Saturday, April 6, 2024

Ozobo makes case for King Pereama, appeals to fans to respect his office as Numupere ll of lzon-lbe


Ozobo makes case for King Pereama, appeals to fans to respect his office as Numupere ll of lzon-lbe


Warri _____ Concerned stakeholders in Ijaw nation have appealed to fans and well-wishers not to pressure the Ijaw Numupere-II, King Pereama Freetown to come to stage to perform in every public function he may wished to attend, especially when he was not engaged for stage display.

Corroborating this position, the president of the Ijaw Publishers' Forum, Comrade Ozobo Austin, in an interview with newsmen on Friday expressed mixed feelings over how some fans and friends disdainfully pressured the Music King to come to stage to perform in public functions where he was not hired on such purpose.
Speaking against the backdrop of the music king being pressured to perform at all public functions, Ozobo said the trend is worrisome, stating further that being a king he can honour any public invitation to grace any public event and that doesn't mean he would be performing on stage in every of such events.

The IPF president appealed to Ijaw nation, fans and well-wishers to take it easy with the music King and show some respect to him, and not to pressure him to perform on stage when he is not fully engaged on such purpose.

"As a king, it is not fair for people to pressure him to go or come to stage, asking him to come and sing one or two songs in every time he appears in public functions where he is not bill to perform.
"Please we should show some respect for him, dragging him to go to stage in a casual manner show no respect in most times. His fans and well-wishers, including others should stop it because that is not a sign of respect at all.

"I believe, he is honouring public invitation because of his position in Ijaw nation but that doesn't mean he will perform in every of such functions. It is more honourable to perform only when he is invited on such purposes. 

"Being Ijaw music king, I don't expect people to be pushing him every event he attend to go and perform. Pushing him to perform in every public functions even when he is not hired to perform does not portray him in a good light as a king. 
"So, it is my humble appeal to his fans, love ones, well-wishers and leaders to bear with him henceforth. Don't pick offence in case he turns down such appeals", Ozobo added.

Sunny consults Pondi, Clark, Evah, Ekpese ahead Burutu council poll



Sunny consults Pondi, Clark, Evah, Ekpese ahead Burutu council poll

Francis Tayor


Warri _______ ln his desire to serve the good people of Burutu Local Government Area, the immediate past Secretary of the Council, Hon. Prince Sunny Ebiboloukaemi Perekeme and his campaign team has move his consultation visit to the distinguished member representing Burutu Federal Constituency in the National Assembly, Rt. Hon. Julius Pondi, former member Delta State Civil Service Commission and Secretary Burutu Local Government Council, Hon. Chief. James Nieketein, former Chairman Burutu Marine Polytechnic Governing Council, Barr Alhaji Isa Clark, former women leader PDP Delta State, Hon Mrs. Georgina Evah and Hon Barr. BD Ekpese in order to seek for advice and support ahead of the forthcoming Council polls.
Speaking at the visit on Thursday in Warri, the former Council Secretary  passionately appeal for the support of the  influential Burutu PDP leaders, noting that he is coming to operate an open door policy, transparency as well as prudent management of the council monthly federal allocation for the general benefit of Burutu people when elected as the next council Chairman.

Prince Sunny stressed that Burutu is blessed with abundance natural resources (Oil and Gas) and it needs a pragmatic, intelligent and principled person with practical working experience and foresight to transform the council infrastructurally and otherwise.
He noted that with his wealth of experience as former two times councillor as well as Secretary to the Local Government, he has the required qualification to adequately address the challenges facing Burutu people.

He assured the leaders and the good people of Burutu that he is coming to operate all inclusive government whereby the people and the leadership would be consistently consulted before any critical decision shall be taken. He further remarked that youths and women empowerment, adequate health care service provision and education tops his agenda when he emerge as the next council Chairman.

Meanwhile, in their various responses, Rt. Hon. Julius Pondi described the visit of Sunny Perekeme as a rare privileged and honour to him that will not be taken for granted, stressing that Sunny has the capacity with amazing working experience to serve Burutu Local Government Council as Chairman.

He reiterated that Hon. Sunny Perekeme has a clean track record as former two times councillor as well as Secretary to the Local Government, noting that his candidature is a good one. 

Pondi however, urged him to reach out to other leaders across Burutu, adding that he has his prayers and blessings to actualize his ambition.

While Chief. James Nieketein, Barr. Isa Clark, Mrs. Georgina Evah and Barr. BD Ekpese eulogizes and admires Prince Sunny Perekeme's amazing working experience, adding that his humility, integrity and respectful character in public service over the years has made him stand tall ahead of his fellow contestants.

Climax of the visit was offer of prayers to the incoming Chairman Burutu Local Government Council, Hon. Prince Sunny Perekeme by the various Burutu PDP leaders.
Among the entourage of the Sunny Perekeme campaign organization include the Director General (DG), Mr. Funpere Numupeide, Hon. Asiayei Eregu, woman leader Maureen Bolo, Gold Sologidi, Desmond Edumogiren and others.

Wednesday, April 3, 2024

LG Polls: Burutu Stakeholders warn PDP against imposition of candidate



LG Polls: Burutu Stakeholders warn PDP against imposition of candidate 


Warri ____ The Burutu LGA concerned stakeholders for good governance has warned the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state, and the Governor of Delta State, His Excellency, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori  against the imposition of unpopular candidate to the detriment of the peoples will in the forthcoming Local Government elections.

This was contained in a statement issued after a crucial meeting held in Warri on Tuesday, the stakeholders, frowned at the surreptitious move by some political elements to subvert the will of the people and make mockery of the key institution of democracy.

In a communique signed by Chief Amala Gbogi, the stakeholders under the aegis of Burutu Local Government Area Concerned Stakeholders for Good Governance, vowed to resist any unpopular decision that will be a setback to their quest for rapid socio-economic development.
The communique read "History they say is replete with examples and it reminds us of how similar happenings in the past have helped shaped many political associations and political parties. The PDP as a political party is built on the tenets of justice and fair play and that is why it is today recognised as the best and biggest political institution in Africa. 

"Any deviation from this ethically oriented or ideological posture for this great party through acts of deliberate omission or commission to hijack the Local Government Council election would lead to a great calamity that would lead to the destabilization and anarchy in our Local Local Government. 

"We decided to come public because the bird cried in the night and the baby died the next morning. It has come to our attention the plot by some persons and the leaders in  Burutu Local Government Area, to handpick and impose a candidate to the Burutu populace  for the forthcoming Local Government Council Election. 

"There is evidence on the ground and it is no longer in the realm of a rumour that there is gang up by some highly respected leader in Burutu LGA to cause chaos for selfish reasons and  they should be called to order. 
"We would not allow anybody no matter how highly placed to think he can preside over the death of our Local  Government which has become a memento for our struggle for genuine democracy and developments in all its ramifications.

"We therefore wish to raise the alarm over what is happening clandestinely, and which has now become something in the public domain because even the walls have ears. We plead with all leaders to use their good reputation to nip it in the bud. 

"This is because the Local  Government election is at hand and as party men and stakeholders, we think we should not be engaged in anything that would bring our Local Government to disrepute as its consequences politically, economically, socially and culturally would be too grave for us as a Local  Government. 

"Burutu people are now more politically sophisticated and they must be allowed through a credible process to recruit their leaders as this is what differentiates us from the other political parties. The signs on the horizon seems not to be palatable."

The group urged all stakeholders and leaders in the area to provide a level playing ground for all qualified and competent aspirants vying for the Council Chairmanship. 

They also called on all youths, women and stakeholders to add their voices to the echoes of the true tenets of democracy hallmarking  the yearning of all peace-loving and morally stable people ahead of the election. 

They said: "A single person in Burutu Local Government cannot and will never decide for the entire Burutu Local Government populace. We have seen the past records of LGA Chairmen in our Local Government, it is only Rt. Hon. Godsknow Angele that ruled second term because of his extreme performance as a Council Chairman. Any attempt by any leader to make reference to Angele case to cause confusion and chaos in Burutu Local will be unacceptable. 

"Rt. Hon.Godsknow Angele performed excellently as a Council Chairman in terms of infrastructural development, security, socio-economic development, human empowerment, inclusive governance, accessibility and prudent management of available resources to address developmental issues. We need only Angele Godsknow replica to take the mantle of leadership in the forthcoming Burutu Local Government Council election. 

"We need someone that can consolidate Hon. Godsknow Angele developmental strides so that Burutu Local Government populace will continue to enjoy democratic dividends in all ramifications. Someone that will stay in Burutu from Monday to Friday for official duties as Council chairman. We need a Council chairman that will be accessible, peace-loving and people friendly and can always put smiles on the faces of the less privileged and others. 

"As many political gladiators continue to show interest across the Local Government to contest the 2024 Burutu Local Government Council Chairmanship election, we only need a proactive, productive and progressive politician in Burutu Local Government that is capable of promoting youths and women  employment and empowerment as Rt. Hon. Godsknow Angele did. 

"It is also important that, we should only allow financial independent, already economically established personality to mount the Burutu LGA Chairmanship. Someone that is capable enough to use his personal resources to address challenges when the need arises.

"As we are preparing for the 2024 Burutu Local Government Council election, we must carefully and diligently work out a Council Chairman with the temperament and skills to pilot the ship of our Local Government in an inclusive and results-oriented manner.

"We call on all current Burutu LGA political appointees in Governor  Sheriff Oborevwore's administration to use their offices  to lobby and attract development to Burutu Local Government. 

"We are appealing to our national leaders to play an advisory role rather than imposing their political sons and loyalists on the Burutu LGA populace. We must know that, politics has grown beyond imposing candidate out of the people's choice in Burutu LGA. 

"It is also on record that, from the creation of Burutu Local Government in 1976, ward 11, an oil producing area that  greatly contribute to economic  growth of Burutu Local Government, Delta State and Nigeria have not tasted the Council Chairmanship office. For equity, fairness and justice sake, we are appealing and calling all political leaders and stakeholders in Burutu Local Government to consider ward 11 for the Burutu  LGA Chairmanship in the forthcoming Council election. 


"We also admonish all current Burutu LGA political appointees in Governor  Sheriff Oborevwore administration to remain focus, dedicated and committed to their official and primary assignment  in supporting Governor Sheriff Oborevwore's MORE Agenda rather nurturing ambition to join the Burutu  LGA Chairmanship race."

Sunny gets support from Asupa, Kurugbe,Tuedon for Burutu Council Chairman



Sunny gets support from Asupa, Kurugbe,Tuedon for Burutu Council Chairman 

Francis Tayor

Warri _____ Hon. Prince Sunny Ebiboloukaemi Perekeme, the immediate past Secretary Burutu Local Government Council and a frontline aspirant in the forthcoming Local Government elections has gained more support and acholade from leaders in Burutu as Hon. Asupa Forteta, the immediate past member Delta State House of Assembly Burutu Constituency l, Hon. Paul Kurugbe, former third member SUBEB Delta State and Hon. Richard Tuedon, former member Delta State Civil Service Commission expressed confidence in him to serve the good people of Burutu when given the mandate as the next council Chairman.

The leaders gave their consent to Prince Sunny Perekeme on Tuesday in Warri as he paid them consultation visit.
Speaking during the consultation visit, Hon. Asupa Forteta, who was  former Boss to Sunny described him as a serious minded person who has the capacity to address the challenges of Burutu people.

Asupa said Prince Sunny Perekeme served well as Supervisory Councillor for Agric and Natural Resources under his administration as Council Chairman in 2008, adding that he will do better when given the opportunity to serve as Burutu Council Chairman.

In another related development, Hon. Paul Kurugbe asserted that Prince Sunny Perekeme is a grassroot oriented politician with humility and honest in whatever responsibility assign to him.
Kurugbe further remarked that Sunny is also accessable, result oriented and phone friendly, adding that his style of leadership is rare among the present day crop of leaders in the country.

While the former Delta State Organizing Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Hon. Richard Tuedon emphasized that Prince Sunny Perekeme has served both the umbrella party PDP and the Local Government diligently and faithfully, stressing that he has the experience to contest for the office of the Chairman Burutu Local Government Council.

He noted that Sunny is very obedient to party leadership, while urging him to put his trust in God, adding that it is God that gives power and leadership position to whom He is well pleased. 
However, Hon. Sunny Perekeme has reaffirmed his desire to operate all inclusive government whereby critical stakeholders, especially the leadership in Burutu, traditional rulers, the clergy, women groups and youth bodies would be consulted to seek their opinion before any important decision of public interest could be taken to move the council forward.

He pledge to be transparent, honest and accountable to the good people Burutu, adding that he knows the basic needs of the council and will address them one after the other holistically.

Meanwhile, the man Hon. Prince Sunny Ebiboloukaemi Perekeme is a household name in Burutu politics, tested and trusted with proven integrity of practical working experience in the public administrative business.
He was first appointed in 2003 as Transition Committee Member/Supervisor for Agric and Natural Resources under Hon. Asupa Forteta led council Chairman. In 2008, he was reappointed as Supervisor for Agric and Natural Resources by Hon. Frank Ekioemi Zuokumo led council Chairman. 

In 2018, he was appointed as Secretary to Burutu Local Government Council by Hon. Godknows Angele led council Chairman.

In 2021, he was reappointed as Secretary Burutu Local Government Council by Hon. Godknows Angele, where he humbly and faithfully served both Angele and Combolous lkisa. 

He was also appointed as head of Administration of the PDP election management committee in Burutu Local Government Area during 2023 general elections.

And he was recently appointed as Secretary 2024 Burutu North Constituency Delta State House of Assembly Re-run election management committee that was ably chaired by Chief. (Dr.) Julius Takeme in Burutu Local Government Area.

It is on record that Hon. Prince Sunny Ebiboloukaemi Perekeme is the first man to bagged the Meritorious Award as the most humble and honest Council Secretary in the history of Burutu Local Government Council.

Among those in the campaign team of Prince Sunny Perekeme include; Mr. Funpere Numupeide, DG Hon. Prince Sunny Perekeme campaign organization, Hon. Asiayei Eregu, woman leader Maureen Bolo and many others.

Hon. Company celebrates Delta Speaker Guwor at 44, wishes him God's Wisdom to Serve Deltans Well



Hon. Company celebrates Delta Speaker Guwor at 44, wishes him God's Wisdom to Serve Deltans Well 

Francis Tayor


Warri _______ The immediate past Councillor of ljansa/ljelejele Ward 13 Ogbe-ljoh Warri kingdom in Warri South-West Local Government Area of Delta State, Hon. Felix Yerinbowei Company, popularly known as Ycom has felicited and congratulates the honourable Speaker of Delta State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Guwor Emomotimi Dennis on the auspicious occasion of his 44 years birth anniversary.

In a statement released on Monday at Ogbe-ljoh, the headquarters of Warri South-West Local Government Council, Hon Felix eulogizes the impactful servant leadership style of Mr Speaker, stressing that he is a wonderful breed and one of the best brain Delta State has produced as speaker.
Hon. Company further appreciated Mr Speaker for his prompt attention given to issues of public importance, especially his recent approach through the mandate of the state governor, His Excellency, Rt Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori to broker peace between Aladja and Ogbe-ljoh Communities land dispute boundary adjustment.

He however, pray God to grant Mr Speaker good health, longlife and prosperity, wisdom and understanding to serve the interest of all Deltans.

Once again, happy birthday Mr Speaker, wishing you many happy returns, congratulations, the statement added.

Monday, April 1, 2024

The 1994 Rwandan Genocide and Reflections on the 2024 Okuama lncident in Delta State'


'The 1994 Rwandan Genocide and Reflections on the 2024 Okuama lncident in Delta State'

By: Ekanpou Enewaridikedeke 


Carnage. Massacre. Rape.Wounded. Reconciliation. Reconciliation. Exploitation.Manipulation. Propaganda.These are
aromatically dangerous, repelling, antagonistic and disgusting words whose echoes poignantly bring to the mind the inanities of the 1994 Rwandan genocide  - a fratricidal genocide worsened by the dearth of a transparent reconciliation and peace process conceptualised to bring the Hutus and the Tutsis together and bury the notorious genocide in the river  of  forgiveness and forgetfulness - which propelled Veronique Tadjo's journey to Rwanda.Also brought to the mind is the appalling failure of man to be taught by the lessons of the Nigerian Civil War of 1967-70 which would have been enough to guide the Rwandans away from the issues  that made the genocide possible.

Veronique Tadjo's  journey to Rwanda outlined in her book,The Shadow of Imana, is conceptually purposed to bring healing to the genocidal wounds of the country.That the wounds of Rwanda's genocidal war are still ululating for healing assail her sense of humanity and responsibility as a writer.To have a true picture of the genocide in terms of the causative factors, the whole gamut of the carnage, the massacre, and the modalities taken to heal the suppurating genocidal wounds, Tadjo journeys to Rwanda with her purpose clearly captured this: ' I could no longer keep Rwanda buried inside me.I needed to lance the abscess, lay bare the wound and bandage it.I am not a doctor, but I could still try to administer first aid to myself'(The Shadow of Imana 3).

A logically distilled thinking from historical awareness would have simply taken a clear channel that the cumulative carnage from the Nigerian Civil War and the 1994 Rwandan genocide should have been a sufficient guide for the people of Odi in Bayelsa State where twelve soldiers were killed by civilians on 4 November 1999, at  Zaki Biam in  Benue State where nineteen soldiers were killed by bloody civilians on 10 October 2001 and for the people of Okubama(Okuama) in Delta State where seventeen soldiers  were killed by bloody civilians on 14 March 2024  and respectively attracted the military bees in each incident bound to provoke genocidal response from the Nigerian soldiers if they were not professionally composed and  guided attitudinally. All these valuable lessons from history were thrown away anytime they came in handy as would have been expected in the recent Okuama incident in  Ughelli South Local Government Area of Delta where seventeen soldiers were killed by misguided civilians.

The obscenities of the 1994 Rwandan genocide -  which are  emanations from non-alignment with the derivable valuable lessons from the Ibo pogrom during the Nigerian Civil War of 1967-70  -  by their sheer crudities and barbarities, have the potential to cause universal outrage and shock anywhere on earth.Critically  built here using postcolonialism, this critical journey of mine traces the horrors of the genocide, the causative agents,  the ineffectuality of the reconciliation and peace process and the imperilled waiting Rwandan future  which is bleak in Veronique Tadjo's The Shadow of Imana. This critical journey also shows a gaping bleakness in the Rwandan future  bound to be removed only  if there is justice in the reconciliation and peace process.Whether or not Rwanda will rise to its former glory depends on how well the reconciliation  process is handled  to bring together all the victims and let their painful suppurating  wounds got from the genocide completely healed on the altar of love and forgiveness coupled with a total rejection of the  instigative, divisive and false narrative of European historians on the aboriginal roots of the Tutsis.

Every work - fiction or non-fiction - has a centre around which it is thematically built to guide humanity. Characteristically, in Veronique Tadjo’s The Shadow of Imana, the Rwandan genocide of 1994 is the centre around which the thematic architecture is built by the author. As thematically built, the work showcases the horrors of the genocidal war, the sufferings and pains of the dead and the living, the reconciliatory efforts, the challenges of the reconciliatory efforts, the perpetrators of the genocidal barbarities, the genocidal period, the call for justice, the likely disintegration of Rwanda in all her components that generate oneness without justice and genuine reconciliatory efforts. The journey of the author to Rwanda, ably assisted by  reports and response of victims and her own fact-based evaluative views while on the Rwandan soil, engaged in investigative conversations with the victims of the genocidal war, confirms authoritatively that there was indeed a Rwandan genocide in 1994 as there was indeed a country in Chinua Achebe’s portrait of the Biafran struggle in his work,There was a Country A Personal History of Biafra.Tadjo’s investigative confirmatory portrayal of the Rwandan genocide of 1994 is  critically looked at here using the postcolonial lens which refers 'to literature emanating from or dealing with the peoples and cultures of lands which have emerged from colonial rule (normally, but not always, relatively recently) but it can also be used to imply a body of theory or an attitude  towards that which is studied, (Studying Literature 193).
 Post colonialism as a critical theory is more appropriate to the critical explication of a work like The Shadow of Imana by Tadjo  because the theory ‘has created institutional space for the study of a wide variety of non-canonical literatures, and has given academics a focus for the development of new areas of study’ (194). 

From critical analysis extended mainly to Tadjo's The Shadow of Imana, the Europeans are guilty of involvement in the Rwandan genocide through deliberate narrative colouration and manipulation.Rwanda got independence  on 1 July 1962  though it was on 19 December 1963 she formally had independence from UN under Belgium administration. Full autonomy in the real sense of the word independence  only came the way of Rwanda in 1963. Since 1994 it has been chorused  everywhere that there was a genocidal war in Rwanda targeted at the Tutsis and the moderate Hutus. Accusations, counter-accusations and denial of accusations and culpability are characterizations of the Rwandan genocidal war. 
The author journeys  to Rwanda to have an authoritative view on the genocidal war. Various places and sites are visited in Rwanda where the carnage occurs coupled with investigative conversations had with people. 

From Ntarama   Church with a record of 5,000 dead, Tonta locateli with a record of the first massacre of the Tutsis in 1992, Nyanza the Royal city where all vestiges of nobility have been wiped out during the successive confrontations between 'feudal’ Tutsis and the Hutu 'masses' (The Shadow of Imana 18), Byumba  where the barbarities of the genocide let loose on Therese, Jean-Baptiste (Therese’s husband), Constance(Therese's sister) and Isaac (Therese’s son) are echoed; the pathetic story of Consulate whose father is dead and her own mother and brother imprisoned, her two sisters in the city and Consulate on exile; the story of the sooth-sayer and the stubborn head of the dead causing rain to fall torrentially on the living as a wake-up call to embrace peace and love and how the rain stops after the diviner has performed the chicken ritual to placate  the dead; the pitiable story of Saro whose husband Romain commits suicide after the war when accused of genocidal involvement; the rape of Anastasie by her brother Anastase at knife-point, Anastasie's resistance struggle  and how she dies; the tragedy that befalls Karl's family -     how Karl's wife Annonciata and her son are found at a refugee camp by the Red Cross, Annonciata raped by militiamen and men guarding  them  as a condition for her own  son not to be  killed, how she later had AIDS and died; the story of the murder of Seth’s father and mother and how his paternal uncle sends him abroad to study and later comes to marry Valentine in Burundi; the death of the Dian Fossey Foundation through the murder of Dian Fossey by poachers (Hutu rebels); the genocidal atrocities perpetrated by Hutu rebels,  Interrahamwe, the ordeal of the Zairean woman who looks like Tutsi, how her  husband Etienne and son are murdered by Hutus; she is raped by Hutu soldiers though rescued by RPF soldiers; the story of the pastor in whose hands four children are entrusted but the militiamen strike and kill the children, forcing the pastor to kill one with his own hands; stories of people committing suicides in the prison; the former RPF soldier now a prison guard kills four prisoners and himself on the information that Gacaca (return to traditional justice) is about to take place; stories of improper trial of perpetrators and imprisonment of the condemned, prisoners kept in crowded room; even people who plead guilty are still condemned to death; stories of false testimony, false accusations, stories of partial trial of people while high-ranking officers arrested and tried in the International Court of Arusha are not condemned to death; stories of prisoners forced to  labour on farm for the benefit of the officers in charge; the story of Josephine whose two children  -  Philomena (daughter) and Gratian (son)  -   reveals that politicians are the cause of the genocide; the story of the Seven Wonders made up of seven guys out of which only four are left -  Damien and Valens dead and Jean de Dieu having left the country  -  the Seven Wonders not tainted by the barbarities of the genocide and the ten commandments of the Hutus; the story of the division between the Hutus, Tutsis and the Twas traced to 1990 and that   some massacres occurred in 1959 when the king died and that when the president’s plane crashes in Kigali on 6 April, the murder does not start immediately; the story of Camp Kibeho (22 April 1995) where  government forces, eager to get rid of sprawling camps where militiamen plan to organise a genocide of Tutsis and moderate Hutus, attacks the camp leading to death of five and eight thousand and hundreds wounded  mostly from among the Hutus who machete one another between those ready to leave and those ready to stay and the stampede from the fired shorts.

Kibeho has over eighty thousand refugees where Hutus who fear reprisal converge, and  after the carnage two hundred and fifty thousand Hutus are compelled to go home; the story of the confession of sister Agatha shows that evil is man-made as well as good and that the people should lay  down their arms, embrace peace as good and allow the wounds to heal and that if the voices of the dead are listened to, peace will come. To her the darkness that has concealed the sunlight and the shadow now cast  on the earth is man-made and can be reversed if  there is genuine attitudinal change and the story clearly told, even in THE SECOND RETURN , shows danger walks over the surface of Rwanda. 

Scenes of genocide are given a kaleidoscopic coverage in the book through the journey of the author who holds talks with different people on the genocidal war. From the reports and response of the people it is clearly established that the Rwandan genocidal war is traced to Europeans who drum up a narratively cast  propaganda that the Tutsis are not indigenous to Rwanda. In the narrative of the European historians who are majorly Belgian, the Tutsis are not from Central Africa but from Tibet or Egypt. The Tutsis are also historically linked to Elhiopia  -  and this Ethiopian attribution appears most tenaciously held, probably based on the fact that there is a similarity between the traditional costumes of Ethiopia and the Tutsis. This historical linkage of Tutsis to ethiopia narratively  anchored by European historians begins towards the end of the nineteenth century. 

Driven by this Eurocentric theory, the Tutsis are thrown into the Kagara river to flow to Ethiopia during the genocide. This is foregrounded in the book thus: 'One of the reasons for the persecution of the Tutsis comes from the theories suggested by European historians, who, towards the end of the nineteenth century, attributed to them foreign origins. According to those historians … were not originally natives of central Africa' (The Shadow of Imana 22). 

Rwanda being under Belgian domination and exploitation before the 1994 genocide, the Europeans cunningly manipulate the narrative to poison the minds of the Hutus against the Tutsis so as to cause dislocation in the social and economic life of the Rwandans and tacitly perpetuate their targeted exploitation and domination. This is what Abrams and Harpham stress in their critical postcolonial view: 'Postcolonial studies sometimes also encompass aspects of British literature in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, viewed through a lens that reveals the ways in which the social and economic life represented in that literature was tacitly underwritten by colonial exploitation' (A Glossary of Literary Terms 306). 

There are clear indicators that it is a deliberate agenda of getting all Hutus involved in the genocide whether they are ideologically ready or not so that it would appear in the global eye that responsibility for the genocide is a collective one, not masterminded and sponsored by only a minority Hutus privileged to be in power. Both the moderate Hutus and the Hutus are compelled by the Hutu rebels to murder Tutsis when caught.This is why the pastor in whose care and protection four Tutsi children are  placed is compelled by the Hutu rebels to kill one of the children with his own hands and casuistically drive home their propaganda of collective responsibility for the Rwandan genocide.

Critically privileged here, as guided by The Shadow of Imana, it demands and merits the admission that the senseless and barbaric killing of Tutsis is not an offshoot of a collective resolve by all the Hutus but it is rather a plot by few Hutus to commit genocide against the Tutsis and pass it off as a collective action for which all the Hutus must share a responsibility for the genocide.

The relegation of the Tutsis to the background through narrative historical manipulation and mind-poisoning spearheaded by Europeans, followed by the genocidal war waged against the Tutsis by the Hutus is a broad plan to kill and bury  the identity  of the Tutsis in the politics of Rwanda - which is a programmed identity  politics played against the Tutsi ethnic nationality. Dorothy J. Hale critically recognises this thus as a component of postcolonialism: “yet from a different perspective, post-colonial theory may be  seen as the culmination of the late twentieth-century preoccupation with identity politics in novel studies'(An Anthology of Criticism and Theory 654). 

Perspectives on the Rwandan genocide could be taken from any angle, but where it is critically based on Tadjo's The Shadow of Imana, the Rwandan Government cannot escape the tag of culpability and involvement.The Rwandan Government manipulates information and propaganda to perpetuate their genocidal pastime. While the genocide  is being perfected, the false image publicly created for believability is that the whole thing is a tribal outrage and violence. This falsehood is systematically maintained until the assassination of the Prime Minister, Agathe Uwilingiyimana, alongside ten Belgian soldiers. The interim Hutu Government is a master of propaganda, misinformation and disinformation. It is manipulatively packaged as an ethnic war between Hutus and Tutsis  - which is many miles away from the truth. Through sloganeering and deliberate persuasion, money, weapons, alcohol and the radio, they instigate the masses to kill the Tutsis. They sow the seed of hatred  among the people as a basis to encourage carnage and claim the national resources for their own selfish ends. The people are deliberately blindfolded to pave the way for exploitation of the masses as it is eloquently sounded by Josephine who is rescued by RPF soldiers alongside others and take to Byumba:'No, it wasn’t an ethnic war, because at the highest level they got together to pillage the country, to look after their own interests. Politicians never tell the truth. They stir up hatred. When the country is poor and the youth are unemployed, they can easily manipulate people making others the cause of their troubles' (The Shadow of Imana 108). 

The Rwandan genocide is not a product of ethnic outrage and violence; it is an evil creation of Rwandans in power who wish to feather their own nests. Even after the genocidal war people's expectations are high but all hopes and expectations for better things are dashed as corruption, uncertainty and impunity have displaced the clamour for justice, the clamour for promises earlier made to be fulfilled and the ululations  for genuine reconciliation systematically ignored. This is the thesis of the Seven Wonders not swayed by the pervasive ethnic propaganda of hatred and the notorious ten commandments of the Hutus:'When the war ended, we thought that everything could at last go back to normal, that we could start again on a better foundation. Not make  the same mistakes again. But after a few years, everything seems to be settling back into place: corruption, impunity, uncertainty. Promises are not kept. They vanish one after another. Reconciliation. We need justice. To know that those who should be punished will be punished. But things drag on. It seems as though nothing is moving forward, that gradually everything is falling into oblivion (The Shadow of Imana 110-111).   
                  
In the 1994 Rwandan genocidal war unprecedented atrocities  are let lose on people, as parents and children are murdered without a prick of conscience and human feelings. Women are raped by both Hutu rebel soldiers and RPF soldiers. However, with the end of the genocidal war there is a clamour for peace, reconciliation and justice. But the Rwandan authorities do not appear keen on the restoration of Rwanda. In the first place the genocide originates remotely from the divisive narrative of European historians on the origin of the Tutsis and when the genocide breaks out, foreign bodies like UN and others could have barricaded the genocidal eruption if there were quick interventions  but they only watch  the genocidal drama with morbid attention until it has achieved its evil purpose before they intervene with UN, RPF and Red Cross. The Rwandan genocide would not have erupted but for the satanic narrative of European historians and the manipulative gimmicks of the Rwandan Government, neck deep in the carnage by calling it an ethnic violence as a diversionary measure to perfect the genocide. 

Both the living and the dead are eager to see the restoration of Rwanda to its former glories after the genocide by privileging peace, love reconciliation and justice over mutual hatred and extermination. Towards this direction, sister Agatha holds that: ‘We must lay down arms and let the wounds heal and scar over', (116). She also echoes the voices of the dead still solicitous about the healing of the wounds and coming together of Rwandans as strongly united people: 'See how life resumes its course. Hear the voices of the dead who are now at peace and sleeping in the wind. They whisper to us that the time for all torment must cease and that the they are ready to withdraw so that the living may take their places' (117).     
        
Without genuine attitudinal change to heartily embrace reconciliation and love, it is hopeless for Rwandans  because for Agatha: ‘ Darkness has hidden the sunlight and the shadow has engulfed the earth’ because hearts are yet to yield way to embrace the new path of peace, reconciliation and restoration, though she is still optimistic about the future as her words reveal thus: ‘We shall emerge from  this long and terrifying eclipse’ (117) 

The reconciliatory processes in Rwanda are yet to be effectively and transparently handled. For Rwanda to be restored to the former  glories, the reconciliatory  process must be well handled. Tadjo holds the view that anger still lurks in Rwanda except the process of reconciliation is handled without the intrusion of divisive forces: ‘We need to understand, to analyze the mechanisms of hatred, the words that create division, the deeds that put the seal on treason, the actions that unleash terror' ,(118). 

Unambiguously expressed in THE SECOND RETURN   is the fact that Rwandans should know that there are still fundamental issues to be addressed bordering on the peace of the country. Rwandans  should understand that the country is still imperilled without genuinely addressing the issues of justice and reconciliation and the  issues that bond the Hutus and the Tutsis together in the country because echoes of danger and violence are still everywhere in Rwanda. This is why this cautionary message of the author to Rwandans is very important: ' We need to understand. Our humanity is in peril’ (118).

Tadjo sees no virtue or wisdom in sitting idly by and merely listening to the stories of the Rwandan genocide. Like in the horrible Biafran days which provoked a visit from Geoffrey Hill, the British poet, Douglas Killam, the Canadian literary critic and scholar, Conor Cruise O' Brien and Stanley Diamond in search of a credible  authoritative view on the Nigerian civil war(There was a Country 106), Veronique reasons rightly  that a visit has to be made to the sites of the genocide,  people engaged conversationally on the authentic account of the genocide, her evaluative position drawn from the cumulative investigative engagements and interactions with the victims and critical projection as to whether it is optimism or pessimism that characterises the efforts of the Rwandan government in their pursuit of justice and reconciliation after the Rwandan genocide.This runs parallel with Chinua Achebe's perception of the writer in the society when the moral, political, cultural and social fabric or architecture of one's society of sojourn or origin is endangered, particularly in the face of Western encroachment or inanities of a nation's government ruthlessly perpetrated through  narrative or actions taken.It is the writer's moral obligation to respond to such ugly developments as it is done by the author in The Shadow of Imana which re-echoes Achebe's conviction that: 'My own assessment is that the role of the writer is not a rigid position and  depends to some extent on the state of health of his or her society.
In other words, if a society is ill the writer has a responsibility to point it out. If the society is healthier, the writer's job is different'(57).

 Characteristically,Tadjo has pointed out that Rwanda is endangered even after the end of the genocide because the basic issues bordering on justice and genuine reconciliation have not been addressed with the transparency demanded by the victims and the dead.Cast categorically  in Tadjo's The Shadow of Imana is that there was a  government-provoked genocide in Rwanda in 1994 drawn remotely from the instigative, rabble-rousing, divisive  and  false narrative by European historians on the aboriginal roots of the Tutsis, with no transparent and dependable framework yet for integration, placation and reconciliation of the affected in the country.Therefore, as a derivable historical lesson, let the waters of justice pour upon Delta State in the search of the civilian culprits who heartlessly masterminded the killing of seventeen soldiers at Okubama (Okuama) in Ughelli South Local Government Area on 14 March 2024 so that innocent Urhobo civilians are not negatively affected  and the dead soldiers excited and proud in their graves that their colleagues have proportionally avenged for their reckless killing at a time they were merely on a peace mission.

 By: Ekanpou Enewaridideke

Writes from Akparemogbene, Delta State.

The Unknowable Tompolo And The Haulers_By Ekanpou Enewaridideke


The Unknowable Tompolo And The Haulers_By Ekanpou Enewaridideke

Sequestered from the world of claims and ego.
Tompolo sits on the sacred seat in the forest, away from the thorny pleasures of life;
From his sacred seat he moulds a new world,
A new world welded by men with new ideals and codes of togetherness;
From his sacred seat he acknowledges cheers from a queer world of demonic detractors now baptised as core believers, fulsome in their solidarity songs and footwork for Tompolo.

The haloed Tompolo sees both the bad and the good in their cheers, yet a father to all, glued only to the mystic sieve to tell the full story within the camp of karma

The camp of karma tells true story without harm.
The camp of karma is Tompolo's camp once wanted without a cause.
Tompolo smiles at all cheers and smiles like the camp of karma that smiles at all without malediction.

A good man is announced by deeds of yesterday, not by toadying songs and footwork of today;
 A good man or bad man is a merger of a past lived when there was no rosiness and a present full of rosy flowers.

No good or evil can hide from the eye of a mystic,
A mystic domiciled in a sacred forest while detractors disseminate deadly stories about the mystic.
True judgement comes only after all the deadly drums are dead and calm
It seems the judgement is come in full...

They are the haulers...
Once from their heart-depth they want Tompolo dead though they are today the hailers
Tompolo's haulers now turned Tompolo's hailers in the twinkle of an eye.
The stars and the moon know the haulers and the hailers of Tompolo even if you are not yet named.
No camouflage of haulers can clean off the sticky substance of the haulers now turned the tireless hailers.

To name Tompolo's haulers should not be your pastime, brother! The haulers and the hailers have merged as Angels in rosy colours.
 The camp of karma is at work to count the haulers and the hailers at the right time.
A man at home with the language of the gods as decreed by the cosmic...
A man attuned to the rhythm of the gods...
He is the one called Tompolo...
Even with the cheers of the haulers and the hailers at your doorstep,
The haulers and the hailers for whom the camp of karma is at work, I wish you a happy company with the gods and the cosmic in every season of your engagement!

By: Ekanpou Enewaridideke

Writes from Akparemogbene, Delta State.