TUNJI AJIBADE FROM PUNCH
A committee in the United States House of Representatives sat to listen to some religionists from Nigeria recently. Part of their complaints was that members of their religion were killed in Nigeria, but the government abetted and did nothing about it. Accusations of a similar nature were made under the immediate past administration. Despite the efforts made by President Bola Tinubu, including appointing a member of this same religion as his Chief of Defence Staff, they continue to make the same accusation. Those who lobby US lawmakers have the objective of making the US government impose sanctions on the Nigerian government and place it on the list of nations where there is no religious freedom.
A group had worked to achieve the same objective years ago, and even after the US government later removed Nigeria’s name from the list, the group continued to lobby to have Nigeria placed back on it. The latest sitting to bring accusations against Nigeria and its government is a further attempt in this direction. Going anywhere to complain that your people and religion are having it rough is not the problem. Everyone has the right to complain about what bothers them and seek sympathy. And I have offered my sympathy and understanding on several occasions over the past decade on this page. However, going out of Nigeria to misrepresent an insecurity challenge as something else is different. Stridently de-marketing our nation as some do, calling others to punish Nigeria, is also different. When sanctions happen, every Nigerian is affected. And there are points to be made in this regard.
First, I suppose those who want sanctions placed on Nigeria would not complain if Nigerian Muslims, whose members have also been victims of insecurity, equally toe the same path. Muslims, too, have the right to ask Saudi Arabia, as well as the Organisation of Islamic Countries, to impose sanctions on the Nigerian government. They, too, can claim that Muslims are being killed, and the Nigerian government abets and does nothing about it. Thousands of Muslims are killed in this general situation of insecurity. I imagine those who go around the world seeking sanctions, rather than collaborating to find home-grown solutions, would not realise the effects of what they are doing until Muslims do the same and every Nigerian bears the burden.
For over a decade, I have explained on this page the inadequacy of our security architecture to ensure that perpetrators of criminal acts get arrested. So, all stakeholders ought to work to fix this. Under President Tinubu, it appears that they even have an open window to get this done. Instead, going out to invite foreigners to come here to solve our internal challenges is what some dedicate themselves to. My reading is that the entire complaint process at the US Congress has always been based on a wrong interpretation of what the causes of the problem are. Like many other Nigerians, those who lobby the US Congress ignore other armed groups wreaking havoc across the north of Nigeria. Rather, they mention only herders to the lawmakers, placing emphasis on their Fulani origin. Are all criminal activities across Nigeria the outcome of only herders’ activities?