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| Scene of Kaduna terorrist attack |
A recent cartoon created by National Mirror’s nimble-fingered chief cartoonist Leke Moses and used in the editorial page of last June 25 edition of the paper is both hilarious and sarcastic. It showed President Goodluck Jonathan in an airborne aircraft with fire extinguisher, destination Brazil to attend the Rio de Janeiro Earth Summit, and assuring he would have it refilled there, come back with it to attack the smoldering insecurity inferno in the nation. Since the Nigerian leader returned from the trip, he had taken some very hard and significant decisions, top of which is the major shakeup in the nation’s defence and security set up. Both the National Security Adviser, General Andrew Azazi and Defence Minister, Dr. Haliru Bello were relieved of their posts, an action Mr. President said was necessary to bring fresh ideas into the nation’s security strategic enforcement framework (SEF).
He also shook the nation when he sacked the entire management of the Nigeria Na-tional Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) in what is generally seen as the resolve of Mr. President to fight corruption. He promised more of such actions to a nation hobbled by both corruption and impunity. And Nigerians are awaiting the fulfillment. With the ferocious escalation of insurgency in the North and the looming religious war in the land, pundits expected something to give.
That Nigeria is sitting on a keg of gun-powder is an understatement. A serious implosion is imminent. Strategic intervention is necessary to contain it. The people are yet to see the gravitas from their leaders. “We are on top of the situation” has become the usual official refrain each time there is a serious ugly occurrence like bomb attacks and the resultant deaths.
Many Nigerians have begun to see this mantra as the evidence of ‘non- performance’ on the part of the political leadership. I think many Nigerians like me, are tired of this ‘we are on top of the situation’ man-tra. They need evidence of the success of the government’s policy recipe. The present government should get it acts together and stop the mounting carnage that has become a recurring index of how bad things have gone in this country. Amidst the height of security challenge in Kaduna and Yobe states recently, the President chose to embark on a foreign trip to Brazil.
This decision only goes to show the level of disconnect between the leaders and the led. While justifying the trip’s expediency, President Jonathan had said it was to deny the terrorists any room for jubilation, where they would see it as having strangulated the leaders of the country from attending major global events.
He also said embarking on the trip was to avoid sending the wrong signals to the international community on the level of insecurity in the country.
Nice talk! I concede that the executive bravado could have its fine point, nevertheless, our leaders have nothing to impress the all-too-knowing international commu-nity.
A man whose house is on fire cannot impress other people in the village square by telling tales of the degree of security and fortification of his abode.One of the disadvantages of the internet age is that information one thinks is exclusive is easily accessed.
The embattled Julian Assange of the WikiLeaks saga has attracted many foes globally when he exposed files ‘not meant for public consumption’.
The point I am making is that the level of insecurity in the country and the apparent dismal handling of the issue by the governments are not issues that the international community is oblivious of. Recently, the United States named and placed three members of the Boko Haram sect in its terrorists list.
Some of these names were unknown within Nigeria until the Americans ex-posed them.
This tells a lot about the sophistication of the intelligence gathering processes of the US.I must add that the other apparent area of disconnect between Nigerians and their leaders is also seen when governments continue to reiterate that they are performing and that they are in the stage of build-ing foundations for futuristic economic benefits whose delivery the people are not seeing.
President Jonathan, in his recent media chat, stated the obvious that many Nigerians are criticizing and abusing his administration. But, I don’t see this as abuse, but reactions of discerning Nigerians yearning for and seeking succour from their leader and not getting them.
Methinks the existing lacuna between the seeming vigour with which Jonathan administration is tackling the multifarious economic and security challenges and the trickles of results observable are far below the expectations of the people.The political leadership should brace up for serious jobs.
Appreciative Nigerians will rally to their support when their ac-tions are yielding commensurate results.
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