Chido Nwangwu, Publisher, USAfricaonline
posits that President Joseph Biden of the United States of America is on course to restore a wholesome relationship between his country and Africa, while President Muhammadu Buhari’s prevarication on security is worrisome
As we approach the first 100 days of the presidency of Joseph Biden and vice presidency of Kamala Harris, it is so clear that a new level of dignity and constructive focus on the job has emerged.
He has since moved away from the conflict and confrontation and division tactics and mannerisms of his predecessor, the most unusual but colourful Donald J Trump. Especially the handling of the expansion of the vaccination of Americans against the Coronavirus pandemic.
More persons have been vaccinated and more lives have been saved through a programmatic and disciplined approach to medical and healthcare needs of the people. And, they have placed priority and demonstrated necessary commitments by wearing masks in order to reduce the deadly coronavirus from affecting more persons.
Joseph Robinette Biden Jr., sworn in as the 46th President of the United States on Wednesday, January 20, 2021, was born November 20, 1942, elected and served in the U.S Senate 1973 to 2009.
Let me also underline the former Sen. Kamala Harris remains a credible and influential voice in the choice of cabinet appointments and officials of government. By the fact of it, she is the highest-ranking woman in the history of the United States, the first Black-American and first person of South-Asian descent to be elected to the position.
For the African-American community, they clearly have an ally. Biden has started well through key appointments of Blacks including Nigerian-Americans.
For the African continent, the restart button of mutual respect, consideration and constructive dialogue are opening on many fronts. It is certainly a remarkable difference from the condescensions, name calling and disregard of Africa and its people by former President Trump.
But to Trump’s credit, the merchants of mayhem and death and banditry and AK-47 bearing Fulani herdsmen were mindful as were their sponsors reportedly in powerful and high places in Nigeria. They were a little more restrained knowing that Mr. Trump will not hesitate much to unleash fire and brimstone on them.
I don’t think it is an accident that there has been an escalation of radical jihad movements’ attacks who boldly and violently, challenge and brazenly question the sovereignty and terms of the existence of the borders and the internal/domestic location of actual power in the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Even the most passionate defenders of President Muhammadu Buhari, a retired Army General, count among those suffering the bloody impact of Buhari’s disastrous and serial failures to fight the medieval troops and thugs of terrorism. Somehow, these terrorists and farmers and herdsmen have increased in the number of their squads in Nigeria and across the Sahel regions — atop of West Africa.
Again, Nigeria has become what I classified a long time ago as the ‘Federal Republic of Insecurity.’
These blood-thirsty brigands were a lot more cautious and restrained, knowing that Trump was very practical in his disdain for the wanton violence, venal methods and religio-ideological carnage unleashed by those people.
Hopefully soon President Biden will elevate to “high alert” the U.S national security focus on the increasing descent of almost every section of Nigeria’s often and recently cited six main regions of the country into a theater of carnage and killings; kidnappings and assorted depravities. Especially, as we all witness, daily, Nigeria’s acceleration into a a playground for regional anarchists, foreigners, commercial bandits, religious fanatics and political goons of some supremacist arrogations and associated neo-feudalist who, now openly announce and advertise claims to Nigeria as their own inheritance and booty.
It is very critical and important to make the point and implications whereby and when Nigerians and indeed the citizens of any country believe that they can no longer be protected by the government: it is a decline into a Hobbesian state, where life is short, brutish and cold. You may recall that the 17th Century English philosopher Thomas Hobbes’ book, ‘Leviathan’, espoused the justification for what became known as the “social contract theory” — that needed to be made among what’s another scholar classified as “suitably situated rational, free, and equal persons. He is infamous for having used the social contract method to arrive at the astonishing conclusion that we ought to submit to the authority of an absolute—undivided and unlimited—sovereign power.”’
The long and short of it is that we give up some of our liberties and freedoms to a more powerful body, for example in Nigeria, to the government with the understanding and contract that it will protect us from all the natural forces and human beings especially whose disposition — state of nature — are those of conflicts and wars.
However as we all know, as in many things, whenever it concerns Nigeria and Nigerians the game changes. After all every Nigerian will testify to the fact the Leviathan — our all-powerful government sticking on the bar has taken most of the powers yet they cannot protect Nigerians.
With the continuation of the exponential decline of public safety and communal safety, Nigerians are increasingly and understandably agitated. Consequently, they are left wandering and looking at each other and asking please who is in control? Who is in charge here? Where is the President? In a collective sense of temporary helplessness, millions of people are asking: for goodness sake what is going on in this Nigeria?
QUOTE
I don’t think it is an accident that there has been an escalation of radical jihad movements’ attacks who boldly and violently, challenge and brazenly question the sovereignty and terms of the existence of the borders and the internal/domestic location of actual power in the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Even the most passionate defenders of President Muhammadu Buhari, a retired Army General, count among those suffering the bloody impact of Buhari’s disastrous and serial failures to fight the medieval troops and thugs of terrorism. Somehow, these terrorists and farmers and herdsmen have increased in the number of their squads in Nigeria and across the Sahel regions — atop of West Africa
