Buhari, Fani-Kayode and Boko Haram -By Jaafar Jaafar

Fani-Kayode

If you allow people like Femi Fani-Kayode (FFK), a former minister of the federal republic, to keep spewing hate and vile comments that elicit counter-hate comments, then we still have a very long way to go as a country. Why shouldn’t Nigerians learn to quench a fire before investigating its cause? A fire is raging, taking over our lives and habitat, but we are arguing about the cause of the fire.

If we allow people of Fani-Kayode’s ilk to incite the public and consequently precipitate counter inciting remarks or allow the fertilisation of conspiracy theories in the polity, particularly, in the North, then the country may hardly find a solution to its problems.

While the vile broadcast of Radio Biafra is casting away the vestiges of a Nigerian nationhood in the South-East, some Facebook groups in the North are equally spreading hate and conspiracy theories against the South. Where is Nigeria heading to?

But before FFK accuses Buhari of being sympathetic to Boko Haram, owing to Buhari’s justifiable call for caution in handling the matter so as to avoid civilian victimisation/casualty, he should first accuse the U.S. government of being supportive and sympathetic to Boko Haram. The U.S. government has always cautioned against human rights abuses of not only civilians but also the terrorists!

As I have once noted, Boko Haram is real. It was born through the government’s negligence, breastfed the milk of indoctrination by radical Islamic teachers and brought up by government’s lack of commitment to the provision of security in the country, and the North.

My belief is that nobody is sponsoring Boko Haram today. The terrorists have not only perfected their atrocious acts but are also merchants in the trade of armed robbery. Nigerian banks have lost between N500 million and N1 billion to BH. The group bombs bank vaults and waylays bullion vans. It sacks local markets, and takes away daily takings and foodstuff. It kidnaps and demands ransoms in Borno, Yobe and Bauchi states. It raids cement factories and quarries and carts away dynamites and other bomb making substances. It raids military barracks and carries away the arms and ammunition of our forces.

If FFK had a field day dancing kukure to the music of disunity under Jonathan, Buhari must make him know that it is now time to dance bankaura to the music of unity.