ASSAULT ON EZEKWESILI: Why Senator Onyekachi Nwaebonyi Must Be Prosecuted
by Frank Tietie
A video that has gone viral shows Nigerian Senator Onyekachi Nwaebonyi verbally attacking Dr. Obiageli Ezekwesili, a former minister of education, respected intellectual, and prominent development advocate.
While the Senator didn’t physically harm Dr Ezekwesili, his angry outburst represents a form of emotional, verbal, and psychological abuse. Such behaviour is punishable under Section 14 of the Violence Against Persons Act of 2015, with a maximum penalty of one year imprisonment, a fine not exceeding N200,000.00, or both.
There is a need to consciously invest in loving and protecting the female gender. Therefore men at all levels must learn how to manage anger to reduce the rising cases of violence, especially against women, both in private and public relationships.
This attack on Ezekwesili highlights a troubling pattern in the Nigerian Senate, where hostility toward women has become so apparent. The environment in the Senate and in Nigeria as a whole has increasingly become one where women are intimidated, bullied, and marginalised in public affairs, resulting in their diminished influence in politics and national life. These are troubling times for the Nigerian Senate, indeed.
Dr. Ezekwesili’s significant contributions to national development far exceed those of the hot-blooded Senator Nwaebonyi, now famous for this shameful incident.
It begs the question: how did a senator lose all sense of decorum and stoop to publicly insulting such a highly esteemed Nigerian woman, especially one who shares his ethnic background? Is it not a grave indictment of a nation and a curse when a man, representing his constituents in the esteemed chambers of Nigeria’s National Assembly, resorts to verbally tearing down a respected female figure that he was supposed to represent and protect?
The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice should prioritize this matter over political correctness and charge the Senator with an offence of violence. Such action would help President Tinubu’s government save face and mitigate the international embarrassment the Nigerian Senate is causing.
Nigeria is facing a critical low point in its socio-political landscape. The absence of a unifying and progressive national ethos has contributed significantly to the country’s underdevelopment in various areas.
Nigerians must make a conscious effort to turn the tide of anomie that is taking hold of the country’s political landscape. These are danger signs. It is not a time of complacency and silence but a time to be positive in pursuit of better standards and to condemn negative behaviours. It might become too late to save.
Frank Tietie, Esq. is a Lawyer & Executive Director, Citizens Advocacy for Social & Economic Rights (CASER) writes from Abuja, Nigeria.
