By Femi Fani-Kayode
I attempted to stay out of this discussion but I found the whole matter so nauseating that I cannot in good conscience do so any longer.
I advise Dr. Karl Von Batten OR Dr. Karl-Marx Edward Ikemefuna William George Okeke-Von Batten OR whatever his real name is to consider the following.
You and your self-styled American lobbyist and PR firm called ‘Von Batten-Montague-York LC’ have been trying so hard to get everyone’s attention.
My email and the DM on all my social media handles have been flooded with the hogwash that you publish about President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on a daily basis by people from all over the world.
Frankly you have constituted yourself into a distractive nuisance and source of mild irritation to many.
You are trying so hard to discredit our President and paint him as a mafia-like gangster and dangerous and callous villain even though he has not been indicted or convicted of any crime by any court of law in America or anywhere else.
You even went as far as to publish the asinine, absurd, mendacious and foul falsehood that he sent an agent and associate of his to you in an attempt to invite you to London and bribe you with 3 million USD in return for your silence without providing any tangible or concrete evidence.
That is the sordid level of lunacy, desperation and substance-induced fantasy that you have degenerated and resorted to.
I put it to you that if you actually believe what you have said on this attempted bribery allegation then you are clearly seeing things and hearing voices that do not belong in this realm and I therefore have every reason to question, not just your integrity, but also your sanity.
If this is the case I implore you, in the name of God, to get help before it is too late and you continuing embarrassing yourself because, despite our differences, I wish you the very best and good health.
Yet you soldier on regardless and keep pushing your stale and increasingly boring fables as hard and frantically as you can.
You appear to have forgotten that, as the saying goes, ‘the harder they come, the harder they fall’.
You and your company, together with those that you represent and that are sponsoring and encouraging you have certainly come very hard against President Tinubu and you shall SURELY fall equally hard, never to rise again.
You are so hell bent on demonising him and I wonder why, if you are so sure of your case, that you can’t just wait for the court proceedings to be concluded, for the Judge to deliver her ruling and for the 2027 elections to take place.
The reality is that you know that nothing will come of it and like my friend and brother, the Honorable Minister of Aviation and Aerospace, Festus Keyamo rightly said, it is “a storm in a tea cup” that is “going nowhere”.
Outside of that no-one is loosing any sleep over the ongoing disclosure case in the United States that you appear to be obsessed with or the legal mumbo jumbo, disjointed verbiage and empty threats that you constantly spew about reporting anyone and everyone that opposes your views and relentless onslaught to the American Congress, the FBI and the Trump White House.
Like most of us I have every confidence that the American Judiciary will do the right thing, uphold the rule of law, ensure that good sense and justice prevails, uphold the submissions of the FBI, the DEA and President Tinubu himself, uphold the latters legitimate privacy rights and not play into the slick and sleazy hands of you, your client, Aaron Greenspan, who initiated the proceedings, and all those that are egging you on.
You see President Tinubu’s destiny and fate is not in your hands but rather in the hands of God and the Nigerian people.
No matter how many X messages you post, how many names you drop, how connected you are, how many irrational and nonsensical outbursts you make or how much you are being paid you CANNOT stop him or destroy him.
Given your pyschotic obsession with this matter which clearly goes beyond the norm and which is indicative of your malevolent intent and the malice you bear towards our President, I am constrained to give you a little of my time and join the fray by saying the following.
ALSO READ Salient historical mistakes some Igbo leaders made By Prof Lawrence ETIM Discussions about Nigerian history, particularly the events leading to the Civil War and the continuing agitation for self-determination, often evoke strong emotions and divergent interpretations. While many people focus on external factors that affected the Igbo people, it is equally important to examine certain decisions and actions by prominent Igbo leaders that some critics regard as STRATEGIC ERRORS or POLITICAL MISTAKES. Whether one agrees with these assessments or not, they remain part of the broader historical debate. 1. Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe's Rejection of the Right to Secession Before Nigeria attained independence, Chief Obafemi Awolowo reportedly supported constitutional provisions that would allow any region to withdraw from the federation if it so desired. Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, however, opposed such provisions, favouring a stronger and more indivisible Nigerian federation. As a consequence, the Nigerian Constitution evolved without a recognised legal pathway for secession, making any attempt at breaking away from the federation constitutionally impermissible. Critics argue that this position reflected a lack of foresight, particularly in light of later political crises. Interestingly, many of those who advocate self-determination today, notably the Igbos, rarely attribute any responsibility to Azikiwe for supporting a constitutional framework that effectively foreclosed the option of lawful secession. Canada has a constitutional provision that guarantees the right of any region to break away through a plebescite. In 1992, a French speaking region Quebec narrowly missed the threshold score in a referendum that would have allowed it to break away. Ethiopia, former Soviet Union, Yugoslavia, St Kitts and Nevis are other examples of countries that provide constitutional rights for any of its region to break away. Critics say Nigeria missed such opportunity because of Zik's opposition during the pre-indepedence constitutional conference and public debate. 2. The January 1966 Coup and Its Perceived Ethnic Imbalance The January 15, 1966 military coup, led principally by Major Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu, remains one of the most controversial events in Nigerian history. During the coup, several prominent Northern political leaders and senior military officers were killed, while leading Igbo military officers and politicians were spared. Ojukwu himself was living in Kano but was spared. Madiebo (who would later serve as the chief of defence staff in Biafra) and many other military officers of Igbo extraction were also spared. This apparent imbalance created widespread perceptions in Northern Nigeria that the coup was ethnically motivated, regardless of the intentions of its planners. The resulting suspicion and resentment contributed significantly to the counter-coup of July 1966. Critics contend that Nzeogwu's actions unintentionally deepened ethnic divisions and destabilised the country. They further argue that many Igbo commentators have been reluctant to subject Nzeogwu's actions to the same level of criticism directed at other historical actors. 3. The taking over of power by Aguiyi-Ironsi was uncalled for. J. T. U Aguiyi-Ironsi had no business taking over power when the president, speaker of Parliament and chief Justice of the Federation where there. These were the people (in that order) stipulated by the Constitution to take over power in the event of the absence of the Prime minister. So, it was mistaken for Ironsi to take over the reigns of power. According to critics, that action also portrayed Ironsi as being sympathetic to the coup plotters. No Igbo person has ever openly criticized Ironsi for that malfeasance. 4. General Ironsi's Failure to Swiftly Prosecute the Coup Plotters Following the January 1966 coup, Major General Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi assumed power as Nigeria's Head of State. During his six-month administration, the principal coup plotters were not prosecuted or subjected to any judicial proceedings. To many Northern officers and political leaders, this appeared to validate suspicions that the new government was sympathetic to the coup's objectives. Whether justified or not, these perceptions further eroded trust in the federal government and intensified regional tensions. Critics therefore argue that Ironsi missed an important opportunity to reassure the country and restore confidence in national institutions. The Igbos have never blamed ironsi for such inertia. 5. The Introduction of a Unitary System of Government by Ironsi One of the most consequential decisions of the Ironsi administration was the promulgation of Decree No. 1, which sought to replace Nigeria's federal structure with a unitary system of government. By concentrating greater authority at the centre and reducing regional autonomy, the decree generated widespread opposition, particularly in Northern Nigeria. Critics maintain that the policy was politically ill-timed and insufficiently sensitive to Nigeria's ethnic and regional diversity. They also argue that it made any future attempt at regional self-determination more difficult by strengthening the authority of the central government. I'm not aware of any Igbo person clamouring for cessation today who had ever blamed Ironsi for promulgating such a retrogressive law, whose reverberations are still felt upto this moment. 6. Ojukwu and the Decision to Go to War History offers numerous examples of leaders who have faced scrutiny for taking their nations into unsuccessful wars. Critics often cite the example of General Leopoldo Galtieri the military president of Argentina, whose decision to engage the United Kingdom in the 1982 Falklands War led to military defeat and subsequent legal consequences. After the war, Argentina prosecuted Galtieri in a court of law and jailed him for 12 years for losing the war and bringing opprobrium to the country. Similarly, Lieutenant Colonel Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu led the Eastern Region into the Nigerian Civil War following his declaration of the Republic of Biafra in 1967. With huge propaganda machinery but little arms and ammunitions, Ojukwu dragged his people and other Easterners into a three-year period of mass suffering and death. The war ended in Biafra's defeat with immense human suffering, humongous loss of life, and severe economic devastation. Critics argue that Ojukwu should have taken responsibility for the consequences of the conflict. They further contend that many Igbo people continue to celebrate his legacy while paying comparatively little attention to his strategic errors that contributed to the catastrophic outcome. Had Ojukwu been prosecuted or even criticized for losing the war, younger generations of IPOB leaders would have been more circumspect with a lesson to learn. President Obasanjo should always be appreciated for not dragging Nigeria into a senseless war with Cameroon over Bakasi Peninsula. History will for ever remember President Jonathan for knowing that his political ambition is not worth the blood of any Nigerian. 7. Nnamdi Kanu and Contemporary Separatist Agitation In contemporary times, Nnamdi Kanu emerged as the leading figure of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), advocating the creation of an independent Biafran state. His movement has generated both support and controversy. Critics argue that aspects of the agitation, including the enforcement of Monday sit-at-home orders by various actors claiming allegiance to the cause, have inflicted substantial economic losses on businesses and communities in the South-East. They further contend that violence associated with separatist activities has disproportionately affected the very communities the movement seeks to protect. From this perspective, Kanu's leadership deserves critical scrutiny alongside criticism directed at other political actors in Nigerian history. Sadly, no Igbo person has ever openly criticized Kanu. 8. Important Igbo political leaders do not support Peter Obi presidency. Is it a big mistake that many important Igbo political leaders do not support Obi's presidential bid? For instance, the governor of Anambra State Chukwuma Charles Soludo is in the wont of declaring his anti-Obi sentiments openly, declaiming that Obi will never win. The Minister of Works Engr David Umahi does not support Obi either. Obi's public campaigns are essentially plebs-driven. Critics are wondering why Igbos do not criticize their leaders for not supporting Obi. A mature assessment of history requires the willingness to examine both external injustices and internal mistakes. No ethnic group, political movement, or historical figure is beyond criticism. Understanding the successes and failures of past leaders can provide valuable lessons for future generations and contribute to more balanced and constructive discussions about Nigeria's past, present, and future.
I have been reliably informed that your ‘Von Batten’ surname came through your marriage to Elizabeth Von Batten.
This curious state of affairs raises concerns about why a man whose records carry a Nigerian name, Ikemefuna Okeke, is publicly known as ‘Karl Von Batten’.
Many are asking what type of man drops his fathers name and converts it to that of his spouse whose ancestry and name is clearly German?
What are you hiding Ikemefuna? Do you want to be a German by force?
Or is your dream and aspiration to be regarded and remembered as an American/German and not a Nigerian?
Is there something in your history or past that you do not want us to know?
Are you are ashamed of your ancestry and heritage or is it that you are just a gutless coward?
Perhaps it could be both.
Or is it that your father disowned you and insisted that you stop using his family name?
Whatever the case it
appears that in your marriage you are the wife and your wife is the husband.
I wouldn’t be surprised if she wears male boxer shorts under her skirt whilst you wear female underwear under your trousers.
Surely no-one can trust a man who hides his true name and identity and instead uses that of his wife and who insists on wearing a woman’s dress.
Whatever the case the truth is that, at best, you are a shady character and, at worse, you are a seasoned scammer.
If this were not the case how did you manage to fool His Excellency Abubakar Atiku, the great Wazirin Adamawa, into paying you 1.2 million USD for pursuing a futile cause and treading a fruitless path that will lead to nowhere and end in NOTHING!
I guess you misled him and probably assured him that, as the final cherry on the cake, you will get him an audience, with red carpet treatment and the full works, at the White House and that you will throw in a walk in the Rose garden, a meeting in the Oval Office, a seat at the Resolute Desk and a walz in the newly-constructed White House Ball Room.
In case I forget to ask kindly tell me what schools and Universities, if any, you attended.
You claim to have graduated from Oxford, Colombia, Harvard, Cornell, NYIT and others but there appears to be no public record or confirmation of this.
Neither is there any publicly verified list of schools that you actually attended.
This seems strange given the fact that you have such a high profile and suffer from what can best be described as narcissistic tendencies.
You are indeed the most graphic and vulgar expression and profound reflection of the proverbial lickspittle: a sleazy, servile, self-serving weazle that is worthless and crooked in all it’s ways. Yet it doesn’t stop there.
John 8:44 says, “you are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies”.
This scripture describes you accurately.
You are a son of perdition: an evil soul, with an evil purpose, offering evil counsel, working for evil forces and attempting to implement an evil agenda.
Needless to say, despite your constant boasting about who you know, who you work for and what you claim you can do and in spite of your crass insolence and insufferable arrogance, you and your grotty little PR firm will fail in your vile and vicious onslaught against President Bola Ahmed Tinubu because your claims are false and your petition is a big fat NOTHING-BURGER.
Outside of your wild fantasies, infantile assertions, puerile delusions and masturbatuary dreams you have NOTHING, you are NOTHING and you will end up with NOTHING!
Chief Femi Fani-Kayode is a former Minister of Culture and Tourism of Nigeria, a former Minister of Aviation of Nigeria, Nigeria’s Ambassador Designate to South Africa, Lesotho and Estawani
