Over-reliance on West not helpful

The recent terrorist attacks on France which killed 17 people prompted a unity march in Paris where 1.5 million people including 40 world leaders came together to protest against the act.

In that same week, 2,000 civilians in Nigeria, including children were reportedly massacred by the Islamist group, Boko Haram. The killings in Nigeria received very little media coverage and attention from leaders across the globe as compared to the France attack.

This got many people talking about how discriminatory the west had been towards Africans. People complained about the west not doing enough to help Africa, with specific reference to the Boko Haram attacks on Nigeria.

The question most people are asking is; are the 2,000 civilians any less human than the 17 people killed in France? Others are also asking if any world leader is planning a visit to Nigeria to embark on a similar march to protest the pain and anguish Boko Haram is unleashing on people.

As discriminatory as the West may be, what have the African leaders done to curb the situation so far? All we hear are solidarity messages and well wishes.

The African Union (AU), the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and other groups in Africa have not come up with any specific measures to contain the situation. It has been more lip service than action.

The latest news is that the African Union could ultimately BY RED ADBLOCKER" HREF="#">SEEK a UN mandate for a force to fight Boko Haram, but it will be months before the force is ready.

Meanwhile, hundreds of mothers whose daughters were abducted in the Chibok kidnapping continue to cry and grieve every passing day not knowing where their children are and the kind of treatment they are receiving. Others in different parts of Nigeria continue to endure sleepless nights because of fear of terrorist attacks.

Parents have stopped their children from attending school and the future of these children remains a mystery. How can we live with one another as Africans if we have become reluctant in dealing with our own issues and finding solutions to them?

The West will never champion the cause of Africans as we will do ourselves. Let us, as Africans not be over reliant on the West because they will always want to find a way to impose their beliefs and doctrines on Africa if we continue to give them reasons to think that we are vulnerable.

Within Nigeria itself, President Goodluck Jonathan appears inept to dealing with the Boko Haram menace. Months after the Chibok girls went missing, it took international child’s rights advocate, Malala, to literally force President Jonathan to meet the families of the abducted girls.

It is said by our elders that he who climbs the tree well, deserves a push. In our own small ways, we can strive to make an impact on the African continent. Let us build for ourselves the secure and prosperous Africa we wish to live in.