According to Wikipedia, conspiracy is a term used to refer to a broad range of social alliances, and is most often used with a connotation of secretive and sinister purposes. In a political sense, conspiracy refers to a group of persons united in the goal of usurping or overthrowing an established political power. In Nigeria contest, political conspiracy can be defined as an amalgamation of entrenched parochial interest of a cabal or cartel to keep exploiting the nation at the overall expense of the masses.
The emergence of Goodluck Jonathan as Nigerian President five years ago via divine orchestration, where greeted with a lot of positivism termed Breath of Fresh Air, but the cabal who see Nigeria as an extension of their private estate swore to high heavens that they would never be alive and watch this man from the “creek” restructure this country which would shake so many of them off their privileged positions as political war lords and economic merchants. Prior to 2011 general elections, the overwhelming crowd of conspiracy started gathering when some disgruntled elements of the Northern extraction began threatening this country that they would make this country ungovernable if President Jonathan won 2011 election, the destruction of lives and properties by BokoHaram insurgency being witnessed in the North today is as a result of that threat which forms part of well-hatched grand conspiracy to frustrate President Jonathan out of power during 2015 presidential elections.
It is very unfortunate and disgusting that international community, INEC, APC, Northern Elders Forum, the Media, ex-Generals, etc, have all bought into this anti-Nigerian plot to rig President Jonathan out of power at all cost not minding the consequences this would portend for the survival of a fragile state like Nigeria and growth of our nascent democracy, taking into consideration heterogeneous nature of this country. The fact that President Jonathan is a Christian from the oil-rich region of Niger Delta fuels this conspiracy theory that the “wrong” person is occupying the seat of power in Aso Rock, exclusively reserved for the children of born-to-rule advocates. This beleaguered mindset that President Jonathan was born on the “wrong” side of the country is the main reason Nigerian military is finding it very difficult to defeat insurgency in the North as a result moles in the military working against the government’s effort to defeat insurgency. It is no longer news that BokoHaram is a political creation of Northern elites in conjunction with international Western powers to force President Jonathan out of office by portraying Nigeria as a nation under the leadership of a weak leader who is unable to protect its citizens against BokoHaram insurgency. The opposition party, the APC is part of this conspiracy to use insurgency as a strong campaign instrument to push President Jonathan and the PDP out of government; unfortunately this menace has become an ill wind that is blowing no one good. It is very condemnable the way and manner the APC has been discrediting Nigerian military in the eyes of international community as a weak force that could not defeat without putting consideration the fact that terrorism is a global challenge, that all hands must be on deck to nip it in the bud.
These are some of the thought-provoking and mind-illuminating questions plaguing the anxious minds of concern; patriotic Nigerians whose allegiance are not to any political party, religion, sectional interest but Nigerian state: who are the sponsors of BokoHaram? Why are Northern Elders sympathetic to these miscreants? Why would they demoralize the military by attacking its modus operandi whenever the Army it recording successes against insurgents? Why would America refused to sell arms and ammunitions to Nigerian government and still went ahead to block Nigerian Government from purchasing arms from other countries? Why is United States supplying arms and technical assistance to other countries fighting similar terrorist groups like Islamic State (IS), Taliban and Al-shabab but decline to help Nigeria to fight BokoHaram? Why are western media houses like CNN, BBC, The Economist, Washington Post, New York Times, etc, always coming up with fictitious stories in other to discredit Nigerian government under President Jonathan? What offence has President Jonathan committed against the Western powers made up of United States and Britain, if not that he refused to surrender Nigeria’s sovereignty to former colonial masters, whose interests are not been service by President Jonathan’s administration? Is President Jonathan’s administration closeness to rival world powers like China and Russia inciting western powers against him? Why will so-called beacon of democracy in the world be conniving with opposition party, the APC to enthrone a former dictator, who truncated Nigerian democracy in 1983 to emerge as Nigerian President under a democratic setting? Will America government wish someone whose antecedents are like that of Gen.Buhari to become a governor in US; let alone a president? Why are they wishing Nigerians what they could not wish themselves? Why did US government react angrily when elections were postponed in Nigeria, knowing full well that the electoral umpire was not read as claimed by Prof Jega? Are they supporting the APC and INEC to rig President Jonathan out of power against the wishes of Nigerians? Only well-thought-out answers to these burning questions would assuage agitating minds of Nigerians.
Nigerian Media which suppose to be the fourth estate of realm has bought into this conspiracy to undermine the present administration by under-reporting all its transformational strides that cut across every facet of the economy; while delighting in highlighting all the perceived weaknesses of the government. One may ask, why Nigerian media is celebrating barbaric actions of BokoHaram members, at the same time being hostile to the military through the information they churn out for public consumption. Each time our gallant soldiers achieves major breakthrough, some of the media houses especially the ones controlled by opposition elements looks other, but goes to town with screaming headlines whenever is the other way round. These unpatriotic actions portray these media houses not only as wicked but anti-Nigeria State. The allegiance of every media organization should be to protect the image and integrity of this country irrespective of who is in control of the government, not aligning with international media to tarnish the image of our country.
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Nwobodo Chidiebere writes from Abuja.
Chidieberenwobodo@yahoo.com
