Let me use this occasion to reassure Nigerians and the international community that we now have strong leads to those involved in this terror war on Nigeria and Nigerians. I have directed security operatives to go after them no matter where they may be hiding…There shall be no sacred cows”.

President Jonathan, September 2, 2011.My President, I don’t mean to be patronizing, but our former colleague is already proving to be worth whatever he is paid to work for you. These days we receive messages couched in the most eloquent language instead of those which in the past embarrassed us.

We might not always agree with the message but the diction is excellent. As it turned out, I totally agree with this particular message. It is the right message, perhaps not as timely as it should have been and might be received with skepticism because similar assurances have been made in the past whenever a bomb explodes and Nigerians are yet to see a single person being prosecuted for it.

By the time you read this, only 19 days remain to the anniversary of the October 1, 2010 bombing in Abuja, after which you made a great blunder by exonerating some elements. In my studies referred to last week on WAR and PEACE, one of the abiding lessons is that the President, Prime Minister, Chancellor, dictator, King or Queen considers everyone a suspect once an attack is launched against the state.

If you will excuse my being blunt, not even Mrs Patience Jonathan, nor any of your Ministers or party leaders can be automatically excluded from the list of suspects. The Dele Sobowales and journalists naturally immediately enter the list of usual suspects. That, Sir, is the verdict of history. Let me illustrate with one example.

Mata Hari, 1876, -real name, Gertrude Margarete Zelle, a Dutch dancer, was one of the most successful spies during the First World War. With her beauty and dancing talent, she had captivated a lot of French Ministers during the war and she had used “what she had” (if you know what I mean) to obtain top secret information for her country.

It was estimated that at least 250,000 French soldiers lost their lives on account of information that this one single woman obtained from unsuspecting French officials while in bed with them or visiting their trysts. She even married one of them according to records. There is no need to list seriatim all the famous female spies with easy access to the corridors of power. The point is, our President, you should henceforth not exonerate anybody.

And, don’t forget, World War I was a conventional conflict, which arose out of the assassination of an obscure Archduke Francis Ferdinand and his wife in Saravejo on June 28, 1914 by a Bosnian terrorist organiszation. There is another lesson to be learnt there, Sir. Terrorists assassinating people can result in major conflicts – if not checked decisively.

Over 20 million people died before the Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919 – exactly five years after the wahala started. Again, there is another lesson to learn; tardiness in suppressing terror could result in a long war of attrition claiming millions of lives. Together they point to one thing; a leader cannot afford to appear to be indecisive or timid when faced with terrorism.

Adolf Hitler, 1889-1945, a first class terrorist, if ever there is one, at least, left us with one message – “You do not fight terror with appeasement; you must fight terror with terror”.

That leads inexorably to the burning issue of dialogue. Those canvassing round table discussions with terrorists, who have not even been properly identified, be they male or female, don’t know anymore about terrorism “than they know about fornication” – to quote General George Patton, 1885-1945, perhaps the greatest tank commander the world has known.

Dialogue can only yield positive results when it has been amply demonstrated to the enemy that he cannot win and stands a good chance of being annihilated completely; not before. This point is vital because of the vast welter of conflicting advice which you receive everyday, especially from my fellow pen-pushers; otherwise called journalists.

Most of us have never heard a shot fired in anger; neither have we studied the complexities of conflicts such as Nigeria is now experiencing on account of Boko Haram. Dialogue, at this stage, amounts to appeasement; in other words violation of Hitler’s dictum.

Well, for those who have a morbid hatred for Hitler (as for me I will learn from the Devil himself if he has something to teach), they can try this one. “Every time you negotiate with terrorists you become their accomplice”, (VANGUARD BOOK OF QUOTATIONS, p244), according to an unidentified Israeli Defence official, suspected to be the great General Moshe Dayan, the hero of the Six Day war in the 1960s.

Neither, Mr President should you listen to those counselling partioning the country. Apart from being impractical (for instance which part takes Abuja which was built with everybody’s money; mostly oil revenues); it again amounts to surrendering part of your “kingdom” to less than 100,000 terrorists. Even, if, it is possible to do so, peace is not guaranteed between the two parts.

hat is the verdict of history supported by the eternal hostility between India and Pakistan after the partition and the unending hostilities between North and South Korea among others. So to borrow the language of our own civil war, “to keep Nigeria one is a task that must be accomplished”.

Your declaration above should therefore not be like similar announcements made after every bombing incident. It must have demonstrable bite to it. In plain language, Sir, you need to go beyond barking and start biting; and the bigger the “sacred cow” (as you put it) slaughtered, the better for your own image and Nigeria.

Personally, I have resolved not to criticize you publicly on this matter when major disagreements occur. Our collective brother, Dr Reuben Abati, will receive my views when there is a major divergence of views in order not to give comfort to our enemies. Hopefully, when he receives the message, it will be passed to you; irrespective of whether you ultimately consider them stupid or unoriginal or useful.  I stand by you, Sir.

ARTHRITIS: APPRECIATION MESSAGE

“Youth is a crown of roses; old age a bed of thorns”. The Jewish Talmud.Now I know that time indeed corrupts everything. The energies we take for granted in our youth soon deserts us.

Today, my right arm is partially useless. For a right handed person, that is almost fatal to a career built on writing. I want to take this opportunity to express my eternal gratitude to all those who sent messages of encouragement, prayers, suggestions and even prescriptions.

Before I was forced to write, the ailment had drilled a large hole in my pocket. My treatment, now at Abuja, has been subsidized by a benefactor who prefers to remain anonymous. But, despite the assistance staying in Abuja is expensive. Hotel bills mount up. I will struggle to weather the storm and move on.

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