The Nation Newspaper

Tag: heroism

  • Between heroism and villainy

    SIR: Are there heroes, heroines and villains in the real sense in Nigeria, particularly if the definitions of the terms are followed?

    Heroism and villainy are both function of deeds; they also relate to time and space. In our time, anyone can be addressed as a hero or villain. In the days of Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Sir Ahmadu Bello, Michael Okpara and Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, their deeds only elevated them to the gilded pantheon of heroism. Nothing else, they were no average Joes. These colossuses exhibited commitments to causes, targets, ideas, that were accepted by not only the heroes but by people who identified with the heroes as worthy people, their pursuits and celebrated them.

    In our day, however, the standards for shaping people who should be addressed as heroes are not clear. Goodluck Jonathan abrogated the rotational presidency agreement of his party but he is venerated in the eyes of people in his geographical region, South-south and you dare not speak ill about him over there. I know that much because I was in Port Harcourt for more than a decade.

    Olusegun Obasanjo wanted to run for office for the third time against the reasoning of the constitution and Ibrahim Babangida annulled June 12, presidential elections, however, both are consulted widely with photo-ops by would-be political office seekers without constituencies seeking for elective offices.

    Jingoists have cashed in on this to cunningly robe people on ethnic or regional basis. Muhammadu Buhari is a hero to many people in the North and Southwest and a villain to others outside of these regions.

    Owing to the deal with Senator Ike Ekweremadu who is a deputy senate president in the 8th assembly against democratic norms, Senator Bukola Saraki is a hero before many people in the Southeast and South-south regions of Nigeria. They could Billy-club you for daring to say that he is not a true democrat.  ”One man’s hero” it is said, “may be another man’s villain.”

    Statesmanship doesn’t matter anymore in Nigeria.

    To rally the national troop for national growth like Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Sir Ahmadu Bello, Michael Okpara and Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe did is out of fashion. What matters are to deepen the age-old chasm that had been created regionally. “Authentic heroes pursue a cause which must gladden the hearts of all. Heroes act out heroic script without fail.”

    What comes to your mind when you think of Adolf Hitler? Good! How about Abraham Lincoln? Well said!

    Lets us go further to Richard Nixon and Bill Clinton. What can you remember about them? No! Their legacies were destroyed by careless mistakes that they made.

    Can you compare any politician in this era to Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Sir Ahmadu Bello, Michael Okpara and Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe? What is your own definition of a hero?

    Do these people qualify to go to Valhalla?

     

    • By Simon Abah, Abuja.

  • Salute to heroism

    •Worshippers who stopped the suicide bomber in Gashua did a great job

    BUT for the vigilance of some worshippers at a mosque in Gashua village in Gujba Local Government Area of Yobe State, the country would have been thrown, once again, into mourning on May 20, when a female suicide bomber attempted to detonate the suicide vest strapped to her body. Mercifully, her satanic mission was foiled by vigilant worshippers who came to the mosque for early morning prayers.

    According to “Operation Lafiya Dole,” the new code name for the military’s fresh impetus to tackle the activities of Boko Haram, in a statement, “what would have otherwise been a devastating suicide bomb attack on a mosque in Gashua village in Gujba Local Government Area of Yobe State has been successfully foiled today (Sunday) by vigilant members of the community.” The statement, signed by Col. Onyeama Nwachukwu, Deputy Director, Army Public Relations, added that “a female Boko Haram suicide bomber had infiltrated the mosque, while members were about to commence a prayer session but was detected when struggling to detonate a suicide vest strapped to her body.” The woman was promptly arrested by the locals and handed over to soldiers at Azare,”  Katagum division in Bauchi State.

    It is unfortunate that suicide bombing has almost become a recurring decimal in the country in recent times. In March, three female suicide bombers died when their veils became entangled in barbed wire security fence erected by vigilante groups to fend off Boko Haram attack in Konduga town, 38 kilometres (23 miles) from Maiduguri. According to reports, “the bombers blew themselves up to avoid capture and injured one person nearby. Also, a suicide bomber on a bicycle killed three people in the same month, when he detonated his explosives on the outskirts of Maiduguri, the Borno State capital. Before these incidents, two suicide bombers struck at a camp for displaced people in Dikwa, 90 kilometres (56 miles) east of Maiduguri, killing five in July, 2017. Reports said the attackers disguised themselves as traders who wanted to buy grains.

    Until about four years ago, little was heard of female bombers. But their number appears to be increasing, and this should be a source of concern. In the same vein, we should be worried about the military’s disclosure that some parents now willingly hand over their daughters to Boko Haram for this purpose. Not less worrisome is the idea of kid bombers, which also appears to be becoming fashionable.

    Nonetheless, we salute the heroism and selflessness of the worshippers in Gashua village who foiled the attempt to bring tears and sorrow into the country again. They have demonstrated that it is possible to foil suicide attempt without loss of life. Boko Haram has taught them the essence of being cautious and courageous. Apparently, their action was informed by the enlightenment campaigns embarked upon by the security agencies in the vulnerable places, as part of measures to guide the people on what to do when the insurgents strike.

    The worshippers’ heroic action also confirms the concept of security being a collective responsibility. If they had waited for security agencies before stopping the suicide bomber in her satanic mission, the story perhaps might have been different. When suicide bombers realise that people are ready to stop them before they strike, they are likely to think twice before embarking on the assignment because their mission is not just to kill themselves, but also to kill as many people as possible in the process.

    The security agencies should intensify the campaigns; they should not relent in telling the people what to do when they see anyone, male or female, fidgeting with their dress or behaving suspiciously. The campaigns should be done more on radio, which is the most popular of the mass media in that part of the country,  and in the local languages, especially in the areas most vulnerable to Boko Haram attacks.

  • On heroism and the exceptional leader

    On heroism and the exceptional leader

    This past week, Nigerians across ethnic, regional, and religious divides having been commemorating the fortieth anniversary of the tragic assassination of their favourite Nigerian leader, General Ramat Murtala Mohammed. It has been an unprecedented outpouring of admiration mixed with profound regret.

    Of course, there have been a few dissenters. This is as it should be. A nation of homogeneous group-think is a dangerous nation. But what is not in question, whatever his antecedents, is that for the few months that he ruled the nation, the abrasive and impatient Kano-born General came close to approximating the ideal of a national hero and exceptional Nigerian leader.

    Aeschylus, the great Greek philosopher, noted that the land that has no hero is a very unhappy land. To this the historic quip was added that it is the land that needs a hero that is unhappy indeed. Judging by the national outpouring of grief and regret about the plight of Nigeria in the hands of most of Mohammed’s successors, it is clear that Nigeria has suffered a double jeopardy. It is a land without heroes and a land critically in need of heroes. Nigeria remains structurally rigged against throwing up its best and brightest.

    To be sure, Mohammed, affectionately known as Muri to millions of fawning and adulating Nigerian masses, was no saint. But here was an epic individual who made heroic efforts to overcome his personal and idiosyncratic limitations and to make amends for his past infractions. Just as he was implacable and ferocious in settling scores on the field of battle, he was also judicious and humble in appeasing those he thought he had wronged. When cornered with hard facts, his petulant sulking often gave way to a boyish grin of regret and restitution.

    Snooper monitored his coup day national broadcast. Despite the thunder and tantrums, Mohammed was gracious enough to acknowledge the contributions of his military senior and superior, General Yakubu Gowon, who was retired with full benefits “in appreciation of his past services to the nation”. So solicitous was Mohammed of Gowon’s wellbeing that he was known to have sent General Danjuma to the humble general in Warwick to advise him to dispense with the informality of conducting himself like a regular undergraduate. He was a full general of the Nigerian army.

    This morning, and by popular demand once again, we bring you a fictional encounter with the late Nigerian hero. It is a fitting way of bringing to a close the moving memories of one of the greatest Nigerians of all time.

  • Osun: Between heroism and histrionics

    It is telling that a radio debate organised for the candidates in the Osun State governorship election on August 9 turned out to be a one-man show after all. A statement by the Director of Publicity, Research and Strategy of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state, Mr. Kunle Oyatomi, painted a picture of the event sponsored by the International Republican Institute, which is based in America. He said: “But it turned out to be almost an interview and not a debate because Omisore ran away.”   In other words, Senator Iyiola Omisore, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the main challenger of the incumbent governor who is seeking re-election for another four years, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, was not present at the debate, which was billed to be broadcast live on July 26 by the Osun State Broadcasting Corporation, Osogbo. Against the background that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) released a list of the 20 political parties and governorship candidates that will be contesting in the poll, Aregbesola’s sole participation in the radio programme was symbolic of the weakness of his opponents.

    It is curious that Omisore failed to take advantage of this obvious opportunity to further promote his candidacy and sell the election manifesto he has presumably been busy projecting during electioneering. Ordinarily, he was expected to use the platform, which provided a chance for a frontal interaction with Aregbesola, to demonstrate that he had a competitive edge and should be elected to take his place. In particular, it was an occasion that he could have seized to drive his point home about the alleged unsuitability of Aregbesola.

    Oyatomi observed: “Osun citizens had waited with bated breath to hear Omisore articulate his accusations against the governor on such issues as the debt profile of the state, the school reform programme and the vexed issue of capital flight.”  His non-attendance was, therefore, bewildering and suggestive of the possibility that he himself did not believe his criticisms of Aregbesola. Perhaps more importantly, he probably realised that the forum would have exposed his fakery.  So, it would appear that his non-participation was tactical; but it was ultimately tactless as the people are unlikely to be fooled.

    Omisore’s trickery was evident from the laughable excuse he offered for his absence, after having agreed initially to be on the show.  Listen to him: “How can I be afraid of engaging him in a debate? But when argument is being drawn between two unequal parties, the weaker of the two may resort to physical assault and harassment. We don’t want this to happen…So, we need an assurance that Ogbeni will not resort to physical assault if he is confronted with hard facts, with evidence.”   Considering the apparent conviction with which he pushed this position, it may not be out of place to suspect that Omisore must be living with GD, that is, grandiose delusions.

    Ironically, he appeared to be correct in recognising the fact of “two unequal parties”, but was pitiably confused about the identity of “the weaker of the two”.  Similarly, he was mistaken in thinking that his own standard of decent conduct is appealing to others. Speaking of thuggish behaviour, perhaps Omisore needs to be reminded of his publicised crudeness in a recent encounter with Isiaka Adeleke, a former governor of Osun State, in the context of an intra-party struggle for the candidature.   The portrait of behind-the-scenes bestiality painted by Adeleke was damning and disqualifying.  He alleged that he was dangerously manhandled by Omisore and Minister of Police Affairs Jelili Adesiyan, possibly to discourage him, and described his attackers as “unfit to live in a civilised society.”

    In an unwitting self-endorsement of this characterisation, Omisore subsequently terrorised the populace, at least psychologically, by the alarming use of a masked and armed security guard during his election campaign. By a creative interpretation, it is possible that the presence of the masked protector was nothing more than a publicity stunt by a candidate who is under pressure to be noticed. If that was the case, the trick worked, given the attention he received on account of the oddity. However, it was a desperately short-sighted promotional approach because it was overloaded with negativity. Certainly, there was no need to introduce a mask, with all the rattling implications, except there was a hidden motive, which is imaginable. No doubt, a power-seeking individual who is not personally repulsed by the very thought of a mask-wearing defender ought to be viewed with suspicion, if not trepidation. It represented a dangerous signal not only about his personality, but also about his values.

    Still on masks, now consider the import of the report that the masked musician Lagbaja rejected in strong terms an offer by Omisore’s campaign organisation to perform at his final rally in Osogbo, which is expected to be witnessed by President Goodluck Jonathan who is a member of the same political party. Lagbaja was quoted as saying in response to the invitation: “Though the court of the land discharged and acquitted you (Omisore) in the murder case against the former Minister of Justice in Nigeria, the late Cicero of Esa-Oke and foremost nationalist, Chief Bola Ige, I have deep-rooted innermost conviction that you are culpable in the death of my mentor and benefactor. If you offer me all the allocation of Osun State during your four-year-tenure peradventure you win (which I seriously doubt), I will not perform for Iyiola Omisore governorship election.”

    Clearly, anyone who is looking for instances of ridiculous but thought-provoking staginess in Omisore’s campaign will find them in abundance. Perhaps the most inane are the images of him as a passenger on a commercial motorcycle, popularly called Okada, and of him eating roasted corn in a campaign convoy, all in a futile effort to convince the people that he is a grassroots politician. Considering the fact that he was a deputy governor of Osun State from 1999 to 2003 and two-term senator from 2003 to 2007 and 2007 to 2011, it is enlightening that he is still struggling, albeit clownishly, to connect with the people.

    To go by the latest opinion poll on the coming election conducted by TSN-RSM, his histrionics have not swayed the electorate. The research firm, a member of Gallup International, said: “The APC continues to dominate the political landscape in Osun State, judging by its performance on key indicators evaluated. It scored highest and increased in rating on first mention, sympathy and voting intention.”

    Of course, the heroes of this political battle will be the  majority of the electorate, who will expectedly vote against the opposite of heroism, and hopefully defend the decision.