AHANONU KINGSLEY BLOG

  The first civil war in Nigeria had started with the attempt of the Nigerian state to quickly nip the new Biafran nation with a force that was largely military and fully brutal. It was a critical plan that had the mandate to quell the secession in the shortest possible time; within three months specifically. The combined Nigerian armed forces, in achieving the mission, had taken the subversion to the doorsteps of the seceding nation and so fired the first shot that was to ignite the eventual Biafra/Nigeria Civil war. This war was prompted by the desire of the people of the old Eastern region (dominated by the Igbos) for self-determination, a desire to stay on their own and pursue their economic and political excellence in a manner peculiar to them and made possible by their distinct, unadulterated ingenuity- and a legitimate right recognized by the United Nations Charter for Human Rights. The war motive essentially was to prevent the fear of a state in losing its ingenious entity ...

Yet again, the supposedly distinguished Senator Oluremi Tinubu, senator representing Lagos West at the Red Chamber and wife of the national leader of the ruling APC showed her robust nature to react badly and to argue as though the decision of the matter must end by her and on her side. This recent incident happened just yesterday at the public hearing for the constitutional review at the Lagos venue for the Southwest zone. It was precisely at Marriott's Hotel when, as reported, invited members of the public had come to actively participate in the public process to which they were called to submit memorandums. Fine, for orderliness and sanity of the process, people were asked to organize themselves, file along a queue and maturely step into the Hall. Fine also was the restriction given, when supposedly the Hall could no longer contain more crowd as to warrant some latecomers to be barred from further entry to avoid bubbling up the place. But what was not understandable was the sele...

 Ibori's £4.2million Loot The federal government of Nigeria had successfully negotiated the release of looted funds belonging to Delta state by its jailed former governor, James Ibori from the UK government. The next action is to return this loot amounting to over £4.2m to the government and people of Delta state as part of the repatriation deal. But I hope that when, eventually, the whooping £4.2m is returned to Delta State -where it rightly belongs, same will be judiciously utilized to serve the benefits of the majority of the people of the state. It will be disheartening to see my utmost concern and the huge source of my fear comes to pass, to wit, that Mr James Ibori, the chief looter in question, having been released from his UK incarceration and having returned to the state and having yet that influence as a political godfather even to the current Chief Executive of the state, it smells rat that the loot could be more probably relooted and yet by the chief looter! That's ...

Foremost, I want to say I just hope that the spurious order given by Nigeria's Commander-in-Chief to the effect of a shoot-at-sight for arms-bearers (which supposedly was meant to tackle arms-wielding, killer herdsmen) doesn't leave the primary motive and begin to turn the South-East into an easy field for bloodshed and a curious theatre of bloodletting, where innocent people, living peacefully and working legitimately, are sacrificed in a free-for-all, the helpless-are-sacrificed manner. The unleashing of the combined forces of both the military and the police upon the South-East in what's seen as response to the escalation of the newfound threat of unknown gunmen (UGM) might have turned the zone into a warzone of sort, one such that citizens- even the peaceful, law-abiding- ones are scared to move around to undertake their legitimate business, simply for fear of stray hits, whether from the blossoming UGM or the reactionary national forces. Just the other day, 24th of May...

I've always maintained that, to a greater extent, the life we live is an outplay of relativism. Apart form the clearly defined boundaries of life and death, there might just be a handfuls of absolute situations that subsumes the practicality of relativism. There are no absolute good and absolute bad, except as viewed from the perspective of the considering subject. In the same vein, there could only be a right or wrong application of a framework as appreciated by the framers. This is a more obtainable reality that does not in anyway dismiss the also reality of the few significant absolutes that splashes across life. Think about a particular scenario where you could be wrong in trying to undermine the entirety of it and where you could as well be right to consider it- each aspect of the decision happening in differed appreciation, albeit. Consider this, and consider the place of influence in it. Influence is a phenomenon that requires discretion to get the best of value. One wherein...

It's so unfortunate the death of Ibrahim Attahiru, Nigeria's Chief of Army Staff. I just learnt of his tragic death via a military plane crash and I sincerely wish to express my most deepest grief and sense of sympathy to his loved ones. It's nevertheless most tragic and the height of insensitivity to try to attribute his tragic end to whatever insinuation of any declaration or statement he purportedly might have made. The truth is that we all are human and inevitably must die one day. The means to that end might seemingly differ! Nigeria indeed has lost a fine General!

I'm silently pleading for the airstrikes, the bombardments and the rocket-firing to stop. For goodness sake, people are dying, lives are wasted, properties are destroyed and very unnecessarily. Innocent lives, mostly children, are the major victims, can't you imagine. And these are people who knows nothing about the history, the provocations and whatever mechanics of this warfare. And just so soon, children could no longer close their eyes at night to sleep because of the reality of shelling, bombing and massive explosion around them. And these are children, vulnerable and puerile who ought not to be exposed to such nightmares of realities. Women, mothers are all worried, with fear and apprehension decorated in mockery all over their faces, concerned not only about their safety but also those of their children and families. What's is this for crying out loud? Just today, all 21 members of a family were all wiped out in a single day by a single ammunition all as a result of ...

Dabble : take part in an activity in a casual or superficial way. (cf: dictionary.com) The other day, exactly on a day to mark the 2021 World Communications Day, the Archbishop of the Catholic Diocese of Abuja, the Rt Rev Ignatius Kaigama, as part of his press briefing, had opined that the Rev. Fr Ejike Mbaka, was dabbling into politics, which according to him was outside of the jurisdiction of his priesthood. The statement of censure directed to the fiery priest had come just down in line after His Lordship, the Archbishop had made statements lampooning the present administration on their mismanagement of the security situation in the country, calling on the current federal government to do the needful in keeping kidnappers out of business, rounding up bandits and dismantling elements of banditry. This call for Mbaka to desist from or be cautioned on dabbling into politics is just one among streams of similar calls along the years. The history of Mbaka and his many politcally-related ...

 It is disheartening to learn about the abduction, by yet another set of unknown gunmen, of the students of the Abia State-owned University located at Uturu. Information gathered indicates that the students were abducted in their vehicle while travelling along the Okigwe road. That's on Thursday, 6th May. Curiously as the incident could be, it is indeed frightening to know that these kidnappers or bandits or herdsmen or terrorists or whatever moniker these criminal elements are referred to as have come down home to roost even in our region. The call is as ever; for the government to live up to its responsibility of providing security and ensuring the wellbeing of citizenry. The admonition still remains the same. That, in the wake of bludgeoning insecurity, the people need to be aware and careful about their daily activities and stand up to protecting themselves, however possible.

Death, deaths and grief. That's the current reality in India. Covid-19 pandemic has shattered the people and their processes. The situation in India is becoming worrisome, very terrific. With a daily record of Covid-19 death broken by 4000 on Thursday, 6th May, the reality of the Covid-19 pandemic over there could only be described as drastic. Daily, there are surging infections, rising deaths and increased cremation. People are cremated, ashed that firewood shortage has become a huge concern. Yes, people are contracting the virus daily, and each passing day, the infection rates just seems to get worse with daily world records broken. If care is not taken, soon India might overtake the US in overall infection and deaths! Institutional failure and attitudinal misdemeanor by unwilling and recalcitrant citizens, all combined, have continued to surge this dreary situation. May God, who it is only can, help India and the common Indians as they struggle out from this challenge.