TheCable

In 2009, when terrorism started in Nigeria and our people were blowing themselves up, we were lying to ourselves that Nigerians can never blow themselves up. We even came up with an ugly lie that we were the happiest people on earth, but this is the question we failed to ask ourselves: how can a people be the happiest, who are wallowing in the dirt of poverty, power-outage and pot-holes-ridden roads? Today, it is very clear to all that our people are so hopeless and that’s why they have joined the league of those who daily take their life.

What makes them take their life is not only because they are promised virgins and paradise, but what makes them blow themselves up is because they cannot see any colorful future ahead of themselves. Also, they feel extremely alienated from Nigeria. If you say what I am saying here is not true because of those you are working for as an effect of the coming presidential election, why are they not blowing themselves up in the UAE as they are blowing themselves up in the northeastern of Nigeria?

Terrorism thrives in the nations where governments do not care for their citizens. For the umpteenth time, we can no longer deceive ourselves. We do not truly care for our people. And this national boo-boo is going to cause terrorism to stay with us for a very long time. For the umpteenth time, you may water this down because of the coming presidential election, but in the corner of your room, when you are alone, you know that it is the truth.
Apart from the ugly issue of terrorism, if we make it easy for our people to walk out of Nigeria, you would be shocked about the number of disenfranchised and oppressed ethnic groups that would willingly move out of our country. The profit of the land is not getting to all of our people, only a few are living large amidst a sea of faces of poor citizens. Politicians serve for a few years and reward themselves forever while civil servants serve for decades and are given peanuts. Who is fooling who? Nigeria is a beautiful and promising country, but selfish and greedy people have been calling the shots!

How can we end the war against terrorism in Nigeria? We need to first know that terrorism is an ideological war and that guns and bullets cannot stop it. If we like, we can equip the Nigerian Army with 10trillions of dollars, they cannot put an end to terrorism. It is not the job of our military alone to end it. Also, to end the war against Boko Haram, we cannot copy and paste what other nations of the earth are doing in combating terrorism in their own countries. We need to look at our own crisis holistically and I am going to get the job done in synopsis here.

Before we look at how to end the war against terrorism, we need to know what led to its growth in Nigeria. First, it is the mendaciousness of our politicians. When GEJ was in power, he said Boko Haram did infiltrate his government. It was a heavy statement made by the then C-in-C in 2012, but till now, nothing has been done about it. That administration successfully handed-over power without one person being arrested, prosecuted and jailed. How can an insincere nation as ours win the war against terrorism?

Before Boko Haram joined ISIL, they were being sponsored by some people, but till today, they are yet to be uncovered, let alone brought to book. The real terrorists are not those who are killing our soldiers and blowing our people up; the real terrorists are those who are sponsoring them. In Nigeria, the law that binds that poor sets the rich free. The greatest sin anyone in Nigeria can commit is to be poor. Nigeria is clearly not designed for the poor.
Now, if guns and bullets cannot bring an end to terrorism in the Northeastern Nigeria, what then can end it? To start with, shame on everyone who has ever come out to lead the Northern part (especially Northeast) of Nigeria—from Governors to Senators and House of Representative Members. They have all worked together in the last 20years to impoverish their people. Remember, the life-blood of terrorism is poverty.

It is so easy for terrorists to recruit our people to fight against Nigeria, because, first, Nigeria clearly does not care for them and they feel completely alienated from the resources of our land. Each time the resources of the land do not get to the people, it becomes so easy for the disenfranchised-people to turn against the country in question. What has Nigeria done for those Nigerians who have become terrorists, fighting against Nigeria? No one fights against a country that truly cares for him.

Also, they do not care a hoot for dying because in the first place, they actually have no reason to live. Nigeria has not created any future for them. There is no part of Nigeria that terrorists cannot recruit from, because too many Nigerians believe that Nigeria has created no future for them. Over the years, I have met with too many youths—who believe that they have been completely cut off from the resources of Nigeria—by political leaders—who detest them. Any organization that shows that it cares for them will cheaply woo them to itself.

President Buhari needs to know that approving more money to fight Boko Haram is not going to end it. We cannot continue to deliberately keep our people in poverty and think that we are going to bring terrorism to an end in Nigeria. Also, he needs to know that apart from terrorism, Nigeria is sitting on a time bomb that is ticking so fast. The strength (our young-bloods) of Nigeria is hooked on drugs. And most of them are jobless. Remember, terrorism cannot but thrive in a nation that does not truly care for its own.

To win the war against terrorism, we need to start creating happiness for our people. We need to make sure that the resources of the land get to all of them. We need to make sure that justice is consistently seen to be done in our clime. We need to make sure that each citizen of Nigeria has an access to the same quality of life that our politicians have an access to. If we do not do all I did mention and more, we are just wasting our scarce resources, prosecuting the war against terrorism. Once again, guns and bullets can never win the war against terrorism in Nigeria!