OPINION: Boko Haram And The Rest Of Us, By Anayo M. Nwosu

It happened that when most of the indigenes southern states and their governments were working so hard to educate their youths, their northern counterparts were busy teaching theirs the primacy of religion and how to live like ancient practitioners of Islam.

While the children of the northern political and religious leaders preferentially acquired the best of education in Nigeria and abroad, majority of the local population were groomed to believe in ancient religious practices. For them, it is an abomination to be ruled by an infidel or to tolerate certain un-Islamic practices and those that practice them.

The adoption of Shariah Laws by some northern states between 2002 and 2007 speaks to this reverse civilization of the people by their leaders. Therefore, time after time, decades after decades, a killer or jihadist group with mission to create a holy and unadulterated Islamic caliphate would emerge and would be fought or decimated by Nigerian government.

Only few Nigerians know that the emergence of Buhari as Nigerian president in 2015 really discouraged the activities of many members of the Boko Haram sects and some of their supporters decided to surrender without prompting. For them, a muslim is in power not an infidel. They ordinarily wouldn’t have surrendered if President Jonathan had won.

A simple message that “our brother is in power” was very magical and worked more effectively than the bravery of our soldiers. Many terrorists abandoned the struggle as there was no long any basis to fight a brother in power.

Those still fighting as Boko Haram are criminal elements who feed from the fight as they would lose influence and affluence if they disband. Few standing ones feel that since the present government is not permanent, that there is a need to maintain a standing holy army that would be useful at a future date.

Ever imagine what would happen if Buhari refuses to run in 2019 or if another “original” moslem doesn’t replace him?

It would be bad!

That’s why everyone especially the southern states should insist on Restructuring before any elections. This would localize the terror and make the parents of untrained children reap the reward of their dereliction of duty.

Any president of southern origin that assumes office after President Buhari shall have a more reinforced Boko Haram to fight or to contain.

Forget the nonsense about someone suggesting the cause to poverty or killing of their leaders, Boko Haram is fighting an ideological or theocratic war. It is also political as the jihadist fighters want to create a political space to enthrone an ancient theocratic form of government.

Besides the fear of loss of revenues sharing advantage, the core northern politicians might be opposing Restructuring because such would deliver the leaders on to the hands of the very youths they allowed to develop into merciless killing machines.

Let any parents who refused to wean their children of murderous tendencies enjoy the fruits of their carelessness or wickedness.

When some youths from Anambra decided to punish everybody with kidnapping which nearly crippled the economy of the state, the state government fought it with homegrown solution as okra tree does not grow taller than the owner.

I sincerely believe that the leaders of the core north can eliminate Boko Haram or any other future jihadist organizations if they resolve to so do just as the South South leaders have been restraining and containing the Niger Delta militants.