I feel frustrated and disappointed with President Muhammadu Buhari over his inability to fully take charge and deal with the threats of insecurity and economic sabotage enveloping our country. Why is no one being held accountable for these multiple lapses before us today?
On Thursday, July 8, when questions about the character of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his fitness for high office became too loud to ignore, the blond-haired former two-term Mayor of London, who helped push for Brexit in the 2016 EU referendum, was forced to step aside.
Although Johnson was initially hailed for the overall success of the vaccine roll-out in the country, which was the fastest in the developed world and which helped the UK economy to re-open earlier than most, it was around the subject of the COVID-19 pandemic that cracks began to open in the Johnson premiership.
It began when it was reported that the Prime Minister was responsible for the thousands that died needlessly because he had delayed lockdowns and ignored scientific advice. There was a concurrent investigation into his lavish upgrade of 10 Downing Street, where he was resident with his family as is customary of the UK Prime Minister.
As a politician upon whom the charge of cronyism had been targeted, he demonstrated very poor judgement in attempting to rewrite the disciplinary code for MPs to help his ally Owen Paterson, who was facing suspension for breaking lobbying rules. This was followed by the indiscretion of holding drunken house parties, when the COVID-19 restrictions of gatherings was still in place and one of such parties taking place on the eve of the burial of the Duke of Edinburgh.
The Johnson government initially did not admit to all of these before hard evidence forced it to admit that it flouted COVID regulations. In June, despite 41 per cent of the Members of Parliament (MPs) voting against him, Johnson scaled through a vote of confidence.
However, in less than a month after that vote, it was over for Johnson. It happened that the government sent some ministers to defend the Prime Minister in a dispute over an MP who was being accused of sexual misbehaviour. These ministers were equipped with false information from Downing Street that was immensely scandalous when uncovered. Johnson’s insistence on continuing as PM finally buckled under the pressure of accountability, responsibility and the need for the highest values required for the highest office in the land and he was found wanting in terms of character and fitness for office.
In a society where leaders are beholden to the led, Johnson had no other choice but to resign and vacate the office for a more suitable leader.
On the same Thursday that Johnson resigned his premiership on account of all the improprieties of his time as PM, a women’s group, the League of Women Voters, officially asked President Buhari to resign over his undeniable inability to protect the country and mitigate economic suffering that the majority are enduring.
Predicating their charge against the President on recent attacks on Christian worshippers at St Francis Catholic Church, Owo, Ondo State and the freeing of terrorists’ inmates at the Correctional facility in Kuje after a prolonged, unhindered and successful break-in, the women remarked in their statement: “Nigerians are sick and tired of sleeping with one eye open, with no hope of a better tomorrow from this government. It is obvious that the government has collapsed and it has nothing other than pain and sorrow to offer Nigerians.
“We therefore call on President Muhammadu Buhari and his government to resign and return our nation to us instead of swearing in new ministers. He should hand over to the civil servants with the mandate to conduct elections within the next six months as we are sure that this government is incapable of conducting any meaningful election. We are sure that our call is guided by the principle of reality and the need to keep Nigerians in one piece before the general election.”
Indeed, the frightening level of insecurity is dragging the country to the precipice of descent into a full-blown failed state. Before coming to the most dastardly acts at Owo, Kuje and Katsina, there are more than sufficient examples to demonstrate what is truly a nationwide failure of the security apparatus in the current administration.
Killer herdsmen have become a subject of daily news reports because, at a time when the world is innovating and engaging in rocket science and possibility of founding colonies in Mars, there are still those who wish to keep to the ancient practice of nomadic herding of cows across the country. Knowing they have a sympathetic cattle-rearer in charge, who will let sentiments blind his constitutional charge to ensure the welfare and safety of all Nigerians, irrespective of creed, tribe or origin, these killer herdsmen have become emboldened to carry out all manner of violent acts in their nomadic sojourn.
In early December of 2020, more than 300 students were abducted from the Kankara Government Science Secondary School in Katsina State. It was wildly reminiscent of the 110 girls abducted at the Government Girls Science Technical College in Dapchi, Yobe State, in 2018. These school attacks were mostly orchestrated by Boko Haram and are calculated to discourage school attendance and capture students to use in exchange for ransom money.
Nigeria’s economic and security issues are being exploited by terrorists to further their radical ideas. The UN estimates that the Boko Haram crisis has killed around 350, 000 people, displacing millions of people from their homes as the group conducts lethal raids, hoisting their flag to rule the locals with extremism. Farms and the sale of agricultural goods are subject to taxes. The organisation now has total control over the once-thriving international fish market in the Chad Basin. In recent years, Boko Haram has been outclassed by an Islamic State-affiliated offshoot group known as the Islamic State’s West Africa Province in terms of size and power. It is currently one of the most active IS affiliates.
A combination of herdsmen, unknown gunmen and Boko Haram terrorists have taken the nation hostage, grounded the security apparatus of the country and placed everyone on high alert such that Nigerians now sleep with one eye open. Everyone is scared. No one feels safe, no matter where they are in Nigeria. It does not matter where you are, at school, at home, on the road, in the marketplace, in churches or mosques, while performing the sacred duty of communing with one’s God, at the airport as happened on March 26 at the Kaduna International Airport, on the railway as some Nigerians unfortunately discovered when they came under attack on March 28 on the Abuja–Kaduna track in Katari, Kaduna State, you are a walking target to any of these criminals and terrorists.
The most distressing part of the breakdown of securing lives and property is that there is no accountability and no one is holding the individuals entrusted with security responsible for the lapses that have led to deaths and kidnappings to the point where the commercialisation of kidnapping for ransom is a fledgling business.
Between 2016 and 2022, Nigeria spent over $19.9 billion (over NGN 8 trillion) in total on security alone. Clearly, a huge chunk of the monies has been misappropriated or stolen and how is it that heads have not rolled and there is no one taking the fall for it? Where is the proof of a fraction of that amount to justify the expense?
That a correctional facility holding terrorists elements could be taken without crossfire and the DSS flatly claimed to have shared intelligence without yielding any positives is absolutely unacceptable. The facility did not even have security cameras! I still don’t get this!
And then the President’s advance team was attacked by terrorists. Still, no one has been held accountable for this security lapse. It sure appears that President Buhari does not understand the magnitude of the threat.
Kuje is about an hour and 30 minutes drive from the National Assembly. It is not too much of a distance from the Presidential Villa. These two hallowed properties are within striking distance of a now much-emboldened group of dare devil terrorists that perceive the former Army general and now President as weak and incapable of summoning the will and determination to act swiftly and decisively. It is this same weakness that characterised the worst parts of the Goodluck Jonathan Administration and it made the former President come across as incompetent. It is once again our fate to see that level of weakness displayed by Buhari, whose hands appear to be tied in tackling this insecurity head on. Once again, mediocrity has been put ahead of competence and Nigerians are paying the price with sleepless nights, troublesome days and everything in between.
Yet, the time has come to act before it devolves further. The Buhari government must muster the political will and the burning zeal to stop this security threat from escalating further. The President must declare a state of emergency on insecurity immediately. He is to follow this declaration with bold and aggressive steps that will deploy all resources, human and material, to getting the security of lives and property back on track. Those who are complicit in the failures so far must be brought to book and set as vivid examples of deterrence going forward. The Federal Government must wake up to its duties and responsibilities to defend the rights of every Nigerian to life, peace, security and the pursuit of happiness. It is the least we deserve.
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