On save Nigeria mission BY JOE INIODU

A friend of this writer who deprecated the use of the word Nation for Nigeria asked, “Is Nigeria still a Nation?”. While his question couched in angry tone numbed me with trepidation, I reflected and reminisced over some of the patriotic lines in our National pledge to wit: “I pledge to Nigeria, my Country; To be faithful, loyal and honest;… To defend her unity; And uphold her honour and glory…” Today the Nation buckles under the thrall of depravity unleashed by Boko Haram insurgents. It is no longer a Nation of honour and glory; it is a Nation of bloodletting.

I had from the outset refused to join many to conjecture Boko Haram as a sect that was fanatical about moral/religious purity and the spread of Islam. I had from the beginning considered it a tool of political blackmail nursed and nurtured by promoters who are committed to delivering a specific agenda on behalf of a section of the country. My conclusion was persuaded by the fact that when that section saw Obasanjo’s ascension to the Presidency as their project, there was no Boko Haram. When late President Yar’Adua also came as its project, there was calm and quiet, despite the latter’s apparent lack of grit and loose grip on the affairs of the Country. But the emergence of a leader that the section considered to be not their own birthed a malignant tumour called Boko-Haram. The tempo of its operations became more vociferous after some political leaders proclaimed that they would make the country ungovernable if they lose elections. And the elections, they lost but refused to be graceful in defeat. Since then, the sect has been at the jugular of this Nation. And as an old proverb avers, if a witch cries in the night and the baby dies in the morning, one would not have difficulty knowing who to accuse.

2015 seems to rob Nigerians of humanity. The widespread depravity of Boko-Haram is traceable to 2015, the almighty election year that many say would make or mar Nigeria. The sect being in the forefront of delivering a sectional script has already put in place an amalgam of mayhem in what many see as ploys to either intimidate President Jonathan from seeking a second term or raising public concerns on his competence in delivering good governance of which security of life and property is one and that way subtly sending a signal to the military to warm up for the taking over of the reins of government if they lose the election again this time around. And so to perfect their plans, they are dropping bombs even in the Nation’s capital and abducting innocent school girls with ease of passage despite the numerous check-points that dot Borno State where Government Girls College, Chibok is located, all to prove the point that government is incapacitated.

 Germane in the discourse raised above is the conspiracy theory. For instance, there are so many unanswered questions in the Chibok abduction. It is however heart-warning that Mr. President has set up an investigative body headed by a well heeled expert in intelligence gathering, General Ibrahim Sabo. As the President noted, the body is that of fact finding which shall operate without prejudice to the extant security agencies that are already in the thicket of operations to track down these heartless renegades and save these teenage girls from their claws. It is our collective prayer that these anxious moments would come to an end soonest with the rescue of these children and their safe return to their parents. But most importantly, we must pray that this Nation rises above these current security challenges without descending into violent fragmentation. This is the looming fear.

It is a persuasive fact that President Jonathan’s intention to seek re-election even though not openly proclaimed is at the centre of these rocking bombs, abductions and other shades of terrorist acts. It is a subterfuge conceived by devious people to blackmail him out of the race. The question is, is his seeking re-election a legitimate action that is in tandem with constitutional provisions? The answer is, yes. President Jonathan is an eloquent proof that power belongs to God and He gives it to whoever he deems fit. The South-South had for long remained the whipping boy of Nigerian politics even as it has from 1956 been the milk cow of the Nation. Its quest for recognition and appropriate “rebasing” within the Nation’s scheme of things have always been violently subdued by the powers that be. This historical recollection brings to mind the brutal suppression of the early agitations for the rights of the Niger-Delta people mounted by Adaka Boro and subsequently Ken Saro Wiwa. The results of these agitations are well documented in our history books.

 But God’s ways are not man’s ways. While the Nigeria Federation stoutly refused to recognise the Niger-Delta in terms of vouchsafing her access to power, God in His infinite mercy decided to compensate and give the region a sense of entitlement in a Federation where its people had for long been nondescript back benchers. It granted one of its sons an easy passage to the presidency. And like every other region, he has a right of two terms as anything less than that may fuel discontent in the future. The fact that he held forte for one year to complete late President Yar’Adua’s term should be overlooked in the interest of peace and stability of the Nation. This is the only way we can do justice to the avowal of the National Anthem, “To save with heart and might, one Nation bound in Freedom, Peace and Unity”. Anybody who feels a sense of entitlement to Nigeria must reflect on this and see the need for us to continue to co-exist as a Nation. 

In a democratic setting, elections are representative exercises. Agreed that President Jonathan’s primary constituency as a president is Nigeria but he comes from the Niger-Delta. The region sees the President equally as their representative and perhaps project. It is why many of them have reacted virulently to the insurgencies that have pervaded the Nation since he came into power. Many of them have served notice to the President that if he fails to seek re-election, he should not return to the Niger-Delta. Alhaji Asari Dokubo has been more pugnacious in his stand by serving notice that there would be no more oil exploration and exploitation in the Niger-Delta if the incumbent president fails the 2015 election. While I am aversed to such extreme views, I canvass for a level playing field that would produce a free and fair poll which would facilitate the emergence of the best candidate. President Jonathan must not be intimidated out of the process since his works can speak for him. The likes of Asari Dokubo must tow the line of Governor Godswill Akpabio which is relentless campaign for President Jonathan rather than wait to unleash mayhem if he fails. That approach is defeatist.

 There is no way one can rationalize the provocation Boko Haram insurgents have caused the Nation. Perhaps the most provocative is that they have no demands other than the grotesque submission that western education is sin. Yet their leader addresses press conferences in English, carries guns and bombs made in the West and patronises ICT services that are products of western education. One noticeable feature in their insensate quest is hypocrisy which is quietly buried in the politics of 2015. 

We must commend the humility of Mr. President for accepting the assistance extended by the United States to combat these insurgents. There is no doubt that even as giants of Africa, the Nation is overwhelmed by the incessant strikes of these evil men. The carnage they have unleashed on this Nation in recent times is comparable to those witnessed in full scale wars. The actions of Boko Haram apart from being branded as terrorist act must also be seen as treason. Government must take harsh measures against any act of treason. Many believe that why Boko Haram persisted and now risen to the level of overwhelming the Nation is the kid gloves and patronizing treatment it enjoyed at incipience. This sentiment gains credence when one recalls the consideration of the federal government sometime ago to negotiate with the terrorist group which appeared was aborted owing to the latter’s recalcitrance. Again the identification of its sponsors whom Government has continued to treat as sacred cows has also emboldened the sect and turned them into lawless political tools.

 But darkness will never overwhelm light. The incandescence of light produced by the bloodbath in Nyanya, the sustained bloodletting in many sections of the country, the abduction of innocent girls and the general fear that have all combined to make life brutish in our once great Nation would soon, with faith wrench victory from the hands of these extremist who care only for this Nation in terms of political authority. Government must be ready to hound them and hew out of this national despair victory that would reinvent hope in our collective wellbeing. This Nation must not buckle to their extremism. 

Extreme situations demand extreme measures. There must be no sacred cow if government wants to be taken seriously. The interest of this Nation takes precedent over and above all other considerations. And the President must remember that he took oath of office to defend, protect and preserve the country. His office confers on him the extant power of Commander-In-Chief of the Federal Republic. It is therefore no time to pussyfoot with thoughts of whether he would be called a pharaoh or tyrant. If he must be a tyrant to save Nigeria, so be it.

Joe Iniodu is a public affairs analyst