Victor Adoji eulogise slain supporter DANIEL IHIENE USMAN

By Dr. Victor Alewo Adoji

I just came out of a funeral service in honour of Daniel Ihiene Usman, a 19yr old baccalaureate physicist who was sent to an early grave by political thugs while exercising his maiden right to vote for the person(s) of his choice.

This is one death too many and our docility and unfortunate acceptance of such bizarre and macabre stars-of-affairs relays a situation far worse than the harvest of deaths. Our nonchalance or muted (in)action is only a temporary stop-gap because if we don’t in one voice determine and act to stop these onslaughts, we would soon graduate from being onlookers/cowards to victims.

Strangely, the sponsors and perpetrators of these acts work free and further emboldened by their sponsors, threaten more harvest of deaths if perturbed by any “bloody, God-forsaken” Igala/Bassa (wo)man. We have seemingly become as helpless as cows in an abattoir waiting for the slaughter.

I’ve not and will never empower anyone with any weapon to either Instill fear, maim or kill anyone to ensure my political ascendency as I shall never be stained by the blood of those I desire to represent. I’ve been told that my stance is not in consonance with “today’s politics and politicking” and I’ve responded in unmistakable terms that, my desire is to institute developmental change, initiate an Igala renaissance and not concur or align with ways, acts or behaviors that destroy our very essence as humans and as Igala people.

To this end and in the light of the inconclusive Kogi-East Senatorial Election of 23/02/2019, I have resolved not be involved in the ensuing process until a panel of inquiry is set-up to probe the circumstances surrounding the death of Daniel Usman with a view to bringing his killer(s) and the/ir sponsor(s) to book: In the least, Daniel deserves justice from a land and country he so loved as expressed in his last Facebook post, “Vote and not fight! Respect Yourself and stay out of trouble….GOD BLESS NIGERIA”.

My advice to those of us who are politicians and candidates: if we must force ourselves on the electorates, it’s clear evidence we are not their choices and if we succeed in muscling our desires through illicit and illegitimate means, we are of all men the most wicked and wretched basking on ephemeral glory.

In the end, we have brothers, sisters and children of Daniel’s age or younger and I pray our innocent siblings and children don’t pay a huge price for our indiscretions of the moment.

In the words of Daniel Ihiene Usman, God bless Nigeria.