By Kayode Emola
We all watched the fall of Afghanistan to the Taliban this week much to the dismay of everyone around the world and most importantly how the western media did not make a fuss about it. Afghanistan has been rated the number one most terrorised nation in the world according to the Global Terrorist Index (GTI) for more than 10 years in a row now. This with so many other factors culminated in the forceful chasing away of the Taliban 20 years ago in the hunt for Osama Bin Laden and his al qaeda network.
Did American and her allies overstay their welcome in Afghanistan is the question on many commentators lips. Why the sudden change in decision of the Americans to pull out of Afghanistan and the manner in which this policy was pursued. Perhaps I will take a little of your time today to make you understand some few things about geopolitics. The major factor that has culminated in what we see on our TV screens in the last few days as regards the pulling out of Afghanistan by the international forces can be attributed to money. The love of money the Bible say is the root of all evil, but was the case of America the love of money or the love of humanity?
When America and her allies went to Afghanistan, it was for one purpose only, capture Osama Bin Laden, no matter the cost, human or material. However, seeing the fire and fury with which America descended on Saddam Hussein in Iraq, the young Taliban government of the time fled their country including Osama Bin Laden. This caused a lot of problems for the Americans who had to spend over a decade chasing just one man and his network of terrorists and they had no choice than to try a different tactics. They thought in their heart, perhaps if we build the Afghan army, they may in turn be able to counter any future terror threat from that region. Your guess is as good as mine whether they managed to achieve this, although we could say the capture and elimination of Osama Bin Laden in 2014 gave them a little respite.
So let us analyse how the financial impact played a lot in this war on terror in Afghanistan. Remember that the British government prosecuted two world wars in the 20th century. Despite their victory against the Germans, the huge debt incurred from those two wars diminished the British status from a global power to a mere little England. The British government which had over 200gun boats entering into the 20th century lost over 130 of them during the second world war. This placed a huge financial pressure on them eventually causing Britain to lose nearly all their territories.
Learning from the British mistake, the America having spent over $1 trillion with nothing to show for it realised that having wasted personnel and money, it was time to cut their losses and run whilst they still can. Remember that so many empires had in the past tried to conquer Afghanistan with none of them ever succeeding. The recent humiliation of America makes it clear to all that no one can conquer a people except the people be willing to allow themselves be conquered. As much as America wants the world to believe they went into Afghanistan with their allies, the world very much knew America went in all by themselves forcing unsuspecting nations like Britain and other European countries which no longer have appetite for war to follow.
America alone spent over $1 trillion dollars and their closest ally Britain spent a paltry sum of £37bn thirty seven billion British pounds. If the US continued to stay in Afghanistan, the burden of war will overwhelm them and if care is not taken diminish their global status as the world police. This singular factor with the rise of China and the huge American debt growing past the roof with no sight of ever paying it off were the US calculations hence the need to run out of Afghanistan whilst they still can.
Many Yoruba people and other peoples of the world have begun to analyse the withdrawal of the US from Afghanistan and the wider implications for global terrorism especially as it relates to Nigeria. Nigeria is already trailing Iran as the third deadliest nation of the world on the global terror index. With the level of distress across the length and breadth of Nigeria today and more people being lost to terrorism in Nigeria than Iran which holds the second spot of GTI, there is genuine concern the same fate that has just befallen Afghanistan might be heading towards Nigeria.
Many of us will remember the words of Joe Biden after the fall of Afghanistan to the Taliban, “America will not stand up to fight for the Afghan people if they are not willing to fight for themselves”. That line alone will resonate in the minds of many people for many years to come. As different as it is to the J F Kennedy inaugural address in the 1960’s it is not dissimilar to the request by President Kennedy. Pres. Kennedy asked the Americans not to ask what America can do for them but what they can do for America.
Today, I will ask my Yoruba brothers and sisters the same question; as much as we fear the fate of Afghanistan befalling Nigeria, what can you do to salvage Yoruba land from this impending doom? How can you help our Yoruba people who are still sleeping comfortably see that we are in dire danger of extinction? Many Yoruba people do not know the present danger we are currently in. Many are oblivious to the fact that we live with the same people who have vowed for many generations to see that we are annihilated. We fail to recognise the urgency for which we must act so that we can make a head way for our future generations.
If not for anything, we are all aware that the “boat Nigeria” we all thought was taking us to the promised land capsized many years ago drowning over 100 million people in abject poverty. The economy is and can no longer be buoyant again to cater for the needs of our people. Every successive government in turn keep relying on foreign loans to run the budget of the country with this present government seeking to borrow another ₦4.8 trillion naira to shore up the 2022 budget.
It is known in history that you cannot borrow your way out of poverty or to wealth especially if the borrowing are merely to use for overheads and frivolous squandering. The Nigeria state has sold most of her critical assets and has no infrastructure to run the economy anymore. The government is now always looking for cynical means of raising funds to keep the country afloat including but not limited to always printing more money into circulation, reintroduction of toll fare on federal highways and other dubious schemes.
Whilst there may still be time for the redemption of the Yoruba nation, it will take concerted effort by everyone of us to work hard to see the nation of our dreams come into reality. We must realise by now that none but ourselves can free ourselves from the present shackles of bondage placed around our necks. We need to do this whilst we still have the sympathy of the world. As for the people who are going to be trapped in Afghanistan by the Taliban regime, we should continue to remember them in our prayers that one day, light will shine on them and good will overcome evil. The Yoruba people should now with one heart and one mind be ready to confront our fears and fight for the soul of our heartland before its too late. Long live the Yoruba nation of our dream.aaa
