As it were, the military do not seem to be winning the war against Boko Haram insurgency, and after 140 days in captivity, the call to #BringBackOurGirls, has lost steam but still continues. Whether the Federal Government succeeds in getting the girls back or not, one thing is certain and that is, the girls, even if they are back, will never be the same again.
Elected Nigerian leaders are wont to celebrate their 100 days of assumption of office as a milestone to showcase their so-called ‘achievements’ within the short time of their tenure. This practice is common amongst governors of this Fourth Republic, and it appears as a way of saying that within that short period of time, a lot could be done on the index of political development. Therefore, it is taken for granted that a lot could be achieved with the right political will, within 100 days.
But could that ably apply on the security turf? For almost all of the years of President Goodluck Jonathan tenure since May 29, 2011, Nigeria has witnessed an unwholesome security challenge that now has taken the dimension of threatening the nation’s corporate existence. The Boko Haram insurgency, as it seems, is hell-bent on doing no less. From targeted suicide bombings to open warfare on defenceless communities in the northeast of the country and the anti-climax of taking over 200 Chibok Secondary School girls into captivity, the insurgents have stopped at nought to unleash their mayhem.
It is now over 140days since the Chibok abduction, the wait for the release of the girls has long been overstretched. Like in the early days of the Boko Haram activities, the Federal Government has responded in rather sluggish approach. Since then, the issue has been a cat and mouse game. While those sympathetic to the cause of Mr. President saw in him a calm and calculated approach to the security challenges, the opposition see in him a weakling – not capable of executing the office of Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.
While all of the politicking is on-going, the fate of the girls remains unknown. Government, however, says it knows the where- about of the girls, yet it is unable to free them, either through covert or overt operations. At the same time, Boko Haram group is on rampage, so much so that Nigerian military personnel are alleged to be refusing deployment to confront the insurgents, on grounds of inferior and obsolete war equipment. The Boko Haram leadership is even reported to have declared an Islamic Caliphate in Gwoza, though the Defence spokesman, Major General Chris Olukayode refuted that in the strongest of terms. But while Ibrahim Shekau – the Boko Haram leader – posted his claim on the social media from Gwoza, neither the Nigerian leadership nor the military has addressed the press from Gwoza to allay Nigerians fear that we have lost the community to the insurgents.
This Newspaper is tempted to believe that the Federal Government, and indeed, the military may not be on top of the security challenge, after all. It is obvious the state of emergency in the three northeastern states of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe has not achieved the desired result; and we have not heard of a victorious mauling of the insurgents by the Nigerian military. Rather, in its short encounter with the insurgents, our next-door neighbour, Cameroun, is reported to have dealt decisively with them. It leaves the question as to whether Cameroun is better prepared and equipped militarily as against Nigeria that ought to be the regional and or African powerhouse.
The security challenges sure call for a redefinition of our defence and security machinery. We want to say unequivocally that something is just not right with out security arrangement as it is presently; or else why are we unable to bring a local Islamist insurgency to a stop, in over three years? Perhaps, we need to learn from the Camerounians; but that will have to be at the cost of a big shame to our national psyche. As it were, the military do not seem to be winning the war against Boko Haram insurgency, and after 140 days in captivity, the call to #BringBackOurGirls, has lost steam but still continues. Whether the Federal Government succeeds in getting the girls back or not, one thing is certain and that is, the girls, even if they are back, will never be the same again.
