By Carl Umegboro
DESPITE the fact the previous
administration of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) led by Dr. Goodluck
Jonathan didn’t make a meaningful progress on security of lives and properties,
the present All Progressive Congress (APC) administration has not fared better since
inception on account of arbitrary ubiquitous killings in the country. With the
1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as a reference point,
precisely Section 14(2b) which provides that, “welfare and security of the people shall be the primary purpose of
government”, it is logical to maintain that the government needs urgent
reviews of some of its policies since a successful execution of all policies of
government are dependent on the “welfare and security” of the people.
Prior to President Muhammadu Buhari’s
inauguration, insecurity of lives and properties was undeniably frightening
with the Islamic Boko Haram sect terrorizing and destroying lives and
properties basically in the northern part of the country particularly in Borno
state. To a large extent, the sect was then controlled from moving away from
its origin and operational base since the group was believed to be a sect of
the indigenes of the northern areas. All manner of atrocities were committed
ranging from slaughtering of innocent citizens, corpers, children, women and
abduction of school girls. Churches
belonging to various Christian groups were always the major targets which left
several churches attacked, bombed during worship-services with records of
deaths and many wounded at the scenes. As a result, several thousands are
presently retired to their fates at various Internally-Displaced Persons (IDPs)
camps.
Eventually, since the inauguration of
President Buhari, the sect which hitherto domiciled only within its originating
base in the north has progressed to operating in the south-east, south-south
and south-west geopolitical zones in disguise as herdsmen committing all manner
of mayhem, attacking helpless indigenes of those areas even while asleep at mid-nights. Sadly, the failure to bring the culprits to book has continued to
aid its existence, even with no form of punishments if at all, quizzed. The
President, as a political leader ought to have convened a town hall meeting with
his tribesmen in the North towards addressing the anomaly amicably since
nepotism has unconsciously become a part and parcel of our societal deal.
A question for the federal government
in view of plethora of its constructive promises awaiting fulfillment is who
does it intend to be the beneficiaries if citizens from other tribes are freely
slaughtered like goats and cows in the abattoirs with the government agencies
vested with powers of checkmating lawlessness and crimes doing nothing while
victims are murdered in cold-bloods?
No doubt, to reform the economy is a
desideratum, however, of what benefit is the economic reforms if security of
lives and properties which is the primary purpose of government is deficient
with massacres of its citizens, succeeding and celebrated. By the
constitutional provision, any government that fails to provide adequate
security for its citizenry is a failure irrespective of soundness of political
manifesto and economic policies. How do we justify the diversification of the
economy to agriculture while farmlands are deliberately destroyed and its
owners are incessantly cut in pieces alive as community meats by the Fulani
herdsmen with no one taking responsibility?
In other countries of the world, the
President ought to have been summoned to give account of the several heads of
innocent citizens that lost their lives in any of these scenes, unfortunately,
the legislators vested with oversight functions prioritized the ‘padding and
unpadding’ of the nation’s budgets or which colleague to get pregnant; married
or not.
As a counteractive mechanism, the
present lopsided appointment should be reviewed as to reflect federal character
such that no ethnic group sees itself as superior or in control as in George
Orwell’s Animal Farm, “all animals are equal but some animals are more equal
than others”.
Umegboro, Public Affairs Analyst, Lawyer is the publisher, Pinnacle
InfoGallery.
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