Since the killings and bombings by the radical Islamic sect called Boko
Haram intensified in the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan,
many people are counseling that there is a conspiracy theory against the
president by northerners and some of their international collaborators.
This is even as UK and USA are invariably adding their spiteful voices that
Nigeria has not done enough to checkmate insurgency and, that there is
extreme poverty in the north and, that the area is underdeveloped.
What the northern peoples of Nigeria are suffering from is attitudinal
poverty, said social officials. This is against the supposed conspiracy
theory by USA and UK that this part of the country is underdeveloped and
poor, as if it started with President Jonathan administration.
A Former Minister and the Director-General, Nigerian Economic Summit Group,
NESG, Frank Nweke, Jnr. saw this ‘attitudinal problem’ with the north when
he told newsmen this month in an interview that only a healthy and educated
population can lead the country.
“As a child, I watched as the seeds of Boko Haram were sown in Maiduguri,
where I grew up. As we were taken to school every day, we saw the kids
sitting under trees being indoctrinated. As we returned from school in the
afternoon, we saw the same children at the roundabouts, begging for alms
and as we went to catechism in the evening, we found them back under the
trees receiving their own religious studies.
“Majority of them did not attend any formal school. Today, they have become
the cause of insurgency to the nation…,” Nweke Jnr. said. A social
commentator who would not want the name in print said, “Nigeria and its
Kleptocratic ways are of no concern to US and UK or any other country for
that matter.”
Citing Crimea as an example, the commentator continued: “Crimea was only
important to US and UK, to a minimal extent, because it is a matter of
projecting the West’s influence in the region. Hence, no matter the
rhetorical, no one is suggesting a military response.
“What we should note is that US, UK etc. know that the oligarchs in Crimea
are keeping their money/property in the West, just as the Nigerian
kleptomaniac class.
“None of these countries (USA and UK) give a hoot about Nigeria enough to
do something like this, nor should they. Nobody is coming to save us. None,
but ourselves can free our minds.”
These conspiracy theorists against Jonathan have said that the northern
Nigeria is poorer than what may be taken as the average poor in the global
poverty index. They are of the conviction that unless a “new visionary
leadership emerges” the poverty in the region will not be yoked.
“UK and USA did not consider the fact that some persons from north have
ruled the country for a period totaling 35yrs and were knowingly or
unknowingly unable to arrest the perceived underdevelopment and poverty
that is said is ravaging the north, just the same way the entire ethnic
groups in the country collapsed under such leaderships,” said a
Kaduna-based Journalist.
In strong terms, well-meaning Nigerian leaders and media have warned that
some statements by these countries are capable of throwing the country into
perpetual chaos; just as such statements have been regarded as “diagnosis
taken too far.” It is not certain why such foreign countries should be
throwing tantrums in the country, if there is no conspiracy theory against
the present administration.
“UK and USA were unable to make such spiteful comments when persons from
the north were holding the helm-of-affairs of the country that could be
seen pillaged the economy of the country for over 3 decades, which
President Jonathan has to a significant level, been able to transform,”
continued the Journalist.
As the perceived conspiracy theory continues, some prominent Nigerians like
Olusegun Obasanjo and Nyako have added to the inferno with written memos
and letters that were made public inciting direct and indirect hatred
against the current administration.
But while the letter of Obasanjo was seen as a ‘letter of admonishment’
even though that the government did not read it without a reply to
Obasanjo, that of Nyako was seen as a sheer memo capable of bolstering the
Boko Haram insurgents against Nigeria and Nigerians and therefore battering
the image of Jonathan’s government.
An average Nigerian knows that countries in the West are only supportive of
projects that favour them and do not support those that do not favour them,
said experts. Against this backdrop, many opinions have suggested that
these countries’ comments are more of political than they could be seen as
suggestive that Nigeria and her government should maintain peace and order
in the North-eastern part of the country troubled by Boko Haram.
According to an account, “What bothers me is the irredeemable brainwashing
of many Nigerians… How can Shell (UK), Chevron are in Nigeria for over
50yrs and we still refine the South-South and South-East oil abroad? Why
are they encouraging Nigeria to destroy local refining technology of the
Niger Delta Republic?”
The source maintained that USA and UK are doing everything within their
reach to maintain neo-colonialism in Nigeria, by throwing their weight in
favour of projects that favour them and against the ones that do not favour
them. This habit, the source said, “is more dangerous than Slavery and
Colonialism put together.”
Some Nigerians are yet to come terms that Nigeria is an independent state
since it was Britain that established her and following such constituency’s
incessant inflammatory comments in the present administration.
To this school of thought: “Nigeria was never created to be a great
country, Nigeria is there to serve someone’s interest. Now, you should try
to know whose interest Nigeria is serving. How do you expect UK to impose
travel, visa restrictions on Nigerians?”
Nigeria is believed to be controlled by UK and United States of America.
Said an account: “Make no mistake, they appoint our rulers; you cannot rule
Nigeria without bowing to the Queen or American president.
There is no way someone like Obasanjo could have ruled Nigeria if not
because he was ‘appointed’; there was no way Yakubu Gowon could have ruled
Nigeria if not because he was ‘appointed’ etc.”
The source continued: “Ask yourself why there is Shell in Nigeria, but
there is no British Electricity company to provide power to Nigerians; but
there is Shell Petroleum to take our oil to England.”
There is apprehension that these people that stand “as our enemy we embrace
them and call them our messiah” are the same people that would detect the
elections of the country in 2015, as usual. According to the source: “The
case of Nigeria is very pathetic to other African countries; Nigeria has
foods but majority of us beg for what to eat; we have money yet no money
available for us; we have cars but we are using our legs as a means of
transportation.”
Establishments have ostensibly advised that Nigerians need not go far to
come to terms with the “Western policy on Africa” which is regarded as
“just lip service to express only false political correctness.” According
to the source, there is a philosophy that any event in a Caucasian
territory is viewed with concentrated attention in a way to stop decline to
backwardness as was seen in the Crimea.
“If the event in Crimea were to be replicated in Africa, the West would
only maintain a phlegmatic stance even if internecine killings abound. That
explains the Rwanda pogrom, when France and Belgium left that country at
the time of its greatest need! And this resulted in the killing of 800,
000!
“The West wants Nigeria, because Nigeria provides a database for trained
professionals that migrate to the West; secondly, a vibrant Nigeria would
pose threat to the primacy of the West in many human fields of endeavour.
So, the West tacitly encourages a decrepit Nigeria. Nigerian leaders don’t
understand this!” said the source.
Nigerians have not experienced a “heightening revolutionary mood” as they
are experiencing under the leadership of Jonathan. There are, though,
comments that are that this may not be unconnected with such frightening
comments on Nigeria by UK and USA. The later has even said categorically
that Nigeria may disintegrate by 2015.
The British Broadcasting Cooperation, BBC, has even in-recent-times
expressed UK’s conspiracy theory against Jonathan, saying that close to a
month that about 200 female students were abducted from their boarding
school in north by Boko Haram that Nigeria’s President Jonathan and many of
the country’s political leaders are showing unconcerned attitude to the
calamity.
“There cannot be many countries where the political leaders stay as silent
following such tragedy. So far, UK Foreign Secretary William Hague has said
more about the Chibok attack than Nigeria’s President Goodluck Jonathan,”
said BBC Nigeria Correspondent Will Ross in an account.
The report continued that BBC was worried that the military strategy used
in checkmating the insurgents is dwindling hence the Boko Haram members
always have a field day in their operations in the North-eastern part of
Nigeria where they have as stronghold.
“Boko Haram group is still able to move across Borno State in convoys,”
said BBC.
The celebrated media outfit added that this portends a very bad image for
the country and exposes the shortcomings of the current military strategy
in fighting terrorism in the affected areas of the North-eastern Nigeria.
BBC further wondered the parameter in the utilisation of the security
budget of the country, especially this year, which was given to be above
$6bn (3.5bn).
Investigation revealed that Nigeria’s defence budget is increasing, but
insecurity which the fund was made for has not been significantly
arrested. Many
people have blamed Nigerian politicians as the cause of these conspiracies
against Jonathan, because of what was regarded as their ‘lack of virtue.’
“As human beings we normally feel compassion for our fellow human beings
when they are in painful and unfortunate situations. We try to help them.
Nigerian politicians lack that virtue. Intelligence is a human virtue. It
allows you to understand the meaning of things; it is mark of psychological
maturity. Nigerian politicians are not intelligent. These are the kinds of
African politicians the West likes,” said a social analyst.
Most-recently, the All Progressives Congress, APC, accused the president
and the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, of polarising the security
situation in the country. The party it was noted lent its voice that there
was deception in the scheme mapped out for arresting insecurity in the
country when the party said that its governors were excluded from a call by
the president freshly for a meeting to discuss the insecurity situation in
the country.
It is, nevertheless, not only the APC that has made such spurious claim.
The PDP had through its National Publicity Secretary Olisa Metuh accused
some opposition politicians of being the brain behind the sponsorship of
Boko Haram. This statement was coming out when the terrorists attacked and
bombed Nyanya, a suburb of Abuja that left hundreds of people dead and many
people injured and property worth millions of naira destroyed.
A USA-based Nigerian, Abiodun Ladepo in a discourse called on Mr. President
to summon all his security details, saying: “If president Goodluck Jonathan
is not afraid of his national security team, he should summon his Minister
of Defense, Chief of Defense Staff and all Service Chiefs, Head of the
Directorate of Military Intelligence, Inspector-General of Police and,
National Security Adviser to his office and demand answers to the following
questions: Where were those soldiers stationed on Giwa Barracks, Maiduguri,
on March 14, 2014, when the terrorists attack began?”
This is even as pro-Jonathan politicians and human rights activists and
opinion leaders are saying that there is no conspiracy targeted against
President Goodluck Jonathan that will stand.
