Category: Sub-Saharan Africa

First of all it was the Niger Delta Militants brandishing sophisticated foreign made weapons, blowing up pipelines and other infrastructure vital to the nation’s development in the creeks of the delta. Then we started to hear about kidnappings of foreign expatriates and families of wealthy stakeholders in the region, the situation even degenerated to kidnapping of albinos who were later discovered to have little or nothing to pay for their ransom so much that their captors who wouldn’t agree to utterly loose out of the situation resorted to asking for recharge cards from their victim’s family as ransom for their release.

This time around Nigerians are faced with a new problem in the form of terrorist jihadist militants going by the name of Boko Haram which means Western Education is forbidden in the Hausa dialect. The kidnapping of people and blowing up of government infrastructure is one thing but the act of suicide bombing whereby the aggressor is willing to risk his own life by blowing up himself and the intended target to oblivion is a whole different thing entirely.

The recent suicide bombing attack on the National Headquarters of the Nigeria Police Force which is the heart of our nation’s civil security outfit is such an unfortunate event. What even makes the situation more alarming is that it was a suicide attack, the first of its kind in our nation’s history. There is nothing more frightening than the idea of a person strapping himself with explosives with intent to take his own precious life as well as that of his target in the process. This is a phenomenon that goes against logic and common reasoning it is a dangerous concept which is very difficult to understand let alone for one to begin to deduce, a problem which takes the form of a Gordian knot.

To confront this problem we need to have a full understanding of the notion BOKO HARAM. Its direct translation in English means “Western Education is Forbidden” this notion is a very eccentric idea which takes its roots from the colonial era when the British having subdued the fulani’s with their artillery batteries in Sokoto had implemented a system of indirect rule in Northern Nigeria, a system which allowed them to pursue their imperialist plans indirectly through the emirs taking full advantage of the existing feudal system. They passed a law which prevented most northerners from pursuing western education their reason being that since they found the region very difficult to conquer it would be dangerous to educate the average northerner as it would create a social strata of educated radical muslim progressives like that which could be found in other colonies. This combined with the average northerners unwillingness to pursue western education further worsened the situation. Education was a privilege of only the ruling royal families and elites.  It is safe to say that this brilliant idea of the British which has been proved to be wrong has had a negative result than they expected because these acts of terrorism which our nation faces today can be attributed to the high level of illiteracy in the North amongst other factors. The high level of illiteracy and poverty has proved to be a crucial tool in the hands of these goons as they have an army of willing converts with which to put to use in pursuing their agenda which appears to be rather vague and indistinct. The bombing of the National Headquarters of the Nigeria Police Force amongst other terror campaigns throughout the North at this very moment seems to be the worst events ever but I can assure you that this is just the beginning of the fear, turmoil and destruction that is yet to come if this problem is not addressed with determination wit and more importantly tact.

The problem was initially thought to be only a northern phenomenon which was confined to only that fraction of the map but it is apparent that with the recent bombing in the Federal Capital the theater of war has extended and it will only be a matter of time before it spreads to other parts of the country like a dreadful virus.

This is a war that cannot be won by confrontation because these people live among us and for every terrorist that is killed there will be more to eagerly replace them so it is important that the authorities attack this problem from the roots so that our beloved nation will not follow other countries like Somalia, Afghanistan and the rest.

The Federal government has to tackle the issue of mass illiteracy, poverty and unemployment in the North for an idle, hungry and uneducated mind is vulnerable. Another point to note is that the recent election of Dr Goodluck Jonathan as president and the abandoning of the zoning agreement had generated a lot of resentment in the North and provided the terrorists with an army of enthusiastic followers who are looking for any opportunity to vent their anger and frustration. This coupled with the fact that the Northern Elite has lost favor with the common man in the region as they have been thought to be betrayed by their leaders resulting in the burning of houses and property of prominent political figures. They the Northern leaders are no longer comfortable in their homes as they have long moved to Abuja the federal capital and now the terrorists have taken the war to their doorstep the situation is horrible.

This grievance has led to mass protests in the north and also the ruling Peoples Democratic Party losing a lot of seats to other political parties. The elite themselves are not safe at all as a result of the spate of high profile assassinations in the north by the dreaded Boko Haram sect. It is very obvious that there is a high level of entropy and ambiguity in the North. The real danger is not in the present but what is yet to come that is why the government must do its best to address the issue of poverty, unemployment and illiteracy in the North. Take for example Borno State where all this originated from the weather is terrible there is no potable drinking water, no electricity, no social amenities or infrastructure, the level of education is very low, unemployment is high, the state is a civil service state with the state and federal government being the main sources of income the population is very high and life is very very tough in general which makes it very easy for the Boko Haram to find willing victims to conscript to their cause. With all these factors militating against the common man it is by the grace of God that the elite have been able to maintain law and order. The fact is that the average northerner is a very contented man with very few needs but when these basic needs are not met he is very dangerous and troublesome especially in Borno State where someone could be killed for a mere fifty naira during political campaigns.

The federal government should look into the present revenue allocation formula as the northern states receive five times less than their southern counterparts, education should be top on its agenda they should build more schools and infrastructure, promote agriculture, commerce and embark on mass literacy campaigns. This is a war that cannot be won by confrontation but by striking at the heart of the problem as the solution to the problem lies in the name of the sect Boko Haram. This problem no doubt is a hydra headed and complex but also very easy to solve as the northerner is easily contented and since these people live amongst us it will be very easy to root them out if the people know that  the Federal Government is behind them. We should also understand that this is not just a northern problem but a national one and cannot be solved by force or confrontation as it will only degenerate to total chaos that is capable of over running the entire West African subcontinent as Nigeria is not a banana republic but the world’s largest black nation. This way it will be possible to win both the war and the peace. We should remain steadfast as a people and try to understand the problem on ground so as to proffer a lasting solution for in our darkest hour there shall be light.