My Sunday Broadcast: NIGERIA’S ROUGH SEA VOYAGE AND THE RUMBLES AT THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY

The statement; Rumbles in the Jungle, was introduced to the public domain’s lexicon in the year 1974. That was the year Muhammad Ali; the American legendary boxer, born January 17, 1942, Louisville, Kentucky, and named Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr, by his parents but later changed his name to Muhammad Ali when he became a Moslem, defeated the World reigning and defending heavy weight champion – George Foreman.

Ali, who later died on June 3, 2016, in Scottsdale – Arizona, defeated the defending world champion – George Foreman, in the 8 round of that vicious encounter in the night of October 30, 1974, to reclaim the world heavyweight boxing title. Ali referred to the fight, held in Kinshasa, Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo), as the “Rumble in the Jungle”—and the name stuck.

Nobody can be too sure why Ali named that fight as Rumble in the Jungle but some critical thinkers guessed that the strain the Promoter of the encounter – Don King, went through in securing financial backing for the tournament would have been the reason for the coinage of the Rumble of the Jungle.

When financial backers proved difficult to enlist, Don King; the then world acclaimed Boxing Promoter, sought out Zaire's dictator; President Joseph Sese Seko Mobutu, who agreed to put up the money from his country's treasury. Mobutu saw the match as a way of generating positive publicity about Zaire. The televised bout was a huge ratings success, and Don King's career was launched, while Muhammad Ali established his authority as The Greatest.

Don King had to go the extra miles as he approached the Zaire President for bailout because the former believed in the ability of Ali in winning that battle. At the end Muhammad Ali proved his worth, because back in 1964, Ali grasped the power of good communications when his famous remark helped propel him to iconic status, by saying “I float like a butterfly and sting like a bee”. He did exactly that in Kinshasa that night.

Consider this as enough preambles in drawing attention to the Nigerian National Assembly; an Assembly of considered men/women of distinguished and honourable characters – people you and I elected to represent us in an Assembly, where there are more Rumbles playing out than Hollywood can accommodate.

Some Nigerians may want to call the place Fuji House of Commotion while I prefer just to adopt it to Mohammad Ali’s Rumble in the Jungle scrip, except that l had to be pluralistic on the word – rumble, because of the multiplication of abracadabra being displayed by these men/women of doubtful characters.

Those people at the National Assembly are our Representative – either in the Red Chamber or in the Green Chamber, the people we elected to represent us and represent us well. But by the metaphor of their character and functions – we are talking of this 9th National Assembly still, have they ever represented us well?

Please, be the judge over this matter and please again, sit on judgement with heart of justice, equity and fairness. Let the words of one-time Chief Justice of Nigeria; Justice Dahiru Musdapher, when he advised his colleagues in the Bench, sits highly in our hearts, as we judge our REPRESENTATIVES of this 9th Assembly. He told his colleagues that “as we sit on judgement we are standing on judgement”.

Permit me to place it on record – Ladies and Gentlemen, that this National Assembly may probably be the worst Assembly Nigeria might be producing in this Fourth Republic unfortunately. It is my opinion and there might be many other Nigerians in my shoe for sure.

Somebody might want to counter my opinion quickly by saying that this Assembly did what all other Assemblies in this Fourth Republic could not do, albeit it passed the Petroleum Industry Bill [PIB]. Of course, this Assembly did that, I must admit, and because it passed the BILL is the reason why I am inviting all of us to sit on judgement over them [both Senators and House of Representatives] and judge them strictly on this PIB and maybe, the Electoral Reforms Bill, where Padding and Inserting is seriously taking place.

What I am doing tomorrow, Monday, July 12, 2021, at Lagos Talks 91.3 FM, from the time Adu and The Guru come on air, live, by 9:30am is to table all the Rumbles at the Nigerian National Assembly before all of us so that we can sit on trial of “over these people” before delivering judgement.

The Guru shall be assisting us by bringing a legal luminary; and erudite scholar, a teacher of law at the University of Lagos and a Senior Advocate of Nigeria – Professor Joseph Abugu to the studio live. His assignment in the studio tomorrow shall be moderating all of us as we are all Jurists tomorrow events, by the grace of God. ??

Or wouldn’t you want to participate, as jurist sitting on judgement over your Representative before they throw Nigeria and Nigerians into a waterloo of anarchy? You can call it the last judgement of the Rumbles at the National Assembly.

Permit me to drop one gossip for the road before tomorrow, and for your delightful consumption, please. It is about a story/question I uploaded to my website: www.godwintheguru.com, two days ago, and the question asked is WHO KILLED AHMED GULAK IN IMO STATE? NIGERIANS NEED TO HELP THE POLICE. I am of the opinion that you will want to have some concrete answers to the question, and it is for that reason that you are being urged to rush to the above-mentioned website for details. While there at the website, don’t forget to subscribe, view, comment and share – it cost you no money to do all these, please.

The Guru [Godwin Etakibuebu]

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You can also listen to this author [Godwin Etakibuebu] every Monday; 9:30 - 11am on Lagos Talk 91.3 FM live, in a weekly review of topical issues, presented by The News Guru [TNG].