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Like Obasanjo, Like Buhari: Remembering
Fela’s wishLike Obasanjo, Like Buhari: Remembering
Fela’s wish
on april 17, 2015 at 9:09 pm in politics
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By Oghene Omonisa
Afro-beat King, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti was well
known to have criticised societal ills as well as
every government in his time. He did this
through his hilarious but acidic lyrics.
Instrumentalist, musician, multi-talented
composer, pioneer of the Afro-beat genre,
human rights activist and political maverick, Fela
played a significant role in Nigeria’s development
process with his revolutionary music. He did so
not really because he found it pleasurable, but
because he considered his music as a vehicle to
keep these governments on their toes. In the
process, he garnered ardent admirers and
followers although he also drew enmity from
government which he criticised.
Two Nigerian leaders who really got it hot from
the Ebami Eda (the Strange One) himself are
Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo and Gen. Muhammadu
Buhari. Ironically, these two former leaders
eventually found their way back to power, the
recent being Gen. Buhari, who beat the sitting
president in the March 28, 2015 presidential
election.
Obasanjo, Fela and Buhari
Clashes with ex-leaders
Fela’s differences with Obasanjo started with the
1977 release of the album, Zombie, a scathing
critique on Nigerian soldiers, in which he used
the zombie metaphor to describe the ways of
the Nigerian military, which was everything but
rational. Zombie, as Fela sang, was like a robot;
he would kill if asked to kill and would even take
his own life if asked to ‘go and die’.
The album became very popular that the
Obasanjo government was so embarrassed that
it allegedly ordered an attack on Kalakuta
Republic, the area housing Fela’s music
operations, destroying instruments and other
equipment. Fela was beaten black and blue and
his aged mother allegedly thrown out from a
window, which was believed to have led to her
death.
This action drew widespread condemnation and
attracted public sympathy to Fela. He eventually
led his followers to deliver a mock coffin of his
mother at Dodan Barracks, the then seat of
government in Lagos. But they were chased
away by armed soldiers, preventing them access
to the compound. Obasanjo’s response was to
set up an inquiry to ascertain those responsible
for the attack.
The eventual verdict was that it was carried out
by ‘unknown soldier’. Fela would then release
two albums on the attack: Coffin for Head of
State and Unknown Soldier , criticising Obasanjo’s
actions. This offended the government more
especially his description of Obasanjo and Shehu
Musa Yar’Adua at Dodan Barracks when he took
the mother’s mock coffin there. “Obasanjo dey
there with big fat stomach, Yar’Adua dey there
with neck like Ostrich,” Fela sang. What with
more lyrics like:
Look Obasanjo!
Before anything at all, him go dey shout:
‘Oh Lord, oh Lord, oh Lord, Almighty Lord!’
‘Oh Lord, oh God!’
And them do bad bad bad bad bad bad things
Through Jesus Christ our Lord
(Amen, Amen, Amen!)
By the grace of Almighty Lord
(Amen, Amen, Amen!)
I say, look Yar’Adua!
I say, look Yar’Adua!
Before anything at all, him go dey shout:
‘Habba Allah, habba Allah, habba Allah!’
‘Habba Allah, habba Allah!’
And them do, yes yes
And them do bad bad bad bad bad bad things
Through Mohammed our Lord
Amen, Amen, Amen!
By the grace of Almighty Allah
Amen, Amen, Amen! (from Coffin for Head of
State)
And:
Them start magic
Them seize my house wey them don burn
Them seize my land
Them drive all the people wey live in area
Two thousand citizens
Them make them all homeless now
Them start magic
Them start magic
Them bring flame, them bring hat
Them conjure, them bring rabbit
Them bring egg, them bring smoke
Them dey scream, them dey fall
Them conjure, spirit catch them
Them dey fall, them dey scream
Them dey shout
Them dey, them dey say
Unknown soldier!
Na him do am
Which kind injustice is this?
Wetin concern government inside?
If na unknown soldier
I said, wetin concern government inside?
If na unknown soldier
We get unknown police
We get unknown soldier
We get unknown civilian
All is equal to unknown government (from
Unknown Soldier ).
Even after Obasanjo had left office, Fela also
released a few more albums critical of him; the
most popular being ITT ( International Thief Thief )
and Army arrangement , which condemned
Obasanjo’s actions in office.
Although Fela never actually sang any song
criticising the then new government of Gen.
Buhari before his arrest in 1984, it was believed
that the currency-trafficking charge brought
against him was trumped-up and politically-
motivated as Gen. Buhari was the federal
commissioner (minister) for petroleum during
Obasanjo’s government when N2.8 billion ‘oil
money’ was reportedly missing, which Fela sang
about in Army Arrangement:
Two-point-eight-billion naira
Oil money is missing
Two-point-eight-billion naira
Oil money is missing
Them set up inquiry
Them say money no loss o
Them dabaru everybody
Supervisor Obasanjo
Them say make him no talk o
‘Money no lost’, them shout again
Inquiry come close o
E no finish, e no finish… (From Army
Arrangement).
Gen. Buhari’s government eventually charged
Fela for currency-trafficking offenses, found him
guilty and sentenced him to five years
imprisonment. He only regained his freedom
when Buhari’s successor, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida
granted him pardon two years later. In an
interview with Newswatch magazine after his
release, Fela revealed that the judge who
sentenced him, visited him in prison after
Buhari’s overthrow, and informed Fela that the
evidence against him was not enough to have
found him guilty, and revealed to Fela that he
was only obeying ‘order from above’ to ensure
he was convicted. The judge then sought Fela’s
forgiveness.
It was not readily known if Fela forgave Gen.
Buhari as Beasts of No Nation, his 1990 release
was his best opportunity to take his pound of
flesh off the general. Bringing the full force of
his talents to play, the Afro-beat legend made
powerful metaphorical references to Buhari’s
government. For sending him to jail, he referred
to both Buhari and late Brig. Tunde Idiagbon,
Buhari’s deputy, as ‘craze man’ and ‘animal in
human skin’. A line also made reference to how
the judge came to apologise: ‘dem judge dey beg
ee-o ’ (they gave guilty verdict and still sought
forgiveness).
But the most titillating metaphor in that track,
which roused his fans to ultimate adoration, and
which also guided many Nigerians to properly
juxtapose the Buhari government against human
reality, was Fela’s comparison between the life
he knew before his imprisonment ( outside world )
and the life inside prison ( inside world ); and that
some human actions in the outside world were
irrational, making the inside world seemingly
preferable:
The time weh I dey for prison, I call am ‘inside
world’
The time weh I dey outside prison, I call am
‘outside world’
Na craze world, na him be outside world.
Then he went ahead to list some of the ‘craze’
things that happen in the ‘outside world’ and
those who inhabit it
No be outside-de police-i dey
No be outside-de soldier-ha dey
No be outside-de court dem dey
No be outside-de magistrate dey
No be outside-de judge dem dey
Na craze world be dat ….
No be outside-dem find me guilty
No be outside-dem jail me five years
——————I no do nothing
No be outside judge dey beg o …. (From Beasts
of No Nation).
Going against Fela’s wish
Fela had already passed on when Chief Obasanjo
was elected president in 1999. If the Afro-beat
maestro were to be alive then, he certainly
would have hauled missiles at Obasanjo through
his music. In a concert before the 1999 election,
Seun, one of Fela’s sons, who has made a name
for himself musically, revealed that one of his
late father’s strongest wishes was that
Obasanjo should not return to rule Nigeria again.
But against Fela’s wish, the Nigerian people
elected Obasanjo that year and re-elected him in
2013, making him lead Nigeria for eight whole
years in his second coming as head of the
Nigerian state.
And when Gen. Buhari’s final and successful
attempt at the presidency was gathering
momentum, Femi Kuti, Fela’s first son re-echoed
this wish in an interview with CNN Christiane
Amanpour, before the election, that his late
father informed him of how the judge who
sentenced him came to beg him in prison for
forgiveness, implying that there was no legal
basis for Buhari’s government to have jailed his
father, though it was not certain that it was
Buhari who ordered the judge to jail him. Talks
of this nature did not count much as they were
drowned by politicking.
Like Obasanjo, the Nigerian people went against
this wish to elect Gen. Buhari. What did these
imply for Fela’s ardent and numerous admirers?
Did Nigerians who almost adored the Strange
One forget the Afro-beat maestro? Human
rights abuses during the military era were made
issues during the election campaigns, but no one
remembered the particular case of Fela.
Nigerians were poised for change and Buhari
himself brilliantly said, ‘I cannot change the past
but we can reshape the future.’
Nigerians have given General Muhammadu Buhari
chance to lead them. And they are sure that the
Buhari of the military era has transformed into a
democrat who will not tolerate any animal in
human skin .

yesterday, we heard about a strange illness in a community in Ondo state that has killed at least people who woke up blind, with headache, rashes on their bodies and died 24 hours later.

According to new reports, it's not a medical condition. The state commissioner for Information and Strategy said the illness and sudden death is connected to an exhumed corpse in the community. He said people who've died so far were those who had contact with the people who exhumed the corpse.

However, a source told LIB that it was a group of people who invaded a shrine that are being attacked

"The said death by an unknown disease in Ode Irelein Ondo state, is not a disease as believed, it's actually a spiritual attack in the village meted on some indigenes in that locality who invaded the village shrine.."

According to media reports, doctors in Maryland, US, found a woman with a very unusual condition; she was born with two vaginas. The woman, described as black, has the vaginas side-by-side but only uses one - for sex. The other one, she's never used before, so that one is still considered 'virgin'. The lady told doctors that she menstruates out of both vaginas during her period.

Doctors performed a full medical exam on the woman and determined that both vaginas were fully functional and both of them lead to her single uterus, according to a report by MediaTakeOut. Aside from having two vaginas, everything else in the woman's anatomy is the same

99 names of Allah.
۞ الله ۞ الرحمن ۞ الرحيم ۞ الملك ۞ القدوس ۞ السلام ۞ المؤمن ۞ المهيمن ۞ العزيز ۞ الجبار ۞ المتكبر ۞ الخالق ۞ البارئ ۞ المصور ۞ الغفار ۞ القهار ۞ الوهاب ۞ الرزاق ۞ الفتاح ۞ العليم ۞ القابض ۞ الباسط ۞ الخافض ۞ الرافع ۞ المعز ۞ المذل ۞ السميع ۞ البصير ۞ الحكم ۞ العدل اللطيف ۞ الخبير ۞ الحليم ۞ العظيم ۞ الغفور ۞ الشكور ۞ العلي ۞ الكبير ۞ الحفيظ ۞ المقيت ۞ الحسيب ۞ الجليل ۞ الكريم ۞ الرقيب ۞ المجيب ۞ الواسع ۞ الحكيم ۞ الودود ۞ المجيد ۞ الباعث ۞ الشهيد ۞ الحق ۞ الوكيل ۞ القوي ۞ المتين ۞ الولي ۞ الحميد ۞ المحصي ۞ المبدئ ۞ المعيد ۞ المحيي ۞ المميت ۞ الحي ۞ القيوم ۞ الواجد ۞ الماجد ۞ الواحد ۞ الأحد ۞ الصمد ۞ القادر ۞ المقتدر ۞ المقدم ۞ المؤخر ۞ الأول ۞ الآخر ۞ الظاهر ۞ الباطن ۞ الوالي المتعالي ۞ البر ۞ التواب ۞ المنتقم ۞ العفو ۞ الرءوف ۞ مالك ۞ الملك ۞ ذو ۞ الجلال ۞ والإكرام ۞ المقسط ۞ الجامع ۞ الغني ۞ المغني ۞ المانع ۞ الضار ۞ النافع ۞ النور ۞ الهادي ۞ البديع ۞ الباقي ۞ الوارث ۞ الرشيد ۞ الصبور

اللهم ارزق من نشرها الفردوسئ الاعلى
May Allah bless each one of us. Bar'ka jumat.

What is the role of godfather in nigeria politics

Am expecting jonathan in APC

i can laff alone

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10 Things You Do NOT Need to Be Happier in Life

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10 Things We All Want that Drain Our Happiness

Saying yes to happiness means learning to say no
to the desires that drain you.

They say a person needs just three things to be truly happy in this world: someone to love, something to do, and something to hope for. I don’t think anything could be closer to the truth, and yet all too often we find ways of complicating things for ourselves. We look for happiness where it does not exist – in shallow goals and desires – in possessions, quick thrills, and impressing the wrong people.

Angel and I were recently reminded of this when we met a family of six staying at a hotel in Miami where we were vacationing. We saw them hanging out in the lobby, sharing stories and laughing hysterically. So on our way out, Angel and I said hello to them and asked where they were from. “Oh, we’re from here,” the mother said. “Our house burned down to the ground yesterday, but miraculously, all of us made it out safely. And that makes today a day worth smiling about.”

Talk about a wake-up call. Some people might say they had lost everything, and yet this family knew better – they knew they had it all. Because there really is nothing like joyful tears and deep breaths after a long, hard laugh with the people you love – nothing in the whole world like a sore stomach for the right reasons and a grateful heart to back it up. That’s a situation where true happiness is surely found.

And there are many other sources of true happiness as well. But as I’ve said, there are also lots of common traps – goals and desires that we think will bring us happiness, but actually do the exact opposite. Recognizing these traps is the key. In fact, I believe one of the best feelings comes when you realize that you can be perfectly happy without the things you once thought you needed.

With this in mind, consider the ten goals and desires (traps) below and how they may be holding you back. Each of them is popular in our culture, and thus common in our lives, but rather than contributing to our happiness, they rob us of it.

So say it out loud with me:

“To be happier, I do NOT need…”

To please everyone – Be careful not to give so much of yourself to others that you end up completely losing yourself. When you go around pleasing everyone but yourself, you are the one that gets hurt in the end. The late and great Herbert Bayard Swope said it like this: “I don’t know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody.” That is spot on advice if you ask me. Because truthfully, you are never going to please everyone anyway. At some point you will hold an unpopular opinion – one that gives you meaning and makes you feel alive. And when you do, you ought to hold on tight, tune out the noise, and make it count.
Everything to be easy – You have to do hard things to be happy in life. The things no one else is doing. The things that frighten you. The things others can’t do for you. The things that make you question how much longer you can hold on and push forward. Because those are the things that define you. Those are the things that make the difference between existing and living – between knowing the path and walking the path – between a life of mediocrity and a life filled with happiness and success.
Certainty and guarantees – Some people build too many walls in their lives and not enough bridges. It sounds crazy, but they would rather be certain they’re miserable, than risk being happy. Don’t be one of them. Open yourself up. Take chances. Run free. To accomplish amazing things, you must not only act, but also dream, not only plan, but also believe. Be a dreamer, a believer, and a courageous and cheerful thinker. Be a positive motivator, a productive doer, and a go-getter who keeps her head in the clouds and her feet on the ground. Let the spirit of passion and possibility ignite a fire within you to do something worthwhile today and every day, and don’t forget to spread your enthusiasm to those around you. (Read Daring Greatly.)
To be better than others – The size of our universe shrinks dramatically when we place ourselves at the center – when we think everyone is our competition – when we think we have to be richer, smarter, and more attractive than the person sitting next to us. Such a goal just keeps a person alienated and tirelessly running in place. Now, on the flipside, take someone who doesn’t keep score, who’s not looking to be richer, or smarter, or more attractive, who has not the slightest interest even in being better than anyone else: she’s free. Bottom line: Compete with yourself only.
More control over everything and everyone – Sometimes we put too much interest into trying to control every tiny aspect of our lives. Learn to relax and ride the path that life takes you sometimes. Incredible change will happen in your life when you decide to take control of what you do have power over instead of craving control over what you do not. Freeing yourself from trying to control the insignificant and uncontrollable things lets you experience more of the goodness around you. In fact, the greatest joys are often the unexpected surprises that arrive when you are flexible and open to life’s twists and turns.
Immense moments of glory – Graduations, wedding days, lavish vacations – these times are often fun-filled and deeply celebrated, but these times pass, because time passes. This is something we rarely grasp at first. True, lasting happiness is found in the appreciation of all the small things. For me, there are random moments – tossing a salad, coming up the driveway to our home, ironing the seams flat on a dress shirt, standing at the kitchen window and looking out at the sun rising over the Austin skyline, hearing a giggle from my son who’s playing in the other room – when I feel a wavelike rush of joy. This is my true happiness: arbitrary moments of sudden, throbbing appreciation for a life I feel privileged to lead. (Angel and I discuss this in more detail in the “Simplicity” chapter of 1,000 Little Things Happy, Successful People Do Differently.)
Relationships that are “supposed to” provide happiness – Relationships are essential, but happiness originates from within. It is not dependent on external validation or on other people. You become vulnerable and can be easily hurt when your feelings of security and happiness depend entirely on the behavior and actions of others. Keep this in mind. Never give all your power to anyone else. Until you make complete peace with who you are, you’ll never be content with what you have or who you’re with. Learn to love and respect yourself first, before loving the idea of other people loving and respecting you.
Perfect harmony in all relationships at all times – Harmony in relationships is nice when it’s sincere, but too often we try to fake it. Effective communication is king. You have to talk it out sometimes. After all, the only way to be happy in life is to live with integrity. This means: Not settling for less than what you know you deserve in your relationships. Being clear and asking for what you want and need from others. Speaking your truth, even though it might create occasional tension. Behaving in ways that are in agreement with your personal values. Making choices based on what you believe, and not just what others believe. (Read The Mastery of Love.)
A superior time and place – The reason many people find it so hard to be happy is that they always see the past better than it was, the present worse than it is, and the future less resolved than it will be. They key, of course, is to do the opposite. Appreciate your past without reliving it, handle your present with confidence, and face your future without fear. Life is simply too short to spend at war with yourself. Letting go of the past and future is your first step to happiness and peace in the present. Realize that you are today where your thoughts and actions have brought you; you will be tomorrow where your thoughts and actions today take you. Bottom line: You can’t stop the future. You can’t rewind the past. The only way to live is to press play, and dance.
Happiness 24/7 – Absolutely no one is happy all of the time. Because you simply can’t be happy unless you’re unhappy sometimes. This is a harsh truth, I know. Just keep in mind that it’s perfectly normal to experience considerable fluctuations in your level of happiness from day to day, month to month, and even year to year. Believing and expecting otherwise will only lead to disillusionment. But even when life is less than blissful, you are still in charge of how you respond. Choose positivity, always. The greatest act of faith some days is to simply get up and face the day, with a smile.

Afterthoughts

And let me leave you with this to think about: According to a recent scientific study published in the Journal of Research in Personality, overall levels of happiness decline from one’s teens until one’s 40s and then pick up again until they peak in one’s early 70s. So the chances are that your happiest days are yet to come. Hopefully that gives you something to smile about today.

Just keep doing your best by taking life moment by moment, complaining very little, and being grateful for the little things that mean a lot.
Your turn…

So, which of the points in this post do you resonate with the most? What do you sometimes forget you do NOT need to be happier in life? Leave a comment below and share your thoughts and insights.

SAI BABA!! Buhari Dances Shoki with his daughter, Zahra After Winning The Presidentia
In a 5 minute video Zahra shared on her Facebook; President-Elect, Gen Buhari danced shoki with his daughter, Zahra after winning the Presidential Election...Then He kissed his wife

Download Video >> http://yabaleftonline.com/2015/04/unbelievable-buhari-dances-shoki-with-his-daughter-zahra-after-winning-the-presidential-election/

i laff

If APC and PDP draw in this Election,Abeg are they going to Play Penalty?

mtcheeeeewwwww . Everybody is busy
talking
about election
nd
campaign, but nobody seems to notice
nd understand dat d
thickness of VIJU milk is geting lighter
........
Tin Tomato no dey full again.....
Mtn 10mb no dey reach 24hrs again...
Fish no dey inside geisha again ooo... Okro no dey draw again....
CloseUp toothpaste no dey full again...
Raid no dey kill mosquito again ........
Abeg
oooo make una leave election
and focus on matters that concern us

Sahara Reporters
Osun Presidential Election Result Osun

Olorunda

APC: 23342
PDP: 7958

Boluwaduro

APC: 5288
PDP: 4413

Ila Orangun

APC: 11576
PDP: 7647

Boripe

APC: 12152
PDP: 7457

Ife North

APC: 8369
PDP: 7921

Atakumosa West

APC: 6639
PDP: 4734

Ife South

APC: 9,793
PDP: 9,283

Ife East

APC: 12,513
PDP: 15,520

BREAKING NEWS: Heavy traffic as soldiers block Mile 12-Ikorodu road.

A long stretch of traffic has built up from the Mile 12 bridge all the way to Ikorodu Bus stop as soldiers have barricaded the ever-busy road based on what they called an “orders from above.”

The Inspector General of Police, Suleiman Abba, had announced that there would be no restriction of movement today(Sunday) over the rescheduled elections.

Our correspondent learnt that most of those caught in the traffic are Christians, attempting to go to church to observe the Palm Sunday.

It was learnt that following the hiccups experienced in the voting on Saturday, the Independent National Electoral Commission postponed elections in five local government areas in Lagos till today.

These are Alimosho, Oshodi/Isolo, Eti Osa, Kosofe and Somolu LGAs.

However, a resident of Ikorodu, Abiodun Samuel, wondered why the residents of Ikorodu would be barred from moving when IKorodu local government was not among the areas that INEC had listed.

He said, “Ikorodu’s election yesterday was conclusive and every polling unit has been counted so I don’t know why soldiers are preventing us from moving. I have been in the traffic all day and the sad part is that this road (Mile 12-Ikorodu Road) is the only road connecting Ikorodu to the major parts of Lagos.

“The unfortunate thing is that most of us cannot turn back because we have been blocked by vehicles on all sides of the road.”

Meanwhile, investigations by our correspondent showed that the voter turnout today may be less than yesterday due to the Palm Sunday, which will witness long hours of service and street processions.

Our correspondent, who visited various areas in Kosofe LGA, observed that there was no presence of INEC as of 9.34am.

The police have, however, warned people, who have no business at polling units, to stay away. -PUNCH

Ha

Bode George loses polling unit to APC - Former deputy national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Chief Olabode George lost his PU001 Evans Street, in Lagos Island, Lagos State to the All Progressives Congress, APC, by one vote. The post Bode George loses polling unit to APC appeared first on Vanguard News. http://ow.ly/2WBw4H

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