By A. O. Augustine
I make these observations without apology to anyone whose political interest may be offended by them.
Kogi East is blessed with enormous human and material resources. We have brilliant minds in the legal profession, academia, business and other fields.
We have mineral resources that, if properly harnessed, could transform the economic fortunes of our people. Yet, despite these advantages, our communities continue to struggle with poor infrastructure, unemployment, insecurity, weak institutions and a lack of meaningful economic opportunities.
The question we must therefore ask ourselves is simple: Where did we get it wrong?
From the local government councils to the State House of Assembly and even the National Assembly, there is an unfortunate perception that political office has increasingly become less about service and more about patronage, loyalty to political godfathers and the protection of personal interests.
At the local government level, many councillors and chairmen appear more concerned with pleasing those who facilitated their emergence than with answering to the people they are meant to serve. Local governments should be engines of grassroots development, yet many communities see little evidence of sustainable projects, economic empowerment or genuine accountability.
There is also a disturbing culture of political intimidation. Young people who should be building careers, businesses and families are sometimes recruited into political violence and thuggery. Those who dare to question the system or demand accountability can become targets of harassment and intimidation.
This brings us to the disturbing case of Mr. Tony Tony.
Mr. Tony Tony, according to the circumstances surrounding his arrest and detention, participated in a protest concerning the condition of his community. Instead of his concerns being addressed through dialogue and lawful democratic processes, he was allegedly subjected to severe physical assault and is now reportedly remanded in custody.
This is unacceptable!
If a citizen participates in a peaceful protest, the appropriate response in a democracy is engagement, not brutality. If a citizen is accused of committing an offence, the appropriate response is a lawful investigation and fair judicial process not mob justice, political intimidation or punishment for merely expressing legitimate concerns.
It is particularly troubling if a person who was allegedly beaten mercilessly is subsequently the one left in custody while those responsible for the assault are not subjected to the same urgency of justice.
Mr. Tony Tony must be released immediately, unless there is a lawful and properly established basis for his continued detention.
His case should not be treated as a political matter. It is a test of whether the rights of ordinary citizens mean anything when they challenge those in positions of authority.
The State House of Assembly also has a responsibility to ask questions. Our elected representatives should not remain silent when citizens are allegedly subjected to violence for demanding better governance. Legislative office should not be reduced to defending political interests at the expense of the people.
The same concern extends to our representatives at the federal level. Too often, political conversations revolve around who belongs to which camp, who is related to whom, who controls which structure and who will secure the next political appointment. Meanwhile, fundamental questions about economic development, industrialisation, education, employment, healthcare and infrastructure remain largely unanswered.
How can a region with such enormous mineral and human resources remain trapped in underdevelopment?
Why are businesses struggling? Why are industries not emerging at the scale required to employ our young people? Why do our communities continue to experience inadequate infrastructure? Why is political competition so often reduced to the struggle for positions rather than a contest of ideas and development programmes?
These are not questions against one individual or one political party. They are questions about a political culture that we have tolerated for far too long.
Perhaps the greatest tragedy is that Kogi East cannot claim a shortage of educated and capable people. We have people who have excelled nationally and internationally in law, academia, medicine, business and other professions. Yet our political space has not consistently produced the kind of leadership capable of translating these advantages into broad-based development.
This should force us to confront an uncomfortable truth: our problem may not be a lack of talented people; it may be the political system we have allowed to thrive.
Anyone who genuinely attempts to challenge the established order should not have to fear intimidation, violence or persecution. Politics should be a contest of ideas. A young person who protests peacefully for the improvement of his community should not be beaten by people allegedly acting in the name of political authority. And when a citizen is assaulted, the proper response of the state should be justice and protection—not further punishment for demanding accountability.
We cannot continue this way and expect a different result.
Kogi East needs a new political culture—one that rewards competence rather than sycophancy, ideas rather than thuggery, accountability rather than blind loyalty, and development rather than personal enrichment.
Our young people deserve better than being used as political weapons. Our communities deserve representatives who can account for their stewardship. Our mineral resources deserve responsible exploitation for the benefit of the people. And our democracy deserves politicians who understand that public office is a responsibility, not a private inheritance.
The people of Kogi East must begin to demand more.
We must stop asking only, “Whose son or daughter is he?” and start asking: “What has he done? What does he intend to do? What can he offer? And who will hold him accountable?”
The immediate demand, however, is clear: FREE TONY TONY.
No citizen should be subjected to violence simply for participating in a protest or demanding better conditions for his community. If Mr. Tony Tony committed an offence, let the law take its course through a transparent and fair judicial process. But if his detention is being used to intimidate him or silence legitimate civic expression, then it is an affront to democracy and the rights of every citizen.
I therefore call on the relevant authorities, political leaders, security agencies and the judiciary to ensure that Mr. Tony Tony is released without further delay, or accorded his full constitutional rights and due process if any legitimate charge exists against him.
I also demand that the alleged assault against him be properly investigated and that anyone found responsible be held accountable, regardless of political affiliation or position.
Tony Tony’s freedom is bigger than Tony Tony.
It is about whether an ordinary citizen in Kogi East can speak, protest and demand better governance without becoming a target.
Kogi East is not cursed.
Our people are capable. Our resources are abundant. Our intellectual capacity is undeniable.
What we need is leadership that can convert these advantages into development and a political culture where no citizen is beaten, detained or intimidated simply for demanding that government do better.
FREE TONY TONY.
LET JUSTICE PREVAIL.
LET KOGI EAST BREATHE.
– A. O. Augustine, a Journalist and Clergy, writes from Abuja, the Federal Capital City.
