Now that our Senate is shivering, whither Nigeria?

I could not immediately fathom what could scare the nation’s 3rd most powerful citizen until I read the story. It was only then I realized that despite the immense power of his office characterized by his retinue of aides as well as his background as a former military commander, there is not much difference between […]

I could not immediately fathom what could scare the nation’s 3rd most powerful citizen until I read the story. It was only then I realized that despite the immense power of his office characterized by his retinue of aides as well as his background as a former military commander, there is not much difference between Senator Mark and my defenceless self who can shiver merely because the end of the year’s harmattan season when everywhere is cold has set in. I then imagined that if their President is scared, then our Senators must all be shivering now. I am however still at a loss as to why any Nigerian politician should be scared. After all, if there is unrest in the land, credit it to them; if private armies are installed to maim opponents-real or imagined, our politicians are the exponents.
Politics which in other climes operates as a game is war in Nigeria in which the end justifies whatever weapons are employed. There is thus nothing wrong with electoral violence in the form of snatching ballot boxes or the misuse of law enforcement operatives to clinch electoral victory.  Any opponent can be silenced by any means because there is nothing the politician cannot do; hence by consensus, we all believe that even the dreaded Boko Haram is the creation of our political class. Interestingly, their expertise in instalmental amendments to our constitution notwithstanding, it didn’t occur to them to smuggle in a new constitutional provision which grants themselves immunity against calamities like armed robbery, kidnapping and insurgency. If what appears clear now is that we are all afraid, then the high and the mighty and those who have the muscle to sponsor anarchy and chaos are not smart. Otherwise, what is new now to induce fear in the polity?
Of course it is not new that last week, some insurgents allegedly attacked Maiduguri and Damaturu, the capital towns of Borno and Yobe states respectively and killed several people. In the Damaturu attack alone, not less than 33 policemen and six soldiers were said to be among the casualties. The administrative block of the Yobe State University and that of the state radio corporation and the Police Mobile Base, located along the path of the imbroglio were all reportedly set ablaze. In the case of Maiduguri, six persons were reportedly killed; among them were two female suicide bombers who detonated explosive devices at the popular Monday Market.
Whereas the attempt by the insurgents to capture the government house in Damaturu may look novel, Governor Ibrahim Gaidam of Yobe State was expectedly away from his duty post at the time of the attack.  Why would he have been there? It is true that he was elected to govern Yobe State from Damaturu but a government statement issued on the day of the attack said “official” duties took him to Abuja where every other Governor is always found these days.  If he had remained in Damaturu would he not have been left out of the high political networking for which Abuja has become an epic centre? Put differently, it can be said that if the insurgents had gone to other states, highly placed politicians with lorry loads of armed escorts would probably not have been around thereby saving their defenders from the tedious task of fighting back to protect their principals. It is the ordinary people that would have as usual had no hope.
Being in Abuja is thus the political leader’s delight.  It is the place to be not only because it is the most fortified against attacks, it is the place for those who carry on as if nothing else matters except politics. It is a place where the purchase of political delegates is hatched, stage-managed and packaged.  Not to be in Abuja is almost like planning to commit political suicide. Indeed, the endorsement of Governor Gaidam as his party’s governorship candidate for the 2015 elections a few days after coming to Abuja would not have happened.  This is probably why our politicians keep moving on no matter how many of our people get killed by the day. They therefore have no time for fear or remorse. If so, why is our Senate President scared?  The answer from the media is that he was frightened by the magnitude of bomb blasts carried out by the insurgents as well as the bravery they displayed  in their bid to capture Damaturu. Mark stated this while commenting on the motion brought by Senator Ahmed Lawan representing Yobe North in the Senate on the development.
For us, whether the insurgents threw no bomb and had no cause to display any gallantry before entering Chibok, the capture of over 200 girls from their school several months ago remains a major failure of government. The attack on the Kano Mosque the previous Friday and all other fatal attacks in several parts of the North East leading to the death of several Nigerians negate the main purpose of government which our constitution says is the welfare and security of the people. The Federal Government has failed, so have all our States and Local Governments for not recognizing what we have today as a national calamity that calls for national cohesion.   In other words, all our political parties would have been united, the way the nation often stands together in an international football match involving our national team.
In a nation where the people are the subject and not the object of democracy, our politicians who form government would have mobilized everyone into the war on terror. They would have made the subject the overriding issue of the moment; they would have had the conscience of ensuring that the battle ends before partisan politics finds its way to the front burner again.  Alas that is not to be so; our fate now is that while some of us are dying, others are into party primaries!