It has being a long time coming, but it finally did; few days ago, the Jonathan Administration eventually declared a State of Emergency in the States of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe. Whether that will ultimately contain the insurgencies and take care of the security issues is yet to be seen as the success of the strategy will largely depend on the resolve of the Administration to see this whole thing through. But we believe it is the right thing to do, for no sane sovereign government will allow terrorists to take control of any part of its shores, reigning freely, and creating parallel governance; it’s not done, and it certainly cannot be tolerated. And for those who think the Administration is finally showing its strength that it can bite and not just bark, they should realise that what makes strong leaders is not high-handedness or dictatorial tendencies, but the capacity to strengthen Institutions, muster the political will and be resolute, sometimes putting your feet down if need be, to do the right thing. We must all come to understand in this country and around the African Continent that what we need to be great, and be on a sure path to success is strong Institutions and not strongmen. We hope the Administration will also come to see this.
Now, there have been grievous outcries by the naysayers; one school of thought believes that the Administration ought to have removed the governors and other elected officials, and because it didn’t do so, the State of Emergency is programmed to fail; another believes that the State of Emergency is analogous to a declaration of war on that part of the country. Those shouting such epithets apparently overlook the fact that they could have done worse under similar circumstances. The third school of thought believes that this action of the Administration is a prelude to grounding the Opposition and taking them over. However, we think this is further from the truth because if the Administration had not acted, the terrorists and their sponsors would in the end crippled the States where they chiefly operate and perniciously penetrate into other parts of the country; that cannot be allowed to happen. In short, the Administration took too long to act; it ought to have taken this step long ago. And for the critics who would scowl at us for daring to support this action, and those who will readily want to tear down everything simply to score political points, let them remember that there is perhaps no other group that has disagreed with this Administration on almost every issue than us; but on this issue, we believe this government had done the right thing and acted within the ambit of the law. What is more; it applied subtle diplomacy by insisting that the governors and other elected officials would not be prevented from fulfilling their constitutional responsibilities; that is commendable. So, we not only owe a duty to sound the alarm and speak truth to power when things go wrong, but we are also called upon by duty to take a stand with that same power when things are done right. More importantly, we should know that it is not mandatory that we all agree on every issue, but it is obligatory and perhaps required, that we co-exist peacefully.
Moving forward, we want to urge the Jonathan Administration to disband the so-called Amnesty Committee and discount the Amnesty Initiative. As we have said so often, a terrorist group which has been responsible for the deaths of thousands of innocent Nigerians and foreigners cannot, and should not be dialogued with, much less granting amnesty to. As a rule, terrorists are to be dealt with, and not pampered, so those who have been trying to equate them with the Niger Delta Militants, who agitated for equitable distribution of crude oil resources, even though they hadn’t gotten that, missed the vital point. Besides, genuine and lasting peace cannot be purchased at the price of liberty. We strongly believe that the activities of the Boko Haram terrorist network are politically motivated, and a political problem requires a political solution. As a result, we don’t subscribe to the idea that the government should enter into dialogue with them or grant them amnesty; neither do we agree that the government should treat the terrorist group as it did the Niger Delta issue, for no reasonable person can equate the genuine and legitimate aspirations of the Niger Delta Militants with the terrorists activities. By mooting the idea of Amnesty, the undercurrent message the government is relaying is that every group with real or perceived grievances could take up arms against the State because that is the only way to get the government attention. This terrorist network is hiding under the umbrella of Islam to perpetrate evil; Islam is not, and never will be a violent religion.
Nigeria is bigger and greater than any individual, sect or group, so government must not allow itself to be arm twisted by a frivolous blood shedding group without any moral justification for its despicable acts. The government should in the final analysis retrace its steps and desist from engaging in any policy that will give a soft landing to the terrorist network. The Administration should rather take decisive steps to prevent violence and promote peace and nonviolence. In speaking of peace, we are not speaking of the peace enforced by coercion or the weapons of war. We are not talking of the peace of the grave or the security of the slave nor are we referring to that dreamt up by fantasies. We are talking about genuine, practical and attainable peace that makes life worth living. There will still be quarrels and conflicting interests; for this kind of peace does not require that we love one another, but like communal peace, it requires that we live together as neighbors with mutual tolerance, submitting our disputes to a just and peaceful settlement. Government must swing immediately into positive action to remove those conditions of poverty, insecurity, injustice and sectarian violence arising from Islamic fundamentalism, and extremism, religious bigotry, racism and tribalism which are the fertile soil on which terrorism and extreme hatred for fellow human beings thrives. And we call on Nigerians, in particular the political class to temper their political interests with reason and decency, for given the interdependence of our world today, any national order, world order or world law that seeks to elevate a particular group of people over others or advance one nation, race or tribe over others is doomed to fail; repressing one another in pursuit of sectional or self-interest is self-defeating. These are facts and not opinions to be debated.
Eneruvie Enakoko
