Nigeria is waging battles on multiple fronts. Some years ago a former Defence Chief stated that the military were stretched thin because of their involvement in several internal campaigns ranging from the intractable boko haram in the North-East to the murderous herdsmen pillaging the North-central, the unknown gun men in the south-east and the unspecified gangs in the south-south. When the former Defence chief stated this, no one had envisaged or factored into the equation the ‘new kid on the block’, the lakurawa, currently operating and gaining grounds in the North-west. Of course they add to the Bello Turjis of this world in their vicegrip on thousands of locals in numerous communities in the North-west. The present situation must be seen from the twin perspectives of past failings, insincerity and deliberate sabotage in the campaign on the one hand and the need to tackle insecurity with other weapons beyond guns and bullets on the other hand. Recently when the UK Conservative party leader Kemi Badenoch in replying VP Kashim Shettima referred to boko haram stating that she didn’t share any bond with such people, the story of the genesis of boko haram was again broached after almost 20 years. The genesis and sustenance of this dreaded group have often been swept under the carpet as if they were noisome distractions in the war. Alas nothing can be farther from the truth. And when you add Ms Badenoch’s holler to Bello Turji’s unrelenting assertion that Bello Matawalle, former Governor of Zamfara State and current Junior Minister for Defence was a major factor in the metastatic insecurity in the State and the region you will understand why insecurity in Nigeria is hugely unorthodox and therefore requires something drastic. Trillions of Naira have been proposed for the military in the current budget proposal. It is an item that is neither accounted for nor retired. No questions and no answers. Someone said that Defence spending had become one huge industry in Nigeria with many people endlessly smiling to the banks. Yet the war is not abating. Some days ago, Nigeria’s Chief of Defence granted a peek view of the war against the lakurawa to a foreign media, the Aljazeera Network. He also took questions in the interview. Many Nigerians had questioned why a local media wasn’t given such access. 2025 presents another window for this Government to objectively look at these battle fronts, ask the right questions before insisting on a one-size-fits-all solution that we see today. Questions like, who are the current sponsors of these groups (if any), what do we do with the list of terrorism sponsors sent before by the UAE? How much of sympathy do these groups enjoy from the current Government officials? How do they source their arms? And in the South-east and South-south where there are different kinds of battles, other kinds of questions should be asked. While we wish our patriotic, selfless and innocent troops success in their mission, we call on the Government to review this whole operation and cut off supplies for those who have taken defence spending as a conduit pipe. Once again welcome to a new year!
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RANDOM MUSINGS: BUDGETING BLUES, POLITICS OF MAN OF THE YEAR AND ONE OTHER THING.
