Who Will Die for Nigeria?

There was an emotional outpouring in the mainstream media on Monday, October 19 over the death of one of the most celebrated journalists, Dele Giwa. This year marked the 29th anniversary after his death. Dele Giwa was murdered in cold blood through a mail bomb at his residence on that fateful day.

Speculations surrounding his death pointed accusing fingers at the military government in power then. There was an outcry for justice but 29 years later, the culprits are yet to be caught, let alone brought to book. Despite the authority’s incompetence to fish out the murderers, nothing has been done to honour Giwa for his contribution to investigative journalism.

This was what led some aggrieved members of the society to protest that a School of Journalism should be built in his honour. It is not known if the federal government will heed to their clarion call.

The story is same for Ameyo Adadevoh who died saving our nation from the deadly Ebola epidemic. For their heroic deeds, they get emotional messages on social media and few mentions in the traditional media. What happened to our values system?

When will we celebrate those who put their lives on the line for all? When we will stop celebrating mediocrity and uphold those who deserve national honours? When will we kill the gullibility of social media hype? When will we start recognising real people? When will we get over our insatiable desire for a celebrity status?

If those who are making sacrifices for our beloved nation are not rewarded, then who will die for Nigeria? Who will want to walk through the shadows of death for a country that has no regard for her citizens? Who will want to go the extra mile to ensure that every citizen’s right is protected and respected? Tell me, who?