Boko Haram: If Only I Were The President

I have always believed that only two tools are viable if a country is to be free from chaos, these are:

1. The absolute tyranny tool which allows no room for dissent from the entire citizenry or a segment of it e.g. North Korea, Brunei and to some extent China and Russia.
2. The absolute security and rule of law tool where every single citizen (both ruler and ruled) is held accountable for his or her actions no matter how long it takes e.g. the United kingdom and United States.

There are no in-betweeners here, a country that has none of these is a breeding ground for chaos; Nigeria is a perfect example and Boko Haram is one of the consequences. Sometimes I wonder whom Goodluck Jonathan receives security advice from. He has kept changing the Military leadership in order to beef up the fight against Boko Haram yet to no avail; he declared emergency rule in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa- three of the most affected states- to no avail; according to a sitting Senator, 1.5 billion dollars was spent last year on the Nigerian Military just to combat Boko Haram, to no avail; there were reports that the US, UK, France and China were willing to help fight this group especially as it concerns the kidnapped Chibok girls but that was dead in the water. The list goes on and on but the only visible result is that Boko Haram gets stronger and that they keep sacking the Nigerian Military from their bases and looting their armoury...in fact, the Federal Government ultimately arms Boko Haram through the Nigerian Military.

Another very significant result from our Government's effort to tackle boko Haram is the takeover of Gwoza by Boko Haram and their declaration of a Caliphate a la the Islamic state in Iraq and Syria. This takeover was even long overdue considering that the Sambisa forest had long been handed over to them without putting up a fight. Nigerians should really be worried because if our military can be constantly subdued by a number of internal guerrilla fighters, they can hardly defend the Nation from external top-notch military attacks. At present, the Cameroonian military records more victory in this fight than their Nigerian counterparts and yet we claim that Nigeria is the giant of Africa.

Sadly...very sadly, Nigerians seem not to grasp the enormity of the situation and it even seems lost on the leadership. Boko haram's capability only dawns on us when they bomb Abuja and/or environs...but the truth is that they have constantly decimated our compatriots in remote parts of Borno and have even declared that part of the said region no longer belongs to Nigeria - this is much worse and frightening than any attack in Abuja. Maybe we have come to believe that Boko Haram is endemic to the North-eastern part of Nigeria with sporadic spill overs to other areas; but I bet you that if they are allowed free rein in Borno, it would only be a matter of time before they move to conquer other areas. With a caliphate belonging to Boko Haram, Nigeria may become a point of interest for other terrorist/jihadist groups like the ISIS if it hasn't already.

Moving away from what we already know...where has Nigeria gotten it wrong? Why must GEJ keep sacking and appointing Military heads; allocating billions of dollars to the military, having countless Security Council meetings, renewing the emergency rule in the most affected states, etc. and yet not getting any results? When would he and his advisors understand that these are separatists and that this is war?

I put myself in GEJ's shoes and it dawned on me that I am the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces in Nigeria, that I wield so much power and that it is my responsibility to use this power to keep the country from falling apart and to protect the lives of innocent citizens. It also dawned on me that Nigeria lacks absolute security and rule of law and that it would take decades to get these; therefore the only anti-chaos tool I have is Absolute Tyranny. So would I use it? If yes, how would I?

Yes, Nigeria is under Democratic rule, and tyranny -as most people would say- has no place in such system of governance. But truth be told, not the United States, nor the United Kingdom -both champions in Democracy- would go to a fight against a Terrorist group while dressed in smart suits and clutching portfolios. Therefore, as the President of Nigeria, I would:

•  Declare a total emergency rule in the affected States and the sitting Governors can go to hell!! Let northern leaders and political opponents say all they want but any attempt to steer up violence will be ruthlessly dealt with and the said person (s) locked up. The likes of El'rufai and Buhari WOULD GO DOWN if I hear any statement from them containing “heads that would roll or blood that will be shed". I'm not kidding!!
• Evacuate civilians from the affected regions in preparation for an all-out military action in those areas. Anyone who stays has himself/herself to blame if killed, injured or mistaken for the enemy in battle.
• Let parents of the Chibok girls know the truth of the situation...their girls may never come back and may be killed in battle. It's high time we came to our senses, if we do not wipe out Boko Haram now, more people will be kidnapped. I would bury every iota of sentiment...results would be my only focus.
• Gather soldiers from across the Country...and MOTIVATE them. They would receive the best of military equipment and would be assured that victory, total victory against Boko Haram would mean millions for each involved soldier (dead or alive) and his/her family. An even bigger reward awaits anyone who brings back Shekau to me dead or alive. After all, Nigerian athletes get even more for having fun on tracks and fields.
• Ensure that Security is heightened country-wide especially in states neighbouring the conflict zones.
• Inform neighbouring countries to get ready to gun down fleeing terrorist from our Territory...no fire-to-frying pan, it is going to be fire-to-fire.
• Press "war start", sit back and watch the annihilation of Boko Haram and the fear that would surge through the very souls of idiots who would ever think of challenging the state.
• Wait for Amnesty international to talk bullshit and that would be the end of whatever importance and influence they think they wield.
• Back to normalcy...after all, this is DEMOCRACY. Let's rebuild the affected region and let's compensate every Nigerian affected by the war on Boko Haram.

But alas, I am not the President, at least not yet. If Jonathan is unwilling to use his power, then why is he the President? The truth is that the weakness of the Military lies in his very weakness of intent and strategy. If he has sent soldiers to Borno just to camp, they would be run over by Boko Haram fighters who are ready and willing to fight and this we have seen now and again. Click here to watch, from the 24th minute, how they attacked a military base in Borno, drove them into the hills and looted their armory. Following one of these attacks, the Cameroonian Military reported that they were harboring Nigerian soldiers who fled to them for protection from Boko Haram, and our military replied saying it was a tactical maneuver. This calls for war and our soldiers still do not know if they are in Borno to maintain 'security', or to fight Boko Haram…two very distinct goals and they have woefully failed to accomplish any anyway. 

There is a limit to what an Army’s weaponry can do, no matter how sophisticated…more essential to them is motivation and a concrete plan towards a concrete goal. Right now, the Nigerian military has none.

If only I were the President…  

The Oracle has spoken!!