by Cheta Nwanze

“An attack on the King’s soldier is an attack on the King himself.”

The above statement was made by an unnamed English magistrate sent by Edward I (1239 – 1307) to pacify the Scots when they dared rebel against English rule. As a King, Edward (nicknamed Longshanks because of his height) was credited with restoring royal authority after the weak reign of his father, Henry III. Among his other achievements, Edward established Parliament, an institution that has endured till this day, and he made sure that taxes became a mainstay in the English system. He also reformed a number of redundant laws.

Such a leader is what Nigeria is desperately in need of now. A leader who knows that the citizens owe an obligation to their uniformed services, and a leader who knows that an attack on such men in uniform, should, more than any other, feel the full wrath of the law.

How can you kill Nigerian security operatives on national assignment and expect to get away with it?  There must be targeted actions to deter a recurrence of this sordid situation in which families needlessly lose their loved ones while on active service. Like it or not, the SSS, Police and the Military ought to be seen for what they are seen in other, saner parts of the world. National symbols and heroes of our statehood. We cannot undermine the worth of their lives. Mr. President, as Commander – in – Chief, must take steps to restore the confidence of his servicemen. The alternative(s) to strong action being taken about the atrocity in Nasarawa is/are as follows: some other yahoo wakes up and thinks that it is open season time on our armed services, or worse, our armed services decide that the state does not have their backs, and takes justice for themselves. Think Odi, think Zaki Biam, think Badagry, think Baga…

Bits and bobs

A good place to start showing some spine would be in putting some rigging tape over Asari Dokubo’s mouth.

When the IMF and World Bank start praising what we are doing, I get really scared.

Another needless death as a man has been mobbed for “stealing a phone”. By the same people who would praise the next politician that sahsays by.

17 pregnant girls in a “baby factory” have been rescued. Two things that jump out at me here: the girls are all minors, what was the point of parading them before the public and ruining their lives? Then this 23 year old stud called Oyibo, what will become of him?

Finally, where the NUJ has failed to grow a pair, the National Union of Printing, Publishing and Paper Product Workers (that’s a new one) have shone the light. ThisDay was shut down yesterday over unpaid wages amounting to four months. In his response, The Duke said, “They are not being owed for four months but just a couple of months…”

Right of Reply

Jewju Brown wrote,

I hope your haters have not caught you or worse. Why was there no newsletter today?

Chxta responds,

Ma bi nu. I woke up an hour late yesterday and so left the house at 0600 rather than 0500. That little slip meant that I spent 2 hours in traffic and got to the Island just in time for start of office work, and thus left no time to write.

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Op-ed pieces and contributions are the opinions of the writers only and do not represent the opinions of Y!/YNaija.