While we rejoice at Oriire release—we must never forget

First half of the article

THE release of the forty-four Oriire abductees after fifty-six harrowing days in the captivity of terrorists identified by the Defence Headquarters as JAS/Boko Haram was met with relief. After weeks of anguish, families have embraced their loved ones. We pray for their physical and psychological recovery.

We owe gratitude to the officers and men of the Nigerian Armed Forces and security agencies who made the release possible. Some of them paid the ultimate sacrifice. Their courage deserves remembrance. We also remember those who did not return alive. We remember the two teachers, whose deaths impose upon us a moral obligation that extends beyond celebration.

Yoruba elders understood the tension between emotion and reflection. They say, “Bí a bá ń sunkún, a máaríran.” When we weep, we still see. Wisdom demands that even painsharpenour vision. They also caution:”Bí a bá ń rẹ́rìn, a kògbọ́dọ̀ gbàgbéara.” Even in moments of rejoicing, we must never abandon reflection.

A call for reflection

Should our people have spent fifty-six days held captive by JAS/Boko Haram terrorists operating in the forests of Yorubaland?The question neither diminishes the success of the release nor seeks to reopen debates about how it was accomplished. Instead, it asks: How do we prevent it from happening again?

Another Yoruba proverb guides:”Bí ọmọde bá ṣubú, á wo iwájú; bí àgbà bá ṣubú, á wo ẹ̀yìn.”When a child falls, he looks ahead. When an elder falls, he looks behind to understand what caused the fall.We celebrate their return, but never without reflecting on institutional failure.

Revisiting Interiority theory—to aid in reflection

Inspired by engineering simulation and history-matching, the Interiority Theory is a sociological exercise that reconstructs how great statesmen might respond to contemporary events through the enduring principles of their political philosophy. Let us summon the voice of Chief Obafemi Awolowo, the most widely acknowledged Asiwaju of Yorubaland. If he were here today, what would he say to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Governor Seyi Makinde?

To Governor Seyi Makinde

Politics exists to protect the people before it protects political interests. History does not remember excuses; it remembers whether leaders exhausted every constitutional means to protect their people.

As Governor of Oyo State, you command neither the Armed Forces nor the police. Nigeria’s unitary constitutional arrangement places both under the control of the President. Constitutional limitations do not diminish moral responsibility. Did you seek the President’s urgent audience? Did you exhaust every constitutional avenue to secure federal intervention? If you did, the people deserve to know.

You warned the people months earlier that the Old Oyo National Park axis had become a dangerous corridor after the murder of five National Park officers. Did that warning not impose a duty on your government to strengthen security around rural schools and communities before the Oriire abduction occurred?

It took Peter Obi’s visit for Nigerians to learn that you and the President had not spoken for more than fifty days. If that account is accurate, it represents both a political and an institutional failure. Why should Nigerians hear this from Peter Obi and not you?

When schoolchildren and teachers are held hostage, communication between the Governor and the President should never depend on political convenience. Functioning federations hold joint federal-state briefings during such crises. But when leaders are not speaking, coordinated leadership becomes impossible. Your call for a United Nations investigation into the abduction and release has merit. But the first duty is to heed warning signs before tragedy occurs. Your earlier warning about deteriorating security around Old Oyo National Park should have galvanized preventive action across government.

To President Bola Tinubu

I have always maintained that leadership exists for the physical, mental and spiritual well-being of the people—not for political convenience. A leader goes where his people suffer.

Yoruba elders remind us: “Bí ọmọdé bá ń ṣe bí ọmọdé, àgbà…

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