Nigeria Government and its Terrorism

How close are we to stopping the killings in the north of Nigeria? One doubts if we have ever had it this bad with the spate of bombings. Kaduna came under fire in two successive bombings, Kano got bombed for the umpteenth time in months, Abuja is still reeling from the EMAB Plaza attack while the
Apapa attack remains a scary reality of what could happen down south if we don't commit to stopping these terrorists as soon as possible. Adamawa suffered attacks during the World Cup as a football viewing centre was attacked. The emir of Gwoza got killed while Borno gets to experience more days of attacks than it does days without them. All
of these in the three months and two weeks since the Chibok girls got kidnapped.
We continue to get assurances from the government that they have everything under control but what is clear to everyone who can see
Nigeria other than through the eyes of politics is that nothing is under control save for Boko Haram's control of the factors of fear and death.
Something has to give before we find ourselves completely run down by these insurgents the way Iraq is now battling for its territories in the hands of ISIS.
Maplecroft, a risk consultancy firm, ranked Nigeria as the number one in terms of terrorism fatality rates around the world. While 2014 is only seven months old, it is already the bloodiest year of the insurgency in five years. The insurgents are only
getting stronger as only this weekend they abducted the wife of the deputy Prime Minister of
Cameroon. That is another channel to raise money.
The group does not lack money and as long as the flow of resources to them is not stemmed, things
will only get worse. Arms supply to the insurgents should not be as secretive as it is made to look.
There have been much talk of arms flowing from the Libyan war but the possibility of direct supplies
to the insurgents by other dealers should not be overlooked. How can Nigeria and its allies – if
these allies are still there – stop the transfer of arms?
A lot has been said about the increasing attacks
and the 2015 elections. The two major political
parties are not helping the speculations suggesting
that some of the attacks have direct bearings on
the next general elections. Where each party
continues to politicize the issue, Nigeria stands no
chance of dealing with this menace. As we speak,
there is no recognizable bi-partisan approach to
the war on terror. The only approach appears to be
two political parties looking to profit politically from
the blood of Nigerians.
The masses will always be the masses. Instead of
ordinary Nigerians to ask their leaders the right
questions, they predictably are acting through to
type like specimens in the hands of politicians.
Issues continue to be debated along partisan,
religious and ethnic lines and the politicians have
more than enough ambassadors in unsuspecting
citizens who are always willing and ready to make
this about anything but a war on our country and
its people irrespective of religious, political or
ethnic orientation.
If securing a loan of $1 billion will help the federal
government fight the insurgents to a standstill, one
would suggest the National Assembly expedite
action on the process but don’t we all know
better? What has happened to the billions of
dollars already spent on the issue? If spending
more money in recent years has only made the
insurgents seem stronger and our country weaker,
when are we going to admit throwing money at the
problem will not make it disappear?
How much honour have we accorded our lost
soldiers in this war? How much have we served
those alive who continue to defend our civilization
while putting their own lives on hold and at risk?
How motivated are our men? Can an army fight a
war without motivation and dedication to the
cause? Is the army likely to be inspired by the
blame games embarked upon by the politicians or
they’d wonder if they are not just pawns in a war
that appears to be about the soul of Nigeria than
about an ideology or religion?
As the government itself continues to prioritize
politics over leadership and fighting the war on
terror, how long before the flags of the insurgents
being hoisted in Borno villages get hoisted into
other Nigerian cities? That looks far-fetched, the
very same way a Nigerian being involved in suicide
bombing was unthinkable just less than a decade
ago. This is not the time to play around, this is the
time to see the challenge for what it is: we are
under attack, even as we dance to the sounds of
2015.