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Soludo: Is second term so sweet to be bought at the price of cowardice?
By Sunny Igboanugo
“As we approach the 250th anniversary of our Nation’s Independence on July 4, 2026, we look to Patrick Henry, a son of the frontier, the first and sixth Governor of Virginia, an unflinching advocate for American Independence, and a true man of his moment.
“Today, we invoke his courage, we honor his legacy, and we fearlessly summon the spirit of 1776 to build a future that we will be proud to impart on our children. Like Patrick Henry and the giants of American liberty who came before us, now is our time to ring that great bell of American freedom and to propel our Nation into a new and radiant golden age.
“NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim March 23, 2025, as a day in celebration of the 250th anniversary of Patrick Henry’s speech to the Second Virginia Convention.
“In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this twentieth day of March the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-five, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-ninth.”
These were the words with which Donald Trump commemorated the 250th anniversary of Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death, that epochal declaration on which America stood to unsheathe its sword from the scabbard to fight for independence.
Yes! On March 23, 1775, at the Second Virginia Convention, Patrick Henry, a lawyer and preacher, rose to his feet to address the over 100 delegates including George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and many other statesmen, who had gathered to decide the American fate in the hands of the British authorities.
So fiery were his words that these 100 men and many more, who had been wringing their fingers over their parlous fate decided to take that decisive option, which has now transformed their country to the most powerful on earth today – fight!
Fresh in their hearts was the memory of the bloody Boston Massacre and the British Parliament’s authoritarian imposition of the Intolerable Acts – which closed the Boston Harbor and stripped New England Colonists of their right to self-govern, and amid the escalating tensions between the Patriots and the Redcoats, these great men, still torn between continuing the pursuit of peace, or as a final recourse, to take up arms in the rebellion.
Then came Patrick Henry! Bystanders, who watched the scenario, said there was “an unearthly fire burning in his eye.” So moving, powerful and captivating were his words that one of the listeners standing by the window made a wish that he be buried at the exact spot he stood to listen, which was granted at his death.
Here are those words which made America what it is today: “Why stand we here idle? What is it that gentlemen wish? What would they have? Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!” , had no further reason to tarry. With that push, those great men went on to sign the Declaration of Independence. And America was born!
On Thursday, June 12, 2025, Charles Chukwuma Soludo, Governor of Anambra State was on hand with a similar outing. At the 2025 edition of The Platform – a national development initiative, and a yearly event put together by Poju Oyemade, Senior Pastor and Founder of The Covenant Nation (TCN), a church founded in 1994 with headquarters in Lagos, Soludo, displayed rare quality of oratory and superlative knowledge.
Listening to him, evoked the same emotions that must have made that bystander declare that he be buried at the spot he stood to hear Patrick Henry. I couldn’t be prouder that I breathe the same air with him as onye Anambra and more particularly, onye OAU. How couldn’t I? How many Nigerians could deliver half of the enchanting treatise, I had just listened to?
But of course, it is in the blood! O di na-obala. Nnamdi Azikiwe, Odumegwu Ojukwu, Chuba Okadigbo, Peter Obi, Soludo et al! Remember Obi’s stellar performance at the same The Platform in 2016, where he not only mesmerised the same audience, but practically sold himself to Nigerians and garnered the momentum, which has continued to bourgeon till date.
Yes, this tiny South East state not only posts the unique DNA of producing gifted speakers who could with words make men dare lions with bare hands, but men of courage who dared the same lions with their own hands as well.
Was it Zik, the Owelle of Onitsha, the undisputed father of Nigeria, who combined the power of oratory and rare courage to rally other compatriots to action against colonial masters for Nigeria to gain independence?
Was it Ojukwu, who displayed a yet to be matched courage and oratory to stop the monster eating up his people when he drew a line in the sand to provide safety for them as they fled the scenes of mindless butchery across the country and thereafter sustained a 30-month civil war, with a history that has remained a major puzzle in global military circles till date.
Had Okadigbo traded courage for compromise, if not cowardice, he would probably have served out his tenure as Senate President, and probably been alive today. But he chose the former, chose to fight. Yes, he not only lost his position but also his life. But great men like him, his place is firmly etched permanently on the positive side of history.
Today, could anyone speak of politics in Nigeria without Obi? But it comes with its own scars, earned in sustained political wars. Denied victory at the polls he fought his way to power. Impeached from office he returned. While Soludo was at The Platform and the entire gamut of Nigeria’s political leadership were jesting at the National Assembly and mocking Nigerians, Obi was showing the stuff he is made of, by addressing Nigerians on the real issues.
Now, picture if Soludo had chosen the part of rousing Nigerians to action with that breathtaking delivery decked in those powerful words which held his audience spellbound! But no! What followed was the direct opposite. He rather used the platform to offer lame and obtuse excuses spelt every bit disgrace than valour.
In my head since has been ringing this persistent bell: Where is Soludo’s own Anambra DNA of courage? Where, my compatriots? He couldn’t be that bereft of that basic essential that marks out the Anambra man. I ask because that is the only credible reason for this nauseating display of fawning and clowning around President Bola Tinubu, which has become his trademark in recent months. Nothing else!
How could Soludo, look Nigerians in the face and declare to them that Tinubu is not responsible for the current suffering in the land today? But that was the rotten egg the selfsame Soludo threw in the face of his audience after posting that classic delivery on Thursday.
Pray! If Tinubu is not responsible for why more than 30 million Nigerians have suddenly found their way into multi-dimensional poverty and why the country is the global poverty capital, who is?
It wasn’t enough that Charlie nwa-Mgbafo virtually poured vinegar to the festering wound of his people by rolling out the drums to celebrate the same man, who has wantonly cheated them daily, treated them like trash and reduced them to fourth-class citizens, but he had to climb the podium and with the klieg light and camera beamed on you, regale the world with such unearthly fallacy!
All because of second term? Haba! On that podium 250 years ago, Patrick Henry had challenged his compatriots, when he asked that famous question: “Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Today, I ask, is second term so dear to you, Charlie nwa-Mgbafo as to be earned by cowardice?
My name is Sunny Igboanugo, I’m The Tiny Voice!
“The suspect offered ₦500 million to the SPU commander in an attempt to make the team stand down and allow him to contact his associates to move the consignment elsewhere. The offer was rejected immediately and properly documented for further investigation.”
These were the exact words of Olohundare Jimoh Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG), with which he detailed how operatives of the Zone 2 Command of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) scoffed at a N500million bribe to turn their eyes off the importation of a huge consignment of drugs imported into the country.
This was part of the details of a major breakthrough by the operatives after bursting a major drug trafficking syndicate in Lagos, which led to the seizure of suspected illicit drugs estimated at ₦7.8 billion and arresting several suspects, including the alleged kingpin.
In the operation, reportedly carried out by officers of the Special Protection Unit (SPU) in collaboration with divisional police detectives, the operatives, were said to have stormed a house in Mende, Maryland area of Lagos, following months of surveillance and intelligence gathering coordinated by the Zone 2 Headquarters.
The recovered drugs consisted of hundreds of bags of suspected Canadian Loud, allegedly stored in the residence of the prime suspect, Jimoh, said disclosing that the suspect was apprehended on May 19 after weeks of strategic monitoring by operatives.
Offering further details, he said the operation was executed with technical support and guidance from the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olatunji Disu, alongside coordinated efforts between the SPU and divisional police teams.
Jimoh revealed that during the operation, the suspect allegedly attempted to bribe the SPU commander with ₦500 million to compromise the mission and allow the movement of the drug consignment.
The AIG described the development as a reflection of the renewed professionalism and operational discipline being entrenched in the Force under the current policing strategy.
He noted that the success of the operation underscored the importance of deploying specialized police units alongside conventional divisional teams in tackling organized crime.
According to him, the operation demonstrated the effectiveness of rapid containment strategies, intelligence-led policing, and professional conduct among the operatives involved in the raid.
“Rapid containment was achieved as the Special Protection Unit worked with divisional teams to secure the perimeter and prevent escape or interference with evidence.
“The operation was intelligence-driven, following months of surveillance and technical monitoring before the raid was carried out.
“The immediate rejection and documentation of the bribe attempt also reflect the standard expected from redeployed personnel at the divisional level,” Jimoh added.
Reacting to the development, the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olatunji Disu, commended the operatives for their professionalism, saying the success of the operation validated the ongoing redeployment of personnel to divisions and units across Lagos and Ogun states.
The IGP noted: “Policing must be close to the people, and our specialized units must work side by side with divisional teams on the ground.
“The professionalism shown by the SPU commander in rejecting a ₦500 million bribe and following due procedure is the standard we expect. It shows that when you put your best foot forward at the grassroots, you get results and restore public trust.”
Disu further assured that the Force leadership would continue to reward integrity while holding officers accountable to the highest ethical standards.
Police authorities said exhibits recovered during the operation have been properly documented and will be tendered in court. The suspects are currently in custody while investigations continue to track down other members of the drug trafficking network.
Slavery is a wound on the memory of the Universal Church, Pope Leo XIV, said on Monday, as he issued a fresh apology over the participation of the the Catholic Church in the centuries-long delay in condemning slavery.
The pontiff stressed the position of the church after his predecessors had offered similar apologies, said: “For this, in the name of the Church, I sincerely ask for pardon.”
Writing in a major text that warned about “new forms of slavery” behind the digital economy, the joined John Paul II, who denounced slave trade in 1992 before issuing a sweeping request for forgiveness for historical injustices in 2000 and Pope Francis who also repeatedly denounced contemporary forms of slavery.
In his own vein, Pope Leo, pointed out that the Church owned slaves until the Middle Ages and it also advised European sovereigns on how to justify the enslavement of “infidels.”
He stressed in “Magnifica Humanitas” (Magnificent Humanity), a document focused primarily on the rise of artificial intelligence, that it was only in the 19th century that “a formal, absolute and universal condemnation of slavery was clearly articulated.”
Hear him: “It is true that past events cannot be judged anachronistically, as though the moral criteria that matured over time had always been available. Yet neither can we deny or diminish the delay with which both society and the Church came to denounce the scourge of slavery. This constitutes a wound in Christian memory, one from which we cannot consider ourselves detached.”
Qowiy Oloyede, a resident of Oriya Sokoto road, Atan Ota, is currently telling operatives of the Ogun State Colice command, the reasons that pushed him into making a video suggesting that a part of the state was under attack of terrorists, knowing same to be fake.
Oloyede, reports say, dragged to the police on May 23 by one Ayinla Sodiq, who accused him of creating and sharing a misleading TikTok video falsely claiming that bandits had invaded the Atan Ota community..
Zagazola Makama, a counterinsurgency publication, which broke the news, said on immediately being questioning by the Divisional Police Officer (DPO), Oloyed, allegedly confessed to fabricating the video to gain followers on social media.
Apart from admitting that that he created the fake bandit attack content to gain followers and trend online, said in a video currently on social media the herder featured in the clip was a cattle rearer who usually grazed cows behind his shop and had initially refused to participate before eventually agreeing.
Oloyede, who also claimed he could neither read nor write, adding that his apprentice wrote the caption accompanying the video posted online, maintained that he had only produced and posted two similar videos, one on Monday and another on Wednesday.
The command, said to have recovered photographs and video evidence linked to the fake publication during preliminary investigation, added that the suspect would be transferred to the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (SCIID), Abeokuta, for further investigation, warning residents against spreading false information capable of causing panic and public disorder, and for the public to verify information before sharing content on social media.
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