HERE AND THERE

HERE AND THERE.

When news broke in April 2014 that the a “few” girls had been taken hostage from a town in Borno state by armed insurgents, I was initially skeptical and decided to be cautious before spreading rumours that is somewhat characteristic of the Nigerian landscape. It did not quite make sense to me that over 200 school girls could have been readily marched or bundled into the backs of heavy duty trucks in the middle of the night with headlamps flashing and engines rumbling without detection by soldiers who had been in Northeastern Nigeria enforcing a state of emergency. I then remembered the well reported incident in February 2014 where terrorists passed through the Federal Government College Buni Yadi in Yobe state leaving burnt buildings with dead or dying young boys in their wake but not without some “takeaway” girls who were also students of the school. This incident had verifiable video evidence to accompany the story but the Chibok episode seemed inconsistent with facts and figures oscillating from eyewitnesses, state government officials and military spokespersons. It was not until President Jonathan’s seventh media chat about three weeks later that I eliminated the requisite doubt that I had. The most powerful man in Nigeria must have been properly and accurately briefed about the events of the 14^th of April before downloading at a public forum I thought to myself. That was the first time that the presidency acknowledged that some children were in fact taken from the school; prior to that, the spokespersons and first lady had in a way mocked the suggestions that one girl was taken not to talk of over 200.

The only reason why we are still talking about Chibok is a result of the regular protests and “noise” generated and propelled by the #BringbackOurGirls campaign; the girls taken from Yobe in February have been long forgotten and mere collateral damage. The Federal Government through its propaganda machinery has repeatedly churned out information aimed at earning some credibility  for the president who we can only say is out of his depths. They have insisted that the Boko Haram leader is dead and his role only reprised by stunt doubles and impostors. With brazen faces, they aggregate together to absolve anointed jet owners of guilt without investigation and tell tales of resounding victories over terrorists. One funny image was when they addressed the press one day and passed the microphone around from hand to hand with nylon gloves on perhaps suggesting that it could help prevent the spread of the ebola virus.

President Jonathan had requested for approval to obtain a 1 Billion USD loan to effectively trounce the terrorists raging in the Northeast amidst speculation that the military was grossly underfunded and overwhelmed against the firepower of Shekau’s troops. Nigerians became really surprised when reports came in from South Africa after the Ikotun-Egbe building collapse that a private jet belonging to the demon chasing president of the Christian association of Nigeria; Ayo Oritsejafor was apprehended with two Nigerians and One Israeli on board. They had breezed into the private airport with a few suitcases containing a mere $9.3million to buy some fireworks and toy guns. I want to believe that the South African authorities were miffed about the handling of the building collapse that consumed scores of her citizens. This must have been a cheap shot to spite the giant of Africa; Nigeria cannot be blamed for the inability of South Africans to fly around with suitcases containing hard currency and with the backing of their own president. That said, the government apologists swung into motion quickly to defend the deal for arms and the owner of the consecrated vessel which I believe was meant to be used to transport whatever cargo that $9.3million could afford or perhaps $15million since an additional $5.7million wire transaction was intercepted by Zuma’s overzealous boys. Ayo Oritsejafor’s jet would have been complicit in acquiring weapons that could have been deployed to cut down terrorists with more than a few friendly fires along the line. That would really be something to get a golden crown for before the judgment seat of God I guess. Following the botched arms deal were reports of unexpected military breakthroughs with terrorist operated vehicles and tanks seized and the photograph and video showing a dying and later a dead Shekau imposter. I wondered for a moment if the parliamentary approval for the billion dollar loan would still proceed but that still did not fall through. September was one month dominated by varying headlines that ranged from private jets to ebola and to the dead Shekau. It is rather shocking now that the man seems resurrected and determined more than ever before to make a mockery of the Nigerian federation. Who is fooling who?

Terrorism is a global phenomenon and it should not be unusual for Nigeria to be experience her own unfair share of the worldwide largess. Just like Ebola is trending, Nigeria cannot be immune to such debilitating conditions. If Pakistan can be experiencing terrorism, why should Nigeria be an exception? Ebola is in Guinea and has ravaged Liberia, are we any different from these nations? I suppose I am beginning to sound like the president of Nigeria; common stealing and corruption are not the same and no one person has put in as much effort to tackle corruption like this government has. Permit me to laugh internally; I was recently going through transcripts of a few of the media chats Jonathan has had since he was declared winner of the 2011 elections. Believe me, the man is lost in slumber land; the transcripts of those chats are enough to convince himself not to ever run for anything in this nation again.

The ebola virus infection was officially a local threat when Patrick Sawyer passed away in Lagos at the start of the last week in July. Many have tried to ascribe credit to those they thought responsible for curtailing the spread and attempts have been made to earn cheap political points especially with the approaching 2015 elections. It is rather unfortunate that Nigerians do not recognize that the Nigerian Medical Association strike action which was in play before the arrival of late Sawyer (described as a mad man by the love president Jonathan) helped a great deal to limit the viral load and curtail the spread. This is not to say that the situation with the strike was ideal; the truth is that we were never ready and if we had been operational as normal without the provision of basic and standard equipment and protocols, we would have had a far worse situation that Liberia had and is still plagued by. We should not forget the hysteria generated by drinking and bathing with near 100% salt solutions and the frantic clearance of hand sanitizers that do not even kill viruses at exorbitant prices. Instead of rolling on the floor over the graduation of Nigeria into Ebola freedom, we should be seated to restructure a health sector and internal affairs framework that would serve the Nigerian people and protect them against any future and unforeseen calamity like a plague. Brilliant suggestion many will say but we will hardly do anything about such because it contains the phrase “Nigerian people”; we do not really care.

Talking about caring, one can get a rough analysis about the psyche of ordinary Nigerians by their interactions and submissions in cyberspace located forums especially on National issues and politics. The damage done is enormous, worse than a myocardial or cerebral infarct. It does not necessarily have to be a factor of lack of or substandard education; many Nigerians on social media apart from not being able to properly construct coherent and accurate sentences in English, they are unable to express a thought without degenerating to insults and raining curses on anyone they perceive to be in opposition to their views. The stunted and atrophied state of our educational system has contributed in no small measure to breed individuals who are unable to see beyond their ethnic or religious prejudices. I am more disgusted at what emanates from citizens from the more southern part of the country beneath the rivers where the majority of educational institutions are situated. It seems education has failed to correct or at least dilute supremacist tendencies; it is easy for any individual to propagate his/ her destructive agenda through primitive minds at the expense of common sense. Some Nigerians have advocated for a Nation that has been in a union albeit enforced to split up without considering any possible scenarios that could arise from such chaos. They assume that our inherent differences are what hold us apart and prevent a total integration. They think that a separate Yoruba nation will become a bed of roses devoid of strife and war; that the Northeast of Nigeria should go on their own and burn to ashes if they so desire it. South Sudan got liberty from “North” Sudan and the first president and his vice were soon at each other’s jugulars. Now some people have failed to realize that it is not the differences of the numerous Cultures within “Central Sudan” that holds her apart but the scheming and greed of politicians with their internal and external collaborators who all share common interests.

I was going through a webpage that attempted to chronicle the atrocities attributed to Boko Haram since 2010 and realized that the last major assault on ordinary Nigerian citizens was on the 11^th of August prior to the events of the past few days which included a massive onslaught on Mubi town in Adamawa and perhaps a motor park bomb blast that took over 30 lives on Friday. I am particularly concerned that a terrorist organization that brags about waging war against the Nigerian state has largely turned its resources on helpless citizens and never on government officials. They are on record to have killed at least 3 prominent Muslim clerics who dared to speak up against their perversion and a retired General and commander during the civil war. If indeed we are experiencing terrorism like Pakistan is, we would have heard about suicide bombing attacks targeted at prominent government actors and their ilk but not exclusively at motor parks, university campuses and secondary schools when children slept. The incumbent have always been quick to suggest that the opposition is the brain and financiers of this militant sect but since the inception of the government, it is on record that no prominent individual has been charged or convicted for acts of treason against the state. Are our security operatives that poor or spineless? The ex-governor accused subsequently denied the charges made against him by an Australian negotiator; he was soon provided heavily armed escorts to board his private jet at a shutdown airport on his way to declare for the ruling party. The same fellow was soon photographed welcoming Jonathan to Chad on a terrorism squashing mission. It is not unusual for such maneuvers to occur in our polity; the retired Squadron leader who was apprehended by the British authorities on money laundering charges with about 2.5million pounds in cash may soon find himself in the hallowed chambers of the senate retirement home despite the recent demise of his son in his Dubai home.

I find it striking that a close to 2 months period without significant civilian casualties outside of the areas under a state of emergency was occupied by the battle to curtail the Ebola virus. Could it be that the terrorist group was observing a kind of ceasefire to commemorate the period? Nigeria could not possibly have coped with a double impact of terrorism and a “ruthless” virus even though the government did not think it necessary to facilitate an agreement with striking doctors to tackle any potential epidemic. Ebola soon became past tense; the military announced a ceasefire with Boko Haram out of the blue and the impending unconditional release of all the Chibok damsels after which there was a WHO declaration of freedom and Professor Chukwu getting in line for the Ebonyi throne. It must be extremely difficult to listen to Shekau reading from his usually laminated script that no one affiliated to them was ever in discussions with the Government. Who do we believe now? Is it the opposition that forced the military spokesperson to announce a truce under duress? The minister of Interior a key player in the immigration recruitment exercise that claimed the lives of a few jobless young Nigerians who paid 1000naira to apply has since assured that the girls will surely be free despite Shekau’s wishful boastings backed by his seemingly newly acquired SUVs and 13 machine guns. The ceasefire hoax has now degenerated into a large scale assault to overcome major towns in the Northeast but certain Nigerians from other regions do not give a “damn”. They consider the North to be paying the price for their crimes over the past decades and could not care less if the entire terrain went into oblivion citing scriptural backing for their opinions at times.

It is all about 2015 at the moment; securing a 2^nd term for Mr. President is top priority followed by the successful installation of his loyal foot soldiers as governors to reinforce the grip of the failed ruling party on their source of livelihood. The misdemeanor of a rebel House speaker cross carpeting to the side of the “disgruntled and terrorism funding” opposition should not be a distraction. Defying a seating president has been met with a radical withdrawal of his security detail despite the fact that it is on record that he still carries the title of the Speaker of the Federal House of Assembly. That is a topic for another day but the events of the past few days is enough proof that the much derided president has in fact got large hormone releasing gonads to deal with rebellion. The likes of Chukwu and Maku should not fail to visit the matriarch of the Jonathanian Kingdom for her blessings towards their future ambitions; Wike has already taken his blessing and birthright. They should be advised to move quickly before the resurrected one “wakas” away. Transformation is very much pathognomonic of the Nigerian landscape. Since the disappearance of the Chibok girls, the country’s Under 20 female team was denied the world cup trophy by a wrongfully disallowed goal but the senior girls have wiped that disappointment away by utilizing the transformation spirit to win the African trophy yet again; the same trophy first won when Abdulsalami Abubakar was military head of state. We need to concentrate on celebrating these girls and for a moment take our minds off the Chibok girls.

Let us not forget the radical move by the president to avert an inevitable FIFA ban on Nigeria. He called the contending players to Aso rock and ordered a compromise and the immediate recall of the nation’s spice boy Stephen Keshi as Nigeria’s coach. How many Nigerian presidents have ever achieved that? Now keshi is going to take up the job of the federation he recently said were not serious and having to recall the player he vowed never to play under him as long as remained coach. What a man? I think another media chat with the president is long overdue. I am looking forward to legendary quotes like “some people take common stealing to be corruption” or the one that made reference to Nigerians not being poor because the number of private jets owned and operated by Nigerians tell a different story; one that the present day  great people of Kenya will never recover from in their lifetime. I must however suggest that the organizers desist from advertising phony twitter accounts like @mediachatng1 used for the last episode or cooking up fake tweets and fielding stunt phone callers to ask questions that hardly reflect the yearnings of Nigerians.

The culture of deceit has to end otherwise Nigeria could go into cardiac arrest. It is most likely impossible to expect the current administration to turn a new leaf but we can help ease them back to their country mansions in 2015 by electing the opposition who seem to be more focused on the Nigerian project instead of the present one that seem to assume that salvation is embarking on yearly Israel pilgrimage surrounded by high profile clergy who command a cult-like followership in Nigeria and diaspora. Nigeria’s educational institutions remain crippled by incessant strikes and underfunding while South-south children and those of their cohort flood the Ivy League schools in England and the Americas for undergraduate courses completely funded by the state’s resources. The nation’s health institutions are close to implosion unable to prevent newborns needing a jolt to assist their lungs from dying or women from bleeding out after delivering their babies. The health workers who remain are overwhelmed and are more or less one step away from throwing in the towel. Teachers are in short supply or incompetent; our fundamental history capable of healing us from our genetic primitive sentiments is missing from the syllabus. Six years have breezed by and only phone and pepper thieves know the location of prisons; those who have siphoned life savings and pension funds get a spank on the backsides and thereafter get to sit at the table with the policy makers to plan their next heist. We are still slapping ourselves in boiling heat when we sleep and driving like Super Mario along Lagos-Ibadan expressway; young children still succumb to tetanus and we troop to India for basic healthcare that does not involve rocket science.

I was weary without any drive to ponder on Nigeria until I learnt they struck Gombe. I remember my trip to that beautiful state in 2009 and the rich plate of fried rice I consumed at a joint just outside and to the right of the entrance into the Gombe state specialist hospital. I remember going out at night to buy “suya” and the time spent at the young Zoo that was getting set up within the compound of the Gombe state University and I asked myself if Jonathan even knows Nigeria and what she is about. Nigeria is more than the black gold that has polluted the waters in Warri or the gas which is perpetually flared. Nigeria is more than balancing the equation of ethnic imbalance in politics and the civil service; She is more than a second term ambition or a “who is for or against” campaign. Nigeria is about the people; a people so resilient to continue to sleep “satisfied” in darkness and heat whilst the “masters” sleep upon 50million naira worth beds in mansions powered by endless supply of diesel. Nigeria is about the people who are desperate enough for a better life that they fast and pray endlessly often times getting entrapped in sects where they are held captive and constantly exploited. She is about the people who wake up at 3.30am only to get stuck in regular formula one races and traffic jams on the third mainland, Eko and Carter bridges, people who hardly get to sleep well or go for vacations. Nigeria is about the people who push carts under the sun and in the rain; people who cannot afford to send their children to school or put food with protein on their tables. It is definitely about the people who are prepared to risk their lives or crack their skulls utilizing Nigerian roads destroyed by landmines or without street lights.

It is sad that one of the most respected ground troops in the world get to suffer untold casualties from largely inferiorly trained insurgents. The number of young and dynamic young men wasted in the Northeast due to the failure of their country is heartbreaking. Those apprehended and beheaded, those cut down by insurgent arsenal and those who have had to resort to tactical maneuvering appear to have sacrificed in vain for a nation that seems not to care. We continue to repeat the same mistakes and never learning anything from our history. The recent events in Ouagadougou seem to inform me that things occur in cycles; we have had cycles in Nigeria and the incumbent must not be deceived that such cannot reoccur if they forcefully have their way. The truth will never be concealed forever.

Jide Akeju

3/11/2014

Gombe state University Zoo. 2009.