Tag Archives: Goodluck Jonathan

Islamization of Nigeria: The example of the Mexican Border Wall by ‘Lakunle Jaiyesimi

What the Mexican Wall does to a people on either side is what divisive words do. It is not more Mexican than it is of American since Mexicans did not initiate the idea for the wall and largely do not favour its construction. The newly inaugurated President of the United States of America, Donald J. Trump, did.

For convenience, let’s be content with the term flying in mainstream media, ‘Mexican Wall’ rather than the American Wall. It is a symbol that aims to herald the isolationist policies of the new government of USA. As if slamming the door in Mexico’s face was not enough, the latter has to pay for the construction of the wall, 100 percent. How, even though the Mexican government has said her sovereign self will pay for no such construction, while Trump insists they will? Continue reading Islamization of Nigeria: The example of the Mexican Border Wall by ‘Lakunle Jaiyesimi

WHAT THE LAST GOVERNMENT FORGOT by ‘Lakunle Jaiyesimi

ForgetThe Presidential inauguration has come and gone. The old (if there was any) government had gone and the new is here. Like they say, the dog must hit the ground running. The previous government, it must be noted, had been accused of ‘doing’ so many things wrongfully but I’m afraid before the handing-over, she was not so much accused of what she was supposed to do that she didn’t do.

Of the things that government was accused of, corruption (or stealing, if you mind) was prime; others may be aiding-and-abetting of eli-thieves, institutionalized state-pardon for criminals, widespread employment of rogues and never-do-wells (for them to come-and-chop), iro ojukoroju (blatant falsehoods), political indiscretions and…fill in the gaps. And… Continue reading WHAT THE LAST GOVERNMENT FORGOT by ‘Lakunle Jaiyesimi

#Pausibility: The Frailty Of Our Ingenuity by Adebayo Coker

InauguaDear Compatriots,

We sure had a wonderful Inauguration last Friday. It was awesome even though there were obvious lapses in the protocols during the Swearing-in proper and other activities that followed. From the foregoing, you should be able to tell what I am set out to talk about. The side dis(at)traction!

These past few weeks I have deliberately fed my laziness to blog. Not necessarily because I couldn’t write anything but I knew the last few weeks of Jonathan’s administration were tales of woes and that was what many bloggers cum columnists would air . I was right as so many valedictory notes I read were just as I had thought. Jonathan, A Failure! Scorecard…!! Good Riddance…!!! Continue reading #Pausibility: The Frailty Of Our Ingenuity by Adebayo Coker

#PAUSIBILITY: The Silhouette Of This Presidential Election.

Jonathan-x-Buhari-1The dark clouds that gathered on our nation has finally  cleared. The jubilation on the streets could be likened to the celebration we had when that killer wolf, Abacha was announced dead (no apology to the Abachas as I am not responsible for their father’s irrationality). The good Lord loves this nation. The doomsayers and those prophets that had in their own flesh believed the elections will not hold  and if at all it held, the incumbent will be returned, should be left alone in their pulpits as I would want to believe that people would stop Continue reading #PAUSIBILITY: The Silhouette Of This Presidential Election.

Shoki for Change: Once upon a time by ‘Lakunle Jaiyesimi

IMG-20150401-WA0010Oh little flower, can I touch?

The air is cool and princely so,

That one’s frame glides through,

Like a piece of fine cake no one can eat,

As my motherlan’ dances to a new home

 

Once upon a time, Abraham Lincoln… Continue reading Shoki for Change: Once upon a time by ‘Lakunle Jaiyesimi

We understand your plight, Mr. President by ‘Lakunle Jaiyesimi

NigeriaWe understand that being a leader at all is a daunting task for many persons, especially for you; we can imagine the burden of our expectations of you as the leader of Nigeria. It isn’t easy. It is just so sad that ‘we, the people’ expect you to deliver on many fronts, at least even if it’s just the promises you made to us against the 2011 elections.

Having had an opportunity to preside over the affairs of this ‘great’ country for about six full years, it’s certain you have personally had your ups and downs that usually characterize an average human life Continue reading We understand your plight, Mr. President by ‘Lakunle Jaiyesimi

Bedfellows: Reno Omokri (Wendell Simlin) and Lies by ‘Lakunle Jaiyesimi

renooooYes. Life in Nigeria may not be easy especially for those who have no opportunity to dip their hands in the national treasury, even if it’s for once. It may also not be easy for someone who had that opportunity but who allowed the treasury to slip off his hands. Sometimes, however, personal integrity, which doesn’t get talked about often, is more important than keeping a job. And that is if such a job robs you of your integrity; that’s if you care about the definition of integrity in the dictionaries of the world anyway.

Judging by the antecedents of the Special Assistant to President Jonathan on New Media, Reno Omokri, Continue reading Bedfellows: Reno Omokri (Wendell Simlin) and Lies by ‘Lakunle Jaiyesimi

#PAUSIBILITY: THE FRUIT. THE TREE. THE ORCHARD by Adebayo Coker

goodluck_buhari_1I must start by tendering my unreserved apology to my followers for not being able to deliver last week. I had a certain deadline that hung to my mind like a vagitus of my son, I had to attend to it.

Our political climate is becoming more and more interesting as our relative ‘peace’ is further threatened by so much perforation of the societal layers by the fetid release of political gases that will evaporate In no time. So I will implore you, not to be carried away.

The primaries are done with results of the clinging of party tickets by tyros and the re-emergence of the old order. Then we will be graduating to the ‘secondary’ come February 2015,  and eventually  matriculated into the ‘tertiary’ starting 29th May, 2015 all through till 2019 before we can reasonably convoke,  successfully or otherwise depends on the choice we make. Continue reading #PAUSIBILITY: THE FRUIT. THE TREE. THE ORCHARD by Adebayo Coker

ASKING QUESTIONS: SHALL THIS NATION STAND? BY ‘Lakunle Jaiyesimi

jossa“Shall this Nation stand?” is a mere rhetorical question because what would one expect of a human being whose body parts (head, eyes, nose, limbs, trunk, toes etc) were assembled from different species of animals and joined with dirty-water-soaked piece of tissue paper rather than welded? It is a question, nonetheless.

The visit of Femi Falana, SAN, to the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife on Thursday, the 4th of December, 2014, where he was the Guest Lecturer at the Faculty of Environment and Design Management Guest Lecture Series, titled, “Legal Rights to Environment” gave Continue reading ASKING QUESTIONS: SHALL THIS NATION STAND? BY ‘Lakunle Jaiyesimi

“NIGERIA: WE ‘HATE’ THEE” by ‘Lakunle Jaiyesimi

JosssMy recent trip to Jos (J-town) of Nigeria was an eye-opener. I was hitherto, insignificantly, aware of the magnitude of what I did not know. And at the end of my stay in Jos, en route the humble source of mankind, Ile-Ife, I remembered the words of my loving grandfather, Moses Olaonipekun Akinyode, which he somewhat usually belched out after a protracted meditation, “Nigeria: we ‘hate’ thee”.

Jos is a country other than a city in a state within a country, with her own laws, people and (guess I’m wrong) weather. If anyone is in a hurry (and wouldn’t await my views) to deconstruct that claim, he or she should pay, even if a few days, visit to this lovely city (which I’m certain represents several others within Nigeria). Continue reading “NIGERIA: WE ‘HATE’ THEE” by ‘Lakunle Jaiyesimi

#PAUSIBILITY: We Must Scale This Fence by Adebayo Coker

NasssI was not able to watch the clip of the jumping legislators till last week Sunday. Remember I told you I didn’t want anyone to put sand in the garri I was enjoying at Ake Arts and Books Festival (AABF).

By the way, for some of us that are complaining about the dearth of the reading culture and literary life in Nigeria, we should endeavor to revive it by organizing, promoting and attending literary events like AABF, LABAF and the likes. I must commend the good work done by Lola Shoneyin and her team on the smooth organization of AABF. Kudos!

Back to where we were. Continue reading #PAUSIBILITY: We Must Scale This Fence by Adebayo Coker

#PAUSIBILITY: OF NOMINAL, NORMAL AND THE EXTREME by Adebayo Coker

Adebayo Coker on Rubbin' Minds
Adebayo Coker on Rubbin’ Minds

Just as the common example, Ramadan has come to an end and a sharp upsurge in the patronage of brothels and beer parlors noticeable. Do not get me wrong, same could be said of quadragesimal period. A great number of us display piety louder than the Pope and the chiefest of Sheikhs just around those periods that we observe our religious abstinence, but other than those times, we are just as evil as the devil can be.

Yours truly was Ebuka’s guest at Channels TV last Sunday. It was a live cast of the famous programme for youths, Rubbin’Minds (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJmy8Q_xx2Q), Continue reading #PAUSIBILITY: OF NOMINAL, NORMAL AND THE EXTREME by Adebayo Coker

#PAUSIBILITY: Your Daily Bomb-o-scope, Don’t Go Out Without It by Adebayo Coker

shekauThe life of a Nigerian is not worth more than a pawn on a chess board; that is to say, nothing is too big for the Nigerian politician to sacrifice: as long as it is not his/her ambition, he/she is okay by it. Nigeria is going down, locally and internationally. There is no denying it. We need help.

The blood-esurient Shekau showed up in a movie again last weekend, even after he was touted to have been killed many times during different military bombardments and raids of his hideouts; the Nigerian government has made this guy ‘a cat with nine lives’ exemplar. True to what he was quoted to have said in the video on Yahoo News, my heart grieved. My heart grieved because on two different occasions have I woken up from a nightmare that my beloved Nigeria is being overtaken by terrorists. The thought of being ruled by some sickened individuals makes me sick. Continue reading #PAUSIBILITY: Your Daily Bomb-o-scope, Don’t Go Out Without It by Adebayo Coker

GEJ: THIS PASTOR NEEDS A PRIVATE JET by Monsieur Mobutu

PRIVATE-JETS-IN-NIGERIA‘”Go ye therefore into the world and teach my gospel,” that kinda thing was what the Lord told us and the disciples. Going to all corners of the world, you’ll agree with me sir, has become difficult without a private jet especially for us Pastors. That is the reason I’m addressing this love letter to you (note sir, not to your office as President of the country sir).

Please, kindly disregard the advent and roles played by the ubiquitous social media in connecting anyone with the rest of the world from the recesses of his/her room. In fact, the social media rather extends the reach of Pastors, hence more work need to be done. In the fulfillment of our mandate as Pastors, there’s the need to get physical (You know what I mean not sensually and if your thought is sensual, then you may need my pastoral intervention) with the members of the globe who might have been ‘blessed’ by our messages on the social media or cable televisions across board. Continue reading GEJ: THIS PASTOR NEEDS A PRIVATE JET by Monsieur Mobutu

#PAUSIBILITY: JONATHAN, THE SON OF SAUL AND THIS JONATHAN by Adebayo Coker

TwImg-20140814-135815Without regret, I am falling deeply for this temptation which I have eschewed for some time now. God knows I have tried and I am sure you too can attest to that.

Even when I was tempted some weeks ago , when a particular junior minister, who ought to be busy with his national assignment, left his duty post to parade himself as the Federal Minister in charge of Lagos state, by going to Apapa to irrationally interfere in a matter clearly out of his jurisdiction, I ignored.

I also did not say anything when I was tempted sometime ago, to advise our dear brother from Ile-Ife, to pray without ceasing because I see a foundational curse of public display of stupidity in his family. Though I never met his father, what I read about him reeks of foolishness and if the saying: “like father, like son” is right, then he has truly beaten his father to the record. It will be destructive for any of his offspring to tread that path, for this generation of ours does not tolerate laxity Continue reading #PAUSIBILITY: JONATHAN, THE SON OF SAUL AND THIS JONATHAN by Adebayo Coker

DEAR CHIBOKFAMILY by Adejuwon Grace Oluwawemimo

chhibok         Three months ago, Chibok existed as a lone town at the far North-eastern outskirt of Nigeria; utterly ordinary and almost non-existent in the National Geography of most Nigerians. Until that fateful moment in time! Until that sober point in our National history when some of our girls were whisked away from known liberty by some named but unknown vagabonds to an unknown destination to be subjected to things unknown. What crass audacity in a lawful society!

However, since the dawn of this anti-juvenile horror, some of us have not hesitated to march over long-standing ancient divides to explicitly identify ourselves with the families of the temporarily departed, developing a vigorous sense of “chibokhood” in the process. And like the chibok family, with the Chibok family, and for the Chibok family, we await with uneasy eagerness the reappearance of a lost sisterhood. Continue reading DEAR CHIBOKFAMILY by Adejuwon Grace Oluwawemimo

#PAUSIBILITY: MR PRESIDENT, IN LOCO PARENTIS by Adebayo Coker

Malal14th July, 2013, I sat right in front of my television set, and watched as a young sixteen year old girl delivered one of the most courageous speeches I ever listened to, during a United Nations General Assembly. Each word she uttered on that international podium gyrated with bravery. I rose in ovation at the end of her delivery as I do not think any world leader could have been more inspiring than Malala Yousafzai. (I love that girl).

The UN declared 14th July of every year #MalalaDay.

This superlative young girl defied the bullets of discouragement Continue reading #PAUSIBILITY: MR PRESIDENT, IN LOCO PARENTIS by Adebayo Coker

#PAUSIBILITY: NIGERIAN ARMY THROUGH THOMAS HOBBES’ EYES by Adebayo Coker

hobbesdLast week Friday, the 4th of July, 2014, Lagos, The Centre of Excellence, and one of the foremost cosmopolitan cities in the world, was thrown into pandemonium by some soldiers of the Nigerian Army. Few hours later, the official  statement, as is typical of reports of an official carnage like this, came from the Defence Headquarters  vide the lips of the Minister of State for Defence , that the ‘situation’ was taken advantage of by some urchins (take note of my inverted commas). I said to myself “that complied with the advancement of state complicity in lawlessness, as is typical of the situation that birthed ‘Unknown Soldiers’ in the 70s”.

I wish Thomas Hobbes had lived till date and beheld the present day Lagos, I am sure he would not have thought that anyone, regardless of the level of his/her crudeness, would yield to brutishness in dealing with issues of civil infraction. Let me put it rightly, not even a goat would love to deface this modern city that all Nigerians are proud of (how much more a rational being in relation to state properties?). But Hobbes would have been more disappointed (I am as disappointed) that the set of people he had thought would safeguard the Commonwealth as he had Continue reading #PAUSIBILITY: NIGERIAN ARMY THROUGH THOMAS HOBBES’ EYES by Adebayo Coker

#PAUSIBILITY: THE WITCH CRIED, THE CHILD DIED by Adebayo Coker

witchh“How can there be anything which has no cause?”- Philebus.

My dear country is fast being plunged southward by these libertinage politicians that we have, but my major pain is that most of us have decided to just watch as these debauchees take us for a ride. There is nothing much we can do at this time but being steady and stalwart. We all must do what we must do to change the situations that we don’t like.  Our cumulative efforts will yield expected results and we will live as the good human beings that we are only if we will stop these crabbers.

Allow me quote extensively from the book of my good friend, Ayo Dada, The Sage:

A uniformed man, who was hastening towards his point of call, mindlessly shoved aside the devotee…

Scared at the sight of the brute, the devotee gave way and bitterly hurled at the fleeing man:

“Karma will get the better part of you!” Continue reading #PAUSIBILITY: THE WITCH CRIED, THE CHILD DIED by Adebayo Coker

#PAUSIBILITY: CONVERSATION WITH BENJAMIN, A LAGOS DANFO DRIVER by Adebayo Coker

danfoFew weeks ago, I went with a friend to carry out some maintenance works on his car. We left Willoughby Street, Oyingbo, Lagos, late in the evening and in order not to aggravate the fatigue of the day with the road rage that is most likely to happen on a typical Lagos road, we decided to cool off at one of the bars in the National Stadium (pity that is what this national monument has become). After cooling off (I won’t mention my brand so that Okupe through his retinue of assassins will not poison me), we hit the road. Just at the exit of the stadium, we heard a funny sound in the engine compartment of the car, and when we checked, we confirmed that the fan belt that was bought few hours ago had given way (Standard Organization of Nigeria is obviously sleeping). Perplexed, the fatigue increased even though the traffic on the road had cleared.

My friend decided to sleep at his friend’s place in Surulere to ease his taking the car back to Oyingbo the next day while I HAD TO GO HOME to my wife and son that night. The cab man saw a kill but I have always been a Lagos boy. Even though it‘s been a very long time that I used public transport last, I still can find my way round Lagos without my car, even at the oddest Continue reading #PAUSIBILITY: CONVERSATION WITH BENJAMIN, A LAGOS DANFO DRIVER by Adebayo Coker

Screwing Hardknots with a Smile