A lot of lies can be hidden in the truth – Proverb
Thousands have died in the violence in Nigeria’s North-east between Boko Haram insurgents and the security forces, with no end in sight to the bloodletting. Bombings and shootings by the Salafist group after five years of insurrection, is now being capped with the group holding towns, in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states; a fortnight ago, leader Abubaker Shekau declared a caliphate.
Before I go further in my admonition and intervention on this matter, let me share these two fables. It may need a second reading to decipher, but bear with me. A father decided to take his son abroad to learn English because it has proven to be impossible in Nigeria. He took him to a language school in UK and demanded that the school should have him stay with a host family (English family).
After 6 months, the father decided to pay his son a surprise visit. He called the school, got the host family’s address and dropped there without notice. When he rang the doorbell, an English lady in her 40s answered the door.
English Lady: Hello, how may I help you? Father: Hello, I am Adamu’s father. I’m here to see my son. English Lady: Hi, I’m his host mother. I will get him for you. The host mother turned and shouted, “Adamu, ka zo ga Babanka ya zo!”
Moral: Boko Haram is changing us. I am not an advocate of bashing the Nigerian Army or security. However, I am not oblivious of the fact that for a complexity of many intertwined dynamics, the army is failing, and may continue to fail not because it wants to fail but because it is set out to fail.
For example, we have a 7th Division that exists only on paper with all its constituent units chopped out of other divisions creating half strength divisions. The latest information at my disposal is that Nigerian troops had as of Saturday last week, raided the hideout of Boko Haram in Kawuri, Konduga Local Government Area of Borno state. Killed some 50 terrorists in the raid, but the source of the information was a Defence Headquarters tweet.
And the foregoing is one of the many reasons a Steven Davis dimension has been added to the mix, and it has reinforced my belief that this nation needs knowledge based revolution, polity shake up, else if we keep towing this line and continue this Boko Haram joke, sooner than later ala Libya, trouble looms, there will be guerilla warfare everywhere. A big arms market and profitable humanitarian crisis field. Indeed, it is safe to say, Allah forbid, it is convenient to limit the disaster to a section of the nation but it would consume us all.
Meanwhile, even as many Nigerians take information from the Department of State Services, DSS, with a pinch of salt, the department has denied being the source of the information credited to Australian Boko Haram hostage negotiator, Dr. Steven Davis, describing him as “a self-styled and self-appointed negotiator.”
Deputy Director, DSS Public Relations, Marilyn Ogar, nevertheless said the body was investigating Davis’ claims and has invited former Governor of Borno State, Ali Modu Sheriff, on the fresh allegations linking him with the sponsorship of Boko Haram. I do not think Nigerians understand what sponsorship of Boko Haram means, the kind of resources being put into it, and for a sizable population to believe the rabble rousing of some Central Bank of Nigeria staff story, only takes conspiracy theories to another level.
I am not going to hold brief for past Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Azubuike Ihejirika, as a financier of Boko Haram. And even though, the department said it couldn’t be true that the immediate past army chief was a financier, I take the department’s words with a pinch of salt.
However I would add my second fable and round up this intervention. Joe decides to take his boss Phil to play 9 holes on their lunch. While both men are playing excellent, two women in front of them often hold them up moving at a very slow pace. Joe offers to talk to the women and see if they can speed it up a bit. He gets about half of the way then stops and jogs back.
His boss asks what the problem is. 2Well one of those women is my wife and the other my mistress,2 complained Joe. Phil just shook his head at Joe and started towards the women determined to finish his round of golf. Preparing to ask the ladies to speed up their game, he too stopped short and turned around. Joe asked, “What’s wrong?” It’s a small, small world Joe, and you’re fired.”
It’s three weeks now, the police training school, Gwoza is still under Boko’s occupation, and several policeman still missing, and could I not mention the Chibok girls as we approach 200 days of their abduction.
And while we continue to dance around all sorts of conspiracies and do the deafening musical chairs of blame games, the Boko Haram dudes are having not only a ball, but also a dangerous joke on us all, need I remind us that when in a hole, you do not dig – will we conquer? Only time will tell!
