This is the first time since the relocation of Nigeria’s seat of power from Lagos to Abuja during the tenure of General Ibrahim I. Babangida’s .
There are no other reasons adduced to this than the threat by BOKO HARAM to disrupt the independence anniversary celebrations by bombing some locations in the Federal Capital Territory.The threat of the group was taken more seriously considering certain happenings and bomb blasts in and around Abuja and some other cities especially in the northern parts of Nigeria.
The bombings include those at the Sani Abacha Barracks in Abuja, the Headquarters of the Nigeria Police Force, NPF, Abuja, the United Nations –UNION HOUSE- also in Abuja and there had been other bomb blast cases as well the twin bombings in nearby Suleja, Niger State. There has been total breakdown of law and order in and around with human mutilated bodies found in some parts of the Federal Capital Territory.
This year’s independence anniversary parade was performed in the Presidential Villa and witnessed by a selected few that had access to the Aso Villa. President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, his wife, ministers, members of the National Assembly, service chiefs and their selected friends celebrated our independence anniversary in the confines of Aso Villa.
While the celebrations were going on, the Nigerian masses that were meant to be the major celebrants were relegated to the background because a lot of people did not know what was going on. There was no information with regards to the venue of the national day parade.
Some viewers stumbled on the television broadcast by chance. They were forced to watch their national television especially the Nigerian Television Authority, NTA, the government propaganda station.
Some asked, ‘is Jonathan alright, is Nigerian national day for a few people, what is wrong? They protested to mere television screens that did not have answers to their questions. It is unfortunate that the government has alienated the people from their own yearly celebration and at the same time made a mockery of nationhood.
A lot of Abuja residents woke up on that faithful day with a lot of enthusiasm. Some of them were prepared to attend the independence anniversary celebrations at the Eagle Square, the usual venue. Their hopes were dashed as they met the roads leading the Eagle Square condoned off by the men in uniform (soldiers and policemen).
Many of them went home disappointed in their government and country. Others went to bars and restaurants to cool off or mourn for our BIG BLIND COUNTRY, BBC.
The change of venue was due to threats by Boko Haram group. The same government that is threatening to wipe out the group is now running from them. It is unheard off that a sitting government was so scared of a militant group enough to scamper for safety.
What the federal government has succeeded in telling Nigerians is that the only safe place in Abuja or the country in general is the Aso Rock. Secondly, they have told us unofficially that the security of those in government is more important than the security of the citizenry. The self defeatist attitude of the president and his men is a warning to Nigerians that they on their own as far as security and safety is concerned.
Thirdly, the government has accepted the superiority of Boko Haram and has fallen to the fire power of an invisible organisation and this portends more danger in the life of the country and also calls for concern. This is food for thought.
The massed are surprised that the same security agencies that constantly harass them on the streets and highways could not man a mere venue for parade to honour our motherland at 51. The truth must be told. The nation lacks security because most available hands are attached to the president, vice president, legislators, service chiefs, governors, deputy governors, members of the various states houses of assembly, bank executives and numerous government officials like ministers and the protection of many government rich friends whose source of riches cannot be ascertained.
If one does the arithmetic of the above, one would see that agencies like the State Security Service, SSS and the Nigeria Police Force, NPF are handicapped because they lack enough man to handle our challenges at security locations. Another problem is that these days, the men and officers is these agencies allegedly bribe their bosses to get attached them to the above mentioned ‘big men’
The men at the highways and the numerous ‘naira rain’ check points know that their colleagues attached to big men earn huge sums of money with less stress so they make do by extortion of money from fellow unprotected Nigerians.
It is also worth mentioning that those men on the high way are carrying weapons that are sometimes obsolete while their colleagues protecting government officials are using state of the art weapons like OOZIES, BAZOOKAS and what have you.
One would advice that since the big men have shared the men and weapons amongst themselves to protect their loots, they should endeavour to employ more men and equipped them in this dangerous times to protect fellow citizens. This could be achieved if they cut down on their looting techniques and also reduce their atrocities that make them attractive to suicide bombers and the likes.
Another question comes to mind ‘ Is Nigeria going to remain in the woods while the comity of nations is in the’ light age, When are our maximum rulers going to understand that certain actions they take due to their callous or inexperience actions question the intelligence of well meaning and civilized Nigerians. Many Nigerians have contributed tremendously towards the development of industrialised nations.
So it unfair for a few certified knuckle heads among us to make us all look like jungle men just because normal livelihood eluded the at infancy. They must have realised by now that it was the bad actions of people like them in the past that deprived them of normal childhood and now that they are in the corridors of power, they must guard against actions that will deprive future Nigerians.
It will be recalled with sadness that a lot of people lost their lives during the Golden Jubilee Anniversary celebrations of Nigeria in 2010 when locations around the EAGLE SQUARE, Abuja- venue of 50th Anniversary parade- had multiple bomb blasts. This happened in the full glare of the international community with many presidents and heads of government in attendance. What a shame.
That was also the year that the GOODLUCK JONATHAN Administration spent the highest amount of money ever spent on Nigeria’s Independence anniversary celebration. It was ironical that the government remembered to purchase other items and consumables including rice, meat, every manner of soft drinks and alcohol including assorted champaign and cocktails.
Since the celebration was low key, the government should have been kind enough to fellow Nigerians the amount of money spent.
The security of the president, his wife and their friends including Legislators was not compromised in any way because they were safe. So the rest of us can go to hell as far as they are concerned. The Law Enforcement Agencies proved to Nigerians that the sum of money spent on security for the ceremony was a case of ‘ he that pays the piper dictates the tune ‘.
Innocent Nigerians could even get the Eagle Square to honour their motherland, wave flags of peace at the President in-spite of harassments and molestation by security operatives. Nigerians are getting maimed and killed by fellow Nigerians who are causing mayhem in protest against what they described as injustice and bad governance by the federal and state authorities.
Nigerians recall with shame and embarrassment in 2010 that instead of addressing the issue on ground by giving the security Agencies and their heads time to investigate and report to him and the nation in general on their findings, President Jonathan went to town making some accusations that led to counter-accusations that further threatened to tear the country apart.
The President told the world that ‘We know the culprits and we shall deal with’ and further stated that ‘ a former military leader- a general - and some Northern leaders were involved’ and ‘they will be exposed ‘.
The wise ones felt that he should have kept quiet and be the last to speak after the security chiefs had spoken on the matter. Some politicians and civil liberty organisations called on the National Assembly to impeach him.
Since that time, well meaning Nigerians have come to the conclusion that it was either he did not have confidence in his security chiefs or that he was out to cause bad blood in the country due to inexperience.
If nothing else, his inflammatory and frivolous statements put him at loggerheads with some leaders of The Movement For The Emancipation of Niger Delta, MEND like Henry Okah who engaged Goodluck Jonathan in a war of words from far away South African prison to the amazement of the whole world before the latter went back into his cocoon - the Aso Rock.
Jonathan’s unguided statements on two occasions after the 1st October 2010 bomb blasts were so demoralising that a lot of people felt that his unsubstantiated accusations were aimed at stopping some of his political opponents from participating in the April 2011 presidential elections or to tarnish their image to get more political points.
Those that felt that they were targeted at did not take kindly to his allegations and also matched him word for word, press for press and as my friend would say Nokia for Nokia. It is quite disheartening that until now, those allegations have not been substantiated and the accused have not been brought to book.
The learned ones refer to it as frivolous while the rest of us at MAMA EBERE’s pepper soup joint regard it as Presidential Pepper soup Propaganda, PPP.
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