Boko Haram: Exposing The Social Disorder Of A Society

By Comrade Akido Agenro
Nigeria, a land abundantly blessed with a huge human and natural resources is currently at the crossroads as it is plagued by a myriad of socio-economic and political ills the chief of which is the rising insecurity occasioned by the spate of attacks unleashed on innocent Nigerians by members of the Muslim fundamentalist group, Boko Haram. Its killing spree has resulted in the death of thousands of innocent persons and the destruction of property worth billions of naira since the commencement of their onslaught against the society in 2009. This is apart from the recurrent incidents of hostility emanating from several other flashpoints around the country. Name them: religious clashes, settler versus indigene skirmishes, herdsmen/farmers bloodletting, intermittent political violence, perennial inter-ethnic crisis and other troubles arising from interpersonal inadequacies that seemingly appear mild but which nonetheless possess the innate destabilising potency that have combined to nibble at the nation’s foundation. Not to mention the frequent killings and maiming arising from minor misunderstanding between persons on the road, in the street or at home, disagreements which in saner climes are settled by argument or at worst get sorted out by litigation.
Much as we are all scandalised by the horrible incidents of irrationality, immoderation, intemperance, and downright insensitivity assailing the nation, there is no shying away from the fact that these evils are the outward manifestations of an inner decay in the system, rot that have been ignored all these years and allowed to fester. Painfully, this in itself is not only an indictment on the ruling elite for the neglect to promote traits that enhance nonaggression by successive regimes but also the entire population for yielding to narrow-mindedness. A nonviolent community derives largely from the totality of the habits of its inhabitants. Peaceful coexistence involves the cultivation of civil and liberal attitudes by men and women culminating in widespread high sense of give and take, accommodation, self-restraint and the spirit of sportsmanship in the society. To the German statesman, Willy Brandt [1913-1992], “Peace like freedom is no original state which existed from the start; we shall have to make it, in the truest sense of the word”.
Many Nigerians are a living witness to the rape of resources among other degradation of moral values that has been the lot of this country for decades. An analysis of the difficulty confronting the nation at the moment will reveal that the evils date back to the dark ages in the annals of the nation’s history, a time not long after independence when elections were massively rigged in favour of the most influential party/candidate. It was a no-holds-barred affair where the electoral rules were flagrantly disregarded and ‘win at all costs’ was the slogan. This anomaly was further compounded by the military’s frequent incursion into politics, an act that to all intents and purposes was a clear subversion of the constitution. During this era [appropriately referred to as the years of the locust in political circle], incidents of human rights abuse and corruption became rampant as the military and their civilian collaborators that perpetrated these unwholesome acts went unpunished. Worse still, law court decisions were flagrantly disobeyed by influential elements.
The prevailing atmosphere of impunity foisted on the system was certain to have negative impact on the society. Soon, all forms of lawlessness were to become the order of the day since respect for the police had waned considerably and confidence in the judiciary was gradually eroded with the increasing number of criminals that escaped justice. All told, these sordid events culminated in a growing loss of faith in government’s capacity to effectively maintain order in the society. Admittedly, a number of state-supported agencies sprang up in the past to address these challenges but their efforts were tepid and shortlived. It is however amazing that in the face of this precarious environment the people just carried on with a devil-may-care attitude. Some people would not be concerned since in their naïvety, they believe the problem did not affect them personally while others out of fear of reprisal failed to raise a voice of protest. Since silence imlpies consent, gradually anti social behaviour assumed a habit. Instructively, habits are like chickens, they come home to roost sooner than later.
In the contemporary Nigerian society Boko Haram has come to symbolize wanton killings and destruction that leave in its wake pain and suffering. In the people’s disenchantment with the insurgent group any vicious act or anything that is evil for that matter is labelled with the term. But in the literal sense viewed against the backdrop of a dysfunctional system, one that is characterized by violence, perversion of justice, treasury looting, pettiness and dreariness, the term Boko Haram is the right phrase applicable not only to terrorists but also to all religious bigots, ethnic chauvinists, treasury looters, economic saboteurs [cabal et al] and every unpatriotic Nigerian whose devilish activity has in one way or the other contributed to friction in the community or to the dehumanizing condition prevalent in any part of Nigeria in spite of the nation’s vast natural resources. The fence sitter in the face of this monumental social malady confronting society also bears vicarious guilt and should adorn the appellation as well. It is amazing when one considers the number of fingers pointing back at the accuser in this instance.
As the people flinch amidst the deafening boom of bomb explosions and the staccato bursts of gunfire with casualty figure swelling by the day, there is an urgent need for us Nigerians to by way of social disapproval/acceptance formulate a code of ethical values and to jealously guard same against abuse to forestall untoward incidents of the type that is threatening to decimate the population and rip the nation apart. That the recent presidential elections in the US was devoid of violence as in previous exercises owes so much neither to the diligence of the electoral umpire nor to the orderly conduct of the electorate as to the character of the vanquished contestants, in particular that of the closest rival, Mr. Mitt Romney whose gracious acceptance of defeat just 90 minutes after the results were announced foreclosed violence arising from the rancour and acrimony that usually attend the close of keenly contested elections, the trademark of high profile electoral contest in most developing countries. The reason for this rare show of statesmanship is not far fetched since contestants for public offices in this part of the world do so for altruistic reason- the opportunity to render service to fatherland rather than the pursuit of an ambition to amass wealth for themselves, their family members and cronies at the expense of the toiling masses. This singular trait coupled with the American famed principle of the individual subordinating the personal desire to the national interest has led to the US emerging a global leader almost in all spheres of human endeavours.
Therefore, the search for sustainable peace in Nigeria demands the re-evaluation of habits and attitudes with a view to making them compartable with the nation’s development aspiration. Hence the urgent and compelling need for the populace to embrace democracy, rule of law and human rights with their associated principles including political/religious tolerance, broad mindedness, compromise, gender equality, dialogue\argument in the settlement of dispute, honesty, broadmindedness, obedience to law, respect for legitimate authority and an abiding faith in the fatherland. These attributes should be stamped on the minds of the youth and printed in their hearts with indelible ink by persistently using various instructive methods, both of the formal educational type and the informal until they have become established as the custom of the land. The people should feel free to adopt all forms of doctrines and ideologies that suit their desire and aspiration true to the plurality of the Nigerian society and in the spirit of liberty so long as these ideas are consistent with the Constitution and in conformity with the wellbeing of the larger society. Indeed, all manner of groups- social, ethnic, cultural, political, professional, etc, should rise across the length and breadth of Nigeria. However, the public should be wary of the group that propagates ideas that threatens to blow any individual off their feet and into the oblivion.
Every society across the world is a conglomerate of diverse groups and interests. Consequently, in the social and economic interactive processes there are bound to be conflicts of interest which could spell devastating consequences except handled with great care. Whereas nations have devised methods and evolved policies to mitigate and whittle down the effect of these conflicts, no policy has proved effective as the inculcation of liberal, ethical, moral and civil attributes in the citizenry. A keen observer has noted that what makes a city are not the well paved roads, beautiful boulevards and skyscrapers but the habits and attitudes of the city dwellers. The emphasis in this country all along has been on infrastructural development as index of growth while social values have been on a steady decline. On the whole there has been the neglect of policy directed at raising social-minded, congenially disposed and affable citizens that make for a harmonious society. The agonizing experience of the moment is a price the nation must pay for the collective complacency. According to a Zimbabwean axiom, “If you close your eyes to facts you learn from accidents”.
•Akido is the coordinator, Democracy Orientation Movement, 18 James Street, Iju-Ishaga, Lagos •E-mail: [email protected]