Boko Haram: The Truth That Must Be Told

Ring True

By Yemi Adebowale; yemi.adebowale@thisdaylive.com; 07013940521 (text only)

The abduction of 110 girls at Government Girls Science and Technical College, Dapchi, by Boko Haram on February 19, again brings to the fore, the hypocrisy, ineptitude and corruption dominating the war against the terrorists in the last 33 months of the Buhari administration. The peak of this recklessness was the wild celebration of a fantasy victory over the terrorists in December 2016. A former US Ambassador to Nigeria, John Campbell, was right when he said that the Nigerian government had not been transparent about Boko Haram war and that the terror group still had the capacity to operate freely in the country. Writing on the platform of the Council on Foreign Relations, a US think tank, Campbell said: “The latest Boko Haram kidnapping of female students sheds some light on the terrorist group’s current operational capacity… More disturbing is Boko Haram’s use of armored vehicles, its access to uniforms, and its ability to carry out mass kidnappings…Dapchi is yet another sign that Boko Haram is far from defeated. As for the three hundred Chibok schoolgirls, about one hundred still remain in captivity.”

Evidently, this government is stupidly running away from the fact that this sagging war has claimed thousands of innocent lives in the last 33 months and that the terrorists are still roaming unhindered in many communities in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states. The fact is that Boko Haram still holds territories and control at least three local governments in Borno State, from where they launch attacks on soft and hard targets. The attack in Rann, headquarters of Kala Balge Local Government Area of Borno State on Thursday night, during which several persons were feared killed, including three aid workers of local and international organisations, is also a pointer to this fact. Our gallant soldiers are willing to fight, but they are ill-equipped and ill-motivated. Last year, Army Chief, Tukur Buratai, confirmed that troops on the war front had not been paid operational allowances for three months. So, where is the inspiration to fight Boko Haram? Where is the high-tech equipment to tame the terrorists? This is why Boko Haram strolls into military formations and kill soldiers with ease. Frustration is visibly escalating among our gallant soldiers.

The Buhari administration must show sincerity in this war against Boko Haram by first sacking Buratai and other service chiefs. He must retire those in the top hierarchy of this war and appoint fresh hands, so that we can have fresh ideas. The managers of this war have failed these soldiers. Our war commanders have become businessmen. This is why this country has been losing grounds to Boko Haram. I was shocked by Buhari’s approval of a provocative tenure extension (unusual 3rdterm) for the service chiefs. These same service chiefs that have failed our gallant soldiers were rewarded for failure. This is preposterous. No wonder our President is persistently shifting Boko Haram blame and responsibility from his government.

Another drawback to this war is that this government has been carelessly providing ammunition to the terrorists in form of ransom for the release of captives. The story in town is that it paid millions of USD for the release of Chibok girls and the oil workers abducted in Magumeri. No agent of this administration has punctured holes in this accusation. Terror groups all over the world need cash to sustain their reign of horror. Responsible governments strive to cut supply of cash to terror groups but the reverse is the case in Nigeria.

Additional challenge Nigeria is facing in this war against Boko Haram is that most of those managing the war don’t want it to end. These heartless people are profiting immensely from the blood of our gallant soldiers and that of innocent Nigerians. This is why soldiers on the war front are cruelly denied operation allowances, ill-equipped and ill-motivated. As long as the war is on, there will be more money for these coldblooded war managers. This is the truth that must be told about this war.
Tales from the war front in the last 33 months are still not palatable.

The terrorists are everywhere and moving around freely in the North-east. Nigerians won’t forget the attack on a military post in Sasawa (Yobe State), during which 18 soldiers were killed. What about the attack in Magumeri town, Borno State, during which the military outpost in the town was sacked? The terrorists overpowered the soldiers, with most of them fleeing. What about the killing of 69 oil explorers and soldiers in Borno State? What about the terrorists boldly showing the video of the 14 women abducted in Dalwa? What about the persistent humiliation of our soldiers in Gashigha, Abadam, Mainok and Malam Fatori? What about the persistent killings in Konduga and Dalori IDP camp? The University of Maiduguri has been repeatedly attacked, resulting in the death of innocent people, including a professor of veterinary medicine, Aliyu Usman Mani. Never in the history of this institution has this much pain been inflicted on its staff and students. This horrific list is endless.

I have persistently clamoured for the return of mercenaries. We all saw their impact when they were briefly used by the Jonathan administration. Buhari came and unwisely sacked them. This country must employ the best fighters from anywhere in the world to end this trauma called Boko Haram. The ultimate aim is to genuinely decapitate Boko Haram. Buhari should use his $1 billion war chest to hire the best mercenaries from Israel, South Africa and Russia. These mercenaries are ready to storm the North-east with highly sophisticated war manpower and war machines. Any leader that is genuinely interested in ending the Boko Haram madness must look in this direction. If our President is patriotic enough to take this decision, within few months, Boko Haram will become history.

Nigerians, Please, Let’s Stop Celebrating Mediocrity
In the last few weeks, our politicians have been trooping to Lagos for one award or another, celebrating humdrum achievements. All manner of awards have been designed for them -Governor of the Year, Man of the Year, Politician of the Year, Senator of the Year, Legislator of the Year, Local Government of the Year and the rest of them. Many Nigerians are also celebrating them. I am still struggling to understand the basis of these accolades and celebration. All these festivity is happening in a country subjugated by hunger, poverty, disease, malnutrition, infant and maternal mortality, decaying infrastructure, insecurity, extra-judicial killings, epileptic electricity supply, unemployment and all the other negatives you can think of. A supposedly educated woman told me this week that her governor (from one of the South-west states) is constructing three overhead bridges across the state, and so, deserves the award. What a country.
We must learn to assess, judge and interrogate our leaders based on globally accepted standards; else, this country will remain tattered. The Human Development Index (HDI) of the UNDP is the pragmatic global standard for assessment. HDI is a comparative measure of life expectancy, literacy, education, per capita income and standards of living for countries worldwide. It is a standard means of measuring well-being. HDI is used to distinguish whether a country is a developed, a developing or an underdeveloped country, and also to measure the impact of economic policies on quality of life. It evaluates development not only by economic advances but also improvements in human well-being. This should also be used to evaluate our states.
Now, let’s evaluate the states of all these governors and other politicians that many have been celebrating and you will find out that they rank very low on the HDI index. Most of the households in all our 36 states have no access to ordinary running water. Just look around and you will find public hospitals, schools and roads in tatters in these states. Even in my beloved Lagos, conservatively, 95 per cent of homes have no access to public water supply, while inner roads are begging for attention. Worse still, Lagos homes are now enveloped by waste due to the ineptitude of the waste manager called Visionscape.
Quality life remains a mirage in our dear nation. Nigeria will soon surpass India as the country with the largest number of people living in life-threatening poverty despite the fact that India’s population is almost four times that of Nigeria’s, yet, we are celebrating our leaders. Living in extreme poverty, going by the parameters set by the World Bank, means living on less than $1.90 per day, an amount that cannot guarantee even the token needs for existence. This is another insignia of disgrace that should task genuine patriots. So, what kind of dubious awards are these politicians celebrating? Singapore was like us years back but Lee Kuan Yew took her from the third world to the first in a generation. This country is in a desperate need of a Lee Kuan Yew.
On the flip side, I hope the charlatans conferring the awards and the jesters receiving them will spend quality time reading the current International Monetary Fund’s assessment of this country which clearly stated that, “Nigerians are getting poorer” and that economic reforms are urgently needed.

$5.8bn for Petrol in 4 Months
A monstrous $5.8 billion. Yes, that’s what the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation spent on the importation of 9.8 million metric tons of petrol in the last four months – October 2017 to January 2018. This is a huge sum, even in the United States, the home of USD. An obviously confused Mainkati Baru, NNPC’s Group Managing Director, said the corporation had to carry out the massive importation after private fuel marketing companies abandoned the trade because of the high landing cost of the fuel. He also admitted that cost recovery and profitability were difficult to actualise owing to the regulated price regime. Is this in agreement with present day realities and basic economic principles? For how long must this country continue to squander its resources due to inept leadership? What has changed in almost three years of this “change” administration regarding payment of petrol subsidy? These are pertinent questions begging for answers from the naïve managers of Nigeria’s economy.

Soothing News from Kwara State
The news from Kwara State on the payment of pension to former governors and their deputies is inspiring. The House of Assembly has passed an amendment bill halting payment of pension to former governors, deputy governors and other officers holding new political offices after their tenure. This means that these super pensioners, who have gone on to become senators and ministers, will no longer collect annuity from the state until they leave their new jobs. It is unfortunate that we have so many former governors collecting double salaries amidst hunger in our land. Even states that owe civil servants salaries running into several months still pay the gargantuan pension of these super retiree ex-governors. I sincerely hope that this development in Kwara State would be replicated in other states.