If they are bu girls then i am sorry for their parents,i hope critics can now see why covenant has placed that much restrictions on their students to think some parents are struggling to pay through their noses denying themselves some of lifes luxuries to pay the millions fortution fees not knowing their children are training to take over from allen avenue and sheraton girls,the ms temi is in sheffield up north uk,shows poverty is not the only cause why women indulge in prostitution.
I just pray GOD will never let me choose all these expired hags as a wife and i pray i only give birth to male children ijn no female

@cuddlemi
its really easy for you to give advice effortlessly,why not pray to experience similar scenario and see if its that easy to walk away.
The fact that the marriage arrangee or not is blessed with two kids means she ahould at least fight it and get some arrangements in place for the children beforw ahe can grant the divorce.
Or in your reasoning the woman should solely take care of two kids finances health education e.t.c?
Besides you must live in a parallel planet to everyone else if you think only poor and jobless qomen fight for thwir marriages.
Ask anyone who is close to remi tinubu,alhaja obanikoros wife,osobas wife and the rest of the lagos politicians wife what they do to ypung girls or ladies who try to get too close to thwir husbands?
I know of more than one incident when remi tinubu amongst other society ladies have sent ppl to threaten,beat their husbands gf,even terminate pregnancies and offer the girl money to go away and this is not a nollywood script

@lawyer
hi got your message and i have sent you another email pls acknowledge if you have recieved it yet thnks

@lawyer
i sent you an email from my hotmail two days ago but i havnt gotten a reply yet could you acknowledge pls
thanks

Just making sure i dont forget the 6th

@post

i have read the various comments up to page 6 before deciding to drop my comments,suprised busy body has not dropped a comment on here yet sef first off i think we nigerians should learn to read and understand people's comments before going off on our blind loyalty of another man's country.the white man /woman do not need us to defend their united kingdom,they are perfectly capable of doing that as bnp,edl and other right wing organisations have proven.

what the poster meant simply is that having being abroad for several years,his visit to nigeria opened his eyes to the opportunities,quality of life,freedom obtained in nigeria compared to the united kingdom.
for people saying he should have stayed in nigeria,my reply to you is to learn some basic english comprehension!
how can someone who has lived in a country for 11 years suddenly pack up and move back to another country within months??
do you want him to leave without tying up lose ends,do you know if he has a family he has to sort out(wife and child/children parents,job,finances mortgage e.t.c which he has to sort out?
how about sorting out a means of livelihood in nigeria,accomodation,schools for his kid/kids,job for his wife e.t.c.?

in my opinion i agree wholeheartedly with the poster,i have spent my tenth year in the uk and i would want nothing better than to move back to nigeria but so many things most notably getting a job,accomodation tying up lose ends e.t.c has to be sorted out before i take the plunge.
migration and immigration is a natural order in life so for anyone who feels they cant achieve their full potential untill they live abroad good luck to them,but like so many have said risking life and limb including your life savings for the uncertainty is certainly not worth it.

fair enough there is uninterrupted power supply in uk but so also is inverters and generators in nigeria which the lower middle class can afford. there is also affordable generating sets average nigerians can afford as well
crime is everywhere not just nigeria,the only place i have been robbed and where my car has been broken into ad my house burgled has been the united kingdom not nigeria
i cant count the amount of rapes in parks which has happened in the uk,same goes for abductions and murders,paedophiles roaming about so much so that children cant even play outside anymore here
i dont even want to talk about institutional racism,the glass ceilings,

the buttom line is that in spite of the basic infrastructural advantages in the uk one will live a much better quality of life in nigeria
what kind of job will allow you to afford a duplex,house maid and driver,cook washer man nanny and send your kids to private schools in uk?

when mao zedong of china was in power during the cultural revolution chinese ppl all over the world resigned from their lucrative jobs to live under the communist government ruling over them,many suffered and millions died of hunger but they did not compare their country to the united states or uk they dug their heels in and stuck with it we can all see the result now and how the same western powers are flocking tochina

if you say you can never live in nigeria pls continue eating your artificially processed tescoand sainsburys products,continue eating your day old chemically enhanced chicken and meat
continue jumping from bus to train
continue worrying about councill tax,mortgage or rent every month and other bills those of us who believe in nigeria are quite happy to go back with the knowledge and enlightenment we have ganered over the years and contribute our quote.

^^^i have actually tried it out and i chose one of the most expensive meats on the top shelf,seasoned it for 2days and ot came out really nice although it wasnt well done for some reason even though i left it on for like 7mins either side.
it came out slightly pink on the insides especially in the thick middle bit but well done on the thinner sides

saw a potatoe recipe on the side of the bag of potatoes which i tried out highly fattening but nice

it said to boil and drain the potatoes,then slice into chunks
then heat 2 spoons of butter then fry the sliced potatoes

mathskill:

When niger-delta monarchs called for the disbandment of JTF in their no one abused them,when plateau elder's called for the replacement of the muslim commander of the military task sent to keep the peace no one called them insane,but now that borno elder's call for the removal of JTF the whole north is to blame.Borno state along does not make up northern nigeria.90 percent of the boko haram attacks are in borno,not the whole of  northern nigeria.They don't even have a mass followeship in borno,Islmaic cleric's,politician's,police men,ordinary citizen's who have critisized them have been targeted and killed,Even the SHEHU of borno is a target and you condemn the whole of the north for what is happening in borno.On hajj,do you want to tell me that gorvenment dnt foot the bill for christian going to jerusalem.about sharia i wonder why it is right for a church to build universities but muslim can't practice their legal system.on marrying liitle girl's it is a social problem which no society is immune too(,the girl's in edo who look forward to italy)is an example.you continue to say the north is the problem with nigeria,all the five bank chief that dipped their hands into depositor's funds were all southerner's.importer's of  fake drugs are southerner's,the first coup in nigeria were by southerner's,pastor king is a southerner,anini was a southerner,forger's of all documents in lagos island are all southerner's.ALL 419's and drug pusher's are southerner's.Is it not in lagos that streets are barricaded to ward of armed robber's all in southern nigeria and yet you come to this forum and say north is the problem.The problem in this country is not one ethnic group or religion it is injustice,corruption,nepotism,greed,selfishness and general indiscipline which cuts across  all geopolitical,ethnic,religiouse and social divide in this country.The earlier we own up and stop placing the blame on another the beeter.  

while i agree the fault should not be placed on the northerners alone,they have constituted a whole lot of the problems right from pre independence to now.
the dynamics of the niger delta issue was totally different from that of boko haram.for one the whole niger delta issue was confined to the creeks and swamps boko haram is terrorizing the whole country which is unprecedented,no one is safe and worse is that it is with the active conivancew and collaboration of foreign islamic terrorists how many police headquarters did the niger delta blow up?

if you really think boko haram dont have a mass followership in borno and other northern states,then you tell us what has sustained their followership and how have they been covered up till now so much so that no single influential backer or collaborator has been arrested so far, isnt it funny that the only ex deputy govenor suspected is in far away china or so and he has never been named publicly by the police?
how many boko harams have been prosecuted even before the present crop?
the fulanis who cut pregnant women open and committed all sorts of atrocities in the name of the north in jos a couple of years ago where are they now including the ones that were arrested in the aftermath?

the church are building their own private universities with their own funds why cant muslims too build their own unioversities and madrasas and then do whatever they like in the confines of such must they impose their sharia on the rest of us?
how will you feel if we too wanted our own christian laws to be recognised in day to day governance

yes but what caused that coup in the first place?have you forgotten it was connected to same northerners?

and if you look at all those armed robbers,drug dealers including diasporeans like us who are slaving away in another mans country it is as a direct result of failure in northern leadership over the years.
for every anini there is an ibb still enjoying his looted billions without fear or challenge.

for every drug dealer who was caught with a few grammes or kg of drugs in their bid to make a better life for themselves there is the abacha family,turai yar adua and co who have killed and maimed lots of people,stolen our collective money and commited all sorts of atrocities without sleeping a single night in jail.

it is true that these corruption,nepotism cuts accross ethnic divides but presently the focus is on the north and historically the north has contributed more than an other ethnicity.
1.why have northern leaders not done anything so far to curb boko haram
2.what has been the result of the governance of the majority northern leadership since independent
3.why are the same people who jailed asari dokubo,gideon orkar(who by the way is still in prison) now calling for dialogue in boko harams case? i would have though what is good for the ogoni 9 should be good for the boko haram leaders too?

that is the most annoying thing of all!! they have been investigating for months now and have not been able to uncover or are shielding the financiers and collaborators of these boko haram people.the president should have given the ig ,sss and others an ultimatum to produce visible results in form of collaborators and financiers especially influential or they will lose their jobs but he is ignoring the problem probably thinking it will go away
all we are waiting for now is for the niger delta and massob to start their own and we will then know if the country will devolve into another civil war or another somalia.
the silly lily livered,weak,clueless president is busy shielding his people and recycling old dirty corrupt politicians while the country is burning,a strong willed president and commander of armed forces will have taken decisive steps than negotiating with terrorists how can any sensible person negotiate with terrorists?
now he has emboldened them and shown that he is incapable of dealing with the situation,this is where experience of governance and being in a combustive situation like war comes in and so far goodluck is failing miserably

otitokoro1:

This information should have been power to the people, but Considering the danger attached to it due to  the breakdown in law and order in Nigeria, it is not.

Today's Politicians are deadly. These politicians are ready to kill anyone standing their way. And the truth is that our law enforcement agents only pay lip service to common man protection. Money is the order of the day, This people in question are most time richer than their constituencies.

Please my fellow NL, if you will do this always take precaution, discuss with a trusted elder of your community,  and do not champion the course, let the elders come to the forefront as it might be too dangerous for young people to achieve,

No law in Nigeria is protecting common man oooo,  A word is enough for the wise

na wa o so out of a constituency of tens of thousands,they will send hired assasins to kill them all??
im sure no hired killer no matter how deadly will take the job of killing thousands of people all because of one man due to the attendant risks not even in afghanistan or pakistan has that happened yet.
there is absolute power in numbers as syria egypt,sudan even the uk with the phone hacking scandals have shown.
let us stop the defeatist attitude and be positive for once i am not asking anyone to risk their life but i know that if people come together no representative will dare make any move.
what did obasanjo do when he lost his own ward how many people did he kill?
omisore with his notoriety,senator ayo arise with his notoriety and others what did they do when they lost in the last elections?nothing

agabaI23:

You are one person I want to be in the next meeting. Please get a date and we will all consider it. I will find a way to remind you. Your BB should have a reminder which you set. I will remind you though.
That's nice
It is not late. You are still welcome to join. Follow the thread and also drop your email address so that you can get our towncrier updates.

I need a date guys.

i will set the date on my reminder this time so there ll be no chance of missing it as soon as you settle on a date any date is fine by me

stupid people,talk about misplaced priorities very soon they will be comparing the drainage system with that of the united kingdom not realising that those drainages have been planned and built many hundreds of yrs ago.
the country is in a melt down terrorism,economy,education e.t.c and they are issuing statement over a single governor.
like emperor nero,fiddling while the whole town is burning down.
having said that i think fashola should deploy the same level of determination and resolute will in dealing with our people on the dumping of refuse and building on drainage channels,people take liberties because they feel like no one can stop them and often the omo oniles will sell any land irrespective of where it is located,he should have a lastma kinda body to check and possibly arrest or fine people who contravene these environmental laws to re instate and build proper drainage channels in a place like lagos will cost hundreds of billions and cannot be completed anytime soon so he will just have to make the best of the situation

sorry guys been busy you know means of livelihood im perfectly cool with august as long as we set a reminder as i keep on missing out either as a result of completely forgetting or the time clashing with a prior engagement

lastpage:

@lucabrasi Dont mind them, they have "traveled abroad", its only that they have no seen where a Fire-Engine comes to put out the fire with an EMPTY TANK!
Or arrive after the damned house has completely burned down
Not even anywhere in the "U.K of Abroad"! (Winks and sets fire to his plastic house!)

Again I will repeat that whomever has the mindset that environmentally friendly houses are unsafe is not enlightened and have not travelled out to see how far the western world has gone.
I hope you have heArd of fire proof technology??
Besides when they say a plastic house,they don't mean literally plastic like the cup you drink muni in,it just meNs plastic as one of derivatives which will be mixed together with other stuffs.
Tapping the stud Walls won't even show an indication of the plastic materials pla try and google to know more about environmentally friendly wYs of house building

Thank GOD for some common sense at last and I believe this is long overdue.in an era Where developErs,architects are mindful of the environmental impact of materials used in building we are still using tons of concrete to construct both external and internal stud Walls.for people talking about safety it is either you have not travelled abroad or if you have,then probably not seen the modern environmentally friendly way of building in western world.my only concern is if the cement cartel heAded by dangote will allow this to sail through and not use one of his minions in govt to block the initiativep

Sorry I have not been on here for a while,my flat was burgled by these oyinbo boys,and my laptop was taken so I'm using my phone and pad android ATM,yes I ll be on yahoo for saturdAy no worries

Pafuri:

Nigerians want democracy without free speech. Now that is like taking a shower without water. Sam Omatseye will go down in our collective memory as the individual who started the process of demystifying those families who think Nigerians ow, e them a lifelong debt of gratitude. The Yorubas' gratitude and respect are to, and for Obafemi Awolowo, and by extension, to his wife, Hannah Idowu Dideolu. It is a question of courtesy. It is not a right, especially where HID is concerned. To receive dubious political figures, to receive encomiums from odious politicians under various laughable pretexts[b] not only belittles Awolowo's legacy, it also opens HID to public scrutiny, and perhaps ridicule.[/b] The timing of Omatseye's piece might not be all that appropriate, but he raises crucial issues as to how we relate to our Nation's founding fathers. We cannot say what their families do with their legacies is those families' business. They are our FOUNDING FATHERS, and those legacies are as much ours.

bravo to this write up especially the bolded

agabaI23:

It was ok. NEPA interrupted me severally.
Those I have their email will get the minutes.
Friday 6pm Nigerian time proposed for the next meeting.
We want to research other pressure groups like SNG, what they stood for, why the dissipated and why they thrived.

Choose one and report to us: Light up Nigeria, SNG etc

We need want a legal advice before we choose whether to operate as NGO or pressure group depending on the legal limitations of each type of association.
The rest will come in your mail.
Attendance: 2

sorry i was tied up but i came online like 8pm uk time but there was no one on,no worries friday s cool

Katsumoto:

It was Awo that married HID and it was Awo that said that HID was his wife of inestimable value. He crossed the line in talking about Awo divorcing her and talking about her value. Is he Awo?

fair enough no one is disputing that fact,we got the lincense to acess her life and to make comments concerning her marriage to awo as soon as she took the headship of the yorubas.
secondly what the man said was that if awo was alive to see how tainted his ideologic and political family has become as a result of the people his wife was associating with he would be so angry that he would divorce his wife.now lets face it is the man right or wrong?
will awolowo champion the cause of the gbenga daniels? the oyinlolas?
will awolowo under any circumstance cross over to n.p.n now imagine him getting the news that his wife has been hobnobing and fighting the cause of his political opposites?
besides let us not not be naive here nelsaon mandela called winnie all sorts of lovey dovey names,she was there for him for 27 years if nelson mandela had died who would have though they would be divorced by now?

Katsumoto:

You are being naive to suggest that editors don't run big stories or articles past their bosses. All over the world, that is the practice; because it is the boss that gets into trouble. Freedom of speech or not. Freedom of speech is the liberty newspapers have to publish stories but is newspapers owners that have to deal with any economic or political fall-out.

true but note that i said as the head of the editorial board,even the editor reports to him so he is more powerful than the editor besides why would or why should tinubu dictate the kind of articles that will be published?

Pastor Ola:

Late Obafemi Awolowo is still a record to beat in the South West. Bola Tinubu is still far, far behind in this race, he should go and work more, he is not in the CLASS of our LEGEND YET please. Up Awo All the way!!!!!!!!!

did you een read the article at all?
neither mr omatseye nor even tinubu has ever doubted your comment,in actual fact according to the retort ofawo's granddaughter,tinubu reportedly said he wished he could achieve 45% of awo's achievement.
mr omatseye himself lauded awolowo and his ideals in the article but some ppl because of their mischief conveniently suffered an amnesia concerning those paragraphs

Eko Ile:


I hear this I don't like Tinubu talk all the time and I'm yet to hear people articulate precisely why they don't like Tinubu and what he did wrong to warrant such statements.

Is their any reason why you do not like him and what exactly did he do? Just an honest question.

this is a million dolla question i will love an answer to as well.
they have even left mr omatseye alone,some people are now pouring vitriol on tinubu as if he is the one that wrote the article just because they are afraid of his rising and status as an influential political figure.
how come no one remembered the asiwaju title when the man was fighting obasanjo and during yar adua time

Katsumoto:

I agree that no one should be beyond reproach if they fumble but in Yorubaland, a younger person must be careful in the manner he/she reproaches someone older. I haven't seen her speak in years; so I was kinda hoping that she isn't lucid and isn't really aware of whats going on. All the same, the writer went too far.

i know this comment was not directed at me but i couldnt help but comment on the bolded,lets get down to brasstacks now pls state exactly how he went too far?

Katsumoto:

I agree she isn't beyond reproach but come on; you can't seriously suggest that Tinubu didn't know what was going on. Most editors have to run articles such as this by their bosses.

lets agree for the sake of this debate that he told tinubu,if he was in the habit of sanctioning a head of the editorial board on what stories to publish wouldnt he become more infamous as gagging free speech?his rabit haters will say the acn godfather from lagos has started gagging the staffers in the nation.
pls let us not fail to realise that while we were all fighting for the freedom of information bill,these are the kind of stuffs that freedom of information will begat are what is coming up now.im sure you v seen the many views denigrating jesus christ evethough we dont like it and condemn it,its the freedom of speech.

@katsumoto
while majority of your comments is right on the money however,i disagree that the woman was attacked the fact that she is the wife of awo shouldnt somehow place her above recriminations.if the likes of the queen of england and her consort prince phillip who are in same age group as her could be criticised then i dont see the big deal in somehow placing her in a god like pedestal.
if you read the man's article ,which many have not taken the time to read,it was written in form of his own private musings whch i dare say is an accurate depiction of the state of things.
irrespective of how wide spread or far flung tinubu's influence is ,sam omatseye is an adult and the head of the editorial board of the nation meaning he doesnt need to get tinubu's approval before publishing such article.
tinubu and omatseye are not the one acting in a childish or juvenile manner,it is the likes of babatope the betrayer,oni,oyinlola and their co horts venting and pouring vitriol on tinubu who has remained silent since.

Babasessy:

STILL angry over what has been described as an attempt to destroy the Awolowo legacy to pave the way for a new brand of Yoruba leadership, Ayotola Ayoyinka Ayodeji, a granddaughter of the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo, yesterday described former Governor Bola Ahmed Tinubu of Lagos State as ‘a supplanter’.

Ayodeji, a lecturer in law in the United Kingdom, said it was unfortunate, illogical and cruel that Sam Omatseye, a columnist at The Nation, a newspaper founded and funded by Tinubu, could indulge in a scathing condemnation of the Awolowo family.

In a four-page statement entitled “Awo Family without an Awo – A Rebuttal”, she declared that no decent family man would descend to the level of berating or demeaning Yeye Oodua Hannah Idowu Dideolu (HID) Awolowo, insisting that when Awolowo was alive, he never imposed his wife or any of his children on his people through election into public offices, unlike what happened in Lagos State under Tinubu during the April general elections.

To her, Tinubu should stop wasting his time about Yoruba leadership because it is not bought, insisting that 24 years after his death, Awolowo is still respected due to the fact that “Papa was not and is not a cult, and his name is larger in death because of the cause to which he devoted his life”.

“Papa’s motive was not fame, power and control of men; he set out to liberate Nigerians from the scourge of poverty and illiteracy, and captured their hearts in the process. People did not so much as follow him as they bought into the eternal and infallible ideals to which he was committed, and for which he literally gave his all”.



The statement reads: “Papa (Chief Obafemi Awolowo) was, among other things, a visionary, a philosopher, a statesman, an eminent strategist and tactician, an accomplished economist, an orator of enthralling eloquence, a man of letters, and above all a most affectionate husband, father and grandfather. He was a lover of good wholesome food, a disciplined politician, a devoted and committed Christian; a self-taught scientist; who enjoyed good music, had an insatiable quest for knowledge, and was quick-witted and humorous. To say the very least, he was a man of many parts.

“His political legacy, for which he is so widely acclaimed, is unparalleled in the history of Nigeria; and regarding his vision, he has often been said to have been born way before his time. When Odumegwu Ojukwu referred to him as “The best president Nigeria never had”; he very aptly alluded to Papa’s enormous and untapped potential to lead Nigeria into infrastructural, intellectual, economic and social well-being of the sort that abounds in the so-called developed countries.

“Papa remains the point of reference in the conversation to move Nigeria forward. It’s difficult to put into words the sense of pride that goes with belonging to such an accomplished person as Papa Awolowo. There are those who imagine that this sense of pride is accompanied by contempt for anyone outside the natural family, who identifies with the legacy of our patriach and claims to be his follower. Such contempt would be indicative of a myopic view of the sheer magnitude of his legacy. The best tribute anyone can pay to his memory is not only to further the ideals he stood for, but to claim, of their own volition, to be an Awoist. Whilst some would love to disown their heritage, we are blessed with a father whose name is claimed by numerous followers; this is a tremendous honour.

“Scripture records that when Christ’s disciples felt threatened by the outreach of persons outside His inner circles, who were successfully professing His name all over Judea; Jesus wisely pointed out; “those who are not against us are for us”.

“And so it is that natural/biological Awolowos must relish the success of Awoists whoever they are, wherever we find them. This is a good reason to celebrate the so-called resurgence of Awoists, led by Bola Tinubu, in the South-West of Nigeria.
“However, in celebrating this fete, Sam Omatseye, in his column, (published in The Nation, on Monday, 6 June, 2011) indulged in a scathing condemnation of the Awolowo family. This is unfortunate and cruel.

“Bola Tinubu deserves credit for being an astute politician and tactician. He has built himself a formidable political empire; he is bold, and has confronted established power bases with notable success. He has set out to tread the path Awolowo charted, and should be respected in his own right, but there is no need to pronounce him the new Awolowo and in so doing seek to demean the Awolowo family.
“For all his success at recent elections, true and close followers of Papa know that he is no Awolowo. Sadly, he has begun to evoke what Nikita Khrushchev described as “The cult of the individual”. One way to look at it is that he is a supplanter, who has acquired a signature cap, got the ‘Awo glasses’ and even an ‘Asiwaju’ title. He is widely reported to have carefully crafted his identity to suit his ambitions, and has managed to convince many that he has evolved into who Awolowo was.

“There is no doubt that Tinubu is entitled to engineer his political career as he deems fit. Presumably, he is conscious of the burden of Awoism; the legacy of the sage is a double-edged sword; the name will get you noticed and possibly even elected, but it will also set the standard by which you will be judged, in that sense, it has been the downfall of many. As long as Tinubu keeps faith with Awo’s genuine legacy; he will succeed.
“He must also beware of the sycophancy and delusional allegiance of those who think that if you repeat a statement often enough, it will crystallise into truth.

Papa’s motive was not fame, power and control of men; he set out to liberate Nigerians from the scourge of poverty and illiteracy, and captured their hearts in the process. People did not so much as follow him as they bought into the eternal and infallible ideals to which he was committed, and for which he literally gave his all. In this mission, he was ably and devotedly supported by his dear wife, Mama HID Awolowo.

“His books are replete with copious accounts of the vital role that she played in his life. She was his closest ally and confidante; a partner throughout the ups and downs of his life. He simply could not have achieved most of his many accomplishments without her unflinching and competent support. His reliance on her was absolute and he never hid it. She and his children (from very tender ages) paid a heavy price for his career, they made enormous personal and collective sacrifices some of which are easily deduced from his writings. They suffered through the Coker Inquiry, the treasonable felony trial, and his incarceration. That does not include the immeasurable cost of sharing their husband and father daily, with so many, and supporting him through his political ventures; sustaining a domestic atmosphere that was conducive to his distinct needs. His most formidable backing was from the home he described as “a true haven”.

“It’s unfortunate that Sam Omatseye would overlook and berate this sacrifice without which there would not have been the Awolowo he celebrates today.

“No one is perfect, and a union as intimate as that of Papa and Mama Awolowo would certainly have entailed the acceptance of each other, irrespective of their personal flaws, yet Awolowo’s mostly endearing and eternal tribute to his wife reads: “… my wife … has been to me a jewel of inestimable value”.
“He paid her various tributes some of which are best left in his own words:

“With my wife at my side, it has been possible for us to weather all financial storms… I am no match for her at all in her exercise of infinite patience and forbearance under all manner of circumstances. She absorbs without a word of complaint all my occasional acts of irritability. … She has been of immeasurable assistance to me in the duties attached to my career as a public man. …I do not hesitate to confess that I owe my success in life to three factors: the Grace of God, a Spartan self-discipline, and a good wife… It is on record to my wife’s credit that she never made a financial demand on me throughout my stay in the United Kingdom…she always sent me good news every week about herself and the children; but when I returned home I learnt that she had passed through many anxious times with four children the oldest of whom was only five when I left home, and the youngest of whom arrived four months after my departure.

“Whatever your interpretation of who is or who isn’t a genuine Awoist; do not be deceived, no true lover of Papa Awolowo, would, under any guise, berate or demean his wife!

“I recall Mama’s 70th birthday, we (grandchildren or ‘Jomo’ as Papa affectionately called us) along with all our close family and friends were all in Ikenne getting ready for the occasion. On the eve of Mama’s birthday, we were all struck by Papa’s enthusiasm; when he felt we were not taking things seriously enough, he began to arrange chairs for the Communion Service (held in the family chapel) by himself! We often remarked that, contrary to the erroneous talk of Papa being unforgiving, he was in fact very forgiving; the only crime we thought he would find unforgiving was one committed against his wife!

“Mama has earned her place not only as the preeminent mother of Yorubas, but of the nation. She should not reject politicians who seek her fellowship whether they are Awoists or not. She must not also be expected to grovel at the altar of those who arrogate to themselves the superior office of being the only ‘true Awoists’, even as they undermine, by stealth, the interests and goodwill of her immediate family.

“Biological Awolowos learnt a lot from being daily domestic witnesses to the phenomenon that was Awo. We were insiders to the many parts of the private man of admirable and rare integrity; a grandfather with whom we annually queued up for exciting rides at theme parks; enjoyed cultural shows and plays; threw ‘knock-outs’ at Christmas and New Year; went on political campaigns; even took turns to accompany him to doctor’s visits during his annual medical check-ups, watched ‘top of the pops’, visited rubber and cocoa plantations; and learnt that true service begins not just in public, but wherever you find yourself. He showed us that greatness lies within that can only be actualised through serving others; has Omatseye any idea of how most of us live or to what we have devoted our lives? Papa would have been very proud of how his many great-grandchildren are being educated and nurtured; and of the Christian values they are being taught.

“We were privileged to be exposed to the sheer quality of the man, and there is no doubt that God expects us to do justice to that privilege, but that does not require us to be politicians or to hold public office. Whether or not we have kept faith with our legacy is certainly debatable, but Omatseye’s sweeping condemnation is wholly inappropriate and grossly uncharitable.

“Those who confuse nepotism with democracy would indeed expect Awolowo’s children and grandchildren to feel entitled to political office, or perhaps to be on the entourage of elected officers. Papa did not seek personal gratification for himself or his family; he served Nigeria with no strings attached. Perhaps if Awolowo were a Tinubu, (as it is evident from recent elections in Lagos State) many of us would hold political office, but we are Awolowos and if Omatseye wants to encourage us to be active politicians, he should have the graciousness to do so without being insulting.

“Papa told us repeatedly that his name was big enough for as many as would wish to identify with it; he said it was too big to exhaust; how true. We are comfortable enough in our own skin to let Awoists of all types blossom, Papa was not and is not a cult, and his name is larger in death because of the cause to which he devoted his life. We have enough understanding to accept that fact. Should we abide by his legacy, of course; do have to be politicians to do so; not necessarily.

“Awoists, natural and otherwise, will be judged by the ideals they live by and for; not the blood running through their veins”.




http://www.compassnewspaper.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=7729:awos-granddaughter-tinubu-a-supplanter&catid=308:headlines&Itemid=600

this write up is objective,factual while she roundly condemns what she sees as the attack on her grandmother she nevertheless acknowledges the realities on ground unlike the many puerile and juvenile attacks on the man sam omatseye and tinubu.however she must not fail to realise that
1.the man acknowledges the contributions of awolowo,what he has a gripe against is the fact that awolowo's wife seems to be betraying her husband's ideals by being partisan.
that is what should be addressed,its obvious the granddaughter is stealthily acknowledging this fact at the bolded.its like gani fawehinmi's family being a frontline supporter of pdp

violent:

Abacha would have sent zillions of troops to beat, maim, arrest, or kill (not necessarily in this order) anyone formenting trouble or at least anyone with the intentions of doing so.

How exactly does this differ from what the current administration is doing?

It matters not that you are a military or civillian leader, the massive presence of boots in the North would have achieved only very little effect to curb the excesses of a Violent group of extremist.

well the difference with the present administration is that GEJ is clueless and helpless on the best way to go about putting an end to the boko haram menance.a leader has to be resolute and decisive and pro active in his actions.like i said in the last part of my comments my own solution to the boko haram issue should be intelligence led,nothwithstanding i still believe the son was right that abacha would have dealt with it swiftly albeit deadly

@post
this isjust utter tripe!!! so what if h.i.d awolowo is over 90 yrs old,does that take away from the fact that she has compromised the ideals her late husband stood for??
why are we yorubas so irritatingly hypocritical??
winnie mandela also stood by nelson mandela for 27 years,that didnt stop her being jailed for offences committed, when the queen was out of line concerning lady diana she was told off even though she was in her 80s,when prince phillip 90 yrs old made some comments he was told off being 90 something does not mean you are now a goddess or that we should worship her.
if h.i.d desires to be accorded the respect due her age and time then she should emulate the likes of the queen of england who is same age group as she is and not be partisan in her political support.
anyone in doubt should check tribune headlines all through the week concerning the justice salami saga and also the headline

Senators uncover destabilisation plot •ACN leaders fingered •The 2015 connection when you now actually read the article,they are talking about acn looking to oppose david mark.
what else would you expect an opposition to do,applaud everything david mark a pdp senate leader says??

so what if tinubu wanted to buy the tribune??the question should be how many copies are tribune titles shifting currently compared to the nation titles?
a man sam omatseye in his 50s of sound mind and intellect wrote what in my opinion is an objective article based on his thoughts and everybody who i am sure have not read the article nor if they have dont even understand it are screaming to crucify tinubu just because he owns the paper.

really i believe abacha would have checked them first due to him being a northerner and also being a soldier with a resolute will,it takes that kind of will to depose a northern emir without caring about the backlash.
however i personally believe an intelligence led onslaught against the boko haram is the only solution not force

Kilode?!:

@Lucabrasi, since you've not cleaned it, I'll respond to the ones I understand.

i reallydont understand what you mean by"cleaning up your reply"i have gone through it again and with my limited written english skills,i believe all that i have written is clear,concise and in plain comprehension

Kilode?!:

So other modern democracies like ours choose presidential advisers and perpetuate them in office via constitutional arrangements because of their age and prior role in government?

Please post examples, I'm interested.

i guess you did not see the instance where i mentioned statesmen like papa bush,in adittion to this are bill clinton untill the present time
jimmy carter who plays the same role as the objs,ibb and co
if you r looking at the uk people like ming campbell and others i cant readily re call their names now and btw there is nowhere i mentioned or inferred that anyone of these people are "perpetuated in office via constitutional arrangement unless you ll like to show me where i did?

Kilode?!:

All these has nothing to do with the argument really.

Besides, seeking someone's advice is different from authorizing their advice via a Constitutional mandate regardless who the electorate chooses as president.

I hope you can see the difference

yes i do,and if you recall in my first comment or so,that was precisely why i said that they are there in an advisorial capacity,they cannot impose of force their views on the president/commander in chief so theres no difference really when you look at it this way

Kilode?!:

Again, this Old versus Young argument is unnecessary, The CoS is not about age obviously, except you have the original intent of the writers with you, and I will like to see that evidence.

BTW, IBB is a conniving dullard with diarrhea of the mouth. That was an unintelligent statement he made. I hope you don't believe him.

you really should go through comments and retorts we have made then you will see the reason and contexts of some of my comments,im not just making them in a vacuum.it might not be about age but there is a reason why experience plays a large part than educational attainments/
even in any company worth its salt including western world,they value the work experience more than any other qualification in considering a potential employee. moralof my pre amble?the combined experience of wellover a century locked in those statesmen's head needs to be properly utilised,think anything of them bit they will always have nuggets of wisdom nestling within advices,comments no matter how idiotic.

i believe ibb actually. why you ask me?
well dimeji bankole is one reason.
the so called youths reveling in the filthy lucre of "transport money" from gej is another reason.
the likes of dbanj,genevieve,ty bello,chude jideonwo and others making self serving and kiss ass statements is nother reason so dont blame me for subscribing to IBB'S views

Kilode?!:

What is your point really? Because Bankole is corrupt then all Nigerians are corrupt? or all Young Nigerians are corrupt?

pls check above,i have addressed this
btw i will be interested if you can show me a number of youths who have done a quarter of what the likes f gani,beko and co did in their time or that have showed a quarter of moral probity/uprightness like those gys,

Kilode?!:

Are you saying that is the reason why we should have the CoS and keep the former leaders in power constitutionally!!

. . .and continue to allow them influence any new president we elect?!!!

again this has been adequately dealt with ,pls refer to comments above
they do not unduly,note the operative word[b] unduly[/b] influence anything,ibb/buhari in concert with atiku came up with a candidate but lost.the great obj lost in his ward and state his daughter lost her elections so what influence exactly?

Kilode?!:

This is not about age bro, and it is not about morality, it is about a silly constitutional idea that's keeping the same folks in power perpetually. We don't know why the writers did that.

You are suggesting they did it because they want old experienced folks in government to advice the president, I'm saying that is a dumb reason.

well,like i said irrespective of the notion behind it,the reality is that they cannot enforce their views,they only have a relatively ceremonial office and are more like a rubber stamp,the last elections has shown this clearly.
its like saying that the queen of england has the power to call ageneral election because the constitution gives her the power to consitutionally utter the dates. we all know the power resides with the pm in cabinet and just like the council of state the power is token/ceremonial

Kilode?!:

I believe they did it to protect the interests of those who want to keep controlling Nigeria.

well they are clearly not ruling even their wards,talk less of state so i will be interested if you show me what or where they are ruling.
last i heard and read obj's candidate for governor lost
for senator lost,for speaker of reps lost

Kilode?!:

That nobody is practising a perfect system of government anywhere does not mean we should have state sanctioned Cronyism or Constitutionally empowered Godfathers.

i dont know about state sanctioned or constitutionally empowered but look around you and you will find cronies and godfathers everywhere
who or what is lord levy to t blair?
who or what is rupert murdoch to the conservative party?
this page will not even be enough to list the godfathers the tobacco and oil magnates behing both papa bush and little georgie
the tea party movement are being funded by godfathers who just like their nigerian counterparts have even remained hidden
Because we can't possibly have a world without murderers doesn't mean murder should be accepted. get it?

Kilode?!:

And you are 1 in 150Million too Sire. You have no evidence to prove that most Nigerians WANT Brutish leaders.

Actually, you might be the only one who enjoys brutalization.

i will suggest you do a cursory study of the peculiar nature of the nation called nigeria,compare GEJ's lukewarm,nice friendly government with obj and other's government, the bombs are still going off, politicians are still taking undue advantage of his nature,everything is crumbling around him he ie even giving away too much concessions
besides in a presidential system of governance being nice,cudly friendly e.t.c has not worked yet unless you will care to show me where it has