Insecurity: The bugbear of the Presidency By Simon Abah

Nigerians had high hopes when he was elected into office.
I have had many happy moments, some of which are: admission into the University of Ibadan, the birth of my children especially the joy of being a father the first time, Chelsea’s lifting of the Champions League and the defeat of a president in the general election of 2015.
I made sure that former President Goodluck Jonathan got his just deserts at the polls, I voted against him and in support of another.
You can’t blame me.
A time comes when you must not be apathetic to the affairs of your country.
We voted him into office because we believed he was going to tackle the three challenges on his agenda.
One of which was poorly handled by the incompetent administrators before him.
To be fair, he was able to degrade Boko Haram to the extent that their main base has fallen to the Nigerian Army and other areas liberated as well.
The morale of the Army under his leadership became so high and we heaved a sigh of relief believing that a knight with shining armour has come to liberate us from reprobates, cultists, hostage takers, armed robbers and their ilk whose despicable activities had ensured that we all slept with one eye open.
Then, some chancy herdsmen came but not on horseback from the sky but through our borders during the day and at night, they began to rape women, murder people and burn villages.
They are the only group with the licence, so it seems, in Nigeria to kill and make daring statements after that as to why they murdered women, babies, some yet unborn, the aged and all others on the account of missing cows.
And our President has been reduced to whining and beseeching Nigerians to live with the brigands in peace.
The security teams have taken a cue from his body language and have been blaming the victims for their woes.
Desperate situations merit desperate measures.
The Nigerian security apparatus needs to be overhauled.
Colombia was once rated as one of the most violent nations on earth before Alvaro Uribe became president.
That country controlled 80 per cent of the world’s cocaine trade.
Uribe vowed to wipe out the criminal elements in Colombia and he did.
The first thing he did was to ask for the help of the US in his fight against these groups.
With the help of America, he was able to overhaul the security apparatus and the corruption-ridden judiciary and by the time he completed his second term in office, he had almost decimated the upper echelons of the FARC leadership.
By the time his successor assumed office, most criminal elements had ceased to exist.
Uribe pursued many top commanders of groups as far as into Ecuador and took them out.
Some were captured due to the heavy bounty placed on their heads.
FARC fought the state for 50 years but today has asked citizens for forgiveness and sued for peace with the government in exchange for amnesty.
The man I voted for should be prepared to wage a ruthless campaign against troublemakers who are sowing the seeds of distrust and lawlessness in the land.
He needs to coordinate his security outfits instead of only enjoying the roles and not duties of office, the same as the other president I voted against.
What is the function of the DSS? Why has Nigerian security agents not being able to penetrate murderous groups? Warfare involves intelligence and organisation.
It is 90 per cent legwork, five per cent inspiration and five per cent luck.
The people in charge of security must outthink the enemy; win enemies over, neutralise them or eliminate them.
What we see is the indulgence of thuggish-runners.
Every day, there are threats by states to resort to self-help and this is a way for anarchy.
What legacy does President Buhari want to leave behind when he steps down? History is a cruel taskmaster.
The other president lost credibility before his defeat in a general election but was sharp enough at a time in his reign and fired his security chiefs when things got out of hand.
Does this President deserve another term in office? But for toadies and their swan songs, he seems to have lost more goodwill than the president I voted against in less time than that president.
People who do not know the indices for measuring development think otherwise though.
God save Nigeria.
Abah writes from Abuja via [email protected]

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