Boko Haram: Our leaders have failed Nigerians – Hassan Sunmonu

President Goodluck Jonathan has been advised to sack the nation’s defence chiefs following pro­longed Boko Haram’s declara­tion of a caliphate in northern parts of the country.

Giving the advice in an interview with Satur­day Sun, former President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Hassan Sunmonu, accused the military and the nation’s leadership of failing Nigerians by not being able to subdue the insurgency.
The labour leader, who was also the immedi­ate past Secretary-General, Organisation of Af­rican Trade Union Treaty (OATTU), urged the president to sack all the service chiefs including the Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshall Alex Bade.
“Armed forces leadership has failed Nige­rians. They should go. Nigeria is being made a laughing stock over how our soldiers are running away from battle front. It has never happened before. It is an insult, Boko Haram is now carving out a caliphate within Nigeria and our soldiers can’t overrun them. This is a big shame,” he declared in this interview with TUNDE THOMAS.
The labour leader also spoke on other na­tional issues. Excerpts:
What is your reaction to the pre­sent state of insecurity in the country, especially the Boko Haram attacks?
What is happening in Nigeria today calls for serious concern. Our leaders should be sober and reflective. We have never had it so bad that a group of terrorists can be unleashing so much terror on the country, especially the North east­ern axis of the country.
What is baffling me, however, is why it is difficult for the Nigerian soldiers to defeat these terrorists.
I still find it difficult to believe when I read in the newspapers or watch television seeing how Nigerian soldiers are running away from battle against Boko Haram. I find it difficult to believe that soldiers can run away from battle front. It is very depressing seeing our soldiers running away from Boko Haram terrorists, and then seeking refuge in neighbouring countries like Cameroon, Niger and Chad. This is nothing but a mockery of Nigerian soldiers. Is this not the same Nigerian Army that has been taking part in several peace keeping operations in other parts of the world since 1960s. I don’t understand what is happening.
Who are these Boko Haram terror­ists? Why does it appear as if they are superior to our soldiers? Who are their sponsors? Are Boko Haram ter­rorists bigger than Nigeria?
I shed tears for Nigeria, how can a terrorist organisation be declaring a caliphate in Nigeria, and yet our leaders and the military can’t subdue them?
Although, I’m not a military strategist, hon­estly I believe something is wrong somewhere. The most annoying aspect of all these absurdi­ties is that our leaders are pretending as if all is well. Their preoccupation now is about 2015, how to contest and how to win re-election. No­body is talking about the Chibok girls again. Over 216 girls have been missing for over six months and yet our leaders still have the courage to be dancing and celebrating. All their attention now is on 2015. This is a big shame.
Strange things are happening in our country. How can soldiers run away from battle front? Even local hunters put up resistance and defend their domains against external invaders or ag­gressors in those days.
God forbid, what now happens in case of external aggression or invasion of Nigeria by any other country? This is why I say our lead­ers should have been sober instead of gallivant­ing all over the place deploying propaganda to hoodwink Nigerians about their so-called achievements.
How do we resolve the Boko Har­am threat?
Jonathan should fire all the service chiefs in­cluding the Chief of Defence Staff. The leader­ship of the Armed Forces has failed Nigerians.
The president should put those who have the fighting spirit in charge. Enough of rheto­rics. Nigerian troops should wake up from their slumber, and government should also provide them with all equipment and tools required to win the war against Boko Haram.
It is immoral of our leaders to be talking of 2015 without solving Boko Haram’s problems. Is it not the highest level of insensitivity on the part of our leaders that while suicide bombers are having a field day killing innocent Nigeri­ans almost on daily basis, they are strategizing on 2015.
Should our leaders not be strategizing more about how to crush Boko Haram rather than thinking about 2015. This is why I have been saying that we don’t have statesmen among the crop of present political leaders in Nigeria. For statesmen, they think first about the nation, its survival, well-being, growth and development, but for our leaders, they are politicians and that is why they are more concerned about 2015 and how to win election.
Are you saying that it is wrong for our political leaders to be talking and strategizing about 2015 now?
The timing is very wrong whether our lead­ers want to accept the reality or not, we are in a war situation.
Boko Haram has become a big festering sore, and now almost on a daily basis, these ter­rorists unleash terror on Nigerian state and her citizens. Is it not an insult that Boko Haram has declared a caliphate in Nigeria?
To set up another state within the entity called Nigeria, and our political leaders and de­fence chiefs seem to be clueless in finding an answer to the problem. That is why I said our leaders should have been sober. The other day you see President Jonathan and others at Eagle Square dancing and celebrating when the Presi­dent declared his intention to seek re-election. Yet a day before, 47 school children were killed by a suicide bomber at Potiskum in Yobe State.
These politicians dancing and celebrating, are they not parents? That Abuja declaration’s celebration by the President and members of his political party is a show of shame.
President Jonathan’s focus now should have been how to recover Nigeria’s lost territories from Boko Haram. His concern should have been how to bring back the abducted Chibok schoolgirls. So, one wonders why the president and the PDP are involved in this show of shame. It spreads across all the political parties. Their pre-occupation now is 2015 and nothing else. Is it not when you still have the nation called Nigeria that you can have election? Leadership has always been a big problem for Nigeria. This is not the Nigeria of the dream of the nation’s founding fathers. Nigeria as at today needs re­demption. The nation needs statesmen and not politicians who are only out to plunder the na­tion’s resources. Look at the fat salaries and al­lowances being collected by our political office holders. It is outrageous. Nigerian lawmakers earn salaries bigger and fatter than that of some nation’s presidents.
Do you then support calls by some people that salaries and other emolu­ments being collected by political of­fice holders should be reviewed?
The jumbo pay being collected by these politicians is simply outrageous, and this is why politics of do-or-die will continue to be with us for a long time to come. People are desperate for political offices and appointments because of perks of office.
There should be a drastic reduction in sala­ries and allowances being collected by politi­cal office holders. While these politicians earn fat pay and also allocate allowances of various sorts to themselves, some of them, especially state governors still find it difficult to pay civil servants. In some states, workers are being owed for months – this is very sad. It is a big shame that in spite of all resources available to us as an oil producing country, our leaders can’t still pay workers living wages. But you see these leaders leading opulent lifestyles.
My recommendation is this, any state that owes workers salary arrears should be declared bankrupt.
What is your reaction to the state of Labour Party in Nigeria? Some have expressed views that the party is now dead with the recent defec­tion of Governor Olusegun Mimiko and some lawmakers elected on the platform of the party to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)?
It is unfortunate that labour leaders have not been vigilant and also devote their attention to Labour Party. Both leaderships of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC and Trade Union Con­gress, TUC, have not been actively involved in the running of Labour Party, and this is one of the reasons for the party’s weakness. NLC and TUC leaders should put their heads together and rescue Labour Party.
I also blame NLC and TUC for allowing pol­iticians to hijack Labour Party in the first place. Labour Party is a brain child of Nigerian workers and as such, the party is supposed to be owned by the Nigerian workers. Labour Party is sup­posed to be one of the biggest parties in Nigeria, but unfortunately this has not been so because labour leaders have been devoting much of their attention and energy to union matters.
We need to rescue Labour Party. The party must become vibrant. Some other veteran labour leaders and I are ready to offer our advice and support on how to make the party strong.
It is our intention to ask the incoming new exco of NLC that will be elected in February 2015, their agenda for Labour Party. When we know their plan, we will then see how we can come in to offer our advice on how to make the party very strong.
What is your assessment of Nige­rian workers’ welfare under this de­mocracy?
Workers are not being paid deserved wages. Democracy and presidential system of govern­ment we are practicing has pauperized Nigeri­ans. Those people that are enjoying democracy are the politicians, political office holders who are earning jumbo pay. When last was salary review carried out? Inflation is galloping. Work­ers total take home pay is grossly insufficient to sustain workers and their families.
We should jettison presidential system of government. It is too expensive. We should re­turn to Parliamentary System of Government. Democracy in Nigeria today is too expensive.
Some people have claimed that the labour movement is no longer vibrant as it used to be, what is your view on this?
Leaders will always come and go, and things can never be the same every time. The good news is that in three months time, a new execu­tive will be in place to steer the affairs of the Ni­gerian Labour Congress, NLC.
Nigerian workers now have the opportunity to elect a new set of leaders. The trade union movement must at any time fulfill its mission. It doesn’t matter who is in leadership. If that mis­sion is not being fulfilled, then workers can elect new leaders. No two leaders can be the same. We have individual differences, but what should be of paramount concern to any labour leader is the issue of welfare of workers.