Golden Man … Poisoned Waters
Today we stand in the shadow of a loss so sudden, so searing, that words feel too frail to bear its weight. There are moments in life when grief robs us of language, and yet, to honour the life of Honourable Dr. Alhaji Murtala Muhammed, we must try.
Today, we mourn eight gallant men who gave their lives in service to our beloved nation. Among them all, none was as close to my heart as Murtala. I met him in the fervent days before the 2016 elections. He was a constant presence on our national platforms, and together we often crossed paths on the stage of public discourse especially at Metro TV.
It did not take long for us to become firm friends. From the first, I was struck by the sharpness of his mind, a mind that could dissect an argument like a scholar and defend a principle like a warrior. And behind that intellect was something rarer still: a heart that beat with integrity.
Murtala was a debater of the highest order. Many a time, in the heat of our exchanges, I found myself wanting to rise from my seat, applaud, and say, “I love your argument!” Even in disagreement, you could not help but respect the grace of his reasoning. He spoke with the authority of truth, and truth has its own power.
And now … he is gone. This golden man, this fine intellect, this unbending pillar of principle, taken from us in a moment we cannot explain. Our hearts cry out: Why, Lord? Why? And Heaven is silent, yet we trust that the God who numbers our days makes no mistakes, even in mysteries that break our hearts.
Murtala died not in pursuit of personal gain, but in pursuit of a cause the fight against galamsey. A fight for our rivers, now poisoned; for our health, now threatened; for our livelihoods, now eroded. Galamsey has stolen our water. Galamsey has stolen our health. Galamsey has stolen our children’s future. And now, it has stolen the lives of those we hold dear.
So here is my plea to all who hear my voice: let this not be the end of their work. Let the unity and resolve we feel today become the hammer that breaks the chains of this national scourge. Let the mission that took them on that fateful journey be completed. If we do not fight and win this battle, then we will have allowed their sacrifice to be in vain.
Murtala, my brother, my friend … the race is run, the battle is over, and you rest now in the mercy of Almighty God. May the gates of Paradise open wide to receive you. May your memory be a banner we carry into the fight against galamsey. And may we be found faithful to finish it.
Go well, noble son of the soil. Fare thee well, Golden Man.
