IBB Calls for Reason to Prevail in the North;

The Northern Mischief Makers, IBB, and the killings in the North; the Jonathan’s Test.

It is no surprise that since Jonathan assumed the presidency after the death of President Yar'Adua, assassinations, murder, mayhem and terrorism in the north have spiked. And today some northern politicians, the governor of Jigawa

State and IBB for examples, are speaking out and hopefully they are speaking out against the barbaric and senseless destruction of lives and properties in the north. Yes, hopefully these politicians are truly concerned about the insecurity situations in the north and throughout the country.

I pray that I am wrong but I do have doubts about the genuineness of IBB and some northern politicians’ stated concerns about the terrorisms in the north. I feel like that these wolves' cries by some northern politicians are nothing but a smoke screen and I hope I am wrong. I describe their concerns as smoke screen because in all their statement they tend to insinuate that the federal government is not doing enough to stop the madness in the north and are as such calling to question President Jonathan’s ability to secure the country. By their statements they also delegitimize the April’s presidential elections even before the poll is conducted. Their statements are very suggestive for some kind of intervention. If today were the eighties I guarantee, some of these northern politician’s publicly stated concerns would be coded words for the military to seize power.

Nigeria is a Federated states and if the state governors and state Governments cannot stop a ragtag, uneducated, uncivilized, unsophisticated, uncoordinated, cage men terrorizing innocent citizens of their state then such governors and governments should quit on the basis of their failure to deliver on the basic and primary responsibility of a government which is the assurance of security to lives and property within the state. What else is the function and responsibility of a state government if it cannot guarantee internal security to lives and property within the state? Shifting this states’ responsibility to the federal government is nothing but a political trap and President Jonathan should be mindful of these trapping by some mischievous northern politicians. Yes the state governments can seek the assistance of federal government and the army when absolutely necessary but not when ragtag criminal bandits are roaming the streets killing the innocents. The reasons these bandits are acting with impunity is because some state governors are not stepping up to take responsibilities, they have this mentality that arresting criminal activities in their states is the fed’s job but yet these governors are always quick to invoke federalism when the federal authority charge them of public corruption. Another possible reason these governors are not making efforts to bring about normalcy in their states could be because the chaos could be working for their political advantage. 

Since the eighties the north has not known peace. There have been constant killing of innocent citizens in the north by some cave men that live among the civilized. In fact today the North is relatively peaceful compared to the recent past when Christians, Igbos and other ethnic minorities were regularly slaughtered in the north in the name of religion. How can any reasonable and civilized person or persons just for the approval of the god he sees not and portend to work for, hates the brethren that abode with him? This is craziness but a calculated madness that always had socio-political underpinning and implications with just minimal religious sentiments. The socio-political implication of the current mayhem in the north is that if come the presidential election and north is still in a calculated turmoil then poll either will not hold in the north or if held will be characterize as unfair, unpopular, hence the result and credibility of the election badly damaged especially if Jonathan appeared to have won the presidency. So the enemies of unity, particularly some elements in the north who are prepared to do anything to see to the dethroning of Jonathan will at best hope and wish the situation in the north remain tense come the presidential election in April. Regardless of what Mr. Jonathans does through federal authority to stop the northern mess and madness he will loose because the situation is programmed for a loss. If he uses federal power no matter how minimal to stop this mess in the north he will be accused for excessive use of force and pogrom against the north. If Jonathan fails to stop this political gamesmanship usually orchestrated by some northern political elements then he will be charged for being ineffective and hence unfit to lead.

Underpinning these pogroms by some elements in the north against ethnic and religious minorities is a deliberate breeding and indoctrination of some perpetual low class northern Muslims by some northern ignoramus political elites; for social upheaval, mischief making and destabilization of the country for selfish political advantage.

But then when should the federal government intervene in crisis situations in a state? In any situation where the lives and properties of the minority are threatened or the security of the nation in danger, the federal government ought to intervene especially if the state is unable to control the situation. Does it mean then that IBB is right in suggesting that the Fed should do more? Yes and no, it is appropriate for the Fed to intervene in the north to bring to an end once for all time these menace in the north. But more importantly, and for the Fed to be successful in tackling the anarchy in the north, the elders and northern political elites must be fully involve in educating and de-indoctrinating the citizen of their states on the need and goodness of coexistence among all Nigerians. Governors and governments of the states must hold regular interstate meetings to address these and other issues affecting the citizens of their states. Citizenship of a state should neither be conferred on the basis of ethnicity nor on the basis of place of birth but rather on the time period of residence in a state. Northerners, from the most influential to the least should be made to understand that all parts of Nigeria belong to all Nigerians regardless of ethnicity and religious affiliation. But above all northern states must educate their citizens, give them hope and make them societal stakeholders. Any solution to the North’s upheavals must be meaningful and enduring.

Since the eighties, IBB, many northern politicians like their southern counterpart had the opportunities to deliver a harmonious, prosperous society. Not only did these state detractors squander these opportunities to usher in prosperity but they deliberating planted seeds of corruption and divisiveness in the nation. They deliberately kept citizens poor, uneducated, divided and hence exploited and continue to exploit fellow citizens. The problems in Nigeria today are the makings of the barbarian that seized the country’s leadership since the eighties. Today these criminals are pointing fingers to current administration not knowing that for every finger they point out three points back to them. I am not Jonathan’s fan not sure that I support him in the upcoming presidential vote but now that his is by the hands of gods the leader of this country I must wish him well and success because if he succeeds  Nigerian succeeds and if Nigeria succeeds I too then will be successful. Today Mr. Jonathan seems to be genuine, honest and promising but heaven knows that I will not hesitate not for a second to criticize him if he turns out to be a criminal like most of his predecessor dating back to the eighties. 

And I do want to seize this opportunity to caution Mr. Jonathan against being a lap dog for the French president Mr. Nicolas Sarkozy who is meddling in the Ivorian internal matter. Mr. President, stay away from Ivorian internal matter. A wise and effective leader does not comment or reach conclusion until he or she have all the facts. There is reason the French is desperate to coronate Alassane Ouattara as the president of Ivory Coast. The same reason they had in supporting the Tunisian dictator Ben Ali for over twenty years. The same reason they had in Vietnam that provoked a very bloody civil war that saw tens of thousand of Vietnamese killing each other. The same reason they have for supporting dictators like Murderer Blaise Compaore  of Burkina Faso, Paul Biya of Cameroun, Jean Bedel Bokassa of Central African Republic, and Mobutu Sese Seko of Zaire, just but to name few of these primitive men from Africa. The interest the French have in Ivory Coast today is the same interest the French, Belgium and United States had in the Democratic Republic of Congo that led them to the murder of Patrice Lumumba in cold blood. The same interest the West have for abating corruption in Africa as they look the other way while African criminal leaders launder hundreds of billions of dollars of public fund in the western banks and financial institutions.   

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The presidential power is like dynamite if intelligently applied and exercised is constructive otherwise it is destructive in the hand of fools. My opinion is that a president should be deliberative, and pragmatic. President must be facts oriented and must approach with caution on both domestic and international issues. In dealing with internal turmoil a president must define a mission and the strategy to accomplish the mission for a lasting solution. President should neither waver nor exhibit timidity in executing a thoughtful mission but should regularly reassess the situation for any necessary adjustments in strategy.   

Yes, it is time for once and all time solution, a federal solution to the northern mayhem and pogrom but Con IBB and his likes should be the last persons to make this call because they had the opportunity to raise Nigeria but they deliberately chose to ruin the country; what a shame.           

By Voci Bawomanh