No matter the hard won victories on the battlefield, the underlying social issues which are a component of insurgency will not be wished away any time soon. For this reason we are in support of the position outlined by the National Security Adviser (NSA), Colonel Mohammed Sambo Dasuki (rtd) to the effect that the federal government is tinkering with the national school curriculum in its bid to stem the spread of violent extremism among the youths, especially in the northern part of the country.
‘Soft power’ has become a useful tool in combating terrorism everywhere. We have had the ‘Trojan horse’ project in the United Kingdom and there have been initiatives elsewhere, not least in flashpoints such as Pakistan. The initiative as we have said is laudable. For, terrorism is based on indoctrination. It is after all inconceivable that anyone will choose without mentoring to become a suicide bomber. In addition, experience as well as empirical evidence available has taught us that much of the brainwashing takes place at a critical formative juncture in the schools. It therefore has to be countered there.
As always in Nigeria the devil is in the detail. Implementation will be decisive. For the country certainly cannot afford to open yet another vista of opportunity for graft. The programmes must be carefully thought out and diligently implemented with a beady eye on the cost/benefit. In addition, the template for reinvigorating a national ethos must also be reinvigorated. The incorporation of civic courses right from the nursery schools upwards must now be urgently done. As in every sensible society we must begin to imbibe knowledge in the kids based on patriotism and nationalism.
For this to work it is vital that the political establishment must` shows, leadership by example by practising what it teaches. It is a contradiction-in-terms to have such an initiative without tackling the anti-social effect of having some ten million children out of school. To counter this we must expand opportunities as well as widen access to education. In this way, to use the words of former United State President Bill Clinton, “No child must be left behind.”
We will not defeat terrorism with the use of force alone. Soft power must be employed in stopping radicalisation. This translates to a determination to be unyielding in the war against terrorism and pro-active in stamping out the underlying source of recruitment for the terrorists.
