USA Africa Dialogue Series - Fwd: [NIgerianWorldForum] The Boko Haram War Against Nigeria: Need for Appropriate Responses

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From: Babasanmi Babatope-obasa <babasanmi@yahoo.com>
Date: Tue, May 1, 2012 at 8:59 PM
Subject: [NIgerianWorldForum] The Boko Haram War Against Nigeria: Need for Appropriate Responses
To: "NIgerianWorldForum@yahoogroups.com" <NIgerianWorldForum@yahoogroups.com>

 

Nigeria is at war.

 

Boko haram has declared war against Nigeria. It is a guerilla warfare

 

Boko haram is not an islamic terrorist group like al qeada and taliban. It may have at one time or the other established links with al qeada and taliban, but it is not an islam terrorist group with a jihad mandate.

 

Boko haram is a political, economic, social, religion and cultural militant group in the fashion of NADECO, MASSOB, OPC, MEND and the Niger Delta miltant groups.

 

Boko haram is the army of the far northern Nigeria. That is the code Mr. Owoye Azazi was sending to Nigerians and the world. I will come to Mr. Azazi later.

 

When the far north ruled from 1979-1999 without any thing to show for it but only the annulment of 1993 presidential election complications, CD and NADECO sprang up. When the whole country continued to exploit the Niger Delta, the militants sprang up. Now that the far north feels it wants the power back, boko haram is their own solidiers.

 

That is what Azazi is saying. He knows what is on the ground. It is a political issue that is now looking for solution in the military realm because politics and diplomacy had failed to return the presidency to the far northern Nigeria.

 

War is the other side of the coin that contains politics.. It is a continuation of politics by other means. If a group did not obatin its desired end in politics or negotiation, it goes to the battle field to force another round of negotiation that may be favourable to it. That is what the far northern Nigeria is doing with its army alias boko haram.

What boko haram is doing is evil and ungodly. CD and NADECO are national movements against military dictatorship and misrule by the far north that ruled Nigeria from 1979 to 1999. MEND and Niger Delta militants are movements against exploitation of the people of Niger Delta. These movements did not kill innocent people. They did not target northerners and muslims as their members especially CD and NADECO are from all over Nigeria and are christians and muslims.

But the boko haran army of the far north political and religious leaders is an evil and satanic band. Targeting and killing christians in a country like Nigeria is unrealsitic. Even if Nigeria splits today and southerners and middle belters return to their bases, this will not make the whole far north muslims. There are far northerners who are christians; there are hausa-fulanis and kanuris that are christians.The far north political and religious leaders know this fact.

If the far north becomes a country they will have to live with their fellows far northerners who are christians. The worst they can do to them is go the Egpyt way that persecutes minority christians. So the sponsors of boko haram know that if we all remain one country, it is an illusion to islamize Nigeria or restrict anybody in Nigerians.

 

This clearly tells me that boko haram is not al qaeda or about to carry out jihad in Nigeria. Boko haram is simply the army of far northern Nigeria political and religious leaders who want power back at all cost.

 

It is easy for Azazi to know everything about boko haram and its sponsors. Even if Azazi and his organisation are not smart or intelligent, CIA and others would easily help him. So I am sure Azazi knows very much about the situation. Mr. Azazi, a retired four star general, a former chief defence staff, former chief of Army staff was also an intelligency professional. His thesis of PDP is the problem is just an euphemism for defining boko haram war as the war of the far north that felt cheated with the presidency remaining with GEJ and the south and the christians.

 

Thank God Nigeria is not a country where you need to be politically correct and avoid saying the obvious. But for Azazi and GEJ they need to be some politically correct for sentivity. Azazi is not yet fired and may not be fired. I can risk to say that GEJ knew the content of Azazi's message and approved it. 

 

GEJ through Azazi is trying to convey to the world the nature of the warfare that is going on in Nigeria and his constraints at fighting this complex and indirect war. 

 

Appropriate Responses to Boko Haram War

 

Until a diagonistic analysis and definitions of a situation is carried out, appropriate responses may not be effected. On this issue we have to define where we are.

 

I identify our situation as follows:

 

Nigeria is at war. Boko haram has declared war against Nigeria on behalf of the far northern Nigeria political and religious leaders who felt cheated by the GEJ, Southern and Middle Belt Nigeria and christians. It is a guerilla warfare.Boko haram is not an islamic terrorist group like al qeada and taliban. It is a guerilla army. The islamic campaign is a diversion.

 

The federal govt led by GEJ is presently handicapped and constrained by his party PDP. Since PDP is against national conference, GEJ cannot solve this problem by politics. He cannot also wage a full scale war against boko haram.

 

The fact that GEJ is constrained does not mean that Nigerians of South and middle belt and christians have their hand tied to their backs. Boko haram the army of the far north is killing southerners, middle belters and christians and destroying their businesses, properties and careers. Because our people are not able to properly situate the circumstances and antecedents of boko haram, our responses have been to cry, complain about the govt, GEJ, Azazi, fear, anger, etc.

 

Our responses have been against the dictates of military science, politics and diplomacy. We need to employ second strike capability . OPC, MASSOB, MEND and the rest of the Niger Delta militants have residual second strike capability for the south. The middle belt may have to quickly develp their own army to respond to the murderers boko haram that they don't have monopoly of violence.

 

War is real and inevitable. It is part of our live. In war everything is also fair. If northerners businesses are destroyed just like ThisDay was destroyed, it is fair. If we have to destroy everything and rebuild later, it is fair. War is blind. Boko haram is blind now killing innocent children in churches and every where. So do I advocate war? Yes, because we are at war! I advocate and call for responses to boko haram by OPC, MASSB and the Niger Delta militants. Complaining, crying and criticizing GEJ and Azazi will not stop boko haram. They have crossed the Rubicon!

 

Boko (far north) wants negotation. But they don't want a national conference. They want a talk that will guarantee that they have the presidency in 2015. The rest of the country wants a national conference that will re-define our relationship and restructure the polity. GEJ and PDP are constrained because the overwhelming anti-national conference position is the preponderance of the far north conservative politicians hold on PDP. They have allies in conservatives in the south and middle belt like Bode George, Obasanjo, David Mark, Anyim who want a powerful and octopus central government through which looting of the treasury and pauperisation of Nigerians can easily be achieved.

 

When OPC, MASSOB and Niger Delta militants employ second strike capabilty and engage boko haram, we shall get to the negotiation table where we will either be re-defining our relationship or restructuring. Part of re-defining our relationship may be a break up. I don't personally subscribe to a break up. But if boko haram and their sponsors cannot see that it unrealistic for them to islamize Nigeria, we may as well break up. There are muslims in southern and middle Nigeria and they live in harmony with the rest of the people in these areas. The muslims in the rest of the country who don't subcribe to jihad and violent are not in any way inferior in doctrines to the red-eyed murderers boko haram.

 

To have peace and freedom from boko haram's bondage, Nigerians at home and abroad must be prepared for war. That is the appropriate response in a war situation. And Nigeria is in war now.

 

Sanmi Babatope-Obasa

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