Beyond any thing we’ve ever seen in the past, Nigeria is today under the
siege of Boko Haram insurgents. We are a besieged people. The yet
unresolved abduction of nearly 250 school girls in Chibok earlier
brought home loud hints of this. Last Thursday’s attack at Nyanya motor
park in Abuja confirms it beyond any doubt.
With this confirmation the terrorists have placed two clear choices
before President Goodluck Jonathan: either he accepts their invitation
to visit their hideout in Sambisa forest or risk their permanent
presence at his doorstep in Abuja. This puts the President between a
rock and a hard place if he truly understands the import of this open
challenge to his authority and presidency.
But the choice is his - to respond to this ‘in-your-face’ challenge or
go down in history as the worst politician yet to take up the tenancy of
Nigeria’s seat of power...
And if the President thinks he can continue to play the ostrich, holed
up in endless meetings inside the presidential chamber when he is not on
one of his interminable campaign rallies for 2015, events in the last
several days during which Nigerians across the country and people in
different parts of the world have demanded through street protests and
the social network that the President stop seating on his hand- the
rising calls across the world that he acts like the leader he is
supposed to be, should tell him that he’s been mistaken all the while he
thought he could drivel his way through the whole abduction fiasco in
his usual manner. Mr. Jonathan must, hopefully, be coming to the
sobering realization that there is more to being president than
flaunting the unimpressive credential of being the fortuitous candidate
of a ‘minority’ group or gorging oneself on cassava bread.
Three weeks after Goodluck Jonathan sought to clear his thoughts of the
nightmare of the Nyanya bomb blast that had claimed nearly 100 lives
with even higher figures of the injured; three weeks after he thought he
could cut off scenes of his dance macabre at a Kano campaign rally less
than 24 hours after the Nyanya gory attack; indeed three weeks after
the outrage of Chibok, thunder once more struck at the same place, when
bombs shattered the fragile silence of Nyanya motor park and prematurely
sent more Nigerians to their grave . This happened right under the nose
of the heavily-armed troops which Jonathan as Commander-in-Chief had
sent to secure Nyanya motor park!
We have read of the traffic gridlock created by these troops in their
efforts to keep Abuja safe from terrorist attack. Nigerians have had
first hand experience of travelling in the direction of Nyanya and Abuja
as a whole in the wake of the terrorist attacks and have unpleasant
tales to tell of it all.
The last thing they could have expected is another attack at the same
place that is yet a crime scene under Jonathan’s ever watchful security
personnel. But it happened, incredible as it might sound, telling us
that the terrorists are set for a showdown with Goodluck Jonathan and
the ruling cohort that have become hostage of their own shadows in the
country’s capital.
While they spurned the direct invitation to Sambisa forest that the
Chibok abduction demanded, the terrorists have decided to take the
battle to the oligarchs of Abuja. They know what cowardly blather is
being spewed at Nigerians by the braggarts in power and are no longer
ready to keep things on a low key.
Like Elijah and the Prophets of Baal, the terrorists have issued an open
challenge to Jonathan and the battle ground is Nyanya, not Mount Carmel
or any other place Jonathan may choose to go. Jonathan and his men can
not, must not ignore this challenge.
They must either prove their presence in Nyanya and other places where
the insurgents have taken over or they would have washed their hands off
the safety and security of Nigerians. I have recently asked in this
space if Jonathan can go to Sambisa forest.
It didn’t look like he was prepared to even though that was an
opportunity to let off his inhibitions about bringing down fire on the
terrorists. Even when Chibok mocked his Janus-faced approach to fighting
terror and made nonsense of his pacifist rhetoric, Jonathan continued
to prove to Nigerians and the rest of the world that he is a politician
incapable of making hard choices, that he is only fit to attend meetings
where empty threats are issued.
Jonathan might not have given a damn about offering excuses for the
corruption in which his ministerial aides swim; he may not see any thing
worthwhile asking questions of his footloose ministers who continue to
pile up hundreds of thousands of carbon footprints in extravagant air
travels; the President may surely not see any reason why he should be
expected to be firm against terrorism when politicians from the region
most affected by terror all but invited it into their home and gave it a
large room to grow.
But he was the one Nigerians made their president, the one millions
through an electoral process, however flawed, invested with the
presidential authority to act on their behalf. He it was who swore on
oath to serve and protect Nigerians. It is to him Nigerians now turn for
answer to the menace and curse of terrorism. He must do what he swore
to do. It is neither a favour nor something he could choose to do or not
without losing the basis of his present position. This is his duty, his
manifest destiny as the Nigerian president.
President Jonathan must know that as president he carries the fate of
Nigeria in his hands. He has failed up to this point to meet the
expectations of the people. Like a confused child he has blundered his
way through many fateful events. He must give up his childish ways and
begin to act like a true parent aware of his responsibility by his
children.
The power he has must be exercised in the service of Nigerians as a
matter of course. He cannot continue in the same helpless manner he has
so far maintained his presidency like someone beholden to his aides, one
who looks up to them like a child looks up to his parent in confusion.
The forbidden territories of the Goodluck Jonathan presidency must be
stormed. They must no longer stir fear in him or make him weak at the
knees. Among the previous disasters of his presidency, Sambisa and
Nyanya are proving the most tricky and dangerous. They are the immediate
elephants in his room of dereliction. He must either go to Sambisa
forest today or cede Nyanya to terrorists.
