One billion dollars is about N365 billion, that is a whopping N1 billion every day of one year. Is it world war 3? You see, Boko haram has become quite a lucrative political and economic venture for the workers of change. In 2015 presidential elections, Boko haram was a lethal weapon in their political arsenal and after assuming power, it has remained a sumptuous bait for pacification of the masses: each time the country is in a plight, if orphan loots are not discovered, Boko haram will be defeated or Shekau’s flag and Quran will be captured or Chibok girls will be rescued. Economically, Boko haram is a beautiful gate through which billions of dollars passes without raising suspicion. The gate is so beautiful that it can afford N290 million just to cut grass at IDP camps.
But beyond these, Boko haram is the peak of Nigeria’s politics of desperation and ethnic prejudice. Do you not find it curious that in 2013 during the Jonathan administration, despite the harvest of deaths and destruction by the sect, Buhari insisted that fighting Boko haram was fighting the north? Lai Mohammed was also very vocal that proscribing Boko haram as a terrorist group was unconstitutional. Well, we are a country without history, we forget even yesterday.
I must admit that Former President Goodluck Jonathan was weak in handling the Boko haram issue. In 2011, U.S was reported to have released to him, a classified list of suspected Boko haram sponsors consisting of high profile persons even within his government and the military but he did not take action. Even after Madallah Christmas day bombing that claimed about 80 lives, he only lamented that his government had been infiltrated but could not fish out the Judases. Things were really complicated.
In 2014 during the heat of Boko haram insurgency, it dawned on the Jonathan government that compared to Boko haram, the Nigerian military was armed with catapults. In fact, it was doubtful if any weapon had been acquired after the civil war. Jonathan wrote the National Assembly requesting approval of a loan of N168b to buy arms but NASS rejected it. Meanwhile, the Jonathan government had already been blackmailed in the international community for human rights abuses leading U.S to champion an international ban on the sale of weapons to Nigeria. The conspiracy against Jonathan was grand and so Boko haram prospered–obviously, for the political benefit of those who coveted power by all means. Jonathan was completely rubbished as “weak” while “strong” General Buhari was beating his chest that he will defeat Boko haram in a twinkle of two months. And true to his boastings, Buhari defeated Boko haram in two months. Just that Boko haram needs another defeating, this time with one billion dollars.
In the face of these challenges, when part of Abacha loot was returned to Nigeria (but Buhari says Abacha never stole a kobo), the FEC under Jonathan approved the sharing of the money 50/50 between security and capital funding. This was how Dasuki got the famous arms money. But Dasuki actually bought arms. However, because of the international sanction, he had to buy arms from the black market. In fact when the arms arrived Nigeria, within two weeks to the 2015 elections, boko haram was as good as history. Consequently, elections held in all the wards of Borno State. So Buhari inherited a boko haram that was, in fact, technically defeated and a military that was newly and well equipped. But the directors and shareholders of boko haram limited will have you believe that Dasuki stole all the money.
In June of 2015, the government of Buhari obtained world bank loan of 2.1 billion dollars to “rebuild” North East. It was from this money Babachir Lawal got his grass cutting reward contract. In December, 2016, Buhari announced the final crushing of Boko haram. Burutai even presented evidence of the crushing: Shekau’s flag and Quran. How come the government is now talking of another one billion dollars to fight a defeated Boko haram? Where is the 2.1 billion dollars loan to “rebuild” North East? If Nigeria does not kill this change, this change will kill Nigeria.
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