Addressing Boko Haram Grievances

One must not fail to appreciate the effort of the
Federal Government and the military in stemming the activities of Boko Haram insurgents in the country.
Reports have it that the Nigerian Military with the coalition of military from Chad, Niger and Cameroun has recaptured almost all the towns in Adamawa, Yobe and Borno States previously seized by the terrorists. In fact, some displaced indigenes of these states who spoke to reporters in a television interview were highly overjoyed that after several months of sojourn they were going back home.
Although some described the concerted effort in quelling insurgency in the country as belated and politically motivated, going by the enormous lives and properties wasted by the terrorists since they started operations about four years ago and the seeming government’s helplessness all these while, I see it asPresident Goodluck Jonathan’s commitment to bringing an end to the atrocities of Boko Haram. Afterall, nobody who calls himself a leader will be at peace while his subjects and their possessions are daily set ablaze by the enemies.
However, while we commend the exertion of the military and the federal government and hope that the momentum be sustained so that Boko Haram will be a thing of the past in the country, it will also be wise that proper attention be paid to the genuine grievances of Boko Haram and other militant groups with a view to addressing them adequately and timely.
In a recent interview, former President Olusegun Obasanjo highlighted some of the legitimate resentments of the terrorist group. These according to him  include, disparity, marginalisation, poverty and many others.
In as much as many people have been calling for “Baba’s” head for the audacity to make such comment when he did not do much to allieviate the poverty in the country during his regime, it does not remove the fact that the truth was spoken and should be addressed in order to have lasting peace and security in the country.
Of course, there is no justification for the wanton destruction of innocent lives and properties all these years by the Islamist group, but that should not stop the relevant authorities from addressing the remote causes of their actions with a view to forestalling the emergence of similar groups in future.
The alarming rate of poverty and unemployment makes our youths willing tools in the hands of destructive agents. Some may argue that unemployment is not a justification for anybody to commit crime. But let’s not forget that idleness can make even a godly man a willing workshop of the devil.
The future of any country depends on the youths. No meaningful development can take place without their active participation. They are the young people, endowed with raw energy. They have high hopes, dreams, aspirations and ideas of what their tomorrow would be. They are anxious and dynamic, always bubbling in spirit. Their surplus energy when exploited is useful for the welfare of the country. Rendering millions of this class of people jobless portends danger for any country like Nigeria.
Government may claim to have introduced several programmes aimed at empowering the youths and reducing the number of unemployed youth, but how many youths have actually been empowered through those processes? There is therefore need for proper review of these programmes to ascertain who actually have been benefitting from them. What happened to the huge amount of money voted for them?
Urgent measures also need to be taken to reduce the growing rate of hunger and poverty in the country. Many people in the country both in the North and South are starved. This can lure the youths in the North to terrorism, begging, “slaves” to the rich while those in the South take to ritual killing, political thuggery, kidnapping and other crimes.
Of course, government alone cannot take the blame. Over the years, critical observers of the happenings in the country had blamed parents abdicating their parental responsibilities. They had alluded to the growing conviction that the rising moral decadence, crime, violence are the bye-products of the failure of parents to play their role in children’s upbringing and development.
There is therefore, need for government, parents and other stakeholders to rise to their responsibilities of raising proud, educated, diligent youths for the nation. The growing gap between the rich and the poor should be narrowed through the financial empowerment quality education, provision of health facilities and other amenities that will make life meaningful.
Let good governance and service delivery be the tools those in authority and all those seeking to lead the country will use in winning the support of the electorates in the up-coming elections.

Calista Ezeaku