The President can’t kill himself…

Only last week I had written on the need for a plea of allocutus on the Nigerian case, and myself and lawyer buddy Barrister Madaki while mourning the state of nation and x-raying possible solutions, it only got worse.

So, the last we heard from the President of the world’s largest black population, from official quarters was that the President was resting, albeit while seeing his doctors. Rome burns and Nero fiddles…so they say…

After ten days the National Association of Resident doctors finally suspended their strike, the strike was made even worse by the poor comments of the minister for labor, himself a doctor, although many of us would not entrust him with our personal health, besides his comments, while the President continues to rest, there is a mass exodus of doctors, and if you think only doctors are leaving, Nigerians are leaving Nigeria in numbers.

There was an emergency meeting called between labour and university teachers, who in Nigeria has not heard the acronym or rather abbreviation ASUU, maligned by all, understood by few, and misunderstood by herself, they also threatened to go back to the trenches of a strike. I can almost tell that, in their case, and with what Nigerians witnessed during the #ENDSARS, another strike leaving a large population of young persons outside school would be dangerous, but really can the President kill himself?

While the universities remained open, polytechnics were closed as yet again, the Poly union went on strike over unresolved issues, and off course, the president cannot kill himself.

The drama in Imo state had been building up with the recruitment and training of the cast and crew and no one bothered, events in Kaduna South, and parts of Borno, cache of arms recovered in Katsina, did not seem to perturb those that are responsible for keeping Nigerians safe. It has become commonplace, and really who cares, everyone is in the business of keeping safe, and fighting enemies both real and imaginary. Yet the authorities are resting!

For Imo, the daredevil courage with which, the correctional home, police headquarters and armoury, all within the vicinity of the state government house were attacked, only tells you that soon that saying of where logic ends, Congo begins, might now read where logic fails, Nigeria starts. The President is resting, and true he needs it, I will repeat it again before I end this admonition, and he cannot kill himself, I hope those that should know; know the amount of small, and light weapons in ‘civilian’ hands.

It is not overstating that the security situation in the country is worsening, it is scary that in the southeast the attacks on security officials, and apparatus reminds one of the beginning of Boko Haram, and to think that someone in the Presidency would allow such a slip of thought, comment or otherwise that the president was resting is beside logic.

Yet it was afrobeat musician Timaya that captured it, and I dare us to sing along…

This life I can’t kill myself I can’t kill myself

I can’t kill myself ooh

I can’t kill myself

Allow me to flex oh

This life I can’t kill myself Maka chukwu

I can’t kill myself ooh

I can’t kill myself

The President indeed deserves to rest, for a government that has spent a considerable part of her time blaming the past administration, it needs all the rest it can get, for a group of persons in government whose stock in trade is blame games, they forget that they were put in power because of the failure of the past, yet that repeat the same trajectory.

The President and his men, and a few women, forget that the spaces of governance are shrinking with all the splinter groups calling for secession, and separatists movements taking up arms, and the fast depreciating value of and for life in what is left of Nigeria.

Let me end my admonition in this manner. Last week, I stumbled on the news item below.

Barcelona prosecutors have filed suit against energy giant Endesa for the deaths of hundreds of birds electrocuted by its high-wire power lines, court documents show.

According to the lawsuit, a copy of which was seen by AFP on Wednesday, prosecutors are suing the utility for offences against the environment and wildlife for failing to adequately insulate its electricity cables and pylons, creating “a death trap” for birds.

Electrocution occurs when birds touch two wires at a time or when they perch on a conductive pylon while also touching a cable.

In their complaint, prosecutors said 255 birds died in the Osona region north of Barcelona between 2018 and 2020, including protected species such as white storks, griffon vultures, short-toed eagles and buzzards.

“The electrocution and death of birds due to direct contact with the exposed conductors on pylons owned by the defendant has affected the whole province of Barcelona, constituting a veritable plague,” the complaint reads.

Experts say electrocution on power lines is a major threat to many wild birds, particularly endangered species that use pylons as perches.

Of importance to me, is the following “prosecutors are suing the utility for offences against the environment and wildlife for failing to adequately insulate its electricity cables and pylons, creating “a death trap” for birds.”

“…prosecutors said 255 birds died in the Osona region north of Barcelona between 2018 and 2020, including protected species such as white storks, griffon vultures, short-toed eagles and buzzards.”

Nigerians and her leadership are resting (sic), and two fighter jet pilots including their jet simply disappeared, and the conversation in national space is also disappearing, and one cares, two Nigerians, two patriots and the President is not loosing sleep!

While Nigeria burns, I am not interested that the President has left millions of Nigerians in a poor state of health to tend to his, after all he needs to be healthy to be President, and a restful president is a strong president, however, it will not be breaking record, or shouting hoarse to remind our political class, the ruling elite that Nigerians are running out of patience.

Do we need to remind the President that in other climes, even birds are important, and their lives matter, that Nigeria’s environment has become a death trap for its people and those that should know are resting, that in other saner climes while we know the number of birds killed, Nigerians are being maimed, abducted, kidnapped, paying ransoms in millions, and no one is held accountable, and no one is keeping records?

While our politicians prep for 2023, Nigeria needs to see out 2021, the signs are not good, there are several schools of thoughts, and learning concerning where this nation is headed to, sometimes all needs to collapse before we start afresh, but then in many cases, a well executed surgery has saved many a life. Can we help save this sinking ship?

I am not in the business of running down people or government, this government is down, it has failed and fallen on almost all her promissory notes, the President cannot afford to be resting, the body language, the spoken words, the actions do not assuage the people as it gradually turns to a free for all, with each man for himself, this nation is at war, this nation is tearing apart, if this president cannot kill himself for us, with a wry smile, the country may kill him and the very people that were meant to save it—Only time will tell

 

Subscribe to our newsletter for latest news and updates. You can disable anytime.