As an elder of the Igbo extraction, it is characteristic of me to punctuate my expressions (most times), with relevant proverbs. 

This is in tandem with a line in Achebe's "Things Fall Apart" which says that "Proverbs are palm oil with which words are eaten."

With the above preamble, let me quickly proceed with a particular one in Igbo which when paraphrased, means that when the elders throw decorum to the winds, and begin to rush food, the children will furiously smash the earthen bowl containing the food to pieces.

The above idiomatic hypothesis is sequel to the present war of words, between two illustrious sons of Ndigbo. In my own assessment, these two prominent elder statesmen are by all standards, "Dike eji eje mba" in Igbo land.

This unfortunate wrangle is between an oil mogul, a philanthropist extraordinaire, and CEO of Atlas Oranto Petroleum, Prince Arthur Eze (Ozoigbondu), and a political super-heavy weight, former Senate President and ex-SGF, Sen. Anyim Pius Anyim.

I have read the vituperative outbursts of these two brothers with keen interest, albeit amidst utter disillusionment, as they cast aspersions on each other with reckless abandon, over inconsequentialities.

And this is the essence of my introductory idiomatic expression, about elders gobbling food in the presence of children who initially watched within open-mouthed astonishment, until their unpremeditated action.

As a Senior Citizen of a sexagenarian status, my intervention in this matter is purely based on another Igbo aphorism which says that "An elder does not stay at home and watch the she-goat deliver while tethered."

Those of us (concerned) Ndigbo should not allow this rancour to go beyond this level, as a popular maxim states that where two elephants fight, the grass suffers.

Again, it is said that a house divided against itself cannot stand. Even the holy book bears an eloquent testimony to the aforementioned axiom, when it says in the gospel according to St. Luke 11:17, that "Every Kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation."

This is why these two great sons of Ndigbo (former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, and the 8th richest man in Africa), should sheath their swords, so that we can always unite and achieve our common objectives.

It is strongly believed that why snakes are usually killed easily, is the fact that they don't normally move in groups.

And finally, I wish to state that we cannot afford to attract more enemies to ourselves, as we're already overwhelmed by a plethora of them.