By Bala Ibrahim
In the famous Italian western movie of the sixties, titled the Good, the Bad and the Ugly, Eli Wallace, who played the Ugly under the name Tuco, was enjoying a bubble bath in the bathroom, when an enemy (Mario I suppose), that has long been out looking for revenge, walked in. Seeing Tuco naked and presumably helpless in the water, the enemy brought out his gun and started talking about how long he had waited for such a day to come. Now he got him exactly in the position he wants him, and surely the end for the poor Tuco. Unknown to him, Tuco never leaves things to chance, or trusts any one, including himself. As he was busy making mouth and foolishly celebrating, Tuco raised his gun from under the foam and shot him straight, severally. While he was crawling on the floor from the devastation, Tuco gave him another parting shot and said, “When you have to shoot shoot, don’t talk!”
Today, Nigeria under PMB is almost in a similar scenario, as the government seems to be sliding towards slumber, while the quantity and quality of the enemies are silently swelling.
Organized crime syndicates are on the loose and on the increase, through kidnaping for ransom, attacks on the police and incessant agitations for the balkanization of the country. These tricks have succeeded in drawing the attention of the international community, just as they are forcing some state governments to succumb, or negotiate with the criminals, by paying huge sums of money as ransom to secure the freedom of abducted school children.
On Tuesday, 11/05/21, PMB was compelled to preside over the National Security Council. It was the third in two weeks, and the mission is simply to stem the tide of the unending insecurity situation in the country.
Almost concurrently, another security meeting was holding in the south, by the governors of the southern region, which had in attendance 13 state governors and two deputy governors.
According to their statement, the southern governors meeting was to review the insecurity situation in the country, as well as the secession agitations and restructuring. But from the emphasis and body language of the chairman, who is the governor of Ondo state, Rotimi Akeredolu, they were more particular on open grazing of cattle, which they linked to the incessant killings by armed herders, and the movement of bandits to the Southern part of the country.
In summary, a 12 point agenda was released, with a ban on open grazing. According to them, “the population growth in the southern region has put pressure on available land, and increased the prospects of conflicts between migrating herders and host communities. The Federal Government should support willing states to develop alternative and modern livestock management systems. As such, urgent and bold steps should be taken to restructure the Nigerian federation for it to make progress. There is the need for the evolution of state police, review of revenue allocation formula in favour of the sub-national governments and creation of other institutions which legitimately advance our commitment to and practice of true federalism.”
Similarly, on the same day, the Pan Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere, had a meeting, wherein they called on PMB to resign with immediate effect. The group claimed that Buhari’s administration has failed to address insecurity and economic challenges confronting Nigeria.
In the south south, tension is high and the bubble is about to bust, over the reluctance of the president to direct Senator Godswill Akpabio, the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs to do the needful, by inaugurating the Board of the Niger Delta Development Commission.
While this is happening, in Akwa Ibom State, of the same south south, the Commissioner of Police, Amiengheme Andrew, was crying over the loss of 21 personnel, 9 vehicles, and 11 firearms as a result of the series of attacks by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), in conjunction with Eastern Security Network. (ESN). The commissioner disclosed this when Governor Udom Emmanuel led members of his executive to the police headquarters to commiserate with them on the deaths of some operatives.
In the north, Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, the spokesman of the Northern Elders Forum (NEF), was busy on air calling on members of the National Assembly to impeach the President, because of his failure to solve Nigeria’s insecurity problems.
Even at the doorstep of the President, there was an attempted robbery on Monday, where “unknown” persons tried to burgle the residence of the president’s chief of staff, Prof Ibrahim Gambari. Unknown persons, with a known agenda, I think.
In the face of these challenges, the government needs to go beyond the conventional and irritating rhetoric like the one coming out of the mouth of the minister for Information and Culture Lai Mohammed, that the Nigerian government and its security personnel have the wherewithal to crush all forms of insecurity in the country.
Also, the nation would appreciate it more, if the National Security Adviser, Gen. Monguno would allow the security chiefs to do their job, without the repeated, unending, boring, and tiresome public statements, that never yielded any positive result, viz, “the president has directed us to go after the criminals.” Gen. Monguno has said this times without number.
For God’s sake, in the first place, what were you employed to do? Pamper the criminals, or go after the law abiding citizens? And do you need the president to tell you this, or direct you every day?
When you have to shoot shoot, don’t talk, please.
