Alaafin,
Your genuine concern over the "politics of the Belly" in Nigeria is well taken. Indeed, in the words of the late President Jerry Rawlings of Ghana "a starving [human being] has little interest in the democratic process, unless it also brings with it the fulfillment of his [or her] basic material needs. Nigeria has all it takes to develop substantially like China and other developed countries. Our politics and religio-ethnic divisions have been two major problems.
It is a given that Nigeria is at the crossroads. The contemporary situation in the polity is combustible. However, we can still save the country. We must do so by convincing our politicians that it is in the national interest to save the country by way of patriotism. If they don't change, we might be re/visited by our slippery political history since 1960.
Ike Udogu
--Great Ike:
Can the police work well, as you described below, if there is no food in millions of stomachs, if there are no jobs, and if those who are supposed to govern others are satanic?
TF
From: usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com <usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com> on behalf of Emmanuel Udogu <udoguei@appstate.edu>
Date: Saturday, April 16, 2022 at 6:24 PM
To: usaafricadialogue <usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com>
Subject: Re: [External] Re: USA Africa Dialogue Series - SecurityOpinion
PATRIOTISM OR NATIONALISM, in the Nigerian Polity, is a Major Solution to the Issues raised in this post.
My opinion on the matters raised in this post is that Nigeria already has splendid solutions, crafted by our learned colleagues and some statesmen/women, to solve our political, economic, and social problems in one fell swoop. However, the fact remains that when such solutions run against the interest of our politicians and leaders they ignore them. For example, it would be difficult for a politician to implement solutions, in the national interest of Nigeria, that are likely to dethrone him/her from power or that would work against his/her self-interest.
Look at the 1999 constitution. It was elite-driven. The ordinary Nigerians were not consulted. My belief is that not until the constitution is people-driven or citizen-driven– i.e., a constitution that will represent the interests of subaltern Nigerians, the outcome of the present endeavor to amend it will be cosmetic and futile. Right now, it is the state legislatures (and the state elite legislators) that would approve of any amendments to the constitution. Amendments will not be approved in a national plebiscite–to promote its federal or public legitimacy.
On the issue of security, in my current city, we have (1) University Police; 2. City Police; 3. County Police (County Sheriff); and 3. State Police or Trooper. They work collaboratively to advance peace and stability in the community.
In the First Republic, when the population was much less than what it is today, each state had its police force to maintain peace and tranquility. I have heard several platitudinous arguments made against having state police a la the First Republic. In my judgment such contentions, that having state police is problematic and thus ignored in the current constitutional discourse, are based on political self-interest and not on NATIONAL INTEREST.
What Nigeria needs to solve this and other political challenges in the polity is the spirit of PATRIOTISM OR NATIONALISM amongst her politicians. This spirit of patriotism should be taught as part of civic education (or in a civics class as we referred to it in those days) in our primary, secondary and even tertiary institutions!
Ike Udogu
On Sat, Apr 16, 2022 at 7:21 AM segun ogungbemi <seguno2013@gmail.com> wrote:
On Fri, Apr 15, 2022 at 10:58 PM Toyin Falola <toyinfalola@austin.utexas.edu> wrote:
Jibrin,
TF has rightly pointed out the direction where to look for the cause of the challenges and if we need solutions it is up to Nigerians to quickly figure it out.
Without beating about the bush, Jibrin you are aware how these bandits or terrorists found their ways to the country. They have said that Buhari government has promised them lands, infrastructures and money. They have vowed to remain in Nigeria and continue in their violent trades until the promises are fulfilled.
Jibrin, those who brought them into the country with such promises should be held responsible for all the havocs they have inflicted on innocent people of Nigeria. We should call a spade, a spade.
Nigerians should be begin to carry arms to defend themselves since the Commander-in-Chief cannot secure protection of Nigerians who voted him into power. This is the time for self-preservation of lives and properties by using any means necessary.
The alternative is for each region to go on its separate ways to avoid unnecessary bloodshed.
Enough is enough of this nonsense.
Segun Ogungbemi.
Nice piece, as usual. You forgot to add the insults:
- Amaechi held a feast to declare his intentions to run at a time when the dead are yet to be buried; the kidnapped are yet to be recovered; and the mourning is ongoing. Does he want us to run us aground? The President of Our Cemetery?
- Osinbajo announced his intention to run, forgetting that he is part of the administration. I read his speech as that of assuring us directly that the insecurity will continue, poverty will continue. Or what else could have meant about continuity?
- The President keeps mum. Nothing seems to bother him. We are not patriots, so says his media person, to remind us of our stupidity.
- Lives don't matter; politics does: the collapse of the national grid and the collapse of the naira all mean little to those looking for power, using our money to engage in games. We are games, delicious to their guts.
Our backs are on the wall, but we are yet to reach the bottom. The legs remain strong.
Onward!
TF
From: usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com <usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com> on behalf of Jibrin Ibrahim <jibrinibrahim891@gmail.com>
Date: Friday, April 15, 2022 at 9:25 AM
To: 'chidi opara reports' via USA Africa Dialogue Series <usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com>
Subject: USA Africa Dialogue Series - SecurityNational Security Challenges Dig Deep as our Backs are on the Wall
Jibrin Ibrahim, Deepening Democracy Column, Daily Trust, 15th April 2022
The state of insecurity in the country is so high that it is difficult for Nigerians not to think of jumping ship and going somewhere safer. Nigeria's governing class, the source of all our problems have made their arrangements, they have bought houses abroad, transferred money ou of the country and are ready to leave the country within minutes. That is why we have a large fleet of private jets in our airports ready to take out those who have ruled and ruined Nigeria outside the country at short notice. For the poor and even the middle class, the only possibility of exit is to neighbouring countries and on that score our backs are on the wall, there is nowhere to run. Cameroon is facing the Boko Haram insurgency in the north and the Ambazonian civil war in the south. Niger and Chad are both suffering from insurgency by jihadist movements and warlordism while Benin Republic has just become a target of jihadist attack so for us, we just have to sing with Wole Soyinka:
"I love my country I no go lie, na inside am I go live and die, when e turn me so I twist am so, e push me I push am I no go go"
We are just in mid-April and already, over three thousand Nigerians have been killed by bandits and terrorists this year. Thousands have been kidnapped for ransom, and tens of thousands have had to flee their homes and livelihoods just this year. The macabre daily count is sickening. A couple of days ago, 92 persons were killed by terrorists in Kanam Local Government of Plateau State, the assailants were said to have come from Taraba state and were killing indiscriminately. The lawmaker representing Pankshin/Kanam/Kanke federal constituency of Plateau State in the House of Representatives, Yusuf Gagdi reported that 3,413 persons were displaced following the attack. At the same time, Benue state has similar story to tell.
In the South East, the most dangerous profession is to serve the Nation as police personnel. Every week, there are reports of attacks on police stations, arson and the killing of staff. This past week, already five have been killed. The Nteje Divisional Police Headquarters in Oyi Local Government Area of the state was attacked on Thursday and one officer killed. This attack occurred barely 24 hours after four police officers were killed by gunmen at another police facility in the state – Atani Divisional Police Divisional Headquarters. These are simply illustrations of the daily macabre count of death and destruction we are all making.
According to data released by the Nigeria Security Tracker (NST) this week, at least, 2,968 people were killed while 1,484 were abducted in Nigeria from January to March 2022. The data shows that more people were killed in the North-west region than in other regions in the country. At least 1,103 people were killed within the period in the region. The North-central region recorded the second-highest number of murders with 984 killed during the period while in the North-east 488 were killed. In the South-east 181 were killed during the period under review, while in the South-west and South-South regions 127 and 85 people were killed respectively says a report on the story by Premium Times.
Bandits and terrorists have been attacking and killing thousands of people in the country's North-west over the past seven years. They are now the new Sheriff in Zamfara, Katsina, Niger and Kaduna states where they make and apply the law while moving about freely on raids composed of hundreds of gunmen on motorcycles and attack, kill, pillage, rob, rape, burn down houses and abduct citizens for ransom at will. Although it started as a rural phenomenon, they are now attacking the symbols of ruling class freedom of movement by taking over the Abuja-Kaduna highway, amongst several others and have recently attacked the Abuja-Kaduna train and the Kaduna airport. Now, they are closing on in the cities where they are killing and abducting people from their homes.
In the North-east, the Islamist group, Boko Haram, has waged a bloody insurgency against the country for the past 13 years and an estimated 35,000 people have been killed and over 3 million people displaced by the conflict. In the South-east, the key actors are said to be "unknown gunmen" carrying out orders of the separatist organisation, Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its militia wing, Eastern Security Network (ESN). They have targeted government buildings and security personnel. The have also imposed a stay at home order that has been crippling the economy of the zone and those who break the order are regularly attacked and killed.
The current reality is that no one is safe in Nigeria and our 200 million compatriots have nowhere to run to. The irony is that the armed forces have been deployed to almost all states in the country but with each passing day, the security situation in the country is deteriorating further. The first lesson we have to understand therefore is that they have no will or intention of saving us. The explanation is straightforward. With rising insecurity, security budgets have expanded considerably and many officers and commanders have become rich. Fighting armed combatants always carries the risk of death to both combatants and the armed forces. The combatants, most of them young kids are on drugs and have no fear of death. The rich commanders of our armed forces appear to have taken the decision to avoid direct combat as much as possible so that they can live to enjoy their wealth. It is in this context that these drug crazed boys have made new laws based on the power of the Kalashnikov and become the new Sheriffs in our towns and villages and they are today imposing taxes on citizens, the payment of which determines whether you live or die.
The approach of the military is to rely on bombing the armed combatants from the air without sufficient troops to mop them out as they run. As the combatants are widely spread, bombs can only get a tiny fraction of them so there is no real strategy to finish them off. In any case, the armed forces have not expanded considerably and those on active duty are exhausted and frustrated due to lack of rotation. Careful trend analysis shows that the insecurity has been increasing and will continue to increase.
Compatriots, are backs are on the wall, we have nowhere to run to and there is no one to defend us so we need to open a conversation on how we can defend ourselves and save our family and indeed the Nation. Any ideas?
Professor Jibrin Ibrahim
Senior Fellow
Centre for Democracy and Development, Abuja
Follow me on twitter @jibrinibrahim17
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