BIAFRA, A CASE FOR A RE-VISIT!

"By way of preamble, Biafra is that part of Eastern Nigeria, Africa that tried unsuccessfully to secede from Nigeria through a civil war that lasted from 1967 to 1970”

Is it conceivable to argue that Biafra technically was not conquered but was forced to surrender due to a very asphyxiating economic blockade; which brought untold hardship on the people of Biafra thereby compelling the protagonists of the war effort to throw in the towel? Could this effort at secession just be in abeyance since there is still no real reconciliation, rehabilitation and re-integration amongst Nigerians thirty eight years after the end of firearms-hostilities between Biafra and Nigeria? Is it logical to postulate that although the battle was technically “lost” in the war front but the war still goes on in the hearts and minds of both sides particularly the people of Biafra? Further is it plausible to say that the rest of Nigerians do not really want Biafra to come back into their fold, otherwise, where are their incentives? Assuming the surrender is conclusive, could Biafra then be the only lost cause in the annals of freedom fighting and survival efforts throughout the world? Was it Sudan with John Garanger? Was it East Timor and Indonesia? Was it Aceh in Malaysia? Was it Palestine or in the Balkans Kosovo which provides us the reference place in this discuss. Freedom fighters all over the world usually most always end up with either a two nation states arrangement or at minimal, a power-sharing arrangement wherein the fears of the fighters are enshrined in a document and protected by the oppressive central government; with the rebel leader as a vice president or premier carrying out oversight functions respecting the arrangement. Why Biafra’s result was different remains to be emphatically and empirically determined; however some school of thought posits that Biafra’s cause became so personalized thereby alienating other interests groups hitherto propagating it and also that Biafra failed to properly mobilize her war effort. Some protagonists have quipped that Biafra was a child of necessity and under such circumstances could not have done any better. To this blogger, the jury is still out on the real under-belly of what made Biafra to “fail” and this cause will remain a secret until long after the principals on both sides have all gone, then and only then would the real root cause of what went awry be revealed.
Nigeria as an entity is an aberration. It is a ruse. It is a quandary. It is an illusion. It made no sense then when it was clobbered together by colonial Britain with their amalgamation of 1914, it does not make sense now as a “viable” political entity and it will not ever make sense in the future as a viable force to reckon with. Nigeria’s inactive passivity at present is comparable to a volcano that although not currently erupting is very restive inside the bowls of the earth. It is an unholy marriage – people forcibly yoked together in an unholy wedlock will someday either divorce themselves or kill one another. For some time now without end Nigerians have been clamoring for a Sovereign National Conference to discuss the conditions of their continued tolerance of one another as a country but to no avail. Some lords of manor therein have resisted this call and the same people are first to question why all the mushrooming freedom fighters especially in the Niger Delta area of the country. This clique of people forget that those who make peaceful change impossible make violent change inevitable. To some people, these so called militants are patriots whose only sin is that they are questioning the continued injustice being meted to their people by successive Nigerian governments. One of such governments arrested, charged, convicted and executed one of their leaders all within forty-eight hours; and that leader’s name was Ken Saro-Wiwa. He stood up for what was right for and by his people against apparent wrongs by the Nigeria government and they killed him, no questions asked. At the rate of the restiveness in the cavity of Nigeria, one day the world will wake up to learn that Nigeria as a nation has joined the “league of countries that once was” - like the old Soviet Union, Czechoslovakia and most recently Serbia-Montenegro. But the good news for these other countries is that while their decimation was for most part peaceful, that of Nigeria may be a lot much different judging from the bottled-up anger, frustrations and grievances so embedded in most many Nigerians. There is no reason to continue to hold the various nationalities together in the suffocating hell’s kitchen called Nigeria; absent a comprehensive re-assessment of the bonds holding them together. As it is presently constituted, there is no love lost among the various ethnic nationalities therein encapsulated. The good news however is that the handwriting on the wall suggests that the glue hitherto holding them together is fast melting and the resulting cataclysm shall be unparalleled if not timely checked. Sovereign National Conference is the answer!
The inept Aremu Obasanjo’s past administration made matters worse by his hellish policies and draconian governance; to the extent that fear and distrust today has become more palpable than at the beginning of his maladministration in 1999. Obasanjo did not achieve anything worth the billions of revenue his government took in through an unprecedented high cost of crude oil. In comparison, the erstwhile midget dictator Sani Abacha will forever be remembered for at least an accomplishment – Nigeria won a junior world cup during his regime. Obasanjo will however be perpetually vilified for all the atrocities of Odi massacre, Zaki-Ibiam’s mayhem, Chris Uba’s running amok in Anambra State and destroying several state properties and some lives in his infantile tantrum, and his moronic ceding of Bakassi to Cameroon. As a panacea, Nigeria should be peacefully divided along the various nationalities that presently make it up; that each may go their separate ways to pursue their respective destinies. Some people are tired of being held down waiting for some “mallam” somewhere in the Sahara desert of Northern Nigeria to finish drinking his “nono” or chewing his “gworo” and waking up by 12.00noon to start figuring out the policies of State. Or an “mgbati man” from Western Nigeria to finish dancing his “owambe music” and hatching out another line of conspiracy before leading the example of the failed Obasanjo’s administration or an “okolo man” from Eastern Nigeria to finish the day’s hustling (with some of them stuffing medicine capsules with white chalk-powder ready to send hit men after NAFDAC chair-lady for daring to straighten them up) before tinkering with States affairs. We are not one and neither do we share any affinities whatsoever together in common – not in culture, not in language, not commonality of interest, not in life style, not in appearance or outlook, not in ethnic food, not in philosophical and political aspirations; even the geographies are different. This blogger remembers the history of Nigerian independence struggle which would have paid off the same time as Ghanaians in 1957 but for the North which told the South to go ahead with their own independence because they are not ready yet. The south decide to wait in the spirit of one Nigeria till 1960 and this wait is still going on in the year 2008. This blogger goes further to add that these group of “mullahs” were not ready then, are not ready now and will never be ready. Look at the developments in the various regions and yet they have been in power much longer than all the other tribal regions put together, who is the least developed? The North, because the government cannot do everything for the people, the people must also put some foot forward. There is no common denominator coalescing Nigerians together to pursue a common purpose; and those in the Diaspora are not any better as they find it utterly difficult if not impossible to maintain one viable Nigerian Unions/Associations because they cannot tolerate one another. No Nigerian believes earnestly in one Nigeria any longer since the death of Nnamdi Azikwe although those power-drunks at the helm of affairs use that mantra as a tool of exploitation. Every Nigerian sincerely holds other Nigerians from other regions outside their own particular enclave with disdain and suspicious apprehension. The "mgbatis" (Yorubas) of Western Nigeria are the arch culprit; even the attempt, the "okolos" (Igbos) of Eastern Nigeria are making to truly unify Nigeria with their unbridled adventurism is constantly being rebuffed by the rest of Nigerians which always make them their "fair" game whenever there is any disturbance. They are usually the first to be slaughtered, maimed, dispossessed and driven out. It is delusional to think that Nigerians are truly one Nigeria and only time will tell what becomes of it.
Prescriptively, Nigeria should go the way of the Balkan States or the old Soviet Union or the recent Serbia-Montenegro cum Kosovo. Population wise, there are easily thirty million people to be found in each of the three principal regional blocks of Nigeria and hence will be very viable countries, respectively. Costa Rica is a country and they are just four point four million people with no standing army. Switzerland is a country with just about seven million people and is home to all the trillion dollars stolen out of Africa by her successive despotic heads of governments and their minions. Aside of China with 1.3billion people, India with 1.2billion people, United States of America with 300million people, Indonesia with 231million people, Brazil with 183million people, Pakistan with 162million people and Bangladesh with 158million people, Nigeria is the next most populous country in the world with about 148million people. Who really wants to call such a "clustered" place home especially when the infrastructure is highly under-developed? Nigeria is numerically bigger than any country in Europe including Russia; Nigeria is bigger also than any country in South America except Brazil; Nigeria is also bigger than Canada's 33million as well as Mexico's 106million; Japan's 127million people inclusive. Among the 222 countries and territories of the world, Nigeria is eight in the hierarchy of most populous countries. Some countries have fewer than 1million inhabitants with Pitcaim Islands being the least populated with only 50 people. All those mantras of the bigger the better has not achieved anything for Nigeria but has been the tool of choice for the over-lords who are milking her dry, so it might as well forever rest in peace. Let the people go; let the willing ones go take flight just like an eagle and soar while the rest can become another Dafour for the United Nation to worry about. Look at United Arab Emirates and the very successful experiment called Dubai! Nigeria, it is a shame! It is a shame that over forty years after her independence and amidst the available resources, Nigeria is still wallowing in abject want of practically everything from good roads, electricity, medical care, security, food, houses to all such other comforts of life that makes modern life livable; yet this is a country that have taken in over $500Billion USD in revenue since 1970. Where are the Benjamines?

Watching Maoist rebel Prachand of Nepal few years ago, extract resounding agreement from the government of Nepal affirms that a determined rebellion could resolve intractable oppression in a country. A case in point is Nigeria where a peaceful sovereign national conference has become impossible to convene. The freedom fighters of the Niger Delta must not waver but steadily and surely persist in their demands for fairness and equity regarding their territorial wealth. Can you imagine for an instance somebody from Maine going to Texas and asserting rights over oil wells therein – this will surely bring the sheriff to town. Yet almost all the oil blocks in the Niger delta are owned by mostly Northerners with Danjuma’s oil block alone allegedly valued at over $1.2billion USD and Danjuma is from Taraba State and not the Niger Delta. How many oil wells do the Henshaws, the Saro-Wiwas, the Horsefalls, the Okumagbas etc own? It is thievery and must stop! The Niger Delta patriots are honed in and by God’s speed they shall succeed. A saying goes that if you cannot find the cricket, you might as well scatter its’ mound. Let every soul support these efforts by the youth of the Niger Delta in their quest to be fairly treated so that equity and peace may reign in Nigeria. Othman Dan Fodio once said that conscience is an open wound and only truth can heal it; so speak up Nigerians as justice for one is justice for all. The people of Niger Delta deserve to be mad at the injustices they have suffered over the years in the hands of successive Nigeria governments and reserves the right to be heard. It is about time some serious soul-searching is done that equity may prevail. Justice is sacrosanct to peace!

In summation therefore, there is no justification for all the wrongs going on in Nigeria. There is no reason why millions of well qualified Nigerians should be scouring the streets in Diaspora for survival amidst all the natural resources-driven wealth therein situated just because their home governments is rudderless and lost in the wilderness. There is no justification for the non development of infrastructures in Nigeria despite all the billions of dollars USD which the country have taken in since oil was discovered therein, in Oloibiri in 1958. The people of Nigeria are denied and deprived of basics of life amenities and Dubai (UAE) is a testimony for a government that really loves her people. What is the need to continue to sustain an entity that does not thrive or discharge its basic obligation to her people? It is about time some real hard questions are asked. It is about time enough really becomes enough – let everybody go their separate ways that certain group’s desire to go to the moon could be realized. This blogger still remembers very vividly the “Ogbunigwe aka Ojukwu bucket” improvised explosive devices (IEDS); improvised oil refineries that were built overnight to fuel the war effort; planes that were landed in improvised and specially night illuminated runways in the middle of jungles; guns and ammunition that were manufactured as child of necessity - a lot was accomplished during Biafra. It was done then and it can be done again.

Biafra is a testimony of what is possible for a willing mind and a fully mobilized populace. Even these mongrels presiding over Nigeria went as far as technically closing down PRODA, a flagship project development agency in the march for industrial breakthroughs in Eastern Nigeria, situated at Enugu. Biafra is an idea that is worth revisiting especially in view of what recently happened in Kosovo. Maybe a Kosovo style approach will yield desired result for the millions yearning to be free, Biafrans - establish contacts with the mighty and powerful United States of America, Britain, Germany and France; abstract their tacit approval/support and let the chips fall as they may. A complete balkanization is what Nigeria needs so that people could be freed to pursue their destinies however they may deem fit – some people wake up by 4.00am, some by 6.00am; some by 8.00am and some by 10.00am and some others in between so it is an arrant nonsense for anyone to expect that everybody will wake up at the same time. Where this panacea is not possible or practicable then, let the country settle for a full really working confederation with a weak center; sustained from heavy taxation just to maintain the army and foreign relations. Let us declare in one loud voice, “to your tents oh Nigerians” that the Bible prophesy for the Israelites could be fulfilled in Nigeria. Let Nigeria hold a SOVEREIGN NATIONAL CONFERENCE to fine-tune her continued existence as an entity - a lot has been lost over the years to the inefficiency of successive marauding governments! SNC will help in bridging this erosion. SNG is the only way forward that makes sense and nothing short of that will achieve the desired result. Enough of all these yokes hindering Nigeria from becoming a country to reckon with amongst comity of nations. All the phony declarations of greatness or intentions to get there by 2020 will come to naught absent a well conceived and freely conducted sovereign national conference as the way forward which will also serve as a building block for this new Nigeria. Nigeria needs a total rebirth and this is the core of this commentary.

SOUTH AFRICANS, BARBARIANS?

The ongoing extermination of fellow African people who are not South Africans natives but who are living in South Africa by South Africans is both deplorable and callous. This is because there would have been no South Africa for these disgruntled and misguided barbarians to lay claim to as theirs were it not for the concerted efforts of every African and their respective governments who fought apartheid off. These Africans paid taxes to their government who in turn supported anti-apartheid movements with such money which culminated to Nelson Mandela being freed from Robin Island prison penultimate his presidency which heralded full freedom for South Africa. Now these urchins are claiming that South Africa is their exclusive preserve and that non natives black Africans are thus not welcomed there; leading to the wanton disregard for human lives currently pervading South Africa. This is condemnable and should be so condemned by all men of good faith and decency. Icheoku heretofore condemn and unequivocally, the genocide currently going on in South Africa! Who the heck are these South Africans that they should be committing genocide of unprecedented magnitude against fellow Africans upon whose back they got their freedom? This is the same South Africa that the doyen of talk show, Oprah Winfrey invested a whooping $40million dollars establishing a girls academy there yet Oprah is not a South African and would have been so killed were she a plebeian subsisting in South Africa. Where is Nelson Mandela amidst all these pogrom? Where is the father of Africa when some of his children are being killed off and forced to flee for their lives from South Africa which they jointly freed from apartheid? Where is the outrage of Desmond Tutu, the peace-maker? Where is African Union? What is Thabo Mbeki's government doing to checkmate these arrant nonsense and unwarranted mayhem? This blogger remembers very vividly the involvement of then General Olusegun Obasanjo led Nigerian government with the struggle against apartheid both in manpower training and development as well as equipping the freedom fighters with their canteen and sometimes paying their staffers. This blogger equally remembers the sacrifices of people of then Rhodesia now Zimbabwe many of whom spilled their blood waging urban guerrilla warfare with both Botha and Ian Smith led oppressive governments. Now that Africans should be putting their heads together to explore the chances of reintegration from the colonial balkanization, just like the Europeans are doing through the European Union and other regional blocs are exploring through various regional cooperation, Africans are rather busy killing one another; South African are currently carrying out this genocide against fellow brother Africans because, according to them, they are not one of their own. When will Africa become a grown up? How can a blackman call a fellow blackman a stranger in motherland Africa? When will Africa begin to value precious blood of life in human beings by respecting the sanctity of life? Do Africans really treasure being called barbarians because of their love and penchant for shedding blood? Today it is South Africa, last time it was Rwanda, the other day Kenya, then Liberia, then Ivory Coast, then Sierra Leone, same with Uganda, also the intractable Congo, likewise the failed state of Somalia, then the Darfurians of Sudan and Chad just to mention a few of the hotbeds of Africa, where the West is making bountiful profit through arms sales with which they keep their population forcibly in check. Why would Africa be the biggest market for firearms and munition when it cannot feed her populace? Something is not right with this picture and a call for a speedy solution is the clarion cry of Icheoku. Africans must learn to be their brother's keeper and should see every blackman as a brother to be assimilated rather than exterminated. The world is laughing at the sordid affairs in Africa and has since declared Africa the cursed part of the body world. Africa is the cry baby of the world and Africa is the last outback of a developed and developing world. Hunger is worst in Africa! Disease is worst in Africa! Natural and man-made disasters are pandemic in Africa! Education is least developed in Africa! Nothing scientifically or otherwise has been bequeathed to the world by Africa! Wars are highest in Africa! Killing of one another is highest in Africa! Genocide is highest in Africa! Poverty is highest in Africa! Sit tight governments are most prevalent in Africa with the Mubarak of Egypt, Qaddafi of Lybia, Mugabe of Zimbabwe readily coming to mind. What use then is Africa one may ask? Africa cannot get her acts together and these wanton shedding of African blood by fellow Africans can only exacerbate an already bad situation, hence must be stopped and NOW! For desecrating Africa by shedding the blood of fellow Africans, the people of South Africa are hereby declared by Icheoku as the ungrateful ingrates of the African continent! They are despicable! Their acts are abominable! They are the present day barbarians of Africa! They are the decrepitude of African humanity and stands condemned by Icheoku for being the biblical Esau of Africa by killing their brother Abel fellow Africans! Such dying cries of butchered Africans go straight to God who has thus decreed South Africans a cursed people of Africa! South Africa will continue to wear this toga until they repent of their sins and ask for forgiveness of all Africans. Woe to you South Africans for killing fellow Africans on such a flimsy excuse as being non indigenous! Instead of becoming a melting pot UNITED STATES of AFRICA just like America, South Africa has today become the killing field of Africa where fellow Africans are butchered for no real reason at all. As of today, 56 Africans of non South African origin living in South Africa has been killed with 650 of them seriously injured by these hyena-South Africans! When will enough be really enough South Africa? Your act is both deplorable and criminal. Shame on you, South Africans!

SINGLE NIGERIAN LADIES IN THE US, WHO WILL MARRY THEM?

This past year alone I've had at least half a dozen friends who have returned to Nigeria to bring brides. Am not talking about those who left fiancees and girlfriends at home and returned to fulfill their pledges; no I am rather referring to those who went to conduct a fresh search for that elusive bride they claimed they couldn't find in the US. While there is nothing wrong with this phenomenon in general, I take exception to the notion held by some single Nigerian men in the US that most of the single Nigerian ladies also in the US are either corrupt in the moral sense, too materialistic or have simply lost their cultural values as appertains to marriage. Nothing, indeed, could be farthest from the truth and sadly enough, some of these men who have taken that trip to their villages and home states to fetch their brides are paying the price at the hands of these supposedly innocent homely women whom they had imported from motherland.
We should reckon that times are changing rapidly and our single men must reassess their marital plans with respect to these changing times. In some cases, the women brought from home have proven beyond reasonable doubt to be even more materialistic, more morally bankrupt, more sordid and less submissive than the single Nigerian women in the US. The latter having lived, schooled and worked in the US often have far more realistic expectations of their men than those from home who are taken in by the splendor of their new environs. The Nigerian society of our fathers and mothers is but an illusion in the present day and the single men must be aware of this fact before they pack their bags and head home in search of their 'Virgin Mary'. Some of these women once they arrive in the US proceed immediately to torment their husbands [or as they say in Nigeria - show him pepper] seeing that he no longer has a choice in the matter. Some remain patient until that all-important document is in hand and then proceed to leave their husbands for another gentleman, in most cases, younger and richer.
One of the fellows in my community who brought his wife from home has since confessed to me [and whoever would listen] that he made a grave mistake. He now agrees that he should have married his beautiful Nigerian girlfriend in the US who he exchanged for his wife at the behest of his family. With every phone call, they impressed upon him that the single Nigerian women in the US, and particularly, the one he was dating seriously at the time, were not good enough for him. They opposed the relationship primarily because she was from another state. His mother advised him that he must marry a girl from his area that they can vouch for in terms of her family history, background, education and sexual history. But how can they verify her sexual history? Will they go chasing all her ex-boyfriends in search of information about her sexual escapades, performance or lack thereof? Will they go to the university and asked each guy if he has bedded her or know of anyone who has or how many lecturers she had slept with for marks? How? In any case, at the end of the day, his mother prevailed [they always do] and this gentleman returned home to marry this highly recommended lady of supposed impeccable moral standing. But he and the rest of the community soon came to find out that there was nothing impeccable about her moral standing as she has been the biggest flirt in town since she made it down from Nigeria. You see, this lady, only in her mid twenties, is blessed with an impressive 'Dolly Patton' type chest and that has been both a source of imaginable pleasure to her husband as well as the source of ample disappointment and anguish to the poor guy, given that other men, quite regrettably, are also vested in that "source". Seemingly, with her beauty that makes the likes of Tara Banks jealous, some single Nigerian men [I bet some married ones too] in and around this community suddenly developed a keen interest in the work schedule of her husband in order to take advantage of his absence. As it is now, the couple has since separated only after three years of matrimony.
This is a very sad commentary, but so many other similar occurrences abound in this land and these calls for a critical assessment of the situation by these Nigerian single men before they take that marital plunge back home in Nigeria. With our society laced with the penchant for self-aggrandizement and immediate gratification, our single men can no longer take the recommendations of their friends and family at face value. They ought to probe further and take the time to truly souse themselves in the relevant details of the lady they intend to marry and bring to the US. If the truth be told, in some cases, some of these men would be better off if they settled for a single Nigerian lady already in the US. All things considered, it's cheaper, involves little or no immigration hassle as they are already in the country and provides the opportunity for the couple to at least know each other through on hands dating before taking that nuptial plunge. Most importantly, this eliminates the "US" factor as the man is assured that the lady's interest in him is not as a result of her desire of a better life in the US. But regrettably, some of our men are now learning the hard way that the “Ngozi” or “Ronke” or “Amina” that was fetched from the village at the recommendation of their parents and relatives only used them to gain entrance into the US. How would a man who spends 99.9 percent of his time in faraway America ascertain that such a “wife to be” is for real? How would a man know that Ronke isn't using him as a means to come to America and better her own life and finally possibly hook up with that ex-boyfriend of hers elsewhere whom she never really got over with emotionally or perhaps tell the man off as not being her type!? Some of our young and single ladies in Nigeria are very desperate to get out of that country. I hear it all the time when I go home for a visit. They come on to any Nigerian man who visits home regardless of his marital status or age or looks and some of them even camp out at the airport in the hopes of attracting the eye of any US arrived! Even some Nigerian men who are married to Americans and other non-Nigerians who go home for a visit are sometimes told to drop their foreign wives for a "real home gal". They call these men "Hamburger Nigerians" because of the mistaken belief that their white women cook for them only hamburgers and not "amala" or "egusi" soup. But this couldn't be true, because I know of a Nigerian lawyer in Baltimore who married a white woman who cooks Nigerian cuisines better than some so called home gals. Some of these gals would say "yes" to any man who comes from the US to seek their hand in marriage regardless of his caliber, level of education, looks, character and what have you. The question most of them ask is not "What kind of man is he", but rather, "Will he take me to America?" Their motivation has nothing to do with love but is rather self-serving as a means to just get out from Nigeria.
That leads me to the question - how about the single Naija ladies in the US, who will marry them? Who will marry them if most of the Nigerian bachelors in the US are returning home to their villages in Nigeria to bring their brides? Who will marry Bola in Los Angeles? Who will marry Adaobi in Chicago? Who will marry Aisha in New York City? Who will marry Eno in Oakland? And the same story is true of single Nigeria girls in every State and City in America hoping and praying for that Naija man to find her in his radar. It's about time some of these 'home-going' men took a good look at the available Nigerian ladies in the US; they might be surprised at what they find. This is not to aver that there are no disingenuous, creepy, conniving and mischievous ones amongst this group in the US. There are, but some are still responsible professionals who contrary to popular belief haven't exchanged their fine cultural upbringing for the flimsy and casual ways of the West. They are everywhere in the US, in every shade, shape and size. The choice is infinite. But some, admittedly, are snubs, with an inflated sense of self and worth. One can usually recognize these types. When they walk into a party, they behave like they own the place; their shoulders are higher than the ceiling. Even before taking a good look at the men at the party, they would conclude that they aren't good enough for them. When you ask them politely for a dance, they would behave like you just asked for their hand in marriage. They would give you the famous 'Nigerian woman's' look and would hiss louder than a governor's siren, measuring you up and down with their eyes even before you blink.
On account of the seeming lack of interest by some single Nigerian men in the US, some of our women have given up and have forayed into the path of men from other countries and races including Whitemen, Asians, Jewish, Arabs, Jamaicans, Pakistanians, Indians, Bangladesh, Latin men and some are even tangling with Chinese men - the 'Lo mien' Naijas. One of my Naija lady friend has since pitched her tent with white men. She said she once dated Nigerian men and found them to be chauvinistic and inconsiderate - a broad brush. She claims that she cannot find a Nigerian man who can tolerate her strong and forward personality. Most Nigerian men, according to her, want "yes" women - women who will cloth and bath them, cook and clean for them and still be available to offer a plethora of sexual pleasure whenever. She stated that she gave Nigerian men a chance, but they "blew it" [her words] because they were either too possessive, demanding or simply oblivious on the fine art of how to treat a woman with respect, care and love. Even little things like sending flowers on birthdays and other memorable occasions and being romantic are lost on some Nigerian men, she contends. But all of this could not be true of all Nigerian men, is it?
Evidently, there are so many young and single Nigerian women in the US who are waiting for that special Nigerian man to knock on their door. Some of them believe that the man for them is yet to be born - Good luck! Some might not wait too long before they try their luck with men of other races. For those Nigerian men who think that all the good Nigerian women are still in Nigeria and ignore the ones here, they must think again. The young women at home are no fools. They are savvy, informed, independent and in some cases even more knowledgeable than the ones in the US. Some of them are far wiser than the three wise men and it would be foolish for any man to think that in them he would find submission and acceptable morals simply because they were brought from home. Sometimes, the best things are next to us and we just don't realize that. This is in no way to aver that the women brought from home all have ill-intentions - not at all. There are many who are in very successful marriages. What I am asserting, however, is the simple fact that those men who state categorically that most of the single Naija women in the US have lost their cultural sprite because of the corruption of the American society should have a rethink.

EXCLUSION CLAUSE: - The above picture of a top Nigerian model used here is for illustration purposes only of how beautiful Nigerian girls are and not in any way suggestive that she is not a marriage type or that she is looking for a husband. Of her marital status, this blogger does not claim any knowledge whatsoever, thereto! This article was sent in by an anonymous contributor; it was however editorially retouched slightly with our target visitors in mind.

OSU - THE IGBO UNTOUCHABLES!

For a preamble and for the benefit of those visitors without the necessary background knowledge of the subject here discussed, OSU, like the “Dalits” of India is a caste system in the Igbo speaking areas of South Eastern Nigeria, Africa. OSU are people tainted by their birth into a caste system that deems them impure and less human. According to legend, OSU came into being as a result of human sacrifice to the gods wherein a person usually a slave or a war-spoil, instead of being physically killed as a sacrifice to the gods is spared the butcher’s knife and instead dedicated symbolically to the deity as its’ property. The implication therefore is that such a person breathes and exists for the deity and none other; and assumes the stature of a lesser human who has been sacrificed as an offal to the gods. Regrettably these human-sacrifices married and procreated thus transferring unto their descendants the stigma of their “burnt-offering” status; which also make them properties of the gods that their forebears were sacrificed to. The downside is that these “people” because of their very lowly and sometimes “non-existent” status in the society are forced to reconcile their fate to the worthless and basest of a given Igbo society; wherein they found themselves and nobody seriously speaking, wants any association with them be it marriage, neighborhood, business and/or other associations that brings people together. One who is a free born cannot marry the lowly caste OSU and vice-versa. An OSU cannot also aspire to be a high chief or ruler/king in the society wherein they are born. This practice is prevalent within the Igbo society and its denial sometimes is for public relations purposes only. Several legislation have been targeted at this practice which so many have come to regard as inhuman practice aka man’s inhumanity to man; but is the OSU really man or human in the eye of the Igbo society wherein the practice thrives to date?
This blogger remembers quite vividly too, a traditional ruler (king) who wanted to outlaw the OSU practice. He summoned his Igwe - in- council (cabinet) for a parley wherein he intimated them of his intentions. According to the story, this Chief informed his council that he plans to outlaw the practice of OSU in his domain. After he finished speaking, one of the elders in the council raised his hand for recognition to speak or contribute to the deliberation. He was granted the floor to speak and all he did was ask the Chief if he would, as a show of goodwill allow his daughter to be married away to an OSU. The Chief was livid with anger and demanded to know where from the speaker got his audacity to speak on the subject as it appertains to his princess. And this was the last bus stop for the proposed legislation in the Igwe-n-council.
The irony for victims of OSU practice is that no amount of wealth they may acquire is ever enough to wash them off this stigma. Also their rise in the society of their ancestry is always stunted forcing most of them to take a long hard refuge in a foreign soil where they sometimes live out the rest of their lives agonizing of this fate; which though not self-inflicted but a result of generational apron string, are yoked down irrevocably to the tabooed status of being an OSU. It is such a very painful experience to undergo and no one should wish that - being an OSU on his worst enemy, indeed!
This blogger also knows one prominent well to do family who were living happily until one of the daughters decided to marry. She fell in love with this young medical doctor practicing in New York City – they moved in together and within nine months had a baby. Then the traditional marriage rites started in earnest wherein the man sent words to his family still in Nigeria to proceed with formalizing their relationship. Wherein it was discovered that the bride came from an OSU family and this was no brainier; so the child notwithstanding, the marriage or jactitation or semblance thereto has to be terminated forthwith because the father of the groom was a politician who would not want any taint whatsoever, of an OSU, as a daughter in-law. The girl moved to the west coast with her daughter and presently lives in southern California as a single mother. The groom has since re-married but the girl has not been that lucky as all the men who came around always jumps the ship as soon as the story of her ancestry reached their ears.

In an article written by one Mr. Leo Igwe and published on April 24th, 2008 in http://www.politicalcortex.com/ titled “CONFRONTING THE OSU PROBLEM IN NIGERIA”, OSU caste was succinctly stated as affecting millions of people in Igbo land; who live with this OSU stigma which haunts, hurts and hamper their lives, self-esteem and development till death. According to this writer, the OSU status is permanent, irremediable and irreversible. Further that some Christian churches have preached against the Osu practice but these sermons have fallen on deaf ears and have not in any way positive impacted on this despicable practice. It is so ingrained in the Igbo society that even some of these churches have acquiesced with the practitioners of this OSU and are now practicing it in some fashion; wherein some free-born are indulged their habit of avoiding sitting near with or holding hands with those alleged to be OSU during church services. And during thanksgiving ceremony for instance, according to some reports, sometimes the harvests or offering of the OSU are kept separate from that of the freeborn.
Continuing, the author stated that OSU is of a permanent social disability wherein the OSUS are perceived and regarded as unclean and capable of defiling the free-born. As a consequence of this their very low ebb in the society, the Diala (free-born) relate with OSU as a master relates with a slave or as a healthy person interacts with a leper in order to avoid any social defilement and contamination by an OSU through untoward and/or unsanctioned interaction. An OSU is not allowed to marry or be married from the community of free born and such OSU can only marry a fellow OSU from their own society of OSUS or elsewhere, where they are not identified as such or outside the Igbo tribe. However their offspring remains OSU ad infinitum. OSU brings a generational curse or stigma along with it; and nothing ever washes it away since it is a genetic or hereditary infection which is passed unto offspring after offspring.
OSU are still hated, despised and discriminated against through out practicing areas in Igbo land. It cannot easily be wished away and no amount of money or material acquisition can otherwise dilute the stigma to an acceptability level. Some unforeseen necessary consequences of this social ostracizing in Igbo land is that many development projects have been abandoned because the community will not accept donations from OSU who sometimes are the wealthiest in the society; many marriages have also been dissolved after it was discovered that a party thereto is an OSU because it is an abomination to have an OSU as an in-law and where pregnancy has resulted, many of such pregnancies have also been terminated just to avoid the transmutation of this social virus down the family tree.
What exactly is the solution to this nefarious social quarantine of a group of citizens simply because of the ancestry of their birth defies every logical fix. There has been several legislative attempts to just legislate it away; but such ingrained-social practice has defied such effort at reformation. It has thrived for so long that to certain degree, it now forms part of the societal bedrock. Even the government championing the reformation is populated with citizens who half-heartedly push it because they silently wish it does not go away. More so, they will not do what it takes to make these untouchables acceptable by allowing their own sons and daughters to show good leadership by example through marriage to these sub-human citizens aka OSU . All the monies in the world cannot also wash this social leprosy away and such an unfortunate pedigreed “person” is bogged down in the quagmire of a caste system which he or she accidentally and by virtue of birth found him/herself in.
There is no known clear pathway forward towards absorbing or at least tolerating these lowly-births within the Igbo society. Various opinions exists as to the way forward, which Mr. Leo Igwe described as “three schools of thought representing three different dispositions on the issue”. These schools he further categorized into “the denialist, the apathetic and the realist”. According to Mr. Igwe, the denialist claims that the OSU caste system has been abolished and that it is no longer practiced in Igboland. Coincidentally majority of this school of thought members come from the OSU constituency itself and these are people who would rather wish the practice quietly goes away; and currently live in a state of euphoric hysteria where the practice no longer existed. But to successfully champion the believe of this school of thought, in view of the prevalent practices in Igbo land regarding OSU caste, one has to suspend disbelieve itself. Unfortunately this is not the true position as even the law, purportedly abolishing the OSU caste system, has been merely a paper tiger which has no plausible way of meaningful enforcement. The intent of the legislation has not been met as it has not primarily stopped people from discriminating against OSU. The “denialists” therefore are not helping the matter at all as they are delusional as to the actuality of existence of OSU caste and hence their position is deceptive and misleading and would not in any way help in eradicating this obnoxious custom.

Further the “apathetic” tells us to ignore the practice and pretend as if it does not exist. They acknowledge its existence but would rather it is not given much weight if any - they adopted this indifferent attitude because they find the practice very embarrassing to be occupying the front pages of discussion in Igbo land. According to this group of postulators, if the OSU system is ignored by all and for so long, it may die off without the need to make it remain very radioactive with its continuous discussion among the populace. For them, the OSU practice should be ignored so that it would fizzle out on its own. But they forgot that there has not been any case in history where oppressive traditions just fizzled out that way. In most cases they are consciously and conscientiously fought, rooted out and defeated. Was it apartheid in South Africa, slavery and racism in United States of America, independence for colonized countries of the world, military dictatorships etc such vicious practices were confronted head-on before they would yield way for a more harmonious society. Should that be the case with the OSU caste system and whether it will work is debatable. The apathetic disposition is cowardly and would not in anyway help in combating this vicious OSU caste system of man’s inhumanity to man which practice has transcended several generations cutting across multiple traditional tenets in Igbo land.
Then enters the the “realist” who acknowledges the existence of OSU practice in Igbo land but admits its complexity; they posit that it would require a lot of hard-work, time, education, reorientation, social, political, and cultural will-power to finally put an end to the practice.

However, this school of realist is the nearest best articulation of the general situation in Igbo land that OSU caste system is very much alive. OSU caste system, it must be admitted is evil, primitive, inhuman and barbaric and hence must be done away with in order for a really modern, homogeneous, enlightened, harmonised and civilized society to truly emerge in Igbo land; and there is no better time to do it than in the present 21st century - the time to do that is NOW !

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHIEF DR. AUSTIN CHUKS-ORJI

Icheoku congratulates our dear Chief Dr. Austin Chuks-Orji on his birthday! What a milestone! We wish you many more happy years ahead. Once again, CONGRATULATION!

KEITH OLBERMANN HOLDS HILARY CLINTON ACCOUNTABLE!

This transcript of special commentary by Keith Olbermann of MSNBC captioned "Clinton, you invoked a political nightmare by referencing RFK's assassination as a reason for staying in the race is unforgivable" delivered on Friday, May. 23, 2008 is hereby republished just in case you missed the fireworks. Happy trails!

Asked if her continuing fight for the nomination against Senator Obama hurts the Democratic Party, Sen. Hillary Clinton replied, "I don't. Because again, I've been around long enough. You know, my husband did not wrap up the nomination in 1992 until he won the California primary somewhere in the middle of June, right? We all remember Bobby Kennedy was assassinated in June in California. You know, I just don't understand it. You know, there's lots of speculation about why it is. “
She actually said those words. Those words, Senator? You actually invoked the nightmare of political assassination. You actually invoked the specter of an inspirational leader, at the seeming moment of triumph, for him and a battered nation yearning to breathe free, silenced forever. You actually used the word "assassination" in the middle of a campaign with a loud undertone of racial hatred - and gender hatred - and political hatred. You actually used the word "assassination" in a time when there is a fear, unspoken but vivid and terrible, that our again-troubled land and fractured political landscape might target a black man running for president. Or a white man. Or a white woman! You actually used those words, in this America, Senator, while running against an African-American against whom the death threats started the moment he declared his campaign?
You actually used those words, in this America, Senator, while running to break your "greatest glass ceiling" and claiming there are people who would do anything to stop you? You! Senator - never mind the implications of using the word "assassination" in any connection to Senator Obama. What about you? You cannot say this! The references, said her spokesperson, were not, in any way, weighted. The allusions, said Mo Uh-leathee, are, "...historical examples of the nominating process going well into the summer and any reading into it beyond that would be inaccurate and outrageous." I'm sorry. There is no inaccuracy. Not for a moment does any rational person believe Senator Clinton is actually hoping for the worst of all political calamities. Yet the outrage belongs, not to Senator Clinton or her supporters, but to every other American.
Firstly, she has previously bordered on the remarks she made today. Then swerved back from them and the awful skid they represented. She said, in an off-camera interview with Time on March 6, "Primary contests used to last a lot longer. We all remember the great tragedy of Bobby Kennedy being assassinated in June in L.A. My husband didn't wrap up the nomination in 1992 until June, also in California. Having a primary contest go through June is nothing particularly unusual. We will see how it unfolds as we go forward over the next three to four months."
In retrospect, we failed her when we did not call her out, for that remark, dry and only disturbing, in a magazine's pages. But somebody obviously warned her of the danger of that rhetoric: After the Indiana primary, on May 7, she told supporters at a Washington hotel: "Sometimes you gotta calm people down a little bit. But if you look at successful presidential campaigns, my husband did not get the nomination until June of 1992. I remember tragically when Senator Kennedy won California near the end of that process."
And at Shepherdstown, West Virginia, on the same day, she referenced it again: "You know, I remember very well what happened in the California primary in 1968 as, you know, Senator Kennedy won that primary." On March 6th she had said "assassinated." By May 7 she had avoided it. Today... she went back to an awful well. There is no good time to recall the awful events of June 5th, 1968, of Senator Bobby Kennedy, happy and alive - perhaps, for the first time since his own brother's death in Dallas in 1963... Galvanized to try to lead this nation back from one of its darkest eras... Only to fall victim to the same surge that took that brother and Martin Luther King... There is no good time to recall this. But certainly to invoke it, two weeks before the exact 40th anniversary of the assassination, is an insensitive and heartless thing
And certainly to invoke it, three days after the awful diagnosis, and heart-breaking prognosis, for Senator Ted Kennedy, is just as insensitive, and just as heartless. And both actions open a door wide into the soul of somebody who seeks the highest office in this country, and through that door shows something not merely troubling, but frightening. And politically inexplicable. What, Senator, do you suppose would happen if you withdrew from the campaign, and Senator Obama formally became the presumptive nominee, and then suddenly left the scene? It doesn't even have to be the “dark curse upon the land” you mentioned today, Senator. Nor even an issue of health. He could simply change his mind... Or there could unfold that perfect-storm scandal your people have often referenced, even predicted. Maybe he could get a better offer from some other, wiser, country. What happens then, Senator? You are not allowed back into the race? Your delegates and your support vanish? The Democrats don't run anybody for President? What happens, of course, is what happened when the Democrats' vice presidential choice, Senator Thomas Eagleton of Missouri, had to withdraw from the ticket, in 1972 after it proved he had not been forthcoming about previous mental health treatments. George McGovern simply got another vice president. Senator, as late as the late summer of 1864 the Republicans were talking about having a second convention, to withdraw Abraham Lincoln's re-nomination and choose somebody else because until Sherman took Atlanta in September it looked like Lincoln was going to lose to George McClellan. You could theoretically suspend your campaign, Senator. There's plenty of time and plenty of historical precedent, Senator, in case you want to come back in, if something bad should happen to Senator Obama. Nothing serious, mind you. It's just like you said, "We all remember Bobby Kennedy was assassinated in June in California." Since those awful words in Sioux Falls, and after the condescending, buck-passing statement from her spokesperson, Senator Clinton has made something akin to an apology, without any evident recognition of the true trauma she has inflicted. "I was discussing the Democratic primary history, and in the course of that discussion mentioned the campaigns both my husband and Senator Kennedy waged California in June in 1992 and 1968," she said in Brandon, South Dakota. "I was referencing those to make the point that we have had nomination primary contests that go into June. That's a historic fact. "The Kennedys have been much on my mind the last days because of Senator Kennedy. I regret that if my referencing that moment of trauma for our entire nation, particularly for the Kennedy family was in any way offensive, I certainly had no intention of that whatsoever."
"My view is that we have to look to the past and to our leaders who have inspired us and give us a lot to live up to and I'm honored to hold Senator Kennedy's seat in the United States Senate in the state of New York and have the highest regard for the entire Kennedy family. Thanks. Not a word about the inappropriateness of referencing assassination. Not a word about the inappropriateness of implying - whether it was intended or not - that she was hanging around waiting for somebody to try something terrible. Not a word about Senator Obama. Not a word about Senator McCain. Not: I'm sorry. Not: I apologize. Not: I blew it. Not: please forgive me. God knows, Senator, in this campaign, this nation has had to forgive you, early and often. And despite your now traditional position of the offended victim, the nation has forgiven you.
We have forgiven you your insistence that there have been widespread calls for you to end your campaign, when such calls had been few. We have forgiven you your misspeaking about Martin Luther King's relative importance to the Civil Rights movement.We have forgiven you your misspeaking about your under-fire landing in Bosnia. We have forgiven you insisting Michigan's vote wouldn't count and then claiming those who would not count it were Un-Democratic. We have forgiven you pledging to not campaign in Florida and thus disenfranchise voters there, and then claim those who stuck to those rules were as wrong as those who defended slavery or denied women the vote. We have forgiven you the photos of Osama Bin Laden in an anti-Obama ad. We have forgiven you fawning over the fairness of Fox News while they were still calling you a murderer. We have forgiven you accepting Richard Mellon Scaife's endorsement and then laughing as you described his "deathbed conversion." We have forgiven you quoting the electoral predictions of Boss Karl Rove. We have forgiven you the 3 a.m. Phone Call commercial. We have forgiven you President Clinton's disparaging comparison of the Obama candidacy to Jesse Jackson's. We have forgiven you Geraldine Ferraro's national radio interview suggesting Obama would not still be in the race had he been a white man. We have forgiven you the dozen changing metrics and the endless self-contradictions of your insistence that your nomination is mathematically probable rather than a statistical impossibility. We have forgiven you your declaration of some primary states as counting and some as not. We have forgiven you exploiting Jeremiah Wright in front of the editorial board of the lunatic-fringe Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. We have forgiven you exploiting William Ayers in front of the debate on ABC. We have forgiven you for boasting of your "support among working, hard-working Americans, white Americans". We have even forgiven you repeatedly praising Senator McCain at Senator Obama's expense, and your own expense, and the Democratic ticket's expense.
But Senator, we cannot forgive you this.
"You know, my husband did not wrap up the nomination in 1992 until he won the California primary somewhere in the middle of June, right? We all remember Bobby Kennedy was assassinated in June in California." We cannot forgive you this -- not because it is crass and low and unfeeling and brutal. This is unforgivable, because this nation's deepest shame, its most enduring horror, its most terrifying legacy, is political assassination. Lincoln. Garfield. McKinley. Kennedy. Martin Luther King. Robert Kennedy. And, but for the grace of the universe or the luck of the draw, Reagan, Ford, Truman, Nixon, Andrew Jackson, both Roosevelts, even George Wallace. The politics of this nation is steeped enough in blood, Senator Clinton; you cannot and must not invoke that imagery! Anywhere! At any time! And to not appreciate, immediately - to still not appreciate tonight - just what you have done... is to reveal incomprehension of the America you seek to lead.
This, Senator, is too much. Because a senator - a politician - a person - who can let hang in mid-air the prospect that she might just be sticking around in part, just in case the other guy gets shot - has no business being, and no capacity to be, the President of the United State
Good night and good luck.

BEHOLD THE INCOMING FIRST COUPLE!

This is what the portrait of the next first couple of the United States of America looks like! Are they not awesome - a couple to die for? Their happiness is deep; their love for each other is infectious and Icheoku strongly believes that they will extend same to the American people and the world at large. You have the support of the American people and the goodwill of majority of the good people of the world in this your once in a lifetime journey! You are sure-footed and you shall not stumble or trip. God's speed and protection is all that we wish you. Congratulations Barack & Michelle Obama for making this moment possible! Have a blissful presidency and first ladyship. For more information, visit http://www.barackobama.com/

WHAT A LOYAL SUPPORT!

I took this picture of an avid Barack Obama supporter in her volvo car with a rzr camera phone . She and her companion lives and breathes OBAMA08 without shame, let or hindrance and like every other Barack Obama supporter is proud to be identified as such. Icheoku supports Barack Obama for president and we proudly give our support. Barack Obama is the man! This is the kind of support needed of any one intending to lead us as a nation and Barack Obama is the one, America!

HILARY CLINTON IS A VULTURE!

Today, Hilary Clinton confirmed the fear of this blogger and numerous others on why she had stuck in there despite the mathematical impossibility of her viability as the Democratic Party's Presidential nominee. SHE IS A VULTURE waiting for Barack Obama to drop dead! With her ghoulish comment alluding to the possible assassination of Barack Obama in June as the reason for her continued stay in the race, it is now conclusive that this woman is very mean and heartless. The statement by Hilary Clinton is confessional of her inner yearnings! Like William Shakespeare said, you cannot decode one's mind from the construction of the face but now Hilary's mind has been ventilated by her very own statement. However, America should pray that nothing evil happens to Obama, otherwise there may be nothing conducive for a Hilary Clinton to step in and govern. Like Don Corleone said in the Godfather concerning Micheal during a peace meeting between the various families, he is a superstitious man that should thunder strike Michael's America-bound plane, he will hold other families responsible for it. Hilary Clinton's comment together with the "pointing a gun at Barack Obama" supposed joke by Michael Huckabee at NRA convention are not mere coincidence and we as Americans should pray that nothing evil happens to our dear Barack Obama. The over 75,000 people that came to Barack Obama's rally in Oregon is a testimony that Obama now belongs to the people of America and his martyrdom will not go unanswered. Touch not the peoples' anointed one, that there will be peace in the land!

Many people including this blogger have been wondering why Hilary Clinton has refused to yield the podium for the inevitable Barack Obama in the Democratic Presidential nomination contest. The answer is not far fetched and it could be surmised simply as DESPERATION! Hilary Rodham Clinton is desperate to etch her name in history as the first woman president of the United States of America and considers this as a life time one-shot opportunity to realise this her age long dream. Regrettably however, nobody wants her in that seat, not this blogger, not the American people and not even her libidinous husband, Bill Clinton. If anybody strictly speaking, has sabotaged her campaign so much this far, that person is her husband, Bill Clinton - the Jesse Jackson comment in South Carolina, different foreign policy direction wherein Hilary is fighting against NAFTA and her husband Bill was receiving $800,000dollars USD speaking fees from the same Columbia government agency lobbying for free trade deals with Washington, giving different versions of Hilary's "misspeak" alleging that it was due to her fatigue that Hilary "misspoke" about sniper fire in Bosnia when she was trumpeting her ability to pick up a 3.00AM phone call touting that as her experience. Bill's fairy tale comment to Obama's aspiration was also another avoidable gaffe which Bill anyways, made. All these Bill's "deliberate misspeaks" is fuelling the conspiracy school of thought theory which posits that Bill silently is jealous of his wife's aspiration to the presidency as she would have trumped him being a US Senator as well as the president. However this is just mere theories as we now go to the facts. Why is she still hanging around?

Like a vulture, Hilary Clinton is waiting patiently for Barack Obama to stumble so that she can cash a check she did not write or that which was not written in her name. Does that sound opportunistic, you bet! Does that sound like a desperado, sure! But will the American electorate allow such condescending antic, not this time. For over a month now, Hilary Clinton has been trailing Barack Obama in every facet of the Democratic Party's nominating primaries - the number of States won, number of elected delegates, number of popular votes, fresh super delegate endorsements as well as fund raising and yet she has refused to bow out. Barack Obama also has trounced her in effectively managing his campaign with such class and finesse as is only befitting a master political tactician and operative. In other words, Barack Obama had thumped Hilary Clinton and also former President Bill Clinton as well as the well oiled Clinton machine which had spanned over two decades. That Barack Obama, a political "neophyte" in contrast to the Clintons could achieve such a political earthquake is more than enough for the Clintons to throw in the towel but they will not; they are not that very honorable to read the handwriting on the wall of the American political landscape. They have gone from Obama being a Muslim, to being a fanatical Christian, to being a fairy tale, to being a Jesse Jackson, to being an Arab, to being unpatriotic, to being unelectable, to being unAmerican, to being black, to being euphoric and now to being elitist. But the Oxford/Webster's dictionary definition of elitism has to be changed for Barack Obama, who was raised by a single mother and who lived in the south side of Chicago to qualify as one. As is always the case with the Clintons, they live in a fantasy world where they believe things are so because they think so - the power of living in lies for so long that they become delusional and hallucinate as to what is real!

What will the Clintons not do to realise an age long selfish, ego driven power-drunk ambition. BUT NOT THIS TIME! Hilary Clinton's negatives among the electorates are too high and this blogger strongly believes that if given the right support he will even go toe to toe with Hilary for the nomination, talk less of our dear Teflon Barack Obama. What is wrong with Hilary Clinton's desperation is that she might not recover from her delusion when the tree finally falls as it will surely be cut and very soon. PLEASE HILARY, DO THE RIGHT THING AND NOW; WITHDRAW FROM THE RACE THAT YOU MAY SAVE WHATEVER MODICUM OF DECENCY THAT IS STILL LEFT IN YOU. All the eggheads have calculated that absent a major catastrophic upheaval that there is no chance in hell that Hilary Clinton will win the nomination. Which begs the question, what is she then waiting for before bowing out? This is a bridge too far and Hilary Clinton must correctly assess that or tell the world especially the democratic party electorates how she plans to perform this miracle of biblical Lazarus. Hilary Clinton, please if you loose the nomination, try not to also loose the people at the same time - you are a politician and you will need the people as much as a fish needs water to survive, politically.

This is probably this blogger's last commentary on Hilary Clinton on this matter and pray that a word is enough for the wise - and a lawyer should be? In any event that you continue on this path to nowhere and you are finally thrown into a political garbage bin by the super delegates, history will not forgive you for missing a wonderful opportunity to engender your self in the hearts of millions including this blogger, Ebekuo as a sport. Do not be a vulture since Barack Obama will not just drop for you to ravage. Cut down your losses and NOW!. So long, Hilary.

VIRGIN AMERICA IS IT!

At an altitude of 38092 feet above sea level cruising at 514mph with outside temperature of minus 71 degrees Fahrenheit, Virgin America is the new way to air-travel. It is so smooth, quiet, clean, nice that you feel you are inside of a clean room with a world-class night club interiors. The inside lighting are very seductive. Food and alcoholic beverages are available on order only by swiping your plastic under the console but you can get as much free soda and water as your thirst may desire. All the seats are soft leather that the tossing and turning becomes a thing of the past. The leg room is equally reasonable. This was the experience of last week when I was delighted to hop on one across the country to JFK. The head-rest in built personal console was a delight as one can watch live feed broadcast from all the major cable networks including MSNBC; such that you don't miss any news as it happens just because you are airborne. One can also tune to any of the numerous radio stations or play video games depending on your preference. I enjoyed greatly the journey navigation system wherein you can monitor live, the flight progression directly in front of you with the help of Google map. I flew red eye and it was so easy to dose off only to wake up the following morning in New York. It was a nice experience overall and I strongly recommend VIRGIN AMERICA for that savvy urbane traveller the next time duty calls. Icheoku therefore strongly recommends Virgin America as the best way to enjoy a quiet comfy air travel; so make it the choice when next you have to just get up and fly. For those visitors whose locality does not presently benefit from a Virgin America flight, just keep this in mind whenever your next trip will take you through one of the major cities currently serviced by Virgin America! I took these pictures with a Nikon Coolpix 8700 camera.

WHO IS AFRAID OF CHANGE & HOPE?

Roswell Georgia newspaper, the Roswell Beacon had adopted a page from Hilary Clinton and Mike Huckabee's scripts targeting Barack Obama. The conspiracy is mounting, from Mike Huckabee's supposed joke at a National Rifles Association convention that Barack Obama has a gun pointed at him to Senator Hilary Rodham Clinton's assertion that the reason she had remained in the race impliedly is just in case Barack Obama is assassinated in June just like Robert Kennedy. Now the deep south enclave of KKK and racist red neck white supremacists town of Roswell Newspaper has followed suit with the publication above, depicting Barack Obama in the cross hairs of a sniper rifle. These are not just mere coincidences and the world is watching the America of 2008 to see if it has moved on from its 1968 self. However, as we pray that nothing evil comes Barack Obama's way, the over seventeen million Americans whose mandate Barack Obama presently holds, will not keep quite should the unthinkable happens. Mike Huckabee, Hilary Clinton and now Roswell Beacon are by this publication being put on notice by Icheoku that the amber of flame which they have ignited is flickering and they would be principally held accountable should their nightmarish scenario ever come to pass! They are all instigators and baiters hoping some nutcase somewhere will bite and bring to fruition their dark sided minds. This is not healthy for a twenty first century America and yet this is the land of the free and home of the brave! Shame on you hate baiters!

PRAY FOR TED KENNEDY!

At 75 years plus old, Senator Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts is fairly of an advanced age and hence malleable to the foibles of age related infirmities including malignant brain tumor? It is human! This is a man who has endeared himself to the hearts of so many Americans and some other millions of people the world over, through his numerous people-oriented good works; despite his very upper class pedigree, being a Kennedy. Most recently he came out to forcefully endorse Barack Obama for president against all odds and every expectation since a Hilary Clinton was also in the race. By this edifying act of magnanimity, Senator Ted Kennedy has once again proved that he can go across the board to do the right thing and that past political ties notwithstanding, he can also cross racial barrier to endorse Barack Obama when necessary. For us at Icheoku, this is one of his most stellar action and Senator Ted Kennedy was very masterful indeed, doing this. His vivacious campaign for Barack Obama in Texas wherein he chorused a Spanish song was very uplifting too. For all his good works and worthy examples, Senator Ted Kennedy deserves to stay around and very much longer to complete all the good works he started and see his Barack Obama, elected the first black president of America. Icheoku therefore, prays that the almighty God will send forth his angels to fight off this malignant tumor afflicting the brain of Senator Ted Kennedy. Please pray with Icheoku for Ted Kennedy's very quick and full recovery! As we all know, Senator Ted Kennedy is a fighter and with the aid of our collective prayers he will surely fight off this illness. We at "Icheoku" wish him a very speedy recovery!

THE INVISIBLE NIGERIANS IN AMERICA!

For an average Joe Nigerian in motherland Africa, the Nigerian in God's own country is seen in the prism of the likes of Professor Philip Emegwali, the computing genius. For that Joe, the struggle to get emancipated by securing the almighty American visa is to jet out and in a twinkle of an eye go back to Nigeria, roaring in cash-money. But unbeknowst to this "aspirant", for each Philip Emegwali there are several thousands of Augustine Obi whose dream of realising the fabled American dream has turned into a nightmare. There are approximately four million Nigerians living in America and the Philip Emegwalis among them are less than 0.001 percentile and between the Philip Emegwalis and the Augustine Obis of Nigerians in America are several other Nigerians some of whom life is a daily struggle and juggling of priorities. Which bill should be paid and which other bill will be deferred or recycled into the next billing period, at which time it attracts further interests making it near impossible for a full amortisation of the debt. This billable hang over the neck of majority of immigrants, Nigerians inclusive, as well as many other Americans whose lives are identifiable with a popular aphorism, "one lives in here to pay bills".

Is it a bed of roses? It depends on whether you are asking Philip Emegwali or our own very Augustine Obi. Is it very challenging, you bet, depending on whose paradigm you are measuring it? Is it a refuge for the near hopelessness back home in Nigeria, surely. However one thing is certain - that if you put your daily measure, you will come out better than were you left at the chagrins of a country whose leadership knows no better but to loot the treasury dry. A country whose stock in trade is for her "leaders" to steal and steal until an individual becomes wealthier than the state itself; and her citizens left with virtually nothing. A country whose graduates are made destitute amidst the plenty which the very few had wantonly commandeered for themselves and their families. A country which sprang an Olusegun Obasanjo from prison and without putting him in a half-way house to decompress, put him in Aso Rock in charge of the affairs of the state. How could a prisoner who has been information-deprived, socially ostracised during his incarceration, and who was in a complete isolation from humanity because of the nature of the charges, treason, for which he was imprisoned be foist on a nation without first psychologically evaluating him for fitness to govern? This was a man who the Abacha junta accused of treason and was left in solitary confinement for almost three years without a sense of where he was. The result was a complete brigandage - the magnitude of corruption witnessed under his rule, although presently indeterminate conclusively, is guesstimated so far as the highest ever known to mankind in Nigeria. And Olusegun Obasanjo is still walking the streets of Nigeria, a free man! Where then is the deterrent for future "leaders" not to strive to outdo Obasanjo with looting of the state's treasury?

Anyway, going back to our discussion on Nigerians in the fabled wonderland, there are many who would rather take the plunge back to an unknown quantum - Nigeria but are too hard pressed for cash that they could not even afford the flight ticket out of JFK back to Africa. What then results is a conscience effort to try to stay afloat at all cost possible and stoically await the day of their final home-calling ; at which time even sending their remains back to motherland for interment becomes a community effort to raise the necessary freight as well as funeral home's expenses. This blogger has witnessed quite a number of them and they are surreal indeed. How can a son of man hold three jobs and sometimes four jobs just to get by? How can a son of the soil go from 6.00AM to next day's 6.00Am sometimes for seven straight days every week, with intermittent naps aka sleep just to pay his bills? And at the same time accommodate the needs of his numerous other dependent relatives and friends back home in motherland? What went wrong one would ask? How could a country like Nigeria with her deep oil wells both of unknown and proven reserves, as well as other abundant natural and human resources create such an unwholesome environment for her citizens to thrive; that they would rather forcibly take it through the rear in their attempt to escape from such "Sorbibor" of a place, than stay home? Is it worth the risk, one would ask? But this question can only make sense when one has something to compare the Calvary with. The absence of any meaningful option is no option at all and that is what the successive years of maladministration has bequeathed Nigerians with, which fuels the mad rush to escape overseas and sometimes even to South Africa!

But whether it is jumping from the frying pan into the fire itself will be left for some other blogger to comment upon or at some later date. The summary is that it is not easy and all the hard work notwithstanding, absent of a lucky break, the road to that dream is rather a continuum and goes on ad infinitum. It is not paved! It is a rugged terrain! It is very steep! It is very slippery! It is arduous! It is treacherous! It is not for the faint-hearted! It is not for the quitters, since quitters do not win! As the popular slogan goes "pray until something happens (PUSH), the road to the American dream has a big billboard (signboard) which reads in bold capital letters "KEEP ON WITH YOUR JOURNEY UNTIL YOU FIND IT". For some it takes about 30years; for some others it may be less while some others have journeyed thereon on the dream-road without finding it until they met their final end. Some of these unfortunate and disillusioned many, sometimes become so incensed with the country that forced them out into exile to this no-man's land, that they completely severe whatever relationship they hitherto had with it and even at death elect to be incinerated or interred here instead of being carried back to a country which forswore them. Even an unmarked grave sometimes becomes a preferred option to them than shipping their dead body to a "strange place" which otherwise would have been called home, strictly speaking. Only because their country failed to do right by them and for them. This is the trend despite the fact that getting a good decent burial is somewhat outlandishly very exorbitant. And one wonders why?

Is there a solution to this despondency which fuels the mass desperation to escape from "home"? This blogger watched a Nigeria movie called "EUROPE BY ROAD" and didn't cease crying tears of sorrow at the horrible experience this fleeing escapees from Nigerians are made to endure enroute to their fabled promised land. What triggered this massive exodus by many Nigerians out of the country and the somewhat fierce urgency to have it accomplished now need to be properly examined. Why would citizens of a country be so desperate to get out of their country and at whatever risk exposure or danger they may face enroute? The simple answer is HARDSHIP! This blogger believes that there is a solution to starve off this wildebeest-explosive urge to get out of town by many Nigerians! YES there is! The resources in Nigeria MUST be distributed fairly in order to go round the people and not made the exclusive preserve of some very few well connected individuals and the "leaders" so called. These leaders, who have done so much injustice to the people they supposed to look after that they should be referred to as marauders instead. If things were right most many a Nigerian in Diaspora would rather be at home in Nigeria living a good life just like the people of United Arab Emirate of Dubai and Abu Dhabi. UAE is a country whose leader deserves all the toga of a leader strictly phrased. His love for his country is so profound that he breathes every day thinking, how he could better the lot of his people and country. Today the Emirate has been transformed from an arid desert land into a lush destination point in the Middle East. In UAE you will find a growing cosmopolitan, a trading nerve centre of the world, the one and only seven star luxury hotel in the world, the people through their leader are also building the world's tallest building, they pride themselves too as the only country in the Middle East desert that operates a world class skiing resort and you wonder how could ice and snow be available in the desert? The answer is the same reason why Saudi Arabia has the biggest desalination plant in the world and could supply her citizens with enough drinking water and for other domestic usage, from the Arabian sea. The same reason Israelis could transform the Negev desert into one of the agricultural baskets of the world. The same reason Las Vegas desert was transformed into the travelling destination for the world's fun loving and thrill-seekers. It is called purposeful leadership which gets the back of her people which unfortunately does not include Nigerian leaderships, ever! None of the leaders of Nigeria since her independence from Great Britain in 1960 has had the urgency of the moment to inscribe his name indelibly on the soul and conscience of Nigerians by positively bettering their lot. They are so out of sync with the population they govern that many a time when they pass on, the majority of the population celebrate their death instead of mourning them. It is not right! It is ridiculously very offensive that such a chasm should exist between the leadership and the people in Nigeria which lacuna was brought about by a purposeless leadership.

In summation therefore, to that prospective Nigerian selling all his property to embark on the proverbial dream journey, know ye that it is not easy. That the streets are not paved in gold! That it could be frustrating and sometimes very brutal. However, once you have prepared your mind and psyched yourself up enough to convince your spirit that nothing else could be worst than the "hell-hole" you are escaping from, then your problem is nine tenth solved. That is the winning mindset - the expectation of the worst is the beginning of success. But when you imagine it in the minds of a Hollywood movie you have recently watched or the packaged presentation of a country of God where everything is honky-dorry, then you are in for a shocker! Please do not leave yourself open for the dagger's point, shield your expectations so that you may stand a chance at giving it a shot. Otherwise, you will not be able to recover from the shock of what the experience will throw at you and peradventure instead of becoming another Philip Emegwali or somewhat in between, you might end up as another victim of the dream by becoming another Augustine Obi. Only yourself can save you and as the popular saying goes, there is no free lunch in here so as the boyscout motto goes, BE PREPARED!

ICHEOKU ENDORSES OBAMA FOR PRESIDENT!

Any avid observer and/or follower of politics in America especially the current 2008 Democratic Party Presidential nominee primaries will agree with this blogger that the road travelled so far by the candidates has been as noble as it is commendable. Although it has been a very long and arduous primaries but it has also been an insightful x-ray into what a real working democracy is all about. However one candidate has stood out amongst the many other candidates who initially started out on this race to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue and has come up tops in every department of the contest. He is very erudite, knowledgeable, charismatic, intelligent, savvy, cool, personable, eloquent, tall, slim, handsome with an unsettling smile and in every inch of the calculus, looks very presidential indeed. HIS NAME, BARACK OBAMA!

Icheoku has followed this 'president in the waiting's course travelled, very closely and hereby take the singular pleasure to affirm that Barack Obama, all things being equal will win the next presidential election in the United States of America come, November 2008. All the indices are there and in addition to his winning elected delegates, continues to attract both the needed super-delegates as well as the cash which oils the wheels of elections in the United States of America. Icheoku also believes that Michelle Obama, the tall, slender and beautiful wife of Barack Obama will make a very good first lady. She is a strong woman who is well educated, humble and will provide the necessary bedrock for a Barack Obama's presidency.

Ebekuo, coordinating blogger of Icheoku, has made a donation to Barack Obama's campaign effort and encourages all fans, visitors and vested stake-holders alike, to please follow suit and support Barack Obama with any amount they can afford to assist this campaign. It is history in the making and opportunity calls for you to write your name in history, as being a party to the millions who midwifed this moment in time. By visiting http://www.barackobama.com/ you can donate to the campaign and also see for yourself why Icheoku and great many other Americans strongly believe that this is the moment the whole wide world has been waiting for - an Obama's presidency. HE IS THE ONE, AMERICA! So said the peoples' Queen Oprah and Oprah is always right! Stop sitting on the fence and ask your super-delegate to bite the bullet and save everyone the cliff-hanger of a prolonged indeterminate primaries the other side is trying to make of this nominating season.

After a careful deliberative analysis, Icheoku is of the opinion that as it presently stands, it appears that Barack Obama's train to the Whitehouse has unstoppably left the station. THEREFORE KNOW YE ALL MEN THAT ICHEOKU HERETOFORE FORMALLY ENDORSES SENATOR BARACK OBAMA FOR PRESIDENT! Please let us all hop on the Barack Obama's train to the Whitehouse and NOW! Participate to celebrate! Once again, remember you can make your donations through http://www.barackobama.com/