The #Endsars protest might have come and gone and might have been quelled by the government, but it effect and memory will remain with us forever.
A reflection of what happened during the #Endsars protest period and what is currently happening will have us to really think if Nigeria is a country at all, let alone a country that care for its citizens.
It would be sad to note that a popular former member the house of assembly, known as Senator Dino Milaye, has years back preached and talked about the scenario that is playing out today. In one of his submissions in the house of assembly, he pleaded and was almost shouting at the top of his voice, for the senate and the Nigerian Government to rise up and fix the security challenge facing the country.
In the ensuing video from the national assembly, he made the following remarks, “ I am so disturbed again this morning that our beloved country Nigeria is becoming a valley of death. Mr. President, am more disturbed this morning that day after day, weeks after weeks, months after months we are taking about the same level and magnitude of insecurity in a country where we are spending so much on security architecture.
link to video: https://youtu.be/pjW10J8NVUk
Mr. President this is becoming customary, it is becoming ritualistic, it’s becoming a pattern and I cannot understand why day after day, we will continue to complain about the same thing. And we have not seen a decisive, purposeful, coordinated, organised approach to curtailing, ameliorating or palliating these problems.
“Mr President, I am not happy because the Federal Government is talking about the economy. If we revive the economy for whom are we reviving the economy for. For people that are dying or for the dead. Mr President, we must reorganize our priorities. As we speak today in this country, the President of The Federal Republic of Nigeria, President Muhammad Buhari, The Vice President, The Senate President, The Speaker of the House Of Representatives and yourselves inclusive and every senator in this chamber had either the Bible or the Quran on his right hand and the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on the left. And we all swore before men and God to defend that constitution and the most potent part of that constitution states that ‘the security and the welfare of the people shall be the primary responsibility of the government’. Today Mr President, there is no security not to talk of welfare. You need to be alive for you to even enjoy welfare. I think we should take this thing beyond the rhetoric of presentation on daily basis.
We are behaving as if we have kerosene flowing through our veins and not blood. We and most elite in this country from the president to the least appointed are protected by the Police, Mobile Police and even the Army. Who is to protect the common man on the street. Who is to protect the ‘palm-wine tapper’ in Umuleri, who is to protect the ‘Beduku’ in Marafa, who is to protect the poor farmer in Ogbomoso.
He concluded by asking the federal government to put all machineries in place curtail crime and insecurity in the country. He said if the government does not do so urgently, what we will be seeing will be protest and revolt from the people. This he said will see the masses chasing the elite, looting and destruction of properties belonging to the elite and the government.
My dear readers, is this not what is happening now!
Senator Dino Melaye is a distinguished Senator of The Federal Republic Nigeria. He is a senator with many controversies. That is the case with many great men. He was a member of the house of representative and senator from 2015 to 2019 when he was defeated in a re-run election by Senator Smart Adeyemi. He became very popular after several controversies which includes sleeping on the verandah of the DSS Hospital in Abuja after he was moved there by police personnel on 11th January, 2019. He Threaten to beat up Senator Oluremi Tinubu and ‘impregnate’ her on the floor of the Senate. A recall from the National Assembly was kick-started against him in June 2017, which did not succeed and among others issues. However this does not take away the fact that he is one of the few Nigerians who just wanted to make the country a better place inspite of the forces against him.