The call by the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) urging President Muhammadu Buhari to seek help from the United States, Israel and other countries to help fight the Boko Haram insurgency, banditry, kidnapping and other crimes, once again raised the ante of insecurity as an infamy that has become a sore on Nigeria. CAN said the call became necessary because Nigeria appeared overwhelmed by security challenges resulting in a situation where no one is safe. Undoubtedly, the state of war in which Nigeria now reels is too ferocious to be denied. The crisis may have pre-dated the Buhari administration; the president may be doing his best, and the military is not without some success, but the intensity of this war is such that he must take steps to own it. For a soldier who rose to the rank of General in the army, the routine attacks against the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Nigeria under his watch, are too shameful and belittling to Mr. President, to be ignored. Nigeria is in a state of war, and the President, commander-in-chief of the armed forces must not only lead but be seen to lead the charge.
Speaking last Saturday in Abuja at the installation of Belusochukwu Enwere as new CAN youth wing (YOWICAN) national chairman, CAN president, Samson Ayokunle, who was represented by deputy general secretary, Apostle Biodun Sanyaolu said: “It is very obvious that Nigeria needs assistance. I’m not President Muhammadu Buhari, but I’m sure that he will be worried as well. He should be willing to seek help from anywhere because insecurity has reached a worrying point where nobody is safe. We need help; let me use the opportunity to tell the President to reach out to Israel, United States and other countries that could be of help to Nigeria, the problem of insecurity is becoming overwhelming… there is lack of security everywhere, from Adamawa to Lagos; Sokoto to Enugu, the highway is not safe. Even when you’re in your house, you’re not safe. We are seriously worried; the onus is on the government to protect the people. And the first assignment of the government is to protect everybody, including the government officials because they too are not safe. The governors are not safe; you know what happened in Katsina, the home state of the President. I’m sure the President too will be worried as much as we are,” Sanyaolu said.
The urgency of the CAN call is obviously predicated on the devastating stealth with which the enemies of this country, by whatever name they call themselves, operate. Since the beginning of the New Year, they seemed to have gleefully exposed the nation’s vulnerability by carrying out orgies of bloodletting, killing scores across the country. The prevailing insecurity in the country is a crisis situation that demands the President and those in the chain of command to be thinking on their feet. Buhari should choose a new strategy to deal effectively with the protracted insecurity menace. No mollifying rhetoric can negate the barrage of hostilities currently bludgeoning the country. The massacres from Boko Haram or armed bandits have become so routine; abductions are carried out with scandalous audacity; Fulani herdsmen sack villages and mow down helpless persons as if they are clearing weeds. Amidst this ongoing carnage, a mesmerizing state of perplexity seems to have enveloped Aso Rock. As if to exacerbate Nigerians’ bruised psyche from confusion to hysteria, the government seems clueless on how to tackle the out-of-control insecurity.
Different reasons have so far, been advanced to explain the increasing complexity of Nigeria’s security situation. There is the external content thesis, which attributes the crises plaguing Nigeria to some external or foreign connection. Notwithstanding the religious gambit Boko Haram employed to launch its dastardly onslaught against the Nigerian government, there is the argument that a Sahelian homogeneity, fostered by common racial stock and religion, makes ‘Central Sudan’ (north eastern Nigeria, northern Cameroun, Chad and Sudan), a porous zone to launch any offensive against Nigeria. Thus the Boko Haram is no longer a local rebellion, but rather a pan-Sahelian insurgency that has crossbred with groups in Mali and Libya, and splintering into factions that are linked to Al-Shabab in Somalia and Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM).
Since the argument of a religious Boko Haram is out of the question, there is the Power Thesis, which views the struggle for power by a section of the elite from the north of Nigeria as the causative agent of the current crisis. Proponents of this position are quick to recall that prior to the election of Buhari; disenchanted northern politicians had vowed to make the country ungovernable should Buhari not become president. Others attribute the widespread insecurity as a backlash of the ongoing power tussle for 2023. Others point to war profiteers, claiming some of the attacks are contrived by politicians for monetary gains; since security votes are now disbursed based on the number of attacks in each state. Still, some like Rivers governor Nyesom Wike have blamed the politicization of the security forces, especially the deployment of the army for election security.
Whatever the thesis explaining the pernicious state of security in the country, the duty and obligation to see that this war comes to an end is principally that of the President. That is the reason he is the leader and commander-in-chief. However, the President, it must be said, does not give the impression of a sense of dire concern and urgency. He himself had alluded to the claim that he had been treating the insurgency with kid gloves, thereby giving credence to the assumption that Boko Haram has become a purpose-driven insurgency. Well-meaning Nigerians are not likely to side with this kind of thinking. But if persons among the ruling elite harbor this senseless assault on Nigeria because of some hidden agenda, it should be clear that they cannot win. It is insensitive and inept for any leader or group of leaders to sacrifice the safety and security of citizens on the altar of sectional interests and petty personality squabbles as Nigerians have observed among members of the ruling class.
Nigerians are being slaughtered and massacred and so far, beyond routine statements, the body language and the atmosphere in the seats of power do not reflect the pain and vulnerability of the country. Is Buhari so numbed, so un-shockable; is he so insensitive and desensitized to sympathize with his fellow countrymen? Leaders must serve the people through whose mandate they got to power. They should go and visit all the places where these atrocious things have happened, for the depth of their leadership quotient is demonstrated by the risk they take on behalf of their people.
The crucial role of the president will not be well served without the support of a formidable military. As Buhari moves to rejig Nigeria’s security architecture with a view to combating insecurity, he must remember that ending insecurity requires more than replacing the service chiefs. Under the ex-service chiefs, Nigeria was transformed into a killing field. It was therefore shocking for the Presidency to rise in stout defence of their nomination as non-career ambassadors, as a reward for their hard work and exceptional service to fatherland. Explaining why the president chose the retired service chiefs, whose names have been forwarded to the Senate for confirmation, presidential spokesman, Garba Shehu said in a statement that: “The president is rewarding hard work and exceptional sacrifice by a set of military leaders, who gave their best to the nation and will be remembered, sooner than later, for their contributions to the security and survival of Nigeria as one nation. They should be allowed to move to the next level. This is so that their examples will help to inspire others if given the opportunity to serve and this transition is normal in decent democratic societies.”
This kind of glib comments by Shehu are unhelpful and provocative and an insult to the country. The Nigerian military have been outstanding and have done the nation proud in peacekeeping missions abroad. The nation is challenging the Nigerian military to deal with terrorism and insecurity in the same way and manner they dealt with other rebellions and insurgencies with remarkable success. They should bring to bear on the current situation the commitment, dedication and valor with which they successfully addressed other wars. As a former soldier and army general President Buhari as head of state and commander-in-chief must lead the way. A certain show of valor as well as winning this war against terrorism and insecurity would be a strong factor in the stability of Nigeria.
