By 
Boko Haram: Time for frank engagement
There can no longer be any gainsaying that there are very clear gaps in the war against the Boko Haram insurgency that need to be resolutely addressed. An the time to do that is now.
Indeed, if the nation was going to continue to be comforted by assurances from the authorities that they were on top of the situation, the latest massacre of farmers in Borno State has raised fresh concern: enough is simply not being done.
Information Minister Lai Mohammed has talked about Nigeria not getting enough cooperation from the global community, notably in the areas of arms procurements and supplies. Other government officials are talking of the security services being double crossed by informants. The stories coming out simply belie the fact that there is a need to completely overhaul the fighting infrastructure.
Compounding the issues is the insistence of President Buhari to retain the security chiefs under whose watch such monumental failings continue to be recorded. Equally perplexing is the central administration’s hostility to efforts by states and regions to do more by and among themselves to improve their own security. So what is the nation to expect? Continued killings? As we say in these parts, God forbid a bad thing.
And Boko Haram is only one of several layers of sadly escalating security challenges. Bandits, kidnappers, armed robbers and other criminal types are carrying out their nefarious activities almost all over the country with the security services now very seemingly overwhelmed. We insist that the President owes the nation a new surge of life in the security arena. That indeed is the least he must do in these very difficult times.
And two simple quick wins are an immediate nod and support for state policing nationwide and the appointment of new security chiefs.
President Muhammadu Buhari
Comments