Please watch Netflix’s Mo Abudu’s ‘War’ for an accurate reflection of the bad happenings in one part of Nigeria today and also including the sad massacre of over 200 normal Fellow Nigerian for the land sitting on minerals now soaked in their God-given blood. It reminds us of Plateau and Kaduna states’ recent terrible history. With a simple change in dialogue, this film can be applied as a template right across every single state and Federal Capital Territory (FCT) – all facing some serious ‘INTERNALLY GENERATED MAYHEM’, caused usually by ‘greed’ orchestrated to be masqueraded as carefully targeted and funded political, civil service, private sector, ethnic and religious instigations.
We witness the sad passing, while in office, of the fiery Governor Rotimi Akeredolu, SAN, at 67 who magnificently played the leading role in what led to the foundation of the current security architecture instrument in the defence of the Southwest, Amotekun, against the type of state invasion so accurately portrayed in Mo Abudu’s War.
It should be only a matter of time before screen writers, if they have not already done so, tackle the research, recording and projection of the complex causes and results of personal, spousal, family, social, political and financial implications for themselves and society of the incumbent national and state politicians dying, denying dying, actually dying, dying but being incapacitated, dead but being on life-support, dead-not-alive, alive-not-dead.
Nigerians, already experienced in coping with the moral and other aspects of governor and presidential ‘rumour of death’ and ‘actual death’, are taking front-row seats in the already unfolding, real-life drama in Ondo as the new governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, who was the immediate former and sometimes embattled deputy governor, has rightfully and legally, taken over and asks questions vis-à-vis the more recent executive activities attributed to the late governor.
Nigerians are also hoping that the new Ondo State governor will not follow the disgraceful, unproductive and financially ruinous bad example of so many Nigerian governors and even presidents. That bad example is to stop, without any good reason except ‘I-have-the-power’, good ‘people projects’ initiated by Governor Akeredolu. Such actions suspend the lives of the citizens and waste funds.
Of course, he may metamorphose into a formidable fighter for Ondo State so in need of stability of their ship of state, which was so savagely, so lethally, rocked by illness.
We pray that Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa will be ‘legacy wise’ enough to continue the good work of further empowering Amotekun as one firm foundation for the curtailment of Southwest terrorism. Amotekun must be entrenched and above any political change, unless that political change is to further empower it. Amotekun must be above politicisation. It must serve the citizens. It will not pay the Ondo State government to disregard, diminish, destroy or denigrate late Governor Akeredolu’s role in the Ondo State Amotekun Legacy. Even dead heroes deserve their space.
The Ondo State Amotekun Legacy is a really bright life-saving red beacon of light in the Nigerian forests of murderous local and international terrorists. It is a powerful historic legacy requiring to be immediately included in the curriculum of our schools. Our children need role models like Amotekun even as they are daily bombarded by FBI, CSI and personal, news and social media accounts of death and destruction from terrorist attacks.
By now the exploits of Amotekun and the armed forces and the police against the terrorists should be in comics and even on the screen in many movies and not just the one or two we find them in. Note that the federal government, the National Orientation Agency and state information agencies have collectively failed to observe one glaring fact in winning the war of motivating hearts and minds. Almost every film nowadays, even African, has the support of several host government, international agency or film foundations except in Nigeria where politics consumes every kobo but can spend billions on campaign mega-billboards!
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It is obvious that Ondo State, with its scenery, amazing history and being almost the birthplace of Amotekun should have no hesitation in allocating funds in the 2024 budget for investment in writers, film makers and funding of Amotekun-based blockbuster films, comics, cartoons and such to motivate citizenry and recruit the right personnel and elevate Amotekun. Nigeria is still in search of non-political heroes. Nigerians wear the names of other people’s heroes, foreign flags and cities. Even Nollywood actors prefer foreign T-shirts. But fame comes from publicity. It was a huge repetitive churning out of historical programming that brought American heroes to a hero-hungry world. Nigeria must promote Nigerian heroes. TINAPA was touted as a giant step forward. But the subsequent governor did not share the vision and shut it down costing the citizens millions in stagnant wasted funds. Look at Nollywood great success even without TINAPA. Congrats of Funke Akindele and A Tribe Called Judah grossing N1billion+. Imagine if Nollywood had had TINAPA all along?
Schools in enlightened states must seize the right to educate their students about how to negotiate the new threats and traumas the youth and their parents face. Beyond the rush at entrepreneurship, youth deserve to be much more ‘security empowered’ for survival. The danger is no longer just bullying!
Government appears serious in its attempt to rake back multiple billions of forex and naira funds disbursed to companies during the last 10 years…fraud, an astute system 10 years ago should have prevented.
