₦airaland Forum

Buratai: Redefining The New Spirit of Service to Humanity

By Esther Okpabi

Lieutenant General Yusuf Tukur Buratai; When I heard he had been made the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) of the Nigeria Army I knew we were in for a game changer. He first caught my attention when in May 2015 and upon assumption of office, President Buhari invigorated the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) and made then Major General Tukur Buratai the head. Even though his tenure was short- lived his impact in that short period was huge. Nigeria made huge success in taking back territories that had hitherto been taken over by Boko Haram Terrorist group. I guess his performance within that short period must have been part of the reason why the president opted appoint him as the Chief of Army Staff later. I would not have done otherwise if I were the President. Consequently, the remarkable growth made since Buratai became Chief of Army Staff, adjudged by the headway made by the Nigerian Army against the terrorist group Boko haram has come without surprises.

As President Buhari will always say "We must first secure the country before we can manage it" No one understood this phrase more than Lt Gen Buratai. He acted with the resolve of someone who knew the urgency and the importance of the task ahead. The command and control HQ of the theater of war was moved to Maiduguri, he was practically almost always in Maiduguri every week in his first few months of assumption of office as COAS despite other army management commitments across the country. His actions boosted the moral of the troops on ground and further motivated them for the subsequent results that are now evident for all to see.

In the last 3 and half years as COAS, Buratai has worked hard on a massive rearmament of the Army. He has carried out major reorganization of various units of the army for more efficiency. A lot of effort has been put into modernization of army equipment and processes.

The Nigeria army created two new divisions under Buratai’s watch: The 6th division of The Nigeria Army with headquarters in Port-Harcourt and the 8th division with headquarters in Sokoto. The creations of these new divisions have helped improved security in both the North- West region and the South- South region tremendously.

He has also helped in the streamlining of procurement processes within the Army to make it more transparent thereby reducing graft significantly. Prior to now, some Generals saw the funds for prosecuting the war against insurgency as a bazaar and shared same with relatives and cronies.

If we can recollect where we were a few years ago and compare with where we are now, we may be able to appreciate the success made so far; from having 14 local governments under Boko Haram control to zero Local governments under Boko Haram. The same soldiers that were fleeing from terrorist a few years back are now doing the chasing; which is some huge success by any standard.

The humility of the man at the center of all this success is admirable. Despite grand attempts to distract him, he remains focused and unperturbed. It is very hard keeping a focus let alone making giant strides when, some people are determined to bring you down by every means.

Lt Gen Buratai could not be doing this without the sense of exceptional patriotism that he has. At such difficult times as these, if you are not very patriotic it will be very difficult to succeed in such national assignment as it is easy to bend , conform to the status quo and just enjoy your tenure without rocking any boat, after all you are already at the pinnacle of your career. But not Buratai, whilst other generals preferred to enrich themselves, He rather decided to get down to the arduous task of repositioning the army to be able to confront the current challenges facing our nation.

Many who know Lt General Tukur Buratai will not be surprised at the success he has made. He was raised by a world war two veteran, known for his uprightness and discipline, so no surprise at what Lt Gen Tukur Buratai has turned out to be, a disciplined and professional soldier like his father, Alhaji Yusuf Buratai. His father must have been very proud to be alive to see his son not only rise to the top of his career but also to see him perform so excellently, I cannot imagine his joy.

Lt Gen Tukur Buratai was recently awarded “Life Patron” of the Institute of Economics of Nigeria. This is a well-deserved award. In a country where awards are often lavished on politicians, who practically do nothing for the country but cause more problems sometimes; It is refreshing to hear about this award to Lt Gen Buratai as it is well deserved.

Many know Buratai for tackling insecurity and boko haram headlong but there’s more that stands him out, he is cerebral. Speak to those who work closely with him and they will tell you how that his attention to details is exceptional. He is a good listener which perhaps may be one of the reasons for a good turnout of quality decisions.

LT Gen Buratai has a degree in History from University of Maiduguri, He has a Master of Philosophy in Security Studies from the Bangladesh University of Professionals, Dhaka. He is a graduate of the Nigerian Defense Academy, Kaduna, and he is also a graduate of National Defense College Mirpur, Bangladesh. He is a well-read soldier; his “barrels” are not empty; no wonder many Ivory Towers across the globe have reverted to his faculty. He has earned many titles in his career among them the famous “Pass Staff College” Dagger (PSC Dagger).

Buratai is a model to young and upcoming Nigerians who may want to join the Army or other professional discipline, he is a symbol that hard work and dedication to duty will stand you out any day. He has devoted himself to personal development and giving all to his duty. He is a soldier’s soldier.

That’s perhaps why the honour keeps pouring in. The Centre for Contemporary Security Studies, Igbinedion University Okada recently named the Centre after Lt Gen Tukur Buratai, It is a honuor well deserved. His wealth of knowledge and experience will help the Centre greatly. Very few security personnel can boast of the kind of experience and knowledge Buratai brings to the table.

I am particularly glad that honour is now going to those that deserve it. This will boost the morale of both officers and men of the Nigeria army who put their lives on the line daily. The young men and women who study at the school will also be beneficiaries of this knowledge. I read that Buratai has been given the honour to determine the topics that will be taken in the annual lecture of the institute henceforth, that’s a lot of resources that will be unleashed on the institute considering the sphere of influence of the General, I can only imagine the impact on the institute a few years from now.

I will close with this quote from Theodore Roosevelt, Former President of the United States of America “If there is not the war, you don’t get the great general; if there is not a great occasion, you don’t get a great statesman; if Lincoln had lived in a time of peace, no one would have known his name.”

The Boko haram challenge helped to produce a Lt General Tukur Buratai, whose life will be a mentoring manual for many young Nigerians and indeed Africans for generations.

Okpabi wrote from the department of Peace and conflict resolution, New Nile University, Abuja.

Group Calls on Igbo Leaders to Apologize to FG, Army over Kanu

Following the re-appearance of leader of the proscribed IPoB, Nnamdi Kanu, the South- East Renewal Group (SERG) has asked Igbo leaders to apologise to the federal government as well as the Nigerian army.

The group said the apology becomes very important following the wrongful accusations by the igbo leaders that the army had adopted the IPoB leader.

In a statement made available to journalists, SERG further urged Igbo youths to stay away from Kanu, saying there is nothing to be gained from supporting a separatist ideology that has only regrets.

It stated that, the Igbo leaders and youths should rather continue to support the federal government, irrespective of the ethnic group of the person that occupies the office.

"Igbo youths, leaders and organizations must also apologize to the Nigerian Army that was wrongly accused of killing Kanu when in reality the coward ran away from the country on his volition," the statement read.

The statementsigned by SERG national president, Charles Mbani
said while it is true that the people of the south east continue to clamour for restructuring that will promote equity, they will continue to respect constituted authority and institutions and will never descend low to the point of disparaging other human beings.

He stated that Nnamdi Kanu, and the faction of IPOB that he leads, do not speak for the Igbo as a people, stressing that his utterances are at variance with the belief of the people of the South-East Nigeria.

The statement reads further, "we strongly believe that his desperation for money has made him team up with those that are out to frustrate the Igbo agenda and interest.

"we say this because it is curious that Kanu had hidden for so long as a common criminal only for him to turn up at a time when the political fortunes of the South East are improving with the nomination of one of our own, Mr. Peter Obi as a Vice Presidential candidate in next year’s election. It is no surprise that one of the things Kanu did first was to resume singing like a broken record that there will be no election in the South-East, which is his own way of diminishing Igbo votes and denying the region of the Vice President’s position."

Mbami warned that should Kanu decide to step his foot in Nigeria, the group members will physically deliver him to the nearest police station for onward transportation to appear in court.

Kanu’s Appearance and My Apology to The Nigerian Army

By Charles Mbani

Wonders, as they say, shall never end in Nigeria. I am so ashamed of myself. So much so that I feel like disappearing from the surface of the earth upon watching the video of the “almighty Nnamdi Kanu” of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) praying in Jerusalem for misleading our people and absconding with his ill-gotten wealth. These are indeed lessons to be learned when we wipe up unnecessary sentiments in the polity. And also a reminder to us as a people that we should take our time to study the motives and actions of individuals masquerading themselves as religious and ethnic champions.

The Nnamdi Kanu’s case was quite an unfortunate episode when one realized how he deceived many people into believing he is the messiah they have been waiting for. He became a nuisance, and he is still one, and he gave out himself, not only as an ethnic champion, but he also arrogated himself a spiritual role in the lives of some members of the unsuspecting public.

In truth, I was one of those that fell for his gimmick. I recall that I rose stoutly in his defense when it was speculated that he had either been killed or whisked away by the Nigeria Army when it launched Operation Python Dance to curtail the excesses of armed groups and other vices in South East Nigeria. But little did I know that the so-called progenitor of the now proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) had perfected plans and indeed fled the country. So many questions are begging for answers in my head. And one of them is why he choose the dishonorable path of running away and leaving the people he was leading to their fate?

I am also hurt that his cowardly act left our people in sorrow and pains. He used them to enrich himself and family, and when the time came for him to stand for his people, he fled. What a shame. At this point, it would suffice to state that I indeed owe the Chief of Army Staff, and by extension the Nigeria Army an unreserved apology for my unwarranted and unverified vent of ignorance when it was speculated that Nnamdi Kanu had been whisked away. I also believe that other social commentators that also fell victim of Nnamdi Kanu gimmick and labeled the Nigeria Army in derogatory terms should also tender their unreserved apologies. Why this is necessary, you might want to ask.

It is essential because once upon a time, a certain man named Nnamdi Kanu instigated a national crisis that threatened the continued existence of Nigeria. He sought and received financial gratification from individuals, groups, and even countries that were against the progress of Nigeria. And only for him to flee. And that in itself caused a national crisis when various groups started a campaign of defamation against the Nigerian Army. I recall that the President General of Afaraukwu, his autonomous community, Chief Ikechukwu Nwabueze, revealed the community’s resolve to sue the Federal Government if they fail to produce their son, Nnamdi Kanu. If this is not the height of deceit and mischief, I do not know what to call it. I do hope he is ready to pay any sum that will be required by the Federal Government as compensation for blackmail.

It didn’t end there, a team of IPOB lawyers, led by Mr. Ifeanyi Ejiofor, filed a suit before the Federal High Court in Abuja praying for an order directing the Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai, to produce Kanu in court. Because, Kanu was last seen after soldiers invaded the IPOB leaders house in Afara-ukwu Ibeku, Umuahia Abia State, “on a murderous raid, where life and mortar bullets were fired on an unarmed and defenseless populace, leaving 28 persons dead and abducting many”. If this is not the height of deceit, then what else is it?

Also worrisome was the fact that the hypocrisy of IPOB was taken too far and it came with consequences, such that would affect the sincerity of purpose on the people of the South East in the marginalization debate in the future.

I say this because even with the knowledge of the promoters of IPOB that their leader had fled, they still went ahead to issue a statement indicating that the federal government may have killed Nnamdi Kanu. The statement at the time read that “IPOB and its leadership worldwide under the command and leadership of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu wish to bring to the notice of the whole world that the whereabouts of our leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and parents are still unknown to humanity since the attack in his compound last week. IPOB have been searching for our leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and parents nowhere to be found since last week; we are challenging the Nigerian army and police to produce our leader Mazi Nnamdi since it is a prerogative right for him to make statement inform his confidants and teeming members all over the world about his condition.” This was the height of hypocrisy

I now wonder what the next line of action would be for IPOB and its promoters since their leader had resurfaced in Jerusalem instead of one of the detention camps of the Nigeria Army. Would they bury their heads in shame? Would they issue an unreserved apology to their unsuspecting followers whom they had deceived into believing in a cause that had turned out to be a scam? All of these are questions that must be answered if we are sincere with our selves.

Those that also stood as surety for him also lied under oath that the Nigerian Army had Nnamdi Kanu in its custody. They have committed perjury, and the law must take its cause in my opinion. There is also a new dimension to the whole saga with the fact that he was sighted in Israel after committing crimes against the state in Nigeria. What does that tell us? Does it explain the claims by regional neighbors that Israel trains, arms, and backs terrorists? This is a topic for another day.

With the unfolding drama, it is now evident that the agitation by IPOB was just a smokescreen to exploit his people. There was no iota of truth in all of his public posturing other than the fact that he saw an avenue to enrich himself and he took advantage of it. I am sure those South East leaders and elders under the umbrella of Ohaneze Ndigbo, that fell victim for his gimmick would be hiding their faces as it stands. But even as they do that, I think they should apologize to the Nigerian government, the Chief of Army Staff, and the Nigeria Army for the ignorant campaign of calumny it launched.

Mbani is a public affairs commentator and President of the South East Renewal Group [SERG].

GTI: What The World Needs To Learn From The Nigerian Army

By Karen Goulding

The Global Terrorism Index is a tool that has been developed to help governments understand whether and how they are making progress in containing insurgencies or hostile to the state or specific communities. The Index derives its scores by measuring the direct and indirect impact of terrorism. This includes the number of lives lost, injuries, property damage, business impact (closings and lost revenue), as well as the psychological effects on the communities affected.

Between 2007 and 2015 Nigeria’s score was not good. The Boko Haram insurgency had reached its peak, destabilizing communities in the North-east all the way to the capital, Abuja. This worsened the life of the entire North-east region, but for specific localities that were targeted, there were maimed inhabitants, dislocated communities, shuttered schools and businesses, murders and kidnappings. The Boko Haram not only shook up the political status of the region, but also impacted the economic and social activities of the people.

In 2015, Boko Haram overtook ISIL to become the deadliest terrorist group in the world. In the 2015 report, Nigeria moved up to the 3rd country with the highest impact of terrorism with an index score of 9.213, only surpassed by Iraq and Afghanistan.

Little did the people of the region know that good news was on the way. And the way Nigeria turned the tide on terrorism is a lesson for other communities, a lesson of local capacity and local solutions, of a nation that didn’t beg for help, but set itself on a course, together with key neighbors, to drive the insurgency from its territory.

On assuming office in May 2015, the Buhari administration fast-tracked the government’s response to the Boko Haram threat first by moving the military headquarters from the FCT to Maiduguri.

Next, given the transnational dimension of Boko Haram, he reached out to garner support from Nigeria’s immediate neighbors: Chad, Niger, and Cameroon, which culminated in the formation of the regional Multi-National Joint Task Force (MMNJTF). The MNJTF framework allowed for joint operations between the countries concerned such that troops from Chad and Niger were permitted to operate on Nigerian soil specifically in the Lake Chad axis.

The Nigerian army’s intelligence gathering abilities, operational scope, and overall impetus became more active. Furthermore, Nigeria also entered into pacts with foreign nations in the fight against terrorism. This meant military aid from allies especially with regards to training of personnel, provision of ammunition and intelligence sharing improved the morale and made better the abilities of local and regional troops.

This gave rise to a steady recapture of a sizeable portion of territories initially in control by Boko Haram. These territories during the peak of the violence in late 2014, covered an expanse the size of Belgium according to available reports. The Terrorism Index in Nigeria decreased to 9.01 in 2016 from 9.31 in 2015.

The exploits of the Nigeria Army in the past three years speaks volume of a rededicated commitment to Nigeria. More specifically, implementing the basic tenets of professionalism in an unconventional war situation as well as respecting human rights and sticking to the rules of engagement are the hallmarks of the operations of the Nigeria Army under the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai.

The era of Lt. Gen Tukur Buratai in the north-east has been unique and exemplary for many reasons. Clutching to the experience garnered as an infantry general, some may have questioned if he was the right man for the job. The Infantry is the branch of the army that engages in military combat on foot, distinguished from cavalry, artillery, and tank forces. How would a man who commands such close combat have the strategic awareness to effectively deal with the situation at hand?

But he did, and his infantry experience may have been the key. Many security experts observe that the infantry have much greater local situational awareness than other military forces, due to their inherent intimate contact with the battlefield. This is vital for taking or holding ground (really for any military objectives), securing battlefield victories, maintaining military area control and security both at and behind the front lines, for capturing ordnance or material, taking prisoners, and military occupation. General Buratai brought all of these attributes to bear in his leadership of the Nigerian Army, in the course reclaiming all of the Nigerian territories that were once under the control of Boko Haram terrorists.

One important step General Buratai took may not seem as vital, but in the end helped to secure not only territory, but also the hearts and minds of the population. Under the leadership of current Chief of Army Staff, the Nigerian Army commissioned its Human Rights Desk. The establishment of the Human Rights desk office was borne out of the increasing interest of the local and international human rights bodies on what the army was doing in the North East and other parts of the country. But it was also a key tactic to earn the trust of the local population. This is also on the heels of the excellent record the Nigeria Army has attained by ensuring that civilian casualties are kept at the barest minimum.

There are indeed lessons to be learned from the exploits of the Nigerian Army. Lessons on how to win a war and sustain the tempo. And how to keep the morale of a fighting force high. In some quarters, it has been stated that the coming of Lt. Gen Tukur Buratai in 2015 opened a new vista in the operations of the Nigerian Army, especially with the fight against terrorism. This fact was evident as mentioned earlier in the Global Terrorism Index rating that indicated a 33 percent reduction in the number of terrorism-related deaths in four of the terrorism ravaged countries including Nigeria compared to that of the previous years.

Under Lt. Gen. Buratai, the leadership of the Nigerian Army nourishes the standards of discipline and professionalism through the enforcement of commensurate rewards and a strict punishment system. Similarly, a recent appraisal of the counter-insurgency campaigns in Nigeria, especially in the Northeast, by the United Nations Organization (UNO), also applauded, as exemplary, the Nigerian Army’s professional execution on the Boko Haram terrorism and insurgency, as conforming to international best practices. Additionally, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) led by its President, Ambassador Mathew Rycroft, expressed same eulogies on Nigerian troops fighting the counter-insurgency war when they were in that country on assessment tour.

An additional recognition of General Buratai’s superior leadership was the conferment of the Brazilian Military Order of Merit Award, in recognition of his contributions to world peace and for leading a most successful military campaign in North East Nigeria with minimal casualties and respect for human rights. It is, therefore, safe to say that since the coming of the present administration in 2015, a lot has changed in the operations of the Nigerian military. If you call the Chief of Army Staff a rare breed, you won’t be entirely wrong, because of his passion for not only the professional development of the troops but also providing for their welfare within the available resources. The Army has been reinvigorated since he assumed leadership. These are rare attributes worthy of emulation by critical stakeholders in Nigeria, other military forces in Africa, and indeed all active forces the world over.

Goulding contributed this article from the United Kingdom.

2019: APC Stalwart Cautions Dankwambo On Campaign Spendings

A stalwart of the All Progressive Congress in Gombe State, Hon. Musa Sani has described the miscarried presidential aspiration of the Gombe State Governor, Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo of the Peoples Democratic Party and his plans to hold rally in the state tomorrow as the financial fritter and prodigality that have wreaked severe havoc on the state’s coffers and Dankwambo should get ready to account for all financial recklessness of his administration.

Sani further laments that, Dankwambo wouldn’t have organized tomorrow’s rally if he’s spending from his hard-earned resources rather than dipping hands into the government’s accounts because the rally is unnecessary as even Atiku Abubakar who won the PDP’s primaries didn’t hold any rally.

“It is a sheer act of profligacy and financial impropriety for a candidate who came fifth to conduct any such rally’’ he said.

In a release made available to newsmen, Hon Musa stated his displeasure on the convention and emphasized the need to reject Dankwambo’s profligate legacies.

‘’I’m privy to a purported rally scheduled to hold tomorrow in Gombe to welcome Dankwambo who is coming back to the state after his loss in the recent PDP Convention held in Port Harcourt where he emerged fifth out of the 12 contenders but it’s astonishing and amounts to a waste of the state’s scarce resources to organize a rally for a loser even when the winner doesn’t see the need to do so. We the good people of the Gombe State will ensure that, we wrest power from the PDP come 2019. This will serve to show Mr Dankwambo that our people reject his anointed candidate who only visits Gombe during political season.’’

Recall that Dankwambo, an incumbent governor of Gombe State, alongside his Sokoto State counterpart Aminu Waziri Tambuwal were the only two sitting governors who contested the PDP’s presidential primary which held in Port Harcourt. While the former came second Dankwambo was fifth.

Bauchi Guber Primaries: Gov. Abubakar’s Emergence Foretold - Adamu

Hours after Governor Mohammed Abdullahi Abubakar defeated his challengers in the APC primaries with a wide margin, a stalwart of the party in the state, Adamu Abubakar has described the exercise as victory foretold, saying that the Governor Abubakar will no doubt coast to victory in the upcoming general election by defeating his opponent in the other political parties.

According to Abubakar, "What has transpired in the APC’s gubernatorial primary election in Bauchi State is known beforehand event and the same gesture will be replicated in the general election because the performance of Governor Abubakar administration in the last three years is remarkable and we need to consolidate on that. We can never be victims of the paperweight politicians again who had ventured into politics to enrich selves.’’

All efforts by the other three gubernatorial aspirants of the All Progressive Congress to stop the incumbent Bauchi State Governor, Barrister Mohammed Abdullahi Abubakar from clinching his party’s ticket for the second term hit a brick wall and has finally been laid to rest.

Three aspirants, Capt. Bala Jibril, Ali Pate, and Yakubu Lame had insisted on indirect primaries to be conducted in the state and after the exercise and announcement of the result today, the trio suffered a cold sober defeat from the incumbent.

While announcing the results at the APC Secretariat on Tuesday in Bauchi, the Returning Officer of the Primary election, Prof. Ahmed Bakori Mohammed, said the incumbent governor got a total of 75,086 votes to beat three other aspirants.

And his closest contender, Yakubu Lame got 3, 988 votes, Ali Pate, 2,886 and Bala Jibrin 2,539 votes respectively.

NEMA And PMB’s Midas Touch On Disaster Management


By Robert Audu

Since the advent of the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari in 2015, the country has witnessed significant progress in critical areas such as security, agriculture, health, and education.

Also, another area where the president has scored high is in the recent handling of the flooding in some states by the National Emergency Management Agency ( NEMA). The rapid response as displayed by NEMA in managing the flood disaster in the country gives an insight into how President Muhammdu Buhari has continued to pilot the affairs of this country with sincerity of heart and purpose.

Let me digress a little. Before 2015, Boko Haram unleashed hell on innocent women and children. Families were displaced, fathers were maimed and executed in the presence of their families, and sources of livelihood were destroyed. It was indeed a tale of gloom, sorrow, and blood. Yes, that was what was witnessed in North East Nigeria before President Muhammadu Buhari came on board. I stand to be corrected.

Also, the theft of our commonwealth reached an alarming state, so much that Nigeria was on the brinks. We were a witness where individuals received a massive amount of monies from government coffers for doing nothing. Also, monies meant for critical government infrastructure ended up in private pockets. Civil servants had a free-for-all with government funds scattered in commercial banks. Nigeria was indeed a banana republic at that time. But not anymore with the coming President Muhammdu Buhari.

Some might not like him for the radical reforms he introduced. Some might also not like him for the mere fact that it is no longer business as usual. But in truth, if a census of those that are complaining about the governing style of President Muhammdu Buhari, is taken, it would be realized that the core of them are those that fleeced the system and the realization that business has ended, gives them sleepless nights.
Back to the crux of the issue, the management of the flood disaster that ravaged some parts of the country.

I would as a first say that the director general of NEMA, Engr. Mustapha Maihaja deserves some commendation. I say this because as a stakeholder in the sector, I was witness to the actions and inactions of NEMA from the word go when the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA) issued an early warning on the possibility of flooding in some parts of the country.

And NEMA swung into action. It conveyed a stakeholder’s forum to discuss modalities on effective management of the situation. At the conference, DG of NEMA stated that there is a need for preparedness. Hear him “ we should be ready for any eventuality. We should invigorate our enlightenment campaign to enlighten the people to inform the frontline states more aggressively further”.

“ One of the ways to take care of this situation is that we have set up a committee of five groups, three persons from each sector will go the villages and cities that will be affected, use all avenues to enlighten the people and make sure they are well informed.”

In my opinion, this act is not only brilliant; it is indeed a testament to the fact that the present administration has indeed placed a high premium on strategic problem-solving skills. And how is this possible you might want to ask? And I would say that it is as a result of the buy-in of the political authorities. I will give an example.

The federal government approved and released the sum of N3 billion to NEMA for the first stages of preparedness, and response disaster mitigation. What stands out of this action is the fact that the government understood that we must be prepared for any eventuality that would arise from the flooding. And NEMA indeed was able to handle the situation most effectively, unlike in times past. And what did we see? Minimal casualties and the likes because of the efforts of the critical stakeholders.

This suffices to add that we should not rest on our oars yet as there is more to be done and can be done if other stakeholders come to the support of the activities of NEMA. For one, NEMA has indeed proved that it is capable of providing sound leadership. The government has also indeed shown a commitment to a worthy cause that affects the lives and sources of livelihoods of ordinary Nigerians who are mostly victims of such natural disasters.

As we all know, disaster management requires enormous funds the world over and Nigeria is not an exception.

The government has done well, but more can be done. The local and international humanitarian organizations must also be involved. Organisations such as the Office of the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs ( OCHA), the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the UN, the World Food Programme ( WFP), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and the World Health Organisation (WHO), must lend a voice and a hand to the operations of NEMA as it continues with the laudable project of disaster management in Nigeria.

I say this because efforts to strengthen disaster prevention, disaster risk management, disaster awareness, and local capacity building are vitally essential to cope with these difficulties. Without adequate and timely relief activities, the insecurity of individuals and communities at a time of need will be heightened, which can eventually lead to increased instability in the country.
NGOs also have become more significant actors than ever before in disaster relief management. For example, after the 2004 tsunami in the Indian Ocean, nearly half of the $ 14 billion pledged in disaster funding involved programs implemented by NGOs.

There are several reasons for this. One practical reason is that, in many cases, the magnitude and frequency of disasters overwhelm governments’ capabilities. And using Nigeria as an example, the government has committed N3billion for preparedness and relief for victims of flooding despite its various commitments in other critical sectors.

In my opinion, the federal government got it right, and that should give a signal to the international humanitarian organizations that they ought to be involved in disaster management in Nigeria because there is a government in place that is proactive, and there is also a disaster and emergency agency that has shown capacity to deal with emergency and disaster situations.

While I would not hesitate to commend President Muhammadu Buhari’s efforts towards making Nigeria a better country for all of us, I also wish to encourage him to continue to render selfless service that he represents and is known for from time immemorial.

Audu is a civil servant and contributed this piece from Abuja.

Direct or Indirect Primaries, Gov. Abubakar Is Our Candidate, Says APC Chieftain

As debates on the mode of primary election for the Bauchi State Governorship primaries of the All Progressives Congress (APC) continue, a party stalwart and ardent supporter of the incumbent Governor, Alhaji Garba Musa has stated that Governor Mohammed Abubakar would emerge victorious at the upcoming September 29th primary election whether the exercise is conducted through direct or indirect system and the APC’s internal saboteurs will be defeated at the end.

Addressing journalists yesterday, Musa said the governor deserves re-election in view of his performances within the last three years which include the ongoing dualization of six metropolitan roads in Bauchi state capital, construction of 105 kilometers road in Misau local government adding that if Abubakar is not returned in 2019, the projects might be abandoned and the state coffers would be subsequently drained by the those desperate politicians who are in the game to accumulate wealth to the chagrin of the hapless majority.

According to him, the three other governorship aspirants namely Dr Ibrahim Yakubu Lame, Captain Bala Jibrin, and Professor Ali Pate are in the race only to destabilize the party in view of their utterances and series of petitions they sent to the national headquarters.

“We are not afraid of direct primaries. Our candidate is Governor M.A Abubakar. So, whether direct or indirect primary election is adopted, he will beat other contenders hands down. That is why they are making political noises in the past couple of days because they are afraid of defeat, and I assure you, they and their cohorts in the PDP will never succeed. We’re strongly advising the APC National Working Committee (NWC) to be wary of the subversive elements in the party who are acting a script design by their auxiliaries in the opposition to see the down fall of the APC in Bauchi State.’’

It would be recall that, the Bauchi State Chapter of the APC have adopted indirect mode of the primary election and went further to adopt the incumbent governor as the party’s sole candidate in the 2019 gubernatorial election, and the decision doesn’t go well to those aspiring to slug it out with the governor in the primaries.

Kogi Youths Protest Imposition of Candidates By Governor Yahaya Bello

Youths of Kogi state extraction under the umbrella of Kogi APC Youth Rebirth took to the streets of Abuja and later the headquarters of the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Thursday to protest the imposition of candidates by Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi state.

Addressing journalists at the peak of the protest, Comrade Ezekiel Edogboanya appealed to the leadership of the party to advise the governor before "he sink the ship of APC in Kogi state".

In his words, "We the members of the Concerned Kogi APC Rebirth, wishes to use this medium to appeal to the good conscience of the leadership of our great party, the All Progressive Congress (APC) to as a matter of urgency and of national interest save the APC in Kogi state from imminent disintegration due to the activities of His Excellency, Governor Yahaya Bello and his cronies".

The group further implored the APC to consolidate and reward the contributions of the deceased winner of the 2015 gubernatorial elections whose votes was inherited by Gov Bello:

"It is crucial for us to state here that in the annals of Kogi state, the contributions of the Late Prince Abubakar Audu is of immense proportion. As a fact, the late Prince Abubakar Audu even in death represents a united and robust Kogi state because of his politics of inclusiveness that saw him defeat an incumbent governor before he passed on to the great beyond. May his soul continue to rest in peace.

"Our dear leaders, the principal reason why we are protesting here at the National Headquarters of our great party is to intimate the party that Governor Yahaya Bello who was the direct beneficiary of the goodwill and votes of our late leader, Prince Abubakar Audu has initiated a devilish and highly unpopular campaign to push the brother of the late Prince Abubakar Audu out of the race for Kogi East Senatorial District.

"We wish to state that, this act is not only misplaced, it is also capable of causing great disaffection amongst the various stakeholders in Kogi East Senatorial and which would ultimately lead to either mass defection to the opposition party or anti-party activities," he warned.

The group further implored the state governor to reduce his draconian policies and immediately commence the payment of salaries with the aim of restoring the lost glories of the APC before the 2019 election in the state.

"Our greatest worry is the fact that we are surprised at the speed with which Governor Yahaya Bello through his Chief of Staff, Edward Onoja can go to bed knowing full well that electoral defeat would be our lot should they continue to disrupt the hands of justice by criminalizing and pushing out political assets of the party to the opposition party just because of a difference in opinion on ways to move the state and the party forward.

"This is also aside from the fact that the electoral chances of the party in the forthcoming elections are already threatened with the non-payment of salaries by Governor Yahaya Bello. As a matter of verifiable fact, Kogi State under Governor Yahaya Bello is the worst regarding payment of wages to civil servants in the history of the state," it said.

The group further appealed to the National Chairman of the APC, Comrade Adams Oshiomohle and President Muhammadu Buhari to "intervene before it is too late and ensure that the will of the party men and women prevail at the primaries".

Primaries: Pate, Others Fear Brewing Defeat - Group

It’s barely four days to the scheduled September 29 gubernatorial primary election of the All Progressive Congress in Bauchi State, the three other aspirants challenging the incumbent, Governor Mohammed Abdullahi Abubakar in the primaries are facing an enduring opposition from different groups in the state.

All Progressive Congress youth’s group under the umbrella of the Bauchi APC Youths for Transparency has described the media rantings by Ali Pate, Bala Jibrin, and Yakubu Lame as fear of an imminent defeat. In his statement, the chairman of the group, Comrade Yusuf Usman said, those against the second term bid of Governor Abubakar are selfish and lightweight politicians who have unfortunately chosen to play politics in the media from their comfort zones in Abuja than facing the cogent reality here in the state.

‘’Politics has gone far beyond sitting in faraway Abuja mouthing and enunciating about mandate of the good people of Bauchi State. It’s an undeniable fact, those against the second term bid of Governor Abubakar are selfish and lightweight politicians that doesn’t have any political capital in the state and none of them will deliver even his ward let alone the entire Bauchi State and releasing press statements would not in any way change or turnaround the earlier decision of the Bauchi APC of adopting indirect primaries and endorsing Governor Abubakar as the party’s sole candidate.’’

While reacting on the alleged alteration and manipulation of the delegate list, Usman has this to say, ‘’It’s really laughable for someone who doesn’t know the prospective delegates at the first place to have alleged the alteration of the list, as far as the APC is concern in Bauchi State, indirect primaries is the only option and Governor Abubakar is our sole candidate and his starling performances and wider acceptability is matchless to any other person.’’

Recall that, discordant tunes, accusation and counter accusations have followed the adoption of indirect primaries by the state chapter of the APC and subsequent endorsement of incumbent Governor Abubakar as the party’s sole candidate.

Bauchi 2019 And Pate’s Pseudo Prophecy

By Adamu Dalladi

As usual, when elections approaches, people with different frame of minds would drench and wet through the pages of newspapers with diabolically inclined postulations and prophecies aimed at beguiling people.

In the realm of politics especially in Bauchi State, it has become worrisome and all comer’s affairs where lie torpid politicians that rarely visit their states let alone contributing to the development of such state can claim expertise on issues that they don’t have the slightest clue about.

But as paperweight as they were, what they’re good in doing is rambling and ranting to the high heavens ridiculing not only themselves but also upstanding and right-minded people of Bauchi State.

Of course, how can one relate the recent statements credited to Ali Pate, who in his delusionary imagination prophesized that the All Progressives Congress will definitely lose the 2019 gubernatorial elections if they imposed an unpopular candidate on the Bauchi electorates?

In Ali Pate’s own words ‘’we have made our case, if the party wants to win Bauchi State, it should put forward a credible popular candidate.’’ It sounds ridiculous and astonishing because it wasn’t corelate with the political chemistry of the state in every stretch of imagination Pate might think of and that has clearly shown that, he’s in sixes and sevens of what the state’s politics is all about.

In what seems to be the last kick of a dying horse, Pate has said that, ‘’we cannot guarantee that the APC will win Bauchi state unless a direct primary process was conducted to the test the popularity of all aspirants, the party will lose the governorship elections.’’ But he failed to reason that, the wavering and soaring popularity of Governor Abubakar has been tested in 2015 not only the APC delegates but by the majority people of Bauchi State who voted him in against the unpopular candidates and now that he has justified the mandate given to him, there’s no better time to vote for him than now as he had remarkably transformed the state to an enviable position.

The fact is that, an overwhelmingly majority of the state would no doubt vehemently disagree with Pate’s political musing as it goes against the grain of the popular believes because APC has never sought to impose any particular candidate on the people either in the governorship, national assembly or state house of assembly elections in Bauchi state. And far from it, the party gave every of its 36 state chapters the option of choosing what type of primaries will be suitable for them and it was on same vein that the stakeholders, party chieftains, and party faithful’s in Bauchi state overwhelmingly opted for the indirect system while also unequivocally endorsing the tested popular candidate, Barrister M.A. Abubakar as the sole flagbearer of the party.

As master illusionist and oblivious as he was, where was Ali Pate when the various stakeholders and party faithfuls met to take these momentous and far-reaching decisions aimed at stabilizing the socio-political process in Bauchi state? Pate’s perfidiousness wrapped in the same clothing with that of his political doppelganger, Yakubu Dogara who were out to destroy the APC in Bauchi State.
Of course, it is not surprising that Ali Pate was nowhere to be found as he is severally fond of disappearing antics whenever crucial issues arise only to claim ignorance or express divergent or contrarian opinions when he magically appears.

Also, more perplexing thing about Pate and what I still keep on wondering is who Ali Pate has continually referred to as ‘‘we’’ in his heartrending and lamentable press statements? Is he referring to fellow gubernatorial aspirants, the electorates, his cohorts in the PDP or the media who he regularly rushes anytime he feels a penchant for nebulous publicity? If the truth must be told, most people in Bauchi and even outside the state have never seen Ali Pate as a serious politician given the fact that he is completely out of touch with the sentiments and aspirations of the average Bauchi citizen.

You cannot govern the people from the top rather you must come to their level or in the immortal words of Sir Winston Churchill, ‘’stoop to conquer in order to gain the confidence of the holloi-polloi.’’ This is not surprising as throughout his existence, the former Minister of State has always being fed with a silver spoon attending privileged schools, gaining juicy and influential appointments through his network of connections without caring a hoot of how the average Bauchi denizen was faring let alone contributing to the development of the state.

Let Ali Pate honestly tell the good Bauchi people how many primary health care facilities, policies and initiatives he was able to attract to Bauchi state during his uneventful and uninspiring tenure as the minster and later the, Executive Secretary of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency. Apart from rather aimless and unfruitful posturing and media grandstanding, Ali Pate did not achieve much but due to his ubiquitous connections, he was elevated to the Minister of State for Health and later an influential United Nation’s position without leaving clear and indelible footprints where he previously worked.

It is not surprising that the Ali Pate has watched with palpable envy and deepening foreboding, the surefooted and masterful strides taken by our amiable Governor M.A. Abubakar in delivering critical dividends of democracy to the Bauchi people in the crucial arenas of health, education, power, agriculture, rural development, urban infrastructure, and women and youth empowerment. Indeed, Governor M.A. Abubakar’s overwhelming endorsement by the APC is a cap that aptly fits the grassroots governor who has delivered beyond the promises that he made to the electorates in 2015. And whether Ali Pate likes it or not, the Bauchi people have spoken and a landslide victory awaits Barrister M.A. Abubakar come 2019, as one good term surely deserves another.

Dalladi Write from Bauchi Local Government

Group Uncovers Plot By Reuters, Foreign Agents To Thwart Nigeria’s War Against Insurgency

The Coalition on Conflict Resolution and Human Rights in Nigeria said it has uncovered plots by foreign agents to thwart the country's war against insurgency through the use of fictitious reports in the media to undermine the Nigerian troops fighting the Boko Haram Terrorists group.

The coalition accused some media outfits, particularly Reuters and AFP of projecting the activities of Boko Haram terrorists that are false and far from the truth for hidden agenda.

It named Reuters as one of the news agencies aiming at destabiliing Nigeria through false, malicious, unsubstantiated and fabricated pieces of news concerning the efforts of the Nigerian Military in engaging Boko Haram Terrorists in some parts of the North East as plans are in place to release news stories that pain the Nigerian military weak and ineffective.

Maxwell Gowon Esq, National President of the group while speaking at a press conference on Sunday in Abuja, said Reuters’ has been churning out negative reports, capable of thwarting the Nigeria's military war against insurgency.

Gowon said the news agency has resolute on reporting Nigeria into failure by propping up Boko Haram as a parallel state leaves more to be imagined despite the overwhelming evidence that Boko Haram is a global terrorist organization.

The statement said, "It is instructive to state that Reuters through their actions further enforces the French connection in the sustenance of the Boko Haram conflict through its former colonies in Africa ( Niger, Chad, and Mali), and to see that the efforts of the Nigerian military are discredited using all means possible.

"While the Coalition on Conflict Resolution and Human Rights in Nigeria frowns at such unprofessional display by a supposedly objective news medium such as Reuters, it also suffices to state that there is a bigger script the Reuters is acting out.

"It is also curious that Reuters can publish fiction as fact when comments on troops’ capability would be anathema to it when discussing the US or UK military.

" A logical explanation for such irresponsible conduct is that Reuters places itself as that news platform that is committed to advancing the cause of the imperial empire it serves using any means possible ( hook or crook).

"CCGRN is aware that Nigeria’s Defence Minister Mansur Dan Ali told Reuters last month that “The country has been stable for the past three years,” and this much can be easily verified. But again, Reuters choose to play the devil’s advocate by painting a picture of gloom and doom, of deserting troops and thousands killed – yet the country still has a standing military. How curious.

"The case of Gudumbali is an example of the mischief that Reuters has continued to perpetuate with fanfare. While it’s stated that Gudumbali is under the firm control of Boko Haram terrorists, the same Gudumbali is where the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai visited some days ago to boost the morale of the troops stationed there. One then wonders if it a possibility or a strange coincidence, and or a figment of the imagination of Reuters.

"Such rash and unfounded reportage imply that there is a tendency for members of the unsuspecting public to believe their storyline (even though entirely false) to the detriment of Nigeria.

"CCGRN also wishes to invite Reuters on a tour of the North East Nigeria with its reporters, photojournalists, and editors so they can have a better insight into the great sacrifice the Nigeria Army has put in to ensure that peace returns and by extension the modest achievements of the Nigeria Army under the leadership of Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai in keeping Boko Haram terrorist in check."

Bauchi APC and the Internal Saboteurs

By: Jibrin Usmanu

The elections are here. And as usual, politics will manifest in their different shapes, sizes, and forms. The Bauchi APC like in other parts of the country must brace up against those whose stock in trade is to sabotage the political capital of the party.

In Bauchi, the success of the forthcoming 2019 general elections will be determine by the success of the September 29 gubernatorial primary election.

In fact, the need for a proper understanding of the times is quite germane so as to adequately brace up for the inevitable challenge. Failure to do this will critically undermine the fantastic job the His Excellency Barrister Mohammed Abdullahi Abubakar has done in the past 3 years.

As an individual with a particular interest in Bauchi state APC, I find it deeply worrisome the extent to which some are willing to have President Buhari’s and Governor Abubakar’s legacies scuttled in the state. It’s therefore necessary that, the Bauchi state All Progressives Congress and the good people of the state must rise up to address the fact that some elements within its ranks may be accessory to the reckless politics being played by some aspirants.

Of course, it is within the rights of every eligible member of the party to contest for positions of their choice, what may not be the best is a desperate attempt to rewrite history in a way that does injury to those among us who have dedicated themselves to the service of the people and liberation of the Bauchi State from the gory days misgovernance.

Those who are challenging the adoption of the PMB and the incumbent governor, Governor Mohammed Abdullahi Abubakar as the sole candidates of the Bauchi APC in the party’s primaries election should do so within what is true to equity fairness and good conscience not with prejudice and egocentric massaging. 

It gets really disturbing that those scheming against the second term bid of Governor Abubakar are political moles working for the opposition PDP to scuttle the chances of the APC in the 2019 general elections and the recent decamping to PDP by the Speaker Yakubu Dogara whose pollical odds and ends that decided to remain in the APC and causes chaos and rat’s nest are now acting their designed scripts. 

The assumption that these people do not pose a problem to the chances of APC'S success in the final analysis is to say the least very simplistic. Of course, a counter argument will be that the party is trying to uphold the principles of internal democracy. This is of course great. However, it must not be lost on us that the party needs to be on its guard as the popular opinions hold that many of these people are merely masquerading as true members of the APC but they are working for the opposition party especially the PDP.
The Bauchi APC has done well in endorsing President Muhammadu Buhari and Governor M.A Abubakar as its sole candidates in the 2019 general elections but must not just end here...

Why the three other contenders in the person of Mohammed Ali Pate, Ibrahim Yakubu Lame, and Capt. Bala Jibrin Rtd still prefer to stick to their guns in opposing the sole candidacy of Gov Abubakar's re-election bid despite conclusive evidence is something that must be x-rayed by the party and good people of Bauchi State. 

It is still in our memories that, when Governor M.A Abubakar assumed the mantle of the leadership of Bauchi state, every single sector of the state's economy was comatose begging for an immediate rescue, while the added burden of huge debt was something observers believed would cripple development if not by the urgent intervention of the M.A Abubakar’s led government that had succeeded in reversing all the inherited misfortunes to an advantages. However, for the emergence of Governor Abubakar, everything is now effectively working.

It is a shame that corrupt elements who appear to be advancing the interest of known political profiteers and those who were denied access to empty our treasury as usual, are not shy of rubbishing the hard-earned reputation of Governor Abubakar and the efforts of the All Progressives Congress in Bauchi.

The fact must therefore come out in no equivocal way that syphoning our collective patrimony is not a culture that can be allowed to hold sway in the party simply because one has supported in the party’s emergence in the 2015 election, the idea of bringing this government wasn’t to further ruin the state in favour of individuals but bring out the state out of the woods and I believe the trio and their cohorts might be happy with things are prudently going.

The Bauchi State APC as led by Uba Ahmed Nana's decision to adopt indirect primaries is a welcome development. The party is more on the right track by endorsing the candidacy of Governor Abubakar for governorship position in the 2019 general elections because allowing the agents of PDP to dictate our party’s direction could be detrimental to our success in the forthcoming elections.

It’s clear that, whether the detractors find this development palatable or not, the overriding consideration is the fact that, this is a popular decision and is hinged on the need to sustain good governance and consolidation of the remarkable feats achieved the Governor Abubakar led administration in Bauchi State.

Usmanu write from Bauchi

If Only Reuters Can Get It Right

By Philip Agbese

Nigeria is certainly not Myanmar, which this month jailed Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo, two Reuters journalists for crimes that the country’s leader, Aung San Suu Kyi said had nothing to do with freedom of expression as the news agency would have the world believe. It is instructive that Aung San Suu Kyi was a poster child for western interests and was beholden to Reuters in her days as an opposition figure. A switch in role from opposition to the ruling government taught Suu Kyi that the wellbeing of her country cannot be left to cavalier theories pushed by countries that deal with scenarios that are far removed from the waking realities of other countries.

As Suu Kyi told a conference of the World Economic Forum in Hanoi that “They were not jailed because they were journalists, they were jailed because ... the court has decided that they have broken the Official Secrets Act.” This is a law Nigeria cannot afford to dredge up to deal with the worse damage being done to our dear country by Reuters and other international news wires in its mould even when their intentions for Nigeria appears at every turn to be geared towards dragging the country into a morass far deeper than the one in which Myanmar currently wallows as a country that barely escaped the definition of a failed state.

Unlike Myanmar, where the world rightly points to the persecution of the Rohingya Muslim insurgents as a hate crime, Nigeria has a different problem with Boko Haram and one would expect that this much would be clear to the imperialist interests that take the decisions at Reuters. The newswire appears resolute on reporting Nigeria into failure by propping up Boko Haram as a parallel state instead of reiterating its status as a global terrorist organization that is perverted in every single one of its actions. Reuters is experienced in doing this: it had, alongside other western counterparts, reported Suu Kyi from an extremist opposition figure into a Nobel Laureate Winner only to launch propaganda that again consigned her to the status of a pariah.

Reuters’ story, “Nigerian military struggles against Islamic State in West Africa: sources” is therefore condemnable in the strongest terms possible. The purposeful mischief infused in the story is most unacceptable. One wonders if Reuters would have done the same if the country involved were the United States, United Kingdom or any of the other client states whose agenda Reuters is committed to implementing across the world.
The claim that hundreds of Nigerian troops have been killed reads like something that was lifted straight out of the script that the terrorists and persons known to have been sympathetic to them have been pushing around the country. If this newswire were to report troop deaths of the earlier mentioned countries it would stick to the professionally acceptable process of quoting competent and properly identified sources – medical doctors, family, troops commanders, defence ministry and official government spokesperson – as opposed to the phantom sources cited in the entire length of its report. It has somehow taken the judgemental stance that the official government position on the matter is not acceptable to it and even go the extra length of derisively casting aspersion on the government authorities each time it has to reference them.

Reuters’ jaundiced view is that “The fatigued, ill-equipped government troops have reached breaking point,” leaving one to wonder if the news organisation took stock to realize what contributions it lies made towards the production of this outcome assuming it was true. It is curious that this news platform can publish this opinion as fact when comments on troops’ capability would be anathema to it when discussion the US or UK military. A logical explanation for such irresponsible conduct is that the platform places itself in the position of the colonial news services that is committed to advancing the cause of the imperial empire it serves to the disadvantage of the colonized lands.

That Reuters decided to name and brand Boko Haram as “Islamic State in West Africa (ISWA)” is instructive and indicative of the problem the entire West African Region would face once it is time for the news agency to validate its reporting. To justify its use of that name it would help promote terrorism across the entire region so that it would not be accused of using a misnomer. In collaboration with likeminded platforms, it has successfully deliver on such branding in the Middle East where it actively gave the world the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) – same brand it is now trying hard to plant in our backyard.

If the government troops ““are running out of weapons, ammo and basic equipment,” claimed by Reuters’ source, it is only logical that some self-recrimination is called for on the organization’s part. On one hand it had fully backed regimes and interests that place weapons at the disposal of terrorists in major hotbeds across the world while on the other hand, its lies against Nigeria soured relations with nations that should have been useful in partnering with Nigeria to sell arms and hardware to degrade and defeat Boko Haram.

It is also disingenuous that Reuters created the impression that instances where Nigeria defeated Boko Haram in battles were only made possible by its francophone neighbours. Reuters must have told this lie to back up its contemporary, the Agence France-Presse (AFP), which has done much to cover the double dealings on the part of Niger, Chad and Cameroun that have expended more resources housing the terrorists than they have committed to the joint military force to fight them. Not even a weak attempt was made to hide the French hand in the pie as the famous source presented as a different persons for the entire length of the story is one “Vincent Foucher, who studies Boko Haram at the French National Centre for Science Research.” Touché!

Had the newswire stuck to its assertion that “It was not immediately clear how control of that territory (control of the Lake Chad Basin) has changed in recent months,” it would have at least told one redeeming truth. But it went on to lie and re-present its lies as gospel.

If Nigeria’s Defence Minister Mansur Dan Ali told Reuters last month that “The country has been stable for the past three years,” one then wonders why the more attractive angle for it was to paint a picture of gloom and doom, of deserting troops and thousands killed – yet the country still has a standing military.

Gudumbali, one of the places that Reuters placed under the hallucinatory control of Boko Haram, played host to the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), General Tukur Buratai just a few days ago. Could it have been possible for the Army Chief to move freely in a town occupied by Reuters’ “Islamic State in West Africa (ISWA)”? Reuters could have taken a tour of the town, with its reporters, photojournalists and editors. It would have given them better insight of what the Nigerian Army led by Buratai has achieved in keeping Boko Haram in check. This act of mischief points to one worrisome fact. The war against Boko Haram has spilled beyond the physical battlefronts and the government must empower the military, particularly the Army, to fight the terrorists and terrorist media propaganda.

If only Reuters can get it right perhaps it would help boost the morale it wrongly claimed is missing in the military. But it is pointless baiting one’s breadth in the hope that Reuters will have a reawakening and turn a new leaf to be on the side of humanity, it simply is not engineered to be that responsible. The onus is on the Nigerian military to shale of the lies being told about the state of affairs in the north east of Nigeria and continue to deliver on its mandate.

Agbese is a human rights activist and contributed this piece from the United Kingdom.

Bauchi APC Primaries: Party’s Decision Sacrosanct, Says Chieftain

An All Progressive Congress stalwart in Bauchi State, Muhammed Ismail Kabir has applauded the endorsement of His Excellency Governor Mohammed Abdullahi Abubakar as the party’s sole candidate ahead of the September 29 governorship primaries in the State, saying the decision is within the provisions of the guidelines of the party and it has therefore remained sacrosanct and best thing that had ever happened in the party.

Speaking to journalist in Abuja, Kabir described the decision as a square peg in a square hole because Governor Abubakar’s remarkable achievements within three years of his purposeful stewardship is marvelous and exceptional in the history of the state and he has emphasized the need for consolidation of such gestures beyond 2019 to enable him complete all the good work he has started.

‘’I find the endorsement of Abubakar by the Bauchi State Chapter of the APC under the able leadership of Uba Ahmed Nana as timely and it’s the best thing to do by genuine leaders of the party at this critical moment where some agents of the PDP in our midst are scheming to submerge the APC, and we can’t allow the wolves in sheep’s clothing to destroyed the laid down legacies of Governor Abubakar.’’

He further lamented that, ‘’those seeking to contest against Governor Abubakar, opposing the indirect primaries, and adoption of duos of President Muhammadu Buhari and Governor Abubakar as the party’s sole candidates in the upcoming primary elections are agents of destruction and should not in any way allow to succeed in their evil agenda.’’

Recall that, after the recommendation by the national leadership of the APC that all primaries should be by direct system but states chapters are prerogative to adopt indirect primaries, the Bauchi State Chapter of the party in a resolution of a motion moved by Hon. Adamu Bello Giade and seconded by Hon. Umar Nabayi has adopted to use indirect primaries and subsequently the party took a decision and endorsed President Buhari and Governor Abubakar as their presidential and gubernatorial candidates for the 2019 general elections.

NEMA’s Impactful Outings On Disaster Management

By Aaron Adamu

These are indeed trying times. The floods are here again, and as usual, thousands are affected. Homes have been destroyed, farms have been washed away, and the list goes on. While it is succinct to state that just like in other climes where natural disasters such as hurricane, earthquakes, and floods have continued to wreak havoc, the responses of disaster management agencies come to bear in no small measure in cushioning effects and giving those affected a sense of belonging and a life afterward.

And this brings us to the recent flooding experienced in some parts of Nigeria as a result of heavy rainfalls that causes rivers Niger and Benue to overflow. As at the last count, Niger Kogi, Anambra, and Delta states have been declared as National Disasters by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA). It is also understood that Taraba Adamawa, Kebbi, Edo, Rivers, Benue, Bayelsa and Kwara states are being monitored carefully by NEMA.

In this regard, I will start on a high note. The preparedness and responses by NEMA have been excellent in my opinion. I recall when the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency issued a warning that Rivers Benue and Niger had almost reached levels that resulted in flooding in 2012, NEMA issued a statement informing Nigerians on its preparedness for the flooding and it also consequently issued precautionary information to these communities.

Now, this is why I decided to pen this article. Kogi state is among the worst hit states and as at the last time I checked, the director general of NEMA, Engr. Mustapha Maihaja has somewhat relocated to Kogi state. This was aside from the fact that he had held series of meetings with stakeholders to assess the reports from the fact-finding committees that visited flood-prone states after the warning by the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency. I was more than impressed, and in my opinion, this was indeed a proactive approach and a radical departure from that norm that placed so much emphasis on reactionary activities.

I stand to be corrected, NEMA in the past two years had indeed shown how and what it meant to have a disaster management agency in a country. This is in line with the adoption of the preventive disaster management operations introduced into the agency by the director general, Engr. Mustapha Maihaja. I also recall that sometime in 2017, while addressing the 2017 General Session of the Global Platform on Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) in Cancun, Mexico, the DG was quoted as saying “support from the political leadership in Nigeria has enabled a giant stride towards ensuring appropriate actions on reducing risks, disaster preparedness, mitigation and recovery in the country. He also said the Federal Government has empowered and equipped NEMA to comprehensively manage disasters in Nigeria, with a fully functional Department of Disaster Risk Reduction already created in the agency. 


Now, this was why I wasn’t surprised and also impressed with the responses of NEMA in recent times in disaster management in Nigeria. Hear what the DG has to say: “President Muhammadu Buhari approved N3 billion for the first stages of preparedness, response disaster mitigation and it was on that note that stakeholders under the coordination of NEMA had activated a National Contingency Plan, a policy document, which gives NEMA the power to establish operational structure. An operational structure has been put in place with a National Emergency Operational Centre domiciled at the NEMA headquarters and five Zonal Emergency Operational Centres (EOC).”

I am left in awe whenever I hear the DG of NEMA speak on issues concerning disaster management. His grasp and understanding thrill me, so much so that I have told all that cared to listen that one of the best decision of President Muhammdu Buhari was to have appointed a highly detailed and competent individual to head NEMA. And why they would always ask me.

The reason is simple. Which category of people is mostly affected by disasters? The answer is obvious, and that is mainly why I am in praise of President Muhammdu Buhari because he has demonstrated that this is a government that is concerned about the ordinary Nigerians unlike in times past where our inefficiency in disaster management results in loss of lives and wanton destruction of properties.

Back to the crux of the issue, NEMA’s outings in disaster management in the past two years can best be described as impactful. It is instructive to state that DG has visited almost all parts of the country that has in one way or the other experienced any form of disaster, be it human-made or natural for on the spot assessment and also leading rescue and relief operations. For example, the DG of NEMA was on the ground during rescue operations when a building collapsed in Abuja recently. He was also in Benue during the September 2017 flood that affected scores of villages in the state. And the list goes on.

In my opinion, what this signifies or indicates is that there is a government that cares and holds that critical constituency so dearly and the need for them to feel the impact of his administration. This is even aside from the efforts of NEMA in assisting the Nigeria military in the resettlement of thousands of Nigerians that were displaced as a result of the insurgency in North East Nigeria. It also suffices to state that under this arrangement, thousands of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) have successfully returned to their communities. This is also commendable.

The list can go on without end. But what is instructive and a takeaway from the activities of NEMA is that once there is a will, there would always be a way. This much the DG of NEMA has demonstrated with the support he has received from the political authorities. And if most political office holders exhibit this much patriotism, Nigeria would indeed be better for it.

Adamu is a public affairs analyst and contributed this piece from Abuja.

Those Against Gov Abubakar, Enemies Of APC - Group Alleges

Ahead of the 2019 general elections and the ongoing permutations towards the September 28 gubernatorial primary election in Bauchi, group under the auspices of Bauchi APC Youths for Transparency has bemoaned activities of aspirants challenging the incumbent governor, Governor Muhammed Abdullahi Abubakar in the primaries, describing them as adversaries not only of the party but to the state in general.

Speaking on behalf of the group, Comrade Yusuf Usman described those scheming against the second term bid of Governor Abubakar as political hawks working for the opposition PDP to scuttle the chances of the APC in the 2019 general elections.

‘’It is quite sad that the trio of Mohammed Ali Pate, Ibrahim Yakubu Lame, and Capt. Bala Jibrin Rtrd have since inception of this administration been against the success of the Bauchi APC and the government of Governor M.A Abubakar", Usman lamented.

The group further stated that "these other aspirants are only masquerading as true members of the APC while in the actual sense, they have been political bushwhackers working for the PDP and they are now jittery because APC in Bauchi State have endorsed both President Buhari and Governor M.A Abubakar as their sole candidates in the 2019 general elections.’’


It further noted that ‘’when Governor Abubakar assumed the mantle of leadership in the state, virtually none of the sectors of the state economy was working and salaries were not being paid regularly with huge burden of debts and salaries backlog but today under the transparent stewardship of governor Abubakar, everything is now effectively working but those who were denied access to syphoning our treasury have been fighting the governor to massage their selfish egos."

Usman noted that his group will hold out against all their shenanigans in all disguise come 2019.

It would be recalled that, apart from the three PDP aspirants, three people are equally contesting the APC’s gubernatorial primary election with the incumbent Governor Muhammed Abdullahi Abubakar.

The state APC Chapter under the leadership of Uba Ahmed Nana have adopted indirect primary while also endorsing the candidacy of President Muhammadu Buhari and Governor Abubakar for the presidential and governorship positions respectively in the 2019 general elections.

Gombe 2019: Tinka Intensify Efforts To Woo Delegates.

As aspirants intensify efforts to secure their party’s ticket ahead of the 2019 general elections, a gubernatorial hopeful under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Gombe state, Bello Bala Tinka, last week commence tour to the 11 local government areas in the state to solicit support of party delegates.

While in the headquarters of Kwami, Funakaye, and Nafada local government areas where he met with all the prospective PDP delegates. Tinka said his decision to visit them was to solicit for their votes and renew their commitment in seeing that the party elect loyal, credible and sellable candidate to fly its flag in the 2019 election.

According to him, ‘’You all know the foregoing difficulties and struggles we’ve passed through to keep our party alive amidst enormous challenges, we lived in PDP and confronted all the political gridlocks especially in the 2015 general elections and I’m now seeking for your unflinching support in the upcoming primary election so that we shall continue doing all we could to consolidate on what our accomplished leader, His Excellency Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo has achieved in terms of development and to take our party to the part of success in 2019 and beyond." He said.

Adding that "I assured you that, if I emerged winner of the primaries, I will take us to victory. Other people will come and ask you for the same favour but that shouldn't stop you from choosing the best, credible, and the most committed party man that will win in the general polls.’’

Bala Tinka is the Managing Director of a construction company, Tinka Point Limited and was the convener of the ‘’Talba Neighbor 2 Neighbor’’ a political group he formed and coordinated to support Dankwambo in the 2015 general election.

Youths group under the name, Ningi Youths for Transparency (NYT) has described Hon. Salisu Zakari Ningi's political activities in the state as brazen display of thuggery, violence and if not checked is dangerous, and a threat to the lives of people of Bauchi state.

Read statement bellow;

We watch with dismay a dangerous campaign trend at the instance of on Mr. Salisu Zakari Ningi.

We at the NYT wish to state that, we found the tone and nature of his campaign ugly, dangerous and totally unacceptable to us as stakeholders in the peaceful electoral process of this region.

It must not be said that we left our guards and allow another era of violent politics to take hold of our political space.

If we have those who are bent on taking us back to the sad and ignoble past, we owe ourselves a duty to say an emphatic no!

We must show the world that our politics has evolved beyond the politics of thuggery and bloodshed being canvassed by Hon. Ningi especially under the sensitized political atmosphere provided by the Governor M. A Abubakar. 

The open campaign of calumny, thuggery and violence being championed by the said Salisu, a supposedly Hon member of the House of Representatives leaves a sour taste in the mouth. 

We believe that if he is not made an example of, his actions will no doubt spell a reversal of the gains we have made in restoring peace to our region under APC led administration. His brand of politics, despite his claims to Harvard education, is an open invitation to the indecency that our politics must never again be plunged in to. 

NYT has obtained and analyzed the video of his campaign train in which he and his supporters wielded dangerous weapons and rained unprintable abuses, and we are indeed shocked.

We believe that if Salisu Zakari Ningi's action if allowed to pass, it will leave a dangerous trend that may in turn hurt us in uncontrollable dimensions and temper with peace and stability not only in Ningi but the entire Bauchi State.

We believe that our highly impressionable youths need figures that will empower them with proper values and not ones who will dispose them to violent crimes like Salisu is leading them under his new party, PDP. 

We therefore, call on the good people of Ningi/Warji to show the world that we deserve a representative that is truly honorable and decent by rejecting him and his dangerous and hateful politics.

His defection from APC to PDP must not override the need for of credibility and good character.

We call on the security organizations and the Independent National Electoral Commission to launch an enquiry into our claims and mete out appropriate sanctions and restriction accordingly. 

Signed: Ningi Youths for Transparency (NYT)

10th September, 2018

Normalcy Returns To Borno Community, CJTF, Locals Confirm

Following Boko Haram's latest strike in Borno State, some members of the Civilian Joint Task Force (JTF) and residents of the community say peace has been restored.

Many people were reportedly killed after insurgents dressed in military uniforms carried out an attack in Gundumbali town in Guzamala Local Government Area.

Local residents and witnesses had revealed that the militants from Boko Haram Takfiri terrorist group struck on Friday evening causing panic but were immediately repelled by troops who returned fire for fire immediately .

.While admitting the attack, the local vigilante group, however, revealed that normalcy has been restored in the area.

“It is true that the Boko Haram stormed the town shooting sporadically," a JTF member, who pleaded to remain anonymous said.

“But together with the help of the army, we were able to repel them, forcing them to retreat.”

Natives, who were frightened by the latest strike, were thankful to the Nigerian Army for rising up to the occasion.

Salisu Musa, a commercial motorcyclist, had to be forced to abruptly close for the day due to the attack but was quick to add that despite some fear in the community, people can still be seen going about their businesses .

He said “they were saying if you know you're an innocent person just leave the town, our target is not you, or if you wish to stay with us, it's no matter, you can stay with us."

"They came towards the town shooting in the air. But the army gave their all and battled them to salvage the situation.”

Another eye witness, simply identified as Ramatu, was spotted engaging on her routine business activities.

“AS you can see, everywhere is safe now. I’m doing my business without any fear, “ she claimed.

Musa Mohammed, another native was glad that the whole tragedy was averted through the timely intervention of the military .

According to him, his people have suffered enough and hope this will be the last of such debacle.

Agreeing with Stakeholders on our Victory against Terrorism

By Esther Okpabi

Since the advent of the Boko Haram insurgency in Nigeria, a lot of scholars have posited various factors responsible for the rebellion. Some say it is as a result of injustice and uneven distribution of our commonwealth, while some also argued that the menace of Boko Haram is as a result of a lack of clear-cut policy on the part of our security agencies in intelligence gathering. While both lines of arguments could be tenable, in my opinion, the fact that remained that Boko Haram has been decimated through the political will provided by the current administration and the dynamism with which the Nigeria Army carried out the war so far, and so good.

From 2016, when the Nigeria Army gained ascendency over the Boko Haram terrorist in North East Nigeria, it has recorded tremendous progress, so much so that accolades were never in short supply locally and internationally. For example, Territories that were hitherto under the control of the insurgents were reclaimed, and life returned to normalcy in most villages and communities that dot the nook and crannies of Borno, Yobe, and Adamawa, Gombe, and Bauchi state respectively. The question thus is; how did all of these happen?

I will attempt to proffer some answers. As a start, I said political will. In this context, the quality of the appointment of service chiefs for the armed forces played a vital role. And as stated in most forums, the selection of the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai was the game-changer in the war against Boko Haram Insurgents. This is so because been an infantry general, and one that once held sway at the Multinational Joint Task Force, in the battlefield, he had been able to provide sound and exemplary leadership. The Chief of Army Staff wines and dines with troops on the front lines to boost their morale. He is also in the habit of continually engaging the fighting forces directly and indirectly. I would like to give an example.

Sometime in 2017, the Chief of Army Staff was on a routine tour of the operations of the Nigeria Army in the North East when his convoy was ambushed at about 45 kilometers east of Maiduguri, Borno State. Instead of turning back, as typical, he merely ordered that the convoy should proceed. And he advanced with the troops to battle that saw scores of Boko Haram fighters killed. I recall that this incident made the headlines in most newspapers. That, in my opinion, was exemplary and a huge morale booster for the troops, which has ultimately led to the various successes, recorded by the Nigeria Army in the battle with Boko Haram terrorists.

It must also be mentioned that during an interview granted by the Chief of Army Staff sometime in 2016, he stated thus “As at the time I took over leadership in the Nigeria Army, troops morale, especially those in the battlefield was low, a situation that paved the way for Boko Haram terrorist to gain advantage over the troops”. My take away from the statement was that of a leader that understood the efficacy of psychological boosts in warfare.

A World War, I scholar, Dr. Mathew Shaw, in an article on how did soldiers cope with war? Stated that “men respond differently under fire. For many, the helplessness of suffering artillery bombardment was the hardest thing to deal with. As soldiers spent more time under fire, they tended to develop lethargy and become hardened to the rigors of the front. Soldiers also had to cope with long stretches of anxious waiting, or even boredom, as well responding or participating in attacks. And this scenario had a toll on the morale of the majority of the troops on the battlefront.”

I agree with this position because that was what happened to the bulk of the troops fighting the Boko Haram insurgents in North East Nigeria before the advent of the Buhari led administration. And for the Chief of Army staff to have started with boosting the morale of the troops through the routine, visits to the battlefronts, improved welfare, and transparency and accountability as the watchword, it was apparent that in a matter of time the tide was going to turn against the Boko Haram insurgents. And it did.

So in a way, when the Nigeria Army started recording successes in the battlefront, it was not surprising to some of us that were knowledgeable about the strategic importance of psychological balance in warfare situations. And so when the Chief of Army Staff made a public statement recently on the fact that Boko Haram has been substantially degraded, he wasn’t far from the truth. But why his remarks were misconstrued in certain quarters is left to be imagined.

While it is understandable given the fact that he is an interested party in the situation that is not to say that Boko Haram has not been degraded. We were all witness to the state of insecurity that permeated all the nook and crannies of Nigeria when the Boko Haram onslaught against the Nigerian nation was in full swing. Could it be said that the security situation in Nigeria today is still the same as it was previously? The answer is a huge no. I dare to say that the situation has improved tremendously. And this much has been corroborated by scholars, members of the international community and other critical stakeholders.

For example, it is on record that over 30,000 hostages kidnapped by Boko Haram have been freed by the Nigeria Army and as well as the recapture of over 16 local governments areas that were once in the hands of Boko Haram terrorists. This much was corroborated by the Governor of Borno State, who stated during an interview that “five or six Boko Haram terrorist will come and kill scores of unharmed villagers so that their prestige in the international jihadist community will rise. These are lunatics, but otherwise, considerable progress has been made, they have been sufficiently decimated.”

Two and half years ago, the Boko Haram terrorists were holding sway in 20 out of the 27 local government areas of the state. The Nigeria Army did a fantastic job by driving them out of all the local government areas of the state” These were the words of the governor of a state that is the epicenter of the Boko Haram crisis. If such can come from such a critical stakeholder as the governor, do we now have any more reason to doubt the claims made by the Nigeria Army that Boko Haram has been degraded?

Whichever we choose to believe, one fact remains. And which is Boko Haram had been substantially degraded through the sustained efforts of the Nigeria Army and other critical stakeholders. As I mentioned earlier, the Nigeria Army had indeed recorded a feat in the containment of the threat posed by the Boko Haram terrorists. And in record time too. It also behoves on all well-meaning Nigerians and stakeholders to continue to render support in their quest to weed out remnants of Boko Haram terrorists that have gone into hiding and recently taken to guerrilla fighting by engaging in more or less suicide bombings, and the target of the vulnerable groups of women and children in an attempt to paint a picture of strong fighting force, while in truth, there is nothing left of their activities.

Okpabi writes from the New Nile University, Abuja.

Buratai: Boko Haram Now "Highly Degraded," No Insurgency In North-East

The Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai, has restated that the Boko Haram terrorists had been “highly degraded” and that there was no resurgence of insurgency in the North-East as falsely reported in some quarters.

Buratai, who spoke in Jaji at the graduation of 55 Special Forces from “Advance Water Markship Training”, however, said: “in warfare, one must suffer some setbacks”.

It would be recalled that there have been media reports of terrorists’ attacks on troops in the North-East in which they claimed a number of soldiers had been killed. The army, however, denied the attack and loss of personnel. Buratai was in Jaji in company of the visiting South African Army Chief, Lt.-Gen. Lindile Yam.

“You are all aware of the events in the country, especially the security landscape between 2013 and mid-2015. “I am referring to the situation in the North-East where a band of insurgents, employing terror held sway over nearly the entire region, including large part of the North-Central and Northwestern parts of the country.

“However, from middle of 2015 to date, the insurgents have suffered high degradation. They no longer hold any territory within our sovereign state,” Buratai said. He said that this was made possible by the adoption of correct strategies, support by President Muhammadu Buhari and the goodwill of the people. According to him, a professional army should be capable of operating under all conditions across all terrains and by day or night.

He said : “The nature of modern warfare requires that an army must develop multi capability to address all changes.’’ Buratai commended the graduating Special Forces drawn from various corps of the army for the completion of the training. NAN also reports that the army chief promoted all the 55 personnel that participated in the training, saying it was his reward for them, having endured the rigours of the exercise.

He said the focus on effective training in the last years also largely accounted for the successes so far recorded by the army. “It is pertinent to state that lessons learned from our counter insurgency and counter terrorism operations have to a large extent, guided our training and operation plans,” he said. The South African army chief, having watched a simulation attack on supposed enemy camp by the graduands, commended the Nigerian military for the relations among the three services.

Yam noted that the strategies adopted by the Nigerian military in addressing the country’s security challenges were yielding positive results. He also praised Nigerians for their resilience and being able to adapt to situations wherever they found themselves. (NAN)

AFP’s Intervention for Boko Haram

By Karen Goulding

The Nigerian military is in a bind. It makes progress in its war on Boko Haram insurgents in the country’s northeast only to see the progress relatively rolled back by forces that appear to have defied all efforts directed at making them relent and allow Nigeria have peace. The output of the sabotage by these forces is best reflected by the reported ambushes and surprise attacks on military convoys and outposts by Boko Haram terrorists, attacks that have all the markings of being plotted in territories outside the boundaries of Nigeria and organized by interests that increasingly show sophistication available only to state actors.

What makes the situation tough for the military is the mistake being collectively made by Nigerians, who have been socialized to see everything about the insurgency from the prism of high politics. Certainly politics is involved but not the local variant that citizens have in mind, the type being highlighted by armchair critics that are half informed about the true nature and import of what is truly happening in their country and to their people.

A more circumspect assessment of what is going on would have seen these critics taking second looks at the scenario where Agence France-Presse (AFP) is always first with the news about the terrorists making gains against the military – the high casualty figures it usually report on the military side are subsequently successfully disputed by authorities. AFP has also come to be the official outlet that Boko Haram uses to distribute its videos and audio recordings, which has sort of conferred some measure of legitimacy on the group, a situation that has created the impression that Nigerian troops are fighting a rival country and not a bunch of bloodthirsty terrorists.

These AFP’s report often cite “military sources” to publish reports that can best be described as intended to terrorize the wider population. It is of note that AFP has never treated reporting of terrorism in this manner when dealing with western economies. When dealing with these countries, AFP tends to stick with positions that have been verified by persons authorized to speak on the matter – even where it used unanimous sources it makes the efforts to get a corresponding official position and not a conflicting official position.

Knowing its French origin and nationality, it is no surprise that AFP has this belligerent approach towards Nigeria, after all, the hand of France in the Boko Haram scourge is well known and documented. The northeast of Nigeria and the swathe stretching from Northern Mali through Algeria to the Mediterranean Sea looping back through Niger, Chad, Cameroun and Central Africa is a region to which France sees itself as being the imperial owner. Since Nigeria is not a francophone outpost, the French approach has been to support any form of insurrection in the northeast to allow the creation of a micro nation, possibly ruled by a despot, that will be a colony of France. It tried to pull such trick with the failed bid to prop up Azawad as an independent country in Northern Mali – with disastrous consequences of course.

Any enclave created by Boko Haram in northeast Nigeria and answering to France automatically gives the French access to the oil reserve in the Lake Chad Basin, while the reserve is not proven advancement in mining technology like fracking makes it an attractive prospect, tempting enough for France to risk regional instability in Western Africa to secure. The possibility of mining Uranium in the region is an icing on the cake at a time when alternative energy source is an in thing. Hence the inordinate ambition of France to win a new country from Nigeria’s northeast to which AFP is pledged.

It is important not to lose sight of the reality that Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) have on several occasions reported seeing aircrafts of French origin airdropping supplies to Boko Haram terrorists during wee hours. Curiously, with the resources it has devoted to reporting that part of Nigeria, AFP has never deemed it fit to report on this unusual sightings in a way that will bring closure and reassure all as to the real mission of these aircrafts.

AFP, and France as the hands inside the glove, have never thought to interrogate the terrorists’ strategy of launching attacks into Nigeria from inside the trio of Niger, Chad and Cameroun only to flee back into these same countries once Nigerians troops is hot on their trail. It will seem crimes against humanity are okay so long as they are being committed against Nigeria and by countries loyal to France and its perverted interest in Nigeria.

It is interesting that AFP is not singing from a new hymn book. It is regurgitating a tired script, one written by France and the other sick entities in its unholy alliance. In the coming weeks, the “international NGOs” components would be drafted into the fray and they will alleged that troops committed war crimes when they were chasing down the Boko Haram terrorists sent to snuff life out of them. AFP will then latch on the reports issued by these NGOs to chorus the refrains about crimes against humanity, a crime that Boko Haram terrorists are never capable of committing in the estimate of French AFP and all the other elements that will join the charade.

The Nigerian military has to wake up to the reality that this is the war it is fighting. Boko Haram is merely a component, a facet of a monster that has too many tentacles. Even when troops roundly defeat terrorists in any particular battle AFP can go ahead to tell the world otherwise and its account is the one to be believed by the publics, where the military is able to prove that it decimated insurgents it is not unusual for the body count to be declared civilian casualty, “evidence of crime against humanity”.

What is then needed is for the Nigerian military to expand the war beyond the physical battleground and clash with these entities on its own terms. It can begin by letting Nigerians and world know the magnitude of evil it is battling, which would then let people know how these vampires have recruited foreign fighters, some from the Islamic State (ISIS), to wage war against Nigeria. These are the people that AFP is fronting for and supporting with questionable reporting.

Goulding is a security communication Expert and writes from the United Kingdom

2019: Group Picks Gubernatorial Forms For Ikpeazu

By Chibuzo Ukaibe, Abuja

A group under the aegis of Abia Concerned Citizens (ACC) have obtained the Expression of Interest and Nomination Forms for Abia state governor, Okezie Ikpeazu, to seek a second term in office.

The group said it was motivated to purchase the forms for the governor to encourage him to continue his good works beyond 2019.

Leader of the group, Ambassador Bestman Eruba who was flanked by Kingsely Wosu-Ezi, said they are impressed with the stewardship of governor Ikpeazu since he mounted the saddle in 2015, adding that another four years would help take his development strides across the state.

"We are at the headquarters of the PDP to purchase the Expression of Interest and Nomination Forms for governor Ikpeazu who in our estimation has done excellently well. We are here to encourage him to continue the good works he started more than three years ago.

"The PDP is a reformed party and we have no doubt that it would provide a level playing ground for all aspirants to vie for the various offices," Eruba stated.

On whether the group had the consent of the governor to purchase the forms, Eruba explained that ACC as a group wants the best for Abians, stressing that the group is optimistic of Ikpeazu's readiness to oblige its request to continue in office.

He further noted that "Ikpeazu has delivered on his electioneering campaign promises and as such would not hesitate to persuade him to seek re-electio. Hopefully, he will not only clinch the ticket but also wins the election because the electorates in the State are well informed about the projects, policies and programmes of the governor."

NEMA: Where To Find Buhari

By Philip Agbese

Innocence is a virtue and also, a very potent spirit. It blends with the invisible fingers of fate to extricate a leader unjustly entangled by the web of conspiracies by the vagaries of sworn enemies.

Most times, what appears as man’s evil machinations against another simply to rubbish and diminish his integrity, could unexpectedly be God’s unique style of trumpeting his hidden innocence and strength of character to foes.

This is exactly the fate of the incumbent Director-General of the National Emergency Management Agency (DG-NEMA), Engr. Mustapha Maihaja, who has come under the deliberate political persecution and maligning by antagonizing interests in the House of Reps with veiled tentacles in Bauchi state and his home state of Yobe.

Defiantly acting a conspiratorial script, the House of Reps crazily intervened and interrupted an ongoing EFCC probe of alleged N2. 5 billion fraud perpetrated by the immediate past management of NEMA led by the former DG, Mr. Mohammed Sani Sidi and six directors still in the service of the agency.

A very curious asinine twist was introduced in the EFCC probe of the N2.5 billion. It was when NEMA’s Governing Board, acting on the anti-grafts preliminary report and request effected the suspension of the indicted directors to smoothen the path of unhindered investigation. It dawned on the co-travellers in the alleged financial scandal of the possible danger ahead should the probe be allowed to run conclusively.

And the determined search for ways to save their embattled souls found willing allies in the Speaker Yakubu Dogara’s led House of Reps, and the Governor Yobe state, Gov. Ibrahim Geidam to extract their pound of flesh from Engr. Maihaja.

And almost mechanically, the intervention of the House of Reps changed the tenor of the EFCC probe, which switched from NEMA’s past management and the six directors to the current DG-NEMA, Engr. Maihaja. The House of Representatives strangely directed its Committee on Emergency and Disaster Preparedness chaired by Hon. Ali Isa to probe the tenure of Maihaja rather than focus on assisting to hasten the EFCC probe.

Its first suspicious action was to order the reinstatement of the sacked directors, which the DG-NEMA complied, though it violated the sanctity of the fraud investigation.

Thereafter, Hon. Ali Isa and his hatchet men publicized a long list of infractions against Engr. Maihaja seeking to find out how the agency allegedly diverted about N22 billion.

The Reps Committee embarked on media trial of the current NEMA management, at the start of its probe. It screamed and barked at every sitting and in the media.

Unknown to many Nigerians, over the years NEMA has been used by top government functionaries as meat pie for the kings. The insistence of Engr. Maihaja on due process, transparency and accountability angered the kingpins of power who waited for a ripe opportunity to strike back.

Leading the pack of the official gang-up against Maihaja to indirectly smear the shadows of President Muhammedu Buhari were Speaker Dogara in active connivance with Governor of his home state, Alhaji Geidam .

When the echoes vibrated, Yobe state Gov. Geidam who nursed a grudge against Engr. Maihaja for daring his re-election party nomination on the platform of the APC up to the Supreme Court also responded. Geidam also saw an opportunity to extract his pound of vengeance against Maihaja over the committee’s alleged breach of public trust.

The probe gathered steam by the day, as Engr. Maihaja appeared to render account of his stewardship, before the House Committee. And in spite of Maihaja’s tight schedules and the indeterminate nature of emergencies, which required his attention, the DG-NEMA bothered to officially and respectfully communicate in writing to the probe committee, each time national assignments prevented him from responding to summons.

What has remained interesting with the probe is that Engr. Maihaja has appeared several times and testified before the House Committee. And facts about the sumptuously bogus amounts the House committee was tricked into believing have been mismanaged or diverted by the agency under Engr. Maihaja were presented.

These barefaced truths inadvertently exposed the evil intention of the committee to blackmail and tarnish the good reputation of Engr. Maihaja. It belatedly hinted the Committee that it embarked on a futile and embarrassing mission.

The committee mainly claimed Engr. Maihaja, distributed relief materials to disaster victims in violation of the provisions of NEMA establishment Act. The law stipulates that the agency liaises with its state counterparts during distribution of relief materials.

And the ring of conspirators as shadowed in the Yobe state Governor and his ally in the Speaker who feared that Maihaja was supporting his Governor to exile him readily agreed through their representatives at the resumed hearing of the committee. But it was a charade and they were disarmed by DG-NEMA’s presentations.

But Maihaja instantly countered them and proved to the committee using the example of Yobe State State Government, as he presented a letter of the agency’s communication to the state government and their acknowledged corresponding mail of receipt, which exposed a poorly crafted layer of deception of the committee.

However, what weakened the committee the more was the DG- NEMA’s explanation that certain emergencies threw up the peculiarities of instant response, which required emergency procurements and distributions. And no sane human being can doubt the veracity of the submissions, if he understands the very nature of disasters and the mandate of NEMA, which is primarily to bring instant succor to distressed people.

Its clear Nigeria has a sickening bureaucratic system. And many can now grab the wisdom in the interest of Engr. Maihaja to alter certain clauses in the NEMA Act to discard certain impediments. In addition, some of the contracts being questioned by the House Committee emanated from Presidency based on the exigency of the disasters.

Maihaja explained that the Presidency was convinced that the companies favoured for the emergency contracts had the capacity to deliver the huge quantity of requested items. And they met these contractual obligations timely.

So, Engr. Maihaja nicely and honestly disarmed his adversaries. And the echoes of the probe which came with such venom began to wane surprisingly.

Not many Nigerians would understand that integrity is not a gift item found in a shop cabin. There are Nigerians who are born with it and hold it as a cherished virtue. And the DG-NEMA, Engr. Maihaja has been in this realm of public service for ages.

Nigerians who can vouch for President Buhari’s character would attest that Mr.President cannot just anoint anybody as his campaign Coordinator, as Maihaja served in Yobe. Unless, there is something very unique and peculiar about his character which Buhari aligns with his disposition.

An English adage says, “he who laughs last, laughs longer.” And In every situation, the Bible says, people should give thanks to God. Engr Mustapha Maihaja, even though not a Christian, must be giving thanks to God now for being dusted from his cocoon of puritanism and exposed to Nigerians nay the world as a man who can be trusted with public funds and the lives of Nigerians in distressing times.

The House of Reps committee’s probe crafted to blackmail and tarnish his hard earned reputation has turned out to be a blessing in disguise, as it has earned him the respect of all Nigerians.

However, there is need for caution among leaders of the people. Conspicuously, the House of Reps committee pursued its own narrow interest and vindictive agenda against President Buhari. And through Speaker Dogara, the Yobe State Governor, Mr. Geidam clandestinely plotted to taint the image of Maihaja, a leader who fits into the description of “the indomitable hand of Buhari’s support base in Bauchi and Yobe States. But they have failed woefully and shamefully too.

Maihaja’s traducers met the brick wall of the shadows of Mr. integrity and could not penetrate. Many Nigerians waited anxiously to see a replay of another David Babachir saga, but Maihaja is quite a different personality and he can floor them a million more times more.

The probe committee was tantalized and amazed by Engr. Maihaja’s superlative defenses, anchored on facts and figures throughout his presentation at NASS before parliamentarians. He damned the familiar bullying tactics of the Nigerian parliament and poured out the truth they hated to hear on account of his refusal to play the ball, like ace dribbler Jay Jay Okocha.

Nigerians have confessed that history will be kind to Maihaja as the only specimen who went through the furnace of a jaundiced panel, yet came out unhurt.It is the integrity spirit of President Buhari, worn by his protégé. Is this really not wonderful? Maihaja is obviously a case study in progression for another day. But suffice it to say, in Engr. Maihaja, there is a replica of President Buhari in NEMA.

Agbese is a publisher based in the United Kingdom.

Sallah Gift: APC Group Lauds Bamusa For Donating N40 Million To Party.

A group, coalition of Gombe youths for All progressive Congress (APC), has expressed gratitude to a gubernatorial aspirant in the state, Alhaji Faruk Bamusa (Sarkin Arewan Gombe) for doling out the sum of 40 million naira as Sallah largess to the executives of the party at all levels in the state.

Speaking to newsmen in Gombe over the weekend, the leader of the group, Arch. Umar J, who said the gesture was commendable, noted that Bamusa is the most qualified and credible candidate to fly the APC’s flag to victory in the upcoming election in the State.

He said apart from his acceptability at the grassroot, he is reknown brand both within and outside the state.

He urged the party leadership in the state to learn a lesson from the past to see APC on the road to victory, stressing that Bamusa is the only strong candidate that can guarantee that victory.

"’APC in Gombe State need a very strong, acceptable and credible candidate with an intimidating political capital to take the party to the path of victory in the 2019 gubernatorial election and Faruk Bamusa have all it takes to be there, we shouldn’t repeat the mistake of the past where in 2015 elections despite the sweeping tide of our great party, we lost the gubernatorial contest in Gombe to PDP simply because of the nature of the candidate we field in the election"

It would be recalled barely two days to the last Sallah, Faruk Bamusa, donated the cash at the party secretariat, saying it was his contribution towards supporting the party officials to celebrate the Eid-el-Kabir.

According to him, the party being an opposition party in the state, the leadership desire all the necessary support to enable them meet up with the challenges of sustaining the party.

Boko Haram: How Not to Venerate the Sacrifices of our Military

By Inuwa Suleiman

One of the greatest challenges to fighting terrorism are the loopholes that exist because of the democratic tenets that nations subscribe to. Often manifesting as rights conferred on citizens by the constitution of the country, like freedom of expression, provisions that were intended as safeguards are exploited by terrorists to commit their wicked acts without having to answer for their crimes. When terrorists hide under such rights, it becomes difficult for the security and law enforcement agencies to go after them as they would have gone after those with guns and explosives. It is a major frustration in dealing with extremism and terrorism around the world.

It is a catch twenty two for those fighting terrorism. They can kill off the gun wielding and explosive carrying terrorists as much as possible. But the bigger threat is from those that deploy intellectual resources to incite the fighters, demonize the state and sow terror in the heart of citizens with their words. It does not help that those who belong to this intellectual arm of terrorism wear a toga of respectability that makes them highly believable and seemingly untouchable. They are often “respected clergy”, activists, pseudo-journalists like Ahmad Salkida and just any other position that tend to confer a semblance of immunity from being called to account for being a terrorist.

One Dr Idris Ahmed of Citizens United for Peace and Stability [CUPS] understands this dynamic and is milking it for all its worth. His past time of terrorists’ supporting is done in the open as he continually heckles the military as his contribution to distract those that are committed to sacrificing their lives to buy Nigerians peace. Sadly, shutting down Dr Idris Ahmed is not going to be an easy task as he has been able to set up multiple smokescreens that give him the façade or respectability – he poses as an NGO that is out to provide relief, he impersonates as an activist, pretends to be a journalists and grandstands as an activist.

Yet, the closest description that fits Dr Idris Ahmed is the hook-handed Mustafa Kamel Mustafa also known as Abu Hamza al-Masri, who hid behind the respectability of being a clergy to preach hate and back terrorism in the United Kingdom. For a long time that country did not know what to do with him and how to deal with his excesses because he has human rights such as freedom of expression as a shield. It took the United States to jail Hamza at a high security, Colorado prison ADX Florence after he was convicted of all 11 charges on terrorism offences preferred against him at Manhattan’s Federal Court.

Dr Idris Ahmed as Nigeria’s Abu Hamza has been preaching hate against the Nigerian military and its personnel in the hope that he can turn citizens against the institution and win some advantage for the militant wing of his terror cell. It has since been discovered that Dr Idris Ahmed is being instigated by the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) and other dissident elements that are desirous of a weakened Nigerian Army. His strategy is to blackmail the Federal Government with its war against Boko Haram and other terrorist elements.

This has manifested as series of misleading reports that alternate between extreme assertions that have been repeatedly proven false or facts distorted beyond comprehension. He would accuse the military of being ineffective in fighting terrorists and in the same breadth accuse them of scorch earth approach in decommissioning terrorists’ camps. He will champion cutting off funding to the military and in the very next minute accuse the institution of not providing enough hardware for troops to take on insurgents. He has recently come to layer these confused ranting with allegations that funds are being diverted, something stated categorically as he held the purse strings of the military operations in the North-East and is conversant with what came into the military’s coffers and what was spent.

But Dr Idris Ahmed has been unable to verify his claims. What has consequently happened was that he took to Facebook to announce massive corruption in the Nigerian military but was soon out of his depth as he was not able to substantiate his claims. He had to return to the same Facebook to attempt crowd sourcing evidence and documents to save face after it became apparent that Nigerians who are ticked off by his antics were on the way to exposing him as a man that lacks no information about the war against terrorism, one that runs his mouth like someone currently abusing psychotropic substances.

His attempt at crowd sourcing military documents have even been flagged by some people as code for seeking latest information on troops logistics so that he can deploy the intelligence so gathered in the service of the terrorists to who he has been linked. This is one conjecture that Dr Idris Ahmed has not come out to debunk, which tends to lend credence to the claim. Given the spate of ambush on troops in recent weeks, this is one direction that the military, especially the Directorate of Military Intelligence, should pay attention to. They need to monitor and analyse the chatter on all the online platforms where Dr Idris Ahmed ply his poison because the interactive sections of such platforms may host forum where terrorists freely share ideas.

The only nuisance value coming from this man so far is that he guessed right by targeting the army as the institution that stood between Nigeria and Boko Haram with other extreme groups like IMN, which made it eligible for demonization and constant attacks. Other facts that he had attempted to manipulate simply failed to fly. All he tried to adduce did not add up. All the allegations that he made against the army in the fight against Boko Haram turned out to be lies for which he now desperately shop for evidence to make stick. The Nigerian Army was fortunate that for the first time its efforts have been noticed by Nigerians who expressed overwhelming support for its operations contrary to the desire of the terrorists’ supporter to discredit the organization.

The respectable thing for Dr Idris Ahmed to do now that the Nigerian Army has been vindicated is to tender unreserved apologies to Nigerians and the commanders he has maligned. Such apology must however only be considered as deserved from a moral perspective, something to redeem whatever if anything is left of his soul and humanity. On the legal front, Dr Idris Ahmed should be tried for aiding and abetting terrorism, managing propaganda for terrorists, colluding to leak sensitive military documents, passing state intelligence to terrorists and any other indictments that would give him 11 counts charge of terrorism like Abu Hamza.

This charge for terrorism is something that authorities must immediately work on as we must not like the UK wait for the United States to request the extradition of Dr Idris Ahmed of CUPS for supporting terrorism before we act to stop his evil work. The country must be categorical in putting an end to people hiding behind the safeguards provided by democracy to preach hatred and openly support terrorism.

Suleiman is a public affairs commentator and wrote from Katsina.

Chronicling IMN’s Atrocities and Elasticity of the Masses

By Charles Ibekwe

What is the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN)? The Islamic Movement in Nigeria is a religious and political organization based in the northern region of Nigeria headed by Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky. The IMN began when Ibrahim El-Zakzaky, who is said to have become so impressed with the 1979 Iranian Revolution that he wanted one at home. Later, Zakzaky went to Iran, ultimately becoming a Shia cleric. At home, he became the leader of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria and turned it into a vehicle for proselytizing and gaining followers in the 1990s.

The activities of the IMN pose a grave danger to the Nigeria polity. From time immemorial, they bestrode most states in northern Nigeria with their actions which in most instances do not share the regular Islamic calendar in Nigeria. They were above the law; they were never law abiding. It is instructive to state that the IMN was becoming a threat to the sovereignty of Nigeria before the advent of the present administration. For example, Shiek Sanusi Abdulkadir Koki, the new leader of the IMN was quoted as saying “As followers of Sheik Ibraheem El-Zakzaky, we shall never submit ourselves to the dictates of the Nigerian government even if our own lives will be taken away by the forces of its security agents.”Isn’t the above statement a treasonable offense? Can there be two captains in a ship? Are they above the law in Nigeria?

For the IMN, it is a history of unjust rebellion against the state or constituted authority, and not a registered organization in Nigeria, despite its near 40 years of existence in the country. But more than anything else, what has bolstered the IMN to lay siege on parts of Nigeria violently is the active support it receives from the Republic of Iran.

During the hearing at the Kaduna Judicial Commission of Inquiry on the Army/Shiites clash, stories were told by eyewitnesses on how the Islamic Movement in Nigeria terrorized the Zaria community for over 40 years.
The chairman of Zazzau Emirate Development Association (ZEDA) Mohammed Balarabe narrated how the movement threatened the emirate, saying that the Shiites take laws into their hands and are always in the habit of shutting down the roads while holding a procession.
Speaking in the same vein, Alhaji Saidu Garba, one of the elders of the Gyallesu area in Zaria, was full of praises for the Nigerian military for liberating them from the Shiites. He said “After El-Zakzaky was released from detention in 1999, he came and settled in Gyallesu and since then, there is no peace in our area. We thank Allah for touching the heart of government and the military for liberating us from Shiite's untold hardship.”

“Shiites killed many of our people who challenged their activities, we buried them, and we couldn’t talk to the world because of their threat. We were living like slaves in our land where the Shiite leader, Sheikh El-Zakzaky came and met us. We residents of Gyallesu are calling on the Federal government to ban the Shiite movement in our community and Kaduna state as a whole. The government should put a stop to the Shiite’s ungodly activities in our area.”

As a flashback, El-Zakzaky has a turbulent history of confrontation with the Nigerian state. He emerged in the late 1970s preaching Islamic revolution and the overthrow of the constitution. His fiery preaching, widely circulated, on audio cassettes criticised emirs, governors, presidents, politicians, and soldiers; called for the ouster of Nigerian governments which in his view were run by “kaffir, thieves, and satans” and held up revolutionary Iran as his model polity. His combative and provocative style naturally set him on a collision course with the authorities. Between 1980 and 1999, El Zakzaky spent nine years in prison.

In a 2013 report titled “The Islamic Movement and Iranian Intelligence Activities in Nigeria” which was released by the International Combating Terrorism Centre, it stated that “In recent years, Iran’s Quds Force and Lebanese Hizb Allah have coordinated intelligence gathering on U.S. and Israeli targets in Nigeria and engaged in weapons and drug trafficking in West Africa with operatives drawn from Nigeria’s IMN.”

“The IMN has hundreds of paramilitary guards called hurras, a Hausa language newspaper that honors IMN “martyrs,” a Hausa radio station called Shuhada (the martyrs), an al-Zakzaky Facebook page, and an IMN website with faces of Iran’s Khomeini, Khamenei and al-Zakzaky on every page. As in previous years, al-Zakzaky visited Iranian centers of Shi`a scholarship in Qom and Mashhad in 2012 and met dozens of IMN members studying in Iran.

He also visited Lebanon, where he received a red flag from Karbala, Iraq’s Shi`a shrine of Imam Husayn, as a gift from Nasrallah, and Iraq, where he prayed at Najaf’s Shi`a shrine of Imam Ali.”
The IMN’s rhetoric has in most cases translated into violence. In 1991, an IMN imam in Katsina state, Yakubu Yahaya, whose hero was Khomeini, led hundreds of IMN members in an attack on the office of the Daily Times newspaper after it portrayed the Prophet Muhammad in a cartoon marrying a prostitute. In the 2000s, the IMN clashed most frequently with Sunnis in Sokoto, which is the seat of the Sultan of Sokoto and where Nigerian intelligence reported that IMN established training camps for recruits from across northern Nigeria. In 2005, IMN imams sought leadership positions in mosques in Sokoto, which led to violence between Sunni and Shi`a. It is even more curious to note that the IMN has sympathizers in government who have continued to protect their interest despite its threats to peace and stability. Hence, how could one explain why the group has not been proscribed by the federal government just like it did in the case of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) despite the human and economic casualties that have come about as a result of their nefarious activities?

We all know that hundreds have been killed including policemen, military officers, women and children and other unarmed civilians in most northern states. We also witnessed the public attack of law enforcement officers in Abuja by followers of the IMN. There have also been instances where these individuals troop into the federal capital territory (FCT) and causing a total lock down the city. I mean where is that done? Only in Nigeria, I guess.

So in a way, it defeats common sense as to why the Attorney General and Minister of Justice of the Federation had maintained an unholy silence. Meanwhile, sometime in September 2017, the federal government stated that every other group that operated like the secessionist group, Indigenous People of Biafra, would also be proscribed and tagged as a terrorist organization. The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, said this during a live television programme titled, ‘Sunrise Daily’ on Channels Television. But till date, nothing has been done.

Just maybe IMN hasn’t caused enough havoc to be so designated a terrorist group. And also perhaps IMN is not as violent as they appear regardless of the open confrontations they have had with the relevant security agencies, including an attempt on the life of the Chief of Army Staff. And maybe we have to wait until things get out of hand just like the Boko Haram conflict. But whatever the case perhaps, it is evident that the sympathizers of the IMN in the corridors of power are having their say, hence why this violent group has not been proscribed.

Ibekwe is a public affairs commentator writing from Enugu.

Middle Belt Group Cautions Against Incessant Attacks on Military Leadership

By Abu Duniya

...Says politicians must appreciate gains made by Buratai, others

A Middle Belt pressure group, the Middle Belt Conscience Guard (MBCG), has condemned what it described as incessant attacks on the military leadership through promotion of falsehood, in an attempt to distract the military from the onslaught against the Boko Haram insurgency and other violent threats to humanity.

The group wondered why an army and its leadership that have made sacrifices to restore normalcy to troubled regions in the country will still be a target of relentless attacks.

Addressing journalists in Jos, national coordinator of the group, Prince Raymond Enero, said the military has done remarkably well and should not be distracted by politicians who want to score cheap political points.

Enero argued that the attacks on the military leadership is the handiwork of unpatriotic individuals who wants to continue to keep Nigeria perpetually boiling in avertable crisis

He said it is germane to acknowledge that without the determined intervention of the Army, Nigeria would still have been enslaved by the raging merchants of blood and death across the country .

"it could have been worse had the Nigerian Army abdicated on its constitutional responsibility while on these special assignments. We peered into the face of the Northeast now and then, to arrive at these proud testimonies," he said.

He therefore said it is rather unfortunate that some individuals would still want the country to return to such dark days and have shown their displeasure with the gains recorded by the military in the insurgency war.

He said, "suffice it to say, there have been no pretensions in frustrating the Buhari Presidency and these agents are very determined and that’s why we seek the understanding of the public.

"But to us, their determination is irrelevant; neither would the weakening temptations of burying the truth and promoting falsehood, throw us into confusion. We still look at the future with brighter hope under a Buhari Presidency and the leadership of Nigerian Army, by the COAS, Lt. Gen. TY Buratai in securing the lives and property of our people in the Northeast and anywhere else in the country.

"we are excited to observe that the effrontery and impunity which insurgents staged their repugnant atrocities has been checkmated by a tireless, rebranded and focused Nigeria Military, especially the Army, with the COAS, Lt. Gen. TY Buratai, leader of the counter-insurgency operations, personally leading the onslaughts against terrorists. The positive results and victories are visible even to the blind.

"it is further attested by reclaimed territories, liberation of thousands of Boko Haram captives, the ongoing rebuilding of the ravaged and devastated Northeast region and the gradual depletion of stranded populations in IDPs camps. To say normalcy has been substantially achieved in the hitherto troubled region is stating the obvious.

According to him, the group has no reason to doubt that Nigerian troops have done and are still doing their best to maintain this peace for nearly three years of the administration of President Buhari, as noticeable in the pervading calm in a region once troubled by agents of darkness and crude violence.

Enero expressed confidence that the enemies of state and Nigerians cannot succeed under whatever guise, because Nigeria now has an Army truly competent.

"Therefore, no Nigerian should be deceived into believing it is the same game as usual. Under Gen. Buratai, aside the inviolable standards of office transparency and accountability, through his various reforms of the Army, every soldier now knows he is not insulated from personal accountability while serving the nation.

"the milestones achieved by this arm of the military springs from the qualitative leadership instituted by the Army Chief, as evident in its victorious conquests of Boko Haram terrorists and other insurrectional forces," he said.

Lalong: Celebrating An Iroko on The Plateau

By Gabriel Ikese

Governor Simon Bako Lalong is unarguably among the most experienced of practicing politicians on the Plateau today. He was twice elected as member representing Shendam constituency at the State Assembly.

And on each occasion, Lalong served as Honourable Speaker for seven consecutive years. That was a feat that was never achieved by anybody in the annals of Plateau history. While serving as a Speaker, Lalong leadership qualities endeared him to all his fellow Speakers across the 36 states in Nigeria and he was chosen twice as first among equals in the Conference of Speakers and served for 2 years as Chairman.

Haven endured aggressive oppression to the stupor in his Party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) where he hitherto sojourned, Lalong migrated from that sheer purgatory to a humane serenity of the All Progressive Congress Party (APC) for very good altruistic reason.

Lalong was determined to right all the wrong doings of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in its maladministration and political rascality. He grabbed the bull by the horn and joined the gubernatorial race for the 2015 elections on the platform of the All Progressive Party (APC).

Governor Lalong ran at the micro level with great party compatriots but his real contest would be at the macro level where he took on the almighty emperor at the time, Governor Jonah David Jang, who insisted he must install his protégé.

It therefore became the clash of the titans and Lalong’s dexterity as a grassroots politician came to fore. He penetrated the seeming formidable structure of the Peoples Democratic Party with superior ideologies and converted the ranks and files. Lalong thereafter delivered a devastating punch to retire the merchants of “do-or-die” politicians in the State into oblivion.

After a tortuous journey and rigorous campaigns to a well deserved victory, Lalong assumed office and went straight to work in appreciation of the enormous support the people gave to him. In his first 3 months in office, lalong was able to rekindle hope in our unlimited possibilities if we get our structures right and have leaders with a caring heart.

Governor Simon Bako Lalong inherited a state that was enmeshed in a dangerous ethno-religious quagmire. The state was consumed in acrimonious relationship between senatorial districts and political elites. It was even recessed into a financial coma with debt liabilities in excess of N200 billion.

Lalong could not be perturbed by these challenges. He began by creating a harmonious cohabitation where peace and tranquility reigns. He run an all inclusive government and gave all segments of the state a sense of belonging. Not indigenes, non-indigenes and the disabled were left behind. It was a deliberate strategy to promote trust, love and peace in the state.

Put Lalong’s first 3 years in government side by side with other thirty five states, there are very few that can boast of being better run than Plateau State on Governor Lalong’s watch. Some of us admired him chiefly on account of the work he has done for Plateau people.

Lalong was bequeathed a state that was almost crippled by insecurity of lives and properties. He had an unenviable task of turning around the fortunes of the State amidst insecurity and financial challenges which looks insurmountable from a distance. Take into context also the dwindling federal government allocation and internally generated revenue accruing to the State. The task was daunting but he was not deterred. The speed at which he was able to rekindle hope and restore plateau to its lost glory was impressive.

Lalong started with his 5-point agenda which include peace and security; human capital development; infrastructural development; education; health and tourism; agriculture and rural development. Within six months of his administration, Lalong succeeded in bringing about relative peace and unity in the State which is the sine qua non for achieving the remaining four policy agendas.

Governor Bako Lalong rose above petty sentiments to completing ongoing projects that were inherited. Most conspicuous are road infrastructures that were already commissioned including the Mararaban Jema’a/British America Junction; the State Secretariat Flyover Bridge; the Rantya/Rafiki Road network; the Rukuba Road; Agwan Rogo Road; Tudun Wada/Kabong Road; Domkat Bali/Rantya Road, and several others.

The creation of the Plateau Peace Building Agency and the Peace Roadmap were landmark initiatives aimed at restoring peace to the State. Lalong identified gaps in the post-conflict peace building process in the state and quickly accelerate efforts at closing it. The idea behind this initiative was to see how to develop and design a framework for engaging issues of conflict and way of resolving them to promote peace. This model of Lalong’s ingenuity is being replicated by other states governments.

Another area of achievement that cannot be wished away is in the regular payment of workers’ salaries and clearance of pension arrears. Workers in the State receive salaries on the 25th day of every month when many States in Nigeria today are unable to pay their workers.

While Plateau is amongst the States with low federal government allocation, Governor Lalong has managed to maintain regular payment of salaries and pensions. An action that brought about the sobriquet of “Governor Bank Alert” attached to his name. Long queues are consistent features on ATM locations in Jos beginning from 25th day of every month. It is an indication that ‘Governor Alert’ has performed.

In agriculture, Governor Lalong introduced the mechanized farming scheme aimed at massive food production across the State. He bought well over 400 brand new tractors for hiring to interested farmers and cooperative societies. He also revived the Fertilizer Blending Plant in Bokkos, to help farmers’ access fertilizer at affordable rate when needed. Lalong is determined to diversify the state’s economy to agriculture as a sustainable source of revenue.

Lalong’s commitment to education is legendary as it gave it topmost priority it deserves. The State government renovated and constructed several block of classrooms across the 3 senatorial districts to create conducive environment for learning. Lalong also revamped the Plateau State University (PSU), Bokkos and engaged services of qualified lecturers and sent over 200 academic staff for postgraduate studies in foreign countries. The University successful held its maiden convocation as a result of Lalong’s commitment to elevate the institution to higher heights.

In the health sector, the administration completed inherited General Hospital projects and also set off the Primary Health Care Development Agency. Lalong commissioned the multi-million Naira Dialysis Centre of the Plateau State Specialist Hospital, Jos. Plateau Specialist Hospital is currently undergoing complete turnaround maintenance.

In commerce & industry, Lalong entered into agreements and partnership with various firms to resuscitate the burnt Jos Main Market (largest in West Africa); the Jos International Breweries (JIB); Highland Bottling Company; and the Inland Container Depot. This is to stimulate job opportunities for the teeming youths and unemployed in the state.

As a matter of fact, the governor’s achievements are so many and cut across all the key sectors of the state’s economy. Governor Simon Bako Lalong towers like an Iroko on the Plateau. His antecedents and performances littered with sincere and effective leadership.

Stakeholders eulogized his managerial and administrative capacities. They believed his cumulative experiences exposed him to the balance of diverse group interests in the state. They said his courageous application of the spirit of give and take is indeed paying off positively.

Little wonder therefore that many groups in the State are insisting that Lalong second term bid is vital. They insisted that he has performed creditably well and therefore is the best candidate for the 2019 governorship. The youths, and indeed Plateau citizens in general, are convinced that Lalong has done well in providing quality leadership that has delivered democratic dividends to the people.

Ikese is a Columnist and Political Analyst

Re: The Asaba Disgrace

By Philip Agbese

“Patriotism is your conviction that this country is superior to all other countries because you were born in it.” - George Bernard Shaw
The above quote should hit Reuben Abati if indeed he has a conscience and a duty to be patriotic to Nigeria, the land of his birth. It might however mean nothing to him if he seeks to redefine patriotism. But before he does, let me assist him with a few definitions.

According to Wikipedia, “Patriotism is the ideology of love and devotion to a homeland” The Cambridge English dictionary also defines patriotism as “the feeling of loving your country more than any others and being proud of it.” According to the Merriam Webster dictionary, patriotism is “love for or devotion to one's country.”

I am constrained to pen a response to an article written by the almighty Reuben Abati titled “The Asaba 2018 Disgrace” published on the Back Page of Thisday Newspaper of August 7th, 2018. I was bemused by the factual inaccuracies that characterized the article. And to think Thisday newspapers could give it a pass is the more baffling. If not for the mere fact that I knew Reuben Abati (before his political sojourn), I would have said that he wrote the article for pecuniary gains.

But I will never say such a thing about Rueben Abati because some of us have been mentored by him through his writings in numerous ways standing alongside the fact that he was one-time Special Adviser on Media to the President and therefore some crisp wads of naira notes dangled around his eyelids, ordinarily should not get him nervous. But I may be wrong.

Back to the crux of the issue. Rueben Abati got everything wrong in his analysis. I would guess this came to him as one of those days where writers experience what is called writer’s block, which is the “condition of being unable to think of what to write or how to proceed with writing”. So I should not use it against him in this instance, but not at the expense of being patriotic.

The said article read like a narrative essay which meant that he was on the ground and experienced all that transpired first hand. But facts indicate he was nowhere near Asaba neither was he with the athletes that claimed they slept on the bare floor at the airport. I am sure he was somewhere, maybe attending a meeting or engaging twitter trolls on burning national issues, as we now know him for.

The real disgrace was that he wrote out of sheer ignorance, which is unbefitting of a writer of his status. How and where he got, figures amounting to four billion naira might be a figment of his imaginations. And he also knew that the running tracks were bumpy from the comfort of his country home.

Furthermore, using the recently concluded World Cup in Russia to buttress a point, is most unfortunate and embarrassing. Again, he said “In the recently concluded 2018 World Cup in Russia, countries fought hard because they knew their national image was at stake. The host country received plaudits for giving the rest of the world a tournament to remember”. And again, writer’s block at work here because common sense tells that the World Cup is a global event that takes years of preparations and billions of dollars in expenditure. The hosting rights is also a competitive bidding process among countries. Then, how could he have compared the level of organization at the recently concluded World Cup tournament with that of the African Senior Athletics Championships?

What was he expecting to happen? Extensive coverage of the event by international media houses? Blue chip companies struggling for advertisement slots? Presidents and Head of States, taking up VIP stands at the stadium? Supporters of the various countries taking up every available hotel space in the country? Gold plated running tracks? I don’t get it.

He continued with “There were reports of the tracks being terrible: with bumps and potholes in a newly completed stadium. It is called the Stephen Keshi Stadium. The late star footballer and coach must have been turning in his grave, furious that some of his compatriots have used his name in vain, and so disrespectfully.”

The question is “whose report was he referring to?” from his correspondents on the ground? He went so low by being comical when he wrote that “some of the athletes even pointed out that they were afraid of being injured, so they had to run carefully.” In all, I do not know how to place his thought process when he was writing the piece because he displayed tendencies of emotional upheaval. Or maybe one of those bad days for him as he seemed to have lost the plot. The curious thing was that none of the above happened at the event. It would have made a bit of sense if the plot was to advocate for improved service delivery instead of coming all out most viciously in the manner he did.

It is akin to comparing advanced democracies with emerging democracies. Assuming that there were some organizational hitches during the competition does not mean the organizers of the event got it all wrong. I dare say that even the Mundial in Russia that he used as his template might have experienced a couple of hitches that were not brought to the pages of newspapers. Did he know that power supply was cut off at Volgograd Stadium after water pipes and sewerage systems broke?

These are common occurrences and not peculiar to Nigeria and ASABA 2018 as Ruben Abati wants the world to believe. Did he know that the Russian press downplayed all the hitches that were experienced during the tournament? That is patriotism at work. And he should learn from this. We should not drag the reputation of the country to the mud. The curious and despicable aspects of his write up were quoting what some athletes tweeted. I am not sure he took out time to ask relevant questions? This is just a shame and belittling of a personality like Reuben Abati. I stand to be corrected.

If the likes of Rueben Abati could stoop this low, by saying “This Asaba disgrace should be addressed, and intelligently too,” Then who would address him intelligently on the need to cross check facts before hitting the send button? If you ask me, who would I ask?

For a fact, the allegations as canvassed by Reuben Abati are not only baseless, but smack of mischief as most of the narratives were blown out of proportion. Yes, there may be a few hitches here and there, but not in the magnitude of what Reuben Abati tried to paint. For starters, no such amount of money was budgeted or expended for the tournament. Secondly, hotel reservations were made for the visiting athletes upon arrival in Lagos Nigeria.

This is in cognizance of the flight schedules of the airlines flying the Lagos-Delta route. Therefore, the narrative does not fit as no athlete was made to sleep at the airport. It will also be appropriate to mention that officials of the Confederation of African Athletes (CAA) inspected the facilities on the ground and gave the pass mark before the commencement of the tournament. As a fact, the officials in their report stated that the facilities on the ground could also host a world tournament.

The President of CAA, Hamad Kalkaba in an interview posted on the website of CAA www. caaweb. org ) stated that “Asaba has been successful from the crowds in the stadium and the support of the people of the state and the city. There was also a commitment from the athletes themselves to compete, and you could see and feel that they are happy to be here to compete. Also impressive was the high number of journalists covering the event.”

If such can come from the organizers, one wonders where Rueben Abati got his information from. He apparently relied on twitter stories by some athletes who decided to dramatize the whole scenario. And our almighty Reuben Abati fell hook, line, and sinker for it. Now, this is the real disgrace.

Agbese sent in this piece from the United Kingdom.