The threat by the US Government to invade Nigeria to take out terrorists if the persecution of Christians in Nigeria does not stop, has generated a lot of dust in Nigeria.
Suddenly the security chiefs announced the arrest of 20 Boko Haram terrorists. The military chiefs in a jittery mode summoned a meeting with the National Security Adviser, and pronto there has been a flurry of consultations and secret meetings in which the American threat is discussed.
Nigerian bonds started plummeting in prices as investors expressed fears of a possible collapse of the national economy, Bloomberg reports.
The media pundits themselves expressed fears that if Trump carries out his threat, this may signal the end of Nigeria. Such fears have been based on the experience of countries in recent times where the US intervened militarily and worsened the social, economic and political conditions in those countries. Many have cited the situation in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, and some Latin American countries.
Many also believe that if America is sincere, it should work with the Nigerian Government to contain the perceived lopsidedness in governments treatment of Christian victims of Islamic terrorism and the seeming reluctance on the part of government to rein in the terrorists and especially their sponsors.
It is instructive that during the Buhari administration, Government had announced that a Middle Eastern State had submitted a list of names of alleged terrorism sponsors in Nigeria. But unfortunately that government and its successor have failed to do anything about it, giving the unfortunate impression that there are elements in government who have been behind these heartless killers of Nigerians. Of course, President Jonathan while in office admitted that there were Boko Haram elements in his government.
Again, the Trumpian threat has the capacity to polarize Nigerians from the broad divide between the Muslims and Christians in Nigeria, and sectarian war could break out. Pundits have pointed out that such a situation could lead Nigeria into breaking up into splinter territories in the midst of the crisis. History has displayed this tendency in Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Somalia, among others.
This, they say, is a great possibility given the fact that some elements in the various regions had, at different times in the past, and even now, called for separate states for their people. Such potential breakaway groups include the Arewa, Oduduwa Republic, IPOB, Atlantic Republic, and some latent ones that currently feel too afraid to raise their voices.
Active politicians today, too afraid to lose their vantage positions are seeking ways through which the impasse could be resolved. It is these same politicians that have created the situations that have led to the present uncertainty.
The downtrodden Nigerians, especially in the Northern States and parts of the South, are vicariously praying for the American invasion because they believe, no situation could be worse than what they are going through now. They believe since they are already down, they cannot fall from the ground.
The Nigerian media have been abuzz since President Trump made his intention known. The Punch reported that President Tinubu, following from this threat, has decided to appoint ambassadors to foreign countries, an act which he had refused to carry out after he sacked those he inherited from Gen. Buhari.
The Vanguard reports a hurried but hushed meeting among the service Chiefs and the National Security Adviser (NSA). The Daily Sun went a bit backwards to sniff out a possible reason for the American threat by pointing out that Buharis refusal to cooperate on the matter of genocide against Christians in Nigeria may have stoked American anger to the point of issuing the threat. Trump is even reported to have laughed at the idea of President Tinubu being a Muslim and his wife a pastor in a Christian church.
The Daily Trust reports that a retired Nigerian diplomat has offered Nigeria options to the situation while the House of Reps has announced that they have conveyed their position to the presidency. Ambassador Dahirus positions include engaging the US Government (and Senate) in a dialogue with the two ministers in charge of Foreign Affairs and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.
At the moment, the nation is uncertain as to what would follow this American threat which could make Nigeria look like Libya, Iraq or Afghanistan.
A better response from the Tinubu Government beyond deflecting the allegation, could change the situation.
Such options could include empowering the recently appointed service chiefs to carry out their duties professionally without being encumbered by religious or ethnic interests, putting on trial all terrorists, criminal herders, bandits, insurgents and other criminal elements whose activities cannot be separated from Islamic or other forms of terrorism, and providing protection to vulnerable communities in the North East, NorthWest and the North Central Nigerians are on tenterhooks. Who knows Trump may just be flexing muscles as a showman he once was.
But rhetorics from elements like Alhaji Asari Dorubo and Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, a so too wouldnt merely denying that Nigerians are being killed unnecessarily, especially in Christian dominated areas, without government protection in terms of personnel and materials deployed to rein in these murderers of the Nigerian people.
