WELCOME TO FOUNTAIN HEIGHTS UPDATE: WILL YOU DIE FOR NIGERIA? By Mr. Femi Sowoolu

I picked on this article because of what I read about in the widely read YES magazine some time ago. In the magazine there is an article that is always featured titled, 'VOICES IN MY HEAD', written by one Mr. Femi Sowoolu.

In one of his articles, he wrote about “ARE THERE ANY HEROES OUT THERE? in Vol 2 No. 23, of the magazine.

After reading from him, I had to title this article 'Will You Die For Nigeria?'
Now, sit back and read with me what this guy is trying to say, and if patriotism to one's nation is a course to die for in Nigeria.

I have decided to present the article as PART I and II.

Enjoy PART I.

Mr. Femi Sowoolu said:

What would you be willing to die for? Have ever given the idea a thought? A brave man did say that to be able to live well, one must always be willing to die. Well, not in those words exactly, but you get my drift.

History is replete with the tales of brave men who died for freedom, for country and for love. For love? Would it not be unwise to die for love as fleeting as that subject can often be? We should ask all the generals who died for Cleopatra and Nefertiti. Only poets and musicians die for love.

The history of mankind has annals filled with stories of war, of soldiers, brave men who laid down their lives that others may continue their sojourns. Not all men fight. Not all men were born to be heroes. American World War II hero, Geoge S. Patton, said: “The object of war is not to die for your country but to make the other guy die for his.”

Geoge S. Patton

Many men would willingly die for their countries. Many have. Many Nigerian patriots have also stupidly thought they had a country worth dying for. And they died. They remain uncelebrated because the state they died for never did understand the term, martyrdom, nor believe that anybody would be foolish enough to prefer a peasant’s death to a lifetime worth of lucre. I attempted a Google search the other day; I simply typed ‘Nigerian Heroes.’ To my utter surprise the name the search produced were filled with past presidents and military dictators, like IBB, OBJ, and co. Or are the former military presidents still holding us to ransom for ‘winning’ that silly Biafran war?

There was not one single name on that list of people who died fighting for freedom, or against oppression, or for national love, cohesion and brotherhood. There was no Ifeajuna, no Nzeugwu, or Adegboyega or any of the other brave nationalist captains and majors who dared the corruption and cronyism of the First Republic.

There was no Dele Giwa who was bombed out because he knew more truth than he really should. The most painful part about Ken Saro Wiwa’s tragic killing is the fact that the present Nigerian government has turned his son into a government apologist of sorts-ambassador extraordinaire, praising the virtues of his sudden good luck, on the international stage.MKO Abiola’s hero status has been consistently denied severally by Federal Governments since he was culinarily assassinated in 1998.

MKO

Dele Giwa

Ken Saro Wiwa

In finding reason for madness, the current presidency renamed a university that traditionally has no links to the man. Whom was that supposed to appease? There are many nameless heroes who die daily through air mishaps, road accidents poorly administered hospitals, armed robberies, stray bullets, unknown soldiers and policemen, cultism and terror attacks. But these ones did not wish to die. If they had been asked, they most likely would have chosen not to die for any ‘yeye’ country, perhaps.