As Nigerians mourn the tragic loss of lives in the wake of the recent terror attack on Kaduna-Abuja train carrying over 300 persons, questions have yet again, being asked on who exactly should be held accountable for the horrible state of security in the country, or whether like in past incidents, we should simply do the usual rage, and let this one also pass?
In an opinion piece on the security situation in the country, a Consultant at Atiku Media Organization, Na-allah Mohammed Zagga, cited instances of attacks in the past which cost many lives, yet no one was held accountable, nor were there any record of resignations.
He said unless the country begins to hold the right people accountable, things will only go from bad to worse.
He opined, "Who was held accountable or punished for the Chibok abduction scandal in 2014? The Chibok school was reopened despite the advice of WAEC and the army against it. When former President Jonathan attempted to investigate the negligence that led to the abduction, the opposition politicians shouted him down in order protect their political interests. Instead, they even accused him of financing the Boko Haram terrorism to destroy the North. Our memory is still fresh.
"The Chibok incident was followed by the Dapchi abduction scandal which took place under the current APC administration. Then the kankara scandal and other attacks on schools in Zamfara, Kaduna and Kebbi States occurred in quick succession. Was there any effort to identify the loopholes or the negligence that led to the incidents?
"Who was held accountable for the current security lapses and other scandals, including the attack on the NDA, the Kaduna International Airport and repeated attacks on passenger trains? I have nothing on record to show that anybody resigned, even for the sake of moral responsibility or burden. I have no recollection either that anyone was held accountable for the sins or omission or commission.
"Nigerian leaders are experts at giving excuses. Amaechie blamed bureaucratic lethargy for the lack of surveillance equipment to forestall terrorist attacks on passenger trains. How can processing approval for surveillance equipment take more than five months without conclusion? And while the bureaucratic zombies were sleeping at the wheel, the terrorists attacked another passenger train on Monday, the worst of its kind in terms of casualties.
"I sympathise with Amaechie. We have a situation where, despite a presidential approval for the purchase of security equipment, our bureaucratic zombies don't demonstrate anything called a sense of urgency. As a Transport Minister, two attacks on passenger trains under your watch is too much of an emotional burden.
"Every chain of error produces actors. But ours is a country where public officials are impervious to criticisms because they are comforted by the fact that nothing will happen. Who was punished for the importation of contaminated fuel into the country? I have no record that anyone was held accountable. Instead they confronted us with obfuscation and sophisticated stories to protect themselves.
"Leadership entails responsibility. Here they tell you that "we are not Europeans" even if their inaction or negligence results in death or harm to others. In 1985, French agents bombed the Rainbow Warrior, a ship belonging to the Environmental Protection Group--the Greenpeace Movement--and killed its activists who were on their way to protest against nuclear testing. At first, the French government denied responsibility for the incident. But the arrest of French agents involved in the unprovoked and unwarranted attack by New Zealand became a national scandal of such magnitude that the then French Defence Minister Charles Hernu was forced to resign. Reacting to the Minister's resignation, one French MP said that "any public official who doesn't know what is going on in the most important area of his responsibility automatically disqualifies himself from office.
"When you mention these impressive ethical standards of western societies, they immediately accuse you being an armchair theorist, or remind you that we are not Europeans. As long as we attach ourselves to this mindset, don't expect our leaders to take responsibility.
"When innocent youth corps members were massacred in Bauchi State during the post-election violence of 2011, then Governor Isa Yuguda said that they died because it was their fate. That is another annoying aspect of our public life. We easily appeal to religion to avoid responsibility.
"So, if people died on trains during terrorist attacks, is it comforting to claim that nobody can escape his/her own fate? Necessary questions such as "was this disaster avoidable, foreseeable, and preventable" are thus played down. Unless and until people are held accountable for failure or negligence or inaction, it's vain hope to expect things to change dramatically for the better."