Checking USA And UK's Spiteful Comments Against Jonathan On Insecurity

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Since the killings and bombings by the radical Islamic sect called Boko Haram intensified in the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan, many people are counseling that there is a conspiracy theory against the president by northerners and some of their international collaborators.

This is even as UK and USA are invariably adding their spiteful voices that Nigeria has not done enough to checkmate insurgency and, that there is extreme poverty in the north and, that the area is underdeveloped.

What the northern peoples of Nigeria are suffering from is attitudinal poverty, said social officials. This is against the supposed conspiracy theory by USA and UK that this part of the country is underdeveloped and poor, as if it started with President Jonathan administration.

A Former Minister and the Director-General, Nigerian Economic Summit Group, NESG, Frank Nweke, Jnr. saw this 'attitudinal problem' with the north when he told newsmen this month in an interview that only a healthy and educated population can lead the country.

'As a child, I watched as the seeds of Boko Haram were sown in Maiduguri, where I grew up. As we were taken to school every day, we saw the kids sitting under trees being indoctrinated. As we returned from school in the afternoon, we saw the same children at the roundabouts, begging for alms and as we went to catechism in the evening, we found them back under the trees receiving their own religious studies.

'Majority of them did not attend any formal school. Today, they have become the cause of insurgency to the nation,' Nweke Jnr. said. A social commentator who would not want the name in print said, 'Nigeria and its Kleptocratic ways are of no concern to US and UK or any other country for that matter.'

Citing Crimea as an example, the commentator continued: 'Crimea was only important to US and UK, to a minimal extent, because it is a matter of projecting the West's influence in the region. Hence, no matter the rhetorical, no one is suggesting a military response.

'What we should note is that US, UK etc. know that the oligarchs in Crimea are keeping their money/property in the West, just as the Nigerian kleptomaniac class.

'None of these countries (USA and UK) give a hoot about Nigeria enough to do something like this, nor should they. Nobody is coming to save us. None, but ourselves can free our minds.'

These conspiracy theorists against Jonathan have said that the northern Nigeria is poorer than what may be taken as the average poor in the global poverty index. They are of the conviction that unless a 'new visionary leadership emerges' the poverty in the region will not be yoked.

'UK and USA did not consider the fact that some persons from north have ruled the country for a period totaling 35yrs and were knowingly or unknowingly unable to arrest the perceived underdevelopment and poverty that is said is ravaging the north, just the same way the entire ethnic groups in the country collapsed under such leaderships,' said a Kaduna-based Journalist.

In strong terms, well-meaning Nigerian leaders and media have warned that some statements by these countries are capable of throwing the country into perpetual chaos; just as such statements have been regarded as 'diagnosis taken too far.' It is not certain why such foreign countries should be throwing tantrums in the country, if there is no conspiracy theory against the present administration.

'UK and USA were unable to make such spiteful comments when persons from the north were holding the helm-of-affairs of the country that could be seen pillaged the economy of the country for over 3 decades, which President Jonathan has to a significant level, been able to transform,' continued the Journalist.

As the perceived conspiracy theory continues, some prominent Nigerians like Olusegun Obasanjo and Nyako have added to the inferno with written memos and letters that were made public inciting direct and indirect hatred against the current administration.

But while the letter of Obasanjo was seen as a 'letter of admonishment' even though that the government did not read it without a reply to Obasanjo, that of Nyako was seen as a sheer memo capable of bolstering the Boko Haram insurgents against Nigeria and Nigerians and therefore battering the image of Jonathan's government.

An average Nigerian knows that countries in the West are only supportive of projects that favour them and do not support those that do not favour them, said experts. Against this backdrop, many opinions have suggested that these countries' comments are more of political than they could be seen as suggestive that Nigeria and her government should maintain peace and order in the North-eastern part of the country troubled by Boko Haram.

According to an account, "What bothers me is the irredeemable brainwashing of many Nigerians How can Shell (UK), Chevron are in Nigeria for over 50yrs and we still refine the South-South and South-East oil abroad? Why are they encouraging Nigeria to destroy local refining technology of the Niger Delta Republic?"

The source maintained that USA and UK are doing everything within their reach to maintain neo-colonialism in Nigeria, by throwing their weight in favour of projects that favour them and against the ones that do not favour them. This habit, the source said, 'is more dangerous than Slavery and Colonialism put together.'

Some Nigerians are yet to come terms that Nigeria is an independent state since it was Britain that established her and following such constituency's incessant inflammatory comments in the present administration.

To this school of thought: 'Nigeria was never created to be a great country, Nigeria is there to serve someone's interest. Now, you should try to know whose interest Nigeria is serving. How do you expect UK to impose travel, visa restrictions on Nigerians?'

Nigeria is believed to be controlled by UK and United States of America. Said an account: 'Make no mistake, they appoint our rulers; you cannot rule Nigeria without bowing to the Queen or American president.

There is no way someone like Obasanjo could have ruled Nigeria if not because he was 'appointed'; there was no way Yakubu Gowon could have ruled Nigeria if not because he was 'appointed' etc.'


The source continued: 'Ask yourself why there is Shell in Nigeria, but there is no British Electricity company to provide power to Nigerians; but there is Shell Petroleum to take our oil to England.'


There is apprehension that these people that stand 'as our enemy we embrace them and call them our messiah' are the same people that would detect the elections of the country in 2015, as usual. According to the source: 'The case of Nigeria is very pathetic to other African countries; Nigeria has foods but majority of us beg for what to eat; we have money yet no money available for us; we have cars but we are using our legs as a means of transportation.'


Establishments have ostensibly advised that Nigerians need not go far to come to terms with the 'Western policy on Africa' which is regarded as 'just lip service to express only false political correctness.' According to the source, there is a philosophy that any event in a Caucasian territory is viewed with concentrated attention in a way to stop decline to backwardness as was seen in the Crimea.


'If the event in Crimea were to be replicated in Africa, the West would only maintain a phlegmatic stance even if internecine killings abound. That explains the Rwanda pogrom, when France and Belgium left that country at the time of its greatest need! And this resulted in the killing of 800, 000!


'The West wants Nigeria, because Nigeria provides a database for trained professionals that migrate to the West; secondly, a vibrant Nigeria would pose threat to the primacy of the West in many human fields of endeavour. So, the West tacitly encourages a decrepit Nigeria. Nigerian leaders don't understand this!' said the source.


Nigerians have not experienced a "heightening revolutionary mood" as they are experiencing under the leadership of Jonathan. There are, though, comments that are that this may not be unconnected with such frightening comments on Nigeria by UK and USA. The later has even said categorically that Nigeria may disintegrate by 2015.


The British Broadcasting Cooperation, BBC, has even in-recent-times expressed UK's conspiracy theory against Jonathan, saying that close to a month that about 200 female students were abducted from their boarding school in north by Boko Haram that Nigeria's President Jonathan and many of the country's political leaders are showing unconcerned attitude to the calamity.


'There cannot be many countries where the political leaders stay as silent following such tragedy. So far, UK Foreign Secretary William Hague has said more about the Chibok attack than Nigeria's President Goodluck Jonathan,' said BBC Nigeria Correspondent Will Ross in an account.


The report continued that BBC was worried that the military strategy used in checkmating the insurgents is dwindling hence the Boko Haram members always have a field day in their operations in the North-eastern part of Nigeria where they have as stronghold.


'Boko Haram group is still able to move across Borno State in convoys,' said BBC.


The celebrated media outfit added that this portends a very bad image for the country and exposes the shortcomings of the current military strategy in fighting terrorism in the affected areas of the North-eastern Nigeria. BBC further wondered the parameter in the utilisation of the security budget of the country, especially this year, which was given to be above $6bn (3.5bn).


Investigation revealed that Nigeria's defence budget is increasing, but insecurity which the fund was made for has not been significantly arrested. Many people have blamed Nigerian politicians as the cause of these conspiracies against Jonathan, because of what was regarded as their 'lack of virtue.'


'As human beings we normally feel compassion for our fellow human beings when they are in painful and unfortunate situations. We try to help them. Nigerian politicians lack that virtue. Intelligence is a human virtue. It allows you to understand the meaning of things; it is mark of psychological maturity. Nigerian politicians are not intelligent. These are the kinds of African politicians the West likes,' said a social analyst.


Most-recently, the All Progressives Congress, APC, accused the president and the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, of polarising the security situation in the country. The party it was noted lent its voice that there was deception in the scheme mapped out for arresting insecurity in the country when the party said that its governors were excluded from a call by the president freshly for a meeting to discuss the insecurity situation in the country.


It is, nevertheless, not only the APC that has made such spurious claim. The PDP had through its National Publicity Secretary Olisa Metuh accused some opposition politicians of being the brain behind the sponsorship of Boko Haram. This statement was coming out when the terrorists attacked and bombed Nyanya, a suburb of Abuja that left hundreds of people dead and many people injured and property worth millions of naira destroyed.


A USA-based Nigerian, Abiodun Ladepo in a discourse called on Mr. President to summon all his security details, saying: "If president Goodluck Jonathan is not afraid of his national security team, he should summon his Minister of Defense, Chief of Defense Staff and all Service Chiefs, Head of the Directorate of Military Intelligence, Inspector-General of Police and, National Security Adviser to his office and demand answers to the following questions: Where were those soldiers stationed on Giwa Barracks, Maiduguri, on March 14, 2014, when the terrorists attack began?'


This is even as pro-Jonathan politicians and human rights activists and opinion leaders are saying that there is no conspiracy targeted against President Goodluck Jonathan that will stand.


Odimegwu Onwumere, a Poet/Writer, writes from Rivers State.

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Articles by Odimegwu Onwumere