Hottestgistnaija.com
A PASSIONATE PLEA FOR THE UNCONDITIONAL RELEASE OF PROF. ONJE GYE-WADO*
The news of the abduction of Prof. Onje Gye-Wado, this afternoon, came as a rude shock to me while trying to settle down on my holiday vacation. I had expected a holiday outside the shore of Nigeria to be a break from the stress of work and a time to rejuvenate.
I can say this supposed stress-free moment is truncated by this unexpected news at this point. I am not only broken because I know Professor Gye-Wado closely but because I know he is not a flamboyant man. He is a man who lives simply, loves genuinely and takes life with ease. His lifestyle is simply enviable.
Prof. Onje Gye-Wado is a man of little needs. He is only influenced by intellectualism and his advocacy for fairness in governance occupies him more than acquiring material things. I have been wondering what could make anyone break into such a simple man’s residence to adopt him.
He has never been a man moved by affluence even as he served as the Deputy Governor of Nasarawa State under the current All Progressives Government Chairman, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, led administration in Nasarawa State..
Prof Gye-Wado was my law lecturer at the University of Jos, Jos Nigeria. A devoted Marxist whose unquenchable passion for a just society is commendable. A very simple man who drives a simple mini-bus and would always be on a T-shirt, jeans and a pair of sandals. He had once queried me at the funeral of one of my colleagues and his student, the late Dr (Mrs.) Bunmi Lar, (Nee Olamishegbe) why I had police escorts guiding me and when I told him of my abduction some years back, he said “Don’t be worried. God is always there to guide His own.” This a statement that has become my watchword whenever I need to travel ever since then.
While I commend the security agencies for swinging into action to rescue this true patriot, I want to plea with his abductors to release him immediately as he is a man of little means but very rich in knowledge and wisdom that money cannot buy.
Prof. Gye-Wado is a blessing to everyone that crosses his path and not one that his community and Nigeria can afford to lose for a second.
I plea once again, that his abductors should be merciful and return him home as soon as possible.
