NIGERIANS have continued to be inundated with the ever chilly tales
of the deaths of scores of innocent citizens on daily basis in the hands
of Boko Haram insurgents in the North-East.
The way out of this
trouble has obviously become the pre-occupation of many having realized
that it is better to think and proffer solutions than fold arms and
blame the government in newspaper publications, demonstrations and
public statements.
The Buni Yadi massacre of FGC students left so
much bad taste in
the mouth
and evoked in me memories of the Nigeria civil war which started when I
was barely 10 years old. In those 30 months of my boyhood marred by war
which I luckily survived, there are experiences to be shared for the
benefit of the children and parents living in the northeastern part of
Nigeria now traumatized by Boko Haram.
There are also memories
that can benefit the military leaders fighting Boko Haram insurgency
even when it has come from an ordinary civilian who experienced war as a
boy. Yes, Nigeria fought a civil war for 30 months at the end of which
the secession of the former Eastern Region (Biafra) was brutally
stopped. The objective was to keep the country one and the end justified
all the means employed.
In relation to the current insurgency
which now has all the trappirigs of real war, the first lesson to be
drawn from the civil war was the Federal Government’s galvanization of
the entire citizenry against the people of Biafra with a slogan devoid
of ethnic or religious colouration…To keep Nigeria one.’ To defeat
Biafra, therefore, became a movement keyed in to by all Nigerians other
than those on the side of secessionist Biafra. This national
consciousness was the most lethal weapon in the hands of Gen. Yakubu
Gowon and his military. In the current war against terror, national
consciousness against
Boko Haram is yet to emerge despite the
unending bloodshed. It is probably because some Nigerians seem to see
the problem as Goodluck Jonathan’s challenge and which they pray becomes
the albatross that will make him abandon power. Others who are saddened
by the deaths of fellow Nigerian citizens in the Northeast look forward
to seeing a non partisan and humanitarian movement against the
insurgency that will draw them in and add strength and grassroots appeal
to what the residency is doing.
Crushing momentum
With the two positions, it means the level of national consciousness needed to confront and defeat
Boko Haram
is not yet crystallized. Even as I commend the current achievements of
the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Lt. Gen. Kenneth Minimah who has since
relocated to Bornu State, we need from all Nigerians a heart that will
generate a consciousness with crushing momentum against Boko Haram.
The second lesson from the civil war is the seeming poor awareness of the civilian population in the
Boko Haram affected
zone of the monumental dangers they face. This was unlike the situation
in Biafra where internal propaganda sensitized everyone of the
imminence of death in the hands of “vandals”. The popular radio jingle
still engraved in my brain was: a time of genocide is a time for
vigilance; Biafra be vigilant! Consequent upon this, people were engaged
in dog sleep (i.e. with one eye open). Even as a primary five pupil in
1967, we were taught how to dive for cover, how to shield from bullet
and how to craw! to safety in the face of attack from land or air. We
were clearly tutored to understand that to
run was to DIE. Our
mothers were taught not to look for their children but save their lives
first. Family bunkers where members hid during air raids were
constructed. With these, we survived many bomb attacks.
It is
doubtful if our citizens facing the wrath of Boko Haram in the northeast
villages have been exposed to some current trainings considering how
they react to attacks and the consequential death tolls. They should be
trained to expect sudden attack and advised on how to respond whenever
it happens.
Apparent injury
The third lesson is the
evacuation of people in danger of apparent injury to safety. As a boy in
1968, I lived with people who were evacuated from war endangered
communities of Biafra including people from Udi and Nsukka in the
present day Enugu state and Ogoni from the present day Rivers State.
One
therefore wonders why people in border communities of Adamawa, Borno
and Yobe states being massacred by Boko Haram daily cannot be evacuated
to safe refugee camps. If Biafra could do it in 1967, obviously Nigeria
can in 2014. Besides securing the endangered people, it affords the
military and intelligence organs the opportunity of appropriately
executing their offensive without fear of unnecessary casualties.
The
fourth lesson is the protection of school children as much as
practicable from disasters consequent upon war strife or civil
commotion. This is necessary because the children are the future who
will grow to rebuild the city destroyed by wars fought by parents. When
air raids on Biafra territory became too severe in 1968, schools were
closed to protect the children of Biafra and when they were reopened in
1969 children and their teachers studied under tree shades instead of
the highly exposed school premises. The emphasis was the protection of
the children. With the vicious Boko Haram operating in the north east of
the country and focusing on soft targets, schools should be closed and
children relocated to areas where safety , may be guaranteed until
normalcy returns.
The fifth lesson bothers on military strategy.
In our boy soldiering, we were thought to blow the bridge of disaster
and I want to believe this is a long tested operational pattern in
warfare. With Boko Haram operating from along our borders with Chad and
Cameroun Republics, the borders should be closed. This cuts off the
enemy’s supply line and weakens the operational capacity of members
within the national boundaries.
The sixth lesson is the need for
the military to leverage on native intelligence. Intelligence by the
natives of various communities was the cornerstone of Biafran military
intelligence. In every community, the good and the bad are well known by
the people. Indigenes and strangers can be differentiated and movements
interpreted. With careful investigation, it may be that communities
severely attacked by Boko Haram in the North-East have bad leadership
which led their youth into deviant behavior of joining the insurgent
group. The attack may well represent a punitive payback on such
community leaders.
THE seventh lesson is the special role the
sacrifice made by indigenes of communities in military service played in
the survival of such communities during the civil war. Biafran soldiers
were allowed the priviledge of electing to lead the defence of their
towns and villages in the face of enemy invasion. The local communities
usually collaborated effectively with their sons who would do everything
to save their kith and kin from calamity. I continue to wonder how a
soldier who hails from one of the Borno State
villages affected by
the Boko Haram attacks and serving in Lagos would feel hearing that not
less than a hundred of his kinsmen perhaps including his parents,
brothers and sisters have been massacred. He certainly would have loved
to play a role in saving them given the opportunity.
The eighth
lesson is the necessity of seeking the collaboration and support of
foreign powers. To defeat Biafra, Nigeria got the support of such
countries as Britain, USSR (Russian) and USA. The propaganda oozing out
of this global support helped to bring Biafra to its knees. In the face
of Boko Haram insurgency, Nigeria may seek the support and collaboration
of countries that have economic ties with it.
The nineth lesson
is the possibility of hiring foreign experts (war mercenaries) to assist
our military in certain areas of special need. Most of the military
pilots that flew fighter jets during the civil war were expatriates and
since we are now faced with a special kind of enemy, people with special
skills may be recruited from outside the shores of Nigeria.
The
tenth lesson is the necessity of keeping discussion and negotiation with
the enemy ongoing. Nigeria never abandoned any opportunity of dialoging
with Biafra much as her military was on an assault mission. As faceless
as Boko Haram is, the government of Nigeria should continue to seek its
face. Hopefully, it would be found someday.
The above lessons
from Biafra are for the authorities to consider in line with current and
peculiar trends in the Boko Haram insurgency. Beyond this expectation,
ordinary Nigerians together with non-governmental, faith-based and
corporate organizations should address the humanitarian fallouts of the
terrorism challenge. Counter terrorism in this regard means national
solidarity with victims of Boko Haram insurgency devoid of unnecessary
politicization and driven by freewill gifts of cash, food, clothing and
shelter. To show such concern will no doubt strengthen our nationhood
which Boko Haram seeks to destroy. Meanwhile, the world is watching our
behavior.
By Chief Felix Amadi
