Boko Haram insurgency, a conspiracy? Bus Stop Parliament




As for the Boko Haram issue, the government is handling them with kid gloves. Why can’t they be rounded up and dealt with once and for all?”, asked Richard.

Replied Ibrahim; “Hmm, I laugh oo. It is not as simple as that. If you say this in some parts of the North, you will not last two days. You don’t know who is who. Everyone is afraid of everyone else just like what happened in the USSR where children and parents were informants so that your child can report you to the authorities and you are arrested and executed for saying something against the authorities. It is that bad. The person you are talking to may be a Boko Haram informant or member.”

“And now government wants to grant them amnesty? What kind of a country are we in?” asked Kris.


President Goodluck Jonathan
“I tire oo. What they are telling us now is that if you don’t pick up arms against the state, you will never get anything from the state. Other youths will rise up soon,” said Richard.

“I think amnesty is the best solution for now. Then education should follow. If these youths were educated and engaged, no one will use them as they are being used now,” said Iyabo.

Replied Sani: “Education? I don’t think so because education will open their eyes to all the injustices. The oligarchy and established names do not want to lose power over the poor so they won’t want them educated so as to continue to subjugate them. They know that once these ones are educated, they will overtake their offspring because of the edge they have over them as a result of the sufferings they have been through.”

Said Ibrahim: “Yes, education is part of it but the most urgent thing now is to halt the madness.” Continuing he said: “What government needs to do is to bring together some eggheads to brainstorm and come up with ideas to help solve the problem. Let them get together for a few days and come up with solutions. The problem will not be solved by physical strength, it’s through intelligence.

“Going to Maiduguri was not a solution. These people can gather in Lagos and come up with a blueprint that will then be implemented. And make no mistake about it, the nonchalance shown by the South on the issue of Boko Haram is not the best because when you think you are at peace and your neighbour is having crisis, you are not safe because there will be a spill over one day so all hands must be on deck. If the issue is tackled in Kano, what makes you think they will not move to Lagos? So it must be tackled spontaneously in all the regions.

“Look at me now leaving Lagos for Abuja and the authorities do not know. The national identity card is not working. Under normal circumstances, if I pick up a national identity card, it should be able to give me the following information about the holder: his hometown, state, where he lives, where he works etc. And when a person moves from one location to another, there should be proper record.

“People troop into Lagos and other cities everyday and no one knows where they come from or what they do. Our borders are so porous that arms are brought into the country everyday. Nigeriennes come to Kano for shopping, just two hours drive, so it is easy for them.”

“So true! Look at a country like the US, they have the record of everybody there. Just Google a person’s name and they will show you how many people bear that name in the US, where they live, age, etc, and sometimes where they work and salary and whether they have any criminal records,” said Kris, adding; “I don’t know where we are headed.

The whole of Kogi State is sitting on iron and the population of cows in Taraba is higher than the population of humans, yet there is no milk or yoghurt industry there. Can’t we think?”



Vanguard