Monday, June 27, 2011

The explosion at Abuja police headquarters

Guardian
27 June 2011

Editor Opinion

THE June 16, 2011 bombing of the Nigeria Police Headquarters in Abuja signifies more than the terror, and destruction of human lives and property that accompanied it. It underscores an alarming depth of the state’s failure, which can only be reversed through a complete re-orientation to governance.
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Beyond the use of force, there is need to engage aggrieved Nigerians constructively. Who for instance are the Boko Haram members representing? It certainly cannot be Muslims, since Islam is a religion of peace, and its cardinal authority – The Holy Koran nowhere advocates violence to make any point.

More than anything else, the nation needs to reverse the failure of governance, in order to regenerate its lost soul. A society nurtured by fear, apprehension, grievances, corruption, insecurity and poverty cannot be called a nation in its true sense. And leaders of that nation are not worth the appellation.

Part of the manifestation of failure in the state is the seeming absence of intelligence to foresee and thereby forestall high-level crime. Worse still is the fact that even when the perpetrators of crime give notice of their plan, sometimes to the last second, nobody seems able to prevent the execution.

The president, as the nation’s Chief Security Officer, must seriously engage the security and intelligence chiefs to resolve these lapses. It is uncomplimentary of the security institution that no one has been diligently prosecuted and convicted for these high profile crimes, years after.

The explosion in the police headquarters stand condemnable for needlessly causing destruction of precious and innocent lives, and property. Government must however recognise the root of the violence as emanating from its failure over the years.

We cannot hope to fully resolve the crisis by attacking it piecemeal. There is need for a holistic approach that will aim to educate the people, provide them with housing and healthcare, empower them with jobs and assure protection of their lives and property.

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