REBUBLICANS, DID NOT CARE ENOUGH ABOUT PEOPLE TO VOTE FOR REFORM?

The health-care system of United States of America which has, for over a century now, defiled every attempt at its reformation, was at last, finally reformed. With a 219 - 212 majority votes, the Speaker Nancy Pelosi led House of Representatives passed the Senate version of the bill; which now awaits the presidential signature for it to become the law of the land.

Regrettably however, no one single Republican voted for this bill - to give access to the previously denied, which is the principal innovation in this bill. Icheoku says, this makes the Republican Party, an already "Party of NO" now also an anti-peoples organisation which wants people to die who do not have insurance coverage, a lack caused not by choice but because they cannot afford it?

The Republicans by this their stubborn "obstructive resistance till death" to this bill, have shown that they would rather people continue to die in tens of thousands of treatable common diseases, which their lack of insurance, make it impossible for them to see a doctor and receive treatment. Icheoku says is it possible that the Republicans' wilful attempt to deny millions of American people access to health-care by obstinate 'just say 'No', based on a sinister ploy to tacitly get rid of all the poor minorities of America who disproportionately do not have insurance, so that they can live here by themselves alone? Do the Republicans want to continue enjoying all the bounties of life alone, including the gift of advanced medical science; with many of their 'good ole white 85 year boys, whose lives are certainly almost over, having elective hip-replacements surgeries; and their similarly aged bimbos on Botox treatments overdrive, when 16 year old poor minority kid from the Hood, cannot see a doctor when he needs one because his parents are too poor to afford insurance coverage?

Anyway the Republicans unyielding siege mentality over this bill and whatever may be other underlying and suffocating factor/s that drove their fanatical lunacy that tried but woefully failed to abort this health-care reform, is now a mere heap of history. Like all other historical issues, this will be left for posterity to someday look back to the day in America when health care was provided for all Americans without even a single Republican Party house member voting 'YEAH' to so co-authorise. Icheoku hopes that they and their relatives will never find the need or the face to enjoy the monumental benefits that will necessary follow the passed health reform bill. The Republicans kept true to their identity as a herded membership "Party of NO!" Once again, congratulations Madam Speaker Nancy Pelosi for mid-wiving this legislative giant through; and to President Barack Obama, you are one heck of a genius for seeing this initiative through despite the Senate Scott Brown setback election in Massachusetts. Mr. President and Madam Speaker, Icheoku says, well-done for a job well-done!

HEALTHCARE REFORM BILL, A BIG FUCKING DEAL !

"This is a big fucking deal" - Vice President Joe Biden! Icheoku agrees with the able vice president that what defiled 100 years of trying is one heck of a frigging fucking deal! A century long, overdue health-care reform in America, now brought to fruition by President Barack Obama's government is really what change looks like. 'Yes we agree!' Congratulations to President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Leader Harry Reid for a job well done!

JONATHAN GIVE NIGERIA LIGHT, SEND DORA TO POWER MINISTRY!

The Acting President has every right as a president would, including discharging the office of Commander in Chief of the armed forces which he has twice carried out when he sent the army on a mission to Jos; sack or re-deploy his ministers which he previously did when he re-deployed four ministers including the former Attorney General Mike Aondonkaa. He can and have also signed various executive orders, releasing federation funds to the states and local governments. He can and have also played host, in his capacity as the chief executive of Nigeria, to visiting foreign dignitaries. The Acting President being so empowered to discharge the office and duties of a president, duly exercised his right to sack the ministers. Therefore, all those sacked ministers contemplating court action over their sack should sheath their sword as they have no right which was taken away for the courts to restore!

Being appointed a minister is but a mere privilege which the appointing authority could rescind at anytime; and now the 'appointor' (which in this case Jonathan have assumed the personality) has decided to 'un-appoint' these ministers. In a biblical term, 'he who giveth, taketh' and so Jonathan have taken back the hitherto given portfolios, case closed! Now on the question of reappointing some of the dismissed ministers, Icheoku is in support especially for continuity? Moreso, since the administration's term is almost over, it will be too late now to start on the job training of new ministers with their retinue of assistants. Professor Dora Akunyili should be reappointed but deployed to a ministry where her abilities could be better harnessed for the benefit of Nigeria. Icheoku recommends the Power Ministry, with a special mandate to solve Nigeria's intractable power problem. If anyone can do it, Dora is that person; she comes with a proven track-record, coupled with her 'can-do' attitude, passion, patriotism and enthusiasm both for her job and country. So Acting President Jonathan Goodluck, challenge Professor Dora Akunyili with the task of giving Nigerians uninterrupted power supply and consider it done! What a burnish of resume` this will be for your very short tenure that you were still able to give Nigeria the 'light' which have eluded them and many previous administrations for too long. Just do it, Jonathan!

Please also consider retaining INEC's Maurice Iwu and give him the free hand to redeem himself in 2011. Bringing on board a freshman INEC chairman at this stage with 2011 looming ahead is not a good plan; considering those marauding beasts parading themselves as politicians in Nigeria who he will be starring down on the face. EFCC's Madam Farida Waziri was equally hamstrung by the cabal and so, she should be unchained and allowed to do her job! Otherwise, Icheoku has no dog in the fight; and you might as well, for all that we care, assume the sole administrator-ship of Nigeria, without any ministers, for the remainder of your co-term presidency with President Umaru Yar'Adua! Goodluck to you, Mr Goodluck

THE 'GADDAFFI SOLUTION', NOT GOOD OR PRACTICABLE FOR NIGERIA?

There is the 'Rawlings Solution' which instilled discipline in Ghana polity! Nigeria nearly had the 'Orkar-Solution' which attempted to re-delineate Nigeria by chasing away some Islamic Sharia States therefrom; admitted the move was aborted when the Benue-State born Colonel got too drunk, lost his faculties and made a pre-mature announcement thereof while his coup was yet to consolidate? Nigerians of Anambra State last year toyed with the idea of a 'Soludo-Solution' for their Anambra State, but the idea died prematurely when the champion-candidate lost the election, aborting the solution before its efficacy was ever tested? Now the mother of all solutions, the 'Gaddafi-Solution', has been thrown into the mix; with the latest call by Libyan maximum/absolute Leader, Muammar Gaddafi, to divide Nigeria into two countries, along religious lines of Islamic North and Christian South, in order to permanently and forever solve the recurring religious crisis therein?

If any other African Leader had broached this idea, Icheoku would not bother or take notice; but not the Islamic religious fanatical zealot and 'King of Africa', Muammar Gaddafi? A man who has forcibly occupied the government seat in Tripoli since 1969 and have had his finger-prints all over every military coups and unconstitutional change of governments in Africa, especially the West Africa region? He also enthroned and financed Liberia's Charles Taylor's years of madness for as long as it lasted. Icheoku says, instead of the Nigeria authorities being dismissive of Gaddafi's call as evidenced by the allusion to 'Gaddafi's mental insanity' by the Nigeria's Senate President, David Mark, Nigeria should listen and be very alert as Gaddafi may be sampling the water with his bombshell? Such a puerile comment by Nigeria's David Mark belittles the seriousness that ought to follow this possible 'slip of the tongue' revealing what the Islamic zealot in Tripoli and his compatriots in pursuit of an Islamic world are up to as it appertains to Nigeria? Saudi Arabia are in-cohoot and is the reason Nigeria is where it is today; they have been championing the issue of an Islamic Republic of Nigeria for so long and this is the reason Nigeria was smuggled into the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) without any referendum or approval of the citizens of the country? They also took Yar'Adua hostage for over 90 days, where they brain-washed him into refusal to surrender his mandate to a christian Jonathan? The Islamic world led by Saudi Arabia and Libya have been trying to Islamize Nigeria since 1960; and with this objective now slipping away from their hands ever since Christians learnt to fight back, they are now considering their second best alternative of too many very bad options; including balknizing Nigeria into two and secure their Islamic Sharia North and thereafter, launch the mother of all jihads to secure the rest of the south, at a later future date?

According to Gaddafi's analytical reasoning on its head, “The only thing that could put an end to the bloodshed in Nigeria is the appearance of another Mohammed Ali Jinnah, who established a state for the Muslims and another for the Christians in 1947 India partition which yielded Pakistan?” Icheoku says, but unlike the then Pakistan region that had close to 99.9% Muslim population, none of the two regions in Nigeria has close to that population of any one religion? The north has only ten firmly committed Sharia states and about six other non-sharia states, with close to a majority practising Christians and animists? So if Nigeria is to be divided along religious north and south lines, what will happen to those non-sharia states in the north? Will for example, Yakubu Gowon, and Solomon Lar of Plateau accept to remain in Northern Islamic Sharia country despite being Christians? Will a Christian Theophilus Danjuma's Taraba State agree to remain in such an Islamized north? What about Joseph Tarka's Benue State which produced the Nigerian Senate President David Mark? Kwara State, Kogi State, Nassarawa State, Gongola State and Niger State including parts of Kaduna State (Kataf) might be very unwilling and impossible candidates for inclusion in the Gaddafi's contemplated Northern Nigeria Islamic Republic?

Now in the South, the southwest have a strong Muslim presence starting with the former governor of Lagos State Bolaji Tinubu, to reasonable number in Oyo and Ogbomosho States? Will Gaddafi-Solution force these states' re-location to the North? Except for the area known as former Biafra which astride the present day South-South and South-East which is near 99.9 percent non-Muslims, no such other region in Nigeria can claim this near-monotony of religion? So religiously speaking, Northern and Southern Republics of Nigeria is an impossibility as Nigeria have no clearly delineated lines on which to divide the country along religious lines. Moreover, Jos the poster-boy for intolerance is sandwiched amongst Muslims - located in the center of Muslim north and it will be impossible to extricate them in any arrangement with the southern Christians, except they will become another Vatican within the Islamic Republic of Northern Nigeria?

Now on Gaddafi's call to make Abuja the capital of Islamic Republic of Northern Nigeria, Icheoku states that Abuja is not in Sharia-Islamic North and hence cannot become the capital of a ceding North? Therefore if the north must secede, they must do so without the capital city Abuja, to avoid another Jerusalem-like imbroglio rising up in Africa? Abuja was also developed with oil-resources money from the Southern Niger Delta, so wherein lies the moral authority of ownership claim or interest to forcibly conscript Abuja, city of? Gaddafi, bereft of the true geography of Nigeria, was therefore wrong in calling for Abuja to become capital of a seceding Islamic Muslim Northern Nigeria. Abuja is not in the Muslim Sharia North but in the Middle Belt mixed-religion region of Nigeria as is presently constituted. A true Muslim capital would be one situated in the heart of the Islamic Sharia Muslim north of Zamafara or Sokoto or Kebbi States, but certainly not Abuja. The closest thing that could qualify as a capital city for a seceding Islamic North would be Birnin Kebbi, Talatamafara or Sokoto and even Kano? These are cities of Islamic Sharia north and their rightful place to establish their capital in event of their pulling out of the 1914 experiment which is not really working, in a reverse 'Orkar Solution'; but the rest of saner and more tolerant Nigerians will not allow these mallams to appropriate their Abuja under no circumstance? Moreso geographically speaking, Abuja is closer to Port Harcourt than it is to Kebbi, Zamfara or even Katsina State?

Icheoku says that instead of Gaddafi telling Nigeria how to proceed henceforth, the Orkar-Solution could mutually be agreed and applied to just excise these people out of Nigeria and possibly fly them out to Libya, Egypt or even Saudi Arabia on a one-way ticket of no return and thus, permanently solve the problem of raving Islamic lunatics. Icheoku however condemns the approval given to Gaddafi's call by the Yoruba social political group, Egbe Irapada Oodua; since such an option will not only be difficult to implement, but will be resisted by majority of Nigerians who have for a long time been asking for only fairness and equity in their country? This writer back in the day, lived in Birnin Kebbi while it was still in Sokoto State and happened upon an Igbo-man who have lived there prior to the Biafran civil war and ever before Nigeria's Independence in 1957. He had inter-married and fully assimilated that his grand-kids have Hausa-Fulani grandparents too? So now, tell Icheoku how to uproot such entrenched family ties without causing a tsunami of woes; and the story is prevalent throughout Nigeria?

The most resounding of all solutions is the one we affectionately refer to as the 'Icheoku-Solution!' It calls for the convening of a sovereign national conference where Nigerians' supposed federated co-existence could be re-affirmed, re-armed with every region and group putting their one-cent thoughts on what Nigeria, going forward, should look like? Each region shall be required to yield some powers to a central authority to run fiscal, armed forces and foreign affairs; while they are left to pursue their respective destinies including local security and power generation and distribution? There is nothing excellent about an idea to cut Nigeria into pieces since there is strength in numbers and Nigeria should instead try to harness this national asset of 150 million people to her advantage. All that Nigeria needs is for people in authority to stop using the masses and using issues of religion and tribe to sensitize the masses, drive a wedge and cause civil disturbances. Icheoku refutes and denies the assertion of the Yoruba group claiming that “the statement credited to the Libyan leader is the absolute truth about Nigeria, a country created by the wishful thinking of imperial powers, without the prior, free, informed consent of the people that live in it.”

There is no need to divide Nigeria along any lines be it religion or tribe or geography; the country could be better with a reformed constitution, improved civility, an election where votes count and with an army that is permanently banished from interfering in the political scene? Nigerians have since moved on from the idea of separation after Biafra was botched; with so many inter-tribal and sometimes religious marriages; as well as other forms of integrations that such idea as the partition of Nigeria is now too yesterday, stale! Also adherents of both religions are found in both regions, so simply stated, Nigeria have since become transformed into a mix-match of interwoven people and religiosity without any visible line for demarcation. Otherwise, majority of Nigerians would have wished to divide the country into three republics, along natural boundaries of rivers Niger and Benue as it confluences into the delta! But that too is now simply impracticable as some smaller minorities within the three 'federating' regions might not accept playing second fiddle to the dominating majority tribe within the enclave? The preferred solution would be for the system to be allowed to work itself out, starting with credible elections where natural leaders could eventually emerge from, to start forging the statehood of Nigeria. A type of Nigeria where people will be treated fairly and as one; where the divisive hot-button issue of settlers and indigenes will forever vanish; where jobs will become more of a right not a privilege of the children of the powerful and connected; and where the people of Nigeria cannot and should not be forced to abandon their own properties inside their own country. These are some other less drastic possible solutions to tackle the problem of a Nigeria in despair, intermittently fighting frustration-induced internal conflicts; and not the Islamic kite of a Pakistani Solution being flown by the Bedouin, Gaddafi!

PRECIOUS, A HUMAN HIPPOPOTAMUS IS NOT SO COOL?

Now that the circus surrounding the lead-character in the movie 'Precious' is over with the Oscar award lost and won, it is time for a reality check for this human-hippopotamus. Except there is something medically wrong with her which caused the over-weight, in which case this story is without prejudice; a character who literally lived herself (weight-wise) instead of acting, in a role that was wrongly pushed for an award during the last Oscars, then Icheoku frowns at the 'sight-disturbia' female version of the Michellin-tire Man for thinking and pretending that it is cool to be excessively over-weight.

How can any human being love food so much as to balloon into such a human boar-conscriptor or wild boar at just 26 years of age and still have the temerity to punish our psyche parading herself on the red carpet pretending that she is the it? By so doing, she tried albeit strangely though, to rubbish medical studies of so many years which finds that being over-weight is not healthy. Why does Precious want to negate the health hazards of such an over inflated body and consequently sabotage First Lady Michelle Obama's anti-obesity campaign in American children? Icheoku makes no apology to state categorically that Gabourey 'Precious' Sidibe is zoo-heavy and needs to immediately check herself into a health farm or better still, apply for a slot in the 'Biggest Loser' television show, the only true reality show with actual real time result. Another way out of her situation might be a gastronomical by-pass surgery to doctor her great obsession with food to protect her from eating herself to a sudden death by organ failure, heart attack, diabetes-related, or such other obese related death that may be concomitant to such an overweight body?

She and her managers must end the circus and realise that she is just being used for her human caricature of a morbidly obese person who provide gawkers with plenty of flesh to satiate their curiosity. Queen Latifah, Mo'Nique and even Oprah were once that bloated but have since wised up and gotten a handle on their previously super-sized anatomies. Gabourey must wake up and smell the coffee that she is just a mere 'beast' in a circus used solely for entertainment, and urgently end her exploitation as a side-show which provides some human-beings some laughter and not admiration.

Ordinarily, people gain weight to play roles in movies, the reason it is called acting; but when someone like Precious is engaged in a somewhat natural thing as exhibiting her overweight body, then it is no longer acting but becomes a reality television show? Will Smith once gained weight while portraying Mohammed Ali in 'Ali'; and body-suits are sometimes worn to depict obesity like Martin Lawrence did in Big Momma's House'. But to see Gabourey act her weight out sends a wrong message to American kids and children as well as adults world-wide that it is ok to be very obese. The message is not what doctor-health ordered and therefore is unacceptable; being a mere laughter at the obese humanity. Actresses and actors influence public opinion and Precious should not be an exception; she must realise that her weight is troubling and that it has the propensity to send a wrong message that it is ok to be death-heavy? Acting is different from reality television since it is all a make-believe, scripted story-telling; while the later is living-out the life; simply put it, acting is art imitating life and not the other way round. A movie is rated most times for its close depiction of a real life situation which is being brought to screen; but Icheoku wonders how in the world anyone in Hollywood would have glamorised the anomaly of an over-weight glutton, who loved food so much that she ate herself into an '800lbs gorilla'.

This writer must confess that he refused to see 'Precious the movie' to protest Gabourey's outrageous size; but is conversant with the story. The 'Push' by Sapphire inspired story of the triumph or effort thereof of the obese, illiterate, African American 16-year-old Claireece Precious Jones, an abused and used teenage mother of two by her incestuous father in their Harlem run-down Section 8 apartment, and how she escaped from their home, determined to turn things around assisted by her teacher/counselor? And the rest of the story goes on........! It is a good story but our objection is in giving that role to a natural since it removed the acting that is the hallmark of movies. Any other person would have been brought in to portray the obsessed victimised girl or are the Oprahs and her cliques of Hollywood telling us that it is ok to bring prostitutes, armed robbers, drug runners or even real soldiers and astronauts to actually live their lives out on our large screens? Or better still may be Lady Hurt Locker would have instead of going to Jordan to bring to our screens the lives of our brave men facing EIDS in Iraq, would have gone to the streets of Baghdad and with her cameramen, shoot real soldiers doing their thing? But how can anyone then judge such documentary or mistake it for a movie?

Icheoku says the worst thing that can happen to Gabourey Sidibe is to go on pretending that it is ok to be a human-walrus or default into a denial mode or just give in to what is. There is nothing really fine with the body of any morbidly obsessed person as it is not only a sore-sight for the eyes; but its associated health risks? Gabourey needs to dial the hot-line for the 'Biggest Loser' reality television show immediately; that will make a great television show with millions more people tuned in to see how their 'Precious' transformed into the biggest loser! It is a 911 time for GS. Icheoku calls on Gabourey to as a matter of utmost immediacy get hold of her weight, take control and do something to knock off some pounds. That way she will be cooler, sexier and healthier but not to remain as she presently is. It is the best thing to do and she should do it for herself as well as her fans all over the world; and as a testimony that reasonable body-weight is it!

ACTING PRESIDENT JONATHAN GOODLUCK, A DRUNKEN SAILOR?

Barely 30 days since the National Assembly formally empowered him as Nigeria's acting president, Jonathan Goodluck has disbursed a total sum of $3 billion dollars of the nation's money! Icheoku asks Acting President Jonathan Ebelechuku Goodluck to please show or tell Nigerians those projects for which this humongous amount of money was disbursed and expended? What 'returns on investments' did Nigerians get for this money handed out to their selected or 'elected' officials, the custodians? At least the late Tunde Idiagbon used to give the nation a quarterly account of the incomes and disbursements as well as undertakings and/or on-going projects where their money is being spent. So Jonathan, is anything going to change and give way or is the present death-course ordained?

Just two days into his new office as acting president, Jonathan Goodluck opened the valve of the nation's treasury and out flowed $2 billion dollars; yet there is no electricity, the roads are still very bad, the police is still underfunded and ill-equipped to fight the scourge of bandits terrorising the country, millions of youths are still unemployed and without jobs ten years and in some cases more after graduation, the health-care sector is still reeling in a state of anorexia and problems of Nigerians go on ad infinitum. So to what use was this money applied, and how does Jonathan justify these expenditures without any visible or viable appreciable returns therefrom? Where is his management style, frugality or can't Nigeria save for their rainy day, which unfortunately now seems to be every day, if you get my drift? It does not make for good stewardship or a prudent management of the nation's resources to be doling money out to these thieving-governors, without asking them to "show me the projects." He must therefore as a matter of utmost immediacy, fine-tune his approach in order to enthrone efficiency and be a better manager.

Without questioning how the first tranche of disbursed money were spent, 'The Luckiest Nigerian Politician Alive' have again released another sum of $1 billion to the same group of people who did not account for their first allocations. Icheoku is afraid that Jonathan has not learnt anything from the experiences of the past and have not or failed to hold people to account for the public money entrusted to them; and yet goes ahead to give them more? Profligacy of some sort, may be? There is nothing primarily wrong in disbursing money to governors and local government chairmen for the peoples' business, fixing and investing in their respective geographical areas; but not when these recipients have converted states and local government purses into their personal piggy-banks; and could are less if workers are paid, schools remain functionally open and whether the little guy on the street eats? $3 billion can go a long way for a leadership/s that is focused, people-oriented and who have the interest of the general well-being of the majority of the states residents at heart. But no, not this crop of leadership presently bestriding Nigeria, some of who had a chequered history with rabid corruption and whose itching fingers always end up pilfering or rather looting public funds for their selfish beneficial use.

To make matters worse, authoritative sources from finance ministry confirmed that former Olusegun Obasanjo's government left a total of $20 billion dollars for the Yar'Adua-Goodluck administration; which large sum of money has since been fretted away, with just a misery sum of $4 billion now left in the coffers? The question now is, if the Yar'Adua-Jonathan administration spent such a whopping sum of Nigeria's money within just two years in office, on what projects did they spend it or is $16 billion not enough to provide Nigeria with uninterrupted power supply; good roads, freeways and bridges; functioning health-care system; equip and supply the Nigeria police for Nigerians' security; as well as provide some employment for the teeming unemployed youths of Nigeria which continuously balloons out of hand everyday?

Now Jonathan's $3 billion freebie within less than thirty days in office is really crazy; especially since nothing on the ground in the form of democracy dividends justifies such a colossal wastage of the nation's wealth. It is Icheoku's position that instead of the money being used by the recipient governors and chairmen to pad their extravagance life-styles, amidst the seething hunger, hopelessness and despondency in the land, may be a better policy would have been to just leave the money alone in the funds where it is, or better still invest it in a somewhat sovereign fund for the future. It is just too painful that despite all these wealth Nigeria has amassed over the years, that such basic 'primordial' infrastructures, a given in many other reasonable societies with patriotic leaderships, and which help make modern societies livable, is still lacking in Nigeria; and where they exist, in a very abject state of disrepair. So where was the money spent and what justification is there for continuously maintaining the same course to nowhere and embarking on the same failed practices of just handing out money to robbers in government houses without returns on such investments? Icheoku therefore call on Acting President Jonathan Goodluck to watch how he spends the nation's money as if it is going out of fashion; and to require the recipients of such money to properly account for the money already given and received. Provided of course, as a company man, Jonathan is not intentionally feathering the nests of these politicians in office, to financially equip them for future electioneering campaigns or as a necessary trade-off for them to give him the much needed support to transmute into a full presidency?

This is not an attempt to tele-guide Jonathan's psuedo-presidency, no; but we make bold to say that there is an urgent need to check the current profligacy and let Jonathan exercise more caution and become more prudent in managing the nation's resources. There is really no need to continue on this trajectory when it does not produce the desired result of bringing about democracy-dividend for the citizenry. And the last time we checked, Acting President Jonathan Goodluck is not a father-Christmas and never attended a naval academy, talk-less of ever setting sail anywhere including to Barbary Coast; so the question of him being a drunken sailor throwing money in the air should and does not arise. Acting President Jonathan Goodluck should therefore ensure that State governors reciprocate and justify the huge sums of money being handed out to them on behalf of their people. He should require them to turn in cost and budgetary analysis to him periodically, in order to make sure that money being released for the peoples' projects are being used for the purpose and getting to intended targets. Admitted that there is a separation and that the federal government may not dictate to the states on how to apply their states' resources; but at least such governors as did not properly account for their allocations or stewardship should not be allowed to return to their various government houses for second term. And you ask yourself, but what is wrong in a governor giving the people of the state an account of all receipts and expenses which accrued to him while in office; given every year or periodically or as may otherwise be prescribed? Thereafter, any governor beating his chest about what he accomplished or the many roads he put tar on, will be judged juxtaposed the receipts the state took in during the same period of time. This will easily determine whether what was allegedly accomplished is commensurate with or compensatory to the revenue and allocations which the state took in. So Jonathan, get off this spending bonanza!

ISRAELI'S SETTLEMENTS, THIS NOSE THUMBING ON AMERICA MUST STOP!

Like any stubborn child who is used to always having only carrots, Israel will not have any of it - the American call for it to cease and desist from further settlement activities in the disputed territories otherwise the never coming-out stick? With this spare the rod and spoil the child approach to anything Israel by America, it is possible that Israel has now become too entitled as the spoilt-bratty child of America? Israel is used to having its way with every past United States of America Presidents on matters concerning its policy in the Middle East; and it would seem that it have now tacitly made a decision to add President Obama to one of the many, tried but failed American Presidents, to make a vain effort at finding a lasting solution to the Israeli-Palestinian problem.

This latest Israeli's decision not to heed President Barack Obama's call put a hold on new development projects on disputed territories; and instead choose to rebuff it and by extension, refused to defer to America's appeal to stop building these provocative new developments, is so telling that it hurts. It is an affront on America's credibility and clout in the Middle East that seem to suggests that it have no leverage on Israel and cannot reign in, its so called 51st State and stop it from continuing its unilateral anti-peace settlement building on lands in dispute? How can anybody in the White House after such Israeli antagonistic moves, expect the Arabs, especially the Palestines, to take America seriously when their "only child" in the Middle East, cannot heed their call and is throwing up dust on its face and frustrating their initiative with the peace process? This is a land being disputed by two parties and while a third party is trying to mediate in order to find a more meaningful way to equitably distribute the land amongst the two contesting parties, one of them is exacting full acts of ownership, regardless? How will the other party feel, moreso when the 'aggressive' party is known to be a "beloved child" of the arbiter with "no distance between them"; and the arbiter also has a member of the 'aggressive' party's clan as its chief of staff? Tough!

Icheoku's proffered solution, it is about time America called Israeli's bluff and say enough is enough! America must tell the Israelis that what they are doing is wrong and has the potential of diminishing America's influence in the Middle East and making America less influential on matters concerning the Israelis who no longer regard America's word any seriously? The necessary implication being that the Arabs might soon be fed up and no longer interested in what America says or wants as they plunge the entire Middle East into a preventable war of last man standing, to protest and fight off their perceived enemy Israel? Israel as of necessity must try and end this recalcitrant behavior where it ignores America or not interested in what Washington says or desires, which makes America look rather ineffective with their effort at securing a lasting solution to the Middle East's revolving-door crisis. Israel should understand that like a bride that finds sense of authority in her husband, that their pride of authority inures in their inalienable closeness to the United States of America with its military, economic and political might. That many in the Middle East would have venture but for what would the Americans do or say; which they do not want any of. So knowing when to stop pushing this envelope will be a good Middle East policy add-on for the Israelis so that both them and America can come out tops looking unblemished.

It is all about necessary sacrifices and trade-offs which both parties must make; and the least Israel can do in the circumstance is a good faith effort to try and appear to be genuinely interested in the peace process by showing cause - stop the settlements! But barring an immediate about-turn on the part currently being trailed by the Israelis, with these disputed developments; the pervading fragile peace might soon unravel, defaulting the situation to its status-quo of 'efforts in perpetuity without the desired result ever being achieved!'. Israel should put on hold these developments until a future time when conditions will be much better, tolerable and more conducive to carry on. Failing this work-stoppage on the new settlements, it makes no further sense for America to continue asking parties to negotiate over a realty, when one of the party is jeopardising the res, subject of the negotiation. But should Israel continue in defiance and choose instead to remain adamant, despite all American persuasions, then such obstinacy will leave America with limited to no choice.

So wield, the Americans must, the big stick! Put in another way, Icheoku says, it is about time America wielded the big stick on Israel, to jolt them into a reality that is both feasible and tenable; and not the euphoria of thinking that the Arabs will indulge them a 100% ownership of Jerusalem? Both people have historical and religious sentimental attachments to Jerusalem, which furnishes and burnishes their respective identities, so it will be a mere wishful thinking to day-dream of a some day wholesome Jerusalem capital devoid of the other party's claim. This is the only real road-map to anything meaningful out of the peace process! Admitted that everyone loves Israel and empathises with them in their very heart-wrenching Holocaust story, but the Israelis should not be allowed to continue to visit the sins of Hitler on poor Palestines. Let the two states-solution come to fruition and any side seen to be sabotaging the effort sanctioned! Conscience is an open wound which only truth can heal, so let the truth be told! Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should have delayed or post-poned the 1,600 units new settlement announcement until after Vice President Biden's visit; as it have succeeded in making a mince-meat of the reason for the visit, once again calling into question, Israeli's true intention with the peace process! Enough of the carrots, bring out the stick!

HAUSA-FULANI, THE WILD BEASTS OF NIGERIA ON A MURDEROUS RAMPAGE ?

Icheoku says, looking at the brains of this innocent child who was sleeping in his home with other family members, when the ravenous Hausa-Fulani nomadic terrorist-killers hacked him to death, sawing open his cranium and exposing its cranial contents, one is forced to ask, when will the last of this wanton madness in northern Nigeria ever be seen? Enough mallams, kajikwo! When you factor in that the picture above is just but one out of five hundred other similar cases of lives cut short within the last 24 hours, then it begins to sink in on all sane people, the magnitude of the anarchy that was let loose upon the hills of Jos, Plateau State Nigeria. And these were human-beings, fellow Nigerians - peoples wives, husbands and children and happening in 21st Nigeria, for crying out loud? Their only offense was being Christians in a region dominated by fundamental Wahhabi Islamic zealots who are bent on Islamising the entire country, starting with the northern region where Jos Plateau State is still holding out? Now to mask the ultra religious under-tone, their big-shots pushed some almajiris and nomadic Fulani herdsmen to lead the assault in order to color it tribal? But as already known to many Nigerians, this is purely a religious upheaval merely wearing a tribal toga of ethnic Hausa-Fulani against Berom Jos? But is there any way out of this conundrum or shall the spilling of the blood of the innocent, deep in their sleep, become a permanent fixture in Nigeria distressed?

Is there any meaningful solution or has it defiled every imaginable thing ever thrown at it, such that assuming the two warring ethnic groups, Hausa/Fulani and Beroms, were to be separated; along which lines will that be? How would a Hausa-Fulani settler whose fore-fathers have been in Jos for more than 400 years be separated from the indigenous Berom people, who claim Jos as their ancestral realty? What about a religious war to end all religious wars in Nigeria, especially in Jos Plateau northern Nigeria? Except that such a war will be very difficult to prosecute as their location, encircled in the heartland of the Islamic Sharia north will make that option very suicidal; and their past nefarious and vicious antecedental atrocity against the people of Biafra will make that option hopeless? They will easily be routed by an invading Janjaweed Islamic army from all corners of the north including northern Africa, and the Christian South East people will not come to their aid, being a proven hateful enemy who wanted them exterminated during Biafra. So what solutions are there, - the best of the bad situation? What will be a worst case scenario for the people of the hilly Plateau State, northern Nigeria? Solution one, unmask the faces behind the masks that is sponsoring and/or instigating this unending crisis, and punish them severely with executions if need be. Some very highly placed individuals are most likely behind these recurring mayhem and until they are fished out and punished, such gory sights as is being witnessed in today's Jos will but remain a recurring decimal in Nigeria societal evolution. Boko Haram's CEO was killed as well as a former commissioner who was fingered as being one of their sponsor, hence bringing to a rapid end of that unwholesome crisis. Could the Jos stigma be so dealt with, by openly, if there is a will by the authorities in Nigeria, sacrificing persons who may be as high up as Yakubu Gowon and other protagonists of the madness who are masquerading as leaders in Plateau State?

Peradventure, the national assembly will enact a law making every Nigerian citizen, a citizen and resident of wherever his abode is, hence putting an end to this anomaly of 'indigene and settler' prevalent throughout every Nigeria community. It is ridiculous that Nigerians from certain parts of the country are not allowed full and complete integration in other parts of Nigeria where their grandfathers had settled and called home for a very very long time ago; sometimes for over one century? Something is definitely not right with a situation where some peoples' forebears have maintained a continuing residence in a place for over 100 years and are still being treated as foreigners and strangers; and within the country's boarders?

But barring any foreseeable solution, maybe a Lebanese religious-war solution will be the only option starring Jos in the face down the road, where a truce will eventually be called; provided Saudi Arabia stays out and a Baghdad-kind of wall erected to separate and segregate these fanatics from each other? Icheoku says, such a child's brain picture as seen above is rather too disturbing to be a daily routine for the people of Jos Nigeria; and hence we call for an immediate and permanent solution thereto; admitted that Acting President Jonathan Goodluck's last assertion that Nigeria have seen the last/end of such carnage was laid waste by the current upheaval. But should Nigerians allow the situation to become too hopeless or lethargic about it that the security forces give up trying? Nigerians, please say no to such an Armageddon in Jos!

ACTING PRESIDENT GOODLUCK, FIRE THOSE 'MUTINOUS' MINISTERS NOW!

It is mind-boggling the arrogance being displayed by some of those ministers who have not only refused to recognise the authority of the duly constituted Nigeria's Acting President Jonathan Goodluck; but now seem to show a direct affront to him? One of the conspiring ministers, Rilwan Lukman, had previously flouted an order not to travel during the last Christmas holiday's Nigeria's petroleum crisis. Now he has raised an army of opposition ministers to constitute themselves an albatross, organised solely to resist being fired by Jonathan and to stay and make his job hellish?

Icheoku asks, who are these ministers to question the authority of the acting president? The acting president should therefore, as a matter of utmost national urgency, dissolve the cabinet immediately and reconstitute same with whoever he feels he could work with. How dare these ministers who are supposed to submit to the authority of the presidency (Yar'Adua and Goodluck), which lives-on with Jonathan's acting presidency, be displaying such a wanton of disrespect and disloyalty to the leader of Nigeria and commander in chief of its armed forces? This is absolutely, totally unacceptable and should not be condoned by any sane Nigerian.

The acting president should therefore dissolve the cabinet, dismiss those he cannot comfortably work with while reappointing those he can work with. He should also fill whatever existing vacancies that may result, and as he may seem and deem fit; and with whoever he pleases. Good enough, there are so many other well qualified and more disciplined Nigerian patriots who could run the machinery of the state much better, absent these champions of anarchy. Their impetuous outburst is a gross insubordination and disrespect to a duly constituted authority which no meaningful Nigeria should accept or tolerate. If, as these disgruntled ministers admit, Goodluck's acting presidency is a continuation of the "Yar'Adua+Goodluck presidency", Icheoku asks, does a presidency then not reserve the right to reconstitute its cabinet at any time of its choosing? Why must Jonathan be denied this right to reconstitute the cabinet if not for the strong-arming of his office by the cabal; but does this cabal not bleed blood and why should everybody tremble at their thought?

Jonathan, you have been put on notice by these rebellious and mutinous ministers of an impending insurrection against your government. You must therefore act fast and firm,; in order to take the wind out of their sail so that you can sprint to the final finish line before your traducers secure the upper hand in the on-going political tug-of-war in Nigeria. Those ministers for having made bold to directly register their displeasure will not rest until you are shoved off the way, so do not buy into any purported reconciliatory move that may be made; as that is a ploy to buy time to finally separate you from the presidency. If it means taking your head off your neck in order to succeed, they would; as a cabal that kept Nigeria's sick President Umaru Yar'Adua captive for over 100 days, away from his mother, family, friends and the Nigerian government officials is capable of just anything. Better be safe than sorry, fire those ministers immediately now and turn EFCC loose on them!

For the record, the culprit-ministers include Adamu Aliero, Ibrahim Lame, Demola Seriki, Rilwan Lukman, Shetimma Mustapha, Shamsideen Usman, Chief Ufot Ekaette, Godwin Abbe, Sam Egwu, Dr S. Abba Ruma, Babatunde Osotimehin and Taminu Kurfi.

NIGER DELTA MILITANTS, SHEATH YOUR SWORD!

Icheoku implores the Niger Delta militants not to goad Nigerians any further and also not to recklessly hand the north the dagger with which to pry open their soft under-belly, in their mad quest to avenge President Umaru Yar'Adua's loss of power? In case they have forgotten or are suffering from selective amnesia, their brother Jonathan recently dispatched the army to Jos and the rest, as they say, is now history.

Please do not cause Jonathan to shed the blood of his kinsmen and women as the Hausa-Fulani-Birom northern "axis of evil" will force his hands very soon, if you do not stop this your ungodly stupid criminality. This is not the time to continue on your previously noble but now turned 'misguided' path, fermenting trouble in the Niger Delta. Nigeria under the leadership of your son deserves some respite from you, at least as a mark of respect, courtesy and gratitude to Nigerians for making his elevation possible. When every Nigerian is trying to help Jonathan figure out what to do with Nigeria in distress, at least the Acting President could use one less distraction - your militancy! Please allow peace to reign and let Acting President Jonathan Goodluck concentrate on his many well cut-out job, working hard for the Nigerian people, including you - the Niger Deltans. Enough, militants!

STALEMATE OF ABSENT YAR'ADUA, BABANGIDA IS A CONSPIRATOR!

For the records, former military junta Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida and the current President of Nigeria Labor Congress Abdulwaheed Omar are the only two 'public officials' who have not offered their opinion on the possible way out from the current political hiatus in Nigeria. The silence of these two men in the face of the imbrioglio that is President Umaru Yar'Adua's total incapacitation and the failure and/or obstinate refusal of the cabal to yield power, is very telling.

The man in them died with their unnerving silence in the face of this present national adversity. Despite their positions of influence, they have continued to maintain a conspiratory silence over such a grave national matter that is threatening the body-fabric of Nigeria; which demands that all hands be put on deck to find a solution thereto? But why these two would care less, whether or not Nigeria goes to hell in a hand's basket is up to anybody's educated guess; admitted, Icheoku has its own theory, - the Northern-Islamic-Sharia-Solidarity-Agenda!

DANJUMA, A WRONG CHOICE!

Icheoku denounces the choice of Theophilus Yakubu Danjuma as chairman of the newly constituted presidential advisory board, as well as some of its membership - those recycled tired old 'hags'? The board composition is not forward-looking but merely reinforces the age-long statusquo which has left Nigeria despondent and stagnated all these years, since her independence in 1960.

It also does not reflect the current mood in the country which yearns for a new direction - to dispense with the old guards and make way for new ones, in order to shake Nigeria out of its lingering, suffocating and life-threatening dystopia.

TY has been around the block and for too long, starting from 1966 when he killed Nigeria's first military head of state General Aguiyi Ironsi and continuing through the many years of his 70 years plus life, including just few weeks ago when he confessed to how he and the late midget of Kano, Sani Abacha, stole a $1 billion dollars oil-well belonging to the people of Niger Delta Rivers State? Now he is being re-positioned once again to continue his looting of the Nigeria state and unfortunately, by a man who should know better?

When shall this 'merit' by gerontocracy ever end in Nigeria? Is there any hope for the millions of young and restless, ready-to-go Nigerian young? Will these well-traveled, well educated and blessed with abundance of fresh and better ideas on how to move Nigeria forward ever get the chance to prove their mettle? The composition of this board and Danjuma's headship thereof is very lamentable; and it is about time Nigerian politicians, especially Goodluck's PDP, know that non-partisans as well as the opposition can be appointed to offices too! Moreso retired military people, unlike other professionals in Nigeria, are unnecessarily placed on too high a pedestal which they sometimes do not always deserve or have earned; and this special treatment fuels the arrogance with which they approach everything, including their feeling of entitlement.

With this unending and systematic entrenchment of men and women who should have idly, lived-out their usefulness, Icheoku asks, when will a Nigerian Barack Obama ever rise in that country? This appointment is a very wrong move in the first baby-step of the Acting President Jonathan Goodluck, the much over-hyped and touted stature of TY not withstanding! Not in our name, Jonathan!

ACTING PRESIDENT GOODLUCK, IT IS TIME TO GET UP AND GO TO WORK!

Time for meditation is over! Time for second-guessing the job is over! Time for deliberation of the whys and the hows, as well as general churning of thoughts is also over. Now is time for Nigeria's Acting President Jonathan Goodluck to get up, off his arse, away from his deep thoughts, firm up his spine and go to work for the Nigerian people.

Jonathan should also stop worrying or unnecessarily being agitated at the thought of the military, as Nigerians and the world at large are now ready to hold them accountable should they again, deal any wrong card to Nigerians and make an unwarranted and unnecessary political adventurism. The Nigerian military's foray in politics has been widely discredited since Muritala, Buhari, Babangida and Abacha did not take Nigeria to the promise land; but proved to be Robin Hoods on steroids and without the benevolent giving hearts; but coded account numbers in Switzerland and the Cayman Islands.

Like Obafemi Awolowo once wished that he could be allowed to be Nigeria's president just for a 24 hour period; Jonathan, Icheoku says, one year is more than enough time for you to make some impression on Nigerians with your divine-sanctioned and approved mandate. Remember that your mandate is a continuum of the Yar'Adua-Goodluck mandate and that the four years of the Yar'Adua led presidency shall be judged by what you are able to accomplish within the remainder of the term. Also be mindful that President Umaru Yar'Adua could be excused for the failures of the administration on grounds of his ravaging ill health? And unlike the current leeway Obama administration enjoys periodically in the United States, where they can blame former President George Walker Bush for everything and anything that goes wrong; you will not enjoy such passing of buck to Yar'Adua because you are part of the ticket and therefore jointly responsible for whatever happened or did not happen within the period since may 2007 swearing in. Get it Goodluck, good-luck to you Goodluck!

AMERICA'S PUSH FOR IBB 2011, OBAMA THANKS BUT NO, THANKS!

It is a very wrong move and an anti-Nigerians' position by the Obama administration to back such a discredited military junta named Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida (IBB) as Nigeria's next president, come 2011? It is with great surprise and a very rude shock that Icheoku learnt of the administration's desire and current subterranean moves in progress to foist IBB on Nigerians. We condemn both the thought and effort as being greatly detrimental and anti-Nigeria's best interest. It is an affront on the budding democracy in Nigeria that the world's bastion of democracy should be working with an ex-military dictator to truncate real democracy in Nigeria. This is unbelievable, an Obama administration headed by a constitutional law professor and himself a beneficiary of the open competitive presidential race system in America, now contemplating to smuggle a very wicked and mean bastard called Ibrahim Babangida back into Nigeria's seat of power at Aso Rock. say it ain't so Ameria!

His reputation for raw brutality not withstanding, but is it not about time Nigeria's democracy is allowed to freely evolve and eventually throw up a dynamic and ebullient leader, like America did with Barack Obama, instead of always playing the midwifery role on who becomes Nigeria's leader?Surprisingly, it does not matter to the administration that IBB was a "terrorist" head of state of Nigeria between 1985 to 1993; a coup plotter and truncator of democracy who twice stabbed democracy in the back through the heart respectively in 1983's coup against second republic Shehu Shagari democratic government and again in his 1993's annulment of the freest election ever recorded in Nigeria which made Abiola, the president-elect that was never sworn into office? It also does not matter to these Americans that IBB was once alleged to be a gun and cocaine runner and it was on account of the latter, the story of which Dele Giwa was pursuing on account of one Gloria Okon's disappearance, that he was brutally murdered by a parcel bomb on the orders of IBB? Is it possible that IBB's enormous wealth has bought him respite which saw him being allowed in UCLA cancer center where his millions was simply not enough to buy back his late wife, Maryam Babangida's health as succumbed to ovarian cancer attack last December 29, 2009? Has his looted billions of dollars now washed away his sins that America now finds him acceptable as their point-man in Nigeria's seat of power?What a fatal blow to the fight against corruption this will be, if a corruption-personified and corruption-Field Marshall, the man who reinvented corruption and flagrantly inserted it in Nigeria's lexicography in a manner never before seen or contemplated; and who made it a glorified and acceptable societal behavior is now being asked to provide an oversight function to the anti-corruption effort as president of Nigeria?

Instead of investigating his source of stupendous wealth, particularly what he did with Nigeria's first Iraq-war $12 billion dollars oil windfall and his alleged dabbling in drugs, America is now merely busy sending delegations to IBB to nudge and push him to run for Nigeria's president in 2011? Icheoku asks, is oil politics just enough for America to pretend or deny that IBB was too mean and vicious, and that he trampled on so many citizenship human-rights of Nigerians, including some Nigerians' right to life? Anyway with their antecedent prop of the unpopular Shah of Iran and the history of Latin America's nascent past, nothing is impossible with Washington; but Icheoku makes bold to say that Teheran's fallout which is still reverberating throughout the Middle East shall fade in comparison with what Nigerians will throw their way, should they persist to toy with the idea or experimentation of a very unpopular, anti-Nigerians' Babangida presidency come 2011. Admitted that to the United States, foreign policy means the protection of America's interest anywhere it exists in the world including the Niger Delta's Nigeria oil resources. Such a foreign policy trust initiative seems to imply that it does not matter if the host-country's people are being pummeled or trampled under the jackboots of their propped up dictator; provided the spigots are open and the sea route remains open? But not this time, America; IBB's candidacy is going to be a costly experiment and with Chinese advances in Africa, alliances might be forced to sway in their direction if the only and last hope for humanity and democracy defender is now seen not to be different than the rest of the others. Babangida is, simply put, unacceptable to Nigerians, period!

Icheoku therefore calls on the United States to retract its steps forthwith and not to support or bankroll an un-bankable person IBB; any attempt to foist him as Nigeria's president will create more disruptions to the oil-flow than is presently being imagined as the Nigerian people will rise in unison to say not in our name, never again and not this time! IBB is a forever politically damaged goods; and he who would annul the freest democratic election in Nigerian chequered history should not be the right and proper person to benefit from the same democratic setting, which he had earlier twice sabotaged. America should try not to replicate similar problem, which have made them 'unwanted and unwelcome' in the Middle East; and which is causing so much resentment and an otherwise avoidable tension over there, once again in Africa. Nigerians still love America so much and to the extent they see it as being open enough, to elect the first black American President Barack Obama; but this dalliance will go south the moment they realise that what was good for America goose is not good for African/Nigerian gander? Which country installed Obama at the White House one may ask, none but the generosity of the American electorates; so why must the chief protagonist of democracy in the world ever contemplate doctoring and truncating the same democracy elsewhere in Nigeria, to produce a strange outcome, which the citizens Nigeria does not want? Why IBB, one may ask?

Such a scandal of an American backed IBB Nigeria presidency, is capable of painting America with the wrong colors before the viewing prism of most Nigerians; many of who are still nursing the snub of the century handed to them when the same President Obama visited Ghana in disregard to the traditionally Nigeria 'ownership' claim to the first-visit right or privilege of any American president visiting sub-Saharan Africa. It is capable of a great backlash of resentment and shall be resisted with every demonstration imaginable and unimaginable; or better still, easily hand over to America what their national security assessment have since determined - a splintered Nigeria, instead of waiting for their 15 years projected time? In America, now is always better, hence the popular commercial " It is my money and I want it now"! Where were these foreign policy arrow-heads and their human rights mantra when the same Nigerian-reject, Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida blew away journalist Dele Giwa with a parcel bomb? Where were these progenitors and apostles of an Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida's 2011 presidency when the same self-styled evil genius of Nigeria annulled the election of Chief MKO Abiola - the freest and fairest election ever conducted in Nigeria under the only good thing IBB ever formulated, Option A4? Where were the Americans when the same Nigerian-Maradona killed poet Mamman Vasta based on a phantom coup plot? Icheoku wants to know if these Americans think that the near-wiping out of all the soldiers of Middle Belt of Nigeria origin, during Gideon Orkar's failed coup against Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida was justified?

Icheoku warns that the Obama administration will be making a huge foreign policy mistake in Black Africa if they try to impose Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida on Nigeria, come 2011. It is unpopular, unacceptable, not a good smart choice and will surely backfire! But peradventure, the Americans will not dare nor succeed with such a suicidal initiative, judging from the tsunami of resistance such a move will generate in Nigeria among civil society groupings and the general polity. If they think that they can pull this rabbit off the hat, then like they say in America, they have another thing coming. Peradventure they succeeded in the coronation of IBB as president, then it will be against a Nigeria boiling over like hell, and possibly the harbinger of the end of Nigeria as the Yoruba South West nation will not accept to be part of a Nigeria with an IBB president. The sons and daughters of Oduduwa will lead a vociferous resistance to both IBB's emergence and governing as president, using whatever gets the desired result including the highly potent Africa black juju magic to make it a road not worthy of travelling? How dare any man born of woman think that Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida would be tolerated by the Yoruba nation to benefit from the same democracy which he denied their 'son of the soil' Abiola, whose election he infamously annulled? June 12 is IBB's Achilles heels, his albatross, his fork on the road and has permanently damaged him politically. It has made him an unacceptable and unelectable president of Nigeria as is presently constituted with the Yoruba South West still a major component of the geographical entity. But a Nigeria without the South and the South West in particular, may be a possibility for such asinine contemplation of an IBB's presidency; but Icheoku is sure such a re-configured Nigeria is not what these Washingtonians have in mind, while nursing this wishful thinking?

It is President Barack Obama who while on a visit to Africa once said, 'what Africa needs are strong institutions and not strong men', so Icheoku asks, why the sudden u-turn and change of mind, in pursuing the same issue of a 'strong man' for Nigeria's future president? How would the espoused 'strong institutions' develop in Africa if America continues to interfere in local countries politics and engineering the imposition of a retired military junta as being contemplated, who do not have the peoples mandate to govern them? By encouraging the absurdity that is Babangida's second missionary journey to Aso Rock, America will be doing a great disservice to Nigerians and to all it stands and preaches of if it continues on this course of infamy. A country of more than 150 million people with so many well trained and highly qualified manpower including so many Ph.Ds, former diplomats. scholars, a Nobel Laurette, a former Commonwealth secretary general, a world bank managing director, a world acclaimed computer genius, very successful business men and women, lawyers, doctors, engineers, political scientists, some untainted retired military men and women and so many other potential presidential candidates; many of whom are rather too urbane and savvy to participate in the bawdily that is present Nigeria politics that they chose instead to remain aloof and silent in the bandits dominated jungle of Nigeria politics; should have and deserves a better option than IBB.

If America means well by their seeming current foray and interest into Nigeria's politics, let them do right for and by Nigerians - encourage a level playing field, push strongly for election reforms, constitutional amendment and help in building strong institutions. Such institutions as made it possible for a previously distant and improbable then presidential candidate to emerge as America's 44th president will be welcomed in Nigeria by well meaning Nigerians. Otherwise, were it in present day Nigeria that BO ran for president, may be hell would freeze over before he can ever achieve the feat of last November 24, 2008? Now instead of encouraging the emergence of Nigeria's own Obama, this administration is reaching into the cesspool of Nigeria's polity to pull up a discredited army man named Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida to put him in Aso Rock? Icheoku asks, if Obama administration could contemplate this disservice to Nigerians, does it mean that the hope and change mantra which propelled him to the White House was country-specific to the United States only; and that Nigerians should not dream and hope or at least reserve the right to hope for a change they can believe in, in their own country which has eluded them since 1960? Icheoku believes that Nigeria deserves a fresh beginning, a clean break from her despicable past leaderships, especially from Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida, who twice truncated democracy in Nigeria and this should be the thrust of any political assistance of the Americans to Nigeria towards 2011.

If however the Obama administration pulls off this sacrilege and IBB is foist on Nigerians in 2011, Icheoku is hereby making a promise to get the American press to know what transpired; renounce membership of the Democratic Party and will work tirelessly to make this an issue in Obama's 2012 possible re-election campaign. We shall not only denounce what transpired in Nigeria but shall work hard to get the message out that the real Barack Obama needs to stand up; for being one of its body-double is a democracy hypocrite but not its formidable propagator. President Barack Obama will surely pay a huge political price as our support, our visitors', as well as our numerous friends and millions of other Nigerian/African community in the US will go elsewhere, for his not standing up and helping Africa get rid of their sit-tight leaders and past discredited military junta, one of whom his administration 'installed' in Aso Rock?

But whatever happens with this America's recent budding interest in IBB presidential candidacy, Nigerians will resist with every sinew in their body, the attempt to smuggle IBB back into the saddle of power in Aso Rock; and shall defend their right not to be ruled again by a retired army general and especially IBB. Never again and not after the traumatic experience of Nigerians under the other former army man, Olusegun Obasanjo; as no sane Nigerian ever wishes for a deja vu with the return of Ibrahim Babangida Babaginda to power. The United States therefore must back off this toxic-asset IBB, as they are stepping into a non-negotiable territory for most Nigerians with their alleged support of IBB, his candidacy is not acceptable to Nigerians, especially the people of Yoruba South Western Nigeria who are still haunted till this day by the tragedy that is Babangida's annulment of their son MKO Abiola's 1993 presidential election. Why stir an hornet nest that will hurt everybody, America? Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida as damaged goods cannot be sold or bought by Nigerians, so why try to market such a moribund dead on arrival candidacy to Nigerians? Moreso with the loss of his amiable wife Maryam 'Better-life' Babangida, his charm offensive asset is forever gone; and which sane Nigerian wants to see a 70 plus year old toothy ex-military junta as their president? Not anyone known to Icheoku, except of course some of those Nigerian political traders and harlots who like the masses in William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, will always mistake Cicero the poet for Cicero the conspirator; and regard any government as good government that looks the other way while they perpetrate and perpetuate their evil corruption, which has led to Nigeria's stagnation to till this date. Please America, Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida is a wrong choice for your support for Nigeria's presidency in 2011 or at any other time whatsoever, so abort your effort now!

NIGERIA'S BANKRUPT LEADERSHIP, GOVERNOR PAYS FOR PRAYERS?

Report reaching Icheoku from Kastina Islamic Sharia state of Northern Nigeria has it that Governor Ibrahim Shehu Shema has voted N20 million Naira (about $20,000) for "special prayers" to enable his kinsman, the vegetative Nigeria President Umaru Yar'Adua to recover? When you think you have heard the last and enough of the stupidity and idiocy of these northerners, out of Kastina comes the mother of all wonderment - a state governor spending states money to engage some Islamic mullahs (prayer-warriors) to chant their incantations in order to heal a gravely ill kinsman? Assuming such possibility exist, was the amount negotiated, and what percentage of it will go to Allah?

Certainly a misplaced priority for a state with very high unemployment rate, little to no infrastructure and where the nuisance of almajiris is still an exploding reality. A situation brought about principally by the lack of education and joblessness of the youth, and a primitive retrogressive culture rooted in accepting ones destiny as is; and here is their governor engaging in a frivolity and foolery of the highest order. It makes every right thinking Nigerian to ask once again, why they still share one political enclave with these pedestrian and puerile human specimens inhabiting the Saharan desert of northern Nigeria? Icheoku remembers vividly that it was in Kastina's nearby Kano State, also an Islamic Sharia northern state, that the then Governor Barkin Zuwo converted his bedroom into a bank to bank state's money? His explanation was that he is the governor of the state and the money belonged to the state, therefore there is nothing wrong with a state governor keeping state's money in a state house which he happen to occupy; go figure!

Now the Governor Shema, so pandering and petty, has concluded that it is 'divinity to the rescue' of his kinsman, his predecessor in office and now comatose Nigeria President Umaru Yar'Adua. Medical science having given up and his Saudi Arabia hospital-landlord evicted him, the only recourse now is to pray until something happens and Yar'Adua is healed? His road-map, establish a direct telephone hot-line to his Allah through the voices of some 1700 innocent 'madrassa' almajiris-Muslim children to say prayer of intercession on behalf of Yar'Adua to help him recover? Icheoku says, if this does not bother on lunatic fringe, then the Christmas day diaper-bomber did not attempt to bomb an American plane over the skies of Detroit; and needless to say that the three actors here are all from Kastina Islamic Sharia state:- this impeachable governor pray for Yar'Adua, President sicko Umaru Yar'Adua and diaper terrorist Christmas bomber Umar Abdulmutallab. All of them, members of some axis of something? What an absurdity of thought and practice, representing majority of the unfortunate marauders Nigeria has been cursed with as leaders since independence in 1960. How can a person, so base and pedestrian as this man be a governor of a state, with responsibility of the lives and well-being of the citizens and residents entrusted to his ability? It simply explains the rudder-less-ness of the Nigeria ship of state which has since veered off course, having been piloted by men and women of very low intelligence, education and a sense of purpose.

According to his game-plan of 'Operation Petition Allah for Yar'Adua,' Islamic clerics or Mullahs will commandeer 1,700 almajiris from a spread formation throughout the state and representative of Kastina state and force them to recite repetitive monologues special verses from their Quran; which Allah will hear immediately because almajiris so asked? These voices that speak directly into the ears of their Allah will then be paid a paltry sum of N10, 000 each for their spiritual services, while those summoning mullahs, who are divided into two camps to direct the competition for the ear of Allah will each earn N100,000; while their coordinators or the mullahs' mullahs, will be paid N500,000 each. The prayer will last for few weeks?

Ordinarily Icheoku would not bother with this profligacy and wasteful squander of state's funds that is a common practice in Nigeria with virtually every custodian of authority and who have power over the purse of a state. However, our antennas sprang up because of this governor's anticipated result - that almajiris or street urchins who have a direct telephone link to their Allah's private number on a speed dial would make it happen as whatever they supplicated to Allah, Allah he will always grant? Yet these are homeless and abandoned and sometimes driven away from home children, who congregate daily on the street corners from where they march in a musical procession through the neighborhoods, chorusing a melancholic tune, usually for some pittance of food left-overs or some few Naira? This Governor Shema believed in its efficacy and he is seemingly educated, otherwise why would he expense states' fund towards such fanatical, maniacal and fundamentalist engagement. It is good to put on record too that Kastina Islamic Sharia state of Northern Nigeria was the premier sharia state in Nigeria. If you are a Nigerian, especially from Kastina, how proud would you be, having such a fetish-minded governor presiding over the affairs of your state? Icheoku says, this is another example of a belief system founded on the absurdity, and Nigerian politicians' proven reckless wastage of the peoples' commonwealth funds; simply put, Goveror Ibrahim Shehu Shema is another testament to the rot of leadership afflicting the Nigerian society.

A FALSE IMPRISONMENT, AS TURAI TAKES UMARU HOSTAGE IN ASO ROCK?

Icheoku asks, what manner of a wife would be so mean and unfeeling to completely isolate her husband, son of another woman and wilfully deny a mother access to her dying sick son? And this her husband and son of the other woman is the president of a people, the people of Nigeria? Admitted he was not truly elected by the people of Nigeria, but was rather imposed on them by a cabal of very despicable Nigerians led by Aremu Olusegun Obasanjo. Only a Jezebel on steroids is capable of such a vicious mischievous behaviour; and Turai Yar'Adua is that deviant poster wife!

Turai has totally cut off her deathly sick husband from the people who really care for him, and who really have his true and best interest at heart. People who would rather ensure that first things mattered most and should usually count first; and who would have persuaded Yar'Adua to free himself of the presidency and rigors of the office and go seek first proper health-care so as to rediscover his life, which is fast ebbing away. But Turai is having none of that, which begs the question, does she really love and care for Umaru?

Call it 'Madness 101' if you like, that a mother was not allowed to see her ailing son, a son she carried for through a 9 months gestation period, laboured and gave birth to; weaned, raised and trained until he grew into an adult and married a 'wife' who is now proving to be a Nigerian Lady Macbeth. Ironically this unfeeling, callous Lady Macbeth Turai has some children of her own and would not pretend that she is oblivious of a mother's abiding love for her child? Icheoku only prays, that in the spirit of what goes around comes around, someday karma will keep its cruel date with this Turai so that she can personally feel the pain which she caused Umaru's mother; and may be forced to understand how painful it could be that a mother is prevented from seeing her own sick and dying biological child? And that mother is aged and travelled some 500 miles to rendezvous with her sick son but was denied, because a venomous wife ordered so. Which woman would so flagrantly pretend ignorance that another woman's love for her sick son is not deep or sincere enough and prevented her from visiting or seeing him, hooked up to series of life-sustaining contraptions and laying helplessly and hopelessly unconscious, like a cartoon character in an intensive care unit mobile medical trailer? The woman with so much bile in her and who does not have any milk of human sympathy flowing in her breast has a name, she is Lady Macbeth Turai Yar'Adua of Kastina, Islamic Sharia northern Nigeria; a soon to expire First Lady of Nigeria.

Also she did not allow the vice president and acting president of Nigeria to see his boss, the ailing president? The president's own ruling party's henchmen and governors could not see the president because Turai said so; and likewise were the president's 150 million country men and women who "elected" and "hired" him as president, but who till today have not heard or seen their president for almost 100 days now? Icheoku asks, who then can see, or is qualified and important enough to be allowed to see President Umaru Yar'Adua, when these very important people including his biological mother, his vice and his party's chairman were refused access to him? Put in another way, is Umaru Yar'Adua now, a completely transmuted ghostly apparition which no naked eye can behold any longer; or will the eye that see him black-out or weep blood in place of tears? No matter how bad his condition or how unsightly his cocktail ailments may have transformed or disfigured him, why does Turai think she is the only one courageous and brave enough of standing his horrible sight? Does Turai Yar'Adua not know that what Turai can stand, Alhaja Yar'Adua can stand better and with greater poise? Something is certainly not right with this picture, an extreme measure denying a mother access to her dying son. It also does not matter the subterfuge or is Turai saying that her love for Umaru far surpasses that of Umaru's own biological mother, who breast-fed him? It is only in Nigeria, the world acclaimed land of many outrageous possibilities, where such unreasonable madness could take place and be tolerated; and where the presidency is fused with the president and is an entirely family affair. What an aberration that Turai, isolated, sequestered, quarantined, and technically 'kidnapped' and 'imprisoned' Nigeria's president, and her action is condoned?