OPINION: BOKO HARAM: Amnesty or Full Scale War
On May 29th, at the marking of the Country’s Democracy Day celebration, the President on his Broadcast announced that Amnesty would be granted to Boko Haram Members ready to drop their weapons and in the same vain declare a full-scale war on the Sects.
Those were the words of the President, not mine. So what is the confusion? Amnesty or Full-scale war you might want to ask. Upon hearing the President, I simply asked, how can you declare full scale-war at the same time grant Amnesty? Why the indecision? Trust Dr Reuben Abati, the President’s spokesman, who quickly went hay-wire in defense of the President. “There is nowhere in the broadcast that the President promised to grant Amnesty to the Islamist sects, he only mentioned rehabilitation” They would be rehabilitated! How do you rehabilitate a criminal or an offender without first forgiving or pardoning them of their offence or crime?
Why do we like standing logic on it head in this part of the world? Doyin Okukpe, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs buttressed this confusion, when on the BBC’s Hard Talk program, “said The President did not did not say Amnesty, he only Promised rehabilitation and re-integration of the sects members into the society, the Boko Haram problem is a Nigeria Problem and we would use the Nigerian solution”
The question is, what is the Nigeria solution? How come we invited the foreigners? The President’s statement in that broadcast was clear, unambiguous and understandable. If Dr Abati had said the President made a mistake, that he meant just full-scale war or Amnesty and not both, the world would not come to an end. This era of infallibility of the President by the people around him is not helping matters. So the President as a matter of urgency should bring us up to speed if it is Amnesty or Full-scale war.
If you ask the parents of the abducted Chibok Girls, they care less on the method used, other than seeing their girls alive and sound back home. Is the life of ONE girl not worth more than those senseless bunch called Boko Haram? In 2011, the Israeli Government exchanged 1,027 Palestinians prisoners for just one Israeli Defense force soldier Gilad Shalit. These were prisoners that had been convicted of multiple murders and terror attacks against Israeli civilians. Did you think the Israeli Government was stupid? Some would asked, why should any Government free a thousand criminals for one soul? But the Israelis did the math and came out with that decision. The people at Aso rock are yet to decide which between Amnesty and Full-scale war. It is hi-time this snail-pace attitude of the Jonathan Government ceases.
Maybe it is until all the parents of the Girls all lost their lives while worrying about the whereabouts of their beloved daughters. Enough of this foot-dragging! It is simple logic, drastic times calls for drastic measures. This Administration wants to please everybody. Take a stand and pursue it vigorously, is it Amnesty or war? By now, I guess we all should be tired of holding the hands of this Government. Why are they so clueless? It was also in the news last week that America freed five Taliban officers from Guatanamo Bay prison in exchanged for ONE American Soldier Sergeant Bowe Bergdahi, held captive by the Taliban in Afghanistan for almost five years. How did the American do it? Didn’t they say Americans don’t negotiate with Terrorist? Or are the Talibans no more terrorists? That is the value American place on her citizen. They had to involve the Qatari Government to aid the negotiation so as to avoid the tongue-lashing of the Republicans. How valuable is a Nigerian soul? Do we have any value at all? If we do, why is our Government so lukewarm when it comes to our plight? Jonathan, please Take ACTION!
- by Clement Ogbemudia
Source: Legit.ng
