By Solomon Dalung
Nigeria mourns yet another son whose courage towered above the cruelty of our times. Brigadier General M. Uba did not die an ordinary death; he walked through the burning furnace of duty with a loyalty that only the bravest can understand.
On the day fate ambushed him, he fought back, survived, and still had the strength and clarity to reach out to his superiors. He held on wounded, surrounded, but unbroken because he believed that rescue would come, that Nigeria would not abandon its own.
And help did come. An aircraft arrived. Hope arrived. A nation’s promise arrived. But that fragile hope was shattered by betrayal. His position was compromised. The hero who had survived the ambush was recaptured by the very forces of evil he had defied. ISWAP, in their cruelty, extinguished his life, but they could not extinguish his honour. They could not kill what he represented. They could not silence the echo of his bravery.
Brigadier General M. Uba died as only heroes die, firm, loyal, defiant in the face of terror. His blood stains the conscience of a nation that has failed too many of its defenders. His sacrifice must haunt every corridor of power until justice, reform, and truth prevail.
But today, instead of solemn reflection, the nation is forced to witness a shameful spectacle. At a time when our flag should be at half,mast, when the ground should tremble with grief, the ruling APC is busy indulging in sponsored defections, celebrating petty politics while the soil is still wet with the blood of patriots.
They dance on the graves of our fallen heroes with careless delight, mocking their sacrifices with the vanity of political showmanship.
Nigeria cannot continue like this. We cannot glorify politics and trivialize patriotism. We cannot celebrate defections while burying generals. We cannot pretend to be a grateful nation when our heroes die betrayed, abandoned, and unhonoured.
Brigadier General M. Uba’s death is a wound on the heart of the nation. His courage is a rebuke to our collective complacency. His sacrifice must awaken us to what truly matters: the sanctity of life, the dignity of service, and the sacred duty we owe to every man and woman who wears the uniform of this Republic.
Today, we bow our heads for a gallant officer whose name deserves to be etched in gold.
Tomorrow, we must rise to demand a nation that values its heroes more than its politics.
May aljanatu fidausi be the final abode of Brigadier General M. Uba, amen.
And may Nigeria one day become worthy of men like him.
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