Veteran Nollywood actor,
Richard Mofe-Damijo (RMD) has called on President Muhammadu Buhari-led’s
government to declare a state of emergency.
RMD said this following an
attack on the Abuja-Kaduna train and the destruction of properties at MKO Abiola
stadium after the Nigeria-Ghana clash.
According to him, Nigerians
are broken, angry, and have seen it all, which can be a trigger for destruction
if not handled properly. He warned that things may worsen if the government
does not apprehend perpetrators and do more than promises to protect Nigerians.
He wrote: “Nothing surprises
and shocks us anymore; we have seen and heard it all. Ridiculousness has been
enthroned by our leaders at every level. There’s an urgent need to declare a
state of emergency in this country. We’re heading for the precipice and it
doesn’t seem like we are interested in pulling the brakes.
“After now, it is a free fall.
The government needs to do more than just promises to apprehend the
perpetrators and truly save the lives of WE.”
The actor sympathized with the families of those who lost their lives in Kaduna even as he recalled his
experience on the train.
He said: “At this time last
year I was on the train to Kaduna and we talked about how unsafe life is and
the risks we were taking. We’re the lucky ones.
“Again a month ago, I was on
the Lagos /Ibadan train, and it was the same specter of death and attacks that
plagued our minds. This is not to disregard the comfort and timeliness of the
train ride and how desirable it is there.”
The actor identified himself
as being lucky for escaping attacks on the train, adding that anyone could be a
victim if security becomes worse.
His words: “Point is; it could
be anyone any day. On the road, at the airport, train station nowhere is safe
anymore. This is the extent of our brokenness.
“If anything is an indication
of how broken we are today, then the shameful storming of the pitch and
destruction of the MKO national stadium Abuja is a clear indication. People
are angry and bitter and are just looking for triggers. And boy! they’re
plenty.
“See the initial reactions to
the quite clear tweet of the young doctor who died from gunshot wounds from the
train, and you will see that we have also lost our humanity.”
