In the last post, we discussed how the involvement of people in government can aggravate the issue of terrorism. This is done majorly by the leakage of security intelligence to the Enemy. No matter how equipped your army might be, the enemy would always defeat them or continue to thrive and cause great harm if your plans and secrets are open to them. In the Art of War, this is the job of spies.
On several occasions have I heard of how people in government hope that the crisis should continue because of the financial benefits they derive from it. Frankly speaking, there are many sides to the issue. What we shall be discussing today is how we can help to bring it to its conclusive end.
Poverty Must Be Tackled and Eradicated
The Yorubas has an adage that says "Bi ebi ba kuro ninu ise, ise buse". The literal meaning of this is that hunger is the biggest problem with poverty. This is buttressed by the English proverb that says "A hungry man is an angry man". From the two proverbs aforementioned, it's clear that all the security challenges that we face today is due to the fact that people are hopelessly hungry. In other words, if we must overcome poverty, food security is a must.
In case you haven't noticed, the better part of our income goes to food in Nigeria whose production is pretty low compared to its consumption. If you doubt my analogy, please point to any Boko Haram member that's from among the Rich. How many are the kidnappers or Niger Delta militants that hale from wealthy families that you know? I don't know any. You'll be doing a great favor if you'll give one in the comments below.
It's only the poor man's child that spare heads an insurgency, militancy and robbery gangs. They do this because they have known hunger and want to spend the rest of their lives without it and they don't want their children to suffer as they have suffered. Salaries cannot take workers home not because they are small but because food is expensive. Should a bag of rice go for N1 000 and that of beans for N500 and maize N200, no one would be agitating for salary increase. This is a topic for another day, but one thing I want us to take home from here today is that hunger, is the root cause of the security challenges we face today.
Nigerians Must Go Back To Farm
Although, he paid lip service to it, but, General Obasanjo was right when he said that we should go back to farm. According to available data, in 2018, importation of Agricultural products amounted to around N230 Billion. What that means is that in 2018 a whooping sum of about N230 billion was taken out of our economy due to the importation of food!
Should this money be retained in the country you can imagine how many jobs it would create and how much wealth that would be created in the process! This money can be re-invested to produce even more food and much more income. I hope you are following?
I know, as usual, we shall be thinking that this is the responsibility of the government not ours. This is where we get it wrong. We need to start getting it right if this menace must stop. Go back to farming. Pick any of the so many that is available to you be it animal rearing or crop farming. You can do something even if its that little space in your compound...get started with growing vegetables for yourself and your neighbors. Own a farm today and you would have done your part in eradicating hunger and security challenges as a whole.
Charity is A Must For All and Sundry
Charity organizations are expected to be funding the IDP's. When I say charity organizations here, I'm not referring to all those international organizations that are currently scattered all over the North. You don't even know who is who up there right now. This shouldn't be, Nigerians must learn to look out for one another. You and I can help to fight the many battles that are currently plaguing the country should we be GENEROUS enough to start raising funds to adequately fund the IDP's and the less privileged up North. Sincerely speaking, my brothers, we need to do something about the plight of the Alimajiris coz they serve as a fertile soil for the propagation of crisis and riots. We must learn to be more generous with feeding, clothing and sheltering them. If the government is not doing that, we can always organize ourselves into charity groups to do that...if not for anything, we should do it for the sake of our general well being as a society.
Charity goes a long way to put crime and crisis at bay. The Bokos for instant can be dealt a serious blow should the people of the North organize themselves to fund the war against the insurgency. If the Insurgency must be defeated, three to four things must be done as a matter of urgency.
(1) Ordinary People Must Organize Themselves Against the Insurgency:
This does not mean you should take up arms and head on to the Sambisa, no. What it means is that we should come together and strategize effectively to fight the insurgency. As earlier said, we must be ready to pool resources together to fund volunteers that are ready to go to the field.
(2) Local security Outfits Must Be Created to Argument the Efforts of the Armed Forces
Vigilate Groups should be employed and adequately armed to man strategic positions in the remote villages that are soft targets for the Bokos. It has been noticed that hunger is a big factor in fighting the insurgency. Most times when they strike the small villages around the Sambisa and the main towns, it's for food...they only make it seem otherwise but that's the truth. If the vigilantes are well funded and adequately armed, vigilante groups can help starve the Bokos to submission.
(3) Vulnerable Groups or Members of the Society Needs to Be Protected
Alimajiri boys are the most vulnerable as far as the Bokos are concerned. The Alimajiris should be protected from the Bokos with the provision of a decent shelter, clothing and food for them until they are done with their education. after the completion of this education, we must be ready to empower them with one form of skilled labour or the other. If this is not done, the Bokos would recruit those innocent, harmless and vulnerable boys and convert them to veracious weapons against us!
(4) Deliberate Efforts Must Be Made to Castigate them Via All Forms of Media
Unfortunately, we have those that are sympathizing with the Bokos and are rendering all forms of help to them secretly. Some are doing this because they believe they are fighting a just cause others because they see them as victims of security brutality. Whichever the case might be, the bottom line is that some people in the local areas where they (Boko Haram) operate still give substantial support to them. Such people that offer this vital support to them can be reached via the media. Islamic clerics must be sponsored to dispel their minds, re-orientate them and make them see the Bokos for exactly what they are. Sponsored programs must be aired consistently on radio and TV stations to explain as to the reason why the Bokos should be disbanded for good.
If this is effectively done, the bokos would loose their support and starve without any end in sight. when this happens, the insurgency shall die a natural death! Insha Allah!
The insurgency has created a huge case of desperation where we have tons of widows and orphans that need as much help as they can get. We must be Patriotic enough, irrespective of our affiliations, to help out as fellow Nigerians. Courtesy demands that we do!
This is how much time and space would allow me say about the state of our National Security. As you might have found out, there are a lot of ways by which we can contribute to ending the crisis ASAP despite the involvement of corrupt people in government. They are also in this current administration because they are part of the Civil Service which no administration can be free from. The best we can do is to curb their excesses and that's why the Boko Haram is no longer as potent as they used to be!
God Bless Nigeria!
Ameen!!!
On several occasions have I heard of how people in government hope that the crisis should continue because of the financial benefits they derive from it. Frankly speaking, there are many sides to the issue. What we shall be discussing today is how we can help to bring it to its conclusive end.
The Yorubas has an adage that says "Bi ebi ba kuro ninu ise, ise buse". The literal meaning of this is that hunger is the biggest problem with poverty. This is buttressed by the English proverb that says "A hungry man is an angry man". From the two proverbs aforementioned, it's clear that all the security challenges that we face today is due to the fact that people are hopelessly hungry. In other words, if we must overcome poverty, food security is a must.
In case you haven't noticed, the better part of our income goes to food in Nigeria whose production is pretty low compared to its consumption. If you doubt my analogy, please point to any Boko Haram member that's from among the Rich. How many are the kidnappers or Niger Delta militants that hale from wealthy families that you know? I don't know any. You'll be doing a great favor if you'll give one in the comments below.
It's only the poor man's child that spare heads an insurgency, militancy and robbery gangs. They do this because they have known hunger and want to spend the rest of their lives without it and they don't want their children to suffer as they have suffered. Salaries cannot take workers home not because they are small but because food is expensive. Should a bag of rice go for N1 000 and that of beans for N500 and maize N200, no one would be agitating for salary increase. This is a topic for another day, but one thing I want us to take home from here today is that hunger, is the root cause of the security challenges we face today.
Although, he paid lip service to it, but, General Obasanjo was right when he said that we should go back to farm. According to available data, in 2018, importation of Agricultural products amounted to around N230 Billion. What that means is that in 2018 a whooping sum of about N230 billion was taken out of our economy due to the importation of food!
Should this money be retained in the country you can imagine how many jobs it would create and how much wealth that would be created in the process! This money can be re-invested to produce even more food and much more income. I hope you are following?
I know, as usual, we shall be thinking that this is the responsibility of the government not ours. This is where we get it wrong. We need to start getting it right if this menace must stop. Go back to farming. Pick any of the so many that is available to you be it animal rearing or crop farming. You can do something even if its that little space in your compound...get started with growing vegetables for yourself and your neighbors. Own a farm today and you would have done your part in eradicating hunger and security challenges as a whole.
Charity organizations are expected to be funding the IDP's. When I say charity organizations here, I'm not referring to all those international organizations that are currently scattered all over the North. You don't even know who is who up there right now. This shouldn't be, Nigerians must learn to look out for one another. You and I can help to fight the many battles that are currently plaguing the country should we be GENEROUS enough to start raising funds to adequately fund the IDP's and the less privileged up North. Sincerely speaking, my brothers, we need to do something about the plight of the Alimajiris coz they serve as a fertile soil for the propagation of crisis and riots. We must learn to be more generous with feeding, clothing and sheltering them. If the government is not doing that, we can always organize ourselves into charity groups to do that...if not for anything, we should do it for the sake of our general well being as a society.
(1) Ordinary People Must Organize Themselves Against the Insurgency:
This does not mean you should take up arms and head on to the Sambisa, no. What it means is that we should come together and strategize effectively to fight the insurgency. As earlier said, we must be ready to pool resources together to fund volunteers that are ready to go to the field.
(2) Local security Outfits Must Be Created to Argument the Efforts of the Armed Forces
Vigilate Groups should be employed and adequately armed to man strategic positions in the remote villages that are soft targets for the Bokos. It has been noticed that hunger is a big factor in fighting the insurgency. Most times when they strike the small villages around the Sambisa and the main towns, it's for food...they only make it seem otherwise but that's the truth. If the vigilantes are well funded and adequately armed, vigilante groups can help starve the Bokos to submission.
(3) Vulnerable Groups or Members of the Society Needs to Be Protected
Alimajiri boys are the most vulnerable as far as the Bokos are concerned. The Alimajiris should be protected from the Bokos with the provision of a decent shelter, clothing and food for them until they are done with their education. after the completion of this education, we must be ready to empower them with one form of skilled labour or the other. If this is not done, the Bokos would recruit those innocent, harmless and vulnerable boys and convert them to veracious weapons against us!
(4) Deliberate Efforts Must Be Made to Castigate them Via All Forms of Media
Unfortunately, we have those that are sympathizing with the Bokos and are rendering all forms of help to them secretly. Some are doing this because they believe they are fighting a just cause others because they see them as victims of security brutality. Whichever the case might be, the bottom line is that some people in the local areas where they (Boko Haram) operate still give substantial support to them. Such people that offer this vital support to them can be reached via the media. Islamic clerics must be sponsored to dispel their minds, re-orientate them and make them see the Bokos for exactly what they are. Sponsored programs must be aired consistently on radio and TV stations to explain as to the reason why the Bokos should be disbanded for good.
If this is effectively done, the bokos would loose their support and starve without any end in sight. when this happens, the insurgency shall die a natural death! Insha Allah!
The insurgency has created a huge case of desperation where we have tons of widows and orphans that need as much help as they can get. We must be Patriotic enough, irrespective of our affiliations, to help out as fellow Nigerians. Courtesy demands that we do!
This is how much time and space would allow me say about the state of our National Security. As you might have found out, there are a lot of ways by which we can contribute to ending the crisis ASAP despite the involvement of corrupt people in government. They are also in this current administration because they are part of the Civil Service which no administration can be free from. The best we can do is to curb their excesses and that's why the Boko Haram is no longer as potent as they used to be!
God Bless Nigeria!
Ameen!!!
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