Though force can protect in emergency, only justice, fairness, consideration and cooperation can finally lead men to the dawn of eternal peace.
Dwight D. Eisenhower
First let me condole with the people of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states for the lives of their friends and families they are going to loose due to state of emergency rule imposed on them.
On the 15th of May 2013 at about 6:30pm, i was about to visit a friend on invitation but on recalling Mr. President will address the nation at 7:00pm on the same day, i quickly canceled my visit and sat patiently waiting for 7:00pm to clock facing my TV set. What came to my mind was may be Mr President will announce the total removal of subsidy on Crude oil? I later said no, he will address the nation on the recent killings of policemen in Nasarawa state. I just kept wondering what the shoeless man will want to say on this cool evening? On hearing the national anthem been sang on TV, i adjusted my seat and listen carefully.
Mr. President started with the usual way of fooling and deceiving Nigerians by saying "my dear compatriots", I just smiled. Mr President for the first time in history was courageous in his speech, issuing warnings to unpatriotic citizens and bowing to bring them to book. I praised my able Presido for being man enough today but what came to my greatest surprise was when he declared state of emergency in three northern states affected by insurgency for many years, forgetting Borno and Yobe states has been under state of emergency since Dec 2011.
Borno and Yobe states were declared war zones in 2011 when government imposed a state of emergency rule in the two states including the then troubled state of Plateau. Since then, the crisis continued to rise resulting to the deaths of unaccountable figures of innocent souls mostly due to extra judicial killings by the security forces deployed to protect the citizenry's lives and properties, a common scenario was the massacres carried on recently in Bayelsa, Baga and Bama towns by government forces killing hundreds of civilians and destruction of properties worth huge sum of money. Mr President has forgotten the two states of Borno and Yobe were already under a state of emergency rule two years back, which didn't yield any desirable result. Deploying a huge number of troops could only worsen the whole situation turning us to a country raging war against it own people in their own nation by their own nation.
A state of emergency is a governmental declaration which usually suspends a few normal functions of the executive, legislative and judicial powers, alert citizens to change their normal behaviors, or order government agencies to implement emergency preparedness plans. It can also be used as a rationale for suspending rights and freedoms, even if guaranteed under the constitution. Such declarations usually come during a time of natural or man made disaster, during periods of civil unrest, or following a declaration of war or situation of international or internal armed conflict. The declared state of emergency in Nigeria is a violation of the law because it was not even imposed accordingly with it governing rules, ours is a new channel in favor of politicians in order for them to continue looting the nation's wealth in the name of combating terrorism.
If using force or military power can bring peace in the troubled north region, Boko Haram would have become history by now since the fire for fire stage our forces have engaged the ghosts fighters into for many years now.
What Mr President fail to figure out was the amount of money and security personnels the nation is loosing in the ongoing crisis since 2009. Government has deployed thousands troops to the troubled states, military amours and lots of money since the onset of Boko boys in Nigeria without achieving any favorable result. All efforts by the government and security agencies have all now proved in vain as nothing can be said about any progress in the region. Deployment of more troops and machinery will only add to the sufferings of the masses, as our local forces indulge in all act of atrocities against the common man out of line with the rules of the engagement. Before the declaration of state of emergency in this states in 2011, little conflict was on with few forces present there. As more troops were sent, things began deteriorating from bad to worst as heavy gun battle and serious fighting broke out between the insurgents and government troops. As a result, life became unfavorably distanced. Scores of individuals and their belongings are scattered every night and day, their hopes for a stable peace destroyed and their dreams shattered. Government hasn't shown any sign of sympathy or sincerity to the populace, securities killed and framed innocent people as terrorist. This is not the type of politics we want in Nigeria.
Declaring state of emergency now on an emergency declared states already, will prove to the people in the states the fact they are long arguing for that is a plan crusade on them in order to crush them totally. This will also signifies the fact that government has since lost control and records of its past actions for declaring emergency rule twice in one environment. With this declarations, the people in the states may assume that the government is directly going against them by ordering forces to humiliate them and destroy their properties, since Boko Haram has camouflaged and turn into JTF which can in turns lead the people to revolt against their government. Most residents have flew the crisis for those who have other places to seek refuge, others who are bond to the environment have no where to go and government has not provide a conducive shelter for them to evacuate the danger zones. Many of them depending on a daily means of livelihood got arrested and paraded as terrorist by government forces with many killed and thrown away in bushes. This government is undoubtedly going to be held liable and most account for all the atrocities committed in this fight for terrorism someday, if not now, later. If not by man, by God.
Boko Haram on it own part, is a mere conspiracy and politically motivated movement rather than a terrorist organization. I am among those with the belief that Boko Haram is just a frame network that doesn't exist and a plan sabotage by unnamed element in the government for some selfish reasons. Declaring state of emergency and deploying thousands combat ready troops will just depopulate the electorates in that region which can be helpful to some of our shameless politicians in reducing the votes of one regions thought to be their opposition. Playing politics with a nation's security is fast becoming a political weapon most unpopular and weak politicians adopt as a strategy for keeping power in many nations. If really it's true, why would the government order a total military crackdown of people it said to have been in negotiations with? Have the negotiations failed? Or is it just a plan to corner our nation's treasury in the name of amnesty?
If really the existence of Boko Haram is real, dialogue is the best approach to peace and stability as government forces has failed in defending the integrity of this country for the past four years. So government should sit and address the whole brouhaha once and for all in order for the sleeping dog to lie before the masses run out of patience which can be more deadly than the Boko Haram itself or even Ombatse cultist. If adequate measures are not put in place, what happen in Baga will be just a rehearsal of what will happen in these states as a result of more troops deployed there.
The idea of handing millions of naira to unaccountable politicians, in the name of addressing security problems, is a recipe for pervasive corruption.
The use of security votes offers a virtual carte blanche to the country’s President as well as state governors to squander billions of naira in state allocations without scrutiny, accountability and without providing ‘security’ for anyone but save the executive’s pockets and/or their bank accounts.
The practice of misappropriating and stealing huge sums of public money under the guise of enhancing national security has come under increasing scrutiny in Nigeria. This is what i called Boko Haram(security vote), our evil politicians in government sponsored all the conflicts and are responsible for all the attacks and bombings in the north and other parts of the nation in order to shave way for the current flow of security votes. They framed an unidentified man called Sheik Shekau to be the leader of their ghosts movement called Boko Haram, they have succeed in misleading many of our citizens that terrorist are coming against them as they want to Islamatice the nation. They framed to have arrested the two spokesmen of Boko haram name Abul Qaqa and Abu Dardar without showing their picture to the public since a year ago. When the then leader of the sect Moh'd Yusuf disobeyed them and refused to follow their orders, they shown him to the public and executed him. Why not show us a picture of Abul Qaqa if he is real?
These was confirm by the former NSA Gen. Azazi whom was alleged to have been killed for exposing the truth about the current security challenges in the nation, he said "The issue of violence did not increase in Nigeria until when there was a declaration by the current President that he was going to contest. PDP got it wrong from the beginning. The party started by saying Mr. A can rule, and Mr. B cannot rule, according to PDP conventions, rules and regulations and not according to the Constitution.
That created the climate for what is happening. Is it possible that somebody was thinking that only Mr. A could win, and if he did not win, he could cause a problem in the society" bombings, suicide attacks and jail breaks that have been raging the northern part of the country “could be traced to the politics of exclusion of the PDP in the region.” (Late Azazi)
It was also exposed by Mal. Nasir Elrufai who said, "Azazi merely confirmed the three things that we have known all along about the PDP and Jonathan administration, that the PDP is the root of all politically-related violence and terrorism in the country. It was the extra-judicial murder of the Boko Haram leadership during the Yar'Adua's PDP regime that laid the foundations of our current insecurity.
"The way the party disrespects its constitution, rules and regulations as confirmed by the last sham and show of shame that it called national convention has completed the emergence of an exclusionary, undemocratic party controlled by Jonathan and the governors.
"Since its officers and political office holders emerged from rigged processes of imposition and intimidation, they have neither the burden of accountability nor conscience. They get into office not to serve the people but to serve their personal interests.
The current situations in some parts of the nation leading to the declaration of state of emergency are targeted at embezzling the nation's wealth and empowering some mischief to cause violence and destructions across the states. Those behind it should note that Nigerians can no longer be deceived, we are reasonable enough to think wisely and reason all that happen around us. Instead of the government to sponsor the killings of it own people by imposing emergency rule, ordering the armies that were trained just to kill or to be killed to do what ever they can to end insurgency in the states. The government should declare state of emergency on its porous borders where arms and weapons are smuggled freely into the country. It should declare war on its corrupt officials and declare state of emergency on corruption. Government should declare state of emergency on its educational and health system. It should also declare war on Agriculture and introduce an emergency rule that will provide food for the whole nation. When these are done, nobody who so ever can be lured or hired to carry out any form of violence or attack on anything that will destroy his nation on whatever amount. Only God can save us from the evil our democracy has turn into.
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