Chibok and the Nigerian reality.

Its been three weeks and counting now that our girls are missing. So many schools of thoughts have arisen and at no time like this has our differences been more pronounced. The wickedness and impunity with which Boko Haram has acted is beyond doubt the worse of its kind ever witnessed in our geographical space.
While it is normal to react with frustration and insults on those at the helm of affairs of our nation, it is also necessary to ask the salient question “what would you do if you were the President?”
Life is a journey and not a destination hence the existence of a perfect world is at best an utopia. This being so, we have seen prior to and during this Boko haram stress in our climes and other climes, incidences that portrays the imperfection of every country the world over. From the missing planes in Malaysia, to the sunk ferry and now boko haram.
This clearly shows that we are not alienated in our fight against unforeseen contingencies both man-made and natural. The outcry against our president would have been totally beyond the roof if that ferry had sunk in Nigeria.
This brings us to the basic truth that our attitudes to our leaders needs adjustment. Like its often said by security experts, “no security system is smarter than a thief determined to break it”. The abduction of these girls could have been done anywhere and while we cast aspersions on the head of our affairs we must also be bold to acknowledge our culpability in the whole saga. Each and every one of us> We created the environment that has led to this and if we do not start thinking objectively, worse may befall us.
Prior to this time when the menace of boko haram was limited to safe numbers and the lowest spectrum of society, nobody felt that it could escalate. The average elite only saw their actions as a way of instigating the masses against the presidency while those at the presidency never deemed it fit to be proactive to forestall the escalation of these hoodlums with sophisticated weapons. Now it has come to a head, every one wants to be heard and every one has seen a new calling and some are using it as an opportunity for five minutes of stardom. In the midst of all these, the girls are still being held captive and no matter how many protest you make, you can never completely be in frequency with what those poor girls are going through or the trauma they will face if they are ever freed or at worse their loss of lives.
How did we get here? How did Nigeria become so unsafe? The answer is blowing in the wind. We got here when we mistook stupidity and sheer psychosis for freedom fighting. We got here when we believed that as long as the bombings were confined to the north or the poor its non of our business, we got here when we believed the president could be attacked by any one because he was not of our tribe, we got here when we saw ourselves as members of our individual tribes and not first and foremost Nigerians. The basic truth is even the best of Leaders would fail in our country because there is absolutely no support for him even his followers are at best sycophants. For me, it is a testament to the uniqueness of President Jonathan that he has not ranted or acted in a way that will even rubbish him more in t he eyes of those who would just give a dog a bad name to kill him.
On one hand lets suppose that prior to this he has been heavy handed in his dealings with boko haram and has really killed a whole lot of them innocent or guilty. Then lets suppose this happened. The outcry will be genocide and a grand scheme to annihilate the north for political gain. Now he has been silent and thinks and acts cautiously, he is seen as inept. Every leader has his style and the effectiveness can only be seen in retrospect as we are quick to appreciate the leadership technique of Obasanjo post his era. I welcome the entry of foreign help into the kidnapping of the girls and I really do hope they are found and the perpetrators of this ignominious act are dealt with extreme prejudice.
The resulting question should them be what next after that? We must start being proactive against this terrorist and think better than them which should not be hard given that their whole makeup only shows fools with the power of the gun.i say this from my lay man’s analysis of their make up and their reasons for fighting the Nigerian masses. You hate western education, you shoot with guns made by western knowledge, You video and upload videos using western devices, you drive western cars, you speak arabic or whatever with the awareness that it would be translated to western languages for clarity. You on one hand claim to be so holy you want to spread your holiness and kill infidels but you kidnap girls to be used as sex slave and what not. Fact is Shekau is immature and psychotic.If he has a puppet master then that person is even worse and if he is acting on his own then his followers are beyond redemption. If you are so sure of the rightness of your course, take an invitation to Aso Rock and defend yourself. Asari Dokubo, who most northern elites point as someone like you believed in his course so much he went to Aso rock to meet with Obasanjo. The worst of militants won’t stoop as low and as foolish to kidnap innocent women, talk more of girls.. As for our girls, You are in our prayers and please believe we look forward to seeing you free. Long Live Nigeria.

Obani Chukwuemeka

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