Maryam Uwais: 18 Is A UN Regulation And Not A Revelation

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• A response to Maryam Uwais’ Senator Yerima and Constitutional Review

July 23, 2013

Salutations to you Mrs. Uwais. Your article was brilliant and I must say, I enjoyed reading every line of it. This is the level of intellectual discourse that I pray someday in the future, we will find among our elected officials, media and in our religious and social gatherings. Every point you raised is important and a useful contribution toward the discussion on early marriages. I must say, my anxiety when I began reading was soon laid to rest when I saw that you were not treading the line of the many confused authors, activists and media houses that did not understand the constitutional decision that was made, and the fact that no bill was passed, nor law on child marriage created; what happened being Senator Ahmad Sani Yarima and the other 35 senators simply objecting to the deletion of section 29, and in effect maintaining a married, albeit–young woman’s right of choice, as had been stipulated in the constitution.

We both know that Senator Yerima did not introduce Section 29 to Nigeria’s constitution. We also both understand that the portion of section 29 in review describes a married(young) woman’s right to decide to revoke her citizenship, and not her being mature because she married. In acknowledgment of these, the summary of my comments on your article are these two questions-
1.  I ask, did Senator Yerima violate any Nigerian law by requesting a re-vote on maintaining this aspect of Nigeria’s constitution?
2. Did Senator Yerima violate any Islamic law?

If he did not violate any Nigerian law, or Islamic law, then why have we put his case in front of the court of public sentiment, degradation and ridicule? Is this because he is a cheap target? I’m not sure if his wife has complained of a health problem or other inconvenience to us? Are the protests against Senator Yarima justified in your view, more so as 99% of the protesters believe a “child marriage bill” was introduced by Senator Yarima and passed by the senate, being completely ignorant of the facts of the senate proceeding. This misinformation error, so grave, it appears to have been intentionally constructed by media elements. Should it not be a better task for us to include some time to educate the strife-eager public on the folly of activism against what did not occur, rather than using this publication medium to discus serious religious matters? Or perhaps to redirect their energy to more pressing crimes of corruption, mal-governance, cabalism, youth unemployment, or maybe social ills like fornication, adultery, prostitution and female genital mutilation or husbands killing wives? Pressing and actual and not made-up events?

Do not get this wrong, we are all happy to discuss matters of religion and culture in public fora, but these should be done based on true facts, in the right manner, and not tagging on errors, and misguided steps, with irresponsible harassment and noise. It may be necessary that the northern parts of Nigeria and Nigeria’s Muslims sit down and review the age they wish to get married in consideration of the current state of poverty and available health services, but again I ask you, have they violated any Nigerian law? If they have not violated any law of Nigeria (being allowed under the Nigerian constitution to marry young brides according to their Sharia law) then why have we opened up this matter and tagged along with erroneous protests while gaining cheap publicity? Should we not initiate a scholars forum among Muslims to deliberate on investigating and deciding on how to address the issues of early marriage if they do exist and for the reasons that they do? Should we not focus our energy in writing on ensuring women married or to be married, have full access to marriage counsel, legal representation in events of domestic violence, forced marriages or desires to divorce? Or perhaps in promoting the prophet of Islam’s other culture of marrying widows?

Not that it compares in any way, but celebrity director Polanski who drugged and raped a 13 year old, and then fled justice to France, did we all not witness how the French government, and Mitterrand himself absolved him of his heinous crime? And the likes of media like CNN and French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner wished him freedom, with Hollywood celebrities like Woody Allen, Martin Scorsese, David Lynch, John Landis, Harvey Weinstein and even females like Monica Bellucci, Asia Argento, Debra Winger and  Whoopi Goldberg defending him?

And as much as we have over thrashed the poverty related, social and health complications of northern Muslim practices, have we ever considered the comparative advantages of the early marriage practiced as against the fornication that happens in parts of Nigeria where marriage is delayed? When last did we look at the HIV and STD distribution map of Nigeria? Abortion-murder? Or the domestic violence map of Nigeria? The fertility rate distribution? The frigidity rate? Even cancer rate? Do we think a discussion of such a prevalent cultural event that affects millions is as simple as some high blood pressure and misconstrued activism? While some of us did our best and created movements and wrote about Boko haram, about piracy, where were the activists? Where were the rallies against terror, against kidnapping, against oil theft? Or as Senator Yarima said, why do we not hunt the legislators who fill bus loads of secondary school pupils for orgies?

I am one person who believes strongly in obeying the law, and if a person does obey the law, then I am vehemently against the oppression and intimidation of such person, be it by protest or by writing, usually by people who are more immoral and criminal then the one they accuse. Nigeria is not the only country that has young marriages, in neighboring Mali, 70% of marriages are below 18 years. Yet Mali does not have the epidemic of VVF’s Nigeria–the highest in the world– has. Does this not suggest that this health crises has more to do with the Nigerian factor? Did we first email Senator Yarima as I believe Islam commands, and suggest a Muslim meeting on this topic? Will intimidation address this problem? I have earlier written an extensive article on ‘child marriage,’ “My Thoughts on ‘Child’ Marriage”. Reading this may open you up to other considerations and how this subject is not just that simple. I am sure you know that early marriages do not cause VVF’s? I am sure you also know that the young brides in the north are not the reason for the poverty in the land-locked north? I’ll probably blame the child abandonment, almajiri system more, with 10 million abandoned children. So why are we playing a tune of provocateurs? Nigeria’s Muslims can rightly come together and as under the tenets of Islam, make a decision in regards to this issue of young marriages. Don’t you believe that? Many countries have done so as you rightly pointed out. But this is a choice and not what a million placards or articles can bring about, and I am sure you appreciate this, because as I have said earlier, Nigeria’s Muslims have neither violated any law of God or man in this issue. Should we not go through the right channel, respecting our countrymen and their wives?

You as many others repeat, 18, 18, 18–when a child becomes an adult, at 18. I am sure you know that it was the United Nations Child Summit Declaration of 1990, and the Child Rights Act 2003 that decided that 18 and not a day before or a day after, makes you an adult. Doesn’t this make you laugh? So a 17 year old girl, 8 months from her 18th birthday, in your view should not be allowed the right to make decisions till the hour of the day of her solar calendar 18th birthday? Is this logical, rational or religious thinking? Do you or Nigeria also accept the UN stipulations for us on sodomy? You see, selecting 18 was a decision, possibly after a vote, possibly well intended, but it was not a revelation from God.

In conclusion, we are all free to our opinions and we can all make this a gainful discussion, but it is important that we do not associate this conversation with Senator Ahmad Sani Yarima and the senate proceedings, because it has absolutely nothing to do with him, or the proceedings of that day, which were not about child marriage. Section 29 on citizenship revocation rights, was written in our constituion before Yerima became a senator. Today there are over 6 million young brides by my estimation in the north, neither me nor you is going to decide here whether these 6 million women and mothers should be allowed the right of choice or not. Not here, not now and not related to this crises with all the errors, falsehoods and fabrications. Nigeria already decided to give them the right of choice, let us respect our constitution and respect people’s right of choice without deprivation or fear of intimidation. There are times times and needs to revolt and there are times to discuss. Sigh at Nigeria and its wrong revolutions.

Mrs. Maryam Uwais, your brilliance and blessings are urgently needed on the right side of activism and writing for social justice. We can’t wait to read from you again.

Dr. Peregrino Brimah
drbrimah@ends.ng

NewsRescue

What about APC and Buhari in 2015?

BY NIYI AKINNASO (NIYI@COMCAST.NET)  

Conventional Wisdom sees 2015 as the year of the opposition in Nigerian presidential politics, partly because of the perception that President Goodluck Jonathan has not performed well enough to deserve a second term; partly because his party, the Peoples Democratic Party, appears to be in turmoil; and partly because he and his party have been engaging in various shenanigans that pose serious threats to our democracy and national image.

However, there are two problems with Conventional Wisdom in Nigerian politics. First, it is often espoused by elite voters, who account for only a small fraction of the national voting population. The vast majority of voters have little or no idea what our political squabbles are all about. However, because of poverty, unemployment, and greed, they are all over the place at election time, serving as thugs and supporters.

Second, there is often a disjuncture in Nigerian electoral politics between actual voting and voting results. True, the PDP may appear to be in disarray, it always survived its internal crises in time to come up with “big” votes during the presidential election. This has been the basis of Maj.-Gen. Muhamadu Buhari (retd.)’s presidential election petitions.

Nevertheless, it is still widely believed that a coalition of opposition parties under the All Progressives Congress stands a good chance of dislodging the misruling PDP in 2015. But victory will not be delivered to it on a platter of gold. Rather, three conditions, among others, must be satisfied in order to secure the confidence of voters.

First, the party leadership must get its house in order. The long battle for the party’s registration was a teething problem that could have been avoided. Besides, early reports of internal division over the allocation of positions smelled of the usual self-interest politics. They must not allow self-interest and political ambition to override the main goal of defeating the PDP. At the same time, they should view the defeat of the PDP as a means to an end. That end should be the people — their schools, their hospitals, their roads. Various PDP governments have promised adequate power supply. One government even declared an emergency on the sector. Yet, there has been no appreciable improvement.

As a result, many Nigerians are ready to vote for change, which leads to the second condition. The APC leaders must make every effort to field a quality presidential candidate, who is neither inexperienced nor too controversial. Third, they must plan well on protecting the ballot boxes on Election Day, by preventing the PDP from turning out dubious votes. They, too, must not plan on winning by rigging their way through. Past experiences have taught Nigerian voters to expect their votes to count as cast.

Perhaps, the most critical issue that will confront the APC is the election of a candidate in an open primary. The party leaders must avoid candidate imposition. Such an action will turn off some voters. One name that keeps recurring in people’s conversations is that of Buhari. The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal, has been mentioned but he is in the PDP, at least for now. But I will not dwell on Tambuwal’s possible candidacy here.

Clearly, Buhari is a well-qualified candidate, and he has more name recognition both locally and abroad than any other candidate, who may seek the presidency in 2015, except the incumbent President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan. My fellow columnist, Sabella Abidde, once painted a word picture of Buhari and what he could do as President: “He is a man with a steady voice, steady hands and legs and with an intellect to match … he will fight corruption and nepotism and political stupidity” (The PUNCH, February 13, 2013).

The problem with Buhari is not so much about who he is and what he accomplished or could accomplish as president as about who he is perceived to be. Ask anyone in the South and even some parts of the North about Buhari. They will tell you that he is a polarising political, regional, and religious figure in contemporary Nigerian politics. He is one man who is as passionately liked by his supporters as he is passionately disliked by his opponents.

Those who support him often cite the discipline and sense of probity he brought to the administration of the country, when he was a military Head of State. But his opponents often view his tenure as discriminatory. Supporters view him as a national hero, whose desire to rule is borne out of his love of country. Opponents see in him a regional apologist, who would be nothing but a Northern President. Finally, supporters view him as no more than a righteous man of Islamic faith, who respects Christian and other religious views. But opponents see a totally different person in him, who is an Islamic fundamentalist, who could easily Islamise the country in various ways. That’s why, today, a number of Nigerians would list him as a sponsor, or at least a supporter, of Boko Haram, even without evidence. Some of these perceptions may turn out to be untrue, but the soap with which Buhari could wash himself clean of them has yet to be manufactured.

Of particular concern to opponents were his incendiary campaign utterances during the 2011 elections and his behaviour during and after the post-elections crisis, which ravaged many Northern states, targeting mainly his opponent’s supporters. True, the last three presidential elections he participated in were neither free nor fair enough, but he always came off as a sore loser. But in fairness to him, it is possible that he was so convinced of victory, or of being cheated of it, that he found it difficult to give up. The fact that he inched towards victory at successive elections may have convinced him that 2015 may be his year of victory.

Yet, if a proper opinion poll were conducted today in the South, strong anti-Buhari voters would be encountered, especially in the South-West. These voters would insist that they could never vote for Buhari, despite their sympathy for the APC or antipathy against the PDP. This category of voters may abstain from voting, if Buhari were the candidate. Then, there are those who would be pushed to take a second look at Jonathan, who is the likely PDP candidate, if the APC fielded Buhari. Either way, Buhari’s candidacy may favour Jonathan in the South.

However, much of the talk about voting or not voting for Buhari circulates among the elite. It must also be remembered that the Action Congress of Nigeria has five governors in the South-West, who could penetrate the grassroots. This will significantly increase Buhari’s chances.

As the 2015 elections draw near, it is likely that many more candidates will show interest in the presidential ticket. That’s why the APC should hold an open primary and line up all aspirants for a debate so that voters could feel their pulse before the general elections. As much as possible, voters in a democracy should insist on transparency in the election of a candidate in an open primary.

Punch

Ondo senator weeps for endorsing under age girl marriage

By DAYO JOHNSON

AKURE — THE Senator representing Ondo Central Senatorial District in the National Assembly Senator, Ayo Akinyelure wept profusely publicly for being the only senator from the South-West that supported the inclusion of under age girl marriage in the constitution.

Sensing the anger of leaders of the councils he represents in the Senate, who summoned him to explain his action, the senator prostrated, wept and begged them that he voted for “the amendment in error.”

Senator Akinyelure said: “I voted in error. I can never in my life support under age marriage. Whatever this might have caused my people, please, forgive me.

“I will do whatever is humanly possible at my disposal to ensure that this thing is removed from the constitution.”

Condemnations have greeted the votes against the constitutional ammendment, which would have set marriageable age for women  at 18.

Stakeholders and leaders, especially women across the six council areas in Ondo Central Senatorial District were irked that he was the only senator in the South West zone that supported what they termed the “inhuman decision.”

The meeting, which held at  Adegbemile Hall, Ondo, was witnessed by leaders of the ruling Labour Party and commissioners representing the six councils in the state executive council.

Speaking to the charged audience, Akinyelure said there was a misinterpretation of the vote on his part.

The senator while explaining, burst into tears when he saw the anger of the people against his action.

Before the commencement of the meeting, some angry youths against his position, clashed with the Senator’s supporters and it took the intervention of policemen to stop the uprising from degenerating into a bloodbath.

Stones were hauled at one another by the supporters of the senator and those against his position.

The senator, however, explained that what the Senate considered was the determination of Nigerian constitution for renunciation of citizenship under the Nigeria constitution which was contained in section 29 (4b) which provides that any woman who is married shall be deemed to be full of full age.

Akinyelure said what he voted in favour was that whether a married woman is deemed to be of full age to renounce her Nigerian citizenship and not whether a woman can marry before attaining the age of 18 years.

The Senator said he cannot vote in support of the child marriage, saying, “ I cannot vote in support of child marriage. I cannot support an under-age to go and marry, it is against our culture and customs.

“If voting were to be done by show of hands, I would have been able to correct my error before the voting was concluded by the Senate.”

He, however ,apologised to the leaders of the party in the state and the people of the constituency for the error, saying he regretted his action as he acted in error.

The women leaders across the six council areas disowned him and asked him to renounce his position.

“ We say no to child marriage, it is worst than child abuse, we wonder why he would support the action, can. Ten year old girl face the challenges of marriage.”

Also, the representative of Country Woman Association of Nigeria COWAN Mrs Adeniyi Titilomo described the amendment as inhuman and abuse to womenfolk.

Vanguard

Dimeji Daniels: Child marriage: We are all violated

Irrespective of whatever definitions it may have been given, child marriage is when a shameless old man is shamelessly having sex with a helpless little girl, without regard to her wellbeing, safety, success, emotional make-up, education and survival.

The action of such shameless men, according to UNICEF, is why maternal deaths related to pregnancy and childbirth account for N70, 000 deaths yearly and the risk of dying for infants born to victims of child marriage in their first year of life is 60 percent greater than that of an infant born to a mother older than 19. “Even if the child survives, he or she is more likely to suffer from low birth weight, under nutrition and late physical and cognitive development,” UNICEF said. This is so because the reproductive organs of these young girls are not developed enough to cope with the rigour and emotional requirements of child bearing.

Despite the dangers and risks associated with child marriage and efforts being made globally to check the trend, the statistics in Nigeria are nothing short of appalling and scary.

Nationwide, 20% of girls are married before age 15. In the Northwest of the country, 48% of girls are married before age 15. Worse of all, 27% of married girls aged 15-19 are in polygamous marriages, thus compounding the emotional and psychological torture they are exposed to given the usual attendant wranglings of polygamy. Most of these child brides are also not in school. According to the United Nations Population Fund (UNPFA), “only 2 percent of 15–19-year-old married girls are in school, compared to 69 percent of unmarried girls. Some 73 percent of married girls compared to 8 percent of unmarried girls received no schooling, and three out of four married girls cannot read at all.”

If this trend continues, the success of the Millenium Development Goals (MDGs), which to a far extent seem to have failed in almost all parts of the country, hangs in the balance, especially goals 2, 3, 4, 5 (achieving universal primary education, promoting gender equality and empowering women, reducing child mortality rates, improving maternal health).

Executive Director of UNPFA Babatunde Osotimehin captured this more succintly: “Child marriage is an appalling violation of human rights and robs girls of their education, health and long-term prospects. A girl who is married as a child is one whose potential will not be fulfilled.”

Underscoring the dangers associated with child marriage, the United Nations Children’s Education Fund (UNICEF) said between 2011 and 2020 more than 140 million girls will become child brides globally, that is 14.2 million annually and 39, 000 daily. Of this figure, 50 million will marry before they are 15.

Scary figures like these are why many nations are making concerted efforts to stem the tide of child marriage. In Malawi for instance, measures such as providing free universal access to primary education, working with chiefs to sensitize their communities on the importance of sending children to school, with an emphasis on the girl child, implementing a policy that allows girls who become pregnant during school to go back to school after delivery to continue their education, working with parliamentarians to raise the age at marriage to 18 years by 2014 and providing Youth Friendly Health Services. Under the programme, youth are armed with information on how to make informed choices about their reproductive health.

Unbelievable as it may sound and despite the global campaign against child marriage, Nigeria seems to be in her own world with its cavemen-lawmaking style that allows sexual predators to further worsen the plight of the Nigerian girl-child. Senators like Ahmed Yerima and his co-sexual slave masters have argued that is not just about sex, but about “family and helping one another in achieving their goals, which is the attainment of Paradise.”

One must then ask Yerima the relevance of Vesico Vaginal Fistula (leakage of urine into the vagina), an attendant risk of child marriage, to attaining Paradise? Is it Yerima’s job to ensure that the 12, 000 who develop VVF yearly in Nigeria attain Paradise by sending them to early grave?

Studies have shown that 54.8 percent of victims of Vesico Vaginal Fistula and Recto-Vaginal Fistula (leakage of feaces into the vagina) in Nigeria are below 20 and 64.4 percent of these gave birth at home or in poorly equipped clinics, as is common in the North where child marriage is most prominent.

Though there are other causes of VVF and RVF, the most prominent of these causes are sexual violence and obstructed labour arising mostly from underdeveloped pelvises in these young girls. In fact, obstructed labour have been found to be responsible for 76 percent to 97 percent of fistulas while obstructed labour and obstetric fistula account for 8% of maternal deaths globally. What is most disheartening is that as soon as these girls develop fistula, rather than avail them medical care, these insatiable sexual predators move on to entice another family with their ill-gotten wealth in a bid to ruin their daughter’s life.

Given the high prevalence of poverty in parts of Nigeria where this is common, the end of child marriage may not just be in sight. We may fight the Senate all we want. We may even successfully and permanently legislate against child marriage. All these would amount to nought unless we take serious and sincere steps to rid Nigeria of the kind of dehumanizing poverty that proponents of child marriage exploit to stoke their cannibalistic sexual thirst.

As long as poverty remains with us, child marriage will be on the increase, and who knows, Nigeria may help surpass the 140 million girls who will be married as child brides before 2020. As long as Nigeria is where there is so much want and pain in the midst of plenty, people like Yerima will have their way and irrespective of any law, impoverished and poverty-debased parents will give the hands of their daughters in marriage to such people, after all, it is what they have that they will use to make a livelihood; it just doesn’t matter if the lives of young girls are fatally involved.

And it is not just these little helpless girls: all of us are being violated by our stupendously, criminally and consciencelessly rich leaders. The modes of violation are different, but the end result is the same. A financially violated man and a sexually violated young girl could both end up dead, time or rate of death notwithstanding.

‘Dimeji Daniels writes from Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State

DailyPost

Debrief: What exactly went on at IBB and Abdulsalami’s meeting with the northern governors

So five northern governors, three of whom have rumored presidential ambitions, while the remaining two are at loggerheads with the PDP national leadership, have travelled the nation – East, West and North in a bid to save the party, and their hides.

The Background

So far they’ve been to red-hot Rivers, where Rotimi Amaechi loyalists tried very hard to make their stay comfortable with protests that turned violent. They also stopped by the country home of former Olusegun Obasanjo in Ota, after waiting for Baba and President Goodluck Jonathan to finish up over the weekend. And yesterday (Monday), the ‘Saviours’ landed in Minna, where the five governors –  Rabiu Kwankwaso (Kano); Sule Lamido (Jigawa); Aliyu Wamakko (Sokoto); and Babangida Aliyu (Niger) met with two former Heads of State, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida and Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar at the Presidential Lodge in Minna.

Murtala Nyako (Adamawa), originally scheduled to be in the meeting, was absent. According to the other governors, he had a previously scheduled commitment with officials across the border in Cameroon.

[READ: #TheRiversDiaries Continues: IBB, Abdulsalami, 5 Northern govs discuss this and other PDP crises]

What happened at the meeting?

They are said to have talked the two former leaders into persuading on President Goodluck Jonathan to guarantee a free political space for democracy to thrive, claiming that they cared less about which zone will produce the President in 2015.

Or in other words, tell the President not to police all of us like kids so that we can do our thing.

They also penciled down some issues that they need resolved:

•the lingering Rivers crisis and its possibly disastrous consequences for Nigeria’s democracy;

•the increasing frictions within the Nigeria Governors’ Forum;

•clampdown on governors to force them to do the President’s will;

•intolerance of the opposition and opposing views by the Presidency; and

•lack of internal democracy in the ruling party.

Matters Arising

One of the governors during the meeting, took an interesting view on Rivers. “If what the President wanted had played out in Rivers State, Nigeria would have by now been on fire. Why will five lawmakers seek to impeach a governor in the House of Assembly with 32 members?”

“We cannot also understand why four governors were pelted with stones by thugs for visiting one of their colleagues on a re-conciliatory mission. We were shocked that the police were used to unleash mayhem on Rivers State.

“The plan of the Presidency is to be dealing with dissenting governors one by one.”

Some papers have quoted sources privy to the discussions, who said one of the governors informed the ex-rulers that their main push was not 2015 but how to get free and fair elections in 2015. According to them, they did not hate the president but were concerned that “the political environment as it is now cannot guarantee freedom of movement, freedom of speech and freedom of electoral choice.”

Freedom of electoral choice?

The governors also implored Babangida and Abdulsalami rally round other leaders to rein in the President in order to safeguard the nation’s democracy and prevent it degenerating into an autocracy.

Both ex-Heads of State were reportedly cautious in their response, but promised to take the governors’ concerns to the “appropriate quarters.”

We all know what that means right?

YNaija

BUBA GALADIMA QUITS POLITICS

 by Abbas Jimoh 

National secretary of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), Engr. Buba Galadima, has declared intention to quit active politics.

Galadima who spoke to our correspondent in Abuja at the weekend said he is leaving politics to concentrate on his business.
The former secretary to The Buhari Organisation (TBO) said he has contributed his quota to political development in both the CPC and the nation’s democracy saying he is now ready to leave.
“I have done my best. I am out of active politics. Every human being is a political animal,” he said.
When asked why he is not actively involved in the emerging All Progressives Congress (APC) with his party the CPC , Galadima said he can only register as a members but not engage in active politicking. “I can register as a Nigerian but not in active party politics,” he said.
He further explained that he is not quitting from the political stage due to lack of space as he said there is still room for him to participate, adding “I have made my contribution let others take off from where I stopped.”
When asked for his next line of actions, he said, “Businessman, can I carry your briefcase?”
Galadima was a chieftain of the ANPP and was chairman of the mobilization committee of the Conference of Nigerian Political Parties (CNPP) before joining the CPC.

DailyTrust

THE MONEY PRINTING MACHINE CALLED "EAST-WEST ROAD" AND ITS RAVAGING DISASTER.

Bishop of Bomadi Catholic Diocese, Vicarage Hyacinth Egbebor, in his homily at theburial of late Azazi, blamed the helicopter crash that killed the former National Security Adviser, Andrew Azazi; former Kaduna State Governor Patrick Yakowa, and four others, on corruption leading to the inability of the government to construct good roads. maintaining that if the East-West road was good and motorable, there would not have been any reason for Azazi and Yakowa (Late Governor of Kaduna) to have traveled from Bayelsa to Rivers state by air, when ordinarily the journey wold not take more than 2hrs by road if the roads were good or if we had alternatives like a working rail way. The Bishop spoke directly to Jonathan and his wife who were at the burial ceremony to the point that reports alleged that president Jonathan and his entourage felt insulted that the president had to mount the podium to counter what the bishop has said. Azazi, Yakowa and the others were gone. Today, the mother of the wife of the president is a victim. Yes, hundreds of Nigerians have died on that road since the death of Azazi and co, but no attention was paid because they are called "ordinary Nigerians" who are not worth more attentions. Today, another prominent Nigeria has become a victim and we expect many reaction because an extra-ordinary Nigerian is involved. I remember that my friend, Alaesta Alesta Wilcox, who recently became a fellow of the chartered accountants had an accident that almost took his life and is still sitting on the bench today, more than two months after the incident. Anyway, it did not make the head lines and others who lost their lives did not make the headlines because they are 'ordinary Nigerians'. The challenge that we have in Nigeria is that a lot of us have short memories and do not care to remember. We must put things in place, see all lives as equal so that life will be meaningful for the rich and the poor, the high class and the low class and everyone will be happy. However, one good thing about the east-West road and other projects that have not been receiving attentions in Nigeria is that they have made many government officials like ministers, commissioners, presidential aides and president billionaires. The East-West road have sure done.
may the soul of Azazi, Yakowa, the mother of Dame patience Goodluck rest in peace.

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