HOW BEST NIGERIA SHOULD RELATE WITH BOKO HARAM

In every age and time man has always been confronted by challenges. Sometimes it may seem insurmountable but the moment man finds a way out, he becomes ever better compared to where he was coming from.

Today Nigeria is faced with its own fair share of challenges from corruption to poverty and underdevelopment but none of these issues are more pronounced than the menace of Boko Haram which stands to threaten the basis of our collective existence as a nation except we find a creative approach out it.

 How best Nigeria should relate with Boko Haram becomes a fundamental question that stares not only the political authorities in the face but every concerned citizenry.

The history of this country is replete with examples of how we have overcome challenges that sought to tear this us apart. Two typical examples of such was the civil war and how the ‘‘no victor no vanquish’’ stance of Gen. yakubu Gowon brought us out of the war, another is the recent Niger delta militancy agitations and how the then president creatively engaged the youth of that region with an amnesty initiative. Thus curbing the restiveness in the Delta.

To this end therefore, a solution is possible with Boko Haram if we look in the right direction. Obviously finding a way out of this challenge that Boko Haram pose is impossible without understanding the factors that have led this group to evolve from just individual assassinations to large scale bombing, turning many state capitals in the north to theatres of war.

These factors hold the key as to how best Nigeria can relate with Boko Haram thus finding feasible solution to the reoccurring hostilities of this group.

The most fundamental factor to the threat of Boko Haram is the political side to the entire equation. Truth be told, politics and politicians in the country today help create this monster that threatens us all in Nigeria. The recent call by the group that it wants Gen Buhari to lead its peace talk with the federal government speaks volume as regards the level of political colouration of the violence so far. At least every discerning mind would clearly agree on this. On the other hand, the political option seems to be one of the most potent factors we can use to relate with them only if men of proven pedigree and character lead such an effort. Then the nation is can be said to be on the path to peace.

Another factor is the economic dimension to this entire situation. A large percentage of the young men recruited to carry out these attacks are largely jobless making them vulnerable to these kinds of enticement that is leading many of them to their early graves. Again we can relate with Boko Haram through economic empowerment. No society anywhere in the world makes meaningful progress where its active young population is idle. This is the case not only true in Northern Nigeria but throughout the country. When government fails in this task one begins to ask what then is the basis for it, even where the preamble of the 1999 constitution clearly direct that the purpose of a constitution was for the promotion of  ‘‘.........good government and welfare of all persons.........’’

Also, another significant factor we can use as a means to relate with Boko Haram is religion. The need to lay emphasis that Islam is a religion of peace and not war is of utmost significance too. In line with this view, we must let them know that this is a secular state and that everyman is free to find God the best way he deems fit. True worshippers of Allah know that the fundamental tenets of his teachings are ‘peace, harmony, love for your neighbour’, Boko Haram by virtue its conduct, is in clear violation of this principle

Yekeme

www.yekipedia.blogspot.com

an observer

ROLE OF JUSTICE IN SHAPING THE WORLD

Justice is one of the major concepts in political philosophy that still lacks a univocal definition, yet it is a vital ingredient for the survival of man as a social being.

Indeed, justice has shaped the world but the question is how has man come to see the true meaning of this conception. Many hold that it is as a result of the complexities attached to the social being of mankind makes the term increasingly intricate and difficult to pin down because of mans cultural variation and linguistic usage.

It is therefore the aim of this piece is to take a critical look at the nature of justice and the role it has played in turning society around and shaping the world for the better.

The survival of the human race is predicated on the template of justice. This is true because a critical examination of the hypothetical state of nature as espoused by philosophers such as Hobbes and Locke shows that if not the coming together of wise few who championed for the coming together of the rest in some kind of social contract, man would have long gone into extinction because in the state of nature, life was short, harsh and brutish. It was a dog eat dog world.

In their coming together, they set the pace for the emergence of a civil society regulated by concepts such as Law and justice which brings among others natural justice, socio economic justice e.t.c

Human civilization through the ages have had one form of justice or the other ingrained in its culture and mode of existence from the primitive stage of man to contemporary times of the rule of law.

It is justice that coordinates all what man has and will be, therefore justice is the panacea to mans and solutions to mans miseries in the context of human social evolution.

As a result of human rationalization, the codification of our laws aims to achieve this (justice). Hence man design constitutions charters, treaties e.t.c. Again how far has all these workings of man faired in the light of the challenges man is faced with in the 21^st century? Could one say that justice is a live experience in these modern times?

 However placed the argument is, justice truly has shaped the world. It has affected human psyche so much   that even our daily activities is geared toward attaining it. The most fundamental of it all is that justice has separated man from beast. The essence of our civilization is because of our gradual understanding of justice and our future will be determined by how much justice truly affects human social intercourse. Therefore, international organizations (the U.N), regional bodies and national governments must take urgent steps towards spreading the message on justice as a way of preventing wars and help the future challenges that await man in her match towards greatness.

Yek keme

Dept of philosophy, University of Lagos

Yekeme4u@gmail.com. www.yekipedia.blogspot.com