SIR: Nigerians have certainly not known peace since the advent of the horrendous activities of the dreaded Boko Haram; not with the group growing neither weary nor tired of massacres, banditry and the kidnapping of the innocent and destruction of properties. As it is, the country is overwhelmed hence the latest resort to calling for foreign assistance.
Is it ripe or even rational to seek for foreign help at this time? Did the federal government put into consideration the overarching interests of the global powers?
I mean their interest which aside coming first, always inevitably comes in the form of bobby traps. We must avoid falling prey to their antics.
The European Union (EU) has advised the federal government to look beyond military deployment in the ongoing war against terrorism in the country. That is in order, although military deployment should not be foreclosed. Other options such as finding out the causes of the ailment for proper management and dialogue to reduce the ethnic tension are just as important.
This house must not fall; Nigerians are better off staying together. All that is required is for all to discuss, repack and reconfigure our federation to suit our peculiar situation; the lopsided federalism and the half-baked system being operated is in dire need of correction.
What is the strength of our military as it stands today? Less than 400, 000 personnel put together; some380, 000 police personnel manning over 214million population. The surest way to navigate our way out of this quagmire is to embark on mass recruitment of military and police personnel, taking due care to equip and motivate them to boost the battered morale.
We have lost thousands of soldiers and police to Boko Haram and bandits; how many times have we conducted recruitment exercises to both agencies? We need new hands to get the jobs done. And that should be done openly and transparently as against the usual back door channels where candidates are made to cough out huge sums to get enlisted.
Ours is no doubt, a self-inflicted problem. Really, the way out of this predicament is certainly not in dragging AFRICOM to Africa to combat the evil plaguing our land; certainly not in allocating huge budget yearly for ammunition but in our commitment and utmost sincerity. What happened to the huge fund annually allocated amidst allegation about such monies disappearing from the military’s coffers, or has become rather frequent, soldiers abandoning fight due to shortages of ammunitions? What has been the outcome of investigations?
We only need to get the right equipment; with determination and proper motivation, the boys will get the job done.

⦁ Alifia Sunday, Ilorin, Kwara State.