Boko Haram: Before It Is Too Late

By Raymond Oise-Oghaede

Countless advice and strategies have been offered by people from all walks of life to solving the Boko Haram menace but non seems to have worked because they have either been rejected outrightly or played down by the people in position of authority. However, the activities of members of the sect have continued to increase by every passing day and things are gradually getting out of hand. In a situation like this that borders on security of the lives and properties of its citizens, no responsible government would ignore suggestions and recommendations even if they are coming from perceived enemies’ camp. Trading blame is now the order of the day and mutual suspicions have set in because the issue has been hugely politicized by all and sundry. In whichever way we look at it, the government alone should not be held responsible for the menace because we all have our share in the blame. Rather than joining hands with the people in government to face the issue squarely, our leaders and politicians are doing everything possible to gain selfish political points and relevance at the expense of the lives and properties of innocent citizens being wasted by Boko Haram.

This thing started like a joke and instead of locating its root causes and nipping them in the bud, we handled it with levity and allowed it to snowball into the present huge and catastrophic magnitude. It took us more than necessary time to agree that the issue was not an ethnic or religious war targeted at a particular set of people but, a war against the nation. Military wherewithal has been deployed but, because this is not a conventional war, the menace still persists. Some of us have called for dialogue and negotiations but a lot of people condemned the strategy. By now, one would have expected people in this category to have proffered workable and lasting solutions to the problem but, alas, they are in the comfort of their homes and offices telling the government there is no cause for alarm when actually, the roof is on fire. I want to use this medium to advise all well meaning Nigerians and true friends of the country that no matter how these enemies in disguise and sycophants of our leaders try to keep our mouths shut, we should not be discouraged in our quest to continue to contribute our quota towards ensuring lasting peace in our nation.

In the recent past, the government posited that it is not possible to dialogue and negotiate with faceless people (the sect members) but this position was punctured by a former president who confirmed that he had met in the past with people who had link with leadership of the sect and he even volunteered to resume talks with them if the government gives the go ahead. Surprisingly, the elder statesman was called names by aides and friends of the government. They said he does not need the president’s permission to go ahead with such a venture. Where then is the place of PROTOCOL in governance for crying out loud? Is it possible to dialogue and negotiate with members of the sect on behalf of the government without the consent and approval of the Head of Government? If your answer is in the affirmative, then who is going to sanction and or approve the resolutions there upon? If we conclude that the former president should also be blamed because the sect sprang up under his administration, can two wrongs ever make a right? If truly he had his shortcomings in the past because he is also human, does that foreclose his proffering solutions and even partaking in the resolution of the crisis in this present circumstance? (I am also in support of the fact that the president’s consent and approval should not be gotten on the pages of newspapers because the former president has direct access to the seat of power). It is time we started thinking positively on how best to save our nation from this state of insecurity by joining hands to find lasting solutions to the imbroglio. We should try as much as possible to shy away from things that are immaterial and cannot solve the problems on ground. In the recent past, we lost valuable time debating and making references to “Dia ris God oooo”. Today, we are back to square one because the Chibok Girls have not been released and the activities of the Boko Haram sect have continued to worsen by the day. Please tell me what is wrong in somebody expressing herself in a language that will be understood and comprehended by a good number of her audience? Has that taken away her status as the first lady? Or are we blaming her husband for being faithful and committed to the woman who went through thick and thin with him for not dumping her for a Professor or Ph.D holder to become the first lady and speak to us in ‘Big Grammar” that will not be understood? The majority of our people today cannot even communicate in ‘pidgin english’ yet they are doing very well in their chosen endeavours when compared to some of their educated contemporaries. All these things are non-issues but we are fond of creating mountains out of mole hill in this part or the world. With the foregoing, you will agree with me that we made fool of ourselves and wasted valuable time on a non-issue.(Pls pardon me for the digression).

When the United States and other Western Powers sent their personnel and jets to support the fight against the insurgents, a lot of people believed that the crisis will be over in a matter of days but, it is over a month and the days are still counting. However, this is not to say that their support should not be commended but the fact remains that this fight is not a conventional war that can be won with the use of force; it is a fight of good and committed reasoning through dialogue and negotiations. The Western Powers will also agree with me that it is not yet Uhuru in their fight against terrorism. In as much as we appreciate their support, the fact remains that the solution to our problems are right here in our hands. As the popular Yoruba saying goes, “What you are looking for in Sokoto (State) is in your Sokoto (Trousers)”. There is the need to disabuse the minds of the people involved and give them assurance that there are better ways of expressing their displeasures and grievances. If issues are not amicably resolved and you kill the souls by the use of force, the problems will persist only to attain a greater and more dangerous dimension as time goes on.

At this point, it is very pertinent to appreciate one major fear in the minds of those that are against dialogue and negotiations in resolving the Boko Haram crisis and that is their belief that it will encourage others to take to violence and other societal vices to air their grievances and displeasure against the rot in the country. However, the truth remains that if our government and relevant agencies do the right things at the right time, such would not be the case.

Today, cult activities amongst the youths which are hitherto common in the Higher Institutions are gradually spreading to secondary schools and the streets in many parts of the country. If the needful are not done now, it will surely become a major problem in the nearest future. If issues like this are not handled with all seriousness at the early stage, then the government should not be ashamed and reluctant to dialogue and negotiate for resolutions when they get out of hand and become major problems in the future.

The Boko Haram issue is assuming a very dangerous dimension that it may become so catastrophic beyond our comprehension in the nearest future. Just recently, the convoy of a former Head of State was hit by the insurgents (Thank God his life was spared). If this could happen to him with all his security aides, then you will agree with me that there is no hiding place for the ordinary man on the streets. The good thing is that we have people in the country that can still pull the strings and perform magic. What is missing is that some of us wrongly perceived the problem as that of the ruling party and or the people in government whereas it is a national problem that requires the commitments and contributions of all well meaning people regardless of political, tribal, gender and religious affiliations. It is based on this premise that I would want to use this medium to challenge all our first class traditional rulers from East, West, South and the North (with all due respect), leaders of all political parties, captains of industry and other well meaning Nigerians to meet with former heads of state/presidents and thereafter send a powerful delegation to the presidency to offer concrete and workable solutions to the problem of insecurity in the country.

There is nothing stopping the presidency from also reaching out to all these people with a view to saving us from this embarrassing problem and move the nation forward. As the adage goes, “If the mountain will not come to Mohammed, then Mohammed will have to go to the mountain.” This is the time to pocket our personal interests and pride by taking concrete steps towards righting the wrongs.

Let us not play politics with the lives of innocent and helpless people; all hands must be on deck to work towards the progress of the nation.

Long Live the Federal Republic of Nigeria,

•OISE-OGHAEDE wrote from Lagos. e-mail: [email protected]