Nigeria, Boko Haram and search for solution

President Goodluck Jonathan who took office after the April 2011 polls even drummed up this sentiment when he told reporters recently that the violence tearing apart parts of Northern Nigeria is the most disturbing challenge to confront Nigeria since independence. The history of the current crisis can be traced to 2009 when the police operatives […]

President Goodluck Jonathan who took office after the April 2011 polls even drummed up this sentiment when he told reporters recently that the violence tearing apart parts of Northern Nigeria is the most disturbing challenge to confront Nigeria since independence.

The history of the current crisis can be traced to 2009 when the police operatives reportedly killed Muhammad Yusuf, the founder of Boko Haram in Maiduguri, Borno State. The remnants of what was left of the insurgents launched series of targeted attacks on government institutions and banks, even as police and military institutions were not left out.

The Nigerian government on its side has used series of military measures to seek to contain the growing violence; with little success. The high profile attacks last year on the United Nations building and the Nigeria Police Force Headquarters, both n Abuja battered iNigeria’s mage in the international community as a haven for terrorists, in the class of  Somalia; Afghanistan, Iraq and Algeria.

President Jonathan was recently in the United Kingdom to attend a conference where delegates debated measures and steps to be taken to check the spread of terrorism and violence in some African nations like Somalia and Nigeria.

At sub-regional level, the Federal government has presented the public image of a government that has gradually galvanized the solidarity and support of member states of the Economic Community of West African States on waging relentless war against terrorists who migrate from neighbouring nations to launch attacks on Nigerian soil.

Last Tuesday, Nigeria and Cameroun inked a bilateral accord on border security. Ambassador Olugbenga Ashiru, Nigeria’s foreign Affairs’ minister who signed the accord for Nigerian side, remarked; “Nigeria is committed to its (pact) full implementation and realization of its objectives in the interest of progress, peace, and security of the people of our two countries believing Cameroun will also demonstrate same commitment”.

On his part, the veteran politician and vice prime minister of Cameroon Alhaji Amadou Ali, said the agreement showed that confidence had been restored through permanent dialogue, consultation and reinforcement of cooperation between both countries. But some Nigerians live in fear of the unknown Boko Haram attacks show no sign of abating.

Some Nigerians are of the opinion that President Jonathan should take stringent security measures to check the rising spate of violence.

Apart from stiffer measures, some also suggest that steps that are not necessarily military should be introduced in order to restore normalcy to the region whose economic and social lives have been devastated by these attacks. The Central Bank Governor Mr. Sanusi Lamido Sanusi lamented recently that the spate of bomb attacks was harmful to the economic health of the nation and endangering Nigeria’s drive to attract foreign direct investments to resuscitate the near-collapsed economy of Nigeria.

What then are the chances of achieving peace in the current situation? I believe that social justice and equity are imperative if peace is to be achieved.

From research, some experts believe that the greatest challenge that the human race has ever faced remains how to live in a world free of threats of violence. Violence is not restricted to times of war; it exists everywhere, in homes, schools and communities, and where there is injustice conflict is inevitable.

Other experts argue that much of the conflict in the world can be attributed to the existence of an oppressive social system of power that magnifies differences between groups and allows one group to have power or privilege over the other. Besides, conflict at the local and international levels, in the assessment of security experts, can stem from exploitation, poverty, corrupt governance, resources scarcity, and dehumanizing belief among other salient causative factors.

A popular theory states that as long as the global system relies on exploitative, oppressive and hierarchical relationships, there will likely exist conflict and peace may become impossible to achieve. Another prevailing conflict theory says that conflict is inherent and constant, but when positively managed it can be a productive force.

Interestingly, one way people have been addressing atrocities of the past is through the use of apologies and reparations.

Experts believe that an apology in this case, is a statement of regret that publicly acknowledges the occurrence and severity of the act of injustice committed and reparations refers to a practical action that has been taken, such as paying money to the victims, to remedy the wrong that has been done.

Those learned in security issues say apologies however, can only symbolically address wrongs that have been committed, while reparations are more tangible representations of the offenders’ willingness to begin repairing the relationship between offenders and offended.

A number of conflict theorists and practitioners, including Paul Lederach advocates the pursuit of “conflict transformation” as opposed to conflict management.

According to this expert, “Conflict resolution” implies that conflict is bad-hence something that should be ended. It also assumes that conflict is a short term phenomenon that can be ‘resolved’ permanently through mediation or other intervention processes. “Conflict management” correctly assumes that conflict are long term processes that often cannot be quickly resolved, but the notion of “management” suggests that people can be directed or controlled as though they were physical objects.

Conflict transformation, as described by Lededrach, does not suggest that we simply eliminate or control conflict, but recognize and work with its dialectic nature; by this he means that conflicts is naturally created by humans who are involved in relationships yet once it occurs it changes (i.e. transforms) those events, people, and relationships that created the initial conflict, thus it describes a natural occurrence.

President Jonathan should implement ways and means of bringing the raging conflicts to a transformative end expressily.

Emmanuel Onwubiko is of Human Rights Writers’ Association of Nigeria, www.huriwa.blogspot.com