The Nigerian Senate has reportedly taken a decision to send a delegation to visit Senator Ike Ekweremadu and his wife in London. The purpose is to ensure that the Senator by virtue of his being a serving Senator and a former Deputy President of the Senate is given fair treatment in his current travails. In this regard, all relevant diplomatic apparatus of state are being mobilised in aid of the Senator and his family. The Senate has by a resolution directed the Nigerian High Commissioner to London to ensure that the sick Miss Ekweremadu does not lack the best of medical care, while her parents are in detention.

During the entire session of the Senate where the Ike Ekweremadu alleged organ traffic saga was discussed, no mention or reference was made to David Nwamina, the young man who was procured from Nigeria to donate one of his kidneys to save Senator Ekweremadu daughter’s life. Yet he is also a Nigerian whose welfare should be as important as that of the Ekweremadus. But the Nigerian Senate seem to have declared the young man guilty, or inconsequential to deserve it’s consideration.

One would have thought that a Senate interested in treating all Nigerians equal, should also have resolved to direct it’s delegation to London to also visit the young man to hear his own side of the story. His life matters too. He is as much a Nigerian as Senator Ekweremadu and his family. The young man also needs to be treated fairly. Or is it not necessary to hear what the young man has to say? And it doesn’t matter if he is of the age of consent or not! The Senate ought to have included in its resolution, a complete investigation of the circumstances that led to the young man’s journey to London and this should have included a visit to the young man to hear his story first hand and also to close members of his family here in Nigeria to ascertain what they know of the young man’s journey to London.

Yes, the Nigerian Immigration Service and other relevant government bodies have revealed the real age of the boy, but the matter does not end there. It is not only minors that are targets of organ harvesters. Stories abound of adults who were lured abroad only for their organs to be harvested. Some have been known to even have lured some young females into marriage only to take them abroad to have their organs harvested. This is why the Senate should not have not lost sight of the vital question that is still begging to be asked in the entire saga; how was the young man’s consent obtained? We cannot determine the answer to this question by hearing from Senator Ekweremadu alone. We have heard from the Distinguished Senator, we also need to hear from the young man too. It is when both sides have been heard that the Senate and indeed Nigerians can examine the facts and take a decision.

The Senate resolution therefore falls short in equity and fairness and a violation of their oath to, in the discharge of their duties, treat all manner of persons fairly without fear or favour and not to discriminate against anyone on the basis of class, ethnicity or religion. It is a decision that reflects the attitude of the political and ruling elite to what affects anyone that is not of their class. It is this same attitude that can make the so called representative of the people to be comfortable while the entire country university system is placed on pause mode for over a year because their children are either abroad or schooling in expensive private universities at home . If the young man in question was to be the son of a prominent family, the matter would not be subjected to this one sided treatment.

As it is now, no one is speaking for the young man and he is in a foreign land facing the greatest crises of his life. As can be deduced from the Senate’s resolution, the Nigerian state seem to have taken a decision on the matter and it is on the side of Senator Ekweremadu.

It is now left for civil society to take interest in this matter and to ensure that no one is unfairly treated.

Miss Ekweremadu’s life matter, David Nwamina life matter too. They are both Nigerian citizens and human beings

Austin Emaduku