By NICK DAZANG
Mohammed Ali Ndume has served as Senator, representing Borno South, since 2014. From 2003 to 2011, he served as a member of the House of Representatives for Chibok/Damboa/Gwoza.
As a member of the National Assembly, Senator Ndume has moved or sponsored a record seventy-six (76) bills. Notable among them is the landmark Amendment Bill that enabled Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) to vote in the 2015 General Elections.
For good measure, Senator Ndume has facilitated more than sixty (60) intervention projects across the nine local government areas (LGAs) of his senatorial district.
A frontline voice in a time of crisis
This writer’s path crossed with Senator Ndume’s between 2011 and 2016. Ahead of the two election cycles, during those cycles and in their aftermath, this writer’s remit was, among others, to communicate succinctly to stakeholders the policies of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), to elicit for it a salubrious image and to educate Nigerians about the electoral process.
The remit was tall and onerous. It also required drive, passion, hard work and inordinate steadfastness. The tasks were, however, made easier by the unwavering support of the Commission and my colleagues in the media.
In the course of this writer’s assignment, he observed the frequent and ubiquitous sorties and presence of Senator Ndume, especially in the studios of the BBC at Maitama. This period coincided with a time when the Boko Haram insurgency was at its peak and Borno State was its epicentre.
Worse still, 276 schoolgirls in Chibok, within Ndume’s constituency, were abducted on the night of April 14–15, 2014.
Apart from using his bully pulpit as Senator to call attention to the plight of his constituents—many of whom were killed, maimed or abducted by Boko Haram—Senator Ndume went further by turning to the media, particularly the BBC Hausa Service, which is widely listened to in the North.
In addition to drawing global attention to the sordid plight of his constituents, Senator Ndume, though not a security expert, has interfaced with troops in the field on several occasions. Going by his interviews, he fashioned an acronym—TEAM—which he believes the government could deploy.
By his explanation, TEAM stands for Training, Equipment, Ammunition and Motivation. This proposal undoubtedly resonates with those who have closely followed the travails of Nigerian troops.
The Senator, who has always wished for a swift end to the war on terror since it reared its ugly head in 2009, has also argued for the bombing of insurgents in their strongholds at the Sambisa Forest and the Mandara Mountains. It is from these locations, he believes, that they launch attacks across the vulnerable expanse of the Timbuktu Triangle.
Moment of despondency, criticism
However, following the recent attack on a military base in Ngoshe, Southern Borno, in which not fewer than 400 people were abducted, Senator Ndume appeared despondent in an interview with the BBC Hausa Service.
He alleged that, on account of his passion for the war against insurgency, he was being portrayed by his detractors as a rabble-rouser and busybody. He further lamented that even some of his colleagues in the National Assembly referred to him as a rebel for daring to urge the government to provide robust support and motivation to troops.
Certainly, the recent reversals suffered by the military and the continued attacks must daunt even the most resolute advocates against insurgency. Yet, such setbacks and cynical remarks should not lead to despair. After all, reversals are inherent in asymmetrical warfare and in any challenging endeavour.
In 1979, Majuli Island, near Kolalmukh in Assam, India, was severely flooded and eroded. At the time, Jadav Payeng, then a sixteen-year-old resident, chose to stay behind while others fled. For forty years, he undertook the extraordinary task of planting trees daily, transforming a barren landscape into a lush 1,360-acre forest now known as the Molai Forest.
This forest has since become a sanctuary for tigers, rhinos, elephants, monkeys and numerous bird species. Once ridiculed, Payeng was later honoured as the “Forest Man of India” by the Indian Institute of Forest Management in 2012 and awarded the Padma Shri, India’s fourth-highest civilian honour, in 2015. His remarkable story has inspired books, including The Boy Who Grew a Forest: The True Story of Jadav Payeng, as well as several documentaries.
A call to perseverance
Winston Churchill, the former British Prime Minister, described Nazi Germany in a speech to the House of Commons on May 13, 1940, as “a monstrous tyranny, never surpassed in the dark, lamentable catalogue of human crime,” and went on to galvanise alliances that ultimately defeated Germany in World War II.
Senator Ndume, rather than succumbing to despair or the antics of critics, should draw strength from the philosopher, Arthur Schopenhauer, who observed: “All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as self-evident.”
Even if labelled a rebel, he should take solace in the knowledge that he is a rebel with a noble cause—one that resonates with his constituents and with right-thinking Nigerians.
He should also be encouraged by the fact that many Nigerians, whose lives have been diminished or devastated by insurgency, stand shoulder to shoulder with him and the nation’s troops.
He should, therefore, soldier on until the menace of insurgency is decisively overcome.
Like Churchill, who stood firm against fascism, he must “never, never, never give up.”
Dazang, OON, writes from Abuja via nickdazang@gmail.com