Today is the 20th of January. It is my son, my brother and my cousin’s birthday; unfortunately it is also the day that the American President Obama was sworn-in last year and what a year it has been!!
From my post last year, you’ll know i was jubilating with the American people and encouraging others to follow their dreams. I still encourage people as usual; only that today, this same president’s administration has touched a very sensitive part of me.
On the 25th of December, 2009 one Umar Farouk AbdulMutallib decided tried to blow himself up on an America Airline Flight #253 that had about 278 people onboard. This is an act of a deranged man or a terrorist. No question about that.
A few days later the American Government released a new list of countries they regarded as terrorist states to the world – and they included Nigeria. That is where they got it completely wrong.
I have never written anything about terrorism on my blog before – until now. I, Niyi Adeoshun – born, bred, “buttered, toasted and roasted” in Ibadan, Nigeria will not keep silent about this one.
I have been wondering what criteria the American government use to label any country a “terrorist State”. Whatever they use cannot, should not and will not make Nigeria a terrorist state – to any proper-thinking set of people. I think the American Government just wanted to use Nigeria to “flex its political muscles” and make the lives of innocent Nigerian travellers a living hell.
The fact that Umar Farouk AbdulMutallib’s father informed the authorities about his son’s fanaticism one month before the incident should show any sane person that his family is not a terrorist family; but Obama’s administration jumped over his family, town, state and labeled his country – Nigeria – a “terrorist state”.
Nigeria - Not A Terrorist State
Read this excerpt from the Nigeria Nation website and make up your own mind:
If the France was not labeled a terrorist state despite the thwarted effort of Richard Colvin Reid – a French citizen who attempted to bomb the America Airline Flight #63 from Charles De Gaulle International Airport in Paris through shoes that was laced with explosives in December 12, 2001.
If the United Kingdom was not labeled a terrorist nation in 2006 as a result of the attempt of Ahmed Abdullah, Assad Sarwar, Tanvir Hussain, Oliver Savat, Arafat Khan, Waheed Zaman, Umar Islam and Muhammed Gulzarar (all British citizens) during a Trans-Atlantic Aircraft plot to detonate liquid explosives
If Kuwait was not labeled a terrorist nation despite Ramzi Youseff attempted effort to blow Boeing 747-283B that was on its second leg flew from Cebu to Tokyo on December 11, 1994.
The Dolphinarium discotheque suicide bombing was a terrorist attack by Palestinian Hamas group on June 1, 2001 in which suicide bomber (Saeed Hotari) blew himself up outside a discotheque on a beachfront in Tel Aviv, Israel killing 21 teenagers and injuring 32 others, but the American government was able to discern and separated Hamas group from Palestine.
If the state of Texas is not singled out as a terrorist state because of the actions of Major Nidal Malik of the Fort Hood Military Base who opened fire on his colleagues in uniform as a result of his bias and extreme religious beliefs.
If the United States is not labeled a terrorist state as a result of the actions and intentions of 5 of its citizens who were found in Pakistan with the intention to enlist and undergo jihad /Al-Qaeda training; why then did the America government made haste to classify Nigeria as a terrorist country? Is this a sign of double standard, ambivalence or hypocracy?
In my own opinion, i think this is just a way of this American administration to bully Africa and Africans – no matter how they sugar-coat their statements. If Nigeria – the giant of Africa – can be treated with such indignity because of the actions of ONE INDIVIDUAL- it is an indication that “bulliable” countries like those in Africa are not regarded as anything by Obama and his administration; Kenyan root or not.
If you are an American reading this, i have nothing against you but against this particular unwise decision of the current administration.
Your comments are welcome as usual,
Niyi Adeoshun.
-
Related posts:
I believe their criteria was not based on just one incident of December 25 but on the present situations in Nigeria. We need to clean our home first. When we have politicians looting over 110 billion dollars every year while beggars and mentally ill patients taking over our towns then if we Nigerians are refusing to do something about our situations by saying enough is enough then all Western countries should ban us from entering their countries. maybe we will be forced to clean up our acts.
If i were obama, i will do thesame. Dont blame Obama, blame your own leaders and lets make politics unprofitable for them.
Your comments are fair Bukola and thank you for that. My point is, the American government should not call a nation a Terrorist State because of the acts of ONE brain-washed man in a population of 150million!! It seems to me there is a hidden agenda somewhere. If they call Nigeria a “corrupt” country, i wouldn’t like it but the greedy behaviour of the country’s leaders has left no room for arguments on that point at all. Corruption, as negative and retrogressive as it is, is not the same as terrorism.
I found the ‘Funny Friday’ post very funny. Thank you.
It’s just a reminder that, ‘ A merry heart doeth good like medicine…’ Proverbs 17:22.
Thank you too Eru. That’s one of my favorite Bible verses. Life’s short and we mustn’t spend it being gloomy all day.
Another quote that i like is by Bob Newhart whcih says “Laughter gives us distance. It allows us to step back from an event, deal with it and then move on.”