Igbophobia and the Politics of Manufactured Enemies: A Reflection on Nigeria’s Fragile Cohesion
John Onyeukwu
http://www.policy.hu/onyeukwu/
“Let us move forward to fight poverty, to establish equity, and assure peace for the next generation.”
-- James D. Wolfensohn
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Cornelius Hamelberg
Stockholm
People's Planet
10th October ( My mother's birthday ! )
Dear John Onyeukwu,
Ideally, I suppose that if a referendum could be arranged to decide the matter, it would be found that many Nigerians would prefer to be confined to prosper in their own self-governing ethnic enclaves and thereby reduce inter-ethnic friction to a bare minimum.
In the meantime we have to contend with the realities of melting pot Lagos, Nigeria's commercial hub with its Ethnic Yoruba majority, just as Anambra has an overwhelming Igbo majority to the extent that Peter Obi won 95 % of the votes in that State in the last Presidential Election.
Right now, the eye of the storm : Igbos in Lagos
Not asking for the impossible, but in the name of peace & love, only asking for a national miracle of dialogue and reconciliation : If Peter Obi could kindly declare some unalloyed support / commitment to ensuring that President Tinubu wins his home state, Lagos State, in the next Nigerian Presidential Election, then “things” could simmer down considerably. But such an impossible miracle is unlikely, and if the temperature is not brought down significantly, dramatically, we could be in for more “flesh and blood breaking down”.
Therefore, many thanks for this timely, poignant appeal. The saying is “ A stitch in time saves nine”. That’s why your appeal - your memorandum of understanding, and your deep preach. forward-looking ethical moralising should be widely disseminated, because just like some of the other phobias such as once upon a time “ Negrophobia” - that’s what it was called back then, the viruses known as antisemitism (“the world's oldest hatred”), Islamophobia, tribalism (distinct from some of the bragging rights of ethnic chauvinism) violent, insane & indiscriminate ethnicity-based antagonisms, and of course rampant racism that is still spreading like a wildfire in The Last Harmattan of Alusine Dunbar, there is nothing as reprehensible and as vile as Igbophobia, no matter where it occurs in Nigeria or elsewhere, and it has been growing in intensity at a very alarming rate, especially in Nigeria where most Igbo people live, as if to add more sorrow to tragic truths such as “ Home is where the hatred is “
I like to present myself as an unbiased observer when I say that unfortunately for igbos, as we all know, Igbophobia has been exacerbated by the Biafran war which has left some indelible scars, and any new intimations of separation, IPOB, secession,” Lagos is no man’s land” etc just resurrects ghosts that can so easily be exploited by politicians who are adept at fanning the flames of divisiveness to their own advantage, especially in their own home territories. Just now, Igbophobia is rearing its ugly head in Lagos more than anywhere else, perhaps - ” democratic competition”, that's where Igbo presence and Igbo success is most visible outside Igboland and therefore liable to generate some envy, and hostility / xenophobic feelings in those who more properly/parochially speaking care less about titles such as “Cosmopolitan” since they believe themselves to be the real Lagos indigenes and don’t give a rat’s tail about what someone like our venerable Kwame Anthony Appiah has to preach about “Cosmopolitanism”
Reading some potent diatribes from someone as enlightened as Femi Fani-Kayode one gets the impression that Lagos is the equivalent of what in the Israeli-Palestinian imbroglio is referred to as occupied territory. Conversely, try convincing a diehard Zionist disciple of Jabotinsky, that The City of David otherwise known as Yerushalayim “is a no man’s Land” and you’ll probably have another war on your hands.
( To be continued)
Salimonu Kadiri
Sent: 10 October 2025 23:51
To: USA Africa Dialogue Series <usaafric...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Re: Igbophobia and the Politics of Manufactured Enemies: A Reflection on Nigeria’s Fragile Cohesion
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Cornelius Hamelberg
Baba Kadiri,
Concerning Yoruba - Igbo relations, as Jesus said , “ let your heart not be troubled “
They should take comfort in the blood of Jesus as a unifying factor, based on the fact that at least half of the Yoruba have Lord Jesus as saviour, in common with our Igbo brethren….
We can safely conclude that just like the cost of groceries in Sweden at the moment, so too the cost of ignorance is high for everybody, especially the wilfully ignorant.
I doubt that Mr. Clifford Nduja’s [Nigeria at 65] Ethnicisation of politics: The ticking time bomb which was published on the 1st of October could have been influenced by Professor Ochonu’s Facebook piece which was only published on the 6th of October , six days ago….
I would like to allay your fears about what you fear could be the contents of “Professor Moses Ochonu's recent Facebook wall commentary on the rise of Igbo-phobia in Lagos” - because I’ve just read it -it was posted six days ago - and he does raise some interesting points which I’m posting below for your perusal and eventual engagement. You could also click on his name and read updates on the interesting 67 comments , 303 likes and 44 loves that the post has generated so far
Igbo people need to understand some things:
1. The rising Igbophobic bigotry in Lagos has only recently found a convenient political target in the Igbo, and we can date this shift to the 2015 election.
2. Before the Yoruba-Hausa/Fulani political alliance that brought Buhari to power, that is, before the Igbo became targets, Lagos-centered Yoruba ronu bigotry targeted Northerners broadly and the Hausa-Fulani in particular.
3. I’m a historian and like other historians I’m not a fan of predicting or modeling the future. However, some things are quite easy to predict with a reasonable degree of certainty. One of those things is that if/when this Southwest-North political alliance fractures as it surely will, Lagos-centered Yoruba ronu bigotry will revert to its default setting of anti-Northern vituperations. Remember when the Lagos-Ibadan press was perennially obsessed with so-called Caliphate born-to-rule hegemony?
4. The Yoruba ronu bigots of Lagos are mainly hinterland Yoruba people who have assimilated into cosmopolitan Lagos Yoruba identity. Some of the bigotry is thus the proverbial zeal of the convert, classic overcompensation. Some, if not most, indigenous Lagos Yoruba do not subscribe to the unfolding ronu Igbophobia and are scandalized that it is being promoted in their name and in the name of their state/city, but they’re powerless to stop it, having themselves been stripped of power and influence and placed in merely tokenistic positions. I have heard muted but audible echoes of their own struggle against the capture of their state and their subsequent marginalization within it.
5. Yoruba ronu irredentism is not a random campaign of bigotry, nor is Lagos its accidental epicenter. It’s a carefully thought out political strategy of blackmail. Yoruba people do not hate Igbo people, but the spectacular and controversial political theatre of anti-Igbo political mobilization has both short term and longterm political utility. Second, Yoruba ronu Igbophobia is as much about forging and projecting Yoruba political unity as it is about blackmailing the Igbo. It is as much about the Yoruba self as it is about the Igbo Other. Every project of internal political unity requires the creation and/or magnification of an evil, threatening Other. The Igbo have therefore merely, temporarily been shoehorned into this expendable position.
I totally agree, Sir!
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Highly educating. Thanks my brother
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Counter reaction needed
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This is spot-on.
Hausa and Fulani are two distinct ethnic groups.
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Hmmmmm. Insightful.
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Well said, it situates the robustness of the ronu support, for the survival of their sectional political interest.
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We understand that the Ronu people are a very vocal insignificant minority even in Lagos and beyond. With the manipulation of the 2023 election, they were still humiliated in the presidential election. I agree with you that it will die in no time. The big christian denominations had achieved a lot for Yoruba-Igbo unity. I grew up in Lagos in the 1980s and I know how things were. By the early 2000s the relationship had improved so much before the noisy Tinubu boys came in 2015. Soon Tinubu will be gone and the few of them will have to hide their faces in shame.
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Edited
Let’s imagine ourselves in the southeast, is there a Hausaphobia/Islamophobia? Is there a Yorubaphobia over there?
In the north the feeling is mutual, there’s no much love lost nor found there when folks of different ethnic or religious extraction are talked about.
There is a mutual hate and lack of respect across major ethnic groups in Nigeria, and politicians across divides are taking advantage. It will be dishonest to reduce it to a one way traffic if we must find lasting solution and eventually build a veritable country.
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So much sense in this ...
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Very insightful,someone also said last week “This too shall pass”,the major issue was the scandalous and humiliating defeat of Tinubu in Lagos by Peter obi in the last presidential election which most ronus are yet to assimilate…… that defeat also shows that majority of the Yorubas are not bigots and may not support what many of the political jobber ronus are currently doing
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The yoruba ronus are political terrorists from ara ilu oke. They are not, in anyway, different from Boko Haram.
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This is expository...
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Hello Professor Moses Ochonu,
An insightful piece as always. I have a question on point 2, apart from the Hausa-Fulani born to rule narrative which I perceive to have been led in the traditional media (and thus elite-led), are there other examples of Yoruba-ronu against the Hausa-Fulani?
My perception is that the current Igbophobia seems to be spread among everyday person amplified also by the media (social media, this time). Do you think there is any difference between the two types of Yoruba-ronu you have identified?
Is it worth asking what members of the two ethnic halves can do differently? I imagine that you may not be disposed to answering this question.
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Not exactly as you posited. Yorubas don't hate anybody.
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What I think is currently playing out as “Lagos-centered Yoruba ronu bigotry” is a very narrow political philosophy championed by Tinubu and his close associates, and heavily funded by his war chest in response to the triumphant emergence of the Obidients movement. That movement had Tinubu and the people around him confounded. Initially, they tried to dismiss the movement as an Igbo based movement, but the “Obidients movement” proved to be a pan-Nigerian movement, populated by disgruntled Nigerians from all parts of the country. Recall that the only coherent campaign speech Tinubu gave in the build up to the 2023 election was given in Yoruba, and heavily laced with anti Igbo and anti Peter Obi rhetorics. “Emilokan” was coined from that speech. Everything else Tinubu ever said was a collection of mumbo jumbo rants, lacking in philosophical soundness
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Edited
The political tango actually started when Jonathan was president in 2011. Then the election of Igbo members to the state HOA and HORs. It is the first into the core political life of Lagos that is the problem. The Yorubas categorically don't want any political interference. That is the issue. The 2023 elections worsened it especially after Obi won in Lagos and the emergence of Rhodes Vivour. Since then there has been no let off. Some Igbos have not helped matters too, the no man's land mantra added fire to the explosive scenario
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Edited
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Quite right. The Yorubas have always had anti-North sentiments right from the imprisonment of Awo to the June 12 debacle.
Among the Igbos in Lagos, you'd often hear the phrase "Oso Abiola" used jokingly to describe a situation where it’s better to flee than get caught up in an impending fight. "Oso Abiola" simply translates to "Abiola’s Run." This refers to an episode in the 1990s when Igbos fled Lagos in large numbers, believing that the Yorubas were preparing to fight the Hausas over the annulment of Abiola’s mandate.
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Prof., you’ve raised solid points here. One reason I often refrain from responding to hate messages against the Yoruba is that our people have long been unfairly blamed for many things. I can't feel any less Yoruba because of the uncouthness of poorly-bred people(and they exist across ethnic groups). Even the support some of us gave Buhari in 2015 led to Yoruba being cast as “second fiddle,” with unprintable and disparaging remarks flooding the streets of social media. Hatred is not a strategy, but that's the basal level some subsist at, and operate from.
The calculated silence of a Yoruba person is often a way to see through the mischief of traducers and form an independent judgment. Nigeria will exist beyond the forthcoming elections, and most Yorubas have already made up their minds regardless of political currents. That reality will neither soothe the anger of those who are bitter nor undo the friendships and associations many of us have built over the years – with Hausa/Fulani, Igbos, and others alike.
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Edited
Very correct.
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Bravo! This captures it. As a psychologist, I could tell you there is also a psychological dimension to this – the self and the other. The overall aim is, while the masses battle each other, the elites (who are of course of the warring ethnic group of Igbos and Yoruba) would be enjoying themselves gleefully. It is only an absolute dunce that would allow bigotry overshadow his/ her senses.
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Well articulated. There's no problem between the Igbo and Yoruba.
The current atmosphere is created by the TINUBU's kind of politics.
Power is transient! It's a matter of time...
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Edited
Convenient half truth! This Igbophobia that is well crafted in Lagos is a pan-Nigerian reality that has been deeply carved in the flesh of this country from its very inception.
Making it just the so-called 'non-indigenous Lagos Yoruba' thing is pure bastardization of facts not uncommon among Nigerian 'elite'.
From the early days of this country, Chinua Achebe has diagnosed that Nigeria has Igbo problem. Nothing has changed or will change, until the Igboman is really tired of being the scapegoat.
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Edited
Aptly captured.
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FFK even became Chrislam Palestinian. All his vituperations about Sokoto caliphate suddenly passed away and Nigerian Christians are no longer persecuted. A honorary citizen of the just recognised Palestinian state. The edit is familiar.
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You, Sir, are a brilliant analyst
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Thank you, Prof.
One thing that may be worth adding is that the new fervent Igbophobia fever is proudly sponsored by Tinubu. Statements by special media aides of the president and Lagos State Governor evidences this. There are even statements from his wife, the First Lady engaging in this bigotry. Moreover, the APC identity which the president has so far sculptured is also built around that Igbophobia. To the point that Igbo APC politicians have to profess loyalty to the party by exhibiting self-hate.
Peter Obi winning Tinubu in Lagos was a grape too sour for him to chew, essentially because they would’ve have been more Yoruba votes casted for Obi than him. It does make sense that politicians like Tinubu who thrive on division and crude provincialism would fuel and fund this bigotry.
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Edited
God bless you sir.
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That's why I try to use Ronus when I'm responding to them. The reaction of Ibadan people against Sanwo Olu's appointee when he called Gbadebo monkey tells you all you need to know about this your beautiful write up.
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You are right Prof. Until 2015, those of us non Hausa Northerners in Lagos were hated and categorised along the Hausas because of the annulment of the June 12 and deãth of Abiola . Even before 1993, the Hausaphobia was already rife in SW and most Lagos centred press created a hated campaign against the North. Hausa and the Northerners found some reliefs with the birth of APC and emergence of Buhari as President. That marriage of convenience will come to an end ahead of 2027. We are gradually seeing some SW guys that hitherto praise everything North and are now turning against them due to their opposition against Tinubu.
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I don't know the obsession about Lagos state.
Lagos alone can not even install the president.
Lagos is not even the HQ of the Yoruba political system...
Make everybody get out self.
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Cornelius Hamelberg
Correction (my mistake): The seasoned Clifford Ndujihe is the author of [Nigeria at 65] Ethnicisation of politics: The ticking time bomb and not " Mr. Clifford Nduja”
Especially for those who are hard or harsh in judgement, here’s a possible explanation about a matter of common interest to Igbo , Yoruba and the rest of mankind :
John Onyeukwu identifies certain Nigerians’ panache as something that Aristotle (384–322 BC) identified a long time ago . John says, “ Aristotle spoke of akrasia; knowing the right thing but lacking the will to do it.”
It could be a grievous fault or maybe only a “venial sin” that Paul, Apostle to the gentiles, Christianity’s preeminent theologian, moral adviser, and a role model that so many Igbo and Yoruba Christians look up to and like to quote, also confesses , “ I know the right thing but I do the wrong thing”
Salimonu Kadiri
Sent: 10 October 2025 23:51
To: USA Africa Dialogue Series <usaafric...@googlegroups.com>
Cornelius Hamelberg
Stockholm
Mother Earth
Peoples’ Planet
Sweden
16th October, 2025
Baba Kadiri,
The saying is that “all it takes for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing” - and that is what happens when spurious statements are left unchallenged.
On a particular occasion it is reported that Jesus said, “ I tell you, if these keep silent, the very stones will cry out”
The other saying is attributed to Nazi propagandist Joseph Goebbels :
“Repeat a lie often enough and it becomes the truth”
And so it is that you Baba Kadiri are a boon to this society, because that was a beautifully executed quod erat demonstrandum and for that you must be commended. It’s equally desirable that for the benefit of everybody ( mankind), Mr. Clifford Ndijuhe sees it as his moral obligation to retract those grossly erroneous and misleading aspects of his article that should be retracted in light of your corrections.
However - still focused on the subject matter under our purview, “Igbophobia and the Politics of Manufactured Enemies”, if true - about the current state of health of Mr.Nnamdi Kanu as we are expected to understand from this video testimony “ NMA 'Ambushes' Nnamdi Kanu In Court, Insists He Has No Life-Threatening Ailment -IPOB Lawyers React
( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4-wFTrfim0&list=WL&index=1)
and other matters concerning Nnamdi Kanu’s health issue , I believe that the real danger is being exacerbated by one of Mr. Kanu’s legal advocates inflammatory rhetoric in that video, that “ the Igbos are on trial, this is a war against the Igbos” and that it should be in the better interests of the Nnamdi Kanu camp to tone down the rhetoric and to lower the temperature, even if they believe that Brother Nnamdi Kanu is representing the best interests of all Igbos…
Salimonu Kadiri
Cornelius Hamelberg
Dear Baba Kadiri,
This time you'll have to admit that either you have accidentally & unintentionally misquoted me / an excerpt / excerpts that you allege I posted or that it's both disingenuous & uncharacteristically & uncharitably rascally of you to deliberately misquote me, so that you could make the salient points that you wanted to make.
Where did I write ” or post, "Yes, Igbo-phobia has been significantly exacerbated by the Biafra War, which intensified marginalization and discrimination against the Igbo people. The brutal conflict and its aftermath created lasting trauma, reinforced stereotypes of Igbo ambition, and led to post-war marginalization of their political and economic interests. This has fueled lasting sentiments of exclusion and suspicion that continue to manifest as Igbo-phobia. “ ??????
On the contrary, I did write these two sentences:
“I like to present myself as an unbiased observer when I say that unfortunately for igbos, as we all know, Igbophobia has been exacerbated by the Biafran war which has left some indelible scars, and any new intimations of separation, IPOB, secession,” Lagos is no man’s land” etc just resurrects ghosts that can so easily be exploited by politicians who are adept at fanning the flames of divisiveness to their own advantage, especially in their own home territories. Just now, Igbophobia is rearing its ugly head in Lagos more than anywhere else, perhaps - ” democratic competition”, that's where Igbo presence and Igbo success is most visible outside Igboland and therefore liable to generate some envy, and hostility / xenophobic feelings in those who more properly/parochially speaking care less about titles such as “Cosmopolitan” since they believe themselves to be the real Lagos indigenes and don’t give a rat’s tail about what someone like our venerable Kwame Anthony Appiah has to preach about “Cosmopolitanism””
Secondly, who told you that “we never chose, and had no chance to choose which ethnic group we wanted to be born into.”?
According to some religious speculation - Metempsychosis - Kabbalistic ideas about the transmigration of souls , similar ideas and beliefs found in Hinduism and Buddhism, and of course both Igbo and Yoruba beliefs in reincarnation , that due to some laws that govern karma, the soul chooses its parents and which ethnic group it wants to be born into.
Dr. Oohay
Cornelius Hamelberg
Dear Baba Kadiri,
As per our telephone conversation, very sad & sorry
that of course you were not misquoting me
you were quoting some spurious Googled materials
and of course , with reference to your assertion that
“we never chose, and had no chance to choose which ethnic group we wanted to be born into. Therefore, it is stupid to judge anyone on account of his/her paternal or ethnic origin which was not chosen/decided by any individual.”
you are obviously in essential agreement with the Rt. Hon. William Shakespeare who in circumscribing the tragic hero, ironically, through the mouth of Prince Hamlet, opined
“So oft it chances in particular men T
hat, for some vicious mole of nature in them,
As in their birth,- wherein they are not guilty,
Since nature cannot choose his origin,-
By the o'ergrowth of some complexion,
Oft breaking down the pales and forts of reason,
Or by some habit that too much o'erleavens
The form of plausive manners, that these men
Carrying, I say, the stamp of one defect,
Being nature's livery, or fortune's star,
Their virtues else- be they as pure as grace,
As infinite as man may undergo-
Shall in the general censure take corruption
From that particular fault. The dram of e'il
Doth all the noble substance often doubt
To his own scandal.”
The idea of reincarnation was tragically taken to its most negative extreme when the late Chief Sephardic Rabbi Ovadia Yosef of Israel made this statement which he later repented and, recanted and apologised : The six million who perished in the Holocaust were reincarnations of the souls of sinners, people who transgressed and did all sorts of things which should not be done. They had been reincarnated in order to atone
Needless to say that If anybody else said such an atrocious thing, such a one would be charged with antisemitism, and possibly saying saying similar things could result in being accused of Igbophobia / Igbo-foe-bia , abi?
Oluwatoyin Adepoju
The Venom of Femi Fani Kayode
APC Spokesman
From his Twitter Page
1.
The single greatest lesson that the 2023 presidential election has taught us is that God will NEVER allow a practising sodomite and his repugnant retinue of perverts, pimps, fraudsters, court jesters, degenerates, monkeys, slaves and malefactors to lead Nigeria. 2.
... They can best be described as wake up calls and the propositions and counsel that are being suggested and offered must be considered by all the relevant stakeholders in Yorubaland generally and Lagos particularly before it is too late. Clearly thanks to the insulting ways and disrespectful tone, words and attitude of those that came from the east to settle amongst us yet covet our land and seek to destroy everything we value and stand for, Yoruba nationalism has come alive again. Our gullible liberalism and naive wokeism has resulted in a dangerous, hard line and pronounced backlash which is fuelled by anger and which cannot be easily managed and contained. Our people are now counting the cost of our innocent yet disastrous open door policy and disposition as a direct consequence of the excesses and provocative actions of the Ibos in Lagos. And what is that cost? If you really want to know let's go back in time a little. Permit me to take you on a walk down history lane. When Nnamdi Azikiwe, the NCNC and the Igbo State Union tried to take over Yoruba land in the 1952 Western Regional elections he lost to Obafemi Awolowo and the Action Group by a very narrow margin. I believe it was by two seats in Parliament and Action Group was saved from a Zik victory only because they went into an alliance with the Ibadan Peoples Party which gave them a majority of two in Parliament! That is how close it was. Had it not been for that Zik, an Igbo man, would have been elected as the first Premier of the old Western Region and the Yoruba would have eventually lost EVERYTHING including their language, culture, heritage, land and values. After his defeat Zik packed his bags and said the following famous words: "I shall return to the east from whence I came". Thereafter he went back to the old Eastern Region to be elected Premier. 71 years later the story appears to have repeated itself. The Ibo, this time led by one Peter Obi, a shady and manipulative trader who was fuelled, strengthened and emboldened by his relative success and gains during the presidential election in the state two weeks earlier, tried to forcefully take over Lagos in the 2023 Governorship election by intimidation, threats and propaganda and by fielding a young and impressionable man by the name of Chinedu Rhodes-Vivour who neither speaks nor understands Yoruba, whose family derives from Sierra Leonne and Opobo in Rivers state, who has strong sympathy for IPOB, who was part of those protestors that wreaked havoc and set Lagos on fire during the Endsars riots and who, like his misguided, violent and aggressive supporters, claimed that Lagos is a "no man's land" as his candidate. Thankfully they failed and the young man was roundly defeated by Jide Sanwo-Olu, a young, diligent, hardworking, civilised, decent and focused administrator and bona fide Yorubaman. It is now time for Peter, Chinedu and all their Obidient supporters to follow Zik's noble example, tread the path of honor and either respect us and live with us in love and peace or go back to the east "from whence they came" . They will do far better there. We in the South West must do a lot of soul-searching and educate the liberals in our midst about the dangers of being too kind, too charitable and too accommodating to the alien land grabbers and usurpers that have infiltrated our territory. We can show them charity, love and kindness but this must never be at the expense of our values, identity, dignity, culture or heritage. We must endeavour to ensure that history does not repeat itself again, that this terrible cycle of our Ibo brothers repaying our good with ingratitude and subterfuge stops and that they never have the temerity and effontry to claim that Lagos, or indeed any other part of Yorubaland, is theirs again. (FFK) 3. March 20, 2023 RESPECT US OR LEAVE!
"Don't stay in Lagos, and benefit from the leadership, infrastructure and economy Lagosians built over time, yet carry resentment towards them. You threaten violence and de-market Lagos on social media. You have options. Behave or relocate!" -
. Let me open this short contribution by saying that I completely agree with the views expressed above by Pastor Reno Omokri. Let us hope that those he is attempting to offer such wise counsel appreciate & accept it before it is too late. I am constrained to go further by saying that I also share the views of my dear friend, brother & colleague, Omo Oba Bayo Onanuga, who reflected the views and thoughts of millions of our fellow Yorubas when he expressed deep and legitimate concerns about the attempt by the Ibo community in Lagos to take over our land and claim it as theirs. This is something that they themselves would never tolerate members of any other ethnic nationality to attempt to do in the east and neither would any of us try it. The truth is that if you insist on living in someone elses land or territory you must respect them. And as they say, respect begets respect. If you must live amongst us kindly refrain from poking your fingers into our eyes simply because we gave you the space & afforded you the opportunities that you have refused to offer us in the east. We do this because we are a decent, civilised, kind-hearted, peace-loving and just people who believe strongly in the ethos of charity, plurality of community, efficacy of racial and religious harmony, peaceful-coexistence & full & unfettered integration. That does NOT however mean that we are fools. Our history proves that we are slow to anger but irresistible in battle. It is not wise to provoke us or raise our sleeping sword. Being too kind, accommodating & charitable has its price and it appears that we the Yoruba may have learnt this the hard way. Opening up your home to a stranger & being your brothers keeper is one thing but giving him your head & all that is dear to you on a platter of gold is quite another. The truth is that the Ibo in Lagos are no longer welcome by the people of Lagos. And unless they change their attitude quickly & drastically it may well be better for them to go home. As a consequence of recent events & the outrageous & insulting "Lagos is a no man's land" battle cry & mantra which many Ibos in Lagos espouse & constantly bellow & mouth, many of our people believe that Alaba Int. Market, Computer Village, Trade Fair & other places that they have occupied & taken over should be evacuated & vacated & converted to schools, deep sea ports, housing estates & amusement parks. That is the level of anger & view of millions of our people today & we ignore those views at our peril. They also believe that we should act fast & make the necessary changes in our attitude to non-Yoruba settlers and aliens and reflect on our propensity for being too "woke" & too liberal in our dealings with them. This view was ably reflected by
when he tweeted the following a day after the Governorship election in Lagos. He wrote, "Congrats to putting an end to the issue of real ownership of Lagos. Going forward, let there be a review of the following: Land ownership and rent law. Elective & appointive policy. Ethnic concentration of markets. Limits to liberalisation culture. Teaching of Yoruba history. Be wary of usurpers!" Points taken & forceful, compelling & lucid they are too. In his own contribution
again reflected the mood when he tweeted the following: "We voted in Lagos today not along political lines but along the lines of heritage. We voted for our pride. We made a statement that our liberal nature should never be abused. What we won't attempt in yours, do not force on us. We voted to retain Lagos". These are insightful and incisive contributions & they must be taken seriously. 4. March 16, 2023
Conversation
By the grace of God on Saturday 18th March Babajide Sanwo-Olu will be re-elected Governor of Lagos state by a wide margin in a free and fair election which will be devoid of acrimony and violence. From that day on the bestial, venal, foul-mouthed and vile-tempered gutter rat called Jandor will crawl back into the sewer that it came from and rot away in the dustbin of history, never to be remembered again, whilst it's beleaguered, accursed, festering, moribund and dying party, the PDP, will finally be buried. On that day the Obidients will be taught the lesson of their lives and NEVER again will they have the audacity and effontry to say that Lagos is a "no man's land". On that day water will find its level, evil will bow before good, darkness will flee before light, giants will crush dwarves and never again will a bunch of insatiable and insufferable ingrates and rappacious and covetous aliens seek to occupy any part of Yorubaland and claim it as their own. To be sure, there is a place in Lagos for EVERYONE to live in peace and harmony regardless of tribe or faith but let them NEVER forget that she belongs to the Yoruba. Those that live in Lagos but that think and say otherwise or that maintain that she is a "no man's land" are not worthy of being described as honored, respected and welcome guests but rather reckless, greedy, vainglorious, and dangerous land grabbers, adventurers and usurpers who are NOT welcome in our midst or worthy of our civility and courtesies. Meanwhile let every Lagosian keep the peace and shun violence despite all provocations and insults on that day. The way to defeat and overcome our collective enemies and detractors is not by threatening, attacking, insulting and visiting them with thuggery and violence, as they are doing to us, but rather by maintaining our decorum, self-restraint, civilised disposition and self-respect and peacefully voting Jide back into power. That is the way to honor the memory of our reverred ancestors, redeem our self-respect, restore our dignity and secure our future as a people. May God guide us and grant us victory. 5.
Those that believed that Lagos is a "no man's land" have been roundly defeated, badly humiliated and finally taught the lesson of their lives by voters today in a peaceful, free and fair election. The matter is settled and the message is 8-fold: 1. That God answers prayers even in the most complicated situations and difficult circumstances , that He is able to deliver us from the hands of our strong enemies and the enemy within and that He rules in the affairs of men. 2. That Lagos belongs to the Yoruba. 3. That
remains Governor of Lagos state regardless of the threats, plotting, scheming, rantings and rumblings of envious, hate-filled, bitter, demon-possessed and satanicallly- inspired men. 4. That guests and aliens that reside in Lagos must know their place and NEVER claim the state as their own again. 5. That the liberal open door policy to guests and aliens must be reviewed and reforms and laws put in place to protect and secure the culture, identity and rights of the Yoruba in Lagos and to confirm and re-affirm the indisputable and incontrovertible fact that Lagos is not only part and parcel of the SW but also belongs to the Yoruba. 6. That motor park touts and sewer rats like Jandor and those that wish to sell their heritage and race down the river and join forces with those that claim Lagos is "no man's land" like Gbadebo have no place in the politics of Yoruba land. 7. That the fraternal alliance and strong political bridge that has been built between the people of the SW and the people of the North must NEVER again be broken and must be preserved and protected until the end of time. 8. That patience, good planning and a firm and strong resolve to do what is right, to maintain the peace, to honor God, to challenge and defy satan and to stand up for the truth always wins the day. These are the messages that have been sent and lessons that have been learnt over the last few days and weeks as regards events and the elections in Lagos state and we shall never forget them. Never again will ANYONE say that Lagos is a no man's land. Eko Akete, Ilu Ogbon! Eko O gba gbere rara o!
To God alone be the glory!
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Cornelius Hamelberg
Oluwatoyin,
This is serious : There’s The third Commandment, which commands the Israelites, “You shall not take the name of the L-rd, your G-d, in vain”, succinctly clarified here .
Nigerian politicians are of course not the same category as ancient Israelites, or, for that matter, modern ones, and it’s not as if Nigerian politicians go around routinely violating that commandment; as a matter of fact, to this day I’m only aware of former President Olusegun Obasanjo , once upon a time saying “God will NEVER forgive me if i support Atiku for president”
And now this opening salvo , and you call it “venom”
As you can well understand, curiosity got the better of me, and I must admit that yours truly, a neutral, detached , non-allied observer was forced to double-check about the alleged “practising sodomite” etc ad nauseum.
I was curious as to who the hell he might be and I’m sure that whoever he may or may not be, I suppose that the great majority of Nigerians resonate with Femi Fani-Kayode when he prays that “God will NEVER allow a practising sodomite and his repugnant retinue of perverts, pimps, fraudsters, court jesters, degenerates, monkeys, slaves and malefactors to lead Nigeria"
Nothing new under the sun :
There was the case of Canaan Banana and indeed of Anwar Ibrahim
Not venomous : Dj Shinski
ogunlakaiye
Cornelius Hamelberg
Re - “God will NEVER…
First things first :
Torah : Shemot / Exodus 34 : 6-7
wherein is enshrined God's 13 Attributes of Mercy
Unfinished matters :
Correction : Anwar Ibrahim is a former prime minister not a former president
Worthy of our consideration : Portia’s famous monologue in The Merchant of Venice - "The quality of mercy is not strained”
Before the Day of Judgment, I would also like to correct whatever wrong impression , misapprehension or erroneous conclusions I may have caused in connection with what I said about the use of the word NEVER when qualifying a judgement by the Almighty :
In the case of Brer Obasanjo also, it’s a matter that’s entirely between him and the Almighty when he ( Olusegun Obasanjo) said, in public, “ God will NEVER forgive me if i support Atiku for president” - and as it turned out, to our astonishment, later on we were to gather from media reports, this dramatic change of colour : “Obasanjo supports Atiku for president”, a change of heart and mind that’s reminiscent of these equally dramatic lines from The Last Poets
“The change in the day that makes them rant and rave
"Black power! Black power!"
And the change that comes over them at night
As they sigh and moan, "White thighs, ooh, white thighs" (https://tinyurl.com/28r6gshh)
Quite a different matter :
The secularists who do not place their trust in the Almighty, usually believe that they can accomplish this and that “with a little help from my friends”
With reference to the righteous, upright and audacious, speak truth to power and take no prisoners, in accordance with our venerable Brother Femi Fani- Kayode ‘s wishful thinking -the Jews pray B'ezrat Hashem, Muslims Inshallah, pious Pentecostals too, that “God will NEVER allow a practising sodomite and his repugnant retinue of perverts, pimps, fraudsters, court jesters, degenerates, monkeys, slaves and malefactors to lead Nigeria"
I can also imagine some pious Zionist Rabbis and some of their most fervent Christian allies ascertaining this their own personal certainty : ”God will NEVER allow the Ishmaelites to take over our Holy Land”
As far as the word “ Never” is concerned, it nearly occurs in Maimonides' 13 Principles of Faith , and here’s the 9th article of Ani Maamin - I Believe - in which we may interpret “will not” implies NEVER :
“I believe with complete faith that this Torah will not be changed, and that there will be no other Torah given by the Creator, blessed be His name.”
Salimonu Kadiri
Sent: 18 October 2025 23:34
To: USA Africa Dialogue Series <usaafric...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: Re: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Re: Igbophobia and the Politics of Manufactured Enemies: A Reflection on Nigeria’s Fragile Cohesion
The Venom of Femi Fani Kayode
APC Spokesman
From his Twitter Page
1.
The single greatest lesson that the 2023 presidential election has taught us is that God will NEVER allow a practising sodomite and his repugnant retinue of perverts, pimps, fraudsters, court jesters, degenerates, monkeys, slaves and malefactors to lead Nigeria. 2.
... They can best be described as wake up calls and the propositions and counsel that are being suggested and offered must be considered by all the relevant stakeholders in Yorubaland generally and Lagos particularly before it is too late. Clearly thanks to the insulting ways and disrespectful tone, words and attitude of those that came from the east to settle amongst us yet covet our land and seek to destroy everything we value and stand for, Yoruba nationalism has come alive again. Our gullible liberalism and naive wokeism has resulted in a dangerous, hard line and pronounced backlash which is fuelled by anger and which cannot be easily managed and contained. Our people are now counting the cost of our innocent yet disastrous open door policy and disposition as a direct consequence of the excesses and provocative actions of the Ibos in Lagos. And what is that cost? If you really want to know let's go back in time a little. Permit me to take you on a walk down history lane. When Nnamdi Azikiwe, the NCNC and the Igbo State Union tried to take over Yoruba land in the 1952 Western Regional elections he lost to Obafemi Awolowo and the Action Group by a very narrow margin. I believe it was by two seats in Parliament and Action Group was saved from a Zik victory only because they went into an alliance with the Ibadan Peoples Party which gave them a majority of two in Parliament! That is how close it was. Had it not been for that Zik, an Igbo man, would have been elected as the first Premier of the old Western Region and the Yoruba would have eventually lost EVERYTHING including their language, culture, heritage, land and values. After his defeat Zik packed his bags and said the following famous words: "I shall return to the east from whence I came". Thereafter he went back to the old Eastern Region to be elected Premier. 71 years later the story appears to have repeated itself. The Ibo, this time led by one Peter Obi, a shady and manipulative trader who was fuelled, strengthened and emboldened by his relative success and gains during the presidential election in the state two weeks earlier, tried to forcefully take over Lagos in the 2023 Governorship election by intimidation, threats and propaganda and by fielding a young and impressionable man by the name of Chinedu Rhodes-Vivour who neither speaks nor understands Yoruba, whose family derives from Sierra Leonne and Opobo in Rivers state, who has strong sympathy for IPOB, who was part of those protestors that wreaked havoc and set Lagos on fire during the Endsars riots and who, like his misguided, violent and aggressive supporters, claimed that Lagos is a "no man's land" as his candidate. Thankfully they failed and the young man was roundly defeated by Jide Sanwo-Olu, a young, diligent, hardworking, civilised, decent and focused administrator and bona fide Yorubaman. It is now time for Peter, Chinedu and all their Obidient supporters to follow Zik's noble example, tread the path of honor and either respect us and live with us in love and peace or go back to the east "from whence they came" . They will do far better there. We in the South West must do a lot of soul-searching and educate the liberals in our midst about the dangers of being too kind, too charitable and too accommodating to the alien land grabbers and usurpers that have infiltrated our territory. We can show them charity, love and kindness but this must never be at the expense of our values, identity, dignity, culture or heritage. We must endeavour to ensure that history does not repeat itself again, that this terrible cycle of our Ibo brothers repaying our good with ingratitude and subterfuge stops and that they never have the temerity and effontry to claim that Lagos, or indeed any other part of Yorubaland, is theirs again. (FFK) 3. [http://mar%2020,%202023/]March 20, 2023 RESPECT US OR LEAVE!
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Cornelius Hamelberg
Baba Kadiri :
Nigerian Diaspora News : Nnamdi Kanu protests begin in USA
You ( supersleuth) shouldn't expect any kind of reply from Adepoju, because, having pulverized him, there's as much hope of him responding to you as there is in the resurrection of a dead mosquito that has been extinguished, hammered by an unrepentant sledgehammer. However your observation “ Cornelius Hamelberg accompanied his post with a video-link titled, "Igbos are on trial, this is a war against the Igbos." Thus, the ongoing trial of Nnamdi Kanu is being interpreted as the persecution of all Igbos, born out of Igbo-phobia” has to be qualified; it would be more accurate to opine ” Thus,the ongoing trial of Nnamdi Kanu is being interpreted by one of Nnamdi’s lawyers,as the persecution of all Igbos”
But to the main matter which at this stage is mainly symbolic (they haven’t really raised a secessionist army yet) so the centre of gravity remains mainly ideological and most importantly, in this case too, for a resolution of this matter, it's obvious that “the causes which impel them to the separation” have to be addressed because it continues to pose a serious challenge to the potential unity and stability of the nation. My understanding is that the Igbos’ pathos ( if I may so describe it) is undergirded by the feeling that post-the unsuccessful Biafra experiment/ attempt at secession, generally speaking Igbos are unhappy that they have yet to produce an Igbo personality that would be democratically elected President of Nigeria and all Nigerians; that’s why especially around election time, on the main we find Igbos agitating, “ It’s our turn, it’s time for an Igbo President !”, and when asked if Goodluck Ebele Azikiwe Jonathan doesn't fit the bill, they reply that Goodluck Ebele Azikiwe Jonathan wasn’t and isn’t one of them
I don’t know about the Igbos of Nigeria, but with the passing away of Raila Odinga, my Luo Brother Okoth Osewe of Kenya has this to say about self-declared leaders among his kinsfolk the Luo : https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1D5vpioGSp/?mibextid=wwXIfr
In diaspora Finland it was Simon Ekpa, not at all delusional, no, not at all, just the self-appointed / self-declared so called “leader of the Biafra Republic Government in Exile” who wanted to be taken seriously, and now facing trial in Nigeria, in his own “ I have a dream” moment, in the name of self-aggrandisement, man of the moment Nnamdi Kanu another self-appointed/self-declared, not democratically elected "leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB)” is manifestly, visibly resurrecting some hope in the Biafra enterprise, right in the midst of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
But the saying is that “a house divided cannot stand” and that’s a very good reason why Kanu and others like him should put their shoulders to the wheel and work tirelessly for a better, stronger and more prosperous, united Nigeria, because, if every ethnicity should want to secede in order to set up their own republic, democracy, monarchy, caliphate, Islamic State, Vatican City, that would be the very end of Nigeria, unenviably displaced and replaced by some 250 ethnic countries and corresponding nationalities
You yourself believe in “an eye for an eye”, don’t you?
The true import of “an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth” is that no matter the ethnicity, we are all equally vulnerable, equally important, equally needed, and equally entitled to justice, appropriate compensation or reparations.
Sometimes, we need a taste of our own medicine, don’t we?
“Took a stranger to teach me, to look into justice’s beautiful face
And to see an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth” (I and I)
But there you go, in your case, not unjustifiably so, hysterical, screaming in red ink !
We all need to calm down, brace ourselves
and in the upcoming Nnamdi Kanu case
allow justice to show its beautiful face
About those who after visiting the very foundations of the 1914 amalgamation of the landmass and the masses of people in the ethnic stew now known as Nigeria, Nigerians, and would like to separate themselves, I am oddly reminded of this Malcolm X address:
“You can't hate the roots of a tree and not hate the tree”
As a Pan-Africanist who believes in the United States of Africa project, I wouldn’t like to see the dissolution of Nigeria follow in the footsteps of that the disastrous dissolution of the USSR and Yugoslavia or the fragmentation and downsizing of other nation states, so, I’m feeling distressed to hear this kind of heady yap from one Kenneth Okonkwo, possibly a distant relative of the Okonkwo we find in Achebe’s “Things Fall Apart", fast forward to this 21st century Okonkwo yabbing in the majestic plural, speaking on behalf of all of his clansmen, “We will leave Nigeria Soon “ he boasts - easier said than done, and this time they are not leaving the fabled Pharaoh's Egypt, this time after trekking behind Moses in the wilderness these past 40 years, they may be full of visionary hope that they are hopefully marching forward towards their Promised Land, the land of their dreams, Biafra…
I leave it you your and to others’ poetic imagination to imagine those of Igbo ethnicity voluntarily or involuntarily "leaving Nigeria" mentally and physically in droves , streaming from all corners of the Nigerian Federation , entrepreneurs from the North, from Lagos and the rest of the West, and from the South-East , to their Promised Land , and, again, hopefully just as we read in the Torah that Israel emptied Egypt of their gold, so too like the children of Israel, alternatively as one of the lost tribes of Israel as some Igbos claim, our Igbos Brethren will empty Nigeria, and we (& our descendants) will read about this in the newspapers and the history books that are yet to be written
Of course neither the Igbo segment nor any other ethnic segment of Nigeria took an oath with Lord Lugard, that they would be married or marinated with the rest of Nigeria, “till death do us part” , and even if there is no divorce clause or provision for a referendum about the matter - for a peaceful dissolution of the marriage bonds - according to the Constitution or Marriage Arrangement - at the front lobe of the mind, always, the preamble to the American Declaration of Independence (not penned by armed bandits and ransom kidnappers ) :
“When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness… etc etc
In the meantime, along with Stevie, I'll be singing to our Igbo Brethren 👍 Please Don’t Go
Cornelius Hamelberg
Baba Kadiri,
I’d just like to add that given the ongoing ecumenical miracle of the Church of England's Charles III the first British Monarch in 500 years ( since Henry VIII and the Reformation) to be attending mass in the Vatican, we can’t rule out the possible coming obliteration of Igbophobia and the coming rapprochement between e.g the IPOB people and the rest of Nigeria, or between the armed bandits, random kidnappers etc and the Naija police….
Hopefully, Nnamdi Kanu won’t get the death sentence…
From a layman’s point of view, I can’t rule out the inevitable conclusion to this open and shut case in the trial of Nnamdi Kanu that has just begun - his defence lawyers having abandoned him to the mercy of the prosecution, if only he was sufficiently charismatic -and eloquent -he would do a better job than them and take centre stage to showcase his position and his cause, as did Steve Biko in his trial (not that I could,in the same breath,even remotely begin to compare, or even vaguely suggest a likeness of Kanu and Biko). In Steve Biko’s case it was his non-violent ideology of Black Consciousness that was on trial. In no sense of the word can it be said that Nnamdi Kanu is or was fighting Apartheid or an Apartheid type of regime, but Mr.Kanu could learn a thing or two from The Testimony of Steve Biko ( a verbatim account of that trial) - especially be impressed by Biko’s responses to the implications behind the questions he was being asked in that trial
The paradox continues to puzzle me along with the logic and logistics of Igbos currently to be found scattered around in large numbers all over Nigeria, yet they want their “own” independent state which they equate with their ethnic enclave - and at the same time want to incorporate non-Igbo ethnic enclaves, where oil is so richly deposited - as part of their Biafra…
https://www.google.com/search?q=Igboland+in+maps+&
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Cornelius Hamelberg
Cornelius Hamelberg
Given the freedom of the press in Democratic Nigeria, and in USA-Africa Dialogue Series in cyberspace it’s perfectly alright to selectively quote " the venom of Femi Fani-Kayode .."
Unfortunately the link I posted isn't working but here it is again
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1886372768308533/posts/4172639249681862/
BTW, what Chidi Gaddiyel // Chidi Gaddiel has been saying deserves a response
Salimonu Kadiri
Sent: 21 October 2025 23:44
To: usaafric...@googlegroups.com <usaafric...@googlegroups.com>
aoye...@comcast.net
Cornelius Hamelberg
One of our prominent criminologists asked this enigmatic question : “War, what is it good for?”
The Biafra War started on the 6th of July 1967, a good 81 days before today’s self-proclaimed ”Leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra”, 58-year-old Nnamdi Kanu was born on the 25th of September 1967. We may say that back then, still in his nappies, he was not old enough to know better or perhaps suffer, but I dare say that right now it is very irresponsible of him to wanna plunge Nigeria into another bloody Civil War and to set up his and everybody’s beloved Igbo People -to set them all up for another round - round 2 of mass slaughter, destruction, martyrdom, and starvation.
In these video clips he’s enjoying his precious moments in the limelight, his day in the sun, looking upbeat, shmiling, looking healthy, he has obviously been eating well, is not looking undernourished like the war-torn Biafra urchins of yore
So what are the Indigenous Igbo elders who he claims to represent, what are they saying? I guess they are saying that if Biafra is to be, then it should be by peaceful negotiation, plebiscite, by mutual agreement that they choose to go their separate ways…
And how did Mazi Nnamdi Kanu react to this news item : US approves potential $346 million weapons sale to Nigeria to bolster security? Perhaps he would like to call up President Trump as a defence witness?
https://www.facebook.com/share/v/19oUEnfnU1/?mibextid=wwXIfr
Salimonu Kadiri
Cornelius Hamelberg
Stockholm
Planet Earth
Peoples' Planet
26th October, 2025
Baba Kadiri,
Some of those who are not on this list are still turning green with either envy or avarice
As I watched this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nt11HkvPvr4&list=WL&index=20
I found myself thinking fondly of Wofa Akwasi :who was forever anchoring traditional wisdom at the lotus feet of Pa Ijebu
Mazi Baba Kadiri - Mercy ! The deafening silence ! No protest poetry or music from Charles or Chidi. Not a whisper, not a sound, not even “The Sounds of Silence “ But maybe it's going to be just like the beginning of The Last Poets’ Bird Song :
”Everything was silent
And then Ma Rainey spread Black News”
Me,
I’m not asking for
The Baba Kadiri Peace Prize
all I’m asking is
please
give me some
“poetic licence” -
but not for frivolity.
Hopefully, what I’m going to say is not criminal, is not a crime, and does not violate any Naija or cyberspace legal codes. At least it was not illegal for John Lennon to croon Imagine:
“Imagine there's no heaven, it's easy if you try, no hell below us, above us, only sky, imagine all the people livin' for today, Ah, Imagine there's no countries, It isn't hard to do, nothing to kill or die for, and no religion, too, imagine all the people living life in peace. You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one, I hope someday you'll join us and the world will be as one; Imagine no possessions, I wonder if you can; no need for greed or hunger, a brotherhood of man, imagine all the people, sharing all the world. You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one. I hope someday you'll join us, and the world will live as one.”
The wider picture: The world in which we live!
As you know, King Rapper Donald J has renamed the Pentagon “The Department of War.” No nonsense Trump is thereby putting Putin on notice. As he ( MAGA megalomaniac ) has often said, “The United States has The Greatest Military in the world” and just in case you dear listener may have been entertaining any doubts, he adds, “by far”.
When Trump talks like that he reminds me of one Emeka Ojukwu who in a fit of braggadocio announced to the world : “No force on earth can defeat Biafra”
Famous last words.
Trump of course would take offence at being compared to Ojukwu - he’d jokingly probably ask, “ O-juk who?” Trump doesn’t even like being compared with Barack Obama and showed no sympathy for John McCain being referred to as a war hero : “He's a war hero because he was captured. I like people that weren't captured, okay ?"
Just in case you may be wondering what Trump would be thinking about the eminent Emeka Ojukwu’s wanna be successor Nnamdi Kanu, who has not only been captured but is awaiting trial for treason, Trump probably also looks upon Kanu as a loser and a troublemaker, the kind that would want to start RUFUS, an Independent Black Republic in the United States by advocating violent, by any means necessary, armed secession from the United States and declaring himself “The leader of the indigenous Black People of Savannah Georgia.”
You see how Trump is putting down the slightest movement that shmells of insurrection - he has already deployed the National Guard to Chicago and of course will be deploying the National Guard to places where rebellion is threatening the peace of the United States or the possibilities of Making America Great Again -and just as Brother Buhari initiated Operation Python Dance ( https://www.bing.com/search?q=Nigeria+%3A+Operation+Python+Dance ) as a timely response to lawlessness , so too if Trump was the President of Nigeria, secessionists would think more than twice. Trump is even thinking of adding Canada and Greenland to Alaska -to make the US greater than ever, whilst secessionists are thinking of subtracting themselves from the greatness of a United States of Nigeria, clearly, Trump's sympathies would not be on the side of the miscreants
I shudder to imagine what’s in store for New York, if Trump’s man Curtis Sliwa loses to Zohran Mamdani who is already being tarred and feathered as “a communist” and “an antisemite” in what Jesse Jackson once referred to as "hymietown" -namely, New York, the most Jewish populated city on this planet…
According to this line of reasoning, without Python Dance 1 2 3. 4 the likes of IPOB would have flourished and without making a statutory example of Nnamdi Kanu more IPOBs and self-proclaimed , armed Biafran Messiahs would arise.
In my view, it now mostly depends on Brer Kanu - if he stands up in court defiant, arrogant and unrepentant who believes that he has done no wrong and would gladly repeat all his follies, all over again and again because he believes that’s the only way , he might lose the only capital that he has at the moment -at least with those who may be neutral: some Sympathy .He’sin the unenviable position of a black dude who has been charged with the rape of a white woman , anywhere, in not Igboland but in Oyiboland :On the day of the trial the alleged victim turns up in her favourite, transparent red, mini-skirt and when, like Graham Green the all -White Jury sees what they see and imagine what they imagine, “ Fenella Lak Good Poke “ - in their heats they come to what they ingaine to be their infallible conclusion :The Nigger Must Have Done IT ! If the accused appears smiling -the jury thinks - he did it and he’s still smiling. If it appears he’s looking remorseful ,the jury thinks - ah - he did it and now he regrets. West of all if he appears defiant and disdainful of jury, the jury thinks, “ We're going to screw him for good “ From that point of view it would be better for Kanu to show a slightly penitent mien than to be exceedingly confrontational, because after all, many people have died, yes, and how many deaths does it take till he knows, that too many people have died?