By Gbenro Olajuyigbe

‘Malice has a strong memory’ – Thomas Fuller

Conducting free, fair and transparent elections in the land of desperate politicians is an act of valor. That was what Professor Humphrey Nwosu did with his Option A4, an appropriately contextual intellection backed mode of voting that was open, transparent and credible. It came with the simplicity and without ambiguity that fitted the time and space of its implementation. The journey to Heroism is a process that does not end in a day. It is a journey deliberately embarked on, no matter the obstacles. If eventually the journey is truncated by expected or unforeseen obstacles or circumstances, which does not make the traveler less a hero.

Today, we have a Congress of Cowards, who recklessly, undemocratically and unconstitutionally endorsed fiat removal of elected governor and legislators sitting over the judgment of an enigma, Humphrey Nwosu. Thirty three years after his nationalistic feats, isn’t it an anachronism for the spoiled brats, timidly hiding in a red Chamber to demand a certificate of courage from a man whose shoes they are unworthy of tying? A country where the unjust judge the just, where goats lead lions has no covenant with progress. 

Yes, Humphrey Nwosu had his shortcomings; nevertheless, it doesn’t lie in the mouths of those who were absent when God was distributing honor and integrity to diminish his stride. However red, no Chamber of Corruption has clean scale for weighing the metric tons of heroism of a man who faltered while striving to succeed.

Today, the three arms of government are in one waste bin, nurturing ghoulish greedy interests by cannibalizing democracy with the rod of emergency impunity. These are some of the people nailing Nwosu to the cross of history they have no shoulder for the burden of the present.

From Uromi to Ondo, Zamfara to Katstina, Benue to Sokoto, killings and wanton destruction of lives and livelihoods are the dastardly enterprise thriving. Yet, the grandstanding legislators laying claim to courage have no solutions to them.

Plantations of looted currencies abound anywhere you turn in the midst of outrageously scandalous poverty. Like weeds under the storm, millions of dollar, Naira and pound are berthing in unusual harbors of irredeemable rogue officials.

Those robbing Peter to pay Paul have the temerity of sitting over the judgment of Nwozu. The cowards, who could not resist the illegal, undemocratic and unconstitutional suspension of elected officials in Rivers State have forgotten that the same Humphrey Nwosu refused to obey the Justice Bassey Ikpeme Court order that Arthur Nzeribe obtained to truncate the conduct of the June 12 elections, which would have prevented the election from holding in the first place. Isn’t it an anathema that those who supported a proclamation that that demolished structure and system of democracy in Rivers are crucifying a man who had the courage to resist the obstacles to the conduct of election thirty two years after the freest election was conducted? Where would they have found the results of the election if Nwosu had timidly chickened out?

The strongest covenant that is hardest to break is the covenant of evil. It is the covenant of the wicked. Corrupt people will do everything possible to defend and secure their bad governance, even if it means castigating an honest man who faltered while trying to succeed. That makes them feel good. Ask these characters, where are they on the trial and the travails of Nigerians? How are they struggling to snatch the country from the hawks that killed the hen in the past? Are they defending her against the vultures that are presently preying on her chicks? What are they doing about the skinny ribs of compatriots that hunger and starvation have shamefully exposed? Are they changing the tide against the unofficial policy of eating without working and putting food on the tables of those who are sweating day in and day out to make ends meet? What are they doing about children whose only learning place is the street? When will be taken off the street to learning friendly environment called school? What are they doing to uproot plants of corruption planted by oppression and nurtured by greed? How can our women be respected for their roles, even in the Senate? When will patriarchy be defeated and our daughters shall take control of power over their decisions?

However, a fierce controversy is already ragging between Rule of Law and Rule of Morals. Should will try to breed a decent judiciary or protect wayward judges? We have over the years laboriously and brilliantly projected a wide range of arguments on Rights, Liberty and Justice as hallmarks of decent society. Our society lacks these ingredients today and rulers love it so. What have limited these arguments is the structure we have on ground to dispense the end result- a decent society! What is the legislature doing about this? Acceleration for sudden wealth has overpowered decisional capacity of those in power. A government that shamelessly professes its own incapacitation through poor and ineffective legislation, policy execution, delay and denial of justice has initiated a vote of no confidence on itself. Such government cannot guarantee security and welfare of the people.

For instance, the recent security threat level in Ondo State and other places has exceeded the acceptable threshold. Government should prioritize a new regime of security governance, retraining security operatives, including, and institutionalization of a virile and functional community early warning mechanism that is effectively linked to the responder-security agency early action box. There is the need to establish response buffers across identified risk zones with cornunbative operation by a mobile joint security force put in place. The state of security is frighteningly degenerating. Let the governments start with apolitical security dialogue and urgently too. Lives are needlessly ebbing away with trail of extremist violent crimes!

Once again, the scoundrels are engaged in a subcultural race to amase evidence for heresies performed while they were recently swimming in Rivers of errors; a political turnover on investment in tyranny subsidiary they validated as state of emergency. Just by sucking Satan’s breasts, the demons are fed; now the worst of us who sit in the chambers of guilt feel that they have the gavels to knock off Humphery Nwosu’s historic badge of honor. It is just what it is; the return of season of infamy! 

Gbenro Olajuyigbe is the Executive Director of Emergency & Risk Alert Initiative