MELAYE/TINUBU:THE REGRETTABLE CONDUCT OF A FEMALE TRADITIONALIST

For a lady that reportedly once berated someone publicly for calling her 'Distinguished Senator' instead of her traditional title of 'Yeye', it wouldn't be out of place to assume she knows a thing or two about african tradition by virtue of her high reverence for the institution.In practically every part of this country, the man is accorded a second-to-none status.He doesn't have to be the husband of any lady to demand the respect he deserves.
'Yeye' Tinubu more recently in a closed door session of the Senate, called Senator Dino Melaye, a 'dog' and a 'thug' for expressing his thoughts on the floor of the Senate; a Chieftancy title holder like her or more appropriately, her husband.He reacted by heading towards her and threatening to beat her up before he was restrained by some colleagues.It baffles me that most of the blame is being placed at the doorstep of Sen. Melaye. Only a few people seem to understand what it feels like to be labelled such before their colleagues only because they said what they felt.I have heard only a few question the immoral conduct of Sen. Remi Tinubu, a lady who is not only an african mother and wife but also the 'Yeye' of her party leader.
While I am not defending Dino's conduct in any way, I think it is pertinent we note that only a handful of people would take such insults with a cool head.The many women groups calling for his head should devote their energy into discouraging other women from acting in such a despicable manner.It is amazing the extent to which the 'female victim' card has been exploited in this case.The key lines people are being programmed to focus on are-'i will beat you up, impregnate you on this floor and nothing will happen'.In a nutshell, those in support of Remi Tinubu are blaming Dino Melaye for not smiling and begging her to calm down while she was insulting him.Just as it is nothing out of the ordinary for Dino ( the 2nd in command of Saraki's troops) to call for President Buhari's impeachment, so is Sen.Tinubu's opposition to such a move.Both were acting in the best interests of their camp; Dino being totally against the criminal prosecution of his master for alleged wrongdoings and Tinubu, for a President her and her husband helped install.In the words of A.V Dicey: "The right to swing your fist ends where another person's nose begins".
So what is in issue here is who crossed that line?.Sen.Tinubu from the facts available to us.In perfect portrayal of the victim role, she has gone on to write to the IGP to report a threat to her life and request extra security while also writing the APC and requesting they sanction Melaye.He has refused to apologize to her and I totally agree with his decision because it would be accepting he was in the wrong, thereby creating illusions as to Yeye Tinubu's duties as an african woman.Until there is a miracle and perhaps both genders become truly equal, Chief Melaye deserves respect from a lady he is well capable of paying her bride price and catering for.If the gender activists don't succeed in getting ladies to pay 'groom prices' as well, then nothing will change traditionally speaking.
While I don't in anyway condone violence towards women and in as much as I agree Melaye's reaction was improper, Mrs Tinubu's conduct is more reprehensible being not just a mother and wife but also an African woman.Let us call a spade by its name.

PHYNO:FROM RAP LEGEND TO POP KING

I remember getting set to leave home one fateful evening in 2012 to hang out with friends in my neighbourhood.I had never been one to turn off the Tv till I was practically heading out and being that way payed off for me that day because just as I finished getting dressed, this guy popped up on Soundcity with a song that held me spell bound.That guy was Phyno and the song-SHUT DOWN.It was something like I had never heard before.It just oozed a genuine understanding of the art of rap.
Dude wasn't just about his ibo lines, he had some propane english bars as well.He spat punchlines tighter than those of any of our local 'foreign' rappers and he made it all sync with the dominant ibo lines without pissin off any of the audiences.It wasn't a hardcore rapper trying to go commercial nor was it an indigenous rapper trying to broaden his fan base.It was just Phyno.
You just knew right there and then that he had carved out his lane and anyone coming afterwards was going to be a subject.To use his words, he "flowed spiritual" and i add: with the right incantations.He struck me as a guy who wouldn't just be content with bullying every rapper in the East and one who will write his own chapter in the history of Nigerian music.That was long before I found out he had produced for some stars and even had an all star remix to his MULTIPLY song.
I called a good friend of mine I went to Law school with in Enugu, Hillary Asiegbu and asked if he knew Phyno.He replied in the negative and I told him to go check the song out, this guy was going to rule the airwaves soon.A King was born in his neck of the woods.
You find yourself rooting hard for guys like Phyno at the jump that have the potential to redefine Nigerian music and hope they don't get overcome by the challenges in the industry so it was nice to see him yet again on Tv much later with GHOST MODE and this time he was featuring Olamide.I guess a lot more people than I thought had felt SHUT DOWN because word then was Illbliss had dragged him into his Goretti/Capital crew and that came with the luxury of having super director Clarence Peters shoot his videos.The video for the song was top notch and it promoted the song in no small measure.
The whole world stood up to salute GHOST MODE and from then on, there was no turning back.Indigenous rap music no longer meant only yoruba rap as the East had staked a solid claim.Just about everyone wanted to have Phyno on their song coz he could pretty much adapt naturally to whatever thing it was you were cooking.He became a bonafide star and an instant industry darling.
Then came MAN OF THE YEAR and it was more or less making an entrance via the same route but only this time, with the respect he deserved.He was King of the East and had earned a legitimate bragging right which he showcased in elegant style.What were those lines again-'East coast N*^#@ now am banging in the West.....Y'all should be afraid of what am gon do next!!'.
Lynxxx said the song was going to be huge because Phyno made Ibo sound like Spanish but it was way more than that.What that song actually did was cop him a ticket to legendary status.I'll walk you through.Last rapper from the East to gain our attention was Mr Raw and you could safely pin down his success on the pop elements more than anything else.His hits had catchy choruses that appealed to a market that just wanted to sing along, dance or do both.

Phyno is a rapper that pays attention to every detail from the beat down to the most important; lyrics.To dare to hit the mainstream on those terms and prove he wasn't a flash in the pan or someone every body ran to just because he added something different meant he was already a legend on some scorecards.History will never forget the guy who re-invented ibo rap and paved the way for cats like Tidinz and Zoro who didn't have to struggle too hard to have us look their way.
The NO GUTS NO GLORY album dropped much to everyone's anticipation and he didn't disappoint.Survival was no longer a question as he had proved he had what it took to last in the game.That was the dopest album by an Ibo Mc and it cemented his status as the most 'hip hop' indigenous rapper in the land.
A lot of guys doze off at the top and work less on their art.You start to feel taken for granted by their verses because they feel they can just shove anything down your throat.They have 'grown' past that stage where they worry too much about keeping the fans happy and with much less hunger, drive and motivation, no real effort goes into improving themselves.
With Azubuike Nelson aka 'Phyno tha playmaker, it was much different.He stayed him like he always had but never seemed close to boring anyone.He didn't have to think about making slow songs or getting foreign features, he was still blowing minds with the same style from complementing a rapping Banky W in a most impressive manner on Dj Jimmy Jatt's E TO BEH to spitting the tightest verses alongside Vector on Black Magic's AFRICA (Remix).
To kill boredom at the top, he pulled a most audacious stunt; one we won't ever forget.Phyno decided to go pop and No, he wasn't biting the game to do that, he was going full scale pop and he did that to devastating effect.Every single has been a huge hit so far; From CONNECT to E SURE FOR ME.
It amazes how he doesn't have to struggle with his new self, it just seems like he always had it in him.It was pulling a Drake but only better because while a lot of people question Dreezy's singing abilities, Phyno's skills are not up for debate.
CONNECT was basically a street boy that never lost touch with his roots.Its a turn up song that kicks in the right mood with a great 'We here now' vibe and just the right type of message the average nigerian music lover loves to relate to: beating the odds.

The sing along element is at its very best and the power of delivery was at its mightiest because half the people I know love the song just as much even without understanding the lyrics.The pace of the rendition could almost pass for a sorrowful pitch sometimes before he hits you with just the right dose of adrenaline to join the 'Wo teh Collat' chant and not stop there.
CONNECT was one of the biggest hits of 2015 and the experiment (if you would call it that) was successful.Everyone wanted to see what the King of the East was going to do next-was he going back to conquered territory or seeking to expand the Kingdom?.
When FADA FADA (GHETTO GOSPEL) dropped, you knew it had gone beyond experimentation, it was more skoolin' pop boys on the basics.Nigerians love God and if you get the song right, it will cut right through every market.
The ibos have always had the better potential to make nationally accepted gospel songs and the way he tapped into the key elements of their songs was genius.
You just had to love how that snare hits twice and the way he sits right after with a matching delivery.You got a penny for the intriguing title as well-'I'm living large, I get 10 girls for my ghetto, never forget where I come from na from ghetto'.He had waded into pop and was heading right for the throne.
The dust hadn't fully settled before he released E SURE FOR ME.Its still fresh outta the oven at the time of writing this but like every other Phyno song, I don't need anyone to help assess the quality.Its going to be just as huge as his two previous cross-over singles.

Having stumbled upon the gold mine called 'Nigerians Love For God', he seems hell bent on exploiting it to the max.The song is a more matured gospel song that will appeal to a much older listener just as it would the average youth.The strong highlife feel makes you understand just why our non-ibo parents loved the Osita Osadebes a lot even without understanding a word of what they were saying.Its a 'feel cool' jam you can count on to soothe the nerves and there are no lines on big booties and champagne to distort that element in any way, its just a grateful guy glorifying Almighty God from start to end.
The message to his peers is something like those lines off the first song I heard-"If I pass you, you salute coz I pass you and anything wey you fit do, make you know say I fit do am times 2!!'.
Phyno has conquered 2 worlds in an unprecedented move in the Nigerian music industry and it takes a truly great person to do that.

AISHA BUHARI:A HYPOCRITICAL FIRST LADYSHIP AND THE TECHNICAL REVOCATION OF A CAMPAIGN PROMISE

Prior to his victorious campaign in 2015, President Muhammadu Buhari had contested in three presidential elections and never once did he promise to scrap the First lady office if he won.He only did that in the run-up to the last presidential polls.
PMB was always one to seize every opportunity to score a point with the average nigerian.He had been depicted as the liberator of the masses right from his first run and he has always been ready to capitalize on that persona to impress if need be.Whether it was to promise he will make N1 equal to $1or that he will end the boko haram insurgency within his first 100 days in office, he seemed to know just what the tired, angry, frustrated and used nigerian wanted to hear.
So when Sen.Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso lost the APC presidential primaries to him, it was no surprise to many that Buhari lifted the Senator's campaign promise of operating without a first lady.It was succinctly delineating the wastefulness of previous governments and the candidate's intention to halt it.But you just had to sense there was a problem.Buhari was no longer running in the old ANPP or CPC fashion, he was doing so under a much bigger platform that necessitated a much more elaborate way of doing things.He was now flaunting his loving father and caring grandpa photos on social media to appeal to a broader range of voters and what more?.His wife had been dragged from behind the scenes and thrust right into the heart of things.He had made a promise more in consonance with the archaic manner in which his campaigns were run on one hand while also agreeing to subscribe to a new order on the other and there was bound to be one of 2 things if he won-sticking to a promise that wasn't original or a hypocritical first ladyship and the technical revocation of a quite sensitive campaign promise.Sensitive in the sense that it is capable of sending a wrong message to nigerians that they were just being sold the same product in a new package.
The truth is nothing has changed.We have a first lady who like every one before her is a wife of the President.When questions started being asked about Aisha Buhari's use of the first lady's office, it was funny to hear the SA to President Buhari on media, Mallam Garba Shehu say there was nothing wrong with it because she wasn't doing so in her 'official capacity'.I just couldn't make any sense of it.What is her 'official capacity' if she had one?.It either meant someone needed to get the full meaning of the phrase 'first lady' or that she was a hypocritical occupant of the office.
As of this moment, she has her own retinue of aides which include a Special adviser, Senior special Assistant on administration, Senior Special Assistant on media and a Director of Information.Does anybody still think Buhari stuck to his promise of abolishing the first lady office?.I don't think so.
He rebranded it at best by merely changing the name.Just like every administration before his, he will concede to the fact that the office is not constitutional but he has earned no special right to wax sanctimonious about not wasting our waning resources on 'his wife's office'.Nigerians are not fools.
We have watched her set up her Future Assured pet project to cater for the less privileged and though her strides have been quite commendable, there are questions as to the funding of her activities baring in mind that the President earns about N1.2M monthly with no salary for the first lady.
In Gombe state alone, she donated foodstuff across 11 local governments worth millions of naira and a sickle cell detecting machine to the Federal teaching hospital.Her donations to other states and the IDPs are befitting of the wife of a President like we used to know them before we voted 'change' so its safe to ask in this era: from whose kitty?.
The official amount said to have been realized from her book launch and fundraiser was N55M which she pledged to the parents of the Chibok and Buni Yadi victims.Nobody bothered to give us an explanation as to why she opted for secret donations.Some staff of a commercial bank had set up a stall at the venue in anticipation of huge donations by guests but ended up leaving there disappointed.If her husband's anti-corruption war is as sincere as we have been meant to believe, then none of the political office holders at the venue would dare play 'Fat Santa'.
The Vice-President himself said much shouldn't be expected from him as he and her husband were on half salaries.Why would anyone hide people's contribution to their cause on a day they have gathered to celebrate them?.It only means one thing: there is an ugly side to it.If the first lady and her gang didn't want to raise eyebrows as to how their donors (a lot of them former or present office holders) came about the sums then it might just be because a chunk of it is taxpayers money.
To further illustrate the true role of Buhari's wife, she partnered with the Camerounian first lady, Chantal Biya in the areas of women and children development when she accompanied her husband on a 2 day working visit to Nigeria and even went on to host the wives of all envoys to Nigeria to sell her 'Future Assured' pet project. I ask-What has Buhari 'changed' by scrapping the first lady office for one of the Wife of the President when the roles are basically the same with his wife being even more active than the last 2 First ladies at this stage.
She has gone on to host and thank the social media influencers who helped campaign for her husband at the Villa and launch a book all within the space of a year.
Is it right to provide aides and make available our resources to an unconstitutional office the President said he didn't recognize?.As a campaign strategy, it worked and contributed in further selling the 'Change' mantra to Nigerians but if any other President promises to scrap the first lady office and allows his wife do the things Aisha Buhari is doing, then he wouldn't have done anything because like every other one we have had; she is a first lady that is the wife of the President.Period.