Nigeria is at War: We Must Stand Up and Support Our President.

Introduction!

As the call of the time, it is urgent and reasonably imperative that we put our political, regional, or tribal differences aside, and put our patriotic fervor on full display in support of our President and our men and women in uniform. With that, we are sure of the full realization of the purpose and intent of the state of emergency now in full force in some parts of the country. We must stand in unison, and support, without reservation, the interim emergency regime and the ongoing military engagements focused on liberating the people of Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe States from the stranglehold of Boko Haram – a religious sect and their sympathizers that neither value human life nor appreciate the virtues of religious tolerance.

In spite of everything, I wholeheartedly empathize with the sect for the death of their leader, Mohammed Yusuf, while he was in Police custody. Unresolved as the circumstances surrounding his death may be, what is not in doubt is the fact that two wrongs don’t make a right. And as things stand today, there is no justification, legal or ethical, moral, conventional or customary, to explain the wanton brutality and gruesome deaths visited on institutions, places of worship, innocent villagers and city dwellers by the Boko Haram sect in the northern part of Nigeria in the past three years.

As at today, the magnitude of Boko Haram's barbaric exploit - the bestiality and depravity inherent in their executions - surpassed the constitutional standard of ‘clear and present danger’ required to elicit declaration of a state of emergency by a sitting President. Therefore,  President Jonathan acted within the limits of his constitutional power as the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria by declaring a state of emergency in the affected region. 

As I write, more than half of the territory of the state - a state that is part of Nigerian territorial sovereignty - is under the occupation of Boko Haram. Sadly, our citizens in the occupied enclaves are not only exposed to religious genocide but are being subjected to laws that are grossly incongruous with democratic values, and at the same time, patently inconsistent with rights inherent in the sovereign status that we achieved on October 1, 1960. 

Those inalienable rights and democratic values - traditionally and constitutionally inviolate - are currently under siege with the illegal occupation of substantial part of the northern region of Nigeria by the Boko Haram sect. The overwhelming desire to reclaim that stolen joy, that pride of the Borno people, the democratic values and sovereign rights presently held hostage throughout the Middle Belt and beyond, prompted President Jonathan and his administration to declare a state of emergency in the affected states. Sending armed forces to the troubled spots is collateral to the emergency regime.

Reclaiming Our Democratic Values and Rights Inherent in Sovereignty!

A few years ago, Nigerians at home and abroad were regarded by the international news media as the happiest people on earth. Not anymore. In recent times, peace has eluded us on a scale unprecedented in the history of our creation as a nation-state. Kidnapping for ransom is now one of the most lucrative professions in the East and in the South-South regions of Nigeria. In the Middle Belt and in the southern part of Kaduna, counting cadavers has become a daily routine. And Nigerians watch helplessly. In and around Borno State, it is a different, but harrowing a story. The once metropolitan Maiduguri is now in total ruin. 

I am tired of seeing pictures of dead Police officers, lying lifeless, with little or no concern from Nigerians as if they were animals or intruders from a different planet. They were once our brothers, sisters, fathers, mothers, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, or cousins.  They were once human. Out of the Police uniforms, they were just like you and me.  

I am tired of seeing pictures of innocent women and children, murdered in their sleep, for a senseless struggle they knew nothing about. I am tired of seeing villages, once reputed for husbandry or thriving fishing trade now completely overwhelmed and dismantled under the pursuit and influence of a belief system that cares less about economic emancipation or enhanced standard of living. 

I am tired of seeing a once vibrant and welcoming city, reputed as the epic center of the famous Kanem-Bornu Empire, now in a state of anomie - in ruin and deserted. That Empire, that vast geographical landscape is now at war with itself - at war with civilization, at war with tolerance, at war with peaceful co-existence and at war with everything that their worthy son, Idris Alooma, labored relentlessly, through war, commerce and diplomacy, to build to international standard. This is not the time to cast blame; it is time to reclaim the lost territory and restore peace in the land.

Analysis!

As a reasonable, objective and well-informed observer/Nigerian, I do not know what else President Jonathan would have done in the circumstance. First, he yielded to the demands of the northern elders and made one of their own, Sambo Dasuki, an excellent and distinguished retired Military Officer, his Security Adviser. Then he agreed to dialogue with the leadership of the sect; and contrary to all expectations, he dangled the offer of amnesty before the cult and their sponsors. Yet, nothing could avail them to disarm. Must we then fold our arms, keep silent in the face of stolen joy and senseless killings as if the resurrection of the dead is happening tomorrow? Life has no duplicate. The dead are gone forever. You may resent President Jonathan if you want, but you cannot afford to trade places with the bereaved.

From all indications, our President did the right thing; not doing anything would have given the sect added impetus to expand their territorial reaches. Not taking action would have given other groups new energy to further their sectarian objectives, believing of course, that amnesty and money are awaiting those who kill and maim in the name of religion. Not taking action would have given the opposition parties and the incoherent online commentators credible talking points to push his ouster or impeachment campaign. Above all, not taking action would have succeeded in placing the people in the affected states in more perilous a situation than they have ever experienced since the inception of the insurgency.

At this juncture, I would like to add that there is nothing President Jonathan did that is inconsistent with the current trends in the global war against terrorism.  (What you are about to read is an emerging Obama philosophy on the fight against terrorism - he is recreating American new approach to the war against terrorism. As always, you  read it here first). Here is how I see it: Presently, the war against terrorism is becoming more about taking the fight to the terrorist haven relentlessly and with devastating impacts by any means possible, and at the same time, placing the terrorists on the defensive, and disorganizing them in the process, accompanied, unavoidably with unquantifiable collateral damage.  The Western Powers, under the leadership of President Obama, have long discarded the preemption doctrine of old. They have gone beyond that. The moment you start propagating terrorism philosophy in your bedroom or on YouTube or inciting hatred and violence towards America and its allies, recruiting people to consummate your diabolical intent,  you have already crossed the threshold. That is a declaration of war on America, its partners, and its interests. You are now an enemy combatant, and as long as you live, you are a target - you cannot sleep, you cannot hide, and you cannot run from the war you've started. Peace will continue to elude you all the days of your life until you are either "droned", captured, or rendered incapacitated. In other words (putting it in Nigerian parlance), "the pikin wey say 'im Mama no go sleep, 'im too, no go sleep." You can run, but you cannot hide. So, taking the fight to Boko Haram's enclaves as directed by President Jonathan, places the sect on the defensive, thus making it more difficult for them to organize or reorganize to continue their killing campaign and their extorted indoctrination of the unwilling unperturbedly as in the past. Therefore, deployment of the armed forces, though coming too late, is the right course of action to take. 

Moving Forward!

As Professor Wole Soyinka would say, “the man dies in all who keep silent in the face of tyranny.” If the Borno occupation by the sect is not a tyranny, I wonder what it is. Therefore, all of us must stand with the President and support our Military in their collective commitment to liberate the supposedly free people of southern Kaduna, Plateau, Borno, Yobe, and of Adamawa State from the siege and grip of the Boko Haram sect. The President cannot afford to do less, and as a free people of a sovereign nation-state, we cannot afford to do less, either. We should not give room to partisan political expediency or allow the open hatred of President Jonathan to cloud our sense of judgment, pretending that all is well. All is not well. Members of the opposition parties have every right to argue for alternatives measures, but not one short of objectivity and common sense.  

Finally, the merchants want to go back to their stalls and market their wares. The peasants want to go back to their land and do what they do best - till the soil and grow crops. Students want to go back to their classrooms feeling protected. Nightcrawlers want to hang out at their favorite rendezvous under the moonlight to revel on hindered on their pepper soup, their beer, watching European Soccer and forgetting all the troubles in the world. Also, those who congregate at places of worship - taking their concerns before God and Allah - must be able to do so, with little or no apprehension that a Bike rider is on his way or lurking in the corner to lob IED on them. This is a perilous time, Nigerians – a time we cannot allow to continue. We must stand with our President and support our men and women in uniform in their ongoing sacrifice to restore peace throughout the troubled land. It is a worthy and patriotic endeavor deserving of our unlimited support.

May God Bless Nigeria and may God Bless the good people of Nigeria.

AUTHOR'S COMMENT

A slightly different version of this essay, though rejected by most newspapers and Sahara Reporters, made it to the commentary section of a particular story published by the Punch Newspaper. And when it did, there was an uproar - a stampede sort of. It was the most read with unprecedented commentaries for two days. 100 thumb-ups and about 400 comments, all positive and complimentary. 
Also, exactly three days after the publication of this essay, President Obama had a news conference wherein he defined the evolving strategies and tactics of his administration in its war against international terrorism. And the highlights of his address turned out to be a regurgitation of the approaches that I articulated on this piece.  God is my witness. The President is surrounded by a plethora of advisers who are some of the best and the brightest in their respective professional fields, yet, I am able to say ahead of the time what the President new approaches are on a specific global problem. And that's what motivates me to write the more. 
I am not deterred by grammatical errors, I am encouraged that I have a platform to put my thought process in print and do it accurately for the benefit of the society at large. The fact that I do not have to put all my hope on an Editor of a newspaper to be able to express my ideas before the global audience makes this endeavor the most audacious task I have I pursued in my life. When I am gone to be with the Lord, the World will be able to read and learn the world  (life) I lived. And Nigerians, in particular, will be able to read the ideas put forward by an unheard, uncelebrated visionary who refused to depart this beautiful World with his thoughts. 
By the way, when this Jonathan Essay was published, the opened dereliction of him and his policies on the war against the Boko Haram sect, came to a sudden stop. Some said his administration has a mole in the press. Not at all; I was only standing up for my President at the time when no reasonable voice around him could come with a practical and aggressive defense of him and his policies.