I have chosen to borrow the title of Ambassador Campbell’s book on Nigeria because am still in shock from the Christmas day bombing in Abuja. One thing is clear, Nigeria, as an entity is a horrible mistake willfully committed by British imperialist power for reasons only known to them. I never knew the day will come when I will willingly and urgently ask, and support the balkanization of Nigeria, but I think, just like others, we have had it.
I have chosen to borrow the title of Ambassador Campbell’s book on Nigeria because am still in shock from the Christmas day bombing in Abuja. One thing is clear, Nigeria, as an entity is a horrible mistake willfully committed by British imperialist power for reasons only known to them. I never knew the day will come when I will willingly and urgently ask, and support the balkanization of Nigeria, but I think, just like others, we have had it.
It is a shame that the man in charge as President of Nigeria, Dr Goodluck Jonathan is a clueless man. We can almost rehash what his response to terrorist attacks within Nigeria will be. Not even late President Yardua, in spite of ill health was as wimpy as this man. But then should we not collectively tell it the way it is, and that is that Boko haram has assumed a dimension that will not bode well for any one in the end. It is obvious that Boko haram has become the terrorist wing of those who want to destabilize Nigeria by all means. We were promised hell and indeed we are reaping hell.
Islamic fundamentalism in the North and its penchant for attack on Christians pre date Jonathan. These people have never really been punished for their excesses. Islam is not even exclusive to the North, yet it is in the North that we have people who want to forcefully Islamize Nigeria, who want to claim divine anointing, who feel other religions are inferior to theirs. The root and justification for cold blooded murder in the name of Jihad is entrenched in their interpretation of the Koran and the Hadith. They have turned the Koran on its head.
It is obvious that Boko haram has been hijacked by those who want to use it to score cheap political points, and those who want to make the country ungovernable for others. This is not in any way an endorsement for the incompetence of Jonathan, but just telling it the way it is. Boko haram and its murderous rampage has become multi dimensional. There is the original Boko Haram who wants to forcefully Islamize Nigeria, and there is the other wing that is political. They have a dangerous symbiotic relationship that will consume them along with the rest of Nigeria in the end.
An analysis of the modus operandi of Boko haram in the last few months show an organization that has become very sophisticated in its operation. It is no longer that Boko haram of Yardua’s days. You then wonder what Dr Jonathan and his so called national security team are still waiting for. They claim to know the identities of the sponsors of this murderous, terrorist group, yet they are deathly afraid to confront them. They claim to be on top of the situation, yet Boko haram grow more daring, more audacious and more brutal by the day. I guess the President’s answer to Boko Haram is to allocate an obscene one trillion naira for security; to people who cannot fish out a condom out of their pockets talk much of fishing out this faceless brutal murderous group.
Indeed, it is obvious that Boko Haram will up the ante in the New Year. We should expect them to hit major establishments, major hotels ( The US embassy said as much a couple of months ago) air and sea ports, defense ministry, and may be some foreign embassies just to be as repugnant as possible and to drive away the meager foreign investments left in Nigeria. Enough to make Nigeria convulse in an orgy of violence and death, enough to tell Jonathan that they can operate with impunity.
It is not too late for the President to dismiss his National Security adviser ans probably resign too. It is obvious he cannot secure the lives and property of Nigerians. Jonathan’s problem is that like his predecessor, late President Yardua, he is an extremely clannish man and very provincial. He needs to stave off the looming disaster in Nigeria by hiring serious security professionals who do not spend half of their waking hours drinking and whoring with our money. He needs to get away from his idea that it is Ijaw’s turn to chop. He needs to put Nigeria first.
On the other hand, the sponsors of Boko haram, those young Turks in the North, the Abdul Muttalabs of this world, those Al Queda closet sympathisers, those who feel politically short changed, those with the mentality of manifest destiny on Nigeria, should know that they will neither win the battle nor the war in the end. The activities and brutality of Boko haram towards Southern Christians is counter productive. Rather than achieving the aim for which it was started, it has generated so much bitterness within the various ethnic groups in Nigeria, so much so that most people who rooted for one Nigeria in the past have now come out to openly advocate for the balkanization of the country. I confess I am one of them.
Rather than be frightened into submission as expected by this murderous faceless group, we have now resolved to cut our losses and run back into our ethnic enclaves where we feel safe. We have decided to rethink our continued coexistence as Nigerians, we have concluded that the Christmas day bombing was one time too many. We have also resolved not to capitulate and to wait for the marauders in Golgotha where men will be separated from the boys. We just hope that the Boko haram does not for one minute think they will clobber us on the head with bombs and death into submission. They have just simply played into the hands of the most incompetent man in the history of Nigeria. All he needs to do is to present the scepter of a ruthless Islamist group to Christians and they will opt for the better of 2 evils which is Jonathan and his gross incompetence. All he needs to do is to play the victim card and trace the problems of Nigeria to previous Islamic rulers and Christians will opt to stay with him for survival. As soon as Boko haram up the ante, investors will run for the border, foreigners will move out of Nigeria in droves. If we add that to the possibility of MEND terrorists in the oil and gas sector, there may not be anything left for those who want to rule Nigeria by all means.
Someone had sent to me a chronicle of the excesses of these Islamists in Nigeria against Christians. After reading it, I resolved to support the break up of Nigeria, especially after relating it to the Christmas day bombing. I hope readers will make up their minds about the same issue after reading same. Hopefully, people will apply common sense and start returning to their home regions and then we will mandate our leaders to negotiate on our behalf.
Lastly, President Jonathan needs to be more sensitive to the plight and pain of Nigerians. There is no excuse in the world for his late, uninspiring reaction to the Christmas day bombing. It took General Buhari's press statement to wake him up from his slumber. Even the Vatican responded before our own President had the presence of mind to respond. And when he did, we all wished he had not responded at all. His response was idiotic and stupid at best. Reuben Abati is slacking off. His national security adviser General Azazi is clueless. I am surprised that a so called general does not know the difference between and IED ad a grenade. An IED cannot be thrown as he alluded. It is usually planted because of the weight. It is only a grenade that can be thrown. This man’s response was that of a man in the grips of alcohol. He was incoherent and dumb. Once again, I strongly call for his dismissal from this job which should be held by a clear minded and sober man or woman.
*1980 May. Religious violence in Zaria. Much property is destroyed. 1980 December 18-20 Riots in Kano. The Maitatsine sect, 4, 177 are killed. *1982 September 29 ? October 3. Disturbances in Kaduna, Kaduna State. 53 killed and many churches are burned. *1982 October 29-30 . Further trouble in Maiduguri, Borno State, Maitatsine sects. 118 die. *1984 February 27 - March 5. Disturbance in Yola, Gongola State. Maitatsine sect, 568 die. 1985 April 26-28 Riot in Gombe, Bauchi State. Maitatsine sect. 105 die.
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*1986 March, Palm Sunday. Christians and Muslims clash during processions in Ilorin, Kwara State. *1986 May. At the University of Ibadan, Muslims burn the figure of the Risen Christ at the Catholic Chapel of the Resurrection *1987 March 5th and following days. In Kafanchan, Kaduna State, Christians and Muslims clash at the College of Education. 100 Churches and Mosques burned. *1987 March. Katsina, Funtua, Zaria, Gussau and Kaduna (Kaduna State). A wave of religious riots, many churches are burned and property destroyed, and many lives are lost.
*1991 April In Katsina, several lives are lost. Sh?ite sect in Katsina led by Malam Yahaya Yakubu stirs up trouble. At the end of April, in Tafawa Balewa (Bauchi State) over 200 lives are lost, and property and 20 churches are destroyed.* 1991 October 14- 15 . In Kano, the attempt of the Izala sect to stop Rev. Bonnke from preaching becomes violent Thousands of lives are lost and property destroyed. *1992 February 6th and then May 15-16 Zango Kataf, Zaria, Kaduna State Communal clash becomes a religious clash, with lives and property destroyed Funtua (Katsina State). Kalakato religious sect assaults a village head. 50 lives are lost and property destroyed .
*2001 October 12-14 In Kano, there are anti-American riots, because of USA intervention in Afghanistan. At least 350 are killed.Afam Chukwunwike
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