Buhari’s Nigeria: Weighing action against words 

From the way things are going in Nigeria, and especially in Kaduna State, Nigerians will continue in our cries about the loss of peace and innocence in the country and that state until the end of the current political dispensation. The people of the state and country would hope that after the departure of this government, ordinary Nigerians would revive their hope and start all over again to wish and dare to believe that the government that would succeed this would be better. That’s the cycle we’ve been trapped in. That’s the reasonable appearance of the picture of enduring ills and indescribable destruction of life and property that the state and the country are faced with, and as currently exemplified by Kaduna State.

Treasures will continue to be buried as they die daily in violent attacks, while the wise continue to make excuses that drip with blood for the country’s unfettered descent into the vale of vile terrorism. Before the focus shifted to Kaduna State, we had Benue State and the Ortom tears. We had the General Dajuma declaration in Taraba; we had the platitudes on the Plateau and the sad sounds from Sokoto. Zamfara, Katsina, Yobe and Niger still have their wars to worry about. We heard words… platitudes actually from the government after prolonged screams and threats to resort to anarchy. Their words were all aimed at keeping us quiet from announcing further that we have lost trust in the Buhari government and its handling of the terrorists or bandits.

We have hearted so much about the readiness of the armed forces and intelligence agencies to end terrorism, but how much action have we seen? How much of the plan the government speaks about and gives people its assurance has been implemented to curtail the spreading banditry and terrorism? What is the real intention of the Buhari administration as far as the killings are concerned? We may never know. But we know that there is terrorism in even the most unusual of places in the country and we think that the government has been handling it with kid-glove. If this is not so, why would Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State express the belief that something is not right in the power quarters of the country? Why would Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State be unsuccessfully begging the relevant authorities to approve the bombardment of the areas he said they knew terrorists were hibernating?

Some thinkers have reasoned and posited that there might be some other thoughts harboured by the relevant authorities other than what they tell us. Some of the thoughts in many quarters are what can be summed in these words: “If you want to know a man’s thoughts, listen to his words. If you want to know a man’s intention’ watch his actions.” Rashida Costa, a Jamaican-American playwright and actor describes herself as “wife, mom, actress, playwright, and author” – what seems to have covered all female human duties that we need in national leadership. She is the one that casually noted that “words are from the lips, actions are from the heart.” You also might have held that contention for many years. You’re right, because there have been many words towards how we would quash terrorists and end terrorism and defeat banditry. We have such words in abundance.

When Benue was the pointer to the widespread killings, we heard so much about what we would do with the Tucano aircrafts that Nigeria ordered from the Unites States of America. We thought and believed that with the 12 Tucanos, our farms and forests would be free of the marauding merchants of death. In 2018, after the brutal murder of Reverend Father Joseph Gor in an attack at his parish in Benue State by herders, we got assurances of the government that the planes would arrive in the country in 2020. We have the Tuscanos, but old things have persisted even in steeped degrees. We celebrated the Super Tucano jets. We expected them like Catholics expect Christ in the advent season. The Tucano jets eventually came and the Minister of Information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed confirmed in October 2021 that all the 12 jets had had been received by Nigeria. However, despite the availability of the fighter jets, on which the uninitiated had hinged our victory over the marauders, we are still in hysteria. The terrorists have taken everything the Nigerian Armed Forces have thrown at them like a cock takes the afternoon rain. And as a result, Nigerians have resigned to the thought that rather than get weakened, the terrorists, like the leaves of the coconut plant, are getting harder and sturdier.

Ex-American soldier and philanthropist, Steve Maraboli advises that we shouldn’t let someone’s words blind us from his actions. He knows that mellifluous words with deferred meaning are what the politicians engage in to confuse the polity. They twist, turn and rigmarole for the electorate so much that we lose the essence of the entire political plot. We had that in living colours about eight years ago. We are only just coming out of the dizzying propaganda. That adds to the fuel kindling the defenders of the government, who insist that Buhari didn’t promise the things we demand of him. Each time the Minister of Information speaks and tries to paint a picture of Eldorado in our fight against terrorism, the terror merchants would strike in a degree higher than the previous one. The attackers seem to be out to rubbish the contention of the government as expressed by Alhaji Lai Mohammed.

Apart from the direct victims so far in the attack on the Kaduna-Abuja train, the only other known victim of the attack is Imam Nuru Khalid of the Apo Legislative Quarters Mosque. As the only non-direct victim of the terrorism who has spoken out against lethargy on the part of the government, we hope that others would take a cue. Maraboli charges that “when there is injustice, dare to be the first to condemn it.” Every other stakeholder has kept quiet and retained their jobs so as not to have their food plugs removed. Monarchs in Zamfara have been given 260 exotic cars. Elections are coming and we must listen to what they are not saying, for we have heard so much inanity.