BNW Magazine: Biafra Nigeria World :: Tunde Adenodi's "Igbo: Dating Yoruba but Marrying Hausa/Fulani:":: A Response to a Rejoinder by one Sylvester Omosun Fadals :N. Ndubueze Godson, III: Godson's Common Sense @ BiafraNigeriaWorld.

Godson's Common Sense

Tunde Adenodi's "Igbo: Dating Yoruba but Marrying Hausa/Fulani:"

A Response to a Rejoinder by one Sylvester Omosun Fadals

This article is a response to a rejoinder by one Sylvester Omosun Fadals entitled “A Response to Ndubueze Godson’s Rejoinder [1] to Tunde Adenobi's "Igbo: Dating Yoruba but Marrying Hausa/Fulani"”[2] Gamji’s technical setbacks of past days made impossible my usual perusal of current happenings but thanks to a young reader who forwarded Sylvester Fadal’s struggle to look distinguished.[3] A writing that nonetheless betrayed that Igbophobe’s narrow understanding of past, current, and perhaps future affairs as it affects the common folks in that banana republic of his. His dilly-dallying with words, which he too knows full well he’s by no stretch a guru leaves most wondering why this maniac failed to address the salient points raised by the same article that caused him to loose his sense of worth (lessness). I remain most grateful to God despite all that was written only “grammar”

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use was challenged not the facts of that poignant, penetrating, bomb that was according to my mail notification marked delivered and opened. Whereas had the same rejoinder flattered Ikimi’s performances in Abacha’s government, Sylvester would’ve described it as the best thing after Jesus the Christ, the language would then take a rear seat. Wouldn’t this make him ridiculously cheap? My civic duty therefore is to continue to expose the “lies and the lying liars who tell them, a fair and balanced” way issues are handled.

I will not hide my effort to rattle Sylvester the Igbo hater a little since I am known to write without pandering. After all, I’m only playing the hand he and his followers dealt to me. I guess his extensive research into choice of words to use whenever he scribbles his drool online must be doing a lot to pump up his image and that's ok with me. In the corridors of American institutions of higher learning I am not a novice therefore let me allow this straggler to review my essays yet again while serious and respected men and women with good intentions continue to wonder what the hell is wrong with him. The aim of this piece is to swat hard at this guy who dealt himself a fatal blow by further lowering the already shaky bar. My article that caused Sylvester to loose some sleeps was not directed at him or his Bini folks although I sent an issue oriented private mail to him with no single word of insult. His reply,

“Points noted. I am a Bendelite by the way and do not support OBJ an inch. Just like the Bendelites, the Igbos are marginalized and we need to be much more agressive (sic) with a much better unity. That is all I called for. --- Dr. Fadal ”

While I leave the honor of publishing mine to him I will not pass the chance to draw attention to his inability to spell the word “aggressive.”

Here’s part of the irritation that won’t go away until they come to a satisfying conclusion beyond every and/ or any reasonable doubt. Did Oduduwa drop from heaven chained as posited by the respected monarch Ooni of Ife, Okunade Sijuwade, Olubuse II? Or was he a run away thief as stated by the most high Oba of Bini, Omo N'Oba Erediauwa? Why should I draw the anger of any reasonable person for wanting to know whose assertions I should believe? Is it not the scholarly thing to do as encouraged in the journalism school Sylvester wears like a badge of honor? I believe it’s called “investigative journalism.” Further asking, what really became of the puny seventeen days ultimatum from the Yoruba elders for the Bini monarch to withdraw unconditionally his claim that Oduduwa was a common village criminal? I agree this depending on who’s reading can be misconstrued as offensive but who’s to blame? If the Bini Oba’s position is believed then the Ooni must come clean to his subjects on the contrary if convincing holes are established in the Bini Oba’s fortified position, his dethronement and banishment would be the only satisfying recourse the Yoruba expect. One of these two monarchs obviously misrepresented the facts and this as a good grammar constructor, Sylvester and Tunde ought to have found out and share with the readers instead of their nonsensical attempt to avoid issues that relates to them to tell the Igbo how they can never ever be president of a dying nation. If it were left to me I would rather see the Igbo have a country of theirs than be part the present confusion, in police parlance, accidental discharge.

Maybe Sylvester ought to check with his brother Tunde Adenobi to find out why he used a fake non-existent email address “tunde.adenodi@att.net” to post his Igbo putdown. Sylvester therefore must be informed at this point had my private mail reached Tunde my aim would’ve been satisfied without necessarily going public. But in the absence of these and the choice made by Sylvester to dance naked in the market square of intellectual discourse, I must let the readers know how off beat his dance is. I will also before the end of this piece educate Sylvester a little about the language (English) he might not know after all. No doubt exists in my heart of hearts whether informed people are beginning to question Sylvester’s judgment and credibility after his sidestepping the issue(s) that jumpstarted this round of salvo. He avoided the issues while mine to Tunde though filled with choice words I have no regrets using addressed and questioned the twisted fallacies of Tunde’s article. A major contrast!

Sylvester should either get on-board the freedom buggy to figure out how to get folks away from the dilemma his mentors put that country in or shut up and watch things happen. Though I did suggest he get outta the way! This would pave way for serious minded folks to handle the task of kicking his uncle to the curb for real democratic values to take place in that forbidden land. Most times my preoccupation is to get my ideas, my thoughts out I am not bothered the least bit about nuances of grammar as long as the bordering issues are addressed as such the belittling remains meaningless. Tunde Adenobi, at this point is beginning to look more gracious and stately with his non-reply or comment as seen by the half page tirade of Sylvester. Who by the way pledged to remain above the fray but the lure to betray himself was too tempting to resist due to his myxomatosis ailment, I guess. The impressive writings of most northern writers without equivocating always probe the nucleus of an idea unlike Sylvester and his compatriots whose avoidance of issues to lob bricks whenever, they can lift one reduce their position to nothing.

This self-acclaimed English teacher, a Prof. or lecturer appellation would be an unnecessary flatter, refused to discuss the main thread that spiraled out of bounds thanks to his buddy Tunde Adenobi, but played around with veiled insults. In consideration of this, it behooves me and in my jurisdiction to steer him back on cause that is if he quit his wallowing distractions to tell the readers what part of Aburi or

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Ojukwu’s speeches and/ or letters, especially one to Victor “the traitor” Banjo are false. As someone that have a handle on English at least he told us, I also expects him to highlight all aspects of Ojukwu’s letter that drew the insinuation of “lording” over them whatever the hell that means. Respected readers this is the bone of contention not how great a writer’s English is but how factual, sincere and to the point the information is should take the front, middle and last seats, period. If we were to rely solely on Sylvester’s interpretation of good grammar folks like William Shakespeare and other great men of the yore whose grammar were somewhat flawed but their literally works which were always made with clarity to the understanding of most wouldn’t be recognized. Someone should inform this dummy that even the Holy Bible is full of grammar errors that contains words of WISDOM and please let’s not forget the Quran, which is overfilled with verbiages and hard to make sense grammar but does in no way impede the believers from rehearsing and understanding its contents. Seriously, could his president write one-millionth of the much this writer drops on an instant yet he’s the president? Great!

This mental midget would want his readers to believe he does not condescend whatever, that means to a level as low as his height unbeknownst to him he just did and here we would remain until his brains open up. Why should Tunde Adenobi be given a free pass to insult with effrontery the collective intelligence of the Igbo? Listen to him, “Let it be said loud and clear that if the Igbo really, really wanted to support a Yoruba, they would have supported Olu Falae who was at that time, rightly or wrongly, the choice of the Yoruba. Can the north forget the rhetoric of the Igbo during the short period it seemed that Nzeogwu succeeded in capturing power in the north in 1966? Or during the 6 month-rule of Aguiyi-Ironsi at the Federal level? These are some of the lies the Yoruba and Bini folks dispense without crosschecking their stupid facts yet expect people like me to just sit there and swallow rubbish. What was the basics for his comparison of General Emeka Ojukwu to Arthur “the crook” Nzeribe? What formed Tunde’s opinion to claim the Igbo never supported Olu Falae yet after a contradictory proof by way of my rejoinder this goat still left the pertinent issues to expose his blinded stupidity. Now that we are really discussing the ‘issues’ after the challenges to do so I guess the mission is accomplished? When a supposedly lettered, at least Sylvester Omosun Fadal(?) claimed to be, falls into a trap to spew his buffoonish borrowed jingo without touching the important core of the scintillating concerns raised he must not be seen to get away with it lest a wrong impression is formed. Only someone as mentally and factually deprived, as Sylvester would skip the challenge to present any documentations or references to show the world how the Igbo or Chukwuemka Ojukwu’s hypocrisies and inconsistencies of the past or present aided the fall of a thorny nation. Yet he dilly-dallied into inconsequentially trifle matter as word usage. What does Sylvester have to say about his heavily accented diction, does he have any explanations for his numerous mispronunciations does one exist? Who cares how metaphoric or succulent he writes as far as his writings does not positively impart peoples’ lives it remains insignificant to me and most, I thought this monkey ‘professor’ would have realized. My mistake!

From Sylvester’s junk I could see what tweaked his fancy was the mere mention of Tom Ikimi, a wife beater another big time jobber a cheap shouter who the system long moved on without. The Ikimi that wanted to be a “comeback kid” after the facts but was rebuffed by the PDP earlier due to his role in Abacha’s government is the same one Sylvester sees as demigod to spit his primitive and equally full of grammar errors venom. What this fella failed to observe is my effort to apply principles of fairness by adding a Bini name to the least of those who helped Abacha scuttle a democratic system after all the Yoruba alone cannot be held responsible. A fair attempt that would have suffered undue setback had I missed to highlight a Bini actor in Abacha’s ‘play,’ a corrupt government I dare guess this cheap Sylvester benefited from. This writer will neither buckle nor bend by the gangsterism of Sylvester and his cabal to send a poignant lone voice of the oppressed to oblivion, he ain’t seen nothing yet as my American brethren would invoke. If the yardstick to who should or shouldn’t post is based on how better one writes and nothing about issues then I have in the past read one too many junk on Gamji and other sites where verbiages were posted. But let me disappoint Sylvester’s sullied brains by reminding him that if his president, Obasanjo who by every definition is a compound illiterate, could rise to rule a country then every writer’s grammar error begin to look like divine blessings. Sylvester’s character flaw and temperament, which has been well shielded until my appearance on Gamji exposed it is troubling to those who might have inadvertently held him in high honor. Should I get this credit? No way, I refuse to take it I’ll gladly with humility yield to Tunde Adenobi.

Now for those that might be reading me for the first time, at no time in the past or present have this writer laid claim to the mastery of the English language, which speaking of is a second and unimportant (in the sense one could move back to his village where its use is muted effectively) language to me and many Igbo whose main interest is the emancipation of our people from the stranglehold of the evil men Sylvester Fadal love so much, his Yoruba kindred. Please allow me to digress just this one time, his stated name “Sylvester Omosun Fadal” to me signifies either a conflicted or confused individual whose identity based on his Bini claim is yet to secure his true origin. “Omo” as we know is Yoruba while Fadal is associated with the Fulani conquerors so he should tell us who he really is. Back on English usage, since the mastery of syntax, word

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connections, arrangements, nuances et cetera were never claimed by me I challenge Sylvester to relate his one-quarter-grammar claim to the running thread. I do however know to the chagrin of Sylvester Fadal that I am a common sense scholar who uses the abundance of his streetwise wisdom in everyday application to understand why folks like him and his thieving partners in that banana nation he calls Nigeria do not see the need to implement policies that would change the nightmares people experience daily in that back pedaling country? An elder in my community once said, “inasmuch as he does not understand a word of English, he however, would not hesitate to run without looking back whenever his name and the word catch are simultaneously mentioned.” See, Sylvester even an illiterate do understand enough “grammar” to apply common wisdom in a tense situation.

The generous use of his bloated and self-aggrandizing “Dr.” appellation is only an attempt in futility to appear more important than he really is otherwise he would have known that since Gamji is not a formalized academic environment, the use of such becomes unnecessary and banal. There is a course no college/university would teach one, it’s called Wisdom 101 and one of my professors in college/university counseled that we acquire a C.S. (Common Sense) degree with whatever diploma we were pursing. Could Sylvester, Dr./Ph.D., with all due (minimal) respect please give us his full and unabridged portfolio (school[s], field, postgraduate research works and stuff)? Something about this dude is foul since many fly-by Internet degree mills exist therefore my simple request for him to share his well-earned accomplishments should not cause a stir. Maybe he is unaware of the numerous Ph.D.s that have gone through the corridors of real power here in the U.S.A. (Admiral Poindexter, Newt Gingrich, Condoleezza Rice, Alan Greenspan and many, many more) they never bothered the everyday folks with prefixes that makes little or no sense so why the infatuation? I will therefore and herein inform him that as a holder of Master’s of Science degree, a scientist, I am not required or expected to write beyond the most basic English which as he can see to his surprise I hold my tuff in this reserved arena. Let me also remind the ‘teacher’ that here in the U.S., there are reasons why newspaper publishers use the minimal level of this language to disperse information for the benefit of all. My obligation is to show the foolishness of the double-speak of Sylvester, a confused and disoriented fella who sits behind the protection of his keyboard to lob missiles at men and women of Igbo extraction with goodwill who became freedom fighters based on the unparalleled hardships their loved ones experienced and continue to in that country of his.

First of, the Igbo which as you know I am proud to belong would without waffling, stuttering or cowering let him know the ‘fight’ is on by descending to whatever level that is necessary to make their points unlike this side-speaking coward as can be seen by his statement, “To avoid condescending to his level of non-insight and non-intellectual brilliancy, I will not dissect his article and would rather apply a brief and finite response to shine the light on his weakness as indicated by the writing of an “oxymoron who lacks the ability to establish a solid purpose statement, analyze, support, and validate the purpose statement with convincing evidence, in effect to conclusively reach an acceptable finding.” And yet journalism school he attended failed to teach him the need, the importance to shorten a sentence? Let me say this, I am almost sure whatever education Sylvester had is not American because in this country they teach you to make every sentence as short and direct as possible. In journalism school no doubt nothing was taught about answering or replying to the main body of a topic, essay or story? This JJD (Johnny Just Drop - Fela) better ask somebody! The school he attended also failed to teach him the use of “oxymoron” to qualify someone is as “condescending” as it gets? Sylvester also failed to inform his readers that nowhere in any journalism text is the “use of “retard” to address an opponent dignified yet he’s not condescending? Guys, don’t be deceived Sylvester is a sneaky Bini thug who uses a bogus prefix to conceal his crudeness he’s a phony. The same journalism school didn’t teach him something about parrying; excuse me, for him, deflecting/debunking something he disagreed on with counterpoints?

In journalism school, which by the way I did not attend, nothing was taught about punctuations as his equally flawed piece of junk of the past indicated that he too is susceptible to grammar error? Review his, “Igbo Presidency: Not Now, Not Later, Unless a True Solidarity is Established” and there numerous punctuating and spelling errors exist starting with comma use in the above quote and his use of past tense (gained) in the body instead of “gain.” Again, the question his self-induced amnesia continuously misses is had his Yoruba uncles an “established solidarity” when they produced a moronic retard of the highest order that sent the country on its final meltdown? Sylvester’s deceitful attempt to confuse the readers by avoiding direct and simple questions posed to his thieves loving compatriots reinforced my belief that these guys are not about dialogue. They are about distracting with intent to muddy the issues with childish and not so important “ABCD” inconsequential nonsense. As if the questions this clown avoided with his stupid term paper review will go away. Yet he still expects the serious minded to look upon him with value, is he kidding? As a self-acclaimed master of English wouldn’t it have availed Sylvester if he had been cautious about introducing egoistic nuances in his writings and on this board? See, his folly is being revealed one after the other I bet he never knew this much could be written by someone he dismissed as a common writer. Listen up, a rookie or someone who could easily be swayed who read his might wrongly conclude that it merits an alpha but the pros here would quickly see through the smokescreen to deduce the emptiness since in his disadvantaged cocooned environment he failed also to realize that one’s inability to properly articulate oneself to Sylvester’s satisfaction does not in any way impede that person’s ability to impeccably perform his duties especially if that individual is into other areas.

I hope I am not asking too much and not a burden one iota to challenge Sylvester to indulge by taking exams or writing in Applied, Abstract, Quantum, Nuclear or Atomic Physics. It would also be interesting to see how well he knows other subjects. To simplify so that Sylvester could understand, I am in essence saying that the members who are attorneys do not use court terminologies and jingo to get their points across nor the mathematics majors among us write in terms of differential equations or systems of equations to make a point. Dig my drive young man? I would also hope that folks who are into medical fields would not conclude that your inordinate and inane misunderstanding of things outside your supposed field would not in any way mean that you are slow. Sylvester’s maddening ignorance was sorely exposed when he stooped as low as eating his own words to derail someone who never insulted him particularly while the body, the theme, of my rejoinder to his friend Tunde was left unanswered. To me this could only mean that the information as contained in mine was impenetrate able, untouchable, I hope he understood. For want of any real proof I make bold to say nowhere in the annals of Nigerian history would one read where Ojukwu or any Igbo leader experimented with the idea to exterminate or clamp down on her neighbors. Nowhere in any Biafran documents would you find a contrived design to harm the civilian population of our neighbors beyond the normal military war plan of recapturing cities that failed to the enemy hands. Yet this is the position Tunde and Sylvester subliminally take each time they write their baloney. These roaming charlatans angst is simply premised on the revelation of their modus operandi of the past and the more of their nonsense we expose the more cautious their partners of the yore become. Northerners beware of these folks! Look at it this way, prior to the introduction of the Internet much of their bull crap lies went unchallenged and un-dictated but now the virulent replies and debasement of their cheap but dangerous lies make them twitch and stand on edge.

Today his uncle, Anthony Enahoro, is running all over the twisted place screaming the importance on convoking a Sovereign National whatever yet he was among those who called for the Igbo heads when the Aburi, Ghana accord made the same position he screeches about clear. Folks, in 1966 the Igbo let it be known that the only way out of the stupid idea of having people with opposite values share the same geographical area with shrubs like Sylvester Fadal is to create independent sovereignties that would cater for the interests of each subsisting entities. Sylvester’s transgressions might be forgiven or excused due to the preponderance presentation of the facts by me and other well versed Igbo sons, which overwhelmed his ganja induced thoughts. But as long as this yoke wants to make this dialogue personal, he should rest assured of my quick responses. I would meet him head-on and stay the cause unless he begins to tell the Nigerian people where and how Ojukwu/Igbo started the ill-conceived Gowon’s war. This guy who lost the respect I held for him when I addressed him as “Dear Sylvester” in my private mail, is a fake joker who cannot be taken seriously since he believes in circling the issues with his rat pursuit in a burning house. This last statement is not wisdom it is rather a common sense saying to highlight the importance of staying within the topic in case this clueless boy is still wondering.

Long live, the principled North. Long live, the principled East. Sylvester continue to waffle!

On Aburi We Still Stand!

A look back at Sylvester Fadal’s GRAMMAR ERRORS:

1. He wrote, "Ignorance is sometimes equaled to..." when he should have used “equal.”

2. "…were raised to recognized, when it should have been “recognize.”

3. "…personal as such attacks never gets" his use of “s” was wrong tense.

4. "I hope Ndubueze will learn the rules of literary engagement and how it works best."

The subjunctive case was wrongly used above. So let him correct “will” with “would.”

Sylvester’s biggest problem is with the infinitive case. Now he should decide if we are here for the peaceful resolve of the crap he enjoys in Nigeria or grammar course.

[1] Rejoinder to Tunde Adenobi's "Igbo: Dating Yoruba but Marrying Hausa/Fulani"

Ndubueze Godson III

‘If the Igbo really, wanted to support a Yoruba, they would have supported Olu falea who was at that time, rightly or wrongly, the choice of the Yoruba” - Tunde Adenobi

Are you crazy? You can’t mean this, do you? Sorry I have to start our discussion in a not so gentle way but wait, who’s to say how a discourse should commence? It is the height of arrogance, a reckless one at that for assuming there are no ably qualified people in the East to steer your sunken nation back on course. As atypical and topical Yoruba evidenced by your attempt to yet mislead the feeble minded again I wonder how long before you guys realize your deceitful rhetoric has been over used? Men with superb knowledge of what transpired in that hopeless banana republic would not be shocked to read such from you. My surprise only comes when I read facts filled honest narration of events in your Nigeria from one of you guys otherwise I expected this type of crappy gyration of yours. The level of ignorance at display can only be said to be mind boggling going by your limited understanding of the roles the Igbo have played and continue to play to your benefit. Whatever your Yoruba people said about “goat” my Igbo folks also have this to say about the same goat “the stuff that caused a dog to holler, bark, and screech is the same thing a “goat” saw but waved off as nothing to brood.”

My beef with the Yoruba from personal experience is always their knack for ingratitudeness, betrayal and not owning up to a defined stance and this tradition was glaring in your piece where history again was twisted to your favor. How ridiculous! By the way have you read your history lately compliments of the most revered Omo N’Oba Erediauwa of Bini? Did Oduduwa land from heaven chained (ludicrous) or was he a runaway thief who escaped death in Bini to form what’s known as Yoruba? At least you have at your disposal Gamji the site operated by your Hausa lords to drop your falsehood while most serious posts from non-Yoruba/Hausa/Bini who refused to be PC (political correct) are not published. Due to this writer’s refusal to be cowed, bought or outwitted/performed by you or your kinds my posts to that site never saw the light of day. Hopefully this would get you up your toes and eventually jumpstart your thinking with your real head.

NADECO’s initial vision was to garner and gather sympathy for the benefit of you guessed right, Yoruba based on the June 12^th fallout. The Yoruba in their foolish thought wanted June 12^th to be solely a Yoruba affairs and you wonder what were they thinking, didn’t the rest of the country participate in voting for Abiola, a Yoruba Muslim? It was not until the Igbo rushed to your rescue by joining NADECO did it begin to enjoy the national recognition and legitimacy it desired. The Igbo membership in this organ cannot be diminished, reduced or relegated to the background since men like Nduwuisi Kanu, Chima Ubani, Emeka Agbakoba, Joe Igbokwe, MCK Ajuluchukwu, Philip Umeadi, Chris Anyawu, George Mba these few to buttress played active and pivotal roles in your NADECO and with the exception of Mazi Ajuluchukwu the rest are still living. The Yoruba inability to extend a little credit, forget the equally important “Thank You” which your article reinforced is one of the major reasons why the Igbo find it difficult to forget all the evil roles you people have played to destroy us.

My friend, I am assuming we are, at your age and with your experience you should have understood the Igbo unrestricted participation in the fight for human rights, which is not complicated in the least bit, as a vigilant reader would infer. How did I know you asked? Well, I relocated to that qua-qua palm wine republic about then suffice it to say it was the Yoruba apathetic behavior that gave Abacha the needed impetus to hold on as can be seen from the upcoming names. Did you conveniently forgot the overwhelming numbers of men from your tribe and countless Bini indigenes that served the Abacha led junta? Here are few to get a handle, Lateef Jakande, Ebenezer Babatope, Sam Aluko, Ikimi, and the numerous Generals (Diya, Adisa, Olarewajun etc), Brigadiers, Colonels, Majors of Yoruba extraction that didn’t see the need to topple a repressive regime despite their high number yet you want the readers to take you serious, right? Why didn’t Ernest Shonekan hand over the reign of power to his kith and kin, Abiola? Why did the master thief, Obasanjo utter that bunkum about “Abiola not the Messiah?” Why??? Whereas had an Igbo done all these we would continue to hear all sorts, I mean the usual noise and more lies.

Forget today’s PDP, which is populated by cross-carpet champions who you and I in agreement call political prostitutes, jobbers in the highest order without shame. Men who would sell their hearts and souls to the first bidder, a bunch of fair weather political minions whose obnoxious stench reek from north to south. And focus on the 1999 major political parties where you would find that ANPP was dominated by the Igbo first then Hausa and it was through their effort that Olu Falae secured the presidential spot of AD (Yoruba party) then in the hopes that come 2003 the benevolence would be reciprocated but we know what happened in 2003. It is my very strong opinion that their membership gave the legitimacy needed due to the Yoruba earlier attempt to tribalize it thereby reducing NADECO’s strength at the time.

What Internet web sites have you been visiting obviously you have not been to one of the authentic ones since your involvement has always I gather been with Gamji, which does not maintain fair and balanced views. Let me thus inform you that the same way you feel Emeka Ojukwu and Arthur “the crook” Nzeribe are bedfellows is how I see Obafemi Awolowo and Iyiola Omisore as birds of same feather and equals who has/had no shred of shame. If you disagree with this assessment then the only reasonable inference and/ or conclusion would be Emeka Ojukwu hardly share any similar ideals or behavior with the crook your people and their Hausa masters helped to enrich by patronizing his illicit arms trading. The propaganda you posted only revealed the weaknesses of your tribal character and the reinforced belief that the Yoruba would not treat one of theirs who fought as Ojukwu did to liberate his people as a criminal, but is ready to crucify one that did just that. This rare trait is rather known as HEROISM and what part you missed remains yours to figure.

With your so-called military claim though I view it more as militia/guerilla you should have known that when General Emeka Ojukwu put at the use of Victor Banjo some Biafran boys it was with the full knowledge that they were needed to extrapolate you guys from the jaws of death not to ‘lord’ over you after all the Hausa were doing a good job at that. If you were part of this filth (militia) you should have been aware of Emeka Ojukwu’s letter to your waffling kin, Victor Banjo who after accepting boys from the Igbo area to help free the fearful Yoruba from the stranglehold of the Fulani/Hausa claws turned around to play a very dirty and dangerous game. Of course code of military conduct was used to judge him and this sealed his fate due to his stupid double-agent performance nothing to do with anyone else. Wasn’t it the same Emeka Ojukwu you guys hate with passion who released your Awo from prison and what gratitude if any has been shown for this gesture? Didn’t the same Awo support the Aburi, Ghana accord only to renege when it mattered most? Didn’t Awo design a very wicked economic policy to inject hardship on the surviving Igbo by the N20 pittance conversion of funds regardless of how much one had? Did Awo encourage economic blockade to deny the starving children of Eastern extraction and what’s the purpose? In the civilized world economic blockade on innocent civilians is called WAR CRIME! So who is the war criminal based on this definition?

Fella! In my lexicon Awo fits the war criminal definition more than Ojukwu. Ojukwu’s crime is to have followed military etiquette to a fault by his lack of support for the Nzeogwu led coup. His crime stems also by not supporting a junior officer Gowon to take the helms of military affairs over a Yoruba superior officer Brigadier Ogundipe. Ojukwu should not have ordered the arrest of the coup planners who were sent to detain him in Kano instead he ordered their detention. Did Ojukwu partake in any coup real or imagined? Has he ever been involved in any military mutiny? So why can’t you as an erstwhile member of the military family (are you?) not recognize these great qualities of a disciplined soldier? Your sorry use of the 1966 coup by Major Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu to tarnish Odumegwu Ojukwu should put you to shame since a Yoruba (Major Ademoyega) made up the five majors who organized that coup which you would have hailed as the pride of the Yoruba had it been successful. I am yet to understand why the Hausa failed to see this with their continued “dating and marrying” of the Yoruba even though the Yoruba double-faced performance at every level is not hidden.

Hopefully the people I respect would see this mail and perhaps add a thing or two to it to avail you since the intent is not to pick fight with anyone but to educate and share our authoritative unbiased accounts of history. It was equally unnecessary and undignified to have used Mazi Peter Opara’s name in your piece since his ‘valentine’ to you was private what were you trying to achieve? Your attempted public putdown only fortified my belief and hopefully my comrades that a Yoruba is not to be trusted under no circumstance if this is not the case the use of Peter’s name should have been skipped. A simple quote or passive reference to him would have served a better purpose and your failure to do this as a result made you puny and unstable which in essence cost you the credibility you set out to establish. Since I wanted you to read mine with as much open mind you can muster as possible now is the time to let you know what I really think of you and your type. Your writing revealed someone who is not too intelligent one who might be a chronic liar that can’t be trusted or respected, sadly. These analyses cannot be too far fetched and should be appreciated, as you wouldn’t want me to lie, would you? Our differences and hurt feelings notwithstanding there is no equivocation how the Igbo led government would treat the Yoruba nation… Care, Compassion, Respect, Equal(?), Understanding etc.

Assignment (History of the Yoruba 100 level):

Read your history and records and stop your inherent tribal myopia, hate and ignorance.

Sincerely,

Ndubueze Godson III (Common Sense Advocate)

[2] Igbo: Dating Yoruba But Marrying Hausa/Fulani : By Tunde Adenodi

By Tunde Adenodi

Let it be said loud and clear that if the Igbo really, really wanted to support a Yoruba, they would have supported Olu Falae who was at that time, rightly or wrongly, the choice of the Yoruba. Why did the “north” (excluding the northern mainstream minorities) pick Obasanjo? And why did the “East”, especially the Igbo, support those who chose Obasanjo even against their own Ekwueme?

First of all, the Yoruba, led by late Bola Ige, formed the vanguard of the main opposition to Abacha’s tyranny in what was called NADECO. Then they joined with Solomon Lar, Ekwueme and others to form the PDP. Seeing that this group included those whom he perceived as pseudo-democrats whom he was not comfortable with, he joined with Shinkafi to form the APP. But this group consisted of the likes of Arthur Nzeribe whom Ige could simply not be found dead or even alive with. He fled and formed the party called the AG, excuse me, the AD. And at every stop, Ige lost a handful of his followers to the group he had just left. So within a period of 48 hours, Bola Ige moved his Yoruba group from NADECO, to PDP, to APP and finally to AD! And it became inconceivable that anyone, other than Bola Ige (since Abraham Adesanya was not interested in the presidency) could aspire to that office. And if anyone told you that the AD was registered because it met all parameters of registration, please be informed that that was false. It was registered in order to balance the tripod and to assuage the feelings of the Yoruba.

The Igbo on the other hand, led by Dr Alex Ekwueme, was a little more circumspect. They realized that the PDP was a party that had a more national spread and that Bola Ige had just made the same political miscalculation which was the hall-mark of Awolowo’s political career, and to a lesser degree, Zik’s career as well. They stuck with the PDP, and in my judgment, rightly so. And they participated in the process of picking Obasanjo as the flag-bearer of the PDP even against the wish of Obasanjo’s own ethnic group.

The choice of Obasanjo was to serve three purposes:

To cover the tracks of all previous governments, especially Babangida’s, who brought the country to her knees.

To hold power in trust for the Hausa and Fulani for one term of 4 years only during which time they had hoped that the disease of general amnesia would have caught all Nigerians who would forget their past misdeeds and

To propitiate the angry people of the West who felt greatly injured by the unprecedented injustice of denying Abiola the presidency.

It should be noted however, that Obasanjo was selected for the same reason his own people had rejected him. In fact, he was supported to spite the Yoruba and in order to be able to say that the Yoruba people are fastidious and insatiable. Any other reason given by the Igbo or the Hausa and Fulani, for their choice of Obasanjo against other more “credible” Yoruba is therefore dishonest. So the myth that “we supported Obasanjo, or indeed Sonekan’s interim government” is nothing but a ruse. Let it be said loud and clear that if the Igbo really, really wanted to support a Yoruba, they would have supported Olu Falae who was at that time, rightly or wrongly, the choice of the Yoruba.

Why did the “north” (excluding the northern mainstream minorities) pick Obasanjo? And why did the “East”, especially the Igbo, support those who chose Obasanjo even against their own Ekwueme?

As for the “north”, the three reasons above will suffice. But not so the “East”: For some curious reasons, the Igbo believe that the Hausa and Fulani like them and trust them enough to entrust them with the presidency whenever, and if ever their turn to occupy the presidency came around. Even the routine murder of hundreds of Igbo and now Yoruba in the North by the Hausa and Fulani in just about every two years since 1966 has not dissuaded the Igbo from going back to the same place and acting as if nothing has happened! They continue to trust on the promises of the Hausa and Fulani even when it is clear the promises have never been and will never be fulfilled. Not so much because the north is unwilling to trust the Igbo, which they are not, but more importantly because the Igbo have not done anything to earn the trust of the Hausa and Fulani and indeed of the rest of the country including the Yoruba. This is manifested in the political activities of the leadership of the Igbo and the inherent idiosyncrasy of the mainstream Igbo in business and even in leisure.

Can any serious minded Nigerian of any ethnic group fail to notice the activities of people like Nzeribe and even Ojukwu whom Igbo revel as their leader even when the Igbo should and do know that these two, especially Ojukwu, will not be acceptable to other Nigerians for obvious reasons? Can the north forget the rhetoric of the Igbo during the short period it seemed that Nzeogwu succeeded in capturing power in the north in 1966? Or during the 6 month-rule of Aguiyi-Ironsi at the Federal level? Can the Yoruba fail to notice that the only ethnic group in Nigeria contesting the ownership of Lagos is the Igbo even when the Yoruba are voting in Igbo people as their councilors into Local Government Councils in Lagos?

In the run-up toward the 2003 elections, the Igbo increased the anti-Yoruba rhetoric. They found nothing good in Obasanjo and all Yoruba. They were angry that Yoruba people were beginning to show some support for Obasanjo. They expected him to resign and hand over to an Igbo claiming that it was their turn to run for that office. They claimed that they supported Abiola when he ran (knowing that Abiola was not allowed to rule even for only one day), they called Yoruba people all kinds of names and labeled everyone that expressed a view contrary to theirs - a tribalist. They labeled Yoruba a people without principles, untrustworthy and cowardly. Peter Opara wrote personal letters to me calling me “mad” and condemning all Yoruba for what they are! He said that Yoruba have never “engaged in a principled fight” for anything and that Brigadier Ogundipe’s inability (or refusal) to take over leadership during the 1967 coup was the height of cowardice which Yoruba are known for. In fact Opara wrote that the Igbo and Hausa have some important attributes in common: they are both able to fight for what they believe in, much unlike the Yoruba who fight with their legs in the opposite direction!

The Igbo or the likes of Peter Opara have probably forgotten that Colonel Adekunle Fajuyi sacrificed himself for Ironsi and that the man who obtained Biafran surrender was none other than Obasanjo. In deed, the 3rd Marine Commando which was essentially a Yoruba brigade was the arrow-head of the final push against Biafra and their surrender! Sonekan is not less Yoruba than Abiola. Nor Obasanjo any less Yoruba than Abiola. Yet, the Yoruba engaged in serious war of attrition against their governments: “Try and rule us if you can“! They with-held their support for them and worked assiduously for Sonekan’s government to fail; and even Babangida’s and Abacha‘s. As for Obasanjo: try and harm a madman in the market place and find out to your chagrin, that he has relatives! The Yoruba act on high principles; not only do the Yoruba act on principles, they use their intellect to fight their fights for them. Yes, there are times when it is necessary to use force, and contrary to Opara’s erroneous belief, they believe in the use of force, but only as a matter of last resort! And when you resort to force, try to see whether you can use force in your opponent’s backyard! Yoruba should not be blamed for Ojukwu’s decision to go to war unprepared. And if Yoruba refused to go to war, it follows that their self interest would not be better served by going to war.

The last two years just before the presidential elections and immediately thereafter till date, we have seen the intense exhibition of hatred to anything Yoruba by Igbo and Hausa and Fulani people. This is seen from the write-ups emanating from opinion leaders on the internet and several forums. I have seen write-ups by prominent Igbo reminiscing on what a true “democrat” Buhari was and still is! I have heard Abacha called a statesman! And Babangida a God-sent messiah and Obasanjo referred to as the worst that could ever happen to Nigeria! In other words, Murtala who led the putsch against Gowon was wrong. Buhari was wrong to have spear-headed the coup against Shagari. IBB should not have removed Buhari and Abacha and the rest should have allowed IBB to reign for ever. And to crown it all, Abacha’s tyranny should not have been terminated. And there would have been no room for Abdusalami Abubakar. Not to talk of Obasanjo!

To put it succinctly, the Igbo have abysmally failed to diagnose their problems in Nigeria and always blame the Yoruba for everything that has ever happened to them. And when a group or a person blames others for their problems, they almost always fail to address the problem effectively. It is like the American blacks blaming whites for all their problems. They will continue to wallow in poverty and ignorance until they start holding themselves responsible for their situation.

The Igbo is at home in all parts of Yoruba land going about their business unmolested. Their children go to the same schools Yoruba children attend and are entitled to, just like Yoruba children, all the rights and privileges of all residents of Yoruba land. Lagos State teaching staff, without fear of exaggeration, is at least 30 per cent Igbo and student population is about 30 per cent Igbo as well. Except for the period of the civil war when some Igbo left Yoruba land, not out of fear of Yoruba, but out of sympathy for and solidarity with Biafra, the Igbo is at peace with the Yoruba in every part of Yoruba land. And until Biafra’s incursion into Ore, in present Ondo State, the Yoruba was almost completely neutral on the issue of the civil war. Question: What is the basis for accusing Yoruba of all crimes, real or imagined? Why did Igbo team up with NPC in 1964, NPN in 1979 and 1983, and ANPP in 2003 against the Yoruba? Why do they contest the presidency against a Yoruba, but give in to the notion that it is the turn of the north to present a candidate for president in 2007 so easily? Where are candidates of Igbo origin for the post of president of Nigeria in 2007 and beyond? Why do they date the Yoruba but always end up marrying the Hausa and Fulani even when, from their own experience, these marriages always fail and always will? And if they are running, why would they keep on emphasizing their Igboness and continuously rankle about Biafra in the process of running? Why do they emphasize “Igbo Presidency” instead of running for the post of president of Nigeria just like all others have done?

In a Yoruba adage, the goat is asked why he does not talk to the sheep. And the goat answered: “I would like to be the sheep’s friend, but the sheep had told me that none of her siblings is short and black”. Obasanjo, just like Awolowo, is now the most hated. All efforts of Obasanjo to address the fears of the Igbo have been rebuffed. Yet, since 1967 till the second coming of Obasanjo, no Igbo or Yoruba have ever been appointed commander of a major division of the army. No Igbo or Yoruba or indeed southerner has been Chief of Army Staff, or Minister of Defense, or Minister of Interior or Minister of Federal Capital Territory. And generally speaking, wherever they are appointed ministers or commanders, there is almost always a junior minister or deputy commander who is invariably more powerful than the substantive appointee. Obasanjo has changed this. Every Nigerian ethnic group is represented in his government. The credit is Obasanjo’s.

The Igbo or someone from the East, in my humble opinion, must start preparing for the presidency in 2007. They must go back to the PDP. Ojukwu’s party will end up like AD. Okadigbo’s party under Buhari is not it. If an Igbo, he cannot be an Ojukwu, nor an Nzeribe. He should make friend with all groups in Nigeria particularly the eastern minorities and the Yoruba. He should not talk about “Igbo Presidency”. He should de-emphasize the rhetoric about nostalgia for Biafra. He must, absolutely, refuse the post of Vice-President. He must start planning from this moment. Those who fail to plan are almost certainly planning to fail!

[3] Ignorance is sometimes equaled to non-significance and the rejoinder by Ndubueze does not only expose his retarded analytical skills and general character flaws but also, it shows his level of comprehension of intellectual discussion. Ndubueze’s tendency to attack the character/person rather than the subject is an obvious indication of his failure to understand the rules of reasonable discussion, augmented by competent reasoning in effort to reach a valid conclusion and an acceptable/unacceptable finding. To avoid condescending to his level of non-insight and non-intellectual brilliancy, I will not dissect his article and would rather apply a brief and finite response to shine the light on his weakness as indicated by the writing of an “oxymoron” who lacks the ability to establish a solid purpose statement, analyze, support, and validate the purpose statement with convincing evidence, in effort to conclusively reach an acceptable finding.

In his argument, Ndubueze isolated the Yorubas from the Binis stating, “By the way have you read your history lately compliments (run-on words) of the most revered Omo N’Oba Erediauwa of Bini? Did Oduduwa land from heaven chained (ludicrous) or was he a runaway thief who escaped death in Bini to form what’s known as Yoruba?” In this case, he separated the Binis from the Yorubas using Omo N’Oba Erediauwa of Benin as a resource. He unintelligently turned around and clustered the Yorubas and Binis in the same category by stating “Did you conveniently forgot (grammar usage) the overwhelming numbers (mixing singular and plural in the same sentence) of men from your tribe and countless Bini indigenes that served the Abacha led junta? Here are few (grammar usage) to get a handle, Lateef Jakande, Ebenezer Babatope, Sam Aluko, Ikimi, and the numerous Generals (Diya, Adisa, Olarewajun etc)” (logical reasoning issue). In defending an argument, it is unacceptable according to the rule of qualitative and/or quantitative research to flip flop variables. Ndubueze ignorantly used the Binis in defending his point against the Yorubas and in the same vein used both the Bini and Yoruba variables in the same cluster when he deemed it okay to do so, in effort to make a flawed point.

Sometimes, it is best to restrain oneself from displaying a level of ignorance than to make a blanket accusation of a multitude of honorable professionals because ones weak sense of emotional maturity as displayed by Nwabueze's action overshadows his or her reasoning. The good news however, is that most Nigerians were raised to recognized the importance of not isolating people by their ethnic links and as such, their love and relationship with the Igbos and all other Nigerians will remain unchanged. My objective analysis of leadership in Nigeria will remain regardless of the relative attitude of a select few like Ndubueze. There is no need to get personal as such attacks never gets the intended points across. I hope Ndubueze will learn the rules of literary engagement and how it works best. As much as I don’t know Tunde Adenobi, this response is not about a person but the purpose to encourage a dialogue of literary reasoning rather than temper-antic thinking.