Mike Moroe had said that if the purpose of a thing is unknown its abuse becomes inevitable. This saying is more apposite in Nigeria more than in any other clime. Since the year, 1999 when Nigeria retuned to “Semi Civil Rule” the introduction of high powered Thuggery into our body polity became obvious.
I have written an article before with the caption, “Good for nothing, Bad for something”. I think I shall look for that script and republish because its essence is more efficient now. How will I convince my friends living in London that Nigerian Democracy is on track when they can see or watch on Television the thugs displaying their madness in a market?
I pity those of us who thought that with the coming on board of Civilians better days were here.
A situation whereby University drop-outs, illiterates, those who spent more than their normal graduating years due to their inability to read and graduate, cultists, hoodlums, rogues, decedent elements, militants, idiots, Mediocres, imbeciles, hooligans and Criminals now litter every Government House, Houses of Assembly, House of Representatives and even the Senate in the name of having been elected is an eye sore. Will they say I am being harsh? Why not? How many of them there had a sound Second Class Lower Division let alone Second Class Upper Division of their various Universities. If they have then something untoward must have been done. I challenge any of them who claims he is a sound graduate to come out.
Afterall, before graduation one must be certified to be good both in character and in learning. Can those who were found on screen, screaming, fighting, destroying the Computers and other gaugets in the house or the man in white native and red cap using mace to hit a colleague’s head, waist and body say they are not Criminals? Can that man in white shirt and red cap with what we saw him do to fellow law maker claim he was normal and not under the influence of Carnabis Sartiva? Or Kaikai? What kind inhumanity to fellow man! What a show of shame?
Our problem here in Nigeria is that we politicize everything. Let’s call a spade a spade for once, please. What kind of politics was that? Instead of calling evil, evil we are here talking about those for the Governor and those for the President. Did the Governor send that man to kill his fellow Legislator? Did the Governor send them to fight dirty? Afterall, all the eight years, the Governor of Rivers State was Speaker no single member raised his hand against the other. They were best of friends and infact when Amaechi became Governor most of his Commissioners were those who were his fellow law makers before.
What is more! Today, the Rivers State House of Assembly has become a place where only those good in boxing, Tykwando, kickboxing, wristling and other assorted violent sports can be.
Madness has besieged the whole place. If somebody send you to go and kill and you are not a killer, will you kill? Certainly, no body can approach a decent character to kill. Only killers are contracted to kill. Our big men in the State know those they foisted on us as Lawmakers and “Politicians”. They know what they are doing with the peoples’ mandate. Afterall, we did not in actual fact vote for any of these people occupying political seats in the State. I say none! All they did was to intimidate the electorate with violence and threat to their lives? Snatched the ballot papers and ballot boxes to a bush, did what they wanted to do and then pay money (bribes) to the INEC Officials. The rest is now history. The same violence they unleashed on the people during the election is what God is making them melt out to themselves. Shame, I did not know this kind of Rivers state before now.
They are all partners in the same crime. I am not surprised that the man in white shirt and red cap has supporters who are now querying Police for the detention of the man. Put this, our nonsense politics aside and judge or assess the issue dispassionately; what kind of nonsense was he doing like that? Hitting his fellow man the way we saw it on screen? If he claims he was assaulted before then, was his action still caught within the legal firmament of provocation or self defence? When was he assaulted and when did he react? Has passion not cooled? What was the proportion of his resentment? Fist blow or mace hitting? Was the person he attacked the one that attacked him? Even at that what did the person use in attacking him and what did he use in retaliation? Does the law support his action, having gone back to re-think, re-strategize, re-organize, re-assess and what have you? With what he did, will he be correct to say that he never intended grievous bodily harm? As a right thinking Lawyer, I think he actually wanted to kill that fellow. Only providence rescued that fellow from his venom and fangs because even the police we saw on television were at best accomplices to the crime of attempted murder. They (the Police) were also involved in the kick-boxing, aiding and abating the crime. I am talking about what I saw; because we saw on the television, we are also eye witnesses. Thank God, electronic evidence is now captured in the Evidence Act.
Somebody told me, that fellow in white native and red cap is a Lawyer. Nay, No, I doubt whether he is a Lawyer. Did he go to Law School where they teach Professional Ethics? When did he go to law school? I have asked this question because the same person who told me that the fellow is a lawyer also said that fellow was called to Bar between 2009 and 2010 yet he has been in the House of Assembly since 2003 unbroken. Well, that one is a Lawyer does not mean that one will automatically be sound in character. Whatever one has been cannot be easily erased by Professional ethics. Every Profession has its bad eggs. I am ashamed, if truly he is a Lawyer.
As for his supporters, I pray we should learn to condemn evil if we want the society to grow. Anyway, even Dictator General Sani Abacha had supporters when he reigned Supreme in Aso Rock. Or did you not see them jubilating for the release of Major Al-Mustapha? Nigerians have suddenly decided to be terrible people. They can also support Lucifer to fight God. For whatever political reason, you don’t kill or get angry to the extent of inflicting grievous bodily harm. What if the man had died? Some say, the man was one of those who wanted to impeach speaker and Governor; so he must be killed?
