Back in the days, during my elementary school days, Mondays were phenomenal. the excitement of returning to school, meeting friends I missed over the weekend to share tales of our weekend exploits, get results of our Friday quiz and learn some new stuffs.
Mondays were specially terrific for me because unlike Friday, I would come out in neatly starched and ironed sparkling school uniform to compete at the assembly ground where we would queue up in rows, according to our heights and classes. We sing songs, have fun before classes begin.
Monday mornings were pure bliss. But I bet you, the students in Yobe state would not know any of this bliss, anymore. Their excitement would be smashed by fear after learning that last Sunday morning, their mates at the Agric School in Gujba district for no other reason than being a student.
The unknown gunmen, attacking the style of Boko Haram, unleashed terror killing 40 students in the College of Agriculture in Gujba district, Yobe state.
Academic activities only resumed last week in schools across Yobe state following 10 weeks of closure after a similar attack by members of the violent sect on two secondary schools led to the death of 29 students and three teachers. they were murdered in similar style.
The continued mass murder of students in yobe state should concern us all, gravely.
The killing of students in Yobe is not worse than others carried out by the group, or even those by the emerging Ombatse cult group. But it portends a greater danger to the future of Nigeria. If the terrorists succeed in planting fear within the population willing to get education, the future of Nigeria may have been destroyed, as long as Yobe state remains part of the federation.
The easiest way to destroy a nation is to deny its educational system. Although the government have managed to destroy education in Nigeria gradually, Boko Haram, from their outset took it upon themselves to uneducated everyone of us, especially those schooled in the western way. And Boko Haram appear faster than the government at this.
Their nick name Boko Haram – Western Education is prohibited – does not hide their agenda, and they have found educational institutions an easy target in their quest to force their ways on Nigerians.
Since the government do not consider education as important as its government houses and political institutions, security in schools are left to den gun carrying guards – mai guards – while politicians are heavily protected at the expense of rest of us.
Boko Haram has never hidden their hatred for western education, and the governments of Borno and Yobe has firstclass knowledge of this. One wonders why the Yobe state government, after suffering similar attacks could not provide adequate security for its students before reopening schools in the state.
Does the governor of Yobe state understand that his inability to protect students in his state from these series of attacks is an indication that he is incapable of governing and posing a threat to the future of the entire country?
Do residents of his state understand that it is the responsibility of the governor to protect them?
What kind of government allows its students to be wasted repeatedly by insurgents when it is not failed like Somalia?
Both the Yobe state government and the federal government must rethink their strategies, if they have any at the moment. The future of this nations must be protect and residents must be reassured they can seek western education without paying with their blood.
Students must wake to Mondays with the joy and excitement of learning in a secular state. Only that way can Nigeria have a secured future.
ogala 