I don’t believe in false pride. The problem has been allowed to fester for too long. We are dealing with monstrosity, the kind we’ve never known before.-Wole Soyinka
There were a few rather interesting interviews yesterday, one was #DoyinOkupe on CNN, telling the world that Nigeria has “every capability of getting the girls back home”, shortly before Nigeria accepted a US offer for help. Two things jump out at me: first, that #DoyinOkupe failed to see the contradiction in his own position. Second the possibility that the Amis know more about our own terrain than we do. Sadly, as history shows, getting the Amis out once you’ve let them in is not the easiest thing to do, and they, in their own little way tend to mess things up as well. But when your government only begins to show some lethargic motion, three weeks after girls have been forcibly removed from their school, it’s probably better to let serious people come in and recover the other batch that was taken yesterday as opposed to waiting another three weeks, and getting subjected to more tears and blame.
The blame game, being something that our elite are so good at, one wonders who will be blamed for the fact that a year later, and the widows of slain Nigerian security officers are still awaiting their compensation. I don’t know if it’s just me, but sometimes, stopping these little critters before they become monsters is the wisest thing to do. #BokoHaram could have been nipped in the bud as far back as 2003 when they had a clash with the people of Kanama in Yobe state over a fish pond. But at the time you see, Bukar Abba Ibrahim’s son was a member, and being that his Daddy was Yobe state governor, nothing happened to sonny boy’s pals. No one has been brought to book for killing 100 Nigerian security officers. As a matter of fact,the SSS has forgiven the Ombatse cult.
So, let’s look at this logically: you form a group and terrorise citizens; kill a few of them, nothing happens; kill you a few security officers, nothing happens; security agency “forgives” you, and you’re left to your devices. What is worse, the widows left behind by said security agents are left practically destitute. Then people expect the security agents to risk their lives to fight the terrorists? Wake me up when September ends.
Bits and Bobs
- When people lose faith in the state, they take laws into their own hands. This, an unnamed woman, found out the hard way in Abule-Egba, Lagos, yesterday. May God have mercy on her soul.
- Also yesterday, another sign of loss of confidence in the ability of the state, this time to disseminate information: a rumour of a bus hijacking at a school caused pandemonium in Nyanya, Abuja.
- Let’s face it, #BokoHaram will be with us for a long time, so we need to focus on ways to cut their recruitment base. Building railways is one. If this, is the only achievement of the World Economic Jamboree kicking off in Abuja today and it is seen through, then it’s a job well done.
Cheta Nwanze writes from Lagos Nigeria and tweets from @Chxta
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