TURAI YAR'ADUA TRANSFORMED, FROM THE ELEGANT TO THE CREST-FALLEN?

Icheoku says, if only mankind will learn from history that life is as mercurial and dynamic as the quick silver, may be there will be less problems in this world. If anyone had told Hadjia Turai Yar'Adua two years ago that she will become a "normal citizen," descended from the Olympian epically heights of Aso Rock, within 24 months, she would not have believed her ears. But here in June 2010, four months since her late husband and then president of Nigeria Umaru Yar'Adua passed on, is Turai, the once powerful first lady looking despondent, dejected, hurting, unkempt, downcast and above all bloated?

Icheoku hopes it is all because she is still mourning her late husband and that nothing else is the matter; that the once very attractive and elegant Hadjia Turai Yar'Adua should now look so ordinary, like any other emasculated woman in purdah within the harems of Islamic Sharia Northern Nigeria?

The greatest irony of life is that most times, people who never knew that fortune will ever smile on them, when it eventually does, gets so carried away to ever remember where they were coming from. They simply forget or refuse to remember the hurtful past experience of hard life or what it feels like to go without; and most always tend to bear subsequent misfortune with complete destitution. Imagine our once all powerful and cocky dear Turai, now looking so dishevelled and forlorn since she moved out of Aso Rock and you ask yourself before Aso Rock, did her life not exist or had a life elsewhere; so why should it cease now that the sickly Umaru Yar'Adua has kicked the bucket forcing her out of the big expansive presidential mansion?

Turai, Icheoku says, life goes on and please don't let your loss of grip on power get the better part of you; afterall President Jonathan has given you a free pass by absolving you and heaping the blame on phantom overzealous security details, from the false imprisonment of your late husband which quickened his exit from this planet earth. It is instructive that President Jonathan has yet to take any action against these 'security hot-heads' who also denied the late president mother a commune with her dying son makes no sense; as only an insider and family member could be so audacious? But we gloss over the detail since President Jonathan was merely appealing to his populist tendencies by cutting you such broad slacks.

Get a life Turai and do not unnecessarily suffer yourself too much thinking that Nigerians care about you or your misfortune. No, they could care less if Turai evaporates today from the scorched desert wasteland of Katsina; memory of your crass indifference to a the survival of a then Nigeria on a precipice still hurts. It was all because of your selfish desire and plot to hold unto power forever that Nigeria suffered a near implosion when you refused a smooth transfer of power to the next in line constitutionally, so do not bemoan the cruel hand dealt you by fate, life goes on! As you must have by now realized, many Nigerians do not care a hue about your situation, having been forced to live in limbo without any knowledge of the where-about of their then sick president and for a very long time; because of you.

The memories are still too fresh and hurting; and Nigerians will need some time to get over the experience and then consider forgiving or forgetting you. It was one heck of a roller-coaster gone amok, which you forced Nigerians to ride on, nearly completely compromising their psyche in the process. How can a woman with milk of human kindness flowing in her, and who had suckled a child refuse another mother the right to see and be with her dying son? Icheoku was buying into the impossibility until recall was made to Lady Macbeth and Jezebel and you safely compete for this same pedestal with both of them. How dare you take Nigeria's president hostage, kept him out of reach and circulation, without his consent and we wonder why a charge of false imprisonment was not brought against you? Anyway, arios Amiga; start a workout today before you get too fat and very clumsy Turai!