www.chxta..com

That until there is no longer first class
And second class citizens of any nation
Until the colour of a man's skin (read ethnic group in the case of Naija)
Is of no more significance than the colour of his eyes
Me say war ---Bob Marley

Like many residents of Ajah and beyond, the early part of yesterday was spent at home listening to the music made by guns instead of on the road to work. That was the rude awakening we had yesterday.

The gun battle between 'indigenes'of Ajah and thugs loyal to Chief Fatai Olumegbon lasted for over an hour (0630 to 0745) before the police deemed it fit to come and intervene so we could go to work.

I am not taking sides in this issue, but having interviewed a few people concerning this crisis, I think it is imperative that the issue must be brought to the consciousness of Nigerians. I find it disappointing and annoying that this piece of news hasn't even made the headlines in any of the major newspapers in the country (that was the reason I waited 24 hours before writing).

Now, the crux of the matter is this: Chief Olumegbon, a Lagos Island high chief has laid claim to being overlord of the Ajah area, a claim hotly disputed by the 'indigenes'. He has begun the construction of a 'palace' not too far from Ajah bus stop and has started doling out large sums of money to the resident area boys to support his cause.

The 'indigenes' took the case to court, and the verdict is due next week or therabouts. Feelers coming in from the court indicate that Olumegbon would loose the case, so he has decided to take matters into his own hands by declaring war on the indigenes. People have died since this started, yesterday's was not the first gun battle, but it was the first to occur in the early morning, and the first that didn't include large scale looting of the shops at the market. After Friday night's gun battle, Ajah market has been more or less closed, so there was nothing to loot.

This behaviour by the Olumegbon faction is endemic in our society. Olumegbon is in the good books of the Oba of Lagos, and is rumored to have the support of the state governor. The result: he can do whatever he likes, and get away with it. Reminds me of Chris Uba back in Anambra.

You see, it is the opinion of this writer that should we continue like this, that is with this overlord mentality that a lot of our 'big boys' seem to possess, then Naija would end up as a lot of fiefdoms, controlled by people like Olumegbon and Uba. Those who have ears let them hear. Tinubu please put a stop to this fighting before it gets out of hand.

Having talked about the immediate issue, I'd also like to talk about one that has worried me for a very long time, the 'indigene'-settler dichotomy we have in this country. Please refer to the line from Bob Marley's song War where he refered to first class and second class citizens of a nation. We have been running that bull shit in Naija for a long time now, and without any apologies, I lay the blame squarely at the feet of the great Obafemi Awolowo. Had he not initiated the carpet crossing in the Western House of Parliament when he was defeated by Nnamdi Azikiwe, I would probably be able to run for Edo State governor today.

I was born and brought up in Benin City see, and I feel more comfortable when people around me are speaking either Edo or Pidgin, than when they are speaking Igbo (which I tend to stammer through anyway). But because of that stupid 'indigene'-settler stuff which we have running in this country, I'd have to travel many miles eastward if I want to become involved in politics, to a place where I don't really know the issues because I don't live there.

Isn't it funny that Nigerians would go to the US, the UK, Canada, Ireland or wherever to have children so that such kids could lay claim to being citizens of such countries, but in our own country, a man born and bred in Kano would be told to go back to Warri to contest an election simply because his grandfather came from there. That is stupidity. My boss just walked in, so I'm logging off. To be continued,

I think nigeria should completely change the meaing of "State of Origin" it should now be interpreted to mean the state you breath your first, the state of your birth..

Who ever started that "state of origin" thing. Does anyone know?


Only in Nigeria