To all those apologists, 'patriots' and implicit-defenders of a Nigeria now branded a 'terrorist country of interest', fiercely arguing that such branding is an over-kill and that terrorist Abdulmutallab is just one 'bad apple' out of a country of 150 million people, Icheoku says, one terrorist from Nigeria is simply one too many. Looking at northern Nigerian terrorist Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab and the background that produced him, William Shakespeare was right that there is no way to know the mind's construction by merely looking at the face? Abdulmutallab looked as normal as any other Nigerian from the sharia North, and as innocent looking as any almajiri; but beneath the cold demeanor lies a cold mean heart of steel? So what magic wand is expected of the Americans to distinguish and differentiate from a terrorist and none-terrorist Nigerian? Icheoku says, none; hence each person bearing that green passport shall be treated as a potential terror-suspect until proved otherwise. This is the ramification of the December 25, 2009 Abdulmutallab's terrorist adventure into America and nothing can be done about it. Get it, Dora Akunyili?
Every relationship including that between countries, is based principally on trust which once broken is usually irreparable and very difficult to amend. It is the paramount bond which once broken is lost forever, gone, as there is no putting the genie back in the bottle with relationships. This is the case of Nigeria now with the international community, whose citizen Abdulmutallab shocked the world on December 25, 2009 with terrorism. But surprisingly enough, Nigerian officials are arguing that 'it was just one case of a renegade kid and that alone is not so egregious to designate Nigeria an axis of terror country of interest? Icheoku says to these Nigerian officials, if there is one Abdulmutallab, there could be two; if there are two, there could be twenty? If there are twenty there could be twenty thousand; if there are twenty thousand, there could be two hundred thousand and so on. So what the situation calls for is not protest to America but a total vigilance and a more proactive containment of the Islamic religious upheavals in sharia Northern Nigeria.
In a country of 150 million people, half of which are Wahabism Islamist Muslims, from which Abdulmutallab sprouted, what guarantees are there that there are no other Umar Farouk Abdulmutallabs lurking among the population? Icheoku asks, is the leader of Boko Haram not a Nigerian? Is Maitasine not a Nigerian? Zaki-Zaky too? So what is the ruse about Abdulmutallab being just one person among many? Or perhaps, these pacifiers of Islamist Northern Nigeria are micro-defining the term terrorism, to deliberately exclude Nigeria's internal terrorism of incessant Muslim religious riots? Instead of being remorseful for the act of their compatriot Northern Nigerian terrorist, these people are busy boastfully, threatening diplomatic showdown with the victim-country, America? A situation akin to one's child going into a neighbor's house and wrecking havoc such as attempting to destroy his china; and instead of the parents taking responsibility for their child's mayhem and apologising for the same, they remained defiant, unapologetic and now threatening "no-more-friendship" with their victim neighbor? Adding, after-all they have ten children and only one of them attempted to destroy the said china? Sounds ridiculous, not when you are one of these Nigerian officials, who failed to appreciate America's thinking in classifying Nigeria a terror "country of interest". Icheoku does not think they get it and here is the fork on the road regarding Nigeria's current designation of a terror 'country of interest.' An attempted bombing of an America's Delta airline in American city of Detroit by a sharia Northern Nigerian Islamist fanatic, which a conservative radio talk show host in America, Rush Limbaugh, has already dubbed "an act of war" is being trivialised by the authorities in Abuja threat of diplomatic showdown? These Abuja politicians also failed to understand that the December 25 incident somehow 'messed up' President Obama's security credentials to protect Americans; and that it might hunt him during the next election? And the traducer is a Nigerian and someone in Abuja expects him not to be mad at Nigeria? If as Nigerian authorities are suggesting, terrorism is a novel thing in Nigeria, an aberration and that Nigerians are not terrorists, that Abdulmutallab is just a stray-cat, Icheoku asks, is the cutting off of Gideon Akaluka's head and hanging it on a totem pole for a celebratory macabre-parade on the streets of Kano, anything short of terrorising a particular people of Nigeria? What is terrorism if not to instill fear on a people; and haven't the Hausa-Fulani Islamist northern Nigerians instilled enough fear already in Nigerians of certain religion and ethnicity? Please tell Icheoku another thing, but we are not buying the bone being thrown to the dog that Nigerians are not terrorist; may be Southern Nigerians but Northern Nigerians definitely fits the profile. The same people who drove Miss World contestants out of Nigeria because their religion frowns against such 'skin-exposure,' when Nigeria is not an Islamic country; admitted they have a registered membership of Organisation of Islamic Conference, OIC?
Funny enough the same people in Abuja haranguing America for being very decisive and proactive in checkmating Nigeria's terrorism, failed to call out the Islamic Council of Nigeria, Association of sharia Northern Nigeria governors, the Sultanate, the Katsina emirate council and the council of Ulamas for their failure to seriously condemn the terror of their son that was December 25? Yet Nigeria is not a terrorist country? Icheoku asks, doesnt this their collective silence amount to a tacit approval of their son's act of infamy; which almost claimed the lives of 289 innocent people and forever tarnished Nigeria's image as a terrorist country too? A pugnacious Northern Nigeria, ready to take the whole Nigeria down the hell-hole with the help of one of their evil son named Abdulmutallab? A north which is the main clog in the wheel of progress of Nigeria and for too long; if only the now fighting South-West sons and daughters of Oduduwa saw what Biafra saw 40 long years ago and wanted out, this yoke would have since been extinct and non-existent!?
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ReplyDeleteVery well written. Nigeria is not only a country of terrorism, but that of anarchy. let no one lose sense of that. Elementarily, Anarchy is the absence of government.President Yar'Adua is either dead or invalid, yet the northern power hawks cannot get him hand over to the vice president, Goodluck Jonathan. Yet, Akunyili sees nothing wrong with that. I think the problem of Akunyili and her likes is diminishing returns, which has led her to suffer from loquacity. I weep for myself, nay all Nigerian, at home and in the diaspora. Uba Aham (klinreports.blogspot.com)
ReplyDeleteAbdulMutallab: Cleric faults Nigeria’s tactics over US listing
ReplyDeleteBy Jude Owuamanam, Published: Sunday, 17 Jan 2010
THe General Secretary of the Evangelical Church of West Africa, Rev Mipo Dadang, has faulted the arguments over the listing of Nigeria by the United States as a terrorist state.
He said the decision was not a mistake on the part of the US.
Instead of arguing with the US over its action, the cleric said Nigeria should look inward and see whether there were other traces of terrorism in the country and try to nip them in the bud.
Dadang told SUNDAY PUNCH in an interview in Jos on Saturday, that all the crises, especially in the North were all traces that the country might be sitting on a keg of gun powder.
The ECWA official said, ”For me as an individual, I think the US did not make a mistake by listing Nigeria as a terrorist country.”
Dadang said that all the sectarian killings in the North since 1987, culminating in the Boko Haram uprising and the recent Kala Kato in Bauchi State were all good examples of terrorist activities.
He said, ”If you look at Nigeria carefully, especially the Northern Nigeria, you will see that there were so many wars. You can call them religious, ethnic or political, depending on how you view them. From 1987 in the northern part of the country, there have been so many killings.
”But let‘s leave that aside and examine the Boko Haran crisis last year. Where did they get the sophisticated weapons from? What objects did they use in bombing those government establishments?
He advised Nigeria to take stock of her security situation before blaming the US for taking steps to safeguard her citizens.
”Nigeria has to take stock and look at the security situation before she tries to make a case with the US for listing Nigeria as a terrorist country.
“Even though the argument has been that the action of one Nigerian out of 140 million Nigerians does not qualify for such action from the US; I think that there is more to it than just arguing.”
He also asked the security agencies to look critically at the allegation by the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria that some groups were planning to bomb some cities in the country.