Every resident of Lagos state should by now be aware of the recent brutality which was unleashed on an innocent lady, Miss Uzoma Okere on the 3rd of November by six naval ratings attached to Rear Admiral Harry Arogundade.
The ugly incidence was shown on ireport for the whole world to see how Nigerian citizens are “well taken care” of by the same set of people that they are supposed to run to for solace. This is not the first of such incidents but we hope this will put a stop to it. Some time ago, we heard of the southern Governor who maltreated a young woman and her kids; for what reason one would wonder? Police men shoot, beat, harass and ultimately have succesfully made every civilian see them as the scum of the earth.
In the case of Harry Arogundade, what were his ratings doing with horse whips? People in authority in this nation have taken it upon themselves to lord it on the people; people they are supposed to defend and protect. Lagos state governor, Babatunde Fashola recently banned the use of sirens by any governor or government officials within the state. This is the least of the several policies that should be made to leash this power intoxicated individuals. How many people are aware that the President – elect of the US, senator Barack Obama, lived in a self – contained when he was the illinois senator? The government officials cannot be differentiated from the people they serve; infact, a US senator will readily pass for a Nigerian senator’s PA.
This is a clarion call to our leaders to help NIGERIANS feel safe and comfortable. We elected them to protect, defend and fight for us not with us. It is a call to responsibility and dignity in order to uphold Nigeria’s HONOUR AND GLORY!!!
I am the author of Scaling for Success: Empowering African SMEs. I am a Partner at Sahel Capital, a food and agriculture-focused private investment firm in Sub-Saharan Africa. Sahel Capital manages the Fund for Agriculture Financing in Nigeria (FAFIN) and the Social Enterprise Fund for Agriculture in Africa (SEFAA).
I co-lead SEFAA, an impact-first fund investing in agribusinesses that provide direct or indirect benefits to smallholder farmers across 13 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. I also lead investments and portfolio management for SEFAA and manage FAFIN portfolios, two of which were recently exited. I am a director on the board of one of the portfolio companies and serve in advisory roles for several startups and SMEs.