By Ikeddy ISIGUZO
SOMEWHERE in Nigeria, a young lady is spending her days shading more tears, no thanks to the Nigerian Army which she has declared her “mentally ill” with such gusto that it would appear it was a badge of honour. She is Ruth Ogunleye, the female soldier who was discharged from the military for accusing a senior officer, Colonel I.B Abdulkareem, of sexual harassment.
The allegation was weighty. She claimed in a TikTok video that she went public as a last resort since her complaints were ignored. The Army ordered an investigation. Major-General Onyema Nwachukwu, Defence Headquarters Director of Information, said, “The investigation concluded that Colonel IB Abdulkareem did not commit the offence of sexual harassment as alleged by Ex-Private Ruth Ogunleye. The findings were definitive and based on objective evaluation of the available information.
“The Army maintains that Col. Abdulkareem is a disciplined, regimented, and firm officer who has upheld the values of the Nigerian Army throughout his service.”
Ogunleye, Nwachukwu said, was recommended for discharge on medical grounds since 2022, but was kept in service to give her the best medical treatment possible and stabilise her before discharging her into the wider society.
“I beg the Nigerian Army to post the outcome of the investigation on its social media platforms so that the whole world will know what truly transpired and what led to my discharge. I will be very grateful if my request is considered,” Ogunleye said, in differing with the conclusions of the Army.
She also wants the Minister of Women Affairs, Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye, who prevailed on her to write the discharge letter, which Mrs. Kennedy-Ohanenye submitted on her behalf to the Nigerian Army. Ogunleye queried how her voluntary discharge was converted to a medical discharge.
“I’m calling out the Minister of Women Affairs, Uju Kennedy. You’re not just a mother, you’re a woman everybody respects so much. Please come out and say things as they are. Ma, you requested me to leave the job, and I submitted my handwritten voluntary resignation letter to you, which you gave to the Army, and requested that they release me to your office. The psychiatric doctors were there when you intervened.
“Come out and tell the truth, Ma. Thereafter, the Chief of Army Staff called me on July 1, where he told me he converted my voluntary discharge to a medical discharge because you wanted me to benefit from pension and other entitlements. How was I boarded out, and where is this mental illness coming from?”
“The medical evaluation confirmed that Ruth Ogunleye was suffering from a condition that made her medically vulnerable. In light of this, the army, while fully capable of proceeding with disciplinary action for her acts of indiscipline and misconduct, opted to exercise compassion and leniency. Based on the medical report from the National Hospital and the advice of the Nigerian Army Medical Corps, the decision was made to shelve any disciplinary procedures that could have been brought against her,” Nwachukwu told the media in Abuja on Tuesday.
“Instead, the Army prioritised her health, understanding that she was in no position to continue with military service. She was subsequently boarded and discharged from service in June.”
The Army’s benevolence to Ogunleye, Nwachukwu said, included a 50 per cent disability claim which means that Ogunleye will receive a 50 per cent monthly pension for life though she did not serve up the 10 years required to qualify for pension.
If for a moment we agree that the Army discharged Ogunleye on medical grounds, was it not an invasion of her privacy for her medical records to be made public? How does the Army make a statement of that weight against her and think that the 50 per cent pension (of how much) and not putting her through disciplinary procedures justified the allegation?
What types of “potential mental health concerns” does she have? Experts say there are more than 200 types of mental health issues. Does she suffer from all of them?
In Nigeria, “potential mental health concerns” is summed up as madness. Does the Army realise what it has done to the young woman? Congratulations, to the officers whose names were cleared. Their careers and names have been saved as they were served justice.
Is slapping mental illness on Ogunleye her own justice? Can anything remove this stigma which she would bear for live, which would also be on her official records? Will the Army accede to her request that the report of the investigation be made public? Or is the report a secret document in the realms of a battle plan?
Finally…
THE result of the governorship election in Edo State was predictable and so were the allegations of rigging. Neither the age controversies on Monday Okpebholo, nor his educational (un)qualification would count. I think the Supreme Court has precedents on these issues after the strategy of snatching and running with the votes was admitted last year, in a judgement that was not meant to be understood. People of Edo State now “have their mineral resources and insecurity” while Adams Oshiomhole can present himself anywhere as the best strategist in selling a non-product.
BOBRISKY should not commit suicide as he says he feels. His (I hope I got that) recorded prison experience, the money he said he paid officials of the Economic & Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, to lessen his prison term, the fee he paid for pardon, and spending his prison days in a private apartment, are matters that are in their morning. Very Dark Man has given the recording wings by sharing it. The outcome of the investigations by EFCC, Nigerian Custodial Service, NCoS, may not lead to more than we know. We should enjoy the distractions.
THERE are two possibilities with the upped noise about the dropping of Ministers – it could be good business to scare Ministers for them to “drop” something in order not to be dropped, or someone has invented a modest way to keep us busy until 1 October as I the date holds a magic wand to solve Nigeria’s problems or at least reduce them to challenges.
WHICHEVER way the rising costs of food, petrol, electricity, housing, education, and the exchange rates are addressed, it cannot accommodate the rising lifestyles of those in power and the lowering resources of the millions out of the span of the largesse. Is there a solution?
FIRST Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu donated N500 million to the Borno State Government’s relief fund for victims of the flooding in Maiduguri. First son, Seyi, and his brother Yinka, added another N500 million. I never knew they had such money. Our history needs to be updated to reflect this fact that for the first, the First Family of the Federal Republic donated N1 billion to a humanitarian cause, publicly. I wanted to state the equivalent in Dollar, but the remarkable instability of the Dollar against the Naira made that unnecessary.
OUR Ministries of Agriculture, the 774 Departments with responsibility in the local government councils, and our research institutes, should come to the aid of ordinary Nigerians quickly. Foods are expensive, but the bigger challenge is that no matter how they are stored, they go bad fast. Nigerians are groaning under the pains of these losses as farmers, as consumers. There must be people who know what can be done.
ISIGUZO is a major commentator on minor issues