Effects of Boko Haram Insurgency/Terrorism in Business Education in Nigerian Universities

Transcription

1 Scholarly Journal of Education Vol. 3(9), pp , December 2014 Available online at ISSN Scholarly-Journals Full Length Research Paper Effects of Boko Haram Insurgency/Terrorism in Business Education in Nigerian Universities Ohiwerei, Franklin Ohiole Department of Vocational and Technical Education, Business Education Unit, Faculty of Education, Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, Edo State, Nigeria. Tel: and Accepted 3 December, 2014 This paper tries to x-ray the effects of Boko Haram/Terrorists activities on business education and education in general in Nigeria and other developing countries. The authors gave a background of business education and origin of Boko Haram/Terrorists in Nigeria, accesses the school dropout as a result of Boko Haram/Terrorists, listed various groups of militants in Nigeria as well as negative effects of Boko Haram sect in business education in Nigeria including other negative effects of Boko Haram/Terrorists. In addition, the authors dwell on the crisis in education by Boko Haram/Terrorists and the way forward out of Boko Haram/Terrorists. Conclusions as well as recommendation such as federal government of Nigeria should beef up security in all her boarders with neighbouring countries to block the inflow of importation of war equipment, politics should be separated from tackling the issue of Boko Haram/Terrorists. Everybody both state governments, local governments, politicians etc should join hands with the federal government to tackle the Boko Haram/Terrorists case just like the way Ebola was attached by everybody with all seriousness among others were made. Key words: Boko Haram, education, tackle, school, effect, politics. INTRODUCTION Business education is the process of impacting knowledge and skills of business activities and teaching pedagogy on men, women, boys and girls who desired the knowledge. It therefore, deals on teaching of office technology and management including all other business activities as well as teaching practice and students industrial work experiences. According to Ohiwerei (2014) business education is a process which upon graduation, business educators are expected to work in offices as well as to teach students business subjects. It is a process which creates no missing link between the students and teaching industries as well as other industries. Business education is offered in federal and state universities in Nigeria. Under Business education, Accounting education, Marketing education, Computer education and Office technology and management education are all the options which Business education stands as an umbrella. In the past ten years many Nigerians do not know what is known today to be Boko Haram. Boko Haram came into light in July, Web (2013) defined Boko Haram as the congregation of the people of tradition for proselytism and Jihad brother known by its Hausa name Boko Haram - is an Islamic Jihadist militant organisation based in the northern part of Nigeria and North Cameroon and Niger. The interpretation and translated of Boko Haram is that Western education is a sin. It is a militant Islamist movement based in the northeast Nigeria, who are pressing to forcefully establish an Islamic state against the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Boko Haram has received funds and training from Al- Qa ida in the Islamic Maghred. Membership has consistently and continuously been increasing on daily basis in spite of the high rate of death recorded on their side with the confrontation with Nigerian Army. Though, Nigerian army on the other hand has equally recorded losses of some gallant soldiers who the Boko Haram has severally ambushed. In the worlds of President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, the Nigerian president Nigeria is losing souls because both the Boko Haram and innocent people killed by Boko Haram are all Nigerians this translated that many people are dieing on daily basis thereby reducing

2 Scholarly J. Educ., 164 the Nigerian population. Origin of Boko Haram/Terrorism in Nigeria In the past ten fifteen years many Nigerians do not know what is known today to be Boko Haram. Boko Haram came into light in 2009 July. Web (2013) defined Boko Haram is the congregation of the people of tradition for proselytism and Jihad better known by its Hausa name Boko Haram is an Islamic Jihadist militant organisation based in the northern part of Nigeria and North Cameroon and Niger the interpretation translated of Boko Haram is that Western education is a sin: it is a militant Islamist movement based in the north-east Nigeria, who are pressing to forcefully establish an Islamic state against the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Boko Haram has received funds and training from Al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghred. Membership has consistently and continuously been increasing on daily basis in spite of the high rate of death recorded with the confrontation from Nigerian Army. Though, Nigerian army has equally lost some gallant soldiers who the Boko Haram has severally ambushed. In November, 2013, the United State Department of State designated Boko Haram as a terrorist organisation. Boko Haram (Wester education is forbidden) militant Islamist movement is based in Northern part of Nigeria. The group has received training and funds from Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb. The authors classified Boko Haram as a group of persons who are terrorists. Terrorism is a great huddle in our economic prosperity, political stability, geo-strategic sustainability, energy security and for education as well. Rise of terrorism is self generated threat of Nigerian due to its weak policies, corruption and political instability. Nigerian has to uproot the plant of terrorism before this plant of casualties, hated sought its enough roots to become a tree of hell. Terrorism is an art of demanding at own prescribed rules from any government and authority as in the case of 16 local government areas captured by Boko Haram in Adamawa State where they have introduced Sharia laws and already has convicted ten persons whose hands have been cut off for stealing. According to Wilkman (1992) Fighting terrorism is like being a goal keeper. You can make a hundred brilliant saved but the only shot that people remember is that gets past you. While Hitchem (1992) stated that terrorism is the tactic of demanding the impossible and demanding it at a gun point. Causes of terrorism in Pakistan a developing nation like Nigeria and other developing countries are faced with many problems since their inception and some of them sow their dragon teeth in the soil of Nigeria to give birth to terrorism such as; growing poverty affects the whole nation to cause terrorism. In rural areas people do not have to eat two times daily that encourage them to adopt illicit alternative to meet their basic needs. Corruption, unemployment and ineffective quota system, political class style of living, injustice started rising on daily basis and did not stop and still on the increase and deliberate targeting of civilians. School Dropout as a result of Boko Haram/Terrorism It is not news that Boko Haram abducted more than 200 school girls in Nigeria highlights new focus by Islamism on education. Boko Haram evil activities have forced the intending business educators as well as so many children in the northern part of the country out of school. Many of them are not willing to go back to school, most especially children from Borno, Yobe etc. This is a disaster not only to the affected states but Nigeria at large. The sect has claimed responsibility of incessant bombing and crisis in Nigeria. They have adopted various means of ambushing the Nigeria soldiers severally and killing so many of them. It is on the sad note that most secondary schools in Borno state where those 200 girls were kidnapped have closed. An approximately ten million and above Nigerian youths who are supposed to be trained as business educators and others are not in school today. Statistics reveals that over 14 schools have been burnt down in Maiduguri the state capital of Borno state of Nigeria forcing over 7,000 children out of schools and again the Boko Haram militant has equally declared their Islamic state claiming some of the villages in Borno state which the Nigeria army have equally recaptured from them and recovered so many equipment from the Boko Haram insurgent. Though, on 29 th May, 2014 the Boko Haram s leader Abubakar Shekau, following military claims that the group had been halted, released a video clip to buttress his facts that they had not lost grip of anything to the Nigerian army. In the video he showed charred military vehicles and body dressed in military fatigues. He therefore, called on muslims from Iraq, Pakistan, Afghanistian and Syria to join his jihad, he stated this in Hausa and Arabic languages. Under this dispensation, no teaching and learning can take place. Therefore, there is sure that there must be a drastic drop out from schools. On 17 th September, 2014 Boko Haram equally attached Federal College of Education Kano killing several of the students when two Boko Haram suicide bombers interred into the lecture hall and bombed himself and the students and the lecturer in the hall. As at 18 th September, 2014, the federal government has not been able to give the actual number of death. While some newspapers say 15 and above dead others say between 45 and above. Irrespective of the number of death involved, students died as a result of Boko Haram attacked. This attacked on students has forced the Federal College of Education to close down indefinitely. This has further brought to a total halt of academic activities in schools in Kano State. Business education students are equally affected. By this

3 Ohiwerei 165 the number of school enrolment has dropped drastically. No student who survived this attacked would like to go back to that school having considered the psychological effects considering the number of classmates, friends and lecturers/teachers that were killed during this attack. One thing that is not still clear for now is whether these attacked are politically or religiously motivated. But according to Obioma (2012) some of these terrorists attack are politically motivated even though some many have other ancillary motives such as religious economic or social. Dibia (2014) opined that the use and dump practice by Nigerian politicians is not new. It happened in Rivers State between 2001 and 2004 when more lives were lost in Port Harcourt, Wezena, Ogbogoro, Rumuolumeni, Okrika, Emohua, Rumuekpe, Rumukpalukwu-Ugbonwo etc. All these communities are in Ikwerre, except Okrika. We can begin to imagine what Ikwerre people had suffered when militants and cultists in Rivers State were recruited into politics and the politician reneges to fulfill his own part of the bargain. Thereafter, the boys, now with sophisticated guns and ammunition, remember their immediate and remote enemies in their respective communities. They killed and destroyed many communities in Rivers State and yet, the Rivers State government had not deemed it right to properly reconcile these communities, rehabilitate them and apologize to them on the wrong use of state resources to destroy the people they were sworn-in to protect. Since December 2005, my own community, Rumukpalukwu-Ugbonwo in Rumuakunde Emohua had been refugees and our habitation had become desolate and turned into forest. A shame that may probably live with me till the rest of my life on earth Dibia (2014) added. According to Ruquyyatu (2013) the constant threat posed by Boko Haram which started in 2009 and other extremists religious sect like the Jama atu Anbarul Mmuslimna FinBadilas Sudan, undermines efforts at improving education in the region. These groups have carried out several attacks and issued threats to schools in the North in some of these attacks, teachers were killed or injured and structure razed. On the 12 th of March, 2012, gunmen linked to Boko Haram attacked Hausawa Danmaliki primary school in kumboso local government area of Kano state. Several pupils and teachers were killed. In September, 2013, a school of Agriculture in Yobe stated was also attached at night by the Boko Haram and more than sixty students were killed (vanguard, 2013). These are among the several attacks on schools by the Boko Haram. From the above so far, there is no right thinking parent that will still send his or her own children to schools were these attacks are taking place. According to late Bob Marley he who fights and runs away, live to fight another day ), therefore, he or she who runs away from school today, stay alive to go back to school another day. In support of this, Nigeria, DHS Education Data survey (2011) showed a gloomy picture of education particularly in the North West and North East parts of Nigeria. According to the report, 12 percent of children in Borno state are not in primary school while in Zamfara state, the percentage of out-of-school children is 68 percent. The two states have the highest numbers of out-of-school children. The report also revealed that the rate of children who have never been to school is also alarming and that 72 percent of children in Borno state have never been to school, with 4 percent in the federal capital territory. Out of over 120 children, the report revealed that Zamfara have an average of 28 children in school. Borno state have 29 children in school out of every 120 children, Sokoto 34, Yobe 42, while Plateau State has the highest number of children in school with 113 of every 120. British Journal of Education vol. 1, no. 2. Pp. 1-9, December, 2013 published by European Centre for Research Training and Development U.K. Boko Haram has dealt a fatal blow on the enrolment of pupils and students to schools in the Northern Nigeria. Parents and pupils live in perpetual fear of attacks and this may have direct effect on school attendance. How then do we expect to have business educators in those states in the near future and by extension Nigeria? Various Groups of Militants in Nigeria 1. Ansaru 2. Arewa people s Congress 3. Bakassi Boys 4. Bakassi Movement for Self-Determination 5. Boko Haram 6. Civilian Joint Task Force 7. Egbesu Boys 8. Igbo s People s Congress 9. Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta 10. Niger Delta Liberation Front 11. Niger Delta People s Volunteer Force 12. Niger Delta Vigilante 13. Oodua People s Congress 14. Yan Tatsine Negative Effects of Boko Haram/Terrorism in Business Education in Nigeria According to Adamu (2009) following the assumption of new leadership headed by Abubakar Shekau, Boko Haram has reinvented violence and began what can best be described as the bombardment of northern Nigeria, with such frequency and intensity that are quite unprecedented in the history of violence in Nigeria. Boko Haram has destroyed so many promising youths who would have been future leaders of this nation tomorrow who would have contributed meaningfully to the growth of business education in Nigeria in particular and the word at large. It is in line with this therefore, Obanya (2014) opined that persons in high social positions would

4 Scholarly J. Educ., 166 Table 1. The various Boko Haram activities in Nigeria Timeline of incidents 7 September 2010 Bauchi prison break 31 December 2010 December 2010 Abuja attack 12 March 2011 Assassinated Muslim Cleric Imam Ibrahim Ahmed Abdullahi for criticizing the violent groups in northeast Nigeria 22 April 2011 Boko Haram frees 14 prisoners during a jailbreak in Yola, Adamawa State 29 May 2011 May 2011 northern Nigeria bombings 16 June 2011 The group claims responsibility for the 2011 Abuja police headquarters bombing 26 June 2011 Bombing attack on a beer garden in Maiduguri, leaving 25 dead and 12 injured 10 July 2011 Bombing at the All Christian Fellowship Church in Suleja, Niger State 11 July 2011 The University of Maiduguri temporarily closes down its campus citing security concerns 12 August 2011 Prominent Muslim Cleric Liman Bana is shot dead by Boko Harām. 26 August Abuja bombing 4 November Damaturu attacks 25 December 2011 December 2011 Nigeria bombings 5 6 January 2012 January 2012 Nigeria attacks 20 January 2012 January 2012 Kano bombings 28 January 2012 Nigerian army says it killed 11 Boko Harām insurgents 8 February 2012 Boko Harām claims responsibility for a suicide bombing at the army headquarters in Kaduna. 16 February 2012 Another prison break staged in central Nigeria; 119 prisoners are released, one warden killed. 8 March May June 2012 During a British hostage rescue attempt to free Italian engineer Franco Lamolinara and Briton Christopher McManus, abducted in 2011 by a splinter group Boko Haram, both hostages were killed. During a Joint Task Force raid on a Boko Haram den, it was reported that 5 sect members and a German hostage were killed 15 church-goers were killed and several injured in a church bombing in Bauchi state. Boku Harām claimed responsibility through spokesperson Abu Qaqa. 17 June 2012 Suicide bombers strike three churches in Kaduna. At least 50 people were killed 17 June bodies were found in Plateau State. It is presumed they were killed by Boko Haram terrorists 18 September 2012 Family of four murdered 18 September 2012 Murder of six at an outdoor party 19 September 2012 Nigerian Military arrests Boko Haram militants, reported death of Abu Qaqa 3 October 2012 Around people were massacred in the town of Mubi in Nigeria during a night-time raid. 18 March Kano Bus bombing: At least 22 killed and 65 injured, when a suicide car bomb exploded in Kano bus station. 19 April 2013 Deadliest attack since 2009: gun battle with security forces leaves 260 dead and nearly 1000 injured 7 May July 2013 At least 55 killed and 105 inmates freed in coordinated attacks on army barracks, a prison and police post in Bama town. Yobe State school shooting: 42 people, mostly students, were killed in a school attack in northeast Nigeria. 11 August people killed in a mosque in Konduga. 29 September 2013 College of Agriculture in Gujba: 40 male students killed. 20 October motorists killed in northeastern Nigeria. 2 December 2013 Hundreds of fighters attacked a military base in Maiduguri. 14 January 2014 At least 31 people killed, over 50 people injured by suicide bombing in Maiduguri, Borno State.

5 Ohiwerei 167 Table 1. Contd. 26 January 2014 At least 45 people killed in the village of Kawuri. 11 February people killed in Konduga. 16 February 2014 Izghe massacre: 106 killed. 25 February March April April May May May May 2014 Federal Government College attack: Fury at military over Yobe deaths. At least 29 teenage boys dead at Federal Government College Buni Yadi. Attack on the military baracks in Maiduguri, nearly 600 detainees freed. The latters were executed when government forces retook control Chibok kidnapping: Government properties, including the only girls' secondary school, attacked. At least 16 killed or missing, and 234 female students kidnapped. The Boko Haram militants said it would treat them as slaves as part of the "war booty". April 2014 Abuja bombing: Two bombs explode at a crowded bus station in Abuja, Nigeria, killing at least 90 people and injuring more than 200. A car bomb exploded killing at least 19 people and injured at least 60 in the same area of Abuja as the April bomb Gamburu attack: Boko Haram attacked the twin towns of Gamboru and Ngala in Borno State, Nigeria. They started shooting in a busy marketplace, set houses on fire, and gunned down anyone who tried to flee. The death toll of the massacre has been set as high as 336. Menari, Tsangayari and Garawa: Boko Haram attacked three villages, killing around 60 people in Menari. Vigilantes fought back, killing over 200 Boko Haram militants. Paris summit: A summit in Paris has declared Boko Haram is part of al-qaeda as leaders from West African nations resolved to mount a region-wide offensive against the group that is holding more than 200 schoolgirls hostage in a dense jungle. [74] Western nations have pledged to provide technical expertise and training to the new regional African effort against the Islamic extremists. 18 May 2014 Kano: Suicide car bomb kills five people. 20 May 2014 Jos: Twin bomb explosions kill 118 people. 30 May 2014 Assassination of Muslim leader Alhaji Idrissa Timta the Emir of Gwoza in Borno. 1 June 2014 Mubi bombing: An attack at a football field in Mubi, Adamawa kills at least 40 people 2 June May - June 5 June 6 - June 12 June 13 - June 19 June 20 - June 26 June 27 - July 3 July 4 - July 10 July 11 - July 17 July 25 - July 27 Militants dressed as soldiers slaughtered at least 200 civilians in three communities in Gwoza. A community leader who witnessed the killings said that local residents had pleaded for help from the military, but it did not arrive in time. It took a few days for word from survivors to reach the provincial capital of Maiduguri, because the roads are extremely dangerous and phone connections are poor or nonexistent. The slaughter was confirmed by both Mohammed Ali Ndume, a senator representing Borno and whose hometown is Gwoza, and by a top security official in Maiduguri who insisted on anonymity. 6 attacks, killing 506 civilians, 5 military; 20 women and 3 men abducted. 60 Boko Haram killed by Cameroon's military 4 attacks, killing 5 civilians, 6 military; military kill 50 Boko Haram 2 attacks, 46 civilians killed; 8 Boko Haram killed by Borno vigilante group 4 attacks, 93 civilians killed, 60 abducted. A military fighter jet bombed unknown number of Boko Haram in counterattack; 25 Boko Haram and 16 soldiers killed in attack on military base. Cameroon military killed 10 Boko Haram near border 2 attacks, 112 killed 4 Boko Haram attacks, 11 civilians, 1 vigilante, 33 soldiers, 4 police killed. 53 Boko Haram were killed while capturing a military base and police station in Borno on the 4th of July. On the 6th, soldiers killed a Boko Haram kingpin and his brother at their home in Kaduna; also on the 6th, 44 Boko Haram were killed in 2 military operations in Borno 4 attacks, 81 civilians killed, many of these shot by fighter jet in a failed counter-attack. German teacher kidnapped and 2 vigilantes killed on July 16 in Adamawa, presumably by Boko Haram 2 attacks in Kolofata, Cameroon, including the kidnapping of the wife of the Vice Prime Minister, Amadou Ali, as well as local religious leader and mayor, Seini Boukar-Lamine.

6 Scholarly J. Educ., 168 Table 1. Contd 11 August October November civilians killed, 97 kidnapped, all men and boys, in attacks on villages in Borno State in rural northeast Nigeria. Many homes torched in the raid. Several people were killed after clashes with the armed forces resulted in Boko Haram taking over the second largest city in Adamawa, Mubi. It followed the overrunning of Uba in Borno. Kukawa local government chairman Modu Musa said that several people were killed especially around the market. Seven people were killed and many people injured when a lady pretended to be a bank customer when she deposited a bomb in Azare town in Bauchi Branch of a bank. automatically qualify as leaders. This is because anyone in any social position can be a leader. He however stated that it depends on whether or not one possesses leadership qualities. These youth possesses leadership qualities because they are undergraduates that think and acts like one. In addition to Wikipedia, the free encyclopaedia (2014) the following are some of the various Boko Haram activities in Nigeria (table 1), Other negative effects of Boko Haram/Terrorism on Nigeria are: They have killed innocent civilians whom they claimed have collaborated with state security They have killed innocent critic s especially Muslim clerics They have killed innocent Christians or forcibly convert them They have bombed and killed members of churches and prevented conventional worshipping by Christians They have bombed and killed security infrastructure They have killed innocent security personnel Rob banks and churches They have organize jail breaks to free imprisoned members and other criminals They have threatened politicians who opposed their political patrons They have threatened Southerners and Christians to relocate from the North They have burnt different schools and killed students They have killed traditional rulers Business education students are unable to choose vulnerable state for their teaching practice and practical teaching experience Business education students are unable to choose Boko Haram states for their Students industrial work experience Business education graduates reject offer of posting to Yobe, Adamawa, Kano, Kaduna etc on National Youth Services Corp etc. All the universities were Boko Haram attached have closed down indefinitely. Crisis in Education by Boko Haram/Terrorism Boko Haram has infuriated crisis into Nigeria various educational programmes. According to Obanya (2014) in simple language, a crisis becomes manifest in human life whenever things fall apart whenever in personal and societal life things do not go the way they should, when plans do not work out, when obstacles stand in our way, when the abnormal becomes the norm, when well-oiled mechanisms break down, when well-known methods of getting things done fail to work, when disruptions occur in the normal run of things, when the unexpected makes ambitions unrealisable, when challenges becomes insoluble problems, when situations put us at our wit s end, a crisis has occurred. Obanya (2014) stated further that crisis can occur at several levels, and do take a variety of forms, with different types of impact on the human condition. He however, postulated the following crisis in education which includes business education: a. Psychological crises affect the individual person, though the effects can extend beyond a single individual. b. Social crises affect an entire society, and could be a sum total of the crises at the individual level. Such crises have multiple tentacles touching on the political, economic and other existential conditions of society. c. Man-made crises result from the actions, inaction or mis-actions of human beings. d. Nature-induced crises are usually the results of natural disasters, some of which do result from the actions or inactions of human beings. All the secondary schools, colleges of education and universities where Boko Haram have attacked have closed down indefinitely. Where there is crisis there is no meaningful academic teaching and learning that can take place. Instead people talk of their lives and survival first. The authors disagree with Rivinius (2014) when the author stated that in 2013, total attacks of terrorism increased for Iraq, Pakistan, the Philippines, Syria, Egypt, Libya and Lebanon and decreased for Nigeria and Turkey. It is unfortunate that in Nigeria Boko Haram attacks have been on a very high scale on daily basis as

7 Ohiwerei 169 at 7 th November, Boko Haram is in control of about sixteen local government areas in Adamawa state and threatened the federal government that there will be no election in the state. The college of education and university where business educators are being trained have since been closed down. In confirmation of this, Governor James Ngilari of Adamawa State, cried out to President Goodluck Jonathan to save his state from being overrun by Boko Haram insurgents who have already taken over five local governments and are advancing to other towns. Governor Ngilari took his case to the Presidential Villa, Abuja on a day Boko Haram renamed another town it captured as part of its Islamic caliphate. It also commenced full enforcement of Sharia law in its areas of control. President Goodluck Jonathan has, however, assured that in spite of the present security challenges, Nigeria will remain unbroken even as he promised free and fair general elections next year. Ngilari, who spoke with State House correspondents after a closed-door meeting with President Jonathan in Abuja, disclosed that five local governments in Adamawa State have been taken over by Boko Haram insurgents and pleaded with the military authorities to deploy more troops to the state. Ngilari said that failure to boost military presence in the state may mean that the terrorist group will completely overrun it, noting that the security situation in the state remained fluid and required a more urgent intervention by the Federal Government. According to him: 'The security situation in Adamawa is very dicey right now and we are only trying to do our best to manage the situation. We are praying that it will improve, but it is really something to worry about'. Speaking on the number of towns being occupied by the terrorists, the governor said: 'I can talk of my entire senatorial district, Mubi senatorial district. Five local governments have been overrun; Gombi was taken and I just got a report now that perhaps they are on the outskirts of Shanli. 'There is a semblance of movement in that area. Really, we need a lot of intervention. We need to move more troops to secure the state. Really, it is a big challenge.' The governor played down the seizure of the home town of the Chief of Defence Staff, saying that the issue of insurgency was much more than taking one person's home town. Way Forward Out of Boko Harram/Terrorism One of the solutions to Boko Haram is to face education and security problems squarely. Education should be separated from politics and ethnitism. Although, Obanya (2014) holds the position that politics has both good and evil that politics can do to education and business education inclusive. According to him, every day discussions would counsel against mixing politics with education, but experience has shown everywhere that education could be a tool for sustainable human development in situations in which politics is played in its noble form; in situation that encourage good politics. In such situations, good politics also leads to good education. According to Tilde (2014) Jointly, Muslims and Christians, especially in the North, need to find a common ground for social interaction. The gap between them in is becoming too much wide for stability. To reduce mutual suspicion and build trust among members of the two communities, avenues must be created for such interaction at all levels and spheres of human activity. Interactions in schools, offices, parks, cafes, games, resorts, churches, mosques, festivals, parks, cinemas, town meetings, and, of course, homes can all be revived to achieve this goal as it used to be before the late 1970s. Both Muslims and Christians need to check the activities of extremists among them, people mainly youths with a surplus zeal to serve God but with little appreciation of the complexity of life and of contemporary Nigeria and lacking the wisdom to see things in different shades. They need to be guided accordingly by leaders of their sects and relevant authorities. Otherwise, they will continue drifting away from the centre until they reach a point where they dream of a whole world drowned in an ocean of human blood. Certainly, this will not please God who has described Himself as the Most Merciful. Folorunso (2014) opined that it s interesting that you want government to frustrate Boko Haram. Government is a term which we often use loosely to refer to the executive arm of the republic. The bitter truth is that financiers of this sect now find themselves in government circles. Even Mr Jonathan conceded that there were politicians sympathetic towards the cause of Boko Haram. What we need is a more intricate intelligence agency that can track phone calls, money transfers and clandestine meetings. Otherwise, we might just be in a wide and wild goose chase were the security officers are just Boko Haram impostors. Dibia (2014) stated the solution approach to Boko Haram should have short and long term measures. In the short term, government should quickly constitute a discussion and reconciliation committee peopled by top respected African social leaders like Captain Elechi Amadi (Rtd), General Yakubu Gowan (Rtd), Prof. Ali Mazrui, Dr. Kofi Anan, Prof. Chinweizu, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, Chief Emeka Anyaoku, Justice Belgore, Prof. Bolaji Akinyemi, Justice Eso, Justice Oputa etc. They should be given 6 months to sincerely discuss with Boko Haram, render temporary apology for the past mistakes on the part of the government, seek to know their grievances and interests (immediate and remote), persuade them to understand the secularity of the Nigerian state, reach a common understanding of what should be the solution to their problems, reconcile them with the government and allow the government to execute the agreement.

8 Scholarly J. Educ., 170 Furthermore, government may need to rehabilitate the group and this is where the idea of amnesty comes in. For an ideological group like Boko Haram, Nigeria needs amnesty to support the political solution stated above; the use of force cannot provide such needed support and must be dropped forthwith. Again amnesty will assist in moving them out of their thinking, engage them economically and assuage them. Next is to disarm them and discourage them from bombing, destroying and carrying arms against fellow Nigerians. Thereafter, the government must discretely determine and prosecute any person(s) who had used and dumped them or who had encouraged them in any form in carrying out their activities. Also, government needs to vigorously persuade sympathizers of Boko Haram to desist from such habit which is capable of rocking the Nigerian boat. At the immediate end, government need to deeply apologize and provide little support to all those identified to have lost properties and/or lives arising from the insurgence. He further stated that on a long term basis, the government needs to re-engage the National Orientation Agency (NOA) to do its work with re-energized focus than it had been done before. A federation in a socio-political crisis as Nigeria cannot afford to have a national agency like the NOA operating but is hardly heard or seen. NOA should put in place a national re-orientation programme through which they can regularly interact with the idling Nigerian youths. NOA needs to learn how to deepen the use of inspirational leaders from across the world to calm the raging nerves of the youths and gradually identify what else the youths can do to earn a living and channel them there. NOA should be able to discover the talents of these youths, retrain them along their talents through a robust free education system. There is the need to intensify on the awareness of western education. To this end Islamic education should be discouraged or there should be a wholelistic review of the programme/curriculum with a strict supervision of the federal government whereby North west and North east children in Nigeria should be encouraged to take western education rather than Islamic education. In support of this view, Ruquyyatu (2013) blamed this on the effect of long standing effect of Islamic education as most parents are yet to embrace western education. To such parents, western education is tied to the bible and it is an indirect way of changing their religion. Yakubu (2012) disclosed that in April, 2012 that there were over 9.5 million Almajiri children that are denied the right to basic primary education in Nigeria. While Ajayi (2001) stated that sending male children to faraway places to acquire Islamic education at a tender age of four to nine years should be discouraged but it s succeeded in the past was because the host community took responsibility for the children s welfare. Today the Almajiri s are left at the mercy of their teachers or instructors who convert them into street beggars. As reported by I.T.V., the federal government has turned to Russia and China for assistance over Boko Haram as they claimed U.S.A and U.K. have failed. The United States has always used foreign aid to achieve strategic goals (Moss, Roodman, and Standley 2005). From the Marshall Plan of the Cold War era to the exorbitant aid packages given to Egypt and Israel as part of the Camp David Accords, American officials have long used foreign aid to win political allies and to promote regional security, furthering U.S. interests. Ever since the attacks of September 11, U.S. foreign aid has been shaped profoundly by what President George W. Bush termed the war on terror.ǁ In a speech given in Monterrey on March 22, 2002, President Bush explained the rationale behind the foreign aid component of the war on terrorǁ: We fight against poverty because hope is an answer to terror,ǁ he said (cited in Krueger and Maleckova 2003). Implicit in the statement is the belief that poor economic conditions allow for the rise of, or even provoke, terrorist activity, and that giving aid for the purpose of reducing poverty in foreign countries is one way of effectively fighting against terrorism. In conclusion, without peace, there can be no meaningful development; therefore, Nigerians need peace and progress. In the light of this, all meaning Nigerians irrespective of party affiliation, political ideology, ethnicity and religious believe, should team up and rise to bring Boko Haram to a total halt the way and manner in which Ebola was tackled by all meaning Nigerians. No nation can develop with education; therefore, education is the source, the key and the only way to peace, progress and stability. RECOMMENDATIONS 1. The federal government of Nigeria should beef up security in all her boarders with neighbouring countries to block the inflow of importation of war equipment. 2. Politics should be separated from tackling the issue of Boko Haram. 3. Everybody both state governments, local government, politicians etc should join hands with the federal government to tackle the Boko Haram case just like the way Ebola was attached by everybody with all seriousness. 4. Federal government should be bold enough to deal decisively with those found in connection with the Boko Haram irrespective of their highly placed in the society. 5. The Nigeria army should screen their members and fish out Boko Haram members. 6. Federal government should identify those sponsoring the Boko Haram activities in the country and deal with them accordingly. 7. For the foreign assistance from U.S.A. U.K. and others to succeed, there is need to co-operate with them by

9 Ohiwerei 171 providing all the information they needed to operate on, without that they can never achieve any success in this regard. 8. Some people are benefiting from the Boko Haram activities and do not want an end to it, the federal government should set up machineries to identify them and deal with them accordingly. 9. In states where Boko Haram has disrupted schools, both the state governments and federal government should send those children to boarding schools in other states where there is peace for them to continue their education. 10. Federal government must not negotiate with Boko Haram instead should use all its strength to bring Boko Haram to an total end. Obanya, P. (2014). Educatineering. Ibadan: Hebn Publishers Plc Ohiwerei, F. O. (2014). Availability and utilization of information and communication technology in business education in Nigerian universities in the south-south geo- political zone. A Ph.D. Thesis seminar submitted to the department of business education, Ebonyi state university, Abakaliki Rivinius, J. (2014). Majority of 2013 terrorist attacks occurs in just a few countries. August 18. Ruquyyatu, A. R. (2013). Declining enrolment in primary education in Nigeria. Press conference, March 11, Abuja: Minister of Education. Tilde, A. U. (2014). The New Challenges of Boko Haram. Web. (2013). Definition of Boko Haram. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (2014). Timeline of Boko Haram attacks in Nigeria Wilkman, P. (1992). London Daily Telegraph, September 1, Quotes on Terrorism. at google) ijerb.webs.com. Yakubu, T. Y. (2012). Boko Haram activities in northern Nigeria. The Voice. 4(2): REFERENCES Adamu, F. I. (2009). Ideology of Boko Haram. Journal of Islamic Education. 2(2) Dibia, O. (2014). Resolving the Boko Haram Challenge. Nelsondibiaokachi@yahoo.com European a Centre for Research Training and Development (2013). Boko Haram has dealt a fatal blow on the enrolment of pupils and students to schools in the Northern Nigeria. British J. Educ. 1(2):1-9. Federal Government of Nigeria (2014). ITV 8.00p.m. news of 20 th September. Folorunso, D. (2012). Solving the Boko Haram Menace March 11, 2012 at 8:10 PM Hitchem, C. (1992). London Daily Telegraph, September 1, Quotes on Terrorism. quotes.com (at) google) ijerb.webs.com Moss, T., D. Roodman, S. Standley, The global war on terror and U.S. Development Assistance: USAID allocation by country, ,ǁ Center for Global Development, Working Paper 62 (2005). Ngilari, J. (2014). Politice. SOS. Boko Harak will overrun Adamawa Governor cries out to Jonathan. Nigerian voice November, p. 7.