ATIKU ABUBAKAR, THE SEPTEMBER 24TH DECLARATION?

Icheoku says Atiku Abubakar, like any other Nigerian citizen reserves the right to seek any office in the land including the presidency of the Federal Republic. Therefore Icheoku does not begrudge the Adamawa State native for once again readying himself to throw his hat in the ring to contest the presidency of Nigeria in 2015. Like in 2007 and 2011 when he contested and lost respectively to late Umaru Yar'Adua and Goodluck Jonathan, there is no crystal ball to see if the result this time will be any different. However that does not preclude or stop him from at least trying; there is nothing wrong with that especially since quitters don't win.

Anyway, Icheoku says there is a certain issue the Turaki of Adamawa needs to settle before Nigerians and the International community can seriously see him as a contender worthy of their respect. It is called the Obasanjo Challenge. Atiku Abubakar must first take up the OBJ challenge and lift the weighty monkey of corruption off his shoulder before he can earnestly offer himself as an acceptable candidate for the presidency of Nigeria. Recall that Olusegun Obasanjo, his former boss, categorically swore that on his watch that Atiku Abubakar can never be president of Nigeria.

According to Baba Iyabo, Atiku Abubakar is putridly corrupt and such a sewer of corruption is not a good personality to lead or be the president of Nigeria. To buttress his point, OBJ challenged Atiku to take a flight to JFK and see the red-carpet reception the FBI will give him. Icheoku laments that till date, Atiku Abubakar has not taken up Obasanjo on this, rather he has ignored the challenge, hoping that like everything in Nigeria, it will soon fade away, filed away in their ever forgetful short memory bank? To date, Atiku Abubakar has neither denied the alleged nor had he made any vehement protest to either clear his name or distance himself from the allegation. A matter made worse because the United States of America Senate still has an open warrant for Atiku Abubakar, pending a voluntary appearance to defend or his forcible arrest upon sight.

According to the criminal complaint, Atiku Abubakar was involved in corrupt money laundering activities wherein he caused to be to be laundered sums totaling over $40 million dollars through the United States banks between 2000 and 2008. Continuing, Atiku Abubakar used one Jennifer Douglas as a point person in moving large sums of money from ghost offshore corporations into the United States. A 2008 civil complaint by the United States Securities and exchange Commission also alleged that Siemens AG of Germany, doing business in Nigeria, also paid Atiku Abubakar bribes totaling $2million dollars. It is on record that Siemens has since pleaded guilty and paid criminal penalties to the US government for several bribery charges including Atiku's.

Atiku Abubakar was also involved in a massive corruption at Petroleum Technology Development Fund PTDF where from large sums of money was equally laundered through US banks using phony companies Guernsey Trust Company Nigeria Limited, LetsGo Ltd and Sima Holding Ltd, companies which Atiku Abubakar had interests in and operated by proxy. When Jennifer Douglas was arrested and questioned for all the staggering transfers, she confessed that she was a conduit for Atiku Abubakar and only made commissions for helping him launder the money.

Atiku Abubakar equally transferred a total of $14million dollars to American University in Washington DC to purchase naming rights and consulting services for his Nigerian American University in Adamawa?

Atiku Abubakar's catalogue of corrupt practices was also implicated during the trial of US Congressman William Jefferson of Louisiana, who was another agent of Atiku Abubakar. Recall that the Congressman was found guilty for aiding and abetting a foreign state official's (Atiku Abubakar) corrupt practices in the United States and is currently serving a long prison sentence. Recall also that a sum of $90,000 in cash was found in the Congressman's freezer, part of his proceed from Atiku Abubakar bribery. So what did Atiku Abubakar do when he learnt that the FBI is closing in on him to arrest, indict and prosecute him for corruption? He bolted away from the US in the middle of the night, abandoning his multi million dollar mansion home in Potomac Maryland, never to return to the United States ever again for fear of prosecution and long prison sentence.

Atiku Abubakar knows that the US is an equal opportunity prosecutor and their prison home to everyone regardless; that was you commit the crime, you will do the time and their law knows no Turaki of Adamawa before whom to bow and tremble? This is the story that has made Atiku Abubakar a fugitive from justice in the United States of America today.

Icheoku says who else would know better of all these but Baba Iyabo himself, the reason he swore against Atiku Abubakar' presidency and challenged Atiku to visit the United States of America if he does not fear a long incarceration. Icheoku hardly agrees with Baba Iyabo but on the occasion of his dare to Atiku Abubakar to visit America, Icheoku is  on lock-step with OBJ and says Atiku prove your innocence, take up Baba's challenge NOW.

Icheoku laments that Nigerians always complain about their leaders but are always complacent in choosing who leads them. In a more civilized and morally-hinged society, a person with the baggage of Atiku cannot and would not be dreaming of the presidency of the country; not with so many uncleared allegation of gross corruption pending against him. Icheoku recalls when Gbenga Obasanjo first blew the whistle, during the privatization process which Atiku as vice president then headed, that Atiku is trying to buy up all Nigerian assets at understated prices, that he was scolded by even his father Olusegun Obasanjo for making his government look bad. But it is equally on record that OBJ never denied as incorrect or untruth the information let out of the bag by his now estranged son. Icheoku says this is the man, Atiku Abubakar, who is readying himself to become Nigeria president?

The other problem with Nigerians is that to them the end always justifies the means; hence no one ever pauses to ponder how Atiku Abubakar made his money? Nobody knows anything about his educational background or in short any other thing about him except that he was a Custom officer, then what? Nigerians first heard about Atiku Abubakar during the Buhari regime when his ADC Jokolo was involved in a 53 suitcases scandal. Thereafter he was forcibly retired from the Customs and he went into some cargo clearing and forwarding. Subsequently he delved into politics, joining Shehu Yar'Adua's PDM and later won Adamawa State's governorship from where Obasanjo picked him to be his vice president and the rest is now history. Icheoku says a man with this many lacunae in his curriculum vitae is readying himself to become president of Nigeria?

What Icheoku  is trying to say is that Atiku Abubakar's only glaring and most meaningful business is CORRUPTION, CORRUPTION and CORRUPTION and such ALONE does not qualify him for the highest office in the land, period. Anyone in doubt should please tell Icheoku the road traveled of Atiku's wealth - how did he acquire his stupendous wealth? What product does Atiku manufacture or make or produce? What "app" code did Atiku write? What construction or supply company does Atiku own and whoa re his employees? What tax bracket is Atiku in and what are his sources of income? And this is the man gunning for Nigerian presidency, Icheoku asks?

But hey, like John the Baptist in the wilderness, Icheoku can only warn but have no way of influencing many of the zombies that populate Nigeria, many of whom hunger and the desire to make some money have driven to near stupefied senselessness. But regrettably, people who lack conviction, moral fortitude and the courage to do the right thing would readily bend over for Atiku if he pays the right price? Icheoku says if Atiku Abubakar could pay the purchase price for the presidency, Atiku Abubakar would rule Nigeria, regardless; only for Nigerians to later complain that Atiku is an incurable kleptomania? But now that they still have the chance to do something to stop Atiku, they will not; but are waiting and positing themselves to partake of the Atiku bonanza in form of campaign largess.

Nigerians, Icheoku warns that Atiku Abubakar is not good for you; never been and will not be in the future. A man who selfishly hops around political parties, scheming, just to aggrandize his own personal goals is not the kind of leader Nigeria desires and/or deserves. Yesterday Atiku was a PDP vice president; the other day Atiku was ACN presidential candidate, the day after he crawled back to PDP and today he went back to his vomit in APC and again seeking the presidency? Icheoku queries what manner of a man is this Atiku Abubakar to whom anything goes well that will yield him the presidency of Nigeria? Icheoku asks why does Atiku find it convenient to hover around political parties looking for an easy ingress into Aso Rock, but would not help to do the heavy lifting building political parties and fighting electioneering campaigns require?

Icheoku queries why does Atiku Abubakar not want to work and fight for the presidency or walk the talk to get there but is prostituting himself to sneak into Aso Rock? Icheoku will not be surprised if Atiku Abubakar rushes back to the PDP when the APC presidential primaries is fought and won. Icheoku is emphatic that Atiku Abubakr too will meet the Tom Ikimi's treatment because Tinubu does not forgive nor forgets; and will not preside over an APC that will fly an Atiku Abubakar's presidential ticket. Icheoku's consolation is that Nigerians appear to know the empty corrupt suit called Atiku Abubakar very well. They have severally, twice, rejected him in the past and will readily do the same come 2015, assuming the phantom of his APC presidential candidacy becomes a dream come true. So until then, Icheoku will continue to "dey laugh" with the once again quest for Aso Rock Atiku Abubakar. Hopefully he will share some proceeds of corruption to Nigerians in form of campaign expenses. Icheoku says "walahi talahi bana ji Atiku Abubakar; kai, wanaa ba acha u. Atiku no be am!

BOKO HARAM ALLEGED SPONSORSHIP, IHEJIRIKA INSTRUCTS NIGERIANS?

Ihejirika

Allegation against me frivolous, unfounded, says Ihejirika

Posted by: Gbade Ogunwale, Assistant Editor, Abuja in Featured, News 4 hours ago

The immediate past  Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen Azubuike Ihejika has described the allegation of sponsorship of the Boko Haram sect leveled against him by Dr. Stephen Davis as frivolous and unfounded.

According to him, it was meant to divert the attention of the country and its security agencies from  the challenges posed by the sect.

Speaking with journalists at the National Defence College, Abuja on Friday, Ihejirika warned against giving undue attention to what he called frivolous and baseless accusations.

According to him, such allegation would have been dismissed if it were to have been made in a developed  country like the United States or the United Kingdom.

The insurgents, he said, were exploiting the country’s diverse ethnic, religious and other fault lines to wage war against the nation, adding that the war has now taken a media dimension.

He stated that some people considered his handling of the counter insurgency campaign high handed, during his tenure as Chief of Army Staff, but said he owed such people no apologies.

Said he: “If this accusation was made in a country like US or UK, it would not be discussed for one hour because they would wave it aside; but they are exploiting our traditional fault lines ,  a multi-religious multi ethnic, multi-cultural and young democracy, so what they have tried to do is aimed at achieving what they could not achieve…

“I have chosen to do this because we cannot allow national security to be toyed with; the need for security awareness in spite of the effort I put in at time and the effort being put by the current leadership of the Armed Forces, the need for security awareness still persists.

“I want to urge all Nigerians to join hands to support Mr. President and members of the Armed Forces in their onerous task to rid this country of terrorism.

“I want to further advise that baseless, unfounded and frivolous allegations like this have the capacity of diverting our attention, away from the main problem.

“Nigeria must exist before you can hold a single political office and there is no compromise in the effort to have a peaceful and united Nigeria. Therefore, I have no apologies at all whatsoever to those who thought I was high handed.

“I used to explain to them that the Nigerian Army is not high handed, but every Army makes a lot of efforts to ensure that its troops operate within the rule of engagement”.

The ex-Army Chief said the Nigerian Army under his leadership recruited 9000 soldiers in 2013 to beef up the strength of the military and to monitor the borders more effectively.

He urged Nigerians to avoid utterances that could bring down the morale of Nigerian troops, a situation which he warned, could be dangerous.

According to him, the allegation made against him by Davis should have been a subject of discuss if the citizenry had a better knowledge of the strategy and tactics employed by terrorists;  and that if politics in the country was mature enough.

He maintained that the terrorists were waging a media warfare to achieve what they have not been able to achieve through violence.

“That we are where we are today is a lesson to us. The lesson is that  the terrorists are not sleeping; what they cannot achieve through bombing they want to achieve through media warfare.

“War is no longer fought in the traditional three dimension of air, land and sea; we have clearly seen the fourth dimension of warfare”, he stated.

Ihejirika said he was unruffled by the attention given to the allegation because of his belief that “we are yet to come to terms with the motives of the terrorists and their desire to bring this nation down”.

Icheoku says the falsity of the allegation is very obvious except that Nigeria is a uniquely mischievous society where the preoccupation of every Nigerian is to bring the other Nigerian down. Icheoku wonders how any sane Nigerian would believe this Aussie that a former Army Chief of Staff whose everything was on the line because of Boko Haram menace would turn around and be sponsoring the same sectarian trouble-makers? Anyway, thankfully the chief found time to respond and Icheoku believes the matter now rests. What a people that were nearly swindled by this human cockroach named Davies.

UNDERSTANDING WOMEN, ANY APP FOR THAT?

Icheoku was at an event some weeks ago and had a chat with a midlife crisis-laden lady who told of her recent divorce. According to her, she just ended her marriage after seventeen long years and "my four boys to show for it." Icheoku interjected to know why she ended the marriage after such a long invested time and love? She answered 'irreconcilable differences' did us in. Icheoku then asked what was the nature of the irreconcilable differences? She retorted that "He is Filipino and am Mexican". Icheoku then followed the questioning up with "but he was and always has been a Filipino before you met and married him?" She responded 'I just woke up to the fact and I can't do it, not anymore; am done and that is what matters most.' 

Icheoku prodded her still further to know if she is dating again and she replied, nope. Icheoku asks why not and she said because all men are the same. Icheoku baited her further by asking if she has ever considered dating women since "all men are the same? That should just switch to a lesbian and start dating females for a change?" She said nope, that she likes the real thing; she likes men EXCEPT that men suck and she does not want to keep them anymore. Icheoku pushed further to know how she now gets her groove on and she said she just makes her self flirtatiously available either at a bar or the office or even at the mall and one stupid dog would coming running, tail wagging and the rest as they say is better left to the imagination for completion. Icheoku says this is atypical of a case of 'want them but don't want them' and you wonder who is in denial here? 

Icheoku then remembered the song of Fela Anikulapo Kuti "Dead body get accident, yee kpaa; na double wahalah for dead body and the owner of the dead body!' So Icheoku asks, is it the way they are made or were they purposely put here just to keep men rattled, unsettled and perpetually on their toes and not to have the peace of mind to think out how to live forever? Or is it a case of when a woman is fed up and any reason, whether imaginary, hallucinatory and/or fantastic becomes good enough? Here is a woman who met and married a guy and for seventeen long years ONLY to wake up one day and discovered that she shouldn't have married a man from the guy's country and ended the marriage pronto? Icheoku asks whether she was hypnotized by him or he had a spell cast over her that made her hopelessly out of her senses and for seventeen "agonizing" years not to know she was married to a Filipino? 

A philosopher once said that whenever a woman is tired of a man, she can walk away for reasons going from the most frivolous to the utterly mundane; and that there is no point gained in trying to make sense out of some of their actions most of the times? 

Icheoku says I don't know about you but it does appear that 'some' of these daughters of Eve are indeed CRAZY and in certain cases, horn-mad crazy too. Woman are crazy and they themselves know it, the reason they think men are stupid for putting up with them? They can hardly put up with each other because of their craziness and will readily tear themselves apart if left unchecked. It is in their nature, they are wild and certainly belong to a different environment where the the wild things live; but it is men's burden to tolerate them, admitted they do so with utmost reluctance. Imagine ending a seventeen year marriage because your husband is from a country you don't like or you no longer like? Icheoku is not a chauvinist, far be that; but certain things sometimes make Icheoku wish that a very big chasm existed between planet women and planet men? That they literally live in Venus while men live on Mars; and that the two will always go to a great length in trying to visit, see and be with each other and for a very limited time - the duration of their visiting visas or passes? In that way, both would be forced to place proper value on what they have, passionately enjoy it while it lasted, instead of just walking away because another 'lap dog' is wagging its tail down the corner in the neighborhood? 

But hey, is there anybody out there who understands WOMEN, please the world of men could use some advise! Icheoku was getting nearly exasperated trying to rationalize the sack of rock offloaded on the people gathered at this fora by this woman when suddenly Jack Nicholson's line in "As Good As It Gets" came rushing to mind. According to JN, on how he successfully relates to issues of women being such a chronic bachelor, he said, 'just take away rationality and taking responsibility for one's action and you have a woman!' On this note, Icheoku rests; but laments that this age-long problem of men trying to understand women might remain with mankind, an intractable problem, until the end of time. Under the circumstance, Icheoku asks is trying still an option or should men just follow the advise of one other philosopher who admonished that 'all of them will give you shit, just find the one whose shit you can tolerate and deal with it? I am Icheoku and like most men, am scared-stiff paralyzed; please call the doctor!

FERGUSON BURIES MICHAEL BROWN, ANY GOOD FROM THE TRAGEDY?

As Ferguson inters their police-killed young black American male, Michael Brown, Icheoku asks is there any possibility whatsoever that at least some good will come out of the tragedy that was his avoidable killing? Like a Phoenix rising from the ashes of Pompeii, can something palliative inure as a result of his death to assuage hurt feelings and light the way forward in American race relations? Michael Brown's killing is not the first nor would it be the last nor the beginning of the end of police shooting to death of unarmed black males in America; but Icheoku's prayer is that it should be a watershed in fixing a broken institution which is unfairly tilted against black people. Although the one noticeable thing about his death is the colossal life it took that pivoted it into a global event that saw major television houses and newspapers and other media worldwide, making it their headline story and for a long time. Now to the gist that was Michael Brown's killing.

It is  becoming increasingly very clear that unless  some speedy and meaningful intervention is taken to stem the tide of disaffection and disillusionment which black people hold against their white counterparts in America, an uprising or even an outright revolution is in the very near future of America? The only question is when will the bottled-up tension rip the seams open and spill over or even explode and engulf the country? The projected outcome does not look good and forebodes of grave danger to the United States of America; as its unintended consequences will make Detroit race riot, Chicago race riot, Martin Luther King riot and even Rodney King riot appear ordinary and like a mock up rehearsal in comparison. This bleak forecast is avoidable and will definitely cost less now to prevent, than it will cost to pursue the bull once it had bolted from the barn. The scenario looks ugly and America the beautiful would rather remain beautiful.

Every black person you talk to or listen to, in every city, in  every county and in every state in America, the story is the same. The feeling is also the same that - 'these white folks are not treating them right and things have to change for peace to reign!' To say that there is palpable tension and mistrust between the two Americans is understating the situation. Any white person in doubt should find him or herself stranded or lost in any black neighborhood and see how the story goes. The same goes to black people who happen not to pace themselves out of "sundown" suburbia neighborhoods, cities and in some cases even states. Admitted that in most cases, while black people will literally take the matter of avenging their 'persecution' on any such stranded white person, in their hands; their white counterparts have the telephone numbers of their hatchet-men police and sheriff officers ready on a speed-dial. In some white neighborhoods, a black person may find himself explaining to the enforcer why you are "loitering and casing a joint for commission of crime" or why you are "racing away from a crime scene" depending on how fast or slow you were found walking in "their neighborhood"? Remember this was the reason Martin Trevon was shot and killed in Florida because he 'strayed" into their neighborhood? Just recently too in Michigan, a black lady who got a flat tire in the middle of the night and walked up to white man's door for help, was shot and killed for being a "nuisance?" 

However, it seems that black American people are gradually getting tired of being treated with levity? They are becoming tired of being ignored and marginalized? They are frustrated that their problems are being given little or no attention whatsoever? They are getting tired of a future that is bleak and which is neither certain nor guaranteed? They are tired of burying their children, some of whom are shot and killed by the police that is meant to protect them? They are tired of being treated as sub-humans when they are even so acknowledged and not totally looked down and looked through as though invisible? They are also tired of hopelessly praying and waiting in vain for the elusive new dawn and are beginning to complain and their complain is getting louder. This gathering of storm is what was rehearsed in Ferguson and the echo is reverberating throughout America as well as the entire world. 

Black Americans are complaining. They are growling in pain but unfortunately, their cries for help are equally falling on the same deaf ears that have refused to listen to their concerns all these past centuries? Like in a chemistry experiment, when you force too much gas into a container, over and above its psi holding strength, it will explode. This appears to be the future assured fate of America where black Americans are nearing their saturation point when they cannot take it any longer and are hissing loudly for some relieve. All the world witnessed in Ferguson Missouri is a continuation of this cry for help, a continuum of the Rodney King's Los Angeles riot as well as Oscar Grant's Oakland riot. These protests are precursors or rather micro-rehearsals of what the great upheaval will look like when it eventually makes a touch down. Icheoku prays it never makes a landfall and that some sensible resolutions of the myriad of problems facing black people of America and in America will take place to preempt and abort it. Black people in America are tired, they are despondent, they are despaired, they are disillusioned and they are nearing a state of hopelessness that their concerns will ever be addressed. Such state of anomie begets desperation and the lack of desire to go on living and its attendant unfathomable consequences. Icheoku says the situation is reaching a crisis point and may God forbid a total meltdown.

Any rational observer knows that all is not well in America between blacks and white communities; a result of years of perceived and discernible continuing oppression of the black minority by their oppressive white "majority?" In practically every sphere of life, be it employment, good-education, life-opportunities, economic empowerment, choice-neighborhoods, other privileges, law enforcements as well as in other social climbing-ladder structures, everywhere you turn there is a roadblock mounted against you if you are a black person in America. 

In America, the white people and other light skinned people are far more privileged than their dark skinned counterparts. But the sad part of the situation is that some people choose to pretend that racism does not exist in America or rather would swat the story away as not their problem since according to them, they are not themselves racists? Then you confront them by asking them how many black people do they have in their employ, NONE. How many black people live in their owned apartment or neighborhood, NONE. How many black people attend the same school with their children or how many of their children attend a black school, NONE. How many black people do they have as friends, NONE. How many of them go to a black church or how many black people attend their church, NONE. Ask them how many black people they know and they reel out that OBAMA is black, Micheal Jordan is black and Oprah Winfrey is black, how about that? 

So tell Icheoku what other definition of racism exist short of these situations as described and the story is practically the same among some of them if not most of them. But unfortunately for this type of "selective amnesia(ed) unaware racist" white people, they forgot that revolutions are usually blind. They forgot that revolutions are also irrational to know who did what to provoke or perpetuate the situation, provided they share the same skin color? In William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, Cicero the poet was mistakenly killed by the mob for being Cicero the conspirator, admitted his killing was later 'justified' because "he wrote bad verses anyway?" Revolutions also could be literally 'deaf and dumb' and often times illogical as was with the French Bastille's, where the mantra was just take them to the lamppost and if you cannot hang him or her fast enough, just chop off their heads; which macabre orgy led to the invention of the guillotine to push forward the process faster. Ditto the Bolshevik revolution and the list goes on ad infinitum.

Icheoku says it is about time the white folks of America started looking inward, to do some serious soul searching introspection and begin addressing the underlying reasons why "black folks of America are angry?" Instead of perpetually being on the edge, concerned for their safety, because of these 'gorillas in their midst' are horn-mad angry,   these white folks should apply their energies proactively in understanding the root causes of this 'anger in black Americans' and try to address them. Icheoku bemoans a situation where these white folks are complaining about the symptom of a disease rather than diagnosing the disease itself and properly treating it and with it will go the symptom. Complaining that a whole race of people are "ANGRY" without caring a hoot to understand why they are ANGRY is rather not solution orientated mindset. How can you kill my child and expect me to love your own child? How can you not give me job and expect me not to help myself with your stuff whenever I can? How can you not let me provide for my child and expect me not to seek ways or other alternative to buy diapers and milk for my own kids? Icheoku strongly believes that there is some elements of human being's survival instinct in black crimes in America.

The other unnerving thing about the situation is that these "angry black people" are embedded with the 'happy white people' and cannot be easily isolated for any "decisive" action to be meted against them, such as a "complete annihilation" or shipment back to Africa, which some of them had canvassed in the past. Also unlike those 'terrorists' Al Queida or ISIL or Boko Haram or Magrebs or Yemeni or Talibans, whom  drones and bombs can take care of in some God forsaken desert countries overseas, these "angry black folks" are here in America and number in several millions and droning them will be extremely very difficult if not impossible? The reason being that there will be millions of white people who will share in the fate as collateral damage and no American wants to entertain such nightmarish thought. Icheoku says a more superior argument and more appropriate line of action would be for the white folks to open a dialogue with these "angry black folks" on why they are "angry", and then do something about it to assuage their anger. 

The growing fear in America which Icheoku shares is that while past generations of these "angry black folks" approached the problem with stoic perseverance and prayers, with occasional outbursts which were easily contained by the brute force and intimidation of the white police, the present crop of 'APP' generation "angry black folks" might decide to approach the problem more differently? They might become more militant and with it world terrorist organizations would have a pool of disaffected and disenchanted "angry black people" to harvest in their trade of terror? Icheoku says may God forbid and forestall such ugly outcome and may God also soften the hearts of these white people to understand that their dreams of happiness are also shared by these "angry black folks." May God also persuade these white people to make necessary and needful accommodations accordingly for these "angry black folks", so that they too may also become happy and partake of the American happiness which is currently almost exclusively enjoyed by their "happy white counterparts".  

This enveloping fear environment has led to the constant strong-arming and quelling with crushing force, of any scintilla of resistance in form of protest by a heavily militarized state security agents. Icheoku says the American police force today is so well or even over-equipped that they can successfully take on so many countries' army.  Afraid of their misdeeds, the white folks are constantly upgrading and arming their police to intimidate and quash with brute force, would be agitators and provocateurs and to protect themselves, their children and their properties from any harm from these "angry black vandals" from the  African jungle? But human short memory makes these policy-wonkers to forget that all revolutions world over were wrought against oppressors with large army and armament. From the most recent North Africa's Orange revolution to Soviet Union 'Perestoika' Revolution led by  Boris Yeltsin to French Bastille revolution to Bolshevik revolution, just name it, all are living proof that sometimes armored tanks and battalions of soldiers and heavily militarized police are not often sufficient to protect the oppressors when the oppressed finally reaches their tipping point. Icheoku says rather than wait for this barrelling-down showdown to take form, it would be better a conversation is started between these two communities, to at least reduce the pervading tension that leads to such result that thrust Ferguson in the front page. White Americans can and should find ways of addressing all or at least some of these recurring complains that seem to lack traction in redressing thus far. 

What happened in Ferguson Missouri and the resultant protest did not just drop from the blues like a bolt of lighting. Majority of people protesting there were probably not protesting simply because a Michael Brown was shot and killed. No, they were protesting their own experiences as black people in America in the hands of the police as well as other areas. They channeled their frustrations through the vent provided by the killing of Michael Brown, who merely provided an outlet for them. Icheoku says the story is the same from coast to coast and from cape to cape. From north to south, east to west, blacks in America are constantly being marginalized, oppressed, denied of opportunities, treated as second class citizens and when they complain, are forcibly shut up. Icheoku makes bold to also state that the young black man in America is increasingly becoming  an  endangered species that somewhat needs some special protection in order to survive and thrive. It also does not matter which part of the country he is in - if the gang does not get him, the drug turf war will; if the prison system does not get him, the police and other law enforcement agents will and so goes the ever fluidly life of a young black American male. A life of perpetual perdition, caught between the rock and the hard place on one side and the devil and deep blue sea on the other simply because he was born with the wrong skin pigmentation. 

The white racist police killed Michael Brown and the whole world is glued to the television coverage, unaware that within the same period, they have also killed many other unarmed young black men in America. They strangled Eric Garner, the "I can't breathe" guy, a black man to death in New York on July 17th and it was captured on video. On August 5th, another black man John Crawford was shot and killed in Ohio. They shot and killed another black man Ezell Ford in Los Angeles California on August 11.  Few months ago another black-man was shot and killed while laying on the pavement face-down and already handcuffed or piggy-tied in Oakland California by another one of these racist white police man. In Florida, their vigilante wing member shot and killed another unarmed black man for straying in their white neighborhood.  On August 20th, in Saint Louis Missouri just four miles from Ferguson, they increased the tally of black men killed by white police by yet adding another trophy to their bag as they killed yet another black man. Just like the days of their 'skin-heading' of American Indians, today, hunting down of black men in America appears to be the newest trend. It is in session and because non of the past killers received adequate justice, it now seems OK to just continue to hunt them down. Their strategy seems to be, just keep depleting their numbers and in that way when they eventually revolt they would be more easier to contain? 

The fact of the matter is that "some" of these white police are very mean and do not care about black people. Imagine pumping six hot leads into an unarmed young black man in the middle of hot summer afternoon in Missouri and the victim was not an apparent danger to the police man? Query, couldn't the police have used other less lethal means to thwart the "danger" since Michael Brown was not armed or obtrusively threatening? Couldn't the police have called for back up since he had time to do this,  afterall the victim was not armed or an immediate flight risk? If worst came to worse and the police man must shoot a black person that day, why didn't he at least shoot to disable him him by firing below the waistline? But no, he shot to kill him, firing targeted shots at his head, eye, arm and upper torso. Worst still, the police did not immediately call for ambulance or summon help for his victim, but left him dying and lay dead on the pavement like a dog and uncovered? 

Initially Icheoku did not want to do this story because the frequency of such senseless killing by police and vigilantes are just overwhelmingly too many that writing about another one would be akin to preaching to the choir. Such killings and the lack of deterrent prosecution of those perpetrators have become somewhat a recurring decimal in America that it is no longer a big deal or seriously news worthy.  But surprisingly though, the Ferguson killing took a life of its own and the world witnessed a little snippet of a long festering and simmering racial animosity in America.  

Icheoku says every black man in America is a Michael Brown; every city in America is Ferguson Missouri and every police department in America is literally policed by the same type of people as the department whose police fired half dozen shots into unarmed Michael Brown. The only difference is in the optics - if it is not headline news, sweep it under the rug; hose off the blood and brain matter and hunt for the next victim?  That is the assured life of the black-man in America, who is always predetermined guilty until either killed or proved innocent; who is imprisoned for decades for a crime that needs to be solved quickly until DNA evidence finally proves him innocent? The story of their travails is know to many, forcing one Dominican Republic retired judge, who fell in love with a white American lady, to say, on why he cannot marry her because she had insisted on their living in America, 'that it is not good to be a black man in America.' To readers who may say how about President Obama? Icheoku responds that he is in power but has no real power and cannot do anything to change the misfortunes of the black man in America. 

Everywhere you go the story is the same - a black man cannot in certain neighborhoods be seen walking fast because he must be hurrying off or is likely trying to escape from a crime he just committed? A black man cannot be seen walking slowly either, because then he must be casing a joint for robbery or to commit a crime? Then you wonder what template exists that stipulates the pace at which a  black-man in America should walk or is allowed or authorized to use in certain neighborhoods? White people hate black people and do not care about them - a case of use and dump, one may say? They captured and enslaved their forebears for their free slave labor and now that they have invented machines to do those slave jobs, they no longer have a need for their brute sinew; they are now more of a nuisance that must either be got rid of or contained? Their line of attack is three pronged - first make their families dysfunctional by not giving them jobs and force them to steal and then lock them up in prison. Second - on the slightest provocation just shoot and kill them and just end it there and thirdly, confine them in camps called Hoods and let them get so frustrated that they take it out on each other? Either way their objective is being met - reduction of black population in America, where 1 in every 5 black man is locked up behind bars and where a mere 30% of the population now make up more than 75% of American prison population of over 3 million? Needless to add that majority of black children are being raised by single mothers or grandmothers or aunties and have no clue who their father is, either he is homeless crack-head or dead or slowly dying in prison locked up for life.  

Icheoku asks is there anyone out there who still needs proof why black American males are angry and then ask yourselves, who wouldn't be, faced with similar circumstances? One final note, Icheoku concurs that what unfolded in Ferguson is not the end, nor is it the beginning of the end but the end of the beginning, as America and the world await the final episode of the undeclared but ongoing war between black and white Americans. God save America and thereafter bless those that see reason to address the searing problem that is racism in America. Imagine a police force for a predominately 63% black Ferguson community is 97% white, with only 3 black members? This is a reflection of practically every establishment in America and someone please tell Icheoku this is just and not racism and that there can be peace without justice. 

Anyway, today the black community in Ferguson Missouri buried one of their police-killed dead, Michael Brown. It was not really a news that a white police man killed another unarmed young black man in America as such has become almost a routine-occurrence in the United States of America. Icheoku says what will indeed be newsworthy is if by Michael Brown's killing, the much desired change in race relationship in America sees the light of the day. Icheoku says also if by Michael Brown's death, white police stop killing black people and finally if his death brings about a c-change in black people of America, compelling them to unite for a common purpose and against their common foe. Were these or any of them at least to happen, then Michael Brown's death would not have been in vain. It would have been meritorious and productive in a case of some good coming out of a tragedy. But if peradventure, when the outpouring of grief ends and the situation defaults to the status quo ante, including black people committing unspeakable crimes against each other, then his death would just become another statistics of a young black-man shot and killed by white police in America. Adieu Michael Brown!  

EBOLA SCARE, A MANUFACTURED CRISIS?

Icheoku says if Ebola is indeed a naturally occurring virus and by necessary implication has subsisted on the African continent for eons and is not a laboratory engineered biological weapon of mass destruction, being presently tested on the continent, and considering that it is allegedly lethally virulent with no known cure, how did Africans survive thus far? Icheoku asks why has Africans, who has been running butt-naked wild in the jungle, eating bushmeat, plucking and chowing down wild fruits and vegetables, not been wiped out of existence by this killer Ebola before now? Icheoku asks if these allegedly Ebola-tainted food sources, which have provided nutrition for Africans all these centuries, now kill people, why didn't the same food sources kill people before now?

Icheoku says it is rather one HUGE surprise that Africans survived all these centuries of literally commingling with Ebola only to now become so vulnerable as to succumb to Ebola? Icheoku asks what hitherto provided Africans immunity from Ebola or put the other way, what suddenly compromised Africans' Ebola anti-body that they now easily succumb to it? Africans have always buried their dead by themselves; Africans have always mix and mingled in thousands in market places and public events including sharing  public transportations and Africans have always been in very close proximity of one another in virtually all their activities including in parties and other ceremonies. These activities are now what the West is telling Africans to avoid because they are possible vectors of Ebola virus and Icheoku queries why all of a sudden?

Ebola is also not airborne but allegedly spread through bodily contact through bodily fluids and you wonder how someone who did not come in contact with either the saliva or blood or semen or sweat of a victim could become infected? How could Ebola suddenly become more potent and more dangerous than HIV/AIDS or is it because Africans are against homosexuals and therefore something more deadly than HIV/AIDS must be apportioned to them? In short there is  a lot of questions no one is answering or even asking and until there is some movement in that direction, Icheoku might as well start believing the school of doubters that say the Ebola scare is a manufactured hoax to drive an agenda only known to those propagating and spreading it.

Icheoku says if Ebola is organic and not synthetic then it naturally follows that it must be susceptible to some form of natural breakdown. As with any organic compound or matter, its demise could be accelerated and therefore being amenable to some form of rapid end of life, it is by extension curable? So it presupposes that when its life is terminated or taken by being killed, the victim is cured? But what does Icheoku know about the intricacies of international geo-politics and economics that drive most things in this world.

Icheoku says taking an in-dept look at the crisis of Ebola and the then Chibok girls abduction, it appears there is a correlation between the two? It seems that Nigeria's progress is the primary target of both scares and for a reason.  These conspirators want to stall what they perceive is Nigeria's lurch forward towards final emancipation and to put Nigeria in its place? They are afraid that Nigeria is finally beginning to shake off its stupor as giant of Africa and beginning to do certain things right;  and they figured she has to be rattled. Recall that both crisis are coming on the heels of Nigeria's revaluation of her GDP index, making her the fastest growing economy in Africa and surpassing their favored South Africa? Recall also that the revaluation came as a surprise to most countries in the West and startled, they queried how can we stop these guys? Recall also the number of foreign media that swooped on Nigeria following the orchestrated Chibok girls abduction and how the incident developed like wild fire. It took such a proportion that even the World Economic Forum hosted by Nigeria around that same time did not receive comparable mention in the international media.

Failing to achieve their objective of derailing Nigeria's march forward with the overblown Chibok girls abduction, they turned to chapter two of their playbook and here came Ebola virus disease? Icheoku says all these are in an effort to stop foreign business men and women from bringing their investment capital into Nigeria to buy into the new African largest economy. It is now Ebola - go to Nigeria and Ebola will kill you and you ask yourself which investor wants to die of a dreadful disease. Nigeria might as well be just too  risky to do business and you wonder if these people are succeeding or have already succeeded? Icheoku queries why would both crisis come in rapid succession and so soon after Nigeria declared her doors open to the world for business if the intended purpose of creating the crisis is not to shut the door by any means necessary by those who do not wish Nigeria well? Imagine despite the minimal implication of Ebola in Nigeria, yet the world is daily inundated with news of Ebola in Nigeria as if Nigeria is the epic center of the virus? Any casual news patron will think that there is more Ebola outbreak in Nigeria than Liberia, Senegal and Guinea combined and you ask yourself why? Icheoku can only guess that it is agenda driven scare and the purpose is to starve off the country of intending investors, period.

When the Chibok girls also generated crisis was beginning to lose traction, suddenly Ebola crisis emerged and an American became the vehicle of exporting the virus to the target country, Nigeria. Fully aware that he is dying of Ebola, Patrick Sawyer still lied to the medical personnel on the nature of his illness and succeeded in his mission of infecting Nigerians before he died. Icheoku does not often defer to some conspiracy school of thoughts, but certain things do not in the normal course of things just coincide. Putting on your thinking hat for a moment, why was it so convenient for Ebola, which has no known cure, to suddenly manifest in West Africa and readily an American company has an anecdote for it called Zmapp? Why did the two afflicted Americans survive but the Spanish priest, who was also administered with the Zmapp,  not survive? Who is being used here and by whom? Who are being made the scape goat guinea pigs used in testing the efficacy of a new biological weapon of mass destruction?

Now Nigerians are being told that some quarantined victims of Ebola have beaten the killer disease and are being discharged; and you wonder how come they were able to beat such death-sentnece disease that has no cure? Did Pastor Adeboye lay hands on their heads or was it Prophet Joshua that wrought the miracle of they wellness one may ask? Icheoku says when all is said and done, the bottom line is that the world of commerce and politics is just too deep for any one mind to fathom a comprehensive understanding of the shenanigans that moves their wheels. It equally defies understanding the length people and countries can go to push an agenda including a product in the global commerce. Icheoku says while abundance of caution is in order and should be exercised, it will not be too far a proposition to infer that both Chibok girls abduction and the Ebola virus disease were both a manufactured crisis targeted at Nigeria? With 2015 Nigerian presidential election coming into view, and with people and countries having an interest in the outcome, as well as the emerging Nigeria's place in Africa, both scares were successively lined up to distract the Nigerian president and by extension force the voting hands of Nigerians towards voting for another direction. Anyway, just a penny for your thoughts, these wild thinking; but it seems like this Ebola scare was contrived! 

OSUN STATE VICTORY, NOT YET UHURU APC?

As Icheoku congratulates the winner of last Saturday governorship election in Osun State, Icheoku would like to sound the alarm bell that it is not yet Uhuru for the APC. They should be circumspect in beating their chest over the victory of their candidate Governor Aregbesola, the circumstance considered? Icheoku maintains that if the PDP's candidate Omisore, with all his alleged baggage, could record such a good showing in the election, who knows what a stellar performance and certainly different result  it would have been, were the PDP to have fielded a more flawless candidate in that election? If an alleged murderer, an alleged failed senator and a man whose tugs allegedly disrespected a high chief of former Oyo State by taking off his traditional cap, could stood for an election and was not defeated landslide, then imagine what a virtuous candidate would have done. 

That being said, Nigerians should not be surprised if the result in the coming Ogun State, Oyo State and even Lagos sways the PDP's way and hopefully the ever-crying APC would accept the defeat and not cry rigging! Icheoku also congratulates the Nigerian security officials for providing a safe environment for the electorates to freely exercise their franchise. Also President Jonathan must share in the success of the election for not putting himself into the middle of the election with a 'do or die' attitude unlike his erstwhile predecessor Baba Iyabo. Then the people of Osun State must be commended for trooping out en-masse to assert themselves. The president, Icheoku says maintained a high threshold of civility by letting Osun voters to vote their choice and allowed their votes to be counted and it counted. That the president and his PDP were magnanimous in the face of APC's provocations was commendable too.

Icheoku says losers in the election include Olagunsola Oyinlola for shamelessly losing even in his own voting booth, despite being the "Prince of Okuku". Like Baba Iyabo who lost his own voting booth in 1999, Olagunsola Oyinlola has shown he is a paper weight with no following in Osun State despite what he would like Nigerians to believe? Also the APC lost for earlier crying wolf of an election rigging but failed to subsequently congratulate and apologize to the organizers of the election for a successful outcome. Femi Fani Kayode also belongs to this category of losers because he had boastfully promised to deliver his home state Osun to the PDP but the result says otherwise and is now a long gone history.

Be that as it may, a win is a win and Icheoku hereby congratulates the APC and their Aregbesola on their victory. Whether the result is a testimony that "Yoruba Obas are useless" or that Bola Tinubu has found his lost mojo, the jury is still out and will remain out until 2015 when other Yoruba Southwestern States will conduct their respective elections. Until then, it is one Southwest State for PDP in Ekiti and one for APC in Osun. Admitted the Southwest is APC's primary turf, their proven grounds; and you wonder if the APC cannot sweep therein, where else outside this their primary constituency can they put up a spectacular showing. Anyway, Icheoku and other Nigerians await the answer in 2015.

EDUARDO SANTOS, IF BUHARI, WHAT WOULD APC/NORTHERNERS DO?

Icheoku often wishes that Nigerians as a people were more civilized and more sophisticated, politically, judging from some outlandish and unfounded allegations and wild claims which periodically emanate from the polity and which often leads to undesired consequences including rioting and needless loss of lives. Just recently Muhammadu Buhari was attacked by Boko Haram and fingers pointed at Aso Rock and you wonder what would have become of Nigeria, had those lunatics succeeded in getting the man they had once nominated as their role model and negotiator-in-chief with the government? Rwanda's civil war between the Tutus and the Hutus, which almost ruined the country, was triggered when accusing fingers pointed towards a particular tribe for shooting down a plane carrying a president from another tribe? 

Today in Santos Brazil, an opposition presidential candidate was killed when his private plane went down in the fog of bad weather during a campaign trip. Imagine the anarchy and ruinous state Nigeria would have descended into were Eduardo Campos, Muhammadu Buhari and the plane was Bola Tinubu's private plane? 

But in Brazil, admitted a third world country like Nigeria, the skies over Rio de Janeiro or San Palo or Santos is not falling down as a result of the death of an opposition presidential candidate because the people are civilized enough to understand that things, including plane crash do happen and can happen without their president causing it to happen or bringing it about? Brazilian President Djuma has done what any president would do by declaring a national day of mourning for the dead candidate and life will go on and is going on as we write this article. Icheoku prays that Nigerians will some day mature enough, especially politically, to understand the limitations of the man or any other person in Aso Rock and not behold him or her as having omni-power, omni-presence and omni-whatever you desire to name, to do or undo as he pleases. Icheoku sympathizes with the people of Brazil and the family of late Eduardo Santos on their loss; Adieu Eduardo.

ROBIN WILLIAMS, ANOTHER CRY FOR HELP GONE UNANSWERED?

Icheoku says yet again another American rich and famous person has killed himself; dead by hanging, in an apparent suicide escapism from this world of agony and so much trouble. When the world's millions, especially the have not, are jealously looking at the lives of the rich and famous and praying that they could someday attain such "glorious" status and enjoy what it has to offer, here makes an exit from that privileged world, one of such richly "blessed" persons? Comedian and actor Robbin Williams apparently has had enough of the 'glamorous' life and decided to end it and he  hung himself. Robbin was 63years old.

Icheoku laments the greatest irony known to man called life, which keeps people guessing and misjudging what it is that is really truly important; hence their dissipating of  energies wrongly, in pursuit of an elusive happiness which they think money and fame beget and/or guarantee.  Unfortunately, Robin Williams has once again shattered this myth and put paid to this delusion by taking his own life despite being so richly "blessed" with materiality and fame. Icheoku asks is it not yet another irony that a comedian who makes other people to laugh, could not himself find laughter and happiness in this world? Needless to add that his numerous mansions, exotic cars, fat bank accounts, privileges and access could not provide him the courage to carry on soldiering with this life? 

The moral lesson derivable from Robin Williams' suicide is that no matter one's condition or standing in life, what is most important or should be paramount in life is to find some meaning and fulfillment in one's life and by so doing have a reason to live for. Like Angelina Jolie-Pitt who loves children and is adopting them from everywhere and is also herself giving birth to many, and thus finds fulfillment in doing that, Icheoku opines that people, including the rich and famous, should always find something outside their boxed life to immerse themselves in and by so doing remain positively occupied, and will not have any downtime for depression to creep in. Psychosis, manic depression and/or such other psychological imbalances often times thrive when there is a vacuum in the sufferer's life? A rule of the thumb, because nature abhors vacuum, something will always fill in such fallowed spaces including sometimes mental disturbance. 

Robin Williams now joins other rich and famous American actors who decided to fast-tack their exit from this world this year including Philip Seymour Hoffman, Mikey Jagger's girlfriend L'Wren Scott and a host of many others. Icheoku says whether their deaths were ruled accidental overdose or suicide, it does not really matter. What is important is that they achieved their set-out objective which is to put an end to their pain and suffering of living? These 'cornered' people, call them victims if you like, desired one thing and one thing only - to just end their forlorn life of misery and escape their unhappiness. It is also instructive that taking their life is usually not the first option, but it comes after  various addictions could not help them get rid of their monkey; despite the illusion of "happily ever after" Eldorado of happiness and fulfillment which the uninformed world holds of their  lives. 

Icheoku maintains that these "victims" were internally disturbed, they were unhappy, they were lonely and in vain, silently cried out for help which never came and in some cases was a little too late in coming. In short these people were victims of a cruel world which they successfully made happy and which they made to laugh with their creative works, but which world could not and did not reciprocate their infectiousness. As a result, they felt betrayed,  they felt disappointed and they pined and panged away. Their cry for help was drowned out in the cacophony of the limelight and with it the gradual ebbing of their lives until they finally find the courage or cowardice to pull the trigger. Robbin Williams suicide by hanging once again shows that money or riches or fame does not buy happiness; or have you ever seen a happy person who is contemplating suicide? Icheoku says Robbin Williams has regrettably now  joined the annals of such lost souls, may he now rest; may he now find the peace, joy and happiness which eluded him here on earth in the life beyond, Adieu Rob! 

BAMIDELE ATURU, LIFE IS A JOURNEY NOT A DESTINATION?

Icheoku says fortunately for him he was pulled off the line when he was on top of his game, the ovation loudest and was a well known happened on the Nigerian stage. From birth when we all enter the world to begin this journey called life, until we make our exit through death, everything in between is but rest stops and detours en-route our final valediction. Icheoku maintains that the entire human race, like a hamster on a wheel, is on a race to no where. They are all on a journey with no apparent destination and are intermittently, serially, pulled out from the line as the maker chooses. The number of Bamidele Aturu Esquire has come up in the home-coming roster and his journey has now petered to a stop. Icheoku says RIP Bam.

Like few other Nigerians with conscience who came before him, Bamidele came, Bamidele saw, but regrettably Bamidele did not conquer the many societal ills and decadence pervading Nigeria before he took his final bow; admitted he kept fighting till the very end. Gani Fawehinmi preceded him; likewise Tai Solarin; then there was Beko Ransome Kuti's effort which also failed; Chima Ubani gave it his all but also did not succeed; ditto Ebami Eda Fela Anikulapo Kuti just to mention the prominent VERY FEW. Now Bamidele Aturu has also joined the list of this select few Nigerians who desperately wanted and tirelessly worked to affect change in a polity that considered their breed very threatening and thus frustrated them. Icheoku says all these people shared a common passion - they frowned at the decay that is the Nigerian society and set out to do something about it. 

But unfortunately, it is usually very difficult to lit a candle in a dark, dank and daft society where more than 99.9% of the populace prefer to maintain the status-quo and obstinately refused to be mobilized to help change the society for the better. Icheoku says these humanists did not fail for lack of trying or for not pushing hard enough. No, they failed because a septic society in which they unfortunately found themselves was not ready or willing to change. Instead, they turned against them, branded them radicals and socialists and communists who must be stopped at all cost and thus became very hostile and full-throttled in their resistant to their noble effort. Icheoku says this apathy on the part of greater Nigerians is the primary reason why these few well intention-ed Nigerians, who shouted themselves hoarse for a new order but were ignored, often died unfulfilled, downcast and broken-hearted. This is now the lot of Bamidele Aturu as he joins his fellow past travelers, who traversed through the Nigeria unforgiving terrain, a terrain populated by impervious to change human-beings.

Bamidele Aturu allegedly died from 'fatigue and stress' related health complications? Icheoku have always wondered how so many Nigerians survive the pressure-cooker of an environment that is the Nigerian society? Admitted that some locals might attribute his death to "remote controlled" African magic, but Icheoku is certain that acute 'fatigue and stress' could trigger such convulsive pressure on the human physiology that the heart or even the brain is forced to shut down due to some catastrophic trauma resulting in instant death. A brain aneurysm or arterial blood clot which cuts off blood supply to vital organs, resulting in massive stroke, could also be the culprit in his death? Ebola virus disease also sometimes manifests in similar instant shut down of vital organs resulting in instant death and possibly could also have been implicated in his death? However, Icheoku must move on from all these unhelpful speculations and defer to pathologists' autopsy to uncover the actual and conclusive cause of Bam's death. 

Icheoku says what is done is done and instead of hopelessly moaning Bam's loss, let those still walking the grounds of Nigerian find a way of prolonging their own lives through concerted regular medical check-ups and improved lifestyle; and then in memory of the dead, try to continue the good work he did while he lived. Icheoku says the best way to immortalize Bamidele Aturu is to carry on with the fight and struggle for a just and better society which he lived for and courageously fought for in his quest to enthrone a better, improved and "re-branded" Nigerian society, where the rule of law reigns supreme. By doing this, Bam would not have died in vain and this will go a long way in showing that he died fighting a worthy cause worthy of emulation.

However Icheoku disagrees and rejects Femi Falana's assertion that 'Bamidele Aturu's death is unbelievable' because every mortal was born to die and Bam is a mortal and therefore this needless doubt was mere pandering. Life is but an indeterminate journey, wherein individuals are accordingly plucked out as the maker deems fit and whenever He chooses. Although death at a relatively young age may be 'shocking' to those who do not believe in Rapture's teaching of suddenness of end of life, but for all those others who truly understand that there is no stipulation as to longevity, whenever it happens, it is always acceptable without question as a Divine's will. In other words, waxing philosophically, Icheoku says that there is nothing like "untimely death" or "sudden death" or "death come too early" as with any journey, it ends when it ends, period. This affirms the teachings of Master Jesus when he admonished mourners not to mourn like unbelievers and that they should leave the dead to bury themselves. Translation, let the dead move on and now allowed to rest while the living continues with their own journey, carrying their cross of staying alive until they reach their own end too. 

Icheoku says at least Bam lived and in the process left some imprints on the estate called Nigeria which he called home. Like many real activists, he was born an activist, he was a natural, a streak which manifested very early in his life. Bamidele's first noticeable thunder of activism was way back during his NYSC passing out parade when he refused to shake the hand of a military governor because he represented a military institution that is undemocratic and anti-people. Also Bam's ideas were revolutionary and he had the courage to push them regardless of the pains he suffered or the inconvenience they caused him. Unlike some later day mushroom activists, Bam was not a publicity seeking pretender to human rights activism in Nigeria. No, he was the real deal activist; he was as genuine as it gets and the real-estate of Nigeria attests to that. Whenever there was a noticeable flagrant abuse, he shouted, he litigated, he mobilized and he even marched on the streets in protest, refusing to be intimidated by the tear gases and cudgels of the oppressors of the Nigerian state. He did not do it because it was easy or convenient, he did it because it was the right thing to do and he did it without wavering; neither did he scurry away with tail tucked in between his legs when the heat became unbearably too hot and he did it until the end. His struggle against June 12th annulment and mobilization for restoration of democracy in Nigeria was of general knowledge. 

Like William Shakespeare in Julius Caesar said through Mark Anthony of Brutus, here was was a man, Icheoku says Bamidele Aturu was a human right activist extraordinaire. He was fashioned in the mold of Gani Fawehimni, admitted he was no Gani Fawehimni whose true likeness there is no fellow in the firmament of Nigeria. Bam also added value to law practice and the legal profession in Nigeria with some very insightful legal thoughts which were published in various Law reports as well as Newspapers; wherein he espoused and expressed valid opinions on how certain things could be done and made better, except that he preached to a deaf society which refused to listen. Icheoku says his foremost effort to affect a change in lawyers' garb in Nigeria, stopping lawyers from adorning wig and gown in a very hot climate, was frustrated by the same lawyers he was trying to help, many of who steadfastly believe that without the hood there is no monk; and that the wig and gown makes them different or enable them stand out from the commoners and ordinary Nigerian general populace. 

Icheoku laments that the dress-code which is still fashionable among lawyers in Nigeria has since been discarded in many civilized societies that has freed themselves of this British colonial vestige. A bequeath which makes lawyers' appearance rather 'too solemn and overtly drably encumbered' than advocates of the law, freely prying their trade unfettered by weighty dark gowns and scratching breached horse-hair wigs? The only good news is that such revolutionary idea often takes several eons after their thinker is gone to come to a general acceptance - the reason why some people are said to have been born ahead of their time. Icheoku is hopeful that like many other great ideas in life whose conception were initially resisted, the now departed Bamidele Aturu's questioned desirability of lawyers wearing wig and gown in such a hot climate as Nigeria, will one day come to a head with Nigerian lawyers asking themselves what have they been smoking all these years, garbed like melancholic undertakers? A purveyor of beautiful idea often die without experiencing the beauty of what he propagated come to fruition and Bamidele Aturu will not be an exception. So with Bam now gone, can the rest of us all who are still walking the walk learn to live our lives as if we will someday also die and pray it will be peaceful and less painful. Rest in Peace BAM and may your ideas live long and thrive, Adieu! 7/27/14

OYEGUN CRIES WOLF, KETTLE CALLING POT BLACK?

Press conference by APC chairman John Odigie Oyegun, Abuja, Wednesday, July 16th 2014 (attached as comment) - a response.

Icheoku says in the selective-amnesia pattern that is the trick of trade of very deceitful people, of remembering ONLY what they choose to remember, this man has forgotten how he was imposed on the APC by Ahmed Bola Tinubu's fiat? Instead, here he is, unabashedly, calling President Jonathan a dictator while feigning ignorance that the man he accepted the gift of APC chairmanship from is not a DEMOCRAT? Icheoku is baffled at how a man who parades himself as a man of God, Pastor Oyegun, could so vilely complain about a speck in another man's eye while ignoring the Iroko log in his own eye? According to this man, Bola Tinubu, the man who OWNS, OPERATES and DICTATES for everyone in APC is not a dictator but Jonathan is? Icheoku says if Jonathan is the face of dictatorship, then every country in the world that has seen and known dictatorship, including Nigeria during the heinous military regimes as well as the last Ota deity's regime (1999 - 2003), must demand an apology from the APC Chairman Pastor John Odigie-Oyegun for ridiculing their horrific and harried experience. 

Further, in the usual characteristics of the Almajiris Peoples Congress, typified by the now impeached Muritala Nyako's malicious accusation that President Jonathan is levying genocide on Northerners, Pastor Oyegun is now making another unfounded and unsubstantiated allegation against the president, of using financial inducements, running into several billions, to achieve the outcome that was Adamawa State Governor Nyako's impeachment? Icheoku says it is a trite rule of law that he who alleges something as a fact has the onus of proving or establishing the alleged; and we hereby call on Pastor Oyegun to produce irrefutable evidence of this financial inducement or eat his shoes in shame for deliberately misinforming his "flock" and trying to mislead them. Unfortunately this pastor forgot what the Lord said concerning intentionally misleading a people that looks upon certain persons as their guide, that it is preferable for such persons that a grinding stone be tied on their neck and weighted down the lake. 

Responding to another frivolous accusation of Pastor Oyegun, Icheoku says if any person or party is destroying or trying to destroy Nigeria, it must be the Janjaweed ideology party and its dictators that does not see anything wrong in imposing persons on the party as well as on their controlled states' offices? Icheoku says the destructive element in Nigeria is the Almajiris Peoples Congress that is malevolently scheming to field two MUSLIM presidential and vice presidential candidates in a pluralistic secular society like Nigeria. Icheoku is emphatic that it is the Bola Tinubu's owned and financed party, APC, which is crying fire in a movie theater and crying wolf where there is a mere sparrow. Icheoku says if anyone is trying to rain havoc on Nigeria, it is APC's Buhari who promised and is relentlessly carrying out his threat, by proxy of Boko Haram, to make Nigeria ungovernable. Yes, you heard Icheoku right - the destructive forces trying to pull the Nigerian house down is the APC and its dictatorship. Icheoku says the APC is what is trying, albeit fruitlessly, to throw spanner into the works that is Nigeria marching on. So Pastor Oyegun must reverse gears and rather look inwards to find the Grinch that is trying to steal Nigeria's joy. 

Pastor Oyegun finds fault in the government's adequately securing an election through the use of the military, so that the electorates could freely express their preferences; and this rather major commendable feat by a government too often known for its sloppiness, is perfidious in the judgment of Pastor Oyegun? Icheoku says if so empowering the people to freely exercise their right to vote and ensuring that no eligible voter is disenfranchised by intimidation of thugs and through election fraud is what perfidy looks like, then hell has no utility again and deserves to be shut and closed down. Icheoku says he who has nothing to hide is never afraid nor does he run away from the police or complain and protest when security agents are around. Therefore the only deductible reason why the APC is complaining about the high security presence in the last Ekiti State's election would be that it forestalled all their rigging plans and eventually produced the result witnessed. Icheoku recalls that Bola Tinubu had made a "rig and roast" threat before the said election and no responsible government, anywhere, would like to see any of her citizen roasted just because an election was rigged. So Aso Rock did the "needful" to prevent rigging and guaranteed that no one roasted; YET instead of commending this harm-free and zero-death election, Pastor Oyegun is complaining that security for the election was too much? Icheoku says please give me a break Mr Pastor. 

Icheoku says Pastor Oyegun's questioning the integrity of the armed forces is one such misdirected step taken too far that needs to be retracted. Irrespective of partisanship or other loyalty and ideological differences - whether Janjaweed or Western, anyone can say whatever they want BUT questioning the integrity of the Nigerian armed forces is an unacceptable step into a no go area. Icheoku maintains that the Nigerian armed forces is still very nationalistic; that the cord holding them as a force of one is still in intact and very strong, otherwise the hump-dumpty that is Nigeria would have since gone into history. So Pastor Oyegun ought to apologize to these uniformed men and women for causing to their unity, this untoward violence; and must subsequently watch such his utterances so that he does not talk himself into a dangerous corner from which an extraction might prove very difficult, if not impossible. 

In conclusion, Icheoku bemoans the fate that has befallen this APC whose marriage to Nigerians have apparently ended ever before the honeymoon was over. If APC was a pregnancy, it would be ectopic and qualified for an urgent abortion and might as well have since been aborted. Their planned voyage is now moribund with their marooned ship fast decelerating to the bottom of the ocean  Were it a flight, it did not take off as it sputtered and nose-dived into its grave yard. Their so many missteps, series of unguarded statements and their Tasmanian devil-like virulent attacks on even the mundane and intangibles, have left Nigerians wondering what it was they wanted to embrace in the first place? If this is what opposition party looks like, then may the PDP stand unopposed, for crying out loud. How can a party that cannot organize themselves and be harmonious in articulating their Marshal Plans for Nigeria organize Nigeria? Such risk is rather too risky for Nigerians to blazingly walk themselves into and it could be that Nigerians have already decided that the devil they know is better than the pretentious saint they are bewilder at its actions and utterances thus far? Or what word is it again they have in their Islamic vocabulary for saint?  

Of late the APC seems to have been outgunned and outfoxed by the PDP as they now appear to chase after only the dust of a zoomed meteorite PDP. In Ekiti they did not know what hit them and belatedly now threatens to go to court after the fact; ditto in Adamawa with Nyako's stagecraft of an impeachment. Icheoku believes that the APC would still be in their reactionary mode to PDP's pace-setting the agenda and still huffing and puffing about how they will respond long after the 2015 elections are won and lost. But what level of cohesion does anyone expect from a party that is run by dictators where the majority of its disenfranchised members are bitterly complaining and working to sabotage their own party as a result in protest? Icheoku is of the view that morals is very low among APC membership and nothing good ever comes out of a demoralized or ill-motivated lot. This cancerous lethargy that has set in among APC party members is the greatest threat facing the Almajiris Peoples Congress and without retooling, their dictators can complain all they want until the cows come home and will not see a c-change in their fortunes. Not that Icheoku cares anyway. To Pastor John Odigie Oyegun, Icheoku says instead of hollering and chasing shadows or propounding nonsensical fantasies as to the root cause of the problems of the now flightless APC, just look in the mirror and you will see Bola Tinubu and John Oyegun, interchangeably, morphing into one another. This is the root cause of the nearly imploding APC - DICTATORSHIP. It melts away party loyalty since party members are asking themselves what is in it for them and saying that "we do not have inheritance in the house of Bola Tinubu, to our tenets Oh APC members," GET IT, Pastor! 

Disclaimer: - Icheoku is not a member of the PDP nor a fan of President Jonathan Goodluck. But let the truth be told, this particular brand of APC is not good for Nigeria and it is not also good for any Nigerian. This is the only reason we do what we do at Icheoku; and to help save Nigeria a worse evil. That is what drives our passion. The greedy Bola Tinubu is not a democrat but is merely using or trying to use the machinery of the APC as a means to an end and therefore must be STOPPED.