In ???????????? ???????????????????????? ???????????????????????? ???????????? ???????????????????????? ???????? ???????????? ???????????????? – ???????????? ???????????????????????? ???????? ????????????????, ???????????? ???????? ???????????? ????????????????????????????????????????????: 

Essays by Ulli Beier, edited by Wole Ogundele, (2001) Horst Ulrich Beier, famously known as Ulli Beier, had an engaging narrative about the power and powerlessness of dogs. He entitled the narrative, Dog Magic of Yoruba Hunters. In it, Beier related how his dog, which he provocatively named Tańtólóhun, (who can compare with God?)’s weird tantrums, which occurred in Osogbo in the early 1960s, could mirror the insufferable power and limitations of dogs. The motive of telling the story, he said, was to “demonstrate the extraordinary power of hunters over dogs.”

Otherwise very gentle dog, whenever Tańtólóhun saw a particular elderly priest of Oya goddess guest of the Beiers, she suddenly went abrasive. The priest, said the German-Jew literary octopus, had just lost his following and as such, little or no worship activity went on in his shrine. Whenever the priest branched at the Beiers’ home on a visit, Tańtólóhun suddenly went haywire, grew inexplicably aggressive towards the priest, growling and barking. The old priest, too couldn’t explain the oddity. He threatened not to visit the Beiers again unless the weird and wild Tańtólóhun was curtailed. The Beiers’ friends’ explanation for Tańtólóhun’s tantrums was that, “the priest liked to eat dog meat, and because of this, often performed the annual sacrifice for a group of Ogun worshippers in Osogbo... the dog sensed his perverse attitude to dogs and her uncontrollable anger stemmed from that.”

Tańtólóhun’s hatred for the Oya priest intensified. “One day, she even started to tug at his long flowing agbádá with her teeth. Infuriated, the priest shouted that if the dog did it again, he would have to ‘put medicine’ on her. The very next day, the dog rushed out again and this time, the priest turned round, speaking incantations at her.” The second day, as the Oya priest was passing by, Tańtólóhun repeated the same weird bellicosity. “She rushed out again barking and tried to grab the priest’s agbádá. Angrily, the priest turned and spoke his incantations. The dog fled back into the house. But this time, she did not recover. Instead she behaved in the most frightening manner. She rolled her eyes, snarled at everybody and foam appeared in her mouth. We could not be sure that she had not developed rabies. Even if it weren’t so, it was obvious that in her present mood, she would sooner or later attack people. She did not appear to recognize any of us. We quickly evacuated all the people from the house. There were usually a dozen children playing on the ground floor. Then we locked her into the house,” lamented Beier.

Another friend of the Beiers’, the head of hunters in Osogbo, the Olúóde, upon being told of Tańtólóhun’s fate, offered to help. He was promptly ushered into the solitary prison where Tańtólóhun was locked, lest no human be the victim of her madness. Ten minutes after, the Olúóde came out laughing. “The dog followed him, wagging her tail as if nothing had happened. Tańtólóhun had no recurrence of her strange behaviour (again)... The Olúóde said he did not give the dog anything to eat, that all he used was incantations."

Beier, the man who told that story, was born July 30, 1922, and exited this plane on April 3, 2011. Beier gave Nigerian literature teeth to bite in the twilight of and immediate post-colony (1950 to 1967). His interest in traditional Yoruba culture and arts was almost an obsession. While teaching at the University of Ibadan, tthe German-Jew veered off to live in Western Region cities of Osogbo and Ede in his quest to conduct anthropological researches on the Yoruba. Inspired by philosopher and French intellectual, Jean Paul Sartre’s essay Orphee Noir, in 1957, Beier founded the magazine, Black Orpheus which became the first African literary journal in English and a leading market for the publication of contemporary Nigerian authors. He also, in 1961, co-founded the Mbari Artists and Writers Club in Ibadan as an ensemble for new writers, dramatists and artists, where they could gather and weave the tapestry of their arts. It is on record that Beier fired the writing zeal of writers like Chinua Achebe, Wole Soyinka, among many others. In 1962, he co-founded the Mbari Mbayo, Osogbo Club with Duro Ladipo and translated his drama, published as Modern Poetry (1963). In 1966, Beier published his own play, The Imprisonment of Obatala, 

using the pseudonym, Obotunde Ijimere. He was husband to Susanne Wenger, the famous Austrian-turned-Nigerian Osun sacred grove priestess, who, upon dissolution of her marriage to Beier, married the local drummer, Lasisi Ayansola Onilu.

Sorry, I digressed. Last week, former President Olusegun Obasanjo, at the Chinua Achebe Leadership Forum, which held at the Yale University in the United States, threw a mound of earthly pigment Yoruba called ògúlùtu. When you throw ògúlùtu, it scatters in conceived and incidental directions. He threw the ògúlùtu in the direction of Bola Tinubu, president of Nigeria. But again, as the Yoruba say, it is a ripe baby orange which invites slingshots of rods and pebbles on its mother (omo osàn níí kó póńpó bá ìyá è). In Yale, Obasanjo took a swipe at not only Tinubu but unnamed Nigerian leaders he called “Baba-go-slow” and “Èmilókàn,” under whom he said Nigeria had become a failed state.

Immediately I read it, I knew Tinubu’s Tańtólóhun dogs like Ulli Beiers’, would relapse into their weirdest bellicosity. Tinubu keeps a kennel of Rottweilers he unleashes on perceived haters. Atiku Abubakar is one of them. While delivering his keynote address entitled “Leadership Failure and State Capture in Nigeria”, Obasanjo outlined Nigeria’s worsening challenges, which included pervasive corruption, mediocrity, immorality, misconduct, mismanagement, perversion, injustice, leading to a state capture. He also alleged that the Nigerian judiciary had been reduced to wriggling maggots which feast on rotten flesh of politicians. He also took a swipe at Tinubu’s wobbly leadership, the concerning state of the economy and the sagging credibility of Nigeria under a government that advertises so much motion but no movement. “More than N700 billion in cash bribes were paid by citizens to public officials in 2023,” he further alleged.

Immediately after this, the Oya priest received one of the vilest attacks from Tańtólóhun. In the narrative of the Beiers’ dog above, it will be recalled that the German-Jew literary octopus’ friends’ explanation for the dog’s weirdness was that the Oya priest might have been suffering for his perverse attitude to dogs, especially his penchant for turning the dog’s kindred into buffet during annual Ogun worshippers’ sacrifices. Ogun worshippers are notorious for not only wickedly beheading dogs during such sacrifices but turning the hapless animal’s meat into delicious barbecue.

So, in the bid to stave off accusation of bad governance that is almost a refrain on the streets of Nigeria, simply re-echoed by Obasanjo, like Beiers’, Tinubu’s Tańtólóhun dogs went berserk, growling and barking for the whole of last week. In a statement titled, ‘Former President Obasanjo was not an ideal leader to emulate,’ Tinubu’s Chief Tańtólóhun leading the pack, accused Obasanjo of hypocrisy. “He presided over the worst election in Nigeria (and now) demands the sack of the leadership of the Independent National Electoral Commission.” He barked ad-nauseam on the Obasanjo third term agenda, how Chinua Achebe, “a universally acclaimed moral, cultural and literary icon” had “scant regard for Obasanjo,” and rejected “the third highest national honour bestowed on him... in 2004,” the unconstitutional impeachment of four PDP governors, the Halliburton bribe scandal, dud investment of $16bn in electricity, “which left the country in utter darkness,” the aluminium smelter company, ALSCON sale, among others. Onanuga growled however that his boss was “diligently (working) to overcome the country’s economic challenges” and advised Obasanjo “to temper his self-righteousness in his public discussions regarding our nation’s temporary difficulties” and spend “his remaining years...reflecting on the missed opportunities during his own time in leadership, both as military head of state and civilian president,” he said.

The Beiers’ Tańtólóhun had every reason to growl at the dog-eating Oya priest. It however didn’t reckon with an eternal Yoruba aphorism which preached caution. In traditional African Yoruba society, cloth dry-cleaning was a craft natives embarked upon. Early in the morning, these alágbàfò 

stormed homes of their clients to collect stacks of used clothes which they took to streams to wash. After washing them, for the clothes to last longer and give them fascinating smells, alágbàfò garnished them with a blue dye called aró. The aró’s cost is then added to their fees. So, when a bedwetting client haggled the price of the aró, the Yoruba say while the whole world was entitled to so haggle, it ill behoves a bedwetter to do same.This, Yoruba express as, “ó ye gbogbo eni k’ó yo’wó aró, sùgbón kò ye atòólé.” Did the bedwetter take into consideration the unpleasant task of divorcing their clothes from oozing smell of urine and the indignity behind their affliction?

So, even if the whole world could cast off the beam in Obasanjo’s eyes, it is not the governance bedwetters of Aso Rock of today. While Tańtólóhun was entitled to be miffed at the Oya priest for peremptorily turning its kin into gourmet meal, does she think the world, too was blind to how she pounced on reptiles and rodents, devouring them? Moreover, Tańtólóhun should have known, again as Yoruba say, that it is not all leaves that the Babaláwo plucks nor is it every palm tree that the palm wine-tapper climbs. While some leaves are sacred, with all of them taboo to be plucked after the morning dew had ceased its water blessing, if a palm-wine tapper does not carefully select the tree to climb, he could be stung by a deadly puffadder which has made the palm-tree top its place of hibernation. Ayinla Omowura, Yoruba Apala music colossus, expressed this as “gbogbo ewé kó l’òjáwé ńjá, gbogbo òpe kó l’onígbà ńgùn” and warned the climber and leave-plucker to beware.

To start with, I am not aware of any of the allegations made by the Tańtólóhun dogs against the Oya priest that is a lie. In human relations, Obasanjo has been described as the proverbial African witch who seeks the destruction of her benefactors. He makes mincemeat of his benefactors. An example touted in this regard is S. B. Bakare, the Ijesa multi-millionaire of the 1970s/80s who rescued him from the bullets of Colonel Bukar Suka Dimka. Obasanjo is also one of the most hated Nigerian leaders alive, mostly due to his 

kénimánìí (lest others have) and kénimátóni (lest others attain my status) traits. Both are epistemic analytical standpoints of human relationship used in understanding and interpreting people’s actions and inactions. Obasanjo has always fought his kin to the hilt, beginning with Obafemi Awolowo and MKO Abiola, his secondary school senior. The ostensible reason is for him to be the only Yoruba to attain his national height. He once riled the world when he said that the presidency Awolowo sought unsuccessfully was delivered to him on a platter. Rather than his kin, Obasanjo preferred lifting people of other ethnicities. The few kin of his who were struggling to be at the top, like Mike Adenuga Jr., Obasanjo attempted to destroy them.

Not minding the above, a saying that will readily dissolve Tinubu’s Tańtólóhun dogs’ tantrums against Obasanjo is that even if a hyena develops boil - a painful, pus-filled bump - on its face, it is beyond the remit of the chicken to point it out. A chicken is too miniature in people’s estimation compared to a hyena, just as no one dare peer light into the dilating eyes of the lion. Obasanjo is too elephantine in stature for anybody to demean.

In Nigeria’s 25 years continuous governance, one tree that makes its democratic forest is Obasanjo. It may sound intangible, but we know that Obasanjo has an ancestry that he can point to. I doubt if there is any other leader who is emblematic of this country and who the rest of the world connects than him. I once traveled with Obasanjo to Congo Kinshasa and saw how Felix Tshisekedi and the whole DRC laid red carpet for him. From Nigeria’s first loan of US$13.1 million from the Paris Club of Creditor Nations, taken from the Italian government in 1964 for the building of the Niger Dam, her debt rose to US$36 billion in December 2004. Obasanjo, on June 29, 2005, used his international leverage to have the Paris Club give a US$18 billion debt relief package to the country. No other leader, before and after him, has succeeded in doing this. Many institutions of government which Nigeria enjoys today, the EFCC, ICPC etc - though they are almost comatose now - were all built by him. He brought dignity to Nigeria and his years in government lifted this country’s pride tremendously. More importantly, he didn’t disgrace the Yoruba race.

Yes, Obasanjo’s lust for power, that me-and-only-me (àf’èmi, àf’èmi) spirit, sowed the seed of his third term ambition which he now shamelessly denies. However, none of his several limitations could be as destructive as to have some insolent and abrasive Tańtólóhun dogs compare him with Tinubu. Yes, they are both lucky to have risen this high; Obasanjo, in spite of his perceived wickedness, selfishness and Tinubu, for the mucks that glue to his past and present. The lofty pride that oozed off Obasanjo while in office cannot be said of the government that the Tańtólóhun dogs were last week unleashed to bay blood for and defend. Barking and growling, their teeth tugged at the agbádá of the Oya priest, they were a pitiable sight as they attempted to stave off Obasanjo’s deadly punches. What did Obasanjo say that is untrue about the pestilence that the Tinubu government has brought on Nigerians in the last 18 months? Nigeria today mirrors every definition of a failed state. Is it the excruciating hunger, go-slow, corruption, a felonious judiciary, an INEC that has gone to the dogs and whose chairman needed to be sacked to allow sanity into Nigeria’s electoral system? What?

Let me close this homily by asking the Olúóde, who has the powers to put a leash on his Tańtólóhun dogs, to do so immediately. In doing so, I will borrow two advisory sayings of the Yoruba. In one, they caution that, even if a Tańtólóhun dog is suddenly seized by insanity, it should mind the billowing red-eye of the fire - “t’ájá bá ńsínwín, k’ó má wo’nú iná òyèlà.” In another, Yoruba warn that anyone who assumes that the way an edible vegetable called tètè is grated and made into soup is same way another variant of the vegetable, the wild dáguńró, is eaten will be eating poison!

The Fuji music house of commotion

Like every lover of Yoruba traditional music, language and culture, I have of recent been inundated with requests to lend a voice to the newest raging fire in the Fuji music genre. Since the passage of Sikiru Ayinde Balogun, popularly known as Ayinde Barrister or Agbajelola Barusati, there have been longstanding tiffs on whom of the trio of Ayinde Omogbolahan Anifowose, KWAM 1; self-named King Saheed Osupa (K.S.O.) and Wasiu Alabi Pasuma, was the “King.”

These musicians’ recent quest for supremacy is not new. From time immemorial, supremacy battles have been part and parcel of Yoruba music. Apparently now tempered by modernity, in the olden days, the battles were fought with traditional spells, incantations and talisman aimed at deconstructing and liquidating their rivals. Mostly fought on genre basis, I submit that pre and post-independence entertainment scene would have been livelier, far more robust than it was but for the acrimonious liquidating fights of those eras.

In the Sakara music, Abibu Oluwa, a revered early precursor of this Yoruba musical genre, who reigned in the late 1920s and 1930s, had Salami Alabi Balogun, popularly known as Lefty Salami, Baba Mukaila and Yusuff Olatunji as members of his band. Oluwa praise-sang many Lagos elites of his time, especially Herbert Macaulay to whom he sang his praise in the famous track named “Macaulay Macaulay.” In it, he sang the foremost Nigerian nationalist’s alias of Ejonigboro – Snake on the Street and prayed that he would not come to shame.

Sakara also produced the likes of S. Aka Baba Wahidi, Kelani Yesufu (alias Kelly). It was sung with traditional Yoruba 

instruments like the solemn-sounding goje violin whose history is traced to the north, and the roundish Sakara drum, beaten with stick and whose appearance is like that of a tambourine. Sakara music is often called the Yoruba variant of western blues music because of its brooding rhythm though laced with a high dosage of philosophy.

When Oluwa died in 1964, he literally handed over to Lefty who, born on October 1913, died December 29, 1981. Lefty, a talking drummer under Oluwa, churned out over 35 records before his demise, one of which was a tribute to Lagos monarch, Oba Adele (Adele l’awa nfe – Oba Adele is the king we want) and another to the Elegushi family. I dwelt considerably on Sakara because it is believed to have had considerable influence on other genres of traditional African Yoruba music, especially Apala and Fuji, with the former sometimes indistinguishable from Sakara.

Apala music, whose exponent is said to be Haruna Ishola, originated in the late 1930s Nigeria. Delivered with musical instruments like a rattle (Sekere) thumb piano, (agidigbo) drums called Iya Ilu and Omele, a bell (agogo) and two or three talking drums, Apala and Sakara are the most complex of these genres of traditional Yoruba music, due to their infusion of philosophy, incantations and dense Yoruba language into their mix. Distinct, older and more difficult in mastery than Fuji music which is considered to be comparatively easy to sing, Ayinla Omowura, Ligali Mukaiba, Kasumu Adio, and many others were Apala leading lights of the time. The three genres have very dense Islamic background.

The latest entrant of all the three genres is Fuji. Pioneered by Ayinde Barrister no doubt, for an Apala musician biographer like me, I am confused that Omowura, as far back as early 1970s, asked listeners in need of good Fuji music to come learn from him – “Fuji t’o dara, e wa gbo l’owo egbe wa…” Sorry, I digressed.

While KWAM 1 emerged with his Talazo music from the ashes of his being a music instrument arranger for Barrister’s musical organization in the early 1980s, the feud in the house after Barrister’s death erupted when narratives allegedly oozed unto the musical scene that KWAM 1 referred to himself as the creator of Fuji music. He however promptly denied the claim. For decades, Osupa and Pasuma were locked in horns over supremacy of the Fuji music genre. In August 2023, the two however seemed to have decided to thaw their feud as they shared stage with Wasiu Ayinde, at Ahmad Alawiye Folawiyo, an Islamic singer’s 50th birthday celebration in Lagos. KWAM 1 glibly acted as their senior colleague at the event.

As an indication that they are no bastards of the teething and recurrent supremacy battles that emblemize traditional Yoruba music, the three Fuji music icons seem to have gone into the trenches again. It first started with Taiye Currency, an Ibadan-based alter-ego of Pasuma picking a fight with the musician who self-styled himself Son of Anobi Muhammed’s Wife. In a viral video, Currency had disclaimed reference to Pasuma as his “father” in the music industry. In another video not long after, KWAM 1, like some kind of father figure, was shown asking Currency to go and apologize to Pasuma.

A few days ago, a video of Osupa went viral. Therein, he was chastising a particular hypocrite he called “Onirikimo” and “alabosi”, who is “stingy and is ready to shamelessly collect money from those under him.” Osupa also claimed that this “shameless elder” had strung a ring of corn round his waist and should be ready to be made fun of by hens. Watchers of the endless tiffs among these Fuji icons swear that KWAM 1 was the unnamed Fuji musician Osupa was casting aspersion on.

The trio of Sakara, Apala and Fuji music also witnessed such petty squabbles. While many claim that the fights were promotional gambits aimed at having their fans salivate for their hate-laced musical attacks against one another, some others claim that the rivalries were genuine. In the Apala music scene, Haruna Ishola and Kasumu Adio fought each other to the nadir, with Adio, who sang almost in the same voice and cadence as Ishola, suddenly vamoosing from the musical scene. Rumours and speculations had it then that a mysterious goat bit Adio and rendered him useless. While Ayinla Omowura also fought Fatai Olowonyo, Fatai Ayilara, among others in the Apala genre, the duo of Yusuff Olatunji and S. Aka also feuded till their last days. This is not to mention the interminable fight between Kollington Ayinla and Barrister.

If the tiff between the trio of KWAM 1, Osupa and Pasuma is about age and Yoruba traditional respect for elders, KWAM 1 would easily go away with the trophy of the best of the three. However, if philosophical depth, musical elan, research of lyrics and deployment of Yoruba language are at issue, none of the other two musicians can unbuckle Osupa’s sandals. Osupa began his musical career in 1983 as a teenager and has gone through the mills, his late father being a musician, too and Awurebe music lord, Dauda Epo Akara’s musical contemporary.

Unlike their predecessors, the three Fuji musicians are literate and should thus address their musical issues in more mature manner. Osupa even recently bagged a degree from the department of Political Science, University of Ibadan. One thing they should know is that, whether one is supreme to the other or not, their fans will readily queue behind the brand that delights them.

Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need ~ Hebrews 4:16.

Introduction

It has been shown over the ages that God’s mercy is a major all-time need of man. Why? Man doesn’t always get what he deserves, but what mercy delivers to him: “it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy” (Romans 9:16).

Naturally, the journey of life is too cumbersome and very difficult to predict. Sometimes, certain unwholesome events come calling, when they are least expected. Most certainly, it is not the strongest of the species that always survives in life, not the most intelligent, but those who are the most receptive to the mercies of God, “for by strength shall no man prevail” (1 Samuel 2:9).

Understanding the Subject of Mercy

In our day-to-day usage of the word, ‘mercy’ is that tenderness of heart which inclines a person to overlook injuries, or to treat an offender better than he/she deserves. It is the disposition of the mind that tempers justice, and induces an injured person to forgive trespasses. Mercy is that platform, which allows favor to flow towards a person or a thing.

In Biblical parlance, God’s mercy is a distinctive attribute of the Supreme God that does not allow Him to overlook the helpless in his miserable estate (Numbers 14:18). Mercy is God’s prerogative that makes Him to embrace the rejected. Certainly, Leah was in this catchment (Genesis 29:31).

Mercy is the outflow of God's compassion and forbearance that shuts the doors against harm, but conveys blessings to His people who have obtained mercy. God’s mercy is intrinsically connected to His covenant with man. Hence, the golden cover of the Ark of the Covenant was justly referred to as the ‘Mercy Seat’ (Ex.25:17-22; 26:34).

Mercy is a major requirement in the school of divine assistance and durable wonders (Titus 3:5). It is a ‘Certain Entity’ in the realm of the spirit that follows those who receive it on their journeys of life (Ps.23:6).

When Mercy Speaks!

From generation to generation, mankind continues to enjoy God's mercy one way or the other, only in varying degrees. For instance, the wonders of the Israeli nation is deeply etched in God’s mercy (Rom.9:13-18). It was God’s mercy that supernaturally turned their battles around, to make room for their inexplicable victories, as found in the battle of Jehoshaphat (2 Chronicles 20:21).

Even today, it is His mercy we have received that saved us, keeps us, provides for us, heals us, forgives us and even gives us a hope of heaven.

When God deals with any man according to His mercy, don’t just write him off yet, because anything can still happen. Such destinies can still gain momentum and be propelled to great ascendence. For instance, by mercy, Esther, the common slave girl became the Queen in Shushan palace. How about that!

Among the several hundreds of other beautiful virgins across the 127 provinces of King Ahasuerus, God's mercy singled out Esther for coronation, and the King loved her "above all the women” (Esther 2:17).

When mercy speaks, the most disadvantaged becomes repositioned into a most advantageous estate. Mercy is all that’s needed to transit any man from prison to the palace.  If you’re in doubt, please ask Joseph, the erstwhile Egyptian Prime Minister (Genesis 39:21). May mercy locate you and speak for you today in the Name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

In situations where God’s mercy is on the front burner, incurable diseases can vanish miraculously in the twinkling of an eye. The father of the lunatic boy in Matthew 17:14-18 must have tried every possible means to procure healing for his son, all to no avail. Thereafter, he came to Jesus Christ, pleading for mercy, and the child was cured immediately.

The mercy of God is the most inerrant solution to pathetic situations in life. Bartimaeus the son of Timaeus was blind for a long time. But, he knew by revelation that it was only mercy from the Lord that could rescue him from this infirmity. Hence, when he learned that Jesus was passing by, he cried out for God’s mercy, and heaven stood at attention to assist him, restoring his sight instantly (Mark 10:46-52).

God’s Mercy Never Fails!

God’s mercy is never-failing because it is as eternal as it is everlasting, and it is as dependable as it is reliable. The mercy of the Lord is ever sure and durable (Isaiah 55:3).

Moreover, God’s promises of “mercy” to men are always firmly propped up by His “truth” (Psalms 25:10). And, you see, Jesus Christ is “the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6).

Generally speaking, wise men value a promise by the character of him that makes it. Definitely, under the dispensation of the New Testament, any man can enjoy the fullness of God's goodness through Jesus Christ today (2 Corinthians 1:20). God is not only gracious in promising, but He is also very faithful in performing whatever He has promised. All His promises and all His providences are sustained and fully guaranteed by Truth. Alleluia!

Conclusion

Were it not for God’s Mercy that we receive moment by moment, we would have been consumed by woes and wickedness (Lamentations 3:22-23). Hence, supplication for mercy should remain a top agenda on our prayer altars.

When mercy is still speaking, nothing is impossible. When God’s mercy speaks up for you, it can still be well with you, even inside a well! In all His dealings, God’s people see the Lord’s mercy displayed, and His words fulfilled, whatever situations they find themselves. May His sure mercies continue to speak distinctively for us all, in Jesus Name. Amen. Happy Sunday!

____________________

Archbishop Taiwo Akinola,

Rhema Christian Church,

Otta, Ogun State, Nigeria.

Connect with Bishop Akinola via these channels:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/bishopakinola

SMS/WhatsApp: +234 802 318 4987

Paul maintains that Abraham is the father of believers. He says:

“(Abraham) received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while still uncircumcised, that he might be the father of all those who believe.” (Romans 4:11).   

“Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all.” (Romans 4:16).

However, Isaiah says: “But now, O Lord, you are our Father.” (Isaiah 64:8).Jesus confirms Isaiah’s position by insisting that his followers have only one Father and only one family, which has nothing to do with Abraham. He says:

“Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven.” (Matthew 23:9).

Children of God

The Jews see their link to “father Abraham” as their guarantee of salvation. However, rather than guarantee their salvation, their link to Abraham impeded it. The salvation that Jesus preaches comes through God replacing all earthly fathers and becoming the Father of sons of men. 

Even in the Old Testament, God looked forward to the day when He said:

“You shall call me, ‘my Father.’” (Jeremiah 3:19).   

Jesus declared that day on His resurrection when He appeared to Mary and said to her: 

“Go to My brethren and say to them, ‘I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.'” (John 20:17).

Accordingly, John says in the New Testament:

“As many as received (Jesus), to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” (John 1:12-13).

Children of God must relinquish their earthly fathers in preference for the heavenly Father. However, the Jewish insistence on being the children of Abraham ensured that they could not become children of God.

Everlasting Father

God does not change. He is the same: “yesterday, today, and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8-9). But we did not know that God has been our dwelling place “in all generations;” “even from everlasting to everlasting.” (Psalm 90:1-2). He has also been our Father from everlasting: 

“For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called…. Everlasting Father.” (Isaiah 9:6).

Isaiah knew by revelation that Abraham could not be the Father of Israel. He says to God:

“Doubtless you are our Father, though Abraham was ignorant of us, and Israel does not acknowledge us. You, O Lord, are our Father; our Redeemer from Everlasting is Your name.” (Isaiah 63:16).

Abraham and Israel (Jacob) were ignorant of their so-called children and could not acknowledge them because they died, and the children came after their lifespans. But we have an Everlasting Father. Jesus came to proclaim this Everlasting Father to us. 

At the end of His ministry, he told God He had fulfilled this ordained purpose:  

“I have manifested Your Name to the men whom you have given me out of the world.” (John 17:6). 

“I have declared to them Your Name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.” (John 17:26).

What is this name of God that Jesus manifested to us and what is the significance of this name? 

The name Jesus came to declare is “Father.” He reveals to us that God is not distant, foreign, and fearsome, as we presume; but that he is our Father; close intimate, and loving. Therefore, He says:

“When you pray, say: our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.” (Luke 11:2). 

What name of God are we now required to hallow? 

We are required to hallow the name “Father.” It must now be of exclusive application to God and God alone. Jesus says:

“Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven.”(Matthew 23:9).

Therefore, do not call any man on earth by the Name of God.

Joseph

When Jesus was only twelve, He went with His parents to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover. But on coming back home, they discovered He had not returned with them. After what must have been an agonising three-day search, they finally found him in the temple, engaged in discussion with the teachers of the law. His mother said to Him:

“Son, why have You done this to us? Look, Your father and I have sought you anxiously.” (Luke 2:48).

However, Jesus is unrepentant. He says to them, “Why did you seek Me? Don’t you know I must be in My Father’s house?” (Luke 2:49). 

The father Jesus is talking about here can certainly not be Joseph because the temple is not Joseph’s house but the house of God. In effect, Jesus refuses to acknowledge Joseph as His father. He has no other father but God. 

David

The Jews believed the Messiah would be the son of David. However, Jesus, the Messiah, denies He is the son of David. Instead, He maintains the Messiah could never be David’s son:

“While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, saying, ‘What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is He?’ They said to Him, ‘The son of David.’ He said to them, ‘How then does David in the Spirit call Him ‘Lord,’ saying: ‘The Lord said to my Lord, ‘Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool’? ‘If David then calls Him ‘Lord,’ how is He his son?” (Matthew 22:41-45).

But if the Messiah is not the son of David, then whose son is He? He has no other father but God.

Abraham

Jesus also denies to the Jews that He is a son of Abraham. He refers to Abraham with abstraction as “your” father:

“Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day.” (John 8:56). 

Moreover, He insists He is older than Abraham and therefore, Abraham cannot be His father:

“Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.” (John 8:58).

Jesus made these denials as prefaces to one of His most radical and revolutionary claims of all. He declared that God was His Father, making Him the Son of God: 

“I and My Father are one.” (John 10:30).

No man had ever made such a claim before and the Jews were extremely outraged by it:

“The Jews sought all the more to kill (Jesus), because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God.” (John 5:18).

Price of Eternal Life

The eternal life that Jesus gives comes with conditions. One major condition is that its recipient must forsake his father, among others. Jesus says:

“If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, He cannot be My disciple.” (Luke 14:26). 

Jesus only promises eternal life to those prepared to forsake all natural relationships:

“Everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life.” (Matthew 19:29).

By implication, anyone who is not prepared to fulfil this condition will not inherit eternal life. The heir of salvation must have no other father but God.

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Last month, we wrote a post where older adults from the BuzzFeed Community shared things they "took for granted" in their 20s and 30s. In the comments, even more readers shared their own responses. Here's what they had to say:

1. "I assumed my immediate family would always be there. Within three years I lost my beloved Nana and both of my parents. As a cruel coda, my very much alive sister has completely cut me off. Sometimes I feel like the last person on earth. I came from a family with lots of loving aunts, uncles, and second cousins on my mother’s side. Now, they’re all gone."

"It’s a shock to the system to realize that you, yourself, ARE those family members now. It’s very hard to put yourself in the position of a 'matriarch,' etc. because in my mind, I’m still the child of the family. Lots of psychology there!"

—applesauceandchops

2. "My family’s health. Most of them are still here, thank goodness, but I can definitely see how the age is starting to creep in and trips to a doctor and hospital stays are becoming a common fixture."

—eklimen

3. "I took my beautiful, youthful skin for granted. I cannot believe I used to put BABY OIL on and lay in the sun! Wear sunblock!!!"

—lanamarie

4. "I love being 36 and am more comfortable with myself than I've ever been, but I will say that my vanity is noticing the wrinkles starting to creep in, and I have to remind myself every day to appreciate my face and body the way they are now because they're only going to keep aging. (Nothing is wrong with wrinkles; it's just hard to ignore the voice in my head telling me I'll stop being desirable as a woman as soon as I look 'old')."

"I will also say that I have zero regrets about my decision to not have children because every day I wake up grateful that I am emotionally and financially responsible only for myself and that my free time is my own. It's bliss."
​

—aabee

5. "Things I took for granted: 1) FREEDOM. I feel so bogged down with people I have to take care of. My son, all the pets, all the bills, food for the family... 2) Also, money. I knew I would make more as I advanced in my career, and I have. I just didn't know that inflation would jump so high that it's devoured that increase and more."

—oliviab4e967f9ac

6. "Teeth! I had braces, and my teeth were perfect. I had (have) a fear of the dentist, so I used the fact that I had one perfect checkup after a long time; I told myself I didn't need to go (for a long time). I also used to open things with my teeth. All of a sudden, they started just coming apart. I'm about to start major, expensive work to fix everything, and it sucks!"

"I was so cute with my pearly whites. Now, I can hardly look in the mirror."

—luckyangel30

7. "I always thought that someday, I would have my sh*t together. I'm 36 next month, and I categorically do NOT have my sh*t together at all. But on the other hand, I also know now that nobody really has their sh*t together — we're all just doing the best we can."

—gemface

8. "Two things I realized even as I entered into my late 20s and think about now, long past my late 20s: 1) I wasted a lot of my youth thinking I was better and smarter than the people around me and that someday, I'd find my crowd. I have few friends from HS and no friends from college, mostly because I went to a state school instead of NYU as I dreamed for financial reasons. But now, I realize that a lot of people do have long friendships dating back to HS and college and that many of the people I thought I was better than back then were actually cool as hell, and I missed my chance to get to know them."

"2) I always felt like, at some point, my 'real' life would begin and that everything I was doing was just provisional...until I realized that all of this provisional stuff was just my real life — that there was no true beginning or ending and that change is constant. This is still hard for me to process even on a day-to-day basis."
​

—jshamwow

9. "I regret I wasted time fretting about the way my body looked instead of reveling in the sheer joy of how well my body worked. I’m glad I danced, climbed mountains, and canoed rivers then because I can’t do it now. Today, you are as young as you will ever be again, and age is not just a number. It’s aching joints and bad balance and less stamina."

—erinsmith5

10. "I regret putting up with toxic behavior from relatives 'because they are family.' I wish that I'd set my boundaries and been done with that much earlier. Nobody should put up with bad behavior."

—61, Arizona

11. "I took time for granted. Time to travel, time to try new things. Just time. Do wild stuff while you're young."

—44, Illinois

12. "Always having money. I wish I'd started putting money aside for my retirement earlier."

—56, Canada

13. "I regret listening to what OTHER people thought I should do. Now, I find that I have lost who I am and never listened to that spirit that I was."

—jm2007

14. "I took for granted eating and drinking anything I wanted and never working out and fitting into all my clothes. Also, having adequate sleep and the ability to heal instantly from the smallest bump or sprain."

—55, California

15. "I took joint and spine health for granted. The body is an amazing machine, but some parts of it just wear out and are never the same. I wish I had kept up with the core exercises throughout my 20s and early 30s instead of letting the muscles go while I worked a desk for 10 years, ending up with a herniated disc. I’m keeping a strong core now, and it’s done wonders (much more than the doctors could do) but there’s pain and limitations that will always be there now."

"As to the positive, I think back on my younger self and cringe thinking about what a fool I could be. I’m grateful for the increasing knowledge and wisdom that can come with age if you keep an open mind. I also don’t miss being poor. So, there are pros and cons. What’s the saying? Youth is wasted on the young? Lol."

—norty

16. "Growing up in the 1960s, we knew we would eventually grow up, but never grow old. We thought the fun decade would go on forever. Now, I am old, and my friends are dying from not taking care of themselves. I sort of took care of myself and am not doing too badly. I just don't want to be alone, and the old friends are all gone."

—spindru

17. "That life happens, the good, the bad, the ugly, and the great. You may not have received the promotion you hoped for, or were hired for the job you dreamed about, or went on a date with your crush. But with faith, luck, and determination you will be in a job you are good at with a good team of coworkers and get to go home at the end of the day to your loved ones."

"Also, we used to give each other big gifts, now we do experiences. I can't remember what we've given each other over the years, but I remember all the trips we've been on and concerts we have been to since we made the switch."
​

—41, USA

18. "My parents being that steady presence in my life that I could count on to always be there."

—ginnyjensen
​

"My parents. I miss them every day, and I wish I could have them around for my kids. They’re not here to watch their only grandkids grow up, and I get sad about all they are missing. They were great parents, but they were awesome grandparents!"

—faithy29

And finally...

19. "The independence and freedom that comes with being fully able-bodied. Due to progressive blindness, I’ve had to give up a lot over the last decade. I miss driving, walking my dog (not a guide dog), going shopping by myself on a whim, being able to recognize people without them telling me who they are, being able to go someplace new by myself and just roaming comfortably. Hell, I even kind of miss my corporate management job sometimes."

"Some things that happen to you in life just happen, and you will have zero control, so all I will say is enjoy all the little things because you just never know what might happen tomorrow."

—jbdnco

BuzzFeed

The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) says Nigerians will have to pay for the new multipurpose national identity card due to limited government revenue.

Peter Iwegbu, head of card management services at NIMC, spoke on Thursday at a two-day press conference in Lagos.

Iwegbu said paying for the identity card would ensure it is produced for only those who needed it.

He said the decision was made to avoid repeating the mistake of past efforts to issue physical cards to Nigerians for free, which many did not collect.

The NIMC official said over two million cards were produced in a previous attempt to issue free national ID cards by the commission

He said many of them have not been collected till date.

“Before we stopped due to funding, we produced more than two million cards but a lot of them are still in our office, people didn’t pick them up because they didn’t need it,” Iwegbu said.

Aside from low collection, Iwegbu said the government could not fund the production of ID cards due to limited revenue.

“The government’s limited revenue is also a major factor in the decision to make Nigerians pay for the new ID card,” he added.

He said  NIMC is also working with banks across the country, which will make it possible for people to walk into any bank closest to them and request the card.

‘GOVERNMENT HAS MADE PLANS FOR LESS PRIVILEGED PERSONS WHO CAN’T AFFORD IT’

Also speaking, Lanre Yusuf, director of information technology at NIMC, said the idea of a free national ID card did not turn out well in the past.

Yusuf described the new ID card as a post-paid identity card, which means that individuals must need the card before initiating a request for it.

“To get the new national ID card, Nigerians will need to make a payment, select a pickup location, and then collect their card from the chosen location,” the director said.

“The government has implemented programmes to make the card accessible to the less privileged Nigerians who cannot afford it but require it to access government support.

“This initiative demonstrates the government’s commitment to inclusivity and equality.” 

Yusuf also said the multipurpose ID cards are expected to launch soon, with sample test cards already received.

“The new national ID card is a multipurpose card that can serve the purpose of identity verification, payments, and even government services,” he said.

In April, the federal government unveiled plans to launch a multipurpose national identity card.

The card, powered by AfriGO, is in partnership with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Nigeria Inter-bank Settlement System.

The card is enabled for all government intervention and services across multiple ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs).

The Cable

The supreme court has nullified the enforcement of provisions of the National Lottery Act 2005 in the 36 states of the federation.

In a unanimous judgment delivered on Friday, the seven-member panel held that the national assembly lacks the powers to legislate on issues pertaining to lottery and gaming.

In March 2005, former President Olusegun Obasanjo signed the national lottery bill into law.

The legislation provides the framework for the operation of the national lottery and the establishment of the National Lottery Regulatory Commission.

The commission is charged with regulating the business of lottery in Nigeria as well as establishing the national lottery trust fund.

In 2008, the Lagos state government filed a suit against the federal government on whether the control and regulation of gaming and lottery businesses in each state is under the exclusive list.

In October 2020, the Ekiti government joined Lagos as co-plaintiff in the suit.

In November 2022, the supreme court joined 33 state governments as co-defendants in the suit.

In the judgment, the apex court ruled that only state assemblies have the powers to legislate on lottery and gaming businesses.

The supreme court ruled that legislation cannot be enforced in all states, except the federal capital territory (FCT), since the national assembly is empowered to make laws for the country’s capital.

The Cable

The federal government's plan to sell crude priced in the local currency is faltering, with refiners, including the giant Dangote Oil Refinery, saying they are still unable to secure adequate supplies.

To address challenges in accessing foreign currency, the government in July said it would sell crude priced in naira to local refineries for an initial six months starting in October.

"We need 650,000 barrels per day, (state oil firm NNPC Ltd) agreed to give a minimum of 385,000 bpd but they are not even delivering that," said Edwin Devakumar, head of the Dangote refinery.

The refinery built by Nigerian billionaire Aliko Dangote in Lagos aims to compete with European refiners when operating at full capacity but it has struggled to secure sufficient crude supplies to run optimally.

While Devakumar declined to give specific figures, he described deliveries from NNPC under the scheme as "peanuts".

Still, Dangote is the only one of 8 operational refineries in Nigeria to have benefited from the naira-denominated crude sale arrangement, said Mathins Obaze, an acting executive director of the Crude Oil Refinery-owners Association of Nigeria (CORAN), a trade group of refiners.

"Members are still unable to access crude in naira and are currently engaging the government for a resolution," Obaze said.

The reason for the shortfall was not immediately clear. NNPC did not respond to a request for comment.

The Dangote refinery in August urged the oil regulator, the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) to enforce a rule that compels oil producers to supply local refineries.

NUPRC did not respond to a request for comment on the matter.

Dangote, with a current capacity of 425,000 bpd and a year-end target of 85% operational capacity, has turned to international markets for supplies.

It purchased two million barrels of U.S. WTI Midland crude on Wednesday, its first U.S. crude purchase since August, according to trade sources and shipping data.

Meanwhile NNPC is pursuing new markets for its crude oil. The company was in London on Wednesday seeking term customers for its new Utapate crude oil grade.

Reuters

Israeli airstrike hits central Beirut, security sources say

A powerful Israeli airstrike targeted central Beirut early on Saturday, security sources said, shaking the Lebanese capital as Israel pressed its offensive against the Iran-backed Hezbollah group.

Several powerful blasts shook Beirut at around 4 a.m. (0200 GMT), Reuters witnesses said. At least four rockets were fired in the attack, two security sources said.

Sirens could be heard as ambulances raced to the scene of the blast in Beirut's Basta neighbourhood.

Footage broadcast by Lebanon's Al Jadeed showed at least one destroyed building and several others badly damaged around it.

It marked the fourth Israeli airstrike this week targeting a central area of Beirut. On Sunday an Israeli airstrike killed a senior Hezbollah media official in the Ras al-Nabaa district.

Israel launched a major offensive against Hezbollah in Lebanon in September, following nearly a year of cross-border hostilities ignited by the Gaza war, pounding wide areas of Lebanon with airstrikes and sending troops into the south.

The conflict began when Hezbollah opened fire in solidarity with its Palestinian ally Hamas after it launched the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel.

Reuters

RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE

Putin announces mass production of Oreshnik missiles

Russian President Vladimir Putin confirmed on Friday the decision to begin serial production of the new Oreshnik ballistic missile system.

The announcement came after the system was used in combat for the first time earlier this week in Ukraine.

Speaking during a meeting at the Kremlin with the leadership of the Defense Ministry and defense industry representatives, Putin outlined that the Oreshnik missile system, one of Russia’s latest military advancements, is not a modernization of an old Soviet weapon. 

Instead, it is a new development based on cutting-edge hypersonic technology and modern materials. “It is the result of work done in the conditions of New Russia,” Putin said, highlighting that the system was created to meet contemporary defense needs.

Putin confirmed that several Oreshnik systems are currently undergoing testing in Russia, and that the decision to embark on mass production had already been articulated. “You can assume that the decision on production has been made. In fact, it is organized,” he added. More of the missile systems are expected to be delivered to Russia’s Strategic Missile Forces in the coming months.

The first combat use of the Oreshnik missile took place on Thursday, when it was used to strike a Ukrainian defense facility in Dnepropetrovsk. The target was Yuzhmash, one of Ukraine’s largest defense-industrial facilities inherited from the USSR that produces missile equipment and other weapons.

Putin said the use of the missile was in response to Kiev’s attacks inside Russia with Western-supplied long-range weapons such as American ATACMS and British Storm Shadow missiles.

The Oreshnik is described as a medium-range, hypersonic weapon designed for high precision strikes. According to the Defense Ministry, “all warheads” of the missile “reached the target”during this week's deployment. 

The president praised the missile’s successful test and combat deployment, expressing admiration for the speed at which the system had been developed.

Putin also emphasized the importance of continuing testing and increasing production rates. “I congratulate the military on the successful tests and support the adoption of the system,” he said.

WESTERN PERSPECTIVE

Russia says hypersonic missile strike on Ukraine was a warning to 'reckless' West

The Kremlin said on Friday that a strike on Ukraine using a newly developed hypersonic ballistic missile was a message to the West that Moscow will respond harshly to any "reckless" Western actions in support of Ukraine.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was speaking a day after President Vladimir Putin said Moscow had fired the new missile - the Oreshnik or Hazel Tree - at a Ukrainian military facility in response to Kyiv striking Russia with U.S.-made and British-made missiles this week for the first time after the U.S. granted its approval.

"The main message is that the reckless decisions and actions of Western countries that produce missiles, supply them to Ukraine, and subsequently participate in strikes on Russian territory cannot remain without a reaction from the Russian side," Peskov told reporters.

"The Russian side has clearly demonstrated its capabilities, and the contours of further retaliatory actions in the event that our concerns are not taken into account have been quite clearly outlined," he said.

Moscow has said it regards Ukraine's firing of ATACMS and Storm Shadow missiles into Russia as proof of direct U.S. and British involvement in the war. It says satellite targeting data and the actual programming of the missiles' flight paths must be done by NATO military personnel because Kyiv does not have the capabilities itself.

Putin said Moscow had struck a missile and defence enterprise in the Ukrainian city of Dnipro, where missile and space rocket company Pivdenmash, known as Yuzhmash by Russians, is based.

Russia's Defence Ministry said on Friday that all of the missile's warheads had hit their targets and hailed what it said was its first successful use of an intermediate-range hypersonic ballistic missile with conventional warheads in combat.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has said Russia's use of the new missile amounts to "a clear and severe escalation" and has called for strong worldwide condemnation.

Peskov said Russia had not been technically obliged to warn the United States about the strike because the missile used had been intermediate-range rather than intercontinental, but he said Moscow had informed the U.S. 30 minutes before the launch anyway.

He said Putin remained open to dialogue, but that the outgoing administration of U.S. President Joe Biden "prefers to continue down the path of escalation" and urged it to heed a warning Putin issued in September.

Putin said at the time that the West would be directly fighting with Russia if it allowed Ukraine to strike Russian territory with Western-made long-range missiles, a move he said would alter the nature and scope of the conflict and force Moscow to take "appropriate decisions" based on the new threats.

In his televised remarks on Thursday, Putin said that Russia had fired its new missile after Ukraine, with approval from the Biden administration, had struck Russia with six U.S.-made ATACMS missiles on Tuesday and with British Storm Shadow cruise missiles and U.S.-made HIMARS on Thursday.

Peskov said he hoped that the U.S. had received and understood Moscow's message.

"As for openness to dialogue, even in yesterday's statement the president stressed his readiness for any contacts - both with a view to de-escalation, to avoiding further escalation, and to reaching a peaceful trajectory," said Peskov.

"Yesterday's statement (from Putin) was very comprehensive, clear, and logical. We have no doubt that the current administration in Washington had the opportunity to familiarise itself with this statement and understand it."

The UK Conservative Party was created in the mid 1800s during Queen Victoria's reign 'to Conserve the White sociocultural, economic and political sphere', following the 1830s abolition of African slavery. This  Conservative mantra, to institutionally restrict freed Blacks from competing with Whites, spread across Western Europe as Christian Democratic Parties and to the US Republican Party. Therefore it is oxymoronic for an African to be a Conservative of the Western or any other civilization. A Black White Supremacist. This was why Kemi Badenoch has to publicly deride Nigeria, the world's most populous Black nation, the origin of humanity and source of the indigneous African civilization.

Nee Kemi Adegoke belongs to the Yoruba ethnicity, the oldest full sized humans genetically dated to 89,000 years, and the most populous Indigenous African group. Unfortunately, the Yoruba were the most enslaved African group in the Americas, and the British were the largest slave traders. By virtue of being the source of indigenous African civilization, Yorubas should lead the Black Race to global economic and sociocultural racial parity. As fate would have it, Yorubas are currently being employed by White Supremacists to act as counterrevolutionaries, both home and abroad. In Nigeria as president and in UK as White Conservative leader.

Some simpletons might argue that slavery and colonization are long gone, as Kemi would like to portray, but as Yorubas say, 'a lie never goes amiss, if the liar doesn't know, the person lied to knows. It is true that Africans are traditionally Social Conservatives that reject LGTBQ, therefore recently shunning left wing parties to join US Republican and UK Conservative Parties. However, the racial conservative roots of Conservative Party remain very much alive, due to the fear of genetic annihilation of unfretted miscegenation. Some claim Kemi is just being used to Whitewash their racist foundations to fool Black voters, and will be dropped before the next election, knowing their supporters who are majority racists will not vote for her.

A similar political game and optics were played with Rishi Sunak, the Indian made a party leader and prime minister by Conservative Party handlers. It has been alleged that Rishi was never intended to go for elections, but before he was replaced with Boris Johnson, he rushed to elections and sunk the party with its greatest election defeat since its creation.

Kemi might not only be used for racial optics but racial capture in what is termed Empire 2.0. The Conservatives pushed for Britain's exit of the European Union, the Common Market created in the 1950s to augment the loss of African markets due to decolonization. Like Trump's 'Make America Great Again' mantra, the UK Conservatives that had spearheaded the 1800s African colonization believed they can make Britannia Great Again by recolonizing the Black Race of Africa and Caribbean islands.

Frighteningly, Kemi is Bad Enough to accomplish Empire 2.0, like Helen of Troy bearing gifts to Nigeria and other Black nations. Unlike the initial British Empire built with war, Empire 2.0 was to be accomplished with soft power by offering to strike economic partnerships with their neocolonies. After social engineering neocolonial guards to destroy African economies with IMF and World Bank Neo-Conservative economic policies, the British will offer to site their factories here, like sweatshops, to exploit Africa’s natural and human resources, while shipping away the profits. Elevated neocolonies like India and Japan.

Like the iron axe with a wooden handle kept cutting trees, Kemi Greek gifts will be hard to resist as Yorubas will relate to her father, family and church. Kemi is everything that Coloniality of Being has conditioned the average Nigerian to want to be, Whiter than White. Racial inferiority complex that breeds self hatred as Kemi continues to portray to integrate herself into the White civilization. Her comments on slavery and colonization are based on ignorance inspired by coloniality of knowledge that denigrates her indigenous African civilizational knowledge for Western civilizational values.

Some will argue that she is doing what is necessary for her personal advancement. The same logic that inspired Yoruba Baloguns and Iyalodes at the center of indigenous political system, to engage in slave trade to get European guns, to prevent European inspired and armed bandit coast kingdoms with European guns from overrunning them. With the evolution of slavery to colonization came coloniality of the economy whereby to make it professionally and financially, you had to submit to the European racist economic caste system. Those who could not gain access to sellout their human and natural resources migrated to the Western countries as economic migrants.

The worst scenario is that if the civilizationally conscious and protective Northern Nigeria Afroasiatic civilization resists the British civilizational imperialism, Yoruba and Igbo separatists might be armed to break up Nigeria, and the resultant smaller uneconomic tribal nations will have no choice but to sign as neocolonial satellites of the British Empire 2.0

 ** Justice Faloye,

President ASHE Foundation