, London and Texas which is also working to hold political leaderships in Nigeria accountable and plans to participate fully in the 2011 elections. So many other groups are getting ready to ensure that vote are counted in 2011 and Icheoku commends their efforts.
Icheoku recently happened upon one fund raising in San Jose (Silicon Valley) California USA for a Diaspora Nigerian who is running for a senate seat in Enugu State, Nigeria. Chicago based civil rights attorney Benjamin Obiora Nwoye (pictured) said he was in San Jose to meet and greet with his Enugu State fellow Diasporas, and also inform them of his plans to run for Enugu East senatorial seat, a seat presently occupied by former governor Chimaroke Nnamani.
According to him, former governor
Chimaroke Nnamani never deserved and should not have ever served in the first place, talkless of any wishful thinking of his for a second term. Continuing, this successful civil rights litigator maintained that in a more advanced law-driven and civilized society, someone with a 100-count criminal charges pending against him should never have been qualified to run for any office while the prosecution lasted? That being so tainted by reason of the indictment Chimaroke Nnamani should ordinarily have been precluded, disqualified and barred from running for any office in the land, including Enugu State East senatorial seat!
Attorney Nwoye who was fired up and excitedly looking forward to doing a civilized battle of wits and conviction for the souls and minds of the people of Enugu East senatorial district, looked and spoke like a man on a mission, fueled with a burning passionate desire to bring about much needed change to the constituents. He also berated Chimaroke Nnamani for being a nominal senator, who never took the floor of the senate nor moved any motion nor had any bill to his name throughout his nearly completed 4 year term in the senate. According to this erudite lawyer, the people of Enugu State deserves better; and being a state with a highly trained and educated manpower, they will be much better served by someone with his background and credentials, but not the current incumbent passive Senator Chimaroke Nnamani.
Ben
Nwoye was completely revved up and ready to go, as he delivered his exhilarating speech to the Enugu community and friends gathered to hear one of them, a prospective senator of the state speak! For Ben, it is not the bounty of office that is solely driving his engine for a senate run as he is quite successfully accomplished, financially; it is rather his urge to serve - service, service and service to his people of Enugu East senatorial district. Having been long fed up and tired with what is, he now wants to go help bring about what 'would have been and should be' to the people of Enugu East senatorial district, which Chimaroke Nnamani has failed, refused, is unwilling or unable to do. Icheoku wishes Attorney Benjamin Obiora Nwoye God's speed in the battle for Enugu State East senatorial seat and wants to emphasis that for any willing mind, nothing is impossible! Anyone in doubt, should take a look at the color of the present occupant of the American White House and then do the math - judging from where he was and where he is now. This time around, it is not going to be only Americans that dream, but also Attorney Benjamin Obiora Nwoye who has a dream and the Senator of Enugu State East senatorial district he shall soon become, Insha Allah, God willing!

In Dallas Texas, another Nigeria is spewing rage against the entrenched crass political establishment back home and is also getting ready to throw his hat in the ring next 2011 elections when he plans to run for the governorship of his native Akwa Ibom State. In Olathe Kansas, a Nigerian from Ankpa Kogi State is also potential House of representative candidate. In Oakland California, another Nigerian from Ondo State is preparing for a house of representative run in his native Ondo State while another Nigerian, Attorney/Businessman Samuel Ogbu Nwobodo-Ogbu is also gearing up for a House of Representative run in his Nkanu Federal Constituency of Enugu State. According to Icheoku findings, the incumbent representative who Ogbu Nwobodo-Ogbu plans to replace is not even from Enugu State but from neighboring Ebonyi State, and was imposed on the constituency by former governor Chimaroke Nnamani? It was also discovered during our investigation that this "foreign" representative of Enugu State in the House of representatives, who is from Ebonyi State, does not have nor maintain any constituency office or even a telephone line in Enugu where or through which her constituents can reach her? Icheoku wonders why no court action was taken out prior to invalidate her office and send her packing back to Ebonyi State. And the list of these budding aspirants goes on and on throughout the wide-world of exiled population of Nigerians in Diaspora.
In the final analysis, Icheoku, borrowing the line from a Peoples Parliament member, Rudolf Okonkwo of Boston that “Nigeria is a failed nation that works for those who failed it;” prays and hopes that these crop of emerging politicians from the Diaspora will not similarly so benefit themselves only; but will endeavor to create a futuristic Nigeria where every Nigeria can freely aspire and benefit from and fairly too. May be these new generation westernized Diaspora Nigerian politicians, by their hard, honest work, will reverse the present course of hopelessness to one of hopefulness and thus render moot the observation of Okey Ndibe, speaker of People's Parliament, that Nigeria is “a nation conceived in hope, but nurtured in hopelessness.” Which Nigerian will not be proud to belong to a working, viable and functional Nigeria, but definitely not the present rot wherein the roguery transcends the entire strata of the society. Icheoku is affirmative that if biblical Lot's God were to present himself to Nigeria today and ask for just a few honest men, that it might be an impossible task finding such a few good men to spare it of condemnation. But good enough, we are in the days of the New Testament today, and God is more accommodating and very forgiving of our transgressions. Goodluck to you all Diaspora Nigerian aspiring politicians who are enroute motherland for the 2011 elections; and may the Almighty One protect and shadow your every move as you traverse the land to sell your candidacy for office!

4 comments:

  1. I am delighted to read this.Please come home as our country is in dire need of men who are men to add values to Nigeria.Rudolf captured it well when he said that NIGERIA IS A FAILED NATION THAT WORKS FOR THOSE WHO FAILED IT.We need new approach and new ways of doing things here - joe igbokwe

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  2. Is "Icheoku" the writer's name? Loved the way the writer referred to himself as a third person speaking.
    Well.. really, enough is enough, it's time for Nigerians in the diasporas to head back home and make the system work. it's going to be one hell of a task, some of these aspiring diaspora Nigerians will lose focus but they can be rest assured they'll be called to order! The younger generation is on the look out already..
    Guess having the intelligence, vision and seeing the system abroad work efficiently is a big step to achieving CHANGE in Nigeria!
    "We choosing the way, we'll do what it takes to get to the top of the highest mountain, we'll do anything, we've got to prove ourselves" - Mieske

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  3. Before he passed on in 1948, Mahatma Gandhi, the Indian Philosopher left a memorable quote, and here it is,"Be the change you want to see in the World", I say, Nigerians in Diaspora aspiring for political offices in 2011 elections should be the change they want to see in Nigeria. In addition, due to the recent shameful and arrogant but barbaric action at the National Assembly, Professor Jega, and his Electoral Officers, should think of working out National Assembly elections (with varying terms) designed to weed out disguntled elements in that system instead of conducting our Federal Elections at the same time, with the same tenure of office, just as the case in U.S, from where Nigeria copied its Executive Presidential constitution to replace the Westminister style.. Diasporans should expect resistance to the desired change by IBBs who are the public enemies innumerables in our body polity, they should conquer them with uncompromising principles of fairplay, and firmness.- EbenoDaisy

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  4. Abegi spare me all this grammar o jare! The truth is that corruption is heavily embedded in the genetic code of Nigerians whether in the Diaspora or at home. Chimaroke Nnamani who you derogatorily referred to as a 'nominal senator' had a thriving medical practise in the US, came back with this Diaspora nonsense and served (or is it cleaned Enugu treasury) for two terms and now continues his looting in the Senate.
    Let nobody be deceived, the current crop of Nigerians in diaspora are simply coming for their own mudu of the national garri. Period.- Sumanguru

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