The Nigerian politicians have succeeded in putting a sword among the citizens. They have sown the seed of discord and enmity among the people. They have so divided the polity to the point that citizens no longer see themselves as brothers and sisters. Too bad!
The people of Marte, a sleepy community in Borno State, deserve our silent prayers and increased quality protection from the Nigerian security forces. Governor Babagana Zulum is currently a sad man!
Much ado about Tinubu-Obi banters in Rome
It was the politicians that created the perception of the election as a war and also created the wrong impression that politicians were sworn enemies among themselves simply because they were in different political parties and contested elections against one another.
Some of the elections in Nigeria have been very toxic, made so by the politicians. The last general election in 2023 was particularly elevated to a war situation.
Although a government has been in power for two years after the exercise, the evil seed of hatred that was sown by some actors in that election has now not only germinated but has also grown into a giant tree that harbours demons that haunt the country.
Before the election, the decision by Tinubu to choose another Muslim as his running mate raised dust in the polity. Obi is a Catholic of the Christian faith and ran with a Muslim as a vice presidential candidate.
The sharp division occasioned by false narratives aimed at de-marketing opponents has stuck in the minds of many citizens, so much so that the mere mention of Peter Obi angers some citizens to no end. By the same token, some persons would not see anything positive to commend in the Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration no matter how much it tries.
Some Nigerians, including those in the corridors of power, would not want to see Peter Obi in the same room with President Tinubu.
Just because the two politicians contested the presidential election in 2023 against each other, and while one lost, the other won, have they become mortal enemies in the eyes of supporters?
And also, because Peter Obi has continued to critique the government, insisting that Nigerians have no reason to remain in an unfortunate handshake with poverty and that corruption, infrastructural decay, among other ills, must not continue to define the country, he has been tagged an enemy of the government?
The other day, social media was agog with the story of President Tinubu and Obi throwing banter in faraway Rome during the inauguration of Pope Leo XIV.
Critics from various camps were hurling all manner of invectives; many used uncharitable words to lacerate the foremost politicians.
Many of those who expressed disappointment at the light-hearted moment between the president and Peter Obi insinuated that politicians were just using ordinary citizens as cannon fodder.
They could not imagine seeing the two politically “sworn enemies” in brotherly conversation in Rome.
It is indeed unfortunate that Nigerian politicians have refused to properly educate their followers that an election is not war but a game of luck which ordinarily should not involve the shedding of blood.
But the elevation of thuggery and deployment of all manner of lethal arsenals just to win elections have created a wrong impression that Nigerians are their brother’s hater.
Read also: Peter Obi: “My fight is against bad governance, not Tinubu”
In the last general election, some innocent citizens lost their lives, some were maimed, and many others suffered in one way or the other for just daring to exercise their franchise.
In some places, there were some express orders by politicians to hire thugs to ruffle the feathers of the opponents and break the bones of anybody who tried to stand in their way.
Two years after that toxic election, Nigerians have remained largely divided and suspicious of one another.
Supporters of the duo have expressed bitter rivalry towards each other over the years, both on social media and on the streets, with some physical clashes occurring even after the election.
So, when the duo met in Rome, Kayode Fayemi, a former governor of Ekiti State, said to Tinubu, “MrPresident, welcome to our church, and thank you for honouring the Pope with your presence.”
President Tinubu then responded, “I should be the one welcoming you and Peter. I’m the head of the Nigerian delegation.”
The president’s response elicited laughter from Obi, who agreed.
“Yes, indeed. We are members of your delegation,” Obi said.
Obi could not have claimed otherwise, even though he has unfettered access to the Vatican. But knowing that there can only be one president of Nigeria at a time and that at whatever event both of them appear, the president takes the credit as the representative of Nigeria, he played maturely and protocol demanded.
He did not make any fuss about what the president said because it was sacrosanct.
Despite what any warmonger out there may be saying or the views that may be canvassed by the “Naysayers, the truth is that Tinubu and Obi portrayed a good image of the country, and they showed that politics should be without bitterness.
The message in all of this is that politicians who promoted violence during the election that divided Nigerians must begin to preach peace and reconciliation, rather than continue on the warpath.
On the other hand, supporters of the president and Obi must begin to promote development politics as opposed to the destructive pull-him-down syndrome.
Supporters who have taken to the social media space to badmouth the two leaders must begin to see the larger picture.
The question to ask is, would it have profited Nigeria anything if the president and Obi had engaged in fisticuffs in faraway Rome? Haba!
Desperate moment in Borno
The security situation in Borno State has continued to agitate the minds of many Nigerians. The renewed attacks by the insurgent Boko Haram and ISWAP seem to be giving Governor Babagana Zulum sleepless nights.
Concerned by the sustained bloody attacks on some communities in the state, Zulum cried out once again to the federal government to deploy decisive strategies that would ensure that Marte town and other communities do not fall under the control of the Boko Haram and ISWAP insurgents.
Zulum was said to have relocated to the troubled Marte to show solidarity with the people, but he has also realised that the people needed more than his presence.
The entire town of Marte was said to have been completely deserted before the governor’s arrival following a devastating attack last Friday. The residents were said to have taken refuge in Dikwa town at an internally displaced persons (IDP) camp.
The governor recalled that “Marte was resettled about four years ago, but unfortunately, over the last three days, it was ransacked and was displaced again.
“About 20,000 people left Marte for Dikwa; this huge number is a threat, as allowing them to stay in the camp may make most of the younger ones become vulnerable to recruitment by the insurgents,” he said.
The governor further said, “My prayers to the Federal Government of Nigeria and the Nigerian Army are that we do everything possible to keep this town on the ground.
“Hitherto, Marte Local Government comprises over 300 towns and villages; now we have only one standing. If we cannot maintain this one, then we will lose the whole local government to the insurgents, which will be very obnoxious, and I think we will not allow this to happen. Therefore, I am calling on the federal government and the Nigerian Army so that we can put our heads together and hold our ground for this single town in this LGA to remain.”
Read also: Zulum alleges sabotage as Boko Haram insurgency rages
Many questions have been asked as to why the insurgents were able to return to communities earlier repossessed by the Nigerian soldiers and where the people have been resettled. Are there elements of sabotage in this fight?
There is the allegation that there are fifth columnists in the security forces working in cahoots with the enemies of the people to frustrate whatever efforts at ending the orgy of bloodletting and kidnapping in the country.
While he was still in office, Udom Emmanuel, former governor of Akwa Ibom State, was quoted as having blamed the connivance of unpatriotic security officers for the lingering insecurity in the country.
He was reported to have said that the police released armed Fulani militia; his men arrested them and gave their AK-47s back to them.
“We arrested persons with fake army uniforms carrying 18 AK-47 rifles and handed them over to the police. However, the police hierarchy gave express orders that those persons should be released and their guns handed back to them. We want to let the world know that if there is a breakdown of law and order tomorrow, the police should be held responsible.
“All attempts to speak with the top hierarchy of the police in the zone and at Abuja were rebuffed,” Udom was quoted as saying.
Governor Zulum spoke in tandem yesterday when he alleged that internal sabotage was hampering Nigeria’s fight against Boko Haram. He alleged that some members of the Nigerian military and political class were serving as informants and collaborators to the insurgents.
“We have informants and collaborators within the Nigerian armed forces, within the politicians, and within the communities. What we shall do is to strengthen our intelligence and to deal with them ruthlessly,” Zulum said.
A lot has been said by many people about the alleged racketeering going on in the name of fighting insurgents. Nigerians have been told on several occasions that some huge amount of money budgeted to do the battle was cornered by those who were expected to deploy the resources judiciously.
In July 2024, the Nigerian Senate rejected a prayer from Adams Oshiomhole seeking a probe of the funds allegedly appropriated to the military in the past to fight insurgency and banditry across the country.
That same black day, the Senate bluntly refused through the usual voice vote an investigation into the purchase of yachts and the establishment of universities allegedly built with funds appropriated for the military in the hometown of some past service chiefs in order to prevent future occurrences. The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, hit the gavel to signal the death of that motion.
It is therefore not surprising that Boko Haram and the Islamist State’s West Africa Province (ISWAP) insurgents are growing bolder and trying to challenge a whole country. This must be stopped!
