FORT HOOD SHOOTING, THE FALLACY OF GUN-CONTROL ARGUMENT?

For all those anti-gun apologists who said "just take guns away from the people and the problem of mass shooting will be solved in America," Icheoku queries would America also take guns away from her soldiers? Guns do not shoot and kill people, people do and this is where the rubber meets the road in the gun debate argument pitching NRA against those pacifists who believe that Americans should lose their 2nd Amendment right just because some loonies among them decide periodically to turn the weapon of defense into a weapon of mayhem. Icheoku, a blue-dog democrat or rather a conservative democrat, believes in the right of the people to own whatever their id desires and is affordable by them including guns, but also that people should act responsibly and be answerable for their actions. 

The problem of people shooting people in America is not new and will not end just because another lunatic shot some people in a Texas military base; it is a way of life and practically speaking, part of the cultural experiment that is America. People have guns, guns kill people and people are going to experiment by putting their guns to test to find out if they actually perform according to merchantability? 

Fort Hood, the largest military installation in the United States, which witnessed a mass killing by a PhD holder military psychologist few years ago, has once again been shot up and four people are dead as a result. Query:-how does anybody prevent against this type of misbehavior in a military setting with a lot of weapons and heavy ammo? 

Taking guns away from people or soldiers is not an option otherwise they will no longer be soldiers - armed and dangerous in defense of the people. Icheoku posits that the solution probably lies in addressing the mind-set that finds nothing wrong in dispatching unsuspecting innocent victims to their makers and without first seeking their consent? There is the issue of mental problem, there is also the issue of choleric anger and there is additionally the issue of human-life that has lost its meaning and has become so much devalued that animals (DOGS) are sometimes valued more than humans? So what does a society reeling under such upheaval do to prevent or rather address the problem? Icheoku says there is no single silver bullet to fire at the problem to make it go away BUT at least people should be geared to relearn their values including LOVING humans once again. 

The American society is a society that for most part, has lost real grounds in love as it is supposed or meant to be. Families are no longer what families used to be and limited resources inhibit proactive measures to nip such acts in the bud, hence the prevalence of these deranged fellas, who have nothing and no one to fall back unto when fighting their demons which force them to act out in this way and leading to such inglorious ends. If icheoku tells you that every day is not a real challenge at living, trying to stay safe, then someone must be lying through the roof. It is stressful, it is intense and it is hair-raising as you never know when another murderous thug will train his scope on you and before you could even find time to plead for your life, it is all over and it does not matter the setting or where you are including sitting inside the church or preaching the gospel in the pulpit or as this latest incident proves, inside a fortified military base. 

Violence especially by gun has become part of the life every person has to accept and live with in America and there is nothing anyone can do about it; not when the National Rifles Association wants to sell as many guns and ammos as they could manufacture and pad the bottom-line. But hey, risk of living commenced the moment your mother pushed you out of her womb and if you cannot deal with it, just find a way to crawl back inside; except that will be tantamount to a camel passing through the eye of a needle - IMPOSSIBLE. So in such a situation where your option is absolutely limited to just one direction, what do you do? You just soldier on until you cannot soldier on anymore. Our sympathies to the families of the Fort Hood killed as well as their killer, whose family equally lost someone and possibly someone who cried for help as s result of his mental ailment which went unanswered. Life is one huge JOKE and it is a fact - here today, gone tomorrow, if not earlier. The ephemerality of life, that is!

RUSSIA IS A REGIONAL POWER, DECLARES PRESIDENT OBAMA.

Icheoku says it is official - Russia is no longer a super (world) power. It is a mere regional power and that region is within the Caucuses enclave only, no more, no less, period. According to United States President Obama, it is the inferiority complex Russia is suffering from their much degraded status from a former super power to a mere regional power that has forced them into the overdrive of seeking relevance and influence by all means necessary, which led to their invasion of neighboring Ukrainian Crimea? President Barack Obama, the official leader of the free world, made this known while further canvassing for a peaceful resolution of the Russian aggression in Ukraine. The president inferred that it is not out of fear of the Russians or that they might win in an all out war with the West that is motivating the West's desire for a peaceful resolution of the aggression; rather it is to avoid sending the entire world in a dangerous downward spiral whose end no one can predict. Aggression or bullying is always a mark of weakness and not strength and this is what Russian Vladimir Putin exhibited when he sneaked into Ukrainian Crimea under the cover of darkness and blatant lies and grabbed their land. This petulant behavior of Vladimir Putin cannot and should not be tolerated or condoned by any peace-loving world citizen. 

Icheoku says what Western Powers have been protecting Russia from, in order to leave Russians' pride intact, has been outed and the only one to blame for this is the former KGB spy chief Vladimir Putin. Russia ceased to be world power decades ago following the implosion of the forcibly clobbered together Union of Socialists Soviet Republics aka Soviet Union. Since then, what remains of Russia has been on a steady decline and barely hanging in there; and suddenly tired of remaining the underdog, dictator Vladimir Putin is now rattling his sabre and saying, hey world, Russia is still here o! For all intent and purpose, Russia has been living a lie and under the afterburners of their former "glory" that they are still relevant in the world; but ask them when last they played any major role in world peace-making or keeping; or rushing to the aid of any country smitten with disaster and their hands are up in the air in surrender. But they miscalculated in Ukrainian Crimea and now the only authentic leader of the world and president of the one and only surviving true super world power has given that dog its true name - a regional power. 

Russia is a regional power in so far as the Caucuses is concerned from the east-border with Ukraine eastwards. Also, Russia has no true friends left in the world except for some rogue dictators with whom they do arms deals. Icheoku asks where has Russians been to lately to project their power - in relief efforts to needy parts of the world or provide peace effort? Apparently, they cannot even take care of their own population, over ten million of who are refugees in America, both economic and political refugees that is. They equally do not answer present in intervention forces to maintain world peace or participate in world's concerted effort to fight and defeat terrorism? Icheoku strongly believes that the West can kick Russians' butt in the event of an all-out war but is cautious that the rest of the world might be dragged into untold hardship and difficulty in a conflict. This will also force various countries into dealing with issues that they ordinarily would not or are not well equipped to because of America's engagement. 

The good news is that imposed sanctions are beginning to take a bite out of Russian economy already and an all out shooting war might not after-all be necessary to force Russia's about-turn in Ukrainian Crimea. A sign of this development is that Russia has been forced to make a u-turn and has entered into immediate talks with the Ukrainian government which they had hitherto refused to recognize as legitimate. Icheoku can confirm that following a flurry of phone calls between Kiev and Moscow, Russia and Ukraine foreign ministers met and held talks for the first time in a face to face meeting today. Who says all masquerades are equal?

Icheoku feels obliged to point out one fact of consequence - that gentle giants still exists and that can be found in the United States of America. A country which can conquer and take over so many countries but chooses not to; and even the mini-me Cuba still freely runs off its mouth within ninety miles of its backwaters. This is what Icheoku calls real strength - having the restraint ability and not throwing your weight around just because you can. It is the doctrine of you can easily do it but chose not to. It is discipline and it is the hallmark of a great one and America is the greatest country on the face of the earth as presently constituted or known to mankind. 

Going back into history, America has fought and won so many wars BUT none of which it ever started or was the aggressor? It is also instructive that but for Vietnam and the Bay of Pigs from where they withdrew, they never lost any of the wars. America first fought off the British colonialist in their war of independence, they fought and defeated the Spaniards over southern territories, they fought and defeated Mexico over territories, they fought and defeated Nazi Germany, Mussolini's fascist Italy, Japan's provocation and most recently the armies of Saddam Hussein as well as Al Quieda in Afghanistan. They also knocked  out Gaddafi's short lived resistance in Libya. Remarkably though, they did not occupy any of these countries but rebuilt them and handed them over back to the people. The war against Germany was provoked by Hitler, ditto Mussolini of Italy while the Japanese dragged America into second world war by bombing Hawaii. Saddam Hussein invited Americans into war by refusing to vacate occupied Kuwait and Afghanistan had a chance to pony up Osama Bin Laden but refused. Even the assistance Britain received over Falklands was because Argentina provoked the war by invading Maldives which the Royal Navy only repelled with American help? But unlike Russia and its Vladimir Putin, agent provocateur and land grabber, who is occupying other countries (Georgia and Ukraine) territories. Russia, Icheoku says, give up Crimea back its rightful owner.

BATTLE OF IDEOLOGY, IS BOKO HARAM WINNING THE WAR?

Just asking, is the Northern Nigerian Islamic terrorist group, Boko Haram, winning the war of ideology it is currently waging in Northeastern Nigeria? The answer depends on who you ask or which side of the divide is propagandizing the propaganda; but as far as Icheoku is concerned, it would appear that the government is inadvertently helping the BK in their stated goal of bringing to an end Western-styled education in that part of Nigeria. According to these terrorists, "Western Education is Dangerous", hence their sworn determination to end it, leading to the war of attrition and mayhem being visited on mostly hapless sleeping students of Western education in that region. Recall that no Islamic school or Madrassa or other Islamic themed center for Quoranic studies or their students has ever been attacked, burnt or destroyed throughout the long-running madness of indescribable torture and bloodletting. Icheoku says, now that the Nigerian Government of President Jonathan is closing schools in those affected areas as a means of safeguarding the students-targets of Boko Haram's madness, is the government unwittingly helping the Boko Haram's agenda? 

To date over one hundred schools have been closed in that region in order to help keep students safe BUT in their parents houses; where they have been sent on a long lasting vacation with no end in sight. Query:-if schools indoctrinating and teaching "Western-styled education" to these students are closed, technically ending "Western Education", is that not tantamount to ceding that argument to these terrorists? Have Boko Haram not achieved their objective, albeit through the backdoor by this action of the government? 

Icheoku says closing these schools is not the answer otherwise Boko Haram would have won since their stated objective was to not teach these students Western education? Icheoku believes the proper and right course of action is to heavily secure these institutions of learning and allow these students to continue to study. This will further spite these Muslim raving lunatics and eventually lead to their defeat. Any other recourse in tackling this problem is knee-jerk and laughable as these animals deserves nothing short of fire for fire and total destruction, period. It is a battle of ideologies and it is such case as calls for yea and nay - the good one ought, should and must always triumph. There is no acceptable middle ground between good and evil. If Nigeria does not have enough security operatives to effectively man these schools, let it create an all volunteer corp made up of retired military, custom and police personnel; augmented by other civilians to assist with the effort. Also a new security outfit to solely target terrorism such as Boko Haram could be established, modeled after America's Homeland Security or National Guard, to solely protect the country's institutions of "Western education" learning from terrorism. 

From the saturated unemployed youths in the country, Jonathan could find thousands of youths ready to do the job of safeguarding such institutions of learning in those volatile hotbeds of Northeastern Nigeria. Just give them the training, orientation and weapons needed and Boko Haram will forever become a thing of the past. That way the proverbial killing of two birds with one stone could be replicated, as while reducing the unemployment in the country, the security problem will also be solved. Now if there is no money to pay these jobbers, let the president, members of the National Assembly, the federal cabinet as well State governments take a pay-cut or revenue-cut of about fifteen percent to help pay for this new armed outfit. Zimbabwean government recently slashed salaries of its officials from $500,000 per year to $72,000 per year, so Icheoku shouldn't see why Nigerian officials cannot similarly take a little reduction in pay in the interest of the general welfare. 

The volunteer army will also invariably help relieve the fighting soldiers by policing already recaptured territories and allow them more freedom to hunt and decimate other remaining Boko Haram scoundrels. While the guards is protecting the rear and holding sanitized territories, the regular fighting military force will then be freed to run after these bandits until they completely rout them out of Nigerian Northeast. Just a penny for your thought.

L'WREN SCOTT, MIKEY JAGGER'S GIRLFRIEND KILLS HERSELF

Once again, another seemingly life of glamour has gone up in smoke, taken by suicide. L'Wren Scott, Mikey Jagger's paramour of over ten years was found dead in her luxury Manhattan apartment on 11th Avenue Chelsea, New York hanging on the doorknob of her apartment. Recall it was just a few weeks ago that Seymour Hoffman similarly took his own life, although his instrument of choice was drug overdose.

One would think because of who she dated and the circle of friends she hung around with and for over a decade, that she had it all until now. One would also think that because of who her boyfriend or rather granddaddy paramour is, and who is worth over $300 million dollars, that Ms Scott was also super rich. BUT no, as she killed herself because of a "paltry" $6 million dollar debt she was too ashamed to let anyone know of and with no way in sight out of it or repaying it.

Icheoku also wonders why the suicide did not take a second mortgage or borrow on her pad or even offload it entirely if that is all it will take to trim her indebtedness and regain her sanity? Why didn't she broach the issue of a bailout or even a soft lover's loan to Mikey Jagger and see if he will throw her a lifeline? May be, she was too afraid such request will spook MJ into dumping her and running to the hills with his fortune. She probably was also too ashamed to step down from her "Olympian" heights; and wondering what will she tell her high-flyer friends that made her lose such a crib, instead decided to continue faking it hoping to make it which sadly never was the case. The rest as they say it is now history. 

What a way to make an exit - fully clothed, made up and ready to go, she summoned her personal assistant to come over. She then tied a scarf at a doorknob, knelt down, put her neck inside and pulled away until she passed out and her weighted-down limp body then completed the task of transporting her out of this planet. Icheoku says while many suicides used drugs, guns and bridges or drowning in a bath-tub like Whitney Houston, Ms Scott decided on handkerchief tied on a doorknob. According to one sympathizer, “Everyone is shocked. She seemed to have her career going well and everyone assumed things were fine between her and Mkey. She was always on a plane. She was always very controlling and had a strong personality.” Icheoku says except that this person failed to advise himself properly that all that glitters is not gold and behind all that facade of glamour, plastic smile and well choreographed make-belief lifestyle lay a troubled soul that was crying out for help which never came until it was too late. Icheoku says most of these people with high visibility are not usually truly happy. They also lack the grit that makes real ordinary people the survivors they are and when faced with trouble, they always make for the quickest exit out - SUICIDE. 

Icheoku says Ms Scott's death has again proved that the rich also cries and that things are not always what they seem to be. Not even her paid-in-full $5.6 million apartment could provide her the much desired succour, security and shelter from the pangs of life and the onerous task that living is? Icheoku reiterates that sometimes life's best blessings come in the form of unanswered prayers. Here was a high flying chic who on the surface had everything any girl would die for - a multi-million dollar New York luxury apartment, access to private jets and helicopters, limousines, vacation spots around the world, diamonds, best restaurants and choice wines and above all the companionship of a world famous rocking roll superstar the incomparable Mikey Jagger of the Rolling Stones fame; although this particular rolling stone gathered some MOSS. That Mikey Jagger is 70 years old and old enough to be Wren's father notwithstanding, many a woman would still die for her place. But did all these make her fulfilled and satisfied? The preacher surmised it all - Vanity upon vanities all is vanity. 



The lesson again here is to cut your coat according to your cloth. If you have not bought a private jet several years after leaving school, don't worry, be happy. If you have not acquired Third mainland bridge just yet, don't worry be happy. If you have not converted all the money in the Central Bank for your private use, don't worry be happy. if you have not bought the entire Maitama DIstrict or Asokoro for yourself and family to live in forever and never die, despite all the shady business deals and looting of public purse, don't worry be happy. Just listen to McFerrin's song and you will have a better understanding and approach to life's struggles; as well as the unwarranted effort people attach to meaningless things that they think is important and will somewhat fulfill them; except however that McFerrin also similarly took his own life and you wonder whether he was just another Pharisee who only talked but failed to walk his talk. 

The secret to happiness is to be content with what you have. Do not be unnecessarily overtly competitive or jealous of other peoples' successes or needlessly try to be the 'IT' all of this world, admitted making reasonable effort is important. This is imperative because no matter how you try, you can never be the end it all of this world. You can only own so much BUT never everything and even Bill Gates still struggles, at least to maintain his grip at the top of the pyramid. Always remember that the today's latest will next year, become an old model and that the Miss Universe of today will become an old hag someday. If you cannot afford it, why buy it? This is life's lesson for you and if only Ms Scott understood that she could have still had a life with a scaled down lifestyle, for example an $800,000 apartment instead, she would still be alive today? This is the only assured way to achieving real true happiness in life - be your own person and don't live for anyone's approval. Life is like driving on a freeway or highway - there will always be people ahead of you and a lot more behind you. Just maintain your own speed and be thankful for what you got; otherwise why kill yourself trying to attain the unattainable? Thankfully you are still here and still have the opportunity to modulate your life as many have gone including now Mikey Jagger's girlfriend, L'Wren Scott. A piece of advise, when next you go to a funeral, remember it is not necessarily for the occupier of the casket, it should always be a coming to term moment with a certain assured end for everyone. Just trade virtual places with the deceased and ask yourself, is it worth it? L'Wren Scott was just 49 years old, RIP.

CRIMEA IS RUSSIA, DEAL WITH IT.

What is done is done and all the tough talks notwithstanding, Moscow has bagged Crimea. The people of Crimea have spoken and they loudly declared for a Russian membership. Icheoku says in the battle for Crimea, Moscow has again outfoxed Washington. It happened before in the threat of punitive sanctions against Iran and again in the "red-line" ultimatum Washington gave to Damascus. In both cases, Moscow's Putin won Obama's Washington decidedly. Now in the latest stare-down over Ukraine breakaway region of Crimea, it would seem the ex KGB boss is at the top of his game as he had surreptitiously used the Crimean people to push Washington and Europe as well as Kiev off the cliff in that standoff. What a deft calculating chess player this Vladimir Putin is that used Washington's game to outplay it - democracy is afterall all about the voice of the people and the people of Crimea have spoken thunderously that they want to move back to their old country, Russia. 

Vladimir Putin waited patiently for the Sochi Winter Olympics to come to an end while plotting his move following the revolution in Kiev that pushed out his crony president. Soon thereafter, he moved his defence forces near the eastern borders of Ukraine in the guise of a military exercise. Before the world could wake up to what was going on within the Ukrainian eastern borders, Russian troops and tanks moved into Ukrainian Crimea and the rest they say is now history. Icheoku says despite mountain of International pressure to dissuade Putin, an effort led by Washington, to scare off the Russian strongman, a plebiscite was engineered whereby instead of using his amassed army to conquer and subjugate Ukraine, the people were instead used to achieve the same result - ownership of Crimea. Icheoku says it is important to remember that when the history of the Ukrainian conflict is written, it will be recorded as the first ever conquering of a territory without firing of even a single shot. 

Icheoku had always maintained that Kiev and its Western advisers made a huge mistake in not resisting the Russian army when they first ventured into their territory. The primary responsibility and reason for the existence of the military of any sovereign country is to serve as a buffer and deterrent of any foreign aggressor(s) and invader(s). So when the Ukrainian military remained docile and cowered in fear while the Russian red army marched in, in violation of their territorial integrity, Icheoku knew it was a fait accompli for what the world is witnessing today. Although the Ukrainian army were no match to the all powerful Russian military, but so was Georgia in 2006, when the same Putin invaded the country but not without a fight; admitted that war ended with Russia taking two of Georgia's territories. The world watched and did nothing then because they could not do anything and in the same vein, the same world is now also watching in askance as Russia gobbles down Ukrainian Crimea and nothing will be done about it. It is deja vu Georgia scenario in Ukrainian Crimea as a stupefied world watch while Putin claims yet another prize in Crimea. Like those lions of Serengeti with their captured prey, Vladimir Putin is not and will not yield Crimea, not to Kiev, not to Washington and not to Brussels. If these people want a different outcome or want Crimea, they better come and get it reads the demeanor of Putin. 

Icheoku says it would seem that the only possible way this can be accomplished is in the all out war the West is coy about fighting with Russia. If not now, when? As with every bully, one unchallenged act always leads to another. So with Crimea now effectively gone or rather bagged, who knows which territory Putin's cross-hair is aimed next if his latest act of aggression is left unchallenged or unresponded to? All talks that can be talked has been talked and so are all threats of sanctions been made that can be made; yet all  have been ignored by the deaf man in Moscow. The world led by the West is now left with only one meaningful option - engage Putin in the same manner as they did against Hitler and now is the time to do it. All appeals have failed and so were all diplomatic niceties but like King Herod of Egypt, the Tsar of Russia will not hearken and the world has to muscle him to reason. 

The result of the Crimea referendum has again put the Obama's foreign policy team on the spot; forcing Icheoku to gravitate to the opinion expressed by former Defense Secretary Gates that it is not in the proper hands. While foreign policy Team Obama held the bag, Putin and company snarled the pricey Crimea and as far as the Russians are concerned, Washington can go on hollering, but Crimea is theirs for keeps and no one can do anything about it. Despite the threatened sanctions and unquantifiable price to be paid should the Crimea referendum proceed, Putin's Russia ignored it and went ahead and have now captured Crimea by proxy of Crimeans. What happened in Crimea will be difficult if not impossible to undo or will the West now force an unwilling people of Crimea, who have expressed their preference for Russia to now go back and remain in a forced unholy matrimony with a Kiev they despise with passion? 

Icheoku says this scenario is not likely going to happen as it will be tantamount to forcing a people against their will and democracy does not support this. At best, Russia will in the end keep Crimea but asked to go no further with capturing more of Ukrainian territories. Crimea will be the opportunity cost of greater Ukrainian territories or the pawn of the chess face-off. Moreover, Crimea was Russia and used to be Russia until Krushev in a drunken magnanimity in 1954, in the same manner Obasanjo gave away Bakassi to Cameroon, gave Crimea away to Ukraine.  So what is wrong in a people returning back to the land from which they were literally thrown away from and without their say or support for the action? icheoku says with the development in Crimea, hopefully Bakassi people of Nigeria will someday in the future return back to their Nigerian roots while giving Cameroon and the international gang up their middle finger. Like the people of Israel who left slavery in Egypt and returned to their land, the Russian people of Crimea have peradventure returned back to their mother Russia, case closed. 

ASO ROCK 2015, WAY STILL OPEN FOR APC?

Someone recently asked Icheoku, is there any way whatsoever possible the APC could win the next 2015 Nigerian presidential election? Icheoku says although it might seem an improbable scenario, but were the APC to pull a masterstroke of fielding a core Igbo Christian presidential candidate with a Middle Belt Muslim vice presidential candidate, it will be history for Jonathan and his PDP. Calculation:- Buhari brings in the six Northwest and six Northeastern states, Bola Tinubu brings in four or five Southwestern states, the Middles Belt (North central) veepee candidate brings in two or three states, Rotimi delivers Rivers and added to the Igbo five states, it is a fait accompli and there will be an APC mounted flag in Aso Rock 2015. But hey if wishes were horse, beggars will mount. 

Icheoku knows this might sound a very impossible contemplation for the party of Muslims fundamentalists, but for a seemingly desperate APC, nothing is unthinkable in their rabid quest to occupy Aso rock come 2015. So who knows what they are keeping so close to their chest to throw spanner in the works for the PDP? Also since politics is a game of chess and it takes deft adroitness to masterfully corner and whack the other party's queen, this may be the sudden-death joker APC is trying to bamboozle Jonathan with. After the election, they can then turn around and impeach the president and later also impeach the succeeding vice president president to make way for their preferred Islamic president for crying out loud.

Now you know, so advise the Islamic party that they will be killing two birds with a stone by fielding such a ticket. By fielding a Christian Igbo, they would have laid to rest the perception that they are an Islamic Party of fundamentalists and also undercut Jonathan on the knees by snatching his priceless Igbo support and votes. This is the only viable road map into Aso rock as it stands today for the APC and many political pundits are in unison on this. Now you see that it is not yet all over until it is over for the party owned by Bola Tinubu with Buhari holding minority shares and largely financed by Middle East Islamic countries.

APC'S MUSLIM SUMMIT OF EXCLUSION IN ABUJA?

Icheoku says the theme of the summit of the Angry Peoples Converge(APC) - a 'NEW party for a NEW Nigeria', would have been quite nice except that it is not true. There is nothing new about the coming together or merge of old parties as the 1914 amalgamation of Nigeria has thus far shown that mergers do not solve a thing. Old distrusts and parochial allegiances still persist and such do not help create the enabling environment for proper revolutionary trends to take root nor in any way do they help move the process forward. Those mundane things remain entrenched and constitute clog in the wheel of progress and therefore the APC will not bring any succor to a Nigeria in need or be the messiah Nigerians so desperately crave just because so many parties transformed into it. It factly does matters that Buhari, Tinubu and now Atiku are the faces of APC and these men's records do portend bad news for Nigeria. They collectively have been around and Nigerians know their resume` and what they are about; and teaching an old dog new trick is not usually an easy task nor would the leopard change its spots.

Evolution is not analogous to new? Morphing into different things does not change the primary physiology of the matter so displaying? Merger does not change form? Dressing up an old man in jeans and t-shirt and tennis shoes with a face cap to match does not make him a tenager once again? The ecdysis of the snake does not make it new? The changing color adaptation of a chameleon to an environment does not make it new? Pouring an old wine in a new skin does not remake the wine, it only affects its packaging?  So in essence what the APC is rather doing or trying to do or attempting to do is to confuse and fool unsuspecting Nigerians that Muhammadu Buhari has lost his draconian fangs; that Bola Tinubu has lost appetite for crass gluttony and unbridled greed: and that the fugitive on the run, Abubakar Atiku, has suddenly shed his toga as the MOST CORRUPT Nigerian public servant and that the United States is no longer looking to prosecute him, being an accomplice to a felony? 

Icheoku says Nigerians must be wary and remain extra vigilant of these men because they are desperate people. If a group of desperadoes are this hell bent on wrestling power that they would go to the extent of trying to conceal their true identities as the APC is seriously trying to do, then something must be wrong. Query:- why are these men so desperate? Why have they also totally excluded WOMEN from the party or is because of their ISLAMIC faith's complete disregard and lowly placement of women as mere footnotes of the society? Nigerians beware, the ultra fundamental Saudi Arabian brand of Islamism is headed to Nigeria in the unfortunate event the APC succeeds in bullshitting its way into Aso Rock. 

Lastly, Icheoku says it would seem that this gathering of Muslims and their "NEW NIGERIA" agenda excludes the region known as BIAFRAAAA and you ask yourself what is the game plan here; - have they decided to let Biafra go and not be part of their "NEW NIGERIA" or are they so averse and disturbed at the predominant Christian religion being practiced there that they have excluded it? Only time will tell but an APC as presently constituted and being run is not good for a SECULAR and all inclusive Nigeria. Admitted that President Jonathan is not that inspiring but Nigerians should better go with a docile angel than embrace proven demons. Muhammadu Buhari, Bola Tinubu and now Abubakar Atiku are conceited and conniving people; they have also passed the age of character formation and cannot change now who they have always been. Therefore this their very unholy alliance should be a cause for serious concern and worry for Nigerians who must inoculate themselves from this poisonous men by running as far away to the hills as they can, from whatever sermon these guys are preaching. It cannot be anything good for the general welfare of NIgerians; it also portends calamity for unity, the treasury and religious freedom of NIgerians. Nigerians, Icheoku says, please just say thanks but NO to these great pretenders.

HONORING ABACHA, A SHAMELESS ASSAULT ON GOOD BEHAVIOR.

Icheoku says the reason given by the inept President Jonathan's government for bestowing honor, during the Nigerian Centenary celebration, on a decrepitude sub-human specimen called Sani Abacha, the midget of Kano State, is indeed very laughable. It is also as watery as it is without merit and defies every attempt at rationalization to say that simply because Abacha did "some good" and led Nigerians qualifies him as an eminent award recipient? Mussolini was a leader and he did some good for fascist Italy? Saddam Hussein was a leader and he did some good for the people of Iraq? Ghana's three former heads of state Acheampong, Afrifa and Akuffo, were once leaders and they also did some good for Ghana? Ditto Augusto Pinochet, Adolf Hitler as well as so many other world's ignoble persons who once led their nations and did some good for their people. These men shared one thing in common - they all met a very tragic end in the hands of their people, who they once led and did some good for, because of the greater infra-dignities they perpetrated on the same people. Icheoku says Sani Abacha belongs to this swine of humanity and deserves no less a fate instead of being elevated on a pedestal he did not deserve or merit. 

Icheoku therefore posits that were Nigeria a country that frowns at perfidy, a sadistic megalomania like Abacha, instead of being honored for "some good" he did while forcibly leading Nigerians against their will, should have elicited curses and condemnations for the hell he unleashed on Nigerians while his terror-infused regime lasted. But regrettably, President Goodluck Jonathan who has sold his soul to the devil and is now beholding to the Hausa/Fulani Northerners and carrying out their every wish, found it not too risky to honor one of North's most destitute gift to Nigeria. By this act of betrayal of bequeathing honor to an animal deserving of no such honor, President Jonathan has joined ranks with Muhammadu Buhari and Ibrahim Babangida, who while visiting the grave of Sani Abacha in Kano few years ago, described Abacaha as the best thing that ever happened to Nigeria and you wonder which planet these guys inhabit? Jonathan has sold out on Nigerians and is now one of them.

Icheoku says a man who wantonly shed so many Nigerians' blood deserves no honor by Nigeria, regardless of what he did or did not do. A man who stole to his heart's delight to the tune of several billions of dollars in addition to the latest over $400 million seized by the United States of America government cannot be said to be patriotic and loving of Nigeria and therefore is not deserving of any honor by Nigeria. How can any sane assessor consider a man with as heinous violations of human rights as Sani Abacha an appropriate candidate for any national honor including a Centenary award, especially when in addition to killing so many Nigerians, the bespectacled dictator also over-stole from Nigerians' national treasury. Further the same Sani Abacha was part of the Muhammadu Buhari 1983 military coup that toppled the first republic's democratically elected government of Shehu Shagari thereby truncating democracy. Yet a man who put such spanner in the works of a country trying to take off was honored for which "unity effort" one may ask? The same Sani Abacha muscled his way into Aso Rock, overthrowing Interim President Ernest Shonekan, thereby imposed himself on Nigerians regardless of Nigerians wishes, and unleashed the worst reign of terror ever witnessed in the history of the country short of the Biafran war; yet he is being honored for loving the country? 

Icheoku says this act of President Jonathan, honoring Sani Abacha, defies every logic and common sense justifying it and not even the extra-judicial murder of his kinsman Ken Saro-Wiwa was not enough to dissuade the president from this misdeed. Icheoku further says that any country which frowns at nasty or which has zero tolerance for bad behavior cannot and should have no business honoring a demented person like Sani Abacha and should have instead lampooned him on how not to be a leader. To this effect therefore, Icheoku joins Wole Soyinka and other few morality-driven Nigerians, who protested the charade that was Nigerian Centenary celebration of nothingness, to condemn the honor bestowed on Sani Abacha as well as on other coup plotters who truncated democracy in Nigeria, Ibrahim Babangida and Muhammadu Buharim; as undeserving, misplaced and a self-serving gesture geared at the 2015 presidential election, specifically targeting Kano State. Icheoku categorically states that such pandering is the reason why corruption and bad governance still persist in Nigeria because there is no consequence or shame for past misdeeds nor odium for former leaders who behaved badly or who gravely abused their office. So what deterrence exist for future prospective wanna-be Abachas, Babangidas or Buharis when these past humanoids are being bestowed with honors and you asks yourself whether the word "honor" has lost its meaning? What a shame!

FYI:- Icheoku hereunder reproduces Wole Soyinka's statement of rejection of what he described as "his share of this national insult" as follows:- 

“The sheer weight of indignation and revulsion of most of Nigerian humanity at the recent Boko Harma atrocity in Yobe is most likely to have overwhelmed a tiny footnote to that outrage, small indeed, but of an inversely proportionate significance. This was the name of the hospital to which the survivors of the massacre were taken. The name of that hospital, it is reported, is none other than that of General Sanni Abacha, a vicious usurper under whose authority many Nigerian lives were snuffed out.  Assassinations – including through bombs cynically ascribed to the opposition – became routine. Under that ruler, torture and other forms of barbarism were enthroned as the norm of governance; nine Nigerian citizens were hanged including writer and environmentalist Ken Saro-wiwa. By honoring the late soldier, Jonathan had scooped up a century’s accumulated degeneracy in one preeminent symbol, and placed it on a podium for the nation to admire, emulate and even – worship. Such abandonment of moral rigor comes full circle sooner or later. The survivors of a plague known as Boko Haram, students in a place of enlightenment and moral instruction, are taken to a place of healing dedicated to an individual contagion – a murderer and thief of no redeeming quality known as Sanni Abacha, one whose plunder is still being pursued all over the world and recovered piecemeal by international consortiums – at the behest of this same government which sees fit to place him on the nation’s Roll of Honour! I therefore refuse to partake and hereby reject my share of this national insult.” Icheoku says what a beautiful poetry from one of Nigeria's finest minds. Highly commendable.

RUSSIAN INVASION, SADDAM HUSSEIN OWED AN APOLOGY?

Icheoku says when the first Bush moved troops into Kuwait to dislodge Saddam Hussein's army, which snowballed into his execution by America using their minions in Iraq, the excuse then was that Saddam Hussein invaded a sovereign territory of another? That story and its attendant war and lingering sectarian conflict is now for the history books to try and piece together. Now Russia has similarly invaded a "sovereign territory" of another - Ukraine, and all America and their coalition of the willing and the unwilling could do is to condemn it and make threats while Putin's army continue to dig in and call their bluff. Query: what is the difference here warranting the difference in approach between Saddam Hussein's army and the red army now under Vladimir Putin's thumb? 

Anyway, Icheoku is just asking but suffice it to say that the strong and mighty will always have their way while the weak and meek will continue to reel under the crushing thumb of these behemoths as bottom feeders. Icheoku asks is it out of fear of possible defeat by Russia or that these white people do not want to kill themselves in an all out war that is impeding the deployment of the West's army led by America to confront these Russians? Your guess is as good as mine BUT the policy of non meddling in another's sovereign territory should be a one cap fits all and not according to other considerations. Query:- if Nigeria has invaded Cameroon to reclaim its Bakassi for example, would the international community led by France's response be merely to issue threats and demands OR would they have already issued Abuja a 24 hours ultimatum to pull out immediately or face invasion and tomahawks bombardments? Anyway, it is life and it is a jungle out there meant for only the lions and hyenas of this world to thrive and lord it over the rest of all of us, the lesser mortals. 

Ordinarily icheoku would have loved to see the mother of all battles between America led West and Russia come down to real firefights to settle this age long rivalry once and for all. Ukraine provides a perfect opportunity for that scenario to play itself out but in any other event, places like Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, etc should better watch it as their threatening big brother CHINA might similarly send in boots to take over their disputed territories since America's West can only bark and not bite? As the Russian invasion of Ukraine unfolds, Icheoku and the rest of the world is watching to see how the Russians are finally persuaded out of Crimea Ukraine. But hey, they have the bomb as well as control gas supply lines to Europe and might as well be said to hold the aces; hence the task at hand might not be an easy one afterall. Oh Putin, the former KGB boss, is back at his game of chess, trying to outwit and outsmart the West and so soon after the Sochi Winter Olympics ended, which the Russians also won or is the metaphor lost on anyone!

NIGERIA SHOULD LEGALIZE GAY MARRIAGE NOW?

Icheoku lends support to the call and current arm-twisting by Western countries of United States of America and the United Kingdom to force Nigeria and other African countries to legitimize sodomy but with a proviso. Icheoku says a thinking diplomatic corp would have agreed on this demand provided there is a cultural reciprocity wherein Nigeria and other African countries will agree to trade a culture for a culture with this foreign countries - their alien culture for an indigenous one. Like with every diplomatic or ambassadorial exchanges, the Africans would agree to give one of their own culture to these white people and make it a condition concurrent to accepting theirs. 

For example, on their current demand that Nigeria become a member of the 'Union of Sodom and Gomorrah Countries', by legalizing gay marriage, the officials in Abuja would have demanded or at least asked United States and United Kingdom to legalize polygamy and polyandry in both their countries in exchange. This done, all the King Solomons of this world living in America and Britain, instead of their incessant divorces and keeping illegitimate mistresses all over the place, would have taken these extra women into concubinage. This way, they would help millions of unlucky women who could not find spouses due to acute scarcity of eligible suitors (since many of them are now GAY anyway), get somebody to snuggle with from time to time whenever scheduling conflict permits; and this will greatly bring peace on their earth? Once this happens, Icheoku will immediately take seven, one for each day of the week and thereby help with solving one of Western world's greatest problem of finding homes for stranded and straggled daughters of Eve roaming around and desperately searching for homes to wreck. 

Unfortunately, while these countries are strong-arming Nigeria and other African countries to legitimize a culturally abhorrent behavior, they are not interested in helping end the Boko Haram menace or feed the millions hungry and deprived or even establishing Trade Pacts with African countries to help grow their respective economies. 

Now talking about legitimizing gaydom in Africa, the United States has looked the other way while many of its own states including Oklahoma passed draconic laws completely outlawing gay marriage. But instead of championing this supposed human rights and ensuring its enforcement within its own territorial and geographical entity, they are busy insisting that Africans accept this their weird export to Africa, which is not only strange and abominable to Africans, but which behavior is even anti their bible teachings? And speaking of human rights, America is yet to address the imbalance of human rights in their country wherein women are still to date being paid less than men; black men are paid lesser than white men for the same job and with equal and same qualification; and where the proverbial justice that is allegedly blind sees colors of the skin and how rich one is?

Anyway, the problem with many African governments is that they are most times headed and their policies marshalled by people with very limited knowledge about events elsewhere to periodically give tactical responses to some of these international issues and armstronging. Also many of them are often very timid to look into the eyes of these holier than thou white people and tell them to shove it. Otherwise they could, in the words of Robert Mugabe, Icheoku paraphrasing, tell them, "white people and your gay culture, we do not hate you BUT we love our own culture!"

APC HIRES A CAMPAIGN TEAM, BUT NOT THE CANDIDATE.

Icheoku says the PDP and Nigerians should stop fretting over the announced hiring or retaining of services of United States of America's Davids Axelrod and Plough's owned AKPD Message and Media by the APC as Nigeria is a different political environment than the United States. First the people are different and their expectations from their governments are different and varied. Nigeria is vastly a primordial society where aside of lacking in practically every basic infrastructures, is peopled by a parochially diverse and divided population with clear fault lines of tribes, religion and regions. In the United States, infrastructures are optimally developed, hence politicians no longer campaign on providing such basic human necessities to the populace. Such are more of American citizens right than the privilege it is to the few well heeled and connected of the Nigerian society. In America, good access roads, uninterrupted electricity supply, clean water, health care and to an extent right to have a JOB is a given; hence no political candidate goes on reeling off how he would make those available  if voted into power; admitted that promise of improvements thereon still makes a few headlines. 

Also America is a highly diluted secular society where even Archbishops and governors are sent to prison if they break the law. President Clinton almost suffered the same fate following his impeachment for lying under oath over the Monica Lewinsky blue dress scandal-gate. So in America no Axelrod will be seen telling people to vote for somebody just because he goes to mosque or church; neither will a Plough be seen telling an American to vote for another person just because they are from the same tribe or region. It is also instructive that unlike the geo-political fault lines of Nigeria, there is no North, West or South or Southsouth, Southwest or Southeast regions to balance in determining where the presidential candidate MUST come from. Remember Bill Clinton and Al Gore are both from the South - two neighboring states of Arkansas and Tennessee. George Bush Jr and Dick Cheney are practically from the same regional Mountain date lines of Texas and Wyoming; while the present Barack Obama and Joe Biden are from literally the same Northeast coast. In America too, the youthful age of a president does not matter and as with Obama and Bush, their vice presidents are as old as their fathers yet they served and are serving with humility and honor. Tell that to Obasanjo and all those other old men of Nigeria who has refused to ether die or simply go away and they will tell you to go sit down, you this small boy. With this paradigm, now tell Icheoku how the two Davids will tailor their APC messaging in Nigeria to succeed in their current assignment or should Icheoku say engagement or rather a gun for hire mercenary job? All politics are local and Icheoku strongly believes this latest APC move is more of a show than result orientated. 

Secondly, Americans are much more educated and politically more attuned than Nigerians. This influence is a big deal because in America, the people are very much aware and can easily lift the veils of political office seekers to see who is trying to hoodwink them; unlike in Nigeria, where someone like Bola Tinubu can single-handily impose candidates including his family members on the people and call it election and use them as conduits to siphon states resources. In America there is a process and political campaigns/elections are usually transparent and open and not subject to manipulation in the face of an alert people and a vibrant attack-dog like media watchdog, ready and always willing to torpedo any candidate who goes off the grid. In America, no thugs hijack ballot boxes too. Icheoku queries how many Nigerians own or watch television or even have time to follow politics as it should be or meant to be? How many Nigerians are interested in the bogus lies and promises their politicians make to them when they are busy trying to find food, water and a generator or gas for it to power their lives? Understanding politics and issue-based political campaign is quite different from the rice and vegetable-oil distribution bribery, called campaign, in Nigeria. Please let someone tell Icheoku that Bola Tinubu will listen when David Axelrod tells him not to so bribe voters in order to make his messaging contract koser and meaningful? 

Thirdly, Americans have a media reach and network which is second to none known in the world. The people are also savvy enough to follow the politicking and can independently verify information about candidates for their votes without being coerced by party thugs and touts or prompted by their village heads or forced to vote in a particular way by the head of their market association at the threat of losing allotted stall. Information is power and were Bola Tinubu to be an American, duty of full disclosure would have made it mandatory for him to show his real birth certificate as well as the schools and colleges he attended before becoming eligible for any office. A dutiful press and media would also have sat on his head until he discloses in full details all these pertinent missing information about his pedigree or he will be forced to quit politics in shame as a fraud. 

Also someone like Doyin Okupe cannot continue to be a presidential spokesman with allegations of the Benue State's contractual fraud running in billions still shadowing him. Nigeria media is practically non existent in the investigative journalism department and where sometimes they make attempt to follow up certain stories, their paymasters will force them to back down because they do not want to lose advertisement Naira. So what is the two Davids coming to tell Nigerians about APC and election when their message might only end up in Lagos, Abuja and in few other media connected municipalities and towns when majority of the people who will vote live and irk their living in near primitive and God forsaken places? In America, in addition to four network televisions and three cable networks that are nation wide, almost every city in every of the fifty states has several competing television stations, radios and newspapers disseminating information to the populace. All these media houses are independently owned and so there is no Bola Tinubu or any other politician forcing a publishing house or media house not to carry opposing viewpoints to an agenda-driven politicking. 

Lastly Marketing 101 teaches us that to sell or market a product, there has to be first a product. MBA class also teaches that in order to hire a salesman, there has to be a product for him or her to sell to earn his/her commission. So in the United States, while the two Davids had a product and a good one for that matter in Barack Obama to sell, the Nigerian APC has not named or assigned a product to the Davids to sell in Nigeria. The APC seem to be putting the cart before the horse by hiring a marketer without first naming their candidate - the product to market to Nigerians. Recall that David Axelrod and David Plough were not hired to and did not market the entire Democratic Party but only and solely candidate Barack Obama. So who is the APC candidate that AKPD Messaging and Media are going to try to sell to the Nigerian electorates?  Presently none exist and the politics of selecting one will definitely get messy, which alone is sufficient to sink the moribund ship of the party even before the 2015 proverbial date with history. 

David Axelrod had a sell-able candidate in Barack Obama as Icheoku believes he could not have successfully so sold any other lesser mortal to the Americans. Barack Obama is a genius unto himself and needed only to be introduced and pushed minimally, which David Axelrod and company did well; resulting in the two term presidential election victories. Also almost all the minorities of America and few from the majority white poor and lowly, were united in their desire for a change and in seeing someone other than the typical rich white man they are used to in the White-house. So query:- what is the uniting force for Nigerians to vote for APC when the party has already been tagged a MUSLIM enclave of angry bigots and a front for Saudi Arabia and OIC? Icheoku asks what is the rallying point for Nigerians to vote for APC when the greedy Bola Tinubu and the despotic Muhammadu Buhari have both assumed the alter ego and faces of APC and any candidate would just be wearing the masks of these two despicable fellows? Icheoku maintains that not only will APC be pitched in a battle with all Nigerian non Muslims, they will also be fighting in war for survival with all ethnic minorities as well as the Igbos who are totally marginalized from the party. 

So in the final analysis, David Axelrod will not perform magic or miracle of waking a dead Lazarus; neither will the duo raise a dead-on-arrival APC with whatever abracadabra political tactics they might bring with them from America. When all is said and done, 2015 is going to be a battle with core Hausa/Fulani Northwest and Northeast, three or four Yoruba Southwestern states voting APC pitched against Southeast Igbos, Southsouth, North-central (MiddleBelt) states of Benue, Kogi, Taraba, Plateau, Adamawa and Nassarawa) and one or two Yoruba states including Edo voting for PDP. 2015 is not going to be against President Jonathan and whoever the APC anoints; no, it is going to be a battle against religions, age, regions and sections of the country. It is going to be a battle against the ideology of moving back to the statusquo of Hausa/Fulani domination or moving forward to a better and more inclusive Nigeria for all. Icheoku predicts the result - David Axelrod will not be able to deliver on his assignment for the APC which will lose big time. Like Mitt Romney, APC has been named, tagged and identified as anti-peoples Islamic party of bigots and it will be very difficult if not impossible for them to shed this stinky skunky cloak before the elections of 2015.  

However, Icheoku is not by any means trying to diminish the political ingenuity of the two Davids - Axelrod and Plough, no; all we are saying is that the two countries, Nigeria and America,  as well as their respective politics are different. Icheoku is also of the opinion that what worked successfully in the United States might not be able to replicate itself in Nigeria irrespective of the architects hatching the plans. The best surgeon still requires a good theatre to operate and for a seed to germinate necessary condition of moist, light etc must be present. David Axelrod and David Plough might be the best in their field, but the Nigeria political climate is not yet well developed nor conducive for their brand of political branding and salesmanship to successfully be effective. A good wine needs no bush. Barack Obama was a good product and was marketable to Americans; BUT would the APC provide the two Davids an Obama-like candidate to market to Nigerians? The jury is still out and will remain out till later part of the year. Finally, whereas in the United States, AKPD Messaging and Media had somebody they could and successfully marketed to Americans, APC is yet to tell Nigeria who the AKPD will be marketing on their behalf and until then, Icheoku like Baba Iyabo and millions of other Nigerians just "sidon dey laugh". NO SHAKING!

(Disclaimer:- Icheoku is not a member of the PDP nor does Icheoku support President Jonathan but Icheoku DOES NOT like the option being presented in the APC; hence the enemy of my enemy is my friend and any party BUT the APC is and should be a preferred option.)

SEYMOUR HOFFMAN KILLS SELF, OVER-DOZED ON DRUGS?

Icheoku says once again another American famous person has taken his own life, aided by illicit drugs which he over-dozed on. His name, Philip Seymour Hoffman, a well known Hollywood superstar was found crunched in a fetal position in his Manhattan, New York City apartment, dead from heroine over-doze. Police investigators also found about fifty still unused sachets of the controlled substance around his dead body leaving Icheoku to wonder what a crack or rather heroine head this actor was. 

Icheoku queries, if fifty heroine sachets were found around him still sealed and ready to be used, who knows how many of such sachets he already injected that resulted in his over-dozing death? Also at about thirty dollars a sachet, that is almost fifteen hundred dollars worth of the illicit drugs that were unused and probably constituted part of his ration for the week? Then multiply it by four weeks and by twelve and a clear picture begins to emerge as to the amount of money being spent just to numb oneself from the pains of this world. 

While some people are in a rush to think that once you have money that your problems are completely solved, they forgot that is probably the beginning of your pains as money is never the end but a means of and the beginning of the end. The other thing that bemuses Icheoku is how people always empathize about such over-dozed persons as being victim or that they accidentally over-dozed on drugs; but fail to try to get into the minds of such suicides to determine whether they actually wanted to kill themselves and chose the lesser messier type of over-doze. Studies suggests that such person, desiring to die but is too scared to pull the metal trigger or tie a knot or jump off and just settled for over-dozing. Icheoku says these people are not victims. They are enablers and facilitators themselves of the fate which befell them. As fully grown and responsible adults, they owe it to themselves to keep themselves safe; but when they chose to indulge in acts whose ultimate consequence they are fully aware of and gets killed in the process, no one should look elsewhere for possible offenders. 

This is a matter made worse when people, who merely sold merchandise to one who is not a minor and who knowingly and voluntarily solicited and paid for same, are arrested in connection with investigation into such death. Icheoku queries, in the same vein, why not also arrest all American gun sellers and manufacturers for all the mass murders in our schools and society; assuming this selective arrest is proper? It really does not make sense to arrest a merchant for merely selling a product to an adult, especially on who freely and proactively sought to purchase same and engaged in its use. It is capitalism 101 and Seymour Hoffman should be wholly and solely responsible for his actions in over-dozing on some substance which death is likely an outcome and to his knowledge. Finally, Icheoku makes bold to say that all these victim-hoods in America is not solving our gun and drug epidemic problems at all or when would any person ever take responsibility for his act and not look elsewhere for a fall guy who put a .45 on his head and forced him to so inject heroine into his vein that he collapsed and died with still a syringe of heroine stuck in his vein. America, we all need to man up and squarely face offenders by telling them without political correctness or unhelpful sentiments that they are wrong and that their actions are wrong.

It should also be noted that millions of Americans, especially those high and mighty, are very lonely and unhappy, the seeming packaged and produced paparazzi-aided glitz not withstanding. They have no true friend and/or family as they suspect everyone as coming after what they can fleece from them, hence have no one to truly confess their heart's innermost quest for peace and tranquility. At such juncture when life losses its meaning and living becomes rather a chore than pleasure, the question remains why continue to wallow in such emptiness? Icheoku asks is it possible that actor Seymour Hoffman was tired of living and decided to quietly put an end to it; and would rather prefer that all these pontificating about his death did not take place or should cease forthwith? Icheoku does not know the answer, but suffice it to say that like Michael Jackson, Whitney Hudson, Heath Ledger, as well as so many other Hollywood greats over-dozed departed, got to a point in their life's journey and concluded that life has no meaning and deliberately decided to end it. Anyway our sympathies to the bereaved family and friends; and as for the suicide-deceased, lets hope he has found the elusive peace and happiness that drove him over the cliff. Icheoku says this is yet another case of a cry for help that got unanswered, resulting in yet another needless loss of life and at a very prime age of only 46. Actor Philip Seymour Hoffman, RIP.

ANGO ABDULLAHI DRAGS IHEJIRIKA TO ICC, REALLY?

Icheoku says the Kano State born mallam Ango Abdullahi was MIA when his kinsman Sani Abacha was hunting down and killing innocent Nigerians including Ken Saro Wiwa, Pa Rewane, Kudirat Abiola etc and systematically wiped so many others out of this earth? The same Ango Abdullahi was also taciturn when Muhammadu Buhari murdered three innocent Nigerians Bartholomew Owo, Bernard Ogedengbe and Lawal Ojulope? The same Ango Abdullahi was silent when Ibrahim Babangida murdered Dele Giwa,  slaughtered Zango Kataf people and killed over three hundred Nigerian Army majors through a staged air crash at Ejigbo? That many Nigerians died following the fallout of June 12th annulled election of Abiola did not make this mallam to protest their human rights violations? The same Ango Abdullahi has never condemned the atrocious menace of Boko Haram who are killing and maiming innocent Nigerians including destroying their places of worship and schools? The same Ango Abdullahi has not condemned the incessant raids and mayhem being visited on non Hausa/Fulani Northerners by his demented blood-letting kinsmen? The same Ango Abdullahi was silent when Obasanjo nearly wiped out Odi and Zaki Ibiam people, talkless of the earth-scorching policies of the Biafran civil war which claimed the lives of millions including women and children? But suddenly the people of Bama fell victims of Boko Haram terrorists-induced invasion and now the head of John the Baptist must be brought to the table on a platter. Icheoku queries what changed to suddenly spring up this outburst of human rights activism in this septuagenarian? 

Ordinarily Icheoku would not "give a damn" if anybody including Ihejirika is being meritoriously dragged to the International Criminal Court for human rights violations but in the Ango Abdullahi circumstances, Icheoku smells foul and a hateful agenda. If according to Ango abdullahi, Ihejirika should not expect a pat on the back for successfully pigeonholing Boko Haram's terrorists activities, because he was "carrying out his statutory duties," wherein them stems the impending indictment since the army man merely obeyed orders and carried out an obligated duty as commanded by his superiors? Icheoku queries why single out Ihejirika and not the people that ordered him to so do since he merely carried out his statutory duties in obedience to lawful orders from his superiors as a bona fide army man? A more honor-worthy and truthful Ango Abdullahi, without an ethnic agenda to incite one group of people against a perceived enemy, would have indicted the president as the Commander in chief and/or the Chief of Defense Staff under who gave the Army its marching orders to do what is needful to stop the Boko Haram carnage in Northeastern Nigeria? Now let us analyse the rest of the Ango Abdullahi's diatribe:- 

Icheoku knew right from the bat that something was fishy when Ango Abdulahi chose to only specifically name Ihejirika without the rest of his "six other co-accused persons" in his indictment So Icheoku asks, what was the objective here if not to incite hatred and ginger fanatical ethnic resentment of a particular tribe which produced Ihejirika and which has suffered so much hardship already and continues to suffer a lot of discrimination and wanton killings within the geographical entity known as Nigeria. Ango Abdullahi selectively left layers of superior authorities untouched before settling on indicting Ihejirika. First was President Jonathan who as the commander in chief of the armed forces that invaded Bama bears absolute and sole responsibility for any egregious crimes of human rights violations that might have been perpetrated on the people of Bama. Second, Ango Abdullahi peeled off layer two in the chain of authority, the CDS (chief of defense staff), who actually heads and supervises the armed forces on behalf of the president/commander in chief and then settled on the third man in the hierarchy of the command structure. Icheoku reiterates that if it quacks like a duck and walks like a duck it must therefore be a duck; and so Ango Abdullahi cannot truthfully and honestly assert that he was not throwing a red meat to his Boko Haram almajiris Hausa/Fulani Northern Nigerians by pointing his accusing finger on an "Iyamiri" as the one who have taken a revenge-killing on the people of Bama for the unfinished business that was the Biafran civil war and therefore marked for destruction starting with an indictment at the Hague. If Ango Abdullahi was honest, why did he settle for number three of the command structure while leaving numbers one and two alone and free from indictment?

Secondly, Ango Abdullahi claimed that the ICC move was because justice cannot be got in Nigeria; so Icheoku queries when did the mallam realize that the judiciary is comatose therein? Was it when his people who saturates the Nigerian judiciary are granting certain questionable perpetual injunctions against corrupt politicians or granting a murder suspect freedom or when Babangida would not honor an invite from a duly constituted Oputa judicial commission etc? Icheoku asserts that the judicial failure dimension of the argument in support is a subterfuge deployed by Ango Abdullahi to mask the rueful nature of the North's latest game plan to plunge the country into yet another anarchy. Otherwise since when has the actions of the military in Nigeria, beginning with the burning of Fela's Kalakuta Republic shrine in 1978 by Obasanjo not been shrouded under the "unknown soldiers' activities mask? But hey, it is 2014 and not the sixties any longer and if Ango Abdullahi and his Hausa/Fulani north decides to murder sleep once again, they shall themselves sleep no more. If the North thinks that they are the only repository of violence or that they are the only people who can ferment trouble, they will have a rude shock this time if they push their luck too far. Icheoku asserts that the people of Nigeria particularly the Igbos of Southeast have become more civilized, more connected internationally and even much more business savvy since 1967 and so the lack of weapons and/or food blockade of the old war will not again hinder any adventure this time should hostilities be provoked by these mallams, especially one that is fast nearing his shallow grave with nothing to lose like this Ango Abdullahi. 

Ango Abdullahi is not indicting the police headed by another one of his kinsman yet the police according to him, killed the Apo Six, killed squatting almajiris, killed Mohammed Yusuf as well as so many extra-judicial killings committed by the police. In Ango Abdullahi's own words, "Nigerian people being abused with impunity has been going on for a very long time in this country," yet he remained taciturn and kept quiet simply because all these while his kinsmen and fellow Islamic religious zealots were calling the shots at Aso Rock and dictating who to deal with? Icheoku says if according to Ango Abdullahi "there have been many cases in the past that should have deserved to go to ICC", why didn't Ango Abdullahi bring these prosecutions or is he telling Nigerians now that he is just a Northern regional or Hausa/Fulani tribal champion who only wakes up when his fellow Hausa/Fulanis are at the receiving end of the spear's tip? As a Nigerian, why didn't Ango Abdullahi protest and protect fellow Nigerians whose rights were violated as he enumerated or is it agreeable to him to be referred to as an Hausa/Fulani zealot who fights and protects only Hausa/Fulani interests? Icheoku posits if Ango abdullahi admitted that "Obasanjo could have been taken to the ICC for his actions in Odi and Zaki Ibiam for ordering the army to go and destroy those villages", what changed now and forced his hands in settling on Ihejirika instead of Jonathan for indictment, since there was similarly a serving Chief of Army Staff when Obasanjo's soldiers marched into Odi and Zaki Ibiam yet Obasanjo was deemed the culpable party? If what was good for the goose is also good for the gander, why would Ango Abdullahi advocate this time for the head of the commanded to roll instead of that of the commander? What induced the double standard if not some parochial animus he holds against the usual suspects?

On what motivated his planned action to indict Ihejirika, Ango Abdullahi vehemently denied that Ihejirika's tribe has something to do with it, opining that it "is stupid to insinuate that we are dragging the former army chief to ICC because he is an Igbo man and that it is the usual Nigerian politics that actions are taken based on tribe, religion and where you come from?" Icheoku queries. if these are not the primordial factors influencing and affecting everything in Nigeria, why are his Hausa/Fulani people opposing President Jonathan's second term and insisting that the presidency must be a Northerner's in 2015? If tribe and religion are not factors, why are the Hausa/Fulanis insisting that only Hausa/Fulanis should be appointed into positions of immense authority and that the rest of Northerners who are not one of them are not real Northerners? If where one comes from is no longer a factor in Nigeria, why did Ango Abdullahi wait until Bama people of his "REAL NORTH" fell victims of the Nigerian state before starting his human rights activism and protestations? The list of tribe, religion and region influenced decisions and actions in Nigeria is nearly infinite; so it is very easy to suffocate Ango Abdullahi's claim that his threatened ICC action was not tribe or religion induced and driven? Icheoku says whether the mallam wants to admit it or not, these sentimental attachments to religion, tribe and region still controls most if not all decisions in Nigeria including who occupies what position in Nigeria. This is also the reason why the mallam belongs to a sectional organisation called Northern Elders Forum instead of rather broadening it to a more national outfit such as "Nigerian Elders Forum" for crying out loud. 

Finally Ango Abdullahi deferred to the judges at ICC on whether the Commander in chief should be made a party defendant to the adversarial proceeding and conceded that the "man who pulled the trigger may not necessarily be the man with the liability." The mallam however deliberately forgot the fact that Ihejirika was neither physically present at Bama during the invasion nor did he give the orders to stamp out terrorism in Northeastern Nigeria and neither did he declare the state of emergency that led to the military campaign to rout those Boko Haram terrorists. All these facts notwithstanding, Ihejirika is still the preferred person or official being indicted by Ango Abdullahi for war crimes and violations of human rights of Bama people. Ango Abdullahi further added that "we have been seeing heads of States appearing or being issued with warrants of arrests to appear before the ICC" but did not tell Nigeria when Ihejirika was elected or sworn in as head of state of Nigeria; yet he wants to indict him - a non head of state and therefore a non responsible party? 

Icheoku says this mallam has gone too far over-broad and if he is not senile like most people his age, then he has a sinister motive and an agenda driven from hell to incite trouble. This forbades bad tidings for Nigeria, especially if those Northerners succeed in polarising and fracturing the only thing still holding Nigeria together - one indivisible military, that do not currently see itself in parcels of religion, tribes or sections that they belong to or come from like these politicians including Ango Abdullahi. Icheoku says the day the Nigerian military completely fractures into parochial realignments is the day the nunc dimitis will be sang for the entity called Nigeria and Nigeria will be no more. Therefore, Icheoku advises Ango Abdullahi and his cohorts to watch their utterances and actions; and they mat also take a look at the example of Southern Sudan or Rwanda of the yore and see that the road currently being traveled by them can only lead to disaster. Their chosen current path of travel is strewn with thorns and hives of hornets and disturbing these will do no one in Nigeria any good. 

Lastly Icheoku says Ihejirika is the wrong accused/defendant in the intended Ango Abdullahi's ICC prosecution, assuming Ango abdullahi has standing and the case is meritorious. The correct and proper party to be sued is the president and commander in chief of the armed forces, failing which the chief of defense staff (CDS), who is the president's direct supervising official of the military should be sued but certainly not the chief of army staff as the primary accused party. At least the two topmost officials in the chain of command ought to be the principal party-defendants to be sued, admitted the COAS could as well be joined as a third accused party necessary. Whatever happens and whatever be the case or outcome of Ango Abdullahi's current effort at disturbing the peace of the land, the good news for Ihejirika and his defenders is that the African Union no longer honors summons of the ICC based on a perceived biased and discriminatory issuance of the writ against only Africans. Liberia's Charles Taylor and Ivory Coasts's Gbagbo was enough for the African Union to say enough and no to the indictments from the ICC and since then, Sudan's Omar Bashir and Kenya's Kenyatta have not answered or been bundled to the Hague as a result of such ICC indictments. Ihejirika will not be an exception and Jonathan will not allow it knowing the full implications including that he is the target. So Igbos of Southeastern Nigeria, sheath your swords but remain vigilant, just in case these mallams chew more than they can swallow and needs to be confronted and contained. Icheoku says to all die-hard Igbos out there, as for the Ango Abdullahi's purported ICC indictment of 'nwaa-aafoo' Ihejirika, "NOTHING ME GAA" - nothing go happen!