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It has become a habit for Nigerian elites to stomach their grievances, disaffection and most often their anger or contrary views on burning national issues and wait until they are invited to a book launch or similar events before baring their minds. Such was the situation recently during the launch of former Chief of Defence Staff, Lieutenant-General Lucky Irabor’s book, “Scars: Nigeria’s Journey and the Boko Haram Conundrum”. The venue of the book launch wore the ambience of a large classroom with Nigerians from all walks of life and of diverse ethnic, religious, political and ideological backgrounds as “students”.Among the gathering were two former Presidents- Olusegun Obasanjo and Dr Goodluck Jonathan. Two notable religious leaders, the Sultan of Sokoto, His Eminence, Alhaji Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar III and the fiery Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Bishop Mathew Hassan Kukah were also in attendance.The “classroom” audience was also made up of top echelon of the military, politicians, traditional rulers and professionals. Like a typical soldier that he is, former President Obasanjo who was the chairman of the occasion or rather the “Headmaster” of the “class room” wasted no time in sounding a note of warning to speakers who might prolong their speeches, informing them of the consequences of doing so.He however, urged the audience, especially military personnel at the theater of the war against insurgency and banditry present at the book launch to emulate the erudite spirit of General Irabor by further deepening discourse and investigation on the Boko Haram insurgency with the view to defeating the terror group.
Obasanjo believes that more books needed to chunned out by those who had been at the theatre of the war on Boko Haram as the insurgent group and the military onslaught against it are now integral part of Nigeria’s history.
And talking about history, according to a Canadian philosopher, Marshall McLuhan, “a generation which ignores history has no past and no future.” Had President Bola Tinubu not reintroduced history into our school curriculum how will future generation of Nigerians know the genesis of Boko Haram’s and the grim result of its bloody campaign.
Back to Obasanjo. The former president further noted that the emergence of the terrorist organization, Boko Haram in 2002, ushered in an unprecedented era of bloodbath,destruction of properties and devastation of the economy.
It was at the book launch that the Sultan of Sokoto corrected the notion about Boko Haram. According to him the terror gang should not be called Boko Haram but “Jama’atu Ahl as-Sunnah li-Da’awati wal-Jihad” (JASDJ; Group of the Sunni People for the Calling and Jihad) and “Nigerian Taliban respectively” Boko Haram, he said, “is not their name because I know that they never claimed the name Boko Haram. If you have listened to some of their audio which I had the privilege of listening to, they didn’t say “boko is haram” because so many of them have also gone to school and they said you cannot open somebody’s brain and remove the education in his head….what they are specifically saying is that those who have
gone to school and are educated are leading bad governments, what they are against is bad governance because they want to be free, they want to do whatever they feel they should do.
Speaking further, the Sultan said: “I want to correct this wrong notion that non-muslims have about the issue of jihad. Jihad is not to kill a non-muslim by a muslims. Jihad means to strive. In whatever you do in life you strive to be the best you can be, you strive to be a good muslim, you strive to be a good christian, you strive to be a good farmer or a good Engineer. So, Jihad is not to kill a non-muslim, that’s the wrong notion people have been
airing out for decades. I wrote a forward on a book published by the king of Jordan, it was about 13 or 14 years ago. In the book, he talked about the uses and abuses of Jihad…because they said one of the most fearsome word a non-muslim would hear is the word “Jihad”.
“And it’s true because people have already given it a very negative connotation but it’s just not it is wrong. So, let’s leave here with the notion that Jihad is just striving, it’s not to kill”
As the “classroom lecture” continued, the atmosphere became charged both intellectually and psychologically when former President Goodluck Jonathan mounted the rostrum to deliver his speech.He told the audience that the title of the book was a grim reminder of how Boko Haram ran riot with violence while he held sway as President, adding that the case of Leah Sharibu and the kidnap of the Chibok girls would continue to tug at his heart.
According to the former President, his prayer, since leaving office, has always been that a lasting solution be found to the intricate issue of Boko Haram.He commended General Irabor for finding time to share his thought and experience in the war against the insurgent group.
On his part, Bishop Kuka praised the author for serving Nigerians, in the form of his book, with his wealth of experience as an important actor in the war against Boko Haram insurgency. The Catholic cleric also, like Obasanjo, urged more books on the heinous crime and atrocities of the insurgents.
Recall that in 2018, Leah Sharibu, along with 110 other school girls aged 11- 19, were taken hostage by Boko Haram.
Her abduction took place at approximately 5:30 PM at the Government Girls Science and Technical College (GGSTC) located in Dapchi, Yobe State in Northeast Nigeria.
A broad spectrum of security analysts insist that if Leah was the daughter of a Minister, Governor or President she would have been rescued by now, but that the reverse is heartbreakingly the case because she’s is the daughter of a mere peasant.
Leah’s sad story attracted national and global outrage with many rhetorically asking, “where is Sharibu”. For example Salasi, a regular caller on Nigeria Info FM is never tired of praying for Leah Sharibu release and inquiring rehrtorically about her whereabouts where
Obasanjo wrote in his forward to the book that “Scars: Nigeria’s Journey and the Boko Haram Conundrum” is not merely a record of events of a military memoir; it is a releflective, human-centred exposition of the costs of conflicts, the burdens of command, and the resilience of both soldier and citizen.
“It captures the emotional, psychological and communal dimensions of the Boko Haram insurgency, reminding us that behind strategy is a sacrifice”
Notedly, in this compelling book, Genera Irabor, appointed Chief of Defence Staff in 2021 by the late President Muhammadu Buhari, astutely and masterly dissected the Boko Haram conundrum, while also proffering solutions to a challenge that threatens the future of Nigeria and other West African States. The is indeed the bird’s-eye view of a man who led Nigerian forces against one of the biggest and deadliest threats to the internal security of country. General Irabor offers a deeper understanding of Boko Haram of the Boko Haram insurgency.
Congrats, General, a job well done!
