Nigeria is a country where the good, the bad and the ugly (with all apologies to the producers of the film with similar name) compete for the right of the first refusal to infamy, yet not a few of us are very infamous in the country, and the world as a whole.

Even the country itself does not escape this characterisation, no thanks to the activities of the ‘ugly’ among us.

But we will limit ourselves to discussing the brilliant Nigerians and the smart Nigerians. I do not believe anyone would think the two are the same. They are not. Of course, all brilliant people are smart, but not all smart people are brilliant. Some of them may think so, only to realise that they are so just by half, when they end in the hands of law enforcement agents in foreign lands.

The brilliant Nigerians are those whose contributions to the advancement of the world result in bringing positive image for the country.

Those who are smart, on the other hand, are the ones who often bring our country its negative image. The latter is the image most of the world identifies Nigeria with, which is very uncharitable, unfair and unnecessary for all patriotic compatriots.

Nigeria produces Philip Emeagwi, who invented the fastest supercomputer in the world, the late Professor Olukoye Ramsome-Kuti, a world renowned physicist and one time Minister of Health, Malam Jelani Aliyu, who designed the fastest selling Volt car for General Motors, Jay Jay Okocha, who made footballing waves in Europe and the current wave maker in the footballing world, Victor Osimhen of Napoli Football Club, Italy.

These Nigerians made every compatriot not only very proud, but always happy to be identified as Nigerians because of the feats they achieved in their respective fields, which is not what many of the so called smart compatriots did for the country.

While in some foreign lands, where they respect or even worship ‘creativity’, be it in sports, science, engineering, Information and Computer Technology, etc, just mention that you are a Nigerian, and you would be instantly liked, because of the Philip Emeagwis, the Aliyu Jelanis and Jay Jay Okochas of the country. They have made that possible, by displaying their ‘expertise’ in their respective areas.

But a visit to prisons or detention centres in many countries around the world would prove my point that Nigeria is also a country of ‘smart people. In those unenviable places, one could find many Nigerian criminals, who had thought that they were smart enough to get away with any crime. They forgot that they were not in Nigeria, where one could get away with anything, if there was the money to wrangle out of the crime, no matter how heinous.

But in more serious climes, they were shown to be only smart by half. They were easily exposed for what they were in reality; crooks to the core, who would have gotten away with their crimes but for the alertness of the foreign law officers. The foreign law enforcement officers, at the points of entry, are always on the lookout for Nigerians as they believe that most Nigerians are criminals who are likely to be in possession of banned substances.   

Then there are bandits, who now have the temerity to come on the social media, notably ‘Facebook’, and make allegations of the complicity of some high ups in the security architecture of the country, and other ‘important’ personalities in and outside the country. They keep on alleging that they are only used by some powerful people who benefit the most from their murderous activities.

In fact, in their wildest imaginations, illiterate and often drug minds, the bandits even believe that the government was supporting their activities with logistics and ‘victims’ at times.

They have become too sure of themselves, too arrogant and too boastful that they even appeared on the social media calling the names, and raining abuses on, the President of Nigeria, and the Governor of Katsina State. 

The President and the Governor of Katsina state are caught between the devil and the deep blue sea. Mr. President more so, though. The President, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, found himself in the situation of having to keep on looking over his shoulders at some powerful people in the polity, and at the same time look at the bandits with a view to crushing them for good.

The Governor, Dr. Dikko Umar Radda, PhD, CON, on the other hand, is the target of the bandits abuses because of the determination he has so far shown and continued showing to see to the end of banditry in his state. He has already created the Community Watch Corps to help checkmate the frequent activities of bandits in his state. The Governor even accused the Military of compromising the fight against the bandits, an allegation that pitched him in a war of words with the high command of the Military, which challenged him to substantiate his allegation.

The bandits are alleged to have some powerful Nigerians behind them, who are said to be immensely benefitting from the activities of the outlaws, hence their seeming ‘invincibility’ against the combined forces of the Nigerian Military and the Nigerian Police Force. The two forces can boast of more than one million people, with enough fire power to route most African countries in a few days.

But the ragtag bandits, who are untrained and uncultured, wielding only some sophisticated weapons, have always been having the last laugh on the combined fire power of the Nigerian forces. As often asked on these pages, ‘what magic wand do they wave in their ‘fight’ agains the Nigerian forces’? After years without being subdued, they still continue with their heinous activities in the north west seemingly unperturbed.

To think that the Minister of Defence, HE Mohammed Badaru Abubakar is a Northerner, the Junior Minister of Defence, Honourable Bello Mutawalle is a Northerner, the National Security Adviser, Malam Nuhu Ribadu is a Northerner, the Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Igwabin Musa is a Northerner, the immediate past Director General of the Department of State Security, Alhaji Yusuf Magaji Bichi is a Northerner and the immediate past Director General of the Nigerian Intelligence Agency, Ambassador Ahmed Abubakar is a Northerner. 

Some of the aforementioned leaders are from the states considered as the ‘hotbed’ of the activities of the bandits. The states are Zamfara, Katsina and Sokoto. But the activities of the bandits are more intense in the first two states.

It would appear that the difference between the bandits and some highly placed Nigerians is like the difference between half a dozen and six, going by the claims of some of the leaders of the bandits.

Our prayer to the almighty is that may He bring an everlasting peace to the country, and free it from the evil activities of terrorists, under whatever guise and wherever they may be.

Malam Malumfashi wrote Katsina.