Politicising Tragedies

Nigeria has witnessed a series of tragedies in the past few years. These ranged from natural disasters such as floods that occurred in 2012 in several states to the severe security challenges such as the bombing of the Nyanya Mass Transit Park in Abuja in April 2014.  These tragedies have led to the loss of lives and property. A significant number of Nigerians have suffered substantial losses and not a few have been gripped with mourning their loved ones who were victims
of these tragedies. In many cases, they have called for help from the government.
In the case of the flood disaster in August 2012, which was unprecedented, over 7 million people were affected. It displaced 2.3 million people, killed over 363 persons, damaged and destroyed about 597, 476 houses. On September 15, 2012, President Goodluck Jonathan constituted a technical committee to assess and determine the extent of damage caused by the flood. The post disaster needs assessment put the estimated total value of damages and losses at about 2.6 trillion Naira.  Plateau, Jigawa, Adamawa, Benue and Kogi were most affected. To ameliorate the situation, in October 2012, the Federal Government provided a total of N17.6 billion, States received N13.3 billion, while Federal Agencies received N4.3 billion. About N2billon was received from donors, individuals and organisations. The disbursement of these funds were riddled with partisanship, corruption and delays.
The damage caused by natural disaster has been matched if not surpassed by the destruction caused by terrorism perpetuated by members of the Boko Haram. Since 2010, its attacks have intensified. In its recent attack in Nyanya on 14 April, 2014, 71 persons were killed and 125 persons injured. This incident occurred just as the sect abducted over a hundred secondary schoolgirls of Government Girls Secondary School in Chibok, a town west of Maiduguri, Borno State.
The way and manner the public officials and politicians have handled these incidents have raised issues about their sense of responsibility and level of responsiveness to the needs of citizens.  Rather than treat them as dangerous threats requiring rational and concerted efforts, the issues have been immersed in politicking.
Naturally, such incidences provide politicians the opportunity to demonstrate their concern whether real or facile for the circumstances of the electorate.  In many climes, it is usual that when such incidences occur, campaign rallies, foreign trips and other ceremonies are suspended in favour of attending to such issues. The tendency was demonstrated by President Jonathan in the natural disaster case.  However, the same sense of commitment and priority has not been demonstrated by politicians in the more recent occurrences, especially with regard to the Boko Haram attacks this year.
Worse still, the political parties, especially the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressive Congress (APC), have politicised this grave security issue.  It is disheartening that they have not come together to brainstorm and generated a common approach to the issue.  It is embarrassing that they have chosen to trade blames when the country is on fire. While the PDP has claimed that the Boko Haram insurgency and other internecine crises in the country were being sponsored by the opposition because the President hails from a minority group, the APC had attributed the worsening security situation as a mark of the PDP’s incompetence and non-performance. Professor Wole Soyinka at a colloquium organised by the Centre for Black Culture and International Understanding (CBCIU) remarked that the activities of the Boko Haram sect transcended partisan politics.
He called on every Nigerian, irrespective of religious or political leaning, to rise up against it. He described the incessant killings by the sect as a war against the nation. We agree with him. Security issues must not be politicised. Indeed, public officials and politicians must recognise that strategic issues of governance that touch on the core interest and survival of the Nigerian state must not be politicised.  These include the security and foreign relations issues.  Efforts must be made to ensure that such sectors are cleaned of partisanship and corruption.  If the security and defence sectors become severely politicised they will become ineffective, and the Nigerian state becomes booked for collapse. All hands must be on deck to reverse the corruption and partisanship that have eaten into these sectors before they become unnerving. All hands must be on deck to end the insurgency. We must also join hands to help fellow citizens who are victims of natural disasters, even as we develop disaster response capabilities. We must identify with victims of terror groups, like the groups of women who took to the streets of Lagos, Oyo and Rivers states earlier in March 2014 to protest the killings of over 50 school children in Yobe State and the abduction of 25 girls in Bornu State by Boko Haram.

http://tribune.com.ng/quicklinkss/editorial/item/4217-politicising-tragedies