In the news this Monday morning are two important items: OBJ and GEJ met at Aso Villa Chapel and CAN Ibadan urged politicians to deliver on promises. As part of our nation-building efforts as a people, these news items are important and views and comments are welcome.
In the first place, why will and should anybody feel concerned about OBJ and GEJ? Are they not from the same party? However, a deeper analysis of recent developments in Nigeria suggests that we take a closer look at these two issues. OBJ berated GEJ recently over the spate of violence and insecurity in Nigeria. OBJ faulted GEJ's handling of Boko Haram and criticized the carrot and stick approach the government has adopted over the past years. GEJ's team loudly replied over the weekend that perhaps OBJ has lost touch with reality and, permit me to add, that his sojourn these few years in his Ota farm, has dulled his reasoning. Prior to now, OBJ reminiscenced on his days in power and how he ordered a few places, including Odi and Jesse towns, to be levelled by soldiers. He touted this as the right approach to the Boko Haram's terrorist group.
As an expert in the field, i know that there is no one-size-fits-all solution to the problem and that leaders owe their subjects, including Boko Haram, responsibility for protection. As such, OBJ's view to solving the Boko Haram's problem is not necessarily right and may not even yield any result. He may have deployed maximum force in Odi and Jesse, but Boko Haram is not limited to a particular social space. If we take OBJ's approach, then we will deploy soldiers to all Northern states in Nigeria and kill innocent people! That will be madness!
That said, OBJ cannot be totally dismissed. No body facies GEJ's approach to the problem so far! We seem to know what he would say next. He has given us, Boko Haram inclusive, reasons to believe that he and his handlers are clueless on the matter. At every turn, Boko Haram was winning until US/UK intervention. How long were we to cope with leaders who, at every opportunity, turn to the West for solutions?
This leads me to the second news item - CAN Ibadan asked political leaders to deliver on promise. It is heart warming to hear that CAN, after the debacle of Catholic Church pulling out, to inject itself into the national space and asking its members in government to deliver the goods for which we voted for them. CAN should do more. In the Baptist Mission, we yearly call on members to swear that we are not cultists. CAN should take a leave from that. It should mandate its members to take the political class to task by asking them to publickly declare their rape of the country; to stand up to their constituents and account for their stewardship. Islam shoul do like wise. It is only in this way that Nigerians can localize accountability.
How do we solve the Boko Haram problem? Carrot? Stick? or Carrot and Stick? Your views are of great importance. Thank you.
Oyeniyi
In the first place, why will and should anybody feel concerned about OBJ and GEJ? Are they not from the same party? However, a deeper analysis of recent developments in Nigeria suggests that we take a closer look at these two issues. OBJ berated GEJ recently over the spate of violence and insecurity in Nigeria. OBJ faulted GEJ's handling of Boko Haram and criticized the carrot and stick approach the government has adopted over the past years. GEJ's team loudly replied over the weekend that perhaps OBJ has lost touch with reality and, permit me to add, that his sojourn these few years in his Ota farm, has dulled his reasoning. Prior to now, OBJ reminiscenced on his days in power and how he ordered a few places, including Odi and Jesse towns, to be levelled by soldiers. He touted this as the right approach to the Boko Haram's terrorist group.
As an expert in the field, i know that there is no one-size-fits-all solution to the problem and that leaders owe their subjects, including Boko Haram, responsibility for protection. As such, OBJ's view to solving the Boko Haram's problem is not necessarily right and may not even yield any result. He may have deployed maximum force in Odi and Jesse, but Boko Haram is not limited to a particular social space. If we take OBJ's approach, then we will deploy soldiers to all Northern states in Nigeria and kill innocent people! That will be madness!
That said, OBJ cannot be totally dismissed. No body facies GEJ's approach to the problem so far! We seem to know what he would say next. He has given us, Boko Haram inclusive, reasons to believe that he and his handlers are clueless on the matter. At every turn, Boko Haram was winning until US/UK intervention. How long were we to cope with leaders who, at every opportunity, turn to the West for solutions?
This leads me to the second news item - CAN Ibadan asked political leaders to deliver on promise. It is heart warming to hear that CAN, after the debacle of Catholic Church pulling out, to inject itself into the national space and asking its members in government to deliver the goods for which we voted for them. CAN should do more. In the Baptist Mission, we yearly call on members to swear that we are not cultists. CAN should take a leave from that. It should mandate its members to take the political class to task by asking them to publickly declare their rape of the country; to stand up to their constituents and account for their stewardship. Islam shoul do like wise. It is only in this way that Nigerians can localize accountability.
How do we solve the Boko Haram problem? Carrot? Stick? or Carrot and Stick? Your views are of great importance. Thank you.
Oyeniyi
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