Fifteen Minutes with Dr Hakeem Baba-Ahmed
It is easier to wake a person who is
asleep than a person who pretends to be asleep - Ugandan proverb. It
will be dangerous to show too much anger and indignation at the impunity
and provocation which was at the heart of the killing of anywhere
between 26 and 46 students in Mubi, Adamawa state.
Too many signposts and turning points in
the violence against Northerners and Nigerians were ignored in the
past, and we have reached a tipping point in this nation at which we
must take a stand. Even a brief recall of similar massacres is a painful
exercise: massacre at a market in Damaturu, routine slaughter of
Christians at their places of worship, unending mayhem in the
fast-depleting towns of Damaturu and the ancient city of Borno, high
profile bombings and assassinations, a shrinking economy in many parts
of the north, and an entire people living in permanent fear. Terror has
gradually taken over lives of people in the North, and we are at that
dangerous point where people could resign themselves to live (or die)
with it.
This should not be allowed to continue.
It is time to stand up to this threat, and turn the tide. Which is why
we should not stop at being angry, but we should turn our anger into
constructive energy. What did the people who woke students up in the
middle of the night, and calmly and systematically shot or slaughtered
those on their list seek to achieve? Perhaps we may, in due course, get
to know what they wanted to achieve, but we can safely conclude that
their action was pre-eminently contemptuous of our government and the
security agencies, and an act of supreme provocation against the
community and all citizens. We may also conclude that they intended to
trigger further bitterness and conflict between religious and ethnic
groups in the North-east and in the whole of Nigeria. Above all, they
may have wanted to send a signal that peace-loving Nigerians have lost
the war against terror. The lesson from Mubi, from recent events in
Zaria and Kano, from Damaturu and Borno and many other parts of the
North is that citizens should be prepared to die. It could be you, your
children, your wives, your economy, and your values. But this war you
are losing will get you in one way or the other, sooner or later. And
there is nothing you or your government; or your community can do about
it. You could be Muslim or Christian, civilian or soldier, poor or rich.
It will get you when it wants, how and where it wants.
The people are losing this war because
the federal government is ill-prepared, ill-equipped or poorly-committed
to fight on our behalf. Perhaps, the federal and state governments do
not understand the nature of the enemy, in spite of billions of naira
invested in logistics, intelligence and equipment. Perhaps, they are
using the wrong weapons against the enemy, in spite of countless
suggestions that force alone will not defeat it. Perhaps, they are
fighting more than one enemy, going by the numerous allegations that
rogue elements and other opportunistic interests are hiding behind the
Boko Haram franchise to pursue their own objectives, which may include
weakening the Nigerian state. Perhaps, there is too much money chasing
the insurgency to bring it to an end; and the very forces fighting it
are not too keen to see to its end. Perhaps, both those who terrorize
the people and those who terrorize them in the process of protecting
them recognize the hopelessness and powerlessness of the civilian
population.
Well, it is time to stand up to both.
And since it is very obvious that the people in the North are in for a
long haul, those who have responsibility to facilitate or find solutions
to their problems must act now. The first line of action must be our
governors, people who are living at our own expense, and who swore to
protect and defend us. They must convene a high-level, all-embracing
forum of political, traditional and religious leaders, academics and
other citizens with relevant and useful insights and experiences to
examine the entire situation of the North, and the options available to
it.
Just in the event the governors say they
have in place a Committee on Peace and Security, or a contraption with a
similar name, they need to be told it is not what is needed. The North
needs to holistically and honestly examine itself under its present
circumstances; examine its challenges in relation to its governments,
including the federal government; examine its limitations and
opportunities; and consider what steps it needs to take to address short
and long-term challenges.
If the governors will not do this,
either because they are satisfied with what they are doing, or are
afraid that such a forum will indict them for being part of the problem,
then a coalition of politicians, elder statesmen, civil society groups,
academics and other citizens should convene their own forum to discuss
the current situation of the North, and how it can solve its own
problems and engage the rest of Nigeria. This forum should examine the
genesis, dimensions and manifestations of all security threats,
including JASLIWAJ (a.k.a. Boko Haram); its impact on the Northern
political economy; the roles of governments and security agencies and
the community, and practical steps that need to be taken to arrest the
decay and disintegration which is evident in the North and Nigeria
respectively.
If our politicians are too busy looking
for opportunities to field themselves or surrogates as presidential
candidates in 2015, then patriotic citizens from the North and other
parts of Nigeria who recognize the manifest danger which Mubi signals
for the nation should convene a platform which should dispassionately
discuss national security and the survival of the Nigerian state. This
would be a forum convened by Nigerians who recognize that the unity and
survival of the nation are worth fighting for. They should believe that
our current challenges transcend partisan, ethnic and religious divides.
They should believe that a failed Nigerian state which is staring us
all in the face will be an unmitigated disaster for everyone, and the
pathetic barricades being put up against each others' "problems" are
parts of the problem. They should be well schooled in the history of our
nation, and draw inspiration from past triumphs over serious challenges
and threats to our security and unity.
Mubi should be where the people in the
North and Nigeria draw the line. There are very likely going to be many
more killings, but for every life or limb lost, henceforth, our voices
must be heard. It is time to put our heads up from our holes and act.
This is one war we should not leave to the government and security
agents to fight. We need to get more involved. The young people shot and
killed, with such impunity and callousness, in Mubi are our children.
Not to do anything anymore will consign more of them to a similar fate.
PeoplesDaily
No comments:
Post a Comment