The outrage that has greeted the abduction of
yet to be confirmed number of girls in Chibok is, indeed, very encouraging. It
is remarkable in the sense that it cuts across racial, geographical, ethnic,
religious, social and economic boundaries. I am still hoping that by the
recent overzealousness of the Boko Haram group, they may have actually scored
an own goal and we might actually be witnessing the beginning of the end of
Boko Haram.
Across the length and breadth of Nigeria and in many countries of the world men and women, young and old, rich and poor are rallying, sending strong, unmistakable message to Boko Haram that we are together in this trying time. A critical message of solidarity is being sent to both the abductors and the victims. I had earlier advocated that unity and love are the greatest weapons against terrorism and extremism. And it does appear that the Nyanya bomb blast and more recently the abduction of the school girls are precipitating the much needed unity. This is not to discount the enormous challenges we still face nor the lingering divisions in places that matter much to us. However, as it is said, a journey of a mile begins with a step. We will certainly get to that point where the forces for unity will overwhelm the divisive elements.
Across the length and breadth of Nigeria and in many countries of the world men and women, young and old, rich and poor are rallying, sending strong, unmistakable message to Boko Haram that we are together in this trying time. A critical message of solidarity is being sent to both the abductors and the victims. I had earlier advocated that unity and love are the greatest weapons against terrorism and extremism. And it does appear that the Nyanya bomb blast and more recently the abduction of the school girls are precipitating the much needed unity. This is not to discount the enormous challenges we still face nor the lingering divisions in places that matter much to us. However, as it is said, a journey of a mile begins with a step. We will certainly get to that point where the forces for unity will overwhelm the divisive elements.
Let's be very clear on this. The abduction
of innocent, defenseless children, for whatever reason, is totally
unacceptable. Children deserve our protection, not harassment. These are people
that have no say in national or state issues; some of them may even be in
school against their own wish. They have no capacity to decide for
themselves!
Furthermore, this violation of minors should
never be treated as a Northern problem or indeed a Nigerian problem. An
injustice to one is an injustice to all. When it is happening anywhere in the
world, people must never be silent nor feign unconcerned irrespective of where they may
live. Today, it is in the North. But if not properly tackled, it could easily
spread to the South. Today, Nigeria's mourns. But remember that terrorism has
been happening in Somalia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, etc for decades. Also,
extremists everywhere are watching. The outcome of the Nigerian question will
reverberate across terrorist cells everywhere and could play a major role in
shaping their next strategy.
That is why the world, and specifically in this
instance Nigerians of all political, ethnic and religious persuasion, must act
together and decisively now. Political calculations must be left out of
this.
Personally, I believe it is time to begin to ask
ourselves critical questions. What do these people really want? How do we
engage them more positively? Is there any other solution apart from the guns? Boko Haram members are our brothers, fathers, mothers, sisters, children and neighbours, and a whole new conflict resolution strategy might yield the
desired result.
Only unity and love will conquer extremism!
Only unity and love will conquer extremism!
No comments:
Post a Comment