Dapchi and Chibok: A tale of two identical presidents by Ademola Adeoye

One major issue that makes me suppurate continually is our people’s inability to ask intelligent questions on some obvious issues in our nation. This makes it look as if they have been turned to mere puppets and are being controlled by some puppeteers—who are daily living and sleeping far away from all the problems wrestling the poor as Hulk Hogan. But instead of our people to hold accountable, those they continually vote into power, they are on a daily basis fighting themselves over inanities. It is ridiculous that till now, tribalism and religion are being used to divide the voice-less citizens of Nigeria. Sad!


Four years ago, the APC said that GEJ should visit Chibok girls secretly. Also, the party lampooned the President that he bungled the fight against Boko Haram, and has demonstrated “sheer cluelessness” in handling the abduction of the school girls. And when Goodluck Jonathan aborted the plan to visit Chibok, the party abused the daylight out of him, labeling him that he was lying to the nation. They said he was supposed to be “consoler-in-chief.” The party ended up advising GEJ to visit Chibok without informing the nation ahead of the trip.

The APC also spoke vehemently against Dr.Goodluck Ebele Jonathan and his party that they were blaming everyone, but themselves. They warned him not to use the abducted girls as “pawns on his political chessboard.” GEJ was also lambasted for sending a team of “impudent” ministers—who went to lambaste the altruistic campaigners. They ended up labeling the Administration of GEJ as an insensitive one!

Now that the All Progressives Congress and their hero are in power, they are back justifying what they once condemned. Over the years, they have handled “the altruistic campaigners” worse than they were handled when GEJ was calling the shots. They too are yet to accept responsibility for the ‘rudder-less-ness’ of our country. They blame everyone, but themselves and the small-god they are daily worshipping. Till this evening, PMB is yet to visit Dapchi. I implore the All Progressives Congress (APC) to humbly eat what they served GEJ—by jumping on the next available flight in the wee hours of tomorrow and soar as an Eagle to Dapchi.

As an effect of the clatter and noise that the APC made four years ago, I never knew that they are yet to mount and install surveillance cameras in every school in the Northeast (to start with). There are two things that are conspicuously and noticeably missing in our nation: Intelligence gathering and surveillance cameras. It is impossible for our nation to be well protected without them. Without surveillance cameras being installed everywhere in Nigeria, we are just exposing every citizen of our dear country to needless danger.

The number of surveillance cameras in Greater London is around 500,000 and the total number of cameras in the UK is expected to be around 4,200,000.  The United Kingdom has one camera for every 14 people. It shows they highly value the life of their citizens. The honest question is: how many cameras are we having in Nigeria for every 100 citizens? Nothing! This makes Nigeria to arguably be one the most insecure and dangerous countries to live on earth. A few years ago, many people were wasted in twin-bomb blasts in the heart of Abuja and there was no camera to rewind, so the whole world could see how those bombs were planted. In sane climes, all they would need to do was to rewind one (or two) surveillance camera and all the perpetrators of that dishonorable act would be easily apprehended.

In the 21st century, we are now depending on what hunters and masked-folks (politicians) tell us each time we are pitilessly attacked by terrorists, instead of depending on surveillance cameras. In this day and time, we are now searching for 110 Dapchi girls as if we are searching for a needle. When the news jumped into the open that our precious girls were abducted, this question walked out of my mouth, dragging its feet: “how in this world did those defeated and badly degraded terrorists manage to move 110 girls from Dapchi to only God knows where?” 110 girls, not two girls! There are too many questions begging for answers as beggars would beg for alms. Politicians are clearly using the children of the poor as pawns on their political chessboards. Since this madness began, show me one school for rich kids—that has been attacked by terrorists! Do not quote me out of context; it is not my desire for schools for rich kids to be attacked, I am just saying that it is deadlier than cancer to be poor in Nigeria. The poor has no voice. The poor has no life. The poor has no access to justice. The poor is daily being oppressed. And the law that sets the rich man free binds the poor man!

As I begin to coast home, those who called GEJ unimaginable and ridiculous names—when Chibok girls were abducted are now either quiet or defending PMB, because it is now their own opportunity to ‘chop.’ I now understand the reason why some folks spoke against the last administration. They did so, not because they love Nigeria, but they did so because of their own stomachs and that of their wives (and children). They made so much noise because they were not the ones feeding fat on our collective patrimony then. Now, it is their own turn to ‘chop,’ so they are looking the other way, even days after about 110 Dapchi girls have been kidnapped.

You may not like this, but the truth is; the Administration of President Buhari has taken us 4 years rearward as a nation. And it is so appalling and hurting.