Three months back, Mr. Boni Haruna, the
Minister of Youth Development (Sarkin Matasa) looked Nigerians in the eye and
told them that Goodlick Jonathan has brought peace to the country and therefore
need four more years to build on what he started. A week later Boko Haram overran his Michika
local government and since then he has remained mute. In saner climes, he would have apologised for
his faux pas. When he made his
statement, the terrorists were at his doorsteps – Gwoza. Haruna was so fixated on retaining his plum
ministerial office that he was willing to tell lies and cover up Jonathan’s incompetence
as a leader. He wasn’t bothered one bit
that his people are killed, maimed and their businesses destroyed.
While Boni Haruna was praising the
president’s peace making (building?) efforts, the killers were going through
Madagali, Michika, parts of Hong, Mubi North and Mubi South local governments
like hot knife in butter. The
humanitarian catastrophe this engenders is of no consequence to Mr.
Haruna. The people of the area have now
been reduced to living a primitive lifestyle in the mountains. Their lives have been shattered and may never
be the same again. A whole Senatorial
district is now under threat and all our Sarkin Matasa can think of is how
Jonathan can retain his office.
Looking at the local governments under the
control of the terrorists, one is left to wonder whether those from the area
and currently serving in various levels of government are Nigerians or
not. This may be a topic for another
day. The fact is that both ministers
from Adamawa state in the federal executive council, the state governor and the
Chief of Defence Staff are from that same Senatorial Zone, now effectively cut
off and carved out from Nigeria. With
the government’s silence on the status of these local governments in the hands
of the terrorists, what is the legal status of Boni Haruna and company? Are they Nigerians or…?
I have always been a sceptic on the issue of
Boko Haram – its operators and operations.
A rag-tag army that has suddenly transformed into a fearsome fighting
force – fearsome enough to make our ‘civilian terrorising’ military run for
dear life whenever they are sighted, raises a lot of questions in my mind. The founders of Boko Haram –their spiritual
leader and alleged financier were killed in 2009, which led to the movement
becoming hydra headed. The movement back
then was made up of street urchins, university dropouts and those generally
dissatisfied with the way life is treating them. How were they able to transform in to this
formidable elite strike force at the same time our soldiers are scampering for checkpoint
and kitchen duties? When and where were
they trained?
I have this eerie feeling that the
escalation of violence in the north (particularly the north east) and
subsequent declaration of separate administrative entity by the terrorists in
the areas they now occupy has historical connection to the abortive coup of
April 1990. The principal officers of
the failed putsch are now very visible in Aso Villa – Col. Tony Nyiam, Major
Saliba Mukoro, etc. During their failed
attempt to grab power, their spokesman Gideon Orkar announced the excision of
some parts of Nigeria in their attempt to remake Nigeria in their image. We have seen this sinister plan resurface
again during the just concluded ill-advised National Conference. Interestingly, Tony Nyiam was one of those
selected by Jonathan to midwife the conference.
And again interestingly, the portion of the country under the control of
the terrorists was among the parts of the country excised by the putschists.
I also came across correspondences between
Chinwezu and G. G. Dara in the Diaspora Dialogue Series on how to go about
creating a “greater south” and a “Shariyaland”.
According to the duo, if the people of “Shariyaland” cannot be made to
leave Nigeria peacefully, they should be shoved aside by force of arms. In my opinion, the escalation of violence in northeast
became prominent immediately after the conclusion of the national conference
and the failure of our modern day anarchist to push their plans down our
throats. We have seen the roles played
by the Dara group and their northern accomplices like Professor Jerry Gana, who
it was alleged several times bailed Mohammed Yusuf from the police.
When you begin to connect those seemingly
unrelated happenstances - the 1990
Gideon Orkar radio broadcast, the Jerry Gana bail allegations, the hurried
nature of convocating a national conference, the failed attempt to railroad a
pre-planned agenda, the alignment between the southern minorities and the Jerry
Gana group, the missing billions of dollars, the escalation of violence in the
north east and subsequent occupation of same by a supposedly rag-tag army, who
hitherto have been confined to a non-existent impregnable forest and the
government’s silence over the lost of Nigerian territory, one is left to come
to the unpalatable conclusion that what is happening has a government
imprimatur.
Why has the north suddenly become known for
strives? The northeast is bedevilled
with Boko Haram; north central of Nigeria is the epicentre of farmers/ herders
clash while bandits and cattle rustlers are having a field day in the northwestern
part of the north. The most vicious of
these groups of terrorists, the Boko Haram has by far being the most vicious
and organised. I cannot understand how
they are able to capture towns and villages, hoist their flags and maintain
their grip on their conquest before moving to the next unfortunate town. Take the case of the abducted Chibok schoolgirls
who has been in their captivity for more than six months now. No one apart from the Bring Back Our Girls
campaigners is saying anything about the girls.
Where do they get their supplies – arms food
supply? How do they feed the over 200
girls in their captivity? How do they
replenish their ammunition? The phantom
cease-fire deal entered between the federal government and the insurgents
coincided with the detention of Nigerian owned aircraft and money in South
Africa. The money was said to have been
meant for the purchase of arms and ammunition by the Nigerian government, but
for which unit and why go through the back channel? The conspiracy theory-weaving part of my
brain saw a linkage between the forfeiture of the money and the cease-fire
announcement. Some few weeks after this
episode, the terrorists came out bolder and march through Uba and took over
Mubi, the second biggest town in Adamawa while our soldiers ran with their
tails tucked between their legs.
There have been allegations that villagers
have been sighting helicopters dropping fighters, arms and ammunition or food
supplies but the authorities have consistently denied these allegations. The embarrassment in South Africa raised a
lot of questions than answers. Some of
the questions borders on the propriety or otherwise of the federal government
using Oritsejafor’s plane to carry out such business when there are more than
twelve planes in the presidential fleet; how could a government that has
diplomatic relations with another government go to the underground market to
buy arms? I have tried to expunge the treasonable thought that some people in
government or the government itself has a hand in what is going in the north
east, but this dangerous feeling refused to go away.
The sooner the people of the north realise
that the agenda by the Tony Nyiam group that was aborted in 1990, is unfolding
before our very eyes the safer for all of us. The northern leadership cadre – political,
traditional and military – has been found remiss in its leadership
responsibilities. I hope they won’t be
called to pay one day – that is, if they are not already paying.
For the poor, all I can say is that der is God wo!
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