I cringed in horror as I listened to the news of the death of David Ntekim-Rex, another ‘lazy’ Nigerian youth doing remarkable work. This is one death too many. The circumstances surrounding his death could have been avoided if the security was in place. But the police force failed us and even though the health care system is not excluded.
According to news gathered, David was somewhere in the ever-busy Jibowu bus stop in Lagos. He was accosted by armed robbers for bringing out his Samsung phone e which he refused to let go of. It was in the struggle, he got shot and nobody even the police officers couldn’t come to his rescue. It is normal to grieve and pray for his soul but how about the colossal wastage of his very promising life. This young lad was the winner of the IBM competition. He was just a 22-year-old Computer Systems Engineer, on his way to be the next big thing to come up with possible I.T solutions to issues we face as a country.
The truth is, nobody is safe again. If it could happen to him, is the person next door, any different? This goes to show the poor security system we have in Nigeria. Months ago, there was the #EndSARS protest, though it was about putting an end to police brutality, we were also calling for police reforms so they can perform optimally in their jobs. The police are not your friend if they cannot save or defend lives. Like in the case of David, they have failed woefully yet again. And it is not just the police, the health system too. I learnt they didn’t attend to the deceased while he was still breathing because they were asking for a police report. No life is worth wasting. When we see young potentials, the best we can do is support their dreams. If we continue to kill the seeds, there would be nothing to reap in time of harvest.