Amadioha Speaks!!!!
December 29, 2007 by 
Che Oyimnatumba · 1 Comment
Written By: Che Oyinatumba
The last time Amadioha tunneled his message to ndi igbo through me (Daily Sun of Friday September,9th 2005), Ndigbo were at the peak of disarmament. One of the shrines of Ndigbo, Ogwugwu shrine at Okija was desecrated by the infidel Nigerian police. Secondly, there was a great divide as a result of the 2003 general elections. The best of ndi igbo came to contest but because of not putting penis together to form a foam, ndi igbo as a race lost out. Doubt it was our best? Check out their credentials; Chief Emeka Odimegwu Ojukwu, does he need any further introduction than Dim, Eze Igbo Gburugburu? Ike Nwachukwu; other tribes brought out their ex-generals, to show that they are detribalized and therefore the best qualified, we brought out ours, who speaks all the dominant three languages. How about Alex Ekwueme, a working encyclopedia on statecraft and manship. Our intellectual was also thrown in, as personified by Arthur Nwankwo.
Spiritually, we were not found on the wrong side of heaven. Our river drifted cousin Chris Okotie also came to the market. But at the end of the day, ndi igbo did not come home with common akara.Since this dismal performance by ndi igbo, I have hidden my head in shame. The need to burrow my head further into the earth was intensified by the dance of shame by all the igbo states at re-impeaching each other in the senate. When the gods gave ndi igbo a chance to salvage themselves, Ndi Igbo: gaining from the holocaust (Daily Sun March 7th 2006) and get ready for 2007, the myopic ambitions of the serving governors and other “national” leaders aborted it.
Skeptically, I have kept to myself, scratching for garri and okpa in a land that is not mine. A land the igbos have irrigated with their blood, yet each year, ndi igbo lose blood on their way home, as a result of bad roads, insecurity and absence of basic first aid kit in federal government clinics.
OPEN Letter to Dele Momodu
December 28, 2007 by Che Oyimnatumba · Leave a Comment
Dele Momodu is Publisher of OVATION Magazine
Written by: Ashimole Felix
Dear Mr. Momodu,
Compliments of the season.
I hope the Xmas was as eventful for you as it was for many of us common Nigerians, who could not afford 100,000 (One Hundred Thousand Naira about $833) to attend OVATION RED CAROL or visit any other attraction centre controlled by the invading Lebanese businessmen in Nigeria.
I did not celebrate Xmas, for I am yet to make a head of this over commercialization of a common carpenter’s son, who rebelliously came to show a new order for a one on one relationship with God. Apart from this theological reason, the current wind in Nigeria , did not give me room to celebrate. This I clearly stated in my article, EXODUS-Ndi Igbo alago, published in Dailytrust Newspaper of Wednesday December 26th, as Why Do Ndigbos Travel for Christmas.Having detached myself from the madness around me, I could forage through the national dailies at a leisure pace. It was at this point that I came across ThisdayNewspaper of Saturday December 22 at my sister’s house. I must confess, that I hardly buy newspapers. Reason being poverty! When I see a juicy headline, I salivate like a castrated bull in the harem of ewes on heat. The heart is willing but the flesh is weak. So when I saw your column PENDULUM I voraciously read the article What’s wrong with the Blackman In response, I hurriedly, wrote you a reply and sent to your email. Ever since the reply, I have been regurgitating the content of the reply and wonder if I was bare enough for you to understand me beyond the portrait of a messiah I attached
TO RIBADU WITHOUT TEARS!
December 28, 2007 by Che Oyimnatumba · Leave a Comment
Written By: Ashimole Felix
For those with limited interest in the politics of anti corruption war in sub-Sahara Africa, Nuhu Ribadu, is the “super cop” heading the Nigerian Anti corruption squad, the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC).
Of late the EFCC has been under attack, which their chairman brought upon her. During the twilight of the Obasanjo’s administration, the EFCC, speaking through both sides of her mouth, insisted that she must fight and that the era of corrupt leaders leading Nigeria is over. As a result of the cold war between the president of the Nigerian Senate, Senator Ken Nnamani and Obasanjo, the senate president goaded him on and Ribadu desecrated the hallow chambers and bragged about who and who not to deal with. Political observers saw it as a move by Obasanjo to cow some “hot headed” would be ex-governors who wanted to inherit Aso Rock. Indeed this bark at the moon by the EFCC, achieved its aim, as many governors waxing strong, fizzled out at the eve of their parties primaries and unknown dark horse from Katsina, emerged and as the cliché goes the rest is history.
Having set the rules of engagement with his Senate speech, Ribadu started behaving like a derailed train and threw caution to the wind. Despite being a trained lawyer, he arrested Governor Oji Uzo Kalu in what is a clear fragrant abuse of a court order. Like a village headmaster, the Attorney General clamped down and demanded that his constitutional right to oversee all prosecuting agencies be enforced. Nigerians cried blue murder. But the constitution clearly expressed that “we the people ofNigeria…” and further, any law, act or wishful thinking that is inconsistent with the provisions of the constitution is null and void.(mischievous reading of the writer) At this count, Ribadu, was squarely caged.
EXODUS; Ndigbo Alago
December 24, 2007 by Che Oyimnatumba · Leave a Comment
Written By: Ashimole Felix
Finally, December 25th 2007 has caught up with me. For the past couple of months, I have been agonizing in prayers that the Pope will decree that Christmas has been postponed.
As the day dwindles to December 25th, my hope to answered prayers diminishes. As I see my neighbours deforesting the vegetation in search of Christmas tree, my heart bleeds and I ask myself, why this craze for Christmas? Even the roadside chemist shop managed by Okoro(colloquial name for igbos), is closed for Christmas, I am reliably informed that Okoro has migrated to Biafra(The Igbos when disenchanted with Nigeria, crave for a spiritual
Biafra, where all their dreams will be met. They saw a glimpse of paradise when with nothing; they held the almighty Federal Republic of Nigeria for the best first half of the 1967-1970 civil war)
Why this craze for exodus to the East? While musing over this, my wife quickly reminded me that the biblical Israelites moved east from Egypt towards their borrowed land.
Nigeria A Week Ago!
December 23, 2007 by Che Oyimnatumba · 1 Comment
Written by: Ashimole Felix
Last week, has been a furry of activities in Nigeria. Musing over the news items, two kept jutting and demanding for attention. The war on corruption netted in a big fish from the creek and before any one could smoke out what was happening, the fountain of knowledge, joined the fray.Like a mad rush to end the year in a bang, all the papers in Nigeria, led with the corruption story and some for the record, published verbatim, the lorry load of charges against these ex-governors.
The bold, dusted their files and dug out Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello’s 2006 contract scam. In apparent bid to beat the master’s favourite goat, the ex-president’s daughter is being accused of swindling an Austrian firm to the tune of 3.5 billion Naira. It was also revealed that this scam embryoed from the power sector. I guess the Yar’Adua apologists will blame Damilola Akinlawon Obasanjo-Bello for the failure of the power sector to take off despite the “if I am made the president, I shall declare state of emergency in the energy sector” pre-election promise of Yar’Adua.
Without going into details of these twin news items, an interesting dimension to them, is that shons of the shoil have called for the heads of these perceived corrupt sons.
One Street Capital-LAFIA On My MIND
December 20, 2007 by Che Oyimnatumba · Leave a Comment
Written By Che Oyinatumba
I have been to Lafia, capital of Nasaraw State four times in the last one week. The interesting journey began from
Abuja and was a smooth sail from AYA junction to Keffi. The dual carriage is too tempting for one not to exceed 120 kilometer per hour. At Keffi round about, about 3 kilometer toNassarawStateUniversity on Keffi – Akwanga Road, the beautiful road snakes into a single lane. Compared to roads in the Eastern Nigeria, Keffi – Akwanga stretch is a paradise. Another driver’s pleasure, is Akwanga – Laffi road. Though winding and full of sharp bends, the pothole free road, gives one a lorry load of expectation awaiting at Lafia.
Nassarawa State is one of the numerous states hammered out by the Abacha Junta, in a bid to split the homogenous cry against his ambition to metamorphosis into a civil head of state. In a bid to achieve this, akin to the Balkan pyratization of Africa, Abacha brought the map of Nigeria (21 states) and arbitrarily sliced out states, whose state capitals are nothing but a farm settlement or aptly put, the out post of the parent state. An example of this military arbitrariness is the case of DeltaState and the allocation of Asaba as the state capital. The resultant effect of this is still felt in Warri.
Oh! Nollywood
December 20, 2007 by Che Oyimnatumba · 6 Comments
Writen by Ashimole Felix
As a rule, I do not like criticising another man’s work or writing a rejoinder I appreciate the hard work and creativity that the producer of a seemingly hopeless movies, book or painting must have invested to make the work come alive.
I need to state the above for you to appreciate the pains I am going through paneling out these words. While in Lafia awaiting the day to break for me to attend court, I was compelled to watch a nollywood film. The compulsion was overwhelming as the hotel I lodged in tuned to
Africa magic (a cable station that shows African films) the other alternative is NBS Nasarawa. The reception was poor, colourless in a coloured TV and the language defeating.
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