Lucidity of absurdity in fighting insecurity in Nigeria

 

I tried to find an apt way of describing the state of insecurity in Nigeria and what has been the government’s response and the above poem by Poet Laureate, Olumide Olaniyan, came to mind. In fact, more than the poem itself, I fancied the artistic illustration on the book, which shows the sheep chasing after a lion. Indeed, it is the lucidity of absurdity.

Last Monday, April 4, 2022, I was a guest on a programme called “Perspective” on Invicta 98.9 FM Kaduna to x-ray the state of insecurity in Nigeria and proffer solutions to it.  In truth, insecurity or terrorism is not peculiar to Nigeria and neither did the ugly phenomenon start with the regime of the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.). In fact, while insurgency in terms of a surge in the activities of Boko Haram started in 2009, insecurity is traceable to the immediate period after the end of the civil war in 1970. What gave rise to this was the large cache of small arms and light weapons in the hands of non-state actors after the war. To the best of my knowledge, there was no disarmament after the war and many who fought in the internecine, fratricidal war kept their arms after the cessation of hostilities between the Biafran soldiers and the federal forces. That was the genesis of insecurity in Nigeria as many who had access to the weapons started to use them indiscriminately after the war.

Nigeria’s porous borders also contributed in no small measures to insecurity in the country.  News has it that after the murder of Libyan president, Col. Muammar Gaddafi, on October 20, 2011, the rebels who overthrew him looted a lot of arms and ammunition which invariably find their way through our porous borders into the hands of non-state actors, particularly insurgents in Nigeria. Some years ago, during the tenure of David Paradang as Comptroller General of Nigeria Immigration Service, he said his agency had discovered 1,400 illegal entry routes into Nigeria. On April 25, 2019, the Federal Executive Council chaired by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo approved a princely sum of N52bn to provide a technological solution to our porous border. According to the then Minister of Interior, Lt. General Abdulrahman Dambazzau (retd.), the project which is supposed to be executed in two years would be effective in 86 border posts and foster the monitoring of 1,400 illegal routes through which smuggling and other cross-border criminal activities are usually perpetrated. Three years later, these illegal routes have remained unpoliced and unmanned. Is this not lucidity of absurdity?

After the Monday, March 28, 2022 terrorist attack on Kaduna bound passenger train, a lot of revelations has been made by various government officials. Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, said he had written twice to the Nigerian Railway Corporation to stop night train services because of intelligence at the disposal of his government of a likely terrorist attack on the facility. This warning was ignored. The governor also said he knew the identities of the terrorists, have their phone numbers and sometimes eavesdropped on their conversation. He also knew the camps of the bandits terrorising his state, however, despite making these vital intelligences available to security agencies, they have refused to take proactive actions of dislodging and neutralising these fiends.

Now, as a result of this tardiness and nonchalance, 146 of the 362 passengers on the ill-fated Abuja-Kaduna train are unreachable six days after the ugly incident according to the management of the NRC. The corporation, in a press statement last Monday, similarly clarified that eight persons were confirmed dead. Is the mishandling of the security not another lucidity of absurdity in crime fighting?

Our governors collect a humongous amount of money monthly as security vote without providing protection for their citizens. Former governor of Imo State, Senator Rochas Okorocha recently claimed that the Imo State government is owing him N8bn which is his unclaimed security vote for the eight years he spent as governor of the South-East state. If Imo State, which is not an oil rich state, is collecting that much as security vote, how much will the governors of Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa and Delta be receiving? Despite these gargantuan amounts collected as security votes, Nigeria’s Minister of Defence, Maj. Gen. Bashir Magashi (retd.), asked unarmed Nigerians to defend themselves. Isn’t that lucidity of absurdity?

This newspaper published in its April 2, 2022 online edition that no fewer than 1,545 persons have been killed by terrorists within the first quarter of 2022. The PUNCH quoted a joint report by the Community of Practice Against Mass Atrocities and the Joint Action Civil Society Committee under the aegis of Nigeria Mourns. The report also disclosed that at least 1,321 persons were abducted by the terrorists between January 1 and March 30, 2022. Recall that Section 14(2)(b) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, (as amended) states that the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government while Section 17(2) (c) says ‘governmental actions shall be humane’. In spite of the unprecedented level of insecurity in Nigeria, some government officials including the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said Nigerians are safer now under Buhari’s regime. This is despite the unenviable status of the country as the third most terrorised country in the world. According to AFP, the 2020 Global Terrorism Index revealed the impact of terrorism across the globe, including the fact that Nigeria remained in third spot, the fifth time since 2015. Lai Mohammed’s assertion that Nigeria is safer now than before and that the country’s military is not overwhelmed, therefore, shows the lucidity of absurdity by some Nigeria’s government officials.

Yesterday, April 5, 2022, this newspaper reported that killings and other forms of insecurity have taken a toll on investments in the country with foreign investors shunning 24 states in 2021. This Monday, the National Bureau of Statistics released data, which indicated that Nigeria generated a total of $698.7m from Foreign Direct Investments in 2021. According to data from the NBS, the FDI generated in 2021 was the lowest the country recorded in 10 years. Is that indicative of a country that is safe and secured? It is not only on investment that the raging insecurity has taken a toll. It has equally impacted negatively on food security, employment, infrastructure and poverty reduction schemes of the government. Even the plan to hold the National Housing and Population Census this year and the scheduled 2023 general elections are being threatened.

More importantly, insecurity has impacted negatively on the psycho-social status of Nigerians as many more people are now paranoid with fear leading to anxiety disorder, insomnia and depression. Many family members of victims of insecurity are suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. There is no gainsaying that Nigerian leaders need to wean themselves of these lucidity of absurdity if they intend to overcome the nation’s security challenges.

Twitter @jideojong