THE TUNISIAN REVOLUTION, A NEW AFRICAN AWAKENING?

 Icheoku says congratulations to the proud and brave people of Tunisia for forcing out of power, their tyrant and despotic former president. They yearned for it. They worked for it. They prayed for it. And finally they sacrificed for it and today, they have restored dignity to the people of Tunisia by telling their former president who is really in charge. Today the proud Africans of Tunisia are free - free from despotism, emasculation, killing, economic strangulation, political stifling, expression, association and above all of a maniacal tyrant who has lorded it over them for over 23 nightmarish years.


As Tunisia's former despotic president for life, Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, scurries into exile with his tail tucked in between his legs, to Saudi Arabi, the receptacle of African despots (Idi Amin died there in exile), Icheoku says bravo to the people whose resilience made it possible. They believed in a cause; they worked for a cause and they sacrificed severally to accomplish their mission which all the curfews and state brutality could not stop. Icheoku says what the people of Tunisia accomplished is not an easy feat for Africans whose despots are as tyrannical as they get; and spares no effort at visiting their terror on the people just to stay in power and maintain their stranglehold on the subjugated people.


Icheoku hopes that the fire which has been lit in Tunisia will turn into a raging inferno that will spread throughout the continent and scorch all those other despots doting the landscape, from Libya to Egypt to Lesotho to Gabon etc. What happened in Tunisia also sends warning shots across the bow of other Arab maximum rulers in the Arab world who are deeply entrenched over the many years without providing any meaningful economic and/or political opportunities and way-out for their people. It is about time the political revolution which swept across Europe in the nineties passed through Africa and the Arab world. It is indeed time all those other African despots, dictators, tyrants, maximum rulers and sit-tight leaders are held to account for their stewardship to the people and not the other way round, as usual. Leaders who hole themselves up in their high walled and gated palatial mansions, indulging themselves with the choicest of things money can buy, while their people languish in abject poverty and want, and in dire austere condition which they are oblivious of and appear clueless on the fix.

For over 23 years the African people of Tunisia have endured unimaginable torture and great human degradation in the hands of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and his Jezebel wife; who deployed and employed maximum powers to stay in power. They continuously lied and deceived the Tunisian people, with tales of providing them with security and protection from the bad Al-Querida people; while the people looked, yearned and hoped for an improved standard of living which never came. But like everything under the sun, fortunately there is a time fixed for it and today, gladly enough, the tyrant has fled into exile. Icheoku regrets that he did not stick around long enough for the hands of the people of Tunisia to get hold of him and suffer him like similar dictators Romania Nikolai Ceausescu, Iraq's Saddam Hussein etc. But well he is gone and Tunisia is at last free!


Icheoku says the Prime Minister Ghannouchi is part of the problem and should also go for a total and complete clean break from the past 23 years from. A prime minister since 1999, Ghannouchi is rather too close to the deposed president to bring anything new or flesh to the table of Tunisians yearning for a new dawn. Tunisians should therefore demand his exit and exile if possible and swear in the chief judge or speaker of parliament who shall organize an election within the next six months to enthrone a peoples orientated new leadership. Like United States President Barack Obama, Icheoku applauds the courage and dignity of the Tunisian people who today have liberated themselves from the twenty-three year long tyranny of their former President Ben Ali. Congratulations! The forces of light again triumphed over that of darkness and a brutal force dictatorship of a despot had its final limits.


It once again showed that arbitrary arrests, brutal control of the print media, Internet access, physical attacks on journalists, emasculation of human rights and opposition activists are sometimes not enough to stop the will of the people. They always lasts for a moment - up until such a time that such a tyrant is swept away in the flood of peoples power protest, generated by and to protest against such despotism. It is equally impressive that new age social media helped accelerate the change which happened in Tunisia as it provided the people timely knowledge of development as they joined to bring about the change they desired and needed. Icheoku aligns itself with this new media and together with Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and the rest of other blogosphere hope to help spread the gospel of real democracy at work in Africa, especially in Nigeria. Our hope at Icheoku is that the people of Nigeria will listen and act as they learn who their rulers are likewise other Africans in Egypt, Libya, Gabon, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Ivory Coast, Lesotho etc. How can a person be in power for 23 years and expect to have new solutions to the problems of the country, solutions which he never invented these past two decades plus?

 It would be recalled that protests which culminated to the forced exit from power of former president Ben Ali erupted spontaneously on December 17, 2010 when a young unemployed, 26-year-old university student Mohammad Bouazizi was stopped by officials from hawking some fruits and vegetables on the roadside, drenched himself in gasoline and set himself on fire. His death following the burns he received provided the trigger for a people already neck deep in frustration and economic depredation and the rest as they say is now history. It was the needed catalyst which reminded Tunisians the level of corruption, unemployment, political and social exclusion and deteriorating of other social conditions in their country; made possible by an uncaring president and his wicked wife whose udders have no milk of human sympathy or kindness flowing in them. The authorities tried to quell the resulting protest with excessive use of force deploying soldiers and killer-squads on the streets with dusk to dawn curfew as well as intolerable media clamp-down; but unbeknownst to them, it was already too late as the genie could not be bottled anymore and the presidency of Ben Ali was consumed in the fire of freedom which went through Tunisia.

Like in Tunisia there is a lot of unemployment and lots of unemployed graduates in so many African countries including Nigeria, Libya, Egypt, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Kenya, Ivory Coast etc. Icheoku wonders when similar movie as played itself out in Tunisia shall play in these countries' theaters; or is there something different about the wiring of Tunisians from these other Africans that they are too complacent and docile to stage such peoples revolt and using peoples power to upstage their inept leadership, as their brave Tunisian counterparts just did?  As other Africans await feverishly for the Tunisian inferno to touch-down in their territories, Icheoku says, we are very excited at such a prospect and pray for God's speed in bringing it about. Once again, congratulations to the good brave people of Tunisia for showing the way to other subjugated impoverished Africans on how it is done!

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA, CAN HE EVER DO RIGHT BY SOME WHITE FOLKS?

 A memorial speech seen and acknowledged by all decent people as well delivered both in message, tone and mannerisms is now being faulted by some extremists right wingers as a "pet-rally?" Icheoku asks, do these people have to hold the president responsible for a satisfied audience applauding a good speech or did they expect him to otherwise muzzle people who have freedom of expression; yet their Sarah Palin said people should be individually responsible for their acts. Icheoku queries, can this "nigger-president" ever do right in the eyes of these perverted racists red-necks, who are turning paler daily because a black-man is occupying "their" White House? Icheoku says you have to really live it to feel and understand it, being a minority in America; all the 'holier than thou' hollering notwithstanding. President Obama, Icheoku says only the dumb and dumber do not get it - that you are living it up, doing the best for America. Great speech at Tucson.

NUHU RIBADU AS ACN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE, LAUGHABLE?

 Icheoku says the greatest hoax of the century in Nigeria is that the retired assistant police commissioner and the man who mistook sympathy for his persecution as love for him is now the presidential candidate of the Action Congress of Nigeria? Icheoku says it is ok to dream and ACN and Ribadu can dream on that the skeletal mallam's candidacy will be acceptable to Nigerians. Like Richard Akinjide, Icheoku agrees that Nuhu Ribadu's candidacy is a huge joke and rather too ambitious. At least the mallam would have started by first testing his acceptability in his home state of Adamawa as a member of House of Representative or even a local government chairman; but no, his vaulted ego catapulted him into seeking the office of presidency of Nigeria? In Akinjide's own words, "Mallam Ribadu should have gone to the House of Representatives or the Senate. He is not a material for a Vice-President. I won’t even make him a governor.” Icheoku completely agrees with Akinjide's intelligent assessment and adds that Nuhu Ribadu will not even bring anything new to the fortunes of ACN as he is not capable of even delivering his own state of Adamawa to the ACN; talkless of those much needed Northern votes. Icheoku says Ribadu is just another kite thinking himself an eagle?

PRESIDENT JONATHAN WINS HIS PARTY'S NOMINATION, CONGRATULATIONS!

Icheoku hereby congratulate the winner of PDP presidential primaries, President Goodluck Ebelesimi Azikiwe Jonathan on his victory; congratulations! Now that the politics of who in the PDP runs for election in the coming  April 2011 presidential elections has been resolved, it is time to put the politicking aside and let preparations begin for a successful election outing. With this is the added responsibility for the winner to ensure the unity of all parties in the PDP as the April election approaches; admitted some had different opinions and preferences regarding the very outcome just witnessed. It is not personal, it is politics; and it is about positioning oneself properly in the fight for a cause greater than self and which is beneficial to the people. Icheoku hopes the candidate-elect and his team understands this political imperative and will now pivot from the primaries bitter fight to focus on the main political fight ahead in April, against other presidential candidates of other parties.


Icheoku commends the PDP Chairman Nwodo and his convention organizing committee for putting up a transparently well organized primaries; let us hope it the signs of things to come in April, assuming NEC's Jega is listening. The main challenger and the man Icheoku had endorsed on grounds of adhering to the PDP's zoning arrangement principles, Atiku Abubakar, is hereby also commended for keeping alive the hope of real democracy in Nigeria. Admitted he did not win and lost by a wide margin, but at least he made President Jonathan work very hard for his nomination; as his was not the case of the usual African incumbents' unopposed selection and election. In some ironical oddity, Atiku Abubakar by putting up a strong fight, helped entrench democracy in Nigeria - it was not an all coast clear for the incumbent. Sarah Jibril is also commended and given an 'E' for effort; at least she voted for herself and got the only one vote as an also ran presidential candidate. It appears also that President Jonathan has learnt some lesson in the art of survival, especial political survival; which says 'never stray too far away from your godfather/mentor'. The godfather never sleeps or rests; and always shadows the object of his affection with bountiful love and protection, no matter what. Icheoku is convinced that Jonathan read the handwriting on the wall correctly and his decision to keep the man who made him king around and very close paid off greatly as seen in the resounding victory he recorded at the PDP presidential primaries. 

As for the South East Igbos 2015 agenda to produce the next president of Nigeria, Icheoku says it is almost a complete game-over for them now that a southern has emerged as presidential candidate and likely president in 2011. The result of the primaries has radically changed the equation especially with the non committal of President Goodluck Jonathan to the 2015 Igbo presidential agenda. With Jonathan's victory, the Nigeria powers that be might decide to postpone the day when an Igbo will be president a little longer, and make the Igbos to really work hard for it if they truly want it. Moreso, it is most likely that President Goodluck Jonathan will hand the presidential baton over to Vice President Namadi Sambo after he might have completed a second term, arguably to finish South-South eight year term? Election has consequences and the Igbos seem to have again lost out in the power tussle in Nigeria; and no sane person expects Vice President Namadi Sambo to just walk away after being a president in the waiting for these years. Icheoku advises the Igbos of South-East to retool and reposition themselves with a new game-plan tailored for several years post 2015.

Notably absent at the convention were Ibrahim Babangida, Orji Uzor Kalu and Gusua; and Icheoku wonders what kept these politicians of timber and caliber out of the Eagle Square convention. Icheoku also did not remember seeing the father and champion of the northern consensus candidate, Mallam Adamu Ciroma anywhere around the convention; or was he too ashamed of his product to show face? But hey, it is politics and winners and losers are sure to bound but Nigeria marches on!

If not for personal vendetta of the Northern Elders Forum that sabotaged Babangida's presidential campaign effort, may be Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida would have been a superior northern consensus candidate than the woeful performer Atiku Abubakar, who was left in the dust by President Goodluck Jonathan's turbo charged campaign. Although Icheoku campaigned against Babangida's ambition, but we strongly believe that as between Atiku and Babangida, the later would have been a stronger candidate and would have also given Jonathan a run for his money. Icheoku is confident that were Babangida to lose to President Jonathan eventually, it would not have been by such a very wide margin as 2753 to 805 out of 3542 total votes cast as recorded in the just concluded Jonathan versus Atiku run. But hey, at least Mallam Adamu Ciroma should be commended for masterfully solving the Babangida problem and without much of a fight; or was Ciroma a hired gun of the Jonathan's campaign, surreptitiously used to take the bigger challenger IBB out of the race? But does anyone really understands the intrigues and wheel-dealing involved in politics. 

The final votes tally received by the three individual presidential candidates were as follows:- Jonathan 2736, Atiku 805 vote and Sarah 1 vote respectively; 61 other votes were voided. One significant development in the primaries was the loss by Atiku of his own home state of Adamawa; just in similar vein as American Al Gore lost his home state of Tennessee to George W. Bush in United States 2000 presidential election. President Jonathan also beat Atiku in all Southern States as well as some northern states; while Atiku pulled victory in core northwestern states of Sokoto, Zamfara, Niger, Kebbi and Kano States otherwise known as the Islamic Sharia States of Northern Nigeria. 

Overall, the election of President Goodluck Jonathan is significant as it finally and for the first time, marked the ceding of power by the semi-illiterate ruling class to an educated Nigerian. A Nigerian who is from the minority area and one who still have some life left in him, being under the usual 70 years benchmark for these rulers. A somewhat youthful Nigerian president who will help cement the gains of democracy and without infusing much demagoguery or religiosity or tribal bigotry in the polity.  Also by Jonathan's election, it appears that Nigeria is finally free from the Northern Nigeria hegemony; a hegemony which held Nigeria down for so long and which still hold certain portions of the greater Northern Nigeria hostage and in bondage. With the back of the North's hegemony finally broken, Nigerians can now breath the air of freedom and confidently march on to a future that is both brighter, better and more unifying. The election result decimated a once too powerful and overbearing homogeneous Northern Nigeria, which hitherto held Nigerians and those Northerners they consider "not northerner enough" in bondage and perpetual servitude.

The election result has also reconfigured Nigeria's political geography from the previous black and white North and South to now "Nigeria and the Islamic Sharia States of North-Western Nigeria?" Under the new Nigeria, it is now ok for a minority Southerner to succeed a majority Northerner; and during the later's zonal turn and thus Jonathan can now complete the late Umaru Yar'Adua led northern turn. That is the ideal situation in a country where things are done right and properly; gladly enough it looks like a new dawn is unfolding in Nigeria or who would have imagined several years ago that Jonathan would have been able to succeed and complete Yar'Adua's otherwise second term? So be that as it may, April election is just around the corner and Icheoku prays that Nigeria will have a successful election; so let the campaigns begin and begin earnestly. Once again, congratulations President Goodluck Jonathan on your nomination as the presidential candidate for your party, the PDP!

JARED LEE LOUGHNER, THE WHITE DOMESTIC TERRORIST OF TUCSON ARIZONA

One woman asked, "How can a person hate this much" as to cause such a mayhem. In answer, Icheoku says, violence has been around in America and America has been around violence and for a long continuous time. The only thing that changed this time with the Tucson incident is that a top public official, a United States Congresswoman, was one of the victims and now it is all hell tuned loose? 

Icheoku asks, does it mean that this particular mass murder is somewhat different or is it a case of Animal Farm's some animal being more equal than others; and that some lives are more special and valued more than the rest of other Americans who are continuously dropped on the streets of America by acts of violence every day. Instead of addressing the easy availability of guns, people are looking for someone to blame for the bloody violence which is fast taking over the land and which manifests every time and in various forms. 

Violence which started way back and continuing today from Slave-owners and Slave-traders, native American-Indians massacre, the two Texas white males that tied a black-man at the back of their pickup truck and drove his tailgating body around until it completely disintegrated and his skull spilled his brains on the pavements of a Texan town, Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh and according to Rachel Maddow's account on 1/10/11 TRM's show, several other bone-chilling mass killings in America, including Columbine High School students massacre and Virginia Tech massacre; all which were carried out by persons who "hated that much" that they committed such heinous dastardly act. 

It is regrettable what happened in Tucson; but let no one pretend it is new in our land or that this killer and mass-murderer was any different from other past mass-murderers on record or that such madness shall magically end with this Tucson episode; many copycats are likely to follow. A serious soul-searching is all that we need in addition to toning down the rhetoric while finding meaningful ways to get around NRA and take the guns out of the reach of such psychopaths as Jared Loughner. Icheoku hopes that we can learn to love more than we war on one another; and pray that the Almighty shall not allow such people as Jared Loughner to wake up on the day they planned to carry out such infamy!

A GLOCK PISTOL WITH EXTENDED MAGAZINE, BEAUTIFUL BUT DEADLY.

 The white domestic terrorist who caused great mayhem in Tucson Arizona, used a similar assault pistol to kill and hurt so many Americans including a 9 year old child and a United States Congresswoman.

ICHEOKU ENDORSES ATIKU ABUBAKAR FOR PDP PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDACY.

Icheoku says, thankfully Atiku Abubakar has successfully navigated all the obstacles festooned his way as he steadfastly seeks Nigerian presidency. Both the courts and the presidential screening committee have given him the long awaited 'all systems go' green-light and the Turaki of Adamawa is now ready to do battle with all those forces holding Nigeria back, both directly and through the proxy of the other guy. It has been a long widening road of travel, dating back to early nineties with the PDM, to a two term vice presidency, to a presidential run and finally now to another attempt at flying his party's flag as her presidential candidate in the forthcoming 2011 presidential election. 

That Atiku Abubakar is a proven democrat is a fact. That Atiku Abubakar is well prepared for the office is a fact. That Atiku Abubakar is knowledgeable of what is required of the office is a fact. That Atiku Abubakar has something to offer Nigerians is a fact. That Atiku Abubakar has something to prove is also a truism. That Atiku Abubakar will consolidate democracy in Nigeria is a fact. That Atiku Abubakar will observe the rule of law is  a fact. That Atiku Abubakar will restore hope to the hopeless Nigeria is a fact. Tha Atiku Abubakar is fearless and courageous, two cardinal character traits of a leader, is given. Admitted he allegedly dabbled into some not so clement but yet to be proved financial dealings, or at best illegal transactions in the past; but no one said that an angel must come down from On High to lead Nigerians. Under the peculiar Nigerian circumstances, Icheoku says, Atiku Abubakar is good enough for Nigeria and above all better that the other guy/s. 

Be that as it may, Icheoku is mindful of (1)the need to respect and uphold the gentleman's and in some quarter's understanding, express agreement of the PDP on rotation via zoning of the presidency; (2)that the presidency zoned to the north is still subsisting since the north has not completed their zone's presidency term and (3)that it is the North's implicit right in 2011 to complete their term. Icheoku therefore, hereby make the following declarations:- (a)Atiku Abubabar is eminently qualified to be Nigeria's president; (b)Atiku Abubakar is well prepared for the job of Nigeria's president; (c)Atiku Abubakar knows what to do with the office of Nigeria president; (d)Atiku Abubakar has the passion, energy, stature, personality, political sagacity, demeanor and above all, a reasonably good head on his shoulders to effectively serve as Nigeria president. 

It is also the zonal turn of the North to produce the next Nigeria president in 2011 and the North has given Nigeria Atiku Abubakar, as their consensus northern candidate. Atiku Abubakar's candidacy will help consolidate democracy and unite Nigerians more as they groom and nurture their young democracy. The other guy is none of that and he is no Atiku Abubakar; the last one year of his providential presidency is not a good testimonial that he is properly seized of the office's requirements. 

Therefore, in discharging our duties to properly inform the public and to the extent possible, help persuade opinions, Icheoku hereby endorses Alhaji Abubakar Atiku as the better and preferred  presidential candidate, for the Peoples Democratic Party in the forthcoming 2011 presidential election. Icheoku  urges the party's delegates to choose Atiku Abubakar  accordingly, considering in addition to our preambles, what is in the best interest of a united Nigeria and in order not to unnecessarily overheat the polity. Atiku Abubakar is highly qualified for the job and he comes well prepared to discharge the duties of the office satisfactorily too. Icheoku says it is about time a "can do" personality is put in charge of affairs in Nigeria to drive the future course. Atiku Abuabakar is who Dr. Democracy ordered for Nigeria at this time in order to move the country forward; and Professor Chukwuma Soludo as his vice president, will definitely compliment his presidency and bring added intelligentsia to the office!

PRESIDENT JONATHAN, DESPERATE AND DANGEROUS, ARRESTS ON-LINE BLOGGER OKEY NDIBE.

 

Icheoku says it is now obvious that Nigeria's President Goodluck Jonathan cannot be trusted and his words does not mean much. He once told the world that Nigerian on-line citizen journalists can now freely pry their trade and that they are also free to visit Nigeria whenever they like. Okey Ndibe took him for his words and traveled to Nigeria; but to his rude shock and surprise, he was arrested in Lagos, at Muritala Mohammed International airport by the men of SSS under directives from Abuja. Icheoku says a man who cannot keep his words does not deserve of the office of the Nigerian president; moreso it is northern Nigeria's turn at the presidency at this time and not South-south. So bloggers, travel to Nigeria at your own risk as President Jonathan has metamorphosed into a petty despot who does not tolerate any opposition or contrary opinion! Icheoku hopes Nigerians will stop him before he does further damage to the country's cohesiveness. This man is busy hounding down innocent society's watch-dogs while the country is being tormented by Niger Delta terrorists, Boko Harem terrorists and the insurgent Jos North Eastern Nigeria Al-Querida inspired domestic terrorists who are running unchecked in the country.

'NIGERIANS SHOULD REJECT PRESIDENT JONATHAN IN 2011' - PASTOR TUNDE BAKARE.

"Let those who can do it be put there and remove those who do not understand their left from their right. Nigerians must act now and remove President Jonathan before it is too late. I do not think we can trust him with the leadership of this nation in 2011. He has grossly underperformed, he has goofed in so many instances and he has not demonstrated the capacity to lead a complex nation like Nigeria. We definitely need to change him and we will not allow him to ruin the nation even if he wants to." - Pastor Tunde Bakare, SNG. Icheoku says this man of God is truly wise and Nigerians should listen to him and not allow President Jonathan to continue in Aso Rock in 2011. Vote for change, vote out President Jonathan; vote for unity, vote out President Jonathan!

IGBOS OF SOUTH EAST, DO NOT SUPPORT JONATHAN!

Icheoku calls on all 'Igbo-bu-Igbo' of South Eastern Nigeria to be wise and vote their interest in the coming elections, particularly the presidency. So please Igbos, protect your interest, do not vote against your presidential interest in 2015, do not vote for President Jonathan in 2011. Icheoku says this is not personal but political; and what is in the best interest of the 2015 Igbo presidential agenda!

THE MASSACRE AT TUCSON ARIZONA, CONGRESSWOMAN GIFFORDS SHOT.

Icheoku says blame Rush Limbaugh, FoxNews, Tea Party activists, Senator John McCain (That One) as well as some other Republican Party establishment people for the tragedy of Tucson, Arizona. The suspect, Jared Lee Loughner, 22, most likely, acted out the script written by these people; people who on a regular and sometimes daily basis, use their respective pulpits to divide America between the "Real Americans and those who hate America". Regrettably, Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords was classified by necessary implication of these anarchists' acerbic rhetoric, into the later category; being a Democrat in a bloody-red state Arizona and the rest as they say now belongs to history. 

Their rhetoric was swallowed hook, line and sinker by this crazed-out white nincompoop as a call to action to protect his America from being destroyed by those people who hate it and he went on a killing rampage; leaving in its trail a dead Federal Court Judge, a nine-year old child and four others. His mayhem also wounded 13 others, including a United States Congress woman Gabrielle Giffords, whom he shot in the head, his bullet piercing through her brains and taking some of them as it exited from the opposite side of her head. The prognosis post surgery does not look good and appears grim, despite the cautious optimism expressed by her crisis management team. It is her brains that was impacted and Icheoku fears the congresswoman might never recover fully with all her faculties in tact. The congresswoman may end up in a vegetative condition or become so debilitated s a result of her injury that she can no longer live a full and very meaningful life of representing the good people of her district in the United States congress, all thanks but no thanks to a nut-crack, who was inspired by some right-wing talking-heads to go on a killing rampage. 

In a wacko state like Arizona which permits packing of loaded guns publicly and which has become the poster-child of anti-people state in America, it is very easy to see coming, a scenario like played itself out in Tucson. There was an incensed "real American" with a loaded gun, which the law in Arizona allowed him to carry and a sitting target, who has been derided as an "American hater" by some public officials utterances; the two converging at the same place was a bad mix as evidenced by the resultant explosive tragedy? It should have been anticipated by the congresswoman's security details that the possibility of a lost-cause coming to the venue of the 'Congress in the constituency' meet and greet is highly likely and additional security provided just in case. But they never did, resulting in the sudden death of six innocent people and the fatal wounding of 13 others, whose blood was spilled by this monster white boy, "real American?"

Icheoku says, if you one is a "real American" and have been constantly bombarded with tales that some people are destroying your America, it is only natural that you have to fight back to stop the bleeding and defend your America? This is our theory of the mayhem of Tucson and exactly what possibly drove the nut-job, Jared Lee Loughner, to go after an identified "suspect and one of those destroying his America?" These band of "real Americans" recently read the constitution publicly, yet they do not abide by the letters of the constitution therein contained by not respecting the freedom of speech and association of other Americans who differ from them. Icheoku says Democrats and other none-Republican Tea Party activists in America equally have rights under the constitution to be different and to have beliefs which is at variance with the formers' far right extremist viewpoints and agenda. But to call to question their love for the country or deprive them their right enshrined under the constitution is the real anti-American move and hatred for the American way.

But regrettably these hypocrites are so perverted in their myopic 'Americanness' that they believe that it is only their viewpoint that is protected under the constitution and nothing more. For them the constitutional provision of freedom of speech and association should be skewed and interpreted to read as follows:- "viewpoints are only protected as longer as it is extremist and resonates as ours, likewise the right of freedom of association."  However, now that one of their disciples have spilled the blood of so many innocent Americans, motivated by what he has heard over the years coming out of the mouths of his heroes and people he looked up to, they are crying holly-molly and pretending not to know what triggered the massacre of Tucson. Icheoku calls it another sad day in America, a case of domestic terrorism by a white-boy American, on American soil; a boy who has now joined the ranks of Timothy McVeigh as yet another infamous American bloody domestic terrorist. His very wicked act will complicate the good works of our security agencies and makes it much more difficult for them to easily discern the terrorists that will or are planning to attack our motherland. Icheoku asks, should we still be looking only for Arab or Middle Eastern looking terrorists when we now have such an all American white boy doing the bidding of Al-Querida in Tucson Arizona? An animal who have indulged and obliged Al-Querida plans and made their wish come through by shooting and mass killing Americans on their soil and in their public place, their grocery shopping center?

It is indeed laughable that all those who in one way or the other motivated this domestic terrorist, the agent provocateurs, are now pretending not to know what triggered the Tucson massacre. They are the same people who repeatedly over the last two years since Obama became president, gingered the likes of lunatic Jared Lee Loughner with their inciting words that the Democrats and Obama are destroying their America. Now that Jared rose in defense of "their America" as a "real American," Icheoku wonders why the Senator John McCains, Speaker John Boehners, Sarah Palins, Sharon Angle and other Republican Tea Party activists of America are surprised that their instigation have finally born fruit? The dots are very easy to connect and they should rather be "delighted" that their message have finally been heard by a "real American" who decided to use his second Amendment right to defend "their America" as Sharon Angle once suggested and advised.

The tragedy of Tucson is akin to a mother or father constantly complaining in front of their grown-up adult son that someone is disparaging their family's name. Eventually, if the boy rises to defend the family's honor by eliminating the subject matter of the parent's complain, wouldn't it be ridiculous for such parents to subsequently open their mouths to say they did not know what tipped their son over? If Icheoku had its way, several other people including Rush Limbaugh, Senator John Mccain, Sharon Angle, Sarah Palin and other divisive elements of America, th so called "real Americans", will be summoned and bound over to tone down their rhetoric, at the pain of being arrested and tried as instigators for creating the caustic atmosphere that led to the Tucson tragedy. Enough should now really be enough and political partisanship bickering moderated to avoid such wacko-doddle as Jared Lee Loughners of America from misinterpreting such fighting words as a call for arms in defense of their America. It is regrettable that the charged partisanship in the land had to boil over with the senseless massacre and blood letting that took place in Tucson. Icheoku sympathizes with all the victims and our condolences to the families who lost their loved ones in the ensuing mayhem, our hearts goes out to them all. Icheoku says, please America, 'Tone Down the Rhetoric!'

UCHE OKAFOR'S SUICIDE, DID HE JUMP OR WAS HE PUSHED?

Icheoku says the authorities in Little Elm Texas should focus primarily on the wife of the late football (soccer) star in their quest to find out what drove Uche Okafor off the cliff. Was it a case of a psychotic who just took his own life or a figuratively castrated man, who could not take it anymore and in a sense was  pushed? Except you are wearing the shoes or you are privileged to be in the know, Icheoku may be sounding cuckoo to you; as you will not understand what some married Nigerian men are going through in the hands of their suddenly liberated Nigerian wives in the United States of America; especially the nurses amongst them. 

Icheoku says, if Uche Okafor's wife Ifeyinwa Okafor, is a nurse and they live in Dallas area of Texas, then she is suspect number one as she probably drove her late husband to his untimely death? A man, especially an Igbo man of Owerri extraction, will not easily take the rope except to protect his honor and where no other option is immediately available. It is either a result of a cheating wife or a wife who had subjugated him so much to the extent that he was turned to a glorified houseboy or Mr. Mom of the house that he called it quit? Any man faced with a constantly nagging wife, telling him to his face that he is not man enough and cannot pay his bills, sometimes may decide to just end the marriage; but where he is unable to stand scrutiny or the stare of the society as a failure, might choose to just end it all together to save face.

It is a common knowledge within Nigerian communities in the USA that many Nigerian women in the Dallas area of Texas have taken their America given liberated status to an entirely new heights; as many of them now prefer to have no man in the house "telling them what to do?" Sources has it that they even have an association which they use to drive home their newly found liberty; and many Nigerian women in the Dallas area are desirous of joining its membership. So is it possible that the allure to join the infamous 'Liberated Nigerian Women (Divorced and Widowed) of Greater Dallas of America (Di-gbakwa-oku) group" made Ifeyinwa to so mistreat Uche that he completely lost his mind? It is not a secret what these women do and are capable of doing just to avenge what they consider Nigerian men's overbearing influence and what they allegedly went through in the hands of the proverbial "Nigerian men"? So without mincing words, Icheoku says, what happened to Uche Okafor could be traced to a matrimonial home which has become so hellish and unlivable that he wanted out and immediately. However, Icheoku does not support or condone the taking of one's life by suicide and regards it as cowardly. A pissed off and fed-up Uche Okafor would have instead walked away or taken care of business in some other fashion, instead of the cheap exit route he settled for - a two dollar twine from a 99cents store. Suicide, especially by hanging is unmanly, sissy and girlie-man like; and his body under normal traditional circumstance should be thrown away into the evil forest for the vultures to feast on to avoid damnation and bad reincarnation; or at best left with the funeral homes in Dallas to do with it however they please, but never sent home back to Igboland. Suicide is ignoble and a suicide should not be honored with proper burial, so Uche Okafor deserves nothing better and no excuse or reason whatsoever is good enough for an exception. 

Icheoku says it is not easy to commit suicide and anyone who had come close to making that decision will attest to the fact that taking ones' life is about the most difficult personal decision anyone can ever make. It takes a lot for someone to be driven to that level where the taking of one's life becomes an option and in this case, the ever happy-looking Uche Okafor. His must be for something more serious than cancer and which was not ready to abate or give way to make a way that he decided enough is enough. It must be something persistent and continuing, and without any hope of it ever coming to an end; and the man must have given it his all without any success or hope thereof before surrendering to his monster. But he choose the easy way out - the cowardly way. According to the story, Uche dropped off his daughter at school while the wife had gone to work and came back to an empty home or rather house, since there appears to be no peace therein to make it a home. Long tired of living in bondage of a hellish house under an overbearing wife and with his mind already made up, he decided to put an end to his misery. This theory is aided by the fact that there was no existing mental disease record of the suicide, nor does suicide run in their family to make him join the train; so what else could push a man if not a house which is not a home.

From the story, it appeared that Uche Okafor was converted to the Mr. Mom of the household as his wife worked while he ran the errands and did other domestic chores. He had dropped off their daughter at school before returning home to continue with the dishes and other assigned domestic duties for that day. It would appear also that his changed status from a bread-winner to a homemaker was just too much for his manly ego and pride to bear that he decided to tie the final knot. But which real macho man turns tail faced with sudden change of his circumstances instead of navigating his sorry arse out of the given dilemma? Regrettably, it appears that Nigerians in Diaspora of America has suffered yet another avoidable loss of a man, who possibly fell victim of a bitching and very vindictive Jezebel of a wife, who felt so liberated by America and does not any longer care about the place of the man in a household; once she is the one bringing home the bacon? Was this what happened or is the jury still out trying to figure out what made Uche Okafor to suddenly decide to take his life. Conversely, if Uche felt so much violated by his wife's attitude that he ended it, Icheoku asks, why did he not make it a murder-suicide or was his love for their daughter such that he did not want to completely make her an orphan and chose instead to be more professional about it. Who and or what drove Uche to the land of no return is the million dollar question yawning for an answer.

Icheoku does not claim to know all the answers to the question - why Uche Okafor killed himself; but judging from what is now the standard operating practice procedure of some Nigerian women in the Diaspora, particularly in America, one is always suspicious when stuff like this happens. If it were the opposite female spouse that fell victim, fingers would still point at the man since between Nigerian men and Nigerian women in Diaspora, there is really no love lost. Each always bitch about the other and vice versa - Nigerian men, Nigerian women, Nigerian nurses etc. At 43, energetic, youthful, vibrant, healthy and still full of life; for Uche Okafor to just hang himself in his hallway does not make any sense and he does not have some incurable disease that he was too ashamed for people to find out about. Icheoku says, he must have been driven by circumstances which he could not handle which left him with just one choice - a forced final exit from this world. May be as the Igbo saying goes, something bigger than the cricket came calling in its hole and the rest as they say is now history? A defender with Nigerian Eagles from 1994 to 1998 who later played for United States of America Kansas City Wizards from 1996 to 2000, and until his death, a football analyst with ESPN. Icheoku in conclusion says that Uche Okafor did not just return to his house after dropping off their daughter at school and decided to just end his life. Suicide is not spontaneous and the suicide must have deliberated on it for quite sometime before finally settling down for that option and then proceeds on that journey of no return to the land beyond the clouds. Uche Okafor was definitely pushed by something which did not appear to be resolving itself and he must have carried it with him for quite sometime before finally giving up his life as a trade-off. Hopefully he left a suicide note; but in any event, his loss is regrettable and we offer our condolences.

JANUARY 1ST 2011, THE DAY THE SKY RAINED BIRDS?

Icheoku says man's arrogance of self ability and his feeling of being in complete control often times, interferes with his attempt to explain certain given situation, including  certain things beyond human comprehension as well as the inexplicable. The recent case of the sudden birds mass suicide both in American State of Arkansas and in Sweden is such an example of man, once again trying to put a name on the mysterious. In both places residents woke up to find grounds littered with carcasses of birds that had fallen from the sky overnight.  

Icheoku ponders whether those birds had a suicide pact  or had drank of some poisoned cool-aid like Reverend Jones congregation in Guyana of the eighties? But some egg-heads went on the punditry, trying to explain why birds, a natural arboreal animals, would just tumble out of the sky. Their explanation went from the mundane to the unbelievable with some of them suggesting that those dead birds were spooked by fireworks and they went into a tizzy, resulting in their mass suicide? Icheoku says what a balderdash of an explanation as these deaths were confined only in those two localities and there were fireworks in several thousands of other places but none of them reported such a scene from a Stephen King horror novel. Icheoku says if fireworks really caused those birds to tumble down from the skies, why was it only in those two faraway neighborhoods of Arkansas and Sweden that it was that potent? It does not make sense and these researchers should better go back to their laboratories and employing mega-microscopes, try and determine the real scientific cause of those birds deaths. In a more normal society of men where egos do not run riotous, an act of mother nature would have simply been explained as the root-cause and blamed for doing what it wanted with its birds. Mother nature acts as it pleases and it gave birds the right to fly and can as well make them loose their flighty skills, causing them to tumble out of the skies to their death. 

These are wild animals that are used to living with hazardous wild conditions and no fireworks packs as much punch as thunder and lighting, which are regular occurrence in the wild,to have caused the havoc in the birds' kingdom and therefore, it is insulting to just try to explain it away in this cavalier manner. There was more to it than meets the eye; but Icheoku's most plausible theory is that mother-nature just called, leaving in its trail, thousands of dead birds; period.  Further, were it fireworks that brought down those birds, why was it only a particular type of bird that were killed and not every bird within the blast area or vicinity? What is it about or so susceptible to those red-winged blackbirds as to make them the weakest-link in the birds kingdom to make them the sacrificial offal to whatever it is that triggered the mass death? Why were their deaths only confined in those area and in that relatively little numbers compared to the known typical roost strengths of blackbirds? Why is no one tinkering with the possibility that those birds might have been victims of some pesticide that were sprayed on some crops which they pecked on and were poisoned as a result, before getting disorientated and losing their flight skills, then tumbled out of the sky to their deaths. Could they have drank from a poisoned lake or water-pond that contained arsenic and died as a result; and 2011 is not the first and only year in history that fireworks were exploded to usher in a new year or mark other festivities. 

Icheoku is simply not buying the dumb explanation of death by fireworks and urge those scientists involved to do further examinations in order to fathom the true cause of these birds massacre. And fireworks did not explain the mass suicide of over 83,000 drum-fish in Arkansas River or the over two million fish that similarly gave up their ghost in Maryland Chespaeke Bay waters or the over 40,000 dead crabs that washed ashore in United Kingdom or other similar animal mass suicide as reported in Louisiana, Kentucky, Brazil and New Zealand; as well as in Falköping, southeast of Skövde, Sweden where about 100 jackdaw birds were found dead on a street.

As one witness quipped, "the birds will not be missed because their large roosts like the one at Beebe-Arkansas can have thousands of birds that leave ankle to knee deep piles of droppings in places"; so Icheoku queries whether it is not mother-nature trying to impose a forced population control on the bird's community that took some of them out of circulation? A bird specie that is said to number somewhere between 100 million and 200 million throughout America and thousands of them can easily roost in one tree, should be such a fair target for forced attrition by mother-nature. Their autopsy revealed that "they died from massive trauma primarily to their breast tissue, with blood clotting and bleeding in the body cavities"; which Icheoku says does not explain what happened as they could easily have sustained described injury upon hitting the ground. It will be recalled that this is not the first time such act of population control by mother nature is taking place in the world of wildlife:- in 2001, lightning killed dozens of mallards as well as pelicans in Hot Springs Arkansas; in 1973, hail knocked hundreds of birds out of the sky at Stuttgart, Arkansas and you wonder whats up with birds mass suicide and Arkansas or is it about time they migrated out? 

Icheoku will conclude by re-echoing the statement by a Swedish wildlife official, who honestly admitted that "they don’t know exactly what happened yet, but that they will continue the investigation.”  That is the key, the way to unravel the mystery of thousands of birds falling to their death from the sky - they should continue with the investigation until they have something to say truthfully about the Hitchcock movie came alive, rather than the present arrogant attempt at explaining those birds mortis causa as fireworks. It is dumb; dumb; dumb and unconvincing!

TESLIM FOLARIN, ANOTHER NIGERIAN 'SENATOR-KILLER' FROM ODUDUWA-LAND?

Icheoku says the only reason crime thrives in Nigeria is because there is no adequate  punishment or dire consequence for past offenders, to serve as deterrent to potential criminals. Senator Iyiola Omisore killed former Attorney General Bola Ige and instead of being marched to the gallows was rewarded with a senate seat of Osun East Senatorial District at the Nigeria Senate by Olusegun Obasanjo. Now lesser than five years later, another 'untouchable-feeling' senator from Oyo State has murdered yet another Nigerian. Senator Teslim Folarin is in custody, charged with the murder of Chief Lateef 'Eleweomo' Salako. 

But unbeknownst to Folrain, another man whose name is not Olusegun Obasanjo is now occupying the seat of power at Aso Rock and wants to do good by and for Nigerians. That man, President Goodluck Ebelesimi Jonathan has washed off his hands of protection and would not intervene in this heinous murder and in order to allow the law to take its full course. As a result, the murderer-senator has been arrested, questioned, detained and now stands indicted for the crime of murder and is still locked up in jail awaiting formal arraignment and trial. Icheoku commends President Jonathan for staying out of the way of justice in this criminal indictment of a senate leader; unlike his mentor Olusegun Obasanjo who is no respecter of the law and who has penchant of perverting justice. Equality of Nigerians under the law can only come to fruition in this manner wherein every Nigerian sees the law as all-covering, and that no Nigerian is above the law. 


The investigating police officers established a prima facie case against Senator Folarin based on confessions obtained by the trigger-pulling police orderlies assigned to the senator, who said that Senator Teslim Folarin ordered them to open fire on Chief Lateef 'Eleweomo' Salako, killing him instantly at Oyo State PDP state congress. This confession led the police to charge Folarin with three other accused persons with conspiracy to commit murder and committing murder by shooting the victim with a gun. Senator Folarin is currently in jail, awaiting formal arraignment in the High court as the Magistrate court of first instance declined jurisdiction based on existing first instance hearing of such capital criminal matters in the High courts. His case was continued till January 14, 2011. 


It would be recalled that former Attorney General Bola Ige was murdered in nearly similar circumstances by Senator Iyola Omisore, through thugs masquerading as bandits and Olusegun Obasanjo helped with the cover-up; as he resisted the police from thoroughly investigating the case or prosecuting the accused. But Folarin was not as clever, he thought that his high office in Nigeria as the Nigeria Senate Leader will provide him with a cover and legislative privilege and that he will go Scot-free; hence the blatancy with which he ordered the daylight extra-judicial execution of the former motor-park tout turned transport workers union leader, Chief Lateef Eleweomo Salako. It will also be noted that another motor park tout, Lateef 'Tokyo' Akinsola, previously had a fall out with the late Eleweomo, and Icheoku wonders aloud whether this final end-game was a continuum of that face-off manifested. May be as a conspirator which led another motor park tout, Mukaila 'Auxillary' Lamidi, the slain thug's deputy to take the laws into his hands in wrecking havoc on property owned by Tokyo. Icheoku says this is a definite case of thuggery gone awry in Yoruba Western Nigeria and 'Operation Wee-etie' is still very fresh in mind.

Some sympathizers have called the speed at which the investigation was completed, judging from the usual sluggish pace of Nigeria Police, a political jobber on steroids. Icheoku admonishes, that somebody witnessed someone pull a trigger at another's behest; so why waste time in prosecuting a perpetrator who was literally caught in the act? Unlike when Senator Iyiola Omisore (here right) murdered former Attorney General Bola Ige and Olusegun Obasanjo helped him escape justice and instead rewarded him with a senate seat from which the court of appeal has now ejected him. 


What goes around comes around and Icheoku is hopeful that someday, this other senator-killer would also be brought to justice. Luckily there is no statute of limitation for murder and so, Senator-killer Omisore should not feel it is already Uhuru for him over the murder of Uncle Bola Ige! An injustice to one is injustice to all, so if not today, it might be tomorrow; but the soul of Cicero of Oke-Onaa must be assuaged and allowed to rest in peace. The current freedom being enjoyed by Omisore is repugnant to justice and fair-play; and the sooner he joined his comrade in murder, Teslim Folarin, in the slammer, the better! 


But one good thing out of this ugly saga is that the rich and mighty in Nigeria have finally been placed under the laws of the land, as a previously untouchable senate majority leader is now cooling off in jail while awaiting trial. It will be recalled that the first of such Nigerian untouchable to be brought under the law is the still imprisoned Bode George, a former Minister and PDP chieftain/chairman for the Yoruba South-west. Such novel jurisdictional authority and superiority of the law over these class of Nigerians, gives some flicker of hope that all is not yet completely lost in the Nigeria project hopeless. At last it feels and looks like God is finally ready to take control in Nigeria as a Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is now sharing a space with some common criminals, whose ranks he joined when he ordered that trigger to be pulled. 


Icheoku says it does not matter what the final dispositive outcome of the case becomes, since it might still come under the boots of the authorities in Nigeria in order not to embarrass one of their own; but the deed is done and there is no putting the genie back into the bottle. The gist of the matter is that Nigeria Senate Majority Leader Teslim Folarin has been arrested and indicted for committing the crime of murder; this is what is important - that such a high-up Nigerian could be brought under the law and made to answer for his deeds, period. We at Icheoku.com do not believe Teslim Folarin's prosecution is political or a witch-hunting as is being alleged by his sympathizers; no, it was someone who acted out under a feeling of untouchable arrogance saturated with the usual Nigerian high-up's impunity. But we shall see how it all ends; as Icheoku, the victim's family, Nigerians and the rest of the world are tuned in and watching!