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.

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

PROFESSOR WOLE SOYINKA'S PARTY, DISTRACTIVE AND NOT NECESSARY!

Icheoku is a fan and a great admirer of the Nobel Laureate and Capone-de-tut of cultism in Nigeria. For his great courage when faced with danger; for his bravery when the cat must be belled; for his literary success which earned him the much coveted Nobel prize for Literature and for his outspokenness when every other person around develops a feat of dumbness out of fear and/or intimidation, Icheoku salutes him.
From his storming of Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria with a pistol in the 60's to demand some positives; to his "The Man Died" literary classicus; harpooning 'those who keep silence in the face of tyranny'; to his actually doing what he preaches by living the words through his countless fearless direct actions and criticism of Nigeria's ruthless ruling class; the man popularly referred to as 'Kongi' has won millions of admirers throughout the different geographies of Nigeria, Africa and the entire world.
Icheoku is an unabashed smitten fan and we make no apologies publicly voicing this out. His advocacy of progressive change as a way to improve the lot of the masses resounds with so many followers and admirers as well as aspiring Soyinkas of this world, and Icheoku begs to be counted among this genre of humanity and we always listen whenever he spoke and try to follow his command. But we beg to differ here and politely state that the gracefully aging walking literature lost some of us with his latest adventure into partisan politics of his latest pet-project of a political party. Please Professor Oluwole Soyinka, Icheoku asks why and why now?
If the self-confessed Ifa-worshipper is looking for a body of people he could call his own, Icheoku believes his Pyrates Confraternity aka National Association of Seadogs fits the template. If Wole is looking for followers, Icheoku confesses we are part of his burgeoning followers included in the millions of other humanities all over the world who see in him a true hero. If Wole is looking for fame, Icheoku is satisfied that not many Africans are more recognisable the world over than Soyinka. So the million-dollar question is, what is driving the engine of this his latest dabbling into partisan politics? If it is for power, Icheoku begs to tell the esteemed Professor the home-truth that many revolutionaries the world over only get to power through direct action of an uprising or revolt or coup-de-tat; they just have to grab power as no one ever freely bequeaths them with power, knowing the length and extent they will deploy the weaponry of power to affect needed changes and advance their philosophy. So now, Professor Wole Soyinka, kindly tell Icheoku and the listening world what actually informed your decision to float a political party; instead of remaining on the fence as you have creditably done all these years and influencing opinion from the outside or at worst joining an existing party.
But now with the Lion becoming partisan, any further criticism or advise he might give to other political parties especially the ruling PDP will be treated as an antic of a partisan hack seeking some political relevance or undue advantage! No party or any of its operatives will candidly listen or seek advise henceforth from Wole due to partisan bickering and animosity; things that could have been avoided had it not been for this misinformed decision to venture into partisan-land. Further
Icheoku opines that Professor Wole Soyinka's party is already tainted at birth with his association and founding father-ship and ownership of the Seadogs Fraternity; and some of us and millions of others who may have allegiances elsewhere can only see it through the lens of fraternal competition and rivalry. Simply stated, Icheoku regrets that a Wole Soyinka's political party is not what doctor-fix Nigeria or its politics ordered at this time; and the sooner he realizes it and makes a u-turn the better for all of our continued general harmonious co-habitation under the Wole Soyinka conscience of the nation leadership umbrella.
If
Icheoku may ask, what does Soyinka tell thousands of pyrates who are already members of other political parties in Nigeria and some of who hold elected executive positions as well as appointed ones; and if Icheoku recalls correctly, at least two governors (one in Middle belt and the other in South-west) are known members of the pyrates confraternity? Is Wole forcing them to turn against their Capon as apostates if they fail to join his infant-party or abandon their current ship in national parties to join the new ship-ahoy, with eye-masks and red bandannas? If also Soyinka's days as the Federal Road Safety Corps Marshal General is any antecedental parameter to judge his new party, then Icheoku volunteers an opinion as how his new political party will be constituted - any intending party official or candidate must first show his badge of honor and swear allegiance to the bones and sickle? In other words, the new party will be a transfiguration of the National Association of Seadogs and this is a kind of a house where some of us cannot find a home; and will instead remain nomads.
These are some of the grounds constituting our pedestal of opposition and which in turn founds our spurning of Wole's new party as another attempt at raising parochial fraternization into political mainstream and relevance. Icheoku rejects this subliminal Seadoggy attempt at hoodwinking gullible Nigerians under the guise of a progressive political tent, completely and totally. Our advise for the world-famous scholar is to please retract his steps from this his so called political party project to no where; and remain the revolving epicenter mainframe of activism in Nigeria which he is - a rallying point for all of good-intentioned peoples of Nigeria with real burning desire to see some progressive positive changes take root in our dear fatherland irrespective of our respective fraternities or other otherwise disagreeable association-ships. Professor Oluwole Soyinka should please remain the 'conscience of the Nigeria state', which unfortunately only he currently occupies since the demise of Gani Fawehinmi, Ebam Eda Fela Anikulapo Kuti, Beko Ransome Kuti, Tai Solarin just to name a few.
Also if it will interest Wole to note, similar parties formed by these now deceased patriots never took flight and he does not have any special magic wand with which he plans to outdo these guys in order to make his new party soar. Men of this genre are not natural partisans and therefore there is no point really for Wole Soyinka to be trying out such a new trick; especially at his advanced old age of 76; except it is just a statement made for some silly distractions? Partisan politics is not for genuine rebels with desirable causes, as it entails a lot of wheeling and dealing which at the end of the day only suffocates the genuine intentions that were primarily set out to be achieved or addressed. Political parties are traps for conformity and political-speaks and Icheoku does not want our dear Wole to become conscripted into one particular partisan ideology that will muscle his activism and make him yoked to political correctness and thereby isolating many otherwise would be followers, whose idea of a political party and political ideologies might be in conflict with the new party's.
Gani tried it but his party could not take wings outside his immediate family and beneficiaries; Fela tried it with MOP and it only thrived within the walls of his shrines at Moshalashi and Pepple Street; so why now try to end up a local champion when as a roaring lion, your range is currently the entire Nigerian landscape. Wole, you have nothing more to prove at age 76 and your resume is the envy of so many of your contemporaries as well as generations before and after yours; so what is the big deal now with a political party? If you must partake of the political parties poisoned chalice, please join an existing political party or accept an appointment to serve in any capacity within the present context of a Nigeria distressed; but please for Jove's sake do not embark on this inglorious journey to no where. Not only is the timing very late, but you do not have the necessary political clout to harvest serious people outside your Seadogs fraternity to join unto your political train and this is the largest albatross hanging on your shoulder against any meaningful and serious politicking in Nigeria.
Once a
gain, Icheoku reiterates that revolutionaries everywhere are never elected into office and the only way they can taste power is through a direct action such as forcefully taking over government! Therefore on a final note, what is the use, trying floating a political party whose end is already predictable and practically determinate; unless it is just another junket for additional relevance in Nigeria? But you do not need additional limelight any more as you have more than enough already. So now tell us why you are digressing from your preordained independent position since Icheoku is not buying your explanation that
your Democratic Front for People Federation, DFPF, is a forum for progressives to rally together to dethrone the ruling People’s Democratic Party, PDP. First it is not true that all progressives shall find a home in the party and second the set out mission objective is unattainable and at best, a wishful thinking of an utopia. Until then and why even bother; please just reverse course, maintain your previous enviable position as every-one's generalissimo and conscience of the nation; and please avoid the crap partisanship of a political party!

1 comment:

  1. I agree with Icheoku that nobody needs a partisan as its leader and conscience. So Professor Wole Soyinka must kill off this belated political party idea and continue to provide hapless Nigerians with his invaluable voice of reason and nothing more. He does not stand a chance in Hell of winning anything; and you wonder why the effort. - Oyebola Adunni (England)

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