Boko Haram: Why Nigeria Urgently Needs To Remove Its President

NewsRescue

On May 8th, 2013, NewsRescue media after an exhaustive meeting of our Intelligence team and invited experts released a publication, “Nigeria At War“; in this article, we strongly recommended the urgent need for a State of Emergency, SoE to be declared by the Nigerian government and for a full draft of troops to the terror plagued northeast. We stand by this recommendation of May 2013 which prompted the Nigerian President to cut short his trip to the South of Africa and rush home to deliberate and announce the SoE and drafting of battalions to the north.

We were accused by Nigerian leaders at the time of being a “foreign group that did not like Nigeria,” for initiating and pushing the SoE agenda. A properly managed SoE would have ended Boko Haram terror once and for all by September of 2013; however when the SoE was achieving  success and the Nigerian army led by General Ihejirika had pushed Boko Haram who had by the time occupied over 20 Local governments in Borno, back into Sambisa, the Chief of Defense suddenly dismantled the Joint Task Force, disconnected the valuable military collaboration with the CJTF and replaced all with a defunct Army division. Boko Haram regrouped in Sambisa and under protection of Jonathan who purposefully avoided and  failed to attack Sambisa for all excuses including under pretense of not harming the 234 abducted Chibok girls; came out to conquer entire chunks of Nigeria.

However in review of the current security situation, not only does the SoE now need to be discarded, but also as long as Goodluck Jonathan remains President, the Nigerian military needs now to be fully pulled out of the northeast. In summary, Jonathan mismanaged the SoE.

The drafted troops, due to poor and corrupt leadership were so sabotaged that they were incapable of abating the terror and rather served as a source of deadly ammunition and support for the terrorists. In recognition of this, the heads of army including former accused Chief of Defense, Azubuike Ihejirika are now rightly accused of being sponsors of Boko Haram.

The declaration of a unilateral cessation of fire by the Jonathan administration and the new military chiefs is a continuation of a series of steps of clueless interpretation and reckless mismanagement of the terror crises.

President Jonathan’s dependence and dealings with accused Boko Haram sponsor, Ali Modu Sheriff and the Boko Haram linked President of Chad also known to be a top sponsor of the group, further presents a dire situation which delivers death and territorial loss to Nigeria; a nation now divided with terrorists comfortably ruling over swaths of territory and millions of citizens.

Human right atrocities of the army which assisted Boko Haram terror and have now forced the nation to be subjected to international arms purchase limitations further paints the picture of hopelessness and helplessness in the face of terror under Jonathan administration.

Boko Haram Hurrying To Massacre, Annex Territory Before Jonathan Administration Expires

Recognizing that the end may be near for the soft and helpless Jonathan administration, which assisted the terrorists in many ways including distractions–rather than facing the reality, claiming opposition politicians were behind the terror– Boko Haram has accelerated its program to eliminate life in the north and annex as much territory as possible. The terrorists know they are protected and assisted by the Jonathan administration and as his tenure is expected to end early next year, the terrorists have been seen to be making rapid pushes across the north of Nigeria. Can Nigeria survive till the handover with the successful push by Boko Haram? NewsRescue does not believe so.

The numerous events of gross government corruption, economic and judicial mismanagement and mal-representation of the nation add to the issues which make the management of terror under the Jonathan administration, impossible. With oil prices falling to a seven-year low, Nigeria will completely collapse in days to weeks under a continued Jonathan government. Nigeria simply does not have the time to wait till elections.

In review of the current situation, Nigeria has no option than the expedient expulsion of its top leadership. The President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan and the various members of government transplanted from the Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida regime, including Senate President David Mark, NSA Sambo Dasuki, and Defense Minister Aliyu Mohammed Gusau, among others must be retired along with the President and detained.