INSTEAD of proposing a post-adoption plan for the over 275 schoolgirls of Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State adopted on April 14, 2014 who definitely have been exposed to all manner of dehumanising ordeals, many Nigerians are still busy seeking who to blame for the failure of certain elected officials to understand the fundamentals of governance.
Faced with several discordant tunes since the April 14 episode, our correspondent approached a courageous Nigerian pastor who, long before the current explosion, has been chronicling activities of terrorist groups in the country for a correct analysis of the current situation.
Rev. Ladi Thompson, founder of Macedonia Initiative and Special Adviser to the CAN president on Terrorism, flew in from Benin at about 7.00 p.m. to keep the appointment. Rev. Thompson’s submission is timely, incisive and patriotic. He opin-ed that the Chibok saga is a veritable opportunity to address the hydra-headed monster that is poised to sink the nation albeit the Africa continent or destroy our collective destiny.
According to the Ibadan-born General Overseer of Living Waters Unlimited the situation Nigeria has found itself today can be traced to a hydra-headed monster located in the but not limited to the militants that we have concentrated on. Excerpts….
Origin of terrorism in Nigeria
We have that one; we have the sink-sank, the administrative rule, the intelligentsia: those who have penetrated government, those who think ahead, who are in charge of all the demand and supply. Then we have the workings of the Media—global and local; their own job is to maximize the wheels of terrorism and use it to destabilize government and project the aim of the Boko Haram or Al Qaeda or whoever.
We have that one; we have the sink-sank, the administrative rule, the intelligentsia: those who have penetrated government, those who think ahead, who are in charge of all the demand and supply. Then we have the workings of the Media—global and local; their own job is to maximize the wheels of terrorism and use it to destabilize government and project the aim of the Boko Haram or Al Qaeda or whoever.
Then finally, the one that most people ignore; we have the clerics of hatred. As one suicide bomber is dying, they recruit another suicide bomber by deceiving them. They won’t carry the bomb, but they know how to profile psychologically young children who they use the cover of religion to deceive.
Talking solutions
First of all, we must be careful when we are talking solution because a lot of people are looking for the future in the past. There used to be three major problems in the world: poverty, racism and military actions.
First of all, we must be careful when we are talking solution because a lot of people are looking for the future in the past. There used to be three major problems in the world: poverty, racism and military actions.
The most recent example that everybody is trying to learn from when they are looking at Nigeria right now is the American Civil Rights Movement under Martin Luther King. That’s why you see people marching. We thank God for those who are marching, but they should remember that poverty, military action and racism are not exactly the same problem here.
So the ultimate solution is that the whole world, having seen the balance of Christians and Muslims in Nigeria know that if terrorism can be solved in Nigeria, it’ll be solved in Africa and all over the world. And I want to tell you the truth; it’s going to be solved in Nigeria. Before we bring out the African solution, or the Nigerian solution, number one we have to warn the people that, if you have heard the definition of these things, it puts Muslims under unnecessary pressure.
So we must remove that pressure from the Muslims so that they can be free to unite with everybody and join us to win this war in this nation.
For instance, you saw Abubakar Shekau, shouting how Allah told him to sell the girls.
For instance, you saw Abubakar Shekau, shouting how Allah told him to sell the girls.
Immediately, Muslims all over the world started denouncing him, saying this is not us; on Chibok we stand. Do you know this is the first time the actions of Shekau have portrayed the present problem as a socio-economic, socio-philosophical, socio-financial, socio-lingua problem hiding under religious cover?
So, the first thing we must do is to remove his religion cover, and unknown to Nigerians, Chibok helped us to remove the religious cover but we did not capitalize on it. It’s a shame!
Now what are the things we must take note of before we move forward?
To apply the African solution, we must find a non-violent option and stop leaning on just military action. Military action is a part of it, but if we rely on it, we will lose like many nations lost before us. We must realize that this non-violence is not a sign of weakness but a strength.
To apply the African solution, we must find a non-violent option and stop leaning on just military action. Military action is a part of it, but if we rely on it, we will lose like many nations lost before us. We must realize that this non-violence is not a sign of weakness but a strength.
But when you appeal to what God deposited inside everybody on a one-by-one basis, you will discover the reason why they don’t allow soldiers in a battle front to mix together because if they do, they begin to discover that they have relatives; they begin to discover they can play chess together, they begin to discover common things together.
So the nightmare of most military generals is; don’t let the infantry mix, because they will resolve their problems among themselves. In non-violence, we are going to be appealing to the basic goodness that God put in mankind. If you do that, you are going to look beyond religious lines, because there’s evidence of wickedness on every side of religion. Religion can never be the solution to this problem; the more you pour in religion, the worse the problem becomes.
So let the Nigerian church leadership know that it is their duty to help this nation to remove pressure from the Islamic leadership and let them join forces with the civil rights, cultures and everybody to fight the common battle. A lot of people don’t know anything about this issue, and they are making matters worse, killing more people without knowing it.
Number three, when we are going out, we are not out to attack people, we are out to attack evil. In dealing with Shekau, there must be some compassion in our hearts, as humble or as nasty as he is, or else we will become like him. We must realize that most of us who are throwing stones, if they have the same orientation, we will not be different from him.
And if we don’t search ourselves, we will find ourselves going after individuals, nursing more hatred in our own hearts; and hatred cannot quench hatred, murder cannot kill murder. We have to use love, love is a universal language. Everybody says that God is love, so let us think about that statement and move forward from there.
Everybody who claims that God is love will agree with us that Shekau is not our arch enemy, he has declared war against the citizens of Nigeria, he’s a victim of socio-economic, socio-philosophical gabbed under religion, just as Obama was also a victim of it.
Apart from that, number four, for all of us who are out to resist this evil, we must understand that some of the people who don’t really understand these things you have said will oppose what is right without knowing, therefore, the people who are ready to oppose this evil should make sure that we have a future for our children, must know that if it is necessary, we have to suffer a bit in some ways.
For us to educate and help people to see the truth and for peace to reign, we must be prepared in our hearts that this is not about making money. You won’t become an expert just because you want to make money.
You must remember that there’s a tomorrow, and if we don’t secure that tomorrow today, no matter what money you have, all properties will devalue. I said this in 2001 in Kano State ahead of time; I said it Kaduna before properties began to devalue in 2000.
We shouldn’t wait until the Nigerian currency becomes N3,000 to $1 before we realize that we must be ready to accept without retaliating fire for fire. The weapon that is inside us must be the goodness, through wise, indigenous use of the force of the soul, the spirit and all wisdom to get results.
What is the connection?
We have now seen that Jonathan is not the enemy. Buhari is not the enemy; Shekau, as bad as he is, is not the enemy. The true enemy is that socio-militaristic, socio-economic, socio-financial hiding under religion. And if we now accept that, we must now know what our strength is, number one; all our specific activities must avoid violence; we must not use violence to kill violence.
We have now seen that Jonathan is not the enemy. Buhari is not the enemy; Shekau, as bad as he is, is not the enemy. The true enemy is that socio-militaristic, socio-economic, socio-financial hiding under religion. And if we now accept that, we must now know what our strength is, number one; all our specific activities must avoid violence; we must not use violence to kill violence.
We must admit that truth is the ultimate weapon; without truth being the ultimate weapon, we are wasting our time. Right now, the ultimate weapon of truth, if we believe that we can defeat Boko Haram without defeating corruption, we are deceiving ourselves.
So, the single answer and solution that we will provide will not only take out the Boko Haram, but we must take out all the corruption that we have permitted. I will advise us to have an anti-corruption programme based on amnesty. We are all guilty. Twenty years ago, it wasn’t as bad as this. We allowed social and financial corruption to increase to the point we are now.
At this point in time, whether you pay money to get your children or you are paying bribe to collect your passport, or you buy a visa, or pay somebody to do exams on your behalf, it’s all the same thing: corruption.
So we should be prepared to realize that we need to persuade Jonathan himself for his own sake, to protect his own life and the lives of his children’s children that there are times when we have to oppose him, not because we hate him but because we love the future for his children.
When we see that he has not adequately understood that he is dealing with a socio-economic hazard disguised under religion; the more he plays into their hands, the more he’s shutting down the destiny of Nigeria.
There are moves that have been affected by this cancer in government, in religion, in finances, in economy, in education. There are moves everywhere, and any other methodology than what we are seeing right now, I cannot see it working.
So what are we going to do?
We must use information well, we must educate everybody. I challenge anyone to a public debate. I challenged 22 American professors publicly to an open debate to prove to them that what they’re saying as experts were wrong; and because they are wrong, the lives of Nigerians are being spilt on a daily basis. Experts from all over the world have shown up again talking about how it is a poverty problem.
We must use information well, we must educate everybody. I challenge anyone to a public debate. I challenged 22 American professors publicly to an open debate to prove to them that what they’re saying as experts were wrong; and because they are wrong, the lives of Nigerians are being spilt on a daily basis. Experts from all over the world have shown up again talking about how it is a poverty problem.
This is an insult to the Africans. We who have learnt to endure poverty with dignity through the ages, you are saying that this socio whatever hiding under religion is caused by poverty. If we allow them to continue to do that, they will destroy us.
So we must not only educate, we must also get people to be committed to this thing we are saying. Across the entire nation, every religious divide, every social and economic divide; we must all gang up together and negotiate.
Religion never produces peace; we must learn to accommodate each other. Nigeria is a unique country in the world because of the balance of religions that is here, and if we realize it, we must sit down and understand each other, listen to the views of everybody, to isolate the religious cover of this threat.
That way, you find out that as we negotiate and talk to each other and do all these, if we cannot find out negotiation, we go to what all these people are doing now, if you march to Aso Rock with hatred in your hearts, you are an enemy of the future of Nigeria.
If you are marching to Aso Rock with an idea of pulling out Jonathan, you are an enemy of Nigeria. If you are marching to Aso Rock to ginger Jonathan to do what is right, and then it will reflect in your speech, in your attitude, in everything you do. And you are prepared to suffer if need be for being right while the president of the country is wrong.
Having said that, how do we all now sit down and be reconciled?
I said to you that all these things that people are talking about, it has never in history been able to quench what is happening in Nigeria. What is facing Nigeria is what divided the people across North Africa. In Nigeria, we must not let it happen. We are the hope of the entire world; this is why we now bring an indigenous solution which as usual, most Africans will despise.
I said to you that all these things that people are talking about, it has never in history been able to quench what is happening in Nigeria. What is facing Nigeria is what divided the people across North Africa. In Nigeria, we must not let it happen. We are the hope of the entire world; this is why we now bring an indigenous solution which as usual, most Africans will despise.
Northern Nigeria is trying to be Arabic, southern Nigeria is trying to be Western. The whole of northern Nigeria has no identity, the whole of southern Nigeria has no identity. They are trying to be either British or American or French. This is not right, God has put a solution to this global problem in Africa.
Where is that solution?
About 1,400 years ago, this same Boko Haram equivalent happened in North Africa and displaced many families in the 8th and 9th centuries. One of the caravans that ran away from North Africa escaped into West Africa, and that caravan passed through an original settlement which consisted of only 13 communities when they got there. One of the original settlements was a place known as Ile-Ife.
About 1,400 years ago, this same Boko Haram equivalent happened in North Africa and displaced many families in the 8th and 9th centuries. One of the caravans that ran away from North Africa escaped into West Africa, and that caravan passed through an original settlement which consisted of only 13 communities when they got there. One of the original settlements was a place known as Ile-Ife.
The name of the North African was Oduduwa. When he arrived there as a victim of the Boko Haram of his days, he did all of us a favour by doing something.
What was the favour he did to us?
First of all, he started a revolution, created an economy, created refinement, but more than all these, he inflicted conflict resolution programme into the civilization he created in such a way that in 1,400 years, you will never hear that a Sango worshipper ever fought with an Oya worshipper.
First of all, he started a revolution, created an economy, created refinement, but more than all these, he inflicted conflict resolution programme into the civilization he created in such a way that in 1,400 years, you will never hear that a Sango worshipper ever fought with an Oya worshipper.
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