Wike: The Wicked Face-Off and the Calm Soldier on a Dangerous Parade Ground
By Kasali D. Obanoyen — Atlanta, Georgia
A Tale of Power, Poise, and the Abuja Viral Encounter
When arrogance met restraint, Nigeria witnessed the difference between noise and nobility.
In a now-viral video, a young Nigerian army officer stood calm and unshaken — the very embodiment of order amid chaos. His posture conveyed discipline, his silence authority, his restraint a quiet rebuke to the madness around him.
Across from him stood Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory — brash, impulsive, and all too eager to display raw power. What should have been a straightforward land-enforcement exercise degenerated into a public theatre of arrogance, noise, and official overreach.
“The soldier’s silence spoke louder than Wike’s fury — a masterclass in power under control.”
Where Wike’s words were sharp and heated, the soldier’s composure restored calm and dignity. His restraint likely saved lives. In a country often on edge, a single nervous finger on a trigger could have unleashed tragedy — leaving Wike, his retinue of coat-wearing aides, hungry policemen, and cheering bystanders trapped in the chaos.
The irony is painful yet poetic: the civilian minister, charged with maintaining peace, flirted with disorder; the military man, trained for war, upheld peace through professionalism. In that brief moment, Nigeria glimpsed what real leadership looks like — steady, sober, and self-controlled.
That officer deserves commendation, perhaps even promotion, for embodying what service to the nation should mean: discipline over drama, principle over provocation.
Meanwhile, one wonders why Wike’s restless energy cannot be channelled toward something more unifying — perhaps a flight to Morocco to rally the Super Eagles in their World Cup campaign. The boys need motivation and focus, not noise and ego trips.
In that Abuja confrontation, two faces of power were revealed: one loud, reckless, and self-absorbed; the other calm, deliberate, and dignified.
And as the dust settled, it was the silent strength of a young soldier — not the bluster of a politician — that restored faith in what Nigeria could still become.
