FEATURE ARTICLE
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Monday, May 16, 2022 |
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ith killings and kidnappings happening every day in different parts of our country, they now appear to become a normal feature of our daily living. Human life seems no longer sacrosanct. Please, permit me to refer to the recent case of Deborah Samuel. Yes, a young lady who was killed in cold blood as organised by her school mates on May 11 at the Shehu Shagari College of Education, Sokoto. Her killing epitomises the level of depravity to which we have descended as a nation in our value of human life. It is a big shame to us all that we have allowed our country to fall to such a level of evil and savagery.
Mutual respect, equal treatment of every Nigerian irrespective of "tribe and tongue," religion, economic status and political leaning are critical in sustenance of human life and values. This is why the concept of egalitarianism should be one of the bedrocks of national and individual practices which we should also teach our youths and children for our survival as a country. Therefore, in this paper, the objectives are two folds. Firstly, to review some events that underline our failures in security, fairness and equity. Secondly, to submit that we have to work for security and egalitarianism in our country for our survival.
We seem to be compelled to be living with the various destructive and deadly aspects of insecurity. They worsen in intensity every day, and their perpetrators, get bolder, and seem to get away with whatever they do as shown in the following recent examples which are but the tip of the iceberg:
He said: "There is a change in strategy of the herders. In the olden days, they only moved about with sticks, and if they destroyed any crop, they were very apologetic about it. They would meet with the elders to reconcile, make any necessary payment and everyone moves on. But now, they don't bring sticks; they bring guns and modern ammunitions to terrorise unarmed farmers."
"The killing is still going on, especially the northern flank of Benue border. Herders steal, kill, destroy and rape. They come at night to attack the farmers." "If they are really grazing, they won't come in the night to attack people in their sleep. It is like they are not just looking for the grass; they also want to take over the land. I think the strategy has changed to violence, confrontation and annexation of the people's land."
ObservationsThis sad list of killings can be continued for pages on end. The common thread in the list is that the abductors and killers are still at large. They continue with their deadly activities. After each report of killings, there is a footnote that follows. It is : "that the security forces are working hard to apprehend the killers". Sadly, they are neither apprehended nor deterred. They are so bold that in case of the criminals in Ebonyi State, they are described as "war loads", which underlines their notoriety and near state of permanence. They are not just a passing phenomenon.
Attitude of the Government and their security forces and impact on the nation: The following descriptions, as supported by respective events, seem appropriate: Insecurity as a business and source of wealth in Nigeria: As posted on Saturday, April 23, 2022, "Attention Military: Over 100 terrorists' hideouts identified in Nigeria" the Retired Army, Navy and Air Force Officers (RANAO) Associations of Nigeria, lamented the Federal Government's inability to solve this unnecessarily prolonged deadly situation of killings and kidnappings. Its National President, Major General Alexander Mshelbwala (rtd.), explained that Nigerians were turning insecurity into a business. He stated that "the Boko Haram terrorists cannot spend more than five days in the bush without food and wondered why the military should allow supply to the terrorists. Dubious Response of the Government: Similarly, the governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El Rufai reportedly insisted that the security forces should storm the forests and kill all the bandits. He admitted that the Nigerian authorities know the camps of the bandits, their identities and listen to the conversations of the terrorists that are terrorising large swaths of the North-west region. "We know what they (terrorists) are planning. We get the reports. The problem is for the agencies to take action. We should not wait until the terrorists attack before we respond. The Army should go after their enclaves to wipe them out, let the Air Force bomb them," he said. El Rufai lamented that the SSS has informants all over the place sourcing information for the service, but such attacks still happen.
Nigeria - Tending to a Failed State: One of the certain occurrence in Nigeria is that people are killed every day by unknown gunmen, Fulani herdsmen, Boko Haram, and other unidentified gunmen. It is the function of a government to protect its citizens. The government of a failed state cannot provide such security for its citizens. Restructuring: People are being killed and abducted daily, yet it would appear that the focus of the Government is working towards the 2023 elections. It amounts to an abdication of its responsibilities to the nation if the government fails to get rid of the deadly criminals wherever they are in the country. Restructuring the country such that each geographical zone can restore peace and security in its geopolitical zone. Each zone will maintain law and order in its area. While every zone of the country is affected by the killings and kidnappings, it may be correct to suggest that the Southwest is the area least affected, probably because of the Amotekun forces who try to engage the killers kidnappers wherever they are found. From this, we could infer that peace should be experienced all over the country when and if each zone raised and controlled its security forces. For now, it is clear that the Federal Government is doing a poor job of maintaining peace and security such that our country is drifting to a failed state where the safety of citizens is not guaranteed.
The 2023 Election and EgalitarianismIt has been suggested that restructuring will give every zone in the country the free hand to develop at their pace. The relevance of egalitarianism is the desirability that all Nigerians are equal and deserve equal rights and opportunities. A major glaring case of inequity is that people from the South East have not produced a President of the country in the recent political dispensation since 1999. It is relevant to examine the following comments by top Nigerian politicians:
South-East for Presidency: On Thursday, May 5th, it was published that Igbo Elders Consultative Forum (IECF), also known as Ime-obi Ohanaeze Ndi Igbo, yesterday, warned against the idea of another northerner succeeding President Muhammadu Buhari, saying it is a direct invitation to violence across the country. A former Anambra State Governor, Chief Chukwuemeka Ezeife, warned on behalf of the Forum that any attempt by All Progressives Congress (APC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to deny the South East region their 2023 presidential tickets would spell doom for Nigeria's corporate existence.
On Wednesday, May 11, 2022, former president, Olusegun Obasanjo, reportedly warned again that the South-East should be allowed to produce Nigeria's President in 2023, insisting that it would make for peace, justice, fairness and sustainable national development in the country. He said: "Federal character, rotation of power and such other measures are meant to help our nation-building process and more sure-footedly, move Nigeria forward" and warned that "riding over these measures rudely, shoddily and roughly cannot augur well for our nation-building process and progress." A former Secretary to the Federal Government, Chief Olu Falae, also stated that the South-East is yet to produce the president in the new political dispensation in the country. He stated that for national unity, peace, it's turn of S-East For national unity, peace, it's turn of the South-East On Wednesday, May 4, Leader of the Pan Niger Delta Forum, Chief Edwin Clark, condemned unfair treatment meted to the South East through concentration of power in the northern region. He stressed the need for the region to be treated with a sense of belonging and called for political parties, especially the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), to zone their presidential tickets to the South East. He said there was no moral justification for keeping people who are not being treated fairly, stressing that the region must be accorded sense of belonging. Clark said it was unacceptable for a region to have a domineering spirit because of its population, adding that those opposed to a South East presidency in 2023 are ready to see the end of Nigeria. On May 12, Orji Uzor Kalu, said it would be difficult for Nigeria's to have a president of South East extraction under current arrangement. Kalu was justifying his open support for the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, who is vying for the presidency in 2023.
Power Will Not Leave The North In The Next Three Decades By Muhammad Lamido Sanusi
Quote: Bola Tinubu made political miscalculation in 2015 to support Buhari. As it concerns the 2023 presidency, it should be clear to anyone with a functioning brain that President Buhari's North has no intention of relinquishing power to the South-West or any zone for that matter. What many may not have realised, however, is that for the next three decades at least, if ever, and should Nigeria remain one, power will not leave the North. But in projecting, one must always leave space for the law of unintended consequences and the God factor. "
The godfather of Lagos politics, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, in 2015 led the South-West into an alliance with the North to birth the All Progressive Alliance (APC). His decision, evidently, was informed by the expectation that the two geopolitical regions will share power, invariably to the exclusion of the Eastern bloc. And ultimately that he, or the South-West, will take power by the time the North completes two terms in 2023. But it has proved to be a miscalculation. Certainly, power play is about conspiracies and alliances. Tinubu is well within his right to do what he thought would best advance his political interest and that of his region. However, in backing President Muhammadu Buhari, he cut his nose to spite his face. ����. Unquote Reference: Power Will Not Leave The North In The Next Three Decades By Muhammad Lamido Sanusi - Portfolio Media Activities, April 22, 2022
It is unpleasant and indeed scary to read and quote this piece from the main article, but it appears necessary to place all the cards on the table so that we work with our realities as a nation. It certainly would be helpful if there is a correction that Malam Sanusi is reported as being misquoted.
"2023: North now a human abattoir, power should go the Southeast -Arewa groups, Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF)"
Quote:
Reference: "2023: North now a human abattoir, power should go the Southeast -Arewa groups, Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF)" By Ibrahim Hassan-Wuyo, Vanguard, Saturday, December 11, 2021
Concluding Remarks The following concluding remarks appear relevant:
For egalitarianism, which is equality of opportunities, the South-East should be given the chance to provide the President and work to restructure this country. Nigerians of this and the future generations, irrespective of tribes, religion, etc., deserve a country that is safe and working where everyone is equal and treated with equity.
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