By Dele Sobowale
“0803-347-4820

An elderly and wise man like you should not incite people in matter of religion in Lagos. Do not create crisis in Lagos. We Lagosians are peace loving people.

“We love peace as we abhor pusillanimity; but, not peace at any price”.

Douglas Jerrold, 1803- 1857 Australian writer.

(VANGUARD BOOK OF QUOTATIONS p 184.

I would have been a fool not to expect the sort of text quoted above. Like most shallow thinkers who want to defend discrimination by a group against another group, he hinges his argument on peace instead of justice because he is, of course, not a Christian. So he does not know where the shoe pinches. He is also not well educated on the struggles which brought Obama to the White House in the United States today. I was a part of that epic struggle, so I want to educate our “peace lover” in order to dispense with people like him who want to distract our attention from the demand for fairness by Christians.

Before that, however, let me quickly answer another query which might be leveled against me: why have you not tried to seek audience with the leaders of the “Progressive” movement in Lagos? The answer is: I have tried without success. And I have proof.

Now let us return to the education of the sender of the text message. When, after over two hundred years of discrimination against Black Americans, the late Dr Reverend Martin Luther King, Jnr, 1929-1968, in response to the cries of the black people started the Civil Rights movement, his white co-Baptist Pastors, “men of God”, were the first to denounce him for wanting to disturb the peace of the Southern States. With one of the greatest pamphlets ever penned by any man, titled WHY WE CAN’T WAIT, the great black American launched and led the struggle which ultimately resulted in an Obama President today. Our latter-day “peace lover”, if he was in America would have carpeted Reverend King for disturbing the peace of “peace loving” Americans, instead of praising him for fighting for equal opportunity. I know he is a Muslim; his attitude is not different from that of white racists in America who would have wanted King to keep quiet.

At any rate, he is too hasty in his response. Discrimination against Christians by so called Progressives is not the only topic on the agenda between now and 2015. Discrimination against women is also on the cards; so is the lack of reciprocity between Lagos State and the other Yoruba speaking states in the appointment of Commissioners and other top posts. No Lagos State indigene has ever been appointed Commissioner in Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Ondo, Ekiti or Kwara since civilians took control. But, that is a fight for another day.

The evidence pointing to deliberate discrimination against Christians, within the Progressive camp is so overwhelming that only a liar will fail to acknowledge them. Let us start with the Action Group, AG. And on this history, let no carpet-bagger, atohunrinwa, whose forebears trekked to Lagos, without shoes like, young Goodluck Jonathan, attempt to tell me the story. By the grace of God, Epe Constituency was represented during the First Republic, by my eldest brother, flying the banner of the Action Group. Since then we have been in the Progressive camp; although I was never a member of any party. He and late Chief Bola Ige entered and finished at Ibadan Grammar School on the same dates; joined the AG, on the same day and remained in the Progressive movement until death. Those who were climbing kolanut trees, wherever, in the 1950s should stay out of this. Baba Awolowo himself did not discriminate on the basis of religion and the AG was well regulated to ensure that candidates for elective offices did not emerge from nowhere to claim tickets for constituencies where they were not known for years and never were the selections so overwhelmingly tilted in favour of any group…..

WHEN TWO PHDS ARE WORSE THAN NONE

You have heard it said very often that “two heads are better than one”. President Jonathan, PhD and Reuben Abati, PhD have just proved that two PhDs might be worse than none. Professor Achebe rejected National Honours several years ago citing reasons. He again rejected it this year. The President and Abati got angry pointing to “reforms” which have nothing to do with Achebe’s complaint. Jonathan’s response was not surprising. But, Abati is now a problem. Whatever happened to that erudite and logical member of Patito’s gang? Has the Aso Rock disease claimed another victim?

$3 BILLION INFLATED CONTRACT TO TSKJ IN 2002. Who received the bribes? No Wikileak. Try “DeleLeaks”. Read the book. Only N5000 per copy.