I began this series, which is part of many discourses we have had on insecurity two weeks ago. The return to the topic was inspired by the Defense Minister, who before this time had served as Chief of Defence Staff, General Chris Musa, who pontificated on the reasons insecurity continued to plague our country despite efforts to stem the tide.
He mentioned numbers, weapons, welfare of troops and the nonchalant attitude of citizens to security threats. I heard him and felt the points he raised were germane as they were central to sources of insecurity in the country and so the motivation to talk on the matter because “an ill- health not properly diagnosed would receive inappropriate solutions.”
Terrorists, mostly the Islamic jihadists, invaded Mali from about seven points in a day. The country’s troops were swift and total in their response to the attack. In a matter of hours on every of the fronts the barbarians were not only decimated they were routed. Obviously, they had foreign backing as likely to be the case but that didn’t confer on the hoodlums any advantage at all. Many of them were picked up like snails in cleared farm land.
The government didn’t waste people’s time arguing over whether they were Malians or not; they interrogated and quickly sent them to hell. That is a significant difference with what we are doing in the country.
Our troops have been killed, civilians inclusive and when destroyers of life and property are caught we enter another terrible song “these are our sons and daughters misled into reckless adventure.” What has citizenship got with felons who commit great crimes against the state?
Now every serious country that wants security and stability does not sing such songs. Anyone who threatens the foundation of the state pays a big price for it. If terrorists miss from the radar of any developed countries today they would spend billions of dollars to hunt for the felon across the globe and when caught they face the rigours of the rule of law. In our country our leaders negotiate with bandits and even pay ransome. When sanctions aren’t in place, deviants of different dimensions are encouraged to continue with their devious actions.
It is pertinent at this point to ask this question, particularly for those who say our challenge is weapons. Are the troops of Mali, Chad and Burkina Faso better equipped than our troops? Are they better motivated? It is true Nigeria security forces should be paid far better remuneration, it is a high crime against humanity and God to give a citizen the responsibility to give his life for others and not ensure that he would be very happy doing so. He should see in all the ramifications of his life that his country appreciates him for making the choice to give his life so others can live and thrive. We heard that until recently the lower ranks in the military earned less than N100,000 as monthly salary. This is an abomination. They deserve better, not just the army but also the police and the other auxiliary quasi-military organizations. Without incentives, morale would be low. When we encounter security personnel on the road and they say “don’t you bother that we are working under inclement weather conditions,” it is because they don’t feel motivated and of course matters of professional training too. If a citizen chose a career in the security force he or she should first and foremost have the right aptitude and know what the job entails. It ought to be very clear you could get killed anytime and any day. All the emotional effusions when they get killed is neither here nor there. We can feel pain but it shouldn’t be taken to an extent it becomes distractive. The government should have a system that quickly rewards their families.
In the first part of this outing on sources of insecurity, I was clear the chief source wasn’t organic; it is not coming essentially from poor governance and resultant economic dislocations, even though it is a factor, the main source is bad politics and the business side of politics.
Fellow country men are feasting on the blood of citizens by taking money from outside forces and forcing the rest of the country to follow prescriptions that would never be applied elsewhere.
Very exposed citizens said we should keep the borders open for anybody to come in and stay. Many told the government, “you are killing our brothers” when you attack barbarians with the military and get them killed. Highly placed citizens want negotiation with terrorists. What is the motivating force?
On Thursday, July 30, a security summit for the South East region was held in Umuahia. It was organized by the Ministry of Defense in conjunction with the Abia State government. I couldn’t wait before penning this piece yet I will report on the outcome perhaps in the next outing. How do I see the outing against security in the region?
Security isn’t about summits and too much talking. It involves creative and imaginative actions. Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Goodluck Jonathan packed their cabinets full with Nigerians of Igbo extraction. In the absence of a national conference to reach a consensus on how our country can be governed well, none of them gathered Igbo leaders to try to find out what actually the Igbo need. Their methods rested on picking their friends from the area and having them walk around them. When they visit one state in the South East the renegades are in front of arrangements. They picked a few people they were certain wouldn’t tell the real story and paraded them before the President as “representatives” of the region. In the end the visiting president ends having a discussion of the deaf, he speaks and asks questions and the replies come through in mumbled forms, the President returns without having anything concrete.
President Muhammadu Buhari took the tactics to another level. His hatred of the Igbo was something else. He saw them as “defeated people” who lost their rights for fighting a civil war. His attitude and reactions reflected his thinking. He killed Igbos in the manner the country would do to external invaders. He would visit Imo State where the state’s chief executive was brought from the fourth position in an election and made Governor by the Supreme Court. The charade continued. Any wonder Imo State became a theatre for bloodletting. I don’t know if that terrible scenario has abated.
I have said in this space countless times that “constructive engagement” and public engagement can reverse the terrible security situation in any part of the country. Talk to the young generation; their minds are empty. The implanting we should have done and which we failed to do, since the atmosphere abhors vacuum, has been done by Western socialization via various Internet and social media channels. These platforms teach them bad behaviour and that is what we see being manifested in the country.
Imagine if the government engaged Igbo leaders and in a collective manner they said our areas are underdeveloped, electric supply is still very bad and the roads remain in a very deplorable state. Igbophobia is huge. We don’t have a sense we are Nigerians, release to us Nnamdi kanu and allow us take full responsibility. The talks go on and consensus is reached, the outcome would be quick and salutary.
It is ironic to want peace and highly placed public citizens like Modu Sheriff, former Governor of Borno State and television anchor of Channels Television are telling a Presidential candidate of Igbo extraction, “North can’t vote for you because your people fought a civil war.” A police man just last week told a traveler along the very busy Shagamu/Onitsha road after checking the traveler’s license, “I would have detained you if you were Igbo.” It is difficult to get the buy-in of even one man if it turns out he is aware he’s not loved and wanted within a circle.
Peace and stability don’t just spring up, they are the outcome of deliberate positive efforts made to them in any society. Hate and dislocation would inevitably produce instability. Love and participation create a rich sense of bonding and ownership. Even a man hardly causes problems to himself. It is a rare occurrence.
(The Sun)