A Boko Haram Nigeria at 52
By Emmanuel Udom
Nigeria is the self-acclaimed giant of Africa. With a population of about 150 people clustered in 774 local government areas and 1000 different dialects, our country in indeed a giant for potential local and foreign investors.
On Monday, October 1, 2012, our beloved country will clock 52 years. It calls for celebrations, even as President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan is expected to make a national broadcast any moment from now.
As expected, Jonathan will give the world the score-card of his administration in the last one year. He is also expected to tell us his road-map for delivering democracy dividends on the doorstep of ordinary Nigerians between now and 2015.
While we await his broadcast, let me say here and now that since 2010, Nigeria has been passing through some hellish experiences in the hands of the Boko Haram folks. Unfortunately however, we are still passing through this hell, though the tempo of bombings are slowly grinding to a halt. I heard they have just bombed Zaria.
About 2010, the sleeping Boko Haram sect suddenly woke up and demanded that Nigeria, a multi-religious country must embrace Islam, by force by fire and brimstone.
Determined to show beyond mere threats that they were dead serious, the terrorists bombed Abuja on October, June and December, 2010. The next year, they continued with the same trend and hit Eagle Square, an Army Barrack and the United Nation office and police headquarters in Abuja.
The world rose in unison to condemn these fatal attacks, which had resulted in thousands of persons killed, injured or maimed for life.
In my view, our ever cool, calm and smiling president was angry. He has every right to be. No leader worth his or her salt will allow some faceless persons, who use twitter, facebook and other online sites to wage war against their country to run away with it.
Between 2010 and today, figures source online show that some cool N865 million was budgeted for security with the police getting some N309million to beat the Boko Haram heat and return the country back on the path of progress.
Mohammed Abubakar, the inspector-general of police is not a magician. But, in fairness to him, he and police team have performed wonders. You may call me all sorts of names for this verdict. I do not fear the police.
The police and bloody crime correspondent like me work hand in hand in the serious and deadly business of checkmating insecurity. The Boko Haram tempo is gradually slowing down. Check the records as opposed to tempo propaganda and some media reports.
Therefore, without trying to pre-empt the president on his broadcast, I want to say that in the last one year, the police, SSS, army and other security agents worked real hard and fought the war gallantly. But, insecurity in Nigeria was the major headache.
Like in every other sector, security in our country is on course even as snails speed. Jonathan is a go-slow performing president. Again you are free to blast and call me all sorts of names.
But, beyond the aluta talks some people at the newsstands and the self-imposed activists on facebook, take some time out to do some empirical researches comparing the years before Jonathan came on board.
You see my brother and sister; our country cannot become paradise on earth overnight. Though, we do not need eternity to get to the promised land, Nigeria today compared to the past is on course. God bless Nigeria at 52