stephen agiode

Solicitor, Nigerian, Egalitarian.

[stephen agiode @steveagiode]

@DoubleEph Cow sales have featured endlessly as defences to similar mysteries in d judicial sector ..

[🍂 @Lovandfear]

“I lived so carefully, thinking someone was watching. But the stage was empty, the audience never came.”  

— Osamu Dazai

[Saganism @Saganismm]

“The liberal attitude does not say that you should oppose authority. It says only that you should be free to oppose authority, which is quite a different thing. The essence of the liberal outlook in the intellectual sphere is a belief that unbiased discussion is a useful thing and that men should be free to question anything if they can support their questioning by solid arguments.

The opposite view, which is maintained by those who cannot be called liberals, is that the truth is already known, and that to question it is necessarily subversive.”

— Bertrand Russell

[stephen agiode @steveagiode]

@felixherbt Isnt it shallow and misleading not to recognise it was inept and unserious leadership not the idea of state intervention that failed Nigeria? Is she so bereft of knowledge of how the asians emerged and even how d west was built?

[stephen agiode @steveagiode]

@SaulStaniforth A disgrace .

[Shahriq Khan @RealShahriqKhan]

"Jesus never said, 'Worship Me.'"

I used to say that as a Muslim. 

Then I thought about it more. Your boss never says, "Bow to me," either.

Yet everyone in the office knows exactly who has authority.

Authority is recognized by how people respond to it, not just by the exact words used.

That's why this argument never made sense to me once I actually read the Bible.

After the resurrection, the disciples fell down and worshiped Jesus. He didn't stop them. In John 9, the man born blind said, "Lord, I believe," and worshiped Him. Jesus didn't correct him.

In Revelation 5, all of heaven worships the Lamb.

Not an angel, Not a prophet:  The Lamb.

And if Jesus were merely a prophet, accepting worship would have been blasphemy. Instead, He received it.

That's because Jesus never walked around with a slogan saying, "Worship Me." He did something far more powerful.

He forgave sins and He claimed divine titles.

He accepted worship and He rose from the dead.

And the people closest to Him didn't just admire Him. They bowed.

That's the point.

[Anders Åslund @anders_aslund]

Incredible that the rule of law in the US is so weak that we need Albanians to provide support for anti-corruption activities in the US!
The US is unable to even check the corruption of the Trump family.
Pathetic!
The US can no longer lecture anybody about anything!

[stephen agiode @steveagiode]

@UPYOURARSENAL04 Stop posting nonsense

[stephen agiode @steveagiode]

@LivingRealUSA @AntiTrumpCanada Have u read anything the Pope has said about his policies ? But , of course, even if Christ were telling u same thing you would keep believing your delusions

[stephen agiode @steveagiode]

@BrandiKruse @CBSNews A meaningless post worthy of a right wing zealot

[stephen agiode @steveagiode]

@biolakazeem Pesin wey no lose match but no win league this season wetin em be? Na ultra attacking coach Abi ?

[stephen agiode @steveagiode]

@BradOnMessage She is dissimulation and cowardice in human form

[Aristotlektv @aristotledada]

"During apartheid, I received my first passport from Nigeria, not South Africa," said Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma.
#SayNo2Xenophobia

[stephen agiode @steveagiode]

@nwoko_greg62705 In a way , Fela saw these things with greater honesty and clarity than most Nigerians

[Mehdi Hasan @mehdirhasan]

If any other president had done this, it would have been a massive controversy and talking point.

With our current weirdo, it has just been normalized.

[stephen agiode @steveagiode]

@asemota I support Arsenal but it’s becoming irritating. Every time we lose an important match some fans fixate on the ref - he is bad , he has an agenda . Decisions unduly favouring us are just normal.I will never understand this ultra partisan attitude to sport

[Ikhide R. Ikheloa @ikhide]

“So now we have a president with dignitas, honestas, gravitas. Buhari may not lead us to the promised land but at least the imbecile is gone.”

- The great intellectual @deleolojede, May 29, 2015

Today, cat got their tongue. Southwest intellectuals. It is well. Time takes care of everything.

[Elnathan John @elnathan_john]

My dear @AishaYesufu,
I remember when you retweeted this quote of mine which in full reads: "Defend ideas. Not people. Never defend people. People are fickle, complicated. And even when you defend ideas, interrogate them until they prove worthy, fit for purpose; refine them. Ideas will not sneak up on you and have scandals. They will not be greedy and betray you."

I am recalling this because I think that of all the people I know who are entering politics, you are one of the most honest in intention, one of the most passionate, one of the least driven by pecuniary and parochial interests. And I see now that you have been somewhat edged out of what should have been an opportunity to participate freely and fairly in the primary elections for the FCT Senate seat.

In a sane country, just based on your history and capacity, you should have won that primary or at least had the chance to fairly compete. But I fear that so fiercely attaching yourself to an individual, (who himself is flexible and moving where he thinks he stands a better chance of a ticket) is going to make you increasingly defend processes that cannot be defended, like the way your own race was handled. Of course loyalty in politics is important, however the person you are loyal to is increasingly being pragmatic and will align himself with people you will have to defend against many of your own stated principles. For example, if you were not part of this process you would have condemned the (selective) decision not to conduct primaries for the seat you were vying for as undemocratic.

I also remember, just weeks ago, how passionately you encouraged Nigerians to register for and fully support the ADC as the political entity that was capable of moving Nigeria to a better place. Today you are asking the same people to join the NDC which your principal has moved to. You have said that even though Obi is your principal you will speak your mind if something is not right. I still believe you. But what has changed? Is the NDC better? Does it believe more in democracy? Are there better, less corrupt politicians there? Or is it that any political party that Obi joins, suddenly becomes the party that will liberate Nigeria? Why should Nigerians support this new special purpose vehicle (as opposed to just holding their noses and looking for halfway decent candidates across party lines)?

Another question is, what is your threshold for speaking truth to power now that you have joined politics? When he teams up with people you know to be corrupt members of the same political elite you have spent years denouncing? When you have been undemocratically edged out of a seat you should have contested? When he aligns with someone you have called corrupt in the past will you still "focus on the bigger picture"?

As a person who wants to trust you (and for others who will support you in your political journey) what is the brand of politics we should expect from you? A person who will follow Obi no matter where he goes? An independent conscientious politician who defends ideas and democracy instead of personalities? Will you drop the Aisha Yesufu brand that we know and love: the one who fiercely defends democratic values and speaks truth to power regardless of who is involved? Or will you be a pragmatic politician, going where there is a likelihood of political success?

None of this is calling you out. These are real questions I have, and I write it because I know you are also the kind of person who will speak up even when people they know are involved. And I know you are capable of critical thought.

Yours in democratic solidarity,
EJ.

[stephen agiode @steveagiode]

@loffredojeremy Stop this disinformation

[stephen agiode @steveagiode]

@elnathan_john Kudos, shows u understand what u are talking about and the significance of this moment. Regrettable but unsurprising. I have long held this view not just of the parties but also of all d major politicians. Tweedledee, Tweedledum.