₦airaland Forum

Youth group under the aegis, Bauchi Youth For Good Governance says its attention has been drawn to an advertorial in pages of some national dailies issue of April 5th, 2018 where a faceless group referred to as the Coalition of Bauchi Political Stakeholders attacking the person of the distinguished Minister of Information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed for including as he should, the name of  former Minister of FCT, Senator Bala Mohammed, in the list of politicians facing corruption charges in the country.

In a press release signed by the Chairman of the group, Comrade Samaila Sani, he said whoever the members of the group are, their submission does not in any way reflect the opinion of the people of Bauchi.

"We in Bauchi pride ourselves on our respect for the rule of law therefore, we urge the group to advise the former FCT Minister to first go and clear his name instead of making preposterous claims about his supposed candidature for the upcoming elections.

"This is because, the people of Bauchi are no longer in the habit of entrusting their future into the hands of people with corrupt cases hanging over their heads and no amount of polished or sponsored press statements will make the people lose sight of that," he said.

Sani also in his statement, stated clearly that that the sweeping conclusion by the group that the people of Bauchi are only waiting to swear in the embattled former senator come May, 2019, adding that it may only have emanated out of the fertile breeding grounds of their imaginations as the people of Bauchi are very satisfied with the performance of the incumbent governor, Barrister M.A Abubakar who has worked tirelessly to save Bauchi from the sorry state he met it.

"We urge this group not to drag Bauchi into whatever game of relevance they are playing because the Youth have positioned themselves to resist the antics of unscrupulous elements in the coming election, especially those accused of siphoning public funds.

"It will be recalled that, the former minister of the FCT alongside his son, Shamsuddeen are both standing trial bothering on money laundering, false assets declaration among others," the statement said.

Northern Clerics Berate Danjuma On Arms Revolt, Commends Military Efforts

By Abu Duniya

A group, Northern Inter - Faith And Religious Organizations For Peace on Tuesday condemned in strong terms the recent call by a former Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. T.Y Danjuma (rtd) calling for arms revolt as a form of self defense against the incessant alleged incursion of the herdsmen.

Speaking at a World Press Conference with a theme: "Ethnic And Religious Crisis in Nigeria: The Place of Clerics In Peace Building", Bishop Gabriel Obubah implored Nigerians to reject all false prophets calling on people to embrace arms.

He advised the populace to trash the evil recommendation of such elements because they are the "prophet of doom" campaigning for chaos in the nation.

According to the statement: "Prophets of doom had once concluded that the end has come for Nigeria on the strength of the satanic activities of Boko Haram but our Almighty God saw to it that the terror group is but a distraction that has almost been completely conquered and we are emerging stronger".

"Our organization, in the strongest terms possible, condemn the call by a former Minister of Defence, retired Lieutenant General TY Danjuma, for triggering the call for people to take up arms against one another and by implication against the state.

"For someone that once held the position of Minister of Defence in a multicultural and polytheistic nation like Nigeria, Danjuma knows that his call is for anarchy. Had someone else made such call, Danjuma should have queried the belief system of such a person" he queried.

Speaking further, the group applauded the total defeat of Boko Haram insurgents by the Nigerian Army positing that the terrorists caused similar havoc by embracing the same modus operandi with the herdsmen whose identity is unknown.

They also appreciated the rare leadership qualities of President Muhammadu Buhari which created an enabling environment for peace and security to thrive in the country.

"Once the right political will was marshaled by President Muhammadu Buhari, the Nigerian Army has been able to decimate the terrorists to the point that those that continue to affiliate with Boko Haram are officially endangered species in today’s Nigeria".

"Evil ones are always out on the prowl to devour the innocent, it is no surprise that what the followers of the devil have failed to achieve through Boko Haram they now want to achieve under the label of armed herdsmen.

"The patterns are similar, the so called herdsmen operate with almost an aura of invincibility as Boko Haram once was before its political dimension was divinely exposed to herald its decline and impending end.

"This is why we at the Northern Inter-Faith Religious Organisation for Peace are alarmed that the issue of national security is being politicized and even being exploited by those seeking relevance".

They called Nigerians to beware of fake clerics preaching false doctrines with the aim of causing disunity in the country.

The statement read in part:

"Our charge to Nigerians is to beware since false doctrines would multiply at times like these while national security concerns would be exploited by the unscrupulous.

"The Northern Inter-Faith Religious Organisation for Peace salutes the President Buhari led administration on its efforts on security, without which the peddlers of discord would have succeeded in their bid to destabilize our dear nation. We hail the efforts of the Nigerian Army, in particular, for protecting the lives of all citizens without consideration for ethnic or religious affiliation.

"It is the Nigerian Army that has stood against wanton destruction of lives and properties by people who are diabolically possessed to the point of desperately being in a hurry to lead an ethic war in the country.

"The Exercise Ayem Akapatuma and other operations by the Nigerian Army in the country are testimony to this very high commitment to peace and security in the country. We cannot but to laud these selfless men and women doing us proud while keeping the country and its sovereignty from the reach of the enemies.

"We call on Nigerians of all faiths to fervently pray against the evil men in our midst. They should plead God to frustrate the attempts to flood and taint the land with blood as a gimmick ahead of the 2019 general elections.

"The clerics in the land should convene sessions to discuss the position of the sacred testaments on the dangerous calls beings passed off as doctrines. We must also collectively pray for redemption for those calling for anarchy in the Land while begging God to free them from the demons of bloodlust.

"Patriotic citizens should also endeavor to pray for Mr. President, the Nigerian Army and its leadership so that the lies of the devil will not have the space to take on form as being articulated by enemies of Nigeria.

"We testify to a truth that we know. The fight in the country is between the forces of good and the forces of evil; and the strategy of the evil one to manifest as the righteous in order to snare the unwary. The war rages on between the forces of darkness and the key national institutions that have refused to serve evil," it concluded.

The group prayed for peace and unity in Nigeria and promised to lead a peaceful match to the Presidential Villa later this week to present their position on the security situation in the country to President Muhammadu Buhari.

2019: Dankwambo And The Fitting Cap

By Sunusi Kabiru

Like the proverbial gold fish that has no hiding place, the professional, political and public service career of national and global leaders are always in the public domain. Their performance or the lack of it stands them out as the populace, public affairs analysts and social affairs commentators are wont to publicly and vocally assess their varied contributions to the socio-economic wellbeing of the citizenry at large.

The above musing aptly describes the dynamic and highly resourceful Executive Governor of Gombe State, Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo, within the backdrop of a higher calling that is currently tolling its bell on him ahead of 2019. For the consummate technocrat, cerebral chartered accountant and super-achieving administrative helmsman par excellence, much has been written and chronicled on his superb and superlative infrastructural and developmental exploit as well as his groundbreaking reforms both in Gombe State as the incumbent chief executive officer and the office of the Accountant General of the Federation that have repositioned and recalibrated the said offices for a more credible, responsive and efficient service delivery to the people and the nation at large.

Much of the publicity has been unsolicited as the unassuming and largely self-effacing Talban Gombe believes in silent and unheeded achievements, with solid and indelible administrative reforms and infrastructural projects on ground to speak for themselves rather than engaging in undue media hype or sensational headlines that are the province of many a politician.

However, much as Dankwambo might want to avoid the public limelight, his tremendous and all-encompassing performance at various levels of governance and administration has attracted unprecedented adulation and encomiums to the extent that no less an influential and prescient man of God, the famed Catholic prelate, Father Ejike Camilus Mbaka has predicted that the 2019 presidential mandate rests squarely on the broad shoulders of the highly respected Gombe State helmsman. The revered cleric did not mince words while prophesying that Dankwambo has the wherewithal to take Nigeria decisively and unerringly out of the woods of despair, despondency and decay that the APC- led federal government has plunged it since coming to power on May 29, 2015.

In an unequivocal and straightforward celestial pontification, Father Mbaka predicted that the savvy and articulate Dankwambo will inherit the presidential crown in order to repeat the magic that he has performed in Gombe State and at the federal level in order to bring the country closer to the standard of living and economic attainment of advanced countries in the global comity of nations; no more, no less. With the pronouncement of the Catholic Priest who is renowned for the authenticity and fecundity of his prophecies and who has never for once met Dankwambo in person, the whole political configuration, calculation and permutations for 2019 has been inexorably altered.

At the moment, the vast majority of the nation’s citizenry are lining up, locked in step behind the fortuitous and auspicious candidacy of the Gombe political wonder who defied all imaginable odds to emerge the only re-elected PDP governor in the whole of the North despite the fact that the rival APC swept the region in a massive tsunami during the 2015 general election.

Indeed, the Peoples Democratic Party leadership seems galvanized by Father Mbaka’s earth-shaking prediction affirming that Dankwambo is eminently qualified to assume the mantle of presidential leadership at any time and that his candidacy must come as a huge relief for legions of the party’s faithful as well as millions of ordinary Nigerians who are craving for a credible alternative to the directionless leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari and his fellow travelers in APC. Without doubt, the last man standing, as Talban is affectionately referred to, won in Gombe on the basis of merit, hardwork, competence and exemplary performance. He touched the lives of the people of the state in all material spheres, be it in road infrastructure, health, education, power, water supply, rural development, agriculture, manpower development and women or youth empowerment. All these sectors have been decisively and positively affected by Dankwambo’s No-Citizen-Left-Behind policy. All the eleven local government areas of the state have felt the impact of the visionary leadership of the governor. For instance, immediately after the 2015 elections, the first set of roads that were constructed Dankwambo where in the enclave of his defeated APC gubernatorial rival, Alhaji Inuwa Yahaya. This was in consonance with admirable mantra of Politics Without Bitterness of the Talban Gombe.

Indeed, the infrastructural revolution embarked upon by the indefatigable governor has been unprecedented throughout the nation, dwarfing those of Lagos, Rivers, Akwa Ibom among others, on an income per capital ratio, given the fact that Gombe State receives a paltry N2 billion per annum as federal allocation compared to the over N15-N30 billion naira received annually by the aforementioned oil-producing states.

Tens of thousands of kilometers of urban and rural roads have been completed while a lot more are under construction. Hundreds of hospitals, maternity and health centres, primary, secondary and Arabic schools have been either constructed or rehabilitated with adequate supply of hospital equipment, drugs, desks, chairs and laboratory equipment respectively. In the agriculture sector, tremendous progress has been attained with fertilizer, seedlings, farm implements, tractors, harvesters, planters, sprayers and many more supplied or leased to agrarian farmers at highly subsidized rates to boost agricultural production in the Jewel of the Savannah.

Dankwambo’s youth and women empowerment programme is also a complement to his development agenda for the state as tens of thousands of women and youths have been trained in fish farming, rabbit and poultry production, bee keeping, hair dressing, barbing, sewing, tying and dying, soap making, as well as confectionary skills. All these are geared towards enhancing their income-generating and self-sustenance status. Thousands of graduates and other categories of staff   have been employed in the Gombe State public service ever since the Talban Gombe assumed office on 29 May 2011.

Indeed, to catalogue the length, breadth and scope of the landmark administrative, infrastructural and developmental exploits of the Last Man Standing is beyond the breadth of this treatise, but it is fair to surmise that the nation needs, as a matter of urgency, the leadership sagacity of Governor Dankwambo, as well as his depth of experience, vision, vigour and fortitude to pilot the ship of the Nigerian State to safer and calmer shores come 2019 and beyond.

Sunusi Kabiru write from Jos

Kebbi: Where Democracy Is Working

By Nuraddeen Kamaru

It a fact that, democracy as a system of governance vests virtually all the powers of decision making on the people. The people are the focal point of every democratic leader’s exploits in office. In advanced democracies, elites and political office holders are very much aware of the dangers associated with wielding their perennial powers wildly and at the expense of the masses. They know that unless they deliver on their campaign promises and except they leave the people happier than they met them, they stand the risks of being crushed at the polls.

An enlightened electorate know the power they possess and the opposition knows how to utilise aggrieved electorates to unseat a seating government. So, every decision of a democratically elected government is made to reflect the needs of the people. Policy thrust, policy implementation and project execution are done at the behest of the people with some level of probity and accountability.

In Nigeria, the relationship between the electorates and the elected is dangerously skewered in favour of the later. Since 1999, successive governments have been consistent in raping the nation and the masses of their shared patrimony. Cronies and apologists control the narrative around leaders while the masses are left high and dry. The impunity at the corridors of power waxes strong and the electoral grab and win system seems to have emboldened the charlatans in power.

But for the Jega revolution that returned some sanity to the process, by relocating the power to decide back to its real location, the people, Nigeria’s democracy was heading straight for the rocks. Even at that, Nigerian politicians develop wilful selective amnesia; they tend to forget the source of their power the moment they are elected into office and the poor electorates are left to rue their chances.

Unlike in the past though that every problem of governance was blamed on the president in Abuja, continues advocacy by political commentators has successfully returned the lens of scrutiny to the governors and this makes sense. After all, governors are the real custodians of the power that directly affects the electorate. This development has exposed the folly of many governors who came into office under the grandiose illusion of business as usual, but not the occupants of the Kebbi state government house. Why should they? After all, equity can only be delivered with clean hands and Kebbi state seems to have found the one who is willing to do the needful in the face of adversity.

Before the emergence of Governor Bagudu, Kebbi state was the perfect example of ‘the land’ in Gbemisola Adeoti’s Ambush. While the people are hardworking, strong and committed to their age-old means of livelihood, agriculture, successive governors of Kebbi state since the return of democracy appear to be deliberately blocking the industry of the people. Anyone who is familiar with the political and social indicators of Kebbi State before the election that brought in the Senator Abubakar Atiku Bagudu led dispensation knows that the realities are different today, Kebbi has been transformed from the very picture of dereliction that it used to be to a city under construction and the prospects are heart-warming.

Quite uncharacteristically, the government in Kebbi state is delivering on its campaign promises and the people of Kebbi are for the first time knowing what it feels like to be in a democracy. No one would have taken governor Bagudu seriously when he declared during his inauguration that his government is all about the people, but any doubt about that statement would have been laid to rest with his array of people-oriented policies that are implemented swiftly with all the vigour and commitment that the people deserve.

For instance, at the wee days of his administration, Governor Bagudu who understands the value of quality foundational education, an area he has been known to complain bitterly about, took a state-wide tour of the educational facilities in the state, specifically secondary schools and as expected, the schools were in a very bad shape, students are left with little or no facilities or learning materials. In some schools visited, students sit on the floor to receive instruction and this broke the governor’s heart. Therefore, upon his return from the field, governor he immediately issued a contract for the renovation and repositioning of all the secondary schools in Kebbi state.

Anyone who is not a mischief maker in Kebbi state can confirm that after two years of concerted efforts at revamping the schools, they are today wearing a colourful look. Some of the heritage schools have even been fitted with modern teaching aides and equipment like projectors and computers in a bid to raise the level of education which experts agreed was in dire need of intervention. Students in tertiary institutions also have smiles on their faces too as the governor recently approved a huge amount to be used in offsetting the registration fees of Kebbians studying in the Usman Danfodio University, Sokoto.

Without wasting time lamenting as many governors were doing about the dire straits their states are, Governor Abubakar Atiku Bagudu swung into action, he rolled out his ‘Agricultural Empowerment’ policy and this dispelled any fear that the governor may toe the path of his predecessors whose lack of initiative meant he inherited a derelict state devoid of any IGR potential. His bold and audacious plan hinges on the state’s natural and human resources and one gets a feeling the man knows exactly what he was doing.

“We shall create incentives for our young men and women to undertake activities that they can choose, from agriculture to processing to mining to skills that are required elsewhere so that they can be able to find jobs that will satisfy their skills endowment and position our state for greatness,” he submitted and it didn’t take long before the hens were home to roost because, in one fluid movement, the governor struck a partnership deal with Bank of Industry, Central Bank and Lagos state to harness the human and natural resource potential of the state especially rice production.

Equally, when the floods came calling, Gov. Bagudu was swift to provide relief materials for the affected victims, he assured them that government will do all within its power to help them back to their feet “My administration will do everything within her power to help you back to your feet” He declared. Needless to say, that has been done and the affected people have all regained their footing in the economic indication board and all necessary steps have been taken to ensure that a repeat is not experienced. The IDP’s have also not being left out, motorised boreholes and other amenities that will make their lives bearable in the camps have been provided by governor Bagudu in partnership with relief organisation and the federal government of Nigeria.

Perhaps, the most glaring achievements of governor Bagudu over the past two years are the construction of roads, culvert and erosion projects all over the state. Over 80 km of road has been constructed in Kebbi state within these last two years. Koko-Mahuta-Dabai road, the Kao’je-Illo road, the Shema-Bakoshi Road, the Kwanar Dabai- Zuru, Maga-Ribah road and the 56.8 kilometer Ribah-Bena road projects and lots of many others both in the state capital and the adjoining towns and rural areas.

In fact, the capture all the achievements recorded by Gov. Bagudu’s administration in Kebbi within two and half years of his stewardship cut across all the sectors of the state’s economy, goes beyond ordinary piece of this nature but with his prevailing and sparkling performance, surpassed to say, this could be the only time Kebbian are tapping the dividends of democracy.

Kamaru writes from Birnin Kebbi

Hold TY Danjuma Responsible For Any Attack On Nigerians, Group Tells FG, International Community

A Middle belt based civil society group, Middle Belt Conscience Guard has urged the federal government as well as international community to hold former Defence Minister, TY Danjuma responsible should the region descend into chaos.

The group which was reacting to TY Danjuma's call to residents to take up arms to defend themselves accused the former minister of defense of fueling crisis in the region.

Addressing journalists in Abuja, the National President, Prince Raymond Enero said the group will not hesitate to drag the retired general to court should the violence in the region escalate.

According to him, TY Danjuma should as a matter of urgency retract the statement and issue a fresh call for people to trust in the commitment of the state to peacefully address whatever challenges beset the areas affected by farmers/herders' clashes.

He said, "We therefore call on General Danjuma to clarify his comments because we are willing to accept the flimsy excuse that he might have mixed up what he intended to say on account of his advanced age. Where he fails to walk back his dangerous directive, we hereby put him on notice that he shall be held liable for any degeneration in the security situation in all the jurisdiction where he has called on people to resort to self help.

"He will be dragged before the competent legal authorities - domestic and international – for any life lost because of his declaration of war.

"The federal government and the Nigerian Army must on their parts ensure they are not caught unawares since Danjuma has made his intention known. They must escalate the mopping-up of illegal weapons in the affected areas.

"The intelligence community and the civil police must be activated to investigate the connections between those killing Nigerians under the cover of whatever crisis and those calling for people to bear arms against fellow citizens."

Enero said the military under the current leadership is under obligation to observe rules of engagement that meet international standard.

He said, "This military respects diversity. This military has a demand on it by Nigerians to respect democracy. This military is gone past replicating the massacre of innocent civilians at Odi and Zaki Biam.

"We suspect that the retired general would have preferred a repeat of Zaki Biam, when the military flattened an entire community under his watch as Minister of Defence. He had possibly expected that the army would have assisted him in carrying out the ethnic cleansing he has in mind. But our dear retired Lieutenant General TY Danjuma, the Nigerian Military of today is not the one you left behind as Minister of Defence."

Insurgency War: Nigerian Army Rotates 3,000 Troops

The Nigerian Army on Wednesday began a comprehensive rotation exercise of 3,000 troops engaged in ongoing campaign against Boko Haram terrorists in the North-East.
 
The Theatre Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole, Rogers Nicholas, made the disclosure while addressing the rotated troops in Maiduguri.
 
He explained that the exercise was approved by the Army Headquarters to serve as a morale booster and enhance troops’ operation.
 
Nicholas said, “The Chief of Army Staff has graciously considered that and gave us men to do rotation; this is the first batch of soldiers that are being rotated. About 1,500 of them will be leaving today and in the next few days another 1,000 or plus will also leave, we are rotating about 3,000 soldiers from OPERATION LAFIYA DOLE.
 
 “It is going to be an ongoing exercise as the operation continues we will exercise rotation to make sure that most of our troops that stayed long would be re-joining their units and families”.
 
The Theatre Commander went on to reveal that the military authorities had adopted effective modalities to ensure the payment of outstanding allowances to the troops.
 
While commending the troops for their sacrifice and gallantry, he called on them to use the period and stay with their families.
 
In their remarks, Warrant Officer, Francis Adama and Adederan Akanbi, a sergeant lauded the gesture, adding it would avail the soldiers an opportunity to rejoin their families after four years of duty tour.
 
Adama expressed delight over the safe completion of his mission in North-East and enjoined troops to be committed to ensure a total end of the Boko Haram insurgency.

Insurgency War: Nigerian Army Rotates 3,000 Troops

The Nigerian Army on Wednesday began a comprehensive rotation exercise of 3,000 troops engaged in ongoing campaign against Boko Haram terrorists in the North-East.
 
The Theatre Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole, Rogers Nicholas, made the disclosure while addressing the rotated troops in Maiduguri.
 
He explained that the exercise was approved by the Army Headquarters to serve as a morale booster and enhance troops’ operation.
 
Nicholas said, “The Chief of Army Staff has graciously considered that and gave us men to do rotation; this is the first batch of soldiers that are being rotated. About 1,500 of them will be leaving today and in the next few days another 1,000 or plus will also leave, we are rotating about 3,000 soldiers from OPERATION LAFIYA DOLE.
 
 “It is going to be an ongoing exercise as the operation continues we will exercise rotation to make sure that most of our troops that stayed long would be re-joining their units and families”.
 
The Theatre Commander went on to reveal that the military authorities had adopted effective modalities to ensure the payment of outstanding allowances to the troops.
 
While commending the troops for their sacrifice and gallantry, he called on them to use the period and stay with their families.
 
In their remarks, Warrant Officer, Francis Adama and Adederan Akanbi, a sergeant lauded the gesture, adding it would avail the soldiers an opportunity to rejoin their families after four years of duty tour.
 
Adama expressed delight over the safe completion of his mission in North-East and enjoined troops to be committed to ensure a total end of the Boko Haram insurgency.

Re-There’s Total Infrastructure Collapse In Gombe

By: Abubakar Nasiru Gombe

It’s always expected that, whenever elections approaches, desperate politicians surface with different foxy and crafty activities designed to either bamboozled their gullible supporters or achieve simple and cheap publicity to fake relevance within a particular political environment.

It’s on this note that, with the 2019 general elections getting much nearer, the good the bad and the noxious politicians would be occupying and saturating various media platforms with all sorts of interviews, write-ups to inundate people especially the gullible ones as well as the typical Nigerian politicians for selfish gain.

One of these jaundice and gadfly, was an interview granted by gatecrashed and self-imposed All Progressive Congress (APC) chieftain and governorship aspirant in Gombe State, Jibrin Barde with the headline; There’s total collapse of infrastructure In Gombe appeared yesterday on the online platform of the Blueprint Newspaper and in its print version of the Saturday March 17, 2018.

It is worrisome and laughable that this kind of grossly misguided utterances which lacks objective and a clear misrepresentation of truth aimed as misleading the general populace for selfish political reason. Ordinarily, I shouldn’t have glorified such a wild short with a response but, my silence and those of other Gombe indigenes who are in the know about the political calculations in Gombe and the true transformation the state has witnessed under the purposeful leadership of His Excellency, Governor Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo (Talban Gombe) may be misconstrued to mean acceptance of the Barde’s blind-dive into issues that are clearly aspersion and political hyperbole.

In his vilifying commentaries to trickily chart a course of his au courant and strange political agenda, Jibrin Barde has denied all the out of the open achievements of the Dankwambo administration which has undeniably turns the state as the beehive of state of the art infrastructures cutting across all the sectors of the economy.

Is it because he was a banker that he became obviously benighted and birdbrained to know what infrastructure means, how could someone whose family house is sandwiched by two different dual carriage asphalt roads constructed by Dankwambo denied that fact and accused same administration of collapsed infrastructure? Maybe it is because he hardly visits the state, because from wherever he may come from, he must drive on beautiful and smooth roads into the city built by a cosmopolitan accountant and it could be an irony for Barde to reject this fact.

According to him, he has reached the pinnacle of his career as a banker and it is time to give back to the society and the only way he can do that is to take the position of leadership and he has a clear vision of empowering youths. And I vehemently disagreed with his position because in Gombe State today, we have countless number of people have excelled in their careers and businesses who has helped either in building the state or getting jobs for our teeming youths without occupying any seat of power. As the former managing director and chief executive officer of the SunTrust Bank, can Barde tell us how many citizens of Gombe State he has employed in the services of the bank or what is contribution to the development of the state?

Let me remind Jibrin Barde that, the only branch his bank has in Gombe State has been closed denying our citizens benefits. Interestingly, we have sons and daughters of the state who provides scholarship, dug boreholes in the communities, provide transformers, provide medical care interventions, and lots more without having any elective position and what is your own contribution, if I may ask Jibrin?

It’s laughable enough that, Jibrin Barde as a banker he doesn’t have idea on the federal allocation to the states when he compares Gombe and other states in terms of the allocation. Let me imbue and edify Barde that, Gombe State is second to Bayelsa State in terms of lowest allocation even though, Bayelsa is collecting 13% oil derivation funds, Dankwambo has utilized the lean resources to developed Gombe State and pays regular worker’s salary in the state.

I can’t believe that, a banker who doesn’t have knowledge of the federal allocation may have statistical knowhow to tells us what we spend annually in buying water. In fact, what Dankwambo inherited was a water project that wasn’t reticulated to other part of the state and his administration immediately has successfully done that to the major areas. While on the education and healthcare systems, Barde is either quick to forget things or he might be imbecilic of the development in the state. Dankwambo has constructed model primary and secondary schools, renovated the dilapidated ones, he built cottage hospitals and supplied dialysis machines to the specialist hospital, and many more.

To justify that, Jibrin Barde can trek from his house to the newly upgraded IDI women and children hospital fully equipped with modern healthcare facilities, and the renovated Idi primary schools. It amounts to underrepresentation of reality to give account of Dankwambo’s infrastructural development in Gombe State.

While on his political ambition, Jibrin Barde should know that we are students of history and let him bear in mind that, Gombe is not Enugu and painting people’s houses in the state and doling out money doesn’t measure one’s political strength but cluelessness. His political godfather will surely have a flourishing business in 2019 and succeed by imposing him against others but we’ll reject all their scheming and machinations orchestrated to bring an interloper into our state’s politics, let it be in Enugu State. I could go on but it will be pointless, the bottom line is, we’ll not allow someone to succeed in insulting the kinesthesia of the high pitch intelligence of Gombians with his fabrications and I dare say deliberately skewered comments and if there’s any shred of decency still about him, he will tender an unreserved apology to the present government, and the good people of Gombe for whom he has so disrespected with this political missive.

Nasiru is a public commentator he writes from Gombe

The Nile University of Nigeria said it will hold its annual Entrepreneurship Trade Fair -Africa (ETF-Africa) aimed at linking students and the business world.

The 2018 trade fair is slated to take place at the university campus next Thursday with the theme: ‘Bringing the gown and town together’.

Speaking during a press conference in Abuja, the Chairman, ETF 2018, Dr Gylych Jelilov said that the fair is aimed at improving the capacity of the student on practical skills’ development that would make them financially independent and self-reliant in the global market.
Jelilov said that the university is focused on teaching its students how to do business in private sector and in government and above all in the society.

He said, “Last year, 120 exhibitors participated, but this year, we will have 150 exhibitors. We encourage people to come and participate in this year’s trade fair.”

Some of the stands will be occupied by students and alumni while the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), University of Ilorin, Nasarawa state university will be there.

The event is expected to have exhibitions from auto-mobile, food, furniture companies, embassies among others just as the 4th International Conference on Social Sciences - Africa (ICSS) and the 4th International Students’ Conference on Social Sciences (ISCSS) will hold simultaneously.

The ICSS chairman, Prof Ibrahim Keles said it will serve as a platform for academics to discuss issues, share ideas and get solutions for problems.

He said they want the students to have practical leadership and capacity skills so that they can blend into the society with no need for additional training after they graduates.

Maimuna Aliyu And The Crucible Of Persecution [2]

By Valentine Okonkwo

My interest in the Hajia Maimuna Aliyu’ ordeal was first elicited when I watched her on Africa Independent Television’s Focus Nigeria program of October 16, 2017.

It was such a revelation and convincing submission from someone that had enjoyed so much bad press and have been sentenced at the Social Media Court even without given a chance to be heard.

The anchor of the program, Gbenga Arulegba asked probing and deep questions to which Hajia Aliyu gave answers to without any difficulty. It was obvious to me at that time that I have to follow this matter closely.

So much was said by Hajia Maimuna on that very interview that needed rebuttal or reactions fromAso Savings & Loans Plc (her previous employers), the Nigeria Police (that purportedly investigated her) and the Independent Corrupt Persons and other related offences Commission – ICPC. I never heard nor read any such rebuttal or controverting of the facts stated by Ms. Aliyu.

However, on November 27, 2017 I read on Leadership (online news), a piece written by one Ibrahim Adulkadir captioned: Maimuna Aliyu: Eating From The Bread Of Sorrow. If Maimuna’s appearance on AIT was revealing, this very piece ignited my curiosity much further. This beautiful piece traced Ms. Aliyu’s ordeal to her previous employers who feel greatly unease should she be confirmed a member of the Board of ICPC. Mr. Abdulkadir listed in chronological order what these unrelenting traducers were planning and what they intended to achieve. This publication, ordinarily should have been reacted to by the persons and agencies fingered therein but they kept mute.

Investigative journalism is a passion and could resolve a whole lot of issues that may have been swept under the carpet. I consulted with some persons who I understand are close to these dramatis persona and was given so much facts that led to my piece titled: Maimuna Aliyu and the Crucible of Persecutionwhich was published on 9th December 2017 in Leadership online and later in several other online news media.



It would be nice to search out these two publications and possibly go to YouTube to watch AIT’s Focus Nigeria of October 16, 2017 and you will see how prophetic our predictions have turned out to be.

In this piece I bring you an update on the Maimuna Aliyu Persecution and will leave the reader to make an informed deduction therefrom.

As stated in Act 1, Scene 2 of my previous publication, the ICPC, working in concert with their pay masters proceeded to file trumped up charges against Maimuna. The matter has commenced but there are issues with sustaining the charge. At the initial sitting, sensing the challenges the ICPC would face prosecuting the matter, they applied to the court to withdraw their earlier counter affidavit challenging the Defendant’s bail application. They obviously wanted an out of court settlement which I understand the said Maimuna refused having gone through so much not with the bad press and reputational damage.
On Monday March 12, 2018 at the resumed hearing of the matter which is before Hon. Justice Mairo Nasir of the Federal High Court, Jabi the prosecution counsel OsuobeniAkponisimingha Esq.was unable to bring any of the eleven (11) witnesses on record to the court and thus applied for an adjournment. This apparent show of disrespect for the court and near absence of diligent prosecution was received with a cost of N50,000.00 awarded against the Prosecutor. The matter was therefore adjourned to May 11, 2018.
Recall that the matter for which Maimuna Aliyu is being tried is based on ASO Savings & Loans Plc claim that the Defendant had, while she was an Executive Director at the said financial institution, sold some lands for N57M and appropriated the money for her personal use. It is this same claim that was purportedly said to have been investigated by the Police and upon which a report was issued that was used to deny Ms. Aliyu her nomination into the ICPC Board. The Police that was said to have investigated and found Maimuna culpable has not initiated any charge.
It is important to note that the same Aso Savings and Loans Plc had written to CBN after they became sure that the Federal Government had stepped down Maimuna’s nomination, that they had amicably settled the matter and that there was nothing more against this Defendant. We also recall that the buyer of the Jabi property had written to Aso Savings and ICPC through their lawyers that they do not want to be dragged into this matter anymore having paid to Aso Savings for the said land and given valid title deeds.
While wondering why these traducers have not done anything particularly about the revelations at the AIT interview, I was privileged to get a copy of a motion on Notice from the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja on Suit No.M/10559/17 Between Aso Savings & Loans plc and (1) Maimuna Sanda Aliyu (2) Daar Communications Ltd (Owners of Africa Independent Television). The motion seeks an Order of Court restraining the Defendants or their agents from further publishing the interviews by Ms. Sanda Aliyu. The contents of the interview were adjudged defamatory. What a way to respond to facts?
QUESTIONS:

ICPC, please what has become of the petition filed in your office since 2015 by Ms. Aliyu against Aso Savings and Loans? I hear the petition touches billions of naira which were embezzled by the same persons whose complaints you have jumped to file a charge for? Could it be true that you have become errand officers of these persons or you lack the moral right to truly investigate them? Is it also true that you are working on possibility of introducing another twist in this drama by bringing a money laundering charge against Maimuna? I think the silence of the Federal Government, particularly the office of the Attorney General in all these brouhahas is no longer golden. I find it curious that all these baseless accusations and unsustainable charges against Ms. Aliyu may be borne out of fear by the staff of the ICPC who may not be sure of what becomes of them if at the end Ms. Aliyu is acquitted of all these charges and her nomination sustained.
Aso Savings & Loans Plc, where lies your corporate integrity? In one breath you wrote CBN that you had sorted out your issues pertaining to the Jabi property and in another you are pushing ICPC to drag your ex-staff to court on the same facts? Do you prefer to pursue frivolities than tackle clear Corporate Governance issues? Where were you on the last adjourned date that your lawyer could not reach you? I leave you with this quote:
“Falsehood flies and the truth comes, limping after it. As a lie travels around the globe, the truth is putting on its shoes. Falsehood will fly, as it were, on the wings of the wind, and carry its tales to every corner of the earth, while truth lags behind; her steps, though sure, are slow and solemn, and she has neither vigour nor activity to pursue and overtake her enemy. However, truth prevails at the end. The hand can never cover the light of the moon”

Nigerians and all people still left with conscience are watching. Volume 3 Loading…

Ekweremadu: Between Democracy And The Military

By Okanga Agila

Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu is an interesting character. He is always excited, haughty and very mouthy. If Nigerians perceive the current Senate more as a punishment chamber than a parliament, its because of leaders like Ekweremadu.

His soul mates in the red chamber have conspiratorially turned the senate into an undemocratic mental torture chamber for Senators, where voices opposed to its leadership are muzzled and dubiously punished. Sadly, Ekweremadu is failing to check his tongue.

Senator Ekweremadu belongs to the clan of Senators who are irretrievably tied to the old order of impunity and disorderliness on issues of public governance, famed with the PDP. For them, it’s not possible to change anything.

He is therefore naturally blind to the illumination provided by the changed government of the APC led by President Muhammadu Buhari. Under the expired national government of the PDP, nothing was impossible provided it serviced the egos of its minions. That era has gone, but since Ekweremadu is yet to purge himself of the PDP mendacious inclination, he still functions under such false illusions.

Therefore, a few days ago, Senator Ekweremadu had the effrontery to foul the air by dragging the Nigerian military and specifically, the Nigerian Army into politics . Senator Ahmed Ogembe, representing Kogi Central had a raised a motion alleging that Kogi state Governor Yahaya Bello, sponsored thugs to disrupt his empowerment programme for constituents.

But in a rather asinine twist, while contributing to the debate, Ekweremadu deviated from the core issue by declaring, “The problem in Nigeria is that our democracy is receding. Who says army cannot take over? Let us not joke with our democracy.”

There was no correlation at all. So, the reference to the Army by Ekweremadu was spiteful and intended to stir enmity and air of disloyalty between the Commander –in-Chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces, President Buhari and the Nigerian military.

And it has exposed the extent Ekweremadu has lost touch with the reality in Nigeria, a country, which signed a creed in 2015 to severe itself from the culture of the past, by its embrace of democracy and building of strong or thriving military and democratic institutions.

Perhaps, steeped in the sentiments of opposition politics, and the desire to blackmail, Ekweremadu is oblivious of the changes around him. He neither knows the new face of the Nigerian military under the leadership of the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Gen. Gabriel Olonishakin nor the Nigerian Army, under the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. Gen. Tukur Yusufu Buratai.

To again redirect the attention of the likes of Ekweremadu to the reality they have refused to acknowledge, the Nigerian Military have been disciplined and re-professionalized. It has consistently demonstrated to the world in words and actions that there is no alternative to democracy. It cannot be persuaded by such outbursts to discard their toga of professionalism and support to democratic institutions.

The Nigerian Army particularly have elected upon itself to serve as guardians of Nigerian’s democracy evident in the struggles to protect and preserve Nigerians democracy and the absolute subordination to civil authorities.

The current leadership of the Nigerian military led by Gen. Olonishakin as well as the Nigerian Army under the guidance of Gen. Buratai, much as other Service Chiefs have proven beyond doubt the military is an integral part of this great nation. It exudes more interest in assisting Nigeria’s democracy to blossom to full maturity.

It has confined itself to its core professional duties and values of safeguarding the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Nigeria. The Nigerian military has proven to be a responsible and responsive fighting force, patriotically defending the country from both external and internal aggressors, with delight.

And this streams from carefully articulated and implemented re-orientation measures, like professionalism, discipline, integrity, and seamless civil/military relations anchored on international best practices. The Nigerian Army under Gen. Buratai has no reason to harbor thoughts of dabbling into partisan politics.

It is much more remote that the Army would even ruminate scuttling democracy as insinuated by Ekweremadu. Buratai’s mastery in leadership of the Army has tackled explosive issues which hitherto served as baits or motivation for soldiers to engage in coups.

For instance, soldiers are no longer under the yoke of stalled promotions. They are now promptly promoted and this itself is a great moral booster for any Army anywhere in the world. The current leadership of the Army under Gen. Buratai has consistently provided incentives to soldiers by appreciating and decorating deserving officers with medals for exceptional performances.

Gen. Buratai worships and rewards merit, and has completely deleted favouratism in the administration of the Army, as glaringly reflected several times in the ongoing counter-insurgency operations in the Northeast. To say the least, the commitment of the Army leadership to reward officers and men of the Nigerian Army is unflinching and indiscriminate.

The inculcation and enforcement of the values of discipline in soldiers have been Gen. Buratai’s topmost agenda from the outset. What leads the Army into coups most times is indiscipline. The anger is fired in instances where some officers and soldiers are favoured on either ethnic or religious affiliations. Again, Army personnel are no longer penalized on account of neither hatred nor sentiments’, but on the weight of proven misconduct’.

The rules and internal control measures apply to all and sundry, as circumstances demand, without sentiments, as evident in routine reshuffling of the executive command positions without recourse to religion or tribe.

So, the Army leadership has assiduously worked and conquered these defects and there is no possibility that such soldiers would nurture any coup ambition.

Furthermore, the Amy leadership has prioritized welfare and introduced various incentives to personnel. Gen. Buratai extends welfare of soldiers to even their families. The famous warlord, Sun Tsu said, “Treat your men as you would your own beloved sons. And they will follow you into the deepest valley.”

Therefore, when soldiers face the hardest of tasks assigned to them courageously and victoriously; it’s because they have no psychological trauma on hanging welfare packages. The facelift of military barracks and the improved general living conditions of officers and men are motivations for the Army, which have voluntarily made Army personnel to remain apolitical and loyal to civil authority in Nigeria.

And above all, Gen. Buratai has ensured transparency and accountability in the leadership of the Nigerian Army. He has blocked loopholes that enabled looting or misappropriation of Army resources at the expense of the wellbeing of personnel. This previously accounted for mutiny on the battlefield in protest of neglect and deprivation. The Army now is a contented force.

The era of a few officers and soldiers getting rich quick is gone. The prudent management of lean resources by the Lt. Gen. Buratai led Leadership has restored confidence, respect and accorded dignity to Army personnel whose first and last focus is concentration on their constitutionally defined professional roles.

No Nigerian, moreso, a leader, like Ekweremadu who is aware of these changes would deliberately attempt to rejig the narrative with the flavor of his bizarre idiosyncrasies. But Nigerians are not surprised because Ekweremadu is a product of a corrupt past, which is deeply ingrained in him. The old system made the Army susceptible to such thoughts, but certainly, today’s Army is different.

So, he finds it strange to align with the new order. But let it be known to Senator Ekweremadu that the Army has been re-professionalized and disciplined. Nigerians are not fooled that his call for a coup by the military is a veiled attempt to save looters who are facing litigations in court over corruption charges. He is used to coups and a product of political coups in the National Assembly, but let him spare the Army. This call can neither survive nor fly.

Okanga writes from Agila, Benue State.

2019: PDP And The Imperative Of North-East Presidential Ticket

Comrade Danfulani S. Bello

As the 2019 general elections draws near, political permutations, calculations and configurations has been the major concern of the major opposition party in the country, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) all point to a strategic realignment of forces and interests poised to deliver a credible, competent, acceptable and saleable presidential aspirant that would make it easy to wrest power from the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) that has failed to meet up with the yearnings and aspirations of Nigerians in all definitions. Prevailing happenings ranging from security challenges and economic woebegone has portrayed APC led government and its policies as disappointment and disillusion.

In effect, the present state of the nation is distressful and disenchanting to say the least as the scourges of insurgency, farmers and herdsmen clashes, rampant armed robberies, cultism, agitated separatism, kidnappings, and ritual killings, and acute economic hardship terrorize the hapless citizenry with no end in sight while the political class are busy trading blames at one another neither proffering solutions or taking steps to ameliorate the sordid situation at hand.

Indeed, the present crop of politicians at the helm of nation’s affairs seem ill-prepared or ill-suited to change this gory situation as many seem to be reaping from the ill-wind that has been blowing across the nation’s landscape.

For instance, some politicians that has woefully failed to deliver democratic dividends to their people now pose as champions of their inalienable rights to life and liberty in order to enhance their chances of re-election which would have been near to impossible if not for the recent unfortunate trend of events. It is clear that, there is a need for a fresh start, a fresh impetus and timely convergence of ideas, opinions and strategies geared towards evolving a new national order that would enthrone, equity, justice, fair play, the rule of law, patriotism and commitment to national service as the predominant ethos and tenets of governance that will entrench national cohesion.

To this end the national parties as well as all other healthy forces need to recalibrate and refocus on the path that can really move the country out of its present morass to a bright and rewarding future free from injustice, autocracy, mis governance, maladministration, and ethnic and religious prejudice.

In fact, hundreds of millions of Nigerians are sick and tired of the present crop of politicians and fervently clamor for a principled, detribalized, competent and visionary leader that will urgently take the nation out of the woods while moving it to the center stage of the global industrialized comity of nations. Also, looking at the Nigerian socioeconomic and political configuration, the Northeast geopolitical zone which has been endowed with potential, competent and outshine leaders, has been undoubtedly short changed in all developmental and infrastructural parameters, receiving the least in allocation of any zone and lacking in federal presence in terms of roads, educational and health institutions, power installations, telecommunication facilities, and rural infrastructure.

Indeed, the level of federal neglect, poverty, disease, unemployment, homelessness and illiteracy is quite alarming and has been fingered as a root cause of the Boko Haram insurgency that has been ravaging the region as well as other parts of the country. Therefore, as PDP has already zoned its presidential ticket to the northern zone, it is only just and equitable that the Northeast produce the next President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria come 2019 in other to assuage the feelings of marginalization and deprivation prevalent in the zone while also instilling a sense of belonging and commitment to the pan–Nigerian project among the indigenes.

In this regard, it is unarguable that the most qualified, acceptable, competent and nationalistic of all contenders is no other eminent personality than the Gombe State Governor, Alh. (Dr) Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo, the (Talban Gombe) who is presently serving his second and final term which has evidently seen constant and unassailable delivery of democratic dividends to the Gombe people envied by his contemporaries and applauded by many.

If anyone is in doubt about the political viability, resourcefulness and all-round popularity of Governor Dankwambo, one only needs to appraise the epoch making 2015 gubernatorial elections in Gombe state where the Talban Gombe defeated his APC gubernatorial rival, Alhaji Inuwa Yahaya in a massive landslide victory sweeping 10 out of 11 local governments even with President Buhari visiting the state twice at the nick of the election. Though, the APC presidential candidate had defeated the PDP candidate President Goodluck Jonathan, a week before but Dankwambo has overwhelmingly won his contest and survived the tsunami.

Apart from the fact that, Talban Gombe’s impeccable credentials as a first-class chartered accountant, consummate technocrat and administrative paragon are unmatched and unrivalled, his competence, resilience and incorruptibility are second to none earning him the enviable sobriquet of ‘Mr. Due Process’. In furtherance, as the Accountant General of the federation, an impeccable Dankwambo enthroned sanity, probity, transparency, accountability, due process(again) and the rule of law in the administrative, operational and organizational ethos of the apex accounting agency of the country. Indeed, he left the OAGF far more responsive, efficient, credible and organized than he met it raising staff morale and productivity to record levels in the process.

In 2011, he was called to serve by the people of Gombe State who had envied his stints at the Accountant General Office and he did not disappoint his people as he has performed superlatively which endeared renowned and reputable people from all the nation’s nocks and crannies to call on him and recommend him for national assignment. His name stated resonating from all corners and it started attracting national attention when Rev. Mbaka and a chapter of Christian Association of Nigeria differently picked him for the job citing his performance, credentials and nationalistic disposition as his core qualities. Therefore, it has been echoed out like wild fire all over the country.

Dankwambo as the star performing Chief Executive of Gombe state, has done wonders in all sectors of the state’s economy. He has outperformed and outclassed all other past civilian and military governors of the state put together and his level of acceptability, visibility and name recognition both within and outside the country is second to none. He is capable of uniting all the diverse sections of the country given his detribalized, patriotic and nationalist credentials.

Therefore, Dankwambo is ably qualified and superbly competent to mount the presidential mantle and it behooves on the Peoples Democratic Party to present his candidature to the nation come 2019 in order to deliver the nation from the decadence, ineptitude and crass incompetence of the APC led federal government.

Danfulani wrote in from Taraba State

I Did Not Throw Birthday Party For My Daughter - Maryam Sanda

Due to recent events which unfolded over a few days ago regarding the celebration of an innocent child's first year birthday, we her maternal family have decided to speak upbecause of what we consider a calculated and malicious effort by certain quarters to ruinthe happiness of an innocent child just to destroy her mother.

Let’s start by saying that the picture shared on social media of Maryam Sanda and her beautiful daughter Aleeshawhich was claimed to have been taken on Aleesha’s birthday is false. Just by mere comparison of recent and old pictures of the little girl, it will become apparent that Aleesha was a lot younger at the time when the picture was taken. (For the purpose of clarity, the picture in question was taken on the 8th of July, 2017 when Aleesha was only 5 Months old as it is our family tradition to take her pictures every month).

We've attached the photos showing dates from the studio with a time stamp. On the 8th of March, 2018, Aleesha turned 1, and her maternal grandmother (our mum) considered it necessary and in the best interest of the innocent child to organize a PHOTOSHOOT for her (especially as Aleesha had not had her traditional monthly photoshoot ever since the incident that befell her family).

The picture of Aleesha withcake and balloons which subsequently emerged on social media was a PHOTOSHOOTand not a birthday party as was falsely reported by various blogs and media houses.

This Photoshoot happened while her mother was on bed rest and only as to havesomething to remember her first year in this world, hence, you will not find any picture ofAleesha with anyone (not even her own mother) on that day. What sort of birthday party could have been organized without children and other party guests?

The photoshoot was an in-house event and the picture was only sent to Aleesha’s paternal Aunt Kilo in Kebbi State. It is however strange to us how anybody (especially those who pretend to love and care for Aleesha) would have maliciously misrepresented the story and even sold it to the media with such caption and message.

It is unfortunate that none of those media houses reached out to us to ask questions before jumping on such wicked misinformation as hasbeen the pattern ever since the death of Aleesha’s father.

We understand that everybody wants justice, we too want justice but we will appreciate if the innocent girl is left out of the problems, lies and deceits of adults while her mother goes through the process which has already commenced.

Aisha Sanda wrote in for the family.

2019 And Bagudu’s Better Fortunes

By Hasheem Balarabe

It’ an undisputable fact that, in any democratic setting, opposition, criticism and alternative viewpoints are common and variegated as the constituents meaning that it is to be expected given the diversity and heterogeneous nature of the polity and the political society. However, it is desirable that criticism and alternative viewpoints pass the test of being constructive and result-oriented and not being merely distractive, vindictive and obstructive in all its negative ramifications.

There have been compelling reasons and the need to explicitly account for the political chemistry in Kebbi State due to some imprecise and unfactual perspectives and reportage written probably by some paid agents or by agents of some defeated Peoples Democratic Party stalwarts presumably to perpetuate self-promotional agenda.

Apparently, on the 18th July, 2017 there was a political analysis in the Daily Sun Newspaper captioned; “Kebbi: Gov. Bagudu and 2019 Challenge” where a self-styled veteran journalist, public relations consultant and indigene of Kebbi State, Yakubu Ahmed BK ventilated his opinion and raised some issues with the leadership style of His Excellency, Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, alluding that the state helmsman has achieved very little in terms of infrastructural development of the state especially in Birnin Kebbi, even though, he Governor Atiku Bagudu is from the area unlike other past governors of Kebbi who had prioritized the infrastructural development of their areas of origin than other parts of the state. Also the said Yakubu Ahmed also scored the Kebbi state administration low in terms of infrastructure to enhance the development of farming activity in the state, an allegation that cannot be substantiated by the facts on ground which shows that the state government has done more than any other state in the federation in terms of creating the enabling environment for a smooth and seamless takeoff of the famed agricultural revolution in the land of equity.

In fact, Yakubu Ahmed is a lone voice wailing in the wilderness of baseless and directionless opposition given that the majority of citizens, stakeholders, opinion leaders and political activists in Kebbi State have continued to sing the praises of the action-oriented Governor Bagudu to high heavens given his array of achievements in the educational, health, roads, power, water, human capital development, and what have you.

In another show of brazen deceits, misrepresentation of facts and orchestrated political agitprop by the former minister of Special Duties, Kabiru Tanimu Turaki who said that, Peoples Democratic Party in the state is ready to reclaim the seat of power in view of the ongoing reconciliation and the setting up of the interim committee to manage the affairs of the party by the national headquarters of the PDP. But the laughable and derisory of the Turaki’s assertion is that, he easily forget that after 14 years of his party’s administration in the state, what they only left as the legacy to the gullible citizens of the state was the gory and shamble structures, empty treasury and explicit underdevelopment with 90 percent of the state’s population living in absolute despondency and despair.

In fact, PDP in Kebbi State is overwrought with an internal crisis that led to the balkanization of the party into two warring factions and the setting-up of another committee simply means further dividing the already bisected party into three groups, each one being engraved with overriding interest and motives. Therefore, the statement which emanated from Kabiru Turaki is simply the wish of a daydreamer because all three of the state assembly members that secured their seats on the platform of the PDP, and thousands of their supporters have since decamped to the APC citing Bagudu’s unprecedented achievements as the reason for their decision to defect.

Though people are entitled to their own opinions the listeners and consumers of such assertions equally have a right to calibrate what is coming to them in order to separate facts from lies and deceits. Today in Kebbi State, Governor Bagudu have within two years of his stewardship achieved what previous administration has failed to achieve in 14 years and has demonstrated to the people of the state what good governance is all about.

For instance, in the educational sector, Governor Atiku Bagudu has faced with vigour the issue of backlog of debts owed WAEC and NECO head-on by ensuring that the over 280 million naira outstanding balance owed those examination institutions is cleared thus enabling Kebbi State students to access their examination results that were previously withheld in 2015. Further, various schools have been built and old ones have been renovated with state of art educational facilities.

More also, about 900 million was extended into the water expansion project in Birnin Kebbi as it’s apparent that, rapid economic development is an impossibility without a stable water supply. Even in the area of power, the purposeful administration of Governor Atiku Bagudu has been quite proactive ensuring the connection of major towns and cities with the national grid as well as the provision of hundreds of transformers to transform power in residential areas, commercial centers, schools, universities, hospitals and the rest.

In fact, cross sections of the Kebbi populace have vigorously commended the governor for ensuring stable power supply which was previously a scarce commodity in the state. In the road infrastructure sector, Governor Atiku Bagudu has similarly displayed ingenuity and creativity by applying scarce resources prudently thus ensuring that thousands of kilometers of urban and rural roads have been either constructed or rehabilitated using the direct labour system so as to avoid contract cost overruns.

While for those whose faculty is reasoning well and are equally aware of the happenings within the nation, they must know that, Kebbi State is the only state in the north that is synonymous with agricultural development as an alternative source of revenue generation and job creation not only to the state but the nation as a whole.

Today, all the bigwigs of the PDP including the former governor has decamped to the ruling APC in the state, applauding Bagudu’s unprecedented strides in the state and promised to be part of his transformational regime.

Balarabe Writes From Kebbi

2019: PMB Gets Civil Society Nod For Second Term

As activities continue to heat up ahead of the 2019 general elections, the President Muhammadu Buhari’s second term has received another boost as top civil society groups have endorsed the president for second term.
 
The coalition of Civil Society Organizations for Good Governance and Democracy under the auspices of Coalition for Nigeria Movement said that the calls in some quarters for President Buhari to resign were very hilarious.
 
It said the calls were comical for the very fact that it came from the Nigeria Intervention Movement (NIM), a subsidiary of the “3rd Force” Movement.
 
CNM advised those calling for Buhari’s resignation to go back in time and appreciate where the country had been coming from as a nation prior to the advent of the new administration.
 
This was contained in a statement issued on Wednesday and signed by the CNM’s National Convener/President, Patriot Sabo Ode.
 
The statement reads in full:
 
Gentlemen of the press, the Coalition for Nigeria Movement has learnt with amusement the call for President Muhammadu Buhari to resign as proof that he is a man of integrity. The call for President Buhari to resign is comical for the very fact that it came from the Nigeria Intervention Movement (NIM), a subsidiary of the “3rd Force” Movement.
 
You may wish to recall that the 3rd Force is that movement that became deceased before it could even properly take off for the singular reason that not one man of honour or integrity was found in its ranks prompting Nigerians to discountenance its formation. This failure of Nigerians to identify with the 3rd Force has consigned it to the dustbin of infamy and irrelevance so it is no surprise that a phony Nigerian Intervention Movement is struggling to revive interest in it by dramatically asking Mr. President to resign.
 
We invite you to note that the so-called Nigeria Intervention Movement made no attempt to obscure the hands pulling its strings by issuing their statement from Ekiti state where Gov Ayodele Fayose reigns in his schizophrenic absoluteness under conditions that have left citizens between either being too catatonic to objectively challenge bad governance or too traumatized to discern truth from fiction. That is one state whose governor had openly wished death on Mr. President so the statement calling for his resignation is well understood as the rantings of manic depressives who simply cannot fathom why President Buhari is succeeding where they are wishing him dead.
 
The Nigeria Intervention Movement is citing the missing Dapchi Girls and the security situation in the country as reasons for demanding that President Buhari resigns and allow Vice President Yemi Osinbajo to run as the All Progressives Congress' candidate in the 2019 General Elections. First, this group is not in tune with the reality in Nigeria. They and their sponsors have forgotten what was before God blessed Nigeria with the present administration. The security situation had degenerated to a point where even those in the coastal cities no longer felt safe from Boko Haram attacks; today critics seat in the safety midwifed by Mr. President to lament about phantom security situations. They also conveniently skip the fact that the state sponsorship of terrorism by their patrons was responsible for Boko Haram's feral nature.
 
Secondly, the attempt by the Nigeria Intervention Movement to present itself as a surrogate for professor Yemi Osinbajo falls flat because it was glaring they are trying to create a schism in the government by creating the impression that the Vice President is sponsoring the group as part of a plot to usurp his boss. The same Professor Osinbajo they are trying to cast as their preferred candidate has impressively defended President Buhari's sterling performance. If they had as much as listened to the Vice President they would have realized that there was no need to be asking the President to resign.
 
The assignment we have for those calling on Mr. President to resign is that they should go back in time to appreciate where we have been and where we are coming from as a nation. They would realize that we have collectively climbed out of the morass and dungeon that some people past had cast us into. That we have crept out of a pit unto rough grounds is no justification for trying to sink back into the pit because we miss the cushion effect of the debris at the bottom of that pit. What is needed is for us to dust ourselves up and progress to a better level. But some people are allergic to confronting this reality.
 
They have rather become desperate to destabilize the country so that they can continue getting easy money to the detriment of the larger population.
 
The desperation that could drive citizens to engage in this kind of destabilization agenda being implemented by the so called 3rd Force calls for deeper introspection on the part of that group's members and vigilance on the part of the rest of us. The path they are treading is a continuation of the politics of do or die; only that this time, as opposed to seeking the death of their perceived opponents they are willing to implement the demise of Nigeria if they cannot have their wish of resuming the pillaging of the country's finances.
 
It is therefore the responsibility of Nigerians to put the kind of characters behind the Nigeria Intervention Movement and 3rd Force where they belong. This is best achieved when citizens become the bulwark against their assault on President Muhammadu Buhari. This is why the Coalition for Nigeria Movement is asking Nigerians to condemn the activities of these kind of groups that want to feed fat from crises they created.
 
We urge President Buhari to stand strong and save the nation from the kind of collapse that the 3rd Force is working to bring upon us. We have seen Mr. President rescue the country from countless other disasters plotted by the patrons of the 3rd Force so we are confident that he can again put these people where they belong. If running for a second term in office will further address the challenges facing Nigeria, since we already see results from his almost three years in office, then we appeal to President Buhari to seek that second term in office. Nigerians will not allow Mr. President to deny the country of his leadership simply because some urchins think their corrupt lifestyles are being threatened.
 
The Nigerian civil society will no longer fold its arms to allow some selfish elements to dictate the future of our country in ways and manners that suit their selfish interests. It is a crime for good men of conscience to keep quiet in the face of the kind of danger that dissident elements in the 3rd Force want to expose Nigeria to.

Mustapha Lamido and 2019 Jigawa Central Senatorial Contest

By Mustapha Umar

When I first heard that there is a young man in Jigawa State aspiring to become a senator of the federal Republic of Nigeria, I paused for a while to ask if it is just another case of a visionless advocacy for an unprepared youth to  take charge of the mantle of leadership in this our beloved country or a rare case of a youth with a vision and passion for rescuing the long forgotten masses of Jigawa central senatorial district.

The answer to this I believe is, or  should be of great importance to the people of Jigawa Central Senatorial district, because ordinarily it ought to be the basis upon which they should give their mandate. To this effect, I tried to see if I can provide answer to the above question. My desire to answer this question compelled me to raise questions like; who is he? What are his antecedents? What has he achieved so far ? How tall does he stand academically? How much does he know of the real need fo his people? What practical blueprint does he have to turn thei fortunes around, economically, socially, educationally and politically, among others?

Mustapha Sule Lamido (Santuraki)  is the son of one time foreign affairs minister and immediate past Jigawa State governor). So does he need an introduction?

By law, he has like any other politicians met the requisite constitutional demand in terms of age, educationsl qualification and where he comes from among others to be a senator of the federal republic of Nigeria. Until he appeared on the staring block of the race, the young man maintain a very quiet life. He is not the talking type, but, he is compassionate, humble and generous, some rare qualities lacking in our today’s leaders.

Knowledge and education are two basic requisites among others for an effective and successful leadership.  Clarence B. Randall in his book Making Good In Management wrote: “a leader must know, must know that he knows and must be able to make it abundantly clear to those around him that he knows.”  He went further to say, if a leader does not know, he cannot guide his followers. On this, MSL is eminently qualified as he is a graduate of BSc Political Science, with Masters in International Relations (Msc) and Master of Philosophy (Mphil). He is Ph.D holder.

He is smart, brilliant with a photographic memory. He was once once described by a renowned   professor of political science (Ka’oje) of ABU Zaria as “precise, incisive and well-articulated." He has got oratory prowess reminiscences of the great Martin Luther King Jr.

What is more promising and interesting in the heart of Mustapha Lamido is his nationalism and the belief in made-in-Nigerian products. He believes that as Nigerians we all have a duty and obligation to patronize anything positive about and on Nigeria. This has been demonstrated in his believe in the Nigerian educational system. In other words, despite Mustapha Lamido’s wealthy background, he chose to pursue all his degrees here in Nigeria. To cut it short, MSL never studied abroad.  Lamido junior said NO to this unwholesome practice and show-off trend!  He said if we run away from the country’s educational system, how then will they know the problems of the sector let alone find the right solutions?

Secondly, Mustapha Lamido never schooled abroad because he believes that schooling together with the less privilege members of the society will offer him the opportunity to stay with the poor, mingle with the poor, have a direct contact to them, all with the overall aim of understanding their predicaments and provide them with not only a sense of belonging, but also with a helping hand.

To everyone who knows Santurakin Dutse or is privileged to stay with him, his generosity cannot be equalled. His hand is always reaching into his pocket to give, donate and assist people generously. His priority in life is to always help the helpless, voice the feelings of the voiceless and above all defend the defenseless citizens. He believes that God has blessed him in order to help others. To this effect, Lamido Junior gives out to both young and old, men and women, healthy and sick, able and disable, families and schools, prisons and hospitals etc. It is to his credit that he single handedly equipped university libraries with some of the most advance and modern books of the 21st century.

Santuraki had time without number served as a messiah to his alma mater through the construction and renovation of the school hostels and classrooms. This is just the tip of the ice berg, not talking of giving out to the cause of his creature and sustainer i.e construction and renovation of mosques which he considers as the most vital essence of his existence in this world.

The above good characters, manners and qualities of Mustapha Sule Lamido (Santurakin Dutse, Bsc., Msc, Mphil) together with numerous other ones which will be disclose in the next edition are some of the things that compelled me to pick my pen to disclose some of this Gentleman’s virtues in order to enable people of Jigawa central have an informed and right choice by giving him a chance to represent them in the Nigerian Senate come 2019.

It is my humble belief that if an individual can use his own resources to give so much as these to his people and community, without holding any public office, then what about when he is in the position of a Senator ?

UMAR writes from ABU Zaria.

Dapchi: Yobe Govt And The Rest Of Us

By Idoko Ainoko

The abduction of over 90 girls in a secondary school in Dapchi, Yobe State, is unfortunate.

More embarrassing however, is the bid by the Yobe State Government to try shrug blame off its shoulder to blame another by saying it is the withdrawal of the military from the area that was responsible for the incident.

The explanation does not just add up because the more the state government tries to point its fingers elsewhere, the more the rest of the four fingers are asking it to do a little bit of self-examination.

By saying the abduction occurred because the military withdrew troops from the area is like playing a broken record which sends out some fuzzy sound but fails to strike a rhythm.

For a governor who continues to receive security votes, this is counter intuitive as it portrays him as a political office holder who does not know the demands of the office he occupies or what the votes are meant for.

For a state that has been under threats of terrorists for several years and which was only liberated through concerted military actions, it defies logic that at the slightest chance of security breach, the governor would try to impugn on the role the military has played in securing lives and property in Yobe and other states.

For the avoidance of doubt, the military in the current administration, has done a lot for which the Yobe State Government should be grateful for.

Before the current administration, the insurgents have captured as much as three local governments in Yobe and have made one of them a base from where they from to time enter into the state capital of Damaturu to unleash mayhem; so much so that it became unsafe for even the governor to stay in the state capital.

The height of this threat was the takeover of the Government House by the insurgents in one of such attacks until they were flushed out by the combined military operation at the place.

The military has several times engaged insurgents in fierce fights in the past in both Damaturu and other towns in Yobe and has succeeded in driving them away to the relief of residents.

Through strategies and continuous actions, the military has weakened their base, scattered their lot, destroyed their weapons and captured their commandants.

The liberation of territories by troops has made it possible for the state government to conduct its business under a peaceful atmosphere and carry out some projects which wouldn't have been possible if not for the sacrifice of the military.

What happened in Dapchi as unfortunate as it was, could be said to be more due to the pampered disposition of the authorities in Yobe and its inability to appreciate the fact a lot lies with them in securing its citizens and that the task of effective security cannot be outsourced wholesale to a federal agency as the immediate communities have relevant roles to play.

Much as the military can be called upon to intervene in terms of crisis, the prevention of such incidence lies with the political and civil authorities.

It is common knowledge in military operations that when a troop enters and frees a territory, what remains is for the civil authority to mobilize and organize the place to ensure a return to normalcy and forstall a likely breach.

These are achieved through actions such as monitoring and constant assessment of the situation using the police and other security agencies, coordination of intelligence gathering and data as well as instituting framework to sustain the peace.

But with the benefit of hindsight, it appears the Yobe State Government did none of that but was waiting for the military to mount a 24|7 sentry which is not possible given the number of places that require military presence in the face of security challenges in the country.
The Yobe State Government knowing fully well that the dregs of the insurgents still abound, should not have allowed a concentration of school girls at a place without adequately making security arrangements.

Aside that, since the issue of the terrorists has become a recurring decimal in that axis, one would have expected that a security buffer should have been stationed for quick mobilization whenever there is an unforeseen attack.

But is seems the Yobe State Government only wants to be pampered while it glosses over its own responsibilities.

But the time for trading blame has passed, what is required now is for genuine commitment towards rescuing the girls and this is where the full cooperation of the government and the people of Yobe is needed.

As this is going on efforts must be made to secure other places using intelligence and civil order because there is no way the military can be in all the communities in Yobe all year round.

Ainoko is a public affairs analyst and contributed this piece from Kaduna.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) said it has invited Chief of Staff to Governor Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo of Gombe State, Alhaji Ahmed Yayari, for questioning over alleged complicity involving the handling of the 2015 PDP campaign funds.

Head of Operations of the EFCC Gombe zonal office, Johnson Babalola, disclosed this to Daily Sun via a phone chat, on Friday.

Babalola confirmed that Yayari was invited to the office of the anti-graft agency as part of investigations into alleged fraud involving the 2015 campaign funds.

“Yes, we invited Yayari among others to our office. We are still investigating the matter,” he said.

He added that the agency would prosecute anyone found wanting once investigations are concluded.

SOURCE: SUN NEWSONLINE

Exercise 'Cat Race' Yielding Positive Results, Says Middle Belt Group

The ongoing military exercise across Benue, Kogi, Nasarawa, Adamawa and Taraba states has started yielding positive results in no small time, a group identified as Middle Belt Patriotic Assembly has said.
 
This was disclosed at a press conference in Lafia, the Nasarawa State Capital on Wednesday by the group's coordinator, Comrade- Omenge Frederick at a press conference to evaluate the exercise that was recently launched by the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General TY Buratai to tackle the menace of herdsmen /Farmers   clashes,  banditry and cattle rustling across the states .
 
The group however noted that while the army is making concerted efforts to rid the region of criminal elements , some politicians are making attempts to drag the Army into politics which he said is beyond the scope of exercise AYEM  AKPATUMA.
 
According to Frederick, the Nigerian Army must continue to remain apolitical and true to its mandate at all times.
 
He urged individuals, especially the Governor of Benue States  to set a good example by not dragging the security agencies into the politics of anti-open grazing legislation.
 
According to him, all stakeholders must understand that the military as a national institution doesn’t yield to individual concerns of political actors but that which benefit the overall interest of the country.
 
He said,  "Whereas the Governor is free to make his statement anywhere in a democracy, the Middle Belt Patriotic Assembly considers the comments as a clear breach of the constitution and an attempt to drag the Nigerian Army into the politics surrounding issues between herdsmen/Farmers in the State.
 
"We therefore wish to warn  the Benue State Governor to spare the militrary of any interference in the internal affairs of the State whilst allowing the Army to concern itself strictly with the Exercise Cat Dance which was inaugurated to flush out criminal elements from the State.
 
"There is no doubt that the exercise is already yielding its desire goals as conceived by the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General TY Buratai and is being carried out by troops patriotically."
 
Frederick said after their assessment, it came to the conclusion that the military is doing a good job in Benue State and other parts of the country where “ Exercise Cat Race “ is currently taking place.
 
He said Nigerian Army exercise should be supported to achieve the desired goal which will be beneficial to the entire country, stressing that the Nigerian Army under Lieutenant General Buratai has remained apolitical and can do without political distractions.


https://www.vanguardngr.com/2018/02/948068/

Lamido’s Son Secures Release of 20 Prisoners In Jigawa

Mustapha Sule Lamido, son to the former Jigawa State Governor, Sule Lamido who is also the Santurakin Dutse has been described as an extraordinary human emancipator by some prisoners who regained their freedom after he paid their respective fines and got them released.

Santuraki who was in company of his friend, Aminu Wada Abubakar, Dokajin Dutse and other associates, were at the Jahun and Kiyawa prisons to secure the release of over 20 prisoners whose charges are lighter and couldn’t afford to pay for their respective fines and he donated materials like, mats, antimalaria and antibiotic drugs, soaps, Izal, uniforms and many more.

Speaking at the occasion, Mustapha said, despite being convicted for committing different offences, those behind bars need another chance to repent, have a meaningful and free life again as human beings.

“I therefore, call on all well-meaning individuals in the society and political office holders to inculcate the culture of liberating and saving human lives by putting smiles on the faces of the despondent and despaired people in the society. He equally, urged the beneficiaries of his kind gesture to totally change their habits, desist from committing any crime that will put them in trouble and be good ambassadors.

“We have countless meaningful ventures where you can engage in legally to earn a living while enjoying absolute freedom. I humbly appeal to everyone here to think of what to do when leaving here to avoid coming back again. Let this one serve as a deterrent to all of you," he added.

While thanking Santuraki for his kind gesture, on their separates remarks, the beneficiaries promised to change and live a moral life.

They described Santuraki as an extraordinary person that in spite of his busy schedules and other financial burdens, he remembered them and gave them a space to have freedom again. Our rich and politicians should emulate this gesture.

In another development, Mustapha Sule Lamido have consoled with the victims of the fire incident that razed many shops and consumed properties worth millions in the same Jahun where he promised to give them financial donation to reduce the effect of their lost.

Recall that, Santuraki had recently visited two IDP’s camps situated in Babaldu and Kiyawa where he made a donation of various gifts to the IDPs which include relief materials which include; grains, macaroni, indomea, spaghetti and condiments.

Coalition To Yobe Govt: Stop Playing Politics With Abducted Dapchi Girls

Frontline anti-terrorism campaigner, the Coalition Against Terrorism and Extremism, CATE, has condemned the recent comment by the Yobe State Government which blamed the recent abduction of School girls in Dapchi, Yobe State on the withdrawal of troops from the area.

National President of the group, Comrade Gabriel Onoja in a press statement said it is disingenuous of the Yobe State Government to try to blame the same institution that rescued the state from the grip of terrorism at the slightest instance saying it amounts to ingratitude to try and play politics with an issue as important as security.

The group said rather than acknowledge the tremendous contributions of the military in securing the state and even the Yobe Government House which at a time was overtaken by the insurgents, the Yobe State Government is trying to give the impression that it has no role to play on the provision of security and that whatever lapses that may have occurred falls squarely on the shoulders of the military.
The group said this is most unkind to an institution which has lost hundreds of its men and officers and whose personnel have sacrificed their comfort and that of their family to secure the state.

Onoja said it is on record that the military went into Yobe and other surrounding states and freed territories and local government hitherto captured by the insurgents and set many captives free and ensured that normalcy returned to several other communities.

He said the Yobe State Government and the civil authorities should have taken over from there to ensure security and enforcement of the law as there is no way the military can remain at a place continuously while its attention is needed in other areas that may be facing fresh threats.

The group said if the state and local government authorities as well as the police and other security agencies had moved to the communities to ensure law and order as well focus on intelligence gathering, the incident at Dapchi would not have occurred.

The group insisted that the successes of the Buhari’s administration on terrorism cannot easily be dwarfed by any individual or group of persons who may have sworn to make political capital from every situation irrespective of the pains and sorrows that may cause those involved.

The Coalition said attempts by some politicians to blame the Nigerian Army for withdrawal of troops from the area is most unfortunate and an attempt by some blind elements to downplay the achievements of the military despite glaring evidence.

“Those working for their pay masters for Nigeria to fail have seen another fault line in the abduction of ladies girls from DAPCHI to blame the security agencies and lower the moral of troops. This we must consciously reject to prove our humanity to the world that our love song for the military in recent times was not an act of sycophancy but rather borne out of genuine hearts

The group further warned that some stakeholders have jumped into conclusion even when no one has taken responsibly for this pure act of political sabotage to reduce the efforts of the administration.

CATE said whilst it’s unwise to jump into conclusion that Yobe politicians might be behind the abduction of the girls, it warned that Nigerians have never trusted any politician from the north-east as far as Boko Haram is concerned as they have refused to take any reasonable step in the past to address the Boko Haram issue as an ideology and fallout of a failed political set-up in the Nigeria.

The group therefore charged all Nigerians not to judge the war against Boko Haram with sentiments but clear reflection on the immediate past before 2015 and the current situation that has seen Boko Haram taking flight before our military.

Delta Guber: I Have No Ambition To Contest, Kachikwu Dismiss Rumours

Nigeria's Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Mr. Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu has refuted reports that he is warming up to contest the Delta State governorship seat in 2019.

Some online news portals reported a few days back that the Minister is nursing gubernatorial ambition ahead of 2019 general elections.

But the minister while speaking with newsmen in Abuja described the reports as 'fictitious, baseless and mischievous'saying not only do they not reflect his current thinking as a minister in one of the sensitive ministries in Nigeria but they do great disservice to the current efforts to fix the challenges in Nigeria's petroleum sector.

Kachikwu who was visibly angry about the reports said while answering questions from newsmen that the current administration is taking definite steps to ensure that the challenges which resulted in long queues at the fuel stations become history saying the bandying of spurious reports about a concocted ambition at this time is a serious disservice to the effort being made by government and one that the nation can do without at the moment.

Said the minister: "The enormity of the problems the current administration met on ground in the petroleum sector is one that requires a great deal of focus and commitment to tackle and by God's grace, we will get there.

"So we can do without some of these distractions that blow hot air and heat up the polity without addressing the immediate needs of the citizenry.

"At the moment we need to support Mr. President in his drive to reform the petroleum sector, so putting unnecessary pressure on those directly working with him will not only distract but could delay the process as given the enormity of the problems all hands must be on deck to achieve the kind of reform needed in the sector."

He called on well meaning Nigerians to support the federal government in its efforts to reform the petroleum sector in the country and desist from self serving claims that are insensitive to the current challenges and are aimed more at mischief making than achieving a common good.

The minister said as far as he is concerned, the so called ambition exists only in the figment of the imagination of those he described as "political jobbers" who he said are out to distract him from his current responsibilities as delegated to him by President Muhammadu Buhari.

The Minister insisted that he is fully committed to his duty of supervising the Buhari administration's ongoing reforms at the petroleum sector and helping the Nigerian President achieve his campaign promises to people.

He warned those behind the reports to leave him out of their local politics and urged them to seek their clientele elsewhere and allow him to concentrate more on his current national assignment in Abuja.

SK Usman And Footprints Of A Cultured Image Manager

By Angula Jessica

Those who have had the experience of superintending on the publicity profile of an institution like the Nigerian Army confess it is a herculean task, especially at times of multifarious local conflicts as currently obtainable in Nigeria. The frequency of incidents and their complexity combine to make the job difficult and stressful.

However, an Army communications guru, Brigadier General Sani Kukasheka Usman has travelled on this rough path for years unscathed. He knows the intricacies of Army public relations and plays the game with finesse and a confounding mastery. With him on the desk, the Nigerian Army won the battle against vile terrorism both on the battlefield and in the media.

War- time German publicist, Josef Goebbels believes that in managing the image of an institution like the Army, “…. One fundamental principle is borne in mind constantly - it must confine itself to a few points and repeat them over and over.” Brig, Gen. Usman dramatizes this perfection and deploys it for the maximum benefits of the Nigerian Army and the Nigerian people, while he served as the Director, Directorate of Army Public Relations (DAPR).

He played tutelage roles in Army Public Relations in several capacities and when he was finally elevated to the peak, he had no difficulties understanding the dynamics of his briefs. He has impressed everybody, and has disappointed none.

SK Usman fascinates his audience, as an officer who preferred to be expository, than combative; persuasive than antagonistic to the clients he is serving.

In him, one sees the portrait of a humble officer, a gentle rise and eventual ascendency to the pinnacle of top players in the media and Public Relations industry in Nigeria.

While in the Army, SK Usman from day-one was posted to the Headquarters 82 Division, Army Public Relations unit, Enugu. The passion to broaden his knowledge, pushed SK Usman into Bayero University, (BUK) Kano where he obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Mass Communication in 1991. His brilliant performance in the varsity made him an automatic prince of the Directorate of Army Public Relations (DAPR).

Thereafter, SK Usman went for his officer cadet training at the then Infantry Centre and School (ICS), Jaji and completed in 1993. He was posted to the Headquarters of the Directorate of Army of Public Relations (DAPR), Lagos.

He had barely settled down to business, when he was redeployed to the Depot, Nigerian Army and Nigerian Military School, Zaria as Army Public Relations Officer (APRO). And it marked the beginning of the years of fruitful journey as Army’s spokesman both in Nigeria and abroad, including serving as the Military Public Relations Officer (MPIO) at Nigerian Battalion 14 (NIBATT 14) under the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) and also, acting as MPIO to Nigerian Contingent/Sector West of that mission among others.

Brig. Gen. Usman went for his Post Graduate Studies in October 2010 and has attended numerous military and civil courses within and outside Nigeria. These include Basic Arabic Course at the Nigerian Army School of Education (NASE), Ilorin in 1994; the United States of America’s Department of Defence -organized seminar on “Military Communications with the Public in a Democratic Government” held in Abuja in 2001 and was feted with an award of Certificate of Excellence.

In 2002, he was at the prestigious Armed Forces Command and Staff College, Jaji for his Junior Staff Course. At UNAMSIL, he also attended the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) Programme on “Peacekeeping and International Conflict Resolution” 2003. He was also at the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre, Accra, Ghana in 2005 for “Media in Peace Operations Course.”

SK Usman also attended Estimate Process/Risk Management seminar held at the Nigerian Army College of Logistics, Lagos in 2006. In August 2010, he also attended the African Business School Johannesburg, South Africa, for a course on “Professionalizing Protocol, Information and Press Duties for Efficient and Effective Administration.”

He was at the Seminar on “Innovations for International Development: Linking Good Ideas with Good Intensions” at San Jose, Costa Rica in November 2010 as well as the United States of America based Peacekeeping Operations Training Institute (POTI) on ” Global Terrorism”, “Civil-Military Coordination” as well as “Principles and Guidelines for United Nations Peacekeeping.”

A man of boots and letters, SK Usman obtained a Master of Arts Degree in Media, Peace and Conflicts Studies in 2011, at the United Nations Mandated University for Peace, San Jose, Costa Rica. And in all these career training sojourns, he emerged with outstanding results.

But Usman is not yet satisfied with his quest for knowledge, as manifest in his current admission for the senior executive course 40 at the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies. So, he is relinquishing his cherished job of Army’s image maker, which he has handled dexterously over the years to Brigadier-General Jude Chukwu.

However, Brig. Gen. Usman was the mouthpiece of the Army at a time Nigeria was plagued by overt and covert acts of terrorism. Nigerians were placed on the cusp of distress, as terrorism raged.

From from Maiduguri, Yobe, Adamawa, Kaduna, Kano to Iddo and Kaura Namoda to Oloibiri and the forests of the Southeast, terrorism chained Nigerians and the Army came for a special rescue mission. But regressive forces fought back the Army mindlessly with bile, senseless and damaging publicity targeted to destroy the corporate image of the Army.

But SK Usman’s experience and mastery of the art of information management, defeated the pen detractors and satanic forces. Unarguably, his outings became the saving grace of these multiple internal operations of the Nigerian Army in an age of infectious consciousness and inquisitiveness.

As an officer who knows the nitty-gritty of his assignment, Brig. Gen Usman was appointed as Director, Directorate of Army Public Relations when he was a Colonel. He immediately, reorganized the directorate and elevated its operations to enviable heights. He made the gathering and dissemination of news about the operations of the Nigerian Army easy and accessible to all interested parties without reservations.

He never slacked in satisfying the desire of Nigerians to consistently access news of what transpires at the warfront. Even with the tremendous pressure from vibrant traditional and social media platforms, which were not confined by time, in making inquiries, he served them proficiently. His media engagements’ both on electronic and print media were insightful, analytical and illuminating.

Usman ensured he served the public with accurate information and was very polite, even in instances of deliberate provocation. He held back nothing, but could be quite fierce and firm in defending malicious plots to defame the reputation and integrity of the Nigerian Army. When he pens down anything, it is rich in depth and substance. And whenever he speaks, it charmingly redirected the senses of even the worse critics of the Army.

The Army’s image maker believed that propaganda does not win wars but the truth does. So, he ensured, Nigerians were served with accurate facts of happenings’ on the battlefield and timely. Both day and night, SK Usman, as his admirers fondly call him, would pick calls and respond to inquiries humbly and politely.

He chased the truth and dished out the truth. And each time he errs as it is natural with humanity, he would not hesitate to make corrections instantly. He was neither hesitant to retract a story nor shied away from setting the records straight where necessary. These are positive virtues of a rare gem in public relations.

But SK Usman left an indelible impression on the hearts of many in the profession by his splendid handling of emerging media trends in the counter-insurgency operations in Nigeria, particularly in the Northeast. When the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) and leader of the counter-insurgency operations in Nigeria realized, defeated Boko Haram terrorists and their agents shifted the battle from the warfront to cyberspace, SK Usman was handy to design counter-measures.

He was proactive, preempted and demolished terrorists’ bitter and false publicity with impressive mien. It never took him time to disarm the publicity machinery of Boko Haram terrorists and their faceless sympathizers’. He stands really iconic and will be remembered for his deep insights in countering terrorists’ media hype.

SK Usman had the conviction that to be an expert does not mean, knowing everything, all the times. He didn’t know it all, yet got the best results because he created a friendly environment for all to freely relate with him. This was possible because he partnered and created a warm synergy or working relationship with colleagues and institutions’.

Undoubtedly, SK Usman’s shadows in the media and Public Relations circles in Nigeria looms large. And to his deserved honour, Nigerians through various opinion polls, at different times rated SK Usman the best spokesperson of security agencies and organizations in Nigeria.

And quite honourably too, SK Usman has bagged multiple Honours and Awards to his credit. He, the recipient of Silver Jubilee Medal,(SJM) Forces Service Star (FSS), United Nations Medal for Peace at Freetown, Sierra Leone in 2003. He has a Certificate of Merit by Naeem Muslim Youth Organisation in Sierra Leone.

In the media world, SK Usman was awarded a Certificate of Merit for Radio Production from the Headquarters of UNAMSIL and Certificate of Appreciation from the United Nations Training Assistance Team (UNTAT) New York for his remarkable contribution to the success of first ever-Peacekeeping Course for Emerging Troops/ Police Contributing Countries to the United Nations in 2004.

He has the rare Chief of Army Staff’s Letter of Commendation and also, that of the Force Commander’s Letter for outstanding performance as CIMIC officer at UNMEE and the United Nations Medal for Peace. SK Usman has an award as best delegate for Excellent Performance at the Annual University for Peace Model United Nations Conference (UPMUNC 2011) as a member of its Security Council Committee among others.

He is also a proud recipient of General Operations Medal (GOM) and just recently, the Army Council awarded him with the prestigious River Niger Star (RNS) for gallantry.

Brig. Gen. Usman is a member of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), the prestigious regulatory body of PR managers generally adjudged as influencing public perception on many major national issues. It is a rare honour to be trained by an institution of this nature, which keeps regulatory control on members within the ambit of standard practices. Yet, SK Usman observed every ethical prescription and still flourished with on the job excellently.

The outgoing Army Public Relations officer is no doubt, leaving a big shoe for his successor, Brig. Gen. Jude Chukwu. His successor is by every nuance of assessment also a celebrity in the field of Public Relations .

Chukwu has a lot to do on sustaining the image of the Nigerian Army on the high pedestal raised by his predecessor. He must keep an eagle eye to discern biases on the public perception of the Army and set the agenda where possible in the interest of the Army. But most importantly, Chukwu should not fail to ensure that cyber urchins do not take the victory of the Nigerian people over terrorism for granted by engaging in destructive schemes unchallenged.

Again, SK’s humility is exceptional and his tenure as Director, Army Public Relations is epochal. Posterity will remember him as an Army image maker who noiselessly triumphed over the period of deliberate attempts to malign and stain the reputation of Nigeria Army, which has records of global recognition for its performance.

Angula is a public affairs commentator and contributed this piece from the United Kingdom.

Buratai: Walking Encyclopedia Of Military Strategies

By Esther Okpabi 
 
Nerve-cracking and heart-rending internal insurrections around Nigeria have pepped up anxieties, pains and sorrows. It has intensified tensions, fear and a frightening feeling of insecurity among the citizenry.  Nigeria had lived with this sickening bug and internal servitude for years.
 
President Muhammadu  Buhari was not just worried about this ugly trend, as a passive participant in government, but it was the reason he sought leadership serially to free Nigeria from these chains.  He has actually proved repeatedly that evil doers, detractors, violence-prone criminals can never hold Nigeria and Nigerians to ransom.
 
Therefore, Mr. President’s tightened his security architecture, sufficiently beefed it with crack officers, at all strata. And they have never disappointed the nation on any assigned assignment.
 
Topmost among President’s Buhari’s security henchmen is the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Lt. Gen. Tukur Yusufu Buratai.  His wittiness on security, imbibed through years of sustained orientation in military intelligence, compelled President Buhari to decorate  him leader of the counter-insurgency operations in Nigeria. An assignment he has used to diligently prove his mettle as a son of a World War 2 Legend.
 
The job of leading internal counter-insurgency operations in Nigeria may sound easy and simple to many ears. But it is indubitably very complex. The textures of insurrections in Nigeria itself are very complex. From terrorism,   ethno-religious crisis, armed banditry and cattle rustling, to herders/farmers clashes to violent separatists movements are in a reality hard nuts to crack.
 
And only a man of uncommon military ingenuity and wisdom, like  Buratai has been able to  effectively surmount these  national violent upheavals. He does it, without bruising the national spirit of cohesion or unity and still succeeding where some of his predecessors failed unapologetically.
 
So far, Gen. Buratai has played the game with splendor, leading troops to emerge from every special assignment/ engagement with Nigerians, much better than the preceding task. And today, Gen. Buratai has berthed in Benue state and launched another very significant operation dubbed, “Operation Ayem A Kpatema,”  ( translated in Tiv vernacular to mean, Cat Race).
 
The “Cat Race” is contrived to bury the rampaging ghosts of herders/farmers conflicts, armed militias, kidnapping, cattle rustling and other forms of armed banditry in the Middle Belt region.
 
It is unarguable that Gen. Buratai knows the nitty-gritty of military operations, leadership and civil/military relations.  All these talents are embedded in him, added to an amazing strength, manifest in his amazing workaholic tendencies.
 
He knows the art of the assorted brands of war and very familiar with it, like his fingertips. He defrays every task effortlessly.  That’s why in military circles, he is adorned as Nigeria’s modern- day military strategist and tactician, only in the mould of the likes of the famed Mao Tse of China, America’s Collin Luther Powell and even in Nigeria, what Gen. Aliyu Mohammed Gusau was to the international intelligence community.
 
The successes he has recorded in the dozen internal operations within Nigeria, in a span of two years loudly attest to these enviable credentials.  Yet, he keeps towering higher and pleasantly at every step he steps, in spite of his age.
 
Gen. Buratai’s latest operation is designed to cover Benue, Taraba, Kaduna, Kogi, Nasarawa, and Niger states.  At the launch of Operation Ayem A Kpatema (OpsAAK) at LGEA Primary school, Mbabegha, Gbajimba, Guma LGA  , the vintage  Gen. Buratai said; “We shall ensure full application of the rules of engagement . We shall not tolerate any act that will jeopardize the peace in this area. …  we are not targeting any ethnic or religious groups, we are targeting criminals.”
 
The utterances deflate any negative sentiments about its operations and projects a military committed to a rescue mission of a part of its country under bondage.  Therefore, stepping out of Benue Peoples House, Makurdi, where he paid a courtesy on State Governor Samuel Ortom, his gait, countenance,  and utterances depicted a leader  who  is constantly abreast with  the intricacies of any assignment he embarks upon.
 
Gen. Buratai exuded the personality of the Afro-American military strategist and diplomat, Gen. Collin Luther Powell.  No doubt that he endearingly reminds of Collin Powell’s philosophy,” which dictates that a “If a leader doesn't convey passion and intensity,  then there will be no passion and intensity within the organization and they'll start to fall down and get depressed.”
 
Much more,  Gen. Buratai’s portrait, now and always  strikes the image of the revered national and internationally respected retired Army General  and intelligence Chief, Gen. Aliyu Gusau jocularly  referred to as a “spy master, Gen. Gusau was courted home and abroad,  by  an array of the intelligence community for his exceptional adroitness and competencies in performing and delivering positive results on impossible assignments.
 
Gusau held several sensitive intelligence positions in Nigeria, serving four Presidents, spanning over two decades of his active service to the extent, he earned the epaulet of protector of the state. Both within and outside Nigeria, Gen. Gusau was feted with rare recognitions, honours and awards. It runs from  the  Republic of Korea, Germany, to  South Africa and Ethiopia, Gen. Gusau was celebrated with these countries highest honours.
 
The current Army Chief has seamlessly stepped into this hall of fame in military circles within  Nigeria and the international community, Gen. Buratai’s performances have bulldozed him into an international figure for defeating the obstinate terrorism in Nigeria. He is a silent hero, but worshipped for quietly dissolving the venom of other emerging acts of terrorism and insurrections to lubricate the cord of peace, unity and progress in Nigeria.
 
The Republic of Brazil could not hold its breath and awarded this rare gem with its highest military honour. Profound accolades have continued to resonate from world leaders and countries on Nigeria for its nifty handling of Boko Haram terrorism.  Buratai is just the unsung hero in many of such instances.
 
What everybody must acquaint himself is that Gen. Buratai’s  fruitful outings in the multiple warfare around Nigeria is  not by happenstance, but a function of  his innate military strategies and tactics, laced in  hard work and dedication. Above all, he imbibes and religiously applies the “Powell Doctrine,”  in all instances of conflicts  to maximize success and minimize casualties in  all internal operations, exemplified by Powell’s  Operation Desert Storm in 1991 and others.
 
Like Collin Powell, Gen. Buratai believes that   “A dream doesn't become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination and hard work.  Therefore, it was not unusual that  a week after he  told  his biological father goodbye , he moved to Benue to continue with work, by launching the Operation Ayem A Kpatema.  Some other lazy leaders would have taken a month’s break to mourn and especially, as Mr. President hold this assignment dear to his heart.
 
And true to his modus operandi,  the arrival of Gen. Buratai  and his troops in  Benue state alone  has changed the narrative ecstatically. Their mere presence, and shadows in some of the communities,  a few days ago, which have been flashpoints of violence,   all manner of violent  attacks have suddenly  vanished.  Yet, the master strategist and tactician is just commencing this special exercise in the region and as usual medical outreach to first win the minds of the people.
 
So, jubilation has taken over the nooks and crannies of Benue state and echoing beyond defiantly. A new dawn of fresh air of freedom has quaked in many villages, expressed in pubs, offices, village gatherings and social media.  The entrapped people are aware,  if the bandits can overpower regular security, especially, the Police,  its impossible with soldiers under Gen. Buratai.
 
Certainly, the die is certainly cast for the armed criminals and like the COAS reminded, soldiers would perform this assignment with absolute compliance with Rules of Engagement (ROE) and international best practices for which the Nigerian Army is famed in recent times.
 
Together,  Gen.  Buratai  and  Gov. Ortom, Benue’s   Chief Security officer would work harmoniously and assiduously to restore peace and order  in the troubled Benue and beyond. It’s an assurance that has never failed anywhere in Nigeria, where Gen. Buratai sets his foot.
 
The soldiers would release the cats against the nocturnal rats or criminals   in a race of restoration of sanity. And surely, the rats would certainly be trapped and holed for prosecution. Previous such operations under Buratai have ample testimonies of successes all over Nigeria.
 
Its important Nigerians must understand that Gen. Buratai’s creed and anthem is all about how to make Nigeria better on security, peace and progress.  So, without mincing words, Gen. Buratai by every nuance of assessment, remains the best and finest military strategist and tactician Nigeria has not seen for a long time.
 
Gen. Buratai deploys his natural military endowments to make Nigerians dwell in peace, security and respect for the sanctity of human life.   And  so, like Powell, Gen. Buratai,   “Never neglect details….”  and  believes,   “When everyone's mind is dulled or distracted the leader must be doubly vigilant.”
 
Okpabi wrote from the Dept. of Peace and Conflict Resolution, Nile University of Nigeria, Abuja.

Kperogi: Too Far Away from Truth

By Philip Agbese


The author of "Glocal English: The Changing Face and Forms of Nigerian English," Farouk Kperogi apparently overrates himself. He can lecture us on how not to abuse the English language with interference from our mother tongues. It is however wise that he draws the line at some point by not posing as a pseudo military analyst-cum strategist. Kperogi would be aided in making this right decision if he reminds himself that he is at best an exile, whose sense of relativity is warped by time, distance and sojourn in a foreign land.

This distorted perception is evident in his piece, "The Myth of Buhari’s Boko Haram Success”, in which he made it amply clear that he is as much part of the problem while posing as the solution. His account and narrative of events is calculated to boost the morale of Boko Haram terrorist and practically stopped short of exhorting them to lie low and resurge once the tenure of the present administration is over.

It is also most unfortunate that Kperogi is attempting to re-write and pervert history in the lifetime of the dramatis personae by tendering accounts that suit his desired mischief. Only such dark intentions would make him embark on revisionism by claiming that the Nigerian military still operated on a business as usual basis under the current leadership. He wrote that "fat cats in the military still exploit and feed fat on the misery of the foot soldiers" without being able to provide specifics so that Nigerians would know who to hold responsible for any failings that results from this alleged corruption. A genuine clamor for improvement in the situation, if truly needed, would have made it a point of duty to be brave in naming the "fat cats" and not trivialize a point as profound as corruption in the military with ambiguous generalization.

There is no point dwelling at length on Kperogi's obsession with President Muhammadu Buhari – it is up to him to recognize and accept that he needs therapy to overcome this particular crisis. He must however desist from luring others into the obsession that has become his nightmare. His claim that the president failed to symbolically impress with visits to the frontlines and IDPs' camps somehow gave an indication as to what hands are jerking his marionette.

It takes a supreme level of compromise to compare the present and immediate past administration in terms of the effectiveness with which the Boko Haram menace was (or is being) addressed. Under the Goodluck Jonathan era that Kperogi now idolizes, the terrorists would have by now been taking swims in the Atlantic Ocean considering the rate at which they were moving southwards. Perhaps the proceeds of Dasukigate procured some flight tickets and paid some bills to warrant a loss of perspective on the alarming scale displayed in the piece.

It must take such inducement to aver that that the degradation of Boko Haram has nothing to do with President Buhari's anti-terror moves. In making this false claim, the writer backed his assertion up with fallacies.
First, he claimed that our gallant troops "have never wavered in their bravery and persistence in spite of their prevailing untoward conditions" in spite of the president. One can only wonder if Kperogi was having his Trump moment at the time when these very persons took flight before terrorists because poor leadership. The inspiring leadership of the military chiefs that President Buhari appointed boosted morale to a point that the prediction of people like this writer amounted to naught. Boko Haram has been routed and sufficiently so.

He also claimed that "Boko Haram has been weakened by an enervatingly bitter and sanguinary internal schism". If Kperogi would be honest to himself for a single heartbeat then he will acknowledge that Boko Haram has never been monolithic but rather a band of multiple commands. None of these factions were however bold enough to challenge the Abaubakar Shekau leadership. It took the sever degradation of the sect by the Nigerian military for the Abu Musab al-Barnawi, relying on ISIS that was at its zenith then, to challenge Shekau and declare his faction.

The third claim by Kperogi bothers on irresponsible if not out rightly so. Only an intent to trigger ethno-religious strife could have made him claim that Boko Haram softened its attacks or allowed itself to defeated by the military because a Muslim with part-Kanuri ancestry is at the helms of affairs. In making this claim, Kperogi is no better than his acclaimed Stone Age friend with a PhD. At a time that even the illiterates are resolute on exploring factors that unite as opposed to those that divide us, someone with the international exposure claimed by Kperogi should not be rehashing the kind of hatred infused claims he made about ethno-religious loyalties, except of course that is what his sojourn in the United States has taught him.

With these points made, I will like to put Farouk Kperogi on notice that those of us that are "not fortunate" to have fled to other climes still have no other country to call home. We will appreciate that he does not give tacit support to terrorists whether out of ignorance, worldly inducement or a desire to be seen as belonging to the band of politically correct activists. He has been in the United States of America for long and probably no longer knows what the truth is and he is unaware that anyone who still doubts the defeat of Boko Haram certainly does not believe in this country.

Kperogi is welcome to correct my grammar and syntax but he definitely knows nothing about the realities of Nigeria to deliver a military thesis on whether Boko Haram has been defeated or not. He must therefore stay within his own depth because if he encourages Boko Haram to regroup, he would stay in relative safety in the US while leave I and millions of others to bear the brunt.


Agbese sent in this piece from Abuja.

Alleged Misconduct: PDP Suspends Elumelu, 5 Other Chieftains

The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Aniocha North Local Government Area of Delta State, has suspended indefinitely a former member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Ndudi Elumelu and five other stalwarts of the party.

In a statement, Sunday night signed by Julius Egoh, Secretary of the Party in Aniocha North, the suspension was sequel to acts of gross misconducts and indiscipline by party chieftains.

According to the statement, the suspended chieftains, whose actions were considered inimical to the peace and progress of the party in the area, are as follows: Hon. Ndudi Elumelu, Barr. Kress Njiokwuemeni, Hon. Chuks Oseme, Mr. Michael Osuoza, Chief Emma Eboh, and Mr. Kaikene Okolie.

The statement reads: “Arising from an enlarged Exco meeting of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Aniocha North Chapter, on Friday 16th February, 2018, at the Party’s Secretariat in Issele-Uku, the following under listed members of the party are hereby suspended indefinitely from the Party in the area: Hon. Ndudi Elumelu, Barr. Kress Njiokwuemeni, Hon. Chuks Oseme, Mr. Michael Osuoza, Chief Emma Eboh, and Mr. Kaikene Okolie.

“The decision was unanimously reached after taking a cursory look at the undisciplined and gross misconduct of the above persons, which are inimical to the peace and progress of the party in Aniocha North Local Government Area.

“The indefinite suspension of the above persons takes immediate effect from this day, 18th February, 2018, to act as deterrent to uncultured elements within the party, who may want to cause crisis at any given opportunity for personal interests.

“For the avoidance of doubts, the party in the area will no longer condone any form of indiscipline and unruly behaviour of some members, no matter their political status.”

Buhari's Degrading Of Boko Haram Justifies My Defection To APC – Ahmed Gulak

By Abu Duniya

A former aide to Ex- President Goodluck Jonathan, Ahmed Gulak has said that Buhari government’s “degrading of Boko Haram terrorists” was enough to justify his defection to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Gulak who hails from Adamawa State on Saturday officially decamped from the Peoples Democratic Party to the ruling party, APC.

The one time political adviser to former President Goodluck Jonathan, who also tried unsuccessfully to become PDP’s national chairman, said he was leading “42,000” people to the ruling APC.

He said they were “forced to leave PDP” by “impunity and lack of internal democracy”.

“Members of the PDP numbering 42,000 across the 21 local government areas including party executives have today wished to formally dump PDP and join APC officially.

‘’With this development, we formally bury PDP in Adamawa state,” he said.

“Though we are not like others, who kept decamping when their dreams and ambitions were not met.

“Constitutionally we have the right to leave and join any other party. Former President Obasanjo had earlier left PDP and tore his party membership card.

“So also former Vice President Atiku Abubakar; it could be recalled had first left PDP and joined AC that later metamorphosed to ACN. From ACN, Atiku returned back to PDP that he first left and before you know the former vice president again cross-carpeted to APC and now left to PDP again.

“So everyone has right to change if they feel disenchanted and we have made consultations with our people who asked us to move to APC.

Salihu Mustapha, APC North-East chairman, said the decamping was a result of the good work of the APC administration.

“All federal roads have been awarded for rehabilitation while some have reached concluding state of bidding for awarding by federal government,” said he.

Reacting, the state PDP chairman of the party, Tahir Shehu, said their defection would be a big relief to the PDP, saying, “most of them were lured by Governor Jibrilla Bindow for juicy position while others have skeleton in their cupboards, and they were afraid of EFCC’s hammer.”

Buhari's Degrading Of Boko Haram Justifies My Defection To APC – Ahmed Gulak

A former aide to Ex- President Goodluck Jonathan, Ahmed Gulak has said that Buhari government’s “degrading of Boko Haram terrorists” was enough to justify his defection to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Gulak who hails from Adamawa State on Saturday officially decamped from the Peoples Democratic Party to the ruling party, APC.

The one time political adviser to former President Goodluck Jonathan, who also tried unsuccessfully to become PDP’s national chairman, said he was leading “42,000” people to the ruling APC.

He said they were “forced to leave PDP” by “impunity and lack of internal democracy”.

“Members of the PDP numbering 42,000 across the 21 local government areas including party executives have today wished to formally dump PDP and join APC officially.

‘’With this development, we formally bury PDP in Adamawa state,” he said.

“Though we are not like others, who kept decamping when their dreams and ambitions were not met.

“Constitutionally we have the right to leave and join any other party. Former President Obasanjo had earlier left PDP and tore his party membership card.

“So also former Vice President Atiku Abubakar; it could be recalled had first left PDP and joined AC that later metamorphosed to ACN. From ACN, Atiku returned back to PDP that he first left and before you know the former vice president again cross-carpeted to APC and now left to PDP again.

“So everyone has right to change if they feel disenchanted and we have made consultations with our people who asked us to move to APC.

Salihu Mustapha, APC North-East chairman, said the decamping was a result of the good work of the APC administration.

“All federal roads have been awarded for rehabilitation while some have reached concluding state of bidding for awarding by federal government,” said he.

Reacting, the state PDP chairman of the party, Tahir Shehu, said their defection would be a big relief to the PDP, saying, “most of them were lured by Governor Jibrilla Bindow for juicy position while others have skeleton in their cupboards, and they were afraid of EFCC’s hammer.”

Mallam Yusufu Buratai: Tribute To A Veteran - By Gabriel Ikese

For all things under heavens, there is a time.  A time to be born and a time to die.  And in between is the time to live.  It is the wish of all mankind to live a worthy and accomplished live here on earth.  Sextus Propertius quote “that death is best which comes appropriately at a ripe age”.

Before the passing away of Mallam Yusufu Buratai on Friday February, 9, 2018, many Nigerians are oblivious of the fact that the deceased was a veteran of World War II.  The many tributes and eulogies on the life of Baba Buratai brought to the fore the great service he rendered to fatherland.

I never met him.  But he was a WWII veteran, and that’s how I can honestly say I knew this great man of valour.  Now I knew him because I knew his generation.  Theirs was the WWII generation, and if you knew one of them, you pretty much knew them all.  I say proudly, my grandfather was one of them.  They were the “Greatest Generation”. There were that and much more.

Mallam Buratai’s generation was shaped by harsh forces that succeeding generations have escaped.  They escaped, not by omission, but through selfless efforts to bequeath a better nation.  When the call for service beckons, Baba  Buratai did not hesitate.  He joined the West African Frontier Force and was relied upon to save the world.  But more importantly, Buratai and his collegues were willing to serve and willing to sacrifice.

Although Elder Buratai succumbed to the call of Allah (SWT), the most merciful, he left an indelible mark in the annals of our history.  One valuable lesson we can learn from him is the SACRIFICE.  We will never forget  that he readily gave his tomorrow for us to enjoy peaceful co-existence in Nigeria and the world at large.  He was 18 when he joined the military and subsequently deployed to fight in Burma.  His courage never failed.  He soldier on gallantly and conquered .

When Baba Buratai demobilized from the military, he went back to civilian life and did great things for our country.  The thing that amazes me about these WWII veterans is how after achieving the greatest and most accomplishment in the course of human history, they returned home and settled into lives that were so ordinary and unassuming.

Baba Buratai joined the services of escorting ships from Lagos to Cotonou and Cape Town in South Africa.  As a ship crew, he was committed and did his job so diligently and most humbly.  You will never know he had commanded proceedings at battle fronts in foreign land.

Mallam Buratai retired into community service.  He rededicated his life to the service of humanity.  He is an embodiment of wisdom.  His counsels and advice are always apt.  His kinsmen testified to his greatness.  They said he was a jolly good fellow full of fun and laughter.  Education, he had not, but what he learned he never forgot.

Baba is a great philanthropist who championed the cause of the underprivileged.  Out of the abundance of the heart, he gave generously to widows and the poor in the society.  He contributed immensely to the development and upliftment of his  community and humanity.

Baba Buratai trained his children to be God fearing, law abiding, humble and above all, truthful in life.  He encouraged them to be hardworking and always look up to Allah (SWT) in times of trial and temptations.

A Lion  will always beget a Lion.  Mallam Yusufu Buratai passed on to glory, but left us a gem of an inestimable value.  A Gentleman Officer, the Peoples’ General and erudite Commander – Lt.Gen. Tukur Yusufu  Buratai, Nigeria’s Chief of Army Staff (COAS).  He is a brave General who has become the nemesis of Boko Haram terrorists and Shekau’s nightmare.

Gen. Buratai took over command of the Nigerian Army at a time troops morale was extremely low.  At a period the Nigeria Army that was hitherto a dominant force in Africa was at the verge of being demystified.  At a time the leadership of the Army seems clueless and the gallantry of troops was a fleeting illusion.

Muhammadu Buhari, our amiable President, on assumption of office, trained his eyes on the way of Gen. Buratai.  PMB, himself, an experienced  military  tactician and hero of the Civil war, appointed the best of the best.  An Officer that could liberate the army from the grip of ineptitude.  Gen. Buratai came to the rescue and he did not disappoint his admirers and troops .

He calibrated the army formations and unit commanders and remolded the army into a formidable fighting force.  He led troops from the front and took the battle to the stronghold of the terrorists.  And in record time, camp zero in the dreaded sambisa forest fell like a pack of cards.  The terrorists were decimated and Shekau is faced with the reality of a total defeat.

For Gen. Buratai, the conventional knowledge of warfare could not have sufficed.  He garnered valuable experience from his father that guided most of his decisions.  An experience you never can find even at the war college.  And today, Buratai’s reputation precedes him.

Mallam Yusufu Buratai’s remain was lowered to mother earth on Friday February 9, 2018.  A grateful nation mourns you.  We thank you for the valuable services to country and humanity.  We owe it to you and the “Greatest Generation” to make sure your accomplishments are never forgotten.   And we owe it to you to order our lives to make us worthy of your legacy – whatever it takes.

A good man, like a candle, must keep cool and burn to light the way for others to see.  May the light you have lite continue to blaze on.  Adieu Baba Yusuf Buratai.

Ikese is a public affairs analyst.

Mallam Yusufu Buratai: A Tribute to A Veteran

By Gabriel Ikese

For all things under heavens, there is a time.  A time to be born and a time to die.  And in between is the time to live.  It is the wish of all mankind to live a worthy and accomplished live here on earth.  Sextus Propertius quote “that death is best which comes appropriately at a ripe age”.

Before the passing away of Mallam Yusufu Buratai on Friday February, 9, 2018, many Nigerians are oblivious of the fact that the deceased was a veteran of World War II.  The many tributes and eulogies on the life of Baba Buratai brought to the fore the great service he rendered to fatherland.

I never met him.  But he was a WWII veteran, and that’s how I can honestly say I knew this great man of valour.  Now I knew him because I knew his generation.  Theirs was the WWII generation, and if you knew one of them, you pretty much knew them all.  I say proudly, my grandfather was one of them.  They were the “Greatest Generation”. There were that and much more.

Mallam Buratai’s generation was shaped by harsh forces that succeeding generations have escaped.  They escaped, not by omission, but through selfless efforts to bequeath a better nation.  When the call for service beckons, Baba  Buratai did not hesitate.  He joined the West African Frontier Force and was relied upon to save the world.  But more importantly, Buratai and his collegues were willing to serve and willing to sacrifice.

Although Elder Buratai succumbed to the call of Allah (SWT), the most merciful, he left an indelible mark in the annals of our history.  One valuable lesson we can learn from him is the SACRIFICE.  We will never forget  that he readily gave his tomorrow for us to enjoy peaceful co-existence in Nigeria and the world at large.  He was 18 when he joined the military and subsequently deployed to fight in Burma.  His courage never failed.  He soldier on gallantly and conquered .

When Baba Buratai demobilized from the military, he went back to civilian life and did great things for our country.  The thing that amazes me about these WWII veterans is how after achieving the greatest and most accomplishment in the course of human history, they returned home and settled into lives that were so ordinary and unassuming.

Baba Buratai joined the services of escorting ships from Lagos to Cotonou and Cape Town in South Africa.  As a ship crew, he was committed and did his job so diligently and most humbly.  You will never know he had commanded proceedings at battle fronts in foreign land.

Mallam Buratai retired into community service.  He rededicated his life to the service of humanity.  He is an embodiment of wisdom.  His counsels and advice are always apt.  His kinsmen testified to his greatness.  They said he was a jolly good fellow full of fun and laughter.  Education, he had not, but what he learned he never forgot.

Baba is a great philanthropist who championed the cause of the underprivileged.  Out of the abundance of the heart, he gave generously to widows and the poor in the society.  He contributed immensely to the development and upliftment of his  community and humanity.

Baba Buratai trained his children to be God fearing, law abiding, humble and above all, truthful in life.  He encouraged them to be hardworking and always look up to Allah (SWT) in times of trial and temptations.

A Lion  will always beget a Lion.  Mallam Yusufu Buratai passed on to glory, but left us a gem of an inestimable value.  A Gentleman Officer, the Peoples’ General and erudite Commander – Lt.Gen. Tukur Yusufu  Buratai, Nigeria’s Chief of Army Staff (COAS).  He is a brave General who has become the nemesis of Boko Haram terrorists and Shekau’s nightmare.

Gen. Buratai took over command of the Nigerian Army at a time troops morale was extremely low.  At a period the Nigeria Army that was hitherto a dominant force in Africa was at the verge of being demystified.  At a time the leadership of the Army seems clueless and the gallantry of troops was a fleeting illusion.

Muhammadu Buhari, our amiable President, on assumption of office, trained his eyes on the way of Gen. Buratai.  PMB, himself, an experienced  military  tactician and hero of the Civil war, appointed the best of the best.  An Officer that could liberate the army from the grip of ineptitude.  Gen. Buratai came to the rescue and he did not disappoint his admirers and troops .

He calibrated the army formations and unit commanders and remolded the army into a formidable fighting force.  He led troops from the front and took the battle to the stronghold of the terrorists.  And in record time, camp zero in the dreaded sambisa forest fell like a pack of cards.  The terrorists were decimated and Shekau is faced with the reality of a total defeat.

For Gen. Buratai, the conventional knowledge of warfare could not have sufficed.  He garnered valuable experience from his father that guided most of his decisions.  An experience you never can find even at the war college.  And today, Buratai’s reputation precedes him.

Mallam Yusufu Buratai’s remain was lowered to mother earth on Friday February 9, 2018.  A grateful nation mourns you.  We thank you for the valuable services to country and humanity.  We owe it to you and the “Greatest Generation” to make sure your accomplishments are never forgotten.   And we owe it to you to order our lives to make us worthy of your legacy – whatever it takes.

A good man, like a candle, must keep cool and burn to light the way for others to see.  May the light you have lite continue to blaze on.  Adieu Baba Yusuf Buratai.


Ikese is a public affairs analyst.