Maybe the terrorists that trouble Nigeria and the rest of West Africa can be contained if Nigeria leads the revival of the Economic Community of West African States Monitoring Group, ECOMOG, that restored peace to Sierra Leone and Liberia between the 1980s and 1990s.
It will be in Nigeria’s enlightened best interest to combine its anti-terrorism efforts with those of other West African countries, gain their support and make a bigger bang for every buck spent on containing the internal and external terrorists who will then have no place to hide.
Recall that the frontline nations, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe and (faraway) Nigeria, provided haven, logistics support, and military training for the freedom fighters who took on South Africa’s apartheid regime.
If mere South African freedom fighters could overwhelm the apartheid system and Nelson Mandela could become South Africa’s President, a second ECOMOG Force sponsored by nations could dislodge terrorists from West Africa. A successful ECOMOG II operation will not only dislodge terrorists and terrorism, but it should also allow the economy to prosper and flourish.
It will keep the schools open and safe and defeat the retrogressive intention and philosophy of the terrorists and their sponsors to discourage the education of children and reduce the number of potential professionals who should contribute to the progress of the region.
