Varsity Dons, Others Decry Silence On Christmas Bombing In Nigeria

Professor Mobujaolu Olufunke Okome of Political Science at Brooklyn College and Professor of Practice at Tufts University, Chidi Odinkalu, and other professionals have lamented the silence that greeted the United States’ airstrikes on Christmas Day in Northern Nigeria.

They also advised Nigerians to demand action on issues affecting their lives and hold the President Bola Tinubu-led federal government accountable concerning the Christmas Day bombing on some alleged terrorists’ locations in Nigeria jointly executed with the United States of America.

The eggheads spoke as discussants in a webinar themed, “The Christmas Day Reckoning: Tracking Justice and Change since the US Airstrikes in Nigeria”, put together by the Conflict Research Network, West Africa (CORN) and The Africa Disruptions Lab (TADLab) and moderated by CORN West Africa’s Director, Dr Timipere Allison.

They asserted that there had been little or no accountability from the federal government and key institutions of democratic governance, which should speak to Nigerians about the attacks, their consequences, and the unintended consequences of the attacks.

They noted that the Nigerian government needs to talk to Nigerians about why the so-called precision bombing landed in locations that were not among those listed as targeted.

Both Okome and Odinkalu emphasised the need for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to show greater care for the security of lives and property, adding that Nigeria should look beyond America’s immediate intervention in addressing Nigeria’s insecurity. America’s immediate intervention

They reasoned that America’s ultimate goal might be to control Nigeria, with a view to controlling Africa once Nigeria hands over its duties to a foreign government.

Odinkalu stated: “Every aspect of the presidency can be delegated except the role of Commander-in-Chief. When it comes to military activities, guaranteeing public safety and security, and protecting the public.

“There is only one person who can do that, even if they are on a life support machine. That role cannot be delegated until they have been certified dead. President Tinubu does not care. Full stop.”

He continued: “A president that cared would have…said something; it would have made an acknowledgement of this incident. No, then I go back to the sequence. After that incident, Anthony Joshua, the Nigerian boxer, or the Nigerian-British heavyweight boxer, was involved in a quite tragic accident not far from Lagos. The president actually called him, condoled with him, and issued a public statement.

“Chimamanda Adichie, the famous Nigerian author, had this tragic thing involving her child. The president issued a public statement. And he chose not to acknowledge (the U.S. strikes). That tells me we have a president who does not care. Now, in that period, he has also acknowledged foreign tragedies, as a matter of fact.

“Now, I also want to extend this beyond the president and presidency and say the National Assembly is signalling that they don’t care. And by this, I mean the two houses, because nothing has been done by them.

“The key institutions in Nigeria that have the constitutional responsibility to be concerned and to put foremost the interest of the Nigerian people and their security and well-being, have shown us through their… silence that they don’t care.”

Both panellists advocated for justice for the civilian victims of the bombings and demanded transparency in victim support concerning the civilian areas where the bombs landed.