When Boston was bombed, 3 died, 2 direct suspects were identified, the whole city was shut down, a perimeter drawn, the FBI, SWAT, City police, and other law enforcement agents were all put out to HUNT down the suspects and in less than 3 days, one suspect was dead and the other captured.

The US president was clear as clear could be when he stated “we refuse to be terrorized, we will find you and bring you to justice”. He took decisive steps, put the well trained and equipped security forces to good use. He never blinked on the resolve and determination to protect Americans while sending a clear message to terrorists that American lives are valued.

I live in Nigeria and I've never been in the USA, but as I followed the chase of the bomber on CNN, I could tell that the story was going to end with the capture/death of the bomber. Even in a faraway place like Agege, Lagos, Nigeria where they was no power supply but for the generating set roaring in the middle of the night and no security beyond the vigilante guys we pay to roam the streets at night with no security equipment I could tell the resolve of the US government not to give in to terror and to bring terrorists to book.

Here in Nigeria, bombings happen frequently and we hear statements like "Terrorism is a global phenomenon; we must learn to live with it”. We hear that terrorists are to be offered ‘a life’ to stop the act of terrorism. Here we call it amnesty-a model we use to enrich and empower terrorists and insurgents to sheath their swords-, we give them money, juicy contracts and freedom to enjoy the "wealth through terrorism."

By now I doubt if there’s any Nigerian that hasn't heard of the Baga massacre where 185 Nigerians were killed in Baga, a fishing community in Maiduguri, Nigeria and the killings happened as a result of severe fighting/shooting between the military and insurgents aka Boko Haram in the northern part of Nigeria.

It doesn't feel like news or like they say it in the world of ideation ‘it’s not new news’. Nigerians hear about bombings regularly-the park bombing that killed over 50 Nigerians, the 20 bombs that went off same day in Kano, the Abuja barracks bombing, the church bombings...we hear about it all the time and we’re used to hearing about it. We used to agitate for the government to ‘do something’ but that agitation has been drowned on the most part as even the president has said Nigerians should learn to live with ‘IT’; that ‘IT’ stands for "Insurgency and Terrorism."

When a nation has a security budget of about a trillion Naira (6 billion USD) for the year, yet, lacks political sincerity as well as audacious, informed, knowledgeable and sincere leadership, you find insurgents being approached with amnesty, militants being given security contracts and innocent citizens being killed in tens and hundreds. You find a sense of despair in the citizenry and a fertile ground for all terrorism, insurgency and ultimately a civil war?

You know, I've lived all my life in Nigeria, seen the poor die in unequipped hospitals and the rich die in foreign hospitals, I've seen the poor smile through their tears and know the rich also cry. I've seen churches bombed and communities razed.

While President Obama preaches change to Americans and President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan preaches ‘fresh air’ to Nigerians. While most Nigerians can’t afford the basics of food shelter clothing nor potable water, a governor gave out 1million Naira (6k USD) each to politicians to go for lunch.

When scores of citizens are killed in Nigeria with the president saying the people should live with it and Boston was shutdown to hunt bombers who killed 3 Americans, that indeed is when 185 is less than 3.

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Note: This post was written by Samuel Algun. Connect with him on facebook and twitter @algunomooba

www.infonubia.com

Stop Moaning and grab yourself a nice big mug of shut the feck up!

This is the country your fathers and grandfathers made by their decisions and indecision. This is the same country you forge, you and millions of the rest of us. Stop the bitchn and carry your cross. Nigeria is not meant to be America, deal with it. If we die in our hundreds, no one gives a shyt, who cares if they do?

Click out of here and take a ramble across the rest of the Nairaland community, and you'd see that you are merely a lone wolf. Others are perfectly contented with what they have - an incompetent government that is. Ask them and you'd get the stupefying chorus "Ah, it's not the President's fault"..."He's from my tribe"..."He's not from my tribe".. Problem solved. Case closed. Quit bitchn, Nigerians are not. We are indeed the happiest people alive.

The so called Nigeria here sounds like animal kingdom.

bookface:
Stop Moaning and grab yourself a nice big mug of shut the feck up!

This is the country your fathers and grandfathers made by their decisions and indecision. This is the same country you forge, you and millions of the rest of us. Stop the bitchn and carry your cross. Nigeria is not meant to be America, deal with it. If we die in our hundreds, no one gives a shyt, who cares if they do?

Click out of here and take a ramble across the rest of the Nairaland community, and you'd see that you are merely a lone wolf. Others are perfectly contented with what they have - an incompetent government that is. Ask them and you'd get the stupefying chorus "Ah, it's not the President's fault"..."He's from my tribe"..."He's not from my tribe".. Problem solved. Case closed. Quit bitchn, Nigerians are not. We are indeed the happiest people alive.

hmmm...interesting response. It seem like folks have become desensitized to these senseless killings. I sense the happiness in your response.

Africans will always kill each other,the international community has accepted that. The same way they have accepted that afghans will die from drone strikes every now and then, and that iraq will have at least one suicide bomber killing scores of people whilst doing their shopping. The media understands that people need to hear what they are not used to than hear something that has been happening over and over again for the past 3 years. That's just my personal opinion I stand to be corrected.