Opinion
By Professor Echefuna’ R. G. Onyebeadi to Tim Akano’s ‘Paradise lost again’
MY beloved Elder Tim Akano, your article captioned: “PARADISE LOST AGAIN” and reproduced below for ease of reference, makes an interesting reading.
However, it contains some inaccuracies that could be misleading to the less knowledgeable and the undiscerning, thus necessitating my humble corrigenda as follows:
1. The governorship election in Lagos State was contested for by only the Yorubas. No Igbo man and indeed any other tribe in Nigeria contested for governorship of Lagos State this time around.
All that the residents of Lagos asked for and set out to do was to be allowed to vote for the candidates of their choice, which, head or tail, were all Yorubas; but, they were forcefully prevented from doing so by hired thugs of known politicians.
Is it too much of a demand to be allowed to vote for any candidate of one’s choice?
Therefore, to infer that for Ndigbo and indeed any other tribe in Nigeria, ” the next agenda is to conquer Lagos in the governorship war by all means ” is not only incorrect but highly misleading; as all the contestants for the governorship of Lagos State in the last election of March 18, 2023 were all Yorubas.
2. Eko (Lagos) is NOT a Yoruba land as such.
The genealogy of Eko kingdom and the origin of Isale-Eko didn’t emanate from any Yoruba kingdom.
Please, confirm from the Oba of Lagos. If you like, also verify from Omo N’Oba N’edo, Uku Akpolokpolo, the Oba of the ancient Benin Kingdom (Empire).
Even the old Western Region wherein the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo was the pioneer Premier and subsequently by Chief Ladoke Akintola, didn’t extend to Eko (Lagos). Please, verify.
Eko (Lagos) was and still remains a melting point of sorts for all including foreigners that settled there safe that, the proximity to some Yoruba nations gave the Yorubas some kind of comparative advantage particularly, after Lagos State was created by military fiat under General Yakubu Gowon, as late as 1967.
The words “Eko”, Idumota, Idu-garan, Oyingbo (Onye Igbo), Oshodi etc are not Yoruba words!
Even, the spoken “Lagos Yoruba” isn’t the same with others as it has some slangs of other tribes embedded in it.
If the Binis had any expansionist and/or conquering to occupy agenda, the whole story of Eko up to the present Benin Republic would have been different today!
Notice also that all those that have governed Lagos in any democratic dispensation since independence in 1960 and particularly, from the second Republic in 1979 to date, safe for Mr. Ambode, were all Yorubas from outside Lagos.
So, what’s all the hullabaloo about people coming from anywhere to conquer Lagos if not the hostage of Lagos State by the Yorubas outside Lagos State? Is this not a clear case of what the Yorubas call “ayi tete mu ole….”?!
For the records, it is important to note that two Igbos and other tribes have successfully governed Lagos in the past in Ndubuisi Kanu, Ebitu Ukiwe, Mike Akhigbe, Marwa etc without any problems and without conquering Lagos for their own tribes!
It’s just that, sometimes, people deliberately twist history, turn it to a one-story line trajectory and purposefully call a dog a bad name in order to hang it out of mischief!
3. The Obi-dient movement has become a watershed in Nigerian political history whether we like it or not.
Fallow grounds were broken with barriers and strongholds shattered and scattered by the Obi-dient Movement!
Contrary to some insinuations, the Obi-dient Movement remains a national movement devoid of any tribal, religious and/or any locational encumbrances which has demystified the well-known criminal political structures across the country!
Contrary to your opinion that the Obi-dient Movement has “lost the National flavour”, the momentum is on course and yet gathering; only waiting for a positive judicial intervention on the marred presidential election as directed by the hero of the yet to be finally determined presidential election, Mr. Peter Obi.
It can only take the plea of a person and calibre of His Excellency, Dr. Peter Obi’s standing, to quell a potentially surging national insurrection following the marred presidential election of February 25, 2023.
Only Dr Peter Obi commands that kind of respect and has earned the trust of many to be so obeyed!
No other presidential candidate in Nigeria today commands the kind of trust Dr Peter Obi has across the board in Nigeria!
So, your statements that:
(a) “the Movement is not about transforming Nigeria but there is a hidden ethnic agenda to overrun Lagos, the way Ojukwu planned to overrun Edo, Ore and Lagos during the civil war” is highly misplaced if not a misnomer! What and where is the nexus for such a statement?
(b) “I think Peter Obi, who wants people to see him as the symbol of a New Nigeria has not managed the situation with dexterity, sensitivity, sincerity, transparency, and firmness required of a transformer and a Change Maker” is not only derogatory, condescending and inflammatory, it bothers more on the figment of personal imagination.
What was Peter Obi supposed to do in the circumstance that he didn’t do? People were about to take to the streets in protest, but he called them to sheathe their swords, to pursue due process in the Courts of law.
While people were calling for war, he was calming nerves! What else do you expect from him? What?!
Your emphasis on Yoruba wing and Lagos axis are clearly condescending and belittling of the status of Peter Obi as it is now because, the Yoruba/Lagos axis is just one of the numerous support bases of Peter Obi. So, Peter Obi couldn’t have singled out that lone axis to the detriment of others.
Besides, the Obi-dient Movement is very organic and has a life of its own far beyond what any one person can pocket! That Peter Obi is able to calm the situation for now is something that should be applauded and not denigrated.
Contrary to your opinion, Yoruba/Lagos alone does not and cannot constitute or equate to all other ethnic groups!
The Obi-dients, to the best of my knowledge, have never “Crossed the Red Lines (if any) of other ethnic groups who have invested their skin in the Movement” (whatever that means)!
If Peter Obi had “switched off the microphone when he needed it most” as you opined, Nigeria may have been on fire by now which inferno, may have rendered many dead, homeless and refugees in various places!
You may also wish to be informed that Peter Obi has no birds flying on any ethnic wings and/or such parochial considerations as you want us to believe. His, is a true and genuine national movement that has, for the very first time in our national political history, broken all barriers, demystified criminal political structures and gained new grounds!
PA AYO ADEBANJO, PA EDWIN CLARK AND OTHER LIVING GREAT GRANDPAs OF NIGERIAN EMANCIPATION, NATIONALISM AND LIBERATION:
First, I pray for the preservation of the lives of Pa Adebanjo, Pa Edwin Clark and others with them with excellent health.
Their labour of love for the country Nigeria and the generations unborn, particularly, in their great grand old age of very close to a century, shall not and will never be in vain by the power of God Almighty!
Now, you posited that the Pa Adebanjo “theory” that bothers on Igbo-Yoruba unity among others is failing. Nothing can be further and farther from the truth.
On the contrary, this novel move of Igbo/Yoruba unity among others has far transcended the realm of “theory” to practical manifestation of a new body of Afenifere-Ohaneze known as “Ohanifere”.
The unity that had eluded the Yoruba and Igbo nations for so long a time as programmed by the enemies of Nigeria, is gradually gaining traction.
There is also a body known as Southern and Middle-Belt Forum that is being championed by these old great GRANDPAs!
Thanks to Afenifere under the inspirational and visionary leadership of Pa Ayo Adebanjo and that of Ohaneze worldwide under the leadership of late Ambassador Professor George Obiozor among others.
History will for ever be kind to them in that what Awolowo and Azikiwe couldn’t perfect in their life time, they have surmounted already!
While many far younger than these great GRANDPAs are relishing in their ill-gotten comfort and possibly pains too, Pa Ayo Adebanjo and co were on the streets, trying to do for us, what we have failed/neglected/refused to do for ourselves and country!
They have set the ball rolling and to the shame and damnation of the enemies; which process is now irreversible!
May God Almighty continually and richly bless Pa Adebanjo, Pa Edwin Clark and others with them.
Let the truth set us free!
Echefuna’ R. G. ONYEBEADI
👇👇👇👇👇👇👇
PARADISE LOST AGAIN
Team A
The first half of the game is over and the FH scores: Status quo Ante, 2, New. Nigeria 0
All over the social media today, the conversation is about who is right and who is guilty between the Yoruba and the Igbo.
Both have not done well!
But wait, What’s going on in Kano?
This is exactly the way the Programmer has programmed the 2 ethnic groups since 1914 that they should forever be on each other’s throat. 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000, 2023: the 2 ethnic groups have not disappointed the Programmer, they have behaved typically the way the Computer Code was configured.
Fantastic software program written in Britain in 1914 using the old version of multiple programming languages consisting of HTML, Java script, C++, Phyton, plus the toughest and most esoteric programming code called Malbolge.
I wonder how Papa Adebanjo and Obasanjo would be feeling now when they both wake up around 3am on their way to washroom!
ADEBANJO THEORY is falling.
OBASANJO THEORY has never worked
Papa Adebanjo dumped most of his Yoruba friends whom he has played with for 96 years and went to cultivate new ones in the East, because according to the old man, the only thing that can bring total emancipation to both the Yoruba and Igbo race within the Nigeria context is East -West UNITY.
He attended Ohaneze social parties, birthdays, meetings, he took Peter Obi round the Western States including following him to the campaign ground in Ibadan.
with his walking stick, pleading for UNITY between the two ethnic groups.
Many of his Yoruba friends didn’t see what he saw, that East -West marriage is a sine- qua- non for Transformation of Nigeria
Conversely, OBASANJO is Mr Nigeria personified, he went to the North on the eve of the February 25th election, and in his speech, he sermonized on the danger of picking the next President based on RELIGION & Ethnic CONSIDERATIONS. The audience told him loudly We hear but we do not agree
Grandpa Tanko Yakasia told Obasanjo to go and sit down and stop wasting his time
Now the chicken has come home to roost, both Adebanjo and Obasanjo theories are not working
Why? What went wrong again with the 16th experiment at Nigeria’s transformation?
Everything that used to go wrong, certainly went wrong and unfortunately, we recorded many new wrongs
I think Peter Obi, who wants people to see him as the symbol of a New Nigeria has not managed the situation with dexterity, sensitivity sincerity, transparency, and firmness required of a transformer and a Change Maker
Up to the evening of the February 25th presidential election, Peer Obi BIRD was flying with multiple wings: Ibo wing, Yoruba wing, Middle Belt Wing etc.
Most Yoruba parents lost control of their sons and daughters to the Movement. Some husband lost control of their wives to the Movement. And they were sincere with the Movement because they assumed everybody in the movement was being driven by the same IDEALS. Of berthing a new Nigeria.
But as soon as election results were announced and the Movement caused some earthquake ( of 3 magnitude) in some places like Lagos, the overzealous Obidents became reckless in the utterances saying now they have won the presidential battle in Lagos, the next agenda in is to conquer Lagos in the governorship war by all means
That ambition, though legal but the execution was insensitive to the second Wing of the Obi BIRD. It only looks at the interest of the One Wing.
That was the most critical turning point for the Movement. Obi’s Bird second Wing fell off, and the Movement Lost something which is more important than conquering Lagos: It lost the National flavour
Yet no national Movement can succeed if it doesn’t have the national acceptability
Every parent whose children are in the Movement recalled their children telling them the Movement is not about transforming Nigeria but there is a hidden ethnic agenda to overrun Lagos, the way Ojukwu planned to overun Edo, Ore and Lagos during the civil war
Nothing unites a race more than the fear of being over run.
At that point, the Movement became more and more like an ethnic Agenda and less and less of a NATIONAL MOVEMENT TO RESCUE NIGERIA because 90% of the conversation is about Lagos, even up to this morning.
One sentence Peter Obi failed to make to the overzealous Obidents that could have changed the tide in favour of the Movement is :
Put up their sword , all yee Obidents on the social media into the sheath, the cup which my father hath given me is a National Movement and not an ethnic solidarity movement
That was the order given to Peter by Jesus Christ when one of the servants cut off the right ear of one of the people trying to arrest Jesus Christ.
As Obidents were busy cutting off not only the right ears of opponents in the social media but also the left ears and their noses, insulting everyone who tries to offer useful advise, PO should have emulated Jesus Christ by categorically coming out to say ; Look, my supporters, this Movement is not about Lagos but about rescuing Nigeria
The overzealous Obidents Crossed the Red Lines of other ethnic groups who have invested their skin in the Movement
But PO switched off the microphone when he needed it most.
How can Peter Obi’s Bird fly with One Wing (Igbo Wing) as we are about to start the second leg of the match at the Supreme Court, moreso when all the members of the legal Team assembled to defend a National Movement are from One ethnic group?
That was another mistake PO made- which shouldn’t have happened. If you desire to change society, you can’t afford to play the game the way the incumbent plays, people will ask: what is the difference between 6 and half a dozen.?
Where do we go from Here?
1 I am appealing to both the opinion moulders ( the Elites) in the East and West and Kano and all over Nigeria to get the social media warriors to calm down and embrace Love and peace.
2 Papa Adebanjo and Ohaneze should not give up on the East -West marriage, even though the marriage has entered a stormy weather, but the differences are not insurmountable.
The best way to mend the relationship is to be truthful to reach others by asking the question: what is the irreducible minimum that would make East and West respectively to stay faithfully in the relationship?
To Yoruba, if the irreducible minimum is Lagos, then so be It. The East, too, should come up with her own irreducible minimum.
Ahmadu Bello was right when he told Zik: It is futile to advocate that we should forget about our differences, let us understand and respect our differences
Going forward, the elites should remember this in any effort they are making in resolving this crisis.
For instance in the Core North, religion is a Red line, then it should be respected the same way others have their redlines.
3 Nigerians as a whole should stop finger pointing, if they want to know who is responsible for the underdevelopment of Nigeria, they should pick a mirror and look into it whoever they see inside the mirror is the culprit.
4 I have said it repeatedly at the commencement of this process that only massive decentralisation of power along regional political structures like the UK, Canada, Switzerland Etc will work in a heterogeneous Nigeria not token constitutional amendment that we just did.
As long as we retain the adulterated federalism, Nigeria’s progress will remain stymied.
We have since passed the Tokenism stage
5 In resolving the ongoing national crisis, Nigerian Elites need wisdom: Wisdom is supreme, therefore get wisdom. Though it costs all you have, get understanding
Tim Akano
timakano1@developer -(globalpatriot)
A.
