Gentlemen of the Press:
It
is with deep regret that I came to learn that Mubi, which is one the
largest towns in Adamawa State of northeast Nigeria, has been taken by
the terrorist group commonly known as Boko Haram. As you may know, in
recent weeks and months, Mubi has been a town to which displaced persons
from further north have fled for safety after their communities fell to
Boko Haram. As I speak, the inhabitants of Mubi, together with those
who went there for safety, find themselves at the mercy of this
terrorist group.
I
am Nigerian. I believe in the integrity of Nigeria as a whole, and
every part of this country matters to me. But I was born and bred in
the northeast. So, please, excuse me if I should say a few words about
the part of the country where I am from, about what the people from the
northeast of Nigeria have had to suffer for far, far too long.
Things
should never have got to this stage. Thousands of Nigerians have had
to flee their homes. Their houses and farms have been destroyed. They
do not know where to go or how to restart their lives. That is the
degree to which we have come in this country. I say this with reluctance
and with shame. The situation in which we find ourselves today is
grave. Much of Borno, and the north of Adamawa and Yobe states is
already at the mercy of the terrorists. It started a few months ago
with Bama, which is nearly 400 kilometres from Yola, capital of Adamawa
State.
The
next major town to be taken by terrorists was Gwoza, where a terrorist
caliphate flag has long been hoisted. Smaller towns near Gwoza such as
Pulka and Limankra are equally not free. Next was Madagali. The town
is still being occupied. Then fell Gulak. Next was Michika, then
Bazza. Next was the twin town of Uba which is half Adamawa and half
Bornu. Its neighboring town of Lassa was also overrun. Uba was the
latest town captured before the terrorists trampled on Mubi. People
from these troubled areas are now pouring into Yola for safety.
As
somebody who hails from Adamawa State, you can appreciate why I feel
such emotion at the fate of my people. For whatever reason, our
defence forces are unable to cope and unable to defend. My sympathies go
out to the soldiers who find themselves in a situation not of their
making. This is a crisis of leadership.
We
were told that the budget for security was going to be enlarged so that
the security agencies and military would be in a better position to
tackle the insurgency. How is it possible that a great nation like
Nigeria should find itself in a situation where a handful of terrorists
is able to invade a town as large as Mubi with a population of about
300,000? How were the insurgents able to so easily take a town of this
size, and the people find themselves defenseless and undefended? How is
it that the people have been made to suffer as they have?
I
have previously spoken about the deteriorating security situation in
this country on a number of occasions. On those occasions I deliberately
restrained myself from speaking in a manner that might be construed as
distracting the government and the security forces as they grappled with
the dire security situation. But the scale of injustice the people of
Nigeria are suffering has reached a stage where I am obliged to amplify
my concerns.
Many
of our citizens, unable to come to terms with why a so-called “Africa’s
best army” has been unable to confront this horrendous situation, are
increasingly assuming that this whole thing is about electoral
politics. They suspect that the seeming inability of the government to
end the crisis is a ploy to weaken some parts of the country ahead of
the 2015 elections. Can we, in all honesty, blame them for having those
suspicions?
I
call upon the international community to help us. I am making a
special appeal to countries with sufficient knowhow and experience in
tackling terrorism to increase their assistance to us.
The
relief agencies that are already working here should please double
their efforts. And all people of goodwill should help in any way they
can and to do more than they have been doing to alleviate the pain and
suffering that we Nigerians face through this insurgency. At a time
when we are constantly bombarded with horror stories of ugly events
elsewhere in the world – here in West Africa, we are faced with the
Ebola epidemic and other trouble spots – I draw your attention to a
humanitarian crisis which is also a matter of international security.
This
Boko Haram insurgency has been with us now for several years but has,
in these last few days, taken a step further towards being a disaster of
unimaginable proportions. Hundreds of thousands of people are at risk.
Nigeria needs the world’s support. The world must not abandon Nigerians
in our time of need.
Thank you.
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