Abdul Mutallab: What US Should Note

For over three decades now, Nigeria and the United States of America (USA) have enjoyed superb diplomatic relations and bilateral ties with each other. In international scene, Nigeria and US share many things in common, in peace keeping and being benefactor to poor nations. Nigeria, till date remains the greatest US trade partner in Africa.

Like US, Nigeria has financially assisted many African countries that were in political and economic crises to get out of their problems. These countries are Angola, Zimbabwe, Zambia, South Africa, Liberia, Sierra Leone, among others. There is anti-terrorism bill awaiting the passage of the National Assembly before the Christmas day attempted suicide bomb incidence. Nigeria is a progressive nation that has contributed immensely to the progress and peaceful co-existence of African nations. It is therefore, unfair and undeserving for Nigeria to be hastily blacklisted as a terrorist national by the US on account of one Nigerian.

No right thinking Nigeria will support the barbaric act of the Mallam Farouk Umaru AbdulMutallab’s attempt to blow up an American airline, especially at a time when our brother, Mr Barack Obama occupies the White House as the president.

We felt bad, grossly dismayed, embarrassed and disappointed that a young Muttalab who hails from a wealthy home, well brought up and well taken care of should engage in a bombing that will also claim his own life. Although, a Nigerian, AbdulMutallab grew up and trained outside Nigeria. Nigeria as a nation did not train or encourage the young man to be a terrorist nor support his actions.

United Nations Charter on human rights guaranteed individuals freedom of movements and association, so it is not the duty of Nigeria as a nation to monitor AbdulMutallab or any other Nigerian in foreign lands to know where thy go, whom they associate with and what they do. It is the responsibility of the security agents of each county, particularly those as the airports to monitor people going in and out of their countries. Thus, the security at the Ghanaian and Amsterdam airports where Mutlallab passed without detection should be blamed and held responsible and not Nigeria. Again, it has been established that it was in United Kingdom and not in Nigeria that young Mutallab was recruited as a terrorist by Al Qaeda.

What is more, his multi millionaire father, a quiet, principled and disciplined industrialist, Alhaji Umaru Mutallab had earlier reported his son to US embassy in Abuja on account of his radical tendencies, yet no action whatsoever was taken. Confirming this, President Obama in his reaction over the incident, acknowledged hat Abdul Muttalab’s father had indeed reported the extremist views of his son to the U authority, but regretted that such vital information was not passed to a component of their intelligence community nor effective distribution.

Today, the remedy is that AbdulMutalab is Nigerian; otherwise the story would have been different. It would have been a black Christmas day for the passengers’ relatives. As we are all aware, Nigerians love life and comfort, perhaps the young man was wondering inside the plane how he would lose his life and the world he was enjoying with his father’s wealth through suicide bombing, that he forgot to carry out the devilish assignment until 10 minutes to the landing of plane at the Detroit airport US that he began absent minded to denote the bomb. He was immediately overpowered and arrested by the passengers and handed over to the security at the Detroit airport after the plane had landed safety. I wish to assure President Obama and the United States that Nigerians will not excel in suicide bombing terrorism because Nigerians love life and luxuries. Over the year, Nigerian leaders have subjected the poor masses in Nigeria to all manner of hardships, no one contemplate committing suicide. Rather, our belief, hope and song is “life go better”.

Again, Nigeria is a country of over 150 million people with different culture and tradition, upbringings and background. It is unfair on account of one person’s misdeed for the entire Nation to be blacklisted and branded as a terrorist country, and its law abiding and enterprising travellers subjected to unnecessary and embarrassing scrutiny and search at various airports worldwide.

Nigeria is working hard to remove the stigma of 419 on its Nationals through the establishment of the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) and re-branding projects of the Federal Government. So we can accept the stigmatisation of Nigeria as a terrorist nation as a result of one person’s misbehaviour. It is on this basis that I call on the United States to rescind its decision to tag Nigeria as terrorist nation and plead that Nigerians be treated with dignity at various airports of the world.

Nigeria strongly believes in Obama’s government and hopes to learn and gain from his administration. It will be unwise and not in the interest of African nations for Nigeria, a leading country in the continent of Africa to be kept afar, looked upon and treated as a terrorist nation by the United States, and the rest of the world. Bearing in mind that Nigeria and US had partnered well in business of peace keeping of many Nations of the world.

Prince Ogbuehi is as commentator in national affairs wrote in from Port Harcourt.

Ogbuehi is editor’s guest

Prince Ike Ogbuehi