USAfrica: Nigeria Christmas day bomb blasts, killings open door to deal with key problems. By Dr. Victor Ide-Okoye

USAfrica: Despite pains, Nigeria Christmas day bomb blasts, killings open door to deal with key problems.

By Dr. Victor Ide-Okoye

Special to USAfricaonline.com,  the USAfrica-powered e-groups of  Nigeria360,  UNNalumni, and CLASSmagazine Houston

USAfrica, December 26, 2011: What is happening now in Nigeria is a War. A known group from the northern section of Nigeria has declared war on the country and Nigeria’s leader and several folks are pretending as if it will just go away. A war is a war, and our government owes it to its citizens to defend its citizens who are butchered on what seems to be a daily basis now by the so-called Boko Haram sect.

Nigerian people are wondering aloud whether its government is actually protecting them in this current war. It does seem that people in authority sees this current war differently than the rest of the citizens. The time has finally come for the ordinary citizens to be accorded a seat on the table to chart the course of their destiny.

One thing I can say for sure is that the current wave of bomb blasts and killings by the radical Islamic group Boko Haram in Nigeria represents a breaking point for the citizens of our dear country. This 2011 Christmas day bombing is atrocious, cowardly, barbaric and inhumane! The characters that perpetrated these ungodly acts must be caught, tried and treated like the terrorists that they are!

Hence, I am grappling with the arguments being made by the “spokesman” of the radical Islamic group Boko Haram for their unprovoked and senseless killings of defenseless and law-abiding citizens at their places of worship and on one of the most important days of their faith. The Boko Haram claimed they killed at churches and public spaces, in the name of religion!

What is happening in Nigeria is simply a national tragedy which demands concerted and proactive citizen participation on charting a positive way forward.
Nigerian people cannot live in abject fear in their own country. It is fundamentally unacceptable and wrong!

From every indication, it seems that our current security apparatus can no longer handle the situation. Nigerian citizens should and must be allowed to discuss and deliberate on issues pertaining to their security well-being. They should no longer be held hostages in their own country.

If nothing is done now, it will only be a matter of time before the collapse of our republic and total anarchy will eventually become our normal. Also, see Nigeria’s Federal Republic of Insecurity.
By Chido Nwangwu, Publisher of USAfrica & USAfricaonline.com.
https://usafricaonline.com/2011/12/17/nigeria-federal-republic-of-insecurity-by-chido-nwangwu/
We must not allow few dissidents to decide for us a way forward for our dear country. The silent majority must be called upon to decide the fate of our republic. We cannot sit and allow a few radicals to decide the fate of our great country. The citizens of our country must be given a seat at the negotiation table. We need some leadership now to make our country better. The time has come, and the time is now!
Nigeria is a democratic nation and its citizens hold the right to go where they please in Nigeria; to worship where and when they want; to eat and merry where they choose; and to live in any part of the country where they desire.
The primary function of any government is to defend its citizens. The vast citizenry of our nation are predominantly law-abiding people, and nobody has any right to tell them where to go, when to go there, where to worship and when to worship.

I have written, here on USAfricaonline.com, on the bombing situation in Nigeria in the past and further advised our government on the way forward and yet, it does seem that our security agencies continue to be reactive instead of being proactive on the security situation of its citizens. https://usafricaonline.com/2010/10/04/abuja-bombing-niger-delta-nigeriacrises-ideokoye2010/

Bottom line, whether we want to accept it or not. What is happening in Nigeria is terrorism!! It is a war and Nigerian citizens must be defended fully. It is their constitutional right to be protected by their government. Our president took an oath to defend our country and its citizens from our enemies both home and abroad.

The government and security agencies should urgently declare war against these Boko Haram terrorists. Government and security agencies must change its tactics by doing more on counter terrorism, intelligence gathering and infiltration. They must find the enemies of our country and wipe them out. They must do their duty or quit. It is a voluntary force and Nigerian must be defended at all time.

I am not going to make predications on what might be the outcome of the national conference; but one thing is for sure, it’s about time the voices of these citizens are heard. At a minimum, these citizens have the right to discuss issues pertaining to their security and common destiny. People can only take so much!

These bombings and killing are now a continuous madness. Citizens losing their lives continuously in the name of only God know what. This is terrorism pure and simple, and war against terrorism should be declared immediately and waged appropriately.

Also, a national summit on the way forward for the country should be convened immediately. I join in calling for a National Summit to discuss the future of this fragile republic. I think the Federal Government led by President Jonathan needs to tackle this situation as a national emergency.

What is happening in Nigeria today is a reckless and constant assault to its security and integrity; a shame to our international image, and a wanton waste of human lives by a known group! Enough already!!
•Dr. Victor Ide-Okoye, Chairman & CEO of Bos Legal & International Consulting Ltd., contributes opinion on issues to USAfricaonline.com

Nigeria’s Federal Republic of Insecurity. By Chido Nwangwu, Publisher of USAfrica & USAfricaonline.com, https://usafricaonline.com/2011/12/17/nigeria-federal-republic-of-insecurity-by-chido-nwangwu/

Summary: IF any of the Nigerian President’s 100 advisers has the polite courage for the extraordinary task of reminding His Excellency of his foremost, sworn, constitutional obligation to the national interest about security and safety of Nigerians and all who sojourn in Nigeria, please whisper clearly to Mr. President that I said, respectfully: Nigerians, at home and abroad, are still concerned and afraid for living in what I call Nigeria’s Federal Republic of Insecurity! FULL text of commentary at USAfricaonline.com                                               https://usafricaonline.com/2011/12/17/nigeria-federal-republic-of-insecurity-by-chido-nwangwu/

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USAfrica: As Egypt’s corrupter-in-chief Mubarak slides into history’s dustbin.  By Chido Nwangwu. https://usafricaonline.com/2011/01/30/chido-nwangwu-as-egypt-corrupter-in-chief-mubarak-slides-into-historys-dustbin-egyptians-not-waiting-for-obama-and-united-nations/

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