Recently the Boko Haram Group of terrorists rejected the amnesty offer of the Nigerian Government making a Boko Haram Republic a viable alternative. A situation whereby everybody is begging a murderous group to accept amnesty makes nonsense of our collective sense of decency. President Jonathan, Sultan Abubakar, Ado Bayero, Bola Tinubu, etc are all begging some murderers to accept freedom. These people failed to realise that the only thing that will appease the PDP branch of Boko Haram is for Jonathan to renounce any plans for 2015 presidency. It is time for the Federal Government to consider a Boko Haram Republic in some parts of the north so that the rest of us can live in peace. . Reports from Baga showed that the residents harbour Boko Haram terrorists, implying that they are sympathetic to the cause of the group, therefore, territories sympathetic to the Boko Haram ideology should be lumped together to form a republic where they can govern themselves as the want . If this amnesty offer fails and the Northern elders fails to reign in their people, the Nigerian Government should prepare to cede territories to the shariaists. This article, published earlier in the year under the title ’Boko Haram Republic of Northern Nigeria: A Good Idea Part 2′ is worth trying and will save us trillions of naira embezzled under the guise of fighting Boko Haram insurgency.
Boko Haram Republic of Kano, Boko Haram Republic of Borno, Boko
Haram Republic of Yobe, Boko Haram Republic of Minna, Boko Haram
Republic of Arewa and Sharia Republic of Nigeria are all possible names
for the new extremist Islamic Republic.
Nigerians want peace and if a people are bent on forcefully
visiting Sharia on the rest of Nigeria, they should be given a separate
nation and let those of us that want to be governed by the secular laws
of Nigeria be left alone.
The recent attacks on the Emir of Kano by those suspected to be
Boko Haram extremists and the consensual nonchalance of the Kano
citizenry to the incidence portrays a dangerous shift of mindset of the
people. It is obvious that Boko Haram had not thrived in Katsina because
the inhabitants refused the advances of the sect, but from the main
Jibiya border post in Katsina to Kano,a distance of about two hours ,
lies a minority element among them providing a safe haven
to the terrorists and dragging the name of the silent majority of Kano
citizenry to the mud. It is obvious that if a Boko Haram republic will
be carved out of the north, it will include territories from parts of
Kano, Borno , Yobe, Bauchi, Kaduna and Niger States.
President Jonathan and his strategy team should look into carving
territories out of these states to form a Boko Haram Republic provided
that the inhabitants of the ceded territories show by reason of
referendum that they prefer citizenship of a Boko Haram or Islamic Republic.
This referendum cannot cost the nation more than N50 Billion naira and another N500 billion could be given to the new republic
as take-off grant for infrastructural development. A strict boundary,
visa and travel policy should be adopted so that the Boko Haram
nationals do not infiltrate into the rest of Nigeria. Curiously I’ve
discovered by close interactions that majority of Muslim professionals
would not mind belonging to an Islamic Republic but the type of Islamic
Republic they would want is not the type administered by Mallam Shekau,
the Supreme Commander of Boko Haram.
Instead of wasting billions and trillions of naira in chasing
around Boko Haram extremists, putting undue pressure on the resources of
the nation (estimated 7 trillion having been spent by all tiers) since
the renewed onslaught, and more trillions will still be spent while
abandoning other critical sectors of the economy- let a fraction of that
sum be used to flag off campaign for a Boko Haram Republic and save us
wasted funds.
If sincere northern elders are against the sect, they should use
the occasion of the referendum to mobilize their people against the sect
while those in support of the new republic can come out in the open to canvass their ideals instead of using the sect as political tools against the incumbent president.
This strategy will also deny emergency security contractors and
their political accomplice further excuse to pillage the nation’s
resources in the name of fight against terror. A report from Mallam El-
Rufai has it that estimated N350 billion naira has been spent as
security votes in one year and it is obvious to observers that of the
said sum about N320 billion must have entered private pockets. Every
Governor, Minister and Heads of Government Agencies are spending and
embezzling trillions annually in the name of checkmating Boko Haram
activities. Therefore, this Boko Haram republic is necessary to block
this gross security waste pipe.
I still insist that a Boko Haram Republic or Islamic Republic
headed by progressive northern intellectuals will likely institute a
society that might surpass many African countries in development. If the
Boko Haram regime decides to import hand cutting machines from China as
antidote to corruption- they will not need any EFCC to chase any thief
around with all the accompanying legal standoff- as all the looting of
national treasury will stop in one month. They can elevate Fura, Zobo
and Kunu drinks and their medicinal values
will enhance national health while Guinness, Harp, Star and other
alcoholic brewers will relocate their trade to Cameroun. The Boko Haram
Republic will have no need to spend N5billion naira as Abuja Minister
proposed in the 2013 budget for prostitutes because with some 50 lashes
of Koboko (Horsewhip) prostitutes will relocate to their respective
villages.
If this Boko Haram Republic model enthrones a simple, law abiding and just society, soon other African countries will emulate the model, but if the model fails, they everyone to his tents.
Late Libyan Strongman Ghaddafi once advocated the division of the
nation along a Christian South and a Muslim North. This genuine attempt
to solve Nigeria’s lingering religious crisis may be reframed in such a
manner that Local Governments,
Senatorial Zones and States that want to join the Boko Haram
Republic may have their way while the rest of Nigeria continues
together. This idea of Boko Haram republic is worth trying so that
extremist Muslims can have their own nation while moderate Muslims and
their Christian brothers can live their lives in peace.
Obinna Akukwe
Profetobinna2@yahoo.com
No comments:
Post a Comment