Governor- H.E Kashim Shttima The Dep Governor The SSG The Chief Staff Hon Commissioners Advisers SSA SA Sirs, AN OPEN LETTER TO THE LEADES OF BORNO The Executive 1. Your friend is the one who speaks to you honestly. A rational person values the truth, regardless of who speaks it. We are speaking about the land we love and whose future we are all equally concerned about. 2. We must preserve the gains we have made. Our shared geography should encourage us to work for the progress of our land. The alternative is chaos, division and strife. 3. Borno belongs to all of us. 4. People of Borno are the same as all other people everywhere else in the world. We have our ambitions, our demands, and our rights. We will not remain silent forever if some or all of our rights are constantly denied to us. 5. Negative feelings have been accumulating for a long time. I draw what I am saying from numerous people hailing from both horizontal and vertical areas of our state. 6. When people cease being afraid, you can expect them to do anything, and if their anger gets to a critical point, then nothing will be able to placate them. 7. When tempers are high, religious, political, and cultural symbols lose their value. The mob in the street takes control. 8. Rising security concerns subjected most of the Kanem’s energetic youth to the demands of a security-centered vision and became what is known as civilian JTF. 9. Official spokesmen of the Borno state government (the deputy Governor and some commissioners) express their distress at what is going on. Theirs are no doubt voices from the Govt. Their words have no attraction. They are unconvincing and ineffectual. 10. The government owned BRTV channel reports only the negative side of the youth group. However, even if they have one negative side, they also have tens of thousands of positive sides. Nevertheless, public awareness is growing more and more. 11. People need to hear news coverage and field reports about the activities of this civilian JTF. 12. Blackmailing the youth by mentioning politics in their activities is to sell the blood of our heroes cheaply. We all support them as well as their activities. 13. When people lose faith in their govt, it is not possible for them to take the govt as a reliable source of good governance. 14. There is smoke and dust on the horizon. We are justified in worrying about what lies beyond. If the govt did not support these youth, it will only worsen the quagmire we are in and cut off all hope of permanent solution to our present circumstance. 15. After waiting so long, tell us what will reassure us that a new era has begun. Placate our cynicism by surprising us with positive and unexpected official stand. 16. When the doors are locked, those who are desperate will stop weighing the pros and cons of their actions. Where will they go when those who have tried the open doors have been blamed and embarrassed? 17. It is dangerous to restrict people to the point that they feel they have nothing more to lose. 18. A citizen’s rights to fight and prevent crime are legitimate and inalienable. They are not a courtesy. 19. Responding to the legitimate demands of the people is not a weakness but courage and bravery. 20. Causes of societal distress include: financial and administrative corruption, unemployment, inadequate housing, poverty, substandard healthcare and education, and dim prospects for political reform. 21. It is impossible to maintain the status quo. The real question is: Where are we headed? 22. People are worried about the future. They have many questions and they are not getting answers. 23. Like it or not, we are all in the same boat. We must work together to keep it afloat. If the cure is accompanied by a bitter taste, then we must just learn to swallow it and get past it. 24. It is the government’s job to regulate fight against crime, not to obstruct it. Preventing opportunities for youth organizational activities, volunteer efforts, and charitable work will destroy the state. Conclusion: 24. How can a state that relies upon personal connections instead of institutions ever hope to face real challenges? 26. The people – especially our young people – are asking: Where are the channels of communication between us and our leaders? 27. Many citizens fear anarchy and lawlessness. If their fears are to be placated, they need to see a realistic program on ground – and they need to be allowed to participate in it. 28. Rational people do not want to see a spark turn into a raging blaze that burns their land down. They do not want violence to become the mode of expression. 29. When revolutions are suppressed, they turn into armed conflicts. If they are ignored, they grow in reach and in breadth. The only solution is to take wise and timely decisions before violence is kindled. 30. The chance to do things right might not come again. Things done too late lose their effectiveness. Time is a double-edged sword. It can work for you or against you. 31. God knows that from my heart I do not intend to deceive anyone. Any abuse I may have received from any party is forgiven. I have nothing but goodwill for this state, its leaders, and its subjects.
Posted on: Fri, 12 Jul 2013 08:48:17 +0000
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