For quite sometime one may realise that Nigeria is currently playing a game of ‘‘Death or Alive’’ due to the current menace of terrorism bedeviling this country and other indices of progress and development.
It is undoubtful considering the everyday increase in the cases of terrorism that destructs every part of this country in all the different four geopolitical zones we have: the Southern, Western, Eastern and the Northern part, that we may end up in extreme poverty and hunger if we do not curb it in due time.
But we all know, as the saying goes ‘every problem has its cause and possible solutions; same goes to the evil wind of terrorism in this country. It must have some causes and the ways to tackle it.
Firstly, to know the ways we can stop it, we must know the causes. In my view, bad leadership can become an exponent major which causes terrorism in a particular country or community. Because if leaders are bad, they cannot render their services and other social developments into a maximal point. And this can ginger terrorism. Bad leaders cannot tackle the other bedrocks causing terrorism.
Howbeit, when the youths of a particular country are illiterates, terrorism would however get a room to start on. This can be solely understandable if we have a thorough look into the life of literate and illiterate ones. Literate people are hardly found in dubious acts like terrorism or so. Those that are mostly found involved in doing dastard acts are 80 per cent illiterates. This can be agreeable if we look at the then Boko Haram terrorists. They are claiming that they are on the right path and doing ‘‘Jihad,’’ the concept of which means ‘‘struggling to fight against evils’’ which in the reality is not. But due to their illiteracy, they are killing innocent people.
To bring a solution to the dreadful menace of terrorism which both directly and indirectly affects our peace, progress and development as a country, our Imams and pastors should be resolute in order to play a vigorous role in tackling it by enlightening people to do good things and to stop engaging in dubious acts’ in the places of worship like mosques and churches. After all, no religion approves armed robbery, kidnapping or killing of innocent people and a host of other criminalities.
Government at each level should be serious about responsibilities to their respective citizens in order to secure their lives, properties and banish their hunger. And also government should focus more on youths by giving them education and jobs after they became graduate from universities, colleges and so. This would engage them to cater for their needs and to impact positive thoughts on them for the brighter future of this country.
Salahuddeen Muhammad Akko wrote from Jewel in the Savannah, Gombe State.
