THE SOCIAL MOVEMENT COMMONLY CALLED BOKO HARAM: THE WAY/OUT

 

Written By Prof.M M YUSIF(B.U.K POL.SCI.)

That phenomenon called Boko Haram! What is it? What is its identity? As of now no one can say. It is still on process of formation.

Let us assume is not a religious movement! Not of foreign invaders or tribalists sent to cause chaos in Northern Nigeria. Neither a state terrorist organization.

Unfortunately, educated Nigerians have dissolved into street opinion about the subject and the solution. So, we are not making progress to understand and keep on talking about what could be the many dimensions of the way out.

I think, if there is any identity one could give to this phenomenon, it is youth upheaval in the urban centres, simply, urban youth violence.

Nevertheless, like the street talks, the intellectuals located in centres of learning and research are hardly aware that this kind of urban youth violence is a global phenomenon.

Many decades ago, precisely in the 1930s, a period of economic breakdown in the USA, produced distress and confusion in the daily lives of millions of people. This resulted in deepening contradiction in the elite and violence by the urban youth, which became known as unemployed movement, in order to streamline it within the framework of the law of United States of America. In Europe, even recently the youth had taken over some major streets, in some major cities, as a result of the Euro-Zone financial crisis.

In the twenty-first century, there is a resurgence of this global phenomenon in developing countries. In Latin America, liberalization and democratization of the society produced this trend. In Asia it is less, because Nationalist market Economy provided a shock-absorber.

In Urban centres in Africa is very common but is expressed in different form of violence.

Take the case of Nairobi in Kenya and Cairo in Egypt. In Nairobi, this has created a posture of confusion among the elites and in order to manage power, they adjust to maintain power.

There has been youth urban violence, in Northern Nigeria too! Because it is in the North, not in the South of Nigeria, it is being interpreted with sentiment. People do not mind to examine the structure of injustice, the greediness of the elites, elites response to youth problem, etc. in the two regions.

However, from whatever, perspective one takes it, this kind of violence may end up in positive or negative social change which will affect the whole of Nigeria as a nation or even not as a nation.

In many places where this occurred, the changes have become positive. But it depends how they are managed. How?

1. Recognize the movement as a social force which could be used for development of the society.
2. Let it be a social organization which, could talk and write on its demands
3. Let it be or make it to be an open organization, whose activities are governed by legal provisions in the country.
4. It should become an organization to talk openly with any group or any group including the state to negotiate with it.
5. People should not be arrested and killed for whatever reason without facing the law.
6. In case violence persists the law is already there to deal with the case accordingly.