is unleashing mayhem in the northeastern villages
and towns of Nigeria. Burning them to ashes and
massacring the citizens with impunity. 'Impunity,'
the most commonly used vocab in conversations
about this regime.
Since the new service chiefs were sworn in and since
the suspect thrice failed NSA and dictatorial regime,
Gusau was approved to return to our security
department, Boko Haram or whatever it is, has
successfully enjoyed ravaging Nigerian cities for
hours on-end with the army appearing to have been
given a stand-down order. The Armageddon has
begun, without question, for many of our
countrymen.
The United States has categorized Boko Haram as the
world's second worst terrorist organisation, killings
only of less numbers than al Qaeda Taliban central.
But with the new rate of successful killing and
destruction, Boko Haram 2014 is currently the
world's top terrorist organisation.
Under this administration, Boko Haram which was
pretty much destroyed by ex-President Yar'Adua is
now back and in better form than ever; getting
stronger and more brazen by the day. In the five
years, the administration has been unable to restore
security to the north and the economy continues in
its deadly plunge. As the crisis entrenches itself, the
people have lost all confidence and hope.
BUNKERING, PIRACY AND KIDNAPPING
While the northeast grapples with a new reality of life
with terror, under this new era of impunity, MEND
has reformed into the world's top high-sea pirates,
achieving the most dangerous, high value boat
captures and robberies in the entire world for 2013.
In fact the first oil tanker kidnap in Nigeria's history,
the hijack of MT Velle di Cordoba, happened in
December of 2010 under Jonathan's government.
Situations appear to be getting out of hand and
restoration of modest security appears completely
illusive.
According to estimates from a former senior World
Bank employee, over $400 billion dollars worth of oil
revenue has been stolen from the Niger Delta by
thieves, bunkerers and pirates since independence.
Today the stealing, bunkering and spilling oil from
illegal activities is at an all time high. The creeks are
flowing with poisonous oil. In fact the thieves are so
confident and feel so legitimate, the President of the
Ijaw Youth Council announced publicly that illegal
'bush' refining should be legalized. 400,000 barrels
of oil are looted every day with a staggering income
diversion by the Niger Delta bandits of $4 million
every day! And this is getting worse. Unhindered
looting of this capacity is a serious enduring threat to
national security and prosperity. Illegally amassed
wealth is the chief source of cash for the mechanisms
of terror. The coastal terrorists continue to secure
their status politically and militarily and if not
checked early, this poses an irreversible threat to the
commoner, the region, the nation and sub-continent
as a whole. As these barons achieve stupendous
wealth, their sophistication surpasses that of
Nigeria's security services, they are able to bribe and
buy off any government threats and their daring
reach expands outside Nigeria's shores, with
activities of Nigerian pirates extending as far east as
Gabon and west to Ivory Coast.
LARGE-SCALE CORRUPTION AND ECONOMIC
TERRORISM
Nigeria loses $8bn a year in NNPC oil-product swaps.
$4.3 million a day is stolen from the poor masses in
the NNPC kerosene subsidy scam, which by the way,
contrary to recent statements by the oil minister and
President, Nigerians never protested about; the
January 2012 protests were only in relation to petrol
and not kerosene subsidies. The nation's economy
appears strong in only one thing—missing billions of
dollars. Investor confidence is tanking rapidly as the
corruption and recklessness of the current regime
continues to be exposed. Jonathan appears to have
willingly or accidentally lost total control. Of late, the
President has fired many of his ministers and even
the CBN governor after he exposed gargantuan
misappropriations and frank looting of up to and over
$100 billion by the administration. As Nigeria's
fortunes get worse, a handful of cabal continue to get
stupendously rich while the numbers of destitute
have doubled in the last 10 years.
This is serious. This is a deep mess. I'm not an
alarmist. When we raised the alarm about the nation
being broke; billions looted, we were not unduly
frantic, we were simply reading the signs and feeling
the pinch that has been substantiated with the
expose of the kerosene subsidy scam and the now
known $20-127 billion looted as exposed by the
Central bank. Trends in terror finance, the sudden
inclusion of Nigerians to the list of the world's top
billionaires and poverty in the nation, signified one
thing- rapid transfer of oil funds and masses wealth
to greedy cabal. The dry-looting of the nation.
Such a situation where the masses are robbed dry to
satisfy a few is not sustainable. Anarchy is the
predictable outcome of the current state of the
nation under administrative economic terrorism.
Nigeria hangs precariously at the balance and
political aspirations and desperation does not allow
those in power realize the impending doom and
chaos. For the dead, RIP, the doom has already
happened.
ARMS PROLIFERATION
Boko Haram terrorism of the northeast and MEND
southern terrorism were both the results of the
proliferation of weapons among thugs of
psychopathic politicians. After the candidates
secured their victories, these armed youth political
thugs lost their relevance and resorted to terror. If
the events of the past elections are anything to go
by, Nigeria is in a bigger mess today. The importation
and proliferation of arms is at an all time high under
the current regime. No region is being spared as
politicians take advantage of the impunity that avails
to create and arm new thug militia who will become
the havoc wrecking terrorist groups of tomorrow.
Nigerian Customs reported seven times as high
seizures of arms in 2013 as there were in 2012.
The Punch of Feb 20 revealed that over 8,741 arms
and 7,014 pieces of ammunition were recovered from
various criminal hideouts in Anambra, Edo and Rivers
states. According to another February article in the
same paper, the State Security Service operatives
intercepted high-calibre ammunition in a 20-foot
container at the sea port in Rivers State in a MV Iron
Trader vessel which was carrying 2,700 anti-aircraft
and anti-tank bombs. The police, according to the
report also alerted of an increased number of arms in
circulation. Considering the continuous violent
killings in the Middle Belt, and the entire national
rate of violent armed crime and terror, it does not
take much to appreciate the danger Nigerians are in
as everyone who desires to possess a gun or even an
anti-tank weapon, has one and is able to use it
without risk of being locked up. In Nigeria today,
when one person discretely shoots, he is a criminal,
but once a gang of two make loud noise and beat and
kill in a form of mob action, they are spared of any
wrong doing. This impunity for mob and communal
terror has cemented the foundation for insecurity
and societal anarchy.
IMPUNITY AND EMPOWERMENT OF TERRORISTS
It is no news that the corrupt and the sponsors of
terror are not only protected today, but are even
rewarded and granted greater rights and privileges.
In the current political dispensation, once you have
amassed enough wealth and power to appear to be
able to contribute a certain voter block, the
government will patronize you. This grand impunity
has discredited any attempt at appearing to be
tackling corruption and terror in Nigeria. As long as
sponsors of terror are protected by the government,
support and cash flow to terrorists is guaranteed.
Government officials caught with bags of money and
hand in pot are retained within the government and
even if finally they retire, they never face repudiation
for their crimes. Imprisoned terrorists, killers and
looters are granted pardon or brought out of jail
some other way and even the worst murderous
dictators and looters of the nation's history have
been awarded national honors. The short term and
long term impacts of this 'canonization of terror' as
Noble Laureate Wole Soyinka phrased it and
legalizing of corruption and criminality can only be
dreaded. This is a nation under terror. The leaders are
proud of their embrace of corruption and terror and
wish to share this with the masses and teach all, old
and young that corruption and violent and economic
terror is a thing to be embraced and regarded. This
dangerous situation of absurd impunity threatens
the nation more than any other problem the nation
has. Where there is no law and no justice there can
never be peace. Without ensuring security, there can
never be meaningful development. A radical
leadership intervention is exigent at this time in
Nigeria's history to stem the tide of praise and
patronage of terror, corruption and illegality.
CONCLUSION
The government is afraid of the masses. It knows the
people are very different from it. The Civilian JTF in
the northeast has increasingly come at odds with the
state. These brave youth have gone after sponsors of
terror, only to be fenced by the government that
quickly comes to the rescue of the cabal, eight hours
faster than they ever come to the rescue of the poor
and elderly in villages attacked by Boko Haram. This
administration is afraid of a true SNC. It is afraid of
state police, regional power and restoring
regionalism. The Status quo maintains arbitrary
ethnic divides and frustrations that allow the
government and cabal divert the attention of the
masses from their atrocities to ridiculous religious
and ethnic quarrels. One must admit that the
government and their coterie of plunderers have thus
far been a step ahead of the masses. If things remain
as is, Nigeria is on a path to sure and certain
calamity.
At this critical point, to protect life and restore hope,
either a people or other event of force rids the nation
of the current administration; or the people must
work with this government and help it and force its
hand to limit its misadventures till its tenure ends
mid next year. These problems are serious; there will
forever be scars from what has transpired not only in
these last five years but from most of the years since
independence. The global dependence on oil is
changing; much of the 'developed' world has
abandoned Nigeria. One notices European players are
limiting their dependence on our oil and easing out
their oil companies from Nigeria and allowing the
Chinese take over. This is not by accident. This is
because of their projections on what we have and are
doing to ourselves. They view us as on a course of
irredeemable decay and a long-term investment risk.
Are we going to prove them right? Are we going to
secure a future for our children, or leave them a
'Darfur?'
Sent From David Aniemeka
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