"Religion is not driving extremist violence in either Jos or Northern Nigeria." Says Johnnie Carson

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Johnnie Carson

On Monday, April 9, The Centre for Strategic and International Studies in Washington DC, hosted an address by the Assistant Secretary of State for Africa, Mr Johnnie Carson, where he gave a presentation titled: "Nigeria, One Year After Elections", which was slated to coincide with the anniversary of the Nigerian 2011 general elections.
The one hour thirty minutes presentation, focused on challenges confronting Nigeria since the elections, and also offered a perspective on the complexity of US engagements with the country. But it seems that some remarks made in the presentation relating to the northern part of Nigeria and Boko Haram may have caused some controversy .
The speech has been branded by some groups as ill-informed and exceedingly insensitive, primarily due to him declining to designate Boko Haram a terrorist group, and stating that the crisis in Nigeria was not religious.

Carson discussed the scepticism that proceeded last years election. He said that " many said good elections could not be held." but in spite of that , “Nigerians had a different idea. They waited in line for hours. They stuck around after the polls closed to ensure that every ballot was counted. They monitored polling places and compilation centres by the thousands, and they sent text messages reporting any irregularities they observed.

The result was clear. "Nigeria had conducted its most successful and credible elections since its return to multiparty democracy in 1999. Despite obvious imperfections, these elections have given the country a solid foundation for strengthening its democratic institutions in the years ahead."

Carson noted that the elections were clearly another step forward in Nigeria’s continuing democratization process, but added that more still needed to be done to improve Nigeria’s electoral procedures and more importantly, to strengthen the country’s democratic institutions and governance. Having appraised the elections, he began an in-depth analysis of the prevailing socio-economic situation in the country, with specific focus on the North.

"Nigerians are hungry for progress and an improvement in their lives.", he said "but northern Nigerians feel this need most acutely, While life in Nigeria for many is tough, but across the North, life is grim."

Citing a UN study, Carson said: "Poverty in the 12 most northern states is nearly twice that of the rest of the country. The health indicators reflect this. Children in the far North are almost four times as likely to be malnourished. Child mortality is over 200 deaths per 1000 live births, leading to lower life expectancy.

"Educational standards are just as bad. Literacy in the far North is 35 per cent as opposed to 77 per cent in the rest of the country. Seventy-seven per cent of women in the far North have no formal education, compared to only 17 percent in the rest of the country. In northern Nigeria, primary school attendance is only 41 percent, while youth unemployment is extremely high. All of these contribute to joblessness and a deepening cycle of poverty."

While the statistics appeared disturbing, he said they were not the whole story. Quoting the Nigerian National Bureau of Statistics, he said while extreme poverty is estimated to be 10 per cent higher than in 2004, despite a decade in which the Nigerian economy expanded at a spectacular seven per cent per year, it was even worse in the North.

A central and contentious issue was the issues regarding the nations security,in which he noted that Boko Haram’s attacks on churches and mosques were particularly disturbing because they were intended to inflame religious tensions and upset the nation’s social cohesion. but somehow contradictory to that, he then said that "religion is not driving extremist violence in either Jos or Northern Nigeria." So one major question is, if its no a religious matter why are they targeting churches and attacking on dates important in the Christian calender ?

According to him, the violent sect had grown stronger and increasingly more sophisticated over the past three years, and eliminating it would require a broad-based strategy that employs the establishment of a comprehensive plan rather than the imposition of more martial law. he said "to fix the Boko Haram problem, the government would have to develop a new social compact with its northern citizens, develop an economic recovery strategy that complements its security strategy, draw on the support of northern governors, traditional Hausa and Fulani leaders and local officials and organizations, and consider creating a Ministry of Northern Affairs or a Northern development commission similar to what it did in response to the crises in the Niger Delta".

“Nigeria must be defined by its promise and its enormous potential, as well as the resourcefulness of its people,” he said, adding that "We all need to see a strong, vibrant, and growing Nigeria because what happens in Nigeria affects us all– the United States, Africa, and the global community."