President Bola Tinubu’s spokesmen have been oddly quiet over two very grave accusations which portrayed their principal possibly as a part of our security problems.
When 25 students of Government Girls’ Comprehensive Secondary School, Maga in Kebbi State were abducted about ten days ago, the state’s Governor, Mohammed Idris, made a shocking disclosure. He said his government received credible intelligence about a likely attack on the school. According to him, he convened an emergency security meeting, and the security agencies assured him that steps would be taken to secure the area. The Governor expressed his dismay that the military stationed to protect the school suddenly withdrew less than an hour before the abductions took place. In his words: “The military was deployed, but they later withdrew by 3.00am, and by 3.45am, the incident took place”.
Since this damning disclosure was made by the Kebbi State Chief Executive, the Presidency has, to the best of my knowledge, remained mute. All I’ve read is that the Defence Headquarters is probing the veracity of it. Some may argue that the DHQ’s investigation is part of Federal Government’s response. But for me, this issue goes beyond the military alone. Nobody accused of this level security sabotage should be allowed to probe themselves. Nigerians are asking questions, and the president has a duty to look into this issue and report back to them. Who gave the order that exposed innocent schoolgirls to this danger? The president should be greatly concerned about the people who are undermining his efforts to restore security in Nigeria. Silence is not the best reaction.
People like me had hoped that with the exit of Buhari from Aso Villa, Tinubu his successor not being Fulani, would take immediate steps to end Buhari’s Islamisation and Fulanisation agenda. In the same manner that former President Olusegun Obasanjo had purged the military to stabilise democracy in 1999, I expected Tinubu to dismantle the network of terror sponsors, collaborators, funders, apologists and foot soldiers within and outside the government and the security forces. I expected him to mobilise patriotic Nigerians behind the armed forces and flush jihadist terrorists, bandits and Fulani militants from the forests and secure the country. When the leader of Miyetti Allah Kyautal Hore, Bello Bodejo, was arrested for the security threat he posed, many of us were hopeful that this might be the beginning of the end of armed Fulani threats against law-abiding Nigerians.
But what did we see instead? A simple threat by some faceless Fulani groups, and Tinubu’s government rushed to release Bodejo. Not only that, Tinubu created a separate Federal Ministry of Livestock Development, appointed a Fulani its Minister, and made himself the Chairman of a Livestock Development Council, with Prof Attahiru Jega as his “co-Chairman”. Tinubu’s government has started to pursue some of the discredited and failed Buhari policies of forcing every state in Nigeria to give up land to Fulani pastoralists. I need to remind the president that the same threats that hang over him politically also hang over Nigeria’s survival. We need a courageous, patriotic and determined leadership to get rid of it. Responding to evil with appeasement will only make it grow bigger.
Tinubu should see the involvement of the United States President, Donald Trump in efforts to crush Nigeria’s insecurity as a rare gift. He should grab Trump’s offer of partnership to emasculate all sources of insecurity in Nigeria. The real enemies of Nigeria are those fighting to overthrow the country’s constitutional rule, impose Islamic sharia law nationwide and turn the entire country into a Fulani or Boko Haram Islamic caliphate. Tinubu is a Moslem, but not an Islamist. He cannot afford to continue carrying Buhari’s expired ethno-religious baggage against the overall interests of the nation.
If Tinubu fails to accept foreign help and destroy the networks of insecurity in Nigeria, even his cherished eight-year political ambition may not be assured. With America’s help, Tinubu can overpower the forces that have made it impossible for Nigeria to be properly restructured to move forward. Without restructuring, no Southern occupant of Aso Villa will feel free to run Nigeria properly. They will always look over their shoulders in fear of Northern threats. We must make sure that, henceforth, Northern leaders will no longer be the problem but partners in the nation’s development drive.
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