Adeolu Ademoyo
Just
as the guns and bombs of Boko Haram, the main northern wing of our
ethnic militia, continue to boom, and as if they actually sat down at a
meeting to plan the final dismantling of the Nigerian state, Boko
Haram’s counterparts in the creek –MEND and others replied with the
wartime information (despite its amnesty deal oiled by oily security
contracts with the Nigerian state under President Jonathan) that they
will commence hostilities from the end of May, 2013.
Operating
from the western flank of the ethnic militia ground movement, the OPC,
whose tongues are currently tied and muffled by a potential juicy
security contract, informed on their own oily application to the
Nigerian government through one of its spokespersons Dr. Frederick
Fasehun. Shortly after Mr. Fasehun’s public disclosure, another
spokesperson for OPC, Mr. Ganiyu Adams, whose current mellowed voice has
been oiled of recent by the potential greasy oil pipeline security
contract to their OPC militia- suddenly came out booming to advocate-not
as usual about how his “Yoruba kinsmen” are being “marginalized’- but
for a share of the oily security contract with Mr. Fasehun.
Meanwhile, MASSOB, the chief player of
the eastern wing of Nigeria’s ethnic militia ground movement has laid
low-no oily deal yet. The eastern war songs had mellowed somehow for
some time with a dubious treason charge hanging over the head of its
leaders. This is the strange, dubious and paradoxical relationship,
which the Nigerian state maintains with the ethnic militia movement.
Confident of oily amnesty deals from
President Jonathan’s government who lacks that much needed sense of
intense urgency in governance in the 21st century, Nigerian
ethnic militias have always justified their “legitimacy” on sundry
reasons. The most recurring justification are their claims of
marginalization, persecution and oppression of members of their ethnic
groups. While OPC would argue that it emerged during the era of military
dictatorship especially IBB/Abacha as a response to the “persecution”
of the “Yorubas”, the MASSOB would rest its legitimacy on same
premise-the “persecution” of the “Igbos”.
Furthermore, while MEND and the creek
militias point to the “persecution” of “peoples of South South” and the
criminal neglect (this is true) of the oil producing South South by
successive governments, Boko Haram and its affiliates in the Northern
part rest their legitimacy on “Islamizing” Nigeria.
Defenders of these militias continue to
spin and spew new arguments to justify the existence of these militias.
However, the relevant question is: Can and Will Nigeria survive with
these militias? My answer is No. Nigeria will implode if these ethnic
and religious militias are allowed to continue. It thus follows that any
individual, collective and selective defense of any of these militias
or formal or informal legitimacy –both government or private – given to
these militias is a direct, expressed and explicit threat to the
corporate existence of Nigeria.
On different occasions, depending on
which wing of the Nigerian ruling elite has been selected to be in
government, Nigerian state often worsens the problem by being selective
in its dealings with these militias.
For example it is funny or perhaps not
funny that a dubious treason charge hangs over the head of Mr. Ralph
Uwazurike and other leaders of MASSOB while President Jonathan’s
government is considering the oily application of Oodua Peoples Congress
for oil pipeline security contract. It is not funny-and therefore
dubious because there is no difference between OPC and MASSOB. Yet
MASSOB is facing treason while OPC is being considered for an oily
contract.
Furthermore, we have had clarion calls
for amnesty for Boko Haram; I have not heard same for MASSOB from those
who call for amnesty for Boko Haram. This paradox becomes more odd and
immoral as President Jonathan commences its amnesty program for Boko
Haram while a treason charge hangs over Mr. Uwazurike of MASSOB.
These immoral paradoxes show the
manipulation of the Nigerian people by the different wings of the
Nigerian ruling elites. Rather than ask MEND to mend their terrorist
ways, President Jonathan has awarded juicy contracts to ethnic militias
in the South South and is considering doing same for OPC. Given this
moral duplicity, I believe that President Jonathan must drop the treason
charge over the head of Mr. Uwazurike and other MASSOB leaders, and
award the contract to guard Eastern oil pipelines to MASSOB.
It must also award contract for Northern
oil pipelines to Boko Haram as part of its amnesty. If we Nigerians do
not see why these ethnic militias must cease to exist, then they all
must be treated with equity by the Nigerian state. However, in the 21st
century, the existence of ethnic militias such as OPC, MEND, MASSOB,
and Boko Haram in African countries is a major set back, and an
absurdity.
For example, the statement of the
presidential aide and chairman of President Jonathan’s amnesty program,
Mr. Kingsley Kuku, to MEND and other creek ethnic militia and
terrorists that insecurity will return to the Niger Delta if President
Jonathan is not returned to government in 2015 justifies the view that
all the ethnic militias are illegitimate and that they are tools in the
hands of the ruling elites.
Furthermore, the allegation that Boko
Haram collected 500 million naira (strangely Boko Haram has not used
their usual YouTube to deny this) to free the French hostages further
confirmed the view that Nigerian ethnic militias are foot soldiers and
messengers of hate and death, which our ruling elites use to negotiate
and garner power for themselves. Therefore, the allocation of oily oil
pipelines security contracts to them by President Jonathan is a down
payment for terrorism-in-waiting. If this act continues, President
Jonathan would have used Nigerian money to pay for the dismantling of
the Nigerian state.
This is not acceptable. Some people had
consistently worked for the sustenance of the corporate existence and
integrity of our country. This is why the Nigerian state under President
Jonathan must first stop the persecution and prosecution of MASSOB,
stop the oily contracts to these militias, stop contracting our security
to erstwhile and current terrorist militia groups (OPC and MEND/creek
terrorist groups), directly take responsibility of our nation’s security
and go ahead to openly use the force of law to dismantle and
delegitimize all the ethnic and religious militias (OPC/MEND and others
in the creeks/MASSOB/Boko Haram) today.
They have to go. They do not have a place in a 21st
century Nigeria. The characters in these ethnic militias must not be
allowed to lead our youths and children astray. We should not allow
these ethnic militias and the Presidential support given them by
President Jonathan to return us to the Stone Age.
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