BY: OLOKE JESSE ABAYOMI
WHEN in 1651, THOMAS HOBBES published his book, the “LEVIATHAN”, it was an instant bestseller.
He believed that man was by nature, social animal that lives in a state that was nasty, brutish and shot. Hence the need for a social contract to form a central government.
According to Thomas Hobbes, without a central government, there would be no culture, no society and it would seem like all men were at war with one another.
The social contract to be signed with the central government was to guarantee the security of all. And avoid a state where only the fittest can survive.
Event all over the world since the world Wars, have shown indeed that the universe is resting on a time bomb that could detonate at any time.
All the world religions believe the world will end one day, and it will end with a blazing fire (Christianity) . One need not be spiritually equip to know that, the nuclear weapons being developed and stored are the expected source of that blazing fire. The world is still standing because it has not gotten into the hand of that “mad man “!
However, Nigeria is my immediate reason for writing this piece. For some time now, we are drifting into that era prior to the Hobbesian state. Life in Nigeria is now nasty, brutish and shot. Only the fittest now survives.
Terrorism is a universal phenomenal which had destabilized many country.
In the past, Drug war was the universal phenomenal that attracts world attention, and in fact was an economy inn on it’s own. Money were laundered globally via drug proceeds. It built certain country economy while it destroyed others. It took the coming together of the world Powers to neutralize the problems by certain degree.
However, another cartel is international terrorism and bandictory. Money are launder through it , weapons are sold at black market rate, and cool cash are made by both the manufacturer and the the agent provoteur that specializes in making and living on blood money.
Boko Haram in Nigeria started as a political bandictory, and later found solace in a fight back when the Dons and capones that gather them together no longer have need of them anymore.
They have tasted power and money, and when the supply of it stops coming they pick up arms as renegades .
My point here is that, the problems eating deep into our value system is a creation of a NIGERIAN somewhere. At a point, the accusing finger was pointed to a particular governor.
However, it has become a money spinning business that had made millionaires. The investors in BOKO HARAM PLC cuts across Muslims and Christianity. We have igbo traders arrested supplying them drugs, we have Yoruba man supplying them guns.
We have generals retired and serving sabotaging the war. Helicopters,we heard are even used to supply them with basic needs in sambisa forest, no wonder a former youth corper, an ijaw man for that matter, opted to remain behind than be freed.
Governor zulum spoke my mind the other day, when he said, the army and Nigeria forces knows where shekarau is hidden. But no body dare go there to put an end to free lunch. Even before decisions are taken to storm there, shekarau will be alerted.
Take the issue of power supply which had remained skeletal. We all know that, the generator Mafia in the country will never allow our power sector to strive.
Didn’t Buhari closed the border with other neighbouring nations and our agricultural products became gold. The government know what to do to end this mad killings, but only dilly dallying because some Mafia are making money from it.
U,.S. A took the fight to Osama Bin Laden, and smoke him out of his hiding place. They fished out Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi al-qurashi, the leader of ISIS and neutralize them. Why can’t we do like wise with shekarau and end this shenanigans? Greed and selfishness and lust for money.
President mohamadu Buhari is my cherished leader ,but his straggly mode of governance leaves plenty to be desired. His silent sometimes could be misunderstood to be concent.
Age is definitely not on his side, but with patriotic aids that wishes the nation well, plenty could be achieved in fighting and bringing these evil to an end.
Why not constitute a special security council which should be made up of security experts and be detailed to put an end to all these. Gov Yahaya Bello and gov. Zulum would fit perfectly in to this council., because of their experiences in fighting criminals in their domain. Didn’t I hear gov. Zulum vowed to end this menace or be eliminated within a year? Yes, this is the spirit we need.
The youthfulness of gov. Yahaya Bello single him out as a no nonsense person with zero tolerance for criminals.
President buhari could set up a NATIONAL ELITE GUARDS that could be trained like the American Marine Corps to face these criminals head on. General babangida muted that idea before he stepped aside in 1993! The America Marine Corps are specially trained to strike anywhere in the world. Our National Guard could be trained to strike any where in Africa to help fish out and neutrilize any threat to Nigeria peace.
President Buhari should wake up to his responsibility to protect us from going back to a state where life is brutish, nasty and shot where only the fittest can survive. That is our social contract with him.