Now that we know our lawmakers cannot read – and more, in today’s news roundup with Cheta Nwanze

by Cheta Nwanze

….Ayo Akinyelure claimed that he cast the vote in error. “I pressed the ‘No’ button during the electronic voting session thinking that I was kicking against the early marriage,” he sniffled in between some hot crocodile tears.

Yesterday, a sitting gavel of the Federal Republic of Nigeria proved something I have expressed my fears about before, that (a good number of) our lawmakers cannot read. Faced with hot questions from his constituents over his position in last week’s contentious vote over the rights of a Nigerian citizen, Ayo Akinyelure claimed that he cast the vote in error. “I pressed the ‘No’ button during the electronic voting session thinking that I was kicking against the early marriage,” he sniffled in between some hot crocodile tears.

Point of order Sir, you had multiple tries before the final vote was tallied. Are you telling us that you did not understand the difference between ‘YES’ and ‘NO’ four times?

In yet another commendable act yesterday, the wigs at No Future Ambition sent out a strong message that match-fixing is not acceptable in Nigerian football. Big ups to them. While I want to commend the people of Ondo Central for calling out their Senator, I do not think they went nearly far enough. No Sirs, once again, as a people we missed a golden opportunity to send out a strong message.

The lesson that I hope the Nigerian people learn someday is this: it is an individual’s place to forgive and (if possible) forget. A people may forgive, but they must follow up with punishment. Mr Akinyelure should have lost his job yesterday. That would have sent a strong message to himself and his other dosh grabbing colleagues: they are not answerable to God, but to the people of Nigeria.

Quote of the Day

“I mistakenly voted for GEJ and look what it cost me.” — Femi from Ikeja on Smooth 98.1 FM on the radio a few minutes ago. See what mistakes such as Mr. Akinyelure’s can do?

Bits and Bobs

The men-in-black have caught someone who was allegedly involved in the kidnap of Briton, Lee Dixon. But dem brush d guy sha…

Kudos to the Air Force. They’ve created a robot for bomb-detection. A lot of innovation exists in this country, would someone please finance them?

The state of our roads comes into focus as 18 people die on #DoyinOkupe’s Benin-Lagos on the same day as Dame loses her mother, on a Nigerian road. May God rest the dead.

Right of Reply

Nkiru Emodi wrote,

F,
I didn’t call your religion itself barbaric, please read my mail again. If laws are made by the church which I think to barbaric, I’ll speak against it vehemently, not christianity as a whole. Has nothing to do with religion my dear. Bad laws are bad laws.

F wrote,

Dear chxta,

I am a campaigner against Yerima and any other injustices in my country. As for the bearded mad man,I have spoken against him and his evil ways, severally.
I have invited and made sure a lot of my family and friends got out on saturday to share their disgust and anger against yerima and the child rights issue.

I am not a coward and will never run and hide when an issue be it religious, tribal, racist, or just plain right & wrong comes up. I have a strong point of view and have always spoken out.

So, ask me what I have done to condemn acts by these mad men before you declare your public “disappointment” in the manner in which I deal with the munafiqun.

Thanks.

Fantis Muhammed

Chxta responds,

Dear Fantis,

My apologies for making out like you are a coward, I sincerely regret that and I hope we can all join forces some day to rid our country off of the ignorance in places high and low that threaten our very existence.

China Acheru wrote,

Now how do I make a move to recall my Senators, House of Reps members and my state Assembly man who was seen on video attempting to kill another.
Can you educate me because I do not know the process.

Chxta responds,

A member of the Senate or House of Reps may be recalled if a petition signed by 50% of the persons registered to vote in his constituency is presented to INEC. Once such a petition is presented, INEC has 90 days to conduct a referendum in that area, and if a simple majority of the participants in that referendum tell the chap to gerrout, out he goes.

Ohi wrote,

Chxta, you stated in your ‘morning tea’ of today and l quote : “Any person who has UNLAWFUL carnal knowledge of a girl under the age of thirteen is guilty of felony and liable to life imprisonment, with or without caning. That clearly puts our age of consent at thirteen” (emphasis mine). Wrong!!! And l’d tell you simply why. The operative word there is UNLAWFUL. If the 13yr old child is a LEGALLY wedded wife, how then does sleeping with her translate into an unlawful act? You now begin to get the drift of the petition signing which the likes of Eggheader condescendingly referred to as the cackle of hyenas? I think you and the said Eggheader should be the ones educating yourselves here becos the petition has since transcended the boundaries of the constitutional amendment which started the whole brouhaha in the first instance.

Thanks.
@9jaBloke

Chxta responds,

If a 13-year old girl is legally married to a man, then she (or her father) has consented to the act. Which translates to the term “age of consent”. I hope this helps.

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Op-ed pieces and contributions are the opinions of the writers only and do not represent the opinions of Y!/YNaija.