VANGUARD, FRIDAY, MARCH 11, 2016— —19 Send Opinions & Letters to: opinions1234@yahoo.com
If Americans throw Trump at us TOOK Donald Trump for a actor, Ronald Reagan. Reagan I joker when he declared his supported Apartheid in South intention to run for the Africa, illegally sold arms to Iran American Presidency. I assumed the Apprentice was bored making deals, and wanted time out to engage in publicity stunts. I thought he would spice up the Republican primaries, but that not even he, would take himself serious. In any case if he were to, I assumed the American populace would get tired of his antics, shove him aside and get on with the serious business of looking for a new president. But I reflected on contemporary American politics; one in which the country sinks to some political or moral low, and then gets somebody to push it up. President Richard Nixon and his team in burgling the Watergate Offices of the Democratic National Committee and using the CIA, FBI and FIR to harass political opponents, were no different from the Mafia. Nixon had to resign. America needed a rebirth, and found that in Jimmy Carter, a gentleman who restored moral rectitude to the White House. But he was too much of a dove, and was quickly replaced by a war-mongering
and used the money to fund the contra rebels in Nicaragua. He also mined Nicaraguan civilian seaports in acts of brazen terrorism. He saw the end of the Socialist bloc and was replaced by George Herbert Bush Snr who continued his war mongering. But Americans got tired and they replaced him with Bill Clinton who went out to win friends for the US. Clinton was replaced by George Walker Bush Jnr who returned America fully to war path and it became risky to carry the American passport abroad. After hitting rock bottom, politically, morally and economically, Barack Obama surfaced to rescue America. So is America not capable of another descent by picking a Trump? Rather than exit, Trump has seen off candidates like Rand Paul and Carly Fiorina. Ben Carson has thrown in the towel and surebet, Jeb Bush has crashed out of the race. The rampaging Trump has only three aspirants left between him and taking the Republican ticket in Cleveland, Ohio next July. Senator Ted Cruz
of Texas who may lose steam as the big primaries of Florida and Ohio hold on Tuesday March 15, Senator Marc Rubio who has a chance in his native Florida, but not much else, and Ohio Governor John Richard Kasich who talks down on people. The Predictwise polls has Trump at 68%, Cruz at 16%, Kasich at 8% and Rubio at 6%. It appears that the focus of the Republican Party today, is not about winning the presidential elections, but how to stop Trump becoming its candidate. Even if the remaining Republican aspirants; Cruz, Kasich and Rubio unite, they would be unable to stop Trump; it is like the spider trying to stop the elephant plunging into the river. He can only be stopped if he fails to get the 1,237 delegates mark and subsequently, the open convention does not adopt him.
Even if the remaining Republican aspirants; Cruz, Kasich and Rubio unite, they would be unable to stop Trump; it is like the spider trying to stop the elephant plunging into the river
Will shooting unarmed Igbo protesters solve the problem? By Clement Udegbe
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HERE is a lot of trepidation in the nation since July 2015. Those who would normally speak up against wrong moves or decisions by government are more careful for many reasons; Some kept quiet because all it takes is for someone to craft a petition against any one perceived to be anti-government, to either the police, EFCC or the DSS alleging one thing or the other, and the vultures will be released to swoop and make a mess of that victim. Some look the other way, because they live in glass houses, and will not throw stones, while many are still bemused, and confused, hoping that what we are seeing today is not true. But people don’t stop to drive their vehicles because there was an accident, just like the Igbos say that they won’t reject eating the cocoyam because it causes some discomfort in the buttocks. The question therefore is; When will this government speak out against shooting at un-armed peaceful protesters? Or better put, Why do they shoot at and kill unarmed protesters or agitators under this government ? Towards the end of last year, a clash between the Shiite Muslim group and the entourage of the Chief Of Army Staff in Kaduna, left several members of the sect dead, and till date they accuse government or the army of burying many of their members in a mass grave. Early this year in Aba, some security personnel comprising the police and military shot at unarmed protesters and killed a good number of them, and a civil C M Y K
society group has alleged that some 13 persons were buried in a shallow mass grave along Aba Port Harcourt Road. The group called on Abia State government to investigate the matter, and do something about those decomposed corpses. Some may reason that their call is more like giving the head a hard knock, when it was the buttocks that fowled the air. In other words, why should poor Abia State government clean up the mess of the Federal Government. The fact remains that these are the bodies of Igbo sons and daughters who were gunned down because they were protesting or agitating for Biafra, and it is the responsibility of Abia State government to look into the matter, obtain the records of these bodies and give them a decent mass burial, after all we say in Igbo land, that what the living owes the dead is to give it a decent burial. Such a mass grave will likely serve three purposes namely, the government will
We need caution about this country we call Nigeria, because until the rotten tooth is pulled out the mouth must chew with caution. When we change the way we look at Biafra , then we look at proper change
In many instances, I was entertained by Trump. He claimed that his campaign slogan 'Make America great again' was his invention, when in truth, that was the 1980 Reagan campaign slogan. He says of Senator John McCain "He's not a war hero. He's a war hero because he was captured? I like people who weren't captured" He said fellow Republican "Jeb Bush likes illegals because of his wife," referring to Bush's Mexican-American wife. And insulted Democratic front runner: "If Hillary Clinton can't satisfy her husband what makes her think she can satisfy America?" If Trump had stopped at these childish ranting, I will not be apprehensive; but he threatens to turn both America and the world upside down. He is unapologetically racist threatening to expel 11.4 million undocumented immigrants. He issued fake statistics on crime rates for blacks, and his source? The ‘Crime Statistics Bureau-San Francisco, a non-existent body! He said of American neigbour “When Mexico sends its people, they're not sending their best... They're bringing drugs. They're bringing crime. They're rapists. And some, I assume, are good people” He has tried to provoke an international religious war by virtually labelling the 1.5 billion Muslims in the world as terrorists: "Until we are able to determine and understand this problem (terrorism) and the dangerous threat it poses, our country cannot be the victims of horrendous attacks by people that believe only in Jihad, and have no sense of reason or respect for human life". He proposed a database to track Muslims in the
have the record of those killed, and buried there, the mass grave will serve as a reminder for Igbo youths not to expose themselves to be killed by their haters in the future, and it will provide the relations of such victims the answers they seek, and help their healing processes. President Mohammadu Buhari announced in Qatar last week, that the Federal Government will not tolerate Biafra, which is a known fact, but who knows tomorrow, these ones may become the heroes of Biafra, if God says so. The Federal and state governments and their officials are not God, neither are they in the future, thus, Ndigbo must keep records of all atrocities by government forces. If someone told General Buhari in 1984, that he would be President 31 years after, he would not have believed, but that is God for you. This very Biafra that we are toying with today, may come to pass, because no one knows the mind of God and tomorrow. If Biafra is indeed an idea, no amount of shooting and killing will be able to stop it. In Igbo land, we say that when a man shares gift among his people, you will know whom he hates. Since July 2015, newspapers have reported that over 200 Igbo youths have been mowed down between Onitsha, Aba, and Port Harcourt, by direct bullets from the military and police forces, and from stampedes that followed poor crowd management, that is typical of our forces in Nigeria. These are people who are trained, clothed, paid and maintained from the tax of Nigerians including those that have been killed, to protect their lives and the territorial integrity of Nigeria. The disheartening aspect is that these governments, depend majorly on money from oil which is found mostly in the South South and South East, Igbo Land, yet they
US and a “total and complete shutdown on Muslims entering the United States until our country ’s representatives can figure out what the hell is going on”. Trump portrays Africans and their leaders as crooks. He singles out Nigerians as a people to be expelled. When close American ally, Britain winced at the remarks on Muslims, and some 450,000 Britons signed a petition to bar him entering the country, Trump responded, "The United Kingdom is trying hard to disguise their massive Muslim problem. Everybody is wise to what is happening, very sad! Be honest." United States under Bush Jnr had become notorious for exporting torture. Trump promises that if he were elected, humanity will witness a worse nightmare. "In the Middle East, we have people chopping the heads off Christians, we have people chopping the heads off many other people. -- not since medieval times have people seen what's going on. I would bring back waterboarding and I'd bring back a hell of a lot worse than water boarding." The mouthy Trump who needs the media, proclaims “ The media is amongst the worst people I’ve ever met…They write lies, they write false stories. They know they are false.” A Trump candidacy should give Hilary Clinton an easy ride to the White House; but the electorate may have a surprise. Electing him would be like handing over the White House to the Ku Klus Klan. Ordinarily, Trump should be an American reject, but if the US throws him at the world; it must be ready for a reject.
find pleasure in shooting at unarmed youths because they are protesting or agitating. A protest is defined by the Oxford Dictionary as a strong and formal objection, especially one by a group, or a collective gesture of disapproval. While it described an act of agitation as the excitement of public feeling by discussion, debate etc., and so, whether we call it agitation or protest, the purpose is to elicit public discussion and debate. If the purpose of the agitations is to elicit discussion and debate on the issue of Biafra, should those youths be shot at and killed, for exercising their constitutional right of freedom of expression? If in this country, the future lies in the hands of the youth, should our youth be killed in this manner, and nothing is done to prevent such occurrence by punishing the culprits? If the President, the Military hierarchy and Police, have sworn to uphold the constitution of Nigeria, should the unconstitutional extra judicial killings in Onitsha, Aba and Port Harcourt not be investigated and the culprits brought to book? What message is the Federal Government passing on to Ndigbo by reeling out warnings of how they will deal with agitators without doing anything to stem the rise in the agitation? Can anyone be taller than one person, and at the same be shorter than the same person? We need caution about this country we call Nigeria, because until the rotten tooth is pulled out, the mouth must chew with caution. When we change the way we look at Biafra , then we look at proper change. The fear of being different should not prevent President Buhari from seeking new ways to solve the problems of Biafra.
*Mr Udegbe, a lawyer, can be reached at ceeaai@yahoo.com.