Recently, Chief Edwin Clark, the self-acclaimed leader of the Ijaw nation and ex militant Chief, Asari Dokubo, was in the news. These men, who are leaders in their own right, made comments unworthy of the positions they occupy in the society. To say that I am disappointed is to obviously state the least. To start with, Chief Edwin Clark is a man who has acquired a reputation for himself in the country, having served as a Federal Commissioner for Information and considering his age of over 80 years, earns him the status of an Elder Statesman. This accounts for one’s consternation about views about the events in the Nigerian polity. One is sometimes inclined to believe that ageing induced his recent comments.
Recently, Chief Edwin Clark, the self-acclaimed leader of the Ijaw nation and ex militant Chief, Asari Dokubo, was in the news. These men, who are leaders in their own right, made comments unworthy of the positions they occupy in the society. To say that I am disappointed is to obviously state the least. To start with, Chief Edwin Clark is a man who has acquired a reputation for himself in the country, having served as a Federal Commissioner for Information and considering his age of over 80 years, earns him the status of an Elder Statesman. This accounts for one’s consternation about views about the events in the Nigerian polity. One is sometimes inclined to believe that ageing induced his recent comments.
Chief Clark recently pointed accusing fingers at General Ibrahim Babangida and some northern leaders as those sponsoring the dreaded Boko Haram sect. How he came by that conclusion remains a mystery. The current situation in the country is one that all hands to be on deck. So, if Chief Edwin Clark does not have anything to say, let him just look the other way and allow men with genuinely love Nigeria, to seek way solve the problem we currently face as a nation. Chief Clark should be reminded that such statements are capable of ruining the reputation he has earned for himself. Need I remind the revered Elder Statesman that while the Niger Delta was on fire, when he and other leaders in the region were visibly handicapped and incapable of bringing a lasting solution, it was a Northerner who brought the peace they currently enjoy?
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Asari Dokubo in his own statement threatened fire and brimstone against the north. One wonders how Asari thinks. The question to ask him is; is it the entire north that is Boko Haram, or is it every northerner that is supports of the sect? Anyway such statements are not unexpected from people who have allowed ethnicity and politics to becloud their judgment and sense of reasoning. When he and other militants were kidnapping and killing innocent citizens in the Niger Delta, who threatened war against the people of the Niger Delta? If Nigeria were a nation where things work, men like Asari Dokubo would have been behind bars from crimes he committed against innocent people. Unfortunately we are not, that is why men like him still move about freely and even have the effrontery to threaten war against a particular section of the country.
The general feeling and belief among some members of the Niger Delta region is that certain people from the north are against the Presidency of President Goodluck Jonathan. Therefore they are creating confusion in the polity to label him a weakling and a failed leader. Whenever I hear such argument, I am always quick to remind people that BoKo Haram did not start from the time of Goodluck Jonathan. The insurgency started during the time of Late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua. President Goodluk Jonathan merely inherited it and just like his predecessor, found it tasking to solve. So, that argument is not tenable.
Besides, such an argument can only come from people who have a parochial mindset, and hardly mean well for Nigeria.
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The so called leaders of the north have not fared any better. They seem to have all gone to sleep while their house is on fire. Maybe their view is, as long as I am not personally affected then everything is okay.
However they cannot pretend that everything is okay in the north, when things are anything but okay. Recently, the governor of a northern State paid a visit to victims of an attack in a hospital putting on a bullet proof vest. This shows that they are not unaware of the daunting security challenges present in the region.
As leaders, the general wellbeing of the people should be their primary concern. If these northern leaders had acted promptly when the situation was a bit controllable, it wouldn’t have enjoyed this sporadic spread and men like Asari Dokubo would not have had the opportunity to descend to the level of insult and finger pointing.
The current security situation is a national one and not just a northern problem. Therefore all well-meaning Nigerians must all arise to the task, so as to find a lasting solution to the current problem our dear country is faced with. Finger pointing and inflammatory remarks like those of Chief Edwin Clark and Asari Dokubo will only aggravate the situation. Let me state unequivocally that the unity of Nigeria is a settled and foregone issue and the blood of those who fought to keep this country together shall not be in vain. Anybody who seeks the breakup of Nigeria does not mean well for her and we must collectively resist such move. Our strength shall be our unity; we cannot conquer this security challenge with a divided house. God bless Nigeria.
Frank O. ijege, [email protected]
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