On death row: Who’s next?

BY Jide Ajani
When will you die? That is a
question no man, or even
woman, can or want to
answer. Compound the
issue: Where and how?
Through who or what?
These are questions that
never agitate the mind of any
man, or woman because
they evoke fear. Death
renders every effort to make
it in life seemingly needless
and futile. Yet, men and
women persist in the daily
rat race of life.
Death is the ultimate leveler
of men and women.
Christians believe in Jesus
Christ who predicted his
death and resurrection. He
was nailed to the cross. Still,
every man and woman must
answer the call. No one can
avoid it. Then if so, why
should premium be placed
on one life above the other?
Can one life be recreated
while another cannot?
That is a question the Nigeria
Governors' Forum, NGF, may
have to answer.
In the wake of the air
disaster that claimed the lives
of six people including the
late Governor of Kaduna
State, Patrick Yakowa, and
former National Security
Adviser, NSA, Andrew Owoye
Azazi, the NGF came out to
call for a private investigator.
Meanwhile, earlier in the year
when over a hundred lives
were lost in another plane
crash, the NGF did not call for
a private investigator.
On Saturday, September 26,
1992, about 166 people
boarded a Hercules C-130
aircraft (over 100 of them
military officers) at the
military wing of the local
airport in Lagos. A few
minutes later, the plane
crashed into the swamp of
Ejigbo, a Lagos suburb.
20years after, nobody knows
what happened that led to
the crash of that plane; nor
has the Federal Government
of Nigeria, on whose duty
tour the victims were, done
anything meaningful for
their families.
Death-cartoon
So, the question should be
asked again: Is one life
worth more than another?
That may not be the
intendment of the NGF
members. But it may also
very well be – "one of our
own is gone"; "there may be
a cover up since it involves a
Naval helicopter"; "it could
be sabotage". Conjectures all!
In all this, the operational
phenomenon is death and it
defines the ephemeral
nature of life. A state
governor! A former NSA!!
Hmmm! Sad; so sad; so very
sad. No matter, death
remains something
intriguing. First, if it was
possible, nobody would
want to die.
Yet, if you do not die, Heaven,
that lovely place full of Grace,
may not be attained – except,
of course, you belong to the
gang of men on the fringe
who see suicide as the
surest way to Heaven
without remembering that if
everyone were to make
recourse to suicide, there
would be no more life. For
normal people, even with
that promise of heavenly
bliss - nobody wants to die.
Okay, now, let us animate
death. Just visualize this: A
middle-aged man, with no
hair on his head, dressed in
a black short sleeve shirt,
with a black Bow-Tie, black
suspenders and a three-
piece suit, with a baton in
hand, looking for whose
head to break. If such a
visage is that of death, every
one who sees him would run
for cover.
This is not about might or
raw power. It is about a
phenomenon that is
indecipher- able. It
surmounts comprehension.
It can not be understood.
Yakowa who was consoling
the family of the Douglases
just some minutes earlier
was himself to go the way of
Pa Douglas. He was buried in
Kafanchan last Thursday.
Azazi who had gone to
attend the funeral of the old
Douglas would also be laid to
rest soon.
So, who knows who's next?
Nobody!
Just a little over an hour
before the Dana Crash of last
June, a passenger had been
allegedly cheated by two
Asians who shunted him
aside to procure their
boarding passes. The
intending passenger raised a
lot of hell at the Abuja airport
but was calmed by
passengers of other airlines.
Just about 50minutes into
the Dana Flight to Lagos, it
crashed, killing all on board.
The disgruntled passenger
was still waiting to board
another flight that fateful
Sunday afternoon when the
sad news was flashed on the
TV screens of the airport. He
received confetti of well
wishers; he was buffeted by
other passengers who
congratulated him for
cheating death.
Could there have been
anyone that day who could
have prevented Yakowa and
Azazi from boarding that
Navy helicopter? The answer
is no. But if truth be told,
who could have cheated a
state governor or a former
NSA out of boarding the
helicopter? That is the
forceful pull of death. Some
would have looked at the
helicopter as it took off that
day and wished they could
afford the luxury of or be in
the powerful position of
governor or former NSA and
be on board with them.
Such is the powerful pull of
death.
Indeed, death is very
powerful. Interestingly, it is
part of living because it
concludes the cycle of life.
You are born and you die.
For, once you are born, you
join the teeming billions of
souls on death row. Fear
not! It is inevitable. It will
come. John Paul II died. He
was the Catholic Pontiff – the
Pope.
Just on the eve of Sani
Abacha's death, two very
prominent monarchs in
Nigeria were to be
dethroned the following
day. But he died. MKO
Abiola's insistence on
claiming his mandate
suffered a disclaimer in the
hands of death even before
he could be granted
freedom.
Idi Amin of Uganda, self-
styled modern day Emperor
Jean Bedel Bokassa of Central
African Republic, Zia Ul-Haq
of Pakistan, Felix Huppert
Boughey of Ivory Coast,
Mobutu Sesekuku Mbendu
Wazabanga alias Mobutu
Seseseko of Zaire, Nicolai
Ceucescu of Romania,
Hastings Kamuzu Banda of
Malawi, in spite of all the
powers they wielded as
president, they all died.
Jesus Christ, the son of God
as I believe him to be (but
some don't) had to die for
the sins of men before
resurrecting.
As the nation mourns those
who died penultimate
Saturday, the lessons to learn
are legion. How would you
want to be remembered
after dying?
Those who are pursuing
2015 or any political
ambition or any thing for
that matter should cast their
minds back to those who
wanted to be part of 2011
elections but who died
before the hour. Umar Musa
Yar'Adua died just about
three years after being
elected to become Nigeria's
President and Commander-
in-Chief.
At least, in this same country,
a presidential candidate died
just a few weeks before the
presidential election.
The election continued
despite him. He was Pa Ade
Adefarati.
So, what to do, live a life
worthy to be remembered
for good because, at some
point, that inescapable
leveler of men would come
calling – because we are all
on death row.