I am sure that if not everybody, at least a great majority of people will agree that Nigeria is a very interesting country peopled with highly talented and brilliant individuals. It is of course to be expected that our rulers too will be brilliant, even if their brilliance is of a different sort from the normal brilliance that everyone knows.
Over the years, Nigerian rulers have affected the country and ensured its steady retrogression with their brilliance at diverting resources meant for the common good to their own use and non-use since a good number of them will die leaving their wealth for the swiss authorities to utilise to develop their economy. In that sense, one could very well say that, quite a number of them die leaving their wealth to charity, charity being the Swiss banks and Swiss government/economy.
We all have sort of accepted that our rulers' brilliance is their very own special talent developed while in government. This talent has resulted in the direct and direct deaths of millions of Nigerians over the years. However, there is a talent of our rulers' that has been showing itself for some years now; or at least since shortly after 1999 when the country returned to civil rule. That talent is the talent of seeing a small prick which could have been easily taken care of, but ignoring it until it festers and not only becomes life-threatening, but actually becomes fatal.
It is this talent that ignored the birth of the militant until they became so destructive that the only option left to the government (especially in the light of our thoroughly incompetent security forces)was to negotiate with the criminal elements called the militants.
It is this very unique talent that saw the birth of the boko haram and made them ignore this deadly group while they could have been easily contained until they grew to become the terrorist group they are now.
I have heard and read comments in the electronic and print media about the supposed "carrot and stick" method being employed (or is it about to be employed) by the government in the boko haram matter. Well, perhaps the government has some sickly carrots which they intend to dangle before the members of this sect, but one thing I am sure of is that the government has absolutely no stick to wield should the boko haram people refuse to accept the not very enticing carrots being dangled before them.
While the government and its incompetent security forces have been left without the ability to even fumble and wumble (apologies to Amu), the boko haram people are sure of what they want to do even if the rest of us do not know why they are doing it, and they are leaving a lot of deaths and destruction in their trail.
I love brilliant and talented people, but I intend to go on my knees everyday till further notice, to pray to the Almighty to cure our rulers of these talents that only breed monsters...
