Thursday, March 31, 2011

USA Africa Dialogue Series - April polls, Insecurity and our perceptive problem

April polls, Insecurity and our perceptive problem

 

By KAYODE KETEFE

 

The inability of our law enforcement institutions to cope with the problems of insecurity in Nigeria has become an enduring reality- being a fact we all seem to have grudgingly accepted as a part of our destiny. This grim resignation is illustrated by the fact that majority have put their security in the hands of God, while the more affluent citizens have, in addition to divine supplications, resorted to floating their private security apparatus for protection of dear properties and dearer lives. Insecurity has always abounded, but what we have been witnessing in recent times, specifically from the past two years, is gradually a dawning reality that the matter has gone out of hands. At no other times has the collapse of security in Nigeria been this total. From the incessant harassment of Boko Haram warriors in Bornu State and environs to the intractable onslaught of Niger Delta militants in the South-South, the octopus of insecurity spreads its dreadful tentacles of criminality and violence across the land.  From the South- West to South-East, ritual killers and kidnappers are on rampage, prowling with rapacious indifference, confident in the knowledge of impunity. Explosives and other arms and ammunition are being wantonly deployed by God-knows-whom.  With the fury of a thunderstorm, the bombs are exploding across the land, leaving waste and tragedy in its trail. This uncharacteristic incendiary aspect to the insecurity challenge, which was ushered in on the Independence Day last October, has since become a recurrent decimal, hovering menacingly on the political firmament, and spreading alarm and trepidation at every gathering. Added to all the foregoing was the recent politically-motivated violence, culminating in wanton killings and maiming all over the polity, constituting evil prognostications for the forthcoming polls. 

Severe crises have rocked states like Oyo, Ekiti ,Ondo, Akwa Ibom, Borno, Bayelsa, Plateau, Niger, while skirmishes and pockets of violence have blighted the peace  in Ondo, Ekiti, Ebonyi and Lagos states. 

But how did the matter come to this sorry pass? Under Section 4 of the Police Act, the Nigerian Police is charged with the responsibility of prevention and detection of crime, protection of lives and property, apprehension of offenders and enforcement of all laws and regulations. Despite this wide latitude of powers, the police have proven unequal to the challenges. Each time there is a major violence or assassination, the police authorities would promise heaven and earth. Their usual rhetoric is "the perpetrators of this dastardly act would be brought to book"; or "no stone will be left unturned to unmask the criminals". Yet nothing would happen and before you know it, another series of violence would occur and the police would keep repeating those annoying clichés of turning stones and bringing unknown people to book! No breakthrough!

To add salt to injury, those in government are often fond of saying because Nigeria is a large nation complex, these problems are to be expected. "You can't compare Nigeria with Ghana, we are far bigger, so there are bound to be more problems here" are the kind of illogical postulations that they often peddle.

 I see this kind of argument as being predicated on wrong evaluation and warped perception. If we have a population of 152 million and a land mass of 923,768 km2, it follows also that we have enormous resources at our disposal to tackle our problems well beyond the capacity of a smaller nation. We need to change the orientation which fatalistically recognises the inevitability of problems; we must embrace a paradigm shift from negative mentality that only dwells on assumed weaknesses to the one affirming our strength.

Imagine the biblical episode of David and Goliath. (1 Samuel ch.17) The philistine giant was a terror to the Israelite army by virtue of his larger-than-life size which made them regarded him "too big to fight with". (An example of defeatist perception) But David, with correct attitude, saw the beefy oversized body of the giant as a target too big to miss for his sling! We all know the rest of the story. It needs to be pointed out that the Goliath himself suffered from perception problem. He simply could not fathom any engagement with David on the battle field, David was too tiny to be considered a worthy foe. To him, he would simply gathered up David with one gigantic swing of his huge hand, crumple him and fling his mangled corpse into the valley of Ellah. He paid dearly with his life for that misconception because a foe is a foe no matter how tiny.  So with correct attitude, we can all say that Nigeria is too big and too talented with human and other resources to succumb to the onslaught of problems facing her. We must overcome our problems and difficulties.

This allusion to "too big to fight" and "too big to miss" dichotomy of mentality is an apt satire which mocks the shallowness of the arguments seeking to reconcile us with the inevitability of our problems.

So with the "slingshot" of political will cum strategic planning  and the "stones"  of adequate funding, we can crack open the skull of the giant calling itself our problems-by this I mean not only the problem of insecurity but also other challenges of our nation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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