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Jan. 28, 2007 Singapore is a developed city-state of less than one million people; that is the population is lesser than inhabitants of Benin City, the capital city of Edo State in Nigeria. It's a proud small nation whose economy is growing by the day; it's pride derives mainly from a patriotic slogan which reads: "one nation, one people, one Singapore!" This Asian nation with economically satisfied populace is a haven for peace and tranquility. Although it has the highest state-assisted executions in the world no thanks to it's rigid laws against crime and narcotics peddling in it's territory Singapore serves as destination choices for African businessmen and tourists. Considering what hard drugs has done to the lives of some famous musicians like Rod Stewart, Bobby Brown and Whitney Houston and even the footbal legend Argentine Diego Maradona one may be forced to see some reason with the Singaporean authorities for their renowned zero tolerance for hard drugs and it's cosumption or smuggling. Citizen Iwuchukwu Amara Tochi, a 21-year old Nigerian from Ozubulu Anambra State was last Friday taken to the gallows in Changi prison in Singapore and hanged for unwittingly assisting a drug trafficker take his dangerous wares (worth almost a million dollars in street value) into Singapore. From Dubai Tochi's innocence was abused as his naivety and ignorance were exploited by a sophisticated international drug peddler using money as a wooing element. He was promised a paltry 2000 dollars for delivering the 'message' coated in 'African herbal medicaments'. Tochi was thus arrested in November 2004 at Changi Airport while delivering the money-spinning "drug cargo" to the local agent in Singapore by name Okeke Nelson Malachy, 35, who was equally hanged. Both President Nathan and Prime Minister Lee Loong rejected diplomaticaly President Obasanjo's belated last minute attempts to free citizen Tochi from the hangman's noose. According to Prime Minister Lee in his response letter to President Obasanjo bearing his refusal: "The Singapore government takes a firm stance against drugs to deter Singaporeans and others from importing drugs into Singapore or using the country as a transit hub for narcotics,". That to me is a display of quality leadership even if in this case a brother was involved. The case of citizen Iwuchukwu Amara Tochi is a touching one, a story of how someone with a promising soccer career could end up executed for a serious crime he neither knew the consequencies nor partook in it's planning and execution; he was only a victim of circumstance caught in the web of conscienceless international narcotics syndicate. The man hanged with Tochi "Okeke Nelson Malachy" who had been described as "a stateless African" is probably a Nigerian as the name suggests because in Nigeria Igbos bear the name 'Okeke'. Or he could have been another national bearing Nigerian passport or a Nigerian bearing another nation's passport but his name is indeed Nigerian if that is his real names. In drug running business like '419' identity is highly secretive. But beyond mourning Tochi whose Ozubulu town is few kilometers away from my Ihiala hometown in eastern Nigeria culpability and blame must be apportioned here. The troubling questions then are: who really could be help responsible for the untimely death of citizen Tochi? Is it the criminal in Dubai who set him up? Or Nigeria his native country? Or the Singaporean justice/government or the Nigerian government? Fate is ruled out here because Tochi's fate was to go to Singapore to explore opportunities for a soccer career. The drug baron in Dubai UAE is directly culpable though he may not have wished that Tochi be caught in Singapore with his sack-bearing fortune. The proceeds from the 'poison' he handed over to the poor boy must have counted more in his consciousness than the inherent jeopardy upon failure in delivery. Nigeria bears culpability for two reasons: if the country is like Singapore where infrastructures and opportunities for self-actualisation exist Tochi would have stayed behind and exhibited his God-given soccer talent back home. And if the country's professional football league is organized professionally well, lucrative and open for rewarding competition Tochi would have competed with his peers. The Singaporean justice is culpable for miscarriage of justice. Despite glaring evidence that showed that Tochi was simply a pawn used by a faceless drug network the justice apparatus in Singapore still went ahead to administer supreme penalty while the government turned deaf ear as usual to many international pleas for clemency or commutal of sentence. The Nigerian federal government reacted both half-heartedly and belatedly in the Tochi saga that started over two years ago. The CLO said it wrote the Nigerian government asking it to intervene as a matter of urgency in this matter earlier last year before it was too late but the local authorities deemed it unworthy or unimportant responding to this expressed concern over the fate of a compatriot trapped in a hostile foreign land without representative lawyer or consolation of brothers and sisters in his troubling times. Because of this non-challant attitude the Obasanjo administration is indirectly culpable in citizen Tochi's ordeal. The Nigerian government has continued to fail it's citizens in their hours of distress or need all over the world. Citizenship of this nation then becomes worthless when one is faced with grave dangers in the course of many challenges of life and living. In a nation where political leaders are accountable to themselves alone one does not expect any rapid response when a remote member of that falling federal edifice is confronted with a menacing problem anywhere within or without. Iwuchukwu in Igbo language means "laws of God or divine laws", Amara(chukwu) means "God's grace" while Tochi is short form of saying Tochukwu which means "praise God or praise the Lord". As we mourn the killing of this young promising Nigerian this's praying that God whose praise, grace and law his names bore will most mercifully grant his soul eternal repose. Adieu brother! In your next world if re-incarnation is real may you be born a Singaporean and never a Nigerian or Biafran (where life is brutish, cheap and short) so that this cruel fate that befell you in that dwarf of a country called Singapore will not rear it's ugly head again. Adieu Tochi!! ------------ About the author: Sunny Chris Okenwa is a new U-K contributor based in Abidjan Cote d'Ivoire. Email: soco_abj_2006_rci@hotmail.fr Comment on this article here! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com. Please link to this article rather than copying and pasting it onto your site (which would be unauthorized and illegal). |
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