₦airaland Forum

It brings us great joy to celebrate with Cpt. Hosa Okunbo on the special occasion of his birthday.

Your visionary leadership and unwavering passion for development in Edo State and Nigeria at large is an inspiration to us all.

May your years ahead be filled with good health, success and happiness. Happy Birthday Sir.

Prince Emmanuel Odigie

Group commences 21 days inter-Faith prayers for Nigeria, Buhari to overcome insecurity, destabilization in 2021.




The National Interfaith and Religious Organizations for Peace, NIFROP has commenced a 21 days prayer and fasting session against agents of destabilization and improved security in Nigeria. 


The session which is also aimed at ensuring the success of the Muhammadu Buhari led administration kicked off at the Unity Fountain,Abuja with over 500 clerics in attendance. 


The Grand Patron of NIFRPP, Archbishop Dr Julius Idiwe in his message at the prayer session said there is urgent need to pray and fast so that Nigeria can overcome the demonic spirits fighting against the peace and progress of the country. 


He said, "I am glad to stand before you wonderful people under the Unity Church, and Unity Masjid committed to intercede for Nigeria through our numerous programmes over the years. 


"The year 2020 indeed came with its attendant challenges. We are glad that God indeed proved Himself faithful to us through our numerous interventions, and today Nigeria remains a strong and indivisible entity. 


"We are also grateful to God that God saw us through despite the challenges the country faced in 2020. It is indeed the mercy of God and the pure heart that the President is using to pilot the nation's affairs that saw us through the turbulence in the year 2020. 


"My brothers and sisters, the bible in the book of 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 tells us to Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, and give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for us. 


"This 21- Days Inter-Faith Intercessory Prayers for the Nation and President Muhammadu Buhari in overcoming the demonic spirits fighting against the country and her people is a fulfilment of a divine mandate given by God almighty to us members of the Unity Church and Unity Masjid to continue to intercede for the country and President Muhammadu Buhari. 


"For we are all aware that we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but principalities and powers in high places. We are aware of this much and why we have convoked this unique programme to usher Nigeria into a new phase of greater glory in the year 2021.  


"My brothers and sisters, this programme is indeed necessary for the battle for our dear country's soul, for we know that the gang up against our country and the President is fierce. But if God is for us, who can be against us? No one. 

In the course of the 21 days programme, we shall commit President Muhammadu Buhari to God in prayers for he is indeed a good man whose heart is filled with compassion for the ordinary Nigerians on the street across the country"he said


Archbishop Idiwe said God indeed knows the heart and intents of President Muhammadu Buhari towards the socio-economic upliftment of Nigeria and as such God shall continue to protect and preserve him from the plans of all those that have conspired to discredit his lofty ideals for Nigeria. 


"My brothers and sisters, as we commence this special session for Nigeria, we shall begin to see the manifestation of the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living as all those in high and mighty places that have vowed to disrupt the peace and tranquillity in Nigeria shall be exposed and disgraced in Jesus Name. 


"We must not relent in this task before us in the New Year, for we know that the evil forces against President Muhammadu Buhari and Nigeria would be ferocious in their attacks in 2021. But I tell you all under the sound of my voice that the wrath of God shall visit them in truckloads in ways too numerous to mention. 


"This is indeed the day that Lord has made and we must rejoice and be glad in it. This is also the year of redemption for Nigeria and Nigerians. The year 2021 shall be to Nigeria the year of abundance, peace and sustainable development. 


"My brothers and sisters, I want to inform you all that what God has in stock for Nigeria in the year 2021 shall leave the world stunned. Nigeria shall be a force to reckon with in all aspects of life. 


"The world shall indeed be baffled on how Nigeria can overcome the activities of bandits and their sponsors. Like a pack of cards, they shall crumble in shame and into the bottomless pit of eternal disgrace. 


"My brothers and sisters, we must acknowledge the place of prayers in all our endeavours. We shall pray just like Paul and Silas, and suddenly there was a great earthquake so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed"Idiwe said


He added that at the end of the programme, all the bands that have held Nigeria back shall be loosened, and Nigeria shall enter into a realm of exceeding grace and abundance. The sponsors of acts of violence in the country shall bury their heads in shame. The foreign conspirators plotting to destabilize Nigeria shall lose focus and confusion shall be their lot. They shall see with their eyes the reward for all the evil they have planned against Nigeria. 

I beseech us as lovers of God and Nigeria; I prophesy that Nigeria shall overcome its security challenges. I prophesy that the year 2021 shall be the year where the Boko Haram insurgency shall come to an end. 


"My brothers and sisters, God works in mysterious ways. And I prophesy that all the commanders of the Boko Haram terrorist group shall be delivered to the Nigerian Military in absolute surrender. I assure you all that God shall send confusion into the midst of the remnants of Boko Haram and their defeat shall be astounding. 


"The year 2021 is indeed the year of vengeance for all those against the interest of Nigeria. The book of Ezekiel 25; 17 tells us that “I will execute great vengeance on them with wrathful rebukes. Then they will know that I am the Lord when I lay my vengeance upon them."


"Through our prayers, we shall be calling on God to defeat all Nigeria's enemies, including their collaborators within and outside the country and even those pretending to be friends of the President. Anyone who plans evil for Nigeria shall die in 2021.


"My brothers and sisters, we must also use this occasion to appreciate President Muhammadu Buhari, who is indeed a friend of the church. He has displayed this much in his actions and inactions. For President Muhammadu Buhari, he belongs to all Nigerians regardless of religious or ethnic affiliations. President Muhammadu Buhari is a lover of all and a leader that governs with the fear of God. 


"It is our firm belief that with President Muhammadu Buhari at the helm of affairs in Nigeria, in the year 2021, we shall have a reason to sing halleluiah to the Most High God. We shall dance and sing for the wondrous things in stock for Nigeria in 2021. 


"Therefore, I call on all Christians and Muslims across the country to stand up in unity against the agents and forces against the country and for God to deliver a resounding defeat to them and their sponsors"he said


 Sheik Ahmed Hassan in his own message said the love of Nigerians for President Muhammadu Buhari also knows no bound because he is an upright man filled with the fear of Allah (SWT) in all his doings as President of the country.  


"His good deeds shall not go unrewarded by Allah (SWT), "he said


"In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful, Allah the Generous, in His infinite mercy, will multiply the good deeds of His righteous servants up to seven hundred times as much or even more.


"Verily, Allah has recorded good and bad deeds, and He made them clear. Whoever intends to perform a good deed but does not do it, then Allah will record it as a complete good deed. If he intends to do it and does so, then Allah the Exalted will record it as ten good deeds up to seven hundred times as much or even more. If he intends to do a bad deed and does not do it, then Allah will record for him one complete good deed. 

We ought to take advantage of Allah’s mercy in this regard by performing many good deeds. Even good deeds we might see as ordinary, such as sending blessings upon the Prophet or giving the Islamic greeting, praying and interceding for humanity, can be multiplied ten times. 


"My beloved, Allah in His infinite mercies shall record our prayers for Nigeria, and President Muhammadu Buhari as complete good deeds and Allah blessings shall abide with us as we embark on 21 days of prayers and fasting for Nigeria and all the evil forces against President Muhammadu Buhari as he pilots the affairs of the country. The forces of darkness against Nigeria in 2020 were disappointed that Allah kept Nigeria united despite their evil plots. 


"I commend us all for this tremendous sacrifice over the years that have yielded great results to the chagrin of all of those that wants Nigeria to disintegrate. Indeed the prayers of Muslims and Christians who have refused to sell their souls to the devil have continued to keep the country in unity and prosperity over the years.  


"My beloved, we must continue to pray for Nigeria and President Muhammadu Buhari in the year 2021. We must pray against those individuals and groups that have been sponsoring acts of violence in the country. This much they did in 2020 without success, and the year 2021 shall be the year where they will meet their waterloo. May Allah (SWT) bring shame and reproach to those that plan evil against President Muhammadu Buhari. 


"Allah, Almighty and Glorious, said: ‘When the one who has known Me disobeys Me, I will set up, as an absolute master over him, the one who has not known Me. 


"My beloved this is indeed the time for us to pray fervently for our dear country to usher in the year 2021. I tell you all today that at the end of this programme, Nigeria shall indeed experience the mercies of Allah (SWT) that would bring about an astounding regime of greatness in all spheres of our endeavors. 


"I tell you all today that in the year 2021, Nigeria shall defeat terrorism. The terrorist and their sponsors shall be exposed and put to shame. Nigeria shall experience peace and sustainable growth and development" he said

The Media aide to Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, Tunde Rahman has debunked a social media report that the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress(APC) has tested positive to COVID-19 and flown to France for treatment.

See His Rebuttal:

” That’s a lie from the pit of hell. Asiwaju is very okay. He is very fine and not sick. He does not have COVID-19. If you must know, we have done COVID-19 test 15 times, each time he felt we had travelled and mingled with many people and could be vulnerable even though he always wore his face mask, but he has been certified negative 15 times. Yes he is abroad. Not in France, but in London resting. So you can see the falsity in that information you talked about”.

By: Olumuyiwa Jimoh

At this time in our history and the trajectory which various forces are pulling and shaping our nation; lucidity and clarity of thoughts are required to be brought on the factors that we believe are necessary to turn the fortunes of this nation around. Making sense of the complex occurrences and events concurrently pervading our land has become very crucial for the survival and progress of our nation.


It is also important that within the context of the massive, extended and deepening cleavages creating newer challenges and exacerbating the various divides within the nation that the need to search for urgent but workable solutions to exit our nation from tohe developmental morass which it has found itself. Time to reasonably and objectively confront these hydra-headed challenges confronting our nation is now and it can only be done by men and women who would not allow the emotive forces of primordiality distort their understanding of the issues and the proffered solution choices.


Leadership and leadership recruitment processes remains the key to driving the nation out of underdevelopment. Many other nations of the world do have natural disasters and other negative natural occurrences as major obstacles to national development but what we have in Nigeria is the leadership conundrum. This has had a vice like stranglehold upon our nation suppressing its potentials and holding down most of its levers from achieving the critical mass needed to kick start national development.

Our major inability as a nation and as a people to throw off these shackles can only be explained by the fact that we have not been very objective in allowing our leadership recruitment processes the transparency that it needs to produce leaders that are selfless and with the necessary patriotic zeal to lead our nation to achieve its full potentials. We have allowed our emotions driven by ethnicity, religion and clannishness to drive our processes which eventually have all continued producing less than optimal outcomes for our nation.


The development of our nation is therefore a function of the nature and character of its prevailing leadership. Once we are able to get the leadership question and its various processes right, we would largely be in position as a nation to make progress. How can we get it right when almost all of the time, we have kept on throwing up our second eleven instead of producing our best to lead us? How can we peoduce our best when we allow primordial sentiments to drive our choices of leadership so, we kept on putting men and women who do not possess the right capacities and capabilities to lead us out of the woods?


Nigeria since independence has not been able to produce the best kind of leadership that it has the potentials for and this has been its major bane of development. Our choices are mainly ethnic in character and behaviour. This most of the time has produced nepotistic results such as policies and programmes that are inefficient thus incapable in the long run of crystallising development. We cannot continue doing the same thing over and over and expect to get a different result – the saying is that it is only a madman that has such warped expectations.


Leadership at the federal level is very critical for progress and sustainability in a nation like ours. Nigeria runs if not the most but one of the most centralised federal structure of governance in the world currently. It is also important to contextualise this within the understanding of our diverse and multi-ethnic nature with nearly 400 different language groups. We therefore need leaders who understand the implications of this for national cohesion and growth. The challenge then is how do we throw up such individuals within this diversity since politicians would likely negotiate political powers through its prisms?


This explains why some people believe that the character of leadership prevailing in any nation is largely a reflection of the society. It is a indeed a reflection of the choices that we make and truly a reflection of our collective failures or successes in our different persuasions. There is an urgency for us as a nation to build better understanding of how these things work, how nations grow and how nations die. Leadership is capable of causing a nation to go either way – retrogress or develop.


Mao Tse Tsung transformed China! Lee Kwan Yu changed Singapore! Nelson Mandela stabilised his nation – South Africa! Very close to us here in West Africa was the example of Jerry Rawlings in Ghana who ought not to be celebrated because he ran a military government but he changed his nation! They had the right vision and the commensurate energy to drive their pictures of their nation. They also had the capacity to paint these pictures for the citizens to see clearly and be able to follow creating a seamless interface between the leadership and the followers. This created the necessary critical mass internally activating and unleashing citizen’s power for the development of their nation.


One of the basic attributes of a great leader is his ability to vision and paint vivid pictures of abstract realities for his followers to grasp and hold on to. It is his ability to provide solutions in very difficult situations and to make seriously complex situation look so simple that its dynamics are understood even by the lowliest of his followers. Such great leaders have uncanny ability to mobilise and galvanise others consistently towards constructively engaging the challenges and opportunities existing within their leadership matrix. This is the kind of leadership that would make the required difference for our nation and that is what we must collectively pursue as we endure and move towards the general elections of 2023.


Why have we chosen to talk about leadership at this time? We believe that it is important that we begin to proffer solutions to the current challenges confronting us which are getting more complex by the day and if not addressed may lead our nation hopelessly into despair. We cannot close our ears to the strident voices of secession and disintegration being raised in all parts of the nation. The calls have become worrying and raise an ugly sceptre for the survival of our nation into the near future and as patriotic citizens; it becomes our duty to seek an understanding and attempt at finding solutions to protect our nation from the forces trying to tear it apart.


We strongly believe that at the heart of these clamour for separation lies citizenship dissatisfaction thus leading to their seeming disavowal of their loyalty to our nation Nigeria. When a people continues to be surrounded by years of abject neglect and abandonment by the nation, they begin to withdraw their allegiance to that nation. This is simply very psychological and easy to understand. Anything that happens to us at every given point in time has the capacity to either elicit commitment or cause a withdrawal. Positive experiences elicit commitment while negative experiences causes withdrawal. This largely explains why our nation is being pulled apart because the people have been going through very bad experiences all these years. This is the failure of leadership!


Our wish is that the present powers occupying the various corridors of power understand this and the urgency for action that it heralds. A deep appreciation of the role they need to play in driving our nation out of its present predicaments will be a good beginning. Beyond that, crafting the right policies, programmes and actions becomes the next most logical thing to be done but this unfortunately is founded on their quality to envision and act appropriately with the required passion and vigour.


It is clear that there may be something wrong with the nation’s governance at the federal level that needs to be done differently. It is true that our nation has never been this divided and that we have not experienced this level of rancorous clamour in our history as an independent nation. What is more worrying is that the events that led to the unfortunate three years civil war in Nigeria seem to have become child’s play to what currently goes on in our nation which has been defending itself from various wars of attrition by Boko Haram forces and other Militias and bandits that have found serious grip on our nation.


We have not lost hope with the government at the federal level but it seems as if there are forces that presently have some kind of vicious grip of it thus have not allowed it to prosecute most of its noble ideals and deliver benefits to the citizens. Are we giving up on it? No but we have to learn from its strengths and shortcomings as we march into 2023 so that a national consensus is built around those things that will move us forward rather than pleading to the old primordial demons that have held us down all these years continually and perpetually repeating our mistakes and errors.


Having identified leadership as our bane in our quest for national development and having identified our retrogressive romance with the wrong attitude towards leadership recruitment driven by clannishness as the genie producing wrong leaders especially at the national level, it becomes important that as a nation desirous of getting it right, we must do away with all these pleadings to ethnic and primordial sentiments in our leadership recruitment processes. This is the time to change our thinking. This is the time to act differently and this is the time to allow our nation experience its best at this point in time. This is the time for men with the right qualities and capacities to serve and weld our nation into a cohesive whole to emerge. The work must begin now!


It is this sense of duty and civic responsibility that drives our commitment to sound the alarm that it will not pay Nigeria and indeed Nigerians to at this time insist that as power shifts back to the South in 2023, it should not go to particular section of the South believing that it has had its turn in power but we should allow the whole South to be the constituency for that candidate to emerge. It is by having an expanded south that we can have the opportunity of choosing the right person for the job at this time. Our nation remains at crossroads and it can only take men and women of uncommon vision and will to propel us forward and that choice to us is easily available to us right now as a nation. What is needed are the ones capable of playing at the centre stage and capable of leading nationally.


It was the same pandering that denied this nation the services of the great nationalists like the revered Pa Awolowo the patriarch of South West politics. Imagine what would have happened to our nation if he had served as the President of the federation. It was this same pleadings that made it difficult for Dr. Azikiwe to ascend the throne of the highest office in the land. Imagine what would have happened if he had served in that capacity as the President of the federal republic. Ahmadu Bello decided that it was better that he served in the North than at the centre sending his protégé Dr. Abubakar Tafawa Balewa. This also denied Nigeria the governance savvy of the Sarduana at that particular point in time. We can then begin to imagine what would have been possible if we had a system that throws up our best at all times devoid of the individual’s ethnic presentations and religious beliefs.


We have kept on walking the same path that has kept yielding less than optimal result and we are about to make the same mistake again in 2023 from every indication. We posit that the time has come for us to begin to gradually withdraw from this primordial persuasions as the foundation for our negotiating political power. Where to begin is now that Power is shifting back to the South. The leaders of the South must provide leadership to the rest of the country by insisting that the whole of the South will constitute a single constituency in choosing and presenting a southern candidate for the 2023 general election.


It is unimaginable that we would at this time deny our nation the services of our great son, visionary leader and one of thte most impactful leader of our present generation. He is our Awolowo, Zik and indeed Ahmadu Bello of this generation. A man who has single-handedly stood his grounds against the onslaught of the destructive powers then resident in the PDP and like a hurricane – Phoenix-like with other great leaders risen in defence of our fatherland to craft the greatest progressive and people-based revolution of the Ballot box in the 2015 elections that ushered the APC into Power at the federal level.


Bola Ahmed Tinubu is a quintessential politician who has continued to demonstrate the required vision for the nation both in his utterances and his actions. He has calmed many storms that threatened our nation since 2015 while riding the crest of many to pursue the interest of our great nation transcending the mundane and becoming nearly ecclesiastical in pursuing national assignments. At this time of great distress, the Jagaban Borgu is what we need.

In Bola Tinubu, Nigeria has fortunately found a man with the qualities of a great leader who has continuously demonstrated both in words and indeed that he will be the man to deliver this nation from the clutches of backwardness and poverty. A man who has remained unwavering in protecting the interest of the downtrodden and the working masses of this nation is exactly what we need going into 2023. A man who turned Lagos from being a slum to becoming the renewed and great city which it has become today cannot but be a great leader. We believe he can replicate this at the national level.


When you understand some of the fundamental attributes of a great leader which we have mentioned, you cannot but be propelled into a discussion of the leadership enigma which the Asiwaju – Bola Ahmed Tinubu has come to represent within the nation’s polity. We have written so much about this personality and are not tired of writing about him because he keeps metamorphosing and consolidating his ideas and basic life philosophies generating new and exciting positions continuously that have not only kept the polity re-inventing itself but creating solutions proactively to interrogate governance issues within the nation’s socio-economic framework.


It is important that at this critical juncture in our quest for national development that we enthrone frameworks that would allow us to put our best foot forward by fielding our first eleven especially as we seek to solve our leadership question at the national level. Tinubu remains to our minds the best possible choice available to us a nation given his qualities as a unifier and a deep networker who is willing at all time to let the nation win instead of pursuing personal goals.


Tinubu stands out amongst the pack to the extent that if the nation fails to have him as a leader in 2023, we would have suffered a great loss but having him is a great gain for our nation and will assuredly set this nation on the path for national development.

Time without number, he has shown clearly that he is willing to spend and be spent for the cause of this nation. He has also demonstrated that he is not just a bridge builder but a bridge. He is always willing to lay himself on the line for others to use him as a stepping stone to their successes never – minding the insinuations that he is a weakling that can be shoved aside easily. In him, we see those qualities that are necessary for building nations especially the ones at crossroads like ours.


2023 beckons! Tinubu is our best foot forward. Let us put it! Allowing the puerile and self-serving argument of turn by turn politics at this time will take us further backwards! May we make the right choice for 2023 and may we allow the best to come forward! It is time to stop the step backwards. Nigeria must make progress!

The North is comfortable with him, The West is in bed with him. The South-South honours him while the East partners with him. A man that is comfortable working with the entire geo-political zones in the country cannot but be the best thing that happens to us at this time when mutual suspicion and distrusts amongst the ethnic nationalities have become deepened. We need him to heal our wounds and heal our nation. We can do it and he will deliver!

–– Jimoh is a member Lagos State House of Assembly Representing Apapa Constituency II.

*We‘ll shame, disgrace terrorists in 2021 – Buratai*

The Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai, says the Nigerian Army will shame and disgrace the Boko Haram and the Islamic States for West African Province (ISWAP) terrorists in 2021.

Buratai gave the assurance at a sit-out night to usher in the 2021 New Year at the TY Buratai Institute for War and Peace in Biu Local Government Area of Borno.

He said the troops of Nigerian Army had done a lot in the fight against insurgency in the North East and banditry in the Northwest in 2020, adding that they were committed to decisively deal with all forms of insecurity in the country.

Buratai urged the troops to dedicate themselves to the task of eradicating terrorism by maintaining the tempo in 2021 with more determination and action to end the insurgency in the country.

He also advised the troops to work with more discipline, commitment and courage, adding that the military had the responsibility to solve the nation’s problem of insecurity.

According to him, they must work extra hard to win the confidence of Nigerians. The nation trusted and believed in us to deal with the security challenges, – issues of insurgency, terrorism, kidnapping, banditry and other forms of insecurity. We must not fail, we should see it as a challenge and a task that must be done to resolve it once and for all.

“I am very optimistic that 2021 will be different, totally different from a remarkable difference from 2020.

“I want you to see it as a challenge and a task that must be done because we are the one that can do it because Nigerians believe in us and believe that we can do it.

“You should go into the year with full conviction that we can do better to address the insecurity in our country,” he said.
Buratai also promised that officers and men of the Nigerian army would enjoy a lot of welfare packages in 2021.

He commended President Muhammadu Buhari for his support and confidence in the Nigerian army during the preceding years.

The National Inter-Faith and Religious Organisation for Peace (NIFROP) has declared 21-day intercessory prayers for Nigeria to usher in the new year. 

The inter-faith group, in a statement signed by its grand patron, Archbishop Julius Ediwe, on Thursday, said the spiritual exercise is themed, " 2021: Our Year of Overcoming Agents of Destabilization, Coup Plotters and Blood Sucking Demons working against President Muhammadu Buhari, the Nation and Humanity." 
 
According to the respected clergyman, the programme which runs from 4th to 25th January 2021 would have in attendance both Muslim and Christian faithful from across the country in prayers for the nation and President Muhammadu Buhari. 

Despite the myriads of challenges experienced in 2020, Bishop Ediwe noted that Nigeria witnessed God's faithfulness, hence the need to seek his face in the upcoming year. 

At the end of the prayers, he, however, assured that the forces of darkness that have conspired against the country and President Buhari shall be exposed. 

Bishop Ediwe also prophesied that 2021 will be a year of peace and prosperity for Nigeria. 

While promising to hold periodic prayers and fasting programmes for Nigeria, he called on other well-meaning Nigerians, irrespective of religious affiliation, to join the group. 

Read the full statement below:

The National Interfaith and Religious Organizations for Peace is issuing this press statement in its age-long tradition of ushering Nigeria into the New Year with intercessory prayers to God for divine intervention in the affairs of the country. 

In the year 2020, Nigeria witnessed Gods faithfulness to the people despite the myriads of challenges that confronted from the unlikely of places. As an organization, we held several prayers and fasting programmes that witnessed large turnouts of our members from the Muslim and Christian communities in the 36 states of the country. 

In furtherance of the mandate of the National Interfaith and Religious Organizations for Peace we are declaring 21 days of Prophetic Declarations and Intercessory Prayers with the theme:  " 2021: Our Year of Overcoming Agents of Destabilization, Coup Plotters and Blood Sucking Demons working against President Muhammadu Buhari, the Nation and Humanity."

This programme is scheduled to hold from 4th January to 25th January 2021. It would have in attendance our Muslim and Christian Faithful from across the country under the same umbrella in prayers for Nigeria and our amiable President Muhammadu Buhari. 

We shall be congregating under the Unity Church and Unity Masjid with Christian and Islamic Clerics in a rare display of unity of purpose in prayers for Nigeria. 

The National Interfaith and Religious Organizations for Peace as an organization that consists of Muslim and Christian brethren is encouraging Nigerians to come out in their numbers to join this noble programme intended to put our dear country in good stead to weather through the year 2021 in divine grace and abundance. 

We are declaring that at the end of the 21 days of Prophetic Declarations and Intercessory Prayers, the year 2021 shall be unto Nigeria the year of peace and prosperity and also the year where all those that have conspired against the country and President Muhammadu Buhari shall be visited by the wrath of God. 

As an organization in the business of interceding for Nigeria in prayers and fasting, which has characterized our numerous programmes in the country believes in the leadership strides of President Muhammadu Buhari and enjoins other well-meaning Nigerians to use this opportunity of the 21 days prayers and fasting to intercede for our dear country against the forces of darkness that have conspired to truncate the peace and prosperity of the country.    

The National Interfaith and Religious Organization for Peace with members drawn from the 36 states of the federation including the FCT is the only organization in Nigeria that has brought Muslims, and Christian Faithful's under one roof in prayers for Nigeria. 

Our strength in diversity and unity has indeed been tremendous in all our programmes over the years. And this much we are grateful to all our members that have displayed an unquantifiable belief in Nigeria and our love for Nigeria knows no bounds. 

In the year 2021, Nigeria shall be free from the clutches of evil forces in all sectors of the economy. Our prayers and support for President Muhammadu Buhari in the year 2021 shall not seize. 

In the year 2021, we shall hold periodic prayers and fasting programmes for Nigeria in our quest for Gods guidance. 

We declare that just as the mount surrounds Jerusalem, so shall the divine mercies of God surround Nigerians and Nigeria in the year 2021 and forevermore.

By Idoko Ainoko

In the last couple of years, it is conspicuously glaring to every Nigerian that external forces, which hates unity, togetherness and peace in Nigeria are seriously struggling to destabilize and break up the country. What is however unknown to many is the actual faces and identities of the foreign agents driving the anti-Nigeria agenda through unbearable violence or bloodshed.

And these forces have co-conspirators and collaborators within the country who are clandestinely sponsored to pursue the anti-people’s agenda. They are mostly disgruntled politicians and some thieving political elites who have lost a foothold on the levers of power today. They are angry for no justifiable reasons other than that their perpetual craft of milking Nigeria has been frustrated by President Muhammadu Buhari. So, they have vowed that Nigeria will never have peace.

Therefore, in active connivance with external agents, the internal agents are collectively pulling strings of destabilization and widespread anarchy in the country. They are sponsoring all manner of internal crises in Nigeria. Never in the history of Nigeria has any Government found it expedient to deploy soldiers to virtually every street in the country to assist the overpowered civil security in maintaining peace and security as it is obtainable now.

This is peace time and not wartimes in Nigeria. Ostensibly, Nigeria is not at war with any external aggressor. But unfortunately, soldiers of the Nigerian Army are currently deployed on Internal Security (IS) operations in at least 34 states in the country. Nigeria is nation of 36 states in addition to Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory.

It’s incredible; but that’s the reality today. The situation is warranted by the lethal internal security challenges, which intensifies every day, in spite Government efforts to halt the drift. There are Boko Haram insurgents, armed bandits, armed militants, ethnic militias/warlords, armed robbers and kidnappers. There is also the security challenge of herdsmen/farmers conflagrations, ethnic genocide campaigners and the hordes of other such senseless violence in Nigeria.

There is no nation facing this magnitude of internal and violent expression of grievances would have peace. And those sponsoring the crises are Nigerians who have acquired illicit wealth over the years and now nurse indefinable grudges against the incumbent administration led by President Buhari.

Kogi State Governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello made a striking observation in the heat of the abduction of the Kankara schoolboys in Katsina state. The Governor canvassed the view that opposition politicians in Nigeria are responsible for the consuming violence in Nigeria. He advised Mr. President to direct heads of security agencies to now concentrate on identifying and prosecuting the wealthy Nigerians responsible ceaseless violence in the country. There is a deep sense in his statement.

The internal crisis entrepreneurs are proving strong and irrepressible because they have external backers. The external influencers of the trouble with Nigeria have tried over the years to shield themselves from public detection. But time resolves all mysteries.

Consequently, the external collaborators are beginning to unwittingly expose themselves in words or utterances. An American diplomat and the country’s former Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. John Campbell has boldly stepped out as the new face of the anti-Nigeria agenda. Campbell is a member of the think-tank of the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) and a Ralph Bunche Senior Fellow for Africa policy studies.

Campbell and his team in the CFR have been propagating very unsavoury lies and falsehoods on Nigeria. The tempo has apparently accentuated in the year 2020, which would roll to an end in the next few days. John Campbell has become a reckless pen activist on Nigeria.

He is an American elder statesman and supposedly, a global citizen. But his outing on Nigeria has always been steeped in controversies. In 2012, John Campbell was credited with statements predicting the break-up of Nigeria in 2015. When Nigerians challenged his position, he later profusely recanted his words. But it has not obviated the fact that it is his mindset and agenda manifest in consistent utterances canvassing this agenda.

In his latest story on the CFR blog, captioned “Darkness in Northern Nigeria,” John Campbell indulged in his favourite game of mouthing meaningless insinuations and insanities on the insecurities in Nigeria. Acting like a spy on Nigeria, Campbell accused the COAS and leader of the counter-insurgency operations in the country, Lt. Gen. TY Buratai of directing soldiers to treat every person in the dominant Boko Haran enclaves as a suspect until he identifies himself properly.

For a leader of John Campbell’s status, he resorted to unconfirmed sources to mouth the inanity on Nigeria and the Army Chief. His words that “An internal army communication obtained by the media exhorted Nigerian soldiers to treat all individuals in the region where Boko Haram is active as suspected jihadis until they are “properly identified,” pulsates with street reasoning.

Campbell cannot expect Nigeria to treat her internal security threats with the template of America or any other nation. All over the world, countries have peculiar ways or methods of treating their problems. But assuming what Campbell and his colleagues’ in CFR are vomiting is indeed, Gen. Buratai’s directive, what in their estimation is wrong with the statement?

Did the Army Chief give an untoward instruction? Did he say, anyone in the predominant Boko Haram areas should become a suspect and be extra-judicially executed by soldiers? His statement amounts to defending the jihadists against Nigeria. He has lived with this dream of the break-up of Nigeria and has now staged out openly to agitate for it.

John Campbell and his cahoots at the CFR must strive to understand the local realities in Nigeria, especially about communities embroiled in Boko Haram terrorism before making such thoughtless public comments. Everyone in Nigeria knows, an incredible number of persons in Boko Haram enclaves support the armed criminal gangs to commit the atrocities. They shield, shelter, and protect insurgents from the searchlight of security agents. Some community members are merchants of weapons, food and logistics suppliers to Boko Haram terrorists.

Therefore, if the Army decides to expand the web of identifying Boko Haram suspects, it surprising why it should become the nightmare of John Campbell and his partners in CFR. It is apparent that Campbell is deifying Boko Haram insurgents to embolden them to continue to hold Nigeria captive.

The plot is to allow these armed gangs and their agents free reign in Nigeria to the extent of provoking public revolt to cause Nigeria’s disintegration. John Campbell is the real darkness in Nigeria. That’s why himself and his job men are unleashing the darkness on Nigerians.

Ainoko is a public affairs analyst based in Kaduna.

The Save Humanity Advocacy Centre (SHAC) has accused former U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria, John Campbell and the Council of Foreign Relations (CFR) of conspiring with opposition politicians to undermine President Muhammadu Buhari's administration.

The group made this known at a press conference on Sunday to draw the attention of the world to Campbell and CFR's subversive activities in Nigeria.

Speaking on behalf of the group, Executive Director, Barrister Abu Abdulkarim said Campbell and the CFR have never meant well for Nigeria, always pushing a destabilization agenda.

It added that Campbell and the CFR are promoting the rise of terrorism on the African continent to use the United States to set up military and drone bases that are then used to control countries.

According to the group, ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo and Atiku Abubakar are behind the evil alliance to destabilize Nigeria.

It, however, urged the Federal Government to take the necessary diplomatic steps to draw the attention of the United States to the subversive activities of its ex-envoy in Nigeria.

The group also urged peace-loving Nigerians to henceforth take to social media and other online platforms to flag any content emanating from Campbell as hate speech so that the relevant organizations can take them down.

Read the full statement below:

Gentlemen of the press, you will recall sometimes in July of the year 2020 that Senior Fellow for Africa Policy Studies at the Council for Foreign Relations and former Ambassador to Nigeria, John Campbell, teamed up with the opposition elements and hirelings of agents of destabilization to host a virtual town hall meeting. That town hall meeting was tagged ‘Insecurity: “State of the State” which this warmonger used to rally agents of destruction to press on with the agenda of undermining the Nigerian state.

The Save Humanity Advocacy Centre (SHAC) has at that time raised the alarm as to the propriety of that town hall meeting while questioning the motives of Campbell, knowing the toxicity that is around the Council for Foreign Relations (CFR), for which Campbell works. Our concern at the time was based on Campbell’s track record as a false flag operator who has assigned himself the task of bringing Nigeria to ruin.

Campbell’s townhall meeting turned out to have been a front for mobilizing, organizing, indoctrinating and deploying what was to be later named the #EndSARS protests, a destructive mob action that went on an industrial scale looting, arson and murder of security operatives on the instruction of Campbell and his Council on Foreign Relations.

Please, note that we had always known that Campbell did not mean well for Nigeria. He has made that much known in every one of his articles about and against Nigeria, in which he has been pushing the concept of Nigeria being a country that has already failed. Interestingly, rather than Nigeria being the failed entity, it is Campbell who is a failure as a diplomat, a greater failure as a hitman and an eternal disappointment as an expert on Nigeria as he likes to claim he is.

As for the Council for Foreign Relations (CFR), this is the one entity that fancies itself as the vehicle for world dominance by a small band of megalomaniac sociopaths. It is the entity that has decided that the only way it can counter dissent in China is by limiting the Sino-African growth, which it seeks to achieve by undermining Nigeria as a viable nation-state.

Several authorities had cited how Nigeria’s problem with terrorism is anchored on the destabilization agenda of the Council for Foreign Relations, which has promoted the rise of terrorism on the African continent so that it can use the United States to set up military and drone bases that are then used to control countries on the continent. Nigeria’s rejection of the bases, for itself and other African countries, has been the cause of the anger at CFR for which it is punishing the country by facilitating the spread of Boko Haram’s brand of terror, both as a means of coercing Nigeria to accept the bases and a strategy for gaining control of the entire region.

Whatever our anger against the evil entities of Campbell and CFR is, we realize that the damage they are seeking to do is showing the prospect of succeeding only because they have the active support of desperate opposition politicians that are cashing in on the subversive activities of Campbell and CFR in Nigeria.

Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, a former President, who wants to keep calling the shot from his retirement is one of the people that are validating Campbell’s activities in Nigeria. Obasanjo has remained bitter that successors are outperforming him and are going to overshadow his achievements, if any, is at the core of inciting situations that Campbell feeds on. It is no mere coincidence that the failed diplomat’s tour of Nigeria was during Obasanjo’s tenure.

We are also aware of the unholy alliance between Obasanjo’s then number two, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and Campbell. Atiku was the main opposition candidate in the 2019 Presidential Election, who lost woefully to the incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari. It was well documented how Atiku threatened at that time that Nigeria will be ungovernable if the electorates do not vote him in. He ran international circuits, some brokered by Campbell at that time, during which he outlined how insecurity would become the norm in Nigeria because he was rejected by voters.

At that time, as far back as 2018, SHAC and some other groups exposed how Atiku planned to use foreign militias and imported terrorists to undermine the security situation in Nigeria while also pressuring for the sack of the top leadership of the military, he was also flagged as promoting citizens’ revolt that would have the semblance of a popular uprising to sack the popularly elected government. It is unfortunate that Atiku, with other opposition militants like Omoyele Sowore, working with Campbell, has implemented every single one of the dangerous plots he hatched in response to his election loss.

Gentlemen of the press, while it may appear on the surface that Nigeria is fighting a regular band of terrorists and other easily resolvable security breaches, the reality is that the problem is more insidious – it is a dangerous mix of Obasanjo, Atiku and Campbell’s collaboration with the Council for Foreign Relations in an evil alliance to destabilize Nigeria.

As we raise alarm on the dangerous alliance desperately working to undermine Nigerians, Campbell’s latest outing on the blogsite of CFR titled “Darkness in Northern Nigeria” is something that is now making us issue a red alert on the safety of Nigeria. Based on past modus operandi, such write-ups from Campbell are usually followed by an upsurge in terrorists’ activities, which would then be cashed in on by Atiku, who would use the attacks as a basis to attack the government in the media and the public opinion space. Obasanjo will subsequently pile on, often with unsolicited interventions that are unbefitting for a former president while Campbell will, in turn, cite the terrorists’ attacks and the assertions of Atiku and Obasanjo as justification that Nigeria is unravelling.

Even though this has been the style of this unholy alliance for the last few years now, the piece, “Darkness in Northern Nigeria” should be particularly worrisome to all of us because the implied impending intensification of the plots and activities to destroy Nigeria. The choice of words suggests that we shall soon witness worsening attacks on the country unless the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria can step in as it has been doing.

Irrespective of whether they will heed our call or not, Save Humanity Advocacy Centre (SHAC) hereby calls on Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, John Campbell and the Council for Foreign Relations that they risk collapsing the entire world if they do not give up on their inordinate agenda of destroying Nigeria. We wish to remind them that they cannot cause a crisis for 53% per cent of West Africa’s population without the entire region going into a meltdown. Should this happen, the refugee problem alone will overwhelm the entire continent and then spill over to other countries of the world. In case they are not ware, the fate of the world is tied to the peace of Nigeria and what they are toying with would be cataclysmic if they do not stop their interference with the choices Nigerians have made.

We demand that the Federal Government of Nigeria take the necessary diplomatic steps to draw the attention of the United States to the subversive activities of its ex-envoy in Nigeria. It is not likely that any country of the world would accept such persistent affront on its sovereignty by someone who had the good fortune of having served as an ambassador on its soil. The government must move beyond treating Campbell’s propaganda drive against the country as a mere rant, he has tangible links with Boko Haram and its activities and must be stopped before he does further damage to our country.

We urge peace-loving Nigerians to henceforth take to social media and other online platforms to flag any content emanating from John Campbell as hate speech so that the relevant organizations can take them down and prevent them from being used to sabotage the country. Gentlemen of the press, we urge you to do likewise.

Thank you for listening.

Bandits, kidnappers are ex-political thugs once armed by Governors to snatch ballot boxes— Report.

Fresh facts have emerged on how governors' political thugs during elections in the country have transformed into bandits and kidnappers terrorizing the country.

According to credible information at the disposal of this medium, it was reliably gathered that some governors in the country who were bent on attaining political success during the last general elections recruited young boys into their network and armed them with sophisticated weapons to do their bidding during the poll, which includes targeting perceived political opponents and the snatching of ballot boxes during elections.

In a security document seen by this medium, it was stated that some governors had armed thugs for electoral purposes. After the elections, most of the thugs felt abandoned and consequently went away with the weapons in their possession and have therefore taken to kidnapping and other forms of criminalities to make ends meet.

A top security source who did not want his name in print confirmed that some governors have been making overtures to some of the thugs to return the weapons in their possession under an amnesty deal that has not been successful.

"These governors know that they have succeeded in creating monsters in their states just for political gains. They didn't realize that a time like this would come when they would lose the allegiance of their thugs. The bulk of the banditry cases experienced in the country are attributable to these thugs that felt used and dumped after the elections."

“Since they have weapons in their possession, they have consequently gone berserk by engaging in acts of criminalities which pays them more compared to the peanuts that they got during the elections. We are in trouble in this country because these thugs are rampaging and are in possession of very sophisticated weapons."

This medium also gathered that a governor from one of the states in the Northern part of the country has been sending overtures to some of his political thugs to drop their arms and embrace peace to no avail. It was also gathered that the governor in question has been most critical of the government's efforts in addressing the security challenges in the country in a bid to cover his tracks.

A former aide of the governor who is in the know of the dealings of the governor stated that the governor has also marked some of his former thugs for elimination in a bid to cover his tracks since he got wind that security agencies are in the know of his dealings with the thugs.

"The situation is awful. I recall that some of us warned the governor on the danger of arming these boys because they would turn against us at some point, and this is exactly what is happening. Who are these bandits disturbing the peace of the country? Are they spirits? How did they get the weapons in their possession? Please, I don't want to say anything further. Let him sort himself as most of us that advised against it in the first place were blackmailed and shown the way out of government because we saw this coming."

Our investigations also scooped that the security agencies have compiled a list of governors involved in these notorious acts, including some former governors. They have been making overtures to some highly placed persons to nip it in the bud because some still have political ambitions. They fear that should this come to the open; they might be ruined politically and possibly face prosecution for aiding and abetting crime in the country.

It was gathered from reliable sources that one of the Service Chiefs has been under tremendous pressure to downplay the new findings, but he is not bulging. He has told his close aides to ensure that all must be done to ensure that none of the governors involved reaches him or any member of his family.

A top aide of the Service Chief confided in this medium that the boss is embarrassed that governors could be this irresponsible.

"It is a shame. Nigerians do not know some of the issues and challenges on the ground. They have been shamelessly trying to cover their tracks promising to call their boys to order, which is impossible. My boss has ensured that he is unreachable by these elements and he has put in place mechanism to ensure that the ring leaders of these thugs are captured alive which is not going down well with some of the governors, and former governors that have their hands soiled"

He further added that his boss had secured the President's backing to go all out and unravel the level of complicity by the governors and other highly placed persons in the country.

“The President has been well briefed on the revelations and this much he hinted in his Christmas message to Nigerians when he pleaded with Nigerians to give our military and other security agencies more time, cooperation, and support by volunteering credible intelligence/information on activities of armed bandits, insurgents, and other criminal elements within their communities."
“I can assure you that in some months from now, there would be more revelations that would shock Nigerians when they realize what is responsible for the spate of insecurity in the country.”
It would be recalled that there have been calls for the overhauling the security architecture due to heightened insecurity.

Christmas: Human rights activist, Agbese urges Nigerians to emulate Jesus Christ by supporting President Buhari

Renowned human rights activist, Philip Agbese, has urged Nigerians to follow the footsteps of Jesus Christ by supporting the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari. 

Agbese, a UK-trained legal practioner, made the call on Saturday in his Christmas message to Nigerians. 

According to Agbese, President Buhari, like Jesus, is a redeemer and Nigerians should rally round their leader to take the country to greater heights. 

"I extend very warm greetings to all Nigerians on the special day of the anniversary of the birth our of Lord and personal saviour, Jesus Christ," he said.

"Through Him we graced redemption. We thank Almighty God for His grace in allowing us to see today. Many wished to see today, but couldn’t make it even at the last hour.

"I am very infinitesimal in every configuration of Nigerians. But I wish to say a word to my compatriots. I know a lot has gone wrong with Nigeria and Nigerians over the years and they want quick fixes to have solace. But whatever the past wrongs might have done on us as Nigerians, I think, President Muhammadu Buhari is a redemption leader.

"In President Buhari, I see a germinative hope in the regeneration of Nigeria. I have never believed that leaders anywhere in the world have no flaws and its not peculiar with our dear President. But from what I have seen from our past leaders, even at the risk of flattery, Buhari is far better than the rest".

He, however, urged Nigerians not to lose hope in President Buhari.

His words, "As a leader of our nation, he must have taken certain decisions, which some of us find unpalatable. But I think, President Buhari dreams every day that Nigeria should be a better country for all of us. I have no reason to doubt him. He thinks more of leaving Nigeria better than he met it.

"Therefore, I am using this special season to invite and plead with every Nigerian on the menu of keeping faith in the Buhari Presidency and the security agencies in protecting us from organized, armed criminal gangs. And it is also a call to all patriots who believe in the future of Nigeria to stand up against this criminal gangsterism on Nigeria. Ours is a prosperous nation.  We should be obliged to support our leaders in all circumstances to move the nation forward.

"Once again, happy Christmas and a prosperous New year, in the hope that 2021 would bring more goodies to us under Buhari. I resoundingly salute my compatriots. Journey mercies to all who have travelled. Thank you!"

Insecurity: I stand with PMB on giving service chiefs, security agencies more time 

By Anthony Kolawole PhD

President Muhammadu Buhari has asked Nigerians to give the nation’s service chiefs and security agencies more time to adequately address the security issues bedeviling the country.

The President in his Christmas Message to the people, called on Nigerians to support and cooperate with the service chiefs and security agencies by giving them information on the activities of criminal elements who are bent on exacerbating the security threats in the country.

By this call, Mr. President has succeeded in sending clear messages across that 1) he knows exactly what he is doing about securing the lives and property of citizens, 2) he is not ready to allow people politicise the security situation in the country, 3) he  cannot be stampeded into taking rash actions just to please a few 4) that he appreciates the commitment of the current set of service chiefs to the deescalating the threats to security and 5) that he appreciates the contributions of citizens.

To buttress the fact that the President knows his onions, he reiterated the fact that he is committed to securing the lives and property of citizens as he had promised to do before he came to power. 

He said, “For me, providing security for all residents in the country remains an article of faith. It formed a vital segment of this administration’s three-point agenda right from inception, and we must follow through with it.

“I cannot in good conscience shirk this cardinal responsibility to secure lives and property. I feel pained each time a breach of peace and security occurs in any part of the nation. I am even more distressed when our youths, especially school children, are the targets and victims of mindless and malevolent elements in society.

“As a parent, I share the emotional torture and agony parents and guardians go through whenever their children and wards fall into the cruel hands of these enemies of decency and good society."

The President also noted that the problems of insecurity facing the nation is beyond the gibberish being offered by some but requires more than the “simplistic options” being suggested by a few.

These issues raised by Mr. President, take us to the heart of what have been the major factors hindering the complete defeat of insecurity in Nigeria. 

For long, various administrations have either been blackmailed or stampeded into taking hasty actions which they later regretted.

The Yar' Adua administration for instance rushed into clamping down on Boko Haram terrorists in their formative stages when they were operating in known places in Maiduguri, forcing the group to go underground, while the Obasanjo and Jonathan administrations were compelled to change service chiefs too frequently without achieving much.

These have shown that people's reactions are most times instigated at best by emotions or at worst due to some selfish considerations.

But President Buhari, whose experience and knowledge of security and defence cannot be faulted, understood better and chose not to be intimidated.

He carefully picked his service chiefs when he assumed office and with them has been able achieve much in securing the lives of Nigerians.

In spite of that, any time there's a security breach, the agitation for the removal of service chiefs would start afresh from certain negating completely the progress being made in that turf.

But if there's anyone who understands that some of the measures required to wage an effective war on insurgency, terrorism and banditry require time and resources to put in place, it is the President who has seen it all in terms military strategies.

For instance when the Nigerian Army made to purchase the Chinese Rotary Wing AVIC AV500 drone to be able to carry out ISR missions at medium altitude, carry out strikes and stay airborne for nine hours while fighting terrorists, it took a long time to conclude the deal.

When it comes to managing the security situation  in the country Mr. President understands these issues better that is why he has received commendation from both local and international experts who have all rated his strategies as top notch.

No war is won in a flash. It requires strategic thinking, planning and coordination and the current service chiefs have shown several times that they know what they're doing. 

They for instance were the ones that changed the story of the fight against insurgency from when soldiers were fleeing from battlefield prior to 2015, to the series of victories being experienced now.

The service chiefs are the ones that made it possible for troops to enter Sambisa Forest and capture Camp Zero and are the ones that recaptured territories seized  by terrorists and brought them back to Nigeria.

They're the ones that stopped the rain of bombs across the country.

Hence the President Buhari administration must be applauded for degrading the terrorists, retaking captured military bases in  Bama, Monguno and Gwoza as well as recapturing territories captured by the terrorists including the 20 local government areas that came under the authority of the terrorists.

It should also be hailed for putting a stop to the activities of the terrorists in Adamawa, Bauchi, Gombe, Kano, Kaduna and Abuja and confining them to few communities along the Lake Chad,  putting terrorists in disarray and making it impossible for them to launch further attacks on communities.

One is not unaware that as Mr. President is busy trying to return the entire country to normalcy, that there are some fifth columnists working against that by arming bandits to destabilize the country. Same people have been busy sponsoring terrorists in the Southeast and other places in order to paint the current administration in bad light.

The service chiefs can sustain these victories for the greater good. 

Let’s give the service chiefs and the security agencies a chance just like Mr. President has pleaded, and we will all win the war together as one nation.

Kolawole PhD wrote this article from Keffi.

By Joyce Matthew

The year 2020 will be remembered as the year the Nigerian Army recorded its greatest onslaught so far against the evils of banditry, insurgency and terrorism in Nigeria.

This year has seen the Nigerian Army tackling all forms of insecurity in the almost all the geopolitical zones in the country with tangible and verifiable results!

The previous year, 2019 had not been a bad year for the military as it killed and flushed out Boko Haram and ISWAP terrorists from most parts of the Northeast Nigeria which saw them fleeing to neighbouring African countries like Chad, Cameroon and Niger and made it possible for elections to be conducted successfully in all parts of the country including Borno which had high rates of security challenges. 

But as internally displaced persons returned to their communities and the military was trying to consolidate on gains of the previous year so that complete normalcy would return, some of the terrorists who had fled from the superior fire power of the Nigerian Army and settled in Chad rose against the Chadian government and killed over 100 of President Idris Derby Itno's special squad.

The killing saw the Chadian government moving against the terrorists,  killing quite a number of them which forced many of them to run back to Nigeria.

The Nigerian military detected that the return of the insurgents was going to pose fresh security challenges for Nigeria and it quickly took action.

The Chief of Army Staff, Lt.Gen Tukur Yusuf Buratai offered to lead the operation that would check this challenge and flush the terrorists out of Nigeria for good and offered to relocate to Borno State to lead the troops from the front.

Some of the Chadian escapees who ran with their weapons by then have started showing signs of desperation due to hunger and had started raiding communities and killing innocent villagers to feed and dispossess them of their property.

But the relocation of the Chief of Army Staff to the theatre of war stopped all that as it introduced new strategies in the fight against insurgency and the Nigerian Army is sustained operations made it impossible for the insurgents to operate.

In one of such incidents, the Nigerian Army stationed in Damasak, Mobbar Local Government Area of Borno State, repelled attacks by Boko Haram insurgents who swarmed the area at about 2:30 pm.

The insurgents had arrived in about 13 gun trucks and one gulf car and attempted to attack the military location from different angles by trying to envelope their camp, but soldiers countered them and the insurgents took to their heels.

Within the period, the Nigerian  military also penetrated the fortresses of the insurgents and brought many down  on their knees.

The military killed hundreds of terrorists in different locations in Kwalaram, Ngilewa, Sabon Tumbu, Bukarmairam, Wulgo in the Marte and Gamboru Ngala and in Gorgi, Damboa local government and in Buni Gari all in Borno State.

The Army also overran the camps of the terrorists in places like Durfada, Allafha, Timbuktu, Bulajibi and Gonikurmi near the Sambisa forest which led to surrender of the 11 of the ISWAP members.

Attempts to attack Maiduguri were  twice repelled by the army and also  in Damboa, Banki, and Madagali and other places with heavy casualties on the side of the insurgents. 

Within two months of Butatai relocating to the Northeast, the military neutralised about 2,000 of the Boko Haram and ISWAP terrorists while many were seriously wounded or arrested.

But as the military was pummeling the Northeast, the insurgents who could not bear the heat on them ran to the Northwest and Northcentral parts of the country to continue their criminal acts.

This agains drew the attention of Lt. General Buratai who by then had gone to submit reports of the success of the operation he was leading in the Northeast to President Muhammadu Buhari. 

The new challenges posed by the worsening security situation in the Northwest states of Katsina, Sokoto, Zamfara and Kaduna, moving up to the Northcentral state of Niger, again compelled the Army Chief to personally move there.

By then the Northwest was becoming notorious for the rate of killings and abductions on a daily basis where entire villages are sacked by bandits,  houses were being torched and valuables forcefully taken away.

On a particular day, the terrorists attacked several communities in Katsina and Sokoto States and killed hundreds of people.

In response, the Chief of Army of Staff, On the 6th of July 2020, as part of activities marking the Army Day, flagged off Operation SAHEL SANITY in Katsina State. 

The operation was to complement Operation HADARIN DAJI in stemming the tides of the activities of armed banditry, cattle rustling , kidnapping, incessant killings and other  crimes in the North-West zone of the country and before the end of July, the gallant troops of Operation SAHEL SANITY carried out series of clearance operations, ambushes and other aggressive and confidence building patrols within Sokoto, Katsina and Zamfara States which led to the rescue of kidnapped victims, recovery of rustled cattles, arrest of suspected armed bandits, arrest of bandits informants and collaborators. 

The troops also recovered large cache of arms and ammunition as well as motorcycles and other bandits logistics.

In less than a month, troops of the Operation SAHEL SANITY eliminated armed bandits, recovered 943 cows, 633 sheep/rams recovered; 33 suspected bandits arrested; 7 AK47 Riffles, 1 GPMG and 16 Dane guns captured.

The troops also rescued 17 kidnapped victims and arrested 14 bandits informants and collaborators and also penetrated several bandits' camps including the notorious Dangote Triangle and destroyed their logistics bases.

The Army also mounted sentry in areas hitherto occupied by bandits making it impossible for them to regroup or launch fresh attacks.

Within a month of launching the operation, the people of the North-West Zone began to have sighs of relief as thousands of people that ran away from their communities after bandit attacks, began to return.

But last week was the icing on the cake when the army rescued 342 boys who were abducted at a secondary school in Kankara, Katsina State without casualty. 

The operation was so successful that many have called to commend the Nigerian Army for bravery and efficiency. The year 2020 is indeed a great one for the Nigerian Army and its proactive leadership.

Matthew is an author and public affairs analyst based in the United Kingdom.

NYCN task Youth on support for security agencies; Commends NYSC, JAMB for their Youthful agenda.

The National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN), has called on the youth to support security organizations by providing them with useful information to aid the ongoing fight against insecurity in the country. Speaking at a Press Conference to brief the media on the fallout of a stakeholders meeting of the North Central Zone, the Vice President (North Central), Ambassador Akoshile Mukhtar noted that “the security agencies cannot work effectively without the cooperation of the citizens, of which the youth represent the largest demographic group”.
Speaking on the aftereffects of COVID 19 and the second wave that is ravaging parts of the world, Ambassador Akoshile noted that “the government of President Muhammadu Buhari had taken some proactive steps, including restriction of movement and others, which played a major role in containing the spread of the disease in Nigeria”. He however called on government not to treat the second wave with levity, “especially in the face of the discovery of a new strain of the virus in countries such as the United Kingdom”.
Ambassador Akoshile described the year 2020 as “a major watershed in the history of the Youth Council, as the Honourable Minister of Sports and Youth Development under the direction of President Muhammadu Buhari, midwifed the harmonization of the Council’s legal status and putting to bed the norm of years past when people merely went to the press and announced themselves as leaders of NYCN to serve one or more primordial interests that have nothing to do with advancing the capacity development or welfare of Nigerian youth”.
The leadership of the NYCN also commended President Buhari “for his youth friendly disposition having approved and released funds for the takeoff of the Nigerian Youth Investment Fund (NYIF), of which the NYCN was duly represented in the steering committee, while equally acceding to the genuine demands of the youth on police reforms, as presented by Youth Council President Ambassador Sokubo Saraigbe Sokubo”.
While assuring that the Council will continue to follow up with relevant government agencies, he called on the youth to “imbibe the culture of dialogue to get their grievances addressed to avoid well intentioned moments from being hijacked as was the case with the End SARS protests, as the citizens are the major factors in the success of the police through intelligence sharing”.
He called on government to “sustain and consolidate the investments made in the youth so far”, singling out a few agencies such as the “National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) and the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) as government institutions with a clear cut agenda for youth empowerment and capacity develooment”.
The Youth Council acknowledged the current security and economic challenges confronting the nation, but we called for “constructive engagements around those issues with a view to supporting government to find lasting solutions, as development is a marathon rather than a sprint”, while reiterating the resolve of the North Central zone “to support credible stakeholders to collectively work to birth the Nigeria of our dreams”.

Tinubu Support Group(TSG) on Thursday urged Nigerians to imbibe the cardinal virtues of peaceful coexistence, love and unity as Christians all over the world celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.

The group in a goodwill message signed by its Head of Media and Publicity Oluwatosin Johnson, urged Nigerians to rededicate themselves to the virtues of peace, love, honesty, justice, equity, piety, humility, unity and service to others and country.

He said: “we felicitate with all Nigerians, especially our Christian brothers and sisters, on the joyous occasion of this year’s Christmas. Though it has been a challenging year globally due to the impact of COVID-19 pandemic but we are thankful in Nigeria that our government was able to put it under control. On this occasion of the commemoration of the birth of Jesus Christ, let us all rededicate ourselves to the virtues which christ preached and taught.
There can be no doubt that a greater manifestation of these virtues and ideals in our lives will immensely help us to become a more united, peaceful, secure and progressive nation.”

Oluwatosin also enjoined Nigerians to reach out in love and compassion to fellow Nigerians who are in distress at this period of the nation’s history.

He, particularly, urged them to remember victims of terrorism and insurgency in the country, especially the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).

He further urged Nigerians to support President Buhari's administration in it's efforts to fight and curb insecurity across the country.

“We must never again allow any group to hold the nation to ransom under whatever guise. Let us also not allow current socio-economic and security challenges to dampen our expectations for a better Nigeria,” he added.

By Charles Ibekwe

The true worth of leaders is measured by their consistency. True leaders are known for jutting and upholding truth; avoiding actions which might erode public confidence in them. That’s why Bulgarian-born writer, Maria Popova Maria reasoned that “Greatness is consistency driven by a deep love of the work.”

In today’s world, most characters speak before they think. That’s the accident of nature and the burden destiny has foisted on others. Leaders should try as much as possible to avoid what is commonly referred to as slip of the tongue.

That’s why true leaders are not flippant. A leader measures his words and actions. A leader does not recklessly parrot like a woman under menstruation. Leaders who speak based on spur of the moment are the most untrustworthy specie of homo sapiens. Jack weatherford cautioned that “if you can’t swallow your pride, you can’t lead.”

Borno state Governor, Prof. Babagana Zulum is fast becoming a mere shadow of an ideal leader. In Nigeria’s Second Republic, some politicians were reputed for frivolous public comments. He was later derogatively branded as suffering from diarrhea of the mouth. It is Zulum’s greatest undoing and nightmare at the moment. Reed Markham says, “Successful leaders see the opportunities in every difficulty, rather than the difficulty in every opportunity.”

Gov. Zulum praises the Nigerian Military and President Muhammadu Buhari over counter-insurgency operations today and by the break of dawn, he begins to chant all manner of abusive hallucinations on the same people he eulogized over the same matter. A Governor should rise above such prisms. A Professor should not reason or act like an infantile.

Unfortunately, that’s the toga Gov. Zulum garbs now. The Governor feels no one else in Nigeria is concerned about Boko Haram insurgency and ISWAP terrorism in Borno state, except him. It’s a wrong impression by whatever interpretation. Gov. Zulum is prodded to learn some wisdom from Brian Tracy’s counsel; “Leaders think and talk about the solutions. Followers think and talk about the problems.” Zulum is not a follower, but a leader of his people.

Zulum has committed too many gaffes on the counter-insurgency operations in Borno, his home state, where he is also the Governor and the Chief Security officer. He spites others, but avoids a step in the direction of the glaring solutions on containing Boko Haram in Borno.

Every life is sacred and so also, the lives of others who stake their necks to ensure the people of Borno have peace and security. They are also human and have families. They have blood running in their veins like any other human being. Gov. Zulum cannot elect upon himself to constantly disgorge upbraids on the same people.

When the Auno Boko Haram attacks on travellers happened, President Buhari cut short his foreign trip to pay a condolence visit to the people of Borno. In Gov. Zulum’s remarks, he spoke of resurgence terrorists’ attacks in the state, which ironically happens to be the only state still held on the jugular by Boko Haram terrorists.

Zulum paid glowing tributes to the administration of President Buhari for dousing the fires of Boko Haram in the state. The Governor was detailed that before the Buhari Presidency, over17 LGAs in the state were under the serfdom of Boko Haram.

And not long ago, Gov. Zulum paid an official visit to the leader of the counter-insurgency operations and Nigeria’s COAS, Lt. Gen. TY Buratai at the Army Headquarters in Abuja. Zulum released a carefully crafted symphony of eulogies, on the Army and the Nigerian Military for their relentless efforts in putting out the fires of Boko Haram insurgency and ISWAP terrorism in his state. Many mistook his utterances as genuine and reflective of the true realities in the warfront in Borno.

Undeniably, the Nigerian Military have been doing their best in the counter-insurgency operations in the Northeast. Even an outsider knows this fact! Why Boko Haram still strives in Borno state is because it has been commercialized and politicized by Zulum’s tribesmen; himself a recent recruit into the clan of sabs. No amount of blackmail or diatribes by the Governor against the Military would distort this truth.

And from every indication, it appears some political elites in the state, as now symbolized by Gov. Zulum enjoys the business of terrorism in Borno. It is rash for Zulum to think he can mesmerize Nigerians or callously and deviously reprimand the Military over the endless Boko Haram in his state. In the whole of Northeast now, only Borno still glamorizes Boko Haram.

The Chief of Army Staff is not a fool! He is a knowledgeable soldier and a unique professional infantry combatant with a record of excellence in all assignments for many years, within and abroad. As soon as he stepped on the hotbed of leading counter-insurgency operations in Nigeria, he introduced the “stick and carrot” approach, combining both kinetic and non-kinetic weapons in battling terrorism.

The non-kinetic approach has yielded impressive results over the years with the massive surrenders of Boko Haram top commanders and foot soldiers since the last quarter of 2015 to date. It was a master stroke in insurgency combats.

It is expected that the political, religious and community leadership of Borno would buy into this agenda as a secured means of ending terrorism in the state. But Gov. Zulum has ignored it; his other political elites have shunned it and the business class in the state have never and do not ever contemplate it. They are just playing politics with it. And Gov. Zulum goes out unconscionably to scout for scapegoats to blame.

The recent comments of Gov. Zulum in Jakana, where Boko Haram sneaked an attack on travelers, where he berated the Army and accused them of failing to protect commuters along the Maiduguri-Damaturu highway were truly reckless and unguarded. Zulum harshly reproached the Army, the Rapid Response Squad, vigilantes, local hunters and everybody involved in the counter-insurgency operations. It was nonsensical of him!

Gov. Zulum outrightly proclaimed that ‘the Nigerian Army has failed in discharging their responsibility of protecting the commuters and quite expectedly forecasted that “… how can they (military) keep us with the hope they will defeat the Boko Haram?” This statement betrayed Zulum’s inner plots and his co-conspirators who are unprepared for the exculpation of Borno state from Boko Haram for purely political gains.

It absolutely nonsensical for Gov. Zulum to arrogate to himself the power and clairvoyance to determine when Boko Haram would end or the impossibility of defeating it. Let Zulum and his partners in this evil tell Nigerians why only Borno and the Northern axis of the state is refusing to let go Boko Haram terrorism?

Zulum knows the game plan and intentions of his political godfathers. That’s why he praises the military today on counter-insurgency operations and lambasts the same Military on Boko Haram. Stupidity is nobody’s baptismal name. Its not good to tag a Professor as foolish. But the arguments canvassed by Gov. Zulum in Jakana are sadly foolish and silly.

A professor should reason better. He should know that in an unconventional war like Boko Haram insurgency combats, occasional security breaches or setbacks could occur. It happens everywhere in other countries under the spell of terrorism. But it does not qualify those dousing this fire as failures as preached by Zulum.

Zulum and his political godfathers have first failed their people. They are exploiting Boko Haram for political and commercial gains. Its an open secret now. If Gov. Zulum doubts it, let him courageously come out publicly and challenge former Borno Governors like Senators Ali Modu Sherrif and Kashim Shettima on whose wings he has ascended to the prime position of Borno’s Governor.

This is the problem. Gov. Zulum knows the truth. He is a man entangled in the web of godfatherism at one end and his ethnic stock who have refused to tackle the Boko Haram problems. Zulum hedges the convoking of a broad-based stakeholders dialogue in Borno over Boko Haram to speak truth to themselves. He is afraid such a forum would a platform for some people to spill the beans and the vaunted secrets on why Boko Haram has refused to depart from Borno.

Gov. Zulum knows, his immediate political godfather, Sen. Shettima beats him in dark rooms each time he publicly tells the truth about Boko Haram and the effectiveness of Military operations in the state. Shettima is a soulless leader and he threatens Zulum with withdrawal of re-election ticket for 2023, if he supports the military. These are things known to many Borno people.

For the Machiavellian Sen. Shettima, Boko Haram should not vanish and there must not be any local government elections; there should be no accountability to the people in order to keep milking Borno. And Boko Haram insurgency offers an automatic excuse-there is no security in the state. So, they cannot make the Nigerian Military their scapegoats!

The persistence of Boko Haram diverts attention from probing Shettima’s past tenure as a two-tenured Governor of Borno. Gov. Zulum should be more circumspect henceforth. Let him demonstrate his sincerity by fighting Boko Haram on the open dialogue plane in the state. They should not force Nigerians to believe Leo Tolstoy’s ideology that “Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.”

Ibekwe wrote this piece from Abuja.

By Philip Agbese

It is obvious the Financial Times of London has been conscripted into the gang of fake news merchants. In its editorial titled “ Nigeria at risk of becoming a failed state and published on the 22nd of December 2020 is at best a pernicious propaganda aimed at the heart of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration. It was apparent that FT was acting the script of a greater interest and not necessarily based on facts or any verifiable indices that lends credence to their editorial position.
It is remarkable to know that the level of insecurity in Nigeria has drastically reduced over time. The alarming Boko Haram insurgents have been dealt with in a pragmatic approach taken by President Muhammadu Buhari. Many successes have been recorded under his leadership. He has been steadfast in the discharge of his duty and providing aid to civil authority. I can bet FT relied on folklores in its analysis on Nigeria to miss some of the key happenings in Nigeria.

I firmly admit that any government that cannot discharge this fundamental obligation of protecting lives and property loses any iota of legitimacy. President Muhammadu Buhari has been fervent in his handling of security issues in Nigeria. This is a statement of the fact and the promoters of Financial Times must do well to admit.
It was sightlessly stated that Nigeria was at risk of becoming a failed state. A failed state was described as "one where the government is no longer in control". This is a blatant lie as the Nigerian government under President Muhammadu Buhari's leadership has maintained stable control and good governance of the country.
In contrast to what was stated, the country is going backwards economically, and security issues have worsened. In truth, Nigeria's economy has steadily advanced under the current President's leadership. A blind man can also tell how much Nigeria's insecurity situation had reduced compared to over six years ago before the current President assumed office.
Regrettably, many notorious detractors remained blinded to every progressive effort being taken but have resorted to launching slander campaigns and giving poor reports about the President's achievements because of their selfish aggrandizement.
The Financial Times also stated that Nigeria has more people than any other country in the world without providing any real facts or evidence to support their bashful claim. It is crystal clear that the Financial Times is working 'behind the scenes' with unscrupulous individuals who are ardent critics of President Muhammadu Buhari led administration. This is against the ethics and principle of fair journalism, which requires non-partisan news and information distribution.
Most of the baseless points outlined in the editorial were the results of the past administration's failures and poor governance. The present administration has been cumbered with a load of struggling to correct these failures. The newspaper failed to mention that most of the current challenges the country is facing are due to the shortcomings of the past administration, which the current administration is tirelessly working hard to correct.

I am not surprised as FT is a UK-based news agency and will lack accurate knowledge and facts of what is happening in Nigeria. It will be much more liable to produce faltered information and point of views. The Financial Times should strictly steer clear off matters concerning the Nigerian government if all they can do is produce 'Fake News' regarding the current stage of Nigeria's economy, development and security challenges. The whole board of the Financial Times should 'restrategize' and comply with journalism's ethics if they plan to continue to produce any more pieces regarding the Nigerian government to prevent breeding animosity towards the government and internal division.
It is unfortunate that Financial Time has lost its credibility, and has become a peddler of political engineered news gotten from a politically paid journalist that does not have the country's interests at heart, but only about their monetary gains. These actions, therefore, put all their citations and writings under questionable test.
I believed it is misleading and unfair for Financial Times to infer that the recent success in the subsequent rescue of over 300 schoolboys in Kankara, Katsina State can be termed a "Scam".
Same was said of the success in rescuing the Dapchi girls that were abducted. I'm not surprised that the opposition party felt defeated by these recorded successes because the last PDP administration never recorded such fast feat in tackling security matters. The traumatized parents of the Daptchi girls and Kankara boys explained what their wards went through in the hands of their abductors, and they can't imagine what would have happened if they had stayed longer in their hands.
We are not oblivious of the fact that journalism has continued to lose its virtues in the hands of Newspapers like Financial Times and unpatriotic citizens. The light of truth will always shine through every darkness of false claims. President Muhammadu Buhari is unperturbed and very focused in discharging his duty as he has pledged to the Nation. Financial Times has failed, and not Nigeria. Nigerians remain unmoved

Agbese is a law graduate of Middlesex University, London.

By Ochimana Abutu

The governor of Borno State, Babagana Zulum, has been in the news for various reasons. Some positive while some negative. It becomes challenging to place which side of the divide the governor is with his media tirade against the Nigerian Military’s operations in Borno state.

The governor's recent posture indeed brings to fore some of the dynamics of the Boko Haram insurgency in the state and why Borno state has remained the only state in North East that still experiences pockets of Boko Haram activities.

In some of my previous writings, I recall that I had aligned with some civil society organizations that stated that the issue in Borno State is the refusal by the political authorities in the state to extend their support to the Nigerian military for extraordinary reasons. And the governor has indeed confirmed this position with the inconsistency in which it has praised and criticized the military’s operations in the state.

This minute he praises the Nigerian Army to high heavens. The next minute he lashes out with such carelessness that would make even the dumbest individual smell a rat somewhere. He gets erratic and composed at the state time. His body language indeed tells that he knows the truth about the prolongation of Boko Haram's activities in the state. His conscience is probably fighting him, which is why he says contradictory stuff within minutes.

It is no longer a secret that indeed the governor of Borno State is under tremendous pressure to do the bidding of his political masters who do not want the Boko Haram crisis to end. From all indications, the governor is fighting a battle of extreme consequences from two fronts; one is from his benefactor and former governor Kashim Shettima. The other is from the warlords from his Kanuri ethnic stock.

We must agree that these two factors indeed place the governor in a very tight corner regarding the prosecution of the war against insurgency. He gets bashed whenever he speaks the truth about the happenings in the state from two ends. The most painful one is always from his benefactor and former governor who from all intent and purposes is still wanting that political relevance at the national level hence his often misguided tirade against the government's efforts in the prosecution of the war against insurgency.

I am not convinced that Kashim Shettima has any moral right or authority to want to teleguide Babagana Zulum or to comment on national issues in this country because in the eight years he held sway as governor it was established that he was comfortable with the ferociousness of the Boko Haram group so much so that the group advanced and gained control of territories in the state.

This is indeed the situation of things in Borno State and why Babagana Zulum has been speaking from both sides of the mouth in recent times. This is the problem. He knows the truth. He is a man entangled in Godfatherism's web at one end and his ethnic stocks who have refused to tackle the Boko haram problems.

In my candid opinion, Babagana Zulum's actions are merely grandstanding in a bid to paint a picture of a workaholic governor who has the interest of the people at heart. And I beg to ask what good is such grandstanding when you elect to turn the truth on its head? In whose interest is it for the governor to continue to issues disparaging remarks about the Nigerian Military operations in the state?

All of the above-stated points to the direction of the political heavyweights in Borno State feeding fat from the Boko Haram crisis. As such, it must not come to an end because that would mean taking away butter from their bread. So it should not be surprising that of all states in northeast Nigeria, only Borno state is still experiencing pockets of Boko Haram attacks.

I am also of the considered opinion that the posture of Governor Babagana Zulum is nothing but the voice of Zulum and the leprous hand of Shettima who hates to see peace return to Borno State. I am also constrained to believe that part of Zulum’s problem is that he knows the issues, and he has dared to demonstrate a commitment toward addressing them, which remains his greatest undoing.

And for daring to be different, the warriors of Kanem Bornu Empire would have none of it. They have threatened to withdrawn political support for him should he credit the Military for its exploits in the state. Little wonder that today he says the Military has done well and the next day he says otherwise.

This is indeed sad and a reminder to all that the bulk of the challenges in Borno State are orchestrated and perpetuated by those that during the day pride themselves as concerned citizens while at night they are demons that feed fat on human blood. This is the starkness of the reality on the ground in Borno state.

Nigerians must consequently be aware that the criticism of the Nigerian Military in Borno State is well orchestrated to cause a distraction of the troops in its efforts at ridding the state of remnants of the Boko Haram insurgents. This was what Kashim Shettima entrenched while he held sway as governor for eight years. He expects Babagana Zulum to toe the same line.

How this would turn out remains to be seen as the truth is gradually coming out and Nigerians are beginning to see that indeed Borno State remains under that attack of Boko Haram not because the military are not doing their job, but essentially because of the internal conspiracy perpetrated by those in high and mighty places in the state. This is indeed a shame.

Abutu is a public affairs analyst writing from Yola.

*'This is the Buhari we used to know', elders forum reacts to Kankara schoolboys' rescue* 

The Patriotic Elders Council of Nigeria (PECN) says the safe return of schoolboys abducted in Kankara, Katsina State has evoked memories of President Muhammadu Buhari they used to know. 

In a statement signed by its Secretary-General, Bishop Pinot Ogbaji, on Monday, the PECN said President Buhari rolled back the years with his display of poise, celerity and focus. 

Having risen steadily through the military ranks, President Buhari was Head of State between 1983 and 1985, a two-year regime famous for honesty, patriotism and incorruptibility.  

And the PECN noted that these virtues once again came to the fore as the president secured the release of the Kankara students. 

According to Bishop Ogbaji, President Buhari has confirmed his capacity to end banditry, terrorism and other criminal vices in the country. 

He added that the nation's confidence in the president, the service chiefs and troops have been renewed following the release of the students. 

Bishop Ogbaji, however, called on all Nigerians to continue to support the president as the bigger battle lies ahead.

Read the full statement below:

The release on Thursday night, of the over 300 boys abducted from the Government Senior Science Secondary School, GSSS, Kankara, Katsina State, has shown that it is only a matter of time before the current administration led by President Muhammadu Buhari will defeat insurgency and terrorism in Nigeria.

As elders, we followed the episode leading to the abduction of the boys, their captivity, the nature of negotiations, the efforts of the Federal Government and the military intelligence put into play leading to the release of the boys and we have no reason to withhold our joy and excitement. 

THIS IS THE BUHARI WE USED TO KNOW

We noted that while the boys were being held, that not once did the President panic or lose his composure.

Even as pressure was mounting on Mr President to take presumptive actions, President  Buhari did not lose focus but concentrated hard on what needed to be done until he was able to achieve results. 

We saw a reenactment of the Buhari we used to know since the 60s who is not not only brave and courageous but firm and focused and hardly loses his composure.

Much as some had wanted him to resort to histrionics by coming on national television to lament and shed crocodile tears, President Buhari chose the dignified option by not allowing the insurgents get the wrong impression that he is weak or for a moment think they're winning.

The President, however, continued to work round the clock by adopting the carrot and stick approach by allowing those who felt negotiating with the gunmen would bring results to continue to explore that angle, but also putting in place a military exercise that not only picked the location of where the schoolboys were being held but later encircling the gunmen to the point that the military could have overwhelmed them if they had tried anything funny.

THE STRATEGIES THAT WORKED 

In the end, the two strategies worked as they gunmen who probably wanted to explore the situation beyond a given time,  realised their time was up and had to quickly release the boys.

In that bid, President Buhari succeeded in killing two birds with a stone by ensuring the quick release of the Kankara boys and ensuring that not a single one of them is hurt. 

In the history of mass abductions for money, this is the first time that the bandits would be embedded and boxed to a corner that they had to reconsider their own safety.

We believe the Nigerian Government when it said it paid no ransom to secure the release of schoolboys because of these strategies.

We also believe the Defence Headquarters, when it said the military rescued the students from their captors.

POSITIVE ASPECTS OF RECENT GAINS

This is why we the elders, after having observed the development, felt the need to point out to Nigerians the positive aspect of what the President and his Team have achieved by this and to reassure them, that despite the many reports of such crimes, that we have a President with the capacity to rescue Nigeria from banditry, terrorism and insurgency and other forms of crime.

We have always known that it is not beyond the President and the military to tackle terrorism and insurgency in Nigeria.

People forget that it is Nigerian troops under President Buhari that flushed out Boko Haram terrorists from their base in Sambisa Forest and captured their flag and Qur'an in less than six months after the President took the oath of office in 2015.

It is this same President who gave the command for the headquarters of operations to be moved to the theatres of war and within a short period, liberated all the 14 local governments taken over by the insurgents in three different states of the country before he became President.

This year alone, the military has neutralised over 2,000 terrorists in both the Northeast and Northwest, Nigeria and have added the release of the Kankara boys to their exploits against the terrorists. 

Our confidence in the ability of the President and his Team to do a good job has been restored because the President has succeeded in blocking the diversion and misappropriation of funds meant for the purchase of weapons for the fight against insurgency as was the practice in the previous administration.

Unlike in the past where troops complain of lack of weapons and security gadgets to prosecute the war against insurgency, much has been acquired in that regard that has boosted the morale of our troops to fight.

The encouragement was given by the President to the Service Chiefs to lead the fight from the front we also note has been one effective tonic that has changed the narrative against the insurgents.

With the effective check on the activities of bandits, terrorists or whatever name they're called, through the release of the Kankara boys, we restate that it remains a matter of time for all these crimes to be halted in. 

No doubt our troops have further been motivated by the outcome of the Kankara boys abduction episode in which they received the support of Mr. President.

OUR CALL

We call on all Nigerians to continue to support the President as the bigger battle lies ahead.

*Summit makes case for citizens' partnership with armed forces to overcome insurgency*

A clarion call has been made to all Nigerians to rally round the Armed Forces in its bid to wipe out remnants of terrorists, bandits and other criminal elements in the country. 

Renowned academic, Prof. Peter Madoki gave the charge at a one-day summit for target rights groups, conflict managers and social media influencers last Friday in Abuja. 

Prof. Madoki, speaking as chairman of the event organised by Global Amnesty Watch Foundation (GAWF) in conjunction with the Center for International and Strategic Studies (CISS) acknowledged the tremendous feats of the military under President Muhammadu Buhari. 

He recalled how the president propelled troops to launch multiple offensives against these armed groups through different operations. 

On top of suffering hundreds of casualties, the academic noted that over 20, 000 hostages have regained freedom and reunited with their families, most recently the Kankara students in Katsina State. 

"President Buhari and the incumbent Service Chiefs must be counted among the few best leadership gifts to Nigerians and the country," he said. 

"I appreciate all of them and encourage these leaders to soar higher in the strive to secure Nigeria and humanity". 

However, Prof. Madoki reckoned that the final piece of the jigsaw is citizens' partnership with the troops. 

He said with the support of Nigerians, especially civil society groups, non-governmental organisations and social media influencers, the military would be fired up to finish the war.

According to him, the "new media is now the leading crusaders of social change or re-engineering, good governance, human rights and self-determination agitations".

He further noted that it " has an expediently amazing outreach even to the remotest of villages. It speedily galvanizes forces potent enough to even pull down the walls of Jericho in a split second". 

Prof. Madoki recounted the EndSARS movement and the role played by social media influencers. 

He believes if such energy can be channelled to support the troops on the frontlines, the nation would soon witness an end to insecurity. 

His words, "In our country Nigeria, we experienced it with the #EndSARS protests over the same police brutality and extra-judicial killings.  The violence, avoidable deaths, destructions and gores from otherwise peaceful democratic protests would impinge on national psyche for some time.  All of you would agree with me that the messages and calls for solidarity by the organizers of the protests were re-doctored, manipulated and unpatriotically altered by mischievous persons for specific purposes.   

"And in African countries, Nigeria inclusive, which are exposed to the wonders of social media have had to grapple with the basic problem of fake news syndrome or concocted propaganda.  Most social media users are susceptible to the temptation of gulping every stuff churned out and sighted on their social media handles.

"Without any attempt at verification, it is presumed as facts largely because of the unregulated nature of such platforms. There are deliberate distortions on social media by users who delight in twisting facts to inflame negative public passions. But also, some are genuinely oblivious of the facts about events in their milieu or are misled and or, prefer to mislead others in the expansive chain of social media connectivity".

The European Union Human Rights Forum (EUHRF) has commended President Mohammadu Buharinfor the release and safe return of the 344 students of Government Science Secondary School, Kankara, Katsina State.

The European Union in a statement by Joseph Cullen, Special Rapporteur, Lake Chad, West Africa, said the release of the students is a deserving relief to see that everything ended without bloodshed.

According to Cullen, measures must be put in place to ensure that such actions do not repeat itself again.

''The abduction had sent shockwaves across the entire international community because of the similarities it shared with the kidnap of the schoolgirls in a secondary school in a town of Chibok in Borno State of Nigeria which took place on the night of Monday, the 14th day of April 2014 under the previous administration.

''EUHRF commends President Muhammadu Buhari and the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria for this cheery outcome even as it is now apparent that measures must be implemented to ensure such actions do not occur in the first place. This will ensure that the priority that President Buhari gives to matters pertaining to women and children continues to remain in place since these are vulnerable people that must be given extra protection in view of the complex security situations that Nigeria is having to deal with owing to an unhealthy mix of internal, external, state and non-state factors that Nigeria is contending with.

''We commend President Buhari for the swiftness and efficiency with which the lads were rescued from their abductors. Such swiftness would have made all the difference had such occurred in 2015 when school girls were similarly abducted from their school in Chibok, Borno state. It is commendable that critical time was not lost in returning the school boys back to their families.

''EUHRF’s one major concern from the entire incidence is the tenacity with which some key players wanted to chalk up the abduction as credit to Boko Haram, which had criminally claimed credit for the development that it knows nothing about. This goes to confirm the concerns that some indigenous groups had expressed in the past that there is much of political coloration to the security breaches in Nigeria'', the organisation said in a statement.

Cullen said the EUHRF is committed to lending support in any way possible for the government to deal with terrorist propaganda that encourages those with criminal intentions to commit these kind of acts.

The organisation expressed shock that at the result Nigeria was able to achieve in dealing with the situation before external support could be factored in.

EUHRF further commended other stakeholders in Nigeria who made the feat possible.

''The outcome could not have been possible without President Buhari providing the needed leadership but the collaborative inputs of the other layers of the government is remarkable. We therefore commend the Governor of Katsina State, Aminu Bello Masari and the Nigerian Army for their valiant and cooperative efforts towards ensuring the release of the schoolboys.

''It is imperative that Nigeria now gets similar support from governments of the world in order to deal with a problem that has manifested its spread across national boundaries. The evil menace of insurgency that the abductions were meant to feed must be urgently addressed by stakeholder-nations so that those who plot to gain from this kind of criminal enterprise would know that they have no future.''

statement issued and signed by the Executive Director, Taiwo Akerele in New York, the United States on Saturday said the safe return of the schoolboys again highlights President Buhari's political will towards addressing the security challenges in the country.

Also, it commended the relevant security agencies that participated in the rescue operation for their plan and execution that led to the eventual safe return of the schoolboys.

The Executive Director, however, urged the Federal Government to begin the process of engaging Nigerians on the need for collective action towards nation-building.

The Incentive-Based Program (IBP) of Policy House International also used the occasion to ask Governors of the region to invest in the security of educational facilities across the states in their 2021 budget" planning

You will recall that the Incentive-Based Program of Policy House International is presently working with relevant partners to encourage over 450,000 parents in the North East bring back their kids to school based on an arranged incentive framework that will encourage agriculture, small and medium scale enterprises, grant and cash support across some selected states affected by insecurity.

The Association of Nigerian Professionals in Europe (ANPE) has applauded President Muhammadu Buhari and the country's security agencies for the release of hundreds of Kankara schoolboys in Katsina State. 

The group made this known in a communique signed by its President, Dr. Agwu Onyeke alongside 13 country heads, issued at the end of an online consultative meeting on Friday. 

According to the ANPE, the safe return of the schoolboys again highlights President Buhari's political will towards addressing the security challenges in the country. 

Also commending the military for its plan and execution that lead to the eventual safe return of the schoolboys, the Nigerian professionals hailed the Operation Sahel Sanity as a success. 

The group, however, urged the Federal Government to begin the process of engaging Nigerians on the need for collective action towards nation building 

The Nigerian professionals also called on the FG to develop strategies that would counter the falsehood propagated by mischief makers and disgruntled politicians in the polity that is bent on truncating the nascent democracy in Nigeria. 

Read full communique below:

Introduction: 

The Association of Nigerian Professionals in Europe the umbrella body of Nigerian professionals that have distinguished themselves in their chosen endeavours in Europe.  A part of the strategic objective of the association is to tap from the rich resource base of Nigerians in Europe towards the socio-economic development of Nigeria. 

The association has in its fold thousands of Nigerians in various fields of endeavours in Europe providing advisory services in the critical sectors of health, education, economy and security, amongst a host of other interventions.  This has been evident in symposiums, policy papers, and strategic reports on issues that aid sustainable development in Nigeria. 

The online consultative meeting was convoked in the assessment of the state of the nation Nigeria, and the recent abduction and subsequent rescue of 344 students of Government Science School, Kankara, Katsina State. 

The online consultative meeting had in attendance members from different parts of the Europe and issues were deliberated and presented to the general house during plenary for ratification and subsequent adoption. 

The Issues: 

Nigeria is experiencing challenges in various sectors of the country, and it has been alleged that the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari has displayed a lackadaisical attitude towards addressing the issues. 

This much necessitated the need for an independent assessment from a body of experienced Nigerian professionals that have kept a tab on happenings in the country to put issues in proper perspectives for the generality of the Nigerian populace as well as its development partners that are watching with keen interest the happenings in the country. This is also on the heels that we are in the era of fake news that has brought about an unimaginable level of misinformation that are detrimental to sustainable development. 

The Impact of Coronavirus on the Economy of Nigeria: 

The outbreak of the novel Coronavirus pandemic indeed disrupted growth and development in Nigeria. The case of Nigeria is not as peculiar as the impact of the pandemic hit almost countries in the world. Consequently, members deliberated on the steps taken by the Nigerian government towards mitigating the effects of the pandemic on the lives of the ordinary Nigerians. 

The State of Insecurity in Nigeria: 

Members also deliberated extensively on the spate of insecurity in the country. The prosecution of the war against insurgency in North-East Nigeria, the spate of kidnappings, including the abduction of 344 students from their dormitories in Government Science School Kankara, Katsina State and other forms of criminalities by militant groups across the country. 

There were extensive deliberations by members with experts in criminology moderating the discourse to make informed observations in line with global standards. 

The Resolutions: 

After extensive deliberations, members who were divided into subgroups made presentations for adoption by the general house on the above-highlighted issues. 

On the state of the Economy, the following was unanimously adopted: That the impact of the coronavirus pandemic was felt globally and Nigeria was not an exceptional case in the sense that almost all countries of the world introduced measures aimed at containing the further spread of the virus. And this included the enforcement of a lockdown of countries. 

That the Nigerian authorities indeed enforced a nationwide lockdown which economically would hurt the country’s economy. However, it commended the efforts of the Nigerian government towards mitigating the effects of the lockdown through the National Social Investment Programmes that includes but not limited to the National Cash Transfer Programme, National Homegrown School Feeding Programme and the National Social Safety Net Programme, amongst a host of others. 

On the spate of insecurity, the following was unanimously adopted: 

Members were also unanimous in commending the Nigerian Military in the war against insurgency and other forms of criminalities. 

The role of the Nigerian Military in Internal Security Operations was also commended with particular reference to Operation Sahel Sanity in North West Nigeria that was viewed as a huge success. 

The successful rescue of the abducted schoolboys by the Nigerian Military was also highlighted, and members expressed commendation in its planning and execution that that saw to the safe return of the schoolboys. 

The provision of the needed political will by the Federal government towards addressing the security challenges in the country was also commended in glowing terms. 

Recommendations: 

The Association of Nigerian Professionals in Europe at the end of the online consultative meeting made the following recommendations: 

That the Nigerian government must begin the process of engaging Nigerians on the need for collective action towards nation building 

That the Nigerian government must develop strategies that would counter the mischief propagated by mischief makers and disgruntled politicians in the polity that is bent on truncating the nascent democracy in Nigeria. 

That the media must rise to the occasion through the enforcement of objectivity in the reportage of events in the country 

That the media must desist from giving prominence to the activities of terrorist, insurgents and other criminal gangs in the country. 

Conclusion: 

The Association of Nigerian Professionals in Europe at the end of the online consultative meeting concluded that the Nigerian government has fared brilliantly well in critical sectors of the Nigerian economy. It also averred that the bulk of the issues in the country with specific reference to the spate of insecurity in the country as politically motivated.

*Revealed: Nigerian activists lose $10m deal with Amnesty International over Buhari’s rescue of Kankara boys* 

A circuit of prominent Nigerian activists appears to have missed out on as much as $10 million bumper deal meant to come their way from global rights monitoring group, Amnesty International following the prompt rescue of the 314 schoolboys, who were abducted by gunmen from their school in Kankara, Katsina State.

The abduction of the schoolboys gunmen initially thought to be bandits, and at some later point, Boko Haram terrorists had drawn international concerns sparking fears that a repeat of a similar but more unfortunate incident in Chibok, Borno state, in which 112 of schoolgirls abducted from their school by Boko Haram terrorists are yet to be reunited with their families was in the making. 

The Nigerian government, however, turned things around for good by orchestrating the freedom and release of the children unharmed. The Nigerian Army’s Operation Sahel Sanity cordoned off the gunmen holding the schoolboys and effectively ended what could have potentially turned out to be a harrowing experience for the teenage boys as they were all freed unhurt in that operation.  

Our correspondent reliable gathered that Amnesty International had positioned to exploit the recent Kankara incident same way it did with Chibok Girls, using prominent anti-government activists to discredit the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari by highlighting how the abductions happened on his watch. The fallout from the abduction of the Chibok Girls was widely believed to have contributed to former President Goodluck Jonathan’s loss at the 2015 polls.

A source familiar with the plot disclosed that Amnesty, which has been accused of pursuing an agenda to destabilise Nigeria, had warehoused $10 million to mobilize local activists to design and implement “series of engagement on the Kankara Boys incident” which is reportedly a code phrase for widespread protests and campaign of propaganda directed against the government. 

Activists reportedly on the list to benefit from the $10 million “sweetener” are Femi Falana, Aisha Yesufu, Ahmad Salkida, Deji Adeyanju, Oby Ezekwesili, Shehu Sani amongst others while they were in turn expected to draw in newly identified names from the #EndSARS protests to give the ensuing protests “an organic feel”. 

According to the source, who crave anonymity over fear of a backlash, “Amnesty International was to pay the money to a company outside Nigeria on Friday. Unfortunately, the Federal Government successfully achieved the release of the boys after the military stepped in and made it impossible for the bandits to move out of the area where they were keeping the boys.

“They (activists) may not be directly connected to it but the video in which the boys were told to say they were abducted by Boko Haram was meant to give the activists more leverage to harass the government by claiming that the military has further lost grip of the country to Boko Haram, which would, in turn, enable Amnesty International to attribute series of events in the north-west of Nigeria to the military. Things could have gotten really ugly,” the source who claimed to have brokered the similar deal for a female among the activists stated.

Hints of the $10 million budget for advancing the anti-Nigeria agenda had triggered a flurry of activities among the activists as they jostled to set the narrative for what was nationally feared would end up a tragedy. They had created hashtags that were meant to make trend the abductions on social media similar to what they did with #BringBackOurGirls. #KankaraBoys #KankaraStudents and #BringBackOurBoys were thrown up and were already trending before the boys were rescued by the military.

Senator Shehu Sani, @ShehuSani, wrote, “The Friday night attacks in Kankara town Katsina state and the reported kidnappings of students of the Government Secondary School by bandits is another tragedy in the season of woes. Until the (sic) these bandits are tackled and crushed, the problem will not fizzle out.”

Oby Ezekwesili, @obydzeks, said “What exactly is the grossly incompetent and coldly indifferent @NGRPresident @MBuhari really doing in Katsina State while disconsolate parents of 333 #KankaraBoys cry their eyes out? Does the President know more than we are being told about the whereabouts of those students?”

Even after the students were freed from captivity, there was last-minute push on the part of some of the activists who reportedly told Amnesty International that they can still use the incident to do some damage. It was however unclear if the organization bought this argument or if it went ahead to disburse part of the funds since the basis on which it was to be spent has been overtaken by events.

The activists nonetheless continued their attacks on government while twisting preventive steps being taken to keep other students safe out of context. Aisha Yesufu @AishaYesufu for instance jubilantly said “The reasons Boko Haram gave us for abducting #KankaraStudents was so western education should be stopped. Schools are being closed. They won! When will Nigeria government go after Boko Haram terrorists?”

Her assertion is consistent with what Amnesty International had declared a clear four days before. The international NGO had rushed to credit Boko Haram for the abduction of the schoolboys, which further cement claims by some organizations that the rights group was running propaganda to present the terrorist group as stronger than it actually is. Its statement, titled “Nigeria: Education under attack in the north” went as far as validating an erroneous claim that more than 500 students were abducted when in reality the 314 that were rescued were the only ones abducted in the ugly incident.

Osai Ojigho, Director of Amnesty International Nigeria, had said “These children are abducted in serious risk of being harmed and being forced to become child soldiers. Nigerian authorities must take all measures to return them to safety, along with all children currently under the custody of Boko Haram.”  

The activists have now reportedly raised a team to pressure Ojigho into persuading Amnesty International’s London headquarters that the funds can be channelled into executing projects that will deliver results and would be similar in impact too if the abducted schoolboys had not regained their freedom.

*'Mentor young Nigerians to emulate Abba Kyari', Customs CG, Zulum, others charge family, friends*

The Comptroller General of Customs, Col. Hameed Ali (Rtd), has tasked friends and family of Abba Kyari to mentor the next generation of Nigerians to uphold the values of the late Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu. 

Col. Ali gave the charge at a book presentation in Kyari's honour on Thursday at the NAF Conference Centre, Abuja. 

The book titked 'The Man Abba Kyari' was written by David Onmeje, a UK-based author and lecturer. 

In his remark, Col. Ali said the late journalist, lawyer and businessman was often misunderstood by many because of his integrity and deviation from the norm.

He said, “Anyone that undertakes the challenge of passing through the road of credibility, honesty, and integrity will end up being the most controversial and misunderstood person, and that is what Mallam Abba Kyari was.

“He passed through that path. And in the course of doing so, you would agree that, one would roughen some edges. That was happening in the course of his life as a private citizen.

“And when he found himself in government, it was rough, in the sense that when he choose to say ‘yes’ to the left and ‘no’ to the right, the chances were that he had a lot of controversies and enemies".

The Customs boss, who said he knew Kyari for 22 years also said that the late Chief of Staff to President Buhari stood for what he believed and was uncompromisng. 

“Mallam Abba, whom I knew closely for 22 years, was someone who does not hold back his views. He was ready to take up a fight when you decide to deviate from the norms. He doesn’t take ‘No’ for an answer," he added. 

“The issue with regards to controversy is normal, some of us are into it and will continue to be in it. Some of us are being hated, but we would continue to do what we believe in. That was exactly what Abba did until his death.”

Col. Ali, however, urged the family and friends to pass his legacy to young Nigerians. 

Similarly, Governor of Borno, Babagana Zulum said the late Kyari was not a controversial man, instead, he discharged his duties to President Buhari with dedication and loyalty.

represented by his Chief-of-Staff,  Professor Isah Hussein the said, “Abba Kyari was a typical technocrat. He excelled in all the disciplines or organizations he found himself. He was a people’s person.

“Abba Kyari, some have said, was a controversial person. He was not. He was just doing his job. To be a chief-of-staff you must have certain qualities. Abba had all of those. One of them is dedicated to his job. But most importantly, is loyalty to your boss, and it must be total.

“People tried to get to Mr. President or had their own agenda found that Abba Kyari was always there. They could not bend him. That’s why a lot of people say  he was controversial. He was just doing his job.”

Reviewing the book, Prof. Udenta Udenta, said the book portrayed Kyari’s character and its contradictory assessment by the people.

“The book would open a floodgate of commentaries, and accounting about the life and times of this very complex individual (Abba Kyari),” he said.

On his part, Onmeje described the late Chief of Staff as a patriot and committed public servant who was widely respected for his loyalty and commitment to the goals and aspirations of President Buhari.

*Kankara students' release show God's faithfulness to Nigeria, Buhari - Interfaith group*

The National Inter-Faith and Religious Organizations for Peace (NIFROP) has welcomed the release of abducted students of Government Science Secondary School in Kankara, Katsina State. 

The NIFROP, in a statement signed by its National Coordinator, Bishop Sunday Garuba, on Friday, said the release is a demonstration of God's faithfulness towards Nigeria and the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.  

Recall that the respected group, alongside other Nigerians had on Tueaday embarked on a one-day national prayer for the safe return of the schoolboys. 

Bishop Garuba had charged Nigerians to return to God in prayers to compliment the efforts of the gallant troops. 

And barely 48 hours after, the release was confirmed by the Katsina State Government without payment of any ransome. 

In reaction, Bishop Garuba described President Buhari as God's anointed servant who can not be disgraced by those against the interest of the country in its quest towards sustainable growth and development. 

He further thanked all well-meaning Nigerians for their prayers and supplications for the safe return of the abducted boys to their families and love ones. 

On behalf of the group, Bishop Garuba also hailed the security agencies that worked tirelessly to secure the safe return of the boys.

He, however, charged all citizens to continue to pray for the administration of President Buhari against those that have constituted themselves as clogs in the wheels of the progress of the country. 

Read full statement below:

The National Interfaith and Religious Organizations for Peace welcomed the rescue of the abducted schoolboys from their dormitories in Kankara, Katsina State as a demonstration of Gods awesomeness towards Nigeria. 

We are stating in unequivocal terms that the rescue of the abducted boy is indeed an indication that God loves Nigeria and President Muhammadu Buhari. 

This is indeed a testament to the fact that President Muhammadu Buhari is Gods servant and can’t be disgraced by those that have elected to be against the interest of Nigeria in our quest towards sustainable growth and development. 

The National Interfaith and Religious Organizations for Peace is using this medium to extend its appreciation to President Muhammadu Buhari for his display of sound leadership in ensuring that the various security agencies put in their best towards the rescue of the abducted boys. 

President Muhammadu Buhari has once again proved that his stewardship of Nigeria is in the overall interest of Nigerians and not a select few as has been the case with previous administrations in Nigeria. 

Nigerians must indeed come to terms with the realization that President Muhammadu Buhari is Gods anointed for Nigeria and therefore all those that have been plotting on ways to discredit his administration should have a rethink and change their ways for the bible states in the book of Psalms 105:15 “Touch not my anointed ones, do my prophets no harm!”

The National Interfaith and Religious Organizations for Peace thank all well-meaning Nigerians for their prayers and supplications for the safe return of the abducted boys to their families and love ones. 

We consequently extend our gratitude and commendation to the security agencies that worked tirelessly to secure the safe return of the boys. They have indeed displayed tremendous acts of patriotism and commitment to the Nigerian cause. 

Our security agencies are deserving of our commendation for rising to the occasion in this critical task that saw to the safe return of the abducted boys. 

It consequently behoves on all well-meaning Nigerians to continue to pray for the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari against those that have constituted themselves as clogs in the wheels of the progress of the country. 

The National Interfaith and Religious Organizations for Peace shall continue to offer intercessory prayers for President Muhammadu Buhari as he leads Nigeria towards the path of sustainable growth and development. 

We are also using this medium to call on Nigerians from all walks of life to stand on the side of truth by extending their support to the lofty plans and policies of the Muhammadu Buhari led administration. 

The safe return of the abducted boys is another testimony of Gods abounding love and faithfulness to Nigeria.

The Chairman House Committee on Disability and Special Needs, Hon. Princess Miriam Onuoha has urged persons with disability to remain calm as urgent attention will be channeled to their demands.

Persons with disability who came in their large numbers from Niger Delta today at National Assembly protested against marginalization and expressed that they are educated and deserve employment placements.

Hon. Miriam Onuoha in a statement issued today said the National Assembly was already acting on their demands which necessitated the Honourable Speaker to create this committee two weeks ago because of his special interest in the rights and welfare of people living with disabilities.

"I urge the protesters to remain calm as the good times are here now with the speaker and leadership of the House of Representatives appointing a Chairman For persons with disability and special needs.

“We will work harmoniously to resolve the current impasse and grievances expressed today"

" I want to assure you of my desire and that of the National Assembly to as a matter of urgency meet with your enlarged groups soonest". Onuoha said

Tinubu Support Group-TSG has felicitated with President Muhammadu Buhari as he marked his 78th birthday on Thursday.

In a statement released by its Head Media and Publicity Oluwatosin Johnson, in Abuja on Thursday. The group said it was proud to associate with the President, describing him as a role model worthy of emulation.

Oluwatosin thanked the President for his selfless service to Nigeria.

“Tinubu Support Group wishes His Excellency President Muhammadu Buhari a happy birthday.

“We also say a big thank you for your selfless service to our dear country.

“We are very proud of you and your brave and fearless leadership. You have been a role model. We proudly hold you as someone worthy of emulation,” the group Director of media and publicity said.

He equally call on Nigerians to continue to support the government and its programs. We appeal to Nigerians to partner with this administration to bring about an end to security challenges in our land.

Governor Ugwuanyi congratulates Sukubo as NYCN President, tasks Nigerian Youth on productivity.


The Governor of Enugu State, Honorable Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi has called on youths in Nigeria to take advantage of the present digital revolution to channel their energy towards productive engagements, through the acquisition of new skills and knowledge sharing so as to nourish human capacity for the socio-economic development of the country.

Governor Ugwuanyi made the call over the weekend in Enugu, while playing host to the leadership of the National Youth Council of Nigeria NYCN and a Coalition of Ethnic Nationalities Youth leaders, led by the NYCN President, Ambassador Sukubo Sara-igbe Sukubo at the Enugu state government House.

The organisations are in Enugu for a Special End of the year Thanksgiving service at the Adoration Ministry Enugu under the famous Catholic Preacher, Rev. Fr. Ejike Mbaka.

Governor Ugwuanyi, who congratulated Sukubo on his emergence as the Unity President of the nation's apex youth organisation, described the youth as the pride and glory of any Nation. He said the position of the youth in nation building cannot be over emphasised, considering their power of ideas and intellect. He said the youth are more intelligent and far more enterprising than the older generations, and they must all seek how to re-channel their energy, through positive modelling and gainful employment.

He observed further that the time has come to rouse the consciousness of their leading lights to confront the charlatans among them. These charlatans he said, are the elements capable of dragging down society, because according to him, their activities are destructive to society as well as to themselves.

Also speaking during the visit, Rev. Fr. Ejike Mbaka lauded the Governor for his untiring commitment to good governance and infrastructural development, particularly in the rural areas of the state. He further described Governor Ugwuanyi as a lover and promoter of peace, a reason that has made Enugu, one of the most peaceful cities in the country today.

Gov. Yahaya Bello a practical example of the principle of inclusiveness in governance.


The Kogi state governor, Yahaya Bello, has shown himself to be a practical example of the principle of inclusiveness in governance.

The gesture of the governor, in ensuring that the leadership of the Local Government Councils include women and youths as vice chairmen and secretaries respectively, is one that ought to be emulated in all states and the federal government levels.

We in the Civil Society Network for Good Governance, believe that this has set Kogi on the right path to having a government that meets the aspirations of all citizens, as the voice of women and the youth have been put at the forefront of decision making.

This is a model that ought to be adopted by more states and federal government, to address the current anomaly wherein there is lack of communication between government and the governed, which culminated in the recent End SARS protests in the country.

The legitimate demands of the youth were hijacked, leading to untold carnage and destruction across the country, due to the fact that the grievances of the youth couldn’t find a channel into the decision making levels of government.

To forestall such a situation, going forward, the Kogi model of affirmative action for women and youth should be adopted by more states to ensure that power returns to the grassroots and government policies, programmes and projects are organically conceived and executed based on consensus positions.


Over the years it has become an accepted standard of international best practices in governance to have inclusiveness by giving positions to deserving members of disadvantaged groups and subgroups in society.

Nogeria needs leadership that is oriented towards inclusiveness and has a track record of putting this time tested principle in practice.

Governor Bello as shown himself to be a visionary through his radical departure from the past where leadership is the exclusive preserve of the influential and their cronies, and is building a system that ensures that youth are more relevant than being mere appendages of the powers that be.

Adefila Kamal
President, Civil Society Network for Good Governance

National Youth Council laud Governor Yahaya Bello over appointment of NYCN officials as Secretaries to Local government.


The National Youth Council of Nigeria NYCN has described as unprecedented, the gesture extended to the local government coordinators of the NYCN in all the local government areas of Kogi State, by Governor Yahaya Bello. Governor Yahaya Bello had earlier today during the inauguration of the newly elected Local government announced the appointment of the NYCN chairmen of the various local government in the state, as the Secretaries to the Local governments across the state.

In a statement issued and signed by its President, Amb Sukubo Sara-Igbe Sukubo, the nation’s apex youth body applauded Governor Yahaya Bello’s decision, describing it as a practical demonstration of the love and belief of the Governor, in the capacity of Nigerian youth to assume the mantle of leadership in the country.

The council further pointed out that these appointments, is a major victory in bridging the age long gap, that has existed between Nigerian youth and government at various levels in the country.

Sukubo urges the new Secretaries, who have also been sworn in, to consider their appointments as a call to service, which must be carried out by hardwork, focus and teamwork, in order to justify the confidence reposed in them by Governor Bello.

The incentive Based Program (IPB) of Policy House International has expressed its disgust over the recent abduction of students by suspected bandits from the Government Science Secondary School, Kankara district in Katsina state.

This was made known in a statement issued by the Executive Director, Incentive-Based Program,
Taiwo F. Akerele in Abuja.
According to him, his organization is appalled by the recent development in Katsina State where several hundreds of schoolboys were reportedly kidnapped.


He said the act is highly reprehensible, insensitive, and inhuman.

“We are pained and distraught that while we are working hard to encourage parents to bring their kids back to school in the Nigeria North East especially on the backdrop of UNICEF’s estimated 10.5million out of school children in Nigeria, (a figure we dispute), this happened again right in our very eyes. This is indeed a minus in our quest to encourage and build confidence in the educational environment in the region through the incentive framework we have adopted.


“We call on the Nigerian government to do everything within its powers to get these kids released safely and unhurt back to school and get re-united with their parents. We must not the Chibok experience and embarrassment repeat itself again. Negative history should not be allowed to repeat itself in Nigeria. The Nigerian government must provide adequate security in all the schools in the Northern region to foster confidence and peaceful/conducive learning environment henceforth.

“The Incentive Based Program is presently working with relevant partners to encourage over 450,000 parents in the North East bring back their kids to school based on an arranged incentive framework that will encourage agriculture, small and medium scale enterprises, grant and cash support across some selected states affected by the Boko Haram scourge,” he concluded.