TRIBUTE TO THE NRI DAMSEL

TRIBUTE TO THE NRI DAMSEL

Nine years has gone by today as I traversed a road never traveled before to find my missing rib. The journey was not that rosy. According to the holy books, “ Whoso findeth  a wife findeth  a good thing and obtained favor  of the Lord”. 

The road that leads to the missing rib is not an easy road. There could be many thorns and scorpions on the way. And you never know how successful you are until you’ve found one.

The journey on the road to find my missing rib was littered with so many pitfalls and near misses. Before I found her, who wears my crown of glory today, I fell in love a few times and while they could have been good relationships, they would not have been what I have today. 

My marriage was an act of risk, an adventure, a leap into the unknown because I never knew or met the girl I was marrying before paying the bride price. The first and only contact I had with my wife was her voice and the sweetness of her voice struck and engulfed me like a sweet breeze. The sweetness of her voice could disarm and melt the heart of the worst terrorist.

Call it love unknown, blind love,  love is blind,it would fit in and as blind as love could be, I was too lovely blind not to have identified  my wife the first day we met at the airport on my arrival from abroad to fulfil the traditional marriage rites. In the spirit of love and passion for my betrothed and in the bid to test run the act of “kissing” a practice alien to my culture but I imbibed as “a been to” I grabbed and kissed warmly another girl not knowing she was not the one I would pledge my love to.

Thanks to the benevolent heart of the Nri kingdom, my great inlaws, I would have served another seven years of marriage labour for kissing “Leah” instead of the “Rachel” I paid for. And since then I only kiss economically and diplomatically. For the rest of the story you can read, “My Missing Rib” (page 80) in The Road We Traveled, a Memoir of Two Worlds, by Uchendu Precious Onuoha.

Today I feel very proud to say it with a Gargantuas  mouth, that I belong to whom I am involved, Anthonia  my Sweetheart,  the Nri Damsel, whose voice can arrest Boko haram and the Fulani herdsmen. She is like my buckler and shield. Even my adversaries confess that when they want to strike me and remember Anthonia,  they become weak and drop their weapons. In celebration of the nine years we have traveled together with my lovely angel Ucheoma Annabel as Evidence of this nine year journey, I dedicate this poem to my Anthonia.

THE NRI DAMSEL

Ebony, dark, chocolate

Like the potters clay

Mixed together by the great potter

Giving birth to a complete beauty

A sleek frame statue with features

Fittingly packaged by

The grand designer

Like a tree with many branches

Bearing a budding beautiful body

A charming smile with a sweet lip

Encasing the snow white open teeth

Like the lilies of a valley

Opening their petals to the

Early morning sun

A sweet voice

Never, ever heard of

A voice that would make

The hardest of men

Go to sleep like a baby

Known yet unknown

Seen only but the shadow

Nearer yet like a mirage

Present but only in the mind

Once together but just a sweet dream

A dream yet to come true

The Nri damsel

My promised land soon to enter

My precious jewel

Ever mine to be

WHAT WOULD I DO WITH APOLOGY? RETURN OUR ASSETS, BUHARI TELLS BRITAIN

WHAT WOULD I DO WITH APOLOGY? RETURN OUR ASSETS, BUHARI TELLS BRITAIN.

President Muhammadu Buhari says he is more interested in recovering the stolen assets of Nigeria in the UK than demanding an apology from Prime Minister David Cameron who made a scathing remark about Nigeria on Tuesday.

Buhari said this on Wednesday at a meeting hosted by Commonwealth ahead of the anti-corruption summit in London. According to report from our source, www.thecable.ng, Buhari said;

“I’m not going to demand any apology. All I demand is a return of assets. What would I do with apology?” the president asked.

“I have already mentioned how disgraceful one of the Nigerian executive dressed as a woman  to leave Britain, leaving behind his bank account and fixed asset, which Britain is prepared to hand over to us, this is what I’m asking for. What will I do with apology? I need something tangible.”

Buhari lamented the difficulty in recovering stolen wealth, demanding for an establishment of an anti-corruption infrastructure that will track assets stashed abroad.

Describing corruption as a “hydra headed monster”,  Buhari said it does not differentiate between developed and developing countries.

“Repatriating stolen assets is tedious, time-consuming, costly. It entails more than just signing of bilateral agreements,” he said.

“I call for establishment of an anti-corruption infrastructure that will trace and return stolen assets to their countries of origin. Corruption does not differentiate between developed and developing countries. It is serious threat to good governance, peace and security

“Tackling the menace of corruption is not an easy task, but it is possible even if many feathers have to be ruffled.

“This consideration informed my decision to attend this event as well as the anti-corruption summit organised by Prime Minister David Cameron that will be held tomorrow.”

The Prime Minister had referred to Nigeria as a “fantastically corrupt” country during a meeting with Queen Elizabeth.

However, his comment sparked negative reaction across the world, with Transparency International describing Britain as “a safe haven for corrupt assets”.

“There is no doubt that historically, Nigeria and Afghanistan have had very high levels of corruption, and that continues to this day,” said Cobus de Swardt, managing director of the organisation.

“But the leaders of those countries have sent strong signals that they want things to change, and the London anti-corruption summit creates an opportunity for all the countries present to sign up to a new era.

“This affects the UK as much as other countries: we should not forget that by providing a safe haven for corrupt assets, the UK and its Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies are a big part of the world’s corruption problem.”

The UK Guardian also accused Cameron, Britain and the west of “epic hypocrisy”.

“They have spent decades ordering poor countries and failed states to sort out their problems with dodgy money, even while taking much of that dodgy money and ploughing it through their banks, their ritzy stores, their estate agents, and their offshore tax havens,” the newspaper said in an editorial on Wednesday.

The Say News: BUHARI BACK FROM CHINA TO FIGHT CORRUPTION

The Say News: BUHARI BACK FROM CHINA TO FIGHT CORRUPTION: Is President Buhari’s war against corruption real or a political witch-hunt? Flourish Osmor Ray  How can he fight what his masters i...

BUHARI BACK FROM CHINA TO FIGHT CORRUPTION

Is President Buhari’s war against corruption real or a political witch-hunt?

Flourish Osmor Ray How can he fight what his masters in the Military planted, watered and fertilized. How can he fight when he is dining and wining with the authors of corruption? How can he fight when his wife sneaks into the sprawling highbrow haven named Marbella in Spain during the Easter celebrations, 2016 unannounced? How can he fight when no one knows his wife´s mission in Marbella, Spain? The same city where Stella Obasanjo was killed by our commonwealth, where Panama paper leaks guru, General Theophilus Yusuf Danjuma has series of mansions for himself, his wives and children. How can he fight when her daughter flies in first class despite his restriction on top officials not to fly in business class.

How can he fight when his campaign was funded by money stolen from the national and states ‘treasuries? How can he fight when his best friends are looters of yester years. How can he fight Naira is now a tissue paper. How can he when budgets continue to disappear and re-appear well padded. How can he fight when Jonathan has become his national anthem a year after visionless and mission-less willy-nilly engagements? Haba! Sei Baba! Sei Maya! Sei Buhari!!!

THE DAY SPAIN STOOD STILL FOR BIANCA OJUKWU

By Uchendu Precious Onuoha (Special correspondent)

THE DAY SPAIN STOOD STILL FOR BIANCA OJUKWU

The chronicles of Bianca Ojukwu’s sojourn in Spain as Nigeria’s Ambassador will never finish to be told until the kingdom of God comes. Bianca Ojukwu was not just an Ambassador but an Ambassador extra-ordinary. And as Nigeria’s permanent representative to the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the cap fitted her very well. Bianca, whom God created on the day He created light and on a beautiful day, is not just a representative of the world tourism organization but an effigy of tourism herself. She is a pride to Nigeria, Africa, women, and to the world in general. It is said that that in the mouth of one or two witnesses the truth is established. It’s just exactly a year today, Spain reaffirmed what the late warlord, Ikemba Ojukwu saw and stated; “Saying that Bianca Ojukwu is beautiful is like one standing in front of the white house saying this house is tall. You have just stated the obvious”.  

Bianca’s presence at the event of International Cultural Festival held in Malaga Spain on the last days of April to first week of May 2015, held the crowd spell bound in admiration of a well deserving United Nation’s World Tourism Ambassador, true African Ambassador and one of the most beautiful woman the African continent and the world at large were blessed to have in this generation. The turnout of people to the festival in Spain could be likened to the scene in the Holy book that says;  “After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before”… (Rev. 7:9) But in the midst of that great crowd, Bianca stood out like a gold fish whose presence in the water cannot be hidden. I felt so proud to be a Nigerian and African when Bianca’s presence at the occasion arrested the attention of what looked like an Olympic crowd.

As she entered the arena, the shout of “guapa, guapa”, meaning (beautiful, beautiful) rented the air. The Spaniards are known for not hiding their expressions, feelings and admiration for beautiful women and things. The question in the air was which country? And once they realized she is from Nigeria, the expression continued “que guapa”, Nigeria “que bonito” ( What a beauty, Nigeria so good).From then, all the participating countries were falling head over heels inviting the Nigerian delegation to come over to their pavilion to identify with them.

The most astonishment was when a Ukrainian man panting with breadth after meandering his way through from the crowd just to catch a glimpse and closer view of Bianca, finally came to her and took a deep breath, stating that for the past one hour, they have been trailing behind her and that the wife just want to tell her she is “beautiful” and would not leave without having a picture with her. Bianca who was touched with their exhilaration embraced the couples and took pictures with them. The kind of excitement and joy the couple expressed on granting their request was too much to be imagined.  

The Say News: PRESS STATEMENT FROM HER EXCELLENCY AMBASSADOR BIA...

The Say News: PRESS STATEMENT FROM HER EXCELLENCY AMBASSADOR BIA...: 12  April 2016 PRESS STATEMENT FROM HER EXCELLENCY, AMBASSADOR BIANCA ODUMEGWU-OJUKWU RE.  PULSE TV NEWS INTERVIEW  APRIL 2016 ...

PRESS STATEMENT FROM HER EXCELLENCY AMBASSADOR BIANCA ODUMEGWU-OJUKWU.

12  April 2016

PRESS STATEMENT FROM HER EXCELLENCY, AMBASSADOR BIANCA ODUMEGWU-OJUKWU

RE.  PULSE TV NEWS INTERVIEW  APRIL 2016

The attention of Her Excellency has been drawn to an interview granted by a media character Ms Kemi Olunloyo, a deportee from Canada, and a fugitive from justice in the United States of America, whose sole existence centres around online character assassination. Her victims have ranged from Bishops, General Overseers,Presidents, Ministers, Hardworking Musicians and real media Personalities down to her own family members including her mother, father, stepmother and siblings.

It is rather unfortunate that it has become the practice for anyone seeking publicity to add Her Excellency’s name to their stories, fantasies or delusions, and none more so than this  mentally unstable internet troll whose insane need for attention is well known to Nigerians.

This unhealthy obsession with Her Excellency for some time now, a situation most public figures can identify with, has been glaringly evident in her posts, and is indicative of a more serious underlying condition. It is quite clear that her delusions and fantasies have become her reality, and her lack of gainful employment and hours spent online focusing on other people’s lives have exacerbated her already strained sanity or lack thereof.

It is obvious that Ms Olunloyo needs urgent psychiatric attention

Her Excellency extends  her sincere sympathies to Ms. Olunloyo’s family, and urges those who are able, to ensure that this mentally challenged individual receives the crucial psychiatric help she is so desperately in need of in order to contain her excesses.

                                                                                              

                                                                                      Signed

                                                                                   Uchendu Onuoha

                                                                 Media Liason Officer to Her Excellency

                                                                 Amb. Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu.

                                                           

                                                              12^th April 2016