Dapchi girls: Buhari’s only sin
Opposition and alternative views are cardinal features of democracy. Pluralism of views gives room for another way to look at events or issues. It provides logical focus and practical solutions to problems.
Albeit, when personal interests and sentiments are the driving force of such views, it means national interest is being sacrifice on the altar of illogical perception.
The unfortunate Dapchi girls saga is a running battle - we will keep talking about it until a superior event which could garner such public interest occurs. For now, Dapchi is the agenda. In the midst of this brouhaha, narrative and counter narrative, however, is a war of nerves. In war of nerves, your enemies are subdued using psychological techniques rather than violent attack.
It is even more brutal than physical force, and the man, ‘Buhari’ has been the focal point in this subtle war. This war has been on since it was widely predicted that he was likely to win the 2015 election. The recent unsolicited advices from past leaders, and opposition leaders yelling at him not to re-contest is another reference to the crafty agenda.
Buhari only sin in the Dapchi girl saga is the pragmatic and almost perfect leadership qualities he exhibited. He is under fire for walking his talk and deviating from past lackadaisical attitude of Nigeria politicians towards issue of national importance.
Arrows of criticisms are being shot at him because he sailed against the wind. Those pulling the trigger of discord were definitely shocked by his swift response to the plight of the girls.
Take or leave it, conflict is a necessary ingredient of social relations. You cannot define a peaceful society by absence of conflict, but by the society effort in conflict management. Buhari, like the general he is - drew a template of good leadership in crisis management. He demonstrated that above anything else, keeping the girls alive is his ultimate priority.
Like him or hate him - of course, that is a personal decision - you cannot take away the fact that he is not a Nervous Nellie and Walter Mitty who doesn’t work with reality. He employed an arrow in the quiver to secure the girls’ freedom and that is the definition of leadership. I therefore cannot fault his choice for negotiation as that seems the most reasonable and immediate solution to get the girls out of the terrorist abode.
Of course, democracy is a libertarian principle. Libertarians see the world as a free market place of ideas (a term founded by John Milton and John Stuart Mill) where everyone shares opinion and ideas without hindrance. They believed that truth thus, will emerge from competitive ideas from the public discourse.
By that, those nagging that the Dapchi girls saga is creatively scripted are clearly within their jurisdiction exhibiting their fundamental human right under the tenets of the libertarian ideology.
The good thing is the free market place of ideas works in a very logical way. Inferior, false and illogical ideas do not survive - they die and vanquish. While truth and sound ideas live and survive. That is to say how quick the falsehood they try to spread would disappear into thin air.
On a more serious note, you can also seek for the opinion of an expert on this. A poorly trained reputation manager would never advise that a government stage-manage such Dapchi saga. The abduction of the girls in the first instance already dealt a blow on the face of the Buhari administration.
It definitely speaks volume and largely questions the bogus claim that the Buhari administration has decimated the terrorists group. Why then would the government act such script when it would surely contradict their rhetorics that Boko Haram has been adequately thrashed?
In this regard, one may continue shooting in the dark on the Dapchi girls abduction but, one thing is sure - Buhari demonstrated that he is the C-in-C in the nick of time. A reoccurrence of such unfortunate abduction is what the government should now prevent.
Sodiq Omolaoye, Kaduna.