When media commentators dodge Nigeria reality

Check it out, as an adherent of African Traditional Religion, nobody is my friend or enemy, based on religion. I would be a bastard African traditionalist if I carry religion, rather than God and neighbour in my head. I have never met Pastor Abiodun Ifatoyinbo, but I empathize with the couple expressing satisfaction that a fellow human being “has been destroyed”.

The focus of this article, however, is the two respectable persons who were guests of Babatunde Okunlọla on Royal FM, Ilorin, talking about the Nigerian security situation. They rightly noted how the President General Muhammadu Buhari (GMB) abdicated his responsibility for his Chief Security Officer (CSO) and how he publicly announced it that whoever wanted to see him should go through the CSO, making the latter to be extraordinarily powerful, to the extent he hires and fires, including his reinstatement of a wanted person, Maina.

Yes, Aisha, Buhari’s wife has also raised the alarm that a cabal, and not her husband is ruling Nigeria, and GMB confirmed her words when he publicly declared the CSO as the de facto President of Nigeria, but the legislature that should impeach GMB raised no eyebrow, but rather ignored those who called for GMB’s resignation or impeachment. So, the chop-I-chop syndrome (Boko Haram) plaguing the presidency and the legislature is the cankerworm sucking dry Nigeria’s blood. The real issue of Boko Haram plaguing Nigeria is often overlooked by mass media commentators within and without the country, as responsible for the mushrooming insecurities.

Another point mentioned by Okunlola’s guests was the porosity of Nigeria’s borders notwithstanding their closure, resulting, as they were saying, in importation of firearms with which people are killed like wild animals in the forest. Yes, there are about a thousand routes entering Nigeria in bush paths, but is that a new development? What is new indeed, and is responsible for total breakdown of security and the economy is the unjustifiable war against the Boko Haram Islamic sect-community of men, women, and children that did not attack anybody until attacked by government forces in 2009, under the presidency of Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, to please the Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA). 

The next thing that aggravated retrogression of Nigeria was the truncation of the rotational presidency by Goodluck Ebele Azikiwe Jonathan, taking undue advantage of the death of Yar’Adua, and through an unholy alliance with the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), he (Jonathan) thereby compounded the Boko Haram crisis. Any other point responsible for insecurities and economic ruin of Nigeria is secondary to issues related to the unjustifiable war against Boko Haram started by Yar’Adua, truncation of the rotational presidency by Jonathan, and protection of the Fulani herdsmen terrorists by GMB. Every other point is secondary to the unjustifiable war against Boko Haram, coupled with obduracy against peace with Boko Haram and against the rotational presidency.

What is closely related to the unjustifiable war against Boko Haram and unjustifiable opposition to the rotational presidency is obstinate politicisation of Islam and Christianity, against the Constitution that prohibits state religion. Security, peace, and progress of Nigeria cannot be guaranteed under unrepentant war against Boko Haram, obstinate opposition to the rotational presidency, illegal politicisation of Islam and Christianity, protection of the Fulani herdsmen terrorists, and unbridled religiopolitical chop-I-chop (Boko Haram), since grace does not abound where sin abounds. All herdsmen should be sedentary rather than roaming agrarian communities. Politicisation of Islam and Christianity should be killed and buried. Rotational presidency should be legalised to criminalize its truncation. Stop the war against Boko Haram immediately!

Prof Ọlọjẹẹde Oyeniran Abiọjẹ, Ph.D., University of Ilorin.