Nigeria: Beating the war drums

With the growing security challenges in the North and recent declaration of internal autonomy for the Ogoni people of South-South, Oluwole Ige examines the inherent threats to the nation’s sovereignty.

When the Nigeria civil war broke out in 1967 during the military regime of Gen Yakubu Gowon, there were palpable fears that the nation’s sovereignty would crumble following the declaration of Biafra Republic by the late Chukwuemeka Odimegwu Ojukwu. But the burning zeal of patriotism and passion for the country’s unity on the part of the then nation’s political leaders, including the loyal troops checkmated the spirited moves by the Igbo ethnic nationality of the East from their secession project.

The human and material losses after the war have ended remained part of the nation’s chequered political history, while the scars of the civil strife and its debilitating effects continue to be a reference point in the South- East.Notwithstanding this, Nigeria’s unity, though threatened, still remained despite the civil war that lasted up to three years.

But the recent insecurity challenges, occasioned by the Boko Haram insurgence in the North, Ogoni and Bakassi declarations of internal autonomy, the design of Bayelsa State-owned flag, coat of arms and anthem in the Niger Delta, coupled with the resounding drums of war almost everywhere, are heating up the polity. These developments have further heightened the apprehension on the part of the people, just as altercations from ethnic and political leaders are fast becoming indicators of the Nigeria’s tortuous journey towards the abyss.

Many concerned Nigerians have begun to express deep worry about the continued survival of the nation and peaceful co-existence among its various ethnic nationalities, taking into cognizance the growing threats to the country’s corporate fabric.

Before the advent of Dr Goodluck Jonathan’s presidency in 2011, Boko Haram extremists religious sect, which had its originating roots in Bornu State, during the civilian administration of the late President Umar Musa Yar’ Adua has been the greatest nightmare to Nigerians and its leaders.

However, the intensity of their violence, including bombing, gruesome killings of innocent people in their thousands and wanton destruction of worship centres, schools and other public facilities assumed a frenetic dimension with the emergence of Jonathan, from the minority South-South, as president shortly after the 2011 general l election.  Mostly affected by the violence perpetrated through the terrorists activities of this religious sect in the North were Southerners, thus culminating in their mass exodus from some Northern states.

A retrospective look into events that preceded the presidential poll showed that some powerful politicians of Northern extraction had vowed to make the country ungovernable should the power shift to the South at the end of the election. A sizable number of worried individuals and analysts who are  conversant with the political trends are beginning to wonder if the Boko Haram phenomenon and other internal crises, bedeviling the nation are practical manifestation of  threats and other inciting statements credited to these politicians from the North.

While President Jonathan, through the state’s security apparatus seems to be reassessing his strategies to tackle the Boko Haram menace, even though the leaders of the sect had declined to engage in dialogue with the government, hot verbal exchanges between former military President Ibrahim Babangida and the leader of the South-South, Chief Edwin Clark on how to resolve the insecurity problems had further shattered the road map to achieve the elusive peace in the country.

Clark, a prominent leader of the Ijaws, had recently said that Babangida and other eminent leaders in the North were in a better position to unravel the challenges posed by terrorist activities in that part of the country. To him, no Nigerian leader would conclude that the act of terrorism was only a northern problem, stressing, however, that the solution first lies in the hands of northern leaders, who he said, were supposed to take the bull by the horn by providing panacea to end the carnage.

“The rest of Nigeria was on the same page with the North on the challenges of Boko Haram and had desired an immediate solution, the clue to which could easily be offered by the North”, he remarked. Expectedly, the reaction of Babangida, who accused Clark of allegedly linking him to Boko Haram was laced with anger, averring that the elder statesman demeaned his status by making such damaging claim against him.

In a statement by his media consultant, Kashim Afegbua, Babangida said the remarks by Clark were misdirected, since he had long announced his retirement from active politics, wondering what interest he [Babangida] would serve by encouraging acts of terrorism in Nigeria.

“We are ashamed to state here that rather than coming up with plausible and efficacious solutions to insecurity, what the self acclaimed elder statesman came up with was buck-passing, such odium and rancid outburst to the extent of trying to accuse Babangida of Boko Haram menace. We view this misguided and senseless statement in a very bad taste and we take very strong exception to his drooling and implied conclusion”, the statement added.

It continued, “Instead of buck-passing and playing the blame game, we expect Edwin Clark to advise government of the day to do more consultation with former presidents, opinion moulders and leaders of thoughts across the country with the aim of getting lasting and integrated solution to our problems”.

As the controversy over the comments credited to Chief Clark and Babangida’s reaction escalates,  Boko Haram, on 6 August opened a fresh round of crisis when it demanded that President Jonathan should embrace Islam or resign from office, thus eliciting varied responses from pressure groups such as the Oodua People’s Congress [OPC], Arewa Youth Consultative Forum [AYCF], Ijaw Youth Council [IYC] and the leader of the Niger Delta Volunteers, Alhaji Mujaheed Asari-Dokubo.

Asari-Dokubo had said that Nigerians should prepare for another full-blown civil war, if the spate of attacks by the Boko Haram is not curbed, adding that northerners would count many losses if the war should start.

The former militant leader, who addressed a press conference in Abuja, affirmed that “We will cut them [northerners] off from the world. We are capable of doing it. There will be no food and they will pay dearly for their actions. This war, as I am talking, is no joke”.

“When the war starts, other ethnic groups like the Yoruba and Igbo will tell the North that they are on their own. We are saying nothing must happen to Goodluck Jonathan, because if anything happens to him, the world will know”, Asari-Dokubo stated.

Describing the arrogance of the Boko Haram sect as un-Islamic, the former militant leader contended that “the type of bomb they are using is small pikin (children’s) bomb. If we begin throwing bombs, nobody will stay in Abuja. We don’t manufacture bomb, but we buy bombs and dynamites. I started armed struggle in Niger Delta. It is because of Jonathan that we quit.”

Apart from the hype over the ignoble activities of the Islamic sect, the recent declaration of political autonomy for Ogoniland by the factional leader of the Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People [MOSOP], Dr Goodluck Diigbo, the threat of war by the embattled people of Bakassi Peninsular and the design of Bayelsa State-owned flag, coat of arms and anthem are other critical issues putting the nation’s sovereignty on the edge.

In his declaration on August 2, 2012, Diigbo said he acted legitimately by reclaiming all the rights of the Ogoni people. The leader of the splinter group was also said to have set up a private radio station identified as “Ogoni Voice”, where he made the purported declaration of Ogoni independence.

“By this declaration of political autonomy, we, the Ogoni people, are determined to enforce the United Nations [UN] Declaration on Rights of Indigenous Peoples, without fear or retreat”, Diigbo asserted.

While arguing that self government within Nigeria would bring internal colonialism to an end, he affirmed that “The reason for the urgency of self government for Ogoni is the concern that in the absence of responsive government, the indigenous people of Ogoni will continue to suffer from historic injustice”.

However, the excitement that came in the wake of Diigbo’s MOSOP declaration was dimmed by the reaction of what many agree to be the main MOSOP led by the chairman of the Provisional Council, Prof. Ben Naamen, who immediately dismissed Diigbo’s pronouncement, just as other stakeholders decried the development.

Expressing dismay at the declaration of Ogoni autonomy, Naamen said, “At no time did the Ogoni people take any decision to establish a sovereign nationhood. The Ogoni Bill of Rights is clear about the aspiration of Ogoni people in Nigeria. The Ogoni want adequate representation in all the institutions of the Nigerian state as a matter of right. They want their economic, social and political rights to be protected in the Federal Republic of Nigeria”.

Also, the Rivers State governor, Mr Rotimi Amaechi ,summed up Diigbo’s action as amounting to “treasonable felony”. He stated that “Ogoni autonomy is not achievable. The man who declared Ogoni autonomy will run into the bush tomorrow morning. What Diigbo is doing is treasonable felony. You do not declare autonomy on the pages of newspapers and magazines or on radio and television”.

Diigbo’s declaration re-enacted the revolution that was led by late Major Isaac Adaka Boro, who similarly declared the independence of the Niger Delta on February 23, 1966, at Kaiama, in present day Bayelsa State. Boro’s revolt was crushed by the federal troops within 12 days.

Almost 10 years after the International Court of Justice in The Hague ordered Nigeria to cede the disputed Bakassi Peninsular to Cameroon, the controversy surrounding the relinquishing of the oil rich area in 2008 has continued unabated. Presently, the drums of war are audible in the area, as the people have threatened to launch a full scale war against Cameroon.

Already, militants under the aegis of the Bakassi Freedom Fighters have hoisted their flag in Abana and ordered the people living in the ceded territory to vacate the land or be crushed. But even if the threats of the fighters were waved aside, the statement of the paramount ruler of Bakassi, Etiyin Etim Okon Edet last Thursday confirmed imminent doomsday. He cautioned that the people of Bakassi had exhausted all options in their quest to reclaim the oil rich peninsular and would now choose the path of war if the Federal Government failed to act fast by way of properly resettling the displaced persons.

According to Edet, “The country might soon witness another bout of violence and bombings. This time around, not Boko Haram, but the Bakassi people who have been unjustly treated by the nation.”

“We have not been fairly treated by this nation and what we are looking for now is to go back to our area by any means possible. We will fight with the last drop of our blood to reclaim our ancestral land. We don’t even want relocation any longer or any appeal in any court because it is going to be a waste of time and money. We are going to take it by whatever means because we have been left astray for almost 10 years”, he stated.

With these litany of challenges confronting the nation, amidst threats of impeachment dangling on President Jonathan’s head over the 2012 budget implementation, is Nigeria heading towards the brink? Only time will tell if the country’s leadership could muster sufficient political will and unwavering determination to prevent Nigeria from plunging into the ocean of disintegration.

Written by Oluwole Ige, (Friday, 17 August 2012)

Source: Nigerian Tribune

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