NIGERIA’S COUNTERINSURGENCY WAR: INTERNATIONAL MILITARY, POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC CONSPIRACY AND THE WAY FORWARD

“According to the U.S. Government Counterinsurgency Guide (2009) counter-insurgency or counterinsurgency (COIN), “may be defined as ‘comprehensive civilian and military efforts taken to simultaneously defeat and contain insurgency and address its root causes’”. “Insurgency is the organized use of subversion and violence to seize, nullify or challenge political control of a region. As such, it is primarily a political struggle, in which both sides use armed force to create space for their political, economic and influence activities to be effective.”

Counter-insurgency campaigns of duly-elected or politically recognized governments take place during war, occupation by a foreign military or police force, and when internal conflicts that involve subversion and armed rebellion occur. The best counterinsurgency campaigns “integrate and synchronize political, security, economic, and informational components that reinforce governmental legitimacy and effectiveness while reducing insurgent influence over the population. COIN strategies should be designed to simultaneously protect the population from insurgent violence; strengthen the legitimacy and capacity of government institutions to govern responsibly and marginalize insurgents politically, socially, and economically.” (U.S. Government Counterinsurgency Guide,2009).” That’s Wikipedia.com on counterinsurgency.

Nigeria is presently in dare need of supports from all patriotic citizens and our foreign friends to crush the Boko Haram insurgency now or never. There is no time for politicking or blame passing. What we need now is action! action!! and action!!! The Federal Government of Pres. Jonathan should not engage anybody in media war. Nigeria as a nation is bigger than anybody. Our innocent citizens are dying for no just reason(s). Our institutions are being destroyed day and night. Our soldiers and police men are being wasted and crushed by the enemies of the nation and we should not have any mercy for them. In taking a critical decision against the dreaded Boko Haram, Nigeria must be wary of and separate our friends from our enemies.

If truly, and America is yet to firmly dispute the assertion of General Yakubu Gowon(Rtd) – Nigeria’s former Head of State during the Nigeria’s Civil War(aka Biafria War) fought between July 1967 and January 1970, that United States is NOT a friend of Nigeria when it comes to insurgency, is to be taking serious, then Nigeria should re-assess our diplomatic relationship with the US. “During the Civil War”, claimed Gowon,”America failed Nigeria. While selling weapons and ammunition to the then Zaire, America was giving Nigeria frivolous excuses as reasons for not helping Nigeria.” Thank God that Nigeria was able to overcome that challenge. Ditto, today, the same America is not ready to sell their military weapons and most especially the much-needed military aircraft, to Nigeria. It’s rather unfortunate that America is now giving us another set of unfounded excuses that Nigeria is committing “human rights violations.” Does America even have an excuse to make? So, Iraq, Syria etc., are not committing “human rights violations.” What about the biochemical attacks in Syria? And what are the justifiable reasons why the US is leading counter-insurgency over there? Today, America has lost and is still losing the international moral and political rights to assert any international authority on human rights! The ballooned Michael Brown Murder Scandal is stirring America in the faces. Today cases of human rights violations, racial discrimination, especially against the Black race that has been America’s undoing since the Slave Trade Era is still hunting America. Has there been any morality about Boko Haram war in Nigeria? A set of indoctrinated gangsters just woke up and started killing and maiming innocent souls and destroying properties, kidnapping and threatening Nigeria’s existence by annexing our national territorial integrity and a supposed-friendly nation is now giving us terms and conditions. What an arrant nonsense!

Nigeria doesn’t need any sympathy from the USA this time around. Has Nigeria forgotten that few years ago, some American intelligent experts predicted the disintegration of Nigeria by 2015! The American’s predicted Nigeria’s “Dooms Day”)God forbids) is few months away. Can we remember that recently during Ebola Epidemic last August 2014, the same America denied Nigeria of supply of the Zmap drugs! God’s on our side and Nigerians fought and won the Ebola plague. Nothing more painful than to discover that your supposed friend at the time of peace is your worst enemy at the time of war! Maybe Nigeria has not known that in order to make sure that the predicted disintegration, there are some unfolding factors on the ground. Nigeria must be very careful of the way we share intelligence information with the United States and her allies.

Remember that it’s this same America that dismembered the old USSR! America is a well-known country that sponsors insurgency allover the world for decades. Listen to this: “In October 2013, the CIA ramped up its clandestine effort to train opposition fighters in Syria amid concern that moderate, U.S.-backed militias are rapidly losing ground in the country’s civil war. The program is aimed at increasing the fighting power of units aligned with the Supreme Council of the Syrian Revolution, an umbrella organization led by a former Syrian general that is the main recipient of U.S. support.[112] The CIA has run the training at bases in Qatar, Jordan and Saudia Arabia since about August 2013.” Go and read “Covert United States foreign regime change actions.” on www.http://en.wikipedia.org. Nigeria must not see full commitment of America to our national unity and cause.

The on-going Shale Oil versus Crude Oil market war that is shaking the international oil market is another way of disrupting many economies and even weakening down so many national governments. It is unfortunate today that President Jonathan’s Federal Government has bowed to the pressures from the US-led IMF and World Bank by devaluing our national currency – the Naira and also increase the interest rate. Today, within a 2-week period, Nigeria’s Naira currency has jumped from the former exchange rate of N157: US$1 to N178.55 (Check: http://ngn.fxexchangerate.com). In the black market, it is about N190: US1 as at today! Before the end of the year, without being a prophet of doom, Naira will exchange for US Dollar for more than N200 per Dollar. Truly, we are being ruled by a clueless government mixed with the imperialist agents embedded in the heart of our government. I can’t see a serious government devaluing her national currency during the General Elections Year. A serious opposition has been given a strong loophole to operate from. Now, listen to this economic mechanism: In order to cushion the economic effects on the national treasury, it is only by removing oil subsidy and make life of the citizens worse and miserable. Nigerians are in for another rounds of protest come December 2014/January 2015. Get set, my people! Our foreign reserve is dwindling geometrically. The emerging question is: how many national currencies were devalued between the US and Europe during the last economic recession since 2008? None, I think.

I remember Martins Luther King Jnr, when he asked thus:
“The cowardice asks the question – is it safe?
Expediency asks the question – is it politic?
Vanity asks the question – is it popular?
But Conscience asks the question – is it right?
And there comes a time when one must take a
position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor
popular, but he must do it because Conscience
tells him it is right.”

Now that we must take decision for posterity sake, we need not to look back. You don’t just cry when your house is on fire, you need to take firm decisions that can quench the fire! Having assessed the ongoing BH war, as a Nigerian, I have put together the following suggestions on how to mount an effective counter-insurgency against Boko Haram, thus:

1. Stop political propaganda.
2. Start intensive collaborative efforts with neighbouring countries.
3. Block food supply routes of the BH insurgents,
4. Block also their weaponry supply routes.
5. Intensify more air strikes,
6. Double the salaries and emoluments of all soldiers in the war fronts
7. Start emergence acquisitions of powerful modern weapons and ammunition from other more friendly nations.
8. If need be, hire the services of international mercenaries.
9. Double the value of insurance covers for any victim-soldiers.
10. Empower, equip and start remunerating the local hunters who are fighting BH.
11. Recall our military reserves and explore their experiences.
12. Stop politicizing comments, opinions and suggestions of other Nigerians.
13. Block and/or track communication networks to and fro BH.
14. Intelligence gathering is a powerful war tool.
15. Place money on the heads of BH leaders.
16. Supply the media and the populates with pictures of BH leaders.
17. Seek supports of the Press and other media networks, both local and again the international media like Reuters, AFP, CNN, etc., who have free access to BH.
18. Nigeria government must identify individuals, vested groups and countries behind Boko Haram and tag them as our national enemies that must be ostracized. And any of their interest in Nigeria must be sanctioned.

Any idea that is not achievable and attainable in the immediate present , should be consigned to the limbo of Utopian dreams. What we need now is accelerated action.