Notwithstanding the great strides being recorded by Nigerian
military in the fight against insurgency, the Centre for Crisis Communication
(CCC) has observed that the December 2015 deadline for the defeat of the
insurgents is not feasible.
Nottwithstanding the great strides being recorded by
Nigerian military in the fight against insurgency, the Centre for Crisis
Communication (CCC) has observed that the December 2015 deadline for the defeat
of the insurgents is not feasible.
Executive Secretary of CCC, Air Commodore Yusuf Anas (Rtd)
while briefing the press in Abuja on Thursday that “the timeline on when to
stop the insurgents from activating sleeper cells and detonating bombs into
soft targets in any part of the country, especially in the frontline states is,
therefore, no tenable in the current efforts by the armed forces of Nigeria.
“While agreeing that it might not be wrong to set targets
for military operations as was done by President Muhammadu Buhari when he
tasked the military to wrap up the fight against Boko Haram by December 2015,
“it must also be stated that this target date might be unrealistic. This
submission is predicated on the fact that asymmetric warfare which the Boko
Haram is prosecuting against the Nigeria is not such that can be easily be
stamped out by the Armed Forces.”
Quoting the just concluded United Nations General Assembly,
Anas said, “that terrorism as an ideology is largely emotive because it has to
do with the mind. Force has never been known to combat, in a precise manner,
any issue that has to do with the mind.”
The Centre, therefore, urged Nigerians not to see the
December target as the sacrosanct date when all suicide bombings will end.
Similarly, we should also not trade blame with the military
over the issue. Nigerians should rather continue to cooperate with the
government and support the security forces to ensure that the enemies do not
continue to have an opportunity to unleash terror in our country.”
Concerning the millions already displaced by the insurgency
especially in the northeastern parts of the country, the Centre expressed
concern about their plight, which it described as precarious and needing urgent
attention.
“The Centre is strongly suggesting the establishment of a
lead government agency that will develop a Marshall plan for the rehabilitation
of all the displaced people in the North East.
“This could also be in the form of Inter- Ministerial Plan
with an administrative office with a similar scope as the Presidential Amnesty
Programme for the Niger Delta Youths.
“This will oversee the data capturing, profiling and
rehabilitation of all the displaced people in the frontline states and other
affected states of Nigeria. The plan will identify the priority areas of needs,
skills and challenges with a view to settling them productively to avoid
recourse to crimes or antisocial behaviour.”
The Centre for Crisis Communication equally noted the
serious threats of secession in the past several months by a few individuals
and groups in parts of Nigeria including some Yoruba elders and other Igbo
groups.
“The Centre views this development as not only grossly
uncharitable to the entire nation but unwarranted coming at a time the country
is not only consolidating its nascent democracy but also celebrated its 100
years centenary and its fifty-first anniversary.
“These unfortunate secessionist agitations are also coming
on the heels of the widely acclaimed free and fair elections that brought about
a new government in Nigeria.”
Buttressing his point with video clips of the leader of the
Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB), Daniel Kanu on his radio broadcast
threatening to burn down Nigeria which he described as “Zoo”, Anas declared
recent disruptive protests in some South East and South- South as condemnable.
He said, “the Centre strongly believes that the issue of the
State of Biafra was historically rested in 1970 following the end of the civil
war.
Therefore, secession should not be an option for any
individual or group in Nigeria especially after the 30 months war that killed,
maimed millions of lives and destroyed unquantifiable property and
infrastructure.
“Unguarded statements and violent demonstrations are
therefore unhelpful and capable of escalating the unnecessary crisis.”
After monitoring activities of Radio Biafra, “it is the
Centre’s conclusion that several contents broadcasted were seditious and even
bordering on treason against the Nigerian state.
“This is akin to similar hate messages by a radio station
during the Rwandan genocide against sections of the country and the
government.
“Indeed, at an earlier media briefing in August, the Centre
highlighted the menacing broadcast of the pirate Radio Biafra which no doubt
could be described as being on a mission to orchestrate disunity in
Nigeria.”
He then urged the Movement for the Sovereign State of Biafra
(MASSOB) and IPOB to seek legitimate avenues of channelling their grievances or
injustices on any perceived socio-economic and political issues in their region
within the current democratic space.
The Centre then commended efforts of the governors of the
South East and other leaders in the region to broker peace and observed that
“true leaders in any society always quickly wade into a crisis before it gets
out of hand.”
The CCC, however, asked the Federal government to engage the
MASSOB, IPOB and indeed any group in a meaningful dialogue within the laws of
Nigeria with a view to resolving current, or emerging crisis. This is no time
to stroke new crisis in the country, but rather a period to cement our unity as
one, strong, indivisible and progressive nation.
By PRNigeria
0 Comments