Musings on Operation Python Dance
In the last one week, the menacing pythons of the military have been dancing dangerously in the South-east and heating up the polity. The Abia State government had to quickly impose a curfew to avert a total breakdown of law and order in the state. Honestly, this military operation is absolutely unnecessary. The federal government should be courageous enough to call it off because this country can’t afford this deliberate escalation of tension. For me, the objectives of this operation can be achieved in a more decent way without creating tautness in the country. This motor park tout called Nnamdi Kanu and his clueless IPOB brethren can be tackled and disarmed intelligently.
It is a fact that most of those teaming up with IPOB see it as an opportunity to express their anger at the marginalisation of the South-east by the Buhari administration. Demands of this nature require a lot of tact and diplomacy; it is better handled by decent leaders. Unfortunately, miscreants are now exploiting the genuine demands of the Southeast to cause mayhem in this beautiful region. These reprobates are incapable of reasoning that millions of Igbos live in other parts of Nigeria. I am pleased that other Nigerians are preaching against reprisal attacks. This is the only way to disgrace violent people. I am a firm believer in the corporate existence and indivisibility of this beautiful country.
We must all consistently remind the federal government that uprisings of this nature can be disarmed with wisdom, good governance, good leadership and dialogue. Instead of this brute force, President Muhammadu Buhari has to practically show that he is father to all and all the tension will go down. The truth that must be told is that Buhari has spent the last 28 months stoking our fault lines. The impact of his “why should I treat them equally” statement is still reverberating. There has been no speck of equity in all of Buhari’s appointments to date. This is a big shame because it stokes agitations.
According to the words of wisdom of former Minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesili, Buhari must stop being a sectional leader and take the moral high ground. Ezekwesili, who supported Buhari in 2015, urged the President to act as a true leader by showing love to all. She added: “It is tragic that you, our President, Buhari, has deliberately or inadvertently alienated a segment of the people you lead. It is tragic. The leader of a country cannot be friends only of those he/she likes. No. That is not leadership.
“The leader builds up groups. Not divide. You cannot lead only those that worship and swear by you. You are the leader. You must carry the burden even of those that detest you. It is the lowest form of churlishness that is unbecoming of a leader to send signals that you dislike anyone of the groups you lead. A leader is a winner. When a winner acts like a loser, things go wrong in their kingdom. Real leaders build a bond with all their people. Worst is when a leader makes enemies of most because he abhors the action of one or a few. That is not leadership! That is ethnic prejudice. A real leader does not suffer from the destructive disease of ethnic prejudice. It endangers his/her people and real leaders cannot bear such.”
It is not too late for Buhari to amend his ways and allow peace to reign in our dear nation. Genuine patriots must call Buhari to order, so as to pull our lovely country from the precipice. IPOB reprobates can be better managed. Buhari must show remorse and engage decent Southeast leaders on building a united Nigeria. As a first step, our President has to ensure equity in the distribution of resources and must respect the constitution of this country, particularly with regard to Federal Character, in his appointments. Let’s start seeing eggheads from the South-east heading key federal departments and agencies. The South-east must get fair and decent treatment in the Nigerian nation.