WHEN POWER MEETS PRINCIPLE: Lessons from the Wike/Yerima clash ....Afolabi Oloko

 WHEN POWER MEETS PRINCIPLE: Lessons from  the Wike/Yerima clash ....Afolabi Oloko

The recent confrontation between Nyesom Wike and members of the Nigerian military has once again exposed a familiar weakness in the country’s leadership culture — the failure of both civil and security authorities to manage conflict with calm and professionalism.

Let's be clear, the Military action is deemed as a clear breach of norm/ principle of civilian supremacy over the military within a constitutionally elected democratic setting. The obligation of the armed forces is to protect the Nigerian state and not being involved in civil matters but protect the Nigerian state and not allocation of  lands within the Federation etc 

Authority does not have to be loud to be respected. Real leadership, especially at that level, requires restraint — the ability to project control rather than chaos.

Wike could have handled the matter differently. The oldest rule of power is simple: de-escalate first, assert later. A calm request to speak to the commanding officer, backed by firm insistence on protocol, would have defused the situation without drama or loss of face.

Confrontations with armed personnel call for emotional intelligence, not ego. Raising one’s voice or trading insults with soldiers blurs the line between authority and aggression. Nigeria needs leaders who channel power through order, not impulse.

A smarter move would have been to document the incident quietly and file an official report with Defence Headquarters. A formal complaint triggers accountability; a viral video only feeds social media theatrics.

If Wike wanted to speak publicly, a measured press statement calling for military discipline and improved civil–military relations would have earned him greater respect. That’s how statesmen handle provocation — through process, not passion.

True power is calm. True leadership is disciplined. True authority is never proven in the heat of confrontation, but in the ability to rise above it.

In that moment, Wike didn’t need to fight to be right; he needed to lead. 

The clash became a symbolic showdown between an unstoppable force and an immovable object — and for once, the object stood firm.

Colonel Yerima’s composure sent a powerful message: not everyone can be bullied into submission. His calm defiance reminded Nigerians that integrity and braveness can defeat intimidation despite the fact that he shouldn't be there in the first place, though he was ordered to be there.

Without shouting, Yerima effectively sent Wike to the rhetorical cemetery. His poise echoed a Malcolm X–style philosophy: “Be peaceful, be courteous, obey the law, respect everyone; but if someone puts his hand on you, send him to the cemetery.”

The episode also exposed what could be called gerontocratic egotism — the tendency of older Nigerians to use age as a weapon to silence the young. Age doesn’t equal wisdom. In this case, the younger man showed more maturity and dignity.

Nigeria remains trapped in a form of reverse ageism, where even emotionally immature adults assume superiority simply because they are older.

Ultimately, Wike’s outburst revealed a deeper leadership crisis — a lack of humility, logic, and discipline and also institutional organization where  we should be able to understand that the army shouldn't interfere or intimidate civilians no matter what but some are carried away because of there hatred for Wike which makes them support impunity of the military in a civilian setting.