The year was 1965. I was an innocent starry-eyed
13 year-old and Nigeria was in turmoil. It was the era of the “wetie,”
when the houses of politicians and key public-figures were burnt down in
the brouhaha that was then Western Nigeria.
Fani-Power, Fani-igbo: I was having private lessons in Mathematics at the home of a colleague, Enitan Abiodun, when we heard the noise of a crowd outside. We rushed to the veranda to see Chief Remi Fani-Kayode (alias Fani-Power), then Deputy Governor of the Western Region, standing on the seat of a moving convertible. He was surrounded by a mob, which was shouting and hailing him. On hearing the noise, Enitan’s mother rushed to the veranda shouting “Awo!” only to discover that the people outside were not supporters of Chief Obafemi Awolowo, but those of his arch-enemies.
The shout of “Awo!” by Mrs. Abiodun brought the procession to a screeching halt.
“Who said that? Who said that?” demanded the mob, enraged.
“Fani-Power” turned and looked up at us. His eyes were the usual blood-shot red. At the time, many claimed it was because he regularly smoked Indian-hemp. Fani-Kayode pointed to our building and identified to his thugs that the offending shout came from our direction. We did not know that the floor of the convertible he was standing in was loaded with empty bottles. His thugs reached for the bottles and rained them down on us as we all scrambled back inside the house for dear life.
Like father, like son: That was 48 years ago. Today, Femi Fani-Kayode, the 53-year-old son of “Fani-Power,” continues in the mischievous tradition of his father: throwing dangerous missiles at the innocent. He recently wrote an incendiary article entitled: ‘The Bitter truth about the Igbo” in which he maligned the Igbos and virtually told them to get out of Lagos and leave Lagos for the Yorubas.
What is peculiar about the article is that Femi Fani-Kayode himself is no more Lagosian than the Igbos he berates. The Fani-Kayodes are not from Lagos. They are from Ile-Ife in Osun State. Femi Fani-Kayode’s only legitimate claim to Lagos is that he was born there.
But then so were many Igbos who are, therefore, Lagosians. Moreover, Igbo-Lagosians have one up on Femi Fani-Kayode. They live in Lagos. Femi Fani-Kayode does not. Igbo-Lagosians work in Lagos and pay taxes to the Lagos State government. Femi Fani-Kayode does not. Therefore, what right does he have to write his diatribe against them? What right does he have to maintain Lagos does not belong to Igbo-Lagosians?
Having thrown these bottles maliciously, Femi Fani-Kayode decided to throw a few more. He wrote another invective entitled: “A Word For Those Who Say I Am A Tribalist.” In order to demonstrate that he was not anti-Igbo, he presented the cliché that some of his best friends are Igbos. As proof, he detailed three Igbo women (some of them happily-married) he claims to have had affairs with. Only God knows how this shows he is not biased against the Igbos. Slave-traders slept with their slaves. Is that proof they were not racist?
The jury is out already. Femi Fani-Kayode is a bigoted tribalist. Only a tribalist can say he is not anti-Igbo and then say this about the Igbos: “(They are) collectively unlettered, uncouth, uncultured, unrestrained and crude in all their ways.” “They have no restraining factors because money and the acquisition of wealth is their sole objective and purpose in life.”
Clearly, Femi Fani-Kayode is out of control. He has become something of a train-wreck. He was President Obasanjo’s agent-provocateur for so long, where he maligned elder-statesmen like Yakubu Gowon; he no longer knows how to speak with decorum.
The American model: I am Yoruba. Nevertheless, I repeat; the Igbos of Lagos are Lagosians. They are Lagosians whether ethnic jingoists like Femi Fani-Kayode like it or not. The Lagos branch of the old Action Congress of Nigeria acknowledged that no less than 45% of the population of Lagos is Igbo.
That is a fact that cannot be ignored or simply wished-away. It is not improbable that, in a few years time, the majority of people living in Lagos will be Igbos. Short of changing the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, that tells me an Igbo man can rightfully become the future Governor of Lagos State. That should give some food-for-thought to the Fani-Kayodes.
The system of government in Nigeria is modeled after that of the United States. In the U.S., Hilary Clinton is a native of Illinois. Nevertheless, in 2000 she contested for election as Senator in New York and won. She was eligible to run for the seat simply because she and her husband moved to New York and lived there for only one year. Similarly, some Igbos have been in Lagos for 50 years.
That should make them eligible to run for office. If they vote the ethnic card, as Yorubas often do, Femi Fani-Kayode might have a heart-attack. An Igbo man might conceivably become the Governor of Lagos State. That is what democracy is all about.
The growing political muscle of Igbo-Lagosians has been obscured by electoral malpractices. That cannot last forever. Sooner than later, Igbo-Lagosians will start to pull their political weight in Lagos.
True indigenes of Lagos, as opposed to carpet-baggers like the Fani-Kayodes, have traditionally been open-minded about Igbos and non-indigenes. Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, a Nigerian nationalist who happened to be Igbo, once won an election in Lagos, before Awolowo appealed to tribal politics to truncate it.
Grudging acknowledgement of the growing political clout of the Igbos led to the appointment of a token Igbo man, Pastor Ben Akabueze, as Commissioner for Economic Planning and Budget in Lagos by Governor Babatunde Fashola; a post he has held for six years.
Femi Fani-Kayode should have gone to court to challenge that appointment. Soon, such tokenism will just not cut it. Igbo-Lagosians will demand a more proportionate share of the local political power. If they play their cards right, they will get it. Igbo-Lagosians vote in Lagos. Therefore, they can be voted for in Lagos. No constitutional amendment is required to bring this about.
Given his educational background, one would have expected Fani-Kayode to be more enlightened. A Nigerian cannot be an alien in Nigeria. An Igbo man cannot be an alien in Lagos. Igbos are not illegal aliens in Lagos. They are at home. In Nigeria, a Nigerian is entitled to live wherever he wants. If the resources of the Niger-Delta can be Nigerianised to the benefit of Yoruba-Lagosians, then Lagos cannot be the exclusive preserve of Yoruba-Lagosians.
Since Nigeria belongs to all Nigerians, then Lagos belongs to all Nigerians. During the census enumeration, some of us insisted that Igbos must stay and be counted in Lagos for that very reason.
Since Igbo-Lagosians are a significant part of the local population who contribute immensely to key sectors of the economy, the national census must reflect the fact that they live and work in Lagos.
I recently visited London after a ten-year absence. What I saw was a highly cosmopolitan city with people of different nationalities, including Nigerians. London is no longer a town of the English. It is now a megalopolis in the true sense of the word. On several occasions, I overheard people speaking Yoruba in the streets of London. On one occasion, I could not resist the urge to interject, even though uninvited.
Nigerians are everywhere. On a visit in May 2013 to Washington D.C., United States for the Nigerian Development and Finance Forum, under the auspices of Financial Nigeria Limited, I was informed by the Deputy Ambassador of Nigeria to the United States that there are currently five million Nigerians in the U.S. There are even more Nigerians in Sudan; over eight million.
Nigerians constitute a significant percentage of the population of Cote d’Ivoire. There are more Nigerians in Equatorial Guinea than Equatorial-Guineans. There is no country on planet earth where you will not find a sizeable population of Nigerians. U.N. projections predict that Nigeria will soon be the fourth largest country in the world, surpassed by only China, India and the United States. Under such circumstances, a Nigerian like Femi Fani-Kayode should not be hankering after a small real-estate called Lagos. Nigerians must become citizens of the world.
Joseph was a Jewish slave in Egypt. Nevertheless, he rose to become the Egyptian Prime-Minister. That happened in biblical days, and not twenty-first century Egypt. More recently in 2008, Barack Obama, the son of a Kenyan, became president of the United States. In 2010, John Abraham Godson, a Nigerian-born Polish citizen became a Member of Parliament in Poland. In April, 2013, Cecile Kyenge, born in the Democratic Republic of Congo, became the Minister of Integration of the Republic of Italy. Surely, Femi Fani-Kayode cannot discern these signs of the times. Especially, the new Nigeria. M.K.O. Abiola, a Yoruba man, won his famous presidential election in 1993 by relying on Hausa, Fulani, Igbo and other votes. He was not just elected by Yorubas. Yorubas did not even vote for Olusegun Obasanjo in 1999. He became President by relying on northern, eastern and south-south votes. Goodluck Jonathan became president in 2011 by forging a coalition that stretched across the Niger and the Benue to all parts of Nigeria.
When Odumegwu Ojukwu died, the entire nation of Nigeria consoled the Igbos.
Collectively, we declared with one voice that the civil war is truly over. We must not allow the Femi Fani-Kayodes to turn back the clock. Next time Femi Fani-Kayode wants to tell us “the bitter truth,” he should tell us about N19.5 billion Aviation Fund mismanaged under his watch as Minister of Aviation under the Obasanjo administration. That is the bitter truth we need to hear from him right now.
Femi Aribisala
Related to this: ‘The Bitter truth about the Igbo”
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Wow!!! God bless you daddy a true Nigerian! Infact words from the mouth of an elder are indeed tresures.shame on you fani-kayode like pikin like papa.
ReplyDeleteWow!! The fact that this man is a yoruba says a lot of things. I really think Femi Fani Kayode's book on "the bitter truth about the igbo" or his opinion on the Nigerian civil is not necessary. This country has serious security challenges and in my opinion should be our pre-occupation at this very moment.
ReplyDeleteOh my Lord! Sanity at last. Bigots, read that and learn.
ReplyDeletetrue talk my brother. Fani is a big fool who didn't even kn his state. H's a thief.
ReplyDeleteAll I can but say is wow! I commented in the last write up of Mr FFK that arguments should be criticised constructively. And this is a constructive critisicm, one which I applaud and agree with. We want peace not chaos in our beloved country Nigeria. Good bless Nigeria!
ReplyDeleteAt last someone to shut up that thug. Short. Sharp. Straight to the point. No messing with Femi Aribisala
ReplyDeleteNigerians and our global readers have you not heard the real bitter truth about Fan-Kayode who was not ashamed enough after his last appointment as aviation minister mismanaged the nation`s aviation fund was stupidly writing rubbish that could cause serious damage to the unity of our great nation . Mr. Fani-Kayode I read from the internet that some time ago that you travelled to Minna , Niger state to see IBB over your so called proposal for the present governor of Niger state to be elected as the next president in 2015 . Mr. Femi Fani-Kayode thanks a lot for that visitation but my question is this ,why did you not pay such visit to IBB in 2007? Why did you not make such proposal then ? When IBB marked his 65ft birthday in 2007 many great Nigerian like Alex Akinyele, Okorocha etc. were all there but you were not there because you were against IBB . Agreeing with Femi Aribisala ,the evil that men do still leave after them .
ReplyDeleteAm particularly filled with enormous admiration for this well-thought rejoinder. I don't possess any dark hatred for anybody in the mould of FFK. What i hate is the deep effect it is generating. FFK and his ilk can do better. It's a huge worry to me that he's busy fanning into life the slowly dying embers of discord, forgetting that such poor uncalculated essays can severe the line of friendship that promotes inter-tribal cordiality. FFK quoted some history, so did Samuel Okafor and many other. Who's lying? Who's saying the truth? All of them are elders meant to be trusted. But in the light of FFK self-invented problem, we're now unsure of who to believe. I plead with us all to research more, cos in the face of truth darkness and falsehood disappears like a mirage. God bless men of goodwill. God bless Nigeria.
ReplyDeleteDOZMARIA
A round of applause, u deserve!
ReplyDeleteLet the truth be told; I appreciate the sensible part of your intelligent illustrations and of course, I resent the illogical and rather resentful ones.
If your proclamation is that people of FFK's nature should be cautioned and more enlightened, I do believe that you need more enlightenment Sir, because you are aggravating and bringing this controversial issue back to life. But it's not your fault, it's FFK's.
First of all, NO IGBO claimed lagos as their heritage neither do ANY IGBO claim lagos as their lineage, or why do you think that the EAST is so far from the WEST? It's because of periods like this. so why your provocative article FFK?
Femi Aribisala! I don't want to falter your write-up much, so that after this article, you won't encounter a writing apprehension especially if my comment appears first. The fact remains that the torture you received from Fani-power as a result of your poke nose has absolutely nothing to do with this issue, but since you decided to trace the inheritance of despotism in Fani-kayodes, I want you to know that FFK's action here and Fani-power are highly unrelated because not all disposition is inherited from one's family or were you told that AbdulMutallib inherited terrorism from his father???
You myopically capitalised on U.S in your vague assertions, have you forgot that U.S got independence in 1776? Comparing Nigerians' status and modulus operendi to Americans' is just like comparing a child to his great grand father, I suggest you should rather preach emulation "where necessary" and not comparison. May be you don't even know that Obama is a half-caste; a kenyan and an American(so you are wrong to associate him to kenyan alone) and by birth an American(again) (born in kansas). Therefore, he's more of America than Kenya.
You said "Since Nigeria belongs to all Nigerians, then Lagos belongs to all Nigerians", then all Igbos can claim lagos... Why don't you also accept that your sitting room belongs to all Nigerian beggars and they are always welcome to watch television? Learn how to use logics; that reasoning is neither inductive nor deductive- it doesn't hold water.
You said "In 2010, John Abraham Godson, a Nigerian-born Polish citizen became a Member of Parliament in Poland". You would have been excellent if he became a member of parliament in NIGERIA. That would have been more logical.
You also implied that if the igbos could "play their cards well", they will dominate politics in Lagos. I use this momentum opportunity to implore you to teach them 'how best' to play their cards. People like you needs a high level of orientation to stop triggering provocation.
Personally, I don't see anything bad or impossible in what I see as "inter-tribal domination of politics" in our respective states devoid of prejudice, sentiment, selfishness, tribalism or regionalism. Where an Igbo man will be the governor in Oyo state and a Hausa man in Lagos State, infact, a Youruba man in kano state. But the atmosphere of contemporary Nigeria is not permitting because we all think that that will give us the impetus and the audacity to maltreat one-another. Why this? I'm yet to get an exposition.
Of course, together shall we take Nigeria to a charismatic level among her contemporaries. D level in which d universe have long awaited (to witness) and Nigeria shall break new grounds, set the pace in which others shall follow........Her clarion shall b an indispensable warning to the rest of the world and her lead will be the best path any other nation can thread. I rise! Prof.
You do not seem to understand his write up so let's break it down. He said the Nigerian system of government is modelled after that of the US. He did not say Nigeria is the US so I don't get you giving us the age diff. He also noted that with time we would get to the point of an Igbo man ruling Lagos or a Hausa man ruling Imo.
DeleteAlso Obama is Kenyan. His name says it clearly. American politics is so sensitize that only once has a Catholic been president. So it is almost unfanthomable that a black man ( remember the only black grandfather or is it great grandfather rule) gets to lead them. He may be mixed to you but to Americans he's black.
One final point, Nigeria does belong do all Nigerias as the constitutions states. I'm an Igbo girl, my father moved to Lagos in the 50's. I was born and raised in Lagos all my life. How can I be anything other than a Lagosian. Yes Lagos belongs to the beggars as well. But my private property belongs to me so ur argument of beggars sitting in his living room watching tv is pretty pointless.
We are not one Nigerian and can never be. Let's put personal sentiments aside. How many Igbos do we have in the Northern cabinet? How many Hausa's do we have in the East as a commissioner? It can only happen in Lagos.
DeleteCome to think of it,the fact that hausas & yorubas don't become commissioners in the east is quite defendable. Ibos buy & deveope land anywhere in Nigeria today even though it costs much more than it would have cost him to buy same in his village. Most of them built even more beautiful houses than they built in their father's compound,because they aren't bigots. They have believe in Nigeria even more than thosr that fought for it after they lost the fight for Biafra. If they did not want Nigeria,they would have restricted all their activities to the east.They don't mind the fact that their investments and property contribute to another man's hometown. When you go to the east,you see the other tribes putting up in shabby slums erected with disposable materials like planks,old corrugated iron sheets,even nylon sheets simply bcos they don't think their wealth is worth investing in another man's land. In this regard,who has more tribalistic instincts? Yorubas or Ibos? You and I know that economically viable human resources from the west and the North don't migrate to other sections especially to the east,who stops them from doing this except their tribal sentiments. When you see Northerners in the east,they can hardly express themselves in English language,same as the Yoruba. Can you possibly make pple like this part of your government? The learned Hausas & Yoruba restrict themselves to their region,probably because they wouldn't want other tribes to benefit from their well-being. You & I know that the number of companies,factories,& investments, small scale & large scale owned by the Ibos in the west outnumber by overwhelming magnitude that owned by the other tribes in the East. Does this not show how Nigerian Ibos are?. For you who said 'we are not Nigerians',The correct thing you should have said is,'I am not Nigerian'. Speak for yourself. Ordinarily when someone does something undesirable to you,the next thing to expect is your retaliation. Therefore I challenge anyone that feels cheated about Ibos occupying his home or state of origin,to go and occupy Iboland likewise. As far as I am concerned Nigerians fought the war against Biafra so that we shall remain Nigerians,& Nigerians we shall all remain. All the crap all of you are talking will not change any situation. If you think otherwise,then go ahead & pick up your arms & get the greatest surprise of your life......... Chris Abara.
DeleteA round of applause, u deserve!
ReplyDeleteLet the truth be told; I appreciate the sensible part of your intelligent illustrations and of course, I resent the illogical and rather resentful ones.
If your proclamation is that people of FFK's nature should be cautioned and more enlightened, I do believe that you need more enlightenment Sir, because you are aggravating and bringing this controversial issue back to life. But it's not your fault, it's FFK's.
First of all, NO IGBO claimed lagos as their heritage neither do ANY IGBO claim lagos as their lineage, or why do you think that the EAST is so far from the WEST? It's because of periods like this. so why your provocative article FFK?
Femi Aribisala! I don't want to falter your write-up much, so that after this article, you won't encounter a writing apprehension especially if my comment appears first. The fact remains that the torture you received from Fani-power as a result of your poke nose has absolutely nothing to do with this issue, but since you decided to trace the inheritance of despotism in Fani-kayodes, I want you to know that FFK's action here and Fani-power are highly unrelated because not all disposition is inherited from one's family or were you told that AbdulMutallib inherited terrorism from his father???
You myopically capitalised on U.S in your vague assertions, have you forgot that U.S got independence in 1776? Comparing Nigerians' status and modulus operendi to Americans' is just like comparing a child to his great grand father, I suggest you should rather preach emulation "where necessary" and not comparison. May be you don't even know that Obama is a half-caste; a kenyan and an American(so you are wrong to associate him to kenyan alone) and by birth an American(again) (born in kansas). Therefore, he's more of America than Kenya.
You said "Since Nigeria belongs to all Nigerians, then Lagos belongs to all Nigerians", then all Igbos can claim lagos... Why don't you also accept that your sitting room belongs to all Nigerian beggars and they are always welcome to watch television? Learn how to use logics; that reasoning is neither inductive nor deductive- it doesn't hold water.
You said "In 2010, John Abraham Godson, a Nigerian-born Polish citizen became a Member of Parliament in Poland". You would have been excellent if he became a member of parliament in NIGERIA. That would have been more logical.
You also implied that if the igbos could "play their cards well", they will dominate politics in Lagos. I use this momentum opportunity to implore you to teach them 'how best' to play their cards. People like you needs a high level of orientation to stop triggering provocation.
Personally, I don't see anything bad or impossible in what I see as "inter-tribal domination of politics" in our respective states devoid of prejudice, sentiment, selfishness, tribalism or regionalism. Where an Igbo man will be the governor in Oyo state and a Hausa man in Lagos State, infact, a Youruba man in kano state. But the atmosphere of contemporary Nigeria is not permitting because we all think that that will give us the impetus and the audacity to maltreat one-another. Why this? I'm yet to get an exposition.
Of course, together shall we take Nigeria to a charismatic level among her contemporaries. D level in which d universe have long awaited (to witness) and Nigeria shall break new grounds, set the pace in which others shall follow........Her clarion shall b an indispensable warning to the rest of the world and her lead will be the best path any other nation can thread. I rise! Prof
You have really said well, and i believe you have said the mind of so many people. What is this Aribisala getting at?
DeleteDespit all dis let's give peace a chance Am an IGBO guy 4rom ANAMBRA STATE (NENI) village pleeding 4 dat same 1 NIGERIA. We all as a nation have some short-coming Y can't we face our real ISSUE and MOVE on. Dat spirit of anger won't do us any gud. LAGOS state is 4 d YOROBA'S dat is d fact every other trbe dere are strangers including we IGBO's GOD bless LAGOS state GOD bless ANAMBRA state GOD bless NIGERIA
ReplyDeleteYou are an ndigbo man I will like to have as a friend. If your words are sincerely from your heart. I vote you hand and leg.
Deletefeel free to buy land in Lagos as you want.
One Nigeria.
And God bless you too for stating the obvious.
DeleteThank u real gud
DeleteIYALA MAN!!
ReplyDeleteNOW!! YOU FINALLY HAVE YOUR "POUND OF FLESH" OR MAYBE "TONS OF JOINTS"
FAMILY FEUD SHOULD BE BEST SETTLED AT HOME OR IN YOUR COMMUNITY. I GUESS.
PLEASE DO NOT BRING US INTO YOUR PERSONAL PROBLEMS.
THANKS FOR THE INSIGHT ALL THE SAME
Please u need 2 grow up
Delete
ReplyDeleteVERY GOOD PRESENTATION.
WELL LETTERED.
A TRUE YORUBA MAN!!!
BACK STABBERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Wow! God bless this man! Thank God it is coming from a true Yoruba man this time. A word Is enough for the wise.
ReplyDeleteLet us leave as 1 GOD bless nigeria
ReplyDeleteThis is the most thought provoking response that I have read since Femi started his crusade against the Igbos. Incidentally, it is coming from a Yoruba man.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteFani-Power was Arch enemy to Awo
Its the same Awo you claimed appealed to Tribal sentiments to Rob an Igbo man of an election he won in Lagos
You had to run for your dear lives because, you all hailed Awo! who ensured that Zik never ruled Lagos
Yet! you are claiming to LOVE the Igbo!
Its obvious that you will do ANYTHING to have a go at your presumed enemies even if it entails you calling your Matriarch a Witch!
Point taken.
Maybe all Tithes should come to You OH ARIBISALA F.
Off course your name confirmed your actions,
You'll always RUN.....
hmmm,so their are still people who dnt condom nonsense. pastor you will live long with healthy life. The only outspoken yoruba man in this saga.ffk go and commit suicide
ReplyDeleteI read with tears of joy that we still have people who believe in the Unity of Nigeria.This alone has taken away every bitterness I ve since the deportation and FFK saga. One love Nigeria
ReplyDeletefemi we will be interested to kno more about the aviation funds missing under ur leadership, FEMI
ReplyDeleteTHE BIGOT
Well written.
ReplyDeletekazeem Bolarinwa and the likes are as myopic as FFK's. We as a nation aspire for greatness, why cant we make the needed sacrifice? One of such sacrifices Femi Aribisala simply said that if one has a right to vote for, that same right should be "employed" in voting for him. Why should you compare this with inviting beggars to come and watch television in your house. Your arguement is even worse than that of FFK.This goes a long way to show that there are educated destitutes. Mr Kazeem, You are one of them!!! Femi Aribisala, God bless you!!!
ReplyDeleteFemi Aribisala, As an Igbo man, I am in a position to say thank you to you but I am saying thank you to you on behalf of all well meaning Nigerians. God has just spoken through you on the bitter truth about the Igbos not because they are Igbos but because we are all Nigerians. The elite Igbos have decided to keep quite over this issue about Femi-Fani Kayode simply because he projects himself as an un-educated person. Most of the Igbo people myself inclusive are Doctors of Philosophy in different fields in academics. We are capable to catalogue Femi Fani Kayode or write a negative thesis about him. The fact remains that he is so insignificant to people of our calibre. Most of use well trained and educated Igbos who were born in Lagos are not as ruthly as Femi Fani Kayode, who even went ahead to stated in one of his write-ups that he stand to be challenged by any Igboman that is his match. Like someone rightly stated in a follow up article, Femi Fani Kayode is only certificated and not educated. He has proved that in all his papers filled up with arrant, incomprehensive, clumsy and uncoordinated sentences. I am of equal opinion that some respected elders in Yoruba land should call him to order. We do not want another war in this Country, please, Mr. Femi-Fani Kayode. I urge you to learn how to respect yourself both now and in the future because tribalism is worst than wild fire. Femi Aribisala, you are a true Nigerian, you actually spoke on behalf of all Nigerians and God in his infinite mercy will continue to Bless you.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know anybody will be taking Femi Fani Kayode seriously. Any time he spoke, even when he was a minister, he reminded me of the patients I treat, they are of the PAEDIATRIC age group. Just as you have physical dwarfs, you can also have people who somewhere along the line stopped growing emotionally and commonsense-wise.
ReplyDeleteFFK speaks his age....PAEDIATRIC!!!
Nigerians should simply ignore him and go on with the business of unifying this great nation.
hello sir,i remember your expose' on tithing the other time and another concisive, enlightened and unbiased piece like this.i was learned.Thank you
ReplyDeleteU nailed it. Where is FFK? Maybe his next write up will be "The Bitter Truth About The Yorubas"
ReplyDeleteFemi Aribisala is old F...he is out of point...d question is ''do d igbos av d same ryt as d yorubas in Lagos??'' but before dis old F man called Femi Aribisala answered d question,i want u 2 knw dat no yoruba who lives in Niger Delta can claim anywhere more dan d Niger Delta ppl.likewise also,no yoruba man who lives in Kano can claim anywhere in Kano more dan a Hausa unless he doesnt want 2 com back home alive...pls any1 dat knows dis man called Femi Aribisala should tell him tribalism exists everywhere...it has started more dan a century ago nd it will neva stop until d end of dis world....dere shuld be clear differences between ''Onile and Alejo''...Lagos is not a no-man's land...it belongs 2 d yorubas
ReplyDeleteThank God someone is sayingsomething reasonable and at this point the Pro FFKs cannot say a word. No more 200+ comments. Thanks to a true Nigeian....
ReplyDelete@Femi aribisala, cos of the yoruba blood in your veins you were able to do what several eastern sons couldnt do. But I couldn't help but notice d long standing hatred you have had for the fain-kayodes from your childhood. Judging by your grey hair you have allowed hatred and beef to have deep roots,branches and tentacles. I suggest you learn to forgive perhaps not forget.
ReplyDeleteYou could have written without attacking the young fani kayode. But the hint of that Yoruba back stabbing ,betrayal nature just manifested. Something no other tribe in nigeria will do except us the yorubas as we did in ilorin afonja story.
Be warned cos you crave attention and relevance too.
You have plenty skeletons in your cupboard and we are watching,as easily as you bring down and betray your kin so shall we do to you.
May kharma prevail on the unforgiving one.
I am from Lagos Island. My dad used to tell me in the 1970s that Mr Femi Fani-Kayode's maternal grand mother was born into a Lagos family. My older brother also confirmed this recently, and that he knew the old woman and had clear recollections of her in the family compound somewhere between Balogun and Apongon.
ReplyDeleteAM AN IGBO MAN AND I LOVE THE YORUBAS,,.. FOR THIS BLESSED SON OF THE YORUBA'S I WILL SAY THIS AGAIN AND AGAIN.
ReplyDeleteWE WILL ALL DIE ONE DAY AND LEAVE THIS EARTH LIKE THE AWO'S,,THE ZIK'S,,THE AMADU BELO'S,,, AND WE WILL LEAVE WITH NOTHING... MAY GOD GIVE ME HIS WISDOM...
Arisala, you missed the point. do your home work properly before putting on your pen. FANI-POWER was ZIK supporter, meaning that he supported the IGBOs even agaist his Yorubas Awoist. So, what is your argument about? your write-up is erroneous and baseless. you just wish to re-fuel the crisis maybe for other reasons. Are u doing the Igbos well by inciting Yoruba against them ,,,saying the Igbos owned LAgos?, You must definitely be a FOOL or bastard that lack the needed bio-cultural traits of the YORUBAs.
ReplyDeleteBecos Lagos is no mans land period.
ReplyDeleteFantastic truth, spoken with dignity, spiced up with integrity and intellectual capacity.
ReplyDeleteNow, I smile....
Beware of APC!!!
ReplyDeleteTinubu+fashola+buhari represents the Awo and Gowon of old.
FFK is a prodigal son of APC. He is voicing out the pains of APC.
God bless you sir! You are a True Nigerian. FFK just want attention so stop giving it to him,it is only when one has a myopic way of thinking dt he wil mention names of his ex lovers irrespective of dem being married in a public article and call dt bitter truth.only for him to come out after some days to apologise.Nigeria belongs to all
ReplyDeleteFemi Aribisala,an elder,has spoken.what makes you an elder is your ability to outgrow emotions.Injustice against igbo has alwz been.Femi Aribisala cd have also jump into the band-waggon of those supporting FFK but he didnt.when igbo were slaughtered,likes of Wole Soyinka were so free too have supported d killings but he didnt.He even preferred to go to jail.i also read Femi Falana's piece on this.Infact he was extremely careful not to hurt people's sensibility.Even chukwuemeka Ezeife in his comments emphasized d "ibo-yoruba relationship" which he has bn fighting tooth and nail to preserve.These are personalities that will alwz be relevant anytime issues of national concern come,and never the likes of FFK.One thing remains very instructive in Femi Aribisala's piece:the world is growing and getting to a stage in which everyone wd be free to live in anywhere he wishes,within his country or even out side his country.if u think otherwise&allow it worry ur head,u can't stop it but cd only develop heart attack
ReplyDeleteThis is coming from a Nigerian.Men that talk from heart and not their anus.Kudos.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your wonderful rejoinder,I hope those insatiable pro FFK fans can now satisfactorily countered by another Nigerian. Any more points?
ReplyDeleteI think you wrote to settle old score with FFK,this is not a personal matter.What FFK arguement is based on is dat you don't own a place because you hold a post there.For all the examples you have given can they claim they are the owners of those land?Can you say London is no man's land because people speak yoruba on the street?Is Sudan a no man's land because we have over 8 million Nigerians there?Even after becoming the prime minister did Joseph claim to be an Egyptians? Get the arguement right sir.You claim Igbo is 45% of Lagos population, Habaaaa!What is the population of Yoruba?Hausa?Ebira?Egun?Ijaw?Calabar?All other tribes in Lagos?I think you are bias because of what FFK father did to your home this is not an avenue to pay back.An Ibo man can be anything in Lagos even a governor that does not make Lagos a no man's land. Come to think of it, what is the percentage of Igbo that was sent home compare to those that live in Lagos?1%,10% or 0.0000000001%.We just like to leave the main thing and dwell on the infinitesimal issues.Lawan Farouk collected $6200,000 bribe and he is still collect salary as a senator.A police collect N25,000.00 and he was dismissed.What a country?Well all of us need to get things right sha
ReplyDeleteSplendid!! That's the point.
Delete@anon 9:44am Fani Power was supporting Zik so as to get back at The GREAT AWO & bcos he LOVES ZIK.
ReplyDelete@kazeem, pls stop this Igbo hatred.
As for FANI KAYODE, his "BITTER TRUTHS" will EXPOSE the the "SWEET TRUTHS" about Ur UGLY past, pressent and FUTURE.
As for U IGBO HATERS do not allow the WRATH of GOD fall upon U all for DESPISING his CHOOSEN BLACK RACE- UMU ISRAEL.
Hmmmmmmmnnn, for it is appointed unto man to die once, after that, JUDGEMENT! we brought NOTHING and we shall leave with NOTHING! YORUBA, IBO, HAUSA are we not one? no tribe in HEAVEN its all sentiments
ReplyDeleteI am placated. Hitherto, I was thinking that the mentally depressed Femi Fani Koyede was speaking the minds of the Yorubas, but I have known that Femi is just a prodigal Yoruba irredentist whose western education is a colossal waste.
ReplyDeleteTo say the least, this is most objective write-up I have read in recent times. Femi Fani-Kayode should concentrate on answering his corruption charges rather than telling us a bigoted and nonsensical 'bitter truth'
ReplyDeleteTruly there is need to check Igbo people in Yoruba Land,not only in lagos.An Igbo man punished me in our office as at 1999 that the Yorubas did not allow them to get Biafra republic.
ReplyDeleteI also spent 3years writing a 3months project under an Igbo lecturer in Fut minna,who categorically told me that I will spent extra years because of the role Yorubas played during the civil war.
So, if educated Ibos are behaving like this to the yoruba generations,then we should not allow them and their destitutes to cage us in Lagos,Afterall Igbos are unfriendly to visitors in their towns. more support for fanikayode.
Lagosian learn to live in peace with other people not only igbos, we are one (one nigeria). I don't know if the yoruba wants to divide this country into two. Leave the igbos alone. Just live in peace. Most of you that are saying bad things about igbos, I'm very sure that all of you are christian. The Bible says that we should love one another
ReplyDeleteGod bless u sir, Femi Aribisala. Fani Kayode should get acquainted with what is happening in contemporary times.
ReplyDeleteAM PROUD OF THIS OUR FATHER AND BROTHER.HE IS A REAL NIGERIAN AND A TRUE YORUBA MAN WITH GOOD EDUCATION AND CIVILIZATION.THIS IS THE TRUE PICTURE OF A YORUBA MAN AND NOT THAT OF THE SO CALLED FF KAYODE. EVERY NIGERIAN WILL BE HAPPY TO READ HIS WRITE UP EXCEPT THE UNCIVILIZED ONES.MAY GOD BLESS YOU,OUR FATHER AND BROTHER!MAY GOD BLESS THE YORUBAS OF HIS KIND!!MAY GOD BLESS NIGERIANS WITH ONE NIGERIA SPIRIT!!!
ReplyDeleteKudos!!! A well written article. If we are all suppossed to work together and live together in peace, then no one should be restricted as to where they can live. I am a Nigerian who is now U.S.A citizen. I can go anywhere I please in the united states and can also run for office if I choose. Why can't I come to my own country live anywhere I choose and run for office in any of the states? If we are one Nigeria, then let us live as one Nigeria. No Nigerian should be treated like a stranger in their own motherland. If we cannot accept each other and allow everyone to live where they choose, then we are just pretending to be one Nigeria. We are still very much tribalistic and therefore should split and go our separate ways. Unless we are willing to accept each other and allow other tribes to come and live with another tribe, then we are all fooling ourselves that we are one. It means we are still not one in which case, it is time to divorce each other. And by the way, Lagos does not belong to the Yorubas. It belongs to the EDO people. Do you know the meaning of EKO? EKO is not a Yoruba word. It is an edo word meaning My home/My town.
ReplyDeleteTell him b'cos if he does not learn in time, his end is near.
ReplyDeleteTell it as it is to this foolish man called Fani-Kayode. That this man held the portfolio of "Minister" in Nigeria is a major embarrassment. It is the leadership of such individuals that has set the country adrift, a motion that is probably unrecoverable, unless God sends a mesiah. More than 90% of the country does not enjoy dependable electricity; joblessness is among the highest in the world. Yet our Ministers fly in charter jets with large entourages to international meetings where some of them do not even comprehend the issues or understand what is being said. Our leaders need sensitization training and massive orientation in diplomacy, because when some of them open their mouths to talk, you can only fold your hands and wonder who these fools are. Fani-Kayode is one of such people!
ReplyDeletehonestly i will recommend femi-Aribisala for firing squad bcz all what you have written is baseless and meaningless to what Femi Fanikayode has written about the so called igbos, what might have happened between the two of you does not warrant you to tell lies about your country man not to talk about your fellow tribe man bcz you want to rubbish him so that the public will see him as a tribalistic fellow, i know you very well Mr.Femi Aribisala for your misguided comment on elites of this country bcz you are not favored in one way on the other from a juicy contract, you are once a marabout in the corridors of power when Obasanjo was the president and when Femi Fanikayode was not even a serving minister under Obasanjo, if it were Obasanjo that wrote this same comments about the igbos, honestly you would have written what is more worse than this your self-centered article that is totally baseless and a proof of personal hatred on Femi Fanikayode as a native of Nigeria..., even if it were an ordinary Hausa-man that drop the same bomb and that he did not favor you when he was in government, you would have written the same rubbish against him, so i am not moved about what you wrote bcz they are all fallacy, what we are say here is about occupation of another man"s land and you are mentioning what happened in 1953 that does not favored you then...i know you as a man that normally eats back what ever he has vomited, how much have you collected from the igbos that you are writing rubbish against your fellow tribesmen,you are a complete-animal in human skin...., i will advise you to make a public apology to all the Yoruba kingdom....a word is enough for the wise.....
ReplyDeleteYou can never be moved by Aribasala's article,cos you need to be educated to understand what he wrote. You don't seem to be. You could not even hide you bigotic attitudes. What he said was not of any significance but the fact that he spoke against his tribesman was of more relevance to you. Could you forget about who spoke and tale issues point by point?
Deleteif Femi Fanikayode has given you part of the so called money you claimed that he embezzled, you wouldn't be writing against him on the pages of newspaper...are you not the same Aribisala that was going up and down in Aso-Rock during Obasanjo"s regime?..Haba?
ReplyDeleteMr.femi aribisala is one of the most hopeless Yoruba man i have ever read about in the history of Nigeria...cant you people reading his article see his picture?....he looks like a complete devil..
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteATBU!
SO VERY FUNNY!!!
I WONDER HOW THE SAME PEOPLE WHO HAULED ABUSES AT THE YORUBAS' HAVE SUDDENLY HAD A CHANGE IN HEART.
FROM CRUCIFY THEM, LAZY PEOPLE ETC TO
TRUE NIGERIANS, TRUE FATHER AND LIKES
SOME EVEN SAID BLESS THE YORUBAS!! WOW!! WOW!! WOW!!
WHO IS FOOLING WHO??!!!
WE ARE ONE!!!
MOST OF YOU JUST SIT IN LAGOS AND HAVE NEVER GONE BEYOND MOWE.
LEAVE YOUR ROWDY LAGOS. GO NORTH, WEST OR EVEN EAST &SOUTH SOUTH. THEN RETURN TO LAGOS WITH THE CHORUS OF ONE NIGERIA.!!!
WE LOVE AND ENJOY FOOLING OURSELVES A LOT IN THESE COUNTRY.
YOU'D BETTER "BRAIN UP"
9ja must be united . Every Nigerian has right to live anywhere within the country without fear or fevour.
ReplyDeleteU are talking nonsense. Fani- Kayode is our hero. What he wrote are facts. U are angry over something that happened 45 years ago. Get over it. At 13 yrs old, what did u know? what did u remember.
ReplyDeleteGreat write up from a great mind. It is unfortunate that after many centuries of coexisting in lagos some people like FFK are still apotheosizing the ownership or otherwise of lagos. Lagos is a state in Nigeria that receives monthly allocation from monies generated from the sales of crude oil drilled in Niger Delta. Given this, I can say if we are to see it from a logical deduction that the Niger Deltans could lay more claim to lagos than the Yorubas. Lagos has become bigger than any tribe in Nigeria. Real estate is infinitessimal compared to human capital and laying clam to a land and using it as a yardstick to claim ownership is petty because it fails to underscore other variables. For instance what about the lands sold and the monies collected. We must move away from trivial issues and face the national development. It is only a hand-full of aborigin of Lagos that live in choice places in Lagos. Most of them are in Badagry, Ekpe and Ikorodu. I was privilledged to speak with an American who told me that aborigins are less than 5 million in the USA. This is what development can do to a place. And Lagos should not be reduced to one Yoruba village by FFK. His argument is too petty which reveals the smallness of his mind. Long live federal republic of Nigeria. Emeka Udeagu
ReplyDeleteMay God bless you. You are indeed a Pastor.
ReplyDeleteSome people fail to understand that if you sell your land, or even rent out your house, if you set your foot there again without permission, you'll go to jail. Aribisala never used abusive words. He said the bare truth. The instance of Fani-Power is incidental seeing as he was. Nearly mobbed because of a woman's praise of the Yoruba leader, Awo.
ReplyDeleteThank you for a great article of exceptional scholarship. Better from your esteemed pen than from an Igbo. god bless.
To Anonymous from NENI, Am a NENIAN also from Umuabani village precisely. Am so sorry to counter your support for one Nigeria. The Massacre and Injustice perpetrated against the Igbos without remorse in the 60s will ever prevent that failed system called Nigeria from progressing. Please email me at cnchristopher@yahoo.com so that we identify with each other.
ReplyDeleteTo Anonymous from NENI, Am a NENIAN also from Umuabani village precisely. Am so sorry to counter your support for one Nigeria. The Massacre and Injustice perpetrated against the Igbos without remorse in the 60s will ever prevent that failed system called Nigeria from progressing. Please email me at cnchristopher@yahoo.com so that we identify with each other.
ReplyDeleteThat name Aribisala, reminds me of An Army Officer that was executed along with others over their complicity in a failed coup d'etat. Probably Aribisala's "presentation" sprang out of pangs of bitterness. If it is true he is a relation of the executed Army Officer and that he is now a born again christan, I expect him to have been washed clean of malice by now, and embrace a spirit of forgiveness rather than dwell and wallow in angry thoughts of bitter past.
ReplyDeleteGod bless you sir for that bitter truth.Thank God for MINDS like yours.
ReplyDeleteFani-Kayode once wept before the senate just because he wanted to be minister. i watched with pity how he humiliated himself.
He is now Throwing Bottles at Ibos... i'm sure he needs a favour from the governor and decided to let him know he is beside him by misfiring so shamefully!!!. its a pity.
I thank you Pastor Femi Aribisala for coming out with the truth. No doubt Bigots and Anti-Igbos like Femi Fani-Kayode will be abusing you for saying the truth. Are those people going to carry Lagos with their hands and keep it in their bedrooms? These people like Bolarinwa and his likes are just very myopic and they are showing their ignorance. Why are we shouting one Nigeria? What do we have in the Nigerian constitution about our rights to live anywhere in the country? If the Yorubas say that Igbos should go (which I know well meaning Yorubas cannot say), will they be able to pay compensation for all the Igbos have done in Lagos. Did anybody tell Yorubas not to come to East to invest? Sometime ago Yoruba corpers were afraid to come to the East because of their own tribalism, but when they summoned up courage, they received hospitality they never expected? Aribisala did not sound that he hated Femi Fani-Kayode, rather he pointed out that fact of "Like Father Like Son". Why are the likes of Femi Fani-Kayode fanning the embers of tribalism and hatred? Whether Yorubas own Lagos or not, they cannot drive the Igbos away from Lagos like that. Even if they carve out their own country, the Igbos will still be there. So, why all the noise about owning Lagos or not owning Lagos? This is childish and foolishness.
ReplyDeleteWe should not be talking about who owns Lagos or even any other place,but if we must,could we access our database? What proportion of landed property,assets,& all that make you entitled to claim entitlement of so called indegeneship of a place still belong to the aborigines of Lagos? Lagosians have sold almost all landed property to non-lagosians,any attempt to reverse the situation,make I tell una,HEADS GO ROOL OOOOOH! YOU PEOPLE SHOULD BETTER STOP THE DISCUSSION HERE OOOOH!
ReplyDeleteNo heads will roll. How many heads rolled during the civil war. You guys are beginning to talk beating your chests foolishly again like you did in the pre-civil war era when you guys behaved as if you are the all in all in Nigeria.
ReplyDeleteMr. Aribisala, God bless u. You one of the few who wants Nigeria to survive. It is good you told Fani where he belongs, he is trying to reap where he did not sow. His father was anti-Awo, now he trying to reap on establishment and battles won by pro-Awo. I said it earlier he is chronic opportunist. He felt by attacking Igbos he relunch himself and please his sponsors. Shame.........Shame........ to Fanikayode. Like father like Son. If APC wants to win a vote people like should be kept in the Rehab.
ReplyDeletePastor Aribasala has, indeed, demonstrated his wisdom, knowledge of God, spirit of oneness, maturity as a true Yoruba elder, intelligence, and peaceful nature. He has called evil by its name. I want to believe that average Igbos, Yorubas, Hausas, etc. live together and struggle for their means of livelihood in all parts of Nigeria. What is expected of everyone is to be at peace with his or her neighbor. In the holy scripture, Jesus Christ was told that his family members were looking for him, he responded by identifying those who were with him at that time as his family members. Some Yorubas are wicked to their family members and some Igbos are wicked to their family members, too. On the other hand,some Yorubas marry and help Igbo people to be successful, while some Igbos marry and help Yorubas to succeed in life, too. The same thing applies to the Hausas and other ethnic groups. Those who are insulting Pastor Aribasala should be careful. Femi Fani-Kayode needs to tender an apology to the entire Nigerians and the founding fathers of the nation for attempting to sow a seed of discord among Igbos and Yorubas, which is capable of shaking the foundation of the country. I thank God for using a wise Yoruba man,Pastor Aribasala, to sustain the peaceful atmosphere that exists between the Igbos and the Yorubas, and to remind FFK that his ignorant comments portray him as a senseless child. As an Igbo man, I have helped and have been helped by Yoruba people within Nigeria and Outside Nigeria. Lagos or no Lagos, wherever you find yourself is your home as long as you are law abiding. God told Abraham to go and settle in a land outside his kindred, promising him that he will bless those who blessed him and will curse those who cursed him. FFK should look for another way to attract cheap popularity to himself. I am sure that important and distinguished Yoruba sons and daughters will frown at FFK's irresponsibility. There is no bitter truth than Pastor Aribisala's words of wisdom. If FFK thinks that he has a bitter truth to tell, let him provide Nigerians with the true account of the public fund he has been accused of squandering during Obasanjo's regime.
ReplyDelete