Boko Haram: No To Dialogue, Amnesty

Nigeria is a sovereign nation, the giant of Africa, the most populous black nation on earth with over 150 million people. The country is enormously blessed with human and natural resources. She is the beacon of hope to many African countires.

Thus, it will be a mockery, and a dent on the sovereign status and integrity of this nation, tantamount to accepting defeat, should Federal Government crawl on her stomach and knees to the violent notorious gang called Boko Haram for dialogue, discussion and negotiation in whatever area, reason and form, let alone grant the sect amnesty.

Since the emergence of the dreaded Islamic sect in 2008 or thereabout, thousands of people have been killed and properties worth millions of Naira destroyed for no justifiable reason. After all these crimes against Nigeria, should the Federal Government invite them for a round table dialogue, perhaps wipe out their sweat and tears, even spoon-feed them, pacify and grant them whatever request they may present? Or  should the government offer them a presidential handshake and pat on their back for the job well done or pay them compensation for killing Nigerians?

One may ask, what do they have to place on the table for dialogue or discussion? Is it to Islamize Nigeria? Is it to phase out western education in Nigeria, since it is a sin according to them? Or is it to bring back the lives of those they killed? Why didn’t they present whatever problems they have to Federal Government for dialogue before they went wild killing innocent Nigerians?  Did the United States dialogue with Osama bin Laden and his terrorist group? Did Pakistan or Afghanistan dialogue with the Malibans? Did Nigeria send their troops to Mali for dialogue?

We should learn to respect this great country and treat her as a nation. We should stop tribal sentiments and ethnic colouration over national issues. No group of persons or individuals, no matter how powerful they may be, and  the area they come from is greater than Nigeria. Infact, to dialogue with Boko Haram is an encouragement of evil. It will be a bad precedence. It will amount to applying salt to the wounds of the relatives of those killed by Boko Haram. It will be a confirmation of weakness on the part of the nation and the security agencies for  not having the capacity and wherewithal to contain the Boko Haram insurgency.

If a murderous group emerges tomorrow from Yoruba, Ibo or any other part of the country, the Federal Government shou1d be ready as well to dialogue, should they dialogue and give amnesty to Boko Haram. Instead of Boko Haram to fight against the gross inequality and injustice in Nigeria, they resorted to killing their fellow oppressed, denied and deprived Nigerians. Were they fighting against unemployment, corruption and other vices in the country, they would have had something to dialogue for, and would have been the heroes of the Nigerian masses.

One feels ashamed when the leaders who have ruled this country and brought us to this level we are, advocate and pressurize the Federal Government to brush aside Nigerian sovereign status and dialogue with the murderers called Boko Haram. and even grant them amnesty. I think these leaders are banana peels on President Goodluck Jonathan’s way to success. They are mischievous and treacherous. They want him to fall. Having failed the nation, they want him to fail as well. He should be cautious and mindful of these people.

Again, there is no sense whatsoever for those canvassing for the extension of amnesty granted to the Niger Delta militants to Boko Haram. There was national and international justification, consensus and endorsement for the treatment the Niger Delta militants got. Nigerians and the whole world admitted that Niger Delta people have been shortchanged for ages in terms of benefits from oil and gas wealth accruing to Nigeria from their land. Coupled with environmental and natural resources, vandalization and bastardization as a result of regular oil and gas operations in the region, the region deserves           remediation, redemption and integration. So there is no basis for comparison at all with the murderous Boko Haram insurgents.  More so, the Niger Delta militants did not go about killing innocent Nigerians apart from kidnapping and asking for ransom as a way of enforcing their long demands for justice and equity from the Nigerian State.

Well, if Federal Government chooses to dialogue with Boko Haram, there will be no end to dialogue in Nigeria. They will as well dialogue with the families of those killed by Boko Haram. They will dialogue with various groups in Nigeria. They will dialogue with Ohaneze Ndigbo, MASSOB and other groups in the East. In the West, they will dialogue with Afenifere, OPC and other groups there. In the North, they will dialogue with Arewa and other groups. In Niger Delta, they will dialogue with the Ijaw National Congress (INC), Egbesu, Ogbakor Ikwerre, Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People (MOSOP) and other groups spread across the country, for all have grievances to tender.

Instead of dialogue with a group from a section of the country, the Federal Government should convocate a national conference to enable all ethnic nationalities in Nigeria iron out whatever grievances they have once and for all or alternatively, the Federal Government should invite the leadership of OPC, MOSOP, Boko Haram, MASSOB, among others for dialogue, especially now that the nation is about 100 years, rather than dialogue with a group from one section of the country.

Also, the Federal Government should endeavour to examine critically those things that generate anger in the peoples’ minds. Things like unemployment, corruption, marginalization, and so on, and see how to minimize them for the overall interest of the country. They should endeavour to provide the fruits of democracy, such as quality education, employment, housing, healthcare, good roads, transportation, electricity supply, potable water etc. It is when all these are achieved that Nigeria and her citizens can experience genuine peace, progress, unity and development.

Ogbuehi, journalist and human right activist wrote in from Port Harcourt.

I. K. Ogbuehi