So many Nigerians are outraged that the international community is standing with France over 129 deaths where they failed to show us the same solidarity even after 18,000 people have died in Boko Haram attacks.
Also, some people are bitterly attacking Facebook for officially standing with France (and encouraging others to do same) whereas the same Facebook has not even noticed that we've lost 18,000 souls here in Naija.
Well, while our wailing against the global community may have solid basis in morality, I beg to draw our attention to a very, very vital point.
See, I'm a great fan of war stories and insurgencies and have read about very many of them all over the world, but in NONE have I seen the level of crass and self-destructive politicization as in this Boko Haram insurgency. How do you expect the world to stand with you when your media and many of your leaders painted a picture that your own govt (Jonathan's) was behind the attacks?
When we were politicizing Boko Haram insurgency, I warned and warned but was called names. Today, we're wailing about the consequences of our actions.
Look, when the Northern Governors (at that time) took their miserably failed selves to attend a security conference in faraway Washington DC, America in March 17-19, 2014 where Nyako read a memo unequivocally accusing Jonathan of setting up Boko Haram to commit genocide, did you all think the world was not watching and listening? Who will stand with you in such a situation?
When an ex-President and a well known figure in Africa, Obasanjo, accused Jonathan of training killers and indirectly placed the blame of Boko Haram on him, did you all think the world was not watching and listening?
When series of Nigerian 'leaders' made statements that purported to accuse Jonathan of complicity in the insurgency, did you all think the world was not watching and listening? Reading El-Rufai's articles then would make you puke! You think those foreign countries had no embassies here who watch and listen?
When the present President, Buhari, told the whole world that Jonathan's efforts in tackling the insurgency were an attack on the North, did you think the world was not watching and listening?
When we all got on Facebook to make all sorts of dangerous accusations against the govt of Jonathan, did we imagine that the world wasn't watching and reading us?
Who then do you think will stand with you when you categorically refused to stand with yourselves when it mattered most?
Look, I HATE the sort of hypocrisy we're promoting to a national ethos in this part of the world. Other countries stand with their own when attacked (no matter the circumstances) but we DELIBERATELY chose to politicize the terrorist attacks against us just to win elections...and then, when the elections have been won and lost, we want to do a 360degree aboutface and seek world sympathy in our grief? No sirs, no mas, it doesn't work that way! Nobody will put a value on you greater than that which you put on yourselves!
For me, I stand with France in her grief just same way I've been consistent in standing with Nigeria and her armed forces in the anti-insurgency campaigns irregardless of who the C-in-C is.
As for ISIS, their end has come, mark it somewhere.
By Ik Obi
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