₦airaland Forum

By Philip Agbese

Before now, I found the ancient English aphorism, “what a man can do, a woman can do better,” a bit distractive because I considered it a demeaning psychological assault on the masculinity of men. But I am forced to embrace the wisdom in this wit, after I keenly watched the operations of the Honourable Minister, Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Hajiya Sadiya Umar Farouq over time function in that capacity.

Obviously, she is the youngest Minister in President Muhammadu Buhari’s cabinet in the second term of the administration. But I am pleasantly shocked that Minister Sadiya is proving every day that age is merely a number. Her performance in the very complex and engaging ministry has outclassed many other appointees under the Buhari Presidency.

Anyone can choose to remain stoic by not recognizing this great woman of substance and a future leader gunning for even bigger appointments by her credible performance. I know perfectly that once some people have a fixated mindset to paint you in black, there you can do to excite them. Rather, they strive to adorn and defame you unjustifiably with satanic colours.

But Minister Hajiya Sadiya Umar Farouq has disarmed me by her performance. And it is not only me who is so impressed. At least, I know genuine critics can also attest for her excellent performance. I am not referring to hired ones, whose only niggle is the contracted hatchet job and the money which greases the palms.

Certainly, I know in Nigeria, my country where more people tilt towards darkness, than light, getting a new government ministry start-off ground is a superhuman task. But Minister Sadiya responded to the challenge sharply, in spite of a meagre operational budget. She recognized that the mandate of the ministry deserves very attention of whoever heads it.

Today, Nigeria has a functional Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development to wipe our tears at the hopeless situations, we often find ourselves. She a woman virtuous woman of a puritan mould and I feel she deserves our collective eulogies.

She has demonstrated enough wisdom, tact and sufficient dexterity in handling the complex humanitarian issues which defines the core mandate of the ministry. Sadiya is agile, vibrant, fearless and principled. I don’t know her personally, but I can glean this from her numerous outings.

The Minister is a huge asset not only to the Buhari Presidency, but to distressed Nigerians. A periscopic glance at her performance in the last one month alone reveals the leadership substance embedded in her quiet personality.

The Northeast, where Boko Haram and ISWAP terrorists rage at innocent Nigerians has become her permanent home, where she constantly visits and renders humanitarian succour to a tormented citizenry. She has deemed the Northeast enclave a personal project in all ramifications.

Only in the last week of June 2020 for instance, Minister Sadiya, representing Mr. President, led other top government dignitaries to Maiduguri where she cut the tape to commission 120 operational vehicles, and medical supplies donated to the military/other security agencies and tertiary institutions by the North East Development Commission (NEDC) to boost counter-insurgency operations in the region. The message she delivered at the occasion on the need for peace was not only captivating, but solemn in every sense.

She echoed that the Northeast region deserve peace and stability, and it is only realizable through collaborative efforts and synergy among all stakeholders. This is what we have been preaching all the times. I wish people of the region should listen to her. It implies that Minister Sadiya is not only a humanist, but a peace evangelist.

An elated Borno state Gov. Babagana Zulum could not conceal his feelings, but exclaimed to Sadiya; “We are indeed grateful your ministry for what it is doing for the Boko Haram ravaged people of Borno State.”

A few days earlier in the same month, Minister Sadiya inaugurated the Federal Government National Steering Committee for the restructured Multi-sectoral Crisis Recovery Project (MCRP) designated for Borno, Adamawa and Yobe States.

MCRP is the foundation for the effective implementation of the Lake Chad Region Recovery and Development Project (PROLAC), sponsored by the World Bank at a whopping sum of $200 million dollars to support the recovery of the Northeast region devastated by Boko Haram insurgency in Nigeria.

She revealed “The Initial 200 Million-dollar project, which began on February 16, 2018, MCRP has achieved significant progress as evidenced by the midterm report of the World Bank in November 2019. And it is on the trajectory to achieve its Project Development Objectives (PDO) and results despite, a 10-month delay from Board Approval to Effectiveness.’’ She is also chairing the committee, an indication that it has not only taken off now under assured leadership, but has promisingly moved to the #NextLevel.

A workaholic to the core, Minister Sadiya was again on the delegation of the Federal Government of Nigeria led by the National Security Adviser (NSA), Major General Babagana Monguno(rtd) to commiserate with Gov. Zulum and the people of Borno over the unfortunate incident of Boko Haram attacks on some communities which resulted into scores of deaths. Minister Sadiya Umar Farouq also performed her passionate responsibility by providing humanitarian assistance to the displaced survivors as first point of consolation.

And in the same month, Sadiya featured prominently at the groundbreaking ceremony of the 10, 000 units of housing project for IDPs in Ngom, Mafa LGA of Borno state. It is one of Mr. President’s special intervention projects under the North East Development Commission (NEDC) led by the commission’s Managing Director, Alhaji Mohammed Alkali.

And in her unchangeable passion for equity, fairness and innate motherly affection, Minister Sadiya canvassed that that 1000 housing units would be built in Ngom, while the rest 9000 would be distributed across other nine other LGAs in the state.

Back to Abuja, the Honourable Minister has refocused attention on N-Power jobs Batch “C”. The programme has successfully entered stage “C”. The online process of registration of fresh beneficiaries also commenced within the last one month.

For her initiative to propel the N-Power jobs to the #NextLevel after terminating the overdue Batches “A” and “B” confirms her flair for fairness and equity. She has not abandoned them either. Minister Sadiya is also talking to entrepreneurs in the private sector to engage the productive ones under a special pact. But since the Minister assumed office, beneficiaries of the programme have attested to prompt payments of entitlements, since the scheme was moved to the Ministry.

Minister Sadiya is everything workaholic and compassion. She is leaving no stone unturned to put smiles on the faces of less privileged Nigerians. And these days, I hear pleasant echoes from Nigerian masses who have nicknamed her as the minister of Nigerian masses.

Agbese is a publisher and researcher in human rights law.

A group dedicated to fact-checking security issues in Nigeria, Central Force Against Fakenews (CFAF) has dismissed reports alleging that 350 personnel are leaving the Nigerian Armed Forces. 

According to CFAF's President, Aminu Bisku, the group, with the aid of modern tools on information fact checks, has been able to establish that the report was sponsored by terrorist organisations operating in the Northeast to weaken Nigerian troops who in the last three months put them under intense heat.

CFAF added that the logic behind the information cannot even stand the slightest scrutiny as it does not appeal to common sense. 

The report which was carried on an online medium claimed that 350 military personnel wanted to pull out from the force citing 'loss of interest' in the job as the major reason.

However, in reaction, Bisku rubbished the claim as a deliberate fabrication by terrorist organisations operating in the Northeast of Nigeria, to dampen the morale of fighting troops.

CFAF President said all the claims in the story can be punctured due to a number of reasons, chiefly among, he added is that 350 persons cannot all cite the same reason for leaving an organization.

"People leave organisations for different reasons people view developments differently, but it is almost impossible for hundreds of people to want to leave an organisation for the same reason," he said.

Bisku said for such to happen then all the 350 personnel must have been put in a classroom and tutored how to write their retirement letters.

"This is is the only way 350 independent-minded persons can arrive at the same conclusion on an issue at the same time," he stressed. 

Secondly, the group added that the roundness in the figure does not conform to reality. 

Bisku explained that propaganda pieces as they relate to claims in figures are easily punctured by the recourse to have an eye-catching sun, whereas real-life spontaneous reactions such as resignations hardly conform to any pattern that would comfortably fall in a round pattern.

His words, "Remember the 350 were not said to have been shortlisted for retirement but were said to have acted on their own, so it would have been difficult to arrive at a round figure as the one in the report.

"It would have been believable if they had said 218 or 341 or any such accidental figures but for a voluntary independent action to stop at a round figure of 350! you know that some people are trying to be mischievous. And because the sponsors of the story have a mindset, that was how they came up with a round figure of 350."

CFAF also said it is not a coincidence that such propaganda would be released at exactly the same time when the insurgents are being killed in large numbers.

"The timing of the report should make you wonder. Why is it coming at a time when the insurgents are under heat?

"If our troops did not resign when they were going into tactical withdrawal and running to other countries, it would be stupid for anyone to believe that they would resign now that the heat is against the terrorists," the group stated.

The CFAF further revealed that it is aware that in the last three months, the military killed nearly 2,000 insurgents in both the Northeast and Northwest regions and the Sevice Chiefs have been at the theatres of operation which represents the highest form of confidence-building to the troops.

"So for anybody to tell you that it is within such a time that our gallant personnel would be leaving is the highest form of deceit," he added.

CFAF also said the much that has been worked out to improve the welfare of military personnel in the last four years has been the best so far, contemplating leaving service at such a time would be considered ill-advised 

According to the CFAF president, within the last four years, the military acquired modern sophisticated weapons that made troops battle-ready and excited to go to the battlefield 

The group says it is because of such motivation that last year, over a hundred thousand persons applied to join the army out of which 5,000 soldiers were recruited  to strengthen the fight against insecurity in the country.  

Bisku said this year also, another round of recruitment exercise is going on where more youths would be recruited to beef up the number of fighting men.

"What is happening is that the insurgents have seen that they are losing the fight at the battlefield but want to use the media to send out damaging reports about the military so as to weaken the troops psychologically. 

"But the military hierarchy which always steps ahead of these criminals is well aware of this scheme and is not in any way bothered about it.

"If anything, troops are now more confident to go on operations and route out these enemies of the Nigerian State and have even laughed at the idea that any  of them would be leaving at this time."

The group, however, advised media platforms to always cross-check their facts before going to press with issues that have to do with the security of the nation so as not to play into the wrong hands.

Nigeria's Boko Haram/ISWAP crisis is in three instalments. On one side, there is the obvious menace of the terrorist group. Those who aid and abate their criminal activities are another. International non-governmental organizations (NGOs) complete the deadly triangle. 

For nearly a dozen years, Boko Haram perpetrated violence across the North-East, aiming to rid the country of any form of “Western influence.” In the first six years, the terror strews across the country. The Federal Capital Territory received overdose with a deadly car bomb attack on the United Nations building in 2011 signalling intent. The horror worsened afterwards. 

In December 2013, hundreds of the jihadists overran a Nigerian air force base in the Borno state capital, Maiduguri. Then four months later, the group gained particular notoriety for the abduction of an entire girls’ school in the town of Chibok. Over 20,000 persons were reportedly killed, hundreds of thousands displaced. 

After reaching its peak in 2015, the number of casualties attributed to the group fell dramatically. 

President Muhammadu Buhari's victory ushered in this new phase, breaking the convention with a different approach and personnel. Led by Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. T.Y Buratai, the new Service Chiefs degraded the group’s territorial control, pushing them to the fringes of the Lake Chad Basin.  

More recently, the COAS masterminded operations in the region that killed more than 1,000 insurgents. Audio messages released by Abubakar Shekau, the leader of Boko Haram’s main faction in April suggest the group is indeed hard-pressed. In one of them he wept and prayed for protection from the “devilish” army as he urged his men to stand firm.

While Boko Haram appears weakened, batted and on the brink of surrendering, supposed humanitarian aid groups potentially pose another threat to the troops. And unlike its brutal approach on the radical jihadists, troops are handicapped. 

For years, military authorities have allowed aid organizations operate outside of government-controlled areas, neglecting Terrorism Prevention Amendment Act, 2013, which criminalizes engagement with groups the government lists as terrorist. Stakeholders believe the military's initial soft stance allowed the NGOs to perpetuate evil.   

The role of international NGOs in conflicts can not be overlooked, though. They save millions of lives, provide food, drinking water, and healthcare to those that need lifesaving assistance. Some, however, seem to bolster and encourage the carnage being perpetuated by insurgents and rebels. 

In Nigeria, for instance, several reports have found many guilty of operating against all known international protocol, rendering humanitarian assistance to Boko Haram. They have been found to turn the crisis to a viable business venture, perpetuating acts that undermine the efforts of the military towards decimating the terrorist group. Some even act as spies, carrying out espionage activities.

Gudaji Kazaure, a federal lawmaker from Jigawa State first raised this alarm in 2018. He said, “The most important is for Mr President to be aware of those NGOs that are giving medication, support, food and others to the terrorists. If we don’t stop those NGOs that are going into Sambisa and meeting Boko Haram, we will not succeed in this war.”

It took almost a year for Kazaure's entreaty to be taken seriously. The military began a major crackdown on foreign NGOs for "aiding and abetting terrorists", supplying food and drugs. Two aid agencies, Action Against Hunger and Mercy Corps were suspended but pardoned merely ome month later. 

Ali Ndume, Chairmain Senator Comittte on Army kicked, insisting that he has credible evidence that NGOs work with Boko Haram after returning from a trip to Maiduguri. 

“Another area that the Senate will look into is the allegation that the various NGOs in that area are conniving with the insurgents – providing them information, logistics and so many things,” he said. 

“I have been critical about this and people have told me to be careful but it has come out now that one or two of the so-called NGOs operating there are actually aiding and abetting and supporting the insurgents. But we will do an investigation and we will hear if we have the evidence."

Since 2019, after a resurgence in fighting, government and military officials have also required aid organizations to undergo lengthy processes to obtain compulsory authorization for moving personnel, cash, and cargo carrying relief materials in the northeast region. The military mandated using armed escorts on some routes, banned certain types of goods, and limited the amount of fuel the agencies can use in the field. Somehow, the can of worms remained. 

Funding for Boko Haram

A damning report by the Centre for Africa Liberation and Socio-Economic Rights (CALSER) have found some INGOs to be responsible for funding Boko Haram. It revealed that while there are multiple evidence that suggests that funds from the coffers of these INGOs end up in the hands of the Boko Haram terrorist group, majority do come in the country from the francophone countries in cash. 

The military authorities have not been successful in tracking the inflow and disbursement of millions of dollars that have passed through the coffers of the INGOs. The discreet nature of their transactions has made matters worse. 

Funds aside, INGOs have been accused of providing humanitarian support to Boko Haram terrorists in violation of international protocol and laws. They divert food and other relief items meant for the IDPs to the camp of the group. In most instances, some medical NGO have been reported to be providing medical services to injured terrorists, which goes against the provisions in the International Humanitarian Law in armed conflict situations. 

Some locals in communities confessed that there are numerous instances where some INGOs move truck load of food items and medical supplies and abandon them in the middle of nowhere and before dawn these trucks and the items would disappear. 

It was also stated that some INGOs move about with unmarked trucks which makes it difficult to track their identities. The reason for this it was gathered was to leave no trace behind for the military to trace. 

Worst still, INGOs are believed to engage in the blackmail of the military. CALSER's report and many others uncovered some foreign aid agencies engaged in propaganda on behalf of Boko Haram, especially when they come under heavy bombardment from the Nigerian troops. 

The report also revealed that some foreign interest contracted some well-known INGOs in Nigeria to act as the intellectual arm of the Boko Haram group through the issuance of press statement and reports accusing the Nigerian Military of human rights abuses. These tactics are meant to cause a distraction when there seems to be intense pressure on the Boko Haram group.  

It was also gathered that the bulk of the rape allegations made against the military in IDP camps were fabricated too by some INGOs who offer young girls and women monies to appear before the camera to make such allegations. 

Several others are alleged to be actively involved in human trafficking and exploitation. There is a particular case of a French NGO that carries out documentaries in IDP camps depicting a picture of gloom as against the wishes of women and children and they consequently send these documentaries to donor organizations soliciting for funds.  

That's not all. INGOs are also notorious for other inimical acts that are dehumanizing to IDPs in their various camps. Some have been identified to be notorious for making locals go against their wishes to coercing them into making submissions and divulging information about their communities which ultimately ends up in the hands of the Boko Haram group to aid their operations. 

To stand a fair chance of defeating this brutal group, the hard-power approach of the military must be suppported by the Federal Government and effective legislation to eliminate the last arm of terror; the international NGOs. Else, the troops may remain in the same triangle.

THE DEVIOUS PLOT BY THE ENEMIES OF THE BENIN NATION AGAINST OUR WORTHY BENIN AMBASSADOR EXTRAORDINAIRE, CAPTAIN DR. HOSA OKUNBO JP.

The attention of the OSE GHEDO
FORUM WORLDWIDE  has been drawn to the mischievously packaged orchesra , aimed at tarnishing the towering personage and image of our nonpareil philanthropist cum industrialist, a great worthy son of the Benin Nation, *Captaiin Dr. Hosa Okunbo JP.* under the pretext of an unfounded and satanic political assumption of *not playing ball* and so their planned protest to the palace of the Oba of Benin to hoodwink him is untenable and  against his fundamental human rights and not in accordance with the laws of natural justice, equity and fair play.
We wish to unequivocally put the records straight that as a foremost unbiased Pan Benin Socio-cultural organisation, OSEGHE-EDO, will not seat back and allow mischief makers harass, intimidate and spread falsehood against our quintessential patriot,* CAPPY*, under any guise. We wish to inform these mischief makers that it is evil to thread this path of attempting to pull down a man so loved by the Benin race, friends and associates to satisfy the self seeking ambitions and motives of embattled politicians.
The revered Captain Dr. Hosa Okunbo, a renowned and very successful professional pilot who retired from service without blemish and opted into legitimate businesses. Today by God's grace ,he is an accomplished industrialist and a consumate businessman of international standard and repute. Infact he is one of the few key individuals driving the Economy of this great Nation to its desired place of pride and abundance. In Edo state here, we are all aware of his chains of investments that have successfully created thousands of jobs for our indigenous teeming youths and profesdionals. 
The last time we checked,  CAPPY, was a member of the PDP before he called it quit with politics We are also aware that he has not spoken of his interest in the Edo state politics, so why go for his Jugular unnecessarily? We the concerned five million Binis both those at home and in diaspora see this campaign of calumny as an affront on the sensibilities of the Benin Nation and a calculated attempt to rubbish the sanctity of the goodwill of the Binis and at the same time take our humane and modest dispostions as a mark of weakness. You cannot take this one, okay, one of our finest to your slaughtet house of calumny and riddicle.  
We enjoin all and sundry, the sponsors of this falsehood and the plotted protest desist forthwith from acts that lead to cataclysm. To be fore warned is to be fore armed . We will not watch this heresy repeat itself a second time again, enough is enough.
We wish to re-iterate that we will not seat and watch this crass contempt on our exceptionally distinguished Sons and daughters in the name of politics. Captain Dr. Hosa has become an institution due largely to his incisive business acumen, uncommon philanthropy as well as exceptional generosity to Nigeria across socio-economic, cultural and political divide
Let it be known that prolific industrialists are not subject of political propaganda in any ideal society and as a country with established security and cultural ethos, the full arm of the law must stretch forth against all those seeking to tarnish the Benin Sons and  Daughters hard earned names, else our people will have no option than to resort to self help. 

A forensic understanding of the political spectrum suggests clearly that some people are deviously twisting all manner of facts to suit their premeditated propaganda against their perceived or imaginary enemies. In the light of the foregoing, it has become exigent and expedient to appeal to the law enforcement agencies to beam their search lights on politicians as well as their supporters, hirelings,sycophants and their naysayers who are plotting to embark on an unholy civil disobedience by mobilizing our youths against our exemplary Benin patriot whom has severally insisted that he is not interested in Edo state politics and that his friendship transcend partisan political boundaries or divide.

 The mass of the Benin youths are advised not to allow themselves to be used by these self seeking politicians who desperately want to use them to achieve their inordinate ambitions and dump them again as usual. A word is enough for the wise.



1) Kenneth Erhunmwunsee
    ---------------------------------------
      National President

2)Esosa Igbinoba
------------------------------
Vice President

3) Osahon Uwagboe
-------------------------------
PRO

*Lawan, Gbajabiamila should institute special honours for Service Chiefs to boost morale, pro- democracy group to National Assembly*

The National Democratic Front (NDF) has called on the National Assembly leadership to initiate the process of recognizing the Service Chiefs and other well-deserving members of the Armed Forces in the fight against insurgency.

NDF said it arrived at this conclusion after extensive consultation with stakeholders in the critical security sector.

According to the group, this singular act would serve as a morale booster to the Service Chiefs who have displayed “patriotism, commitment and dedication to the cause of our fatherland”.

In a statement signed by Secretary-General, Dr. AbdulKadir Bolaji, on Thursday, the group hailed the military heads for the formulation of sound policies and the strategic implementation of quality innovations in the operations of the Armed Forces.

It called on Senate President, Ahmed Lawan and Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila to lead by example by instituting the process of honouring the Service Chiefs in the country in recognition of their sustainable efforts in preserving the territorial integrity of Nigeria.

The group, however, warned those passing scathing remarks on the military heads to end their political campaigns which is against the interest of the nation.

Read full statement below:

The National Democratic Front, a civil sareiety organization, wishes to lend its voice to the invaluable efforts of the service chiefs in the country in the fight against terrorism and other acts of criminalities in the country.

We have followed events closely and states that indeed the Service Chiefs have displayed an unalloyed commitment in service to our fatherland through the formulation of sound policies and the strategic implementation of quality innovations in the operations of the Armed Forces of the federal republic of Nigeria.

It is instructive to state that the various critics of the Service Chiefs in Nigeria has been borne mostly out of ignorance given the reality of where we are coming from in the war against terrorism in Nigeria and where we are today.

That our military have continued to toy day and night towards protecting the territorial integrity of Nigeria is indeed commendable and worthy of appreciation from critical stakeholders that includes the hallowed legislative arm of government, the National Assembly.

We are consequently taken aback that our national parliamentarians have not considered it appropriate to initiate the process of recognizing the Service Chiefs and other well-deserving members of the Armed Forces of the federal republic of Nigeria for their display of patriotism, commitment and dedication to the cause of our fatherland.

The Service Chiefs in Nigeria have been outstanding in their leadership roles in ensuring that the various threats posed by the Boko Haram terrorist group are curtailed to the barest minimum.

The National Democratic Front after extensive consultation with stakeholders in the critical security sector wishes to state that the contributions of the Service Chiefs in the past five years have seen to the numerous gains recorded in the theatre of operations in North-East Nigeria.

We also wish to state that those that have been passing scathing remarks about the efforts of the Service Chiefs in the security architecture in Nigeria do not undertake such ventures with the purest of intents but instead motivated by political considerations, which is in most instances against our national interest.

It is expedient that the efforts of the Service Chiefs in the country are recognized and honoured by the National Assembly as a way of encouraging them to continue to give their best in service to our fatherland.

This is especially so because we are all witnesses to how upon assumption of office, President Muhammadu Buhari appointed credible and highly experienced officers from the various services as Service Chiefs and with a matching order to address the various security challenges in the country.

Consequently, they indeed hit the ground running and till date, they have continued in such fashion hence the need for recognition of their noble efforts. The National Democratic Front wishes to advise members of the unsuspecting general public not to be carried away by pockets of lone wolf attack by the terrorists and their paymasters to draw public attention to vilify those we are ordinarily supposed to support in service to the country.

The National Democratic Front firmly hold that the Ahmed Lawan led National Assembly can lead by example by instituting the process of honouring the Service Chiefs in the country in recognition of their sustainable efforts in preserving the territorial integrity of Nigeria.

It is our considered opinion that in other climes of the world, the Chief of Army Staff would have been awarded the highest honours in the country for his acts of heroism and avowed commitment to defending Nigeria through the effective coordination of the command structure in the Theatre of Operations in North-East Nigeria against the Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorist group.

The National Democratic Front wishes to call on the National Assembly in Nigeria to take up the challenge in honouring the Service Chiefs in the country for their invaluable contributions to peace and development in Nigeria.

It is our firm belief that such a recognition would not only spur the Service Chiefs to continue to give in their best, it would also serve as a means of encouraging others in leadership positions in Nigeria to put the interest of the country first and above personal interest.

The efforts of the Service Chiefs in the country have indeed been exemplary in all ramifications and should serve as a model for commitment, dedication and sincerity of heart and purpose in service to the country.

The Citizens Against Fake Activists (CAFA) has called on the National Assembly to amend the nation's anti-terror legislation to dish out stiffer penalties, such as death by hanging to fake activists and others who aid and abet terrorism.

CAFA said it came to this conclusion after thoroughly evaluating the ongoing war against terrorism in the north-east and other security breaches across the country.

In a statement signed by its Director, Media and Strategy, Joseph Audu, on Thursday, CAFA said these individuals and groups are currently sabotaging the efforts of the troops, providing intelligence, logistic and strategic support to terrorists that are fleeing the ongoing military onslaught.

According to these citizens, if this is done, the Nigerian Army can now proceed to wipe out the remnants of Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorists.

On its part, however, CAFA vowed to expose these activists working for the interest of foreign governments while also championing the sponsorship of a bill to amend the terrorism act.

Read full statement below:

Following months of evaluating the ongoing war against terrorism in the north-east and other security breaches across the country, Citizens Against Fake Activists (CAFA), has come to the conclusion that it is time to amend the nation’s anti-terror legislation to deliver stiffer penalties on those that aid and abet terrorism.

We see this as the next logical step since the combatant terrorist elements have been largely contained and dealt with since the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. gen T.Y. Buratai became entrenched in the war front. The terrorists now manifest mostly in other forms that place them beyond the purview of the army, like posing as activists to spew terrorist propaganda in the media and online or sabotaging the anti-terror war by providing intelligence, logistic and strategic support to terrorists that are fleeing the ongoing military onslaught.

The National Assembly must therefore wake up to its responsibility and be proactive to amend the Terrorism (Prevention) (Amendment) Act, 2013 to prescribe death by hanging for anyone that supports Boko Haram in any way, including those that hide behind the nomenclature of activists to offer assistance to terrorists and those who collude with foreign entities to undermine the national interest of Nigeria.

Once the legislation is so amended, CAFA is ready to expose activists working for the interest of foreign governments and those that act as conduit for such interests to funnel support to Boko Haram members or other terrorists.

It is our view that if they can be callous to the point of sabotaging Nigeria for foreign interests and help them to empower Boko Haram then they should also be ready to get what is coming to them as repercussion for their treachery. They should be ready to receive the kind of death sentence handed down to that Iranian who participated in the espionage that killed that country’s top general recently.

We urge the Federal Government to clearly make a point that it will no longer tolerate citizens who receive foreign funding to blackmail the country. These blackmailers had in the past caused the government difficulties in buying weapons to prosecute the anti-terror war, dampen troops morale and promoted Boko Haram above the sovereignty of the Nigerian state.

These kinds of behaviours attract the death sentence in many jurisdictions, and it is time that Nigeria aligned with countries that have the maximum disincentive for terrorist sympathizers. People who engage in acts that directly or indirectly rob others of their lives do not deserve to live too and it is time this message is made loud and clear.

When people who unleash terror on others are made to dance to their own music then we would as a country overcome the toxicity of Boko Haram, ISWAP, Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN), Indigenous People of Biafra (IPoB) gangs of extremists and the human losses they visit on the nation. CAFA is therefore urging that the necessary amendments be made to ensure that those who persist in holding any form of affiliation with these groups will be made to keep dates with the hangman.

As a demonstration of its commitment to fast-track the process of amending the legislation to prescribe death sentence for terrorist-supporting pseudo activists, CAFA pledges to lead the way through the sponsorship of a bill to amend the terrorism act where citizens that promote terrorism will receive more severe charges than the terrorists themselves.

Boko Haram: Nigerians in Diaspora pass vote of confidence on Buhari, Service Chiefs

.... say some Nigerians are making conclusions without proper analysis of security issues facing the country

Nigerians in Diaspora Monitoring Group (NDMG) United States Chapter have passed a vote of confidence on President Muhammadu Buhari and his Service Chiefs for their handling of the insecurity situaton in the county. 

According to the group, the Nigerian military has effectively managed the security breaches confronting the nation, thwarting the intent of detractors.
 
In a statement signed by its President, Cosmos Collins, on Wednesday, NDMG said it drew this conclusion after extensively reviewing the prevailing security situation in the country. 

According to the group, the recent charge by President Buhari has spurred the military heads to perform even better than they had done since the inception of his administration. .

Hence, NDMG faulted those jumping into conclusion without proper analysis of the security situation in the country, adding that the call for theService Chiefs' dismissal is merely a propaganda. 

While warning against seeking strange foreign solutions, the group, however, recommended that Nigerians channel energy into leadership, stability and proper financing for the military. 

Read full statement below:

The Nigerians in Diaspora Monitoring Group, United States Chapter, has extensively reviewed the prevailing security situation in Nigeria and has come to the conclusion to pass a vote of confidence in President Muhammadu Buhari and Military Service Chiefs for the manner in which they are handling the insecurity challenge in the country.  

We particularly commend President Buhari for the recent push that he gave the security chiefs because we see this as his way of jolting them to perform even better than they had done since the inception of his administration.  A leader can only pressure his lieutenants with such intensity when he is confident in their ability to deliver.

In our view, these military leaders remain the best in the sub-region as they have been able to largely contain an internationally-backed terrorists’ insurgency. Inspite of the near absence of advanced technological equipment like drones to fight t, the military has been able to do so much under President Buhari and the Service Chiefs. 

What we discovered in the course of reviewing the situation is that Mr President and the Service Chiefs are constantly evaluated by organizations and individuals who do not factor in all the fundamentals driving insecurity in Nigeria.

For instance, there is a penchant to disregard the ignoble roles being played by countries whose activities directly or indirectly support Boko Haram to wage its war against Nigeria.

There is also the failure to acknowledge the international failure in leadership that should have been provided by the United Nations, which as a global body should have taken steps to cut off international support for Boko Haram by censuring countries and organizations that are sponsoring the terrorists. The expectation is that the United Nations would have by now midwife an international coalition to mop up the remnants of Boko Haram that have scattered into the territories of Nigeria’s neighbours as they flee the effective military operation launched against them. 

We are equally mindful that the rank of terrorists was swelled up recently by the influx of fighters from other parts of the world into the Lake Chad Basin.

This large-scale migration of terrorists to the region has been responsible for the criminal elements that attempt some daring attacks after it became obvious that the long stay of Gen TY Buratai, the Chief of Army Staff in the theatre of operation resulted in the killing of over 1, 700 terrorists in less than two months.

A natural consequence of this development is the resort to pro-Boko Haram propaganda that manifest as frantic demands for President Buhari to fire the very security chiefs that have consistently helped Nigeria to ward off the terrorist activities of the group. Our expert advised that the intent of this campaign is in three folds. The first is to boost Boko Haram morale, the second is to demoralize government troops and to incite the populace against the military leadership and government.  

The Nigerians in Diaspora Monitoring Group, United States Chapter, therefore, urge Nigerians must remain confident in their military leaders, men and women who have shown uncommon zeal and dexterity in handling the insecurity situation in the country. With the benefit of information at our disposal, we came to the logical conclusion to pass a vote of confidence on President Buhari and the military leaders because they have effectively managed the security breaches in the country and thwarting the intent of Nigeria’s detractors.  

We warn those seeking strange foreign solutions to be reminded that many countries having the same problems have not achieved a tenth of what President Buhari and these Service Chiefs have achieved. We rather recommend that Nigerians think about leadership
and stability and proper financing for the military to enable the armed forces to consolidate on the gains made so far.

Captain Hosa Okunbor is an illustrious Bini son who has a very humble beginning. Over the years he has been able to carve a good reputation without blemish for himself through genuine businesses and philanthropic gestures.

It is saddening to note that some persons of questionable character have continued to drag the name of this noble personality into Edo politics. Often times he has come out to condemn such allegations through his media spokesman. It is imperative to inform the public that Captain Hosa Okunbor cannot play sentimental politics and he sees every contestant in the forthcoming gubernatorial election as his friend and brother and that even in a family there are also the good, the bad and ugly.

So, Captain Hosa Okunbor should not be cowed by wicked and unscrupulous elements into a situation where he can’t be left free to exercise his fundamental human right of exercising his right of choice for who to vote for or support in the forthcoming elections in Edo State.

We, the above-named association, want to condemn such absurdity and malicious allegations against our beloved Edo son and therefore insist that these people of questionable character should henceforth desist from dragging him into Edo politics and persistent negative attacks.

The general public should please take note and disregard all negative attacks bent on discrediting his personality which he labored tirelessly over the years to build.

We urge and encourage Captain Hosa Okunbor not to relent or be distracted in his vision of actualizing a Greater Edo.

Oba a tor kpe e!.. Ise!!

Dan Igbinovia wrote this piece from Benin City

.... vow to defend President’s achievements, gains in making NIGERIA safe for citizens

At least 20 All Progressives Congress' groups, under the aegis of APC Youth Movement and Development Forum (APC-YMDF) has pledged their support to President Muhammadu Buhari and the military in the fight against insecurity.

The APC youths made this vow at a world press conference on Thursday in Abuja after a meeting of the 20 groups also held in the nation's capital.

Speaking on behalf of the groups, Comrade Ahmed Suleiman, representing the Buhari's Youth Emancipation Strategy (B-YES), called on all other APC groups and supporters of the President to rise up for the administration and not allow criminal elements break its ranks.

According to Comrade Suleiman, this has become crucial as “ agents of darkness of late have relentlessly seized the security situations which they have created to come hard on our very patriotic Service Chiefs”.

Among others, Suleiman disclosed that there is an ongoing mass mobilization of groups for street protests and rallies against Buhari's policies and programmes, especially insecurity.

More worrying, he noted that these same groups is fuelling nefarious individuals and organizations strictly for political reasons to fulfil their evil desires against the president and the Security Chiefs.

Despite all these, Suleiman added that the military has held its own, maintaining an enviable level of security of lives and properties in the country.

As a party, the APC groups expressed total support and appreciation to the Chief of Defence Staff, General Abayomi Olonishakin, the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen, Tukur Buratai and other Security Chiefs.

It also vowed to defend and stand by all actions, policies and programmes of President Buhari.

Read full statement below

Ladies and gentlemen, today is indeed a milestone for the APC Youth Movement and Development Forum, an assemblage of over 12 groups under the banner of the APC Youth Movement and Development Forum, dedicated to promoting the ideals and developmental policies of the APC administration in Nigeria.

This press conference became necessary in the light of the numerous attempts by some unpatriotic Nigerians to constitute a clog in the wheels of progress in Nigeria through their actions and inactions, which are often propelled by the evil desire to discredit the APC led Federal Government at all cost.

This plot has indeed taken a dangerous dimension in recent times with the thickening of the plan to break the ranks of the support base of President Muhammadu Buhari across the country through acts that are inimical to the overall growth and development of Nigeria.

The APC Youth Movement and Development Forum has noted with dismay attempts by some self-serving Nigerians to undermine the office of the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria by engaging members of the APC to carry out rebellion against President Muhammadu Buhari in a bid to discourage him and his lofty ideas in the areas of addressing the security challenges affecting the country, revamping the economy through the building of solid infrastructure and his numerous youths empowerment initiatives.

These agents of darkness of late have relentlessly seized the security situations which they have created to come hard on our very patriotic Service Chiefs who have continued to do their utmost best to protect lives and property irrespective of the level of conspiracy and external support the Boko Haram terrorist and other militant groups in Nigeria have been receiving.

To say that it is the desire by these despicable individuals and associations to destabilize Nigeria would be an understatement in the sense that they have conscripted the services of APC youth groups, APC Progressive groups and other umbrella organizations under the APC banner to discredit the APC led government in the attempt to paint a picture of a disintegrating party to Nigerians.

Their plans include but not limited to the mass mobilization of groups for street protests and rallies against the policies, programmes and administrative style of President Muhammadu Buhari across the country, with particular emphasis on the hardworking Service Chiefs in the country.

The APC Youth Movement and Development Forum is appalled at such brazen display of hatred for the country given the numerous efforts of the APC led Federal Government in addressing the myriad of challenges facing the country.

It is indeed a statement of the fact that President Muhammadu Buhari has demonstrated an unalloyed commitment to leaving Nigeria better than he met it through his numerous developmental strides in critical sectors of the Nigerian economy.

It, therefore, defeats the common sense of why these proponents of violence and evil would elect to plot against the sustainable peace and development of Nigeria for personal and self-serving reasons. The reason though not farfetched is not justifiable under any circumstances.

Using the security situation in the country as an example, the APC Youth Movement and Development Forum is aware that the state of insecurity experienced in some parts of the country is fuelled by these nefarious individuals and organizations strictly for political reasons to fulfil their evil desires against the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari and the country at large.

We wish to state that despite this glaring conspiracy against the efforts of the Security and Service Chiefs in the country, our various security agencies have been able to maintain an enviable level of security of lives and properties in the country.

It is indeed a statement of the fact that the various security and Service Chiefs in the country have justified the confidence reposed on them by President Muhammadu Buhari in their various appointments. They have not only done well; they have exhibited a high sense of commitment to the unity of Nigeria despite all the politically motivated odds against them.

The APC Youth Movement and Development Forum is using this medium to express its support and appreciation to the Chief of Defence Staff, General Abayomi Olonishakin, the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen, Tukur Buratai, the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas, the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar Adamu and the Director-General of the DSS, Yusuf Magaji Bichi respectively.

These noble individuals have been working round the clock with sincerity of heart and purpose in thwarting the efforts of those whose overall desire is to set the country up in flames.

Consequently, The APC Youth Movement and Development Forum wishes to pass a vote of confidence on the above-mentioned Service and Security Chiefs and to declare that the APC as a party without attempting to politicize the issues at this moment resolved to stand with the Service and Security Chiefs as this is a collective responsibility of all Nigerians.

We have also resolved to defend and stand by all actions, policies and programmes of President Muhammadu Buhari and will not allow any individual, group or association to malign the image of Mr President or assassinate the name and character of stakeholders that have been appointed by Mr President.

We also call on all APC Youth groups, support groups and micro-forums not to allow the enemies infiltrate them into blackmailing the administration directly or indirectly by carrying out protests, street rallies or attacks on the Security and Service Chiefs in the country.

The APC Youth Movement and Development Forum is saying enough is enough and consequently advising those with illicit money stolen from the treasury to take same to a charity organization and should not think that the youths of this country will be available for anyone to use in destroying the legacies which Mr President has built-in restoring the glory and honour of our armed forces.

We reiterate that any form of attack on the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari would not be tolerated by the generality of Nigerians any longer. Nigeria is indeed bigger than any individual, group or association, and this fact remains sacrosanct.

The APC Youth Movement and Development Forum hereby resolved on this date 1st July 2020 to stand united against every enemy of the APC controlled Federal Government in particular and the Nigeria state under the able stewardship of President Muhammadu Buhari.

Thank you all for your kind attention, and together we can make Nigeria work.

God bless you all.

Hushpuppi: Group wants FBI, Interpol to question Atiku, Deji Adeyanju over links to alleged fraudster

The National Coalition of Democrats (NCD) has called on the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and International Police to investigate ex-Vice President Atiku Abubakar and other stalwart of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) over possible links to arrested suspected fraudster, Raymond Igbalode, popularly known as Hushpuppi. 

Renowned for his flamboyant lifestyle, Hushpuppi and 12 others were nabbed in Dubai by Interpol on June 10 over multiple cyber crimes and money laundering to the tune of 

150 million dirhams (N168 billion).  

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) subsequently declared the Instagram celebrity wanted over links to several cyber frauds. 

In a statement signed by its Spokesman, Garuba Nuhu, on Wednesday, the National Coalition of Democrats reasoned that there could be more to this act, especially with Hushpuppi's known relationship with some PDP members, as seen in pictures and videos on social media. 

According to the group, Hushpuppi might have actually worked discreetly with the opposition party in laundering of funds for the prosecution of the 2019 general elections. 

NCD said its logic is born out of the fact that PDP's top shots, led by its presidental candidate held several meetings in Dubai ahead of the polls and the likes of Atiku, Dino Melaye, Timi Frank and Deji Adeyanju are possibly his close associates. 

The group, therefore, called on the FBI and Interpol to investigate Atiku and other PDP members who may have been first-line beneficiaries of the fraud committed by Hushpuppi. 

It added that Hushpuppi could have likely "assisted these individuals to launder funds through his network because the level of fraternity between Hushpuppi and these individuals points to that direction"

Read full statement below:

The National Coalition of Democrats wishes to lend its voice to the recent arrest of Raymond Igbalode, popularly known as Hushpuppi for allegedly hacking into the United States (US) unemployed database and impersonating citizens qualified for unemployment funds of over $100 million meant for Native Americans in the battle against the coronavirus pandemic.  

This is indeed a sad tale for Nigeria in the sense that the arrest effected by the Dubai Police has indeed painted Nigerians as fraudsters before the international community. 

The National Coalition of Democrats has in times past alerted Nigerians to the activities of some Nigerians with no identifiable means of livelihood, yet displaying a life of affluence in the social media space. 

The case of Hushpuppi further lends credence to this concern raised earlier as most of our youths have elected to tow the dishonourable path all in the quest to make money at all cost. More worrisome in this latest development is the fact that the said Hushpuppi has been severally identified with some members of the opposition party in Nigeria. 

This is also on the heels that a top member of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is known for travelling to the United Arab Emirates where he held several meetings in the buildup to the 2019 general elections. 

It is also common knowledge that the PDP leadership turned Dubai into their strategic meeting place from where they plotted for the execution of the general elections.

The National Coalition of Democrats wishes to state in unequivocal terms that Hushpuppi indeed shared some affinity with some top members of the PDP as evident in the posting of pictures and videos of their several meetings in the social media space. 

It, therefore, reckons that there is every possibility that the said Hushpuppi might have been working discreetly with the PDP stalwarts in the laundering of funds for the prosecution of the 2019 general elections.

The National Coalition of Democrats wonders why the opposition PDP would elect to see Dubai as a haven for holding strategic meetings while wining and dining with the said Hush Puppy.

The likes of Atiku Abubakar, Dino Melaye, Timi Frank and Deji Adeyanju have in numerous times posed for photographs with the said Hushpuppi . It is common sense to articulate that there must have been in a strategic business partnership with him in the area of repatriation of illicit funds for the prosecution of the general elections using his syndicate network. 

The National Coalition of Democrats wonders why questions were not asked as regards his source of wealth if indeed they were genuine in their aspirations. This is not minding the fact that Hushpuppi indeed has led millions of youths into believing that hard work is not a guarantee for success. 

The National Coalition of Democrats believes that these top goons of the PDP are first-line beneficiaries of the fraud committed by the said Hushpuppi. There is every need for further investigations by the International Police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. This is imperative in the bid to trace the root of the heist committed by Hushpuppi as well as identifying his partners in crime in Nigeria.      

The National Coalition of Democrats wishes to inform members of the general public that from all indices, there seems to be a strategic linkage between Hushpuppi and some stalwarts of the opposition PDP. It will be in the interest of the generality of Nigerians if this case is further investigated.

We are convinced beyond a reasonable doubt that indeed Hushpuppi might have assisted these individuals to launder funds through his network because the level of fraternity between Hushpuppi and these individuals points to that direction.

The National Coalition of Democrats as a result of this call on the Interpol and the FBI to leave no stone unturned in unravelling the collaborators of Hushpuppi in Nigeria.  

We are convinced that this is indeed necessary to put issues in proper perspectives and to serve as a deterrent to our teeming youthful population.

The Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Festus Keyamo, has cautioned some political leaders against compromising the objective of an initiative aimed at creating no less than 774,000 jobs in the country.

The Senior Advocate accused some state chairmen (names withheld) of harassing him over the public works programme, noting that he will not succumb to any form of blackmail from them.

Keyamo while speaking on the job creation in Abuja vowed to drive the initiative to a victorious end.

Addressing state selection committees of the initiative during inauguration a few moments ago, the minister warned the state chairmen against sabotaging the programme which promised to give job opportunity citizens. According to him, any chairman who refused to adhere strictly to guidelines made available for the process would be immediately eliminated.

“There have been attempts at blackmailing me in this particular programme too to make us also yield to political leaders and we have said no – not while I am here,” said Keyamo.

The minister added, “I have a pedigree; I have a background; I know where I am coming from. Before I came into public office, I have a pedigree and what I stand for.

“Except Mr President, who appointed me stops me, and who gave me the opportunity and rare privilege to drive this programme, except he stops me, no other political leader or person can stop me. I am answerable only to Mr President.”

Keyamo further alleged that some persons have in the past handed such initiative to political leaders as a form of patronage. He assures that the scheme was created for all Nigerians, structured to be bipartisan so that every Nigerian can access it, irrespective of political leanings.

..... pledges support for Buratai, Army

The Coalition of Arewa Youth Groups (CAYG) has said that there is clear evidence that President Muhammadu Buhari's order to the Nigerian Armed Forces to stamp out banditry and all forms of criminal activities are bearing fruits aplenty.

CAYG made this known in a statement signed by its President,Kabir Ahmed Galadanchi, on Tuesday.

Recall that President Buhari had met with the Service Chiefs at the Presidential Villa in Abuja last week to address the rising insecurity situation in the Northeast.

And according to the Coalition of Arewa Youth Groups, the charge is yielding positive results already after the Security Chiefs moved to the areas affected.

The group said it "observed how the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Tukur Yusuf Buratai, moved across the nooks and cranny of the 7 states in the Northwest to see to the full compliance with the presidential directive.

It added that the presence of the COAS and other security chiefs is the turning point as several bandits’ camps have been destroyed and scores killed while several kidnap victims have been rescued and weapons recovered.

Among others, it noted that over 52 criminals have been killed across theatres of operation within the last one week in addition to the destruction and recovery of weapons since the commencement of Operation Accord.

The group, however, commended the Chief of Army Staff for personally going into the field and encouraging the troops to step up their operations.

While expressing total support for the COAS and his gallant troops, CAYG called on all Nigerians to do likewise.

Read full statement below:

The Coalition of Arewa Youth Groups, CAYG, wholeheartedly welcomes the directive by President Muhammadu Buhari to the Nigerian Armed Forces to stamp out banditry and all forms of criminal activities in the North-west geopolitical zone of the country.

Activities of terrorists and criminal elements who have resorted in making lives unbearable for citizens through acts such as kidnapping, cattle rustling, armed robbery and banditry have become worrisome in the past months.

The recent attack by bandits on several communities in Faskari Local Government of Katsina State and in neighbouring states of Zamfara, Sokoto, Kaduna and even Niger all bear the hallmarks of terrorism that cannot be condoned.

These worrisome trends we believe prompted Mr President to issue the directive after approving a joint military and police operation specifically targeted at combing Niger, Kaduna, Katsina, Zamfara and the Sokoto States to rid the areas of bandits.

This has shown the commitment of the President towards fulfilling his promise to secure Nigeria for its citizens.

This Coalition notes with delight that while giving the directive, the president reassured Nigerians that the nation’s armed forces are fully capable of dealing with the challenges of banditry and terrorism as he called on the military to take appropriate steps towards blocking the gaps being exploited to unleash mayhem on innocent citizens.

Important to note is that following the directive by Mr President, the military immediately swung into action and took the necessary measures towards dealing with the problem.

Top security chiefs moved to the areas affected by the activities of these criminals and in no time their actions started yielding results.

We observed how the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Tukur Yusuf Buratai, moved across the Nooks and Crannies of the 7 states in the Northwest to see to the full compliance with the presidential directive and note that this is not the first time the COAS is making his presence felt in the theatre of operations, which serves to boost troops' confidence.

The Coalition notes how his presence at the theatre of operation in the Northeast has yielded positive results leading to the liquidation of over 1429 terrorists within two months in that region.

The presence of the COAS and other security chiefs in the Northwest is also producing great results as several bandits’ camps have been destroyed and scores of bandits killed while several kidnap victims have been rescued and weapons recovered.

We are encouraged by the cheery news from the Armed Forces of Nigeria that over 52 criminals have been killed across theatres of operation within the last one week in addition to the destruction and recovery of weapons and surrender by some active Boko Haram members since the commencement of Operation Accord.

This is even as troops have continued to build on recent successes against armed bandits operating in the region with the intensive ground and air assaults on their identified bases.

Within the week, troops also apprehended suspected bandits, have continued to record significant successes against bandits and criminal elements with the killing of scores of insurgents in Zamfara and Katsina States, foiled armed bandits attack at Mara Zamfarawa village in Danmusa LGA of Katsina State and in the process 6 bandits were killed while several others escaped with gunshots wounds.

Aggressive patrol and intelligence gathering by troops have also led to the successful arrest of suspected bandits and their collaborators.

Given these great successes being recorded in the fight against banditry and terrorism, we as youths from the northern part of the country have no option but to throw our weight behind the military and to say thank you to Mr President and the army chief for doing a good job.

We give the commendation in appreciation of the efforts we have seen put into giving our people a new lease of life given the damage the activities of criminals has done to them.

We have for long urged for a sustained military action that will put the activities of the criminals in check and return normalcy to our communities where our people can pick the pieces of their lives which have been shattered by these criminal elements and are happy that it has finally come.

We thank the Chief of Army Staff for personally going into the field and encouraging the troops to step up their operations.

We commend the troops for their gallantry and urge them to sustain the tempo of bravery and assault on the criminals as it is bringing out results.

The Coalition also pledges the total support of the youths in the region to the President and the Nigerian army and calls on all stakeholders in the north-west to support Mr President and the Nigerian Army to put all the criminals away from the north-west.

As the President said, we also believe that the military has shown capacity to tackle the menace of insecurity in the region.

We call on all Nigerians to support the President and the troops and cooperate with our gallant forces to achieve better results to rid the nation of criminal elements.

*Boko Haram /ISWAP: CALSER writes US Ambassador to Nigeria over complicity of France, francophone countries in promotion of terrorism*

The Centre for Africa Liberation and Socio-Economic Rights (CALSER) has written an open letter to the United States Ambassador to Nigeria over the complicity of France and Francophone nations in promoting terrorism. 

CALSER, in the letter dated Monday 29th June and signed by Executive Director, Evelyn Otairu, reiterated that the threat posed by Boko Haram terrorists is real, especially after they formed a dangerous alliance with Nigeria's Francophone neighbours. 

The group, while acknowledging the achievements of the Nigerian troops questioned the commitment of other nations, with little or no operations and funding of the Multinational Joint Task Force established and authorized by the African Union.

According to the group, "whenever the terrorists come under heavy military bombardment in Nigeria, they retreat to these countries using the Lake Chad Basin region, and from where they regroup and launch attacks in Nigeria". 

More worrisome, CALSER added, is the heavy presence of over 5000 French anti-insurgent troop under the code name Operation Barkhane in Ndjamena. 

The centre further blamed the large consignments of arms and ammunitions on the porous Francophone routes. 

CALSER, therefore, called on the US to come to the aid of " Nigeria in addressing the Boko Haram terrorist activities as it is evident that Nigeria is up against a force greater than Boko Haram itself". 

It appealed to the Americans to go after the international sponsors of terrorists. 

Read full letter below:

Dear Ambassador, 

The complicity of Nigeria's Francophone Neighbors in the Promotion of Boko Haram Terrorism

The leadership of the Centre for Africa Liberation and Socio-Economic Rights extends her warm wishes to the consulate. 

The exigencies of time have warranted that indeed proactive measures are needed in the fight against Boko Haram terrorism in Nigeria from all critical stakeholders that includes the government and the good people of the United States of America.

The Boko Haram menace in North-East Nigeria has assumed a regional dimension, and this should call for concern given the strategic importance of Nigeria on the African continent.

Dear Ambassador, you may wish to recall that on numerous occasions, the Centre for Africa Liberation and Socio-Economic Rights in fulfilment of its core mandate has had cause to intimate the consulate of the nefarious activities of the Boko Haram terrorist group in Nigeria through letters, peaceful protests and press conferences.

We wish to use this medium to remind you that the threats posed by the Boko Haram terrorist group is real and has assumed a dangerous dimension with the active collaboration of the francophone countries surrounding Nigeria ( Chad, Cameroon Niger, Mali and Senegal)

It is indeed a statement of fact that since Boko Haram began its violent campaign in Nigeria in 2009, there have been spirited and consistent efforts by the Nigerian Military in addressing the threats posed by this group. Worthy of mention is the periods between 2015 till date. 

This period indeed witnessed multiple gains by the Nigerian Military in rooting the Boko Haram terrorist from their operational base in Sambisa forest in 2016 as well as their various terrorist cells in North-East Nigeria.  

There was also a revamping of the Multinational Joint Task Force to address the threats that would arise in the event of the Boko Haram terrorist group using the francophone countries that boarders Nigeria as their hideouts. 

Dear Ambassador, it is instructive to inform you that the francophone countries have been nothing but uncooperative in addressing the threats posed by the Boko Haram terrorist group. 

We wish to inform you that it indeed a statement of fact that when the Boko Haram terrorist group come under heavy military bombardment in Nigeria, they retreat to these countries using the Lake Chad Basin region, and from where they regroup and launch attacks in Nigeria. 

It is also instructive to state that the bulk of the arms and ammunition used by the Boko Haram group come from these countries despite the presence of a 5000 strong French anti-insurgent troop under the code name Operation Barkhane in Ndjamena the capital of Chad. 

The presence of Operation Barkhane in Ndjamena, Chad Republic has more or less feign ignorance of the operations of the Boko Haram group that have succeeded in building terrorist cells around these countries from where they carry out training and recruitments of fighters.

The Boko Haram group has also been receiving large consignments of arms and ammunitions from countries using the francophone routes. In most instances, these consignments get clearance from the security agencies in these countries.

Dear Ambassador, we wish to inform you that such military consignments cannot go unnoticed by the security agencies in these countries, including Operation Barkhane stationed in Ndjamena, Chad Republic. More worrisome is the fact that the arms and ammunition used by the Boko Haram terrorist groups are from some French and European arms manufacturers.   

This is also on the heels that France through its former colonies have refused to cooperate with Nigeria in the operations and funding of the Multinational Joint Task Force established and authorized by the African Union to conduct combat operations against Boko Haram, intercept trafficked weapons, free hostages and encourage defections. 

Dear Ambassador that the activities of Boko Haram are thriving today is because Nigeria's neighbours are complicit and this much they have displayed in their commitment to putting an end to the threats posed by Boko Haram. 

There is consequently a need for the United States of America to come to the aid of Nigeria in addressing the Boko Haram terrorist activities as it is evident that Nigeria is up against a force greater than Boko Haram itself. 

The international collaborators and sponsors of Boko Haram have continued to explore the uncooperativeness of the francophone countries with Nigeria to supply the needed logistics for the Boko Haram terrorist group to thrive in their nefarious activities. 

Dear Ambassador, it is based on those as mentioned earlier that the Centre for Africa Liberation and Socio-Economic Rights is appealing to the United States of America in coming to the aid of Nigeria in curbing the threats posed by the Boko Haram group.

We wish to by this letter request that the United States of America go after the international sponsors of Boko Haram. Their actions are nothing short of crimes against humanity. It is thus our considered opinion that the continuous killing of innocent civilians can only be stopped if the sponsors and promoters of the Boko Haram group are dealt with. 

While we anticipate a favourable response, please accept the assurances of our highest regards.

Thank You.

By Isaiah Atuluku


With due respect to the Daily Trust newspapers, which is unarguably one the leading dailies in Nigeria today, the lead story of its Monday 29th June, 2020, edition is highly misleading.

While one is not holding brief for the Nigerian military, those of us resident in parts of the country constantly under the attacks of bandits and insurgents wish to be allowed to say something about military operations so as to correct the general impression created by your story, to wit, that the various operations launched by the military under various codenames are all hype and no substance.

While one may not fault the idea of the story to dig deep into details of military operations, the conclusion drawn by the story is faulty in that it did not factor in the gains of the military operations within the five years in question.

Even if the military spokesman was not available at the time of filing the report as your report stated; simple checks by your correspondents, like visiting some of the affected areas or talking to residents  would have revealed the gains made by the military in launching the various operations.

I am a resident of Birnin Gwari in Kaduna State, but I was forced to flee the local government when attacks by bandits became an hourly affair.

But through the launch of some of these operations, even though one cannot claim that normalcy has returned, we most definitely cannot say nothing has been done and many of my relations have returned.

We have seen troops come to our rescue and sometimes even when they suffer casualty, they have not left us to our fate but have been unrelenting is seeing that we are safe and secured.

We the members of the affected communities are so proud of what the military operations have done in our communities that it would be most uncharitable for us to remain mum when such conclusions, like the one in your paper, are drawn about the activities of the military in our communities.

If your reporters have bothered to visit the affected communities, they would have observed that nothing gives the members of those communities more joy than seeing a uniformed security man on patrol.

I can tell you without fear of contradiction that if you place  Ghana-Must-Go bags filled with money at the doorsteps of each household, there won't be much jubilation as villagers seeing a battalion of soldiers moving around the vicinity. 

This is because the people no longer have interest in anything but to stay alive and it is through these operations which your story is trying to ridicule that some of us are live today.

Aside that, I know that it cannot be true that the tactics in all the military operations have remained the same and that the military authorities only fancies giving them different names, like your report claims. 

This is not correct.  With my little training in crime and crime prevention, I have come to know that no system of crime is exactly the same as each derive from a particular aim, time and measure. 

If crime mutate according to time, location and other factors, it would be wrong to assume that an operation carried out today in a particular location with the same target can be the same with another operation targeted at the same set of criminals on another day even if it is on the same location, not to talk of when the location, time, logistics and peculiarities are different. 

I noticed that your reporters also counted the phases of an operation, as different from the main one it derived from. For example, saying operation Harbin Kunama iii is different from the previous ones under the same code name is wrong because while they are a continuation of the previous exercises, the need to have them classified under a different phase is to indicate that the, the personnel, geography and logistic are different and these are done purely for proper identification and record purpose.

Your report, in the bid to support your claim that the operational code names are numerous also separated the indigenous names with the English translation

For example, Ayem Akpatuma is the Tiv name for Operation Cat Race but it enjoyed a distinct classification in your story.

Even as a layman, I know that the military operations have recorded major successes in execution and I feel that if the only way the military can tackle the diverse modes of attacks on communities is to reinvent itself through numerous operational codes, then so be it.

But let me mention some of the successes of the military in the field operations to show, unlike what your report is projecting, that much has been achieved.

In 2015, shortly after the present crop of service chiefs were appointed, the military under the code name of operation Lafiya Dole embarked on a major operation which sacked the entire Boko Haram terrorists population from their operations headquarters at Sambisa Forest and the military captured and established a base at Camp Zairo.

This was what led to the declaration by the Federal  Government that the Boko Haram has been technically defeated.

In June 2016, the Battalion, 22 Task Force Brigade based on information received that  Boko Haram terrorists earlier dislodged  at Chukungudu and Hausari villages during a clearance operations, were migrating towards Muska village in Gamboru Ngala Local Government Area of Borno State, conducted fighting patrol operations in the area and during the encounter, the troops killed 10 Boko Haram terrorists,  captured 2 alive and rescued a woman with her baby that were held hostage by the terrorists.

The troops also recovered several equipment, arms and ammunition that include 6 AK-47 rifle magazines, 56 rounds of 7.62m (Special) rounds of ammunitions, 1 bundle of detonating cord, a Manual on how to prepare Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs)  2 rifle magazine pouches, a Techno IPad, a Nokia mobile telephone handset and 1 Gionee mobile telephone handset among other things.

Between 2016 and now, the military has recorded various number of victories under the operation but the height of it was in May this year when within two months after the Chief of army staff, Lt. General Tukur Yusuf Buratai led Nigerian troops in major victories, claimed the lives of 1,015 terrorists and also led to the arrest of 84 of their collaborators.

Under Operation Sharan Daji, troops in the North-West zone among other victories also killed 35 armed bandits and arrested 38 of them and handed them over to the police in the various states of their arrest. 

In addition to that, 6,009 various animals were recovered within the zone as well as several AK-47 rifles, dane guns, and a variety of weapons and ammunition.

Under Harbin Kunama, troops in June 2019, killed 24 criminal elements during its operation Harbin Kunama III in Kano, Kaduna and Niger states within one month of operation.

The operation also recovered N1.1 million cash, 56 assorted arms, 374 cows and 104 goats while 20 kidnapped victims were rescued.

Not quite a month after that, troops of “Operation Thunder Strike” and “Operation Harbin Kunama III”  killed five suspected bandits and arrested four others during two separate operations in Chikun and Igabi Local Government Areas of Kaduna State.

In another operation, soldiers also arrested 17 bandits in Katsina and killed one of them during a clearance operation.

After that operation, residents of Dagu village hailed the Army for destroying hideouts of the bandits, who have been terrorising villages in the area.

In June 2019, no fewer than eight bandits were killed and 17 other collaborators arrested by troops of Operation HARBIN KUNAMA III under the 8 Division Nigerian Army, Sokoto, while five bandits’ camps and 25 motorcycles were destroyed in the operation.

This was followed by the arrest of a notorious kidnapping kingpin, Mallam Bawa Gomna and 20 others during operations around Batsari, Jibia and Safana local government areas of Katsina State.

Under Operation Python Dance, troops were able to put to a stop the secessionist bids of some elements on 2017.

In February 2018, effort of the Nigerian Army to fish out criminals and protect farmlands in Benue State and it environ led to Exerciae Ayem Akpatuma which among other things led to the arrest of perpetrators of herdsmen/ farmers clash and put a stop to violence in Benue state. 

Another problem with your report is that while you quoted the National Security Adviser, Babagana Monguno, as saying that the president had in a close door meeting with service chiefs stated that their best was not good enough, your report did not reflect even one in the many instances where President Muhammadu Buhari had commended the military for a good job like when the chief of army staff handed the flag and Quran of the Boko Haram leader to the President. 

I believe the report would have been better of these issues have been reflected or factored in.


Atuluku is a member, militray writers association of Nigeria .

Policy experts in Nigeria have hailed the introduction and ongoing registration of the N- Power Batch 'C' Scheme, saying it is a welcome development for the realisation of President Muhammadu Buhari's agenda for the positive transformation of the Nigerian economy through youth empowerment.

The experts who spoke at a virtual workshop organised by the Youth Economic Forum, on 'the engagement of youths for positive economic activities,' said the idea of commencing a batch 'C' registration was well thought out, while the registration has been commendable.

Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Umar Farouk had last week announced the introduction of the batch 'C' component of the scheme following the disengagement of graduates enrolled under the Batch 'A' and 'B' N-Power scheme.

The Batch 'C'  according to the minister, is expected to afford the ministry the opportunity to enrol a new set of beneficiaries who will be upskilled to prepare them for employability or entrepreneurship as well as  provide skilled workers who will be critical to jump starting the Nigerian economy in the post-Covid-19 period.

One of the experts at the workshop, Dr. Gregory Mba, who spoke at length about the concept of introducing a fresh batch of beneficiaries to the programme said it is necessary to reach to the vast majority of the populace. 

Dr Mba, who is the Director-General of Policy & Strategic Planning Network, said though it is natural for those enrolled under batches 'A' and 'B' to feel bad that their programmes are winding up, it is to the larger economic benefit of the country for a fresh batch to be enrolled under the scheme.

He said the continuous retention of the old beneficiaries after a cumulative four years since the programme commenced in 2016, would be tantamount to recycling a particular set of people, which might limit the scope of the programme.

He explained that: "In a social protection and youth empowerment programme such as the 'N Power Scheme, the success of the programme depends on the total number of people reached and not necessarily the number of years certain persons benefit from it."

He said the programme is not supposed to be a permanent employment for persons but a stop gap measure to offer the necessary push into gainful employment.

"The programme is supposed to empower the beneficiaries to be able to stand on their feet within a given period as well as uplift their standard of living 

"Hence, administering the benefits repeatedly to particular recipients would defeat the aim of the programme as it would kill their initiative once they begin to view the assistance with  a sense of entitlement,"he explained.

Dr Mba said it is praise-worthy that out of the 500,000 beneficiaries enrolled in Batch A & B, about 109,823 have proceeded to establish businesses in their communities.

"What the minister is trying to do by introducing a fresh batch is to multiply this number of beneficiaries by another set of thousands so that at the end of the day, the effect on the economy would be more robust," he stated 

Another expert, Mr. Deinde Braimoh, who runs a non-governmental-organisation, NGO, on youth empowerment, also hailed the initiative by the Minister.

He said for the ministry  to commence Batch C after the termination of the lifespan of Batch A and B would enable more Nigerians take part in the scheme. 

He explained that the Nigerian economy in any given year throws up about 100,000 graduates into the labour market who are looking for jobs and means to sustain themselves. 

He said in a growing economy like Nigeria, the right thing to do is to provide the youths who could not find white collar jobs with the means towards being self employed through sustainable economic activities. 

The expert said the APC led government of President Buhari did the right thing by introducing the N-Power where people are attached to particular vocations while being paid N30,000 monthly to acquire skills and garner experience.

Braimoh said it is expected that after two years, the process of re-orientation and skill acquisition would have been inculcated on the beneficiary whereby they can stand on their own.

He said due to the high number of personnel being churned out from schools into the labour market every year, it is expedient to reach out to the lot coming out of school so as to occupy their minds with the right activities before they lose the training acquired.

'This, I believe is the essence of introducing the batch 'C' by the minister so there'll be a smooth transition from those who have stabilised to those who are coming in newly," he said.

Other experts at the workshop noted that the fact that over 1million persons applied for the N-Power batch 'C' within days of opening the portal shows the interest Nigerians have in the scheme and its objective of boosting the economy. 

They lauded the committed of the minister to the scheme which they say would support  vulnerable members of the population and reduce the social impact of unemployment in the society. 

They said, "The minister has shown uncommon passion and commitment to the programme which projects her commitment towards helping Mr President attain his objective of boosting the nation's economy. "

The President Buhari administration commenced the N-Power Scheme in 2016 in fulfilment of its promise to reduce poverty, unemployment and social insecurity among Nigerians and has since them deployed thousands of unemployed graduates to schools and other institutions to work there while the government pays them a stipend of N30,000 monthly.

By Kabiru Ibrahim Dallah

There is no doubt that Africa and indeed West Africa, in particular, has witnessed a massive rise in insecurity challenges post-Gaddafi era in Libya.

Several reports by reputable media organizations have linked the proliferation of small arms and ammunitions plus the rise in terrorist activities in the Sahel of Africa to the collapse of Libya.

Most of the arms and fighters used in the fights against Gaddafi and subsequent battles for the control of Libya have found their way into several neighbouring countries.

This has caused great destabilization in these countries. Mali comes in readily as an example of the effect of the collapse of Libya. Many countries including Nigeria have had to battle the resultant effect of that event in history.

Nigeria has had its fair share of this international dimension of the insecurity challenge. The hitherto local terrorist organization have been bolstered and supported by former Libya fighters who trooped into the country in droves, alongside and with their arms and ammunitions.

The entire essence of the above narration is to acknowledge that the pervasive security challenge being experienced is not peculiar to Nigeria alone, definitely not!

The only difference, however, is that from Maiduguri to Otuoke, from Badagry to Kaura Namoda security is a big deal to politicians for several reasons. For some, it is the genuine desire to see lives and properties secured. Others, meanwhile, it is a tool for propaganda against opponents. Whereas some are just after the big financial war chest expenditure available in the battle against insecurity.

Insecurity in this part of the world has now been considered big business. That is why I took the time to explain earlier some of the real intrigues and international dimensions to this serious challenge of insecurity. Despite how real and serious the task of securing lives is, many people here still see it as a means of making money and enriching their cronies.

The many calls by some so-called activist for the sack of the service chiefs have now become big business to them. Many of these characters are cashing out daily from this call. 

This brings to mind a Sahara Reports report on the 15th of March 2013 where one Samuel Chinedu accused Ikenga Ugochinyere of being behind the registration of a pseudo All Progressive Congress APC then. The plan was was to thwart the registration process of the APC. Ikenga was accused than to have collected a lot of money from some big shots in the PDP for that mission.

Such is the life of some of these “activists”. They predate on critical life issues to make some quick cash. Characters like these are the ones leading the daily call for the removal of service chiefs. Those of us who know Nigeria understands how things work here. Once you see people of such shady character feeling uncomfortable with some process or certain people, it is imperative to take a deeper look and you will find that their reasons for discomfort is most likely not what they complain about but their desire to milk the system to their advantage.

Today we have service chiefs who will not attend political meetings in the night. We have men who are professionals to the core, whose only ambition is to secure the nation. We have service chiefs who would not play ball backed by a president with impeccable character and integrity. This cannot be palatable for the business as usual guys.

They have to now seek their source from those I call the enemy of the state. People that consider the well being of their pocket as more important than the wellbeing of the country.

Some see this insecurity as the new oil. An all-comers affair. They can't let go quickly of the days where a government official will dole out $2.1billion USD without necessarily following any due process,  they probably miss the days when everybody was an arms contractor.

The campaign to remove the non-conformist service chiefs has seen all shades of people with questionable characters being engaged to do the battle. Men with shady characters leading calls for the removal of professionals who have proven their mettle in the discharge of their duties.

Men who have sacrificed all to make sure that we can sleep with both eyes closed. Yet at any slight incidence this “remove service chiefs “ gang will hit the airwaves with their usual rants.

The president who is a matured man understands clearly that everyone is needed at this critical time, he also understands that you don't change your winning team during the battle. These men have helped stabilize the nation at different critical times. Some of us will not forget in a hurry what the situation was before the appointment of these current set of service chiefs. We won't forget quickly how terrorist were hoisting flags indiscriminately on our soil, how whole local governments were completely overrun by terrorists.

Those with a better memory will appreciate why Mr president is a bit more cautious and not yielding to the campaigners. Mr President more than many of us and infact more than many of these so-called campaigners is very much abreast with the real facts of the matter. So he takes far more informed decisions than many of us will imagine because he has got the real facts of the matter.

It is time for these shady characters to consider finding another hustle as it appears this may not yield any results. It is important for us to support the service chiefs as they continue to make giant strides in our quest to have every inch of this nation secured.

Dallah is a pro-good governance activist and development expert based in Lafia.

The National Security Adviser, Major General Babagana Monguno (retd) has been urged to work with other Service Chiefs in the country to move the nation’s war against insurgency forward.

This call was made by the Northern Patriots, decrying the lack of strategic thinking and actions by the NSA’s office to address the non-kinetic component of the war against insurgency in Nigeria thereby leaving the military and other security agencies alone in what ordinarily should be all-encompassing warfare.

In an open letter signed by the convener, Alhaji Abubakar Sadiq Suleiman, on Sunday, NP said it is time to be proactive about the real solutions in the fight against terrorism. 

According to the group, the NSA hasn't done much in terms of stakeholders engagement, intelligence and coordination of actions to complement the efforts of the Service Chiefs and his gallant troops. 

Among others, the Northern Patriots, however, urged Monguno to reopen the dialogue channel with the insurgents using some of Northern elders. 

They also charged him to use his office to investigate reports that Nigeria still does business with some of its neighbours alleged go be arming the terrorists. 

Read the full letter below:

Permit us to use the platform of an open letter to write to you on a sensitive matter as the security of the country.

As northern patriots, we have noticed the recent effort by your office towards ensuring the success of the fight against terrorism, insurgency, banditry and other forms of crime against Nigeria and her citizens.

We are happy with this latest resolve because communities in northern Nigeria have not been spared from attacks even though your good self, the NSA hails from the North. This is evidenced by the latest attacks on our communities by the Boko Haram.

We, as Nigerian citizens, would be pleased to see the sustenance of these efforts so that all parts of the country would be free from violent crimes, wanton killings and abduction of innocent persons and for normalcy to return not just to the North, but to all parts of the country.

As you join hands with the other heads of security agencies in the country as well as with the service chiefs to achieve this, it is our prayer and that of many Nigerians that your efforts would be crowned with success. 

But NSA sir, as we desire the best for our families, communities and country, we have noticed certain infractions within the security network that have been undermining the efforts of the government to stamp out terrorism and banditry in Nigeria that we wish to bring to your notice and advice you accordingly. 

The first thing we noticed is that not much is coming from the office of the NSA as those behind these terrorist groups who sponsor and promote these crimes are hardly investigated, arrested or prosecuted. Even with our little knowledge of security, we know that, just like every other malaise, Nigeria cannot make much progress if we continue only to arrest or kill only the terrorist foot soldiers and ordinary members, as that would be akin to treating only the symptoms and not the disease. 

Because you are our son and we wouldn't want you to fail, we recommend that to exterminate the disease from the body, the office of the NSA has to go further than relying on combat actions by troops to investigating the sponsors and promoters of these terrorist groups. This, we believe would not be farfetched given your background as an intelligent officer.

We will like to address your mind to the fact that in the past, certain politicians including serving senators and a former governor have been at various times indicated by intelligence reports coming from the activities of these groups, but nothing has been done in that regard.

Apart from that, the security agencies have continued to bungle the cases against these politically exposed persons by the shoddy and untidy manner they prosecute these cases thereby giving the suspects the alibi to be off the hook.

Even the most glaring investigation that led to the arrest of the Nyanya bomber in an African country, sadly, not much has come out of the case as due diligence was breached in the process of prosecution. 

NSA sir, we cannot continue on this path if we want to be taken seriously by the international community who are ever willing to support us and rid the nation of these elements which threaten diplomatic and business interests.

We wake up daily to hear countries after countries asking their citizens to be wary of travelling to Nigeria with some even asking their citizens to emigrate as soon as possible.

These have led to a decline in the volume of trade between Nigeria and many countries and deprived us of the much sought after foreign investment not to talk of the psychological trauma we are made to endure.

This is heart-wrenching when considered that these security problems can be addressed if our intelligence team, which happen to fall under your purview does the right thing. 

We recall that during the time of Lawan Daura as Director-General of the Department of State Security Service, DSS, that much was achieved through intelligence gathering, contact with terrorists leaders and negotiations that led to the release of many of the Chibok girls and the return of the abducted Dapchi girls.

The Chief of Army Staff, Lt General Tukur Yusuf Buratai has in all ramifications done so much and is doing everything to bring the insurgents on their knees. We do appreciate him and what the military has done so far. But we understand that there are limitations on the part of the military including those that we may not know as non-security personnel. 

Nevertheless, the glaring ones have to do with stakeholders engagement, intelligence and coordination of actions that will aid the services. Unfortunately, like NSA,  we haven’t seen you do much in that regard and we believe it’s time you wake up. 

Since your appointment sir, we have not seen that extra push, community and stakeholders involvement and initiative that are needed to give the fight the final push.

We will like to remind you that the bulk of the remaining problem lies with you and how you handle your brief as the combat troops have done their part.

The military has done much by killing many of these criminals and arresting their informants, but this is like hitting the body of the snake without cutting the head.We want you to that fate has put in this position to cut the head of this snake by going at the sponsors and promoters of these groups.

We want you to be going home more often and consulting with other stakeholders who know so much about these groups and would be willing to guide you on the path to success. 

We want you to reopen the dialogue channel with the insurgents using some of our elders. 

Another curious thing we noticed is that while our neighbours are known to arm these terrorists, Nigeria continues to do business with them pretending not to know what is happening.

We advise that you use your good office to investigate this matter so you can rightly advise the president on what to do in that regard. 

Accept the assurances of our esteemed regard.

Group raises alarm over Amnesty International's support for Boko Haram, says 'we can't breathe

The Citizens Against Fake Activists say Amnesty International is choking Nigeria with its support for Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorists and the nation can no longer breathe.

At a time where the Black Lives Matter movement has gained prominence worldwide over incidents of police brutality against African-American people, CAFA said AI surprisingly remained mute.

Instead, the activists revealed that the humanitarian organization has maintained its alliance with terrorists to destroy Nigeria.

In a statement signed by its Executive Director, Comrade Salako Matthew, on Sunday, CAFA attributed the resurgence of terrorist activities in the country to AI, hiding "under the nomenclature of promoting and preserving human rights".

According to the group, this is born out of hatred for the growth and development of Nigeria, as well as the entrenchment of sustainable peace and tranquillity.

While hailing the progress made by the gallant troops in recent time, CAFA, however, urged Nigerian authorities to act now before Amnesty International and their international collaborators succeed in their strangulation of the country.

The group warned AI that it has suffocated Nigeria enough and it is time to leave the country.

Read full statement below:

The Citizens Against Fake Activists, a civil society organization dedicated to exposing the nefarious activities of fake activists in Nigeria both as individuals and organizations warmly welcome you all to this press conference converged in the light of the recent happenings in the country.

It is indeed a cause for sober reflections in Nigeria in the sense that there seem to be a congregation of external and internal forces against the soul of Nigeria with the resurgence of acts of terrorism and criminality across the country.

We wish to enlighten members of the general public that the recent attacks by Boko Haram/ISWAP on innocent citizens have indeed shown that certain forces are behind the continuous existence of terrorist groups in Nigeria.

This is on the heels that the Nigerian Military has been outstanding in its operations in addressing the various security challenges in the country, yet, they fester because the agents of darkness and those that want to see to the disintegration of Nigeria have continued to provide covert support to Boko Haram/ISWAP and other criminal and militant groups in fulfilment of the wishes of their paymasters.

Just like the way Boko Haram and armed bandits have been tormenting the soul of our country, some organizations with sinister motives have remained behind the activities of these organizations with their collaborators and partners in crime enjoying life to the fullest.

We wish to state that one of such organizations is Amnesty International whose activities in Nigeria is borne out of deep hatred for the growth and development of Nigeria, as well as the entrenchment of sustainable peace and tranquillity.

It is sufficing to state that the operations of Amnesty International in Nigeria is despicable and a great exhibition of deceit and hatred, and yet, it hides under the nomenclature of promoting and preserving human rights.

The Citizens Against Fake Activists is alarmed that the entity called Amnesty International has not only remained silent and dumb over what has been going on with black people around the world but remained in Nigeria to choke the citizens with their tacit support for Boko Haram and clandestine activities to destabilize the country.

We consequently wish to state that Amnesty International has been an ally of the Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorist group in the country through the tactic support it has been giving the group. This is also evident in the fact that it has been stated in numerous forums on how Amnesty International has been serving as the intellectual arm of the Boko Haram group.

Amnesty International has been covertly recruiting members for the Boko Haram group under the pretence of conducting researches and training. Several civil society organizations in Nigeria have highlighted this much.

The Citizens Against Fake Activists wishes to state that the nefarious activities of Amnesty International in Nigeria has indeed frustrated the efforts of the Nigerian Military in operation in North-East Nigeria in the sense that it has consistently fed the members of the general public half-truths about the Nigerian Military with regards to human rights compliance.

Amnesty International is also by all indication complicit in the various propaganda against the Nigerian Military in operation in North-East Nigeria with the sole purpose causing a distraction especially in a time where gains are being recorded in the war against terrorism in Nigeria.

As it stands, we wish to state that Nigerian cannot breathe anymore under the chokehold of Amnesty International through their tactic support for the activities of Boko Haram and other militant groups in the country.

It is also ignoble for Amnesty International to be in the vanguard of the disintegration of Nigeria. This much has been evident in their annual reports, press statements, press conferences, which are often disjointed and laced with outright insinuations and illogical conclusions.

It is also no longer news that Amnesty International does not see any good in the efforts of the Nigerian Military in the fight against terrorism in Nigeria because their paymasters are indeed the same external sources that have been providing logistics support to the Boko Haram/ISWAP group.

The Citizens Against Fake Activists wishes to inform the generality of the public that since all efforts to make Amnesty International see reasons and retrace their steps have failed, Nigerians will, therefore, recognize Amnesty International as a terrorist group. The implication of the above is that its staff and their families would be treated as terrorists whose motive is ultimately for the disintegration of Nigeria.

The Citizens Against Fake Activists is disturbed that Nigeria can no longer breathe with the campaign of disintegration launched by Amnesty International against the country. We consequently wish to state that should the government not act now, Amnesty International and their international collaborators might succeed in their strangulation of Nigeria.

The Citizens Against Fake Activists is of the considered opinion that Nigeria and Nigerians should have nothing to do with organizations that aids and abets acts of terrorism and other forms of criminalities.

Amnesty International is indeed choking Nigeria, we can no longer breathe, and it is expedient that they leave Nigeria in peace.

I thank you all for your attention and time.

Play Politics Based on Issues and ideology, Not Politics of Hatred and Bitterness - IDAHOSA WELLS OKUNBO

In civilized countries, a man and his wife can belong to two different political associations. They don’t kill each other, It’s the ability to win over your opponents with strong evidence of your beliefs that makes a good politician. 
This era where politics are played by outright attacks has really become unacceptable where it could even impact on families and children. 
Politics will come and go. but, the damages that are done by malicious attacks hardly can be forgotten, even after the politics, where who you supported probably would have also dumped you to leave with the wound. 
let us play politics of beliefs and ideas. It should also not be used as an arena to display envy and wickedness. 

In civilized countries, a man and his wife can belong to two different political associations. They don’t kill each other, It’s the ability to win over your opponents with strong evidence of your beliefs that makes a good politician. 
This era where politics are played by outright attacks has really become unacceptable where it could even impact on families and children. 
Politics will come and go. but, the damages that are done by malicious attacks hardly can be forgotten, even after the politics, where who you supported probably would have also dumped you to leave with the wound. 
let us play politics of beliefs and ideas. It should also not be used as an arena to display envy and wickedness.

HON. PETER I. AGUELE, CONGRATULATES GOV OBASEKI ON HIS EMERGENCE AS EDO PDP CANDIDATE.



As Governor Godwin Obaseki wins the Edo State PDP Governorship Primary election conducted Thursday 25th June 2020 at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium in Benin City, The Honourable Chairman of Esan South East Local Government Council Peter Aguele has congratulated the governor on his emergence as the People’s Democratic Party’s flag bearer in the forthcoming election in September 2020


In a statement released after the primary election in Benin City, he said the emergence of Governor Godwin Obaseki was a victory for the people, with the transparency of the primary, it was clear that the People’s Democratic Party chances are bright in the September 2020 governorship polls, having conducted free, fair, credible and transparent primaries, the PDP has just shown the people the path to victory.

The Council Boss also applauded the candidates who stepped down the for Governor especially the likes of Ken Imasuagbon and Gideon Ikhine who hails from his senatorial district saying that with Governor Godwin Obaseki's re-election Edo Central stands a better chance to project a candidate that will represent them come 2024 to realize the #EsanAgenda2024.

Also, He hailed the party’s Primary Election Committee headed by Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed for conducting a free, fair, transparent, and credible primary.

*Inter-Society: Ignore IPOB affiliate's call for Service Chiefs sack, group tells Nigerians*

The Network for Justice and Truth (NJT) has urged Nigerians to disregard the International Society for Civil Liberties & Rule of Law (Intersociety) and its call for the sack of the Service Chiefs. 

According to NJT, Intersociety is an arm of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and like the proscribed group, it has a long history of violence, killings and unrest with an inexplicable animosity for President Muhammadu Buhari. 

Intersociety had accused the military's top shots of manipulating the Armed Forces service rules and Nigerian constitution to extend their tenure of office indefinitely. 

However, in a statement signed by its President, Dr Ifeanyi Anayo Dike, on Friday, NJT described the group as "ignorant", only carrying out the wishes of its paymasters. 

It added that such insinuation in all ramification is lacking in merit, objectivity and above all against national interest. 

NJT, therefore, called on the unsuspecting general public to ignore the statement from Intersociety as there is no iota of truth in the various allegations against the Service Chiefs. 

While warning Intersociety and their sponsors to desist from their nefarious activities, the Network for Justice and Truth urged other security stakeholders to extend their unalloyed support to President Buhari and the Service Chiefs. 

Read full statement below:

The Network for Justice and Truth wishes to draw the attention of the general public to the threats posed by the International Society for Civil Liberties & Rule of Law (Intersociety) to peace and development in Nigeria. 

Intersociety, as an organization over the years, have been known to turn the truth on its head through its activities, especially with regards to issues of national interest such as sustainable peace and development.

It is a known fact that their hatred for the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari has been hinged on the tough stance on the activities of terrorist and militant groups in the country. 

The Network for Justice and Truth is consequently not surprised by its highly misleading statement accusing the Service Chiefs of manipulating the armed forces service rules and Nigerian constitution to extend their tenure of office indefinitely. 

The statement by Intersociety is at best uncharitable and an exhibition of crass ignorance on the operations of the security sector in Nigeria. This is aside from the fact that the group, by all intent and purposes, are carrying out the wishes of their paymasters that are against the interest of Nigeria.

It is appalling as well as despicable for intersociety to attempt to insult the sensibilities of Nigerians with its diatribe on the Service Chiefs that have exhibited a high level of professionalism and dedication to preserving the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Nigeria.  

The Network for Justice and Truth wishes to advise members of the unsuspecting general public to disregard the statement from Intersociety in its ramification for lacking in merit, objectivity and above all in the national interest.

We wish to state that Intersociety is playing the card of a greater plot by some disgruntled politicians that have in numerous times attempted to take over the affairs of the country through the back door having failed woefully at the general elections. 

It is therefore not surprising that Intersociety has been recruited into the plot because of its cash and carry policy and as well as its avowed sympathy for separatist and militant organizations in Nigeria. 

It is, therefore, a statement of the fact that their gross with the Service Chiefs is their refusal to allow the disintegration of the country into fragments for the benefit of their sponsors despite the massive amount of monies deployed for the purpose destabilizing the country by the  sponsors of acts of criminality across the country.  

These dissident elements have continued to demonstrate their hatred for the Muhammadu Buhari administration and other well-meaning stakeholders who have to keep sleepless night to prevent the country from collapsing into the abyss. 

It must be stated that Intersociety is indeed an affiliation of militant groups in the country. They have been known to be providing covert support to these groups and with the tough stance of the service chiefs in ensuring that their nefarious activities are curtailed to the barest minimum is giving organizations like Intersociety sleepless nights.

Consequently, their agenda is to trigger violence across the country using phantom and unnecessary allegations against the Service Chiefs in the country as in this case which the generality of Nigerians must be aware of. 

We wish to use this medium to inform the members of the unsuspecting general public to disregard the statement from Intersociety as there is no iota of truth in the various allegations against the Service Chiefs. 

The Network for Justice and Truth and the generality of other well-meaning stakeholders in the critical security sector in Nigeria extends their unalloyed support to the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari through its numerous efforts towards curtailing the politically instigated acts of terrorism and criminalities in the country. 

The likes of Intersociety and their sponsors must desist from their nefarious ways in the interest of peace and tranquillity in the country. They must also leave the Service Chiefs to concentrate on that task at hand as this is not the time for distractions. 

It is advised that this is indeed the time for all and sundry to continue to extend their support to the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in this critical point of our existence.

*We will reject plot by opposition Govs to truncate our democracy, trigger anarchy across Nigeria- APC Youths*

The APC Youth Solidarity Network (APCYSN) has vowed to resist any attempt by some governors in the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (APC) to truncate the nation's hard-earned democracy due to their selfish taste for power. 

According to the group, there is an ongoing plot to trigger a mutiny in the ranks of the military to give advantage to Boko Haram terrorists, thereby rubbishing the efforts of the Service Chiefs. 

In a statement signed by Coordinator, Comrade Danesi Momoh, on Friday, APCYSN revealed that while the Federal Government was battling and winning the fight against COVID-19, these disgruntled politicians planted seeds of tribal discord in the military. 

Mr Momoh said his group had intercepted hate messages sent to poison the minds of young officers from the South, so as to encourage them not to obey others from their superiors.

The mastermind of this plan is Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers with the backing of his Sokoto counterpart, Aminu Tambuwal, APCYSN disclosed. 

The group, however, strongly warned: "these unpatriotic elements to stay away from this cause of action because it is not in the interest of the country". 

It added that such open invitation to overthrow the current government is a serious issue which should not be toyed with. 

While commending President Muhammadu Buhari for his handling of insecurity, COVID-19 and APC crisis, the group passed a vote of confidence on the Service Chiefs and others involved in securing the lives of Nigerians. 

Introduction:

Recent happenings on the political turf coupled with other challenges the country is facing have left no one in doubt that we are in a trying period of our nationhood.

The nation has been upbeat about politics and the security of its citizens lately. 

But we are not alarmed because we know that these are temporary setbacks which are normal on the path to greater nationhood that can be overcome with the right counter-strategies. 

We have observed that because of these hiccups, some are already sharpening their tools to cause division and strife in the country and we on our part feel it is high time we expose them before they go far with their nefarious acts.

Much as a vast majority of Nigerians are impressed with governments' handling of the COVID 19 pandemic, the political skirmish in the APC and the threat to internal security which have been handled professionally, these naysayers want to use these avenues to instigate a major crisis in the country.

 The Crux of the matter:

These unpatriotic elements are trying hard, even as the Federal  Government is doing it's best, to make the situation worse for Nigerians by planting seeds of tribal discord within the military in order to instigate mutiny within the institution.

The plan according to what we gathered, is to poison the minds of young officers from the Southern parts of the country with hate messages, so as to encourage them not to obey others from their superiors who are not from the same region with them.

Our organisation has intercepted several messages they have sent to the young military officers from the southern part of the country calling on them to defy the orders of their superiors if they are not from the zone.

The mutiny is intended to shake the very foundation of the military and to frustrate the efforts of the service chiefs towards defeating terrorism and insurgency which they have sworn to achieve.

This attempt at anarchy, according to the details of the plan, is to further build up internal strife and chaos in the military so as to weaken the institution by giving the impression that the entire structure is unorganised and divided against itself.

If this is attained,  the next stage according to the heinous plan would be to nudge the Boko Haram and ISWAP terrorists to take advantage of the division to overrun a major town in the Northeast with wanton bloodletting so as to create panic and disaffection within the civil populace to paint the current set of service chiefs and the government in bad light.

This stage would then be followed by the release of copious videos and sponsored messages from certain groups and individuals to call for the removal of the service chiefs.

The icing on the cake would be to call on the military to intervene in the political affairs of the country through a coup de'tat. 

We have it on good authority that these plots were orchestrated and sponsored by Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State in collaboration with Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State to get at the All Progressives Congress, APC, led administration.

Already some opposition figures and civil society activists are being sponsored by those disgruntled elements since the military and the Police were unavailable to be used as election riggers to remove President Buhari from power and having lost woefully in the last elections. 

The planners are desperate about carrying out their plans to coincide with the recent crisis in the APC so as to overwhelm the system and make the country ungovernable for President Muhammadu Buhari, who is the ultimate target of the scheme.

The PDP governors who are working in cahoots with some APC leaders who have not been favoured in the recent power tussle within the party, also want to heat the polity so as to create an atmosphere of chaos and political cataclysm for the overthrow of the current administration and have indicated that they are not averse to a military coup since it has become clear that they cannot make any headway in 2023.

This, we learnt, is because they have realised that with the dwindling prospects of the PDP and waning popularity of all its leaders including Wike and Tambuwal, there is no way they can achieve their plan of getting the presidency hence are prepared to truncate the hard-earned democracy not minding the cost to the nation.

They also fear that the APC governors have been more up and doing as far as political calculations for 2023 are concerned, and may finally bury the ambitions of the PDP bigwigs who have nowhere to run to when their political boats hit the rock in 2023.

But they have failed as we have uncovered their plans and have all the details in the palms of our hands.

Our Position:

We strongly advise these unpatriotic elements to stay away from this cause of action because it is not in the interest of the country.

The open invitation to an overthrow of the government is a serious issue which should not be toyed with and fanning the embers of ethnic discord is hardly what Nigeria can afford at this time.

Let us in our ambitions be guided by the greater good of the country

We commend President Muhammadu Buhari and the service chiefs on how they are fighting terrorism and banditry in Nigeria.

We commend the President on how he has handled the crisis within the APC which shows that he is the best thing to have happened to our democracy. 

The group hereby passes a vote of confidence on the Security Chiefs, the IGP, the DG NIA and all others who are doing their best to make the country better.

By David Onmeje

“She’s a strong cup of black coffee in a world that is drunk on the cheap wine of shallow love.” – J.M Storm

Much regrettably, Nigeria has become a perpetual host to disasters and emergencies, which induce humanitarian interventions very constantly. From floods, insurgencies, epidemics, fire outbreaks, communal skirmishes to oil/gas pipeline explosions, Nigeria is always faced with emergencies and humanitarian situations to manage.

Therefore, the need to have a ministry to centrally co-ordinate government relief efforts, packages and assistance to distressed Nigerians in an orderly and accountable manner became imperative.

So, through an executive pronouncement, President Muhammadu Buhari GCFR created the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development (MHADM & SD) on August 21, 2019 mainly to oversee the exercise of basic human benevolence for Nigerians thrown into trauma and distress by these sudden artificial or natural disasters.

But what loudly elicited generous excitement among Nigerians was the appointment of a woman of virtue, core humanist and epitome of compassion, Hajiya Sadiya Umar Farouq as MHADM & SD’s pioneer Minister. She is not a newcomer to the peculiar humanitarian issues of Nigerians and what it takes to make government benevolence, social welfare and poverty alleviation packages reach the doorstep of the poorest Nigerians.

Her previous experience as federal commissioner of the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons ((NCFRMI)) as well as her stint as staff of the National Assembly Service Commission (NAC) adequately equipped her for the elevation and new assignment.

Author Jane Austen said in “Sense and Sensibility” that “It isn’t what we say or think that defines us, but what we do,” the Minister has demonstrated in less than one year on the saddle her competence and thorough grasp of the briefs of her office. She has unwittingly marketed herself as a caring, loving and compassionate mother, sister and Aunt to children, the aged, the poor and indeed all Nigerians in times of need.

The latest intervention of the MHADM & SD on a national emergency is the unexpected Coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic and its concomitant lockdown to curb the spread of the deadly disease. Hunger came knocking in all corners and the burning desire for survival of the poor or less privileged Nigerian was not only the concern of President Buhari; but a responsibility and assignment Minister Sadiya is discharging excellently.

Novelist Isadora Duncan cautioned in this wit that “Work hard at being the best version of yourself.” The Hon. Minister is constantly reminded of this wisdom and has handled this very difficult national assignment with calm, diligence and admiration, ensuring the targets and priorities she set for the ministry were achieved.

Following President Muhammadu Buhari’s pronouncement on March 29, 2020, wherein he ordered a total lockdown of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, Lagos and Ogun state to curtail the spread of coronavirus, the Minister was also tasked to undertake the continuation of School Feeding Programme.

The President’s words; “Furthermore, although schools are closed, I have instructed the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development to work with State Governments in developing a strategy on how to sustain the school feeding programme during this period without compromising our social distancing policies.”

Initial skepticism greeted the decision as most Nigerians questioned the workability of a palliative on School Feeding Programme based on the prevailing circumstances. The cynics put the ingenuity of the Hon. Minister to doubts. But as she mapped out her strategies and commenced work in response to the Presidential directive, it vacated all the misgivings.

Minister Sadiya Umar-Farouq, Minister did not only modify the scheme, but also stoutly defended the government’s action as doable at the official launch of the modified scheme in Abuja.

She trusted in her capacity and competence to conveniently and neatly execute the President’s vision, with a strong conviction that “Hunger is a serious by-product of this pandemic, which is why from the onset the ministry has been evolving strategies to facilitate humanitarian intervention. This is a globally accepted means of supporting children to continue to have access to nutrient-rich foods despite disruptions to the traditional channels of school feeding.”

And she proved her worth when the Ministry flagged off the programme on May 14, 2020 at Kuje Primary School in Abuja. She involved a wide net of actors and stakeholders in the implementation of the modified School Feeding programme, which she kick-started its pilot phase in schools in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and the states of Lagos and Ogun where the impact of Covid-19 was tremendous before it would be expanded to other states of the country.

She adopted the model obtainable in the United States of America and the United Kingdom and tapped richly from the alliance with the World Food Programme (WFP). The Ministry also got State Governors of the respective states, PTAs, CSOs, EFCC, ICPC, Police and community leaders, including clerics and the teachers of the pupils involved in the implementation and extra-layer monitoring of the scheme.

She led the supervision to ensure the targeted 3.1 million households nationwide actually benefit from the scheme. She explained that “The Ministry in consultation and collaboration with state governments identified the distribution of Take-Home Rations (THR) to the households of the children on the programme as a feasible method of achieving this directive after exploring several options.

And Minister Sadiya simplified the complex process by issuing vouchers to the parents of participating children from households already registered in the National Social Register under the Ministry.

“The parent takes the voucher for verification by NYSC members at the school where the pupil is fed. After confirmation of all the relevant facts, the parent is issued the packaged food ration for their child or children. The parents go home with the raw foodstuff to cook for the child, which should last for four weeks.”

Philosopher R. H. Sin once stated that “Give a woman pain and she’ll turn it into power. Give that woman chaos and she’ll create peace.” Therefore, The Hon. Minister seized the opportunity of the modified School Feeding Programme to draw other benefits.

She revealed, “The ministry is using the opportunity of this modified program to collate and verify data with the support of CSOs and NGOs such as ActionAid, BudgIT, Tracka, and CMDA”.

The effective implementation of the programme excited the national body of Parents-Teacher Association (PTA) which publicly indicated their support of it. Minister Sadiya accomplished her targets; in the same manner and ease she conducted the payment of two months conditional cash transfers to the beneficiaries and deployment or relief materials to residents of satellite and commuter towns/communities around Lagos and Abuja in the period of Covid-19 lockdown in these areas.

In other spheres of the Ministry, the Minister has not failed either and as a foresighted leader thinks ahead of time. When the world celebrated the last International Day of Persons with Disabilities, Hajiya Sadiya Farouq inaugurated the Nigeria People’s Disability Parliament.

The theme; “Promoting the Participation of Persons with Disabilities and their Leadership: Taking Action on the 2030 Development Agenda,” was captivating and it pulsated the initiative of the parliament in her order to “…enhance their visibility in the scheme of affairs in the country and a voice to air their thoughts.”

Feminist poet, Audrey Hepburn envisaged Minister Sadiya in mind in the poem, “The beauty of a woman.” Some verses in it says; “The beauty of a woman/isn’t in the clothes she wears/The figure that she carries,/or the way she combs her hair./ But true beauty in a woman,/ is reflected by her soul./ It’s the caring that she cares to give,/the passion that she shows;/And the beauty of a woman with passing years only grows.”

Minister Sadiya Umar Farouq is an embodiment of the true beauty of a woman in actions and care for the needy, the poor, the vulnerable and the passion burns eternally in her. President Buhari has again proven through her appointment that another patriotic Nigerian whose obsession with selfless public service is infectious. She is a square peg in a square hole.

Critics can vent their spleen, but the Minister is neither deterred nor distracted. And like world famous author and Afro-American poet, dancer, singer, activist, and scholar, Maya Angelou echoed in the poem “Still I Rise,” “You may write me down in history/With your bitter, twisted lies,/You may trod me in the very dirt/
But still, like dust, I’ll rise.” Nothing can deviate Minister Sadiya’s attention from excellently performing her duties. She is indisputably a “strong cup of black coffee in a world that is drunk on the cheap wine of shallow love.”


Onmeje is a public affairs analyst and contributed this piece from the United Kingdom.

*Sadiya Farouq: Group’s survey on disaster management lauds Buhari’s decision on the appointment of Minister*

A recent survey by the Citizens Rights Watch (CRW) on disaster management across the country has applauded President Muhammadu Buhari's choice of Hajiya Sadiya Farouq as Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management & Social Development. 

In a statement signed by its President, Comrade Rotimi Adebayo, on Tuesday, the group said the 45-year-old has so far justified the trust placed on her by President Buhari to handle an interventionist ministry. 

Hajiya Farouq was saddled with the monstrous task of spearheading the new ministry in August 2019 to among others develop humanitarian policies and effective coordination of National and International humanitarian interventions; ensure strategic disaster mitigation, preparedness and response; and manage the formulation and implementation of fair focused social inclusion and protection programs in Nigeria. 

And barely one year after, CRW says she has so far proven to be a shrewd choice by the president as confirmed by its latest research carried out following the outbreak of COVID-19. 

According to the group, a survey conducted on the distribution of palliatives and relief materials in 21 states with a minimum of 10,000 respondents taken from each of the states yielded a satisfactory reply. 

CRW, therefore, concluded that the Federal Government's intervention schemes are now getting to the desired recipients, which is the poorest of the poor Nigerians. 

It added that safe for Hajiya Farouq's competence, skills and knowledge, Nigeria would have suffered more casualties to the deadly coronavirus. 

While commending the minister for a job done well so far, the group, however, appealed to her to shift focus into the distribution of palliates to states perceived to be neglected.  

Read the full statement below

The major essence of the existence of any government is for the wellbeing of its citizens, so when the Buhari led administration in 2016 decided to launch the National Social Intervention Program ( NSIP), it was undoubtedly the right step in the right direction.


The idea of the program was to provide a form of social security for the citizens, starting with the most vulnerable in society.  The Buhari led Federal government providing some sort of safety net that ensures that citizens can meet the basic human needs, such as food and shelter.


Similar programs by previous governments that were targeted at tackling extreme poverty in the society never really made the desired positive impact. The National Poverty Eradication Program (NAPEP) launched by the Obasanjo Government in 2001 and the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Program( SURE P) by the Goodluck Jonathan government are examples of failed attempts by past governments to intervene in the social security program.


We would not in this brief statement analyze the reasons for the failure of these previous intervention programs. What is clear though is that no social intervention program in Nigeria’s history has made as much impact in the lives of the poor like the current NSIP program.


Previous attempts at social interventions by past governments were halfhearted, to put it mildly and deeply enmeshed in political leaning. Both the 10b Naira set aside for the Poverty alleviation program (PAP) in 2001 and the 500B Naira SURE P money of 2012 made a little impact because they were more focused at rewarding political favours rather than reaching and meeting the needs of the poor.


However, with the Buhari Governments’ NSIP, we noticed from the onset that the emphasis was on reaching the poorest of the poor, the most vulnerable, people living with disabilities, widows, unemployed youths etc.


In 2016 the NSIP was managed under the office of the Vice President, working with credible people like Mrs Mariam Uwais and a host of other brilliant young men and women, who did a good job of kick-starting and managing the program.


The NSIP is divided into 4 different sub programs:  N-Power, Conditional cash transfer (CCT), Government Enterprise and Empowerment Program (GEEP) and the Home Grown School Feeding Program (HGSF). All the subprograms have been the successful medium for touching the most vulnerable in society since 2016.

In 2019, as part of efforts to deepen and entrench the culture of social security safety net, the President created the federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development. This idea was to ensure that the government’s social intervention programs are institutionalized, moved away from ad-hoc arrangements and reconfigured to better-defined operations, accountability and due process.

Who else will the president trust with this enormous task but Hajia Sadiya Umar Farouq? With her wealth of experience as Federal Commissioner, National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI), she came in very handy as a round peg in a round hole who seamlessly and immediately became accustomed to handling this ministry that some refer to as super ministry, which unquestionably is very important to Mr President’s welfarist agenda to cater for the most vulnerable in the society.

Hajia Sadia assumed this very important role and was instantly faced with the world’s most disastrous pandemic in recent times. However, her competence, skills and knowledge immediately reflected as she garnered efforts to directly reach out to the poorest in the society. Safe for her tenacity and well-detailed approach, Nigeria would have probably recorded twice the number of death of COVID-19 pandemic as a result of hunger.

We at CRW have noticed how Hajia Sadiya has taken on this task almost seamlessly! Like every system, there will be a need for constant reviews and feedbacks on processes to ensure efficiency and effectiveness of the program.

In the last few months that she has been saddled with the leadership of this very critical Ministry, she has had to review some of the processes to ensure accountability and better delivery of these services to and for the people.

We note in particular her plans to digitalize the payment register for the Conditional Cash Transfer program (CCT), we consider this a welcome development that will surely help improve transparency in the process. The program we understand is to be piloted in 6 states of the federation. We encourage the Minister to speed up the process and ensure a quick deployment of the digitalized system across the 36 states of the Federation and FCT.

The Citizens Rights Watch (CRW) lauds the current efforts of the Honorable Minister  Sadiya Farouq for the positive changes she is bringing on board at the new Ministry. Most especially we want to commend her for the quality leadership she has shown during the distribution of palliatives nationwide.

We understand the enormity of this task and therefore commend her office for the far-reaching distribution of palliatives to the poor and downtrodden during this COVID-19 pandemic period. Her passion to reach the poorest amongst us with the needed palliatives aligns with the agenda of the President to tackle extreme poverty and provides a safety net for the most vulnerable in the society.

A recent survey conducted on the administration of palliatives and relief materials in the Country by CRW across 21 states of the Federation, where we took samples from a minimum of 10,000 respondents from each of the states indicates a satisfactory reply from most respondents.

CRW, while commending the Minister for a great job done so far, will also appeal to the Minister to also focus more effort into looking into the distribution of palliates in some states of the Federation where there have been complaints of shortchanging or diversion by State Officials.

From our survey, it is obvious that the intervention of Government is now getting to the desired recipients, which is the poorest of the poor amongst us. This is a positive development for human dignity and the sanctity of life in our country

*'You have saved us before, do it for our country and humanity again', Borno indigene writes Service Chiefs*

Ibrahim A.A, a native of Maiduguri in Borno State has called on the Service Chiefs to come to the rescue of his people, Nigeria and humanity at large by flushing out remnants of Boko Haram terrorists like they did in time past. 

Ibrahim gave this charge in a touching letter to the heads of the nation's security architecture on Tuesday. 

The Maiduguri native recalled the genesis of the Boko Haram insurgency, its transition into a national and then regional crisis and how President Muhammadu Buhari's election in 2015 ushered in a new phase. 

According to Ibrahim, the appointment of the Service Chiefs particularly triggered the turnaroud. 

Among others, he recollected how troops repelled the terrorists' attempts to take over Maiduguri with superior fire power.

He recalled how the military killed many of the radical Islamists and pushed them farther to the fringes of the Lake Chad. 

Ibrahim, who is a businessman, acknowledged that "many of us have returned to our work and businesses and no longer had to be looking over our shoulders before taking a single step."

However, following the recent attack at Zowo community in Gubio Local Government, Ibrahim urged the military chiefs to bring back their ruthlessness. 

He, therefore, urged them to sustain the momentum which he said " has restored our hope and not allow evil to triumph over us."

Read full letter below:

Dear Service Chiefs, 

I believe a little introduction of myself would suffice in the light of what I am going to say to you.

I have lived  in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital all of my life. Since the Boko Haram issue started in 2009 with a common confrontation with the police over the use of helmet, I have not stayed outside Borno State for more than two weeks. 

The longest time I have stayed outside the state for the  more than 10 years that the crisis erupted was for a little over a week when I went to attend my brother's sons wedding in Abuja and decided to extend my stay to catch up over a number of issues with my elder brother. 

Prior to the crisis, I have lived in  Borno State for over 30 years and attended schools there before I started working as a businessman, though I went to do my NYSC in the Southeast.

This background I believe puts me in a good position to comment on what is happening in Maiduguri and other parts of the Northeast as regards the security situation in the country. 

I was in Maiduguri when the Boko Haram insurgents attacked Giwa barracks shooting non stop until they  freed some of their members who being detained there.

I have also been around, the several times Boko Haram attempted to take down the state capital and I have come face to face and experienced the fears of residents and the height of hopelessness that at a time cuminated in us giving up completely and were only waiting for when the worst would happen. 

I'm a witness to how something that started as a non issue within our homes and vicinities, with persons who we all know and relate with, galvanizing into one of  the most heinous and devastating catastrophe of our time with a death toll that is now more than 20,000.

Boys who we could call and send on errand or reprimand when they err because they are our children, nephews, cousins etc, suddenly became uncontrollable and began to look us in the face and not only dared us but attacked us in the most vicious manner at will. 

We thought we had defeated  them when we began to report them to the security agencies and they removed themselves from our midst and converged in bushes amd later in the Sambisa forest and the Mandara hills, until they began to invade communities, and abduct young girls at will,  attack schools to kill innocent underage students and overun communities killing people and destroying legacies.

I have seen families separated; breadwinners killed and wives and children fleeing in different directions never to reunite. I have been to many IDP camps and I have seen hunger, fear and near hopelessness on the faces of the people. 

Hopes were lost when it was reported that even our soldiers started fleeing at the sight of the terrorists, but our hopes began to be restored when shortly before the 2015 elections, our military men were mobilised to face the insurgents.

When the military in that period killed many of the terrorists and pushed the insurgents farther to the fringes of the Lake Chad, we began to realise that it was not for lack of capacity that our troops were fleeing  before the insurgents; that it must have been due to a number of factors. 

Our former governor, Senator Kashim Shettima captured one of the factors when he said at one time that the Boko Haram fighters were better equipped than our military. 

This is true because at that time, the weapons the Boko Haram were using were quite sophisticated.

Our military couldn't do much partly because the resources for the purchase of equipment were being swallowed through corruption and unpatriotic acts. 

We were happy when President Muhammadu Buhari won the 2015 election because we knew him as someone with adequate military background and war experience coupled with a zero tolerance for corruption persona, who has the capacity to restore the pride and dignity of our people. 

The President on assumption of office did not disappoint as he launched a probe into the funds meant for fighting Boko Haram which were allegedly diverted through the office of the former National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki, and the revelations that came from there.

Better still, the president ordered that the operational command for the fight against insurgency to relocate to the Northeast.

Shortly after that, he appointed the current set of sevice chiefs. 

It was at that point that we started noticing significant changes in the fight against Boko Haram and we were not surprised when they were dislodged from their base in Sambisa and they started running helter skelter into Chad and other neighbouring countries. 

I am witness to how they were repelled when they attempted to take Maiduguri several times after and forced to flee when confronted with superior fire power of our military in recent times.

The relocation of the Chief of Army Staff to Borno State since March which enabled him to visit hot spots of Boko Haram operations was good and his reported engagement of troops  one-on-one, served to boost their confidence as we could see the troops moving around with new gusto and air of confidence.

We were not surprised therefore when we began to hear about the series of victories recorded by our soldiers in Konduga, Dikwa, Bama and other places.

We were overjoyed when we heard the audio of the leader of Boko Haram, Abubakar Shekau crying shamelessly and begging for mercy.

Our happiness knew no bounds when 30 of the top Boko Haram commanders were reported to have indicated an interest in surrendering to the Nigerian authorities and when 11 of them did so.

We applauded the Chief of Army Staff when he was shown on television reporting to the President how troops killed over 1400 of the Boko Haram terrorists within four months and arrested their informants.

We clapped because not only did we know that he was reporting the factual truth, but because we have seen the positive effects of the military operations in our lives.

Many of us have returned to our work and businesses and no longer had to be looking over our shoulders before taking a single step.

Some of the terrorists that ran back to our communities confessed of the devastation they suffered through air raids and ground counter attacks by our troops. 

But the last attack on Zowo community in Gubio Local Government almost eroded all the joy.

We saw ourselves in the same position we were before the coming of the current administration where communities could be attacked and humans slaughtered without a single fire in defence.

We are therefore appealing to the current set of service chiefs to sustain the good work they have been doing which has restored our hope and not allow evil to triumph over us.

We thank President Buhari who felt our pains when he summoned the security meeting in Abuja and asked the service chiefs to do more.

We join our voices to that of the President to call on the service chiefs to reenact their best which freed us from death and torture in the time past.

We appreciate what they have done in the past but wish to remind them that the battle is not over and they must not relent or relax.

Long live the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. 

Long live President Muhammadu Buhari. 

Long live Nigeria.

Insecurity: Christian group rallies support for Chief of Defence Staff, General Olonishakin

....vows to defend attempts to rubbish Service Chiefs’ performance on religious bias

The Nigerian Christian Youth Assembly (NCYA) has thrown its weight behind Chief of Defence Staff, General Abayomi Olonisakin, for fostering synergy amongst the different military components which has proven to be the catalyst in their numerous operations. 

The group made this known in a statement co-signed by Rev Philip Attah and Pastor Stephen Onwu, its President and Secretary-General respectively on Tuesday. 

According to NCYA, the appointment of Gen. Olonisakin in July 2015 is the turning point in the fight against insurgency and other criminal elements that once bedevilled the nation. 

The group revealed that this was achieved through the Defence Chief's coordination and cooperation amongst the different units of the military as well as restructuring of its operations strategically. 

While admitting pockets of security challenges, NCYA reckoned that it is nothing compared to five years ago. 

In other to sustain the momentum, the Christian youths believes Gen. Olonisakin and the military chiefs would have to continue on the job. 

The group, however, rejected the call for their dismissal, describing it as  disservice to the place of merit, hard work and professionalism. 

It added that this is the handiwork of mischiefmakers, embarking on the campaign as a way of displaying their total disdain for Christians in leadership positions across the country.

The Christian youths, therefore, vowed to defend attempts to rubbish Service Chiefs’ performance on religious bias. 

Read full statement below:

It is abundantly clear almost to everyone that the Nigeria military is facing its most engaging moment in its history. The military aside fighting the brutal war against insurgency is also carrying out various operations in almost all the states of the federation.

At no point in the military’s history has it been tasked this much, but for the men in uniform who have staked their lives for us all perhaps the evil terrorist would have run the whole nation over.

We at The Nigerian Cristian Youth Assembly cannot forget in a hurry the attacks by insurgents in the early days of the war against Boko Haram how they over run several towns, communities and many local governments. We do not forget in a hurry in some instances where they carted away many young children with them, they hoisted flags, in some instances made laws and even set up courts for judging offenders. That was how bad the situation was then.

In 2015 when President Buhari came to power, whilst some accused him of delay in appointing ministers, one of his very early appointments was that of the service chiefs, from that action it was clear to us that the President meant business.

He went for the best of the best amongst the service men and women. The service chiefs headed by the Chief of Defense Staff General Abayomi Gabriel Olonisakin was obviously a smart choice by Mr. President.

Within a few weeks of their assumption of office the dynamics of the war against terror changed. Boko Haram/ISWAP were soon on the run, giving up their acclaimed conquered territories and fleeing into the deep forest of Sambisa, where the remnants of them reside till date. Nigerians are witnesses to the agony and the massive humanitarian crisis that preceded the appointment of the current service chiefs.

All these gains were made mainly through the coordination and cooperation amongst the different units of the military headed by the service chiefs under the leadership of the chief of defense staff (CDS) General Abayomi Olonisakin . When  Olonisakin was appointed in 2015 he inherited over 13 military operations across the country. He immediately moved to restructure many of the operations strategically. Part of the restructuring lead to the establishment at the Defense headquarters of the “office of campaign planning, coordinating Centre for naval component, theatre Commander and deputy in operation “Lafiya Dole”. This helped to integrate the operation of the naval forces into the operations seamlessly.  He also created the theatre media office to better coordinate the operational activities of the armed forces.

Some may want to forget in a hurry some of what the military headed by General Olonisakin has achieved over the last five years. We at the Nigerian Christian youth assembly won’t forget in a hurry the days when insurgents over ran whole towns, whole local governments, operated even in the federal capital territory, times when we could hardly celebrate any festivity or holiday without deadly attacks from insurgents.

Many would have forgotten the many challenges from groups that terrorized us like the IMN, killer herdsmen attacks, IPOB etc. Through the coordinated leadership of Gen Olonishakin the military has been able to bring all of these security challenges under control. Many of these challenges emerging pre or during a general election year, yet the military stood firm even in areas where civil mediation and enforcements had failed to bring results.

We must understand that the task before the Nigeria military transcends the borders of Nigeria. Nigeria and its military remain a very crucial factor for the stability of the west African sub region. Gen Olonisakin as head of the military has continued to earn great respect in his engagement within the security circle of the sub region. Upon assuming leadership as the head of the ECOWAS committee of chiefs of defense staff moved to tackle the issue of proliferation of arm across the various countries within ECOWAS due to the porous borders, he was very clear about the need to tackle that in order to curb activities of terrorist within the region.

He has given good direction to different multinational operations that Nigeria is involved in. This multinational intervention has helped a great deal in the stabilization of our sub region and indeed our nation.

We should not forget the calm that the military has brought to the once restive Niger Delta region. Activities such as oil bunkering, oil theft, high sea piracy, illegal refining and a host of other criminal activities in that region has largely been stemmed by the military.

One of the amazing things going on now within the military is the synergy amongst the different components. The air force providing excellent air support for ground operations in operation Lafiya Dole in the north east. The Navy and the air force working together to make our territorial waters safe with fantastic cooperation in joint operations that has led to the many successes we are witnessing now.

Though we admit there are still some pockets of security challenges here and there what we should not lose sight of quickly is where we were coming from and where we are now. There is no doubt that since the emergence of the current set of service chiefs, there has been a lot of improvement in the security of the country.

This is why as a group we have come openly to declare that we reject the call for the sack of the service chiefs. We see this call as a disservice to the place of merit, hard work and professionalism displayed by General Olonisakin and his team.

We feel that the focus of the anti-service chief campaigners is no doubt targeted at Gen  Abayomi Olonisakin who is the head of the defense architecture. These mischief makers are embarking on the campaign as a way of displaying their total disdain for Christians in leadership positions across the country and we wish to strongly condemn it.

We use this opportunity to commend President Buhari for his matured and stable leadership. We laud the decision of Mr president who in his wisdom decided to extend the tenure of the service chiefs like he did other appointees such as the NSA, the CBN Governor, many ministers and several heads of government. It is clear that President Buhari appreciates the leadership of the service chiefs, who have actually given their best and are still doing their best.

It is clear that the anti service chief campaigners are against the doctrine of reward for merit and hardworking service to ones fatherland.

The trend world over is to keep the very best of your personnel for as long as they are able to serve. That is why you see in the case of judges their retirement age was moved further to 70 years, same goes for university lecturers who were also moved to 70 years of age .

We encourage Nigerians to emulate other countries where the very best of the country’s senior personnel are retained for as long as they are ready to serve, our case should not be any different .

We fear that sacking the service chiefs now will erode the gains of all the reforms being institutionalized in the country’s armed forces.

God Bless Our Military, God bless the Federal Republic Of Nigeria.

By Philip Agbese

Most analysts of Nigerian descent often conclude that Nigerians tend to easily forget yesterday’s history. We must know our yesterday to understand our today and grasp the future better. I dare say, Nigerians indeed have short retentive memory. We are tied to ephemeral issues and we tenaciously hold unto it.

I am an ardent apostle and student of history. But most profoundly, I am a researcher on human rights laws and currently working on the role of non-state actors in the global war against insurgency. With this research interest, I have traversed quite a number of countries, where terrorism and its variants seem to be permanent guests of the people and their countries.

I have spent years visiting some terrorism infested countries in the Middle East and Africa. I have tried to understand the character or sociological content of terrorism; what economic factors accentuate it; perception of leaders of countries under the spell of terrorism, the role of non-state actors in emboldening terrorism; its mercantilist colouration and why it festers near uncontrollably.

While in Nigeria from the United Kingdom on same mission, I visited the Northeastern states of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe. It is famed as the hub of Boko Haram terrorism, from where it has extended tentacles to other parts of Northern Nigeria and almost the whole country. I am quite familiar with the Boko Haram history.

In the aforementioned enclaves, Boko Haram insurgents who made their debut in Nigeria in 2009 have killed, destroyed, abducted, ransacked and ravaged whole communities and villages. I assessed its progression over the years and the unsteady blight of its rampaging prowess.

I discovered that prior to 2015, and before the advent of the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, a leader with a military background, Boko Haram had literally conquered Nigeria. It was undoubtable that no one was safe anywhere in Nigeria, including residents of the nation’s capital, Abuja. The fear of Boko Haram suppressed the courage and the boldness of men of valour.

And for about seven odd years, Nigerian Government under different leaders could not tame the monster of Boko Haram insurgency until the arrival of President Buhari. It was simply because there were many snags in the strategies, tactics adopted, in addition to a defective military structure or precisely leadership in combating Boko Haram insurgency.

Furthermore, a consuming mass poverty and wrong economic priorities, a divisive political leadership and its lack of a clear focus on tackling security challenges exacerbated the scourge of terrorism in Nigeria. It has reflected in many books, media articles/news reports, conference papers and the whole lot.

In my book titled “Integrity Vs Powerplay: Understanding The Buhari Phenomenon,” (author: Philip Agbese) and published in 2019, I attempted a chronicle of the achievements of President Buhari. As a prophet of God, I wrote the book to capture some of the lofty achievements of the Buhari administration. I authored the work for a time like this in order to avail fellow citizens of this country or those abroad the opportunity to re-write the efforts, successes and achievements of the Buhari administration, especially on security.

So, strikingly, I took a deep delve into the counter-insurgency operations under the Buhari Presidency, revealing the extent of the damage he inherited; his efforts in repositioning the country on the path of economic recovery; the reorganization of the Military leadership and the sustained focus on combating insurgency in Nigeria to berth the respite we relished.

I therefore find it necessary to refresh our minds on the achievements of Mr. President on the war against insurgency in N…

Dalung suffering from post-disengagement Coronavirus, group says over Ex-Minister’s comments  on insecurity

The Middle Belt Conscience Guard (MBCG) says immediate-past Minister of Youths and Sports, Solomon Dalung is suffering from "disengagement asymptomatic Coronavirus" following recent comments on insecurity. 

In a statement signed by its President, Prince Raymond Enero, on Monday, the group expressed disappointment with Dalung for using " the security situation in the northern part of the country as prop for cheap propaganda".

In a trending video on his official Facebook page, the ex-Minister attempted to downplay the achievements of the Service Chiefs in the northeast and other parts of Nigeria. 

However, MBCG, which operates in the same geopolitical zone as Dalung, accused the former Minister of chasing clout, doing so by "trampling on the graves of his own people". 

The group which accused Dalung of being part of the crisis in his home state said it is surprised that he has suddenly become a security expert, cheerleading the call for the sack of Service Chiefs. 

According to MBCG, Dalung's aim is to get arrested for criticizing the government so he can later allege in the future if imprisoned for corruption as persecution for speaking out against the government.

Rather than delve into a realm he has scant knowledge about, the group urged the one time Chairman of Langtang South Local Government Area to focus on allegations of fraud levelled against him during his four years as minister. 

The group, however, advised his family to "quarantine him before infecting everyone on the Plateau with this deadly disease occasioned by ignorance, foolishness and shamelessness."

Read full statement below:

While it is not in the habit of reckoning with the activities of inconsequential persons, the Middle Belt Conscience Guard (MBCG) is compelled to express its disappointment with the immediate past Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Mr. Solomon Dalung, who has suddenly become a latter day activists in his desperation to court the attention of the government in which he once served.

But even for attention seekers, Dalung’s decision to use the security situation in the northern part of the country as prop for cheap propaganda is an unacceptable low. The decision exposed him as one without remorse and capable of trampling on the graves of his own people for the mere satisfaction of being noticed and possibly offered some sort of Federal Government rehabilitation since he is known to have fallen on hard times since leaving office as a minister. This in our view is proof that Dalung is suffering from disengagement asymptomatic Coronavirus disease. 

The Middle Belt Conscience Guard is therefore constrained to call Dalung to order even though we consider his intervention in public affairs as inconsequential as he is a lightweight to the extent that he was unceremoniously dropped from the government of President Muhammadu Buhari without consequences. His grievances at being so dropped notwithstanding, we had expected that the former Minister would have stuck to his area of competence as a commentator in drinking circuits and not join the bandwagon of those that are impracticably critical of the nation’s military chiefs.

Only such pressure to fit in with the fad would make someone of Dalung’s intellectual level attempt to become the cheerleader of the call for the sack of service chiefs, an exercise he should have engaged in only after furnishing the nation with proof that he is the actual owner of whatever academic qualifications he parades.

The Middle Belt Conscience Guard, knowing that Dalung is part of the crisis in Plateau State, is not surprised at this turn of events because he is someone who has incited youth of his ethnic Berom to become intolerant of other ethnic nationalities in Plateau State. This ethnic bigotry is now being directed at the military chiefs, not just by the youth in Dalung’s place, who killed an innocent Maj. Gen Alkali (retired), but also by the former Minister who should have been a voice of reason in times of trouble. A Dalung that is today asking for the sack of military chiefs never for once issued a statement to condemn his kinsmen killing of general.

We must admit that we are not surprised at Dalung’s video stunt, which we now understand was done with a view to provoking the authorities taking him in for questioning so that he can elevate his nuisance value to the type paraded by the likes of Shehu Sani and Dino Melaye, who hide behind activism to escape justice. We learnt that discoveries of serial misdeeds at the Ministry where Dalung once served was the main reason for his demanding for the sack of military chiefs while also insulting the government of President Buhari. 

The reality is that Dalung is expecting that he would be arrested for criticizing the government so that he can explain away his future arrest for corruption as persecution for speaking out against the government. It is our firm belief that Solomon Dalung should rather focus his efforts on answering to the allegations of corruption around him at the Ministry of Youth and Sports Development rather than delving into a realm he has scant knowledge about. 

Dalung is not a good commodity to display on the shelf, his family may do well to quarantine him before infecting everyone on the Plateau with this deadly disease occasioned by ignorance, foolishness and shamelessness. 

A word is enough for the wise.

By Bukola Olasanmi

The outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic across the globe has indeed brought to the fore why purposeful leadership matters in governance. The case of Nigeria and most African countries has indeed tasked us to realize that what African needs at the point in time is the ability to look inwards towards addressing our various challenges.
I recall that I was one of those who feared that the worst hit would be African countries given the consequences of locking down economic and social activities. Using Nigeria as an example, it is instructive to state that though our interventions cannot be compared to those of the western world, I can say that the various interventions of government had the most of impacts on the lives of the vulnerable groupings in the country.
My position is hinged on a personal experience that almost moved me to tears. I had a chance encounter with a poor market woman whose source of livelihood is selling petty goods in one of the motor parks in the suburbs of the federal capital territory.
I would say that our paths crossed by accident when I went to cover the enforcement of the lockdown in some areas and how the people have been coping as a result of the lockdown. As a journalist, when I see a good story, I know. And she was a good story.
Madam Uchenna Obigwe (not real names) is a widow who lost her husband many years ago and was left with three kids to cater for. Nkechi, her eldest daughter has finished her secondary education and resorted to helping her mother sell her wares to take care of her two other siblings, even though John, her immediate younger brother was already engaged as an apprentice in a mechanic workshop in the famous Kugbo mechanic village in Karu axis in the FCT.
My visit coincided with the period when officials from the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development distributed palliatives under the federal government conditional cash transfer to poor households across the country.
Madam Uchenna was amongst the beneficiaries that received the sum of N20, 000, a bag of rice and condiments. And her joy knew no bounds. So much so that she has turned to a songstress in her neighborhood. It was in this joyous mood that I encountered her, and one could feel her joy and appreciation for the token she has received. Upon inquiry, I was told how she has been singing the praises of President Muhammadu Buhari for the items she received.
My instincts came alive, and the result is this article on the lives of those that have been affected positively through the COVID-19 intervention of the federal government. To some, N20, 000 might seem too small an amount, but not to Madam Uchenna. Out of excitement, she was forced to call Nkechi her daughter to join her in songs and praises for President Muhammadu Buhari.
According to her, the items she received are worth more than gold. In her words “Why God no go bless Buhari for us? Na who I be wey government find me come my house come put food for my table? My brother, since dem say we no go fit commot to sell again, na so I begin to think. Even my piken John wey dey do mechanic work no fit commot and na so we come dey look ourself for house and nothing to eat"
“My brother na who you wan beg for garri wey all of us dey inside the same problem? This no be small thing oh. God go bless Buhari and im family well well. I no know wetin I wan talk again on top wetin Buhari don do for all of us here. Since wey I dey sell market I never carry N20, 000 come house before. Everyday na 2,000 or 2,500 we dey sell if market dey, from there we go go market go buy again to sell and the remaining change we take am chop.”
"My brother na wetin I dey do since my husband die oh. Now see me get bag of rice and N20, 000. God oh abeg bless Buhari for us."
Those were the words of Madam Uchenna, and in truth, I was moved to tears and imagined the thousands of other families who have benefited from the federal government COVID-19 intervention and how indeed their lives have taken a turn for good.
This experience brings to the fore the various intervention of the federal government under the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development. I can safely say that the impact of the intervention has not been adequately reported in the media and this is as a result of the fact that the beneficiaries are in the suburbs and in some instances difficult to reach areas.
I must commend the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development for the way and manner it has handled the distribution so far. The Honorable Minister, Hajia Sadiya Umar Farouq I gathered has been involved in the distribution process to ensure that indeed the items gets to those in dire need and not cornered for any other purpose.
I can only imagine the thousands of Madam Uchennas out there that are full of praises for the government during this lockdown period. It can only be imagined, and like I stated earlier these items might seem small in the eyes of people, but trust me, it is worth the while for these families that feed from hand to mouth daily.
If we must admit that programmes such as this in times past end up been a charade because of the attitude of government officials saddled with such responsibilities, I dare say not anymore because there is a new sheriff in town that has demanded transparency and accountability in the whole process.
This is where Hajia Sadiya Umar Farouq comes into the picture as the minister in charge of the sensitive ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development. It is my considered opinion that she has lived up to expectations in line with the posture of President Muhammadu Buhari, whose support base is the masses that dot the nook and cranny of the country. I am not sure Hajia Sadiya would have done otherwise. She ensured that those vulnerable families are not denied or deprived of this intervention from the government.
For once I was proud of Nigeria, if not for anything, the joy in the hearts of other Madam Uchannas out there. The story of Madam Uchenna should inspire hope in all of us that things are not as bad as it seems in the conduct of government business.
I dedicate this piece to President Muhammadu Buhari as a first for providing that purposeful leadership, and to Hajia Sadiya Umar Farouq for translating the vision of the president into tangible realities.
I know the tough stance of the honorable minister is bad business for the racketeers that are notorious for diverting public goods for personal consumption. I can only wish that others in the position of authority can emulate and learn lessons in governance from this experience and realize that they must put the interest of the people first and serve them diligently.
As we confront the challenges occasioned by the coronavirus pandemic, we must also acknowledge the various efforts of government in cushioning the effects, especially in the lives of the vulnerable group in the country.

Olasanmi is a media strategist and wrote this piece from Guzape, Abuja.

*Former presidential candidate paying some Northern elders, others N100m monthly to blackmail Buhari, Yoruba youths allege*

.... dares Ango Abdullah’s group to swear with the Koran

The Progressive Yoruba Youths Congress (PYYC) has revealed that an ex-presidential candidate pays the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) a whopping N100m monthly to blackmail President Muhammadu Buhari. 

The Yoruba youths made this known at a press conference by its President Kola Salau on Sunday to address attempt by some groups to discredit the efforts of the Fderal Government in fighting insecurity in the country.

According to PYYC, those that sponsored widespread killings and banditry in the wake of the 2019 general elections have returned to the act. 

The southwest youth further disclosed that two other groups from the south have also been compromised, taking home N25m monthly to join NEF in the campaign of calumny against the president.

PYYF, however, challenged NEF's chairman, Prof Ango Abdullahi to swear by the Koran that indeed he is not on the payroll of the politician and acting as agents of distraction and destabilization.

While condemning the action of these groups, the Progressive youths, however, expressed total support for President Buhari-led administration.

Read full statement below:

The Progressive Yoruba Youths, an association of progressive youths in South West Nigeria wishes to lend its voice to the raging debate on the state of insecurity in the country, as well as the attempt by some group of organizations whose contributions to the socio-economic upliftment of Nigeria has been defective.

We wish to state that it is indeed an irony that a group of questionable individuals parading themselves as Northern Elders, the Middle Belt Forum, Afenifere, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, and the Association of South-East Town Unions have elected to be against the interest of Nigeria by making unguarded statements with regards to the stance of President Muhammadu Buhari on the performance of Service Chiefs in the country. 

It must be stated that President Muhammadu Buhari as the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria has the prerogative to hire and fire Service Chiefs and as such this undeniable fact must be respected by all and sundry in the country including those groups that have taken up newspaper spaces to paint Mr. President as insensitive.

This is indeed an anomaly because it is evident that the turning point in the war against Boko Haram insurgency in Nigeria has been widely linked to the unalloyed commitment displayed by President Muhammadu Buhari as evident in the quality of Service Chiefs in 2015, and with the mandate to hit the ground running.

The Progressive Yoruba Youths is therefore alarmed that such a position has been taken by the same group of persons that sponsored widespread killings and banditry in the wake of the 2019 general elections.

We state in unequivocal terms that these same individuals not resting on their oars are behind the groups that have in recent times been attempting to discredit President Muhammadu Buhari for standing with the Service Chiefs who by and large have been giving their best in the war against terrorism and other acts of criminality in the country. 

It is indeed sad that organizations such as the Afenifere and the Ohaneze Ndigbo would condescend low to the whims and caprices of the same set of politicians that are sponsors of criminality in Nigeria. 

As sad as this sound, it is indeed what it is and one wonder the amount of monies that would have exchanged hands in their futile desire to discredit the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari at all cost.

This is also on the heels of the fact that there are also those hiding under curious nomenclatures such former presidential candidate to discredit the government, by all means, necessary and destabilizing the country at the same time. 

The Progressive Yoruba Youths wishes to state that the role of Afenifere is indeed despicable and an insult to the Oduduwa race, which stands for truth, justice and fairness at all times. This much Afenifere must come to terms with and retrace its steps and save us from further disrepute.

We also wish to state that we are aware that a top politician and businessman pays the Northern Elders Forum the sum of N50,000,000.00 monthly to run a campaign of calumny against President Muhammadu Buhari in fulfillment of their desire to cause a distraction and pitch the citizenry against the president.

This same politician and businessman pay other groups in the South-South and South-East of Nigeria the sum of N25, 000,000.000 every month to run the same campaign of calumny against the president in the attempt to give their falsehood some form of credibility and national spread. 

This is unacceptable and an indication that these groups that have been carrying out the whim and caprices of disgruntled politicians at the detriment of national interest. These groups have been blinded by filthy lucre that they have elected to turn the truth on its head. 

The Progressive Yoruba Youths herby challenge these groups to swear by the Koran and the Bible that indeed they are not acting as agents of distraction and destabilization. They should also be bold to tell Nigerians that monies have indeed not also exchanged hands in return for using their platforms to discredit President Muhammadu Buhari. 

The Progressive Yoruba Youths sees the actions of these groups as against the unity and socio-economic development of Nigeria. As such, they must desist from their shameful acts. Nigerians must also do well to view with a pinch of salt statements emanating from these groups as they are self-serving and meant to suit the interest of their paymasters. 

The Progressive Yoruba Youths wishes to use this medium to extend its support to the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari for its various efforts in tackling the different politically motivated security challenges in the country.

We consequently wish to use this medium to advise these groups to channel the resources to useful endeavors that would be of utmost benefit to the teeming youths in the country. This, in our opinion, would be more useful than spreading falsehoods in the country all in their distasteful desires to bring the government down at all cost.

The Progressive Yoruba Youths disassociates itself from these groups and wishes to remind them that they do not speak on behalf of the people but behalf of their pockets.

A word is indeed enough for the wise as Nigerians can easily see through their gimmick.

Failed politicians behind violence, banditry in the North- Security expert 


A security expert and public affairs commentator,  Mr Terrence Kuanum, has attributed the incessant cases of violence and bandit attacks in parts of northern Nigeria to the activities of failed politicians who want to paint the President Muhammadu Buhari administration in bad light.

He insisted that the Nigerian military is doing a good job of ridding the country of insurgency and terrorism explaining that the scourge has continued only because other critical stakeholders in the sector have not been alive to their responsibilities. 

Kuanum who spoke with our team of editors in his residence in Abuja, said information available to him as an expert in security matters indicates that most of the cases of violence and banditry in northern  Nigeria are politically motivated and sponsored by those who contested and lost against the ruling party in recent elections.

The security expert said the failed politicians believe that by sponsoring violence and other acts of criminality they would be de-marketing the Buhari presidency so as to put them in stead to contest in 2023. 

Kuanum said information at his disposal indicates that many of the failed politicians are not happy with the gains made by the military against insurgents and criminals in recent times and are hellbent on thwarting the efforts due to their 2023 ambitions 

"They are scared that if Buhari is allowed to continue with his streak of achievements especially in the area of  security, then he would have fulfilled one of the cardinal objectives of his administration to secure the nation and that would further bury their dreams of returning to power.

"They know they have nothing to offer to the people so they don't want to allow the President deliver on his mandate as that would put the final nail on their political coffin," he stated.

The security expert said the failed politicians were particularly angered by the accolades the Buhari administration was receiving from all over the world over its ability to neutralise terrorists operating on the fringes of the Lake Chad region so they decided to work against it.

He said, "If you have been observing developments in the Northeast, you will notice that our military have been on top of their games neutralising the insurgents and making it difficult for them the launch surprise attacks on communities and it became obvious that the total defeat of the insurgents is a matter of days.

"Encomiums started pouring in from all over including those critical of the Buhari administration, that the administration is doing well and the president was going to keep his promise about providing adequate secuirty in the country.

"So they distracted the military with banditry attacks in the Northwest and in that moment, struck in the Northeast all in the bid to paint the current administration in bad light."

Kuanum said it is high time people are made aware of this conspiracy so they would realise that the fault is not that of the military which is doing its best to secure the nation but due to the activities of some unpatriotic elements. 

The security expert said it is curious that the Nigerian military which is one of the best in the world should be put on a negative spot light for operations carried out at home.

He asked: "Does it not strike you as curious that the same military which liberated Sierra Leone; rescued UN soldiers from terrorists in Somalia; restored democracy in Liberia and led successful joint military operations in several parts of world would be said to be failing at home?"

He said this is clearly an indication that some forces are behind the campaign to sustain the carnage.

"You cannot reconcile the fact that the Nigerian military which has such a sterling record of achievements abroad could be said to be overstretched at home," he stated.

He maintained that on a scale of a hundred, the Nigerian military has performed at over 90 stressing that the occasional attacks used to assess the military is due to the inability of other stakeholders to perform their tasks and because some of the violence are politically induced.

He said if the other stakeholders are doing half of what the military are doing in the area of security in the last four years, Nigeria would have attained the much needed peace.

He warned the politicians who he described as agents of darkness to desist from their evil acts saying not only would they be exposed in the not too distant future but would be prosecuted and made to face the full wrath of the law.

Kuanum advised those saddled with other responsibilities in the secuiety architecture of the country to wake up to their responsibilites so as to bring an end to insurgency in Nigeria.

He said, " A lot depends on intelligence gathering, consultation, mediation and other subtle initiatives that cannot be handled through field combat.

"These areas are seriously lacking and it forms part of my recommendation to

the government to end insurgency.

He explained that there is no war that is fought using a single approach as he said every conflict is a result of breakdown in negotiations.

"Both methods are usually deployed to speed up the process of ending conflict but in Nigeria the other stakeholders have abandoned their posts and left the entire process in the hands of the military.

This should no longer be the case and I'm calling on all stakeholders to wake up from slumber and contribute their quota so as to complement  what the military is doing," he said and called on all to support the military to stamp out terrorism in Nigeria.

*Insecurity: CALSER scores Humanitarian Affairs Minister high on FG’s assistance to victims*

The Centre for Africa Liberation and Socio-Economic Rights (CALSER) has expressed satisfaction with the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Hajiya Sadiya Farouq, for her handling of the Federal Government's assistance to victims of humanitarian crisis in the country. 

The centre gave this commendation in a press statement signed by its Executive Director, Dr Abubakar Gana, on Sunday. 

According to Ajibola, the creation of the ministry and the choice of Hajiya Farouq will ultimately go down as one of the legacies of President Muhammadu. 

 CALSER said it has so far monitored the humanitarian issues in Nigeria occasioned by the Boko Haram terrorists, flooding in some parts of the country and other forms of natural and human-made disasters in the country and expressed satisfaction. 

It further disclosed that the minister has done " brilliantly well in not just nurturing a new ministry, but also ensuring that it hits the ground running in the fulfilment of its vision to have social protection systems that are proactive, humane, inclusive and sustainable for the improvement and general welfare of the people". 

The centre lauded the ministry for intervening in mitigating the effect of the Boko Haram crisis in the North-East by ensuring that those displaced by the disaster are adequately covered in the FG's social safety net initiatives.  

Amidst the coronavirus pandemic, CALSER noted that Hajiya Farouq ensured that palliatives are distributed in a transparent and accountable manner to the vulnerable in the country. 

The Centre for Africa Liberation and Socio-Economic Rights, however, warned those against the interest of the country to stay clear of the ministry, vowing to resist any smear campaign against the personality of the minister. 

Read full statement below:

In response to effectively addressing the various humanitarian crisis in the country, President Muhammadu Buhari established the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development to develop humanitarian policies and provide effective coordination of National and International humanitarian interventions; ensure strategic disaster mitigation, preparedness and response; and manage the formulation and implementation of fair focused social inclusion and protection programs in Nigeria.

The creation of this all-inclusive ministry was widely applauded by the generality of Nigerians, which was an indication that the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari was indeed concerned about the plight of those affected by the humanitarian crisis in the country and the urgent need to have laudable programmes and policy that would address these challenges, and in an effective and timely manner too.

The Centre for Africa Liberation and Socio-Economic Rights having followed the various humanitarian issues in Nigeria occasioned by the Boko Haram terrorist group, flooding in some parts of the country and other forms of natural and human-made disasters in the country, wishes to express its satisfaction with the way and manner these issues have been addressed by the government through the various interventions of the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development.

This in our considered opinion dwelled on the fact that President Muhammadu Buhari’s choice of Hajia  Sadiya Umar Farouq to lead this interventionist ministry and so far using all measurement parameters she has done brilliantly well in not just nurturing a new ministry, but also ensuring that it hits the ground running in the fulfilment of its vision to have social protection systems that are proactive, humane, inclusive and sustainable for the improvement and general welfare of the people.

The Centre for Africa Liberation and Socio-Economic Rights wishes to state that Hajia Sadiya Umar Farouq has indeed proven herself as a square peg in a square hole through her innovative approaches to handling the various humanitarian crises in the country.  It goes further to bring to the fore that indeed there exist some Nigerians that are burning with passion for the growth and development of the country. It, therefore, suffices to state that the Honorable Minister for Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development is in that category of Nigerians burning with that passion and desire to make Nigeria great again.

This fact can be seen in the way and manner the ministry has been able to intervene in mitigating the effect of the Boko Haram crisis in North-East Nigeria by ensuring that those displaced by the disaster are adequately covered in the federal government’s social safety net initiatives.  

The Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development under the watch of Hajia Sadiya Umar Farouq has indeed transformed the responsiveness of the federal government to disaster management in the country. 

The way and manner the federal government responded to the COVID-19 pandemic and the consequent lockdown of some parts of the country where millions of vulnerable persons benefited from the federal government’s cash transfer intervention programme under the supervision of the Honorable Minister for Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development was brilliant and indeed worthy of commendation. 

The Honorable Minister indeed proved how honourable she is, with the transparent and accountable manner; the COVID-19 palliatives of the federal government were distributed amongst the vulnerable groups in the country. 

The Centre for Africa Liberation and Socio-Economic Rights acknowledges the numerous interventionist efforts of the Honorable Minister for Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development in this era of economic hardship brought about by the coronavirus pandemic. 

This is also on the heels that the federal government has also responded well to other humanitarian issues of concern across the country through the various agencies under the supervision of the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development.

The Centre for Africa Liberation and Socio-Economic Rights acknowledges the fact that the Honorable Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development has lived up to expectation by providing that sound leadership in this critical sector in Nigeria and this critical period.

It is, therefore, succinct to state that the Honorable Minister has indeed highlighted through her actions that great and giant strides can be achieved in the growth and development of Nigeria through purposeful leadership. 

We also wish to state that her ability and drive towards addressing the humanitarian crisis in any part of the country within record time tells a lot about her sincerity of heart and purpose and also a manifestation of the confidence reposed in her by President Muhammadu Buhari. 

The Centre for Africa Liberation and Socio-Economic Rights thanks President Muhammadu Buhari for appointing a selfless and dedicated amazon in Hajia Sadiya Umar Farouq to lead the critical sector of providing humanitarian aids to victims of conflicts, disasters and other forms of economic exclusions in the country.  

The Centre for Africa Liberation and Socio-Economic Rights wishes to use this medium to advise those against the interest of the country to stay clear of the Honorable Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development as she carries her mandate of promoting human dignity and integration of basic humane benevolence and compassion in the treatment of all Nigerians. 

The Center for Africa Liberation and Socio-Economic Rights shall resist any form of smear campaign against the personality of Hajia Sadiya Umar Farouq to cause a distraction. These set of individuals and organizations should have a rethink and toe the path of patriotism in the overall interest of the country and those Nigerians that dot the nook and crannies of the country and in dire need of government intervention in their daily lives. 

The Centre for Africa Liberation and Socio-Economic Rights herby commends the response to Humanitarian crisis in Nigeria and the invaluable role of the Honorable Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development.