AFRICAN PLUME

“The Desperately Wicked Heart of Man” By Akin Ojumu On the day Adam and Eve fell for Lucifer, the glorious beauty of Eden was replaced by a hideous ugliness. That was the day the pure joy that flowed from innocent hearts, devoid of doubt, was supplanted by the sure pain that grows in empty souls corrupted with forbidden knowledge.  The curtain of evil was drawn on a life of perpetual fellowship with God. Man, a native-born citizen of the Shekinah, hitherto clothed with God’s glory, was now enveloped in gory. Having fallen from grace and hidden from His Holy presence, he was nothing more than a naked fugitive alien, adorned in fig leaves, cowering at the sound of God’s voice. How could this have ever happened? They had it going pretty good; a daily schmoozing with the Almighty, ownership of a lush estate with lots and lots of exotic beings and things, and dominion over all of God’s creation. They were crowned with prosperity in its purest form yet; in spirit, soul, and body. They li...

“Why You Do What You Do” By Akin Ojumu Choices! Choices!! Life is full of choices. Duh! That’s an oxymoron – a no brainer. Everyone probably makes a thousand of them every single hour. What’s not so always obvious, though, is the motive behind those pesky little decisions people make on a daily basis. The motive behind every choice hides behind the shuttered windows of the recesses of the soul. What informs our choices? Why do we do what we do? What powers the engine of our choices? What drives the decisions we make? Understanding the motives behind our choices is a lifelong quest of mine. Even now, it remains a difficult one for me to write about. I continue to struggle to find the right choice of word to express my flailing thoughts. It’s like being asked to give a vivid description of the physical appearance of nothingness. Oh yeah! You go ahead and give that your best shot. What’s life without a choice? We live and breathe this stuff. There is no hiding place from it; it follows us...

By Akin Ojumu Force Majeure is a French word. Quite mouthful, like all French words. When translated into English it means, “Superior or Irresistible Force”. In contract law, Force Majeure is a common clause that essentially relieves all parties from liability or obligation in the event of an occurrence of extraordinary circumstance – an “Act of God,” as they say – that cannot be anticipated or is beyond the control of the parties, which prevents one or all parties from fulfilling their obligation under the contract.  Like many of you, I’ve entered into hundreds of contractual agreements in my lifetime, I can’t even begin to count. And then there are those contracts entered into on my behalf, many of which I’m not even aware. There are mortgages, auto loans, credit cards, employment, insurance (auto, health, and life), even medical procedures, just to name a few. In many of these contracts, you are made to sign heaps of paper filled with legalistic mumbo jumbo which make no sense...

By Akin Ojumu There was a time in my life when I genuinely believed that everyone in my orbit was watching my six. Back then, I naively thought that if anyone was family, schoolmate, workmate, or churchmate, they must surely have my back. Well, that was the case until I got stabbed in the back, many times. I’ve since realized that many of these people, whom I thought meant well for me, are nothing but malevolent crabs. Crab mentality, aka crabs in a bucket, is a metaphor for the behavior of crabs which when caught and kept in a bucket would not allow any of the other crabs to escape. When any tries to escape, the rest pull it down (shared joy in misery). Family members won’t ordinarily wish against your success. But what happens in the family member’s mind is the fear that you may jump ship when you hit the big time? So, they try to tear you down. It’s a similar mindset in that bloke on your high school alumni project? Your sizable monetary donation towards the project should ordinaril...

By Akin Ojumu Whether it’s in the most advanced countries of the world with matured democracy and functioning rule of law or in the remotest and struggling-to-develop lawless nations of the world where democracy is on life support and rule of law is nonexistent, there’s one attribute common to politicians everywhere, and it is their proficiency at telling lies. No matter where you go, what you often find is that those who thrive in politics are adept at gaslighting. In this post-truth era of ours, this is especially true of conservative politicians who now reside permanently in an alternate universe. In his first press conference in the immediate aftermath of the mass shooting that occurred at Todd Elementary School, Uvalde, Texas, Greg Abbott, the governor of the state, spent a better part of the exchange to tell the world about the courage shown by the men in blue in bringing the tragic incident to a quick end. To demonstrate his bonafide as a law-and-order governor and a staunch sup...

By Akin Ojumu The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has released their election guide for the 2023 general elections to all Nigerians. Presented by Sarah Omakwu, Pastor of the Family Worship Center, Abuja, the 4-point bulletin is a list of the key attributes and characteristics that must be demonstrated by the presidential aspirant Nigerians should vote for in next year’s presidential election. These include the following: 1. CHARACTER It is important that Nigerians elect a president whose character reflects the following qualities: Fear of God Honesty and truthfulness Respect for the rule of law Justice and fairness for all Respect for religious and ethnic diversity Compassion and discipline Clean and credible lifestyle Not a member of cults, Not involved in drugs and witchcraft Not given to fanaticism or have relationship with Boko Haram or other violent religious groups 2. COMPETENCE Nigeria has been bedeviled with chronic incompetence in leadership positions for far too long, ...

By Akin Ojumu Yesterday, I did a write-up titled, “Nigerians Must Make the Northern Oligarchs Eat Crow.” It was a commentary that took on Buba Galadima, an NNPP chieftain, for the comments he made in an Arise TV interview where he questioned the patriotism of South-Eastern Nigerians. In the interview, Galadima was asked to explain the reason his principal, Rabiu Kwankaso, thought the only chance the proposed alliance between NNPP and Labour Party had of winning the presidential election was if a Northerner was at the head of the presidential ticket. When Galadima was pressed on why Rabiu Kwankaso could not be a running mate to a South-East candidate in the spirit of a new Nigeria, and why it must be a Northerner who must be the presidential candidate, the imperious Fulani, in a peacockery arrogance, responded by suggesting that the Ndigbos are not as committed to Nigeria as the Fulanis. In the senile mind of Buba Galadima, “there is no South-East candidate that believes in Nigeria ...

By Akin Ojumu Every time one of these entitled oligarchs from Northern Nigeria opens his kolanut stained orifice, a torrent of malarkey seems to gush out. The latest in a long line of Fulani loudmouths to open up a water hose of drivel in the airwaves is Buba Galadima, a chieftain of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP). The old putz was on Arise TV a few days ago to field questions on the 2023 presidential elections. As usual, Galadima waxed lyrical about the prospects of NNPP, his latest party after years of yo-yoing between APC and PDP.  One of the issues discussed during the interview was the souring of the bromance between NNPP and Labour Party. Rumor has it that a potential merger between the two political parties collapsed because Rabiu Kwankaso, the NNPP presidential candidate, insisted that the alliance only chance of winning the presidential election was if he, a Northerner, emerges as the presidential candidate. When pressed on why Rabiu Kwankaso could not be a running m...

By Akin Ojumu In a country that is evenly divided along religious lines, and at a time when religious and ethnic sensitivity is at its rawest in the country, there’s no convincing argument any political party can make to justify fielding a presidential candidate and running mate who are of the same religion. No political party or candidate genuinely interested in the peace, unity, and prosperity of Nigeria will, at this inauspicious moment in the nation’s history, insult the sensibilities of the largest religious group in the land. All over Nigeria, the religion of the state governors and the deputy governors almost always reflects the religious composition of the people of the state. In states where there are super majority Muslims, the governors and deputy governors are always Muslims. The same goes for states that are predominantly Christians; the governors and the deputy governors are Christians. There is no state in Nigeria where both the governor and the deputy governor come from...

By Akin Ojumu At a certain point, we Nigerians must choose what’s most important to us. We must determine whether we are sick and tired of being sick and tired. In the 2023 elections, Nigerians must decide between: 1.    Citizenship that is defined by a broad national identity or citizenship limited to narrow ethnic/tribal identity 2.    Astute and informed citizenry or aloof and ignorant citizenship 3.    Government that celebrates its citizens or government that pillages its people 4.    Citizens that exercise their civic duty or citizens that outsource their civic responsibility 5.    Electing virile political class brimming with fresh and innovate ideas or electing senile political class peddling stale bill of goods 6.   Leaders that provide service to the least of these or leaders that force the people into subservience to the powers that be 7.    Electing leaders that are accountable to the electing citizenry or...

By Akin Ojumu After every mass shooting that occurs on American soil, there’s an established pattern of macabre dance and morbid drama that the American public have come to expect. Out of anger and frustration, the demand for enactment of gun safety laws becomes louder and more strident. Progressive politicians of the Democratic Party dig up, and wipe the dust off, long forgotten gun safety legislations that had been buried deep in the back burner since the last mass shooting. Predictably, conservative politicians and their masters at the National Rifle Association counter with fierce resistance to prevent such laws from getting passed. They erect an impenetrable high wall of defense against any law that would limit access to any gun, including dangerous military-style assault weapons and laid down legislative obstacles to scuttle efforts to tackle gun violence in America. To rebuff the narratives that America’s gun culture is responsible for the mass murders that occur in America, rig...

A picture speaks a thousand words. This chart testifies of the 23 years of carnage unleashed on Nigeria by the ruinous elites of PDP and APC. Enough is enough!!!

By Akin Ojumu When, in the past several months, gas prices were going up, Fox News blamed sleepy Joe Biden and his economic policies. They complained bitterly about the struggles of small business owners and the hardships ordinary Americans have had to endure because of increasing costs of goods and services. Now that gas prices are coming back down, at a historically faster rate than the price of oil, Fox News is still mad. They think it’s a bad thing for the economy and they put the blame squarely on the shoulders of hapless Joe Biden and his economic policies.  The reason Fox News is mad that gas prices are coming down is because of the concern they claim to have for small independently owned gas stations because of the incredible risk and reward calculations they must make now that gas prices are falling.  To the folks at Fox News, lower gas prices is an incredible struggle for the owners of mom-and-pop gas stations.  Out of the window goes the concern they had for sm...

By Akin Ojumu Prior to the 1600s, the world's most renowned and learned scientists believed that the earth was stationary and at the center of the universe, with all the celestial bodies revolving around it. That was the Geocentric view of the solar system. It was also the view of the universe endorsed by the Catholic Church, and therefore one that carried the Papal seal of divine approval and authority. It could not, otherwise, be contradicted or challenged by anyone. And it remained unchallenged until Galileo Galilei, a rambunctious rabble-rousing Italian scientist came along with his Heliocentric theory of the solar system, punching a hole in the Papal’s holy armor in the process. Galileo proposed that the earth was in fact not stationary or at the center of the universe. In his book titled, “The Book of Dialogues,” Galileo theorized that the earth, along with all the other celestial bodies, revolve around the sun which, in his opinion, is the center of the universe. This was a ...

By Akin Ojumu  With respect to Bola Tinubu’s presidential aspiration, my position is pretty clear. Those who’ve been following my various commentaries on this issue know very well that I’m not a fan of Bola Tinubu and his unscrupulous campaign to become the next president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.  My opposition to Bola Tinubu’s candidacy is visceral and intense. The man is a clear and present danger to the well-being of Nigeria, if he ever becomes president. BAT is an advanced metastatic cancer rapidly growing and spreading in the Nigeria polity. If the country must survive, this deadly cancer must be treated as all advanced cancers are treated; radical excision combined with several courses of radiotherapy and multiple cycles of chemotherapy cocktail in addition to the clearing of all associated lymph nodes. Now, there’s one thing I detest as much as Bola Tinubu’s presidential run, and that’s fake news. I cherish the truth, it’s the compass that guides us to safe s...

By Akin Ojumu Renowned intellectual midget, Rabiu Kwankwaso, is intent on taking the Ndigbo to the school of hard knocks. For daring to aspire for the Office of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, this proud scion of the leeches of the Nigerian state is reminding the Southeasterners to know their place in Nigeria’s politics, which is, according to him, at the very bottom of the totem pole. Ticked off by their strident insistence on producing the next Mai Gida of Aso Rock, the sagacious political jobber from Kano believes the illiterate Igbos have a thing or two to learn about how politics is played in Nigeria. The inerudite scholar has painstakingly developed an unimaginative educational curriculum that will turn on the lightbulb of political knowledge in the puny brains of the Ndigbo. His moronic academic syllabus has the potential to transform these illiterate buffoons to intellectual Mongols like himself, if only they are capable of digesting the deeply resourced cours...