₦airaland Forum

A prominent member of the British parliament,
Mr. Andrew Rosindell has
questioned the UK foreign secretary, Mr.
William Hague, on the country’s
engagement with Nigeria’s leading opposition
party, the All Progressives
Congress (APC), over the Boko Haram
menace.
This came after a debate in parliament in which
Labour MP Sandra Osborne
sought to examine allegations of links between
APC and the insurgents.
The increasing questioning of the UK
government by MPs on the issue may
force an enquiry into the allegations.
However, APC spokesman, Alhaji Lai
Mohammed, told TheCable on Friday that
he was not aware of any meeting between the
leadership of APC and Hague.
Rosindell, a conservative who represents
Romford and is a member of the
influential foreign affairs committee, sent in his
written questions
─ called “notices” ─ on Tuesday,
July 8.
Hague is mandated to formally respond to
Rosindell’s questions in the
coming weeks on behalf of the British
government. T
he questions, listed under “notices for written
answer”, were published on
the website of the UK parliament. Rosindell’s
queries relating to Boko
Haram, as listed, are:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and
Commonwealth Affairs, if he
will commission an inquiry into the international
support network for Boko
Haram in Nigeria and Cameroon; and if he will
make a statement. (Notice
no. 204402)
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and
Commonwealth Affairs, what
discussions (a) he and (b) other Ministers in his
Department have had with
leading members of the Nigerian opposition
party, the All Progressive
Congress; and if he will make a statement.
(204401)
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and
Commonwealth Affairs, what
assessment he has made of the rise in Islamic
terrorism in Nigeria.
(204387) To ask the Secretary of State for
Foreign and Commonwealth
Affairs, what support his Department plans to
offer to Nigeria in tackling
the threat of Boko Haram. (204388)
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and
Commonwealth Affairs, what
assessment he has made of links between Boko
Haram and other Islamic
extremist groups in Africa. (204389)
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and
Commonwealth Affairs, if he
will discuss with his counterpart in Cameroon
the need for constructive
dialogue between that country and Nigeria in
tackling Boko Haram; and if
he will make a statement. (204390)
Also at a recent meeting in parliament, led by
Henry Jackson Society and
chaired by an MP, John Glen, who is a close
adviser to Prime Minister
David Cameron, similar allegations were raised
that key APC members are
supporters and financiers of Boko Haram “for
ideological and political
means”.
The UK is now showing more than a passing
interest in the Boko Haram
threat after the kidnap of hundreds of
schoolgirls in Chibok, Borno State,
in April. Hague, at an international summit on
rape in warzones held in
London in June, reaffirmed the UK’s “strong
and united commitment to
defeat Boko Haram [and] to end the scourge of
terrorism in Nigeria”.
President Goodluck Jonathan recently launched
the Safe School Initiative
with the support of the British government.
Although Jonathan has not
directly accused APC of having links with
Boko Haram, the Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP) to which he belongs
has constantly tied the
opposition to the insurgents.
Recently, an APC member, Mr. Femi Fani-
Kayode, defected to the PDP,
accusing some top members of the opposition
party of having sympathy for
Boko Haram.
APC has consistently denied these allegations
and accused the presidency
and PDP of playing politics with national
security.
Source.
www.pointblanknews.com/pbn/exclusive/u-k-may-probe-link-between-apc-and-boko-haram/

A prominent member of the British parliament,
Mr. Andrew Rosindell has
questioned the UK foreign secretary, Mr.
William Hague, on the country’s
engagement with Nigeria’s leading opposition
party, the All Progressives
Congress (APC), over the Boko Haram
menace.
This came after a debate in parliament in which
Labour MP Sandra Osborne
sought to examine allegations of links between
APC and the insurgents.
The increasing questioning of the UK
government by MPs on the issue may
force an enquiry into the allegations.
However, APC spokesman, Alhaji Lai
Mohammed, told TheCable on Friday that
he was not aware of any meeting between the
leadership of APC and Hague.
Rosindell, a conservative who represents
Romford and is a member of the
influential foreign affairs committee, sent in his
written questions
─ called “notices” ─ on Tuesday,
July 8.
Hague is mandated to formally respond to
Rosindell’s questions in the
coming weeks on behalf of the British
government. T
he questions, listed under “notices for written
answer”, were published on
the website of the UK parliament. Rosindell’s
queries relating to Boko
Haram, as listed, are:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and
Commonwealth Affairs, if he
will commission an inquiry into the international
support network for Boko
Haram in Nigeria and Cameroon; and if he will
make a statement. (Notice
no. 204402)
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and
Commonwealth Affairs, what
discussions (a) he and (b) other Ministers in his
Department have had with
leading members of the Nigerian opposition
party, the All Progressive
Congress; and if he will make a statement.
(204401)
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and
Commonwealth Affairs, what
assessment he has made of the rise in Islamic
terrorism in Nigeria.
(204387) To ask the Secretary of State for
Foreign and Commonwealth
Affairs, what support his Department plans to
offer to Nigeria in tackling
the threat of Boko Haram. (204388)
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and
Commonwealth Affairs, what
assessment he has made of links between Boko
Haram and other Islamic
extremist groups in Africa. (204389)
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and
Commonwealth Affairs, if he
will discuss with his counterpart in Cameroon
the need for constructive
dialogue between that country and Nigeria in
tackling Boko Haram; and if
he will make a statement. (204390)
Also at a recent meeting in parliament, led by
Henry Jackson Society and
chaired by an MP, John Glen, who is a close
adviser to Prime Minister
David Cameron, similar allegations were raised
that key APC members are
supporters and financiers of Boko Haram “for
ideological and political
means”.
The UK is now showing more than a passing
interest in the Boko Haram
threat after the kidnap of hundreds of
schoolgirls in Chibok, Borno State,
in April. Hague, at an international summit on
rape in warzones held in
London in June, reaffirmed the UK’s “strong
and united commitment to
defeat Boko Haram [and] to end the scourge of
terrorism in Nigeria”.
President Goodluck Jonathan recently launched
the Safe School Initiative
with the support of the British government.
Although Jonathan has not
directly accused APC of having links with
Boko Haram, the Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP) to which he belongs
has constantly tied the
opposition to the insurgents.
Recently, an APC member, Mr. Femi Fani-
Kayode, defected to the PDP,
accusing some top members of the opposition
party of having sympathy for
Boko Haram.
APC has consistently denied these allegations
and accused the presidency
and PDP of playing politics with national
security.
Source
www.pointblanknews.com/pbn/exclusive/u-k-may-probe-link-between-apc-and-boko-haram/

Here's the English translation, courtesy of our
colleagues over at Dirty Tackle :
"Hi David Luiz,
My name is Ana Luz.
I saw all of the Brazil games in the World Cup
and I liked it a lot watching you play.
I think that you don't need to be sad because
you played well and did the best you could.
You were a great captain.
Life is like this, sometimes people lose and
sometimes people win but people only need to
be happy.
David Luiz, you are my champion.
Ana Luz Penna Reale"
The defender wrote a message back to little
Ana:
"Many thanks Princess Ana, loved your letter!
And many thanks to all Brazilians for the
support. I'll never give up my dreams, and I will
always strive to give back all the love I receive!
God bless you all!"

The political upheaval in Osun state is getting craze and its becoming very obvious that there maybe world War 3 in the state,there are three sensitive towns in Osun state where the Political atmosphere is getting tense namely Ile-ife,Ilesa and Osogbo.
In Ilesa for example there was a political turmoil last week where Ogbeni Aregbesola's posters and bill boards were torn by people who were said to loyalist of Senator Iyiola Omisore
Yesterday at ile-ife around itakogun area,members of APC who met some hawkers on the way harrassed many people who are and are not PDP loyalist,making it compulsory for them to Always respond to them when ever they say APC.
In osogbo,though there has not been any upheaval like those in Ile-ife and Ilesa but there are heavy indications that something is cooking especially around Oke fia where an upheaval was averted on Monday.
The problem which is now obvious is that Youth of osun state have lost their common sense. They have been beclouded by token amount giving to them. How will I be fighting because of someone who is aspiring for posts. Why can't aregbe and omisore including all the honorables not bring out their children to be fighting one and other with cutlass and guns. They have allowed themselves to be turned instruments. That is why I say poverty has beclouded our reasoning. Eje ka ronu, ki atun ero inu wa pa.

Any Osun state University graduate In the house.

Although the Ekiti governorship election of June
21 was celebrated nationally and internationally,
the All Progressives Congress (APC) acted true to
type in its refusal to accept defeat. While the US
government hailed the election as a landmark,
Mr Babatunde Fashola of Lagos called the
intelligence of the Ekiti people to question,
saying the PDP induced the people with money.
Beyond media propaganda, Fashola is just
another unskilled actor in the political arena,
bereft of the enduring philosophy for which true
progressives (the Bola Iges, the Jakandes) are
known. It was however the leader of the
imaginary State of Osun, Mr Rauf Aregbesola,
that acted the lead role in the APC's comedy of
errors. Speaking in Ikirun, penultimate Tuesday,
the new political analyst claimed that the poll, in
which the APC candidate and governor of the
state, Kayode Fayemi, lost scandalously even in
his own local government area, was rigged.
Aregbesola's lullaby: "We have not seen the
mystery of what they did in Ekiti. They rigged the
poll there. But we are looking at them. What they
did in Ekiti is not possible in Osun and we are
going to resist it at all costs."
There goes the binary dichotomy (we versus
they; saint versus sinner, light versus darkness)
for which the APC has acquired an indelible
notoriety in Nigerian politics. The governor then
inadvertently predicted his own fall: "They are
day dreaming. Osun is like a wood or tree
swarmed by ants, you cannot hold it." Any tree
which dares the ants and other miniature
creatures will decay slowly but steadily. But
perhaps Aregbesola, who wrote WAEC as his
academic qualification, as published in the papers
even though he claims to be an engineer, is not
conversant with biology.
But Aregbesola's tantrums need not detain us
here. Our main point his call for rebellion in
Osun, a move informed by a lack of historical
education. He said: "Any security agent, be it
policeman or soldier, that flouts the laws, we
would show them that we are true sons of the
Yoruba ethnic group. I said it in Iwo and I'm
repeating it here. Ekiti has gone. The state has
chosen its path. Let us forget about it. It is
democracy. Any security agent, who does not
flout the law, would be our friend. Any other one
that goes contrary to the law, we would deal with
him." He told his "State Boys" not to be rattled by
any threat from the security agencies, stressing:
"They are afraid of you. They threatened to lock
down Osun. Be ready, nothing will happen.
Remain unshaken."
In Aregbesola's reductionist world, there are no
true sons of Odua among the security agencies.
Indeed, he may not know about the Maji Maji
uprising, a violent resistance to colonial rule in
the German colony of East Africa, following a
German policy designed to force African peoples
to grow cotton for export, lasting from 1905 to
1907. The policy bred social discontent and the
people were justly angry. A rogue named
Kinjikitile Ngwale, who claimed to be possessed
by a snake spirit, however saw a golden
opportunity in the people's calamity. He gave his
followers war medicine which he claimed would
turn German bullets into water. Kinjeketile's
"war medicine" was in fact water (maji in Swahili)
mixed with castor oil and millet seeds. And so,
armed with spears and other lowly weapons, and
believing in their war medicine, Kinjeketile's
followers challenged German troops, who were
armed with machine guns. As the machine guns
mowed them down, the freedom fighters
realized their error, but it was too late. Those
who were lucky retreated, throwing away their
bottles of war medicine and crying, "The maji is a
lie!". Said a historian: "The Maji-Maji rebellion
left 15 Europeans and 389 native soldiers and
tens or even hundreds of thousands of
insurgents and innocent bystanders dead. It also
broke the spirit of the people to resist and the
colony remained calm, thanks also to a change of
governors which brought a more enlightened
regime, until the outbreak of World War I. Lions
in the area developed a taste for human flesh in
the wake of the slaughter and the Songea region
is still plagued by man-eaters."
Indeed, if the Ngoni/Maji Maji soldiers who had a
just cause to fight, nevertheless lost the battle
owing to false weapons, with which weapons is
Aregbesola, who has no just battle to fight,
planning to deal with the security agencies? How
on earth can a man who turned graduates to
labourers cutting grass with machetes under the
hot sun on a salary of N10,000 per month in the
21st century be seeking second term? What kind
of egregious insult is this? To compound matters,
he seeks to re-install himself in Government
House with a ragtag army of State Boys!
Although the security agencies that Aregbesola is
preparing his State Boys to confront are not an
army of occupation, only morons would dare
them on election day as they strive to keep the
peace and give the nation another landmark
election that would drive the nation's democracy
to greater heights. If Aregbesola is prepared to
confront erring security agencies (erring, because
they would not allow election rigging), he should
rouse members of his own family, not other
people's children, to the battle. Had Aregbesola
run a purposeful government, he would not now
be chasing shadows, heating up the polity and
stoking the fires of a foolish war, just because he
has correctly foreseen his impending defeat in
August. The Osun people, battered by his misrule,
are prepared to rout him from Government
House. They will speak with their votes, defy
Aregbesola's State Boys, and then the drums of
true leadership devoid of vile propaganda will
begin to sound in Osun. Truly, the Osun people
are people of honour (iyi), and they will prove it
in a few day's time. As for the State Boys whom
the governor has asked to deal with the security
agencies, they should keep a date with the
Yoruba Apala exponent, Haruna Isola: "Aro to
loju, to nimu, to n dite m'ara adugbo wipe k'ogun
o de, aanu won se mi."
Isola pitied the cripples crying for war. And so do
enlightened Nigerians.
*Aribisala is based in Ilesha, Osun State.
www.m.allafrica.com/stories/201407071225.html/?maneref=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2Fm%3Fq%3Daregbesola%26client%3Dms-opera-mini%26channel%3Dnew

I call my grama every saturday tho,not only her the grand mother of my wife too,I do call dem every saturday.

Political Campaign towards next month
governorship election in Osun State became
violent on Monday as supporters of the ruling All
Progressive Congress (APC) and the Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP) engaged in a violent clash
leaving several people injured.
Governor Aregbesola of Osun state (L) and Sen.
Iyiola Omisore
Following the violent clash, both parties pointed
accusing fingers at each other in a statement
made available to African Examiner.
In his own statement, the Director of Media and
Strategy of Omisore Campaign Organisation, Mr.
Diran Odeyemi said:
“The attack was led by some leaders of the APC
and members of the State Boys, a group of
political thugs funded by the state government .
“The coordinated attack on the PDP members
was launched immediately after a purported rally
of the APC. More than six vehicles belonging to
innocent PDP members were destroyed,
countless numbers of shops were razed and
looted and several members of our party beaten
and attacked with machetes.
“We have implored our members to remain law
abiding while we have notified the police and
other security agencies of this unwarranted
attacks on innocent PDP members who are going
about their lawful business.”
While the Director of Publicity, Research and
Strategy of the APC, Mr. Kunle Oyatomi in his
own statement explained thus:
“People came in their thousands and showed
support and solidarity in a manner that any first
timer in Ile-Ife would readily believe and truly so,
that Aregbesola has no competitor in the state.
“Before Omisore stepped into the arena, Osun
has been peaceful under Aregbesola. But a
potentially threat to violence surfaced with
Omisore, over interest in becoming governor”.
“The question all intelligent people should ask
themselves is how can a government of APC that
is conscious of critical relationship between
peace and development turn round to create
violence to stall the very same socio and
environmental development it has brought
about in Osun?
“In whose interest therefore is violence
necessary in Osun if not the PDP?”


www.africanexaminer.com/several-injured-as-pdp-apc-supporters-clash-in-osun/

The Guardian Sports listed the top 10
goalkeepers in Brazil for the 2014 World Cup.
Leading at number 1 is Manuel Neuer of
Germany, while Enyeama ranks 4th.
Read the profile.
“
Another goalkeeper who arrived after a
record-breaking season at club level.
Enyeama carried on the form that made him
nigh-on unbeatable for Lille, pulling off a
series of extraordinary saves, starting in the
first match against Iran, when Nigeria
dominated but would have lost if the
goalkeeper had not kept enough
concentration to tip away a header from Reza
Ghoochannejhad.
He then kept Bosnia-Herzegovina at bay
before thwarting Lionel Messi and Argentina
for long periods despite conceding three.
When a goalkeeper falls below perfection,
however, he can be punished severely and
Enyeama’s mishandling of a cross against
France enabled Paul Pogba to score the
winning goal and ruined another otherwise
immaculate performance.
Full List
1. Manuel Neuer, Germany
2. Guillermo Ochoa, Mexico
3. Keylor Navas, Costa Rica
4. Vincent Enyeama, Nigeria
5. Tim Howard, USA
6. Rais M’Bolhi, Algeria
7. Júlio César, Brazil
8. Thibaut Courtois, Belgium
9. David Ospina, Colombia
10. Tim Krul, Holland


Source---www.bellanaija.com/2014/07/08/vincent-enyeama-named-4th-best-goalkeeper-at-brazil-2014-world-cup/

BRASÍLIA — This has been a history-
making World Cup for Africa, and not
just for the number of contentious
meetings, suspensions and
threatened player boycotts. For the
first time, two teams from the soccer-
adoring continent advanced to the
knockout stage of the tournament.
But that sense of accomplishment
succumbed to reality in a matter of
hours Monday as both teams battled
hard but lost to favored opponents,
leaving behind more lasting images
of training ground strikes, cash-laden
airplanes and an assortment of
missed opportunities.
Algeria lost to Germany, 2-1, in
overtime and Nigeria lost to France,
2-0, leaving Africa without a team in
the quarterfinals for the first time
since 2006. No African team, despite
a history of dazzling players, has
ever reached the semifinals.
“Why do we go home early?”
Nigeria’s coach, Stephen Keshi, said
after Nigeria’s elimination on
Monday. “If I were on the field
playing I don’t think I would want to
go home. Maybe there are some
players without too much focus on
the game, and there’s probably a lot
of things that are going on.”
Five African teams qualified for the
World Cup, and three of them,
including Nigeria, engaged in some
player protest or impromptu
negotiations with their soccer
federations over money they were
concerned they would never see.
Cameroon took the initiative even
before the team boarded its plane for
Brazil, with the players demanding
their appearance fee for the World
Cup up front, in cash. Or else, they
said, they would not go. Last week
the players from Ghana refused to
practice and threatened a player
strike in their game against Portugal
unless they quickly received more
than $3 million, cash in hand.
One day later, the players from
Nigeria also refused to practice and
made the same demand of their
soccer federation: Pay us now, in
cash, or we go home.
Ultimately, the presidents of Ghana
and Nigeria intervened to settle the
turmoil, but not before more rancor
bubbled up. Two of Ghana’s best
players — Kevin-Prince Boateng and
Ali Sulley Muntari — were suspended
before the final game when the
disputes grew more personal.
The World Cup is the grandest
sporting event on the planet, a
chance for every nation to show off
to the world, through its soccer
teams. But unattractive issues
sometimes emerge, too.
“I think every national soccer team
reflects its country’s characteristics,”
said Steve Bloomfield, the author of
“Africa United: How Football
Explains Africa.” “In Africa, these
problems sometimes crop up. But it is
not only Africa. Four years ago,
France fell apart, and it wouldn’t be a
World Cup without seeing the
Netherlands implode.”
To be sure, France, the Netherlands
and England have at times been
splintered through infighting, and in
1974 West Germany nearly staged a
boycott ahead of its own World Cup
over a payment dispute.
Italy has been embroiled in scandals
involving top clubs, and Ireland has
had public spats over payments to
players, too. Even Johan Cruyff, the
great Dutch star, once refused to
wear his Adidas team jersey because
he was paid by Puma.
But in recent years some of the
Western African nations have taken
the money squabbling to new levels.
At the 2006 World Cup, Togo
boycotted a training session and
threatened to skip a game in order to
force its soccer association to pony up
the dough.
Ghana’s one-day training strike last
week before the arrival of its cash
came two days before it played a
pivotal game against Portugal. It was
no way to prepare for a critical
contest, and Ghana lost, 2-1.
On Thursday, before their game
against France, the Nigerian players
followed the Ghanaians’ lead,
refusing to practice and threatening
to strike unless they were paid.
Eventually, President Goodluck
Jonathan intervened and assured the
players that after the World Cup they
would get their money.
Keshi denied that there was ever a
threat of a Nigerian strike and said a
visit to the team from government
officials Sunday included a bonus
payment. The rest of the money is
expected to arrive later.
“Whatever money that we got was
just a bonus to encourage every
individual to come out and do his best
today,” he said.
Africa is a continent as diverse as any
other, but the countries that do send
their teams to the World Cup often do
not have the same resources of many
of their competitors. Some of them
also grapple with issues of corruption
and favoritism.
Sean Jacobs, a self-described “terrible
club player” from Cape Town teaches
a course called Global Soccer, Global
Politics at the New School in New
York. He noted that Algeria had no
discernible issues at this World Cup,
and played very well, but that
financial problems do tend to afflict
the Western African countries.
“Every tournament since 1990
Cameroon has had a problem with
money,” Jacobs said. He said that
there was no accountability for some
of the soccer associations in Africa
and that they “act with impunity.”
“I don’t want to talk about this
because we have become a
laughingstock,” said one Ghanaian
journalist, who asked not to be
identified. He was not the same
journalist who booed the players
after the Portugal game, prompting
Asamoah Gyan, a Ghanaian forward,
to try to fight the man.
The success of numerous African
players in the richest leagues in
Europe and elsewhere is a factor in
the recurring disputes. Upon
experiencing the first-class travel and
guaranteed money of those leagues,
those players are less tolerant of
anything less than that from their
national soccer associations.
Bloomfield, who is a former
correspondent for The Independent
newspaper in Kenya, said African
players are often distrustful of their
soccer associations and said he did
not blame them for feeling that way.
Most soccer associations pay their
players after the World Cup, once
FIFA, world soccer’s governing body,
has made its disbursements.
But some players in Africa have
concluded that their only leverage
comes before a World Cup game,
even it if appears they are holding
their nation for ransom. Bloomfield
reckons that star players like Boateng
and Didier Drogba of the Ivory Coast
now actually have more influence
than their own soccer associations,
which enables them to push the
payment issue on behalf of their
teammates, any number of whom do
not play in Europe and do not earn
nearly as much money.
The Ivory Coast did not have any
public disputes in this World Cup, but
with one of the most talented teams
in the tournament, they were
disappointed not to fare better.
Drogba, however, said the reason
Africans teams haven’t advanced as
far as the World Cup semifinals has
more to do with probability than
financial disputes.
“We only have five teams in the
World Cup out of 32,” he said.
FIFA has been watching all the
turmoil and has been involved in the
recent pay negotiations. In the future,
it wants to eliminate the problem.
“It’s sad that we end up with stories
where we are talking about a strike
and the players would not play if
they don’t receive their money,” said
FIFA’s general secretary, Jérôme
Valcke. “The fact that the money
came in cash is also sad.”
For the Ghanaian players, it did not
appear sad at all, except for the tax
implications. They each received
crisp stacks of United States bills
equaling more than $100,000 per
man, after the Brazilians took 17
percent at the airport. James Kwesi
Appiah, Ghana’s coach, said the
reason players wanted the money in
cash was a matter of tradition.
“In a normal sense it should be paid
straight to a bank account,” he said.
“But you are coming from a different
area, and you need to understand the
differences.”
One of the Ghanaian players, John
Boye, was photographed kissing his
bundle of cash. The next day, he
accidentally scored a goal against his
own team as Ghana’s World Cup
ended in acrimony. In a tournament
that held so much promise for Africa,
the rest of the teams are gone, too.
Source. www.mobile.nytimes.com/2014/07/01/sports/worldcup/world-cup-2014-african-soccer-overshadowed-by-protests.html?_r=0&referrer=

I was fifteen years old when the civil
war broke out in Nigeria. Although
we were living in Ibadan in the
South-west at the time, my
sympathies were totally and
unequivocally with the Igbos. When
a people have been so brutally
butchered by their countrymen as
happened to the Igbos, I felt they had
no choice but to insist on leaving the
country. Therefore, I understood why
the Biafrans went to war and what
they were fighting for. But I could
not, for the life of me, understand
what those on the federal side were
fighting for. Why would anybody
fight for Nigeria?
I lost a first-cousin fighting on the
federal side during the civil war. I
wish I could have found out first-
hand from him why he gave his life
“to keep Nigeria one.” Did he really
believe in Nigeria? I doubt it. Why
then did he join the army after the
war broke out and die in the war?
What about those who fought and
did not die? What was in Nigeria for
them? How did Nigeria justify their
sacrifice of blood and gore after the
war?
Fighting for Nigeria
The question is still pertinent today
as we mobilize to fight the scourge of
the Boko Haram. Why would
anybody fight for Nigeria? What is in
Nigeria for us? There is a difference
between joining an army for career
purposes and believing in Nigeria.
There is a difference between joining
the Nigerian army because you need
a job and dying for Nigeria. There is a
difference between going to war and
getting killed and dying for Nigeria.
For a man to die for Nigeria, he has to
believe in Nigeria. For a man to
believe in Nigeria, Nigeria has to
mean something for him. Nigeria
must have something to offer him.
John Kennedy said: “Ask not what
your country can do for you, ask
what you can do for your country.”
That is all well and good; provided we
have fulfilled the first requirement
which is to identify our country. Most
Nigerians have yet to do this. We are
Igbo, Hausa, Yoruba and every other
possible abridgement or classification
but not Nigerians. We are Christians
and Muslims but not yet Nigerians.
Even after 54 years of Nigerian
independence, and after 100 years of
Nigerian amalgamation, most
Nigerians still do not really consider
themselves to be Nigerians.
We can acknowledge the assistance
of the Americans, the British, the
French and others. But the truth of
the matter is that only a Nigerian can
fight for Nigeria against the Boko
Haram. Only a Nigerian can have the
necessary commitment to endanger
his life in fighting against the
insurgents. However, there are few
Nigerians in Nigeria. As a matter of
fact, most Nigerians are Boko Haram
in one fashion or the other.
Nigerian foreigners
I was upset when I read about a
Nigerian who died fighting in the U.S.
Army in Iraq. He not only became an
American, he fought and died for
America. Every year, thousands of
Nigerians play the American lottery,
hoping to relinquish Nigerian
nationality. Every week, thousands
mass at European, American and
other embassies, hoping to travel out
of Nigeria for good. I even met a
Nigerian barber in poor Gambia and
wondered what he was doing there.
What was he doing in Gambia when
there are better business
opportunities for him in Nigeria;
unless anywhere else is better than
home?
The Lamido of Adamawa threatened
that if things don’t work out in
Nigeria, he would simply pack his
bags and move to Cameroon. It
would appear then that the Lamido is
actually a Cameroonian living in
Nigeria. Most countries go to war to
secure more territories for
themselves. The Russians recently
used the opportunity of a little crisis
in Ukraine go annex the Crimea.
However, Obasanjo gave away a big
chunk of Nigeria’s Bakassi Peninsula
to Cameroon. It did not matter to him
that the people of Bakassi are
Nigerians and not Cameroonians.
While we are shouting “Bring Back
Our Girls” today, we forgot to ask
Obasanjo to bring back our Bakassi
Nigerians yesterday.
Hatred of Nigeria
So many theories have been adduced
as to why the Boko Haram prevail in
Nigeria. Some attribute this to the
acute poverty in the Nigerian North-
east. However, there are countries in
the world far poorer than Nigeria,
and they don’t have their own
versions of the Boko Haram. There
are countries with greater income
disparities than Nigeria, and they
don’t produce the Boko Haram. No
matter how poor are the states of the
North-east, they are not poorer than
the adjoining countries of Niger, Chad
and Cameroon. And yet, there is no
Boko Haram in these poorer
countries.
There is also nothing really Muslim
about the Boko Haram. Other Muslim
countries in Africa and beyond don’t
have Boko Haram. When the Boko
Haram plant bombs in market-places;
the bombs are not programmed to
differentiate between Christians and
Muslims. Recently, the Boko Haram
attacked some Emirs, killing one of
them. Surely, the Emirs were not
Christians but Muslims.
In effect, the Boko Haram is a
wonderfully Nigerian phenomenon.
There is something in Nigeria that
provides a fertile ground for the Boko
Haram. That thing is not limited to
the North-east. That thing bedevils
the whole of Nigeria. That thing is
lack of national identity. That thing is
hatred for Nigeria and for other
Nigerians. The hatred of Nigeria by
Nigerians is so deep and ingrained in
us North and South; East and West.
We are Nigerians, but we hate
Nigeria. We are Nigerians, but we see
nothing good in Nigeria. We are
Nigerians, but we would rather be
something else. If push comes to
shove, we would have no qualms
picking up a gun and killing another
Nigerian in the name of whatever
other allegiance we hold dearer.
Battle for independence
Because there are actually very few
Nigerians in Nigeria, it is difficult to
fight against the Boko Haram. To
fight against the Boko Haram is to
fight against ourselves. Every
Nigerian is either a Boko Haram or a
potential Boko Haram. A Boko
Haram is a Boko Haram because he
does not believe in Nigeria. The rest
of us are Boko Haram because we
also do not believe in Nigeria. We
hate Nigeria with a passion. Murtala
Nyako can fight for his citizens of the
North. Femi Fani-Kayode will readily
call his Oduduwa Republic to arms.
MASSOB will easily rally the troops
for Biafra. But there is practically no
one left to fight for and defend
Nigeria.
Only Nigerians can fight the Boko
Haram, but there are few Nigerians
in Nigeria. That is why it has been
difficult for us to close ranks in the
face of the Boko Haram onslaught.
That is why it is easy for the Boko
Haram to get new local recruits in the
fight against Nigeria. That is also why
it is difficult to identify the Boko
Haram among us. The Boko Haram
and the potential Boko Haramite is
anyone and everyone who hates
Nigeria and does not wish Nigeria
well. That means the Boko Haram
are practically every one of us.
The fight against Boko Haram is a
belated fight for Nigeria’s
independence. In order to fight the
Boko Haram successfully, we have to
become Nigerians. Other countries
fought for their independence but we
never did in Nigeria. Suddenly, we
are now saying “Bring back Our
Girls.” But these Chibok girls were
not “Our Girls” before they were
kidnapped. And even if, by the grace
of God, we were to secure their
release tomorrow; they would
immediately cease to be “Our Girls.”
This makes us no different from the
Boko Haram. The Boko Haram
kidnapped these girls because they
are not theirs. Neither do we consider
them to be ours. They cannot be ours
as long as we do not believe we are
all Nigerians. Therefore, all our
“bring back Our Girls” posturing is
just for show.
Nigerian Boko Haram
Nigerians only become Nigerians in
the rarefied context of a national
football match of short duration. But
even while we are united in
supporting the Super Eagles, we
equally support Arsenal and Chelsea
football clubs in England. There was
no report of any Spaniard dying as a
result of the recent Champion League
football match between Real Madrid
and Atletico Madrid. Nevertheless,
two Nigerian supporters of Real
Madrid died out of anxiety arising
from the match. Because we are Boko
Haram, we even kill ourselves over
matters that don’t pertain directly to
us. I am still waiting for the day that I
go to London and find Britons
wearing T-shirts with Enugu Rangers
or Kano Pillars football clubs
emblazoned on them.
Because we are not Nigerians, we
readily adopt foreign “nations” that
don’t recognize us and call them our
own. Because we don’t believe in
Nigeria, we are easily seduced to take
on other “nationalities.” Because we
are don’t believe in Nigeria, we can
easily be led to believe in another
“nation.” We are easily persuaded to
become Boko Haram. Because we
hate Nigeria, we become Boko Haram
instead of Nigerians. We plant bombs
in the market-place. We bring Nigeria
down instead of building Nigeria up.
Since the children of Chibok are not
our children, we steal the money
meant for enhancing their education
and use it to send our children to
school abroad.
The Boko Haram is not only the man
who blows up buildings and kills the
innocent. The Boko Haram is also
that man who ensures that fake
drugs are sold in our pharmacies,
and that our hospitals are places
where people go to die and not to be
healed. The Boko Haram is not only
that man who says “Western
education is a sin.” The Boko Haram
is also that public official who sits
while our universities are closed
down for six months over an
industrial dispute. The Chibok
incident has brought all these
tendencies into sharp relief. We are
the Boko Haram and the Boko Haram are us.
This Piece was written by Femi Aribisala.
Source-- www.vanguardngr.com/2014/06/boko-haram-3/