"Of all the evils man has made himself responsible, none is so
degrading as his abuse of the female sex," Mahatma Gandhi made this
statement before departing this sorry world with some measure of
anger.
One hundred days have passed since the abduction of our girls, but it
doesn't look like we know more than we knew on the first day of
abduction. By the last count, 11 of the girls' parents have left this
sorry world. How many more will leave before we do the needful? But
frankly, the job will be difficult. Our government has found itself a
new job, albeit a less honourable one for that matter.
In a bid to show that it's working, our government has left leprosy to
attend to eczema. The obsession of theagbadasin Abuja withMadam due
processis shameful. Eavesdropper thinks it will be interesting to know
why regimes fear non-violent protests.
From the time of the meek Gandhi to the days of the eloquent Martin
Luther King Jnr, it has been a pattern. So you're wrong if you think
it started with theagbadas. No peeps, it has always been there. Isn't
it interesting that ouragbadasin Abuja tell us more aboutMadam due
processthan about our missing sisters. You see, there is a problem and
it is that some people struggle to understand the difference between
demanding for accountability and insulting the government.
And interestingly, Nigerians are funny people. We are often too quick
to pass judgement on people using ourselves as yardsticks.Madam due
processhas been tagged by many names including busy body. Since we are
too lazy and selfish to take a second look at our dying neighbour on
the street, we suspect the intentions of the man who does. We often
forget to take a minute to put ourselves in the shoes of others facing
the pointed end of the knife. Maybe if we do, we will be more willing
to join in the fight rather than to cast aspersions on the integrity
of others. It's good somebody is stoking the fire to prevent the
Chibok flame from dying lest ouragbadasforget that their job goes
beyond riding on private jets bought with the people's naira and kobo.
Edmund Burke, an Irish political philosopher lived for 68 years, but
before he departed also this sorry world, he left us this word of
advice: "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good
men do nothing. "
And for those who are courageous enough to demand for accountability,
Mark Twain has a word of consolation: "Always do what is right. It
will gratify half of mankind and astound the other."
Will there ever be a raid at Sambisa?
On June 27, 1976, an Air France plane with 248 passengers was hijacked
by some terrorists and flown to Entebbe, Uganda's main airport. By the
following day, over 100 non-Israeli hostages had been released,
leaving about 100 Israelis as hostages. Obviously, the terrorists'
beef was with Israel.
The terrorists threatened to kill the Israeli hostages if their
demands were not met by the their government.
EnterOperation Thunderbolta week later, which later became popular as
the Raid on Entebbe because of the TV adaptation of the events.
Israeli transport planes took 100 commandos over 4,000 km to Uganda
for the famed rescue operation. Its planning was said to have taken
only one week. After 90 minutes, 102 hostages had been rescued with
three hostages and the unit commander killed.
Five Israeli commandos were wounded but all the hijackers and 45
Ugandan soldiers paid with their lives.
Yes, still on the Chibok girls' matter. Ouragbadashave made it clear
to us that they know the location of the girls but are monitoring the
situation from afar. They say watching from a distance is necessary in
order not to endanger the girls' lives. How noble of them to consider
the girls' safety! But there is a clear difference between nobility
and duty as a government.Abi. for how long will we sit and monitor the
situation from Abuja? 1000 days, six months or 10 years? From our
little knowledge about hostage situations, we know that it happens
everywhere and governments don't leave hostages in the hands of bad
boys forever.
So the question is: will there ever be a Raid on Sambisa for the sake
of our girls?
More prayers for our land
As bomb blasts continue to make some parts of the country a living
hell for people, let's remember to spare a thought for those who lost
their lives in the fresh blasts in Kaduna. May the good God accept
their souls. Anogasweeper managed to escape death but a curious
thought has been lurking in eavesdropper's head since the incident.
What if some copycats have borrowed the style of ourNumber one bad
boysfor their own ambition ahead of 2015? Time to pray some more for
this land.
-Punch
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