I have asked this question before and I am going to repeat it here. Why do we accept second-rate performance by current political leaders on the basis that the past used to be worse than the present? It is this weird argument that politicians have seized and used as justification for treating citizens with contempt.
The gradual collapse of Nigeria is impeccable evidence of the failure of political leaders to provide direction. It is proof of the breakdown of civil society, that is, the inability of citizens to hold political leaders to account. Take a look at the current state of security across the country. The high level of insecurity tells us a lot about the magnitude of financial swindle that goes on at every level of government, given the stupendous amount of money that is set aside every year to improve security.
National security is a moral, political, social, psychological, and economic issue. The problem is not likely to end soon. The Federal Government’s continuing lukewarm attitude to the challenge, particularly the refusal to respond meaningfully to growing concerns expressed by ordinary citizens, community leaders, religious leaders, and traditional rulers, has resulted in the emergence of all manner of activists, criminals, terrorists, and underground warlords.
Across the country, roving bands of miscreants have taken over social and economic activities. They determine where people can go to, when people can go to those places, and how people can reach their destinations. No one talks about anything other than how they can maintain their daily routines and still escape being killed, abducted, or displaced by terrorist groups.
The principal obligation of every government is to provide for the welfare and safety of citizens. That does not appear to be the duty of leaders in our environment. Terrorists now strike frequently with ease anytime and anywhere they fancy within the geographical borders of Nigeria. All these show that the secret codes of terrorists in their perpetration of violence are yet to be cracked.
Security agencies are doing their best to enhance law and order in the country, notwithstanding the challenging circumstances in which they find themselves. One persisting problem is to find a way to unscramble and smash the secret code that has kept terrorists almost invincible, and to expose the identities of their leaders or sponsors.
Based on their successful raids of communities, their audacious kidnap and rape of women, their ability to sack entire villages and occupy people’s property and farmlands with ease, and the callous killings of young men and women, these criminal elements appear mysterious and impenetrable. They have continued to evade the most elaborate and well laid plans constructed to apprehend them. All these have given Nigerians little or no cause to smile or to be proud of their country. A vigorous intervention plan must be instituted sooner than later.
For years, people have called on the government to take national security seriously and to protect citizens from deadly attacks by criminal groups. Nothing has changed. Everyone has reached a point of despair. Why is it that no one seems to care about the loss of lives in a country that used to be regarded as a continental giant and the defender of other African countries against internal insurrections and external aggression? You have to ask whether officials who report directly to the president on matters of national security have been furnishing him with accurate information about the situation or whether they have been feeding him with exaggerated views about the super strength of law enforcement officials.
It is almost like we are caught up in a game of propaganda. While senior government officials swear everything is under control, the people who are besieged by terrorists say they have been abandoned and have lost many community members. Our people say that “seeing is believing”. People tend to believe what they see, not the apparitions that government officials say they should look out for.
There is genuine concern everywhere. Are we blessed or cursed? How soon would the government put in place adequate security mechanisms to protect citizens against heartless extremists operating in various parts of the country? There is certainly no shortage of proposals and pledges by government to wipe out terror groups. The reality is that those promises have not been put into operation.
Brickbats are being hurled at the government for failing to respond to public calls for protection when lives are in danger, and for doing little or nothing to enhance the lives of citizens. Presidential assistants and advisers have also received insults from irritated citizens who feel the assistants are always quick to abuse people who criticise government’s attitude to insecurity.
This is the time for Buhari to act, to show leadership, to show that citizens who re-elected him did not make a mistake in 2019, and to reposition his party for the 2023 national election. It is not going to be an easy task. Things have moved sluggishly for a long time. Many projects that were budgeted have not moved off the ground or have been abandoned halfway. Worst still, ministers appointed to oversee implementation of projects have not demonstrated effective use of the superlative qualities, skills, and expertise for which they were appointed.
It will be difficult for the government to accomplish in three remaining years what their predecessors failed to achieve throughout their tenure. Nevertheless, Buhari can make some progress if he commits to work harder, if he sticks to constitutional provisions about governing in the interests of the entire country rather than in the interests of one region, and also if he remains candid, focused, and determined.
These are good suggestions that would appeal to Buhari and his officials. However, given the track record of indifference and slow pace of governance, I am not persuaded that we will experience any significant change in the way this government responds to urgent national issues such as growing insecurity, rising poverty, and economic hardships that present a picture of a dark future.
The tragedy of Nigeria is that criminal groups have coalesced around the failure of national security and they are now making money from people’s misfortunes. Adversity nurtures innovation. Everyone must rise to tackle insecurity. Community and regional security outfits might just be the way to respond.
There are a few soul-searching questions that Buhari must ponder. The first question is: How many ministers, assistants, special advisers, and other officials of the government are genuinely driven by a desire to serve their motherland and not to plunder the limited resources of the country? The second question is related to the first. How many officials are in government because they want to improve the socioeconomic conditions of impoverished people?