NIGERIA SECURITY MATTERS ON POLITICAL ABATTOIR
Professor Femi Away
s anxiety mounts over the abduction of over 100 schoolgirls in Chibok, Borno State; on Monday, April 14, 2014, making the UNICEF to get worried about lack of protection of children in Nigeria; and the uncivilized blood bath at the Nyanya Bus station, some Nigerian leaders have upturned the security issue into a political soccer match. The Adamawa State governor, retired Vice Admiral Murtala Haman Yero Nyako, is accusing the Federal Government of embarking on what he alleged as a full-fledged genocide in the North.
Typical School Children and the devastated School
Most Nigerians are worried why the Northern Governors have been quiet on the killings in Borno State; why they were mute when Boko Haram got to Yobe; they watched when the insurgent reached Adamawa; and did nothing when Kano, Katsina, and Sokoto were attacked; and still silent when the North East is under occupation.
In his offensive obtuse letter to the Northern Governors dated April 16, 2014, as another added distress, Nyako is of the opinion that “…this is the first time we have collectively elected a citizen of this country from the former Eastern Nigeria as a President”. This is an insult to the entire civilized world and a great worry to humanity if the competence of a leader is determined by the group an individual belongs. Does Jonathan minority group make him ineffectual in governance? Or are the people using the advantage of the minority stigma to select a leader for their incessant control?
Nyako talks like a Saint in the corrupt-ridden Nigeria political arena by insinuating that “…the present Federal administration has now become a government of impunity run by an evil-minded leadership for the advancement of corruption that is apparently enjoying the protection of the Federal administration as a citizen of this country should enjoy but is being denied by the administration using its mass murderers/cut-throats imbedded in our legitimate and traditional Defense and Security organizations.” Can we find a Saint among Nigerian politicians when it comes to public corruption especially with Nyako’s life style with some female teenagers?
It does not take a genius to know that when a hungry child threw his only meal at the face of his mother because the food was not satisfactory would sooner or later discover that there is no more food for dinner.
Nyako should realize that the adverse security situation in Nigeria, and in Northern Nigeria in particular, is being felt across the universe. Ironically, Nyako has refused to allow the complete attainment of the Reconstruction, Reconciliation and Rehabilitation exercise after the Nigeria 30-month civil war, that ended over four decades past, by referring to it as “the killing of Northern political elites on the 15th of January 1966”. The Governor should surpass the rhetoric and face the music of governance. His neighbor consumes dangerous insects for dinner and he refused to caution him or her. The heavy snoring would keep him awake all night. Is this another civil war in the making? The northern Governors should organize local people to monitor their environs to trawl the abductors and members of Boko Haram.
Unfortunately, the security agencies exposed their aesthetic defence tactics with sham rescue operation of the abducted children; while their parents are in aguish waiting for their return with no sign of their homecoming. Definitely innocent blood has soaked the hands of some failed Nigerian politicians.
The abduction of some Girls in Borno State and the bombing in Abuja was followed by another recorded Boko Haram killings at Wukari local government area in Taraba State on Easter Sunday, April 20, 2014, in a manner resembling that of Kaura community [Kaduna] attacks by Fulani herdsmen.
Terrorist activities in Nigeria are waxing stronger. Boko Haram has visited the UNO, and the Nigerian Police Headquarters, in Abuja. Jonathan’s administration is still on centipede race to resolve the issue.
Fulani herdsmen have been feuding with their forcefully acquired neighbors, nothing is being done about that. Lawmakers are not working hard enough to come up with effective laws in curbing terrorism in Nigeria. The traditional rulers could not use their natural and acquired powers to mobilize the communities to stop Boko Haram activities at their backyard in their respective domains. Nigeria opportunist politicians should stop playing politics with the Citizens’ life as they have been doing with other activities at the expense of innocent Nigerians.
The bombing at Eagles Square couple of years back, ended with Jonathan claim that he knew those behind it. He admitted that he has Boko Haram members in his cabinet, without any action or policy on the subject. The case of the arrested National Assembly member on his involvement in Boko Haram atrocities has been kept in the cooler for a while.
In addition, Monday, July 8, 2013, Nigeria Government claimed to have signed a ceasefire with Boko Haram. Whatever happened to the deceit on the part of the government is what the world is witnessing today, (2014). We warned then that the truce was a gimmick that would make the terrorist group to reorganize and commit more atrocities to the communities where it features prominently.
Ironically, the government is on the millipede race in unveiling the masks, nationalities, sponsors, and their inhuman activities of Boko Haram. With the President’s knowledge, discoveries by its agencies, and no trace of the sources of their weapons, the manufacturers, and their sponsors, are of great concern to Nigerians.
Is PDP government afraid of touching ‘Oga on Top’ who were believed to be the possible sponsors, as revealed by Sheik Sani Haliru, ex-Boko Haram member, now a born again Christian; as reported by the Republic Reporters, New York, published Tuesday, 07 August 2012; or the ‘Ogas on Top’ are busy siphoning security votes. Jonathan has the Constitutional responsibilities to address the insecurity issues in Nigeria.
Nigerian leaders should graduate from security rhetoric, and bail out the retarded 53-year old baby. With the release of a 28-minute video message posted online spat fire, Boko Haram has vowed to carry out more attacks in and around Abuja again. The purported Boko Haram leader, Imam Abubakar Shekau, claimed that his men are already stationed in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, and environs. Is there any intelligent information that could help the government in ending the Boko Haram menace?
Nigerians would like to know what is impeding the President’s sense of judgement, in his failure on Boko Haram or terrorism. Could it be the presence of some diluted chemicals in his system that impedes his judgements as he is ‘TALL’ enough to see the events and issues surrounding his immediate environment, Nigeria, and be able to make some security judgement to curb the insurgents? On the other hand, could the hurdle be coming from the validated mentally lazy, out of extension of their faculty staff, focussing on their not too pleasant wherewithal, just occupying their positions at the Presidency, blocking his sight on what happens in the environment.
The President as he represents the country could show such individuals the way to the farm, to feed the country, since their faculty is failing in handling their responsibilities. Jonathan should demonstrate his constitutional powers to address the issue of insecurity that is giving an average Nigerian some sleepless nights which has infected the International communities across the world, hence the warnings to their citizens from travelling to Nigeria, especially the affected States in the North.
The significant risk of terrorism, crime, inter-communal clashes, armed attacks, and kidnappings, have informed the international communities such as France, Germany, Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Spain and Sweden to issue very stern warnings to their citizens restricting them from travelling to Nigeria, most especially to Borno, Yobe, Adamawa, Bauchi, and Gombe states. Some shameless leaders have transferred their social activities outside the borders of Nigeria at very fast pace.
As most Nigerians are expecting some leaders to speak out, especially the retired Generals, and damn the consequences. Obasanjo dammed the consequences and visited Boko Haram leader family, eventhough Boko Haram wiped out the family he visited. At least he tried.
We presumed that Buhari ought to have joined the government on the issue of insecurity in Nigeria as a retired General and a former Head of State. The retired General Buhari broke the ice in his press release of April 22, 2014 condemning Boko Haram atrocities especially the abduction of school girls.
Surprisingly, without being political, Buhari, instead of his 7-day ultimatum to PDP, to retract its statement of being alleged to be involved in the atrocities committed by the faceless Boko Haram, has just won my heart by condemning the acts of Boko Haram, especially the Abuja bombing and the abduction of over 100 young school girls. That is a way forward for Jonathan to equally set aside all political inkling and work with some Nigerian retired Generals on the “…intelligence gathering {that} needs to be improved so that it can break terrorist plots before they hatch…”
Buhari in his release is of the opinion that “Those who committed this act have declared war on all that is decent and good. They have declared war not against the state or even the government. They have declared war on Nigeria and all Nigerians because this murder took men and women, old and young, Christian and Muslim alike. In trying to scare, frighten and divide us, the evildoers committed injury to their own cause. For they have shown us that we all suffer inhumanity in the same way.” Here we go!
Most Nigerians appreciate Buhari’s message that “These acts have no place in Nigeria. Those who commit them have no place in our country. The perpetrators may look like human beings. They may have limbs and faces like the rest of us but they are not like us. In killing innocent people, they have become inhuman. They live outside the scope of humanity. Their mother is carnage and their father is cruelty.” Nigerians advice like Nyako’s to take a cue from Buhari’s release.
With the hidden places in Gwoza/Cameroon Mountains where the insurgents reorganize, harass, and hide-out to plan their attacks, it is time for the locally designed and launched Drone is in use immediately. Is the drone part of the deceitful activities of the administration?
As Boko Haram has been internationally declared a terrorist group, Drone should be put into use to disentangle the insurgents as expected by the International body. On the other hand, Nigeria can take the advantage of the US promise, or, commitment, to deploy US Drones and spy planes to check the Boko Haram insurgency in Nigeria. That is in addition to the deployment of up to 100 US troops to Niger, Nigeria’s border country.
Nigeria’s First Indigenous Drone Flight – Gulma Tactical UAV NAF 61 Made by Nigerian Air force
What about the Nigeria’s N40bn substandard Satellite accord with China, which disappeared from the Orbit, just 18 months in the space, November 2008, for the fact that it used a technological standard that was meant for Asia, not Africa? Is it not for the purpose of monitoring the country airspace, and others? Nigeria should get reliable gadget for its intelligent services; instead of the fake substandard and inferior intelligent devices from China.
U.S. MQ-9 Reaper drone shown in flight is one of the aerial attack drones that has been used in Pakistan during the U.S. Drone Program campaign in the region. Image: Paul Ridgeway/U.S. Air Force
The Nigeria Security meetings must include all stakeholders regardless their political affiliations; in a country where a group has challenged the government and the government keeps on saying “we know them, we will capture them.” What happened to the purported sect leader identified as Suleiman Mohammed captured in the slum of Farawa quarters, a sprawling slum in Kumbotso Local Government area in 2012, believed to have hailed from Ogbomosho in South West Nigeria?
APC should join the PDP in finding solution to this shameful policy of Jonathan administration’s slow pace of resolving Nigeria security matters. Is APC waiting for the final demise of the country before it joins the ruling government to stop the Boko Haram menace? It is an irony of history that Jonathan administration has not been able to fish out the perpetrators of Boko Haram, beyond the claim of the President’s knowledge of those behind Boko Haram.
Nigerians should be their neighbor’s keepers; regardless the heavy-metal walls around their homes and properties, with the very high voltage electric wires on top of the fences, Nigerians would have their citizens wrinkled with the likes of Boko Haram in their neighborhoods.
The rich Nigerians are afraid and live in Barb-Wire fenced mansions!!!
It is unpatriotic for the two major Nigeria political parties pointing accusing fingers at each other, instead of finding lasting solutions to the menace. Irrespective of the political heat in the country the President should set aside political differences, get all stakeholders involved in finding solution to the teething security matters in Nigeria, regardless the contemporaneous negative opposition of APC in all PDP policies. APC should disregard the political megaphone of PDP at the Presidency, for the insanitary excuses to resolve the menace, and get involved.
Nigerians expect all politicians in the country to exhibit greater responsibility and patriotism by assisting the current administration in all sincerity and stop political capitation of the pain and misery of their fellow citizens. The political leaders must not capitalize on security shortcomings of the current administration, and turn the serious national problem into a political chess game.
Definitely most Nigerians echo Buhari’s state that “… we must stand tall and united.”