Dayo Sobowale
There is a saying that you cannot eat your cake and still have it. There is another one that says you cannot flee with the hunted and still hunt with the hunter. That to me is the state of global terrorism and democracy in the world today as events that happened in the last week will show vividly in today’s analysis. For example in Nigeria there is a security operation by the Nigerian army which claims it is after ‘ cross border bandits ‘ but a Nigerian, lawyer a Senior Advocate at that, has taken the army to court for violating the fundamental human rights of Nigerians. In the US while the Impeachment threatened American President Donald Trump gloated gladly that the ISIS leader Al Baghdadi had been eliminated by the US military, there was also the dark news of an announcement by ISIS that it has not been eliminated and that it is indeed at the door step of Europe something that anti immigrant parties gaining power in Europe had been dreading and saying all along. In Britain, where the Mother of Parliament resides, a No Deal Brexit came to pass and give great lie to the braggadocio of British PM Boris Johnson that Britain will leave the EU, Deal or no Deal come October 31, which has passed without any political earth quake or even a wimp.
In the case of human rights lawyer Femi Falana SAN there is no doubt that the powerful human rights lawyer knows his onions and his law and he has my support in fighting any violation of citizens rights by not only the army but also the Police, and he is right in insisting that since there in no insurrection in most parts of the nation, the army should not expand the strategy on identification it used in Boko Haram infested North East to the rest of the nation. But the Nigerian Army is in charge of containing insurrection against the Nigerian state and does not need to wait till Boko Haram rears its bloody head in any part of the nation before proactively and professionally nipping it in the bud. It is here then that I say categorically that Femi Falana’s freedom ends where my nose, as well as those of millions of Nigerians looking for security of life and property, begins. We cannot be attacking the army of failure to contain Boko Haram in one breath and in another breath be ripping apart its security apparatus and strategy to kill the same Boko Haram bloody terrorism. Indeed if some stringent measures are needed to guarantee security over human rights violations in this nation, most Nigerians would rather forfeit such rights as a price to pay for the security of their lives and property. I ask Mr Femi Falana to take a drive round Lagos and some of our cities and see the number of Okada riders and compare their attitude as well as aggression to both their customers and other road users and passing vehicles, and he will see some sense in expanding the Identification strategy of the Nigerian army to contain those it called cross border bandits for now, and not Boko Haram infiltrators as yet, to other parts of Nigeria.
In the US where the President scored a huge anti-terror goal in terms of the killing of the ISIS leader, that achievement was cut to size by the decision of the House Of Representatives to impeach him after all. Before now the Republicans and the White House had said that using House Committees to launch the Impeachment process was wrong and that it should be done in open house. In doing it right this time in open house the House of Reps seem to have admitted that it put the cart before the horse before and it has corrected that. We should wait for the legal implications of that error in due course and see if that is a fitting response to a president who has just fulfilled geopolitically his election promise to fight terrorism and bring to book those terrorists terrorizing not only Americans, but the entire citizens of the world as we know it today. Indeed the US President can be said to be fleeing from internal terrorists in his own nation given the fact that he has changed residence in his nation and moved from Trump Towers in New York to his Florida home because the political leaders of New York, both the Governor and the Mayor, have been hostile to him despite the huge taxes he had paid as a New York resident over the years. Yet Trump is known not to have disclosed his tax returns during his campaigns and ever since. Another clear case of eating your cake and having it or talking from both sides of the mouth.
Let us now round up with the most exciting development of all – the demise of a No Deal Brexit the extension of Britain’s membership of the EU and election in Britain by December 12. In this scenario the clear loser is the British PM who has been roundly beaten to pup by a Parliament he abused of having outlived its usefulness. The winner, albeit of a pyrrhic victory is Jeremy Corbin, the Opposition Leader who fought for the exit of a No Deal Brexit before asking for an election and saw that strategy through successfully. Obviously the election will be about Brexit and for some part of the electorate an opportunity to redress or entrench Brexit. Xenophobia was part of the genesis of Brexit and that fear and anger will be fuelled further by the announcement and reaction of ISIS to the killing of its leader Al Baghdadi that the west should not celebrate for long because ISIS terrorism is already at the door step of Europe. That should resonate in Britain’s Dec 12 elections as well as in Italy, Czech and Slovak Republics, ungary and Poland which have strong, anti migrants electorates. In Britain’s case the electorate is polarized on Brexit and the nation is divided with secessionist sentiments prevalent in Scotland and N Ireland. While Labor may look an unlikely winner in December it is difficult to see the Conservatives winning with a PM whose credibility on Brexit Deal or No Deal, is in tatters.The Conservatives have blundered twice on Brexit and should not be rewarded with power. Under Cameron they read the political signals wrong and called a referendum they thought will result in Remain and lost. Theresa May later called an election to consolidate power, lost her majority and lost her way in getting a Brexit Deal. Boris Johnson after Oct 31 and with Britain still in the EU and No Deal looks, like a wet cock at best, and a good example on Brexit, of someone who has surely eaten his cake but would still have it in terms of power. A pity indeed.
Once again long live the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
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