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It is in the light of this that the Minister of Defence, Maj. Gen. Bashir Magashi (retd.), reiterated in a comment on TV that Nigerians who run away when attacked by terrorists or bandits are cowards. While addressing journalists in a video that surfaced on social media on Wednesday, February 17, he literally named the Nigerians who wait for government interventions for security as cowards. He went on to utter even more embarrassing statement for someone whose primary role is to ensure the security of Nigerians. But one question remains prominent if Nigerians are now at the mercy of their own strength and are left to defend themselves, where will they get legally bearable weapons to achieve this end? In the United States of America, the matter of citizens bearing weapons for their security and self-defence has been raging within the ranks of the ideological divide for decades. While some agree with the 2nd Amendment which protects the right of Americans to bear arms, others have criticised the code as a major driver of mass murder events in America. In the case of Nigeria, rather than seeing the Nigerian military, the Nigerian Police, etc as law enforcement defenders of the realm, it is more commonplace to find them neutralising citizens such as that of 20th October Lekki Massacre. If citizens are allowed to defend themselves against marauders and terrorists, it would only be a proper addition to a host of the self-governance Nigerians engage in since they already provide a lot of amenities and basic needs for themselves. Citizens will also no more be afraid of expressing their dissent to their leaders via protests since they can easily exchange fire for fire with any rogue policeman or soldier who wants to brutalise them.
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So, the minister of defence, who also once served as the Chief of Guards Brigade under Gen. Sani Abacha, might be on to something. In the Minister’s quest to justify his ministry’s incompetence, he has instead succeeded in showing ethnic bigotry. He might actually have proffered the more practical solution to a host of Nigeria’s problem and how to get rid of their non-performing leaders. Source: Pulse.ng Featured image source: Premium Times
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