The deteriorated security situation of Nigeria, specifically the Northern region, is no longer news. Insecurity and terrorism have become the norm. The North is now used to gory situations. From paying enforced levies to terrorists granting permission to farm, paying kidnappers ransom and other related dues are also the new normal, especially in Northwestern part of the country. Despite these calamities, the usual response from the government is not beyond “press release” or “rhetorical warnings”, but with no serious effort to translate these rhetorics into solid action.
If we are to count the number of terrorists attacks in Northwestern states, excluding those of the Northeastern states, surely, we’ll make a bulk of report. In all those incidents, the Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federation is nowhere to be found, his presence is only felt in press releases from his out of touch paid spokesmen. One consistent thing the presidency is good at, is sending delegation to represent him in the mourning spots. However, when it comes to attending foreign summit or international conference (no matter how insignificant they are), delegation of duty is not an option, self presence is the order.
As the saying goes, a good thing should be reciprocate with good, for that’s what is better. One can easily recall those days, when the president was actively everywhere, scouting for acceptance and mandate to lead the country. He had the chance of visiting almost all nook and crannies of the North, crying on cameras for the state of the nation. Swayed by that emotional gimmick, Northerners were tricked to believe that 2015 presidential election was the last chance to secure a fair deal of social contract, all was done to make sure that he was elected to give the country a new lease of life, where lives, properties and rights are prioritised.
In the cause of that, lives and properties were lost to that cause. Some were sent to their graves early for standing up to actualise the birth of a promised new dawn. Based on that, these troubled spots deserve a sincere first hand visit, assessment and action by the president, especially whenever a terror of high magnitude happens in the region. His in-person visit doesn’t mean instant eradication of its problems, but at least, it would give a sense of relief to the victims and rekindle the common man’s confidence in the government.
After the recent barbaric burning of some innocent passengers in Sokoto state by some blood thirsty terrorists, a mysterious killing of Katsina state commissioner and the killing of 16 people in a mosque while observing dawn prayer in Niger state, tension rose in the atmosphere and unusual critical voices were raised. Some chose to walk for a peaceful street protests in their states and many others bombarded the social media with protest hash tags. That shows how worried Northerners are on the insecurity bedeviling them and their region. Despite this development, some VIP pens and voices were dead silent and that makes me wonder whether they still exist or are hidden somewhere else.
If not because wishes are not horses, I would’ve said that I wish the mighty pen of the current Minister of Education Adamu Adamu that pinned down “Tears of Haramain I & II” is still alive to pin the tears of present North. It also took me back to a nostalgic moments, where the tearful voice of the current Minister of Communications and Digital Economy Isa Pantami was name-calling the previous administration to take action on the lives of Muslims killed in some Northern states. Not long ago, the most powerful leader of Tidjania Movement (not the Khalifa) alive Sheikh Tahir Bauchi met President Buhari and discussed the unprovoked killing of his followers along Jos – Zaria road on their way back home after their annual Zikr. But today, all those voices and powerful pens are nowhere to be heard.
Moreover, a heavy weight politician from the North, who is also eyeing the seat of presidency, boarded a plane to a Southern state, where he met the governor of that state and discussed the situation that led to senseless violence that resulted in killing HIS fellow Northeners! Additionally, when an ongoing project of 21-storey building collapsed in Lagos, Northern state governors went all the way to Lagos to sympathise and show solidarity to the victims of that catastrophy, the governor and people of Lagos state over that sad occurrence. Despite this humane gesture from their Northern counterparts, up to this moment, no Lagos or any Southern state governor has set his foot in Sokoto in order to sympathise with the victims and the state government!
Northerners in diaspora are also left behind as they are only good in calling the poor masses in Nigeria to take over the streets for a protest without any effort from them. As we all know, their countries of residence is more comfortable than the whole NIGERIA, as such, they can stage a protest in their Nigerian Embassy. But we only heard the voice of few of them.
In my opinion, if we want a reasonable action from the president, we should apply the approach of Coalition of Kano Ulama, I mean the method they used earlier this year in order to curtail the activities of someone they regarded as a reckless and blasphemous scholar in their domain. The coalition used a single voice and stand through a consensus of respected leadership that forced the government to take a decisive action.
The coalition set aside all ideological differences and faced what it considered a common enemy. Therefore, the same strategy should be applied by the region’s highest traditional rulers, religious leaders, politicians, business community to face the government over this unprecedented wave of insecurity in the region. This will surely force the president to go beyond press releases or rhetorical warnings to these heartless terrorists.
Lastly, to borrow from the words of #Nomorebloodshed Movement, here are our simple demands to the president:
1. Federal government should immediately organise a national security summit with all critical security stakeholders within and outside the government, with the sole objective of getying new/other ideas and approaches on how to end this state of insecurity.
2. All the security forces and agencies that are often deployed to ensure successful elections in recent times, should be deployed to all the theatres of insecurity across the nation immediately.
3. The federal government most publish the names and identities of all the financiers of all insecurity as promised by both Mr. President and the AGF, and they should be made to face the full wrath of the law.
4. If President Buhari cannot guarantee peace, security of the lives and properties of Nigerians, we hereby advise that he respectfully RESIGN.
5. We hereby unequivocally declare and submit that no Nigerian blood is less sacred than that of other compatriots from any part of Nigeria, enough of unwanted politicisation of these killings and insecurity.
6. We are no longer at ease with the incessant “condemnation” of the actions of criminals among us, we hereby call for the State to effectively go after these terrorists, apprehend them and bring them to justice.
May peace reign in Nigeria.
Sagir, writes from Bauchi, Bauchi state via ibrahimsagir1227@gmail.com, 07019718681