THE insensitivity of Governor Isa Yuguda’s remarks about National Youth Service Corps members killed in his state is worsened by his lame attempt to deny the comments, a denial that confirmed  the governor really uttered those words at a time families are mourning over the senseless killing of their wards.

A newspaper report quoted Yuguda, “They (corps members) were destined to experience what they experienced.

Nobody can run away from destiny. Immediately, I handed them over to Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, it was the responsibility of INEC to protect them. They were not the only ones affected. You cannot hold Yuguda or Bauchi State (responsible) for what happened to those corps members, because it was the responsibility of INEC to take care of them.”

Many groups have condemned the comments. There have been calls to suspend deployment of NYSC members to Bauchi, all reactions to Yuguda’s position on a matter that in the past few weeks has thrown some communities into more agony as the corpses arrived.

Yuguda was jolted, but the efforts to repair the damage his insensitivity caused have confirmed that he said worst things than the newspaper reported.

His Senior Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Sanusi Muhammad, rejoined thus, “The governor is a detribalised Nigerian with enduring friendships all over the country as well as a public officer with a deep respect for the sanctity of human lives. It is therefore unthinkable for him to trivialise the loss of lives, especially those of corps members who were in the state on national assignment.

“He had said that as human beings, we should always accept our destiny either in our favour or against our interest. Although he reasoned that the unfortunate death of the corps members was destined to happen in the course of their service to the Fatherland, he said this in the context of every new day being a new experience to all human beings.”

What is the difference between what was reported and the rejoinder? Where was Yuguda misquoted? What comfort did Yuguda offer the remaining NYSC members in Bauchi State?

Coordinator of Ijaw Monitoring Group, Comrade Joseph Evah said the governor’s comments meant that the killers would not be prosecuted. “The murderers are moving freely today because Bauchi State Governor, Isa Yuguda openly stated that the untimely death of our children should not be taken seriously, because it was their destiny to die that way and their killers are helping the victims to fulfil destiny,” Evah said.

Our laws do not provide fate or destiny as alibi for murder. Governor Yuguda knows too that our beliefs and traditions are no substitutes for the law. His silence on prosecution of the murders of the NYSC members says more than his rejoinder.

It is scandalous that a governor, who swore to uphold our Constitution would blame destiny instead of the murders.
The best rejoinder from Yuguda would be to assist the security agencies in finding and prosecuting the murders of the NYSC members.