We cannot always build the future for our youth but we can build our youth for the future
– Major Hamza Al-Mustapha
It is often said that the human creation was made with two different types of destiny capabilities. Some are born great while others attract or achieve greatness through hard work, discipline, self-believing and dedication to the service of humanity. Although great men and women who made things happen all over the world are skinny, courageous, fearless and outspoken like President Barack Obama, President Bill Clinton, President John F. Kennedy, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, Prime Minister Gandhi, Prime Minister Thatcher, Hillary Clinton and President Nelson Mandela, to mention but few. They did not allow circumstances, pedigree or any man or woman to kill their dreams or frustrate the plan and vision they had for humanity.
Major Hamza Al-Mustapha was a hard working, disciplined, and loyal army officer who served his boss with open-mindedness and trust, in line with the doctrine of the military’ command ‘obey the last order’. And so, my fellow Nigerians, every army officer appointed to such position must do the same work with passion, joy, and self-motivation like what Al-Mustapha did without listening to criticism from outsiders. He served meticulously as Chief Security Officer (CSO) to General Sani Abacha, the military head of state between November 1993 to June 1998. He was later arrested after Gen. Abacha’s death and was tried for murder of Kudirat Abiola, wife of MKO Abiola, the acclaimed winner of the June 12, 1993 presidential election. On January 30, 2012, a Lagos High court sitting at Igbosere convicted Al-Mustapha over the murder. He was sentenced to death by hanging, but was discharged and acquitted of the crime by the Appeal Court, Lagos division, on Friday, July 12, 2013. The appellate court said there was no enough evidence to incriminate him in the murder. Wao! That was a great judgement.
Today, we are commemorating one year anniversary of the emancipation of our fearless and courageous leader who was discharged and acquitted of the murder charge he did not have the knowledge of. We commemorate the day of freedom of God’s servant who discharged his duties and responsibilities in immaculate, loyalty, probity and open-mindedness. Today, Nigerians would rise up for this great celebration and join the train together from Kano to Yobe on that train to Lagos, down to Abuja. It is a celebration of victory over wrongful accusation, illegal detention and character assassination of a young gallant army officer.
Al-Mustapha is a role model to millions of Nigerian youth, and to the incoming generation. Many people have predicted that he is a future president of the most populous black nation in the world. Al-Mustapha has called us to hope through hard work, self-confidence, patience, and perseverance without losing faith in the Nigerian people. This young man has mentored Nigeria unity by campaigning for peaceful co-existence among Nigerians in line with the vision of our founding fathers: Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, and Sir Ahmadu Bello. This was what made Al-Mustapha to set up the Al-Mustapha Peace, Unity and Development Initiative (APUDI), a non-governmental organisation (NGO) that is promoting, championing, propagating and promulgating peace, love, brotherliness, unity of purpose and development among ethnic nationalities nationwide.
My fellow Nigerians, we have heard the truth, and the truth has been told. We have seen the sun rising, we have seen the mountain top, we have seen the flag flying that in a tolerant Nigeria your name or your pedigree is never a barrier to success, but hard work, humility and respect you have for those ahead of you.
Mr. Stephen is founder and CEO, Centre for Democratic Research, Justice, Peace and Fair Play in Nigeria, Abuja. Tel.: 08078573221, 08170443515
