Herald January 20, 1991

 I have been a good reader of your widely read Sunday Herald. My favourite column has always been “His and Hers” as Bunmi, the columnist, offers many suggestive and positive pieces of advice on matrimony and love affairs.

But your last piece of December 30, 1990, jolted my heart and set me aback. The title of the write-up was “New Year, new husbands.” It’s indeed a bombshell to male readers.

From mere glancing at the headline, it was expected and supposed to give advice, warning, and counseling to the womenfolk. But the reverse was the case as you blatantly slapped and hit the male at every corner without sending a word to the ladies. You should remember that your column is not exclusively for males or females only, but for both “His and Hers.” Let me give few examples of the diatribe. In your second paragraph, you mentioned that if men could take new wives at any time, why not women? I pray that, that is not the sense in women liberation or the resolution for women in 1991?

Quranic and Biblical injunctions, even traditional religious instructions, allow and legalize more than one wife for men while it is unlawful, illegal and a taboo for women to get married to more than one husband at a time. If you are not convinced with this, a visit to one of the religious preachers will convince you.

You talk about smoking, wine drinking and wife beating womanizing as part and parcel of men. Don’t women too smoke, drink wine, abuse their husbands (though they can’t beat men) and man-ise?

As you challenge men, in your write-up, to listen and change, so do we also challenge women to reason and listen to the words of their bosses and change for better this year by obeying their husbands’ laid down rules and regulations.

And to you Bunmi, you should respect gentlemen with words of obeisance. Because the way you concluded that essay with “Happy New Year, happy new husband, Happy winner wives,” it should have read “Happy new year, happy new husband and wife (though the husband deserves the word winning more than the wife for his daily activities for home betterment).

In conclusion Bunmi, let no male be subjected to your criticisms in your “His and Hers” column any more since it’s significantly indicated for both sexes.

RE: A VERSE THAT STONES SATAN

Tribune March 25, 2001

 Being an avid reader of your (Festus Adedayo) weekly column in the Sunday Tribune, your last bombshell on the Islamic religion was no surprise, afterall you once protested against your God for allegedly being unfair to you in the death of your brother which prompted you to threaten to stop going to church. Your last year derogatory remarks on Islam was met with simultaneous condemnations. But since you have failed to repent and with your recent comment on Islamic pilgrimage, I am compelled to correct the erroneous impression you may have given to the gullible public.

If because there were incidents in Mecca, you recommended interdiction of the spiritual exercise, then football matches in Europe which routinely witness many deaths in the name of hooliganism, should be proscribed. If because of the death of less than 400 people in a span of five years, you concluded that the injunction is ripe for the dustbin, then Reverend Bonnke whose visit to Benin in three days resulted in more than 20 deaths, must be forbidden from pastoring. His crusade witnessed injury and death to adherents. In fact, boarding schools should be cancelled based on the recent incident in Jos.

If your advice to Muslim that pilgrimages should be held here in Nigeria is based on patriotism then, the government must stop outright Nigerian academics travelling abroad for further studies, same with Christian pilgrimages to Jerusalem, which are not even recognized in the Holy Bible. Foreign trips by government officials and businessmen must be confined to Nigeria, afterall travelling by airplane which is noted for massive deaths through air crashes, cannot be acceptable, a la Festuslogy!

RE: GANI’S UNGENTLEMANLY CONDUCTS

The Punch July 27, 2002, Tribune July 7, 2002

 Your last piece on the above on Saturday Punch of June 29, 2002, and a subsequent comment too by Tribune columnist, Festus Adedayo the following day on the same, once again testify to the fact that most of the regular columnists in Nigeria are patriots whose objective opinions are devoid of parochial, ethnic and sectional bias.

It is undeniable that Chief Gani Fawehinmi is an eminent advocate of justice and defender of human rights whose reputation of being fearless, straight forward and honest has further endeared him to the masses. The press has given him enough publicity that when he coughs or sneezes, a captivating headline is cast to honor the idol of the downtrodden.

But it is quite disheartening to read about his remark that he would make Nigeria ungovernable should there be any attempt to prevent his party from presenting candidates for elections and that he would carry his battle against the non registration of his political association to the barracks. His outburst is uncharitable and undemocratic from a self-styled democrat.

Some may wonder if truly his party NCP, has met the requirements for registration since it is unconventional to open party offices on the campuses and motor parks where those he claims to belong to his constituency are dominant. In addition to this, the Chief has been known to be the leader, Chief Executive and Chairman of all associations he belongs. One may wonder if the Chief may not be the Chairman of his party as well as its presidential candidate.

RE- OPEN BALLOT IS NO IDEAL

Sunday Herald January 13, 1991

Please allow me a space in your widely read newspaper, to correct the misunderstanding and misconception of the open ballot by one Ogom Najim Abdulazeez in the Sunday Herald’s letter page of December 30, 1990 titled “Open Ballot is not ideal.” What a hasty criticism by this writer to go to such length to condemn the recent successful election system, which Nigerians daily applause during and after the election for its hitch-free and peaceful conduct witnessed.

Being the first successful election ever conducted in the country, it deserves not only words of praise but also a call on the Federal Government to let the open ballot stay, as it has effectively checked rigging, corruption, thuggery and other habitual vices in Nigerian elections.

I don’t see any reason why Najim brought out a distorted view into limelight. It was not surprising when the write-up completely delved on wrong path of history without giving the needed options and suggestions.

In his write-up, we only read of “Ancient Greek,” the 1856 Australian ballots and the “Great Britain in 1872.” What do we Africans gain in foreign copy-copy not even recent time policies but of primitive ones in the name of having a successful hitch-free election?

The just concluded local government election is an example to these foreign countries to emulate and not Nigeria imitating theirs. It is time the Giant of Africa realises it’s really a giant.