By: Ifeanyi Izeze<\/p>\n
Is this mansitting at the Presidential Villa the same General Mohammadu
\nBuhari we know?How can he be acting so differently in speech, actions and
\ndeeds from the manvoted for in the 2015 presidential election because of
\nwhat was perceived ashis impeccable integrity and a no-nonsense
\ndisposition to issues of corruptionand security?<\/p>\n
How come theBuhari we knew suddenly went deaf and dumb to the extent that
\nhe no longerhears nor sees any evil even when such disgraceful and heinous
\nacts are beingperpetrated right under his nose by those he single-handedly
\nappointed intopositions of trust? The Buhari we thought will put a good
\nsystem foundation inplace is now so weak and incapacitated allowing his
\nregime to be completelyhijacked and turned into a house of commotion.
\nSentiments apart, some thingsare just not adding up at all.<\/p>\n
Does anyonecontend that security as an infrastructure has completely
\ncollapsed in thecountry? Spate of heinous crimes (Fulani herdsmen mayhem
\nfrom the north tosouth, unbridled kidnappings even in Abuja, renewed Boko
\nHaram nuisance withboldness) being perpetrated with impunity across the
\ncountry do not show agovernment that is in charge, nor a country that is
\nat peace with itself. Whatare they governing if people even the poor
\namongst us cannot freely move aroundfor fear of being shot dead or
\nkidnapped? In a nation where almost all theinfrastructures in every sector
\nof its daily existence have completelycollapsed, what remains for such a
\ncountry to labelled a failed state?<\/p>\n
The president scoredhimself very high in his first year of office for
\ndoing very well on addressingthe spate of insecurity across the country
\nespecially the Northeast where wewere told that Boko Haram has been
\ndefeated and downgraded. Is it not clear fromwhat we are seeing now that
\nthe president only instilled false sense ofsecurity not actual security if
\nyou consider that kidnappings are now retail,herdsmen attacks are random
\nand uncontrolled from north to south, and regularambush of military and
\ncivilians in the northeast have now acquired theeuphemism \u201csoft targets?\u201d<\/p>\n
Now the Americanand British authourities are warning their nationals of
\npossible terror attacksin Abuja, the nation\u2019s capital. The United States\u2019
\nmission in Nigeria is soundingan alarm of a possible terror attack in
\nAbuja, and warning its citizensresiding or those who have businesses in
\nthe Federal Capital Territory (FCT),to be watchful and exercise security
\ncaution. The mission said, in an emergencymessage on Monday 4th December
\n2017, that the information availableto it point in the direction of Boko
\nHaram as the possible attackers addingthat their likely targets would be
\nhotels frequently visited by Westerners.<\/p>\n
This is part of thetragedy of the Buhari\u2019s divided house: Ordinarily,
\ncritical intelligence suchas the ones available to the American and
\nBritish authourities would have beengiven (shared) to one or all top
\nechelon of our security agencies including theNational Security Adviser
\n(NSA), the Director General of National IntelligenceAgency (NIA), Director
\nGeneral of the DSS, or even the Police InspectorGeneral.<\/p>\n
Pathetically,all those assigned the responsibility of managing the
\nsecurity infrasture inthe country are spending more time fighting and
\ntrying to pull down each other.The Police Inspector General on whose
\ndomain civil and internal security fallsis busy fighting and doing all
\nkinds of unprintable things including draggingSenator Misau to court for
\nsaying the police receives payments for officersdeployed to guard
\npoliticians, oil and other business, and wealthy individualsas if the
\nSenator\u2019s allegations were false.<\/p>\n
Buhari\u2019sDirector General of the DSS has become more of a politician than a
\nsecuritymanager that should be concerned with intelligence gathering to
\naddress the worseningsecurity situations in the country. If he is not
\npublicly fighting the Chief ofStaff to the President, he is after the
\nActing EFCC Chairman. So what time doeshe have to focus on gathering
\nintelligence to secure lives and properties acrossthe country?<\/p>\n
The AGF and theNSA are also there fighting on all fronts too. What kind of
\ngovernment is thisthat instead of working together as a team, everybody is
\nfighting everybody?Yet the man that appointed all of them seem not to care
\nat all or is it thatthe people he single-handedly appointed are now bigger
\nthan him?<\/p>\n
If the DSS bossgets\/generates intelligence on likely attacks by
\nterrorists\/herdsmen, is hegoing to share it with the police high command
\nthat his agency is in supremacy andpolitical tussle with? The NSA that
\nshould have been serving as the centralpoint is also not left out of the
\ndirty cabal politics around the president.<\/p>\n
Security is oneof Buhari\u2019s three-point agenda. Nigerians should stop being
\nsentimental. If weare returning to the place where America and Britain are
\nonce again warningtheir nationals of dangers in Abuja, the verdict means
\nthat the administrationhas failed in the very agenda that gave it clear
\nedge over the formeradministration. Is it not also glaring that the
\npresident is equally not doingwell on the remaining two points in his
\nagenda: fight against corruption andeconomy?<\/p>\n
Whether anybodywants to hear this or not, nepotism, a virulent form of
\ncorruption, is ruiningthis administration. When a ruler surrounds himself
\nwith his relatives andfriends, the result is failure. They take things for
\ngranted because of thecloseness to the ruler. When they err, the ruler
\nfinds it difficult todiscipline them because of their close relationship.
\nSome people may argue thatyour own people will protect you as a ruler. But
\nthe problem of disciplinedefeats whatever protection they may offer you.<\/p>\n
How can groupsof killer squads hold meetings, plan attacks on
\ncommunities\/settlements, andactually go on to successfully implement it
\nwithout any of our securityagencies picking even vague intelligence of
\nsuch plans before it happens? It isincomprehensible! Clearly, it is either
\ntop managers of some of our securityagencies are part of the problem or
\nthat we have completely lost it as a nationof serious \u2013minded people.<\/p>\n
What actually isthe day to day function in specific terms of the
\nDepartment of State Security(DSS)? Is it only to hound down political
\nopponents of those misruling thiscountry? Is the DSS not supposed to be
\ninterfacing with the Police on exchangeof intelligence? Infact do they
\nactually gather intelligence on issuespertaining to the security of lives
\nand property of the ordinary Nigeriansapart from hanging around the
\nPresident and governors?<\/p>\n
The DSS initself, in my opinion, seems to be defectively structured. The
\norganization issupposed to be the Nigerian equivalent of the American FBI
\nand the British MI5.How come that the Nigerian DSS functions only within
\nand around State House,Abuja; around state governors and their government
\nhouses? Let\u2019s not even talkof the Police as those ones seemingly have a
\nnear- zero capacity of beingproactive in intelligence gathering.<\/p>\n
Clearly, it iseither top managers of some of our security agencies are
\npart of the problem orthat we have completely lost it as a nation of
\nserious \u2013minded people.<\/p>\n
(IFEANYI IZEZE writes from Abuja and can be reachedon: iizeze@yahoo.com;
\n234-8033043009)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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