Terrorism and Indecent Dressingby Samuel Effiong Asuquo - 08067999730

The state of Akwa Ibom in the Niger delta is known for peace and normalcy, particularly the oil city of Eket where I was born. Sometimes though, the fact that we are almost entirely surrounded by water becomes a curse as armed bandits from neighboring states use this means to rob banks laying a siege on the city for hours, outsmarting the weak men in black and confidently carrying out their plan before escaping easily.
It was with this in mind that we welcomed the presence of military men, making an assurance of security to the foreign expatriates, not us.These men however exceeded the domain of what they feel is their absolute power by going about the street tearing people's clothes in the name of indecent dressing. Oh, Nigeria has always acted as a conservative country (pretence) but really is not such.
If I am not wrong, our constitution allows for freedom of choice. I am not in support of indecent dressing, but what would we use to measure the degree of indecency, is it the mind of these soldiers? Are we justified to do what is illegal just because we feel it is right? And it was so bad a sight to see people being harassed because they wore trousers, people being striped...is this really the problem of Nigeria or is this more serious an issue than the armed bandits that terrorize us?
And that is always our problem: trying to be cosmetic and neglecting the reality on ground.You could imagine what an insult it was for these self-acclaimed saints to take their illegal campaign to the university in the state's capital - an autonomous community.
Students stood up for their rights and the Governor intervened, pocketing the powers of the soldiers. We are too surprised to know that this abuse of both the rights and dignity of women occurred under our very noses so that money could be extorted from fellow citizens.
Oh Nigeria, Nigeria, when will I stop weeping for you? Maybe when all your children realize that to make Nigeria better is everybody's job!