Ochereome Nnanna
The 10th National Assembly led by the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, is pathetic.
We used to say the Ninth NASS led by Ahmed Lawan and his House of Representatives pair, Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila, was the worst in our history because they proudly wore the toga of a rubberstamp for the Muhammadu Buhari Presidency. The Akpabio NASS is beyond rubberstamp. It is a celebration of scandals, sleaze and irrelevance. It was under Akpabio that sharing of money metamorphosed from “token” to “prayers” in the twinkle of an eye.
What brings me here today is the so-called national “security summit” that the National Assembly claims it is organising. The Ninth House of Representatives had held a “security summit” in 2021. Towards the end of last year, the House under Abbas served notice that it would “revisit” the product of the previous session. From the look of things now, the entire National Assembly is gearing up for another full-blown “security summit”. At first, President Bola Tinubu’s highly incompetent Defence Minister, Abubakar Badaru, had opposed the “summit”. But suddenly, he is now all in for it. According to him:
“When you hold a summit, you hear people speak, gather perspectives, and take those insights back to review and strengthen our strategy, which is translated into action. That’s how change happens”.
Oh yes? How many of the “insights” generated by those who “gathered together” in 2021 “strengthened” the Federal Government’s “strategy” or “translated into action”? What “change” happened? Despite the shopworn, colourless briefings by the Defence Headquarters where independently unverified tales of “neutralisation” of terrorists are claimed, we see our security challenges growing bigger and bigger.
Boko Haram/ISWA are capitalising on the withdrawal of Niger anaad Chad from the Multi-National Joint Task Force, MNJTF, to make a resurgence in the Chad Basin area. The Bandits of North West have been joined by new terror groups – “Lakurawa” in Sokoto/Kebbi states and “Mahmuda” in Kwara State. Fulani militias continue to kill and occupy communities in Plateau, Benue and Enugu states, while other groups of them are wreaking havoc in Edo and Delta states, and “hunting” in Rivers State. In fact, they are all over the country committing genocides, largely unchecked.
The very idea of a security “summit” is so laughable. The fact that the 2021 summit produced no result has become the reason for the Akpabio NASS to do it again. As Chief Gabriel Igbinedion once quipped when he was told that his son, Lucky Igbinedion, failed in his first term as Governor of Edo State and should not run for a second term in 2003: “When pikin fail for class, no bi repeat im go repeat?”
A security summit is an open house event. Every relevant segment of society is involved. This will include the very enemies, collaborators, financiers and fifth columnists within the government and its parent establishment. They will come and listen to all the strategies being hammered out. They will even chip in their own bit. Their foot soldiers in the bushes will also tune in and hear everything being planned against them. It happened in 2021. It will happen again, but only the very brilliant political leadership of the National Assembly and their comrades in the Bola Tinubu regime will fail to see this. Are they so ignorant?
I don’t really think so. For sure, a lot of them are. But those behind the idea are not. I strongly believe that apart from these “summits” being opportunities to squander our money, they present the evil elements behind Nigeria’s insecurity a great opportunity to hoodwink the gullible while they keep pushing their evil, hidden agenda. I find Badaru’s sudden about-face to support the summit after initially opposing it very interesting. The only time I saw passion in Defence Minister Badaru’s mien was when he and his cohorts went to Finland to beg for the extradition of Simon Ekpa, the Indigenous People of Biafra activist. Most of the biggest names, especially from the North, who will make the loudest noise at the summit, will be the very people behind the killings and terror.
Because of their intimidating presence and influence, the three key issues of our insecurity will not even be mentioned. The first is the widespread Fulani militancy in Nigeria, which is evident in the Bandits, Boko Haram, Lakurawa, Mahmuda and most importantly, the killer “herdsmen”. Can we, for once, look this issue in the face, call it its name and confront it head-long. If we do not, we continue to waste lives and resources and lose Nigeria.
Secondly, can we summon the courage and name the financiers, supporters, facilitators and protectors of these terror groups, especially the so-called “herdsmen”, which are worse than Boko Haram? Can we block their flow of finance, weaponry and footmen and deal with them? Thirdly, can we realistically address the real factors behind insecurity in the South-East? There was no insecurity there before Buhari.
It was Buhari that triggered the rise of IPOB. It was the menace of Fulani “herdsmen” that gave rise to IPOB’s Eastern Security Network, ESN, which was strictly meant to defend Igboland from armed Fulani invaders, since the military was unwilling to do so. Later, “Unknown Gunmen” came into the picture. Asari Dokubo has made many live videos boldly claiming his role in the killings in the South-East, lamenting that he has not been rewarded as promised.
We must also find out why our armed forces are no longer able to defend Nigeria. The Army, Police and other security agencies, with all their strength and equipment, appear to be holding our hands behind our backs while local and foreign Fulani militants are destroying the country, decimating its indigenous people and taking it over.
I challenge them to touch these issues at the “security summit”.
