Insecurity and the cost of politics

In the words of an anonymous author, “I love politics. It’s politicians I can’t stand.” Alas, there can’t be politics without politicians. I have watched, in horror, the conduct of Nigerian politicians in the last 26 years and I have been thoroughly appalled at the way they play dirty politics with everything under the sun. There is an absolute lack of boundaries, even in matters of national security. For as long as a matter would enable them to score a cheap political point, they do not care about the nuances and consequences. For them, it is politics first, politics second, politics third. Nothing else matters. I see this mentality on display all the time, no matter the party in power or in opposition.

Clearly, these are trying moments for Nigeria. Around the same time US President Donald Trump turned the heat on the Nigerian government over allegations of Christian persecution, terrorist attacks and abductions curiously intensified. In one week, a brigadier-general was captured and murdered by terrorists, hundreds of students were abducted and a church in Kwara state was invaded during service. While these are currently concentrated in parts of northern Nigeria, I don’t think anybody should go to bed saying: “Thank God, it is not me.” What used to be the daily lot of Nigerians in Zamfara, Kebbi and Katsina states is fast spreading and making its way to the south.

Nigeria is under attack. These incidents, rather than giving us a sense of responsibility and uniting us against a common enemy, have instead become a perfect bedrock for politicking. And I am here asking myself: can we, for once, put aside political differences and think as Nigerians who are under siege from deranged characters? There will always be other opportunities to play politics as 2027 approaches. We can politick over inflation, devaluation, unemployment, GDP, corruption, defections, and the like. But when it comes to banditry, terrorism and insurgency — things that are wasting the lives of Nigerians — I prefer we draw a line and, for once, purpose in our minds to set politics aside.

In an article I wrote 11 years ago, ‘Everything Can’t Be Politics’ (THISDAY, March 2, 2014), I took a swipe at opposition figures for turning everything into politics. Boko Haram had just attacked the Government Secondary School, Buni Yadi, Yobe state, and massacred 59 male students in their sleep, setting 14 buildings ablaze. The All Progressives Congress (APC) was just getting into the groove as the main opposition congregation and its modus operandi was to make the country as hot as possible for President Goodluck Jonathan and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). They celebrated every Boko Haram attack as proof of Jonathan’s incompetence. It became a thing of joy for them.

So, I wrote: “…recent events have saddened me. I am talking about the renewed Boko Haram onslaught. By any definition, this is a national tragedy that requires all hands on deck, irrespective of political or religious affiliation. Anybody who has human blood in his veins should never turn this tragedy into an opportunistic campaign for 2015. It is nothing but a massive insult to our crippling injury. The Boko Haram militants have consistently attacked Muslims and Christians, men and women, boys and girls and politicians from all divides. Everybody who does not share their beliefs is an enemy ─ simple.” I wrote this over 11 years ago — and it could pass as a fresh article today.

To displace the PDP, the APC had painted terrorism as something they would easily defeat if elected to power. But I cautioned: “What we need at this critical moment is a compassionate, patriotic and constructive conversation on the way forward. Terrorism is no child’s play. A cursory study of terrorism in countries such as Lebanon, Pakistan and Iraq will reveal that it is not something to be toyed with. They’ve been battling it for decades. It is not a war you start tonight and finish tomorrow. Pakistan has superior military capability compared to Nigeria, but it has not comfortably tackled terrorism. Quenching terrorism is not the same thing as quelling a riot.” Yes, I wrote this in 2014.

In April 2014 — weeks after I wrote that article — the Chibok abductions happened. The APC, along with its allies in civil society and the media, milked the tragedy mercilessly, painting Jonathan as “shoeless”, “clueless” and unfit to lead Nigeria. They took the campaign to global levels, turning #BringBackOurGirls into one of the most effective and barely disguised political campaigns in history. Jonathan was irreversibly damaged. It was not as if Jonathan covered himself in glory with some of his actions and inaction as well as steps and missteps, but it was utterly cheap opportunism by the opposition. They were having a ball under the guise of offering something better to Nigerians.

I recall that on November 5, 2014, in Ilorin, Kwara state, at a political rally organised by Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed to declare his second-term bid, the APC leaders spoke one after the other about insecurity in Nigeria. Among those in attendance were Gen Muhammadu Buhari, then a presidential aspirant; Alhaji Abubakar Atiku, also an aspirant; Rt Hon Aminu Tambuwal, then speaker of the house of reps; and Alhaji Lai Mohammed, then the APC spokesman. Tinubu, who was the national leader of the party, said: “I saw the sea of refugees caused by the Boko Haram insurgents and the lies coming from Jonathan’s administration. They have exhibited failure, lack of capacity, vision and creativity.”

Not done, Tinubu fired more shots: “The lies of yesterday are what they repeat today and are what they will repeat tomorrow. They are lying to you. They are lying about security, toying with the security of this country. I don’t have time to explain the logic of their lies. But if you control the armed forces and you are the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic, why should any part of this country be under occupation? And you give us excuses every day. In any civilised country Jonathan should have resigned. But if he will not resign, he should wait for our broom — we will sweep him away.” They swept Jonathan away but here we are — a decade later.

Tinubu is now the commander-in-chief but Nigeria remains under siege. We could poke fun at the APC today and say they are only getting a dose of their own medicine. But it is human lives — the lives of Nigerians — that we are talking about here. We are talking about a reign of terror, about helpless Nigerians being abducted, about hapless Nigerians being killed for fun. If nothing else, it should make us sober. If nothing else, we should learn from our past and put politics aside regarding matters of security. I am not impressed seeing the same APC politicians that played dirty politics to take power in 2015 now relocating to another party ahead of 2027 and repeating the same tactics.

By the way, I am not here to vindicate Jonathan. It was his job to secure the nation. It was not the duty of the opposition. As I wrote in 2014, “President Jonathan should know that the responsibility to secure the lives and property of Nigerians is his primary duty ─ more important than getting a second term in office.” And I am not here to make excuses for Tinubu either. It is his job to make sure Nigerians are safe. It is not the job of his critics. However, politicisation comes at a cost: we cannot forge a consensus or develop a sense of unity against the enemy. It is not as if having a consensus will automatically eradicate insecurity, but we are inevitably empowering the enemy with our discord.

That said, the Tinubu administration needs to address insecurity more decisively. Nigeria is on fire. Nigerians are panicking. We are dealing with a hydra-headed monster coming at us from different directions. There is no shame in asking for help wherever we can get it. Although Trump has been misled into thinking Christians are the only victims of insecurity in this country, we can use his help if he is genuinely concerned about us. This is a national emergency — these terrorists and bandits are becoming bolder every day. Whatever the challenge is, we cannot throw up our hands in surrender. I shiver to think of what Nigeria could become in the next one year if insecurity is not contained.

Still, my point is that playing dirty politics while Nigeria burns will only hurt us more. Let us learn from the past. Sweet talk can get you into power — as it did the APC in 2015 — but it may not end insecurity. To quote that article again, “The war cannot be won on the pages of newspapers. The opposition must accept the fact that we need a Nigeria before they can even think of taking it over in 2015, so they must not see this (insecurity) as yet another opportunity for politicking.” Some are so obsessed with elections that they do not mind spreading fake news and half-truths. As the APC must have discovered since 2015, good electioneering is not the same thing as good governance. Fact.

AND FOUR OTHER THINGS…

KANU CONUNDRUM

Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the separatist Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), has been found guilty of terrorism and sentenced to life imprisonment by a federal high court. This has generated anger among his supporters and sympathisers who see him as a freedom fighter for the south-east. Simon Ekpa, another Biafra separatist, was jailed by Finland in September for terrorism and tax fraud. I am totally against violent separatist agitations (as should be evident from my writings since 2003), but I am of the opinion that we may just have to find a political solution to the Kanu situation without the Nigerian state abdicating or compromising its responsibility to enforce law and order. Complicated.

WOMAN OF COURAGE

There was a US Congressional hearing on Thursday on the designation of Nigeria as a country of particular concern over allegations of Christian persecution. The damage had been done over the years by our failure to counter the globalised campaign that only Christians are being killed by Boko Haram. Ms Oge Onubogu, director and senior fellow, Africa Programme, Centre for Strategic and International Studies, bravely declared that labelling the insecurity in Nigeria as Christian persecution “oversimplifies the situation”. Of course, the social media mobsters came after her but she is definitely more honourable than the propagandists stoking sectional fire in Nigeria. Kudos.

SAD END

Brigadier-General Musa Uba, commander of the 25 Task Force Brigade, has become one of the most senior military officers to be killed by terrorists since the war started in 2009. Uba was travelling with his men and members of the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) along the Damboa-Biu axis, Borno state, when Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) militants ambushed them. Two soldiers and two CJTF members were also killed in the ambush. In 2016, Lt Col Muhammad Abu Ali, commander of 272 Tank Battalion, was killed in an ambush in Malam Fatori, Borno state. Our soldiers continue to put their lives on the line to defend this country. They deserve our respect and empathy. Painful.

NO COMMENT

If you are having a bad day in the office, just remember that a national football team coach has blamed voodoo for his team’s defeat — after a flat display. Super Eagles’ coach, Eric Chelle, spiced up the tragedy with some comedy last week when he claimed that Nigeria lost to Congo DR on penalties in the World Cup qualifying playoff final because a Congolese official invoked “juju” power during the penalty shootout. Despite hoping against hope, I was not too disappointed that we failed to make the final cut for the intercontinental playoff in March. I was so bored watching the match that I slept off, only to wake up at midnight to see the result. Was it the juju that lulled me to sleep? Hahahaha.