The @NigeriaGov has a Constitutional duty to protect and secure the lives of citizens. This Constitutional duty means that our children must have safe schools to attend and excel; never to be subjected to terrorist abductions, killings and other harms.
That consecutive Administrations and Presidents have woefully neglected their constitutional obligation since the terrorist insurgency began in earnest in 2009 is a fact that cannot be contested by any reasonable person. Our past and present governments – in escalating degrees- basically failed to decisively and effectively tackle terrorists who take up guns against Nigerians and our country.
Failure with no consequences compounds.
It now painfully appears that because GRAND Corruption grossly weakened the capacity of our security establishments, all our successive @NigeriaGov implicitly adopted a *Policy of Appeasing Terrorists* as the only way they know to secure Nigerians and Nigeria.
Nothing exemplifies this anomaly like the triumphal press releases and statements that gloating public officials often issue to announce that “The Federal Government has secured the release of abducted victims……”
Government spokesmen boast of success in “securing the release of victims of terrorism” without ever telling the public who the criminals they negotiated with are, at what cost and under what conditions.
All that Nigerians see is flagrant opaqueness on matters that are injurious to Nigeria.
Terrible!
The serial lack of transparency on our insecurity crisis is enabling cancerous and deadly corruption on all ends of their so-called negotiation with criminals and exposing the country and people to more vulnerabilities.
The @NigeriaGov has never once taken actions nor planned arrests and prosecutions of terror-perpetrators to send a signal that Government still believes that there must be consequences for crimes.
How insane that officials of the Nigerian government who were in proximity with deadly criminals terrorizing our country and people during their so-called “negotiations” and took no measures to destroy, decimate nor arrest them for prosecution!
The entire template raises serious questions that must be urgently addressed by the Federal Government.
It is accurate to state that our Federal and State Governments led at this time by @NGRPresident @officialABAT are by their appeasement strategy, enabling terrorists by rewarding their criminal behavior.
The “Abduction Industry” in Nigeria today was created and now thrives because of complicit actions of weak and incompetent governments that lacked and lack the capacity to offer Good Governance.
This abominable state of affairs will subsist until Nigerians collectively arise to dignify their own lives by confronting the reality that those in power have run out of ideas to secure the country and people.
A capable Nigeria-State of the past would never coddle terrorists. All who persist in harming and killing our country and people, especially our children would have long been finished-off by a caring and competent government.
The only question is when will the Nigerian People finally choose to collectively dignify themselves?
Obiageli “Oby” Ezekwesili is the Founder, SPPG: School of Politics, Policy, and Governance.
