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Pendulum: And My Idol Died ( By Popular Demand)

Published

7 years ago

April 6, 2019

Editor

BY Dele Momodu

(I wrote this article the very night MICHAEL JACKSON died and wept throughout the typing… My wife looked on in wonderment… I rate it as one of my top three articles in 40 years… Now that Michael Jackson is back in the news, more for bad reasons than good, many people have requested me to intervene on behalf of one of my known heroes of all time. I have nothing more to add or subtract from what I scripted on Thursday, June 25, 2009, which was published on this very page on June 27, 2009… Please, enjoy, or just read, and form your opinion…)

God, please forgive me, for claiming publicly that I worshipped an idol. Truth is I did. I worshipped Michael Jackson. I hated anyone who ever passed snide remarks about this greatest showman on earth. Strangely, I never met my idol. He was a god I accepted in good faith. A god I would have loved to meet. But I kept faith with his music, and was privileged to have met some of his siblings. There was nothing I did not try to meet him. I always knew it was only a matter of time before the relentless vicissitudes of life would take its final toll on this extremely frail but prodigiously talented artiste.
Michael was supposed to be the peak of success but he was the limit of sadness. His fame eclipsed that of all his siblings combined. He was the very epitome of achievement. No artiste in history had generated as much controversy in one lifetime. Like the quintessential dancer that he was, Michael waltzed from one crisis to the other. He was the true example that the world may pretend to love success, but the world actually hates success. Every imaginary story was conjured, or concocted, around this stupendously famous man.
He packed more than the activities of a thousand years into the 50 years he lived on earth. The world is allowed a glimpse of such demigods once in a blue moon. Michael was a deviant in all ways. He defied the laws of gravity and motion. He was a spirit child, and he acted the part perfectly. He was bound to go the way he came, with a bang. It was impossible for him to go with a mere whimper.
In his time, most things he touched turned into gold. He became as popular as the Coca-Cola bottle. He was known everywhere and was more popular than most world presidents. In our school, every music group mimicked Michael Jackson. At the then University of Ife, one young man became famous on campus for his dexterous performance of Michael Jackson in “Beat it”. He is the same Femi Elufowoju who’s currently doing Nigeria proud as an actor in the elite theater of London’s West End. Michael was every child’s ultimate idol. Even for those of us who grew up in rural settings, and had no television sets at home, we knew this boy who danced better than James Brown. His name resonated like Iraqi bombs, exploding beyond boundaries.
This was the main cause of his problems. Success breeds more sorrow than joy. There is the intrusion of privacy. The financial demands of trying to put up an appearance. The envy of peers, and the subject of sibling rivalries. It was impossible to ignore Michael, whether you hated or loved him. To describe him as an icon was an understatement. Everything around him was big news. He was never going to live a normal life, like you and I. He was sentenced to his own prison, and would never be able to break free.
Michael lived in a society where the policy was everyone for himself and God for us all. He was a lonely child. He started life too early. And fame and fortune beyond imagination chased him. He was haunted by both. They became his albatross. He had to wear a mask to go out. He was said to have experimented with all manner of weird disguises. He earned the acronym, Wacko Jacko. He was easy prey for both genuine and counterfeit extortionists. They found all manner of excuses to take his money, and practically took him to the cleaners.
Michael lived and was sustained on maximum hype. He regularly reinvented both his person and his career. From being an innocent Black kid, he transfigured into a white ghost, who became whiter than snow. It was speculated that the record labels that made incredible fortunes off him had encouraged him to engage in bleaching away his blackness, a terrible habit that would later become an incurable obsession. It probably worked initially. But it soon became a tragic flaw in his persona.
Those who wanted any reason to detest him found perfect grounds for merciless assaults. He was insulted and abused. His unusual love for children was another sore point. He was called a child molester. Who knows? Neither you nor I were eye-witnesses. Such stories abound about newsmakers everywhere. As a devotee, we accepted him warts and all. He was human after-all. I learnt a lot from his life. That success would never guarantee happiness. That money would never buy peace. That your friends would rather watch you die when you get into trouble than offer a helping hand.
All those shedding crocodile tears now obviously saw Michael in his various stages of dilapidation – that those who can never match your talents would always attack your efforts. That at the end of it all, all is vanity indeed. Human beings are always quick to judge others. They leave the log in their eyes and chase the speck in that of others. Michael this, Michael that, was all we heard. Now that he’s dead, may be they’ll leave him alone, and allow the dead to bury their dead.
The problems were just too many for Michael. And the burden must have been too heavy to bear. It is difficult to imagine how he even lived for this long. He had marital problems. He had acute financial problems. From being one of the richest men in showbiz history, he became a pauper, as poor as a church rat. His grace to grass story was one of the most frightening examples of the fall of man. It could not have been easy. It was as if he had no family, and no friend.
The man had helped to raise money for the world, but the world failed to raise money for him, in his time of dire need. They watched his life collapse while everyone minded his own business. This is usually the tragedy of great people. They are often seen as the supermen who can solve all problems alone. But my illiterate mum knew better, and used to warn that there is a thin chord holding the heart to the human body. It is just too fragile.
Die-hard fans like me were hoping for a miracle that would teleport Michael back to his original state, when he was that adorable kid, and everyone thought he was older than Michael. Michael had that childlike innocence that made him vulnerable. But he was awesome. The world was not big enough for his stage. Music was his life and we had all foolishly believed that he could live, sing and dance forever. We followed his every move, shared in his triumphs, and suffered in his pains. He was human, very human. He had his foibles, like all mortals do. He tried to keep to himself a lot, and came out of his shrine only when necessary. He was called the weird one. He had to be. His life was too extraordinary and too sensational.
I was always hoping to meet him, one on one. And even dreamt of bringing him to Nigeria to live under our protection, when his troubles became too suffocating to watch. We toyed with asking the Ooni of Ife or the Alaafin of Oyo to make him an African Chief and get our government to turn him into our national treasure. That would have been feasible in a land that understood the power of entertainment and tourism. But one Arab tycoon stole him to Bahrain, where I believe life must have been very miserable for him. He was just too broke, and was facing certain humiliation of unimaginable proportions.
The bailiffs were after him like bullets. Before his very eyes, his prized possessions were auctioned. His Neverland Ranch, which was his recreation of paradise on earth, became a dead place and he had to give up the ownership of this private sanctuary. By the time the relationship between him and his Arab friend broke down, and he had to return Los Angeles, the damage had been done. He was forced to move into a rented apartment. Just imagine, from living in paradise to living in the pit of hell. It is better imagined than experienced.
What I admired most about him was how he kept readjusting to his excruciating conditions. He accepted his fate with uncommon equanimity. He was determined to prove that he wasn’t finished. He travelled to London recently to promote his forthcoming world tour. He needed to disappoint the cynics who thought he was down and flat-out. His plans were going fine. He had sold a record 750,000 tickets for his concerts. For him, the shows were meant to be the grand finale to an incredible career, the sort we are not likely to see again in our generation.
Also, he was working hard to leave a worthy legacy, and a formidable empire for his family, especially his children. He was said to have written hundreds of songs which he never performed, but were meant to be released only after his death. He was a workaholic. He probably died working. He didn’t want his fans to be disappointed in him. They were the reason for his existence. We meant everything to him, just as he meant everything to us.
You don’t have to be a doctor to know he must have died of exhaustion. The London concert was meant to be his final farewell to the world. He had gone as far as getting a personal trainer to beef him up for the tour. His existence depended on proving this ultimate point. It was a dangerous fixation that would prove fatal. He had been off-stage for too long. Unknown to him, age was no longer on his side. Everything that has a beginning must have an end. He did not accept the verdict of God. The Lord giveth, and the Lord taketh. It was time to go and the time to be set free.
The elephant collapsed two nights ago. I cried like a baby. My wife had always found my love for Michael Jackson very strange. If she did not know me well, she may have suspected me of unprintable inclinations. I had wished Fela truly kept death in his pouch. We would have begged him to keep Michael for us forever. But Fela himself was killed by death. It is one debt we all owe. Sooner or later, the king of all bailiffs must come, and take possession of all. This is the reason we must do our best and leave the world better than we met it.

Featured

Peter Obi Would Rather Buy Desks for Children Than Pay for Lies, Group Replies Bwala

Published

18 hours ago

March 14, 2026

Eric

The Peter Obi Media Reach (POMR) has dismissed claims made by presidential spokesman, Daniel Bwala, alleging that the former Labour Party presidential candidate attempted to contact him.

The group described the allegation as false and politically motivated.

POMR said the statement became necessary to prevent the public from being misled by what it called unfounded claims circulating in the political space.

In a statement issued by its spokesman, Ibrahim Umar, the group strongly rejected the allegation and accused Bwala of spreading misleading narratives about the former Anambra State governor.

The statement said, “Normally, we would not dignify Barr Bwala’s baseless accusations with a reply, given his well-documented history of dishonesty. However, we feel it is necessary to address this matter for the benefit of the public, who may be misled.”

According to the group, Obi has consistently maintained a clear distance from individuals and practices associated with what it described as transactional politics.

POMR said the former governor has built his political reputation around accountability, transparency and public service, adding that he does not engage in political dealings driven by personal gains or financial inducements.

The statement further said, “Our principal, Peter Obi, has made it clear that he excludes individuals like Bwala from his political activities and any form of transactional politics that sustain people like him in political circles.

“The Peter Obi that Nigerians know and appreciate will never engage in such practices. He would rather allocate resources to provide desks for children in Bwala’s village than pay him to concoct falsehoods for public consumption.”

The group also stressed that Obi’s political philosophy revolves around encouraging citizens to believe in a shared vision of national development rather than paying individuals to defend his political ambitions.

POMR said the former presidential candidate prefers persuasion and engagement with citizens who share the belief that Nigeria requires urgent reforms in governance.

It added, “Obi’s approach is rooted in the pursuit of good governance and the creation of a better society for all. He does not pay people to promote a cause; instead, he invites them to join him in believing in a shared vision.

“His ‘engagement’ focuses on persuasion, emphasizing the urgent need for a collective effort to rescue our nation. He welcomes those who choose to join him voluntarily, driven by the same deep-seated convictions.”

The group also called on politicians it accused of promoting transactional politics to rethink their approach and focus on national development rather than personal interests.

It concluded by urging critics to keep Obi out of what it described as politically motivated narratives.

“For the umpteenth time, we call on Bwala and others like him to count Peter Obi out of their greed, repent, and join us in the quest for a new Nigeria that is indeed POssible.”

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Justice Segun-Bello vs The Condes: Couple Appeals to Nigerians over Injustice, Intimidation

Published

1 day ago

March 13, 2026

Eric

The legal battle between an Abuja-based couple, Mr. Adetunji Conde and Mrs. Ajoke Amudat Conde, and a serving judge, Mabel Segun-Bello, has escalated into what relatives and rights advocates now describe as a life-threatening human rights crisis.

New updates obtained by SaharaReporters from the couple’s family indicate that Mr. Conde’s health has deteriorated sharply while in detention at Keffi Old Prison, where he is reportedly battling stage-one renal failure after months in custody over a ₦100 million investment dispute.

Family members warn that the situation is rapidly worsening and could become fatal if urgent medical care is not provided.

According to relatives, Conde had been managing several chronic conditions, including diabetes, hypertension and an enlarged prostate, before his arrest in 2025.

Since his incarceration, they say, the lack of specialised care has pushed his health toward kidney failure.

A source familiar with the case told SaharaReporters: “Although the court is aware of his worsening medical condition, he was directed to seek treatment within the prison facility, which unfortunately does not have the necessary medical equipment or capacity to manage his condition.”

Family members say the continued detention despite his condition effectively amounts to a medical death sentence.

Controversial Bail Delays and Judicial ‘Reset’

Conde also described what he alleges were repeated delays and irregularities in the handling of his bail.

In a message sent to SaharaReporters on Thursday, he recounted the process after his wife was granted bail.

“In the court of the second magistrate in Wuse II, after the stringent bail conditions had been varied and met and my wife released, it took the magistrate five days to approve my own surety,” he said.

He added that even after verification of the surety’s residence and workplace, additional delays occurred.

“Upon the verification of the abode and office of the surety, it took almost another two weeks for the prosecutor to come and sign in court,” he said.

According to Conde, the matter took an unexpected turn when the magistrate suspended both the case and his bail indefinitely.

“On the set day, the Magistrate ruled that both the case and my bail had been put on indefinite suspension due to the fact that powerful people are interested in the case,” he said.

He further claimed that the Chief Judge of the Federal Capital Territory later intervened.

“The CJ of Abuja ordered that my bail should be immediately granted and that both the Director of Magistracy and the Magistrate should be petitioned for explanation on this ruling,” he said.

However, Conde said the directive was never implemented, adding, “Instead of carrying out the order, the so-called Magistrate recused himself from the matter. A conviction without a trial.”

The case has since been transferred to a third magistrate court, where the presiding magistrate imposed a mandatory payment of N100 million into an interest‑bearing account as a bail condition. Meanwhile, the trial has continued to be adjourned repeatedly without explanation.

Alleged Police Interference

Conde also accused officers attached to the Nigeria Police Force of interfering with evidence in the case.

He claimed that a police team allegedly deleted key WhatsApp messages from his phone.

“Through a WhatsApp message which has been deleted by the police, the case from 2025 has spilled over into 2026,” he said.

He further alleged intimidation by investigators.

“The police team led by Funmi PPRO FCID who deleted all evidence on my phone has vowed to re-arrest me when granted bail and have sent their men to be present at every court proceeding.”

The Dispute Behind the Case

The conflict stems from a ₦100 million investment allegedly made by Justice Segun-Bello in the couple’s company, Elizabeth and Esther Nigeria Limited.

Conde insists the matter is purely contractual and should have been handled through civil litigation.

“I have refused to defraud the five states we signed for by giving them ₦700 million on an investment of ₦100 million,” he said.

“I have also sent them how their monies will be refunded since 2024,” he said but Justice Segun-Bello has refused. He wondered how they want him to pay back the money.

According to him, the repayment plan, send to him, were among the messages allegedly removed from his phone.

Human Rights Concerns

SaharaReporters had previously reported that a prominent human rights lawyer Femi Falana (SAN) had petitioned the then-Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, describing the prosecution as unlawful.

Falana argued that the use of police powers to enforce a private financial dispute violates long-standing Supreme Court rulings.

He also questioned why Mrs. Conde was included in the charges despite her alleged lack of involvement in the business transaction.

In petitions submitted to the FCT High Court and the Directorate of Magistracy, the couple had expressed a lack of confidence in the fairness of the trial process.

They alleged that Justice Segun-Bello had claimed influence over the magistrate courts.

“We have also been told that the sureties would be blackmailed to withdraw under undue pressure,” the couple wrote in their petition.

They further alleged that the judge had vowed to keep them behind bars for an extended period.

Claims of a Courtroom Setup

The couple also maintains that their earlier failure to appear in court, which led to the revocation of their bail, was deliberately orchestrated.

Conde alleged that plainclothes officers intercepted them on the morning of the hearing and drove them around Abuja for hours.

“They were only asking us where the balance of the ₦100 million was,” he said.

“By the time they allowed us to go, the presiding magistrate had already revoked our bail and issued a bench warrant for our absence.”

Plea for Intervention

Conde says he has written to several security agencies, including the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, the Department of State Services, the National Intelligence Agency, and the Defence Intelligence Agency, seeking investigations into the case.

He claims none of the agencies have acted since his detention.

“My family is living under constant fear of being abducted or killed because of a civil contract,” he said.

In a final appeal, Conde warned that the situation had become a matter of life and death.

“I hereby call on well-meaning Nigerians to save me from this summary conviction that has now become a death sentence,” he said.

With the matter now restarting before a third magistrate, Conde’s family and legal team say the repeated procedural resets and strict bail conditions have effectively kept him incarcerated while his health deteriorates.

They are demanding the immediate withdrawal of criminal charges and the unconditional release of Adetunji Conde so he can receive urgent medical treatment outside prison custody.

Without intervention, they warn, the dispute risks turning into a fatal miscarriage of justice.

Source: SaharaReporters

Featured

UBA Business Series Celebrates The Evolved Woman’s Leadership, Enterprise

Published

2 days ago

March 13, 2026

Eric

Africa’s Global Bank, United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc, on Thursday, hosted a captivating edition of its quarterly Business Series, bringing together accomplished female leaders and entrepreneurs to discuss the theme “Gen.W: The Evolved Woman.”

The hybrid session which was held at the UBA House in Marina Lagos and also transmitted live to participants across the globe, is part of activities to mark the International Women’s Month and focused on the evolving role of women in leadership, business, and innovation, highlighting how African women are redefining success while also creating sustainable impact across their various spheres of operation.

UBA’s Group Head, Customer Experience, Michelle Nwoga, who gave the opening remarks at the event, explained that the evolved woman is one who is taking charge, volunteering and making their voice heard above the noise.

The event was moderated by popular media personality and actor, Tobi Bakre; who said, “When I think about the evolved woman, I personally do not see a checklist or a finish point. In my own opinion, it is a woman who is grounded in her own self-worth and gives room for other women to be grounded in theirs, choosing herself daily and ultimately letting other women around her know and believe that they belong here too.”

The event featured panel conversations with leading entrepreneur and founder of ORÍKÌ Group, Joycee Awosika; celebrated media personality and digital entrepreneur Tomike Adeoye; founder of Fine-Funky, Olufunke Davies, and award-winning broadcaster, Ayo Mario-Ese who shared experiences around their struggles and eventual evolution as female business owners.

From her point of view, Joycee Awosika, an energy economist who has been focused on promoting the African heritage, the evolved woman is one who has awareness of who she is. “That woman does not need to ask to sit at the table, she is creating her own table and adding value. As your company is growing, you must grow too, and always do an audit of where you need to become a better leader” she stated.

To Tomike Adeoye, the question of what a woman is bringing to the table has now become obsolete, as the evolved woman is now bringing their own table. “She is now more vocal about their struggles, setting the standards and she is not ready to give up on her dreams,” she added.

Ayo Mario-Ese expressed worry about females who are usually laidback about speaking up and sharing their achievements, and said that women need to own their own stories: “A lot of women are doing phenomenal work and are sometimes afraid of showcasing what they are doing. As an evolved woman, you have to find out what you are comfortable doing, and create your own unique offering, and also be open to collaboration.”

“Creating unique designs that are affordable remains my driving force and something that has helped me grow as an evolved woman,” remarked Olufunke Davies, who confessed to having ventured into a lot of businesses before finding her niche. “It is important to do your research, streamline and think about relatability. But the important thing I will say is start where you are as it is a progression.”

The Group Head, Brand, Marketing and Corporate Communications, Alero Ladipo, who commended the panellists and the attendees for taking their time to join the event said, “Raising each woman up is actually not that hard; because, everyone has their community as well as their story; and so as women, we need to take position so that you can give to others.”

Ladipo took time to speak about the Gen W platform, put together by the bank, as she explained that it is a lifestyle platform dedicated to the evolved woman, adding, “Through expert insights, real stories, and practical resources, the platform connects women who are building brands, creating businesses, growing careers, and leading across industries. They also have access to a plethora of discounted products and loans. The best part: it is open to every woman. No UBA account needed. This is Gen W, for the evolved woman,” she said.

UBA continues to reaffirm its commitment to empowering women and entrepreneurs through platforms such as the Business Series, which continues to serve as a hub for mentorship, knowledge exchange, and thought leadership. By convening influential voices and sharing practical experiences, the bank aims to inspire a new generation of women leaders and innovators across Africa and beyond.