Lai Mohammed the Minister of Information and Culture and Festus Keyamo, Minister of State for Labour and to think we are all idiots. Their words about the EndSARS protests may be making the Buhari regime look as if it is drifting towards perpetual authoritarianism.
Hopefully, Nigerians are not seeing them as useful idiots as they seem to forget past and present histories. I also hope they do not exemplify stupid psychopathic troubles, meaning callous unconcern for the feelings of others.
Even a child of seven in a social studies class will remember that under this presidency the National Economic Council advised all State Governments to set up judicial commissions of Enquiry to probe allegations of police brutality in the nation.
The results are out from some of these judicial commissions of Enquiry, and we now know that innocent and unarmed protesters died, and some were injured.
It is unconscionable for a few barristers to intentionally set out to confuse the issues in a frantic attempt to cover up the massacre of unarmed protesters across the nation. Nigerians should be enraged and concerned about these two men now and in the future.
We can’t ignore the fact that before the Doris Okuwobi Judicial Commission of Enquiry of Lagos State, over and over, within Nigeria, we have had judicial commissions of Enquiries; the Justice Kalu Anya Judicial Panel set up by the Military Governor of Lagos State to probe the burning of the residence of Fela Anikulapo-Kuti in February 1978;the Niki Tobi Judicial Commission set up by the Plateau State Government in 2003 which indicted some police officers for their involvement in the brutal killing of people in Jos; the Garba Judicial Commission of Enquiry set up by the Kaduna State Government in January 2016 that indicted senior military officers who supervised the illegal killing of 348 Shiites in Zaria and the secret burial of their bodies in a mass grave in Mango in Kaduna State.
In all these panels, police and military officers were indicted.
As such, some Nigerians might think Keyamo, was stupid, insane, crazy, lame, or dumb, for uttering in the media that the Lagos State Tribunal of Inquiry was illegal for having the courage to indict military and police officers. This is misinformation at its worse on Keyamo’s part when it comes to human rights concerns.
Even if one protester was killed or injured what is not in dispute is that the military and police officials engaged in the extrajudicial killing of unarmed civilians including protesters who were only waving the Nigerian Flag and singing the National Anthem on October 20, 2020.
I do not know if Mohammed and Keyamo, suffer from shared Psychosis. I do not know if these men are wounded individuals now given positions of power, if so, they could be accused of lacking conscience for apparently exhibiting anti-EndSARS protests’ mentalities and feelings.
Diplomatically and ethically, why will these men overtake their boss, President Muhammadu Buhari who instead of dismissing the Panel’s report has personally and officially stated in front of the global media that he would wait to see the decisions of the State Governors on the reports of all the panels of enquiry on police brutality. Yet, these men stated otherwise.
Good God, who does that? Why will these two ministers launch virulent attacks on the findings of the body? Psychologically, they should remember that anything that is man-made has a certain life span. I mean power.
For how long Nigerians cancontinue to bear the burden of leadership deniability and autocracy.
For how long Nigerians in domestic power position can continue to refuse being accountable to the people. The previous military regimes did it, and now, the civilian tyrannical democrats are doing it, could it be due to “dangerous” psychology that lies in those who come to power by way of patronage, deception, beseeching, nepotism, or cronyism.
What do those that find themselves in power gain by pursuing the goal of non-accountability to the people. How will it end for them?
Do they know that no matter how defective the Nigerian Constitution is, it is unambiguous about every person’s right to life, which can only be lawfully taken away under certain exceptions like armed rebellion; and the Lekki Tollgate incident does not qualify as one of them. Except in the minds of anyone acting as a sociopath or psychopath. I hope this is not the case of these two men.
One must be full of narcissism, hatred, and divisiveness not to see the use of deadly force on unarmed youths sitting on the ground as evil. Except they are malevolent.
World democracies including America and Britain did not see violent action, rebellion or insurrection and uprising, from these innocent and unarmed youths that were partly protesting for improvements in the lives and works of the police.
They just wanted to coalesce around social and cultural changes in the society. That is why commonsense people around the world are asking why will the Army show up in a civilian peaceful protest? Why will they fire live or blank bullets, towards a peaceful assembly? Why will the police disperse a democratic crowd, and which court gave such order to disperse the crowd, as far we know, none. This is a possible crime against humanity.
I strongly believe as humans who went into the world of jurisprudence these two men privately believe in the spirit of democracy.
All of Nigeria’s leadership and those who aspire for leadership must apply Human rights and ethics in all they do in the African setting especially. I will strongly caution the two lawyer Ministers to take an online interdisciplinary course which provides knowledge in ethical proficiency in relation to human rights and principled leadership. Or find time to see Femi Falana, a Human right activist and attorney for updates in Human rights and ethical aptitude.
John Egbeazien Oshodi who was born in Uromi, Edo State in Nigeria, is an American based Police/Prison Scientist and Forensic/Clinical/Legal Psychologist. A government Consultant on matters of forensic-clinical adult/child psychological services in the USA; Chief Educator and Clinician at the Transatlantic Enrichment and Refresher Institute, an Online Lifelong Center for Personal, Professional and Career Development. A former Interim Associate Dean/Assistant Professor at the Broward College, Florida. The Founder of the Dr. John Egbeazien Oshodi Foundation, Center for Psychological Health and Behavioral Change in African settings. In 2011, he introduced the State-of-the-Art Forensic Psychology into Nigeria through N.U.C and the Nasarawa State University where he served in the Department of Psychology as an Associate Professor. The Development Professor and International Liaison Consultant at the African University of Benin, and a Virtual Faculty at the ISCOM University, Benin of Republic. Founder of the Proposed Transatlantic Egbeazien University (TEU) of Values and Ethics, a digital project of Truth, Ethics, Openness. Author of over 40 academic publications/creations, at least 200 public opinion writeups on African issues, and various books.
John Egbeazien Oshodi wrote in via transeuniversity@gmail.com
