The Concourse
By Soney Antai, serial award-winning columnist
Armed Forces Remembrance Day
Without any attempt at patronising the military profession, the fact, so far as I am concerned, remains that soldiering is one of the riskiest occupations on Mother Earth. In spite of the prestige of the uniform, privilege of having the license to carry lethal weapons, and in many instances, the opportunism of overthrowing or supplanting civil rule, and the advantage of access to even many restricted spaces, being a soldier is akin to signing up to commit legitimate suspended suicide. Imagine going into battle and not sure of returning from it alive, and worse still, as it is now widely reported about the Nigeria army, not being certain of whose side some of your comrades-in-arms are; meaning that your comrade may be the one unaliving you directly or by sabotage, during battle.
Unlike the rest of us, a service man is enslaved to command and control. They are conditioned and programmed to obey the last order from their commanding officers. The consequences of doing otherwise can be immediate and catastrophic, which leaves them with little options to explain themselves. They can suffer when found in the wrong place and time even when they may not have been directly involved in any inappropriate behaviour. Their discipline is governed by military iron laws. They place their lives on the line to keep others safe.
It is in honour of our soldiers, now fighting against Islamists like Sheikh Gumi and his association of terrorism cheerleaders, that this piece is being written. I think it is an inch- perfect timing to do this on this year’s Armed Forces Celebration and Remembrance Day. The Remembrance Day comes up every 15 January in our country, and is observed to honour veterans of World Wars I and II, as well as those of the Nigerian Civil War (1967 – 1970). The Day replaces the Armistice or Poppy Day which was often observed on 11 November to mark the end of World War 1 when Nigeria was under British colonialism. The change to 15 January was to commemorate the Day the Biafran Army surrendered to the Nigerian troops to bring to the end the Civil War. But with the “Celebration” now added, it is meant to also celebrate serving officers and men.
In spite of the sacrifices our soldiers, there are those who would rather want them maimed and killed and their killers rewarded by government. One of such persons is Sheikh Ahmed Gumi. This man has been in the news for about a decade now, not because he has been opening schools or farm lands for the poor; not for his stellar academic performance in the best Islamic university in the world; and not for humanitarian services he has rendered to any of the victims of terrorism in his part of the country. His divisive, corrosive and negative utterances have rather been powered by his ultra-right sociopathic support for Islamic terrorists. Besides his visits to terror merchants in their forest camps, Gumi has shown utter disdain for the blood of thousands of Nigerians, including our service men, murdered by Islamists. He has consistently spat and peed on the graves and faces of the terror victims, and mocked persons now suffering in Internally Displaced camps. He and his co-travellers have opposed kinetic military actions against the Islamists, relishes in the trauma and hardships caused the victims of these terrorists, including children, women and the elderly. While he cheers on the terrorists in the forests, none of his children might be among the so-called freedom fighters. He has even demanded a big chunk of the national budget to be provided for those fighting against the very nation that generates the funds.
Very sadly, this man is said to be a medical doctor. What else is the primary and overriding responsibility of a medical doctor if not to protect and save life? Even if he is a morbid anatomist, must he be advocating for mass murderers who have no respect for human life. He is also said to be a retired commissioned military officer. What is the primary responsibility of a soldier? Is it not to keep the country safe from external threats? Gumi is also an Islamic leader. Isn’t Islam said to be a religion of peace? On the three counts, this man has failed. He has failed his medical profession, failed his soldiering profession and failed his religious profession. Above all, he has failed his Creator, justifying murder and showing no pity for the murdered.
It must be clear, though, that this man is not alone in this. The government knows his circle of destabilisers; they know how to rein him in. But why is he still allowed to spread his hatred for the country and its people? If Gumi is convinced that the Fulani terrorists are excluded from governance, what has he done for them to make them economically useful outside committing violent crimes? What is the cost of one AK47 assault rifle that these terrorists procure and deploy in their demonic activities? Why don’t Gumi and his backers redirect such huge funds into legitimate businesses?
Of course they won’t because they are in the business of Islamising Nigeria. And you ask yourself, what has been the achievements of nations in their orbit in the global development metrics?
As the country marks this year’s Armed Forces Remembrance and Celebrations Day, one of the greatest things the Nigerian government can, and should do, to encourage our military and assuage the pains of the victims of terror, is to arrest people like Gumi, take down all their Men Friday, in and outside of government, and make them account for their actions. But can, and will, the Tinubu government do that? The answer is blowing in the wind.