Femi Adesina, Special Adviser to the President on Media and
Publicity, said Nigerians need to applaud Muhammadu Buhari for the successes
recorded so far in the battle against insecurity in Nigeria.
Adesina stated this on Friday in his article titled “THE STORY
THAT DIDN’T HUG THE HEADLINES.”
The presidential aide said The Institute for Economics and
Peace (IEP) reported a 72 percent decrease in the death caused by Boko Haram in
Nigeria but the media and Nigerians kept mum.
Adesina noted that if the case was different, Nigerians
would have screamed blue murder.
He, however, added that Nigerians who exhibit loud silence
about positive developments are hypocrites and haters of their country.
Please read the full article below:
A story broke last week that you would think would be
everywhere, topic of discussion on both traditional and new media. But not a
murmur, nor a whisper. In fact, mum was the word in many quarters.
What was the story? The Institute for Economics and Peace
(IEP), an international and independent, not-for-profit think-tank, released
what it calls Global Terrorism Index 2022. And it had this to say about Nigeria
and Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA):
“There was a ten per cent improvement in terrorism deaths in
SSA. The improvement can be attributed to the successful counter insurgency
operations targeting Boko Haram where deaths caused by the group declined by 72
per cent between 2020 and 2021, from 629 deaths to 178 deaths. Nigeria recorded
the second biggest reduction in deaths. This is more than the overall decrease
in terrorism deaths in Sub-Saharan Africa. Attacks by the group also
significantly decreased, halving from the prior year to 64 attacks.”
The truth is that a single wanton death is one too many
anywhere. But when in a country that had suffered thousands of deaths yearly
since Boko Haram emerged in 2009, killings now reduced by 72 percent, it is a
very significant development. It is something that should hug the headlines,
dominate the talk shows, go viral on social media, and be of interest to social
commentators. But not a murmur, nor a whisper, as I said earlier. As if in a
conspiracy of silence, nobody talked about the report. The media didn’t report
it, and those that did, superciliously tucked it away in a place where you would
need to put on the torchlight before you would see it.
Now, just imagine that the same report had indicated that
there was a spike in Boko Haram killings in Nigeria, with the carnage exceeding
that of the previous year by 100 percent. All hell would have broken loose. It
would be lead headline in most publications. Some television stations would
scroll the story in their news bar round the clock, for many days.
It would be the topic of discussion on morning and evening
discussion programs. We would be almost deafened by the cacophony. So-called
security experts and social activists would be invited, and they would be
pontificating all day.
Why do we as a people show more interest in the negative,
rather than positive news? Bandits killed scores of vigilantes in Kebbi this
week, and the news was everywhere. But last week, security agencies had
neutralized minimum of 200 bandits in Niger State, and it was nothing to play
up. It did not resonate in the media, traditional or new. Not a murmur, nor a
whisper. Strange. Very strange.
President Muhammadu Buhari came our way in 2015, promising
to secure the country, revive the economy, and fight corruption. Rather than
encourage him, what some people had been engaged in is sticking a pin into the
soft underbelly of the various wars. No plaudits. No bravo. No encouragement.
He didn’t do this, he didn’t do that, is all they are interested in. The economy
recorded 3.4% growth last year, the best since 2014, no murmur, no whisper.
The anti-corruption war has seen convictions in thousands
between 2015 and now, yet, what interests some people is how the war is
allegedly selective, even without a scintilla of evidence. And when there are
strides in the battle against insecurity, their narrative remains the same. Oh,
life is nasty, brutish, and short here.
Yes, we still have severe security challenges. But are we
where we used to be? Don’t we see a fulfillment of promises by President Buhari
that he would ensure that the vermin of insecurity is extirpated in the
country? The pessimists have not changed their tongues, nor their minds,
despite the positive strides being attained.
The report by IEP says Nigeria recorded the lowest number of
killings last year, since 2011. No murmur, no whisper.
We should rather applaud the President and our security
agencies for the yeoman’s job they are doing. May God bless Baba Buhari. And
our troops. Our policemen. National Security and Civil Defence Corps. Everyone
fights evil, so that the citizens can live in peace. May God bless them.
When you exhibit loud silence about positive developments in
your country and scream blue murder when there are reversals, you are a hypocrite,
a hater of your country, and a hater of all that is good. Sad, dolorous,
mournful.
Despite the security challenges we still have, the truth is
that we are not where we used to be. Chief of Defence Staff, General LEO Irabor
said it just last week. True. And we will get to where we want to be. The job
will get done. And we will join Mungo Park to enthuse when he ‘discovered’ the
River Niger:
“I saw with infinite pleasure the great object of my
mission-the long sought for majestic Niger, glittering to the morning sun.”
Nigeria has sought peace for long, from insurgency,
banditry, kidnapping, and all sorts of criminality. We will see the peace,
glittering to the morning sun.
Advertise on NigerianEye.com to reach thousands of our daily users
No comments
Post a Comment
Kindly drop a comment below.
(Comments are moderated. Clean comments will be approved immediately)
Advert Enquires - Reach out to us at NigerianEye@gmail.com