by Cheta Nwanze

Speaking of impunity, an alleged #BokoHaram commander was killed on Sunday, 120 chaps turned up for his funeral on Monday. They are currently having a tête-a-tête with the JTF.

First off, apologies for the mistakes in yesterday’s newsletter, and thanks to those who pointed them out. They have been rectified on the blog, and whatever punishment that Adora feels is appropriate  I will gladly receive.

Yes, mistakes/errors/insert-expletive-here are something that we don’t punish in Nigeria. Which is one of the things that contribute to our culture of impunity where certain geezers believe that they can say/do anything, and there will be no repercussion whatsoever. Now consider if in 2009 the person who shot Muhammed Yusuf had been arrested and brought to justice? Consider if the person that gave the order for that extra-judicial killing had been tracked down and brought to justice? It is only logical to assume that had those follow ups happened, then we would not be witnessing the current war in our country’s north-east.

Consider that 46 of our security agents were killed just over two weeks ago, and one ethnic jingoist later, we are yet to hear of any major arrests connected to that killing. Now another ethnic group have made the complaint that the same group accused of killing the security agents have killed seven of their own, and there has been nothing to it. Make no mistakes, if the Fulani grievances are not addressed, they will feel obliged to take the law into their hands, and the vehicle of impunity will roll on with reckless abandon.

Bits and bobs

Speaking of impunity, an alleged #BokoHaram commander was killed on Sunday, 120 chaps turned up for his funeral on Monday. They are currently having a tête-a-tête with the JTF.

Their more sensible comrades have taken to the mountains.

Still on impunity, we have once again been reminded that in 2015 our votes would not count.

The new passport to free air if you’re accused of a crime in our country is to claim to have brucellosis. Then your passport would be given you because our hospitals can’t sort you out.

“One blow, seven die” was a phrase I grew up hearing used to describe particularly strong people. Well, apparently, a single blow can kill provided the puncher is wearing a certain ring.

Water is life. In Ghana, the scramble for T.B. Joshua’s holy water left 4 dead.

Right of reply

From Friday, 

Oo Nwoye wrote (in response to Od Davids),

This thing don turn mini social network :). 

My response to Od and Chxta: (We have to assume a paragraph of text can solve this problem)

If I were president, I would go after the known leaders and not the foot soldiers. Give them the LAST warning and institute a special accelerated court that would go from trial to death sentence is a matter of 2 months. For the fun/impact of it of it, I will ensure one of the known big men ring leaders (ex Govs, Senators etc) gets a death sentence and is pardoned a few hours to the execution. While doing that, I will instigate unprecedented economic activity of rebuilding the destroyed cities.

I will apply same in parallel in the South of Nigeria. 

When there is consequence for action and that consequence is applied to EVERYONE, 90% of the problems would be solve. 

Of course, if I were president, I would not have supported the invasion of Libya where more weapons and fighters are on their way to Nigeria. Or have Asari Dokubo as my protector and spokes person.

Well, we have to start from somewhere.

Laniyan Kehinde wrote,

I beg to disagree with you. I think the north declared war on the north and Jonathan only assisted in sustaining the war. He had no choice in this matter but to take on the insurgents on the terms they have said they wanted. Didnt you see this in all Boko Haram has published till date? If you have not, then do more study. Even going by your analysis of the origin of the ideology of Boko Haram, the north has been so negligent and Jonathan should not be blamed for this war. Most leqders in north prefer to engqge in denial than fqce the fact, for example El-Rufai once said on the TV that Jonathan is the promoter of Boko Haram. Today he has stopped comenting. You said the ideology of Boko Haram did not come from Islam. Your conclusion is not correct. That ideology certainly did not come from Christianity. Few examples of moderate Islamic countries is not enough for you not to trace the origin to a variant of Islamic ideology. Examples of such abound for us to draw a conlusion different from yours. 

Chxta responds,

I only take exception to your attempt to make Islam look like a religion of murder. 
Fact: every religion is open to interpretation by all sorts of yahoos for their own ends. 
Fact: Islam has done more good for this world than it has evil. (You might want to read about the Dark Ages)
Fact: Christianity does not have a shortage of its own yahoos either. (You might want to read about the Ku Klux Klan)
Recommended reading: Exodus 21: 12-17 KJV.

Khadijat wrote,

One particular paragraph of your’s, though, I absolutely reject.

(No Sirs, you declared war on your own people by not taking care of them. #BokoHaram has provided them an alternative, no matter how flawed that alternative may be. #BokoHaram has provided them with what you have so spectacularly failed to provide them.) emphasis mine.

What is this alternative to which you refer. Schools, medical care, infrastructure, security, livelihoods?????? Why would people support BH? The same phantoms who kill muslims and others and cause even more to be killed by a knee-jerk JTF. No no no….the only thing BH has brought to Northern brethren is LOSS, PAIN and FEAR as if we didn’t have enough on our plates being at near zero levels on all indicators that matter. 

While these two elephants fight, we the grass have little chance.

I do not know if the SoE is a good idea, but definitely something had to be done and I pray that the Lord who has dominion over all matters will bring this nightmare to an end.

Chxta responds,

Hi Khadijat,

Boko Haram provided a commune for the people who had more or less been abandoned by their governments. One thing that Muhammed Yusuf and his band did back then was to make sure that people were fed and catered for. I have no reason to believe that that practice did not continue even after he was murdered. Consider what such a thing would mean to someone who’s income for a month sometimes never exceeds naira talatin…

From yesterday,

Maduabuchi Okoye wrote,

let Boko haram go to blazes with their fish,we in the East can do without their useless fish

Chxta responds,

Very succinctly put Madu. Now tell me, which one state in the East is a paragon of efficiency? Is it Abia that is retrenching “non-indigenes” who happen to be from Imo from their civil service? Or is it Ebonyi who have denied Ibeto the right to run Nkalagu Cement simply because he is not from that state, and in the process crippling a viable economic channel?

—————————

 

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