My condolences to the parents, principals and staff of the schools of innocent children that were massacred by Boko Haram in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa States as well as to the families of other innocent Nigerians that have fallen victim to the sect lately. I have never been this heart broken in my life. The attitudes of the political class to these incidents give me the impression that they believe that the lives of some Nigerians are more valuable than others. I wonder if the same political class will not mourn and pay condolence visits to eminent Nigerians like General Gowon, General Obasanjo, General Buhari, General Babangida, General David Mark, Bola Tinubu and other political leaders had any of their children been one of those massacred in the affected states.
While there is nothing wrong in celebrating the existence of our nation together for one hundred years, the activities could have been more honorable if it were to be a sober reflection and declared a mourning period for these innocent victims as a result of the accumulated errors and mistakes of successive governments from the colonial days to date. Are the souls of these innocent citizens not worth flying Nigerian flag at half mast for even one day to mourn them? Should the whole nation not mourn even in that celebration?
It was so encouraging at the Achievers Award in Ghana where John Momoh of channels TV station began his speech while receiving the best television station in Africa award, made all the celebrities and dignitaries rise and stand still for one minute in honor of these innocent victims of Boko Haram. What a relief that a Nigerian feels this pain like I do to make the whole world stand still for one minute? Thank you Mr. Momoh! Many governors received Awards on that same stage in Ghana on March 2, making speeches and none made any reference to the loss of our children to these cowards called Boko Haram. Do they want Boko Haram to massacre the children of their states before they know that if a part of the body is suffering the whole body suffers? When will these Governors begin to accept that Nigeria is one? After all, Mr. Momoh is just an ordinary Nigerian like most of us!
It was in the news lately that the Nigerian Legislators proposed that the Chief of Army Staff’s office be relocated to Borno state and the presidency responded that civilians cannot tell the Military what to do. Nigerian military had proved beyond any doubt that they are present everywhere in the nation and they had credibly performed their responsibilities by sacrificing their lives and their families defending the nation. We are grateful to them. That should not become a debate between the legislators and the presidency. Why should the legislators not move their offices and sittings to Borno, Yola or Adamawa? How many of the legislators especially their key officers paid condolence visit to any of the north eastern states or visited the Armed Forces Brigades located there to boost their morale since this senseless war started? Even when the president visited Borno state last year, was it not after the opposition Governors paid a solidarity visit? So many things have happened since then. Our citizens, soldiers and their families have suffered in the hands of these cowards.
Is it not high time that our president revisits these states for condolence? Notwithstanding, he pays campaign-like visits to Royal Fathers all over the Nation but not any royal father from the north east! It was in the news lately that the president now worships in the big churches all over the nation. One such visit to one of the churches in the north east with heal many aching pastors and survivors of these senseless killings of Boko Haram in those churches. Some of us had written and pleaded with the president that it is about time for him to be more sensitive to the plights of Nigerian citizens in the North East of this country but it is a pity that he seems to turn deaf ears or may be our pleas never reach his desk.
Whatever the case may be I want to seize this opportunity one more time to appeal to the president to cancel all his campaign-like activities and visit the north east from now. Party and campaign should be left to surrogates and party leaders at this time. Several months ago, when these cowards, Boko Haram, first massacred students at midnight in Borno state; Mr. President and the first Lady with many of his favorite governors and cabinet officials went to China. I pleaded with him that when he gets back to Nigeria he should go to that school and have a memorial service for the innocent children that were killed, I pleaded then that there should be a monument in the name of each of the massacred child for a memorial and I also pleaded that he should personally visit every family of the victims with the first lady to condole them. It seems that the piece was thrown to the thrash in Aso Rock. Who knows if that would have sent a strong signal to Boko Haram that we care for our children. Mr. President please, don’t allow these innocent children die in vain again; their bloods is crying for vengeance and I pray you will listen this time around. TGIF
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