By Harun Inuwa
There is existing national mourning of the 43 farmers who lost their lives while helplessly trying to earn a living. The whole country was deeply devastated.
People are subconsciously moved. Mentally shattered and psychologically bowed. Zabarmari remains the only word we see, feel, read, and think of. It was such an incident that sparked out the living out of us and all we desperately beg and scream is: give us security.
Except if yours’ is a heart of stone, but imagining how these farmers were gruesomely murdered would land you in a state of absolute fear, subject to unending nightmares – that it could be you next. Tragically, people are helpless. The security forces are logistically overstretched. Conventional methods to fight these devil-daring BH people aren’t working anymore.
And there is a huge gap in our intelligence not to even mention the civil and military unsmooth relationship.
The COAS took over Facebook with a mind-blowing post read: “There is a general misunderstanding of what insurgency and terrorism entail. There is a likelihood of terrorism persisting in Nigeria for another 20 years.
It only depends on the level of escalation and the appropriate responses by all stakeholders both civil and military authorities. Also by both local in international actors.
Citizens’ responsibility is equally important and imperative. All must cooperate to contain the lingering insecurity.
Let there be collective action and responsibility.” This is an Army General boldly saying the truth and the simple message above is: if we don’t join synergetic muscles from all of us, the war against insurgents is far from over.
But for presidential image makers like Garba Shehu, to them, they will do whatever it takes to politically shield their master regardless of how efficiently incompetent he remains.
It used to be opposition sabotaging the government’s efforts to end terrorism, then we heard about insufficient funds to buy sophisticated weapons, then Lai Muhammed went on air to say Nigeria is at the mercy of Boko Haram insurgents and proceeded to mount another unsubstantiated claim that Nigeria is denied access to acquire weapons needed to fight the terrorists and wait for it, Garba Shehu came with a clinical finishing that farmers didn’t have clearance before resuming farming activities.
That reckless comment summed up the insensitivity of his person.
Does it really matter? It is a decade of terror, of the Boko Haram insurgency. How long these poor people will continue to scramble over the dry pots of hunger before they resume their farming activities.
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Has the government laid any support for them? Let even say, yes. Is support sustainable? Absolutely not! The government is shifting the goal of blame yet again on these poor people that helplessly lost their lives. How ridiculous!
Okay, let us even borrow uncle Garba’s sense of heartlessness, the simple question here is: how about the victims of banditry? People that have lost their lives like flies outside warzones in Sokoto, Zamfara, and Kaduna? They didn’t have military clearance as well? As scary as things are becoming, onwards, we may need clearance before going about our daily activities, before plying on roads. For, if we get kidnapped or killed, we are OOO (On our own).
It is high time the government-owned the responsibility for this monumental failure and addresses the bedeviling security erosion in the country. It time to seek feasible and sustainable solutions and stop playing politics with people’s lives. The governor of Borno has made six recommendations to defeat Boko Haram and it is time for the government to act swiftly.
As imperative as this is, people around the corridors of power should stop these fussbudget acts and accordingly guide their principal to deliver the political mandates — sworn to protect the lives and properties of Nigerian people.
As for them Garba Shehus, I hope they will one day dine with the reality; unsubscribe to this endless blame game and “A bad excuse is better than none.”
Haruna Inuwa
