By Dayo Sobowale
Civil and polite language has always been required in any human endeavor especially politics and diplomacy. When tempers flare up however it could be difficult to maintain decorum and restraint. Security issues in Nigeria have made tempers to flare up and the rhetoric of protests have thrown up words like sovereignty and terrorism and it is apparent that many are thinking of fending for themselves in terms of protecting the lives and property of the citizens in their areas of control. This is not only in the Middle Belt and the South it is the language of the North West where the outspoken governor of Kaduna has said he would prefer priests and religious leaders to preach to bandits who kidnap and kill innocent citizens as that is not the duty of governments. The trend is towards regional autonomy and security and it is not difficult to see why this is so and that is the inability of the Federal Government to stem the tide of insecurity that has enveloped the nation.
It reminds one of the electronic security envelope that the West used over Libya that made Muammar Gaddafi impotent to use his powerful and expensive military jets because the envelope neutralized radar usage and Gaddafi’s planes were grounded and could not fly . Indeed Gaddafi was apprehended and killed in a convoy of cars as he was escaping into the Sahara and into the Sahel which is where the Boko Haram has set up shop to make life miserable for the Nigerian army and people for some time now.
Nigeria is not at war but the language of regional leaders are like the bullets of hostility and their body language is that of people who are at daggers drawn. I think there is need for governments both at the state and federal level to assure Nigerians that they are safe in their nation. It is not a conference issue but clear decisive action to deter those who have taken the law into their hands in Nigeria and are making security and terrorism the looming death knell of our security apparatus as well as our much needed democracy, if care is not taken and urgently too.
Certainly it is not only in Nigeria that words are flying like bullets. Even in diplomacy or international relations, new US President Joe Biden called Russian President Vladmir Putin a killer for interfering in the 2016 US election that brought his predecessor Donald Trump to power. Hitherto I had thought that talking from both sides of the mouth in diplomacy was a monopoly of both Donald Trump and the N Korean leader who called each other unprintable names before getting chummy and sitting down unbelievably to talk about denuclearization albeit unsuccessfully. But Biden is showing that he can be difficult and would deal strongly not only with Russia but with the opposition Republicans and I am not surprised. He told Donald Trump – ‘shut up man ‘ during the presidential debate and showed that in terms of belligerent language and policies he can hold his own after 47 years of debating in the US senate as Trump boasted during the debate that he achieved more in 4 years as president than all of Biden’s 47 years . Now Biden is in and Trump is out and Biden certainly can make up for lost time. He has overturned all of Trump’s achievements with Executive Orders and he has opened US borders to migrants without a thought on the security implications as long as that enables him to get even with his predecessor, who built walls at the borders to keep criminals and illegal aliens out of the US during his 4-year tenure. Really, I think Biden’s labeling of Putin as a killer is a hangover of the bitter domestic political and legislative war as it were in the US political system between the Republicans and the Democrats with the emergence of Joe Biden as the 46th US president. Yet, the US in not at war domestically nor should it provoke the world into an unnecessary one with Russia which has recalled its Ambassador in the US because the American President called the Russian President , a killer. Which is most undiplomatic and quite uncalled for.
Similarly , Nigeria is not at war but there are too many threats flying around on security especially on bloody herders and farmers quarrels and killings in many parts of the nation .I recall Henry V Shakespeare play which is about war , namely the Battle of Agincourt which the British won by defeating a larger French army .Henry urged his outnumbered men on by saying , ‘the fewer , the greater the share of honor. ‘He rallied them by saying ‘be copy now to men of lesser blood and teach them how to war. ‘ Again I say Nigeria is not war and we should not be seen as beating the drums of war in peace time .We should settle our quarrels as we have been together for a long time .
We should learn from the mistakes other nations have made in dealing with fellow citizens unfairly while denying the situation. China is punishing the Uyghurs, bonafide Chinese citizens of NW China because they are Muslims and China is denying this. China is trying to make this Muslim ethnic group to forgo its religion and have faith in only the Chinese state and government but technology has shown what is going on in camps the Uyghurs are being oriented towards believing in only the Chinese state. This is not fair and the world has exposed the Chinese design as people anywhere including China should be allowed to practise the religion of their choice. Similarly in some parts of India interfaith marriages between Hindus are being banned because some state governments believe Muslim men deliberately want to marry Hindu girls to increase the population of Muslims . That ban too is uncivilized and to me is as bad as trying to impose gay marriages which are un African on those who believe marriage should be between a man and a woman
Fortunately interfaith marriages are quite popular in Nigeria and have served to cement our unity and understanding of each other in spite of our diversity and differences. In the South west where the farmers and herders clash often, interfaith marriage is popular and families go to ceremonies at churches and mosques to celebrate and mourn with each other as required. Many Northerners who are mainly Muslims are married to other tribes from many parts of the nation and so are many Southerners who are Christians. Indeed interfaith marriage can be cited as a main reason why Nigerians can never go to war again after the last civil war. Again we say it is the duty of government to provide security for all Nigerians where ever they live We believe fervently that once that is done, it should stem the tide of the false drums of war or is it auditory hallucination , we seem to be hearing every day on insecurity , as people air their grudges and frustrations as if they are at their tethers end. Once again from the fury of this pandemic Good Lord Deliver Nigeria.
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