Dear Nigerian Gentlemen all,
Shalom!
Just my two kobos worth:
My starting point is that the Oba of Lagos is an honourable man and not a mass murderer or a Nigerian of genociadl intentions tworads his Igbo countrymen.
Respect begets respect, we all agree. Therefore, what cannot be understated as psychologicallyand politically plausible as issuing from the misery and disappointment of post-electoral defeat, is the inflammatory rhetoric and hysteria of Messrs Ogugua Anunoby & Co Ltd and w3don't have to consult any oracle of Delphi – or Ifa - to be certain of the reality of a backlash to all this. It does not bode well for peaceful co-existence in that crucible of a metropolis called Lagos, because incendiary rhetoric only contributes combustible fuel to the ethnic fire - the fire which usually precedes the cooking of the ethnic stew...
As I understand it, Lagos is not "No Man's Land", nor is any part of Nigeria and moreover, every Nigerian of whatever ethnic identity or lack thereof, has a legal right to live anywhere in Nigeria, individually or in large numbers.
The enterprising Igbo people have lived in Lagos for the better part of the last century and all of the 21st century and are organized, to the extent that today we talk about "Ezes from 20 local governments and 37 local council development areas". The other patent fact is that whereas the Igbos seem to be more evenly distributed throughout the rest of the Nigerian Federation, constituting on average the alleged 25% of some of the other state populations, there is no corresponding influx of Yorubas or their local Obas in either Onitsha or Aba - the commercial capitals of what may appropriately be called Igboland.
Understandably, the King of Lagos – unlike the King of Sweden - is permitted to be involved in the partisan politics of his own kingdom and at the moment is a staunch APC supporter and would dearly like to see his own preferred candidate Mr. Ambode elected as governor of Lagos State which is co-terminous with his Kingdom. I suppose that the Nigerian Federal and State constitutions give him that sort of flexibility - in which case his political involvement is neither unconstitutional nor – God forbid, criminal.
I urge you to take a step back from the kinds of irreverential baboon invective that can only lead us closer to the very edge of the precipice that leads to the abyss and the everlasting down-falling into the bottomless pit of possible pogroms, lynchings, tribal war, ethnic reprisals, disruption of commercial life and relocation to safe ethnic havens - as has happened before -
The Oba of Lagos mode of expression is cultural – even if he was expressing himself in Nigeria's official language to his Igbo subjects who were assembled for the sole purpose of listening to His Majesty.
If we go back to Ogbeni Salimonou Kadiri's explication giving the King's uttrerance the necessary traditional background :"THE MEETING ENDED WITH THE TRADITIONAL BREAKING OF KOLAS, ALLIGATOR PEPPER AND BITTER KOLA AND POURING OF LIBATION ON THE GROUND. IT WAS WITHIN THIS CONTEXT THAT THE TRADITION OF LAGOS WITH REGARD TO LAGOON CAME UP. IT WAS NOTED THAT WHOEVER WORKS AGAINST THE THRONE AND THE INTEREST AND PEACEFUL CO-EXISTENCE OF LAGOS WOULD END UP IN THE LAGOON AS PER TRADITION."
In the video we see the congregation of Igbos in a jovial mood, back-slapping and smiling (not shmiling) mood and nothing like the fear of collective annihilation that our forum respondents Bizo and others would like us to believe is imminent.
What does Biko Agozino the criminologist understand?
Surely, they do not think that if the Igbos reneged on their promise to vote en masse for Mr. Amode, they (the Igbos) would be dragged over and drowned en masse in the Lagos Lagoon?
On Wednesday, 8 April 2015 10:03:01 UTC+2, Anunoby, Ogugua wrote:What about an unequivocal condemnation of one of the most vile threats of violence on peace loving citizens by a paramount traditional leader. Is the right course not to condemn an action before criticizing responses to the action? What is going on?
Is it not clear that the Oba of Lagos was preparing APC thugs for violence against the Igbo in Lagos, if Ambode, his candidate is not elected Governor of Lagos State next Saturday. The Oba made it clear that he would hold the Igbo people in Lagos responsible for any outcome that is not his preferred one.
The Oba's threat to the Igbo in Lagos is an existential one. It should be condemned in the strongest possible terms. The Oba is the problem. All harsh words and calls for restraint should be directed at him. The man is dangerous. He is even more dangerous because he is a traditional leader. How is anyone sure that the man is truly contrite. This is one time unbridled outrage is justified.
oa
From: usaafric...@googlegroups.com [mailto:usaafric...@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Mobolaji Aluko
Sent: Tuesday, April 07, 2015 4:32 PM
To: USAAfrica Dialogue
Subject: Re: USA Africa Dialogue Series - FW: Nigeria: Oba of Lagos, Rilwan Akiolu, Reluctant to Clarify Anti-Igbo Comments
Moses, Okey, and a few of our colleagues here:
Please tone the rhetoric down....a few of you are going overboard, over-reacting over the diatribe of one man, albeit an Oba!
I had written about HATEFUL speeches during this campaign when it was not cool. In this silly political season - post-presidential elections result - hype has again taken center-stage - and in this case of Oba Akiolu and his outrageous statement, the hype takes an incendiary dimension because ever since 1933 or 1945, since the times of Awo and Zik, Lagos has been a simmering tinder-box for ethnic explosion between the two groups of prideful association. Old realities have never been fully resolved, and the new realities make that resolution more imperative.
I was offended when the Oba of Lagos "outed" Ambode early as his preferred candidate for Governor in Lagos even before ANYBODY said so; offended when staffs and orukeres were pointed at the President at Ile-Ife during the six-week interregnum "fight for the Southwest", and now offended when the same Oba Akiolu, caught on tape, makes an odious, uncharitable (and un-achievable) statement that he has now back-tracked on.
The monarchy everywhere should not dabble into politics - many of them in my Ekiti State, for example, have been "demoralized" by the machinations of Oshoko Fayose both before now and now - and this Oba Akiolu episode, proverbs and all, is one more reason that they should leave themselves out of political equations, or be left out. In fact, I would favor a BAN on politicians visiting palaces during election periods, asking for "royal blessings" or monarchs making partisanly political statements.
Now having written the above, should one man's statement - albeit the Oba - lead to war or "war" in Lagos? Except for those who want to lose their lives senselessly, I think not - and expect not. For all this will also pass away.
Let peace reign.....following the examples of GEJ and GMB. People everywhere next Saturday in Nigeria should vote their consciences, not their prejudices or herd mentality or immediate aggravations. Nobody should vote for Ambode SIMPLY because Oba Akiolu says so, and nobody should vote against him too SIMPLY because Akiolu made an outrageous statement that Ambode DID NOT ask him to say.
Best wishes all...and there you have it.
Bolaji Aluko
On Tue, Apr 7, 2015 at 5:23 PM, Moses Ebe Ochonu <meoc...@gmail.com> wrote:
Below is What I posted on my Facebook wall yesterday in reaction to the scandal as it broke.
Wow, just wow!! Hate speech, ethnic baiting, xenophobia, undemocratic, anti-choice conduct, bigotry, dictatorial attitude all rolled into one anti-Igbo diatribe by the Oba of Lagos, Rilwan Akiolu. Let's face it; this is not a nation...yet. Will it ever be one? And we thought last Saturday's election would start healing our fissures and tamp down the rhetoric a notch. Unbelievable!!
"On Saturday, if anyone of you goes against Ambode who I picked, that is your end. If it doesn't happen within seven days, just know that I am a bastard and it is not my father who gave birth to me. On Saturday, if anyone of you, I swear in the name of God, goes against my wish that Ambode will be the next governor of Lagos State, the person is going to die inside this water. I'm not ready to beg you. Nobody knew how I picked Ambode. Jimi (Agbaje) is my blood relation and I told him that he cannot be governor in Lagos for now. The future belongs to God. I am not begging anybody, but what you people cannot do in Onitsha, Aba or anywhere, don't do it here."
--Oba of Lagos, Rilwan Akiolu, addressing Igbo leaders in his palace in Lagos. Not content with merely lashing out at them, Premium Times is reporting that the Oba walked out on his visitors after his hateful tantrum.
On Tue, Apr 7, 2015 at 8:50 AM, Pablo Idahosa <pida...@yorku.ca> wrote:
Thank goodness I don't do Facebook, and allow my nephew to forward such crap to me. Impunity is an overused term in the lexicon of Naija-speak, but here you have it. Ugo is right, and there ought to be hate laws in place for this incendiary grotesquery.
Appalling.
Sent from my grandfather's typewriter
On Apr 7, 2015, at 5:00 AM, Ugo Nwokeji <u...@berkeley.edu> wrote:Ogugua is spot-on. When I first read it on Facebook early Monday morning, I fervently hoped it was not true. I am wrong, unfortunately.
This is absolutely grotesque and disgraceful. I don't even know where to start.
Is it that a person like him occupies the lofty position he occupies? Is it inciting genocide? Is it the impunity in not only intimidating voters to vote his candidate but also in invoking genocide should they not do as he wishes? How did he get the multiple sums $250,000 he gave out in Mecca to buy prayers for his political candidate?
People will wonder how a person like this has come to occupy such a high position. If he spent so much buying prayers in making, shouldn't he sit back let the prayers to work magic? If he had to pay such obscene amounts and still feel the need to do what I have read and watched, does it not occur to him he just poured money down the drain?
What next? If his candidate wins, we may see another round of "deportations" of fellow Nigerians, like the current governor did. That would certainly appease the potentate. I remember when that bizarre "deportation" issue came up here and how some people tried to justify or rationalize it, or otherwise waffled with all kinds of bizarre logic.
This oba exhibits everything wrong with Nigeria. How can we move forward when people like this wield so much sway over our body politic?
Here is the video of the charade; viewer discretion is advised:
On Mon, Apr 6, 2015 at 6:53 PM, Anunoby, Ogugua <Anun...@lincolnu.edu> wrote:
"And because of Ambode, I went to Mecca, Saudi Arabia and I gave all the groups there $250, 000 to pray for Ambode. So how can I say something and some people will go against it?"
"For the Igbos and others in Lagos, they should go where the Oba of Lagos head to. When they were coming to the state, they didn't come with all their houses. But now they have properties in the state. So they must do my bidding. And that is the bidding of the ancestors of Lagos and God."
Rilwanu Akiolu (Oba of Lagos)
It gets worse.
What does this man do for a living to afford to give $250,000 to all the groups in Saudi Arabia to pray Ambode, his candidate for the office of Governor of Lagos State? Whose money was he giving away? He must expect a refund of principal, and interest too- Lagos taxpayers' money from Ambode if he is elected governor. That alone is reason enough for Ambode not to be elected by Lagos State voters.
Mr. Akiolu probably believes that all non-indigene property owners in Lagos are property lottery winners. He has neither recognition nor appreciation for their hard work, ingenuity, and risk taking.
He has no respect for Nigeria's laws which allow freedom of movement and enterprise for all citizens, in all parts of Nigeria.
He must be held personally responsible for the death of anyone who votes PDP and "perishes in the water" after. He swore by his late father. The man must be worse than horrible.
I am told that he was a retired senior police officer. One can only imagine how much miscarriage of justice he must have been responsible and has not been held accountable for, as a police officer.
Mr. Akiolu is a great disappointment and a threat to communal peace. He must be one of the worst of entitled Nigerians. He conduct is one of the more unacceptable faces of privilege in Nigeria.
He must be one of the more dangerous and vicious men in Nigeria with authority. He has a lot of explaining to do. Nigerians and especially the residents of Lagos must demand it of him. He must as a first step, apologize for his wanton rant, and disgraceful display of indiscipline and hatred of those who may not agree with him.
Mr. Akiolu is unfortunate evidence that there is still a lot of work to do in Nigeria.
oa
6 April 2015
Nigeria: Oba of Lagos, Rilwan Akiolu, Reluctant to Clarify Anti-Igbo Comments
By Ben Ezeamalu
The Oba of Lagos, Rilwanu Akiolu, is reluctant to clear the air on the anti-Igbo statements attributed to him on Sunday, PREMIUM TIMES can report.
During a courtesy visit by Eze Ndigbos (Igbo traditional rulers) in all the local governments in Lagos at the Oba's palace, Mr. Akiolu reportedly said that the Igbos resident in Lagos should cast their votes for the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Akinwunmi Ambode, or perish inside the lagoon.
PREMIUM TIMES' reporters were not at the event where Mr. Akiolu spoke. But repeated efforts by this newspaper to reach the Lagos monarch on Monday for his reaction were unsuccessful.
When this newspaper called the Oba on his mobile telephone on Monday morning, his aide, who answered the call, said Mr. Akiolu was in a meeting and could not immediately respond to the matter.
Our reporter stressed the urgency of our enquiry and requested the aide to help pass our message to the monarch without delay.
He promised to do that after explaining that he (aide) was not competent to confirm or deny what the Oba said at the event.
But over two hours after our call, the Oba's palace is yet to revert to us. Subsequent phone calls to the monarch's telephone lines were unanswered.
However, four people, including a journalist, who were at the meeting at the Iga Idunganran palace on Lagos Island confirmed to PREMIUM TIMES that Mr. Akiolu indeed made the statements attributed to him.
One of those who was at the meeting said that after Mr. Akiolu ended his diatribe to the Igbo leaders, he walked out on them.
"When he came down the stairs to meet with us, he was already vibrating with anger," said a source who preferred not to be named.
Gordian Ojiako, Eze Ndi-Igbo in Amuwo-Oriade, confirmed the incident adding that Mr. Akiolu said worse things to them before storming out of the room.
"It will be wrong to challenge him inside his palace," Mr. Ojiako told PREMIUM TIMES on Monday, adding that he was not yet ready to speak to journalists on the matter.
"We will go back and convene a meeting of Igbo stakeholders and respond to him appropriately."
Mr. Akiolu had reportedly dared the Igbo chiefs to go against his wish in the forthcoming governorship election and face his wrath.
"On Saturday, if anyone of you goes against Ambode who I picked, that is your end. If it doesn't happen within seven days, just know that I am a bastard and it is not my father who gave birth to me," major national newspapers quoted the monarch as saying.
"Jonathan is my son and I speak to him everyday. By the grace of God, I am the owner of Lagos for the time being. This is an undivided chair. The palace belongs to the dead and those coming in the future.
"On Saturday, if anyone of you, I swear in the name of God, goes against my wish that Ambode will be the next governor of Lagos State, the person is going to die inside this water.
Mr. Ambode of the APC and Jimi Agbaje of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, are the two major contenders in the governorship election holding on April 11 across the country.
Last year, Mr. Akiolu had endorsed the candidature of Mr. Ambode, urging Lagosians to cast their votes for him.
But there are indications that the Igbos resident in Lagos will, like they did in the presidential election, vote massively for the PDP.
In the presidential election, the APC defeated the PDP by 160,000 votes, with a huge chunk of the latter's votes coming from Igbo dominated areas.
The PDP also won three House of Representatives' ticket in Lagos - all of them in areas where the Igbos have a majority population.
Mr. Akiolu reportedly said he would not beg the Igbos in Lagos to cast their votes for the APC candidate.
"I'm not ready to beg you. Nobody knew how I picked Ambode. Jimi (Agbaje) is my blood relation and I told him that he cannot be governor in Lagos for now," he said.
"The future belongs to God. I am not begging anybody, but what you people cannot do in Onitsha, Aba or anywhere, don't do it here. If you do what I want, Lagos will continue to be prosperous for you. If you go against my wish, you will perish in the water."
The monarch noted that Mr. Ambode would continue the progress and development of the state.
"I am for the progress, growth and development of Lagos. Ambode is highly cerebral, he's a symbol and he is going to deliver the message which I, the Oba of Lagos, have said. And he will govern the state for another eight years," he said.
"He is going on a mission and God will give him the wisdom and knowledge to fulfill that mission. Almost a year ago, I declared that Ambode will be the next governor of Lagos and it will not change.
"From time immemorial, the previous occupiers of this house will say what they wanted after consultations with other people. And this hasn't changed and it will not change at this time."
Mr. Akiolu further said that Lagos is poised to regain all it had lost since Independence, adding that Mr. Ambode's administration would be a government of progress.
"And because of Ambode, I went to Mecca, Saudi Arabia and I gave all the groups there $250, 000 to pray for Ambode. So how can I say something and some people will go against it?"
"For the Igbos and others in Lagos, they should go where the Oba of Lagos head to. When they were coming to the state, they didn't come with all their houses. But now they have properties in the state. So they must do my bidding. And that is the bidding of the ancestors of Lagos and God."
Responding, Mr. Ojiako promised Mr. Akiolu that the Igbos would support the APC in the gubernatorial election in the state.
"The mistake of last Saturday was caused by everybody, not only the Igbos. It is not only the Igbos that were responsible for the votes. But we have learnt our lesson. Saturday's election is going to be a different thing and Ambode is going to win," Mr. Ojiako, who spoke on behalf of the Igbo Chiefs, reportedly said.
"Everybody knows that when you fail the first time, you cannot afford to fail again. We are going to tell our people that Ezes from the 20 local governments and 37 local council development areas are here and that we have sworn with the Oba that we are going to make sure that Ambode wins next Saturday's election."
To post to this group, send an email to USAAfric...@googlegroups.com--
Listserv moderated by Toyin Falola, University of Texas at Austin
To subscribe to this group, send an email to USAAfricaDial...@googlegroups.com
Current archives at http://groups.google.com/group/USAAfricaDialogue
Early archives at http://www.utexas.edu/conferences/africa/ads/index.html
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "USA Africa Dialogue Series" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to usaafricadialo...@googlegroups.com.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
--
Listserv moderated by Toyin Falola, University of Texas at Austin
To post to this group, send an email to USAAfric...@googlegroups.com
To subscribe to this group, send an email to USAAfricaDial...@googlegroups.com
Current archives at http://groups.google.com/group/USAAfricaDialogue
Early archives at http://www.utexas.edu/conferences/africa/ads/index.html
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "USA Africa Dialogue Series" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to usaafricadialo...@googlegroups.com.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.--
Listserv moderated by Toyin Falola, University of Texas at Austin
To post to this group, send an email to USAAfric...@googlegroups.com
To subscribe to this group, send an email to USAAfricaDial...@googlegroups.com
Current archives at http://groups.google.com/group/USAAfricaDialogue
Early archives at http://www.utexas.edu/conferences/africa/ads/index.html
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "USA Africa Dialogue Series" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to usaafricadialo...@googlegroups.com.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
--
There is enough in the world for everyone's need but not for everyone's greed.
---Mohandas Gandhi--
Listserv moderated by Toyin Falola, University of Texas at Austin
To post to this group, send an email to USAAfric...@googlegroups.com
To subscribe to this group, send an email to USAAfricaDial...@googlegroups.com
Current archives at http://groups.google.com/group/USAAfricaDialogue
Early archives at http://www.utexas.edu/conferences/africa/ads/index.html
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "USA Africa Dialogue Series" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to usaafricadialo...@googlegroups.com.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
--
Listserv moderated by Toyin Falola, University of Texas at Austin
To post to this group, send an email to USAAfric...@googlegroups.com
To subscribe to this group, send an email to USAAfricaDial...@googlegroups.com
Current archives at http://groups.google.com/group/USAAfricaDialogue
Early archives at http://www.utexas.edu/conferences/africa/ads/index.html
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "USA Africa Dialogue Series" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to usaafricadialo...@googlegroups.com.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.--
Listserv moderated by Toyin Falola, University of Texas at Austin
To post to this group, send an email to USAAfricaDialogue@googlegroups.com
To subscribe to this group, send an email to USAAfricaDialogue+subscribe@googlegroups.com
Current archives at http://groups.google.com/group/USAAfricaDialogue
Early archives at http://www.utexas.edu/conferences/africa/ads/index.html
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "USA Africa Dialogue Series" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to usaafricadialogue+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
Listserv moderated by Toyin Falola, University of Texas at Austin
To post to this group, send an email to USAAfricaDialogue@googlegroups.com
To subscribe to this group, send an email to USAAfricaDialogue+subscribe@googlegroups.com
Current archives at http://groups.google.com/group/USAAfricaDialogue
Early archives at http://www.utexas.edu/conferences/africa/ads/index.html
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "USA Africa Dialogue Series" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to usaafricadialogue+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
No comments:
Post a Comment