by Ekene Eziagulu

 Nigeria is indeed living in interesting times; interesting but dangerous times.

Dear Mr President,

How are you and your family? And how are you coping with steering the ship of the great state of Nigeria? I hoped fervently that my last correspondence would reach you somehow, sometime and that hope has given me the impetus to write to you again. I will implore you to view this as a refreshing contribution from someone outside the box of power, where such inputs are not tainted by political expediency and

Sir, you would have heard of the old Chinese saying that goes thus: May you live in interesting times. Nigeria is indeed living in interesting times; interesting but dangerous times. From the heated days that underlined your time as Acting President to the post election violence in some parts of the country that trailed your election as president, Nigeria has been on a roller coaster ride. But nothing has rattled the very foundations of our dear country than the activities of the group called Boko Haram.

Ever since the Muslim fundamentalist sect gained national prominence with the bombing of the UN office complex in Abuja in 2010, their campaign of terror have left a trail of a colossal loss of life and property in its wake. The recent bombing of a Luxury bus Passenger Park in the city of Kano on the 18th march, 2013 is yet another unfortunate chapter in this bitter tale. As you are aware, tension is mounting in some parts of eastern Nigeria, as the said park was mostly patronized by Igbo businessmen and who formed a great majority of the fatalities and causalities.

So much so, Mr. President, that you allocated close to a trillion naira for security matters in the 2013 appropriation budget. This boils down to spending roughly a billion naira a day. And for this princely sum, we are no closer to putting an end to this scourge than when it all started. Your Excellency, Nigerians have died in their thousands in markets, churches, mosques, motor parks and you, I and fellow compatriots lucky to still be alive, have cried. However, an African proverb says that the waters shed by our eyes should not only signify our grief but should also act as a cleansing agent to show us the truth. Sir, allow me to cast your mind to an event in the recent past. One Mohammed Yusuf, the leader was captured in Borno State, sometime in 2009 by the Military and handed over to police authorities.

According to Mohammed, he had information as to the identities of individuals who provided support; financial and otherwise to the activities of the sect. Not a few Nigerians looked forward to the revelations. Only for the nation to awaken to the news of his death at the hands of security agencies, as he tried to escape detention? For someone who had been brought into custody, hand-cuffed and clothed only in shorts? So the question be begging to be answered is who wanted the truth shut out from the lime light? Are these forces in or outside government?

Mr. President, you admitted this much at an occasion, that the Boko Haram received active connivance from elements within your own government. So my candid advice to you will be to conduct investigations, even if covert, to ascertain the immediate and remote events that surrounded what is evidently the extra-judicial killing of Mohammed Yusuf, in 2009. Meanwhile,you could still keep up with the various security strategies you are employing in trying to bring the situation under control but the ultimate master stroke would be giving face(s) to those who call the shots in the activities of the Boko Haram, beyond the facade of religious rhetoric and posturing.

These individuals achieve great spoils when mayhem and pandemonium are the order of the day in Nigeria. They are the real terrors behind the terror attacks. You might ask if uncovering this truth will placate members of the sect to sheathe their swords, emerge from the shadows and seek a truce. I cannot answer in the affirmative but certain actions could be the harbinger of desirable multiplier effects.

Sir, considering the delicate nature of this matter, I will implore that you treat this issue as a matter of national importance. However, I understand, as usual, that the ball is your court as I hope that you will courageously seek to find the truth. If indeed you are on the side of the truth. I sense that other pressing matters of state await your attention. I leave you be for the moment.

Long live the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Yours for the greater good; The Masses.

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Ekene Eziagulu in love with the melody of words and has been bitten by the bug of creative curiosity.While still working to improve his craft, his one desire is to see that the enemy called Writers’ Bloc is hounded into extinction.He puts pen to paper when the juices choose him as a channel of expression and his works have been featured on Naijastories.

30 Days 30 Voices series is an opportunity for young Nigerians from across the world to share their stories and experiences – creating a meeting point where our common humanity is explored.

Op-ed pieces and contributions are the opinions of the writers only and do not represent the opinions of Y!/YNaija.