Fellow Nigerians, let me confess that what I
did on Wednesday, March 2, 2022, was
nothing short of a commando operation. In
planning and execution, it was daring, bold
and brave. I had to keep my visit to Kaduna
to meet with the irrepressible Sheikh Gumi
close to my chest. Even my closest aides did
not know what I was up to. My wife was kept
totally in the dark because I knew she would
be scared for a variety of reasons, chief of all,
being my welfare and security.
Only a couple of my closest confidants knew
what I was up to, and they fully agreed in the
need to shroud my movement in absolute
secrecy. Uncharacteristically, I did not utilise
my aides in sorting out the logistic demanded
by such a high-profile trip. I was not going to
be dissuaded or discouraged from doing
something which I believe needs to be done
by any leader worth his salt, which is
dialoguing with those that can majorly affect
the unity and security architecture and fabric
of our dear country.
So, it was like taking a kamikaze plunge as I
headed to Kaduna, almost incognito, to keep
an appointment with the one and only Sheikh
Gumi. Depending on which side of the divide
you belong, the name of Sheikh Gumi instantly
conjures up different images of a pious and
devout Muslim, almost Angelic in appearance
or that of an oversized monstrosity who
seems to have access to the most dreaded
bandits who have been terrorizing many parts
of Nigeria, and worse still seems to enjoy
their confidence. He has been described as
their spokesman and treasurer. However, his
defenders see him as a simple patriotic man
who is ready to risk his life to find a lasting
solution to the grave problem of insecurity in
our country and is thus prepared to dine with
the bandits for this purpose.
My view is that, say what you will, Sheikh
Gumi is a man who deserves to be engaged
by our government and security forces. His
knowledge of those that are causing the grave
security meltdown that we are currently
experiencing in the country and their
unqualified acceptance of him makes him a
veritable treasure in the fight against the toxic
insecurity and the divisiveness that is eating
into our diverse nations and its peoples. His
uncommon confidence and courage have both
attracted him to me, even before we met for
the first time.
I was not just curious to know what propels
him, but also interested in knowing how he
has been able to achieve what this
Government has strived to achieve in almost
seven years with limited or no success
depending on your viewpoint. How did he
manage to win the confidence and friendship
of those tormentors of Nigerians, strong men
who are able to trek thousands of kilometres
to wreak havoc and vanish into thin air within
a twinkle of an eye? I had many questions
begging for answers. I was determined to get
some answers to some of my questions
because I am of the firm belief that no matter
where I find myself, those answers may well
help in shaping the course of our country and
I can be one of the catalysts for bringing it
about.
I have been deeply concerned about the
widespread fear and dread of wanton killings,
rape, kidnappings and unending destruction of
lives and property in Nigeria. No part of our
nation has been spared the pillaging, maiming,
murder and denudation that has accompanied
or trailed the bandits and herdsmen. Indeed,
one of the main reasons some of us
supported the return of Major General
Muhammadu Buhari to power in 2015, was
the assumption that he would be able to tackle
the catastrophic problems of insecurity head-
on because of his military antecedents and
past role as a much feared and respected
military dictator. Seven years on, he has not
yet succeeded. For a man well trained in the
art and science of military tactic,
manoeuvrings and war, his failure should
worry us all. His failure is a failure of all of us
because we clearly made a wrong choice and
having done so have failed to support him or
push him in the right direction to take the
proper decisions and make the necessary
sacrifices.
As we crawl towards the next general
elections in 2023, I felt we need to seize the
bull by the horns and search for the root
cause of this dangerous situation, that we are
now confronted with in our country. How can
any government succeed when it is unwilling
to engage anyone in dialogue? Despite the
trillions of Naira thrown into fighting this war
of attrition, not much has changed. War is
never a tea party. Dialogue is to be preferred
to war at any time because it saves lives and
property. Nobody has ever been able to
predict the outcome of any skirmish, let alone
a battle or war.
Even those with superior weaponry, science
and technology now understand that war is an
imprecise science that follows not the dictates
or plans of man. Ask the Russians in the
unfolding tableau that the world is being
forced to partake of. Even if battles are won,
the war is never over. Guerrilla warfare
becomes the order of the day. Vigilantes and
freedom fighters appear as far as those on the
defensive are concerned and the more you
push them underground, the more lethal they
become as we have now found to our huge
chagrin. I have decided to assign myself this
task of information gathering and peace-
seeking by reaching out to the dramatis
personae in this orgiastic theatre of the
absurd.
Apart from banditry, we have those ethnic
groups seeking to break away from Nigeria
due to a serious feeling of rejection,
marginalisation and exploitation by one
overhyped group, especially in the South East
and the South West. For a country that
survived a civil war about 50 years ago, it is
sad and distressing that we want to risk a
second civil war which experts have warned
against. No country can survive two internal
conflagrations that pits brother against brother
as we all are in Nigeria. I am of the firm
opinion that we remain better off as one
indivisible entity. Our problems stem not from
our grundnorm, constitution or institutions, but
from the players in our polity who have
ascribed to themselves the status of deities
when they are fallible, weak and actually
pitiable. It is us as a people that give them
whatever strength we perceive them to have
because they are a tiny minority, a miniscule
element that have us at the jugular merely
because we succumb to their crass bullying.
On my part, I feel the need to proceed in
search of peace and hopefully meet and
speak to those who can help me give meaning
to our variant of madness without methods. I
believe I have been given the opportunity to
do this because I have no alignments and I
am a liberal minded person who does not
judge without listening to the other side. I
believe in fairness and equity. The lawyers
always talk about a right of fair hearing, and I
am a devout advocate of this. As a
responsible journalist, I must ensure the
people hear and see both sides and then
make up their minds. In something as volatile
as the security and well-being of our nation, it
is imperative that we must find ways of
making peace and the first way is by listening
to the other side.
Some of my meetings would have to be
clandestine. I knew that I would have to cross
borders into certain territories and do what
needs to be done and return to compile my
findings in readiness for what God might do
for us soon. While most politicians are only
concerned with preparing their war chess for
the next rounds of elections, a few of us
should be thinking of the next generation. It is
for them we aspire to lead because the future
is theirs and not ours. Our present crop of
politicians are yet to grasp this fundamental
principle. I have succeeded to some extent in
reaching out to some very influential people,
some of my findings cannot be made public
yet due to certain circumstances. But I’m
greatly enriched by the knowledge I acquire on
my travels. Doing this has been an enriching
and ennobling personal experience as well.
My meeting with Sheikh Gumi had to be made
public because of the volatility, controversy
and sensitivity that his name attracts. I’m glad
he raised no objection whatsoever to this
happening. I had called him late last week and
left a message for him. He called back and
apologised for not getting him on the phone
when I had called earlier. I told him my
mission, that I would love to meet him last
Wednesday. He said Tuesday would have
been better for him as he wanted to go
somewhere but agreed to stay back for me.
My next move was how to get a flight to
Kaduna. I was shocked to discover that only
two airlines fly to Kaduna daily from Lagos,
Air Peace and Azman, both in the morning,
with their returns also before 12 noon. I had
to arrange heavy security based on what I had
read and heard. According to reports, Kaduna,
one of my favourite cities in Northern Nigeria
has fallen on bad times despite the efforts of
its energetic Governor, Nasir El Rufai. As soon
as we landed, I could feel the tension in the
air. Our drive into town wasn’t the usual
bubbly affair. Fuel scarcity was palpably
causing its own mayhem. We eventually
meandered our way to Sheikh Gumi’s house.
Only one young man at his main gate who
swung the gate wide open and led us to the
rear building. A fire incident had occurred only
last week in the front wing. I empathised and
offered my sympathies.
Sheikh Gumi was all dressed waiting for me.
He looked very handsome, certainly better
than in the previous pictures of him I had
seen. He is obviously highly charismatic and
cosmopolitan. We hugged, backslapped like
old buddies although we were meeting for the
first time. This immediately calmed any
tension and nerves there might have been
between us. My sense of unease disappeared.
I was made to feel at home, and I felt at
home. Wow, it was such a delight to meet
him. He disarmed me with his warmth and
simplicity and his frankness. We got on so
well. He spoke with so much candour in
impeccable English. He did not mince words.
For him, the Buhari government did not trust,
or want, anyone to assist in finding solutions.
There was definitely an agenda. Some people
were also milking the security budgets, which
according to him is mainly in cash and
unaudited. He is of the opinion that career
politicians can never change Nigeria. He gave
me fresh insight into the mindset of the
herdsmen and why they are so cantankerous.
He likened them to the aggression of Russia
against Ukraine.
He said while the world sees what Russia is
doing as illegal, Russia feels otherwise by
seeing it as self-defence and self-
preservation. We touched on the leadership
crisis in Nigeria, corruption, nepotism and so
on. He concluded that Nigeria deserves fresh
leaders who would not be bogged down and
encumbered by the ghosts of their past
misdeeds. Those fighting for emancipation in
the various parts of Nigeria simply do not
trust the current crop of politicians because
they have been betrayed time and again.
Nothing that they have done so far engenders
in them any faith or trust that they are capable
of changing, hence the conundrum and
quagmire that the nation is presently
presented with.
Sheikh Gumi was such a good host, and we
could have talked well into the night and the
next day. However, I needed to rush back to
the airport, and he saw me off to my car and
he said goodbye. I was happy to establish that
first contact in an atmosphere of camaraderie.
I look forward to further tapping into his
wealth of experience in the near future. In the
fullness of time, I will publicise fuller details
of our discussions. This is not the most
appropriate forum anyway. Suffice to say, I
met a man determined to work for the security
and unity of this nation when he sees the
same interest, seriousness and desire
displayed by those who lead us.
I firmly believe that this kind of approach and
rapprochement that I am pursuing is the way
forward for a secure and united Nigeria. We
must continue to believe in our country and
our fellow countrymen no matter where they
may come from and their antecedents. With
the right attitude to discussions and peace we
will achieve the elusive trust, peace and unity
that we so earnestly yearn for.




Source:https://www.thisdaylive.com/index.php/2022/03/05/my-encounter-with-sheikh-gumi-in-kaduna/
Lalasticlala Mynd44

Epistle!

Ok

Hermzou:





Source:https://www.thisdaylive.com/index.php/2022/03/05/my-encounter-with-sheikh-gumi-in-kaduna/
Lalasticlala Mynd44

Only in Nigeria will a known collaborator of terrorists be so celebrated! Haba

Dele, we thank God for your survival.

Will the innocents souls wasted by those blood vermins agree wit ds Image laundering, Gumi he is a terrorist sympathizer

Who is bankrolling u

If not that Dele Momodu is a journalist the curse I would place on you no hypo would be able to clean it