Democracy can be defined as a
government in which the supreme
power is vested in the people and
exercised by them directly or indirectly
through a system of representation
usually involving periodically held, free
elections. This kind of government
guarantees the freedom of
expression. However, when the
freedom of expression is undertaken
in a way that will invariably undermine
peace and democratic principles, it is
important for peace-loving Nigerians
to draw attention to this anomaly and
possibly, rectify it.
The recent political developments in
the Rivers State House of Assembly,
which gave demonstration to the
most horrifying display of political
violence has attracted all shades of
opinions by politicians, government
functionaries, civil society
organizations, opinion leaders and
the general public.
President Jonathan in a statement,
appealed to members of the Rivers
State House of Assembly and all other
parties of the state to put the interests
of the Rivers State and the nation
above their personal ambitions. He
further urged those involved in acts of
political violence to show greater
respect for the constitution and the
rule of law.
The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and
Natural Gas Workers, NUPENG in its
reaction warned that the incident
portends danger for democracy.
Political watchers and well meaning
Nigerians have called for restraint by
all parties involved. However, it is both
reprehensible and lamentable that
some of our elder statesmen, who
should be seen as pacifist,
peacemakers and build-builders are
doing the exact opposite. These
individuals are further fanning the
embers of discord by their divisive
utterance
The comments made by Professor
Tam David-West, and Professor Wole
Soyinka linking the First Lady to the
political disturbance in Rivers State
does nothing to help the fortunes of
the state. Rather, it is capable of
sowing unnecessary seeds of hatred
and mistrust.
Many Nigerians where shocked to see
images on their television screens of a
lawmaker being battered and
bludgeoned on the head with a heavy
object, reported to be the mace of the
State Assembly, the very symbol of
authority of the hallowed chamber.
The lawmakers, identified in news
reports as Michael O. Chinda,
representing Obio/Akpor II
Constituency had blood streaming
down his face, neck and clothes. It
was a sad and gory sight. This
primordial act of sadistic brutality
carried out on the lawmaker was not
condemned by the duo, rather, they
preferred name calling.
Professor Tam David-West is gradually
being infamously known for the
deterioration in the logic of his
statements. His views therefore often
reflect the onset of senility. As an
indigene and elder statesman of
Rivers State, he should be at the
vanguard of perusing and sustaining
peace in his state. He has no business
linking Dame Patience to the crises in
Rivers State simply because she is a
daughter of that State. Like every
Nigerian, she is free to visit her State
whenever she wants. In the case of
her recent visit, she went to attend the
burial of Pa Desetima Nyingierefaka,
her paternal grandfather, who died at
the ripe old age of 92 years. She
attended other events which included
the solemnization of holy matrimony
of her junior brother and the
Commissioning of the Yitzhak Rabin
International School and Resource
Centre in Port Harcourt. During the
commissioning, she also received an
award from the Yitzhak Rabin Centre
for African Development for her
successful advocacy for women
empowerment and her pursuit of
peace on the continent. The award
was formally presented to the First
Lady by Mr. Yuval Rabin, the son of
Late Prime Minister Rabin.
We advise our elders to stop calling
names in the Rivers State imbroglio,
whether it is the name of the
President or his wife.
Rather, these grand old men should
try to preach the gospel of peace.
They should be the guiding light for
us all, especially the youths of Nigeria;
they must not fail us or themselves by
behaving in a manner that suggests
that they may have been
compromised or worse still, they want
to perpetuate discord in their
communities. We only have one
nation so we must all work for peace.
We want to look up to our elders and
we therefore expect them to be
exemplary statesmen promoting
peace in our dear nation.
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