Senator Dino Melaye – 9News Nigeria

Reading diverse news reports surrounding the recent arrest, jump-off-police-truck, ICU-hospitalization, trip-to-court-trials-while-unconscious-and-chained-on-hospital-bed, and foreseeable, vis-a-vis, impending imprisonment, whether dead or alive, of one man, someone holding one of the politically revered positions in Nigerian polity – Dino Melaye; I can’t help myself but to only ask questions with tears flowing down the eyes-of-my-conscience, not on my eyes lest it be seen, and I be called abnormal man.

Knowing that Dino Melaye has recently been the only voice that emanates from the senate house that seriously checks and questions the executives and other government parastatals on issues that connotes bad governance, maladministration and misuse of powers.

He was raising alarm and seeking redress on the security breakdown in the country. He was fiercely advancing the course and interest of the disadvantaged and voiceless Nigerians without fear or favour. He knew he was challenging those that were capable of coming after him, yet he was fearless, probably because he cared for the country more than he cared for himself.

Five major questions I’m asking myself and whosoever may wish to show concern are :

1. What has Dino Melaye done that deserves all these fierce intention to utterly maim and destroy him?
2. Is it unlawful or criminal for a senator to speak out for the poor masses?
3. In the face of Dino Melaye’s victimization, would any other voice dare be heard that challenges misconduct among high authorities?
4. Who will be next?
5. What next would happen?

Freedom and it’s hitherto ripe fruits and dividends are being infringed, trampled and flushed down abyssal drain, and yet no one cared to air a say.  The core value of a free society that Nigeria was founded upon and still pursuing it’s fruition has been snatched, chewed and about to be swallowed, yet we morose and watch with laudatory appraisal of those that act more like foes than friends of our lives.

I may decide to wonder in a feigned ignorance as to why Nigerians have been compelled to a state of comatose, but my inner mind tells me that this disaster has befallen those Nigerians as a result of ignorance of facts and figures, other than presumable remote factors that border on selfish interest, mediocrity and indifference idiosyncrasies .

Why have formerly all-seeing eyes suddenly turned blind, and formerly wagging tongues now bridled and padlocked, while this hazardous inferno, salient madness of impunity, anarchy and near-dictatorial reign of terror in Nigeria continues to flourish furiously.

It is an inferno that is resolutely capable to burn down the whole nation if silence continues to be the most precious treasures that we now hold in high esteem. Voiceless, some of us have chosen to become thereby subjecting ourselves to self entrapment.

I know that going by the nature of the character and culture of the majority of Nigerians, this is a laughable issue, one that concerns Dino Melaye alone, as some would be saying to Dino, Aha Aha, so would we have it, some would even be happy to see all these atrocities and dehumanisation that is being meted out on Dino as a deserving one, since he has been enjoying the stupendous and mind-boggling wealth ostensibly illy accrued from high positional status quo he holds in the polity of Nigeria.

Others are even adamant, showing an indifferent attitude as this has nothing to do with them. Their I-Don-Care attitudes may be aligned to the supposition that Dino is a man from far away Kogi state, or even if that person is from Kogi state, he or she may be from a distant local government or even different town from that of Dino Melaye. Hence, they think that it doesn’t matter.

In one of the social media forums I happened to be one of their members, a news published by 9News Nigeria was shared, and I was so shocked to read some of the comments lashed out on Dino Melaye from some of the members. While some few had element of sympathy for the man whose agony was vividly and undoubtedly as a result of his continuous and steady defiance and opposition to the unruly and treacherous system of governance massively prevalent in the country today; others were raining insults and mockery on the man that has done nothing to deserve this kind of persecution and act of decimation and dehumanisation.  One of them in his word said: “haha, let him suffer! That man is a troublemaker.” Then I wondered how someone who was voted as a senator to represent his constituency in the act of law making, has been stigmatised and labelled a troublemaker for speaking out in defence of those he was meant to defend by ensuring implementation of fair policies that favour his people.

Sadly to say, Dino Melaye was only in trouble because he was trying to speak out for the majority of Nigerian population, who now live in abject deprivation and hopelessness. He was not in any way trying to score egotistical high mark on the Nigerian political scorecard, lest he wouldn’t have been a scapegoat as it has been this day.

If Dino Melaye had zipped up his lips and remained adamant and complacent, turning blind eyes to the evil that befall the helpless very poor majority of Nigerians on daily basis, obviously he would have been exonerated from this undeserving menace, peril and looming destruction. He would have been happily enjoying the affluence that flow and flux with his position as a Senator.

I am totally against the opinion of those who think that Dino Melaye deserves what the ordeal that has befallen him. I’m also against the comments of those who see Dino Melaye as a trouble maker.

I am not saying that Dino Melaye is an innocent man whose hands are as white as snow. No, obviously he is not a saint neither is he a pope nor apostle. However, my ultimate concern is that in these last days, as far as I know, this man Dino has fought like a sheep trying to remove lamb from the mouth of the lion. Dino was loudly vocal against the issues that are ferociously scorching on the poor masses, when no one else was ready to speak out.

We must in return pay him back in solidarity. At least speak for him even in our closets other than demonizing him as one that has provoked the cause of his calamity.

This sinister of cruelty and plan to decimate and destroy the persona of Dino Melaye is totally uncalled for and repugnant. If others would fold their arms and put padlock on their mouth for lack of conscience sake, then let it be that I said a word that condemned evil that avail before my very eyes.

As my late heroic father, Chief Matthew Ejianya counselled me, that whenever I happen to have heard people conspiring against an innocent person, that I am obligated to say something and let the conspirators know that their intention is evil and should be botched. My father said that though my words of rebuke may not stop the evil plan, but my defiance stand will surely exonerate me from partaking in the abomination of injustice.

Holding on to my late father’s counsel, I am obligated to write on this subject and let the whole world know that I am not in any way in support of what has been done and is being done to Senator Dino Melaye, knowing that his only sin was speaking against what he felt was wrong.  He only practiced and exercised his freedom of speech which is also pertinent to his duty as a lawmaker.

Nigerians are rife with the bad attitude of laughing when a goat eats their neighbours yam and not their own corn; they often forget that the goat that ate yam could aptly and comfortably eat corn as well.

We wait well too long until when the whole house is engulfed with fire before we run around helplessly seeking for near impossible means of extinguishing the fear, after it had destroyed and decimated whatever we held dearly.

I weep for my country, but I gravely weep more for those who laugh when another man’s dead body is being carried away on the head, not knowing that one day their own dead body would be carried away in like manner.  I weep for you who thinks that it does not concern you when there is a grievous impunity and conspicuous breach of law and order in the country, that was orchestrated in order to kill and bury those who still stand for a free society where peace, freedom and justice abound.

It’s good to recall that prior to the inception of Dino Melaye’s perilous ordeal, there was an intrusive attack inside the upper chamber of the revered House of Assembly, during which a said intruder on civilian clothe came alongside other “may-be” hoodlums, caused chaos, challenged few lawmakers and successfully ceased and made away with the house’s (Senate house) mace. The staff of authority of the upper chamber of Nigeria’s highest law making body was forcefully removed in broad daylight amidst multiple security agents. I’m aware of how heavily beefed up with security the House of Assembly usually can be, yet no sign of protection was in sight that very remarkable moment.

My late father would say “TUFIAKWA !!”, “ALU” – Abomination.

It’s also good to recall that the said stolen or rather made-away-with mace was told by police to have been found on a road-side spot. The stealer, as I’ve not heard so far, was neither arrested nor any further mention of him was made.

All these out-of-blue proceedings sounded unfortunately spooky, weird, strange and above all, sinistrous.  I ponder and wonder over them, though as Nigerians, we have nothing to worry about since it is only in the senate house, after-all the senators apocryphally characterized by dubiosity.

Though most Nigerians may see this as an ordeal that only befell Senator Dino Melaye, I want to raise the eyebrows of those other elites who are relaxed in their comfort air conditioned zones drinking wine and eating suya, probably right now in a 5 to 6 star hotel somewhere in Nigeria or abroad, I want you all to know that it is only a matter of time and the sound of the rain that fell on Dino Melaye’s roof may be heard from your own roof.

A neighbour who continues to sleep when his neighbour’s house is on fire, is only waiting to show his nakedness to strangers, because it is only a matter of time and he will be seen running out naked out of his own house.  If he helped to put off fire from his neighbours house, then he is sure that his house is safe.

For the rest of Nigerians, I want you to know that there is fire on the mountain. It is a song that we used to sign in the Boys Scout, and I remember that the usual chorus is spelt “R-U-N” “R-U-N” “R-U-N”.  

@obinna_ejianya