By EMMANUEL AZIKEN

The picture of some students of Abia State University demonstrating at the weekend against claims that the hedonistic gang rape of an unidentified lady was perpetuated by students of the institution was remarkably cutting. The picture was published on Monday edition of this newspaper.

It was even more touching that among the demonstrators were some young ladies who carried placards one of which read “We are not rapists.”

As I looked at the young ladies and men I could not but imagine that any one of those ladies could one day fall into the lecherous trap of those five young men that defiled the young lady, that is if they are not caged any time soon.

The demonstration was in the wake of strong rebuttals by the authorities of the Abia State University, the Abia State Government and the Police that such a rape ever occurred.

It is quite unfortunate that a morally disgusting action that should otherwise have aroused the justifiable anger of the Abia State government and its officials was incredulously passed off as a non_event. Remarkably, the Abia State government was followed by the Police and the University in denying the occurrence of the rape without a conclusive investigation.

Shockingly, the Abia State University students have followed suit with this spirit of denial instead of helping the investigations in searching out the culprits. As it is, the Abia State University demonstrators have allowed themselves to be swayed by the specter of denial of a seeming fact.

It is the same duplicitous proclivity to denial that has characterized governance in Nigeria for a very, very long time. Nigerian government officials across the three arms of government and the three tiers are joined together by a common streak of governance by denial. In other words, governments in Nigeria govern by looking the other way in the face of glaring needs.

Where things need to be fixed our government officials simply look the other way in a show of lack of concern.

Across the various sectors including education, health, infrastructure and indeed anywhere you look, governments at all levels have tended to look the other way from the essence of governance. With the possible exception of Abuja where pipe borne water flows intermittently, I just cannot remember when last I saw public pipe borne water in either my native Delta, in Lagos where I work or in several other states I have the opportunity of visiting.

It is this same tendency that made the Apapa –Osholdi Expressway which is a major link connecting the nation’s number one international airport and the nation’s major sea port to deteriorate over the years as successive administrations looked the other way as the road collapsed.

As infrastructure collapsed along the years it was no bother to the ruling class that the sophistication and size of the presidential air fleet increased. At the state level, many Governors are themselves competing among themselves to buy aircraft or replace aging ones!

Government officials have looked other way as our healthcare system collapsed and health facilities were turned into consulting clinics at best.  They didn’t need to bother about the health system so long as the public treasury was available to facilitate their routine medical checkups abroad. Even while abroad where they enjoy regular electricity, use trains and all the good things of life, the same officials return home to debase the citizenry with their mediocrity.

Remarkably, while the government turns the other way the citizenry in seeming admission of helplessness manage to push ahead. Thus, a significant proportion of Nigerians now not only generate their own electricity, but also generate their own water supply, pave the road leading to their homes and provide security at the street gates!

It is as such touching that the authorities and Police in Abia have not been able to draw a line between past acts of political deceit and the heart wrenching rape of the young lady. Denying this nightmare would climax the 51-year gang rape of Nigeria!