“Hide nothing from the masses of our people. Tell no lies. Expose lies whenever they are told. Mask no difficulties, mistakes, failures. Claim no easy victories.”– Amilca Cabral
This drama series called Nigeria, My Country is never in want of Acts and Scenes with its peculiar dramatis personae as professional politicians. When one is left to think that one event is at anti-climax, another event within same plot is in ‘raising action’. The question on the minds of the audience is: When will this film come to an end?
Sometimes in last year, while Nigerians were still doing their best to cope with how to live in the face of the dreaded Boko Haram, then suddenly came the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) with its dramatic entry into Nigeria through a Liberian Diplomat, Patrick Sawyer.
Just as we were getting relief of the country’s capacity to contain the world’s deadliest virus, then came a damning report from an Australian hostage negotiator (for the release of over 200 abducted Chibok girls), Dr. Stephen Davis.
For me, Mr. Davis has not said what is not in public knowledge about the Islamic sect, Boko Haram. The only intriguing aspect of his report is the inclusion of one name-the ex-Chief of Army Staff, Lt General Azubuike Ihejirika in addition to ex-Governor of Borno State, Ali Modu Sheriff and a senior official(which Mr. Davis did not name) of the Central Bank of Nigeria(CBN) .
We also need to add that Dr. Davis report came at the time when speculations about the sponsors almost about one’s political affiliations; a period when the country’s two leading political parties are in verbal warfare of who is the sponsor of the group; a period when the All Progressives’ Congress (APC) was under serious investigation for being the sponsor of the group and busy defending itself in the United Kingdom’s House of Commons; a period when the Government has always told us it “knows” the sponsors of the sect; a period when the Nigerian public, more than ever before, wants the sponsors of the sect unveiled!
Expectedly, the Federal Government responded through the Department of State Security (DSS). The Department through its then spokesperson Ms Marilyn Ogar categorically denied the involvement of Lt General Ihiejirika or the Military High Command of complicity of several Boko Haram massacres but said ex-Borno Governor, Sheriff is under investigation by the Department.
The Government went ahead to declare Mr. Davis a self-appointed, acting on his own and not on behalf of the Federal Government of Nigeria. The Government went onto query why he went with such information to foreign media without first reporting to the federal government.
