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.

Sunday, January 30, 2022

MILITARY COUPS IN WEST AFRICA: AN INDICTMENT ON PRESIDENT MUHAMMADU BUHARI.

ICHEOKU says for a supposedly acclaimed leader of the West Africa sub saharan region, it is regrettable that President Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria does not wield much influence on the countries in the sub region, to effectively influence events therein. This further questions Nigeria's tall tale of being the leader of West Africa or as Nigerians often delude themselves, the giant of Africa. If a giant cannot persuade a lilliputian to conform to order and not to carry out illegal acts, what use then is having such a giant anyway? 

The military in countries of West Africa has been carrying out coups, one country after another, such that today about four democratically elected governments have been forcibly removed from office without any retribution from Nigeria. Chad, Sudan, Mali, Guinea and Burkina Faso have had military coups as of late and President Muhammadu Buhari did nothing to either prevent these coups or counter them, why? That these countries, except for Sudan, are former French colonies and Paris was expected to take the lead on countering these disruptions of democracy, is an argument somewhat in favor of Nigeria's passivity, but it should not entirely exculpate Nigeria for tolerating these many military coups in the West African sub saharan region. 

What message does it then send to the military in other countries, that it is now alright for them to forcibly change their governments and the heavens will not come tumbling down on them. So, ECOWAS makes empty threats and issues sanctions, and then what? Those military juntas are still pushing ahead with governance and waxing stronger without even blinking or sincerely negotiating for a return to democracy in these countries. What use then are these ECOWAS threats and sanctions when they have no teeth nor meaningful force behind them, to bring about a change of mind in the military and make them stipulate to a definite short time period within which to return their countries back to democracy. 

A time it was in the past when Nigeria had capable leaders who commanded respect and influence in West Africa and Africa in general. These leaders of yore would not have tolerated such upturns of governments by the military; and if they couldn't persuade the military to back down from such coups, they would put various pressures to bear on them to force them to yield power, including a threat of use of force to topple such juntas. The July 16, 2003 military coup in Sao Tome and Principe is one such example when Nigeria had a leadership that asserted itself in the region. The then President Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria ordered the military coup leaders to stand down and personally led President Fradique de Menezes, who was visiting Nigeria when the coup that toppled his government took place, back to Sao Tome and ended the military putsch. 

But with President Muhammadu Buhari, it appears that he has too much on his plate already to want to add more to it: Boko Haram insurgency, the bandits, Fulani terrorists, worsening insecurity, IPOB freedom agitators as well as other small groups including the Yoruba Nation agitators. He is also old and weak to be effective; and like President Joe Biden, he does not appear to be in control of even his own personal affairs, talk-less of being fully cognizant of what is going on in West Africa. It is a sad state of affairs and the fact that Paris is not even batting an eyelid over these military coups in its former colonial countries is also very disturbing, to say the least. May be it is the outcome desired and tacitly approved by Elysee Palace to keep Africa, going and coming.

Who knows for which country the military coup's bell shall toll next, whether Nigeria or Ghana or Senegal. But anyone placing a bet on it should put it on Nigeria as the military might strike before the year's end to prevent a power shift to the south. It is the game which the north dominated military often plays, stage a palace coup against a fellow northerner towards the end of their term just to prevent a southern from ascending to power. But whether the south will accept it this time around will be seen when and if a military coup eventually takes place. Now, President Muhammadu Buhari's ineffectiveness is not only being felt in Nigeria but throughout the West African sub region and by extension, the entire Africa continent. With no leader to give direction, the region and Africa is gradually falling apart and the Ethiopian civil war is still raging on. 

No comments:

Post a Comment