PRESIDENT OBAMA'S VALEDICTORY STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS 2016.

Icheoku says like everything in life, President Barack Obama's presidency is gradually but surely coming to an end. The curtains to one remarkable aspect of a United States' presidential rituals was drawn today with the final State of the Union address delivered by the outgoing president. In his words, the State of the Union is as strong as ever if not stronger as America remains the strongest nation on earth. Apparently this one was meant for the rabble rousing Vladimir Putin and his Russia that America knows but choose to ignore his antics in both Ukraine and Syria. Also Republican presidential candidate wanna be Ted Cruz was not spared either as his puerile comment that he will carpet bomb the Middle East (ISIS) if elected came under the slammer in the address. Ditto Donald Trump and his all white America campaign theatrics?

President Obama seems to also dis Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari by reminding him that commitment to rule of law is not a discretionary exercise, but something that is and should be religiously pursued and always. Icheoku says if only the lean and mean Cassius of Daura has the capacity to decipher the innuendo that was implicit in this particular "commitment to the rule of law" comment by President Barack Obama, may be he will do the needful and release Nnamdi Kanu and Sambo Dasuki forthwith. Icheoku regrets that President Muhammadu Buhari lacks the capacity to similarly stage his own version of the "State of the Amalgamated Nigeria" address and tell Nigerians what his vision and prospect for a dysfunctional Nigeria is? What indeed is actually going on, outside the sing-song 'War on Corruption', that will improve the lot of Nigerians and give them hope for living. Anyway, may be Icheoku seem to be expecting too much from a tyrant who will not respect the rule of law and who flagrantly disobeys courts orders. 

Below here now is the president's full address, happy trails:-

Mr. Speaker, Mr. Vice President, Members of Congress, my fellow Americans:

Tonight marks the eighth year I’ve come here to report on the State of the Union. And for this final one, I’m going to try to make it shorter. I know some of you are antsy to get back to Iowa.

I also understand that because it’s an election season, expectations for what we’ll achieve this year are low. Still, Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the constructive approach you and the other leaders took at the end of last year to pass a budget and make tax cuts permanent for working families. So I hope we can work together this year on bipartisan priorities like criminal justice reform, and helping people who are battling prescription drug abuse. We just might surprise the cynics again.

But tonight, I want to go easy on the traditional list of proposals for the year ahead. Don’t worry, I’ve got plenty, from helping students learn to write computer code to personalizing medical treatments for patients. And I’ll keep pushing for progress on the work that still needs doing. Fixing a broken immigration system. Protecting our kids from gun violence. Equal pay for equal work, paid leave, raising the minimum wage. All these things still matter to hardworking families; they are still the right thing to do; and I will not let up until they get done.

But for my final address to this chamber, I don’t want to talk just about the next year. I want to focus on the next five years, ten years, and beyond. 

We live in a time of extraordinary change — change that’s reshaping the way we live, the way we work, our planet and our place in the world. It’s change that promises amazing medical breakthroughs, but also economic disruptions that strain working families. It promises education for girls in the most remote villages, but also connects terrorists plotting an ocean away. It’s change that can broaden opportunity, or widen inequality. And whether we like it or not, the pace of this change will only accelerate.

America has been through big changes before — wars and depression, the influx of immigrants, workers fighting for a fair deal, and movements to expand civil rights. Each time, there have been those who told us to fear the future; who claimed we could slam the brakes on change, promising to restore past glory if we just got some group or idea that was threatening America under control. And each time, we overcame those fears. We did not, in the words of Lincoln, adhere to the “dogmas of the quiet past.” Instead we thought anew, and acted anew. We made change work for us, always extending America’s promise outward, to the next frontier, to more and more people. And because we did — because we saw opportunity where others saw only peril — we emerged stronger and better than before.

What was true then can be true now. Our unique strengths as a nation — our optimism and work ethic, our spirit of discovery and innovation, our diversity and commitment to the rule of law — these things give us everything we need to ensure prosperity and security for generations to come.

In fact, it’s that spirit that made the progress of these past seven years possible. It’s how we recovered from the worst economic crisis in generations. It’s how we reformed our health care system, and reinvented our energy sector; how we delivered more care and benefits to our troops and veterans, and how we secured the freedom in every state to marry the person we love.

But such progress is not inevitable. It is the result of choices we make together. And we face such choices right now. Will we respond to the changes of our time with fear, turning inward as a nation, and turning against each other as a people? Or will we face the future with confidence in who we are, what we stand for, and the incredible things we can do together?

So let’s talk about the future, and four big questions that we as a country have to answer — regardless of who the next President is, or who controls the next Congress.

First, how do we give everyone a fair shot at opportunity and security in this new economy?

Second, how do we make technology work for us, and not against us — especially when it comes to solving urgent challenges like climate change?

Third, how do we keep America safe and lead the world without becoming its policeman?

And finally, how can we make our politics reflect what’s best in us, and not what’s worst?

Let me start with the economy, and a basic fact: the United States of America, right now, has the strongest, most durable economy in the world. We’re in the middle of the longest streak of private-sector job creation in history. More than 14 million new jobs; the strongest two years of job growth since the ’90s; an unemployment rate cut in half. Our auto industry just had its best year ever. Manufacturing has created nearly 900,000 new jobs in the past six years. And we’ve done all this while cutting our deficits by almost three-quarters. 

Anyone claiming that America’s economy is in decline is peddling fiction. What is true — and the reason that a lot of Americans feel anxious — is that the economy has been changing in profound ways, changes that started long before the Great Recession hit and haven’t let up. Today, technology doesn’t just replace jobs on the assembly line, but any job where work can be automated. Companies in a global economy can locate anywhere, and face tougher competition. As a result, workers have less leverage for a raise. Companies have less loyalty to their communities. And more and more wealth and income is concentrated at the very top.

All these trends have squeezed workers, even when they have jobs; even when the economy is growing. It’s made it harder for a hardworking family to pull itself out of poverty, harder for young people to start on their careers, and tougher for workers to retire when they want to. And although none of these trends are unique to America, they do offend our uniquely American belief that everybody who works hard should get a fair shot.

For the past seven years, our goal has been a growing economy that works better for everybody. We’ve made progress. But we need to make more. And despite all the political arguments we’ve had these past few years, there are some areas where Americans broadly agree.

We agree that real opportunity requires every American to get the education and training they need to land a good-paying job. The bipartisan reform of No Child Left Behind was an important start, and together, we’ve increased early childhood education, lifted high school graduation rates to new highs, and boosted graduates in fields like engineering. In the coming years, we should build on that progress, by providing Pre-K for all, offering every student the hands-on computer science and math classes that make them job-ready on day one, and we should recruit and support more great teachers for our kids. 

And we have to make college affordable for every American. Because no hardworking student should be stuck in the red. We’ve already reduced student loan payments to ten percent of a borrower’s income. Now, we’ve actually got to cut the cost of college. Providing two years of community college at no cost for every responsible student is one of the best ways to do that, and I’m going to keep fighting to get that started this year.

Of course, a great education isn’t all we need in this new economy. We also need benefits and protections that provide a basic measure of security. After all, it’s not much of a stretch to say that some of the only people in America who are going to work the same job, in the same place, with a health and retirement package, for 30 years, are sitting in this chamber. For everyone else, especially folks in their forties and fifties, saving for retirement or bouncing back from job loss has gotten a lot tougher. Americans understand that at some point in their careers, they may have to retool and retrain. But they shouldn’t lose what they’ve already worked so hard to build.

That’s why Social Security and Medicare are more important than ever; we shouldn’t weaken them, we should strengthen them. And for Americans short of retirement, basic benefits should be just as mobile as everything else is today. That’s what the Affordable Care Act is all about. It’s about filling the gaps in employer-based care so that when we lose a job, or go back to school, or start that new business, we’ll still have coverage. Nearly eighteen million have gained coverage so far. Health care inflation has slowed. And our businesses have created jobs every single month since it became law.

Now, I’m guessing we won’t agree on health care anytime soon. But there should be other ways both parties can improve economic security. Say a hardworking American loses his job — we shouldn’t just make sure he can get unemployment insurance; we should make sure that program encourages him to retrain for a business that’s ready to hire him. If that new job doesn’t pay as much, there should be a system of wage insurance in place so that he can still pay his bills. And even if he’s going from job to job, he should still be able to save for retirement and take his savings with him. That’s the way we make the new economy work better for everyone.

I also know Speaker Ryan has talked about his interest in tackling poverty. America is about giving everybody willing to work a hand up, and I’d welcome a serious discussion about strategies we can all support, like expanding tax cuts for low-income workers without kids.

But there are other areas where it’s been more difficult to find agreement over the last seven years — namely what role the government should play in making sure the system’s not rigged in favor of the wealthiest and biggest corporations. And here, the American people have a choice to make.

I believe a thriving private sector is the lifeblood of our economy. I think there are outdated regulations that need to be changed, and there’s red tape that needs to be cut. But after years of record corporate profits, working families won’t get more opportunity or bigger paychecks by letting big banks or big oil or hedge funds make their own rules at the expense of everyone else; or by allowing attacks on collective bargaining to go unanswered. Food Stamp recipients didn’t cause the financial crisis; recklessness on Wall Street did. Immigrants aren’t the reason wages haven’t gone up enough; those decisions are made in the boardrooms that too often put quarterly earnings over long-term returns. It’s sure not the average family watching tonight that avoids paying taxes through offshore accounts. In this new economy, workers and start-ups and small businesses need more of a voice, not less. The rules should work for them. And this year I plan to lift up the many businesses who’ve figured out that doing right by their workers ends up being good for their shareholders, their customers, and their communities, so that we can spread those best practices across America.

In fact, many of our best corporate citizens are also our most creative. This brings me to the second big question we have to answer as a country: how do we reignite that spirit of innovation to meet our biggest challenges?

Sixty years ago, when the Russians beat us into space, we didn’t deny Sputnik was up there. We didn’t argue about the science, or shrink our research and development budget. We built a space program almost overnight, and twelve years later, we were walking on the moon.

That spirit of discovery is in our DNA. We’re Thomas Edison and the Wright Brothers and George Washington Carver. We’re Grace Hopper and Katherine Johnson and Sally Ride. We’re every immigrant and entrepreneur from Boston to Austin to Silicon Valley racing to shape a better world. And over the past seven years, we’ve nurtured that spirit.

We’ve protected an open internet, and taken bold new steps to get more students and low-income Americans online. We’ve launched next-generation manufacturing hubs, and online tools that give an entrepreneur everything he or she needs to start a business in a single day.

But we can do so much more. Last year, Vice President Biden said that with a new moonshot, America can cure cancer. Last month, he worked with this Congress to give scientists at the National Institutes of Health the strongest resources they’ve had in over a decade. Tonight, I’m announcing a new national effort to get it done. And because he’s gone to the mat for all of us, on so many issues over the past forty years, I’m putting Joe in charge of Mission Control. For the loved ones we’ve all lost, for the family we can still save, let’s make America the country that cures cancer once and for all.

Medical research is critical. We need the same level of commitment when it comes to developing clean energy sources.

Look, if anybody still wants to dispute the science around climate change, have at it. You’ll be pretty lonely, because you’ll be debating our military, most of America’s business leaders, the majority of the American people, almost the entire scientific community, and 200 nations around the world who agree it’s a problem and intend to solve it.

But even if the planet wasn’t at stake; even if 2014 wasn’t the warmest year on record — until 2015 turned out even hotter — why would we want to pass up the chance for American businesses to produce and sell the energy of the future?

Seven years ago, we made the single biggest investment in clean energy in our history. Here are the results. In fields from Iowa to Texas, wind power is now cheaper than dirtier, conventional power. On rooftops from Arizona to New York, solar is saving Americans tens of millions of dollars a year on their energy bills, and employs more Americans than coal — in jobs that pay better than average. We’re taking steps to give homeowners the freedom to generate and store their own energy — something environmentalists and Tea Partiers have teamed up to support. Meanwhile, we’ve cut our imports of foreign oil by nearly sixty percent, and cut carbon pollution more than any other country on Earth.

Gas under two bucks a gallon ain’t bad, either.

Now we’ve got to accelerate the transition away from dirty energy. Rather than subsidize the past, we should invest in the future — especially in communities that rely on fossil fuels. That’s why I’m going to push to change the way we manage our oil and coal resources, so that they better reflect the costs they impose on taxpayers and our planet. That way, we put money back into those communities and put tens of thousands of Americans to work building a 21st century transportation system.

None of this will happen overnight, and yes, there are plenty of entrenched interests who want to protect the status quo. But the jobs we’ll create, the money we’ll save, and the planet we’ll preserve — that’s the kind of future our kids and grandkids deserve.

Climate change is just one of many issues where our security is linked to the rest of the world. And that’s why the third big question we have to answer is how to keep America safe and strong without either isolating ourselves or trying to nation-build everywhere there’s a problem.

I told you earlier all the talk of America’s economic decline is political hot air. Well, so is all the rhetoric you hear about our enemies getting stronger and America getting weaker. The United States of America is the most powerful nation on Earth. Period. It’s not even close. We spend more on our military than the next eight nations combined. Our troops are the finest fighting force in the history of the world. No nation dares to attack us or our allies because they know that’s the path to ruin. Surveys show our standing around the world is higher than when I was elected to this office, and when it comes to every important international issue, people of the world do not look to Beijing or Moscow to lead — they call us.

As someone who begins every day with an intelligence briefing, I know this is a dangerous time. But that’s not because of diminished American strength or some looming superpower. In today’s world, we’re threatened less by evil empires and more by failing states. The Middle East is going through a transformation that will play out for a generation, rooted in conflicts that date back millennia. Economic headwinds blow from a Chinese economy in transition. Even as their economy contracts, Russia is pouring resources to prop up Ukraine and Syria — states they see slipping away from their orbit. And the international system we built after World War II is now struggling to keep pace with this new reality.

It’s up to us to help remake that system. And that means we have to set priorities.

Priority number one is protecting the American people and going after terrorist networks. Both al Qaeda and now ISIL pose a direct threat to our people, because in today’s world, even a handful of terrorists who place no value on human life, including their own, can do a lot of damage. They use the Internet to poison the minds of individuals inside our country; they undermine our allies.

But as we focus on destroying ISIL, over-the-top claims that this is World War III just play into their hands. Masses of fighters on the back of pickup trucks and twisted souls plotting in apartments or garages pose an enormous danger to civilians and must be stopped. But they do not threaten our national existence. That’s the story ISIL wants to tell; that’s the kind of propaganda they use to recruit. We don’t need to build them up to show that we’re serious, nor do we need to push away vital allies in this fight by echoing the lie that ISIL is representative of one of the world’s largest religions. We just need to call them what they are — killers and fanatics who have to be rooted out, hunted down, and destroyed.

That’s exactly what we are doing. For more than a year, America has led a coalition of more than 60 countries to cut off ISIL’s financing, disrupt their plots, stop the flow of terrorist fighters, and stamp out their vicious ideology. With nearly 10,000 air strikes, we are taking out their leadership, their oil, their training camps, and their weapons. We are training, arming, and supporting forces who are steadily reclaiming territory in Iraq and Syria.

If this Congress is serious about winning this war, and wants to send a message to our troops and the world, you should finally authorize the use of military force against ISIL. Take a vote. But the American people should know that with or without Congressional action, ISIL will learn the same lessons as terrorists before them. If you doubt America’s commitment — or mine — to see that justice is done, ask Osama bin Laden. Ask the leader of al Qaeda in Yemen, who was taken out last year, or the perpetrator of the Benghazi attacks, who sits in a prison cell. When you come after Americans, we go after you. It may take time, but we have long memories, and our reach has no limit.

Our foreign policy must be focused on the threat from ISIL and al Qaeda, but it can’t stop there. For even without ISIL, instability will continue for decades in many parts of the world — in the Middle East, in Afghanistan and Pakistan, in parts of Central America, Africa and Asia. Some of these places may become safe havens for new terrorist networks; others will fall victim to ethnic conflict, or famine, feeding the next wave of refugees. The world will look to us to help solve these problems, and our answer needs to be more than tough talk or calls to carpet bomb civilians. That may work as a TV sound bite, but it doesn’t pass muster on the world stage.

We also can’t try to take over and rebuild every country that falls into crisis. That’s not leadership; that’s a recipe for quagmire, spilling American blood and treasure that ultimately weakens us. It’s the lesson of Vietnam, of Iraq — and we should have learned it by now.

Fortunately, there’s a smarter approach, a patient and disciplined strategy that uses every element of our national power. It says America will always act, alone if necessary, to protect our people and our allies; but on issues of global concern, we will mobilize the world to work with us, and make sure other countries pull their own weight.

That’s our approach to conflicts like Syria, where we’re partnering with local forces and leading international efforts to help that broken society pursue a lasting peace.

That’s why we built a global coalition, with sanctions and principled diplomacy, to prevent a nuclear-armed Iran. As we speak, Iran has rolled back its nuclear program, shipped out its uranium stockpile, and the world has avoided another war.

That’s how we stopped the spread of Ebola in West Africa. Our military, our doctors, and our development workers set up the platform that allowed other countries to join us in stamping out that epidemic.

That’s how we forged a Trans-Pacific Partnership to open markets, protect workers and the environment, and advance American leadership in Asia. It cuts 18,000 taxes on products Made in America, and supports more good jobs. With TPP, China doesn’t set the rules in that region, we do. You want to show our strength in this century? Approve this agreement. Give us the tools to enforce it.

Fifty years of isolating Cuba had failed to promote democracy, setting us back in Latin America. That’s why we restored diplomatic relations, opened the door to travel and commerce, and positioned ourselves to improve the lives of the Cuban people. You want to consolidate our leadership and credibility in the hemisphere? Recognize that the Cold War is over. Lift the embargo.

American leadership in the 21st century is not a choice between ignoring the rest of the world — except when we kill terrorists; or occupying and rebuilding whatever society is unraveling. Leadership means a wise application of military power, and rallying the world behind causes that are right. It means seeing our foreign assistance as part of our national security, not charity. When we lead nearly 200 nations to the most ambitious agreement in history to fight climate change — that helps vulnerable countries, but it also protects our children. When we help Ukraine defend its democracy, or Colombia resolve a decades-long war, that strengthens the international order we depend upon. When we help African countries feed their people and care for the sick, that prevents the next pandemic from reaching our shores. Right now, we are on track to end the scourge of HIV/AIDS, and we have the capacity to accomplish the same thing with malaria — something I’ll be pushing this Congress to fund this year.

That’s strength. That’s leadership. And that kind of leadership depends on the power of our example. That is why I will keep working to shut down the prison at Guantanamo: it’s expensive, it’s unnecessary, and it only serves as a recruitment brochure for our enemies.

That’s why we need to reject any politics that targets people because of race or religion. This isn’t a matter of political correctness. It’s a matter of understanding what makes us strong. The world respects us not just for our arsenal; it respects us for our diversity and our openness and the way we respect every faith. His Holiness, Pope Francis, told this body from the very spot I stand tonight that “to imitate the hatred and violence of tyrants and murderers is the best way to take their place.” When politicians insult Muslims, when a mosque is vandalized, or a kid bullied, that doesn’t make us safer. That’s not telling it like it is. It’s just wrong. It diminishes us in the eyes of the world. It makes it harder to achieve our goals. And it betrays who we are as a country.

“We the People.”

Our Constitution begins with those three simple words, words we’ve come to recognize mean all the people, not just some; words that insist we rise and fall together. That brings me to the fourth, and maybe the most important thing I want to say tonight.

The future we want — opportunity and security for our families; a rising standard of living and a sustainable, peaceful planet for our kids — all that is within our reach. But it will only happen if we work together. It will only happen if we can have rational, constructive debates.

It will only happen if we fix our politics.

A better politics doesn’t mean we have to agree on everything. This is a big country, with different regions and attitudes and interests. That’s one of our strengths, too. Our Founders distributed power between states and branches of government, and expected us to argue, just as they did, over the size and shape of government, over commerce and foreign relations, over the meaning of liberty and the imperatives of security.

But democracy does require basic bonds of trust between its citizens. It doesn’t work if we think the people who disagree with us are all motivated by malice, or that our political opponents are unpatriotic. Democracy grinds to a halt without a willingness to compromise; or when even basic facts are contested, and we listen only to those who agree with us. Our public life withers when only the most extreme voices get attention. Most of all, democracy breaks down when the average person feels their voice doesn’t matter; that the system is rigged in favor of the rich or the powerful or some narrow interest.

Too many Americans feel that way right now. It’s one of the few regrets of my presidency — that the rancor and suspicion between the parties has gotten worse instead of better. There’s no doubt a president with the gifts of Lincoln or Roosevelt might have better bridged the divide, and I guarantee I’ll keep trying to be better so long as I hold this office.

But, my fellow Americans, this cannot be my task — or any President’s — alone. There are a whole lot of folks in this chamber who would like to see more cooperation, a more elevated debate in Washington, but feel trapped by the demands of getting elected. I know; you’ve told me. And if we want a better politics, it’s not enough to just change a Congressman or a Senator or even a President; we have to change the system to reflect our better selves.

We have to end the practice of drawing our congressional districts so that politicians can pick their voters, and not the other way around. We have to reduce the influence of money in our politics, so that a handful of families and hidden interests can’t bankroll our elections — and if our existing approach to campaign finance can’t pass muster in the courts, we need to work together to find a real solution. We’ve got to make voting easier, not harder, and modernize it for the way we live now. And over the course of this year, I intend to travel the country to push for reforms that do.

But I can’t do these things on my own. Changes in our political process — in not just who gets elected but how they get elected — that will only happen when the American people demand it. It will depend on you. That’s what’s meant by a government of, by, and for the people.

What I’m asking for is hard. It’s easier to be cynical; to accept that change isn’t possible, and politics is hopeless, and to believe that our voices and actions don’t matter. But if we give up now, then we forsake a better future. Those with money and power will gain greater control over the decisions that could send a young soldier to war, or allow another economic disaster, or roll back the equal rights and voting rights that generations of Americans have fought, even died, to secure. As frustration grows, there will be voices urging us to fall back into tribes, to scapegoat fellow citizens who don’t look like us, or pray like us, or vote like we do, or share the same background.

We can’t afford to go down that path. It won’t deliver the economy we want, or the security we want, but most of all, it contradicts everything that makes us the envy of the world.

So, my fellow Americans, whatever you may believe, whether you prefer one party or no party, our collective future depends on your willingness to uphold your obligations as a citizen. To vote. To speak out. To stand up for others, especially the weak, especially the vulnerable, knowing that each of us is only here because somebody, somewhere, stood up for us. To stay active in our public life so it reflects the goodness and decency and optimism that I see in the American people every single day.

It won’t be easy. Our brand of democracy is hard. But I can promise that a year from now, when I no longer hold this office, I’ll be right there with you as a citizen — inspired by those voices of fairness and vision, of grit and good humor and kindness that have helped America travel so far. Voices that help us see ourselves not first and foremost as black or white or Asian or Latino, not as gay or straight, immigrant or native born; not as Democrats or Republicans, but as Americans first, bound by a common creed. Voices Dr. King believed would have the final word — voices of unarmed truth and unconditional love.

They’re out there, those voices. They don’t get a lot of attention, nor do they seek it, but they are busy doing the work this country needs doing.

I see them everywhere I travel in this incredible country of ours. I see you. I know you’re there. You’re the reason why I have such incredible confidence in our future. Because I see your quiet, sturdy citizenship all the time.

I see it in the worker on the assembly line who clocked extra shifts to keep his company open, and the boss who pays him higher wages to keep him on board.

I see it in the Dreamer who stays up late to finish her science project, and the teacher who comes in early because he knows she might someday cure a disease.

I see it in the American who served his time, and dreams of starting over — and the business owner who gives him that second chance. The protester determined to prove that justice matters, and the young cop walking the beat, treating everybody with respect, doing the brave, quiet work of keeping us safe.

I see it in the soldier who gives almost everything to save his brothers, the nurse who tends to him ’til he can run a marathon, and the community that lines up to cheer him on.

It’s the son who finds the courage to come out as who he is, and the father whose love for that son overrides everything he’s been taught.

I see it in the elderly woman who will wait in line to cast her vote as long as she has to; the new citizen who casts his for the first time; the volunteers at the polls who believe every vote should count, because each of them in different ways know how much that precious right is worth.

That’s the America I know. That’s the country we love. Clear-eyed. Big-hearted. Optimistic that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word. That’s what makes me so hopeful about our future. Because of you. I believe in you. That’s why I stand here confident that the State of our Union is strong.

Thank you, God bless you, and God bless the United States of America.

REFERENDUM ON BIAFRA, A VALID PROPOSITION - MALCOLM FABIYI

I have always been a firm believer that Nigeria should remain one united, indissoluble nation. It is an ideal that stems from a deep awareness of the unique possibilities that Nigeria offers, and an appreciation for the promise that it holds. There is no question that a strong and compelling case can be made for Nigerian unity, and there are many who would agree that there are sound historical, economic, and geo-political reasons why a united Nigeria makes sense both in an emotional and rational sense. The reality however is that from the very beginnings our union is one that has been plagued by doubts and clouded in uncertainty and distrust. In spite of those challenges, Nigeria has soldiered on. Through struggles, and even a brutal civil war, the Nigerian people have managed to take the union of convenience that Lugard consummated in 1914 and turn it into a partnership that is truly and uniquely theirs. 

Few people gave Nigeria any serious chance of survival. The death knell on Nigeria’s existence and corporate unity has been sounded very many times. Yet somehow, someway, a century later, Nigeria is still here, and Nigerians have managed to show the world that a nation split down the middle between Christians and Muslims can be united. 250 ethnic nationalities, each with its own unique and proud history, have found a way to call this land home. 

Yet, despite these victories, the path to Nigerian unity has come at a great price. Nigerian unity is a complicated matter. It is a marriage, and because of the multi-religious and multi-ethnic dimension to its reality, it is a polygamous one. If monogamous marriages are complicated, then polygamous ones are even more so. History and our unique culture teaches us that even such unions, imperfect as they might be can survive and even thrive.-

I have come to realize now, that to love Nigeria, is to be open to discussing the reality that it is not a perfect union – and that what we must all strive for is to make it such. To love Nigeria is to recognize that questions about marginalization that are raised by any ethnic groups are not necessarily coming from a place of malice or discontent. We must consider and accept the possibility that these yearnings are borne from a deep seated desire by these ethnic nationalities to chart a path for progress for themselves. 

None of us was there to negotiate the terms of this polygamous national union in 1914.  The reality is that questions about the terms of our union are now new, and they are certainly not without merit. There is a reason why there have been ten (10) different constitutions (1914, 1922, 1946, 1951, 1954, 1960, 1963, 1979, 1993 and 1999), in the life of a nation that is only a century old. Each one of these constitutions came about as a direct result of the never ending enterprise of seeking to enhance the Nigerian union – a step further in the quest for a more perfect union. There has also been at least one far ranging commission that looked into the question of minority marginalization (Willink Minorities Commission 1957) and a number of constitutional conferences whose recommendations were not adopted (e.g., the Abacha conference of 1994, and the Jonathan constitutional conference of 2014). 

In all the national dialogues about Nigerian unity held till date, any questioning of the foundational principle of national unity has essentially been a no-go area. It might be time to make an exception to this doctrinal principle that Nigerian unity is sacrosanct and cannot be challenged. I believe the Biafran secession debate is an area that is deserving of this exception. 

There are two reasons why a referendum on the Biafran secession case makes sense. 

Nigeria must understand how deep the sentiments for separation truly run: Supporters of Nigerian unity (and here we must concern ourselves only with those that are Igbo), contend that IPOB, MASSOB and other entities that are vociferously agitating for secession from Nigeria do not represent the silent Igbo majority.  However, no one has ever taken a poll of the Igbo nation to understand how deep the sentiment for separation from Nigeria truly runs. It is in the interest of the Igbo nation and all Nigerians to put this matter to rest once and for all. Are the majority of the Igbo people like other ethnic groups, believers in a united Nigeria, with an enduring interest in forging a more enduring union by seeking more equity in the structure of the Nigerian state, and in its relationship with its composite parts? Or is the idea of a united Nigeria with the Igbo as an integral part of that union a figment of the imagination of Nigerian patriots? 

The Igbo nation has earned a right to a referendum: Nigeria must face up to the realities that the civil war did not buy us peace and unity. Peace can never be bought at any price. The only currency that guarantees peace is that of justice and equity. In prosecuting the Civil War, our forebears merely bought themselves time to make the case for, and develop a more perfect union. If in the 45 years since the guns fell silent, Nigeria has failed to make a convincing case for the Igbo nation to feel, know and believe that Nigeria is as much theirs as the Hausa, Ijaw, Efik, Nupe, Tiv, Igala, Yoruba, Kanuri, Fulani and others believe it to be, then it is in the interest of all patriots to know that, sooner rather than later. Much as many Nigerian patriots would prefer that the questions of separation be shelved forever, and that Nigerian unity should remain a sacrosanct matter, such willful ignorance can do the nation no good in the long run. No marriage lasts if one party remains fundamentally opposed to the union. If a family is to build for the future, and make plans for the future, all the parties to the union must believe that their partnership is an eternal one. The Nigerian family will falter and remain locked in dysfunction if this nagging and persistent question of national unity is not answered, once and for all. Only a referendum can provide a resolution to this question, and the Igbo nation has earned a right to a peaceful plebiscite. 

Why the Agitation for Biafra differs from other Marginalization struggles. 

There are those who would say that the Biafra matter was settled once and for all with the Nigerian civil war, and that the Igbo nation should accept that their secession bid was unsuccessful and get on with being Nigerians. However, majority of Nigerians today, who are from the post-independence or post war generation, did not witness the war, or were too young to appreciate the issues that led to it.  What most Nigerians know of that conflict is from the history books and from the stories that our fathers and uncles, our mothers and aunts have told us. 

The enduring quotation that Nigerians of this emergent generation hold onto from that internecine conflict was the declaration by General Gowon, the head of state that prosecuted the war for unity, that there was “No victor, No vanquished.” 

If there was indeed “No Victor, No Vanquished” then Nigeria must be prepared to give voice to those who claim that their future lies outside the Nigerian nation. To fail to do so will be to tacitly imply that the “Vanquished” have no say in the terms of a post war settlement. This is not a path Nigeria should tow, as it will only keep us bogged down in this seemingly endless cycle of progress and retrogression. How would this referendum work? 

Such a referendum would take place in two stages. The first stage would be a simple “Yes or No” question as to whether or not a substantive referendum should hold to determine if the south eastern Igbo states should secede from Nigeria. It should hold only in the south eastern region, and only Igbo Nigerians should be eligible to participate. If the “No” vote prevails by a simple majority, then the matter of the enduring place of the Igbo within the Nigerian nation will be resolved. Should this initial referendum process have a simple majority “Yes” vote, then it would trigger the commencement of a process to set a date and prepare for a substantive referendum on the question of full Biafran secession. 

The second stage will need some preparation - from the authorities, from the proponents of National unity and from the advocates of separation and secession. The intervening period between the two referendums will provide some opportunity for the real world implications of separation to be debated.  Questions of citizenship, immigration, visa policies and terms of access of Igbo Nigerians to the other five regions post separation will need to be clearly outlined because those would be crucial to the debates that will ensue on the merits or demerits of separation. Guarantees for property rights and economic transfers in the event of political separation will also need to be discussed and addressed as well. Nigeria’s political leaders must be prepared to accept whatever outcomes emerge from this second referendum and it must necessarily be preceded by the passage of appropriate and binding legislative laws. 

Postscript 

No one can make the case for Nigerian unity to the Igbo nation, better and more effectively than Igbo sons and daughters, who believe in the vision and the promise of a united Nigeria. We must trust in their ability to do this. And if peradventure, Nigeria has failed the Igbo nation so irreparably, that there will be no voices that can sway the case in the favor of Nigerian unity, then we must be ready to accept that separation might be a necessary outcome, painful as it might be. 

We have been here before. In 1961, Northern and Southern Cameroon were offered a plebiscite to determine if they wanted to remain in Nigeria or enter into union with Cameroon. Northern Cameroon with its large Fula and Kanuri populations and extensive historical, religious and socio-political ties to Northern Nigeria, opted for union with Nigeria, while the Southern Cameroons opted to join Cameroon. The example offered by the recent agitations for Scottish independence, provides a template for how such a referendum might be handled by people on both sides of the divide. 

Every nation must determine its priorities and deal with them accordingly.  There are those who would argue that the Biafran question is a secondary issue and that Nigeria has more pressing concerns with security, and with reversing the damage perpetrated by a corrupt political class that has decimated the nation’s resources in decades of misrule. I would argue that the Biafran question is an existential one, and therefore demands to be treated with a fierce urgency. The Igbo nation is a crucial and essential part of Nigeria. Nigerian progress will be accelerated if we can determine once and for all, who the parties to our forward movement as a nation are. I am confident that the Nigerian family of the future, will include names like Okoro, Nnamdi, Kanu and Ngozi. 

God bless Nigeria. 

Malcolm Fabiyi

PRESIDENT BUHARI SHOULD OBEY ORDERS FOR BAIL - FEMI FALANA.

For 16 years that the Peoples Democratic Party was in power, the federal government exhibited total contempt for the Rule of Law. The Constitution and other laws were breached with impunity while court orders were disobeyed on a regular basis. In the famous case of Attorney-General of Lagos State v Attorney-General of the Federation (2005) 2 WRN 1 at 150 the Supreme Court held that "In our democracy all the Governments of this country as well as organizations and individuals must kowtow to the due process and this they can vindicate by resorting to the courts for redress in the event of any grievance." 

One of the reasons why Nigerians voted for the candidate of the All Progressive Congress, General Mohammadu Buhari (rtd) during the last general election was his promise to fight corruption and end impunity in the country. Upon winning the election, President Buhari further pledged to abide by the Rule of Law. To that extent, he has a duty to ensure that all organs and officials of the Government operate within the ambit of the law. In particular,  he should not allow overzealous security personnel to engage in any form of impunity and thereby expose the Government to unwarranted embarrassment.

In July last year, the State Security Service (SSS)  searched the private residence of former NSA, Col Sambo Dasuki (rtd) at Abuja. When Col Dasuki alleged that his house was illegally searched, I pointed out that the action of the SSS was justified as there was a search warrant validly issued by a magistrate court in the federal capital territory that  authorised the search. He was eventually charged with money laundering and criminal diversion of huge sums of public fund before the Federal High Court and the Federal Capital Territory High Court at Abuja. Notwithstanding the gravity of the offences, both courts have admitted him to bail. But after he had met the bail conditions the SSS decided to rearrest him at the gate of Kuje prisons on the ground that investigations have not been concluded in respect of other criminal allegations.

The decision of the SSS to ignore the order admitting Col Dasuki to bail coupled with the failure to re-arraign him on fresh charges is tantamount to impunity in every material respect. If the federal government were aggrieved by the order admitting Col. Dasuki to bail it should have challenged it in the Court of Appeal. Much as the Nigerian people are fully behind the Buhari Administration in the patriotic move to recover the looted wealth of the nation, the federal government should be advised to ensure that the procedure for the loot recovery meets the tenets of the rule of law. The SSS and other security agencies should therefore refrain from allowing corruption to fight back by playing into the hands of the criminal suspects who have committed crimes against humanity by diverting money earmarked for the procurement of arms and armament to fight the terrorists.

In the same vein, the order admitting the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Mr. Nnamdi Kanu, to bail should also be complied with. If the federal government has other charges against both suspects it should file them in the court. There is no provision for keeping criminal suspects at the pleasure of security officials. Meanwhile,  all valid and subsisting orders made by courts in favor of criminal suspects should be obeyed without further delay.

To ensure  that  suspects are no longer held in custody in any part of Nigeria without any legal justification section 34 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act has imposed a duty on each  the Chief Judges to designate  a Chief Magistrate and  a Judge of the  High Court to visit all police stations and other detention centers within their jurisdiction, at least once a month. During such visits, appropriate directives shall be given while any officer who detains any person illegally will be sanctioned.

 Femi Falana SAN

BEING NICE TO OTHER PEOPLE'S SPOUSE, A FACE OF JANUS?

Icheoku says something has always bothered Icheoku and to somewhat freaking point. The niceties which spouses extend to other people's spouses - may be their boss, their pastor, their friend's spouse or even their relatives spouses; but at the same time disrespectfully treating their own mates - either their husbands or their wives? Icheoku is at a loss because most of these spouse-hating spouses put the very best face of joviality outside their homes, sulking up to other people outside their matrimonial home as the best thing to ever happen to mankind. But in their home, they are entirely a different thing - having converted it into a living hell on earth for their unfortunate spouse. 

Icheoku does not understand why these pretentious spouses would rather be pleasant to other people's spouse and not to their own very spouse. Or tell or pretend to outsiders that they have very weak heart of human kindness but are ruthlessly heartless when it comes to their spouse. For instance, why would a woman, another man's wife, be so nice and respectful to her boss, who happens to be a man and who has a wife like her at his own home, while showing the worst disrespect to her own husband? By the same token, why do some men play Mr Nice Guy to their female boss, who happen to be someone's else wife, while they have made their homes an unlivable dungeon for their own wife? Some very weak men and women who keep girlfriends and boyfriends outside their homes, often play the dream guy or gal to be with whenever they are with their girl/boyfriends, but to their wife and mother or husband and father of their children, they morph into the worst vampire to ever walk the face of this earth. 

Icheoku does not have answers to some of these marital problems induced questions, but it surprises Icheoku how human beings could consciously live this double life and be happy at ease with it. Sometimes this channeled affection to their pastors or their spiritual men of God, are taken advantage of and their weakness exploited to completely and totally take complete control of them. Some pastors have been known to dictate and tele-guide what goes on inside such peoples' homes. Some pastors are even known to  be instrumental to wrecking such homes; while some others go the extent of poaching such weak spouses for their own comfort. So how can any sane spouse think that a pastor or man of God or even their boss or minister is a better person to show affection to than the person they married? Except of course these folks do not place much value on what they have but would rather fish outside for that illusive worthy and better person than the spouse they have.

William Shakespeare in 'Troy and Cressida' warned that everything's worth is as valued. If you see and treat your spouse as a prince and/or a princess, he or she will automatically transform into that and before your own very eyes. Conversely, if you never see anything good in your spouse, continuously disparaging him or her as a good for nothing lout, he or she will not get better and you might succeed in turning them into an actual lout. There is power in motivation and with enough love, you can transform a nobody into a somebody; but you have to first will it to see it through. If only these marital infidels can learn how to see their dream spouse in the one they are with and learn to love them like a fat kid loves ice-cream, there will be peace on earth and marriages will become more attractive. 

But no, instead they would rather channel all their obsession to a third party, who might not even be aware or interested in them. Instead of striving to help their relationship heal and sizzle, some would rather skew things further in order to widen the chasm between themselves. Icheoku says rule of the thumb number one, no one can ever love you more than the man or woman who agreed to take a chance at life with you. He or she had choices and among the billions of human beings on earth, settled for you and so at least you owe him or her the benefit of some effort to make it work. So regardless of life's waviness, instead of giving up on your spouse and looking for affection where it might not be outside your home, learn to discuss your problems and resolve them; work on the things that need to be worked on and generally improve on your relationship habits and see yourself happier.

The irony of life is that like the lizard said, everybody has some bellyache; so do not always think and believe that the grass is greener elsewhere because that person you think has it all might be sweating heavily underneath the facade of hunky-dory. So learn today to stop outsourcing your marital problems, running to your pastor or boss or friend or family for solution. Learn to see them as your private problem and devise wholesome solution that will deal with them decisively; and in a matured way as only a loving spouse who wants the best out of a relationship, would. Learn to trust no one to make your relationship work and confide in no one about your relationship challenges. Frequently communicate with each other and have arising issues resolved immediately without unnecessary holding out. So resolve today to start seeing your spouse as the best spouse there is and that no other person's spouse is better nor deserving of more respect that your spouse and see yourself have a nicer life that sizzles.

MARRIAGE 2.0, UPGRADED YET?

Icheoku says if your marriage is not working optimally as you had expected, have you thought about upgrading it? Have you given it a serious thought that it is possibly not working properly because what obtained in the days of your grandfather and grandmother is no longer applicable today? Are you still stuck in the last version Marriage 1.0 or have you upgraded to the new version Marriage 2.0 and if not, why not? Have you considered that possibly all your current marital difficulties may be as a result of your marriage being infected by bugs and viruses, which might be fixed with a simple patch embedded in version Marriage 2.0. 

If you are still stuck with the old ways your parents did things years ago, as handed down by their forebears; and have not woken up to the new realities that today's marriage is no longer amenable to certain things that worked yesterday, what is your problem? If your mother stayed at home while raising you and your siblings, manning (womanning) the domestic department, is your wife presently working and bringing home some bacon too? If your father came home to a well kept home, with food ready to eat; do you expect your wife to also do as your mother did while also working when your mother never worked but remained a stay at home mother throughout? Do you help out with some domestic chores or are you so old fashioned and stuck up in a husbandry stratosphere, expecting your wife to come home from her job and still be the only one running around the kitchen and tidying up the place and still get things done on time and efficiently? 

Icheoku says if you want your wife to be like your mother, are you also prepared to be like your father? Are you ready to provide all her reasonable needs as well as that of your children; and thereafter earn the right to the title of man of the house, with vested rights and privileges as well as benefits? Remember that with every right comes accompanying obligation; and with every privilege comes a duty. So if you are not prepared to make that trade off, then do not expect anything comparable to what your father got and learn to curb your enthusiasm. Always advice yourself properly that the fact of your being married does not automatically confer or beget you with everything your hearts desires and which your mouth commands. This is 2016 and things are no longer what they used to be and demands that you change and adjust accordingly.

Do you belong to the old school of marriage which believes that marriage is a relationship of master and his lady; where one party "husbands" the other party, while the other party merely "wifes" only the home front with unquestionable obedience to the wishes of her master? Or are you of the new school which sees marriage as a partnership relationship of co-equals with corresponding duties, rights and obligations? Aphoristically speaking, do you see marriage as two people riding on a horse with one person sitting behind the other; or as two people in a convertible sitting side by side with no room for third parties? Understanding that someone is still on the steering wheel but does not sit any farther from the co-passenger on the other seat. It is a tandem, co-equals with an alter-ego just for purposes of a seamless navigation. 

Icheoku says how you see your marriage and the mindset with which you approach it, actually determines how much happiness you will mine from it. It also indicates which school of marriage you belong to; and whether or not your marriage is of the old version Marriage 1.0 or has been since upgraded to version Marriage 2.0

Icheoku says if you have someone else as a best friend and not your spouse or a closest confidant who is not your spouse, then not only do you not have a right spouse but you are also still stuck with the old version Marriage 1.0 and you need an upgrade. If your spouse is not your closet confidant, the repository of your secrets, your clearing house, the bedrock of your existence and the center upon which your universe revolves, then you are probably still stuck in the outdated version Marriage 1.0 and need to urgently upgrade. Probe yourself to find out if you have "a spouse" or "the spouse"; as this goes a long way in determining the type of relationship you have with your significant other. 

If peradventure, you see your spouse as just "a husband" or "just a wife", as many would sometimes erroneously refer to their spouses without understanding the ramifications and implications, then you do not have yourself the enviable companionship necessary for version Marriage 2.0 and therefore cannot enjoy its benefits without an upgrade. If you are always thinking about a third party while sharing private moments with your putative spouse, then something is not kosher with your marital situation and you should seriously consider  rebranding or giving it a total makeover. If someone else or something else is more important to you than your spouse or is always given more attention or priority over your spouse; or someone else's matter is treated with speedier dispatch than your spouse's, then be assured that you do not have the right spouse and therefore you should consider either rebooting your marriage or  upgrading it or even think about a total do over. But please whatever happens, do not die in silence or fear of society's chastisement as you have one life to life, so live it. Salute.

OBAMA'S LATEST GUN CONTROL INITIATIVE REJECTED, NRA SAYS NO DEAL.

Icheoku says it is not for lack of trying that Americans have not seen a sensible and more responsible gun control laws, to help take away guns from demented loonies who should not have them in the first place and thus help reduce the needless and senseless recurring decimal that is mass murders in America. Nope, it is because the National Rifles Association says no and have taken Congress hostage and holding them in a stranglehold of do so at the peril of losing your congressional seat. Cowered and intimidated into a state of near paralysis, the Congress has remained aloof while Americans continue to lose their lives to gun violence.

So it would appear that in their deal with the devil in which they sold their souls for congressional seats, Congress has chosen to side with the NRA against the American people, who have continuously lost they lives as well as those of loved ones to gun violence in America. Once again, the president made his case to legislate out this wantonness in a White House briefing few days ago, which he followed up today with a CNN organized town-hall styled conversation which he had with the American people. The president once again restated the need to make good on the promise of keeping American people safe and secured from needless and avoidable or rather preventable gun violence. The president reiterated that his executive action on gun control is meant to take guns away from people who should have them; rather it was to prevent and bar those criminals who should not so do from obtaining guns. 

Icheoku agrees that 365 million guns in 65 million American homes/possession, with 30,000 gun-induced deaths just last year 2015 alone is one heck of a worrisome statistics to worry about what the hell is going on with Americans. Hopefully this latest initiative by President Barack Obama to use executive powers, where he can, to ameliorate reckless gun possession and ownership by people who should not have them, would succeed. Even if only one life is saved in doing so, it is still a welcome plus development.  

Watching the interview with Anderson Cooper, Icheoku cannot but wonder whether the minders of Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari similarly watched the session to understand why America is indeed the exceptional country it is. The host, an "ordinary" reporter, intermittently interrupting the president and holding his feet to the fire to answer asked questions. A president was put on the spot to explain his latest policy initiative, with repeated follow-up questions and literally made to sweat out answers to the questions. But the eyesore that was the referenced President Muhammadu Buhari's 'meet the press' gimmickry, a sullied caricature, was entirely different and drab with the no whoa moment. Even when President Muhammadu Buhari said what he said, which amounts to his ascendancy to despotism by trying to justify an unjustifiable and indefensible disobedience to valid courts orders, none of the interviewing journalists follow it up. 

Icheoku had expected any of the journalists to tell the  President Muhammadu Buhari that he has no choice in the matter and that Nigeria is now in a democratic dispensation where the rule of law reigns supreme. That once the  arbiter, the court, has made a pronouncement, it supersedes every other opinion including one based on the personal idiosyncrasies of a former despotic coup plotter; who flagrantly disobeys courts' orders simply because they did not suit his idea of vindictive justice. Icheoku says President Muhammadu Buhari does not believe that he owes Nigerians any responsibility whatsoever for putting him into office and therefore does not give a damn whether or not they are concerned about his acting unlawfully. Anyway, speak of a country of anything goes which found a cattle rearer, the best there is to be elected as their president. President Muhammadu Buhari, Icheoku says that you have no discretion in this matter, so you must obey court's orders and free Nnamdi Kanu and Sambo Dasuki immediately.

JE SUIS NNAMDI KANU ET SAMBO DASUKI.

Icheoku says every decent Nigerian who means well for the country would and should respect the rule of law. They also would wish that everyone else in Nigeria including President Muhammadu Buhari, should similarly do so. Therefore the continuing detention of two Nigerian citizens whom various courts granted bail, but who President Muhammad Buhari continues to hold, albeit illegally, since both are post bail, is condemnable and should be condemned by every right thinking and fairly disposed Nigerian. 

Their continued incarceration is by extension the continued incarceration of every Nigerian, in the 'open prison' which  Wole Soyinka once succinctly described was Nigeria under Muhammadu Buhari's first coming; which regrettably is being rebuilt once again and continuing in this 2016. Icheoku says we are all Nnamdi Kanu and Sambo Dasuki in this matter as every one's life and liberty is at stake here. If it is Nnamdi Kanu and Sambo Dasuki today, who shall it be tomorrow? Once again, Icheoku calls on President Muhammadu Buhari to free this two Nigerians from detention and also to free Nigerians from his country-wide mass incarceration by obeying court orders. Nigerians say, Je Suis Nnamdi Kanu et Sambo Dasuki.

DASUKI-GATE SCANDAL, WHAT WAS JONATHAN THINKING?

Icheoku says why did Jonathan of Otuoke, knowing that he has a shitload of corrupt practices and that the shit will certainly hit the ceiling fan if exposed, allowed the outcome that was the last election? Why did he rush into conceding the election without first securing a get-out-of-jail-card from the incoming government, guaranteeing that his outgoing government will not be probed? Just wondering whether the timid man of Otuoke actually do use his brain most of the times or is something indeed wrong with how he is wired? 

Carrying a maggot infested cesspool of corruption of this magnitude, yet the man surrendered keys to Aso Rock and left all these people so mortally exposed? Icheoku asks what was he thinking or rather smoking for that matter? Yet this is the man who could not find money to fund the second River Niger bridge, yet doled out to just one man Nigeria's 2.1 billion dollars and handed over to another man 2.1 billion Naira and now to another 1.4 billion Naira. But to fund the bridge or even construct it, he lamented his government could not afford it and imposed the cost on the people of Southeast, his supposed adopted region. Icheoku is still holding back from going frontal on this man from Otuoke, who disappointed so many by the cowardly way he ran Nigeria and the timidity with which he scurried away from Aso Rock and out of power; now all these earth-shattering revelations concerning abuse of the nations commonwealth. 

GANI FAWEHINMI, A HUGE VOID IN THIS TIME OF GREAT TRIBULATION.

Icheoku says if any black robed and white wigged man or woman ever walked the field of law in Nigeria,  Gani Fawehinmi was that man and literally the only man to have truly done so; matter of factly speaking. He walked tall, fearlessly and courageously; and where angels feared to tread, he thudded. He was never coy nor timid about the preeminent place of the law in society and always fought to ensure it. He confronted whatever needed to be confronted legally; he magisterially rose up on each and every occasion in defense of the law and people. As a result, authorities usually thought twice, knowing that Gani will be challenging their illegalities in court and doggedly too, before they trample on the constitution, the law and the  rights of the citizenry. 

But regrettably, happenstances of the past few months in Nigeria has rekindled the memory of this indefatigable legal luminary of great repute. Icheoku mourns his loss all over again as a man whom Nigeria misses at this great hour of great need, of a fearless warrior to face-down the morphing dictatorship that is President Muhammadu Buhari. Imagine an elected president, in a democracy, usurping the powers of court and disparaging the very rule of law which made his presidency possible in the first place; and lawyers in Nigeria are just keeping mum, pretending that all is well while the very foundation upon which their trade is built is being eroded and corroded in this very adverse manner. As far as many of them are concerned, provided the whole applecart is not upturned and as long as they still can eke out a living, hustling; President Muhammadu Buhari can do whatever he wants unchallenged with two Nigerian citizens whose right to fair hearing have been unduly infringed by the government. 

Various courts of competent jurisdiction heard citizens Sambo Dasuki and Nnamdi Kanu's bail applications, considered them and ruled. They granted them bail, with one, unconditionally; but President Muhammadu Buhari is saying that they do not deserve bail and as a result is still holding them illegally and in breach of the rule of law. Icheoku says if this two citizens are flight risk as President Muhammadu Buhari would shamelessly want the bewildered world to believe, why did his prosecutorial team not adduce such evidence while the issue of bail was being argued and persuade the court not to grant them bail or condition them on impossible or more stringent and hard to perfect obligations? Why would the government's prosecutorial team wait until the court have weighted their bail applications and determined their alleged offenses bailable and accordingly granted them bail, before President Muhammadu Buhari will then countermand the courts and refuse to comply with valid orders of courts and in a democracy? 

Icheoku laments that the Nigeria Bar Association, having not risen up as a pressure group in defense of the law and constitutional rights of Nigerian citizens, have lost its salt and should therefore consider revoking its charter of existence.  Their present indifference to the brash bashing of the law by President Muhammadu Buhari, especially its President Alegeh, is simply inexplicable.  Worse still, Vice President Yemi Osibanjo is a lawyer and a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and you wonder doesn't he ever talk and/or ask for audience with the president to advise the president on his limitations in a democracy, where the rule of law is supreme? Then add the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, another lawyer and a Senior Advocate of Nigeria; then Minister of Works, Power and Housing Babatunde Fashola too, another lawyer and a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, as well as many other lawyers in that government; yet they all are keeping mum as lady justice is suffering this wanton rape of her authority in the hands of their employer, President Muhammadu Buhari. 

Icheoku bemoans if only Gani Fawehinmi was still alive, no way would President Muhammadu Buhari dare and if he dared, the whole country will be literally on fire with legal fireworks to stop this madness. What a loss to Nigeria, especially the legal profession therein, that was the demise of Gani Fawehinmi.  Several years later, no one lawyer in Nigeria has been able to fill the very huge void left by him. It is indeed shameful the reactions so far from Nigerian lawyers to what President Muhammadu Buhari is doing to the law. It is a disheartening show of lack of courage and crass timidity that lawyers in Nigeria cannot rise up and defend their honor as lawyers and apostles of the  law and courts. If it is Sambo Dasuki as well as Nnamdi Kanu today, whose turn shall it be tomorrow to be summarily and arbitrarily similarly traumatized by injustice meted out by President Muhammadu Buhari?

Nigerians were warned that the old leopard cannot change its spots and true to prediction, President Muhammadu Buhari is now showing that his claimed "converted democrat" status was simply a ruse to con Nigerians of their votes during the last election. As warned, he has proved himself that the Muhammadu Buhari who overthrew democracy in 1983 and the one now masquerading as democratically elected President Muhammadu Buhari are but two faces of the same coin - a despotic tyrant who has no regard for the rule of law and rights of the citizens. Icheoku says when shall a Gani Fawehinmi reincarnate and when shall Nigerian lawyers become more active and truly give the citizens the confidence that they are constitutional rights defenders, who are watching their backs and watching out for them? Oh Gani, Nigeria misses you.

A CAPRICORN IS GRATEFUL

Icheoku says remains eternally grateful to all those well-intentioned men and women of goodwill who remembered to felicitate with son of man on the anniversary of his birth. Thought I could have personally responded to each and everyone of you personally in appreciation of your kind thoughts; but to say that the number was rather overwhelming would appear to be lack of gratitude, as no one should ever be heard to complain of being remembered 'too' much on his special day. All of you occupy special place in my heart and I love you all back mightily. 

My NYSC sweetheart of a very long time ago (imo-river) triggered the avalanche and it rained in without ceasing - FB. WhatsApp, Messenger, email, phone calls, Messages, Face Time, text etc. I appreciate all of you that extended their delight that I made it through yet another year in this earthly journey called life. Permit me to report that with his special grace, good nutrition and wonderful gene, he is still in a stellar health; and but for the salt and pepper, could pass off for half off. All the best to you all in the new year and with powers vested on me as a new year baby, now gracefully aging man, Icheoku hereby invokes Almighty's abundant remembrance of each one of you for your good hearts and generosity of wishes. It is well with you and it shall remain well with you all in Jesus name. Like my special client prayed, the party will continue and shall never stop and so may yours all be respectively. Salute.

VICE PRESIDENT OSINBAJO, THIS IS SHAMELESS.

Icheoku says what is it with power that men would sacrifice their honor and dignity just to be seen to have it or around it? A vice president who is a lawyer and a Senior Advocate of Nigeria is watching and standing aloof while President Muhammadu Buhari is rubbishing the judiciary, disrespecting and disregarding valid orders of courts. Icheoku calls on Vice President Yemi Osinbajo to stand up for the rule of law and advise his boss appropriately and accordingly or throw in his resignation immediately. 

THIS NEW YEAR 2016, RESOLVE TO LOVE LIKE YOU MEAN IT.

Icheoku says man surrender to your woman; woman submit to your man and there will be peace on earth, blessed by the heavens. This 2016, let your new year resolution be to love and love mightily. To accomplish this, learn to appreciate your partner and their efforts no matter how minuscule they might seem to you; and also learn to apologize when you offend them or you are wrong. Say thank you to them when they do some good or favor to you and also say sorry when you offend or wrong them. It is simple and not that hard to do; except that mortals would not heed this time-honored advise? The reason they are stewing in unhappiness and steadily agonizing why did they get married. 

Life is too short to live it regretfully, so learn to live it lovingly. Love is a contact sport which admits of no breaks nor sitting on the fence. You have to live it in the now; being present always, not aloof or lackadaisically. That's the only way you can get the best out of life, lived in love and happiness. A well choreographed and functional life is a delight and imitable thing to behold and experience. Those who unfortunately waste their valuable time, fighting for needless supremacy in their relationship, instead of enjoying a well-lubricated life, are simply missing out on a lot of good life's moments. So in this new year 2016, resolve to reorder your priorities in such a way that you can start truly living a good, less stressful life, instead of just hanging in there bitching about all the time how unlucky in love you are and how screwed up your life is. There is order in the universe and there is a hierarchy of things, so try to find your fitting position and then snuggle in accordingly, not to  make your own life experience an exception. 

As a cardinal rule number one, admit no one whosoever in your relationship. It is purely a private affair between two parties and a third will ruin it. You can have and keep your friends, your relatives, your sisters and brothers and even your parents; but they must not be an integral part of your relationship, period. They are but welcome strangers to it and should always remain so and as far as your relationship is concerned. Your parents especially have had their time in the sun and must therefore allow you to have yours; so do not allow their interferences to ruin what you have. The same goes with nosey, overbearing sisters and brothers, who like to butt themselves into other peoples business. You must force them to let go off you, which being married truly presupposes. Three is a crowd in love relationships and there is no point fighting it if you want to have a successful outing. The late Princess Diana once lamented that her relationship with Prince Charles was overcrowded as there were simply too many of them involved in it; referring to Queen Elizabeth's controlling obsession in Prince Charles affairs and accordingly tele-guiding his actions and decisions. 

You can have members of your family around but never as part of the relationship by bringing them into whatever decisions or disputes you may have with your significant other. It is dangerous and very damaging to involve third parties in your relationships. First you don't know who is jealous of what you have and might want to unravel and ruin it? Also why needlessly create enmity and bad blood where and if it could be avoided? For example if you have an issue with your spouse and you invite your mother or sister or brother of even a friend to come and adjudicate it for you guys. As expected, they naturally will gravitate towards your viewpoint and position. Your spouse will automatically assume that they took their position because they were biased against him or her, in favor of one of their own. So regardless of how germane their position in the disputation might be, your spouse will not care to understand the rationale behind it and will brand them marked for destruction as the enemies within, who are ruining the relationship. Conversely, if they side with your spouse, you will see them as taking sides against one of their own - the Michael Corleone's admonition of Fredo 'don't ever take sides with anyone against the family," kind of situation. And as Godfather teaches us, such never ends well; so why create an avoidable unpleasantness. 
  
To really love, learn to love like a child - fearlessly, truthfully and honestly. 

The other rule of the thumb, if there is anything you value more than your spouse including friends, family members, parents, children, job, money, vehicle, habits, drugs and alcohol, then you are not truly in love. At best, you are like every other Jack and Jill out there who are having their own self-inflicted marital problems, hence nothing special about you. You are as ordinary as the rest of them and there is nothing that stands you out from the pack, the day you start devaluing your spouse as of less important to you than some other things that you value higher. But to make your relationship rock solid, endeavor to not let anything come or stand in-between you and your spouse; and treat it as you would when in between the sheets. Above all, share and share everything in common. Be the best friend your spouse wants to find in a relationship and be the confidant he or she wants to have a companionship with; and together you both shall find bliss IJN. Love conquers everything and without love in your life, you are running on emptiness. Have a love-filled new year 2016. All the best. Salute.