Segun,
The Yoruba have checks and balances in their traditional political institutions and when a reprobate Oba gets drunk and starts slaughtering or threatening his own followers as one Yoruba god did in their mythology, he is held accountable unlike the Greek gods that were above reproach, according to Soyinka. My high school History of West Africa text taught me that the Oba was never seen as an absolute monarch until the British came to invent the institution as a despotic tool of imperialism. The women of Abeokuta forced the Alake to abdicate for the sexual harassment of young girls in the guise of assessing them for taxation during colonialism.
Where are members of the Yoruba Council of Elders who should have presented an empty calabash to a man whose morality is worse than that of a baboon. Femi Falana is among the few Yoruba leaders who have called on Barrister Akiolu to apologize to the Igbo for his unjustifiable and incendiary buffoonery. The president of Nigeria and the president elect should also apologize to the Igbo on behalf of all Nigerians for the past wrongs and offer reparations to the survivors of the Igbo genocide.
As a Professor of Ethics, Segun should have the moral courage to challenge the abominable incitement from a trained lawyer like Akiolu and he should join those calling for reparations to be made to the Igbo for past wrongs. Unfortunately, the cheer-leaders for genocide in history have always been highly educated people who rationalize crimes against humanity in the names of nation, religion, tradition, or culture and seek to blame the victimized for telling genocidists to go and jump in the lagoon with their sad donkeys. Fortunately for humanity, reason is not the only attribute that makes us human, compassion is even more important given that artificial intelligence exists but without compassion, computers will never approach humaneness. So Segun, do not be outraged because I called for the prosecution of your 'royal father' for his criminal hate speech in which he declared that if he does not launch a genocide within seven days of the defeat of his chosen candidate then he must be a bastard and everyone must know that his father (not his mother) did not give birth to him. You should call for such a prosecution yourself and the candidate being used to incite violence should repudiate the threat and dissociate himself from Mr Akiolu.
You must never excuse genocide with your insane suggestion that it must be forgotten because people died on both sides. The fact that some of the people committing genocide lost their lives in the process is never an excuse for genocide and threatening more genocide is enough reason for us to address past wrongs and ensure that they will never happen again. Instead of threatening the industrious Igbo, let us hope that other Nigerian ethnic groups will study the Igbo example of resilience, train their youth in education and commercial activities, and send them all over the country to seek their livelihood, marry, build mansions, vote and be voted for as is done in mature democracies around the world.
The Igbo do not hate anyone but when they receive credible information that an unelected monarch, a former very senior police officer, is planning to incite partisan political violence against the Igbo who are found in all political parties, we as Africans deserve to take such threats seriously. We will be equally outraged if such a threat is issued against any other ethnic group anywhere in the world. Never again.
Biko
On Wednesday, 8 April 2015, 9:04, Segun Ogungbemi <seguno2013@gmail.com> wrote:
oa,
Try to understand the traditional and cultural values of the Yoruba and it will be well with all of us. It is an aberration of the highest order to insult the Crown no matter what the person who wears it says.
The Yoruba have a way of reaching the person who wears the Crown if his behavior and utterances are not in consonant with the tradition.
The Igbo have their own traditions and it will amount to disrespect if those who live among them fail to recognize its values.
Note oa, this is not the time for any tension driven argument.
Lagos should have not been made the capital of Nigeria.
If Lokoja had remained the capital of Nigeria, the issue of who owns Lagos would have not arisen.
The fact that the Yoruba accommodate all ethnic nationalities does not mean that they have given their territory as co-owners to non indigenes. The line of demarcation must be drawn. Let it be made clear here oa, what you cannot allow non indigenes to do in your own territory, don't do it in someone's domain.
Let those who want to go to The Hague do so. We will remain here and eat our amala and pounded yam with egusi soup. By the time they come back, there will be nothing left for them to fight for.
Prof. Segun Ogungbemi
--Wrong is wrong.The least anyone should do before alleging disrespect of a leader dripping with envy and hatred of hard working fellow citizens, is condemn this hater-leader. True respect is earned and not inherited. Who in their right mind would respect a former senior police office and Lawyer, now an Oba, who willfully and for personal gain, breaks Nigeria's electoral laws, violates the Nigerian constitution, threatens fellow citizens with death by drowning in the cesspools that use to be lagoons, and swears in the name of his late father that his curse will come to pass in no more than seven days.This Oba is a disgrace to traditional leadership. Everyone right thinking person should condemn him unequivocally. He is not deserving of the respect of any law abiding person. What else does this man have to say or do to be seen criminally violent, evil, and undeserving of the high traditional position that he occupies in one of the world's most metropolitan of cities.The man is an unadulterated apostle of the "politics with bitterness" that true Nigerians are working hard to make a thing of the past. A contributor to this forum if I remember correctly has a quotation postscript that remind us that evil triumphs because good people do not condemn it.I salute Femi Falana for his prompt condemnation of this very shameless, arrogant, and vile man masquerading as a traditional leader.From: usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com [mailto:usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Segun Ogungbemi
Sent: Tuesday, April 07, 2015 4:37 PM
To: usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com
Cc: USAAfrica Dialogue
Subject: Re: USA Africa Dialogue Series - The Baboon of the LagoonOkey, I believe no intellectual leader will support any language of diatribe as it is alleged, it is equally disrespectful of someone to call a Royal Father a baboon. Come on Okey!
Prof. Segun Ogungbemi
On Apr 7, 2015, at 4:00 PM, Okey Iheduru <okeyiheduru@gmail.com> wrote:Mr. Rilwan Akiolu, this man who has made this vile genocidal speech worse than what anyone ever did in Rwanda, is "one of the most highly respected Royal Fathers in Yorubaland and in Nigeria". Are serious? I was thinking we can do better than this, Prof. Ogungbemi!Peace as always!On Tue, Apr 7, 2015 at 9:52 AM, Segun Ogungbemi <seguno2013@gmail.com> wrote:There is need for caution here. It is an aberration of the highest order to call or address an Oba a baboon. Whatever the merit of the argument, insulting one of the most highly respected Royal Fathers in Yorubaland and in Nigeria by anyone is despicable. 'Biko Agozino should first of all withdraw the description of His Royal Majesty the Oba of Lagos a baboon.This inflammatory description can cause mayhem if care is not taken. It is therefore demanded that Biko Agozino withdraws it with an apology.Prof. Segun Ogungbemi
On Apr 7, 2015, at 10:42 AM, "'Biko Agozino' via USA Africa Dialogue Series" <usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com> wrote:A baboon has threatened to drown masses of Igbo citizens of Nigeria in the lagoon if they do not vote for his preferred candidate for the governor of Lagos State. This is a leadership moment for President Jonathan and the President-elect, Buhari, to show leadership by repudiating such a brazen terroristic threat against model citizens who have ventured immensely to help build a modern nation and who have suffered unprovoked genocidal violence repeatedly in the history of Nigeria. Leaders should call for the arrest, dethronement and prosecution of the Oba of Lagos for this hate speech; apologize to the Igbo for past wrongs especially during the civil war when 3.1 million were estimated to have died with their young women abducted, their properties destroyed or seized, and their life-savings withheld. Propose a law against any denial of the Igbo genocide and against genocidal threats and establish the Igbo Reparations Fund along with the creation of the sixth state in the South East for the sake of geopolitical equity. Other Nigerian groups have been offered reparations for lesser wrongs and the continued denial of fair reparations to the Igbo who have suffered most may be contributing to the entrenchment of the culture of terrorism in Nigeria. Show some leadership now!Biko--
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