EDITORIAL:

Boko Haram war: Convert motions of support to cash

Since President Paul Biya declared war on the Nigerian Boko Haram terror insurgents who occasionally sneak into Cameroon to wreck havoc, he has been inundated with motions of support ranging from traditional leaders to political elite.  But the president who is also commander-in-chief of the armed forces needs money to confront the men of evil, not just lip service support in mind-numbing motions.

Make no mistake. The Guardian Post is not saying that the government lacks money to crush the insurgents; it has the means, military clout and personnel. The president is on the verge of winning the battle, and win, he must.

After declaring the war in Paris on May 7 during a summit with the president of Nigeria, Goodluck Jonathan and those of Nigeria’s other neighbours, the president reiterated the imperatives of victory.

Before leaving to the United States for the US-African heads of state summit, he told reporters at the Nsimalen international airport on August 2 that: “A few weeks ago, our military force demonstrated its superiority over Boko Haram. It’s a long battle…we have to fight against this group of individuals who strike at night and slaughter people.”

President Biya also stated that he had sent the defence chief of staff, Major General René Ze Meka to the Far North with more reinforcement in human and material resources. “I call on Cameroonians to maintain confidence in the army.”

He bragged that Cameroon had defeated the internal rebellion by the ‘marquizar’ and won the Bakassi conflict against Nigeria and it wasn’t Boko Haram that will not be squashed. 

The president later created two military regions in the North. The result has been catastrophic for the Boko Haram militia. A statement from the ministry of defence on September 1 said 40 of the insurgents were killed by Cameroonian soldiers after a fierce three-hour exchange with the terrorist in Fotokol, Far North region. Only one Cameroonian soldier was wounded in the deadly combat.

While the vandals were yet to recover, communication minister, Issa Tchiroma Bakary announced that some 100 others were killed by Cameroon security forces. The Boko Haram elements were said to have fired into Fotokol in Mayo Sava division from their hideout and Cameroonian troops swiftly replied with superior military might.

Surely the momentum is on the Cameroonian side. The Guardian Post congratulates the gallant soldiers. But while the war is being won on the Cameroonian front, Nigerians do not appear to be winning the war, they are caught napping.

During one of the confrontations on August 25, at Gamboru-Ngala, a twin town at the border with Cameroun, 480 Nigerian soldiers escaped to Cameroon. Kashim Shettima, the governor of Borno state has openly confessed that the Boko Haram insurgents have superior ammunitions and are better motivated than Nigerian troops. But the reverse is the case in Cameroon.

Isn’t it patriotic for Cameroonian billionaires to support the government with cash rather than just motions of support? Winning the battle with guns is another thing. There is also the battle to shelter, feed, clothe and provide medical facilities for some 40.000 Nigerian refugees in Cameroon and those from the Central African Republic.

The representative of the United Nations High Commission for Human Rights, Adrian Edwards says: “despite the volatile situation, we were able to go to Mora… where we met the new arrivals living in churches and schools and with host families. The refugees told our teams that everyone had fled and that their villages in north east Nigeria are now empty. Immediate assistance has been provided by the authorities, NGO Caritas, UNHCR and the host community.”

But the flood of refugees coming in needs more assistance. That is why The Guardian Post challenges the motion writers not only to give the president lip service support but financial backing to bring succour to the thousands of refugees. Some of the motions, like that from Lekie, have turned out to do more harm than good ; pitting the writers with elite of the north in a war of words.

CPDM sycophants can write their motions when it comes to partisan party issues but this is about the security of the state. Need they be reminded of the enormity of the task on hand and the need to overthrow violence?   

The president elaborated on it at the third ordinary congress of the CPDM when he said: “We also do not condone any form of violence in our country, be it organized crime in our cities or highway robbery in rural areas. The vastness of our territory and the porous nature of our frontiers make it difficult to solve this problem. That notwithstanding, concrete results have been achieved by the security forces who have been provided with additional means.”

He said so when there was no Boko Haram invasion. He has strengthened the security and it is proving to be equal to the task. There is however the urgent need for financial support, corporate or individual.

Giving a donation does not mean the recipient is in dire strait.  Achidi Achu as prime minister, head of government appealed to the public to donate for the national soccer team for the World Cup tournament in the United States. The response was impressive although questions of unaccountability propped   up.

It was not that the government was broke; it was a show of support, solidarity and patrotism. When the economic crisis struck to the point that civil service salaries were slashed, some Cameroonians offered their widow’s mite to the government.

Can’t the president launch an appeal to the public to support our soldiers and the refugees so that some of the moneybags can chip in donations rather than mere grand standing motions of interest-group totem?