THE HYPOCRISY OF THE NORTH BY SANNI AMANI

A MUST READ THREAD

Sometime in 2014, I'd just graduated from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. The political atmosphere in country was thick. Tensions were high. Everyone was afraid, especially in the North.

Boko Haram was at its peak.

They became bold and fearless to the extent that they attacked Mai Malari and Giwa Barracks, in Maiduguri. A suicide bomber attempted to sneak into 1 Division of the Nigerian Army in Kaduna.

Nowhere was safe. The convoy of Sheikh Dahiru Usman Bauchi was attacked on Ali Akilu

Road, Kaduna after he closed his Ramadan Tafsir at Murtala Square.

People weren't happy. Everything was placed on the President's shoulders. 'Jonathan is clueless,' they said.

'You've failed. Resign now,' someone said.

It's a conundrum. In the

midst of that conundrum that a spark of hope emerged. General Muhammadu Buhari came out one more time to be the president of the country.

General Muhammadu Buhari was a different man to different people. The too old didn't like him. The not too old were indifferent.

The young were ready to give their lives out for him.

The election was scheduled to hold in 2015. It'll interest you to know that, this wasn't the first time Buhari contested. He contested in 2003 under APP, in 2007 under ANPP, and in 2011 under CPC. He lost all.

But 2015 was different. Insecurity was permeating the nooks and crannies of our towns, cities and villages, particularly in the North. Over 200 school girls were abducted from their school in Chibok. People believed it's due to the president's incompetence.

A strong political party was formed. Tinibu came with his political jagabanism. Atiku came with his private jet. Buhari was transformed into a hot commodity. The aim was to win the 2015 election and restore normalcy to the country.

Hope came back to the people. Change was the slogan. Everywhere you go, you'd hear people say:

'change.'

'Maja.'

'Canji.'

'Sai Baba.'

One evening, a water vendor came to our house. He was to pour three 25 litre jerrycans for my Mamma. Each jerrycan was N20.

The vendor was waiting for Buhari to win so that he'd secure a decent job. That wasn't the expectation of the vendor alone. Buhari's campaign had made a lot of people to raise their expectations.

When the election was scheduled for February, 'Fear Buhari' was the slogan.

When it's shifted to March, 'March for Buhari' became the slogan. 'Sai Baba. Sai Buhari.' Everyone was talking about it as if the world was coming to an end.

The election day came. It's conducted. Results were collated. Orubebe made his historic speech. Jega made history.

Change happened. Military men were deployed to the infected areas. Boko Haram was curtailed. A new hero came into the picture. Buratai. The man was hyped. People said he's the son of the soil. He'd help his people.

Change happened.

General Muhammadu Buhari changed his name to President Muhammadu Buhari. The nature of our insecurity changed as well.

In Agatu area of Benue State, herdsmen went and killed a lot of people. People in the area said the herdsmen were Fulani and they had guns.

The happening was turned into a political banter.

In Southern Kaduna, villages were raided and women and children killed. People in the communities said the attackers were Fulani and they had guns. It's said that the attackers did that in retaliation to what was done to

them in the past. The governor was said to have paid them to stop the attacks.

In Birnin Gwari axis of the State, the attacks continued. People in the area said the attackers were Fulani and they had guns.

The music changed. Boko Haram fainted. Fulani herdsmen became the term.

Everywhere you went, you'd hear people say, 'Fulani herdsmen.'

Self-acclaimed explainers on Facebook and tea-joint said there's nothing like Fulani herdsmen. That the whole story was created to sabotage the government of President Muhammadu Buhari because he's Fulani.

The issue was given ethnic coloration. Videos clips, some apparently from not-so-popular movies, were shared that the herdsmen weren't Fulanis. Unfounded accusations were made. And emotions took the place of thinking.

Then it started in Zamfara.

Villages were raided, women abducted and thatched houses were set ablaze. Our all-knowing, self-acclaimed explainers once again came to our rescue with an explanation:

'It's due to the gold deposit in the area. You know Zamfara is very rich in gold,' they said.

The attacks flooded down to Katsina where there's no gold deposit, at least not at the moment. It then went to Kaduna-Abuja Express Way. And now, our all-knowing explainers have become spiritual:

'When adultery and fornication become rampant, evil will take over the land,' they said.

'When people leave God, He will leave them with bandits and kidnappers to remind them of Him,' they added.

None of them is bold enough to say, 'Buhari has failed,' as we all did

during Jonathan. We use clumsy excuses and explanations to turn serious issues into a political banter. As we do that, the bandits are becoming more sophisticated and a lot of people are ready to be part of the money making enterprise.

The bandits have become fearless now.

They aren't afraid anymore. In some areas, they move around freely with their guns. In some, they send demand letters to the communities stating, in clear terms, what they want and how they want it. Any failure to meet up with their demands will have repercussions the

communities will hate.

They no longer wait for you to be on the way before they kidnap you. They come straight to your house, locate the position of your bedroom and, from outside, break into it. You'll just see them like a thought, standing in front of you.

Your neighbours won't help you. They don't have guns. The bandits do. And they don't hesitate to use them.

They kidnap Police Officers, Road Safety Corps, lecturers, students and politicians. They kill who they desire and torment who they wish. And we can't do anything about it.

News of kidnapping has become the new normal in the North. If you don't read it in the morning, be patient enough, you'll read it in the afternoon or evening.

Nobody's safe. Not you the reader. And definitely, not me the noise maker.

If something isn't done about it, it'll just a matter of time before it gets to us.

We have to understand that, no-one is safe until we're all safe.

Thank you for reading. My name is Sani Ammani. And I'm just a noise maker.