By Ismaila Mohammed Jimeta
Preoccupation with negativity does not help the development of any country or society. There are Nigerians who have turned fault-finding into a profession. They see nothing good in anybody, especially if the person is not their preferred candidate for a particular public office.
Worse still, these self-appointed critics and self-styled champions of public morality believe nobody else can ever do anything good, save the man whose appointment they approve. Once a public officeholder is not their man, they would spare no efforts to bring him down.
The National Security Adviser, Colonel Sambo Dasuki, is one of the calmest, humblest and most cool-headed military officers you can ever meet. His patriotism is no less admirable. He accepted his appointment as National Security Adviser at the most difficult moment in Nigeria’s chequered history. Terrorism is today the biggest security challenge facing Nigeria. And therefore, the NSA needs our prayers to succeed, and not negative campaigns of vilification against him.
Since his appointment, some politicians, driven by sheer personal sentiments rather than national interest, have made it a duty to undermine his efforts in this major national assignment. Northern Nigeria is the worst victim of the Boko Haram terrorism, which has virtually destroyed the northern economy and disrupted its social life. As a northerner, the NSA must be one of the saddest leaders from the region to see the north turn into a bandits’ territory by the Boko Haram militants.
Unfortunately, some unpatriotic Nigerians are playing politics with our national security by vilifying the office of the National Security Adviser and ridiculing the patriotic sacrifices of our counter-terrorism forces who work day and night to confront the terrorists.
Rather than identifying with the efforts of our counter-terrorism forces, some politicians have engaged in adverse campaign against the country’s efforts to rid itself of terrorism.
The National Security Adviser and our service chiefs require the support of all Nigerians to succeed. They cannot succeed when some malicious Nigerians concentrate their energies on undermining their efforts through negative publicity or by playing to the gallery.
We should commend the spirit of harmony and common purpose with which the NSA is working with the service chiefs to secure Nigeria. The critics of counter-terrorism task forces are primarily motivated by reasons other than national interest.
Given the security challenges facing Nigeria today, attacking our security chiefs for cheap publicity undermines our national interest.
In view of the gravity of the security challenges facing Nigeria today, it is dangerous to bring sentiments into purely national security issues.
Exploiting the gullibility of the ordinary Nigerians by playing politics with national security is irresponsible, therefore, attacking the offices of the National Security Adviser and the service chiefs to gain cheap popularity is inimical to Nigeria’s counter-terrorism efforts. While the people of Chad, Cameroon and Niger Republic are united against the Boko Haram terrorism, Nigerians are divided over the issue.
Nothing helps the terrorist worse than divided public opinion.
Conspiracy theories in the face a deadly common enemy don’t help Nigeria’s efforts to fight terrorism. Subjecting the Security Adviser and the service chiefs to ridicule while the country is fighting the deadliest enemy of humanity, i.e. terrorism, is counter-productive to the unity that is needed from Nigerians to stand behind our armed forces to help defeat the Boko Haram militants.
If we cannot praise our security adviser and the service chiefs for the remarkable gains Nigeria is making against the terrorists by liberating villages and towns previously captured by terrorists, we should not crucify them either because of petty politics.
Nigerians should be united against the terrorists, but that cannot be achieved if we continue to play politics by sponsoring politically motivated hatchet men to attack the integrity of the service chiefs. The NSA didn’t commit any crime by agreeing to serve his country.
The idea of bringing down or denigrating the National Security Adviser while he is doing his best to serve his country at this challenging moment is a great disservice to public interest. Professional critics motivated by selfish political motives are not helping Nigeria in any way in its efforts to defeat the terrorists. Fighting terrorism is a collective national responsibility. Terrorists are indiscriminate mass murderers who don’t distinguish PDP from APC supporters when they strike.
When the national Security Adviser is working harmoniously with the service chiefs to strategize how to defeat the terrorists, they should not be distracted by jobless critics who are constantly preoccupied by the desire to find fault rather than offer ideas to improve our counter-terrorism efforts. It saddens me whenever I read what some Nigerians are writing against the efforts of our security personnel.
You cannot put a figure on the number of security personnel killed by terrorists besides the number of widows and orphans they left behind. The National Security Adviser’s effort of providing leadership and the team spirit with which to work with the services chiefs should be commended rather than condemned.
Ismaila Mohammed Jimeta, a community mobiliser, wrote from No. 97, General Jerry Useni Road, Nyanya, Abuja. Email: [email protected]