True Story: Why Sanwo-Olu Should Apologise to the Wounded Soldier He Arrested
There was the need to look critically into the award-winning drama that ensued between H.E. Governor Sanwo-Olu and the acclaimed Soldier whom our underground investigation confirmed to be a battle-tested soldier, who has fought for the peace and tranquillity of this great country against the dreaded Boko Haramist, wounded, have an iron implant in his hand.
The emotions that surrounded the whole drama are understandable due to the tension out there, while some criticize His Excellency for his approach and use of words, some blamed the soldier for disobeying Lagos State traffic laws. SecuredNaija.com is not here to blame or criticise any of the actors but to critically review the situation and bring the true story to our unique audience.
It was gathered that the soldier in question is a serving personnel of the military. The soldier sustained injury in the North East while fighting the dreaded Boko Haram terrorist and was wounded in the process. The soldier was said to have an iron implant in his hand due to his high degree of injury. Looking in-depth, it could be said that the soldier could be incapable of riding a bike.
Additionally, looking critically at the video, it is possible that the soldier was not the bike’s rider, as it seems the bike rider dropped his bike and ran. The soldier was seen standing while others took to their heels, the respectful soldier stood calm, possibly because he believed he was not an offender. It is therefore possible that he was a passenger who had no choice but to follow where the rider passed or waiting to pick up a bike. That also made him an offender together with the rider, hence he committed an offense against the traffic laws of Lagos State.
The soldier who believed he shouldn’t be roughly handled, replied the governor, ‘’ I am a soldier o’’, while some criticize the soldier for saying that, it is obvious the soldier was saying it to clarify that he was not a bike rider or commercial motorcyclist as the case may be. The wounded soldier was also trying to appeal to the psyche of His Excellency, to consider or at least, treat him with respect as against the way he was dragged by his escorts like a criminal.
The way the soldier was expecting a different reaction towards his proclamation as a soldier was the same expectation from millions of other Nigerians who understand the huge sacrifices Nigerian soldiers have put up to make Nigeria an indivisible state. The sacrifices that have been displayed so many times in the protection and securing of Lagos State before the Governor and during his tenure as the governor of Lagos State. While many see it this way, some million others believes that the soldier muttered that because he saw himself as above the law.
Is the Governor right in his approach to the matter? Many Nigerians have criticized the Governor for behaving a little below his status as an excellency. That also does not remove the fact that His Excellency is human and could make mistakes. Nevertheless, both the ‘soldier’ and the governor have committed offenses against the laws of the land if only he is a motorcyclist, which our investigation says otherwise at Press time. How has the governor committed an offense? He committed an offence by Insulting the ‘soldier according to Section 231 of the Nation’s Criminal Code Act (CCA), particularly at sub(2).
Aside from the legal infringement of the Governor, the Governor has also broken a moral principle, by calling a God creation, a Nigerian citizen, and of course, a soldier who has fought and wounded for the country, ‘ us3less’. The governor who was also boldly wearing the costliest emblem of the Armed Forces Remembrance Day could not hold his disgust for the men of the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria by getting angrier when the soldier appealed to him to consider him as a soldier. Instead, His Excellency reaffirmed several times that being a soldier is the reason why he would lock him up. The irony was that the soldier is one of the heroes being celebrated with the emblem the Governor was wearing because the soldier has fought and was wounded for the nation in the process.
The Governor’s anger did not even make him look deeper to see the wounds and the pains of the wounded soldier. The governor’s statement that ‘ let your father come and arrest me’ was uncalled for and shows the governor’s lack of respect for the family institution which is the first step of leadership anywhere in the world. The Governor is respectfully requested to take a look at his anger management again because of the nature of the office he is holding. He has been a people’s governor, trying to give the people the dividend of democracy, he should therefore not allow this issue he is supposed to shine, to embarrass his hard earned reputation.
When former Gov Fashola was the governor of Lagos State, a similar situation happened to a serving Colonel but the then governor, though angry, respected the senior officer, but only said that nobody is above the law. He did not also use any foul language that could earn him this avoidable embarrassment. The Colonel who kept saluting and apologizing to the governor like the soldier, shows how respectful and the level of subordination to the civil authority of our unique soldiers. What the governor did could have attracted uncalled-for reaction by soldiers if it was in other climes. An embarrassment to a soldier is an embarrassment to all soldiers and the institution they represent based on military training all over the world.
Nevertheless, neither the ‘soldier’ nor the governor was right. But the Governor has displayed an unusual quality of a leader with his approach. He could, therefore, wish to apologize to this wounded soldier immediately, or in his speech during the final ceremony of the Armed Forces Remembrance Day in Lagos State. Soldiers are supposed to be Sanwo Olu’s friends, not his enemies.
The governor’s lieutenants who will write his speech should not try to make sense of or defend the already embarrassing situation, they should rather be smart to make the governor shine again by simply apologising to the soldier and the electorates before making further necessary comments during which he could re-emphasize why soldiers should not break the Lagos State laws.
securednaija.com
