My Beautiful Identity

I recently noticed something in the way Arabs name their children compared to what we do here in Africa. They Use "Al" "El" as a "pre" to their names which could mean "a member of the house of " or Fair, handsome, noble, bright (in English) etc but here in certain parts of Africa, especially where I come from, a part where religion is overly scented, we use "Abd" which means Slave, Servant etc. The Arabs don't give their children English or Western names, they don't call their children slaves instead they connect every of their offspring with his/her origin with "Al' prefix. They hold their cultures, values and traditions in high esteem and stretch to preserve it, but we in Africa are quick to not only eschew who we really are, but to also trade our identity on the altar of religion, damning ourselves as slaves in the name of religion and not God.

If we must betray our true identity, why are we calling ourselves slaves when the people that brought the religion to Africa preserve their own name, culture, values and tradition? Tell me, which of these names sounds better; Al Farouq or Abdul Farouq (The Son of Farouq or Slave Farouq) with its true meaning? Someone should please tell me, why do we choose to be slaves to everything (Religion, Western Culture, Arab Culture, God and Men) when we could be kings.. Why are the owners of the religion not calling each other slaves but we gladly do, why do we now choose to be addressed as slaves?

If you give birth to a child and christen the child a slave, immerse him/her in the dictates of religion instead of God and give the child a personality that makes him/her less than human, why won't such a child grow up delusional? 

It is not even strange for you to see people throw away their identity in the name of religion. I remember my Chemistry teacher in secondary school changed his name from "Sangoleye" to "Jesuleye", I am still thinking what effect the new name had on him because the last time I heard about him, he was still teaching Chemistry. Some people even travel to Europe or America from Africa and within a week, their tongue is twisted and they pretend to have forgotten their mother tongue. Some blame it on inferiority complex, others call it blending-in but I think it's more about not realizing the true value of our identity as African, and the beauty of who we are. I know people of African heritage that were born and raised in Europe and America and could speak Ijebu, Igbo etc fluently, so I wonder why the ones that were raised on this side of the sun are eager to throw away their identity.

I get irritated when I meet people and they ask "What is your Christian or Muslim name?" sometimes I just wonder which part of their brain is not functioning; and the good thing is that I always have a perfect answer for them, "My name is Babaolowo" I am sure that name is not only Christian and Islamic, it has a perfect interpretation in all languages of the world.

I'm still waiting to meet an Arab or Emirati named "Abdul" in the UAE in all my years of visiting the region.. All the people I have been lucky to meet here have a handsome "Al" as a pre, it gives me hope that I will soon be chilling with an Al Maktoum soonest but in the interim, you can call me Al Farouq Bin Babaolowo.

Curled from www.africansawake.com

Leadership Lessons from My Shoeless Friend (The Cattle Boy)

If found the story of this young cattle boy so inspiring that I just have to share it, if it speaks to you, don’t front, share it… let it speak to others around you. It is poetic justice done on the lessons of leadership.

"Yes, he leads cows but yet he is not leading from behind
They follow him
He is their bearing
The cows are diverse
White, black, brown... male and female
Yet they trust him COMPLETELY
Yes he is a small boy and even "shoeless"
But they don't care because they know him
He is sincere and their interests lie in him
And his interests in them as well
For, he milks them and satisfies his needs
And he in turn takes them kilometers to greener pastures for grazing
And he doesn't eat their food
His self confidence emanates from the fact that he knows they depend on him
There is mutual trust between them and they won't hurt him
He is a great example of leadership.
The Cattle Boy from…” -- Bashir Maidugu

Perhaps there are lessons to be learnt from being a simple cattle rarer in the Savannah of northern Nigeria, enough lessons to guide the sail of this hailing nation at sea to bay. If you want to know this little boy and learn his ways, I know him and I can lead you to him when you and I are willing and ready to learn his ways. I can guarantee you he will do anything to protect his heard, I once met him in the grassland of Jigawa after he sunk three arrows from his bow into the back and buttock of a man who tries to steal from his herd (true story); yes he protects and will never allow any harm come the way of his cattle even in the face of danger and death.

It is sad we can't even find a single person in the position of leadership in Nigeria (from local government to the number one citizen) that knows his duty has a leader and performs such with definitiveness of purpose and value, not a single man, woman or hermaphrodite in Buba, Khaki or Gown that we can like unto this cattle boy… It’s a shame; all we see is hullabaloo about stealing. It is funny how leadership can be right? It is so easy and needs no genius to achieve. Leadership is all about doing the right thing consciously and unconsciously, it is about living for others; its purpose is to serve and protect the interest of many while protecting the interest of self and not being selfish but selfless at it. 

I pray that today that someday, we will find "A Cattle Boy" worthy and ready to lead Nigerians and Nigeria to a greener pasture without killing our calves for sport and pleasure or seeing only the price of the hide and beef, but rather see the nation as a whole as a part of him.

Emmanuel 'Oshiboy' Oshiame -- Friends Immortal

Every time I see a Benz drive by, I don't admire it, I remember you... I remember how we argue to defend our choice of German machines...and I always win. I'm still a sucker for BMWs, maybe I'll buy one Benz just for the lovely memory of you Oshiboy... Though we were friends, you were that lil bro I never had...the realest human I ever came across so far and the most down to earth of all my friends..

I remember just like yesterday, the last time I saw you...it was behind Methodist primary school, my alma mater, just a stone throw from your street. I was on my way home from somewhere I can't remember right now, I had just survived an accident a few weeks before, my mouth was splinted heavily with zinc and I walked with a slight limp that only you seem to notice of all the people I met on the road that day... No one saw the difference but you did...that's how rare you were, you kept every bit of your friends in you, I'm glad I noticed, maybe I'm the only one in the whole of Ipaja that did. You were as restless as ever, and with a promise to come see later, you breeze off... I never knew it was going to be the last time I will see your ugly, chubby, lovely face.

I remember you driving down to the sawmill to see me where I was keeping it real & earning my street cred...everytime you got the chance, you identified with me when the hustle was down and dirty, nothing else mattered, you were a brother for real... We ate suya together under my yellow umbrella by the road side, the girls don't matter when it comes to your friend, you stayed real, more than a friend. We talked about the girls, even Zainab your lil sister...and you were always like "guy go for my elder sis if you don't want my dad to kill you",we made funny jokes, listened to music...even though I could count the number hours we spent together. I remember when Lucky Dube was killed, I was in your house a day after, we played his music loud and drank together some juice, pretending to be sober...everything was normal then, but now...everything feels special.

I can't remember you ever owning a phone for a week, you are never sure about your email, your Facebook account was like a miracle, the only thing that was certain about you was the clothes you had on, and your father's house address... You lived on the fast lane Emmanuel Oshiame, you only lived for the moment, the next day was never your priority, even when you dreamed about it aloud. I don't know what to miss about you, I just miss you.

Just last month, I was with Zainab in London... She took me out for a drink and I told her I was always coming to your house because of her and that you knew about it... She just couldn't react, she knew you were just one hell of a crazy brother. She told me about your death back in 2009, I can remember going blank on Skype when she did... Her words were "You still saw him in April? That's recent now, he died shortly after then, how I wish I saw him in April, maybe I won't be missing him this much.."

I can't wish for April because I know that April will never come... I'm not blank anymore though, I feel alive now with thought of you... No heaviness, no pain, just the beauty of those mins we shared and how priceless they were... I'm sure you still remember Kenny Seyi Marcus ... I remember telling you I told her about Seun and you were like "...now you owe me a beer, but that's after I apologize to Kenny". I'm almost sure you never did.. too crazy to have the time.. I miss that craziness Oshiboy, and on a day like this, I remember you with no tears... I'm glad earth felt your warmth, I'm looking forward to hanging out with you again when Jesus returns... But till then... Life Goes On Emmanuel ... Life Goes On...

I really thought we will grow up together to see tomorrow but you couldn't make it, now I am really looking forward to eternity, a place where we will be friends forever. #StayImmortal

Buhari, The Power Drunk General and His Many Crimes

I read Buhari's comment this morning and I almost laughed. He said ..

"Our country has gone through several rough patches, but never before have I seen a Nigerian President declare war on his own country as we are seeing now..."  

Grandpa Buhari, you can lie ooo! What about the wars you declared on innocent Nigerians as a military ruler... Your tolerance for opposition was superb then I assume, so holistic that you jailed so many people without fair trial..

As an oligarch and military ruler, you didn't believe in equality before the law. Just to mention a few of the things you did that I am sure GEJ hasn't even scratched the surface...

1. You jailed Lateef Jakande, Jim Nwobodo, Ambrose Ali, Pa Adekunle Ajasin, Chief Ayo Ojewumi on cases that had no foundation... That one is not war on Nigeria and Nigerians right?

2. You protected Awwal Ibrahim, the then Niger State governor, who was arrested in Heathrow Airport in London with 14 million pounds sterling and several millions of Naira and dollars by putting him under house arrest. I wonder why you frown at GEJ for protecting Ijaw thieves?

3. You placed Shehu Kangiwa, Sokoto State Governor who conducted and supervised the famous Bakolori Massacre of poor peasant farmers whose land were appropriated without compensation under house arrest instead of the guillotine like you always do with people that did nothing.

4. Ayo Ojewumi and Prof. Ambrose Alli came out of your prison camps blind as a result of imprisonment on false charges... Even Mandela still had his eyes after decades of imprisonment, what did you inject in their system... Love abi?

5. You publicly executed three innocent Nigerians by enacting an overnight law that made legality illegal for your own good pleasure. Lawal Ojuolape (30), Bernard Ogedengbe (29) and Bartholomew Owoh (26). were killed because you upgraded the law to suit your blood thirst.

6. You jailed Ndukar Irabor and Tunde Thompson of the Guardian on stories that were true under Decree 4. You told Nigerian journalists then that "it did not matter whether the story reported was true or not, if my regime did not like it, the writer would go to jail."

7. You Jailed Pa Adekunle Ajasin... you might want to tell us why?

8. You created emergency rule just because you wanted to jailed Fela Anikulapo -Kuti (Abami Eda) out of your way on trumped up charges. The judge later confessed you ordered him to do so..with an apology to Abami Eda. If Fela were alive today, he will win you in any election with or without rigging, you should bury your head in shame and stop calling yourself "elder statesman" you are nothing near a statesman.. you be "enemy of state".

9. You publicly said " I decided to deal with this Fela problem once and for all." was Fela Kuti the voice of truth and freedom a problem? You were and still a problem.. hundreds of thousands are dead in your name..

10. As a smuggler, you supervised the smuggling of 53 suitcases filled with cash through the MMA against the protests of General Tunde Idiagbon and ironically, Abubakar Atiku, the then Director General of the Customs. Your chief smuggler then was your ADC, Col. Mustapha Jokolo.

11. Buhari, the unholy mallam, you placed President Shagari under house arrest inside a palatial mansion in Ikoyi while you locked up Shagari's Vice, Alex Ekwueme in Kirikiri Prison... so much for being a true Nigerian with no ethnic inclination... Sir Ahmadu Bello will be very proud of you for upholding the dumb ass Dan Fodio estate.

12. Grandpa, in 1984, you rented assassins in the UK to drugg and crate/box your fugitive political friend, former minister of transportation Umaru Dikko in an attempt to forcefully smuggle him back into Nigeria as a diplomatic baggage to come and face charges of corruption in your own court that is governed by your personal rules. What manner of man will put a human being in a crate like a bird from the Amazons, to be shipped illegally because you are almighty Buhari when you could have tabled a legal diplomatic request for him to be repatriated. Thank God the British authorities opened the box. Imagine an anti-corruption crusader that knows where to find and hire assassins abroad, imagine how many he keeps on home soil. Anti-corruption my foot, abeg make the old cow go siddon, we don't need the likes of him or GEJ, they are cousins, no value for human lives. 

13. Worst of all, you subverted the will of the people that night in 1983 when you disbanded democracy with force... I've heard the lame claim of bloodless coup, but you've shed more blood in public view than any ruler Nigeria has seen..more than even the stone-hearted Abacha, you are simply a lying, heartless, northern Islamist.

For those that paint Buhari in shining anti-corrupton light, GEJ is a lot like him, power drunk bigots that want to keep power at all cost, even if the people they want to govern die miserable deaths in the process... If GMB is still a saint, maybe GEJ is right about stealing not being a corrupt practice... Killing is just murder not corruption, stealing is just robbery not corruption... I choose the truth though...

Go tell it on the mountain, GMD is not a general of the people! He's a general of his own power drunk ambition, his last crumb of honour was crushed when endorsed Mohammed Abacha for money, he should be dreaded... He's the only man that killed more people in the name of being the president that Abacha so I see where they connect. The only man more power driven than him in Nigeria right now is GEJ, his own crusade is we need a second term no matter what... They are both rouges and liars... they own thesame ambition and share thesame lies...

"I will never contest for Presidency again" -- Liar Muhammadu Buhari
"I won't be returning in 2015" -- GoodLiar Ebele Jonathan

If you believe anything they say, you are sleeping on a bicycle... "Walahi oti jonatan"

I am Abidemi Babaolowo Oderinlo

iRead What iNeed, iWrite What iLike, iAct What iWrite

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www.babaolow.blogspot.com