And She Stooped To Conquer A General: A Tribute. By Soji Omole

Christy Essien Igbokwe

That is if the change they agitated for ever came to manifestation. Yet it took those who succeeded at getting what they wanted several years of protests, songs, poems, inciting articles, petitions, public demonstrations, court rulings and counter court injunctions, you name it, to get them what they wanted. Some like Martin Luther King even paid for it with their lives!

The Hutus of Rwanda went as far as organising one hundred days of genocide to wipe out the entire Tutsi majority to get what they wanted - A PERMANENT HUTU MAJORITY RULE IN RWANDA. But they still lost out gallantly. Yes gallantly since 1994. Only God and time knows if they will not lose out for life. Because many of their notable elites, who have the resources and wherewithal to go to the drawing board to re-strategise and plan another way out, have been sentenced to various jail terms by the Arusha Tribunal and some are still standing trial. All for their roles in the nefarious act of April 1994.

Christy's colleague in the industry  -  Sunny Okosuns was a bit luckier. After many years of songs of protest by Sunny, he got what he wanted. Freedom came calling for South Africans, Namimbians, Zimbabaweans and I think Angolans too.

Fela sang half naked, smoked weeds, fought and
quarrelled with the establishment
but could not conquer even a mosquito

But Fela wasn't that lucky sha. Because after  several years of  smoking kilogrammes of marijuana in protest, wearing pants publicly, or walking half naked and singing provocative songs against "Constituted Authority"(apologies to governor Ajimobi in Ibadan), Fela never got what he desired. To add insult to his injury, one of those he called International Thief Thief, in one of his protest songs, later resurrected to rule Nigeria over his dead body, for another eight years! 

The Niger Delta militants are still there, fActionalized into different groups. How far they will go, to get what they want remains "a subject of future syposium" To borrow a word from Fela again in one of his far away Berlin concert "yabis"

Christy Essien knew what she wanted. She also knew what her people wanted - signing the OFFSHORE DICOTOMY bill into law in South South Region. A legislation that will benefit generations of her people in South South for life.

Uduak Essien - Igbokwe cannot stand the smoke of cigarette, not to talk of the "A" level marijuana. There way no way she can follow Abami Eda's style by smoking even a small wrap in protest.

If she has ever insulted anyone in her life, it must have been those who over stepped their boundary to make a pass at her, when she was a spinster. How much more of now composing songs of insult against any individual or body, all because she wanted something for her people.

So she bidded her time. She bidded her time as to when to strike the iron when it is hot. 

And one day, her waiting paid off. One day the iron got hot. Christy  and the then maximum ruler General Ibrahim Babagida met at a public function down south. And the only big hammer she got that day to strike the red hot iron was her TWO KNEES! Down she went them in front of General Ibrahim Babangida, vowing she won't get up until Babangida promised to sign the SOUTH SOUTH OFFSHORE DICOTOMY bill.

Babangida has never been this boxed into a corner this publicly. The evil genius can't figure a way out of this public entrapment by a world acclaimed celebrity. And the paparazzis then did not help matters. Before they begin to click away their cameras, Babangida asked Christy to get up, promising to sign the bill into law. And the rest is history.

• Can you beat that? What would have taken decades of activism via public protests, hemp smokings, inciting songs, legal battles, et cetera to get, Christy stooped on her knees to conquer a whole general for, in matter of minutes!

There is no better way we can pay a tribute to this international celebrity and amazon than to regale any one reading, with this story of just one of her uncommon feats, as we mark another anniversay of her passage today.

Our prayers today is that God be with the entire family and friends and fans she left behind till we all meet at Jesus feet.

•            Soji Omole