Jonathan, Boko Haram and how this whole thing affects the rest of us

by Adedayo Ademuwagun

Many people believe conspiracy theories even though they’re often baseless and almost certainly nonsense.

But if there’s any conspiracy theory that resonates more with a lot of Nigerians, it is that Boko Haram was created by some disgruntled people in high places to make Nigeria “ungovernable” for Goodluck Jonathan. It has to be one of the most famous Nigerian conspiracy theories ever.

But if really the theory is true and some people hatched the insurgency to destabilise this government as revenge for not letting the north finish their tenure, then it obviously worked.

It’s been five years of destruction, massacre and bloodshed. This is clearly the worst crisis in Nigerian history since the civil war.

There’s literally a war going on right now in the north as our army fights to protect the people and defend the territory. Our army has been struggling to contain the insurgents for some time now.

There are talks that the insurgents have superior firepower and that our army is under equipped. Some people also think the problems persist because our army has been compromised and because the top officers are not giving the right leadership.

Many Nigerians are rooting for our soldiers who’re holding up bravely on the battlefield, but they’re disappointed with the way this government is handling the crisis.

Mudiaga says, “We have the second largest army on this side of the Sahara and I think we have the resources to crush these people.

I feel the government hasn’t done enough to end this terror. It’s disappointing to read in the papers that our fellow Nigerians are being killed in the north. It’s too bad that these people cannot feel safe in their own country — and we have a government.”

Some people are more forbearing though.

Uche says, “I feel this is a very complex political situation. It’s not just about insecurity. We’re talking big time sabotage here. We should be looking more into what’s happening with the army and who the real people backing the Boko Haram are rather than bashing the president. Personally I believe it’s not coincidence that this problem began about the time Jonathan became president.”

When Boko Haram first started, it was horrific to read about bombs, shootings and all those stuff. A lot of people were disturbed to see the bloodshed on TV and newspaper covers. There was intense public concern for the people in the north.

But today, the thing is not as evocative as it used to be. Now when people are watching the evening news and they’re talking about the latest Boko Haram slaughter, it doesn’t even register anymore. They just go on eating their food or having a chat with their kids. A lot people don’t consider anymore that this isn’t just a piece of news on TV. These are real people with real families who have lost their lives.

Osaze says, “We’ve become so unfeeling about the reports because of their frequency. It makes me feel guilty sometimes.”

When Boko Haram reportedly killed thousands in Baga around the time the Charlie Hebdo thing happened, by far more people were tweeting and talking about the Paris killing than the one with a heavier casualty figure in their own country.

The Baga incident was probably more mourned in London than in Lagos. Even the Nigerian media barely covered it. The dominant pictures on the front page of the top papers around that time were pictures of politicians raising a broom to the sky or holding two fingers in the air with a smile on their face.

The main opposition party has, of course, latched on to the government’s failure and they’ve continued to taunt it for its woeful crisis management. It’s even one of the main points of their campaign. They’re basically saying, Jonathan has failed to end the crisis because he’s plainly incapable.

Vote for us and we’ll flush out those bad guys. One of their posters in Lagos showed a picture of a crying girl, obviously referring to the Chibok kidnap. They put a big question at the top of the girl saying, where are our girls?

The implication for President Jonathan as he seeks reelection is that, first, he has to worry about what his legacy has been in the last five years concerning security. We’ve never had anything like this before if you exclude the war.

If he gets a second term, then it’s a chance to go back and work out a solution to this problem. He’s the president of our country and it’s his job to protect the people. But if he doesn’t win he has to reflect on if he has failed or not. It’s been a rough tenure for him no doubt. But this will be something terrible that he’ll be remembered for if he has to hand over on May 29. It’s an awful record.

Moving forward, Nigerians hope that these elections will be peaceful and fair and that whoever wins will immediately work to retool the army and destroy Boko Haram, with emphasis on destroy. It’s not going to go away easily no matter what the candidates are promising. But it’s something the Nigerian people want to see happen as soon as possible.

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