society
REJOINDER: THE ARROGANCE OF POWER AND THE DIGNITY OF THE UNIFORM: A RESPONSE TO ANNGU ORNGU
REJOINDER: THE ARROGANCE OF POWER AND THE DIGNITY OF THE UNIFORM: A RESPONSE TO ANNGU ORNGU
The treatise by Mr. Anngu Orngu, while cloaked in the elegant language of constitutionalism, is a dangerous apologia for executive impunity and a gross misrepresentation of the relationship between civil authority and military professionalism. By attempting to justify Minister Nyesom Wike’s public humiliation of a serving military officer, Orngu not only misses the point but actively undermines the very constitutional order he claims to defend. It is a profound irony that a man who presents himself as a defender of the law demonstrates such a flawed understanding of its spirit and letter.
Let us be clear: the issue is not the Minister’s constitutional authority to supervise projects within his portfolio. The issue is the manner in which he chose to exercise that authority—a manner that was abusive, unconstitutional, and corrosive to national discipline.
1. The Fatal Flaw: Confusing Authority with Absolutism
Mr. Orngu, whom one can only assume is a pocket constitutional lawyer serving a narrow agenda, correctly cites Sections 5 and 148 of the Constitution. However, he commits a grave error by interpreting this as a grant of absolute, unaccountable power. Nowhere in the Constitution is a Minister granted the power to:
· Use insulting and abusive language against any citizen, let alone a commissioned officer of the Armed Forces.
· Threaten the use of violence against a state official.
· Publicly humiliate and demoralise an officer who was, by all accounts, performing his lawful duty.
The Minister’s power is derived from the Constitution and must be exercised within its bounds and in accordance with public service rules and decorum. Orngu’s argument, taken to its logical conclusion, would mean that a Minister could engage in any manner of misconduct, and it must be tolerated because he acts as an “extension of the President.” This is a recipe for tyranny, not democratic governance.
2. The Commissioned Officer: A Bearer of Sovereign Authority
Mr. Orngu’s most profound ignorance is exposed in his failure to understand the constitutional and legal status of a Presidential Commissioned Officer.
A commissioned officer does not receive his commission from a Minister. He receives it from the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, symbolised by the handover of the Nigerian Flag. His oaths of Allegiance and Office are sworn to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Nigeria, not to the ego of a Minister.
The officer at the scene was not a personal employee of Mr. Wike; he was a representative of the state’s coercive authority, performing a duty as assigned by the military chain of command. To reduce this sacred sovereign trust to a mere subservience to ministerial whim is an insult to the institution of the Nigerian Armed Forces. The officer’s duty is to obey lawful orders, not to endure public degradation. Even I, Pastor Musa Mai-Anguwa, a man of the cloth, understand this fundamental distinction between lawful authority and sheer impunity—a distinction that seems to elude a purported legal mind like Mr. Orngu.
3. The Established Protocol: The Path Mr. Wike Chose to Ignore
A true respect for constitutional order involves respecting the established institutions and channels of authority. If Minister Wike had a grievance with the officer’s conduct, the constitutional and professional path was clear and unambiguous:
1. He could have noted the officer’s name and unit.
2. He could have immediately contacted the Chief of Defence Staff or the relevant Service Chief.
3. He could have lodged a formal complaint through the Ministry of Defence to the military high command.
The military, governed by the stringent Armed Forces Act, has its own robust disciplinary procedures to address insubordination or misconduct. By bypassing this entire structure in favour of a public spectacle, Minister Wike did not assert constitutional authority; he displayed sheer arrogance and a blatant disregard for institutional protocols. He chose to be a bully instead of a leader.
4. The Real Threat to National Security
Orngu accuses Lt. Gen. Buratai of being “dangerously uninformed,” but the true danger lies in his own justification of impunity. The real threat to national security is not a junior officer standing his ground, but a Minister who:
· Demoralizes the armed forces by publicly stripping an officer of his dignity.
· Creates a climate of fear where officers may hesitate in their duties, uncertain whether professional decisions will lead to public shaming by a political appointee.
· Erodes the morale and esprit de corps that are the bedrock of an effective military.
An army that is taught to silently endure abuse from civil authorities is not a professional army; it is a servile one, and a servile army is a danger to democracy itself.
Conclusion: Defending the Constitution Means Defending Decorum
Mr. Orngu’s essay is a classic case of using the law as a shield for misconduct. He defends the source of power while ignoring the abuse of that power. The Constitution was designed to prevent the concentration and abuse of power, not to facilitate it.
It is a sad commentary that a Pastor like myself, whose duty is to preach righteousness and justice, must school a self-styled constitutionalist on the basic principles of decency and lawful conduct embedded in our national charter. Minister Wike’s actions were a disgraceful display of arrogance that would be unacceptable in any mature democracy. To support it, as Mr. Orngu does, is to endorse a culture of impunity that weakens our institutions, demoralizes our armed forces, and ultimately, undermines the Nigerian state.
The officer in question deserves commendation for his restraint, not condemnation. And those who, like Orngu, preach a blind obedience to abusive power should be reminded that the Constitution is a charter for decent governance, not a license for tyranny.
Signed,
Pastor Musa Mai-Anguwa
Abuja, Nigeria.
society
Rt Hon Treasure Edwin Inyang Appointed Secretary General to the Government of UKA (Worldwide)
Rt Hon Treasure Edwin Inyang Appointed Secretary General to the Government of UKA (Worldwide)*
January 29, 2026 – A prestigious appointment has been announced in the reign of Emperor Solomon Wining 1st, recognizing Rt Hon Treasure Edwin Inyang as the *Secretary General to the Government of UKA (Worldwide)*. The official certificate, designated STE.001-1 E, was presented to Rt Hon Inyang during a ceremonial investiture.
As Secretary General, Rt Hon Treasure Edwin Inyang will *monitor and coordinate* the implementation of government policies and programmes, serve as an advisory institution to the Government, drive policy formulation, harmonization, and implementation, and oversee the activities of ministries, agencies, and departments.
The appointment was proclaimed by *Emperor Prof. Dr. Solomon Wining*, Emperor of the United Kingdom of Atlantics and Empire Worldwide, and co-signed by *Empress Prof. Dr. Sriwan Kingjun*, Empress of Attica Empire, under the auspices of the 5 Billions Humanitarian Projects Incorporated.
The ceremony underscores the commitment to strengthening governance and humanitarian initiatives within the UKA (Worldwide) jurisdiction, effective immediately in the reign of Emperor Solomon Wining 1st.
society
GENERAL BULAMA BIU MOURNS BOKO HARAM VICTIMS, CALLS FOR UNITY AND RENEWED EFFORTS FOR PEACE
GENERAL BULAMA BIU MOURNS BOKO HARAM VICTIMS, CALLS FOR UNITY AND RENEWED EFFORTS FOR PEACE
In a solemn message of condolence and resolve, Major General Abdulmalik Bulama Biu mni (Rtd), the Sarkin Yakin of Biu Emirate, has expressed profound grief over a recent deadly attack by Boko Haram insurgents on citizens at a work site. The attack, which resulted in the loss of innocent lives, has been condemned as a senseless and barbaric act of inhumanity.
The revered traditional and military leader extended his heartfelt sympathies to the bereaved families, the entire people of Biu Emirate, Borno State, and all patriotic Nigerians affected by the tragedy. He described the victims as “innocent, peaceful, hardworking and committed citizens,” whose lives were tragically cut short.
General Biu lamented that the assault represents “one too many” such ruthless attacks, occurring at a time when communities are already engaged in immense personal and collective sacrifices to support government efforts in rebuilding devastated infrastructure and restoring hope.
In his statement, he offered prayers for the departed, saying, “May Almighty Allah forgive their souls and grant them Aljannan Firdaus.” He further urged the living to be encouraged by and uphold the spirit of sacrifice demonstrated by the victims.
Emphasizing the need for collective action, the retired Major General called on all citizens to redouble their efforts in building a virile community that future generations can be proud of. He specifically commended the “silent efforts” of some patriotic leaders working behind the scenes to end the security menace and encouraged all well-meaning Nigerians to join the cause for a better society.
“Together we can surmount the troubles,” he asserted, concluding with a prayer for divine intervention: “May Allah guide and protect us, free us from this terrible situation and restore an enduring peace, security, unity and prosperity. Amin.”
The statement serves as both a poignant tribute to the fallen and a clarion call for national solidarity in the face of persistent security challenges.
society
When a Nation Outgrows Its Care
When a Nation Outgrows Its Care.
By George Omagbemi Sylvester | Published by SaharaWeeklyNG.com
“Population Pressure, Poverty and the Politics of Responsibility.”
Nigeria is not merely growing. It is swelling and faster than its institutions, faster than its conscience and far faster than its capacity to care for those it produces. In a world already straining under inequality, climate stress and fragile governance, Nigeria has become a living paradox: immense human potential multiplied without the social, economic or political scaffolding required to sustain it.
This is not a demographic miracle. It is a governance failure colliding with cultural denial.
Across the globe, societies facing economic hardship typically respond by slowing population growth through education, access to healthcare and deliberate family planning. Nigeria, by contrast, expands relentlessly, even as schools decay, hospitals collapse, power grids fail and public trust erodes. The contradiction is jarring: a country that struggles to FEED, EDUCATE and EMPLOY its people continues to produce more lives than it can dignify.
And when the inevitable consequences arrive (unemployment, crime, desperation, migration) the blame is conveniently outsourced to government alone, as though citizens bear no agency, no RESPONSIBILITY, no ROLE in shaping their collective destiny.
This evasion is at the heart of Nigeria’s crisis.
The political economist Amartya Sen has long said that development is not merely about economic growth but about expanding human capabilities. Nigeria does the opposite. It multiplies human beings while shrinking the space in which they can thrive. The result is a society where life is abundant but opportunity is scarce, where children are born into structural neglect rather than possibility.
Governments matter. Bad governments destroy nations. Though no government, however competent, can sustainably provide for a population expanding without restraint in an environment devoid of planning, infrastructure and accountability.
This is where the conversation becomes uncomfortable and therefore necessary.
For decades, Nigerian leaders have failed spectacularly. Public education has been HOLLOWED out. Healthcare has become a LUXURY. Electricity remains UNRELIABLE. Social safety nets are virtually NONEXISTENT. Public funds vanish into PRIVATE POCKETS with brazen regularity. These are not disputed facts; they are lived realities acknowledged by development agencies, scholars and ordinary citizens alike.
Yet amid this collapse, REPRODUCTION continues unchecked, often CELEBRATED rather than QUESTIONED. Large families persist not as a strategy of hope but as a cultural reflex, untouched by economic logic or future consequence. Children are brought into circumstances where hunger is normalized, schooling is uncertain and survival is a daily contest.
The philosopher Hannah Arendt warned that irresponsibility flourishes where accountability is diffused. In Nigeria, responsibility has become a political orphan. The state blames history, colonialism or global systems. Citizens blame the state. Meanwhile, children inherit the cost of this mutual abdication.
International development scholars consistently emphasize that education (especially of girls) correlates strongly with smaller, healthier families and better economic outcomes. Nigeria has ignored this lesson at scale. Where education is weak, fertility remains high. Where healthcare is absent, birth becomes both risk and ritual. Where women lack autonomy, choice disappears.
This is not destiny. It is policy failure reinforced by social silence.
Religious and cultural institutions, which wield enormous influence, have largely avoided confronting the economic implications of unchecked population growth. Instead, they often frame reproduction as a moral absolute divorced from material reality. The result is a dangerous romanticism that sanctifies birth while neglecting life after birth.
The Kenyan scholar Ali Mazrui once observed that Africa’s tragedy is not lack of resources but lack of responsibility in managing abundance. Nigeria exemplifies this truth painfully. Rich in land, talent and natural wealth, the country behaves as though human life is an infinite resource requiring no investment beyond conception.
This mindset is unsustainable.
Around the world, nations that escaped mass poverty did so by aligning population growth with state capacity. They invested in people before multiplying them. They built systems before expanding demand. They treated citizens not as numbers but as future contributors whose welfare was essential to national survival.
Nigeria has inverted this logic. It produces demand without supply, citizens without systems, lives without ladders.
To say this is not to absolve government. It is to indict both leadership and followership in equal measure. Governance is not a one-way transaction. A society that demands accountability must also practice responsibility. Family planning is not a foreign conspiracy. It is a survival strategy. Reproductive choice is not moral decay. It is economic realism.
The Nigerian sociologist Adebayo Olukoshi has argued that development fails where political elites and social norms reinforce each other’s worst tendencies. In Nigeria, elite corruption meets popular denial, and the outcome is demographic pressure without developmental intent.
This pressure manifests everywhere: overcrowded classrooms, collapsing cities, rising youth unemployment and a mass exodus of talent seeking dignity elsewhere. Migration is not a dream; it is an indictment. People leave not because they hate their country, but because their country has failed to imagine a future with them in it.
And still, the cycle continues.
At some point, honesty must replace sentiment. A nation cannot endlessly reproduce its way out of poverty. Children are not economic policy. Birth is not development. Hope without planning is cruelty.
True patriotism requires difficult conversations. It demands confronting cultural habits that no longer serve collective survival. It insists on shared responsibility between state and citizen. It recognizes that bringing life into the world carries obligations that extend far beyond celebration.
Nigeria does not lack people. It lacks care, coordination and courage. The courage to align birth with dignity, growth with governance and culture with reality.
Until that reckoning occurs, complaints will continue, governments will rotate and generations will be born into a system that apologizes for its failures while reproducing them.
A nation that refuses to plan its future cannot complain when the future overwhelms it.
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