MEMORY LANE REMEMBERING GANI FAWEHINMI

By Femi Abulude

I was going through my files recently and seddenly stumbled upon a letter of appreciation sent to me by this legal colossus and defender of the masses, Chief Gani Fawehinmi. It was in appreciation of an article I wrote on him titled “ Dissidents are not enemies” when he was locked up at Gashua prison by Gen Ibrahim Babangida led Federal military government in 1989.

          The brief and precised letter of appreciation is presented to you here.

E don tay o! No be taday joo!!

ADVENTURES OF MR FAARI AN ENCOUNTER WITH AN ILLITERATE BEAUTY

By Femi Abulude

      

  I met this charming beautiful lady in a bank recently. She was tall and light in complexion.she dressed as if she was going for a ceremony . this surprised me because it was a Monday morning. Another surprise was her facial make-up and perfume which were excessive.

       She approached me and requested for my pen which I was using to fill my teller. She waited until I finished and I handed over the pen to her. The way she held the pen amused me and this drew my curiousity. After illegible scribbling and crossing out, she moved closer to me and whispered

           “Edakun, kinni sipelin tati tausan?” meaning “ please, how do I spell thirty thousand?”

 When she saw my amazement,she quickly added  “Arabinrin ti mon ba mi fili re o wa sibi ise loni, e joo e ba mi fili re” meaning  “ Can you please help me fill the forms, the lady that always assisted me is not on duty today.”

      I collected the forms and pen from her out of pity and assisted her as she requested. She did not stop at thirty thousand naira, she transferred over two hundred and fifty thousand naira to various accounts. When we were through, she gave me an appreciative smile revealing the white set of teeth I have ever seen. She introduced herself as Adunni Alaso asiko, a textile dealer. She opened her purse and offered me her card. I was still appreciating her beauty when she opened the bank door and walked towards the car park. I could still see her through the glass wall.

         Adunni approached a brown colour Toyota Venza car, opened the door and drove out of the bank premises.

          There is a disconnect somewhere. Adunni is rich but illiterate. What happened? Didn’t she go to school? I looked at the card she gave me and quickly saved her number on my phone. I must see this lady again.

BAHAVE RESPONSIBLY; AIDS IS REAL

JULIUS STABS JULIET

By Femi Abulude

    The school was on vacation and my husband, Julius, had gone to work. I am a school teacher while my husband is a management staff in an engineering company. I was re-arranging the bedroom when I saw the briefcase he always carried to the office . on a closer look, his office keys were also lying there on the table.

      How did it happen? Julius was not the forgetting type . what could have made him forget these important items? I made frantic calls on his mobile phone  but it was switched off! This was also strange. Julius never switched off his phone. I kept on doing my household chores.

       When I was through, I tried his line again, I got the same dead response. I decided to make a call to his office’s switch board. The receptionist connected me to one of his subordinates. The youthful voice that answered was enthusiastic.

        “congratulations madam! We would soon be on our way to your house.”

          “please I don’t know what you are talking about. Where is my husband?” I queried him. He fired back, “madam, are you pulling my legs?”

           I was getting irritated. “young man, I should be the one asking that question. What is going on?”

          “madam, are you not the one that gave birth to the baby that we are celebrating the naming ceremony today? We’ve …”

     I dropped the phone and fainted. Only God knew for how long I had been in that state. When I woke up,I started crying.

      Julius and I had been married for over twelve years without a child. He was my first serious boyfriend on the campus and was the one who deflowered me. Our initial attraction to each other was the similarity in our names. He was Julius while I was Juliet. Our love eventually evolved and we were the reference point among our mates, some were even calling him Romeo.

      Pressure started mounting barely two years after our wedding. The embarrasement and insinuations from my inlaws could be better imagined. He was the only male child and second among his other four siblings. These ladies had ganged up against me. My offence was my inability to provide a baby for their brother. These my arch enemies and few other family members were the ones who followed him home after the naming ceremony in the evening.

       Probably, the boy who spoke with me on the phone had spilled the bean. This crowd did not come for settlement or appeasement. They charged at me rudely. You would wonder if these ladies were wives to some husbands.

       “Juliet, you are a wicked woman! You are a witch! You are not producing and you dont want our brother to produce!” Do you want our father linage to end in our town? …”

   They were all talking at the same time.  “ if you want to die, go and commit suicide. This child has come to stay.”

It was the most senior of them that was talking. I braced up myself. I made frantic efforts to suppress the tears that were swelling in my eyes. I was not going to cry in the presence of these unruly inlaws.

        I answered them calmly. ”Congratulations. it’s a thing of joy. This should not lead to quarrel. Where are my own share of the food and drinks shared at the ceremony? Or have you forgotten your senior wife at home out of annoyance?”

   My unexpected response pull the sail out of their boats. They became calm and were looking at each other. In their confusion, I fished out their brother who was by the main door hiding behind them.

          “Honey, congratulations!  I dragged him towards the bedroom. He followed me sheepishly. I turned my head and stole a parting look at the crowd of angry hyenas and closed the door and locked it firmly from behind. It was Julius I had a word or two with and not them. This is my home , when they are tired of waiting, they will go to their own houses.

POLITICS APC A PARTY AGAINST ITSELF

By Femi Abulude

APC is the ruling political party in Nigeria.It metamophosised out of the alliance between ADC led by Senator Bola Tinubu, CPC led by Gen Mohammadu Buhari(retd) and some elements of the then ruling party, PDP.

  

Gen Mohammadu Buhari

Gen Mohammadu Buhari had taken part in general elections on three previous occasions and failed. He remained unperturbed. Politics is a game of numbers. Buhari realized that he needed to team up with others in order to realize his ambition. That was what prompted him to seek for association of other parties.

          Luckily for Buhari, the ruling PDP was already in disarray and its popularity and political relevance were dwindling. Tinubu’s ADC too which was the major opposition party was willing and tired of playing the opposition role. It wanted a shot at the centre. With Buhari’s track record of discipline and anti-corruption stance when he was the military head of state, the alliance worked and the emerging party won the presidential election. It also won in  majority of the states.It has the highest number of Senators and members of the house of representatives.

         The euphoria of the success recorded in the general election had not died down when the first internal blow was launched. The PDP party caucus was having a crucial meeting in Abuja. All the party echelons, including the newly elected federal legislators were supposed to be in attendance. Unknown to the conveyners of the meeting, a powerful group within the party in the Senate had decided to elect their principal officials on that same day at the hallowed chamber of the Senate. It was rumoured that this was made in order to forestall the party’s decision to force its choice on them.

         With the help of minority PDP members in the Senate, Dr.Bukola Saraki  became the Senate president contrary to the APC caucus arrangement. And PDP was compensated for their support with the post of Deputy Senate President and some other juicy positions. Thus Senator Ike Ikeremadu of PDP became the Senate deputy president on a platter of gold. Therefore whenever Saraki was not on seat,PDP man, would lead the Senate! As if this was not enough, the federal house of representatives also tolled the rebellion lined of their colleagues in the higher house. They jettisoned the APC choice and elected their own officers. The party is still licking its wounds.

      Opposition is part of democracy, it keeps the ruling party in checks but when the major opposing acts are from the ruling political party, there is cause for alarm. Apart from the lonely desenting voices of Govenor Ayo Fayose of Ekiti State and Govenor Nyesom Wike of River State, the major opposition of this regime is from APC members

       The Senate, most especially has been the hardest opposition of this regime. The major cardinal programme of APC is war against corruption. The Senate had continuously refused the approval of Ibrahim Magu,the man recommended by the President to head the EFCC, the body setup to prosecute corrupt people. It is quite obvious that the President has unflitching confidence in this man, that is why he had left him to continue performing in the acting capacity. This supposed not to cause any problem if the relationship between the President and the Senate had been cordial.

    Most of the juicy appointments in the Senate are given to those known to be faithful to the house caucus. loyalists of the President are outsiders within, in the house. Some were even suspended over flimsy accusations. A close watcher of the Senate would have seen how the issue of national budgets are been delayed, padded and politicized. The federal ministers are been being harassed at will as if they belong to an opposing party.

      While all these political acrobatics are going on, governance is suffering. The masses are suffering. Nothing seems to work. Nobody is sure of anything. We were told everything was alright , but suddenly Senator Bola Tinubu was nominated by the President to mend obviously broken fence of APC. It was reported that even Tinubu and the party national chairman, Chief Odigie Oyegun were on war path. This was initially denied but Tinubu had openly accused Oyegun of thwarting his peace mission. Has things fallen apart with the APC? For how long will the centre hold? Time will tell.

      One thing is certain though, with the present set up of APC, it does not need an external enemy or opposition. The opposition within is enough to kick it out of power.

POLITICS WHERE IS YOUR LION? WHERE IS YOUR BEAR?

By Femi Abulude

The title of this article is credited to Mrs. Dolapo Osinbajo the wife of the Vice President of Federal Republic of Nigeria, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo. This brilliant lady made an inference to what David said in (1 Samuel 17:34-36) when he was confronting the war Lord, Goliath. “But David said to Saul, your servant used to keep his father’s sheep, and when a lion or a bear came and took a lamb out of the flock. I went out after it and struck it and deliver the lamb from its mouth, and when it arose against me, I caught it by its bear and struck and killed it. Your servant has killed both lion and bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, seeing he has defied the armies of the living God”

According to Dolapo, David relied on his previous exploits that was what gave him the confidence and audacity to face the intimidating giant Goliath. She made this statement in the concluding part of her closing remark during the 4^th Annual Birthday lecture of Pastor Enoch Adeboye, the General Overseer of The Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG). The lecture was delivered by erudite lecturer, Professor Jide Osuntokun.

The lady advised that if any politician knocks on our doors and solicits for our votes, we should ask him/her for his or her lion or bear. What she is simply saying was that if you want our votes, you should let us know your previous achievements.

Your previous achievements could be at any level of endeavor. What have you done in your Local Community? What did you do when  in school? What have you contributed no matter how small to benefit the life of people?

God is so passionate about the poor and masses. He knows their weakness and vulnerability. Jesus said the poor are blessed because theirs is the Kingdom of God. (Luke 6:20b) our leaders don’t appreciate this; they cheat the poor and make them more impoverished. Probably if we have been asking them salient questions and making them accountable for their previous actions, governance would not have fallen into the hands of adventurists, fraudulent and selfish individuals. When these people get into office, they become power drunk and fallible because they have nothing to build on, unlike David who built on his exploits in the jungle to defeat Goliath on the battle field.

Some of these politicians bought their ways into the corridor of power, playing on the vulnerability of the hungry masses. Most of them had the opportunities but wasted them. They had the opportunities of slaying lions and bears but allowed the rampaging animals to escape with their loots. These set of politicians should be blocked out completely.

Succinctly put this phrase, “Where is your Lion? Where is your Bear?” should be our watch words as we are marching towards  another election period.

God will guide us aright.              

WHAT DECEPTION HAS JOINED......

By Femi Abulude

Brother Michael was a converted Christian. He gave his life to Christ during one of our outreach crusades. Since he joined our church he had not hidden his interest in me. He made it so obvious that people were already calling him my husband at my back. As a new convert he went through all the normal workers trainings and did baptism by emersion.

Everybody was impressed by his zeal and enthusiasm in the work of God. He eventually approached our pastor and disclosed his intention to marry me. This was the normal protocol in our church the pastor called and briefed me accordingly he said both of us should go and pray over it and sick God’s face. After these, we should come back to tell him because God must speak to us.

The pastor called me few weeks later and said brother Michael had intimated him that God had revealed to him that I was his wife. This came as a surprise because God had not spoken to me about this issue. I told our pastor this but he said it did not matter and that both of us should give it a trial. He later on called both of us together in a meeting and introduced us to the marriage counselors in our church. That was how we started our marriage counseling programme I did not find it difficult introducing him to my parents because they knew him already. He played the drums in the church and more over, they had been pressurizing me for marriage. He was good looking and had a respectable job. Within eight months of our courtship, we had our marriage ceremony. Neither of his parents took active part in the ceremony. It was his elder sister and her husband that represented his parents. I got curious and asked him why this was so, he said his parents were not in support of the marriage because they were against his conversion to Christianity.

The first bomb shell came after the exchange of marital vow. Right there on the altar, brother Michael did the abominable. He shouted ‘Allau – Akbar’ three times and same rough looking guys chorused “Allau-Akbar form the congregation. There was a confusion and pandemonium in the church. His followers left the church chanting their refrain. Brother Michael stayed put and completed the church ceremony. When we got to the reception hall, his Muslim friends had almost taken over all the seats. I have never been exposed to ridicule like that in my life.

          When we got to his house later on in the evening, brother Michael brought out his praying mat, Tesbil and kettle. I watched in horror as he did his abolition and prayed right there on the mat. Since, then it had become a regular occurrence. I was not against the Islam religion but this sudden transformation baffled me.

          Understandably, he had stopped attending the Church. When I queried him over his sudden actions, he answered in a rude voice that I was his attraction to the Church and since he had won me over, he was satisfied. He knew what he was talking about, because our Church forbids divorce, no matter the cause or challenges one is facing under that vow. It was the matter of “till death do us apart” once the marriage had been consummated.

          As if this deceit was not enough, another bomb shell was waiting for me when he did not extend any amorous feelings towards me, I thought it was because of what he did. Both of us were living together as strangers. When after several months, he failed to tamper with my virginity I went to our pastor and complained bitterly to him about my ordeal. He called his wife and told her what I had just said. The wife was enraged and blamed me for not reporting this in good time

“Ah! We thought it was the issue of his religion that you were copping with, this one is beyond me o! Pastor what shall we do now? That was the pastor’s wife lamenting.

          The pastor wrote a letter inviting him for a meeting he said I should go home and that he would find a way how the letter would get to him. When he got the letter, he refused to honor the invitation, he claimed that the pastor did not have authority over him because he was not a Christian.

I reported him to his sister and her husband. Surprisingly, this was not new to them; she said it was an open secret among his immediate family that Brother Michael was impotent. Her advice to me was to find a way of satisfying myself sexually and if it resulted it pregnancy, I should leave it the family would claim it. This would also make Michael happy.

I broke down and wept sorrowfully what have I led myself into? The church insisted “NO DIVORCE” his family said I should go on fornicating. “Ah this fake Michael had destroyed me. I am thinking of committing suicide as a way out of this shame and gang mire.

What do you think?

LEAN ON ME AUNTY MEG

Dear Aunty Meg,

          I’m impressed how you have been helping people solved their problems. I hope you would be able to help me out of my present predicament.

          I am in love with this guy, in fact we have set in motion our marriage plans before I got to know that he had been deceiving me all alone. We started our relationship on a platonic note right from our secondary school days.

          When I gained admission into the University in the South Eastern part of Nigeria he claimed he had been admitted into a polytechnic at the North Western part of the country. He later on went for his national youth service. I completed mine a year earlier than his because of the mandatory one year industrial attachment for national diploma courses. I then proceeded on my masters programme

          My problem started when a cousin of his claimed that my lover had not gone to any higher institution. She said he had been deceiving me all along. When I confronted him, his answer baffled me. He said what had education got to do with love and marriage. On further enquires, I realized that he had been deceiving me. What should I do Aunty? ----- Jelly

RESPONSE

Dear jelly,

          Accept my sympathy on your present predicament. This guy has no doubt betrayed your trust and love. This is deceit written in capital letters. Apart from the fact that both of you are no longer on the same plane social status wise, he is not also trustworthy. Only God knows what he could do next.

          A house built on quick sand without solid foundation will surely collapse. Count your teeth with your tongue sister!

___ Aunty Meg