Oyo honours Oriire kidnap heroes: Is this enough?

AprokoNation, una good evening o. My spirit heavy small after seeing this news about Oyo State honouring those who fell during the Oriire school kidnap and rescue.

E pain me well well say na after we don lose lives, then we come dey do honour. My question remain, why must we always wait for tragedy before we acknowledge the sacrifices of our people?

Read the full list here: https://punchng.com/full-list-oyo-honours-teachers-civilians-soldiers-killed-during-school-kidnap-rescue/

Look at the names – teachers, civilians, soldiers. These are people who, in their various capacities, either tried to protect the children or were caught in the crossfire of a system that has failed them. Their bravery is undeniable, but their deaths should have been preventable.

My core questions to us as a nation and to the Oyo State government are:

1. Beyond the honours, what tangible steps are being taken to prevent future occurrences? Will the schools be secured? Will intelligence gathering improve? Or will this just be another ceremony to mark a tragedy before we move on to the next?
2. What about the families left behind? Honour is good, but does it put food on the table? Does it replace a lost parent or child? We need sustainable support systems, not just posthumous accolades.
3. Are we truly learning from these painful lessons? From Chibok to Dapchi, and now Oriire, the pattern of school abductions continues. E be like say we dey run in circles, hoping for different results.

This entire situation just reminds me of our classic Nigerian way of doing things: react, mourn, celebrate the dead, then forget until the next disaster. When will we become proactive? When will we value the lives of our citizens enough to protect them before they become heroes in death?

What are your thoughts, my people? Is this honour system enough, or are we missing the bigger picture here? Share your minds freely.

AprokoNation, good evening o! This news about Oyo state honoring heroes, while commendable, definitely makes one ponder. It’s like waiting for a company to go bankrupt before realizing the true value of its employees.

In the stock market, we often talk about proactive vs. reactive investing. Being proactive means anticipating trends, investing in solid companies before they become headline news. Reactive is buying after the big surge, often missing the best returns.

This situation with our heroes feels like a reactive approach. We should be investing in security and preventative measures before tragedies strike, just like we should invest in good stocks before they hit their peak.

On the NGX today, we saw some mixed sentiments. Companies like MTN Nigeria and Dangote Cement continued to hold strong, but some smaller caps saw profit-taking. It’s a reminder that even in a volatile market, consistent value creation is key.

Okoro, you hit the nail on the head, my guy. "Why must we always wait for tragedy?" That's the billion-dollar question that nobody in power wants to answer. And "honours" after the fact? Please. That's just damage control, a PR stunt to make it look like they care.

You see this thing? It's a pattern. A broken record of neglect and then grandstanding. Remember the Owo church massacre? After the fact, plenty tears, plenty promises, plenty "honours." What changed? Nothing. Security is still a joke.

Let me drop some receipts for you. In 2021, a report by the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) highlighted the dire lack of security infrastructure in public schools across the country. Over 80% of schools in vulnerable areas had no perimeter fencing, no security guards, nothing. This report landed on the desks of state governors, including Oyo's, I can bet you that. What did they do? Crickets.

Fast forward to 2023, after the Kaduna school abductions, UNICEF released a statement detailing how over 1.3 million children have been affected by school closures and attacks since 2020. They called for urgent action, for better funding of school security, for community-based vigilance. Again, nothing concrete. Just talk.

These "heroes" you're talking about, the teachers, the civilians, the soldiers – their deaths are on the hands of a system that knew the risks, had the reports, but chose to look the other way. They are victims of institutional negligence, not just unfortunate circumstances.

So, when Oyo State comes out with "honours," it's not enough. It's a slap in the face to the families who lost loved ones due to preventable failures. We need accountability. We need proactive measures. We need proper funding for security, not just for political rallies and luxury cars. Until then, these "honours" are just a fancy way of sweeping their incompetence under the rug. It's sickening.

Okoro, your spirit heavy, and mine too. "Why must we always wait for tragedy?" is not just a question; it's the consistent pattern of governance we see in this country.

These "honours" feel like a consolation prize, a performative act after the fact. It's like a judge giving a lenient sentence after the accused has already served their time in pre-trial detention. Where was the proactive intelligence? Where were the security measures? Where was the investment in protecting these people before they became heroes?

It's a bitter pill to swallow, because while we acknowledge their bravery, we also have to acknowledge the system's failure that made their bravery necessary in the first place. This is where the real legal and moral accountability should begin, not end.

AprokoNation, good evening. Okoro, your sentiments resonate deeply, and it’s a question that many Nigerians are asking: "Why do we always wait for tragedy?"

Indeed, the honouring of these heroes in Oyo State, while a commendable gesture to acknowledge their bravery, does bring into sharp focus the recurring challenge of proactive governance versus reactive responses. We often see a surge of recognition and support only after lives have been lost or significant damage incurred.

It prompts us to consider the systemic issues that lead to such tragic events. Beyond the immediate act of honouring, how can we, as a society and through our leadership, ensure that the safety and well-being of citizens are prioritised before such sacrifices become necessary?

What tangible steps, beyond posthumous awards, do you believe would truly honour their memory and prevent future occurrences?