Nigeria: The Senator Dantong Dalyop Mystery

opinion

On Thursday July 19, 2012 the Senate, the nation and the family of Senator Dantong Dalyop bid the late senator farewell. The Senate thereafter went back to it's business while his family went home to continue grieving. It is not that the life of Dalyop was more important than the life of any of the 140 people that lost their lives in the petrol tanker explosion in Rivers state two weeks ago, or any of the 23 people that were killed by gunmen believed to be armed robbers in Zamfara last month, or any of the four people that died as a result of flooding in Ibadan last week, or any of the estimated 1000 people believed to have died from bomb blasts across the country in the last one year.

But until his death, Dalyop was one of only 109 Nigerians, out of 160 million, that are privileged to be elevated to the exalted position of the nation's highest legislative body, the Senate. Those 109, if they are so inclined, can change the country from the way it is (dangerous, backward, eyesore), to the way it should be (safe, progressive, among the 20 leading economies of the world). If they are so inclined, INCLINED being the operative word. So being so favoured, even if he died in his sleep, Dr Dalyop's sudden departure would still be a national loss and should attract national attention.

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