There is a tripartite battle of public opinion at play in the polity as the Presidency, governors –particularly those from the North – and the military are all engaged in spirited public communication to excuse their respective ‘failures’ in the on-going war against Boko Haram, alias BH. The BH commanders must be having a big laugh for destabilizing the forces ranged against them.
We take the Presidency first, being the main act, in this morbid tangle in the public arena. The Presidency insinuates that the BH insurgency is a deliberate ploy to harass President Goodluck Jonathan out of power. It alleges sabotage from all – the main opposition party, the northern governors and even the military, the Presidency’s own armed enforcer. The Presidency, in its desperation, talks of a conclave of ethnic warriors, religious fanatics and opposition mischief makers ganged up against it. Jonathan has become the butt of jokes, virtually across the world, as the brazen, widespread violence of Boko Haram ridicules the authority of the state before a world audience.
The Presidency is the arrow head of power in any country, the monopolist of the legitimate use of force to stamp its authority. So, when the Presidency whines excuses about its inability to ensure the security of the state, it is a tragic display of the powerlessness of power. The Presidency is miffed on being charged with spinelessness, and is trying to convince us that malevolent are frustrating its efforts. Excuses don’t win a battle.
The Northern governors, most of whom are members of President Jonathan’s ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) act more like opposition members in their tackle of the Presidency – a case of a house divided against itself. It shows us that in Nigeria’s peculiar political configuration, party affiliation is just a platform of convenience but the bonds of religion and regionalism are stronger…
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