THE WIDER INTERNATIONAL FIGHT AGAINST BOKO HARAM

“The murderous campaign waged by Boko Haram demands stronger and more coordinated action from us all. Regional and international efforts must focus on protecting communities in northern Nigeria and across borders. More than a million internally displaced people and refugees must be able to return home,”  Ban Ki-moon

The last Africa Union Summit at Addis Ababa produced amongst several resolutions a concerted multinational action force against the Boko Haram movement in Nigeria; for the first time in 6yrs since the start of Boko Haram’s muderous insurrection, a tangible offensive was being executed against the rampaging terrorists who have seized swaths of territory in North Eastern Nigeria and declaring an Islamic caliphate.

Mapping the Boko Haram Conflict in North Eastern Nigeria
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Boko_Haram_in_Lake_Chad_Region.png

Not limiting their invasive menace to Nigerian territory, Boko Haram has launched cross border attacks at Northern Cameroun burning settlements and kidnapping people. Of the several marauding and menacing activities of Boko Haram in Nigeria, the one that first grabbed international attention was the kidnap of over 270 school girls at a secondary school in Chibok on the 14th of April 2014. For the first time a protest was launched by Nigerians online and on the streets challenging the Nigerian government to #BringBackOurGirls. Originating from the streets of Abuja, it gained international acclaim with solidarity protests in major cities around the world. Even young Nobel laureate, Malala Yousafzai had to visit Nigerian president to international concern to the cause.

Obiageli Ezekwensili leading the initiation of the Bring Back Our Girls Campaign at Abuja
Source: http://sunnewsonline.com/new/?p=83030

After several embarrassing defeats suffered by the Nigerian Army in the fight against the terrorists which emboldened cross border attacks against Cameroun by Boko Haram, there was international concern that Boko Haram was toeing the path of the Islamic State (IS) in inflicting a regional terrorist menace thus threatening the stability of Nigeria, Cameroun, Niger, Chad and the wider West and Central Africa Sub region. With a resurging activity of Alshabab in East Africa, and Libya being made ungovernable by several Islamist Militant groups, Africa could not afford another new militant front in West Africa.

Nigeria being Africa’s most populous Nation and wielding socio-economic powers within West Africa and Africa could not be allowed to crumble under the binge of Extremist Islamist Militancy.  Aside the fear of losing an economic power house with its enormous human and natural resources to instability, Nigeria’s neighbours are heavily dependent on her for their socio economic survival and will crumble under the sheer weight of influx of refugees from an unstable Nigeria.

Though there have been attempts of formation of a Multinational Joint Task Force curb the cross border menace of Boko Haram, contributing countries (Nigeria, Chad, Niger and Cameroun) initially had not been sincere in maintaining the creed and that in part resulted in the capture of the Multi National Joint Task Force Base at Baga in January 2015 by Boko Haram.

Armed with loots of weaponry from Baga and other captured Nigerian Army Bases, Boko Haram was poised carry out their menacing threat to undermine the Nigerian government and indeed that of its neighbours. Faced with this threat and the associated problem of stifled economic activities cum refugee influx, Nigeria’s neighbours had no choice than to take the fight to Boko Haram in Nigeria instead of waiting at the borders to repel them.

Following the recommendations of the Africa Union Peace and Security Council, the Africa Union at the last Summit passed a resolution calling for the formation of a Multi National Joint Task force to crush Boko Haram. A force of 7500 soldiers comprising of 3,250 Nigerian soldiers, 3,000 Chadian Soldiers, 950 soldiers from Cameroon, 750 from Niger and the remaining 750 from Benin. These figures include not only infantry troops and artillery, but also gendarmes and police squads as well as engineering, logistical and civilian units.

“Nigeria must get involved and honour its promise of providing between 2,500 and 3,000 to the multinational force,” Colonel Didier Badjeck Cameroon’s defence spokesman. 

After several years of mistrust and territorial disputes between Nigeria and her neighbours, for the first time, the once dis-consonant neighbours have agreed to work together to quench a marauding threat to peace and economic development within their common borders, thus providing an African Solution to an African problem.

Though Chad has taken it upon itself to spear head hostilities against Boko Haram across the borders, and spear heading the international force action against Boko Haram within Nigerian territory, the onus and impetus in the counter insurgency against Boko Haram still lies on Nigeria’s security forces who themselves are doing their fighting bit to exterminate once and for all the budding threat of Islamic militancy within its borders. Ensuring the Boko Haram menace is nullified once and for all. Never again!

Is Nigeria Tearing Itself Apart?

After years of Military rule, Nigeria clawed back her path to democratic governance in 1999 and for the first time in her history, there have been three successive democratic transitions without Military intervention. Though marred by electoral irregularities, political assassination and post election violence, the Nigerian democratic model is seen as that which is growing from the nascent stage of teething pains to the part of maturity.

Political map of Nigeria

Source: http://newsrescue.com/100-years-100-interesting-facts-nigeria/#axzz3RZNTHPSy

Based on the American Presidential system of government, the Nigerian government is tailored to the Federal System of government with a two term limit of four years each for the executive arm, and an unlimited four year term for the legislative arm. With a skewed Federal system concentrating central power on the executive, the elections for executive posts (Presidential and gubernatorial) are seen as a ‘do or die’ affair. The matter is not helped with the juicy pecuniary emolument attached to political posts coupled with the power to issue contracts which is usually a drain pipe to loot public funds; politics is seen as a worthy full time career/business venture.

Another divisive factor used as a political tool is religion and ethnicity. To the North of the Niger/Benue Rivers, the population is predominantly Muslim and unified by the Hausa language; though still ethnically diverse, the influence of the defunct Sokoto Caliphate which ruled the area during pre-colonial times is still felt and that accounts for the unifying language and religion. Nevertheless, there are pockets of highland areas untouched by the Jihad thus having different ethno-religious mix up. Such areas like Jos, Southern Kaduna being religious/cultural islands (mostly Christianity) differing from their predominantly Muslim Hausa/Fulani neighbours.

South of the Niger-Benue trough to the West, the population is predominantly Yoruba and their religious leaning is a near equal balance of Christianity and Islam albeit mixed with a deep affinity for cultural and indigenous belief/bond. To the East of the Niger River, the population is predominantly of the Igbo ethnic stock and the Niger Delta is awash with an agglomeration of several ethnic leanings, though the Ijaw ethnic group is dominant. Christianity is the dominant religion in this part of the country.

Nigeria’s ethnic diversity

Source: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-31101351

Such is the diverse polarity of Nigeria’s ethno-religious mix, making the ethnic/religious leaning of any political aspirant a first point of question. As such, major political parties in Nigeria are cognizant of this so if for example a political aspirant is Christian, his/her running mate must be Muslim. If He/she is from the South, the running mate must be from the North. This principle is referred to as zoning and though it is the constitutional agreement of the ruling PDP (People’s Democratic Party), such norm is widely accepted in the national political consciousness as politically correct.

This has enhanced the deep mistrust along tribal and religious lines especially betwixt the North and South. The North is seen to be politically dominant having produced 8 of Nigeria’s 12 rulers since independence who have spent a combined 30yrs of 54yrs of independence in power.

Agglomerated by British colonial rule, the fault lines in Nigeria’s political make up was evident during the pogrom of the Igbo’s in the North after the first coup d’etat in 1966 which led to a 30month civil war. Ever since, there has been no stop to bloodletting in pockets of sporadic ethnoreligious violence in Northern cities of Kano, Kaduna, Bauchi etc each time targeting Christians and Southerners (either Christian or Muslim). It is however sad to note that after such riots, no master minder/perpetrator is brought to book. This has fuelled suspicion and mistrust conjuring insinuations that the government (at those times controlled by Northerners) where behind the violence.

With the advent of democracy in 1999, power shifted to the south as Ex-Military ruler, Gen. Obasanjo won the presidential elections. His advent to power was seen as power balance after 20 contiguous years of Military rule albeit by Northerners. He went on to rule for two terms and made attempts to push for a third term which was thwarted. The North/South ethno religious mistrust continued to fester during his rule as some governors of Northern states sued for sharia law in their domain. With the Presidency powerless to stop the trend, the entrenched mistrust cascaded into riots in Northern Christian enclaves of Jos and its environs.

Aside, ethno-religious violence, Nigeria’s peace has been taunted by the rise of militancy. This is a resultant of politicians arming thugs to intimidate their opponents and then abandoning or refusing to mop up arms given to these thugs after elections. These actions fuelled the ferocity and menace of the Niger Delta militants in the Niger Delta and Boko Haram in the North East.

The Niger Delta after a long agitation for resource control has produced the Country’s current president in Dr. Goodluck Jonathan and, this has helped to quell the activities of the Militants. However, with elections around the corner and the president intending to run for a second term, there have been associated excerbated fears in the National polity viz:

1.     A prominent Niger Delta militant leader, Asari Dokubo have issued a threat that the President either wins the election or not return home as the President must exhaust all available term limit.

2.     There are fears that elections may not hold in some parts of the North East where Boko Haram’s activities are ferocious thus granting illegitimacy to any planned elections.

3.     Security fears have made elections to be postponed from February 14th to March 28 with the intention that the army would have recaptured territories occupied by Boko Haram.

4.     There are innate fears that the elections might not even hold at all with the premise that: If the army could not contain Boko Haram in the last 6 years, how would they in 6 weeks? This might cause a constitutional crisis if the transition programme is thwarted.

5.     The outburst of Militants and opposition leaders threatening war or forming a parallel government casts a shadow of impending violence on the Nation.

Ultimately, the fear is this: If President Jonathan looses at the polls, the Niger Delta militants might begin violence which entails bursting oil pipelines, kidnapping of oil workers all of which will shut down oil production which is the main stay of the economy.

A win for President Jonathan might ignite post election violence in the North and with a delicate security balance unlike 2011;  the security forces might have their hands full in that regard.

Every Nigerian knows what the permutations are and in the end the resilient spirit will wear on, but some lives will be lost and life will go on till another political transition period when the same cycle will be repeated.