One of the few lessons I learnt in my early years in the United States was the popular saying that “Politics ends at the border”. Once the US was engaged in hostilities with another country, every patriotic citizen of America was expected to stand solidly behind the President and Commander-in-Chief, C-I-C, of the armed forces. It is my strong belief that America started losing wars when that solid defence broke down.

I once wrote an article in defence of Attah during his first term when he came under attack for two decisions that were destined to have lasting impact on the economic and social lives of the people of Akwa Ibom State. The first was his decision to invest in ECONET Wireless shares and the second was the construction of Ibom Plaza.

The presido of Area boys is going home – victim of arthritis which has rendered the right arm almost useless. After serious consideration regarding what needs to be done before I can no longer write anything, it suddenly occurred to me that I have been neglecting my duty to my closest politician brother, mentor, adviser and friend – Obong Victor Attah. Let me discharge it now because another chance might not present itself unless the doctors can find a breakthrough. As it is, this column, which ordinarily should be finished in three hours or less will now consume eight hours of declining time. But it will be eight hours well-spent as my late father taught me in 1957.

I am filled with the “milk of human kindness” today, so, I am just presenting Cardinal Arogundade’s text message without comments. We had a lively discussion on the phone and we agreed to disagree. That is the beauty of democracy which “Third term to Life term”, as planned by Obasanjo, would have destroyed as Mubarak and Mugabe did. That the man could even think of the third term idea is horrible enough.

This article could have been titled “SECOND CHILDISHNESS SETS IN” and it would still be apt. Baba Iyabo who claims to be 76, but whose son, Gbenga, had also told us that “my father does not know his real age” and who on top of that parades two birthdays, is in “The last scene of all,/That ends this [his] strange eventful history,/ [Which] is second childishness and mere oblivion,/ Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything”.