By Adeola Aderounmu
To understand the background to the title of this essay, you’ll probably have to go back to the days before you joined facebook and find the article that I wrote in 2007 titled: Shall We Lease Nigeria For A Ten Year Period? It’s available on the Nigeria Village Square website.
We argued back and forth why we should not get to the point where Nigeria will be handed over to the imperialists or colonialists.
But 7 years after the article was written, in the second week of May 2014, Nigeria was partially handed over to the US, Britain, France and China, at least in the area of National Security. It happened voluntarily. The cost on Nigeria’s already sapped resources will be inestimable. The strings that will be attached will strengthen the reign of the imperialists and neo-colonialists.
All of this madness could have been avoided if the federal government of Nigeria is wise and just. Agreed the problem of insecurity dates back to the pre-Jonathan area, still what Nigerians have experienced in terms of “leadership” (what I prefer to call rulership) since the ascension of Goodluck Jonathan is simply rubbish. When a ruler tries to separate stealing from corruption, then hope is not just dim, but also lost.
I also read through one of my stories in the village square titled: 1999-2015 Pdp Years May The Worst Years Of Our Lives” and I reflected upon it against the backdrop of the rise in terrorism and the extreme polarisation of Nigeria along North-South divide and Christian-Muslim alienation.
In the essay I gave useful recommendations on what Jonathan can do in 4 years to revamp Nigeria or set it on the course of rejuvenation. Invariably a corrupt Jonathan who has surrounded himself with liars and corrupt people made no sound efforts to move Nigerians out of the poverty zone. In fact, the man who had no shoes as a young boy can no longer identify with the poor. How time changes!
Since 2011 Jonathan could have avoided distraction and focus on governance. He could have tried to chase a quarter of the promises he made on his campaign trail in 2010. Rather than choose nobility, Goodluck rode on high horses and supervised the raping of Nigeria. He commends the rape of Nigeria by all his ministers who have been alleged to be corrupt. Today Goodluck Jonathan is not a man of little credibility; he is actually a man of zero credibility.
The rise of the insurgencies in Northern Nigeria has been traced to the political parties in Nigeria over and over again. Many unconfirmed stories are also talking about the influence of foreign governments. But the allegations against the ruling party (just the way the Niger Delta militants were used in the 2003 electoral season) still stand to be disprove. The mix of the allegations with the eventual evolution of the extremist group into an uncontrollable monster finally exposed the incompetency of not only Goodluck Jonathan but also the entire machinery of governance in Nigeria at all levels.
So, we got to the point we have been afraid of. The Nigerian army that quelled wars in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Mali could not end the insurgencies in Northern Nigeria. The Nigerian government that helped disrupt the reign of Apartheid in South Africa suddenly became helpless at home.
The breakdown of command from Aso rock to the forests and mountains in Borno state leaves one in search of the true history of Boko Haram. The role of the snitches in the Nigerian Army deserved to be investigated. This breakdown leaves more questions than answers in all the cases of evil, murder, arson, kidnapp, assasination and general absence of law and order in the face of emergency rule in Northern Nigeria and Abuja.
Nigeria has gone too far promoting ineptitude and sycophancy. The system of governance is wrong and deserved a change. Unfortunately the change is not in the making by the bunch of jokers currently enjoying “holidays at great cost” under the pretence of a so called “staged national conference”. Those parasites should be sent home.
It’s really difficult to ask the Nigerian legislators who are also massively corrupt to start a process that will re-engineer and restructure the geographical distributions in Nigeria. But the request must pass. Nigeria cannot rely on foreign intervention because of terrorism in Nigeria which now poses as a great threat to national security. It is time to revert back to regional government.
The regions should be strengthened at the same time that the corrupt center is dismantled or stripped of most of its powers. Mr. Jonathan confirmed that using 50% of his powers will make him a dictator. That sort of system is too useless to sustain. He is already worse than a dictator by the way.
One obvious fact facing Nigeria in the face is the lack of unity and the near impossibility of one dude ordering people around from Abuja. Indeed there are states and local governments in Nigeria but they are all too dependent on the federal unitary system. This is a massive handicap in government. That chain needs to be broken and the old regions need to be restored or reconstructed. This reconstruction may be wisely done as not to play into the hands of the international community that seeks to weaken the regional power of Nigeria.
If powers are not concentrated in Abuja, Boko Haram would not be heading there. If the North-Eastern region runs its own government, it will resist and fight back insurgencies with all its might. There might not be any insurgency at all because the people will realise that they have to choose reliable people during every election and they will look forward to peaceful changes when they have faced disappointments. There is a lot of silence from Northern Nigeria. If they run their own government all the silent people would render their voices. But when necessary the federal forces can always help the regions to regain stability.
The Nigerian government is delaying reforms. The Nigerian government and the politicians in particular are acting out of selfishness and they cannot imagine a life without corruption. They cannot imagine a life when the people would have freedom. The evolution of Boko Haram is changing the course of history in Nigeria while the lack of action continues to heighten the probability of a violent disorder and eventual breakup.
Many have argued that a peaceful process of re-organising Nigeria politically is far better than the revolution that looms with the rise of Boko Haram. The history of foreign interventions in Afghanistan, Iraq and other places came with sour tastes. It is always better to make peaceful resolutions than to engage in violent-induced changes that can consume anything or anyone.
History is a great teacher and to ignore the lessons of a bad history always allows it (a bad history) to repeat itself with devastating consequences.
aderounmu@gmail.com
[Photo Taken From Nigeria Watch]
A View From The Scandinavian 
“A people get the type of leadership they deserve”, somebody says.
In a country where might is right, and connections are the only required qualifications to get to positions or obtain jobs, where tribal affliations override excellence, and nepotism is stretched to the high heavens, and it is a ‘sin’ to seek doing things legally, where meritocracy has no meaning and is tabooed, where accountability is an anathema , only chaos and anarchy can be expected. Nigerians are simply ungovernable. They always manage to install wrong people in leadership positions.
LikeLike
ladbol52Ola, you are absolutely correct with your words.
Personally, to me the choice is what is more important, the rescue of the girls or the superficial loss of sovereignty? Nigeria lost it’s sovereignty a long time ago. The thing is that nobody noticed.
Nigerians are on the whole sell outs, due to an insatiable lust for getting rich quickly and a well developed taste for corruption. A complete disregard for human lives and the ability to be bought & sold easily. This means that any foreign power that can be bothered can easily and has easily peneterated the corridors of power to know what exactly is going on. They do this by bribery, or if that should fail (highly unlikely), to pressurise any official (as anyone in Nigeria, who is anybody has one foot based outside of Nigeria in the event of an unexpected calamity. Their assets can be seized easily because they were obtained illegally in the first place). They don’t need to bother with intricate training for spies, for Nigeria it is completely unnecessary. A suitcase of money (US dollars) will do the trick. Their only interest is to see how well other foreign powers are profiteering there in the global game of checkers.
In fact Nigeria has already, contracted an Israeli company to manage digital security. No doubt this information will fed back to Jerusalem (and Washington if they are interested)
http://advocacy.globalvoicesonline.org/2013/07/12/nigerian-government-to-ramp-up-internet-surveillance/
That being the case, I don’t see it as any bad thing for foreigners to openly influence/dictate the situation, as the Nigerian government has completely abandoned the people who are subject to regular attacks by Boko Haram. All the training the top commanders and officers received, invariably they would have been sent to the best military academies abroad, and have enjoyed generous allowances. Some were sent to American bases in Africa, for anti-terrorism training to equip them, and no doubt they would have demanded extra benefits for that too. They occupy top positions in the military, we can see the fruits of all this training and expenditure. Whole schools can be burnt down, and all the students abducted, people are being massacred in daylight simply by going to a market and trading. In other parts of Nigeria, whole villages can be burned down and their inhabitants butchered (though not due to Boko Haram, just general lawlessness).
If foreigners can help improve the situation, why not? Nigeria is not sturdy and independent like Iran, that has successfully prevented Israel and the United States from subjugating it (for nearly 30 years). Or even Pakistan, that despite all the problems it is facing and has faced with terrorism has not allowed foreign troops on their soil. Nigeria is nowhere in that league of independent nations. We are extremely divided and very corrupt, as such we are very weak. It is embarrassing to see France speak to Chad, Cameroun and Niger about Boko Haram, and they are now very attentive and willing to bend over backwards. When Nigeria had been asking them before, only a luke warm reaction at best could be obtained.
The question is, the case of the girls is not an isolated one? You can’t just help them and ignore all the other attrocities committed by Boko Haram. What is the next step?
LikeLike