By Mike Kebonkwu Esq
The Presidential Villa, the Aso Rock has turned to a Mecca of a sort since the swearing in of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, with groups and individuals getting in there to register their solidarity or display how close they are to the new helmsman. None of these visits attracted as much attention like the Niger Delta local warlord and consummate militant kingpin, Alhaji Asari Dokubo. Asari Dokubo addressed the Press in the State House at Aso Rock after his courtesy visit to Mr President during which he said that members of the Nigerian armed forces were behind the huge crude theft in the Niger Delta.
It is not clear whether he meant that some rouge elements in the military are criminally used to provide cover for the oil cartel which Asari Dokubo himself was an active player and participant. Or whether he is saying that the theft is an institutional conspiracy, oiled and lubricated by the military hierarchy and high command. These allegations should worry Nigerians because when our safety is contracted to local mercenary and criminal gangs, it is a matter of time before these errant merchants will throw the entire nation into bloodshed like we witnessed in Sierra Leone and Liberia and the current conflict in the Sudan. The government has not spoken up to refute this claim and the weak protest from the military asking Mr Asari Dokubo to mention names of military men involved in oil theft is a clear display of jilters and fears. The federal government should come clean to tell Nigerians whether local mercenary groups led by tribal warlords now provide security for the state which portends very grave danger signals to the security of the country.
The armed forces of any nation occupies a prominent position and determine the sphere of influence the country occupies in the comity of nations. In Nigeria, more than any other institution, the armed forces has been a unifying factor holding the country together. It is our hope that we do not miss that opportunity by using our bad tempered politics to destroy what is left of the armed forces which is gradually becoming fractious. Like the Nigeria Coat of Arms, the armed forces of the Federal Republic is depicted by the eagle. The eagle is a strong, resilient, courageous and fearless bird, never daunted by any storm. Rather, it soars beyond the ordinary. The eagle is not compared with the pigeon or the chicken although they are all birds. It represents the utmost power of the state to command respect and authority. If these qualities are lost, then we have lost the country.
The armed forces has had its vicissitude of highs and lows but it is expected that its self-regulating mechanism will still salvage it from itself and from whatever difficulties, be it from declining discipline or operational capacity and capability. We should not take the relative peace and calm we enjoy today for granted by any means to malign the entire institution because of a few bad elements. Sudan is today faced with a challenge of legitimacy of authority of the state because a leading actor chose for his own selfish reasons to arm a band of criminals called Rapid Support Forces (RSF) who are now taking on the regular army of the Sudanese armed forces. Show me any country where local warlords compete for space with State authority and I will show you a failed state in the making or so.
Our people have a saying that when you describe the esoteric costume of “egungun” as a tailor-made cloth, you desecrate and demystify the gods and ancestral spirit. The image of the military has taken a severe battering and it should concern every patriot if we really want to maintain the corporate existence of the country.
Members of the armed forces have been involved in Internal Security Operations in the Niger Delta to secure the oil wells and Flow Stations across the creeks. It has been our relief also that the relative safety that has returned on the Abuja-Kaduna roads and other parts of the country has been the commitment and reinvigoration of the operations of the armed forces. For us to hear that it is the Niger Delta militant leader and his men that are responsible for maintenance of security on that road should be a big concern for every Nigerian. What has happened to the armed forces and what role, if any, are they playing in the security of lives and property of Nigerians across the country? For the government to contract the security of the country and the roads to militant leader with capacity to challenge the authority of the state has a very dire consequence to the country.
If the ubiquitous security forces and the military cannot secure state assets and strategic installations, then isn’t that a major negative development? Major enough to trigger thinking that the idea of individuals bearing arms to defend themselves might not be so ridiculous. Nigeria should not be turned to some countries where criminal gangs compete with state authority for spheres of influence. We are living in a state of insecurity because non state players, groups and individuals have access to military grade weapons. Politicians and local authorities have used these individuals and groups to deal with opponents; giving them official seal by the federal government will spell doom for the country.
The weakness of the Nigerian State also allows this same individuals to go on procession openly displaying weapons unchallenged as if the country has no laws. Both the military and the police have become cowed by the threat of submission to civil actors in a manner that has undermined the ability of the state to rein in criminals that have access to weapons.
It is time for the military to get its bearings right and restore its pristine image and glory of discipline and integrity. Asari Dokubo boasted of his over three decades old relationship with Mr President. Mister president has the right to relate with anyone of his choice but the security of the state and citizens is higher than the private rights of individuals and their businesses. The State House should not be a veritable platform for self-seeking individuals with questionable integrity to validate their personal ego.
The government should be prepared to take away automatic assault and military grade weapons from the hands of non-state actors by all means necessary. We risk destabilizing the country when we allow powerful individuals and criminals to have access to military grade weapons as we do presently. Our military must be patriotic, disciplined but ready to go on the offensive towards crimes and criminality and take on anybody or groups that chose to be an outlaw. The military has to purge itself because if it finds itself in compromising situations, it certainly would not be able to discharge its constitutional duty. The government must speak to these weighty allegations.
The author wrote from Koyen-Hi Kebonkwu Chambers, Wuse Zone 5, Abuja – Nigeria and is reachable via mikekebonkwu@yahoo.com
