Our dear country, Nigeria, is definitely witnessing distressingly interesting times. While the populace lives in agony of terrorism, it is disappointing to see the lunatic gusto for power being exhibited by federal government officials elected or appointed to protect the interest of the distraught masses.
In the past few days, the Minister for State Defence, Mr. Musiliu Obanikoro, has abandoned his office and abdicated his responsibilities of superintending over the protection and defence of hapless Nigerians whose daily lives are at the devastating mercy of the boko haram goons. While many lives are being mercilessly snuffed out in their prime by all manners of blood-thirsty elements in different parts of Nigeria, the Minister of Defence moonlights in Osogbo, Osun State, addressing press conferences and commandeering stern looking army officers to unleash naked terror on the harmless citizens who intend to participate in the governorship election already slated to hold on the 9th day of August 2014.
In saner climes, it is unimaginable that a Minister with such a serious portfolio as defence would evacuate army officers from States where emergencies have been declared only to deploy them to a State where hitherto there had been peace and harmony and a free and fair election is supposed to be civilly organised. It is rather unfortunate that the Minister of Defence has not considered important the safety and rescue of more than two hundred innocent girls whose lives have been halted, whose future has been truncated and whose psyche has been pulverized by the rudderless terrorist organization which has reduced the country to a theatre of bloodletting.
What moral justification could be provided for the unjust and unwarranted harassment, intimidation and vilification of law-abiding voters whose only offence is exercising their constitutional right to vote against the preferred candidate of the federal government in the governorship election in Osun. What moral justification exists for deploying the military in a purely civic duty of voting in the State of Osun. If this is how to be a Minister of Defence in Nigeria, definitely no one needs this kind of defence provided by Obanikoro and since he has decided to abandon his duties to become Iyiola Omisore’s public relations officer, it is better to demand his resignation and a refund of innocent taxpayers’ money being wasted in this gallivanting adventure.
We implore all right-thinking persons, men of conscience and lovers of democracy and human rights to call Musiliu Obanikoro to order. If the bunch of power grabbers see nothing civil in democratic process of electioneering one wonders how they would perceive war in the face of their failure to tackle the boko haram menace which has made the country a laughing stock internationally.
We equally must end by warning the federal government and its agents to desist from its determination to rig the Osun governorship election in favour of the PDP candidate. Failure to heed this simple warning may precipitate the commencement of a predictable revolt the end of which is beyond human clairvoyance. A word is enough for the wise.
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Olusegun Dada tweets @dolusegun
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