TheCable

In Nigeria, it is not what is said, it is who says it. When an unknown man says it, it would be called hate speech, but when a man of both influence and affluence says it, it would be called a national advice. If a poor man was to make this statement: “the armed forces are not neutral. They collude with the armed bandits that kill people and kill Nigerians. They facilitate their movement. They cover them…,” the DSS would have swarmed on him as bees, stinging him to death. Until everyone (both the powerful and peasant) is truly equal before the law, Nigeria would remain where she is for a very long time. Now I know that the easiest way to avoid being arrested, oppressed and molested in Nigeria is to echo what those who own Nigeria say. It is side-splitting when they say that Nigeria belongs to us all.

Away from the issue of hypocrisy that is ruining us as a people, I want to quickly and briefly peruse what the former chief of Army Staff, TY Danjuma said three (3) days ago. He said and I quote verbatim: “I am not a politician and politics is one profession I don’t want to belong to because if I am a politician, I would not say what I am going to say to you now. When I arrived this arena, I saw rich cultural display, and I was amazed at the rich cultural heritage of our people. Taraba is a mini Nigeria with diverse ethnic groups living together peacefully, but the peace in this state is under assault. There is an attempt at ethnic cleansing in the state and of course, some rural states in Nigeria. Every-one of us must rise up…You must rise to protect yourselves from these people, if you depend on the armed forces to protect you, you will all die. This ethnic cleansing must stop in Taraba and it must stop in Nigeria. These killers have been protected by the military, they cover them and you must be watchful to guide and protect yourselves because you have no other place to go…”

One, reading through what TY Danjuma said; it became very clear that politicians do not tell the truth. They’d see that a nation is burning and they would say that they are on top of the situation. He said and I quote: “if I am a politician, I won’t say what I am going to say to you now…”

This further underpins my belief in not believing in everything professional-politician tells me, because even politicians do not believe what they say. And it would take those who are not wise to believe what they say.

Two, TY Danjuma is a former Chief of Army staff and he has an access to classified information. When he said: “there is an attempt at ethnic cleansing in the state and of course, some rural states in Nigeria…,” I was visibly shaking as a leaf. It was too hard for me to crack let alone swallowing it. Fellow-citizens, there is an attempt at ethnic cleansing in some rural areas in Nigeria—under the watch of President Muhammadu Buhari and it has never been mentioned for once since he came to power! An accountable and compassionate leader would have mentioned it to those he’s leading, so they could know how to protect themselves. The law does not permit us to carry arms, but it does permit us to defend ourselves, especially when those who have been assigned to defend us become compromised as said by TY Danjuma.

The question is; who are those running with the evil-vision of wiping off some ethnics from Nigeria? This is one of the questions I expect our people to ask those we empowered to lead us for four (4) years and not to be dragging themselves in the mud on social media. Why are these people trying to wipe off some ethnics from our nation? What are their sins? Who are those empowering these wicked people with weapons of mass destruction? And how are they bringing those weapons of mass destruction into the country? Those who are being paid to protect Nigerians and to secure our borders need to be summoned by those who employed them and some heads need to roll, but it seems Mr. President only appoints, he does not know how to fire ineffective people.

Three, TY Danjuma said and I quote: “…if you depend on the armed forces to protect you, you will all die. This ethnic cleansing must stop in Taraba and it must stop in Nigeria. These killers have been protected by the military, they cover them and you must be watchful to guide and protect yourselves because you have no other place to go…”

If these sleep-killing words are thrown into the river of forgetfulness, then, it is true that there was a country. The constitutional duty of the military is to protect the citizens of Nigeria, not to protect the enemies of the State. For a former Chief of Army Staff to have said that the military is protecting those killing Nigerians and Nigerians are not asking questions and forcing this administration to explain to them what is truly going on—is too much for me to understand. I do not understand why a people do not care a hoot on how they are being governed. Till this moment, the top echelon of the army is yet to be summoned by our C-in-C. Nigeria is fast destroying herself. And generations unborn will either curse or bless us for what we are doing or failing to do.