THE FUTURE FOR NIGERIA :
I was a witness to yesterday's carnage in Yola; I wasn't at the scene of the incident but I've attended to the victims in hospital. The big question on my mind, of course, is how did we get here? How did we end up with the situation where there is an endless supply of children ready to detonate bombs and kill themselves and others? Why are so many children not on "our side" but on the terrorists' side?
I know that children often do not decide on their own but are instructed by adults. But what made the adults themselves to easily buy into the idea? I don't think this is religious conviction. I believe the problem is that we have a whole bunch of people who are so alienated from whatever the modern world has to offer that they have nothing to lose. I believe that the gap between leaders and the led has reached its widest level ever in the history of our nation such that the two now live in two completely separate worlds. For leaders, life is about the government house, the entourage of hangers-on and spin doctors, chartered flights, homes in Abuja and Dubai, Hajj and Umrah, foreign schools for the kids, childbirth in the US and medical check-up in London. For the led, life is about a meager existence, too many mouths to feed, dilapidated primary and secondary schools, near-impossible university admission etc. The two worlds hardly ever meet except at campaigns rallies where a tiny amount of ill-gotten wealth is thrown at the masses. The poor are hungry, ignorant, alienated, disillusioned, frustrated and desperate - and they are hitting back!
In the past, there was a reasonable connection between leaders and the led. Leaders used to visit schools to speak with pupils and teachers; food, books, uniforms, toiletries were given almost free. Traditional rulers used to visit schools to chat with kids and give them oranges. On Childrens Day and October 1, children would wear sparkling uniforms and go for a march past in front of the governor. School sports competitions may be attended by a top government official. All these are now gone. Nobody bothers about "small things" any more. For leaders, there is so much money to be made and so many wonderful trips to undertake. Mingling with the poor is even "risky" these days.
What do we need to do? We need to inject a lot of soft power in the fight against boko haram - not in the form of some misguided "negotiations" with terrorists but in the way of closing the gap between leaders and the led. Leaders need to win back the faith of the masses. We need a back-to-basics campaign combined with anti-corruption and anti-boko haram propaganda.
A visit to public schools in Adamawa state is enough to convince anyone that normal life has indeed been strangulated long ago and children have nothing left to do other than to carry bombs. We are paying a heavy price for our decades-long mistakes, for the greed, avarice and thoughtlessness of our leaders. Our very survival is hanging in the balance. We must retrace our steps and we must start now
I was a witness to yesterday's carnage in Yola; I wasn't at the scene of the incident but I've attended to the victims in hospital. The big question on my mind, of course, is how did we get here? How did we end up with the situation where there is an endless supply of children ready to detonate bombs and kill themselves and others? Why are so many children not on "our side" but on the terrorists' side?
I know that children often do not decide on their own but are instructed by adults. But what made the adults themselves to easily buy into the idea? I don't think this is religious conviction. I believe the problem is that we have a whole bunch of people who are so alienated from whatever the modern world has to offer that they have nothing to lose. I believe that the gap between leaders and the led has reached its widest level ever in the history of our nation such that the two now live in two completely separate worlds. For leaders, life is about the government house, the entourage of hangers-on and spin doctors, chartered flights, homes in Abuja and Dubai, Hajj and Umrah, foreign schools for the kids, childbirth in the US and medical check-up in London. For the led, life is about a meager existence, too many mouths to feed, dilapidated primary and secondary schools, near-impossible university admission etc. The two worlds hardly ever meet except at campaigns rallies where a tiny amount of ill-gotten wealth is thrown at the masses. The poor are hungry, ignorant, alienated, disillusioned, frustrated and desperate - and they are hitting back!
In the past, there was a reasonable connection between leaders and the led. Leaders used to visit schools to speak with pupils and teachers; food, books, uniforms, toiletries were given almost free. Traditional rulers used to visit schools to chat with kids and give them oranges. On Childrens Day and October 1, children would wear sparkling uniforms and go for a march past in front of the governor. School sports competitions may be attended by a top government official. All these are now gone. Nobody bothers about "small things" any more. For leaders, there is so much money to be made and so many wonderful trips to undertake. Mingling with the poor is even "risky" these days.
What do we need to do? We need to inject a lot of soft power in the fight against boko haram - not in the form of some misguided "negotiations" with terrorists but in the way of closing the gap between leaders and the led. Leaders need to win back the faith of the masses. We need a back-to-basics campaign combined with anti-corruption and anti-boko haram propaganda.
A visit to public schools in Adamawa state is enough to convince anyone that normal life has indeed been strangulated long ago and children have nothing left to do other than to carry bombs. We are paying a heavy price for our decades-long mistakes, for the greed, avarice and thoughtlessness of our leaders. Our very survival is hanging in the balance. We must retrace our steps and we must start now
Let's transform our children from those who have nothing to lose into those who have something to lose. Let's give them education and hope in life such that no one can convince them to carry a bomb. Let's bring them firmly to our side such that they will even call the police if someone asks them to carry a bomb.
Written by :Dr Raji Bello
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