PMB, MNK and the Pareto Principle(2) - Ik Muo, PhD

 

I try to be Achebeic in my writings by  making them simple, free flowing and without BIG grammar. However, at times, it is good to show people that I actually went to school and that the school fees paid by my late father, Sir Ezeamaluchi WO Muo, was not in vain. (From 1964 when I started Elementary 1 at St Anthony’s, Osumenyi to 2014 when I ended formal schooling at UNILAG,, I never received one kobo as educational support from any arm of the government. The same with my 4 children). That is why today, I want  to discuss the Pareto Principle( also called the 80/20 rule, the law of the vital few) and  how PMB has, absurdly and incomprehensively,  turned it upside down in his approach to our security challenges and which is why  deaths, killings, kidnappings have become our daily bread in this ransom economy.  The Pareto Principle, ( similar to the  Power Law and Zipf’s law) states that most often, 80% of the consequences arise from 20% of the causes. So, a noisy class of 100 students might be due to 20 rascals while a bank, with 1m customers may obtain 80% of its income from 20000 customers or even far less.  Identifying and concentrating on the critical 20%-of revenue, costs, grievances, customer complaints- thus becomes ‘de koko’ for anybody interesting in finding solutions. For instance, in 2000, 12% of Proctor & Gambles 25-odd brands generated 50% of its sales and even bigger share of net profits( Ik Muo(2019), Management principles, processes and practices, Enugu, Potter Creations). This emphasis on the ‘vital few’ is imperative, whether it is a positive variable (like profits) or a negative variable (like noise) or even insecurity. At the core of this law is the need to concentrate all efforts on the source (20% or not) of advantages you want to optimize or problems you want to annihilate.

So, how do we, or should we, apply the Pareto Principle to our precarious security situation, which  PMB recently admitted as the single most difficult challenge facing Nigeria( I thought it was MNK!). He also declared that he would do anything within his power to put an end to it.  Following Pareto Principle and even following common sense (which is no longer common), efforts should be concentrated on the major sources of the insecurity. However, as in most matters with this our blessed but pillaged ( another BIG grammar!)country, PMB  and the government which he leads, have turned the principle upside down, concentrating all national arsenal (material, emotional and bad-mouthing) on the areas that produce 10% of the consequences and ignoring the sources of 90% of our crises. Borrowing from the irrepressible Shehu Sani, this government applies Christian Dior designer perfumes (Engineers, please, how does one design liquid substances like perfume?) to the herdsmen, bandits and bokoharamites, while applying  extra-strong, fall & die snipper to Kanu, ESN/UGM,  the entire South-East, a little bit to the entire South and what is left to Igboho, simply because there is an IGBO in his name! I know they will soon head to Ijebu-IGBO.  That was how the system shut down the HIV vaccine developed by Dr. Jeremiah Ojonemi Alabi Abalaka, just because they saw Aba in his name and therefore concluded that it was Aba/Igbo-made!!! 

  Bandits are so favoured that other criminals now want to be addressed as Bandits

For the past three months, I have been collecting published reports on our insecurity matters but thanks to the God of the Spirit, few days ago,  StatiSense did my job for me. Some of my  front-page research will still come in handy but  I will start with the  aforesaid source, which of course told us what we all know, except those who deliberately do not want to know. There were  2943 total reported kidnappees between January and June 2021( 16 per day),  and out of this, the north accounted  for  2557( 87%) while the entire south accounted for 386( 13%), with N/W and NC accounting for 80%. Out of the 5800 deaths (32 per day), 5 states( Borno, Zamfara, Kaduna, Benue and Niger) accounted for 3572(62%), with  Borno accounting for  1137.  The top LGAs in deaths and kidnappings for the same period were BrininGwari, Maradun, Chikun, Zurmi, Gusau and Marte. We should know where these LGAs are located. So, based on the Pareto   Principle or commonsensically , we know  where should we invest our tangible and intangible resources( like presidential+ Lai badmouthing and hate speech).  But this is Nigeria; the land of strange and unbelievable happenings. While these are happening, there is a report that equipment for by the Nigerian Police  has been out of order within this period

Instead of PMB and Co to invest our security resources in the North, it concentrates all visible efforts  on Kanu et al, ‘for orchestrating 60 deaths in 4 months’ and the  South East, which accounted for 2.6% of all kidnappings between January and June this year. The security petty-cash and associated imperiousness are then thrown at the rest of the South. Even the Biblical stranger in Jerusalem knows what has happened in the East in recent months: The arial bombardment at Orlu, the militarization of all the routes in the East or leading to the east, the profiling of every Igbo youth as UGM and subjecting them to summary punishments; special security directives, operational shoot at sight orders( in other places, it is verbal shoot at sight). Last week, I informed that bandits who are just in business downed our Alfa Jet worth about $13m and also killed 13 policemen.  If this had happened in the East, the military high command would have relocated to the east with a ‘finish all of them’ mandate. In this case, the Airforce first denied and then admitted, organized an impromptu reception for the lucky pilot and extolled his heroic escape.  The police did not even issue a statement ( though the rank and file booed Governor Metawale)and that was that!  There were no special directives from the presidency to deploy combat helicopters for massive raids from the hideouts and arrest more traditional and community heads to extract key information; there were no special security operations, there were no massive arrests, and the phytons did not dance neither did the crocodiles smile! In the second week of July, about 100 Atyap natives were murdered by herdsmen with 6 days, 24 villages destroyed and hundreds of farmed hectares of land destroyed . about 200 bandits stormed the emirate and abducted Alhassan Adamu, Emir  of Kajuru  and 13 mmbers of his family in Kaduna state, (Sunday,11/7/21)… but no nothing from the rock.

As our combined forces were raiding  and neutralizing  the so called   ESN camps, the criminal entrepreneurs raided  Bethel Baptist High school and successfully took away 121 students,  an operation that  would require 10 Hiace or 3 luxurious buses! They had the temerity to call to confirm that the kidnappees were in their custody, demanded for assorted foodstuff and after receiving N50m, released just 28 of them. They ‘bought’  them wholesale and are now retailing their release.  They did all these with phones! We are now practicing a strange version of trade by batter with criminals, humans in exchange for cash and foodstuff. Bandits in more than 100 motorcycles (yes; 100 motorcycles) invaded 5 communities in Zamfara, killed about 50 while those under the control of a known Bandit, Turgi( one of Gumi’s friends) took at least 150 persons hostage within 24 hours in retaliation for the arrest or abduction of his father. Meanwhile, a band of 300 bandits, (three whole hundreds!!!) with scores of motorcycle, attacked a Sokoto community, killed soldiers and abducted residents. And while these were happening, the Nigerian army welcomed 28 BH/ISWAP fighters and their families and released 1009 repentant or Ex BH fighters to Borno State Government. What did they do to repentant or surrendered IPOBians? Did they even give them a chance to surrender? What did they do to Gana when he surrendered?

Gana, killed when he surrendered; Governor Maisari with armed and unrepentant terrorists & ‘repentant’ Bokoharamites having a jolly good life; Different strokes for different folks

Somebody with an infectious sense of ‘serious’ humour,  regretted that within 10 kms in,  or towards, the South East, there would be at least 20 security toll-gates but in the North, bandits would carry a human cargo of 100+ on motorcycles and drive for 100kms without seeing a single checkpoint. The other day, Mike Ozhekome shared his frustrating experience. ‘My journey from Isele-Mkpitime, Delta State through Asaba, Onitsha, Oba Orifite, Okija, Ihiala, Mgbidi, Awo-Omamn, Owerri, Aba to PH was a strangulating reminder that the Igbos, inspite of their unquantifiable  contributions to commerce, industry and innovations that drive the non-oil sector of the Nigerian Economy, and giving it oxygen, are nearly a conquered people. The checkpoints (Tollgates) along the above stretch of road are nauseating and asphyxiating, as the security agencies outdo each other to harass, torment, intimidate and extort money from travelers’. (Mike Ozekhome, SAN, 3/7/21). Well written but he missed one point. Igbos are not NEARLY a conquered people; they are a conquered people as shown by words, attitudes, behaviours and dispositions of PMB and his government towards us. And rather than telling us ‘whatever you see you take; you are a conquered people’, they continue to pretend otherwise. At a stage, it becomes impossible to harvest a woman’s ‘holy of holies’ in the presence of her child because the child has grown old enough to know whatsgwan. We are old enough to know what is happening!

 Recently, they have sprayed a little bit of their highhandedness on the entire South. Obinna Aligwekwe on 2/7/21 painted a coloured picture of the situation. ‘In South West, be in possession of AK-47 and DSS will come after you, invade your house at unholy hours and even bomb the house. In the NW possession of AK47 earns one a photo up with the Governor. Ask for self-determination in the South East and you are a terrorist while in the NW, place a BH flag in a whole town and they pay taxes and tithe to you. In the South-South, insist on controlling your resources and the full weight of the law( whatever that means) with serious warnings are your lots but in NW, discover  gold and it belongs to the state’. When Governor  Akeredolu asked blood-thirsty bandits to vacate the forest reserves in Ondo State, and when the Southern Governors banned open grazing, the Federal Government descended on them but just the other day, the Emir of Muri ordered all Fulani herders out of the forests in his domain or they would be killed.   The no-nonsense Emir warned: If we see any one of you after the expiration of this ultimatum, we will kill him… without asking him what  he came to do or where he comes from . One of the lone voices  still shouting in the wilderness analysed the situation thus:.‘Governor Akaredolu did not even say that herders, if they failed to vacate the forests would be killed. He only said that they would be arrested and prosecuted-according to the rule of law. Fast forward to the Emir of Muri’s 30 day quit notice to nomadic herdsmen occupying forests in his emirate. He told them to vacate or be killed by his own people. Leave or be murdered. That was the message he delivered on Sallah day and he was unapologetic about it. Till this moment, I am still combing frantically the social pages of Femi Adesina & Garba Shehu, looking for statements from them that will reprimand the Emir for his ‘call to anarchy’ in case the herders don’t heed his call. I am yet to read from the Abubakar Malami,  lecturing the emir on the illegality…(Political Class & Conspiracy of Silence Muiz Banire). Also recently, the Karaye Emirate suspended Abdullahi Sa’adu. the village head Butu- Butu in Rimingado LGA for selling land to Fulani migrants. I have not heard anything from Garba Shehu

 The other day, they visited Igboho ( because he has an ‘IGBO’  name) and left behind, their usual byproducts: STB (sorrow, tiers and blood). They even arrested his chief cat! 

Shehu Garba said they killed and maimed at IGBOho’s house because of the ‘shoot at sight order’ by the Commander in Chief. But Gumi, in alliance with DSS and even our governors, accompanied by security personnel, have caucused with gun-wielding bandits and even had photo-ups with them. As Engr Buba Galadima allegedly asked and as any rational thinking Nigerain would ask, ‘if we can pursue and repatriate Kanu back home from a foreign country; if we can stop igboho on his way to Germany and arrest him in Cotonou republic, why on earth can’t we arrest Kachalla Turji; Dogo ,Gide, Dankarami and other notable bandit leaders operating in Nigerian territory’?

As I was completing the first draft of this piece(26/7/21), three things happened.  Kanu was tried in absentia at Abuja. The security personnel did a show of force at the court premises, harassing journalists, lawyers and some youthful ‘guests’. Some suspected IPOB members tried to enforce stay at home in the East over the trial. When people are compelled to stay at home, they do so out of fear, not out of love and this does not help one’s cause. A good number of Igbo voices were there including Okwadike Ezeife, who appeared in person with his resplendent white beards; they were there willingly. That is how it should be.

Show of force at FHC, Abuja and  HE, Okwadike  Ezeife, who ‘appeared in person’

Secondly, two soldiers were kidnapped along Damaturu-Maiduguri road. I hope it was not orchestrated by Kanu, who was standing trial at that material time. Thirdly, the paramount ruler of Jeba people in Kaduna State, The Kpop Ham, Danladi Maude, was kidnapped by known or unknown bandits. Need I say more?

By the way, why has MNK not joined the APC so that  he would be hosted  by our vibrant President  at Aso Rock, after which all his sins will be automatically wiped  away? In this world?

 

- Ik Muo, PhD, Department of Business Administration, OOU, Ago-Iwoye 08033026625