Olufemi Adegbulugbe
From the attempted assassination of Donald Trump recently at Pennsylvania, we have a few lessons to learn in Nigeria.
We learnt that in USA, key presidential candidates and ex-presidents enjoy the same quantum of security as the sitting president.
Within seconds of the shots fired at Trump, the Counter Sniper Team (CST) neutralised the attacker.
We saw the Counter Assault Team (CAT) and the Secret Service (SS) in action also.
It is important again to say that Trump is not the sitting president but as an ex-president, the full machinery of state was there to protect him even though he can be considered to be an opposition leader in the USA.
An attempt to kill a presidential candidate is simply an attack on democracy because it eliminates options and choice. The SS, CAT, CST rose up in full defence of democracy. We saw great institutions in action.
My question is that do key presidential candidates in Nigeria enjoy the needed security protection, like what we saw in Pennsylvania?
We saw that the USA security apparatus treated and defended a presidential candidate in the exact manner they would treat or defend a sitting president. Why? Because he is a potential president of the country. This is a lesson for Nigeria.
Presidential candidates in Nigeria deserve the same level of security the sitting president enjoys.
Olufemi Adegbulugbe, Alberta, Canada
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