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, April 27, 2015

AIT BAN, DEJA VU DECREE 4 AND A SNARLING MUHAMMADU BUHARI?

Icheoku says except for those pin-head Nigerians who drank the cool-aid and bought into the snake oil that there is something like a converted democrat and that a leopard can change its spots, the news coming out of the President-elect Muhammadu Buhari's camp is not surprising to the intuitively well informed. Icheoku warned and several other people warned Nigerians but regardless, they still voted for him anyways; and now low and behold and before even being sworn in, the man known as the tyrannical despot extraordinaire of Nigeria is already beginning to show his true colors. Is Icheoku shocked, nope; because Icheoku knows that no old dog learns a new trick at such an advanced old age. 

Icheoku saw it coming, extensively warned against it but Nigerians were tone-deaf and now the unfolding drama of "I didn't say that" or "I didn't promise that" is flooding the media about campaign promises already retracted, as either never was said or cannot be magically wrought overnight? The latest of this 180 degree somersault is the pulling back on the promised freedom of the speech including freedom  of the media to thrive under his government unencumbered. Reports reaching Icheoku has it that the minders of President-elect Muhammadu Buhari has banned African International Television (AIT) from covering all functions of the president-elect going forward. Icheoku asks is this the pledge not to tamper with the media as was the case under the infamous Decree 4 or is this part of the signs of things down the pike? 

Icheoku asks what did AIT do which is not done in advanced societies or has President Barack Obama of the United States of America banned Fox News from covering the White House after the lynch-mob job they tried to do on him while running for office? Ditto the other Robert Murdock owned media empire in the United Kingdom and the hatchet job they did against Prime Minister David Cameron? But the Muhammadu Buhari Icheoku knows is not capable of taking criticism and like he did as a military junta, will similarly find a way of keeping in the cold any media house that he deems unfriendly or not capturing the news through his own eyeglasses. Muhammadu Buhari is yet to be sworn in as president and he is already unleashing his fangs, then imagine the fate which awaits Nigerians' freedom post May 29th, 2015. 

Icheoku says so what if AIT aired paid documentaries, which Muhammadu Buhari considers unfriendly, as any media would do once the price is right? So what use therefore is the acidity of the documentary if after the said documentary, Muhammadu Buhari still won the election?  So does it not show that this president-elect is merely being vindictive under the circumstances, which shows he has a heart of sulphur and never forgives? Icheoku says a more benevolent leader would have laughed off AIT as being "ineffectively useless" because despite all their best effort, he was still elected president; instead of being this petty, descending into the sewer by seeking revenge and a pound of flesh? So if Muhammadu Buhari were the outgoing President Jonathan who the kitchen sink of criticism was thrown at by the media, may be Nigeria would have since once again become one huge gulag where every voice of decent and opposition is locked away to rot. But here you have someone who claimed to be a converted democrat yet lacks the tenets of a democrat, including tolerance for criticism and opposing viewpoints. President-elect Muhammadu Buhari, Icheoku says shame on you and greater shame for your intolerance. 

It is also instructive to mention that the same president-elect have so far already recanted many of his campaign promises including his pledge to equalize the Naira to the Dollar; to stabilize world's oil market; not to probe past government as seen with the threatened probe of President Jonathan and the alleged missing $20billion NNPC oil money and now is snarling his teeth at AIT media house over some  considered anti-Buhari aired documentary during a campaign that is since over and which he won? Icheoku bemoans that at the rate he is going with "I didn't say that", may be by time he is sworn in, he would have completely and totally absolved himself of any promise he made to Nigerians during his campaign, the basis of which he was elected president?

Icheoku says one thing with taking people's freedom is that it starts in increment of one, two, three and before you know it, everyone's freedom is completely muzzled and gobbled up. If it is AIT today, tomorrow it might be Icheoku and next day Nations, the day after Sahara Reporters and the day after next NTA. So Nigerians must start now to put pressure on Muhammadu Buhari that 2015 is not 1983 and Nigerians have come way too far to succumb to his blackmail of terror and intimidation. Nigerians have enjoyed relative freedom this past sixteen years of their fledgling democracy and will not now retreat to their shells just because a freedom-denying Muhammadu Buhari is elected president of Nigeria. There can be no true democracy without freedom of the media which translates to freedom of the citizens to air their views unmolested and unmuzzled and AIT is so included. Icheoku reaffirms that freedom denied to one is freedom lost to all and therefore unequivocally condemn the ban and says that the ban on AIT from covering President-elect Muhammadu Buhari must be lifted immediately and NOW. Long live freedom in Nigeria! 

1 comment:

  1. Buhari denies barring AIT, blames overzealous aides
    April 29, 2015

    Nigeria’s president-elect Muhammadu Buhari, has instructed all his staff, including the personnel attached directly to him, to steer clear of all dealings with the media, and leave all media affairs to his official media team.
    In a statement in Abuja on Wednesday, April 29, by the Directorate of Media and Publicity of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, Mr. Buhari aligned himself with the pronouncement of his party, the All Progressives Congress, APC which had earlier expressed disagreement with the temporary barring of the African Independent Television (AIT) from covering his activities.
    “I would like everyone to henceforth stay within his/her defined area of responsibility,” Mr. Buhari said.
    The president-elect added that his media team should be left to continue to deal with their media colleagues in the best possible way.
    According to the statement, Mr. Buhari was neither consulted nor informed about the AIT barring, and only became aware of the matter after the public uproar it generated.
    “The time of CHANGE has come,” he said, “and we must avoid making the same mistakes that the outgoing government made.”

    ReplyDelete