By Adetunji Ayobrown
I shall shock you. I shall deal with you in the language you understand were missing in action for years until belated his ‘shoot on sight’ outburst. Logical or not, sooner or later, many said ISWAP’s letters of diplomatic accreditation may be presented in Aso Rock, as if that is funny. But the president was referring to the secessionists in the South-East and South-South where offices of the Independent National Electoral Commission had been torched and police stations burnt.
This calls for all necessary attentions to the precedent language of a leader. Words can sometimes worth more than any weight of gold or silver. That if such statements are not properly guided, in a single minute and if not for rest of our life is capable of national disintegration.
Nigerians reject ‘military shock’ in treatment of civil issues. What a pity and what a tragic setting to discover that this language was accessible all the time to President Buhari at this while. But where and when it truly mattered, when it would have been not only appropriate, but deserved and mandatory is truly tragic.
Imagine that after given him, ‘our hope’ a chance after several attempts at the presidency. To be elected and reelected to the number seat in the nation. That today, Nigeria under his watch is even worse more than the time of last civil war did ask President Muhammadu Buhari a simple question. Who are you to Nigeria?
For those like Buhari on the fields during the nation’s 1967 to 1970 civil war that allowed same backwardness persist under same terrible or even worse conditions that started the civil war troubles. what does all this make of his like?
Interestingly, Buhari choose to keep calm when Benue, Plateau, Nassarawa, and many other parts of the country were attacked but evokes civil war memories instead, that is humanity for those like him.
What are they to Nigeria nation? That under his abled or disabled leadership (for many are unable to fix this), that our country Nigeria is like this under you still bewildered the citizens. If not tried, then blame no one. But what do all this make of him and his administration?
Truly, to shock and awe, the playwright, Prof. Wole Soyinka described the statement of the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari to the civilian dissidents as wrongly targeted and tragically untimely.
The Nobel laureate thinks that Buhari’s language in utterance and what was known as ‘body language’ was of a different temper at the time innocent citizens and farm destruction including mass displacement were the order of the day in Benue State.
Wrongly targeted and tragically untimely. Buhari seems to have truly forgotten that he who learn to ignite a bomb should also as a matter of priority learn to throw it very far. Else, he would compulsorily learn the impeccable lessons of people those who refused lessons on the attributes of a live bomb.
Buhari never forgets as he conjures the civil war memories as if it was pleasant on any sides. But many wondered if the likes of him ever understood what the war was all about except ‘obey the command’.
If so, yes, that is very easy because it is obvious that decades after the war the cause of the civil unrest still lingers with his likes as the arrow head. For those like him still around, change is here!
Buhari vowed and wanted to shock those who he alleged of promoting insurrection claiming that for those of them who were on the fields during the nation’s 1967 to 1970 civil war, he would treat the dissidents in the language they understand. But the civilized world says no to such hate in his speech, such action in statement is achieving the opposite it seems.
Threatened to shock civilian dissidents, to deal with them in the language they understand and in a context that conveniently brackets opposition to governance with any bloodthirsting enemies of state.
Analysis of Buhari’s recent deployment of this language is thus wrongly targeted while many condemn such as tragically untimely. Even while he was threatening dissidents, an agenda of both secessionism and alien occupation was taking place not too distant from Aso Rock. ISWAP was taking over the already excised territories of Shekau’s Boko Haram, appointing new warlords of the occupational forces, sectioning Nigeria into vassal states and unfurling their replacement flags of domination.
*Ayobrown, Senior System Analyst, National Pilot Newspaper, writes via [email protected]
