By
Saatah Nubari
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Murtala
Nyako
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I had no intention of putting down an
article today. As a matter of truth, I had just come back from a night vigil,
and I had planned to keep my body and soul hibernated and in sleep mode for a
good portion of the day.
The war drums have been sounded. Before
I go any further, let me state categorically that I have only decided to put
down my thoughts for you because, there are signs, signs that we have either
failed to take note of, or signs that we have failed to take as important.
The war drums have been sounded, and
this time around, it is not from Asari Dokubo or Junaid. It is from a sitting
state governor, a person that is supposedly supposed to be a role model and
leader of his flock. I advise everyone, irrespective of party affiliation,
tribe or religion to spare a minute or two and go through Murtala Nyako’s
purported memo to the Northern Governors Forum on the 16th of April.
Researchers of the events of 1967 will
be quick to tell you that utterances like these were what set the stage for the
Nigeria-Biafra civil war—and as George Santayana put it, “Those who cannot
remember the past are condemned to repeat it”. Reactions have rightfully
trailed the memo written by Nyako, but like I said, they’ve just been reactions
and nothing more. It is imperative that we understand what the said memo is
capable of doing to our already ethnically and religiously polarised country,
and as such treat this memo as a threat to the stability of this country.
In the first paragraph of that memo,
Nyako said “it is very clear that the protection of life and property of
innocent citizens in Northern Nigeria and recognising their Human rights and
voting right in the forthcoming general elections is no longer a cardinal
principle of the administration”. There is nothing bad in this claim, as the FG
has indeed failed to attend to the issues such as the protection of lives and
properties in Northern Nigeria.
I was beginning to nod in support of
the contents of the memo, when this hit me: “The administration is bent on
bringing wars in the North between Muslim and Christians and within them and
between one ethnic group and another or others in various communities in the
region”—it was obvious politics ended in the first paragraph and Nyako moved to
a different level. He indirectly—but if you ask me, I’ll say he directly
accused the FG of inciting conflicts in Northern Nigeria between Christians and
Muslims.
“Cases of mass murders by its bloody
minded killers and cut-throats are well known, but it attributes the killings
to so-called Boko-Haram.” This allegation is damning. Nyako not only accused
the FG of the murders going on in the North, he also claims the FG is wrongfully
attributing them to Boko-Haram, hence, Nyako has directly absolved the sect of
any blame that has to do with the wanton killings in the North.
“These organised kidnappers must have
the backing of the federal administration for them to move about freely with
abducted children just as those who convey ammunitions and explosives from port
to the safe-houses of the so called Boko-Haram”. This statement does two
things; it accuses the FG of backing the kidnappers of school children and also
for conveying ammunitions and explosives to “so-called Boko-Haram”.
I was of the opinion that it couldn’t
get worse than this till Nyako hit me with: “There have also been attempts to
assassinate the Senate President (Northerner) in Imo State, two Executive
Governors of states in the North (The Governor of Benue and my Humble self),
two of our most prominent Traditional leaders (Shehu of Borno and Emir of
Kano), senators and others too numerous to mention, all from Northern Nigeria.”
Coming from a former military personnel
and a current Governor, this claim is quite serious—with his emphasis on their
Northern origin, Nyako has directly given the FG a Southern face with an
alleged plan to annihilate Northern leaders. This brings back to memory the
statements that were released before and after the civil war, and the
devastating effects they had on the Nigerian state.
The most worrying part of Murtala
Nyako’s memo came when he started bringing the Nigerian army into things, and
this time around he has incited members of the Nigerian army from Northern
origin against the FG which he has now given a Southern face. “Furthermore it
is a well-known fact that virtually all the soldiers of Northern Nigerian
origin recently recruited to fight Boko-Haram have been deceived in that aspect.
They are being poorly trained, totally
ill-equipped, given only uniform and are killed by their trainers in the
Nigerian Army training centres as soon as they arrive in the Nigerian Army
camps being used by so called Boko-Haram insurgents.”
It should be noted that the Nigerian
Army is comprised of gallant officers from the nooks and crannies of Nigeria,
and these officers have dedicated their lives to protecting the Nigerian
populace—Nyako has failed to see this, instead he has decided to cause pandemonium
and breach of trust within the ranks of the Nigerian Army, he is on the verge
of creating ethnic tension within the Nigerian Army which is not a good sign at
all. He went further to state that “the Federal administration’s affront to
frame Northerners is also an open secret.” He went ahead to place” a call to
action” which I’ll now make my own “call to alertness”.
The said memo is already in
circulation, so I’ll stop here in pointing out the obvious red signs that are
now going on display in the politics and policies of this country. Saying that
Murtala Nyako has sounded the war drums is an understatement.
It will be good
to note that the last time the nation’s polity was this heated, AK 47 rifles
later went off, Ogbunigwe was made and millions of people died. I find it
disheartening that we have decided to play politics to this level, and that
most APC supporters have toned down the issue of his memo, is quite disturbing.
I’ll also want to remind us that when
the kakakakakakakaka and Gbooom! Soundtrack are being played, nobody will ask
you “APC or PDP” before issuing some rounds of ammunitions into your body.
What I got from that memo is simple:
Nyako tried his best to incite Northerners in the military against the FG which
he gave a Southern face, and history has taught us that incitements of this
magnitude has most often than not, been heeded. That memo should be treated as
a real security threat for which it is.
Nyako’s memo will be tendered as
evidence when history comes knocking, and it is safe to say, with the way
things are escalating, the US might be right about 2015 after all.
Saatah Nubari tweets from @Saatah
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