With Adetunji Ayobrown
Who is ready to die for Nigeria? Was just the rhetorical question as it came from an octogenarian and civil war veteran. How it started. This old man narrated how he became a victim of the last Nigerian civil war, which he said was not his choice. According to his story, he was one of the security men drafted by Nigeria government for the Nigeria civil war; which began on 30th May 1967 and ended on 12th January 1970 between the self-declared secessionist nation of Biafra and the independent nation of Nigeria. Revolution: A leader listens but ruler doesn’t.
As regret comes in different sizes and many shapes, for this old man, it was a case of wrong turn or choice as you may want to call it, because his conscience did not agree with his actions, what a pity! Many of those in the Nigeria security forces too agreed that there is need for change from the present security architecture because the situation is worrisome for most if not all of them. Unfortunately, there was an order from above but that order or instructions never impact on our countries peculiar security challenges.
Is it not indeed worrisome that a convener of #RevolutionNow protest and Saharareporters online news medium and a police personnel were arrested. Sowore issues started for calling for protest against our national issues. While the other for allege abuse of both President Buhari and his Vice, Osinbajo. Added to his ‘insult list’ his ‘Oga papa’ ย or ‘oga at the top’, the Inspector-General of Police, Abubakar Muhammed Adamu. News had it that Yobe State Command of the Nigerian Police Force has arrested one of its personnel, Sunday Japhet for allegedly insulting President Buhari, Vice President Osinbajo and the Inspector-General of Police on his Facebook page. Japhet, a Mobile Police on August 9th took to his Facebook page and wrote: “this is Nigeria, with a president who want to fight corruption and tackle insecurities, with the vice who claimed to be a man of God without truth, with many elected senators, with IGP that we think things will change, its a pity for them, those that lead this country”. And just like Sowore, he too was detained.
But are Sowore and Japhet not Nigerians? ‘I pledge to Nigeria my country’, still remain one of our national stanzas – they should be ready to lay down their lives to defend the nation…yes, but do they have any say in the Nigerian project? To this question, many Nigerians are begging for answers. Without gainsaying, it is an unfortunate world indeed. When you don’t have power over the country of your birth, you are also helpless on its actions over you especially when you don’t have a say in same country. His intents were good, but what do you expect from a government that cannot think of a better solution to herdsmen problem than RUGA? These were the first statements he said before I could even say hello or good morning after picking the first call. What does this means? I wanted to ask when he went further to ask me again…’If truly people did not want to participate or don’t really want a change of government or tolerate its (in)actions? Then, why did the Federal Government sent such uncountable number of security men and women to the public spaces to prevent the #Revolutionnow protesters from what they termed as lawful gathering? In academics, revolution as defined; is a countable noun which means a successful attempt by a large group of people to change the political system of their country by force.
To see more is too know more. I was dinning with my children when they chorused to correct me when I mistakenly called a jug a mug while asking for water. Believe me I immediately took to correction from my children without any qualms. And our lives continue. Truly, no one is an Island of knowledge or perfection. What many expected from our President Buhari is to always consider other opinions or suggestions; he is expected to be tolerant and accommodating of dissent voices instead of asking for Sowore’s lockup and Japhet arrest. Doing these were only given them more popularity. As simple as that! “I better die for truth then to be seeing nonsense” is part of Japhet statement, so never forget.
You don’t just pray for success, truly success has principles. And what if you can’t keep to those conditions in order to be successful? My friend, forget it…simply because you don’t deserve it. There are crucial things in this life one of them is what you don’t have any power or control over. One of such is that you don’t have control over the nation you were born. Oh goodness! As a teacher counter the prophet; they all still play different roles because life is never about one but a combination of things and events among others. Criticism brings out the best out of leader and not rulers and that is why our creator created balancing.
Whoever likes what is going on in our dear country today should stand-up, because many are of the belief that though he might have said what he said in an inappropriate manner, but what the likes of Sowore are asking for in the Nigerian state should be listened to but rather, the FG who is supposed to know better is still making same mistake and acting childishly too.
But ‘when you are consumed by love, you have the bearer to fear’, was the message from a war veteran. We warned Nigerians before the last presidential elections he said. ‘Vote for capability’, was our slogan, he said; it should be for anyone who is capable but unfortunately many voted for love(?). Now as we can all see, love cannot solve Nigeria’s peculiar problem, a man with bullets gash stated. That statement ‘every innocent soul that dies’, his first utterance still rings bell in my ears, his life never remained the same, but became a terrible tale thereafter. A tale which no one could ever believed, until I was confronted with the truth face-to-face.
Ask many of the security men who are drafted against their own consciences to disperse, curb and even terrorise innocent protesters and other innocent Nigerians who are doing nothing but asking for ‘better life’ from a government they believed so much in but had failed them woefully and boasting about it.
Iโm permitted to cast another title, I would have written ‘Buhari versus Sowore: Against each other for each other’. I arrived at my conclusion and this is more apt to other million Nigerians.
Many Nigerians actually admire Sowore’s empathy…thinking he is indeed a ‘god sent’ who is ready to die for Nigeria. We all know what they (his aides, ministers) had said about and to President Buhari in the open but what they do in the shadow is nothing but the opposite. Same feeling also came from other Nigerians, including the Ibadan Catholic Bishop, Gabriel Abegunrin, who warned on security, economy and all that is happening in Nigeria.
Why do you think Sowore organised the protest and what does he stand to gain? He knew and trusted that President Buhari cannot stand-up for the truth…and with his aides’ (ill) advices, he will go haywire. Low and behold, Sowore was right because the presidential advisers did not let him down, they gave their boss wrong counsel without proper consultation of history…what an irony? Truly, Buhari and Sowore are for each other but only seem to be against each other.
‘I have never seen an Igbo beggar’, that is a tweet from a friend. Imagine in this age and time that many young and vibrant entrepreneurs are doing successful business. Some are at the mercy of government, where creation of RUGAS is a must and of national importance on how to even raise an ordinary cow. The likes of Donald Trump were indeed right.
Maybe Nigerians are indeed tired of a government that cannot think better than RUGA as an option to security challenges being experienced by the average Nigerian as a result of herdsmen overbearing hostilities. For ‘Every innocent person that dies’, what could happen if Buhari mismanaged this delicate situation was my fear as the octogenarian narrated his assigned duties and regrets in the name of national assignment but wrong and unfortunate actions. Anything ethical is about conscience, it rather better not compound our underlying ethnic hostilities.
