Boko Haram: President Jonathan’s Siblings, by Peregrino Brimah

NewsRescue

On August 2nd of 2012, Nigeria’s President, Goodluck Ebele Jonathan famously said:

They (Boko Haram) are our siblings and you cannot send the army to wipe out your family…. We are handling them with a soft approach.”

In reaction to this, Nigeria went in uproar. The notorious Femi Fani-Kayode commented, “He is a weak, cowardly, sad and confused man.” [Facebook, August 13, 2012]

ffk-jonathan-boko

The Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, got so upset they asked for the president to resign; they said, “Jonathan has failed us Christians, he has failed Nigerians and he should resign because by this statement, it is very clear that he is not capable of handling the danger pose by the Boko Haram insurgency.” Further reacting, “So the security agents who are being killed by the Boko Haram are not members of this family?” and also querying why Jonathan was opposed to the designation of Boko Haram as a terrorist organization as demanded by most Nigerians.

Fast forward to 2014, the president reaffirmed in Namibia, that he indeed had continued handling Boko Haram, his siblings with “kid gloves.”

Since 234 girls were abducted from Chibok, the President and his spokesmen have repeatedly continued to justify the soft approach to the president’s siblings. But now, they utilize a new excuse that this soft approach is so as not to “harm the dying and already dead girls.” However Nigerian are cognizant with the president’s romance with this terrorist group, his preservation of them and vehement opposition to their branding as a “terrorist organization,” over the five years of his administration, till human right groups forced his hand.

Contrast his soft approach with the terrorists to his harsh actions against Nigerian anti-fuel subsidy removal civil protesters and his utility of the military against peaceful Islamic movement protesters in Kaduna recently in which three of the leader’s sons were murdered; and his use of military force at the Ekiti and Osun elections.

Boko Haram Embraces The president’s protection

But the purpose of our refreshing this today is the consequence of President Jonathan’s love and romance of his so-claimed siblings. Boko Haram has recognized that the president of Nigeria has a soft spot for them and they are recognizing and adapting to secure their survival.

Boko Haram has adopted a new strategy based on the chronic inaction of the nation’s security forces, to utilizing human shields. Nigeria has tarried too many years with these monsters and now they are holing in. The Chibok girls provided an excuse Jonathan wanted not to strike to decimate and rescue. And now when Boko Haram invaded and occupied Gwoza, the terrorists quickly captured women and children to utilize as human shields.

The window to successfully eradicate this rag-tag maniacal terrorist organization is fast closing with their daddy in power. Nigeria urgently needs a Yar’Adua-like leader who will decisively deal with the terror organization that has now become one of the most dangerous in the world, and not embrace and protect them as siblings.

Dr. Peregrino Brimah; http://ENDS.ng [Every Nigerian Do Something] Email: [email protected] Twitter: @EveryNigerian