Gov. Chime’s Insensitivity

Comfort Obi

The story is one that touches the heart. Entitled: Kogi: Shot Student’s Mum Goes Insane, it was carried, on page six, by the Daily Champion of December 7.
I had commented on that issue weeks back on this page. It is the story of how a security detail on the convoy of Enugu State Governor, Sullivan Chime, shot dead a student of the Kogi State University, Anyigba. The governor was on his way to Abuja when his speeding and siren-blaring convoy met the students who were protesting, at the university’s gate, the killing of one of them by a bus. It was while they were on this protest that Governor Chime’s convoy arrived. The students were happy. They thought that perhaps, at last, somebody would listen to them. The convoy stopped. But what happened next would make armed robbers green with envy. One of Chime's security aides brought out a gun, and shot dead a student. Indeed, the story which neither Chime, nor his government, has bothered to refute or confirm, is that two students, and a pupil were shot.
As said earlier, I had commented on this story before. And I had thought that Chime had not only apologised to the university, but had started the process of compensating the family of the dead. Two things made me think so.
The students after waiting for Chime’s reaction had threatened that they were going to carry their dead colleague to Government House, Enugu. I didn’t think any governor worth that title would keep quiet. The second reason why I concluded that Chime must have reached out to both the university and the government of Kogi State was when it was published that the Kogi House of Assembly had protested the incident to the government of Enugu State. I was of the opinion that if Chime dismissed the students' threat as empty, he dared not ignore a protest by the Honourable House. But not true. You expect it when you are dealing with a compassionate man. You expect it when you are dealing with one who believes in the injunction in the Holy Bible which urges us to: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”
The shock of Chime’s insensitivity hit me as I read the Daily Champion story. The story was a cry from the Vice Chancellor of Kogi State University, Professor Francis Idachaba, to the Senate President, David Mark. On a visit by Mark, to Anyigba, Idachaba told him that the mother of the 300 level student, Mohammed Meyanga, allegedly shot dead by Chime's security aide has developed psychiatric problems. The Vice Chancellor who couldn’t understand the level of insensitivity and irresponsibility displayed by Chime appealed to the Senate to intervene in the killing of the student. Idachaba: “Our intense grief in the university arises not only from the murder of our student, but from the apparent insensitivity of the Enugu State governor.” He accused the governor of heartlessly carrying on as if nothing happened. Then, he threw the bombshell. Idachaba: "Mohammed’s mother, who lives not far from here is in serious mental state as I address you, Mr Senate President." He told Mark that the shock of Mohammed’s death had negatively affected his mother, and triggered off a mental condition. He then told Mark: "As the Chief Lawmaker in this country, you need to protect the lives of helpless Nigerians from the recklessness and insensitivity of some of our elected officials." He added: “The university community and the parents and guardians of the victim are crying to the Senate President to help curtail the arrogance of Chime.”
I don’t know what Senator Mark has done since. I don’t know if he has contacted Chime or not. But I really would like to ask: Has all the political leaders in Kogi State been castrated? And, I mean this to include the women leaders. Does Kogi State no longer have a state governor? Has Idris Abubakar been sacked as the governor? The last time I checked, he was still there. I know the state election tribunal gave him a red card, but he has since appealed. Until he loses at the Appeal Court, he is still the governor. Even if he loses, one of the ways he can warm his way back into the hearts of the people so they would vote him back is to be seen as fighting their cause. One of those causes is to ask his colleague, Chime, why he is behaving as irresponsibly as he is behaving. Everybody in Kogi is Idris' subject. He should ask Chime why he came to his domain, killed his subject, and is pretending as if nothing happened. As the governor of Kogi State, the student was his son. He should ask Chime why his security detail killed his son. Indeed, thinking of it, if Mohammed was the biological son of Idris, or of any big man, would Chime behave the way he has behaved? To put it mildly, Chime’s attitude smacks of arrogance. Worse, it smacks of irresponsibility.
The worst thing that can happen to a country is to have ungodly people as leaders. In Chime, considering his behaviour towards Mohammed’s killing, that’s what Enugu people have got. Lest Chime forgets, he is responsible for the mental ill-health of Mohammed’s mother. Lest he forgets also, there is life after the State House. What will Chime tell his God later?
In more civilised countries, Chime’s insensitive behaviour is enough to sack him from Enugu State Government House. He has not shown compassion.
Finally, the story in Enugu is that Chime’s pastime is to organise ball- room dances. To date, it is alleged that he has organised 29 of such dances. Let me advise that in addition to the ballroom dances, Chime should take up the responsibility of taking Mohammed’s mother to the best psychiatrist hospital in Nigeria. He should also adopt one of her children and educate the lad up to the university level. These, of course, should be after he has rendered a public apology to the family and the university.
As for the security aide who heartlessly shot and killed Mohammed, he should be handed over to the police for prosecution. That is the least Nigerians expect.