It was during the recent nationwide protests that I had an encounter with some youthful soldiers suspected to be northerners in Osogbo,Osun state capital. That they were young or being Northerners is not even the issue here but the fact that these chaps could not speak any other language except Hausa language. I was shocked !

The encounter took place at the popular Lameco roundabout in Osogbo. I was coming (driving) from Rinsayo axis,trying to link NNPC/GRA road, when I was stopped by one of the soldiers. He indicated,by pointing his hand, that I should pullover and I did. I greeted him in English : Good morning officer. He said something in Hausa language which I did not understand and he became angry all of a sudden ! One of his colleagues moved over to us and he had a brief discussion with him in Hausa language. I was embarrassed and a bit angry at such level of mediocrity. They obviously wanted to ask me some questions but they could not communicate with me using our official language, English !

They starred at the items I had on the passenger seat - my phones and some papers. They discussed briefly in Hausa language and eventually, the first guy indicated,grudgingly, with his hand that I should go. I guess it was the intervention of the second soldier boy that saved me that day. The first guy would have loved to teach me some lessons for my inability to understand and speak Hausa language !


Few days after,I witnessed what could be best described as brutality and abuse of power in the hands of these same soldier boys at Old Garage area in Osogbo. A young man was being brutally beaten for allegedly using his phone in the presence of soldiers ! He tried desperately to explain to them in English language that he was actually carrying out a transaction but they did not understand what he was saying ! I later got to know that the man operated a POS shop in front of the spot where those soldiers were stationed. He was accused of using his phone to record their activities whereas, people around claimed he actually was carrying out his business activities using his phone. That man was brutally beaten and injured by those soldiers. They equally smashed his phone and destroyed it completely.

The question is : is it Nigerian Army or Fulani Army that we have in Nigeria ? In this age and time,how do we recruit those who can't speak our official language into our military ? This is dangerous and such a practice must stop.

Typing.....

why are we shying away from this obvious occupation