Opinion: State of Emergency – So, Jonathan can bite?

The sect has killed security operatives, with yet another promise to kill many more. The killing of soldiers and prisons officials by Boko Haram in Bama, Borno state, was a dangerous signal that all was not well in the manner the insurgency was being handled by the Jonathan administration. The Bama episode was a clear signal that the military option had become an unavoidable alternative.
To prove his critics wrong that silence should not be taken for weakness, President Jonathan aborted a state visit to Namibia to make a national broadcast on May 14, in which he slammed a state of emergency on Adamawa, Borno and Yobe. The emergency rule, according to President, is to contain what he described as threat to the Nigerian state.
For the first time since he assumed the president of the nation, Jonathan spoke tough on the mass destruction caused by Boko Haram and stress the need to chnage tactics. For someone who has borne the pains of seeing harmless citizens killed and the insurgents involved in all forms of criminal activities, Jonathan decided to bite for the first time.
In doing this, the President was conscious of the enormous power he wields, but was willing to  combine it with responsibility. Unlike past leaders, who were only interested in wielding power, Jonathan was willing to take full responsibility for his action. Such is the hallmark of statesmanship.
It seems to clear that the inability of the security measures to tackle the violence caused by militant Boko Haram had encouraged the killing of policemen and other security operatives by a cult group, Ombatse, in Nasarawa.


Addressing Nigerians, Jonathan said,“The recent killing of security operatives by a cult group in Nasarawa state is particularly condemnable. I have directed that no effort or expense be spared in identifying and bringing to justice all those who had a hand in the killing of the operatives.
“The activities of insurgents and terrorists have been reprehensible, causing fear among our citizens and a near-breakdown of law and order in parts of the country, especially the North. We have taken robust steps to unravel and address the root causes of these crises, but it would appear that there is a systematic effort by insurgents and terrorists to destabilize the Nigerian state and test our collective resolve.”
Lamenting on the deliberate refusal to embrace government’s peaceful gesture to find lasting solution to insurgency in the country, the President noted: “These terrorists and insurgents seem determined to establish control and authority over parts of our beloved nation and to progressively overwhelm the rest of the country. In many places, they have destroyed the Nigerian flag and other symbols of state authority and in their place, hoisted strange flags suggesting the exercise of alternative sovereignty.
“They have attacked government buildings and facilities. They have murdered innocent citizens and state officials. They have set houses ablaze, and taken women and children as hostages. These actions amount to a declaration of war and a deliberate attempt to undermine the authority of the Nigerian state and threaten her territorial integrity. As a responsible government, we will not tolerate this.”
According to the President, while a multi-approach adopted by the federal government in tackling insurgency in the country was frustrated by Boko Haram, his administration had exercised restrained to allow the state governors and other relevant agencies to work towards peaceful resolution of the insurgence.
“While the efforts at persuasion and dialogue will continue, let me reiterate that we have a sacred duty to ensure the security and well-being of all our people and protect the sovereign integrity of our country. Therefore, we shall, on no account, shy away from doing whatever becomes necessary to provide the fullest possible security for the citizens of this country in any part of the country they choose to reside.
“We have a duty to stand firm against those who threaten the sovereign integrity of the Nigerian state. Our will is strong, because our faith lies in the indivisibility of Nigeria.
“Following recent developments in the affected states, it has become necessary for Government to take extraordinary measures to restore normalcy. After wide consultations, and in exercise of the powers conferred on me by the provisions of Section 305, sub-section 1 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 as amended, I hereby declare a State of Emergency in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states,” he declared.
Since the declaration of a state of emergency in the aforementioned states, not a few Nigerians have commended the president for taking the decisive measure to contain the rising cases of insurgency. Both members of the National Assembly have risen in unison to endorse the position of the federal government. Even the opposition has subtly endorsed the decision by the president to move in quickly and contain the decision.
The decision by President Jonathan to spare political structures in the affected states is being seen as a master stroke of a democratic president whose real motive is apolitical.
Unlike former President Olusegun Obasanjo who was famous in haunting down perceived enemies out of power, Jonathan has proved his democratic credentials of a leader who respects the rule of law.
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator Pius Anyim Pius, once said that Jonathan is a patient president who studies all sides before taking a decision.
In an interview with a media outfit, the SGF was quoted as saying: “President Jonathan is not known to do things half-way. He is studious of all events and only act after hearing all sides.”
Since the imposition of emergency in the three states, there have been pleas from a cross-section of Nigerians that Jonathan should ensure that the troops drafted to tackle the insurgency should not overstep their mandate. A president that has endured the pains of mass destruction of his citizens can also be trusted to keep the troops in check.
For the first time, even the governors have declared their support and called on their people to cooperate with troops drafted to bring back peace to the affected states.
Those who thought that the Jonathan administration is a lame duck are gradually realising that the government was only exercising patience to give peace a chance, knowing that there is never a good war or bad peace. Now that the troops have been drafted to go after the criminals that have killed thousands of innocent people and continue to war against the country, Nigerians should be hopeful that the insurgency will soon be over.
What is needful at this stage is for community leaders and their people, who have lost relations and friends, to cooperate with the troop and fish out perpetrators. By doing this, the war on terror can be brought to an end quickly and a period of enhanced peace realised at the shortest possible time.