The declaration made by the Niger State governor, Dr. Muazu Babangida Aliyu that the Boko Haram insurgency will be a thing of the past may come to some people as a wish from a good-hearted leader. But for those who have followed the antecedent of the Niger State governor, his position is not only do-able but a reflection of what has been done in Niger State to achieve its present peace.
Boko Haram insurgency is not a creation of today but a monster made stronger by men who are desperate to steal and kill just to perpetuate political dynasty of platoon of thieves. Just like any man-made creation, Boko Haram can be wiped out but with relentless diligence, and comprehensive pooling of goodwill regardless of ethno-religious interests, especially in the North.
The Chief Servant has galvanised his colleagues in the Northern States Governors Forum to the United States of America to call on investors, aid agencies to help rebuild, reconstruct and rehabilitate the desolate northern states. The investors followed the NSGF back to Nigeria and useful synergy towards a veritable roadmap to mitigate the hardship suffered in the North was charted.
Tackling Boko Haram insurgency
Poverty of the stomach, poverty of the brain has made many turn themselves over to villainous duties with push by forces of darkness seeking only personal interests. These evil perpetrators appear to be winning on account of indolence of today’s youths, lack of moral chastity and academic deprivation.
It is, indeed, what Dr. Aliyu, chairman of the NSGF, felt must be addressed first or else the guns, the bombs will only be effort in futility.
Another area the Chief Servant wants Nigerians to deal with is the aspect of leadership recruitment system. The system has performed abysmally and those who cannot raise enough political support to win elections hide under franchises of insurgent groups to wreak havoc.
The key instrumentality towards solving the menace of sectarian violence and brewing insurgency is information, trust, action within the ambits of the law and constant vigilance. A government that fails in taking cognizance of the above mentioned is only doomed to taste the bitter pills of violence orchestrated by miscreants, villains and political profiteers.
Now the media have a power role to play in managing the security challenge recently consuming the northern states. Therefore, the role of agenda setting, the role of information dissemination and the duty to be objective will go a long way in complementing efforts of responsible government.
It is instructive to intimate on how Aliyu managed would-be insurgent groups in Niger State, which would have been a different story entirely if actions were not taken on point. Niger, one of the closest states to the federal capital, would have been a major headquarters of Boko Haram if the leadership of the state had not been proactive.
Aliyu’s war against potential violence in Niger
The Chief Servant of Niger State waged a war against so many Islamic sects that were soon seen joining forces with the dreaded Boko Haram. The major group, Darul Islam sect, then encamped in what appeared like a lair in Mokwa, Niger State. They were cut off from everybody and anything civil was haram.
The activities of Darul Islam made the people of the area and the state in general restive as the atmosphere was getting high in octane loads while the peace at the centre was just a match strike away to send the whole state sky-high in sectarian violence.
When the Chief Servant was going to sack the place, some clerics were quick to politicise the entire affair, making it look like persecution against a specific religion. It was after the sect was routed – peacefully – and their motives uncovered that people realised the enormity of what would have happened if they had stayed a bit longer.
Six months after the Darul Islam sect was sacked, Salahudeen sect was dislodged at the Kontagora area of the state based on complaints from the community. It also took the effort of Juma’at Mosque Imams to address the issue of Kala-katu sect who were poised to scuttle the peace in Minna and its environs.
Only recently, Niger State government evicted some people identified as Fulani from a troubled area of Kaduna – people who were involved in some bloody fight in Kaduna and had found their way into Niger and were already making life difficult for their host community.
Looking at the way the Chief Servant handled security, it is indeed very clear that he worked with the people at the grassroots. He worked with every security tip he could get and adequate use of security vote was deployed.
The Niger State experience must be imbibed, especially in the area of making sure that security votes are not siphoned into private pockets and ensure that security is everybody’s business. Yes, indeed, the three months eviction time for Boko Haram is do-able.
For those who think the Chief Servant has made a very early prediction, they must think again. He made that statement based on his wealth of experience as highlighted earlier. He has also considered the wealth of human capital, finance and the fact that our own challenge is more of politics rather than a people suffering from issue of compatibility. We can, indeed, end terrorism within 90 days.