Understanding why wailers are after Zulum

BY PHILIP AGBESE

Bigoted partisans have come to free reign in Nigeria. Very unconscionably and irresistibly, these partisan lees which have populated Nigeria delight in politicizing national security. It is the only explication which sufficiently accounts for their unbearably selfish outrage and mouthing of inanities on resurgence of insecurities in the country.

These dregs in the country have a single plank of reasoning. Insofar as they are not in control of political power, those entrusted with it must have their efforts deliberately disparaged, undermined and dimmed. Unfortunately, Nigeria as a country has enough quotient of gullible persons, who share some affinities with these power leeches. They tend to easily believe any garbage marketed to them like a breast-feeding baby, without any thought.

Now, it is commonly discernible the resurgent insecurities and the co-coordinatively heightened campaigns of denigration are flanks of the same game. The very demeaning and callous scolding of President Muhammadu Buhari and also, the unjustified knocks of Lt. Gen. TY Buratai, the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) and ombudsman of the counter-insurgency operations streams from a mindset of Nigeria’s avowed Luciferians.

Therefore, expectedly, they secretly and variously stoke the flames of insecurities manifest in Boko Haram insurgency, armed banditry, herdsmen/farmers atrocities and generally, upping the momentum of violent crimes to destabilize the country. But these orphans of the power game feel very offended with people who publicly praise the genuine efforts of Government in confronting headlong, the multifarious insecurities they have foisted on Nigeria.

Borno state Governor, Prof. Babagana Zulum incurred their wrath a few days ago. He offended the sensibilities of those clandestinely destroying Nigeria, by daring to publicly declare that in spite occasional setbacks, which is normal in every human endeavour, his state enjoys greater peace and respite security-wise under the current political and the Military leaderships in country.

So, the wailers have gone berserk to the level of combustion. Had adversaries an opportunity, Gov. Zulum would have been sent to Golgotha long before now for the effrontery of such public eulogy of their perceived enemy. Borno state is the bastion of Boko Haram terrorism, from where it extended its tentacles to other parts of the Northeast and throughout the country, as known to Nigerians before the Buhari Presidency. However, the atrocities of insurgents and terrorists have been confined to the Northern axis of Borno now by the crop of today’s Military leaders.

President Buhari and the leader of Nigeria’s counter-terrorism operations, Gen. Buratai have been able to exculpate the other five states of the Northeast geopolitical zone where insurgency blossomed with consuming rage on the people. Dispassionate and non-partisan Nigerians domiciled in the states of Yobe, Adamawa, Gombe, Bauchi and Taraba can also joyously attest to this testimony and the difference.

So, Gov. Zulum is not the only person who has his head clear upstairs to sight and feel the reality, with resounding choruses of accolades to the incumbent leaders who have performed this historical feat. And truly, it is expected that the wailers and haters of Nigeria would bark against him.

To their disfigured senses and defective or devious logic, it would have been more pleasing for the Governor to have twisted the reality. Zulum should have hoaxed a continuing rage of insurgency and terrorism in Borno, a state famed globally as the hub of terrorism.

Only this sort of utterances would have raised a platform for these partisan lees who are playing games with national security to fault, condemn and censure President Buhari and Gen. Buratai. It would have been weaponized to hurl fresh invectives of incompetence on these leaders.

Then, the benchwarmers in National Assembly (NASS) would have renewed its calls for the resignation of President Buhari or sack of Service Chiefs. It would have been a field day for some previously failed and expired politicians to exercise their stiffened jaws in pretentious aura of patriotism. In such circumstances, the sabs would use and amply an isolated incident of Boko Haram/ISWAP attack on a community to blast every leader.

But it is mere wishful thinking that the subverts’ antics can defeat Nigeria or the gimmicks would distract Gen. Buratai or even blindfold conscionable Nigerians into believing the imaginary hallucinations. The perverts are really having bad times.

Truth they say is bitter and effervescent. For the naysayers and haters of Nigeria to bolster the ruinous campaigners’, the only news, and probably, that which they believe as true is when there is a report, suggesting Boko Haram has murdered two or even more soldiers.

These cursed souls get extremely excited when there are speculations about terrorists attacking and overrunning a Military Base anywhere in the Northeast. When a village is sacked by Boko Haram is the only truth which blends with their narrowed and partisan senses. It powerfully animates the social media for days with a blitzkrieg of the odd news, whether real or fake.

Very hot and bile public commentaries and analysis faulting every effort in fighting the insecurities would sprout. That’s when one notices even professional bricklayers in the camp of destroyers brickbats to bargain for public recognition as Sun Tzu’s best reincarnates in modern warfare in Nigeria.

But when the military foils a planned attack on innocent citizens, the haters request to know details; they ask the military to furnish them with details. When the details and pictorial evidence are provided, they still doubt it. The prejudices are exercised because none of them is willing to say a simple costless “thank you” to President Buhari; gallant troops or leader of the counter-insurgency operations, Gen. Buratai for the display of rewarding military ingenuity in the warfront.

The enemies of Nigeria suffer permanently from an incurable amnesia. When Gen. Buratai demystified the dreaded Sambisa, no lullabies resonated for him from the camp of haters and veiled sponsors of terrorism. When he cleared the Chad Basin and killed over 2,000 Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorists in 60 days, they again demanded for pictorial evidence.

When the evidence was presented and too glaring to repudiate; they rejigged the narrative by claiming the Chadian President Idriss Deby led troops to clear it. Thank God for Nigeria’s very professional Army which has refused to be distracted or have their spirit dampened.

Recently when Zulum took out time to appreciate Mr. President for keeping Maiduguri safe, these same people saw it as an opportunity to disown the Governor of Borno. Prof. Zulum provoked the ire of these devious locusts by acknowledging a better security situation in the Borno under the Buhari Presidency than when ex-President Goodluck Jonathan occupied Aso Rock.

Zulum was blunt that certified records beginning from 2011 to date from the 27 LGAs of the state lucidly indicate that Buhari has outperformed his predecessors on Borno’s security challenges. But by now, Nigerians have known the truth and understand that Prof. Zulum is a different breed when it comes to fighting the war against insurgency.

As a civilian, he might not know all the nitty gritty or may not fully understand the scientific approaches or dimensions of fighting the insurgency and military tactics. But a trait peculiar and the unwaning obsession in Zulum is his desire to see peace return to every part of Borno. He has seen and felt the overall impact of generous respite to the people of Borno under the Buhari Presidency.

And its not the first time Gov. Zulum would eulogize President Buhari on counter-insurgency. In February 2020, even when the anger generated by the Auno killings still whirled; Gov. Zulum told President Buhari during the latter’s condolence visit; “…the people of the state still remember the days before Buhari’s emergence, when 20 out of the 27 local government areas were in the hands of Boko Haram while; all the five routes into Borno state were largely inaccessible with exception of Maiduguri-Kano road. In addition to sporadic bombings and killings in the state capital, Maiduguri. Close to about 20 local government areas resettled under Buhari. In fact, in the year 2016/2017 we celebrated the demise of the Boko Haram insurgency….”

While the wailers misconstrue it as a verbal flaw; Zulum wasn’t wrong when he agreed that Maiduguri has been peaceful and far better under the Buhari administration than at any other time. No one else should have a better testimony. First, Zulum is a home boy who has lived all his life in Maiduguri. Secondly, he has taxied to every nook and cranny of the state and therefore, susceptible to the truth as masturbated today.

Thirdly, Gov. Zulum has worked in Maiduguri and privileged to serve in government at a senior level before now. Zulum is in the best position to always say the truth on tempo of insurgency and he has done it exactly. The haters are free to go and split their heads. But Buhari and the Nigerian Military have exceedingly outperformed their predecessors on counter-insurgency operations in Nigeria.

Agbese, a human rights activist wrote this piece from Agila, Benue.