Connect with us
study in Ukraine

Nigeria News

Immortalizing Our Heroes—The Lagos Example

Published

on

By Rasak Musbau

Hannah Arendt, German-born US philosopher and historian, once said that the connection between history and nature is by no means an opposition. History receives into its remembrance those mortals who through deeds and words have proved themselves worthy of nature, and their everlasting fame means that they…may remain in the company of the things that last forever. To Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Russian novelist, if you were to destroy in mankind the belief in immortality, not only love but every living force maintaining the life of the world would at once be dried up. Moreover, nothing then would be immoral, everything would be permissible, even cannibalism. And the energetic and cerebral Nigerian columnist, Segun Ayobolu, made a similar point when he posits that ‘ a society without a collective memory would be as disoriented, dysfunctional, incoherent and programmed for destruction as an individual without that critical faculty. The present anchored on the past is able to navigate the unpredictable waters of the future with a reasonable degree of certitude and confidence.  Presently, in Lagos state , part of the institutional ways through which the government is documenting our heroes for immortalization ranges from dedication of gardens, naming of streets and roads and housing estates after them. This is being done to spur the youth and adults to commit to Nigerian enterprise and to aspire to greater heights.

One of such heroes that have been recognized is late Professor Ayodele Awojobi. In October 2009, Babatunde Fashola posthumously dedicated a garden in honour of the  late Professor at Onike Roundabout, Yaba, Lagos, with a statue of the famous academic erected at the centre. A painstaking effort was put into the construction of the beautiful and befitting garden. Professor Awojobi was Engineering Genius and social reformer who had set a record of becoming, at the age of 37, the youngest lecturer in the University of Lagos to become a Professor. Before the erudite Professor died 29 years ago at the age of 47, he had carved a niche for himself as his name had found global space as a mechanical engineer of repute and fighter against social dislocations and political recklessness.

It is on record that in his final year in the secondary school in 1955, he played the role of Macbeth in one of Williams Shakespeare famous plays. He memorized the whole textbook and was familiar with all the lines that during rehearsals he assisted other actors with their lines. It could be asked, what the essence of the posthumous immortalization is? The essence is to connect the present generation to our history of a pre-eminent past; to draw inspiration of possibilities and reiterate an ethic and value for hard-work as necessary ingredients for a brighter rewarding future. So when our youth past through Onikan, they should not just look at the statue and the garden but should draw inspiration from the immortal Awojobi.

We see the same principle of fighting for the poor in the man who received the honour of senior advocate of the masses (‘SAM’) before his professional entitlement of SAN. In 2010, to mark the First Anniversary of the death of legal icon, Chief Gani Fawehinmi, Lagos State Governor, Mr Babatunde Fashola (SAN) unveiled the Statue of the legal luminary and also dedicated a memorial Garden, stressing that government took the step as a token of appreciation for a life of leadership through Spartan service to humanity that he lived. The idea of the honour was to demonstrate to others that the government will not forget its heroes in the belief that some new leaders will hopefully be inspired to rise up and continue from where he left off. The late Chief Gani Fawehinmi committed a lifetime of 40 years of the prime of his life to arduous human right devotion. He used law, civil rights movements, the media and politics as his tools to liberate the people he cared so passionately about from ignorance, repression and poverty; until he succumbed to his own mortality. The spirit of the fighter came to life when the largest protest against fuel price increase took place at the strategic location in January of 2012. His wife and son partook actively in the struggle the Federal government used members of the armed forces to frustrate. The special jumat service at the rally c0-spearheaded by a pastor was historic just as police irreverence to our fathers (Chief Tunji Braithwaite and others) at the event was typical of what they did to the chief till he became immortal. Our youths living in the diaspora have much to learn from the memory of Dr. Nurudeen Olowopopo. A 1.5 km road which stretches from the Otunba Jobi Fele Junction to the Ministry of Physical Planning, Alausa, Ikeja was named after Dr. Nurudeen Olowopopo, who was Chairman, Lagos State University Teaching Hospital until his dead. This was in recognition of Olowopopo’s contribution to the development and growth of Lagos State especially in the development of the state’s health sector. Before returning to Nigeria to serve his fatherland, Dr. Olowopopo spear-headed several Medical Missions of Mercy which were involved in bringing Nigerian medical experts in the Diaspora to Lagos to conduct surgical operations and offer other medical care services to thousands of Lagos residents free of charge. It is, therefore, befitting that Olowopopo was immortalized for his commitment and high-level service to the state.

I still remember that horrific day of August 12, 1989 watching a World Cup qualifier against Angola live on TV when a patriot, Sam Okwaraji ,died at the National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos. To send the right signals to Nigerian youths that their efforts to bring honour to their fatherland will not be in vain, Fashola administration built a memorial garden for the patriot. Known as a Rededicated Memorial Garden, this special space in memory of the late footballer of Eastern Nigeria origin was said to represent the commitment of the Fashola administration to respecting the selfless deeds of Nigerians, especially Lagosians. Late Sam Okwaraji was a patriot. He loved Nigeria as much as he loved football. A foreign-based soccer star, Sam traveled home to help Nigeria defeat Angola in a World Cup qualifying match in Lagos. He made the opening of the game but could not see its end!  Similarly, the Kudirat Abiola memorial cenotaph, the MKO Abiola Garden, Tai Solarin Statue at Yaba Lagos, among others represent renewed effort by the state government to immortalize our heroes.   To demonstrate that one doesn’t need to die before being immortalized, Governor Babatunde Fashola, early this year immortalized Chief Emeka Anyaoku, former secretary general of the Commonwealth, as he named a newly completed housing estate within the Ikeja Government Reserved Area (GRA) after him. In his words, the governor said the honour was in recognition of Anyaoku’s contributions to the development of the Nigerian society.  In Nigeria, the subsequent drop in the quality of leaders, social crusaders, political and human rights activists inevitably is the result of decline and seemingly loss of hope by many in the nation.  One of the most important ways of instilling patriotism and inculcating the belief of the possibilities in our youths is through immortalizing our heroes past and living. It is important we regularly culled from the life of our greats’ lessons of living effective life at this time when cross-over syndrome has turned many that are hitherto regarded as conscience of the masses into lackey of clueless and autocratic leaders. Undoubtedly, these efforts would go a long way to help stimulate our compatriots, young and old, to continue their meritorious service to our fatherland,. This is the only way for the labour of our heroes past not to be in vain.

•Musbau, Features Unit, Lagos State Ministry of Information and Strategy, Alausa, Ikeja, wrote from Lagos.

——————————————————————————————————————————————-
Posted in Nigeria News. A DisNaija.Com network.

Source: PM News

DisNaija.Com publishes regular posts on Nigeria News, Nigerian Newspapers, Online Nigeria Gist.

Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Nigeria News


Your Opinion Counts. Be sure To Leave A Comment, If You Have Any.

Please Like, Share or Tweet. Your Support Is Appreciated.

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Nigeria News

Kano Transfers Over 1,000 Almajiris To Different States Amidst COVID-19 Pandemic

Published

on

The Kano State Government on Saturday said it has transferred 1,098 ‘almajiris’ to different states of the country.

The commissioner for local government, Murtala Garo, disclosed this while presenting a report before the state’s task force on COVID-19 at the government house, Kano.

Almajiris are children who are supposed to be learning Islamic studies while living with their Islamic teachers. Majority of them, however, end up begging on the streets of Northern Nigeria. They constitute a large number of Nigeria’s over 10 million out-of-school children.

Mr Garo said the Kano government transported 419 almajiris to Katsina, 524 to Jigawa and 155 to Kaduna. He said all of them tested negative for coronavirus before leaving the Kano State.

Despite the coronavirus test done in Kano for the almajiris, the Jigawa government earlier said it would quarantine for two weeks all the almajiris that recently arrived from Kano.

Mr Garo said another 100 almajiris scheduled to be taken to Bauchi State also tested negative to COVID-19.

In a remark, Governor Abdullahi Ganduje said the COVID-19 situation in Kano was getting worse. He appealed for a collaborative effort to curtail the spread of the virus in the state.

Mr Ganduje, who commended residents for complying with the lockdown imposed in the state, said the decision was taken to halt the spread of the virus.

Kano State, as of Saturday night, has 77 coronavirus cases, according to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control.

The decision to transfer the Kano almajiris is part of the agreement reached between Northern governors that almajiris in each state be transferred to their states of origin.

However, even before the latest agreement by the governors, the Kano government had been transferring almajiris to other states and neighbouring countries after it banned street begging in the state, most populous in Northern Nigeria.

Despite the transfers, however, no concrete step has been taken to ensure such children do not return to Kano streets as there is freedom of movement across Nigeria although interstate travel was recently banned to check the spread of the coronavirus.

 

Sourced From: Premium Times Nigeria

Continue Reading

Nigeria News

COVID-19: ‘Bakassi Boys’ Foil Attempt To Smuggle 24 Women Into Abia In Container

Published

on

By Ugochukwu Alaribe

Operatives of the Abia State Vigilante Service, AVS, popularly known as ‘Bakassi Boys’ have arrested 24 market women hidden in a container truck, at Ekwereazu Ngwa, the boundary community between Abia and Akwa Ibom states.

The market women, said to be  from Akwa Ibom State, were on their way to Aba, when they were arrested with the truck driver and two of his conductors for violating the lockdown order by the state government.

Driver of the truck, Moses Asuquo, claimed he was going to Aba to purchase stock fish, but decided to assist the market women, because they were stranded.

A vigilante source told Sunday Vanguard that the vehicle was impounded while the market women were sent back to Akwa Ibom State.

Commissioner for Home Land Security, Prince Dan Okoli, who confirmed the incident, said that  smuggling of people into the state poses great threat to the state government’s efforts to contain the spread of COVID- 19.

 

Sourced From: Vanguard News

Continue Reading

Nigeria News

Woman Kills Her Maid Over Salary Request

Published

on

Operatives of the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (SCIID), Yaba of the Lagos State police command have arrested one Mrs Nene Steve for allegedly killing her maid, Joy Adole

The maid was allegedly beaten to death by Nene for requesting for her salary at their residence located at 18, Ogundola Street, Bariga area in Lagos.

Narrating the incident, Philips Ejeh, an elder brother to the deceased said that he was sad when they informed him that his sister was beaten to death.

He explained that the deceased was an indigene of Benue State brought to Lagos through an agent and started working with her as a maid  in January 2020.

‘’She reported that her boss refused to pay her and anytime she asked for her salary she will start beating her.

She was making an attempt to leave the place but due to the total lockdown she remained there until Sunday when her boss said she caught her stealing noodles and this led to her serious beating and death,’’ Ejeh said.

He called on Lagos State Government and well- meaning people in the country to help them in getting justice for the victim.

The police spokesman, Bala Elkana, stated that the woman and her husband came to Bariga Police  Station to a report that their house girl had committed suicide.

Detectives were said to have visited the house and suspected foul play with the position of the rope and bruises all over the body which confirmed that the girl had been tortured to death and the boss decided to hang up the girl to make it look like suicide.

He said: “The police moved on with their investigation and found a lot of sign of violence on her body that she has been tortured before a rope was put on her neck.’’

He added that the police removed the corpse and deposited it in the mortuary for autopsy to further ascertain the cause of the death.

Elkana said the matter has been transferred from Bariga police station to Panti for further investigation while the couple have been arrested and will be charged to court.

Continue Reading

Tribune

Boko Haram Attacks: Buhari Summons Urgent Meeting Of Service Chiefs

Published

on

President Buhari and the Service Chiefs in a meeting. (File photo)

Ostensibly alarmed by the latest killings of dozens of soldiers by Boko Haram insurgents, President Muhammadu Buhari has summoned an urgent meeting of Service Chiefs to find ways to stop the trend. 

He has also dispatched the Minister of Defence, Mansur Dan Ali, to the neighbouring Republic of Chad for an urgent meeting with President Idris Deby and his defence counterpart. 

Knowledgeable sources said in Abuja on Friday that the president is worried by on the deterioration of security situation on the Nigeria – Chad Border that has led to the recently increased Boko Haram terrorism in the area.

The sources which did not want to be named in Abuja said: “Nigeria has a Chad  problem in the Multi-National Joint Task Force (MNJTF) put together to secure the Lake Chad basin areas and repeal the Boko Haram terrorist attacks against all the countries neighbouring the Lake.”

The sources noted that Chad is believed to be having their own internal security challenges and this has reportedly led to their pulling away their own troops manning their own border around Lake Chad,  saying: “That lacuna is being exploited by the Boko Haram terrorists, who go in and out of Nigeria, Niger and Cameroon to launch terrorist acts.  This is a clear illustration of the fact that terrorism is beyond national borders.”

When contacted, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, confirmed that the Defence Minister is going to Chad but said he is unaware of the purpose. 

Meanwhile, the military authorities are said to be in the process of identifying the families of the latest victims with a view to making contact with them. 

Credible sources revealed that it is the reason the president is yet to make any pronouncement on the matter. 

“The President has called an urgent meeting with the Service Chiefs, as well as the fact that families of the latest victims of the Boko Haram are being identified and contacts made before a government pronouncement on the tragic attacks. This, it is understood, is the reason for the silence of the government over the incident,” the source said. 

 

Sourced From: Tribune

Continue Reading
Advertisement study in Ukraine

Politics

Popular Posts