Today, despite interdependence of
nations on economic and other
spheres of life, a sovereign state is
expected not only to be independent
in her relationship with other
countries in matters crucial to her
survival but also competent to
handle her affairs without resorting
to others.
Limitation to the interdependence of
nations becomes obvious in matters
on which a sovereign state cannot
compromise. The most important
of such matter is security. Without
security, there cannot be a
conducive atmosphere for
economic, commercial activities, not
to talk of learning, industrial
progress and development.
The government, as the agent of the
state, is charged by the 1999 Federal
Republic of Nigeria Constitution to
guarantee security of lives and
property. On Boko Haram sect
threatening national security, the
authorities responsible for internal
security and police routine duties
have woefully failed.
It appears the Federal Government
is complacent on issues of security.
The authorities are unrealistically
optimistic that nothing untowards
would happen. When it does, the
unprepared Federal Government
shivers, trembles and scampers to
other countries for assistance and
rescue.
After the bombing of Abuja last
October to scare away people from
attending the independence golden
jubilee of Nigeria at Eagle Square in
Abuja by the South-South militants,
the government sought assistance
of Mossad, Israeli security agency.
The Boko Haram, an Islamic sect,
opposed to Western education,
bombed the police headquarters,
Louis Edet House, in Abuja and the
Federal Government shamelessly
invited the United States (US) Federal
Bureau of Investigation to unravel
those behind the dastardly act that
claimed many lives and property.
Now, that the Customs and Excise
House in Maiduguri, Borno State,
has been bombed, which country is
the government running to for
solution? Complacence is the
mother of myopia in state’s affairs.
It, undoubtedly, begets perdition.
Complacence has infected the
gamut of Nigerian security agencies
and even political bosses.
Roman empire began its march to
collapse when the emperor and his
military subordinates resorted to
fighting their war with auxiliary
soldiers, who were not Romans. To
farm out Nigeria’s security
challenges is the worse crime
reasonable government will commit
against its people. Have the clowns
in the corridor of power forgotten
that the US has predicted that
Nigeria will fall apart in year 2015?
Last year, the south-south militants
invaded Atlas Cove Jetty in Lagos.
If the buccaneers were an invading
legion, they would have overrun
and occupied a large expanse of the
country’s hinterland before the
complacent Nigerian Navy and its
Air Force and Army counterparts
would wake up from their slumber
to confront the enemy.
When the Boko Haram came out of
its lair in Bauchi 2009, killing,
maiming and vandalising property,
the police checkmated the sect’s
leader, Yusuf, and indiscretionally
killed him extra-judicially. What the
police did is wrong and indefensible.
Yusuf’s followers felt aggrieved.
Now, as a phoenix, the sect has
risen from the doziness of last
pummeling of the police. Its
members have adopted guerrilla
tactics riding motorcycles to unleash
murder and arson on the people.
Today, Boko Haram has created
fear, insecurity and uncertainty. The
sect has proved that its snake’s head
was scotched not cut. Surprisingly,
the army is mounting road blocks
and adopting conventional method
to fight them.
Robert Watt in an Essay on the
Polity, defines polity as a people and
a constable. The constable, which in
this instance, represents all the state
security agencies is to ensure order,
peace and good governance. The
Federal Government which controls
the army and the police should be
held responsible. May be. The
President gets his too and the heads
of the three tiers of government are
not accountable to the public on
how they spend the monthly
security votes. Have they been
spending the vote on security or
pocketing it as their cut of the
national cake?
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