Achinike William-Wobodo To Falana: Trivializing national tragedy just to spite Amaechi is callousness taken too far

Some days ago, our dear country was struck by calamity, a traveling train was attacked by bandits, with explosives. Consequently, some Nigerians died, several wounded and some others taken hostage by the criminals. Clearly an act of TERRORISM. In saner climes, citizens would be trooping to train stations and other centres in their numbers to drop flowers and pray for the victims and their families.

In my own dear country where everything (whether fortune or misfortune) is measured along political mileage and gains, the case is different. A day after the incident, the entire social media space was saturated with a deliberate misquotation allegedly credited to the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi during his visit to the victims of the incident at Kaduna. Some mischief makers decided to recreate and release a misquotation:
“Nigerian people to liaise with the hospital management and see how much they can contribute to the treatment of the
patients” (misquotation)

Meanwhile, what Amaechi said in fact was: “I have said to the Nigerian Railway Corporation to liaise with the
hospital management and see how much they can contribute for the treatment of the patients.” Despite the fact that the Ministry of Transportation issued a disclaimer and released the video of the speech, the mischief continued.

As I read the posts, particularly one by an InstagramBlog, unconsciously some tears dropped down my cheeks. I wept not only because of the death of over six Nigerians who lost their lives and several others who were injured in the dastardly act perpetuated by some unrepentant criminals that derive joy in wickedness, but I also wept because of the much we have degenerated as a people. The razzmatazz with which my follow country men and women trivialized such a national tragedy was worrisome.

I have seen the video myself and ascertained that Mr. Amaechi never made the alleged “misquoted statement. For the purpose of a conversation, I asked myself, assuming that he made such call to Nigerians, how is that a bad call to warrant the outburst? How did we get to this point where we have totally lost our sense of charity, empathy and sympathy, that life means nothing anymore to us. Growing up, back in the days, we saw our parents grieve over the death of strangers as if they were family members, but today what we see are so called “statesmen” trivialize acts of terrorism and the tragic death of fellow country men and women, just to undermine a political adversary. What a shame!

I just read a post, purportedly credited to Femi Falana SAN, in which he was said to have called for the prosecution of the Minister of Transportation and the Managing Director of Nigerian Railway Corporation for criminal negligence, for acts of tourism committed by unidentified terrorists. It will grieve my heart if indeed it is true that Femi Falana made such call, because it exposes how rusty he may have become with respect to appreciating criminal responsibility for acts of terrorism. Should it be true that he did, then I will be constrained to advise him to be a bit more circumspect and stop jumping into public discuss unprepared like an “upcoming celebrity” who is seeking cheap popularity.

If Femi Falana actually called for the Prosecution of the Minister of Transportation, a contacting ministry and the MD, NRC for an act of terrorism committed by unidentified bandits, then I wish to know what his call was for the Inspector General of Police, the Director General of DSS, Minister of Police Affairs, Minister of Interior, the Comptroller General of the National Civil Defence Corp, who are the Government Authorities and Agencies vested with the constitutional responsibility for homeland (internal) security of this country. Maybe, he called for their summary execution.

Perhaps, he made no call against them because they are not in political limelight at the moment, or because there is no insinuation that they are aspiring to become President of Nigeria, and against Falana’s friends. Femi Falana SAN and his likes, should not, either overtly or inadvertently conduct themselves in a manner that would further promote or validate the “conspiracy theory“ that the attack on the Kaduna-Abuja train was politically motivated to undermine or bring Rotimi Amaechi, a possible President Aspirant, in the eye of the storm.

Let me conclude by calling on all detractors of Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi to leave him alone, but if they cannot, they should at least spear the lives of innocent Nigerians. Bombing a train and killing innocent Nigerians is not the way to disparage or put Rotimi Amaechi in the eye of the storm; that is wickedness and must be condemned by all.

Achinike William-Wobodo
Wrote from Port Harcourt.