If We Must Die, It's a Matter of Honour: The example of Aguiyi Ironsi and Adekunle Fajuyi.

Bar. Austin Okeke Writes

Growing up in Lagos Nigeria as a teenager; I so much wanted to be Adekunle Fajuyi because his sacrifice and bravery reminds me of Jesus Christ.

Greater love has no man than he that lay down his life for his fellow man. Jesus Christ did exactly what He had preached.

History as a subject was very fascinating especially where it told of the history of Nigeria, its people and the civil war. The writers of our history books back then had the ability to render the stories in such a way as though one was watching a movie. There were sequences and near perfect pictorial accounts of the historic events told.

Reading the history books captivated me with great admiration and love for the characters, you could easily place yourself in that era without being guilty of hallucinations.

Jaja of Opobo, where are you? Kosoko, where are you? Abriba Warriors where are you? Nzeogwu, where are you?

Buhari and Buratai are hell bent on destroying the legacy you proudly had fought for. They are on the verge of wiping out your people and your history; they have abolished history as a subject in our schools. They have planned to replace it with mental accounts of terror and savagery. Panic and fear have gripped your people. Let your spirits arise!

Since Jubil Aminu wiped out moral instructions from the Nigerian schools curriculum as the Minister of Education during the Babangida regime as the Military Head of State, morality and civility of the generation of Nigerians thereafter have declined tremendously.

They are daily shedding the blood of the same people you had defended and protected with honour. They have no honour themselves,  they have no iota of dignity. They are consumed in their appetite for mayhem, they have an insatiable crave for blood; innocent blood of harmless and armless people. Blood letting has become their mantra, without which, they won't rest.

Unlike you, they have ignored the clear and present threat to the sovereignty and to the land you so bravely fought for and protected. You, as great leaders that you were,  confronted head on, the foreign invaders, whereas Buhari has  chosen to turn his back on the occupier terror group Boko Haram,  but instead chose to commit genocide. A crime against humanity.

Buhari a coward, enjoys a self created distraction in the form of the Fulani herdsmen he has sent on a mission;  a mission to wipe out your people.

Buhari a cursed man, a failure amongst his peers and contemporaries, a man with no vision for his immediate family until recently that he has for the second failed attempt to run the affairs of Nigeria. He was only able to properly cater for his family once he had laid his hands on public funds. All of his family members are now living on foreign lands, thanks to our money that he has stolen.

The story of Aguiyi Ironsi and Adekunle Fajuyi never left my mind even as I read other accounts of the rise and fall of kingdoms and Empires in the history classes. None has come closer to the emulation of what Jesus Christ did for humankind on the Cross in Calvary, than those of Ironsi and Fajuyi.

Adekunle Fajuyi the Governor of the then Western Region of Nigeria had played host to his brother and the Head of State of Nigeria at the time, Aguiyi Ironsi.  Not knowing that there had been a military coup d'etat against his guest, the Head of State.

The coup plotters came to Adekunle Fajuyi's house to arrest and to kill his guest. They forced their way in, demanded that Adekunle Fajuyi handed over his guest, the Head of State. Rather than give away his guest, he gave his life first. They killed both of them dishonourably. So the murderers had foolishly thought to themselves.

No, they both died with honour. Brave soldiers that they were, unlike Buhari who goes about these days singing "when I was a young soldier" as if to say he has ever been in a war front.

Buhari, go and find your age mates you useless man. What you could not achieve as a younger soldier, you will never achieve now. Shame shall be your portion.

The only viable change that would be appreciated by all Nigerians is that you Buhari must go. Get the hell out, we have been told many stories in the past, similar to your present day rhetorics. You told same unintelligible story in January 1984 when you overthrew a democratically elected government, jailed select few politicians from the tribes you do not like and without trial for that matter, you wrecked the economy just like you are doing at present, you wreaked havoc in the society, and used fear tactics to steal from the coffers just like you are doing at present.

You are too old to understand the modern realities of this fast moving techno world. Do yourself a favour and get the hell out of that office. You are desecrating it.

You and your cohorts, after the civil war, changed the Bight of Biafra to Bight of Benin. It will take more than a name change to defeat the indigenes of Bight of Biafra,  and you cant. It will take more than the change of a name to change the course of history and to thwart what God has created and ordained.  Self determination is a God given right that you Buhari cannot ignore or pretend to ignore. It's inherent and inalienable.

Brigadier Ogbemudia, the military governor of the then Midwest of Nigeria changed Igbo Akiri to Igbanke, because he only wanted to please his masters. He denied himself his identity as an Igbo man that he was, all because he wanted to please his Fulani masters. What a shame. Where is he now? Gone with shame without ownership of his own mind and will. Buhari such are you tactics; to destroy people. Your time is up.

Buhari you have demonstrated severally that you have no shame, no honour at all. Nothing of dignity left of you except hollow and slurred speeches. Nothing honourable to compare with those  of Adekunle Fajuyi and Aguiyi Ironsi. They were far more superior than you.

You remain a failure that you have been as a young soldier. Please keep it that way.

Let it be known to you that we are the descendants of Adekunle Fajuyi, and Aguiyi Ironsi, same brave and honourable soldiers you were not able to match their standards, you therefore cannot defeat us for we possess similar spirits such as theirs.

Be reminded that the bloods of our forefathers such as Jaja of Opobo, Kosoko, Abriba Warriors, and Nzeogwu run in our veins and arteries, we therefore shall defend our land even if we must die doing so.

As it was for our forebears, it remains a matter honour to leave a legacy for our future generations.

History would be taught in our classrooms whether you like it or not, our future generations shall learn of our bravery and honour. They shall be told of your failure as a young soldier and of your continued failure and cowardice as a cursed old man.

The labour of our heroes past shall never be in vain. Be warned.