When righteous people keep quiet in the face of injustice they give licence to inequality to prevail
“Nigeria is a bakery. SARS, police and soldiers are the workers. Public officers are in fraudulent possession of the bakery. Nigerians are the breads. There are fresh and burnt breads inside the bakery. The appearance and properties of a “bread” is always in the judgment of the owners of the bakery in tandems with the agreement of the workers”
I have lost hope in this entity called Nigeria. The first problem was economy and hardship. Many Nigerians live in acute poverty while hundreds live large on sweats of millions of poor Nigerians. All proffered solutions fail, we have nearly exhausted last of the least intelligence to cure this epidemic and all paperworks withdrew from “banks of theories” failed us. A terrorist group is killing these poor Nigerians in the north-east while the south is also mourning over loss of beloved ones murdered by uniformed men with a duty of protection.
I have had several encounters with the Nigeria Police and one wonders what propels their actions. I could remember how a police officer harrased our neighbour as a kid. He flogged the wife of his co-tenant, injured his sons over electricity bills and a two months old baby lost her life in the fight. He was reported to his superiors at the station. He was neither punished or detained rather they blamed his co-tenant for offending an officer of the law and the case died naturally. This story remains the least compared to other execrable tales of what Nigerians have suffered in terms of great harassments from people settled by the government to protect them.
Like a pinch of salt blown away by wind, Kolade Johnson, only son of a lone woman has been sent to a journey of no return. He was shot with one of the guns supplied by the government whose main duty is protection of life and his life was shorten by men whose survival depends on taxpayer funds. As I express my sympathy with aggrieved Nigerians especially the family of Kolade Johnson and other victims of SARS brutality, my condolences are with the government and security institutions. These institutions have failed us as a people.
Like other average Nigeria youths, he was denied every entitlements as a citizen in terms of good and free education, good and quality health services, good and drinkable water, good roads and transportation network and other amenities citizens of other nations enjoy. Inspite of all, he summoned rare courage and scaled through the sad narratives of Nigeria child and graduated as a medical student in one of our dying universities.
Do you know what it takes to become a graduate in the medical field of a nation where alternatives to practicals have put real practicals in black envelope and students read big books to justify their profession? Yesternight, a 400 level student of a Nigerian institution who happens to be in the sciences completed a whole semester practical exercises in his room through copy and paste technique because he is a student of a Nigeria Institution where theories take every shape. There are no visible and new jobs anywhere and vacancies in hospitals have become family business. He was a brilliant, promising, gentle and coolheaded young man as described by friends and closed ones. He laboured to graduate and his lone mother could not enjoy the fruits of her hard labour because they are NIGERIANS.
It has become the tradition of the police to disperse protesters with force and bullets. Many students have been killed and turned handicapped because they protested against obnoxious polices. As you recall the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta saga where some students were killed as others were detained, we should always recall the massacre of Nassrawa students. I am sad that Nigeria has grown from a country of hunger and hardship to a nation where there is no respect to rights to life. In the process of combing the society to be free from fraudsters and yahoo boys, in as much as it’s a wonderful development, this should not serve as a ticket to Nigeria Police that life of a Nigeria citizen is worthless. These officers need to be well trained to know that the difference between fashion and crime is intelligence.
Kolade Johnson is dead. Like many other great young minds, he has gone into the realm where they fight light. If truly there are associations in heaven, he should join other innocent and promising Nigerians that have suffered same fate and revenge because owners of the bakery will always protect their staff. This is not the first time police officers will kill innocent ones, this is not the first time killers of innocent Nigerians will be arrested and detained. This is not the first time Nigerians will raise alarm on social media and demand for social justice. Killers and cold blooded murderers tend to walk freely las las. Nigeria is a nation where injustices always prevail but will Kolade Johnson rewrite the history of the Nigeria Police and government?
Apagunpote Olayimika Chocomilo
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