Thursday, 17 May 2012
The Shameless Cynics In Our Midst By E. C. Ejiogu
By EC Ejiogu
As I worked at my desk at day break yesterday, a piece of e-mail flew into my e-mail inbox from one Abdulrazak B Ibrahim. I knew from the subject line that it was in response to the opinion piece that I crafted on the fly and sent to play on SaharaReporters.com the previous day from my primary physician’s waiting room as I waited my turn for an appointment. But unlike me, when I opened and read it, I quickly responded, and the following exchange transpired between Mr. Ibrahim and self:
Ibrahim: That above got many of us thinking how such a poorly written and pathetic piece could have been written by a PhD.
EC: Whether you're real, fictitious or a jobber who works for Abani, shame on you. Rather than raise your voice and join the condemnation of evil, you've chosen to climb into the trash can and mingle with the same evil. I don't wish you well, bloody fool! I think he has come to the end of his tether after all.
Ibrahim: Seriously the piece in question was poorly written, lacks critical analysis and dodges the issue. Mr Abani may be a crook but he should be condemned based on his crookedness and forgery rather than his physique and personal attack. Check all the comments on Sahara Reporters in response to your write-up. I assure I am not doing anybody´s job. I however do wish you well and hope you´ll write better in the future. I am sure you know I am not a fool.
EC: Who cares about the comments made by illiterates who lack what it takes to originate their own piece(s). I made my point in that piece. That's my aim, no more no less.
Ibrahim: Right. Good luck.
EC: You're welcome, my brother. Putting evil where it belongs takes just courage, which is rare, and not art. Take care.
In case you haven’t noticed, regretfully, Ibrahim’s reaction to the said piece is the typical form of engagement that you get from many amongst us on the Nigeria project. Any wonder the place remains in the hands of autocrats, bullies, plain stupid characters, et al, who continue to have a field day without running the risk of being called upon by their society to account for the atrocities they commit? To begin with, I do not have anything to prove to anyone when it comes to the quality of education that I have under my belt. Not at this point in my life. If you disagree with me, please help yourself with a PhD degree from somewhere out there. What counts is the role I have elected to use that education to play in life and society. Does the said piece contain some editing errors that escaped my attention? You bet. Does it have merit on the issues it addressed? No doubt. I’ll not for a day pull my hair over edit errors contained in anything that I write and cause to be played anywhere. The reason? There is no perfect writing.
Back to Chris Abani. In a quick conversation that I had the same yesterday with my dear friend, Niyi Osundare, here is a talented individual who for reasons that remain unclear prefers to muddle himself up at the expense of unsuspecting society, all in the bid to get ahead. I don’t see why anyone who means good would prefer to find cause to deflect the condemnation that was directed at him in the said piece. One of the points evident in the piece is the one about my reflection over if there may be anything at all that disposes people who are endowed with his kind of physique to take advantage of the good will of unsuspecting society. I raised that observation because I know of two such individuals who acted in sync in that regard. In Igbo lore, it was Mr. Owl that fart and summoned his kinsmen to sing his praise for so doing. But typical of the Igbo of that era gone, their response to him was, “Tufia, it’s unworthy to applaud evil”. I don’t know about you, I strive to take a cue from Owl’s kinsmen of that era gone, to say, “Tufia”, each time I come across evil. How I say it? I don’t care!
●E. C. Ejiogu, PhD; is a political sociologist and the author of the recently published, The Roots of Political Instability in Nigeria by Ashgate Publishing Ltd.
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What's Now The Difference?
Submitted by Sam-Terh (not verified) on December 3, 2011 - 13:39.
Dr Ejiogu, you are quick to class people making comments on your write up as illiterate, to which you do not care to listen. Here is where I think you began to proof what some of us are afraid of; tha. If not for respectable personalities I see in Nigeria, with your kind of behaviour I would have concluded Nigerians are all selfish. You call a man stupid because he is exercising his freedom to express a different opinion from you? What then is the difference between you a PhD holder and the illiterate responding on your write ups with unbridled abuse on each other? NO DIFFERENCE. I am thoroughly disappointed in your behaviour.
All Hail Mr PhD!!
Submitted by The Duke (not verified) on December 3, 2011 - 13:09.
All hail Mr PhD, who in his arrogant mind should never be fairly and politely criticised simply because he purports to have a PhD; the highest qualification in the wolrd that makes you right 100% of the time!!
What a guy? And now you see why our beloved country is going round in cirlces!
The comments of My Ibrahim and others merely pointed out the lack of demonstration of facts and lack of research/understanding of your subject, Mr Abani, in your initial article.
You did not even know his proper first name - is it Christopher? is it Christian?
All your references to the man were from 'a friend' or about his looks - we have no photo of you to proove that you are a 'tall, dark, and handsome, PhD, and yet we do not 'yab' you for that!
Please remain in your class room or consultancy company if you want to be right all the 'right' all the time and not be pulled up for floppy research work!
Puerile Outburst of Mr Ejiogu
Submitted by danboyi gomsuk (not verified) on December 2, 2011 - 19:31.
Mr Ejiogu, or whatever you call yourself, better check your childish or puerile outburst. I expect someone with a Ph.D to act maturely even in stress. The reply to your outburst by Osita Odiaka is quite instructive and has spoken it all. Unless you want people to simply ignore your postings and comments on this forum, it is very imperative that you check your bully-mentality and submit and subscribe to reason at all times. In my view, Mr Ibrahim is a gentleman to the core and his self-restraint is admirable. If you think you are that intelligent on account of having a Ph.D, you better have another think coming. We have read many postings on this forum and we can easily decipher intelligence without the need for anybody to post a Ph.D after one's name. This is not a place to swank and tout academic qualifications.
Ibrahim deserves your Apology
Submitted by jabolo (not verified) on December 2, 2011 - 18:35.
I think you'll find the consensus is that Mr Ibrahim deserves your apology.
Read in isolation, many would not have had a clue what your were writing about in your originl article. It was a mish-mash. Some of us actually agreed with the premise but only because we had read a much concise and articulate narration by Ikhedia few days before.
In the exchange you now publish, Mr Ibrahim actually exhibited a fair whallop of maturity which you reacted to negatively. You may have personality issues akin to almost violent intolerance to critisism. You exhibit charecteristics of a bully and a dictator and, I guess, we ought to be thankful you landed on the "correct" side of the democratic struggle.
YOU ARE PLAIN STUPID!
Submitted by Kene (not verified) on December 2, 2011 - 16:43.
After reading this piece, it became clear to me that the writer is plain stupid, aggressive and lack a good manner of speech. A reader commented on ur article and u started abusing him. STUPID PhD.
It is instructive that from
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on December 2, 2011 - 16:19.
It is instructive that from the exchange, YOU, actually came out as the cynic and not Ibrahim. While he was gracious to you, you offered him no such niceties as you automatically assumed he was for the other side.
With your touted PhD, you should indeed demonstrate more decorum than referring to commentators on your posts as illiterates! As it is, maybe the intelligent ones could not be bordered by your lack of depth and thus do not comment.
Dr Ejiogu, I am sooo!!!!!! Disappointed
Submitted by Hamilton (not verified) on December 2, 2011 - 14:41.
Dr Ejiogu, i am so disappointed in your reaction to the observation made by this guy. Your reaction showed that you are not different from the bullies who have been rulling and ruining our nation.
This guy apparently is a great admirer of your writing who feels disappointed by an article u also agreed you wrote "on the fly" Instead of trying tounderstand his point of view and engage him in a debate on that (what u obviously want our leader to do), you went ahead to insult all of us who make commnets on SR articles. I just hope your opinion of us is not the official SR stand. We are not iliterates and most of us create contents in other media - media where we are accountable for the fact we present, unlike you who can call people like Soludo criminal and cannot be held accountale for it.
You just showed yourself to be a bully and i will be watchful to be sure that people like u do not get to positions in this country where you can bully us physically.
Tirade
Submitted by Iyk Ibeh (not verified) on December 2, 2011 - 14:15.
Dear Mr. EC Ejiogu, I have not read your piece on Ubani but from your exchange with Ibrahim, both of you descended to name calling and personality derision. I don’t know Mr. Ibrahim so cannot place his person but I must confess that your diatribe on him was too disappointing. I expected decorum, modesty and many more from you
Re: Shameless Cynics!
Submitted by Ichizor (not verified) on December 2, 2011 - 14:07.
@E.C. Ejiogu,
Truth is bitter for evil minds but the quality of a man remains a function of truth, courage, good work, honesty and selflessness.
You (Ejiogu), Ogaga Ifowodo, Rudolf Okonkwo, Okey Ndibe, Pius Adesanmi and many others are models that many including me deeply admire. Even if many Nigerians disagree or hate you for their selfish reasons, you good works via objective writing and truthfulness will live on and the prayers of honest Nigerians will guide you against wicked men.
It is only in Nigeria that the Head of Police would be given a national honour when everyone knows that the police is inveterately stained with blood and corruption. This award is enough for any sincere person to conclude that our President is silly.
Bye!
MAZI EJIOGU "CURB THE FOOLISH ARROGANCE"
Submitted by osita DIOKA (not verified) on December 2, 2011 - 13:24.
The writer's reply to Ibrahim,a Nigerian who had a different opinion about his last work borders on a belated adolesensce,he stated that he has no regards for the comments made about his write-up or the people making the comments.Mr Ejiogu in a fit of foolishness has failed to realise that his work or indeed any work on this media or any other media is worthless without consumers,The people who read through the pages of any write-up and render opinions are the yardstick for determining how relevant a write-up is.If Mr Ejiogu has any iota of dignity left, he ought to apologise to all on the SR forum.
I know that my father had a friend many years back called Mr Abani,he was married to a British woman and had many children,some were older than me,I also attended the same school with at least two of them.He was must have been a strict disciplinarian because his children all spoke Igbo and behaved well,I would like to learn more about this christopher.
