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It is high time we stopped this hide and seek game. The audacity exudes by these ‘guys’ who freely operate is beyond comprehension. One needs to be in Nigeria to believe this. Anyone—outside Nigeria—who reads the news about terrorists threatening to kidnap our President will outrightly discard it as joke. If the threat was made on the 1st of April, I would have discarded it as April Fool. Even if it were so, isn’t that too expensive a joke? But mind you, it isn’t a joke. It is real. Our President was under a threat of being kidnapped. I just pray he is not under a threat. I hope we understand the difference between “was under a threat” and “is under a threat.” We are indeed in a sorry state.
Insecurity in Nigeria has reached a tipping point where all hands must be on deck. Critics of this government and its praise singers must all come together to brainstorm on way out. Workable, implementable and solvable solutions ought to be proffered before these ‘guys’ make real their threat. It is high time we stopped living in denial.
It won’t be funny if praise singers of this government still insist that all is well. Isn’t it funny that Governor El-Rufai of Kaduna State explains that the President isn’t aware of the threat until he informed him? What is even more funny is the fact that our President was ‘rightly’ honored in faraway Liberia to sermonize on insecurity. Each time I try to string events together in Nigeria to make sense out of them I find myself disappointedly dejected. We are really in soup.
Isn’t it ridiculous? Or am I the only one thinking this way? Except perhaps I am not too conversant with history, this, in my short memory, seems to be the first time in Nigerian History where a president will be so ridiculed. If I get the terrorists right, they threatened that the President shall kneel or sit before them like those victims of kidnapping shown to us being beaten and whacked in the viral video. God forbid! May this never happen to our President.
Yes! We may dislike his style of governance and disagree with his policies. We may criticize him for many things, especially for most of our woes. We may claim his government is the worst so far. But can we bear the sight of our President being kept as victim in the custody of terrorist? No. This will be a gory sight, for lack of uglier word. May this never happen to our President. This will cause a serious symbolic damage. If that happens, God forbids, it wouldn’t be about the President anymore. It will be about Nigeria and Nigerians—home and abroad.
Our President should not be a punching bag, no matter what. Don’t get me wrong. This is not to say any other Nigerian should be dehumanized. We all deserve protection and humane treatment. It is unfortunate that Nigerian Government is not pretending anymore to make protection of Nigerians its primary responsibility. In other words, protection of the citizens seems not to be government’s responsibility in Nigeria—or at least under this regime. This is obvious in the plea of those captives who spoke in the viral video. They did not plead to Nigerian Government for obvious reason but rather pleaded to some foreign countries for succor and liberation. This is disgraceful; not to the victims, but to the Government who shirks in virtually all its responsibilities of which security remains the most cardinal.
When people said; “This incident of Kaduna train kidnapping will be written on the ugly page of this administration’s history,” I asked: “which of its pages is beautiful and likeable?” When last did we hear any good news in Nigeria for which credit goes directly to the Government? It is always a heartrending news like stifling hike in prices of commodities, ASUU strike, hundreds of billions of Naira siphoned by government officials, debt costs exceeding revenue, attacks on military formations, stoppage of lecturers’ salaries, loss of jobs, kidnappings here and there; and now threat, and probably attempt, to kidnap the President.
The Federal Capital Territory (Abuja) which should be said to be a safe isolated oasis in the midst of life threatening desert—which Nigeria is—is now what it is. A member of the National Assembly declared that Abuja is not safe anymore and advised his colleagues to stay away and find safety elsewhere—even if it means going back to their constituencies. Perhaps he forgot that many of these constituencies are no longer visitable especially for law makers. These are areas currently experiencing ditching of democracy and installation of ‘banditocracy’.
Now in Abuja—the seat of power—students could no longer go to school. Private universities in Abuja are not left out. Students of these universities who had been getting value for money would have to join their counterparts in government owned universities to learn how to unwillingly sit at home.
If anyone thinks these terrorists are joking, few examples should suffice to convince them that it isn’t a joke. One, the advance team of the President’s convoy was recently attacked in Katsina State. Two, prisoners were effortlessly released in Kuje Prison in Abuja. Three, Presidential Guards Brigade, responsible for protecting the President of Nigeria, was ambushed few days ago. In the ambush, 2 officers and 8 soldiers were reportedly killed. This should give a hint of whom the target is.
Only if we had a listening and existing government, insecurity wouldn’t have ballooned to this proportion. Abuja, even the Aso Villa itself, for long, hasn’t been safe. I captured this in an article I wrote more than a year ago titled; “Your Excellency, Mrs. Aisha Buhari! So You are Right! Aso Villa Not Safe.” Then, the wife of our dear President raised the alarm that the Villa is not safe for her family. Now, Abuja it is not safe for anyone.
We can endlessly opinionate and analyze. But I think what is more important now is prayers; not analysis. What have we not analyzed? Which advice has not been given? What Solution has not been proffered? I regret saying what we need is prayer when I should be informed enough to know that prayers do not work alone without action. But when the Government is adamant not to act, what else do we resort to?
The merciless flogging of Kaduna train victims should move everyone to tears except the government. If it provokes government’s sympathy, then it should act and rescue them. We pray to Almighty to release these people from bondage and all those in captivity safely. May we not witness what they witness. What a terrible experience!
Lest I forget, terrorists! Please don’t kidnap our President o. NA BEG WE BEG UNA.
Abdulkadir Salaudeen
Salahuddeenabdulkadir@gmail.com
@salahuddeenAbd
