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Franklin Otorofani Esq Sudan Tribute to Fallen Heroes R I P

Summary: Franklin Otorofani Esq Sudan Tribute to Fallen Heroes R I P Nigerian Heroes The sobering picture above of the seven Nigerian soldiers slain in the line of duty in Sudan whose coffins were dapped in the national flag at a funeral ceremony in Abuja was splashed in the front pages of most of the Nigerian dailies today October 07 2007 And as reported by the papers Nigerians poured out in their thousands to pay their respects to the slain heroes Franklin Otorofani joins fellow compatriots all over the world to pay his respects to the slain soldiers May their souls Rest in Peace Amen But as we mourn their deaths we should ask the question What took them to Sudan and what did they die for Is Sudan part of the Nigerian Empire Is it the 37th State of the Union or is it a vassal state or a Dependency Territory of Nigeria No Sudan is none of that Sudan is the largest by territorial size Africa s independent sovereign state in North Africa that is embroiled in Africa s longest running civil war between the Moslem North and the Christian South that has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives And in line with Nigeria s leading trouble shooting role in Africa she promptly dispatched a brigade of Nigerian troops under the auspices of the AU and UN to keep the peace in the war torn desert country that has woefully failed to manage her own multi religious and multi cultural population like Nigeria The slain Nigerian soldiers therefore paid the ultimate price not fighting to keep the peace in Nigeria somewhere in Port Harcourt Kano Niger Delta Ibadan Onitsha or elsewhere in Nigeria but for keeping the peace in far away Sudan that most Nigerians cannot even make out in the world map For peace in Sudan our brave warriors gave their lives For Sudanese future they gave up their present and their future Yes for Sudanese fathers mothers and children they sacrificed their lives dreams and aspirations Why shouldn t the nation mourn these great heroes Why shouldn t the nation toll the bells and sing dirges in honor of their memories Why shouldn t the nation s flag fly at half mast to mark the passing of our great heroes who did our nation proud Nigerians should indeed be proud of the sacrifices of their men and women in uniform I was therefore moved almost to tears as many Nigerians I am sure after reading the reports about how thousands of Nigerians poured out to pay their respects to the fallen heroes Prior to that the Nigerian Senate under its dynamic President Senator David Mark had caused the Senate to observe a minute of silence in honor of the dead troops when the news first hit the airwaves I am therefore also proud of the Nigerian Senate particularly its President for according the fallen soldiers that national honor Taken together with the public outpouring of grief this is a sea change in Nigerians attitudes towards the military and members of other uniformed services in the country If this is the turning point I would say Thanks to Democracy This outpouring of grief and recognition of military service abroad by the ordinary citizens could not have happened in a military era It s safe to say therefore that Nigerians have turned the corner in their attitudes towards uniformed men I would therefore earnestly urge our fellow citizens for the sustenance of this newfound attitude If other countries honor their military there is no reason why Nigeria shouldn t That some ambitious generals messed up the military in politics is now history and cannot be used as pretext for vilifying the military as the number one national institution Besides the national must move on and we cannot be fixated to the past Those who put their lives on the line to keep us safe and protect the unity and stability of the country deserve every respect and admiration both from the government and the general citizenry their shortcomings notwithstanding How many Nigerians would put their lives on the line to defend and protect their country Few would indeed and those who do deserve to be respected indeed honored for their personal sacrifices I don t care what After all our politicians who are busy looting our treasuries and smiling their way to the banks have not done a fraction of what these brave men and women do everyday for their country under extreme circumstances with poor rewards structure and equipment Franklin Otorofani Esq Sudan Tribute to Fallen Heroes R I P Nigerian Heroes The sobering picture above of the seven Nigerian soldiers slain in the line of duty in Sudan whose coffins were dapped in the national flag at a funeral ceremony in Abuja was splashed in the front pages of most of the Nigerian dailies today October 07 2007 And as reported by the papers Nigerians poured out in their thousands to pay their respects to the slain heroes Franklin Otorofani joins fellow compatriots all over the world to pay his respects to the slain soldiers May their souls Rest in Peace Amen But as we mourn their deaths we should ask the question What took them to Sudan and what did they die for Is Sudan part of the Nigerian Empire Is it the 37th State of the Union or is it a vassal state or a Dependency Territory of Nigeria No Sudan is none of that Sudan is the largest by territorial size Africa s independent sovereign state in North Africa that is embroiled in Africa s longest running civil war between the Moslem North and the Christian South that has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives And in line with Nigeria s leading trouble shooting role in Africa she promptly dispatched a brigade of Nigerian troops under the auspices of the AU and UN to keep the peace in the war torn desert country that has woefully failed to manage her own multi religious and multi cultural population like Nigeria The slain Nigerian soldiers therefore paid the ultimate price not fighting to keep the peace in Nigeria somewhere in Port Harcourt Kano Niger Delta Ibadan Onitsha or elsewhere in Nigeria but for keeping the peace in far away Sudan that most Nigerians cannot even make out in the world map For peace in Sudan our brave warriors gave their lives For Sudanese future they gave up their present and their future Yes for Sudanese fathers mothers and children they sacrificed their lives dreams and aspirations Why shouldn t the nation mourn these great heroes Why shouldn t the nation toll the bells and sing dirges in honor of their memories Why shouldn t the nation s flag fly at half mast to mark the passing of our great heroes who did our nation proud Nigerians should indeed be proud of the sacrifices of their men and women in uniform I was therefore moved almost to tears as many Nigerians I am sure after reading the reports about how thousands of Nigerians poured out to pay their respects to the fallen heroes Prior to that the Nigerian Senate under its dynamic President Senator David Mark had caused the Senate to observe a minute of silence in honor of the dead troops when the news first hit the airwaves I am therefore also proud of the Nigerian Senate particularly its President for according the fallen soldiers that national honor Taken together with the public outpouring of grief this is a sea change in Nigerians attitudes towards the military and members of other uniformed services in the country If this is the turning point I would say Thanks to Democracy This outpouring of grief and recognition of military service abroad by the ordinary citizens could not have happened in a military era It s safe to say therefore that Nigerians have turned the corner in their attitudes towards uniformed men I would therefore earnestly urge our fellow citizens for the sustenance of this newfound attitude If other countries honor their military there is no reason why Nigeria shouldn t That some ambitious generals messed up the military in politics is now history and cannot be used as pretext for vilifying the military as the number one national institution Besides the national must move on and we cannot be fixated to the past Those who put their lives on the line to keep us safe and protect the unity and stability of the country deserve every respect and admiration both from the government and the general citizenry their shortcomings notwithstanding How many Nigerians would put their lives on the line to defend and protect their country Few would indeed and those who do deserve to be respected indeed honored for their personal sacrifices I don t care what After all our politicians who are busy looting our treasuries and smiling their way to the banks have not done a fraction of what these brave men and women do everyday for their country under extreme circumstances with poor rewards structure and equipment

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