DICK CHENEY'S INDICTMENT, NIGERIA MAKES EXPECTED ABOUT TURN!

 

“Yes, we are investigating the Halliburton bribery scandal and I told some foreign media so. But so far we have not uncovered any evidence of Dick Cheney’s complicity to warrant bringing charges. In fact, there is a remote chance that we will charge him.” - Femi Babafemi, EFCC spokesman. With those words, President Goodluck Jonathan's EFCC turned tail and tucked in between their legs, scurried away from its vomit. Icheoku says faced with American pressure and the threat not to support his 2011 opportunistic run for the presidency; and also realizing that there is no way in hell America will give up her former vice president to be tried in a banana republic third world country, President Jonathan made a sudden u-turn, a complete 180 degree about turn just to save face. Little ant dabbling in the game of giants; what a pity!

IVORY COAST PEOPLE READY TO KILL EACH OTHER AGAIN!?

 

Soon their machetes and AK-47s will be drawn out and Africans will once again begin another bloody slaughter of their own kind; while the people that instigated it will remain unperturbed as they lushly quaff down very expensive French Cognacs in the safe confines of their gated high walled communities. They do not really care about the people otherwise why would anyone of them string-out on a lost election; fully aware of the inevitable resulting dire consequences? Icheoku says, if only these usurpers are aware of the ferocity of the fire they set by their obstinacy and insistence not to relinquish power; maybe they will rather honorably relinquish power at the end of their term of office. This stupidity must not be allowed again in Ivory Coast; the defeated President Laurent Gbagbo must make way for the victorious Alassane Quattara to step in or be forced to do so through an internal military putsch or invasion by a foreign country or a super-power. No excuses or conditions should be good enough in this case and if it means cutting off the snake's head to stabilize the polity, oh well and dandy, so be it. Bloody African leaders who always put their selfish interest to remain in power far and above all other considerations including if it boils down to having no country left anymore for their grand-children and great grand children to enjoy or call their own?

IVORY COAST ON EDGE, AS DEFEATED PRESIDENT REFUSES TO YIELD POWER?

Icheoku calls on the world to take action and very fast too, and take out the defeated former President Gbagbo of Ivory Coast before he takes the whole country down with him into the abyss; an infamous Somali-like ungovernable entity. There was an election which he lost, but the bug of perpetuity in office which usually bites Africa leaders haven bitten him, he now refuses to let go of the political power lever in Abidjan. Icheoku says probably he is calculating that when the push comes to shove, Ivory Coast will be forced to settle for a unity government like in Zimbabwe and Kenya; with him as president while the person who rightfully won the election will become the prime minister. But when will enough be enough for these African leaders so called, who usually cling to power at all cost and without deference to the will of the people as expressed by their votes or the fate of their country which could be drastically altered as a consequence of their action. Stopping defiant Laurent Gbagbo of Ivory Coast may be a good start and a message-sender to all other intending African leaders that their penchant for perpetuating themselves in office will no longer be tolerated.

The thing bad with setting a bad precedent is that no one knows when it will develop into a hydra-headed monstrosity, with a spread, reach and consequences which are both unimaginable and unintended. The world acquiesced Robert Mugabe to have his way when he refused to cede power following his defeat in a general election in Zimbabwe and as a compromise, a unity government was instituted with him as still the president while the man who rightfully won the election was relegated to the office of a prime minister. In Kenya, Mwai Kibaki  upon losing his election looked west at the Robert Mugabe's example and concluded that if it could be possible in Zimbabwe why not in Kenya and decided to resist the will of the Kenyan people as expressed in their polls. He succeeded and today the constitution of Kenya went under surgical knife to enthrone a parliamentary form of unity government with Kibaki as president and the man who rightfully won the election, Odinga, was made the prime minister. This is the precedent Laurent Gbagbo is eying to replicate in Ivory Coast and Icheoku is afraid that the world might eventually indulge him; it being a lesser evil and the least costly arrangement in the circumstance, an all out atrocious war between both candidates supporters and tribesmen considered. It happened before in Harare, and once again in Nairobi; so the likelihood of it repeating itself in Abidjan is very high and this is exactly what the latest sit-tight wanna be African leader Gbagbo of Ivory Coast is banking on with his refusal to relinquish power.

Unfortunately Africans and their leaders have failed and/or refused to learn from past experiences that such obstinacy by a defeated president in refusing to concede defeat can only lead to one pitiful end - restiveness of the polity and possible unraveling of the country including devastating wars. The biggest threat to political development and democracy in Africa is the lack of smooth transfer of power from a losing incumbent to his successor; and until Africans learn to be magnanimous in defeat,  regrettably, it will continue to be the same cycle of vicious cantankerous struggle for power. Icheoku says as Ivory Coast tethers on the edge of the cliff, precariously dangling over the precipice, with two candidates proclaiming themselves victorious as president of the country respectively, the time is now for the intervention of ECOWAS, African Union and the United Nations led by Ivory Coast's former colonial master France and supported fully by America, and forcibly remove this intending sit-tight, defeated former president of Ivory Coast. Laurent Gbagbo should be stopped by all and any means necessary now and taken into prison custody, exiled or even killed if that is what it will take to avert another potential upheaval in another African country with its attendant heavy cost both in materials and human lives. Icheoku believes that Ivory Coast will not become despondent with a dead Gbagbo as there will be so many qualified people to successfully take over the mantle of governance including the man who defeated him at the polls, Quattara. Enough should now be enough; it is about time to teach these Africa leaders how to take an electoral defeat with equanimity and that presidency of a country should not become a do or die affair for them or converted into their private and personal property right. As president, Gbagbo succeeded someone who previously occupied that office; so it defies every logic that he now does not want any person else to succeed him and this is the fork on the road leading to the latest inching towards an anarchical upheaval in Ivory Coast. 

So with two pejorative presidents respectively sworn in for the same country, Icheoku asks, in whom shall the authority of commander in chief of the Ivoriean armed forces reside? Who shall appoint and receive members of the diplomatic corp and manage the affairs of the Ivoriean people? One civil war is more than enough for the country as no country usually survives two civil wars easily; and now is time for the world to come off its fence-seating and unanimously condemn and reject Gbadabo's current attempt to steal an election which he lost. There must be no room for negotiation with him for an interim government or a unity government arrangement to accommodate his ego; such concessions help to perpetuate Gbadabo-type misbehavior, as no leader or head of government in Africa wants or is willing to voluntarily yield power and its associated perks of office. Gbadabo must not be allowed to thumb his nose at the world without dire consequence; so the United Nations, America, France, Africa Union and ECOWAS must now give Gbadabo a fixed ultimatum to comply with the election result and quit office or be forcibly removed from office. Regrettably, the armed forces of Ivory Coast are not neutral in this imbroglio, otherwise they would have served Gandabo with a deservedly red card and order him to concede defeat immediately or be overthrown; taking cognizance of the 2002-2003 Ivoriean civil war which the country is yet to fully recover from.

It is good that United States President Barack Obama and French President Nicolas Sarkozy have already said that opposition candidate Ouattara rightful won the election and that his victory must be acknowledged by the Gbadabo pretender-government and quit. These world leaders should take a step further and give Gbadabo a fixed time within which to do the right thing at the pain of unleashing their military best to smoke him out of the government house in Abidjan. That is the only language despots and despots-apprentice understand; and an example must be set of Gbadabo to send a clear message to other African wanna-be dictators that the world would not let them have their ways anymore. With the development in Abijan, Icheoku asks who knows what will become of the forth-coming general elections in Nigeria and whether President Goodluck Jonathan will peacefully concede power should he be defeated or even lose in the primaries to the northern consensus candidate Atiku Abubakar. Should Gbadabo be tolerated by the world in any form and allowed to stay in office, it will only serve as an impetus for his likes and so many elections are coming up in Africa. The  Ivory Coast election is significantly important because an electoral commission appointed by the defeated President Gbadabo conducted an election and announced a result which the appointor-government was not satisfied with, hence their decision not to comply with the electorates decision. Icheoku asks, is there a possibility that Nigeria's INEC Jega could toil all in vain with President Jonathan insisting that a particular election outcome trumps any other, including that certified by the Jega INEC.

The die seem to have been cast for a shooting war in Ivory Coast as each self-sworn president is said to have their own army, support network and legal framework for governing. Defeated President Gbagbo allegedly has the support of the regular army, while Ouattara is supported by the New Forces rebels of northern Ivory Coast. Gbagbo is also supported by many of the country's most important institutions including the constitutional council and the state media, while Ouattara is backed by several foreign powers; admitted African Union and ECOWAS is yet to take a stand. It should also be noted that Gbadabo is a hold-over president since 2005 when his first five-year mandate expired. After several delays, the election finally went ahead in October but then headed to a runoff vote in November when the country's election commission announced that Ouattara had won the run-off. However, new results released later on national television by Gbagbo loyalist, who heads the constitutional council, said that the incumbent president Gbadabo had in fact been re-elected. Icheoku says, only African-Africans understands what is really going down in Abidjan with paid pipers singing the varying tunes of their paying masters. Finally, Laurent Gbadabo must quit power and respect the wish of the Ivoriean people who with their ballot decided that Quattara should be their next president.

ICHEOKU SALUTES GOVERNOR BUKOLA SARAKI FOR HIS COURAGE.

Governor Bukola Saraki displayed a great courage and high moral rectitude by standing up to his father and not joining the conspiracy of his father, the elder Olusola Saraki, to convert Kwara State into a Saraki private estate; a somewhat Saraki State or their private fiefdom. 

The elder Saraki wants to have his daughter Senator Gbemisola Saraki succeed his son Bukola Saraki as governor of Kwara State, but the junior Saraki will not have any of that; he thinks such contemporaneous succession by a sister of a brother, as governor of the same state, smacks of undue abuse of power and influence. 

To him, it is morally wrong for his sister to succeed him as governor since the state does not belong to the Sarakis but to whole Kwarans, whose magnanimity the family have enjoyed all these years and which should not now be abused. This disagreement have now pitched father and son in a battle because of an over-ambitious sister who wants to be governor at all and whatever cost including instigating a family feud. Icheoku agrees with the reasoning of Bukola and applauds his standing on principle despite the odds of challenging an all powerful father and power broker in Kwara State. Icheoku therefore recognizes Governor Bukola Saraki as a true conscientious democrat of and in Nigeria. Way to go Bukky!

ATIKU'S CONSENSUS CHOICE IS AREWA-AGENDA DRIVEN, NOT ZONAL CONCERNS!

Icheoku says former Anambra State Governor Chukwuemeka Ezeife properly and rightly articulated the underpinning reason behind the Mallam Adamu Ciroma's Northern Elders Forum (NEF) choice of Abuabakar Atiku as their nothern consensus presidential candidate. The former governor correctly distinguished the north's crave for 'regional hegemony' as opposed to zoning as the guiding factor that trusted Atiku Abubakar on the stage as the north's consensus candidate. 

According to the traditionalist former governor, who prides himself with his signature goatee, the NEF by choosing Atiku Abubakar as their consensus candidate, proved themselves to be the real anti-zoning partisans in Nigeria. Chukwuemeka Ezeife posited that if the underlying principle behind zoning is to ensure that every zone within Nigeria's six-zonal political arrangement gets a shot at certain offices in the country such as the presidency; it naturally should follow therefore that the same zone that produced the late former president Umaru Yar'Adua should also produce the consensus candidate. Each zone by practice is entitled to a two-term of four years each in office and the late president's zone should have been allowed to complete their total term of eight years with a second term before taking it elsewhere or the present Atiku's northeast zone. But if the logic of eight years is to be strictly adhered to, then it means that Nigeria still owes the northwest the nearly two years late President Umaru Yar'Adua was incapacitated including the period President Jonathan was acting president as well as his present completion of late Umaru YarAdua first term of office. 

The former governor argued that since a supposedly existing 'zonal agreement' was the basis for  the NEF agitation and their riason d`tre for insistence that the north should produce the next president, it therefore follows that the Forum should have insisted that the very zone which produced the deceased former president, whose demise in office led to the present zonal restiveness in the polity, should have been allowed to fill out their zonal vacancy and not otherwise. The settling of the NEF on Atiku as consensus candidate principally negates the foundational argument of zoning and therefore operates to tactically defeat any moral grounds that may have existed to otherwise back their position. Their Atiku's choice is a self-inflicted injury as well as a self-defeating move which essentially rubbished their very argument that zoning should be respected. 

According to Ezeife's logic, which Icheoku considers very far-reaching and sound, these supposed disciples of zoning, the Northern Elders Forum, totally veered off course and completely overreached themselves by subverting their own zonal argument with their choice of Atiku. They disregarded the entitled zone, the northwest, and went to a completely different zone, the northeast, to pick their so called "zonal consensus candidate". In the process they deployed selective amnesia and forgot their prior motivating argument of 'zoning' and instead settled for an 'Arewa regional candidate' paraded as north's consensus candidate? Icheoku asks but whose zone is it anyway to produce a replacement presidential candidate of late Umaru Yar'Adua who should be serving his second term if not his northwest;  but now a northeastern Atiku Abubakar is being forced on the entire north including the deprived northwest as the north's consensus candidate. Icheoku would prefer Atiku is correctly and properly referenced for what he truly is and represents - 'The Northern Elders Forum's Preferred Presidential Candidate;' and not the present north's consensus candidate. 

The term 'Northern Consensus Candidate' is very self arrogating of the NEF and quite insulting for the rest of the diverse peoples of the northern region of Nigeria, whose input were never solicited nor sought for by the nine wise and near senile northern elders; who factually speaking do not even represent the entire north:- not the respective nineteen states nor the hundreds of tribal affinities in the north. Icheoku asks Mallam Adamu Ciroma to tell the north who made him a northern leader or organizer in chief or using biblical connotation, 'who made Ciroma a judge over the north?' Who in Mallam Adamu Ciroma's Northern Elders Forum represented the divergent northern Nigeria nationalities including Hausa, Fulani, Gwari, Tiv, Junkun, Igalla, Igbira, Yoruba, Birom, Kanuri, Chamba, Idoma, Nupe, Kamberi, Margi, Mumuye, Warkum etc and they were only nine elderly men in the forum? The forum definitely was not representative of the north or its peoples; and therefore their decision settling down for Atiku as a consensus candidate might as well be interpreted as not binding on the north, being not the north's. 

The NEF was very arrogant in appointing and constituting themselves as the sole northern representatives in making decision as to a northern consensus candidate; and expecting their decision to be binding on the entire peoples of northern Nigeria. A more people orientated forum would have sought authority from the governors or emirs of the north,  the true representatives of the north; who would have appointed them and given them terms of reference to work with. But no, as far as Mallam Adamu Ciroma was concerned, the north constitutes of a bunch of almajiris and he is their wise man, to will tell them who their consensus candidate should be. Anyway, Icheoku has no dog in the fight and the mallams could as well have brought forth a goat as their consensus candidate for all we care; but the good news is that Atiku Abubakar is only their northern consensus candidate and not Nigeria's consensus candidate. It is also worth a mention that Mallam Adamu Ciroma successfully and deftly solved the Babangida problem by cleverly scheming him out of contention through a mock consensus and for this Icheoku remains eternally grateful. 

Peradventure, an Arewa regional agenda most importantly drove Mallam Adamu Ciroma's forum into making the Atiku decision, since the mere fact of his choice is zoning-defeating by itself without more. The choice of Atiku cannot be any other thing but a power struggle by a fast-fading northern elders group bent on forestalling a real integration of Nigeria through a minority presidency; using the ruse of a zonal imperative and need to maintain the gentleman's zoning agreement of the PDP. According to Ezeife, 'Atiku's choice is a definition of a non-belief in zoning and rotation principle. The Ciroma committee displayed crass ignorance and a disdainful disregard for the principles of zoning which they were agitating for.' Icheoku agrees completely and aligns itself with the conclusion Ezeife reached as being a derivative of a logical clear thought. If the motive of the NEF was truly to find a replacement for the northwest and late President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua, a northwesterner or even a member of the late president's family would have been the most appropriate choice; but certainly not Atiku, who is from an entirely different northeastern zone. Say for the sake of discussion that Atiku magically wins the primaries and goes on to win the election, Icheoku asks, will he be serving his northeastern zone's term or filling out northwest's remainder second term. If his zone's term, would it mean that he will serve for eight years of two four year terms; and if not would it mean that northwest has lost their right to the remainder of their second term bringing their total to full eight years; or that the northeast would then serve twelve years - four on behalf of northwest and then their own two terms of four years each? 

Like one commentator Tunde Falola asked, is Atiku Abubakar really the best the North has to offer, his huge baggage of negative perception considered. May be once again the 'goodluck' following President Goodluck Jonathan has thrown the lesser of two formidable opponents for him to cake-walk over. The primaries have been scheduled and very soon Nigerians will know who their next president would be since PDP is still the party to beat in Nigeria. One thing Icheoku would like to solicit of President Jonathan is to also like Atiku did, pledge to accept the outcome of the primaries and not to in anyway try to circumvent or thwart it but abide by the result. So come January 1st, when the PDP goes to their convention to chose a presidential candidate, would they settle for a candidate who touts the entire country as his constituency or one who was chosen for them by nine old and probably senile men with no real political relevance other than that they once served Nigeria in somewhat minimal capacities. The jury is still out and its verdict securely tucked in the womb of time, a very short time indeed within the beginning of the new year 2011 when the decision will be made as to who flies the flag. Only then would Icheoku and the rest of the curious world know what really drives an average Nigerian PDP delegate - hope for the future or their private pockets. 

DICK CHENEY'S NIGERIA INDICTMENT, A HUGE COMICAL GRANDSTANDING?

 

The news making the rounds in the world of energy and oil is the latest intent by the Nigerian government to indict former United States of America's vice president Dick Cheney; for his actions while chairman of Halliburton in bribing some Nigerian government officials. Icheoku says this smells like an attempt by the uninspiring Nigeria's President Goodluck Jonathan to score cheap mention in the world press as being serious with his 'Jonathan's war against corruption' in Nigeria. 

It is all a gimmick; scripted for a show as President Jonathan is overlooking corruption-instigator-in-chief, Olusegun Obasanjo, who is there within his government's jurisdictional authority and is rather stretching his 'goodluck' too far trying to indict an American former vice president. Icheoku says, without a bribe-demander and taker who demanded and received the bribe, there would never be a bribe-giver in the first place; so it makes absolutely no sense at all that Olusegun Obasanjo who demanded and received the Halliburton's $180million bribe will be walking the grounds of Nigeria a freeman while the person who was compelled at the risk of losing a lucrative $6billion gas contract is now being indicted for bribing the bribe-demander/taker. It is akin to the sharia law in Iran wherein a woman is condemned for having sex while the man she had sex with is free of all crime and both parties were in adulterous relationship. 

Some things do not seem right with this latest development and its timing; especially with the Save Nigeria Group (SNG) recent allegation that the same President Jonathan attempted to bribe them with $50,000. But hey, at least the indictment will collaborate what WikiLeaks accused the Americans of:- saying one thing and doing another! Icheoku asks, is there anything endemically wrong with everyone doing what they ask others to do - just practice what you preach and it will be honky-dory the world over. Pharisee! Pharisee! Pharisee!

ABUBAKAR ATIKU, A POTENTIAL REGIONAL LEADER - OMERI

"President Jonathan offers a breath of flesh air, a new dawn and a complete break from the past which will ultimately transform Nigeria. What the country needs now is not need a regional president but a nationalist president who has a mission and purpose to transform the entire country; unlike the northern consensus candidate, Abubakar Atiku, who might be inclined to pursue only a northern regional agenda." - Mike Omeri, Director General (Research and Strategy), Jonathan/Sambo 2011 Campaign Organisation.

LEAKED EMBASSY CABLES, WIKILEAKS NOT THE REALLY CULPRIT?

WikiLeaks, a non-profit media organization dedicated to bringing news and information to the public; and which provides a portal for sources around the world to leak information to the world audience, has recently been in the cross-hairs of America, for leaking some vital diplomatic cables. They published the said cables, convinced that it is their ethical responsibility to reveal to the world some hitherto suppressed and censored American government materials which WikiLeaks termed injustices.With just a strike of the enter-key on their computer's keyboard, a total of 251,287 documents, comprising of 261,276,536 words, dating from 28th December 1966 to 28th February 2010 and originated from 274 embassies, consulates and diplomatic missions world-wide, was released to the world for their consumption. Government officials from Washington to Moscow to London to Kabul to Riyadh are crying foul that Wiki-Leakers have done them irreparable damage and governments confidences severely harmed.Icheoku says the indignation and antagonism  expressed and directed against WikiLeaks over this leak may however be misplaced as the real leaker here, the real culprits deserving of  condemnation, is not Wiki-Leaks themselves but all those government officials with access, who were privy to these documents, and who actually leaked them to the leaker-in-chief, WikiLeaks.  WikiLeaks is just a vehicle with which those in government spilled the beans which they wanted the world audience to see for whatever purpose they may have in mind. Had these government officials not sabotaged their government's diplomatic efforts by leaking those documents to WikiLeaks, possibly to undermine the government and ridicule it, Icheoku says there is no way in hell Wiki-Leaks could have had access to those documents; talk-less of publishing them. So the government through the FBI should refocus their effort at the whodunit and investigate those officials who came in contact with the published cables, to unravel who actually poured the water into a basket expecting it to stay put and not leak out. Someone or some people in government circle handed these documents to Wiki-Leaks and these are the real culprits here and not a website that exists to leak things and reveal hidden facts. Icheoku says the American government has the wrong guy in their cross-hairs as  WikiLeaks is not the provocateur/suspect; but those involved government officials!Icheoku is not in anyway justifying or condoning putting the government in Washington DC or elsewhere in any unsavory position by disclosing the processes involved in their diplomatic equivalent of making the hamburger. But if according to these Wiki-Leakers, "the cables show the extent of US spying on its allies and the UN; turning a blind eye to corruption and human rights abuse in "client states"; backroom deals with supposedly neutral countries; lobbying for US corporations; and the measures US diplomats take to advance those who have access to them", then it may be worthy an effort to draw the attention of the tax-payers of America, whose money bankrolls these alleged, to these happenings through their disclosure. However, provided their purpose is to inform the public but not to unduly embarrass the government; it may be in order to somewhat put paid to these double-standards government practices and force the government to practice what it preaches and in the open.According to WikiLeaks, "these document reveals the contradictions between the US’s public persona and what it says behind closed doors and shows that if citizens in a democracy want their governments to reflect their wishes, they should ask to see what’s going on behind the scenes." This looks like plausible argument to make but in the wildlife-world that we live in, it is easier said than done as without all these intriguing happenstances, possibly our standard of living in America would have been akin to those in third world countries. But through all these twists and turns and arm-twisting, Washington has been able to maintain an America that is the envy of the whole world in terms of quality of life. Simple economics teaches that a loss somewhere is a gain somewhere else; and for everything we have some one somewhere was deprived. However long or manner it takes to plug the leaking diplomatic cables, admitted the genie has been let out of the bottle; one thing sprouts out from the incident - the fine-line between right to speech First Amendment constitutional freedom and the need to protect a state from such heinous embarrassment, must be balanced and weighted against the state's overriding security interest and ensure it is maintained without let; and anyone breaching that, including Wiki-Leaks, should be severely dealt with.

What WikiLeaks did by these published documents was to pitch nations against nations and one country against another. Now it is suspicion galore amongst countries and who knows who shall ever trust one another anymore or even enough to disclose their truthful opinion on any given world-issues again. WikiLeaks has driven a knife into world diplomatic fiber and their center of trust can no longer hold. Most countries will henceforth be very reluctant to trust another with very sensitive information, doubtful that it will not be kept with the utmost secrecy governing its disclosure.


The United States government especially, shall feel the most heat as many countries would henceforth be very reluctant to disclose to them what they are really thinking or feeling towards some burning world issues. But who knows where WikiLeaks sourced their information from; whether it is from outside sources other than Washington DC, bent on embarrassing President Obama and his team. But hey, until full disclosure through forensic investigation, Icheoku and the rest of the world would just wait and see where the trail will tail off. In the interim, we urge Julian Assange, the face of WikiLeaks, to turn himself in and answer for his alleged sexual-crimes with which he is charged and for which he remains on the run; and cease from remaining a fugitive on the run having been placed by Interpol on its red notice of wanted persons.

POTHOLES-FILLED ROADS, ADDS TO COST OF DOING BUSINESS IN NIGERIA.

 

Icheoku just wonders what it is really that government in Nigeria is doing or what their responsibility is when they allow roads necessary for moving people and goods around to become dilapidated to this degree. Now when goods could not get to their various destinations or arrive there badly damaged; marketers cannot help but increase their prices to make up for this shortfalls. It must indeed be frustrating for those people who daily ply these roads. Icheoku condemns this lack of care for roads by governments in Nigeria as mind-boggling anti-people governance!

THE THREE NIGERIAN MUSKETEERS, THEY SCREWED NIGERIA UP SO BADLY, IT STILL SUCKS!

 

Left to right are Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida, Olusegun Aremu Obasanjo and Muhammadu Buhari; former military despots who severally and respectively ruled Nigeria with iron-fist. Obasanjo in his second coming as civilian president introduced a totally new and very strange dimension, civilian dictatorship, into Nigeria political lexicography. These men are the reason why Nigeria has remained under-developed all these past 50 years of her existence, principally due to their crass incompetence and gross ineptitude. Between the threesome, they have collectively and directly ruled Nigeria for a period of 22years and as proxy-rulers for majority of the other 28years. Their contribution or rather lack thereof to the development of Nigeria is reflected in the parlous state of affairs in the country today and there being nothing really much to remember them for or show for their stewardship. So Nigerians when next you become frustrated about the state of affairs in your country:- dearth of infrastructures, insecurity, joblessness and general despondency cum malaise in the polity, take a serious, good and long look at these three human-beings and you are starring directly at the root cause of your problems. They caused them all; so when next you are mad about what is, remember these men made you mad. Nigeria has problems, IBB, OBJ and Buhari caused Nigeria's problems; therefore Babangida, Obasanjo and Buhari are Nigeria's problem. In mathematical analysis, it is stated as QED - what has been given has been proved.

BRISTOL PALIN, DWTS HEADED THE WAY OF AMERICAN IDOL.

 Regrettably the skewed voting pattern in Dancing with the Stars is fast pushing the daughter of Sarah Palin into winning this season's edition. Tea Party activism at it best are block-voting the Alaskan teenage mother contrary to what the watching audience as well as the judges are seeing live and on television with their eyes. Icheoku says the producers of DWTS should try and find out from those guys at American Idol why their once top show tanked; and the same fate awaits DWTS should the unexpected and inexplicable happen with a Bristol's win. Alternatively, the judges should be allowed to overrule the voting public with majority votes in some circumstances such as the present effort by the Tea Party to rig the votes in favor of the daughter of their alter-ego, Sarah Palin. That she is in the final is to say the least a big SHOCK and DWTS will be shocked-double in the event she finally wins the season. The viewing public will reject such result and follow it with boycotting the show

THANKSGIVING 2010, HAPPY, HAPPY TURKEY DAY AMERICA!

There are so many things to be thankful for this thanksgiving day 2010 in America: - your life, your health, a shelter over your head, some clothes on your back and of course some food on your table or in your stomach. Your family and friends as well as your enemies' good state of health and wellbeing, should also give you joy and reason to be thankful this thanksgiving day 2010. As for Icheoku, we are thankful for all God's merciful and wonderful blessings in 2010; and above all for giving us real happiness and the ability to just lay our heads down and doze off effortlessly and soundly.

So as you savor the tasty big birds and associated toppings as well as drinks to wash them down, please be grateful that you can eat and equally have some food to eat. Some people can eat but have no food and so many others have food but cannot eat due to medical discomfitures. Also as you indulge yourself with all the goodies of mother earth, remember that so many people including women and children the world over, went to sleep today without any food in their stomach. Therefore learn to share and be charitable today, volunteer or give alms by donating to some charities.Have yourself a good turkey day, friends!

NB: The facilitator will be out for one week thence - our final vacation for 2010 before it runs out; we shall be back and resume our affair with the keyboard, first week of December.Thank you.

ATIKU ABUBAKAR, A CONSESUS CANDIDATE WITHOUT A REAL CONSENSUS?

 

Technically speaking, Abubakar Atiku lost 4-5 in the final vote for a northern consensus candidate; five out of the nine northern elders electoral officers voted against his candidacy including the father of consensus himself, Adamu Ciroma. Icheoku says that with less than half of all the votes cast received by Atiku, it is a misnomer to still call him the consensus northern candidate for president because he does not have a comprehensive mandate. By consensus is meant that all parties have agreed without let that the candidate be declared unopposed as the choice of all aka CONSENSUS CANDIDATE. But Atiku only got minority votes of four and not majority five or consensus of nine; yet he is their 'consensus candidate?'

Atiku also have a lot of baggage and obstacles to contend with to clinch the PDP presidential candidacy talkless of being elected president of Nigeria; including his former boss Obasanjo who swore long ago never to let Atiku become president under his watch. Icheoku says, hopefully those northern elders forum electors gave this Obasanjo's 'No Atiku' stand the serious thought it so badly deserves. Atiku also barely scraped through past the evil genius Babangida, who would have easily been the north's strongest challenge to President Jonathan and therefore the north's best shot.

Anyway Icheoku is waiting and watching; but with just only 4 votes against Babangida's 3 and Saraki's 2; Atiku's consensus is suspect as his votes tally is not highly reflective of a typical consensus candidate's votes. With such a thin margin of 1 against Babangida, Icheoku expected the northern elders to have called for second balloting between the two top vote-getters to see how the nine votes would have been split amongst them. But nay, they are very old and apparently senile to think proactively in the present and in that trajectory. So without a total mandate, Icheoku wonders if Atiku Abubakar could rightly still present himself as the north's consensus candidate and whether the north will even support him in the primaries in view of their elders implied rejection of him at the consensus level.

But like the popular saying goes, beware of what you wish for Adamu Ciroma; as the best your north presented may not afterall be good enough to face and beat President Jonathan. Babangida was the only candidate the south feared was going to upstage Jonathan hence the barrage of attacks on him to shock his being and force him out. But, as always that 'Goodluck' in President Jonathan came to the rescue as the north unknowingly solved Jonathan and south's main headache, Babangida. In his stead, they anointed Atiku as their consensus candidate but forgot that Olusegun Obasanjo is still around the corner and on Jonathan's side?

ATIKU IS IT, AS NORTHERN ELDERS FORUM SOLVES THE BABANGIDA QUESTION!

 

As the Northern Elders Political Forum finally helps Nigeria resolve the Babangida question and consign him permanently into the dustbin of history of a president wanna-be who never became one; and nominates Atiku Abubakar as their choice consensus candidate, Icheoku says what a beautiful masterstroke. With the evil genius and all the nightmare associated with the possibility of his ever coming back to power now finally rested and forever gone, Nigerians no longer have to contend with that heinous option.

Now that Abubakar Atiku has been chosen as the Northern consensus presidential candidate, Icheoku says it is about time for the whole south to also produce their own southern consensus presidential candidate or officially adopt Goodluck Jonathan as that candidate, so that the battle for supremacy between the north and the south can finally begin and be resolved once and for all. Admitted however  that Icheoku would rather the PDP's gentleman's agreement on zoning be respected and President Jonathan not run; but since he has stopped Babangida by forcing the north into this consensus option, we think his job is done and he can now back down and let Atiku reset the Nigeria button. Atiku would have naturally followed after Obasanjo but for the deity of Otta who was not gentlemanly enough to respect an understanding earlier reached. Jonathan can still do it and be the instrument that God used to restore fate in Nigeria oneness and right the wrongs of Obasanjo.

But should his advisers egg him on and Jonathan persists, he might loose at the convention since Atiku is a more astute political player than the greenhorn Jonathan. Atiku sure do have some fence-mending to do with a lot of people on his way to Aso Rock such as Obasanjo, Orji Uzor Kalu, Jubril Aminu, Muritala Nyako, all Obasanjo boys, and the Hausa/Fulani people of Northwestern Nigeria who always look down on Atiku's people of Northeastern Nigeria as bastards (hausa-bakwais) - a mountain of obstacles for him to surmount in order to get into Aso Rock. Icheoku knows for certain that it is going to be one heck of fight to finish, a tag-team sought of fight with Team Obasanjo/Jonathan led south battling it out against Team Babangida/Atiku led north. Icheoku can't wait for this mother of all fights to finally determine who really controls Nigeria to begin in order to see if the Nigerian question could be somehow resolved too just like Babangida's.

The battle as pitched now between the north and the south-south will only be won with the help of the Middle-belt and the Southeast people, who now have and control all the aces; and will also make the best and most beautiful brides of 2011. The north has a presidential candidate in Atiku so Sambo's vice presidency might no longer be of special interest to them. The southwest will sure go ACN barring any major rigging since it has been their tradition to sustain the opposition once they are not in charge. The south east has no dog in the fight presently likewise the Middle-belt. Jonathan is from south south and Sambo is from northwest while Atiku is from northeast. It is a fight that will be determined largely by who lands the vice presidency of Atiku, whether Atiku will agree to do one term and what he is offering the Igbos for their support, including support for their 2015 presidency. Once the north do their home-work and give the vice presidency to a notable Igbo person, it will be deja vu 1978 all over. President Jonathan has proved that he cannot be trusted with power and such opportunist might not be a preferred partner needed for the Igbo project 2015; but what is Atiku bringing to the table?

In the final analysis, if Atiku wins the PDP primaries, he will have Buhari to content with in the final election 2011; but the odds always favors the party in power except an angry loser incumbent decides otherwise. If Jonathan scratches a victory, then it is going to be a real tough up climb for him against a formidable Buhari in the north with a possible running mate in Bola Tinubu from the southwest. Luckily a northerner is the INEC chairman so who knows where he might align himself at the opportune time; as politics is always about interest and not loyalty. One other good thing coming out of this northern consensus thing, aside of burying Babangida aspiration is that it shows the political maturity of the north, who faced with a motley of candidates managed to come together to resolve the issue amongst themselves peacefully. Icheoku hopes the Igbos of southeast will copy this example when it comes their turn in 2014 to chose their candidate. To Jonathan and Atiku, Icheoku says let the battle for the hearts and minds of PDP delegates begin and begin in all honesty! But one more thing, there should be a meeting and agreement between Jonathan and Atiku's team to respect the outcome of the primaries and support whoever wins and eventually fly the flag of the party in the general election.

HENRY OKAH, MEND LEADER AND TERRORIST, DENIED BAIL!

"Your bail application is denied, your evidence failed to convince the court that you are not the leader of the movement for the emancipation of Niger Delta (MEND). The most damning evidence is that in a letter written in her handwriting the applicant's wife refers to him as being the leader of mend." - Magistrate Hein Louw said while denying Okah's bail application. Icheoku says in as much the Niger Delta terrorist and master-mind of the Nigeria Independence day celebration bombing in Abuja deserves the firing squad for his atrocious killing of innocent Nigerians; he should have pleaded President Goodluck Jonathan's own admission and exoneration of MEND as a defense. It does not make sense and defies every logic that a leader of a group that have been absolved of any complicity in a crime should be singled out for prosecution for the same crime. It therefore necessary follows that if MEND is not a terrorist group and also not responsible for the Abuja bombing as Nigerian President Jonathan proclaimed, that its leader should equally benefit from the presidential absolution and not be held so responsible. But not in the case of Okah who is facing charges for the same crime for which his group has been given a clean bill of records by the president of Nigeria himself. Does this make sense, go figure. But Henry Okah, who are your lawyers?

IRAN UNDERMINING NIGERIA, SHIPS TWO EXPEDITIONARY DEADLY CARGOES!

Icheoku says the fact that two highly dangerous and illicit cargoes from Iran came into Nigeria within just the last few weeks is not any ordinary coincidence. It is a methodical, well calculated and carefully orchestrated Iranian state policy out of Tehran geared towards destabilizing Nigeria; or at least force the authorities in Abuja to pay greater attention to the Persians. First there was a large consignment of arms which was shipped into Nigeria from Tehran but which the Iranian authorities initially, tried unsuccessfully, to deny knowledge of once the dreaded Israeli MOSSAD unmasked them. But facing mounting of incontrovertible evidence of their culpability, the Islamic state relented and later put up a feeble claim that the discovered arms cache was meant for Gambia; which country when faced with Nigeria's diplomatic pressure caved in and denied ownership of them. Iran has since accepted responsibility for the lethal cargo shipment to Nigeria but is yet to convincingly show the whence and purpose of these weapons; and diplomatic moves had gotten into high gear to investigate the shipment and punish Iran if need be; the matter is presently with the United Nations.

However just as investigation was continuing into this shipment, another unfriendly cargo came ashore in Nigeria from Iran through the same consignors that brought in the previous one. This time, it was large quantity of heroin, carefully concealed with motor spare parts and shipped as the later in a 40-foot maritime container; and as crack-heads would confirm, those gluey substance are more dangerous than firearms. So which friendly country that means well for another would permit or allow these life-wasting materials to leave her shores for the others without alerting the recipient country and so clandestinely? Were such cargoes to have originated from some freer countries and not such a religious, highly conservative closed country as Iran, then it would be possible to say that it is the handiwork of a criminal gang. But not when it is from Iran where no bird could fly without first securing the state's approval of its right to be airborne. Icheoku therefore is of the opinion that both firearms and drugs were shipped into Nigeria with the blessing of the authorities in Tehran as represented by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad or the Ayatollahs religious council; which begs the question, why? What is the state objective of Iran in trying to sabotage Nigeria or undermine its government's effort to crackdown and rid the society of crimes and criminals? Why would Iran export ammunition and drugs to Nigeria concealed as building materials and vehicle spare-parts?

Hopefully investigations will provide some answers to these burning questions and Icheoku urge the Nigerian authorities to go for the jugular in this matter with Iran since Nigeria can do without Iran, their joint OPEC membership notwithstanding. The aggressor here is Tehran and Nigeria did not in anyway provoke this their action; except of course it is Islamic based because Nigeria currently have a Christian president who is not receptive to the tele-guiding influences of those Middle East  and Persian Gulf Islamic countries. Whatever reprisal action that may be taken by Nigeria, including a recalling of her diplomatic personnel from Tehran, will be understandable both by the rest of the world as well as Nigerians because what Iran did amounts to a declaration of war or at best very hostile action. As Icheoku together with the rest of the world await the outcome of the UN investigation into the arms shipment, we urge Nigerian authorities not to relent in pursuing the matter to its logical conclusion in order to send a strong message that such Islamic undermining of secular countries will not be tolerated by Abuja. The other time it was Libyan Moummar Ghaddafi who was advocating for Nigeria's breakup and now another Islamic country is shipping arms and drugs into Nigeria, covertly, trying to undermine the country's structural integrity and cohesiveness.

Icheoku condemns the Iranian action in its totality as unfriendly, provocative and unbecoming of a supposedly friendly country. Thirteen containers of arms and ammunition covertly brought into a country suffices as an attempt at insurrection or causing serious mayhem and anarchy within the host society. In fact it should be treasonable felony for those Nigerian collaborators who aided and abetted or connived with the shipment and attempt at clearing the deadly cargo. It even gets madder to learn that it was the same shipping company that brought in those weapons that also brought in the subsequent drugs and Icheoku asks, is this company still operating in Nigeria with their government issued license? As Icheoku congratulates Nigeria security agencies for not sleeping on duty this time around or glossing over necessary tail-tale signs that led to these impounds; they should also be further aware that other dangerous cargoes possibly are on the high seas en-route Nigeria from the same Iran and should remain on eagles alert. To Iran, Icheoku warns that your jihadist intentions against Nigeria will not succeed as Nigerians are smarter and more united when their country is involved in any skirmish with another country; not withstanding the often acerbic political jaw-jaw and intermittent shedding of the blood of one another prevalent in the country. Tehran must therefore cease and desist forthwith from further acts of aggression against Nigeria as Nigerians will resist them, being too sophisticated to bite their bait to trigger a consuming conflagration which will be detrimental to her existence. Icheoku says, enough Tehran!

PRESIDENT GOODLUCK JONATHAN, TREADING ON THE PATH OF FLIPPANCY?

'It is now GAME OVER for militants in the Niger Delta' so said President Jonathan while assessing the latest (in)security situation in the Niger Delta. Icheoku says just because some encampments in the creeks of the Niger Delta were overrun by the Nigerian army now makes it a game over, militants-free zone. Lifting a line from al-Queida statement to 'foreign invaders' that 'we live here but you guys will someday pack and go back to your countries,' Icheoku queries Mr President, for how long does his military plan to encamp in the Niger Delta?

Just last month, the same President Jonathan emphatically told a surprised world, ever before any investigation started, that 'the Abuja independence day celebration bombing was not carried out by MEND.' He took a step further to somewhat completely exonerate those MEND anarchists, claiming that 'MEND is not a terrorist organisation?' Icheoku observes that the military did not just go into the Niger Delta this time to flush out al-Queida or Boko Haram, but the same MEND urchins who the president had earlier absolved of being terrorists; but practically deemed them Nigeria's Mother Theresa(s)! Anyway it is only Mr President who knows or should know what he is actually talking about, but Icheoku worries that he is beginning to sound like someone without any real knowledge of the happenings around his surroundings.

Analyzing some of his recent utterances, it appears that the president is steadily exhibiting and manifesting his lack of actual knowledge about the real situation of things in the country he is supposedly in charge of and running? We hope that the disagreement between his lips and his thoughts is not an early warning signs of something more ominous and sinister such as a medically out of sync neuron which has gone rogue on the president. We are however comforted that it may not be anything to worry about since the president is not the only Nigerian in a leadership position whose mouth precedes his/her thoughts. However, just like Lai Mohammed advised the other flipping top party official, lets hope too that President Goodluck Jonathan's utterances do not soon start becoming irrelevance and the butt of jokes among Nigerians, which would not bode well and will sure see the roof crashing on those revelers at Aso Rock!