Nigerian Agency Under Fire after Christmas Day Bombing

Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport- picture courtesy of aschweigert from Flickr.com

The world stood in shock as news of Nigerian Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab's attempt to blow up a plane en route from Amsterdam to Detroit this past Christmas began to spread. As the United States and Dutch officials began to piece the puzzle together, one aspect particularly stood out- the fact that the would-be bomber's father had warned the Nigeria's National Intelligence Agency of his son's extremist views. Many in the country and out wonder how the agency chose to disregard this hefty piece of information from Abdulmutallab's own father, who is also one of Nigeria's most prosperous businessmen as well as a former minister in the government. This oversight has caused a great deal of Nigerians to lose their already faltering faith in their government as the true story behind Abdulmutallab starts to unravel. Click here to read the article.

This article posted by the New York Times brings to mind several questions- how the National Intelligence Agency could ignore a critical warning from a rather important figure, whether the oversight reflects the ineptitude of similar agencies and bureaucracies and how this will affect the way Nigerians view their government. The last question seems to be the most important, as it relates to citizens' belief in the legitimacy of their governing system. Although Nigeria is a blossoming democracy, many problems, such as the corruption present at both state and local levels, threaten to hinder Nigerians' faith in their government. In addition to the unsure fate of their ill leader and ever-present ethnic clashes, the last thing Nigerians need to worry about is whether other countries view their country as dangerous. As the article states, "Nigerians, sensitive about a host of stains on their image abroad, including corruption and religious violence, are angered that terrorism has now been added to the list." Therefore, this article provides us with a clear example of just how important citizens' assurance in the legitimacy of their government is.

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