₦airaland Forum

Oops. Here: premiumtimesng.com/news/118844-nigeria-falters-in-troops-deployment-to-mali-as-food-shortage-poor-logistics-hamper-operation.html

This is absolutely embarassing, plus it's a recipe for mutiny.
When are these 'big men' going to stop this unrelenting assault on the image of this country??
Rot everywhere.

While French, Chad and other forces chase
terrorists out of Mali, Nigeria is yet to send 20
per cent of its pledge.

The deployment of Nigerian soldiers as part of the
Africa-led International Support Mission to Mali
(AFISMA) is turning out to be a complete charade as army authorities and the Ministry of Defence are
having a hard time coping with basic logistics such
as provision of the right uniforms, food, and proper
transportation for troops, PREMIUM TIMES has learnt.

Morale is said to be at the lowest ebb among the first batch of 160 soldiers led by Colonel Gagariga already in Mali as they have resorted to skipping meals as their food provisions run out, military insiders have told this newspaper.

Last week, President Goodluck Jonathan said the
Federal Government has spent $34 million (N5.1
billion) on the deployment of 1200 troops to the
troubled West African country and pledged a further $5 million (N750 million) in assistance.
But three weeks after the first batch of 160 soldiers
was sent to the Malian capital, Bamako, the army is
having a difficult time getting the remaining troops
combat ready.

Discontent is rapidly growing among the troops whobelieve that some highly placed individuals in the army are siphoning logistics supports and provisions meant for them, defence sources told PREMIUM TIMES.

The Nigerian Army Peace Keeping Centre (NAPKC)
led by Major General, J.S Zaruwa could not provide
fatigues and proper transportation for troops, our
sources said.

Plagued by inadequate logistical support and
managerial inefficiency, 800 soldiers from the 81
battalion in Ibadan and 280 from the 333 Artillery
Regiment, after completing preliminary training for
the Malian mission, have been rendered redundant at the NAPKC in Kachia, Kaduna.
“We are just at the NAPKC doing nothing,” a troop
member said.

Even as French troops and soldiers from Niger, Chad and Burkina Faso enter Kidal, the last known
stronghold of the Al Qaeda-linked Islamists, neither
the army authorities nor the Ministry of Defence
know when the bulk of Nigerian soldiers will be in
Mali.

The new army spokesperson, Brigadier Ibrahim
Atahiru, said in a telephone interview that “they will be deployed very soon.”

Director for Defence Information, Brigadier General
Mohammed Yerima, who refused to speak about the
training and readiness of troops, said the ministry
only becomes responsible for the soldiers after they
(soldiers) have been handed over for deployment.
“At present there are 162 soldiers in Mali. We will
deploy more as soon as they are handed over to us,” he said.

This contradicts reports by some newspapers (not
PREMIUM TIMES) credited to an officer in the office of the Director for Defence Information, Wabi
Mohammed, that 768 troops have been deployed to
Mali.

#Putting Soldiers in harm’s way#
In the early hours of January 19, a convoy of Mali-bound soldiers on its way to Kaduna for pre-deployment training was ambushed allegedly by a breakaway faction of Boko Haram, Jama’atu Ansarul Muslimina Fi Biladis-Sudan (JAMBS) in Okene, Kogi State. Two soldiers lost their lives and five others
were seriously injured. They were unnecessary casualties.

The lives of the soldiers would have been saved if the army had been faithful to the original plan of
conveying the soldiers by air, officials said.
Another defence source, who asked not to be named, suggested that some army top brass cornered the funds provided to airlift the soldiers.
“The boys are being moved by vehicle from Ibadan to Kaduna for training against the flight proposals made for them,” the source said.

Our source also said that the NAPKC, which is in
charge of getting the troops ready for the mission,
has refused to provide uniforms meant to be used
during training and no explanation has been given
for this.

According to our source, there is widespread
discontent among the troops stationed at NAPKC as a result of neglect and inadequate provisions.
“The boys back home are not very happy as they are not adequately taken care of at the NAPKC,” he said.

PREMIUM TIMES further learnt that there are plans tomove the soldiers for further “mission specific
training” in Sokoto. The training is expected to last
for six weeks. But our source said the army is just buying time until logistics becomes available.

“There is a little confusion among the top brass. We
have only 157 already in Mali but due to logistics
requirement they are trying to delay others by way oftraining,” he said.

#Starving troops#
Not sure when the next round of supplies will be
provided, a top brass in the military reportedly told
the 160 soldiers already in Mali that they have to
make do with the supplies they have for three
months instead of the one month it was originally
planned to last.

The company has now resorted to skipping meals in
order not to completely run out of provisions. The
draught of provision has been worsened by the fact
that the army has only earmarked one C-130 NAF
plane to convey both men and provision to Mali.

“Food is a problem in Mali. They intended for one
month but they ask them to use it for 3 months so
they eat just two imbalanced meals a day,” our
source said. “They are suffering and their morale is
low somehow.”

Last week, pictures of Nigerian soldiers clearing a
space with cutlasses to cook in the open air were
posted on social media. PREMIUM TIMES cannot
confirm the authenticity of the pictures. However, Mr. Yerima said the soldiers are expected to prepare their own food themselves.
“Do you want them to be poisoned?” he asked. “So
you want them to go and eat in a restaurant and be
poisoned.”

Mr. Yerima also denied that the soldiers in Mali are
not taken care of. “That’s not true. Don’t cheapen your organisation.
They have moved to their new location and they are
doing perfectly well. They have moved about 150
kilometres away from Bamako towards Gao. They are now engaged in actual combat,” he said.

#An over stretched army#
According to our defence sources, it is almost
impossible for the army to meet its pledge of 1200
troops to Mali.

The Boko Haram insurgency, the unrest in the Niger
Delta and the country’s commitment to the African
Union mission in Darfur, Sudan, have over-stretched the Nigerian Army, they said.

“We are just pretending to the international
community,” one of our sources, a top officer said.
“We don’t have the capability in view of our
commitments back home.

Israelmossaic: Twitter Mallam peddles falsehood. I don't know what he intends to achieve by publishing a book that many are claiming to be frauded with fake stories. I see the venue of the launch tomorrow being empty.

What do you expect of thieves, paedophiles, h0mosexuals, murderers, and ritualists? Do you expect them to confirm revelations that don't portray them as saints when they still nurse unholy ambitions of returning to the public till and plunder all that was left behind after their first raid? Of course they would deploy every means at their disposal to rubish the contents of the book, but we know better don't we?
Rufai fire on jare. We r listening.

I'm avoiding anything with a bowler hat in 2015.

Next time when Nigerians go to the polls, they would cast their votes according to the dictates of their minds and not their hearts.

Who acts more like a politician? The curent leadership of CAN that goes about hobnobing with the biggest crooks and felons in the land or Tunde Bakere?

[quote author=Pizzanatty]I will stick 2 PDP because
1) slot issue: d so called Mega Party ar merging 4 dere own selfish interest nd nt 4 d good of d nation hence even d sloting stuff will b on d high side wit no hope 4 d average nigerian 2 get a job on merit.

COMPETITN WILL COS PDP 2 PERFORM EVEN BETA
2) D mega a create a sense of performance 2 d PDP accross d nation and dere will b more development 2 silence d opposition...
3) d Mega party will always hv issues among demselves (ego,pride etc will finish dem.... [/quote When you try to put a brain that has been dormant for a very long time (since 1999 I presume) to use immidiately u switch, it on without allowing it time to boot properlybrain has been dormant for a long time then, this ,my dear, is what you get..





@ topic: I'd go for anything that stands against pdp. Only a fool does thesame thing over and over and over again and expects diferent results.

Reporting me to management for what I didn't do. That was about a year ago. Only got to find out about a month ago that he was behind it. ENVY!

taharqa: Just watched the programme Now and am DISGUSTED at the extremely 'bad Journalism' that she put together in that short clip.

She gathered just 3 persons in Lagos and asked them to say something about their power supply, and all of them said that power had not increased and that they had not had light for 3 weeks!!! Those are the views of an average Nigerian, right? *smh*.

I stay in Benin and Power has improved on my end for many many months now except for some few times when there are National issues, like last Friday till Wednesday this week when we had a terrible supply probably cos of the new Benin-Onitsha Transmission Line repairs. THIS IS FACT.

Amanpour just behaved as badly as that other CNN presenter (the Kenya Guy- I have forgotten his name) who presented an extremely wrong programme on the Niger Delta crisis some years ago, and just like this programme also gathered FAKE persons to conduct his interviews. Nigeria protested, He was SACKED and that ended his International career. She ought to know better.

Shatap there!! U and ur paymasters should be thankful for her modesty. Had she interviewed more pple, the virdict wldave been more damning! Besides, was it not the Dumbotard himself that sed Amanpour shld rather 'meet ANY ORDINARY Nigerian in the streets of Lagos or Abuja to find out the truth about the power situation'? Now she has and u guys want her to interview every man, woman and living creature to get a fair virdict. Smh. The most anoying part of that interview is when the Dumbotard asked that the US inteligeance agencies should 'FIlTER THE TRUTH'!!! What manner of retarrd is dis guy??

strangest: SEUN please hire El-Rufai... make im dey monitor scammers here on NL... He needs a job

I don't think any sound mind would make jokes about the issues raised in that book.

Obj is an 'A' class Machiavellian! He observes every law of power to the letter. Cunning old fox. Who would've thought even in his wildest dreams that the man could concieve such a scheme? The world we live in is all about self preservation and interests. The only thing that gives them the shade they assume (either good or evil) is how one goes about achieving those goals. Indeed there are no parmanent friends nor foes.
Looking to learn more about the master of deciet and cunning.

thenationonlineng.net/new/news/2011-polls-obasanjo-wanted-buhari-okonjo-iweala-ticket-el-rufai/


Speachless...

Former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mallam Nasir el- Rufai, has alleged a plot by ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo to stop President Goodluck Jonathan from winning the 2011 election.

The alleged plot, according to El-Rufai in his memoirs The Accidental Public Servant, was based on the ex-President’s perception of Jonathan as a weak leader.

El-Rufai calls the scheme an “interesting move” to stop Jonathan.

Obasanjo’s preference, he says, was a joint ticket of General Muhammadu Buhari of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) and the Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.

Okonjo-Iweala also served in the Obasanjo government in the same capacity.

The book, which is due for public presentation this week in Abuja, has become a hot cake.

But for security reasons, its pre-launch circulation has been restricted to a select few.

The ex-Minister, who enjoyed the confidence of the former President and was one of his trusted aides, said of the alleged plot: “The period between 15th January and the deadline for submission of nominations by political parties to INEC had its own version of intrigues. Pastor Bakare had not immediately accepted the offer to be running mate, but the media was awash with speculations that Buhari had chosen him.

[b]“On 25th January, I was summoned by former President Olusegun Obasanjo to his hotel room at the Hilton for reasons he said were both urgent and important. On arrival, I exchanged pleasantries with Steven Oronsaye and Akin Osuntokun in the living room and we went straight into his bedroom.

“After greetings, Obasanjo asked if I was still in touch with Buhari. I replied that I was not directly but could reach him anytime I wished. He then asked that I resumed my role of emissary between the two of them and wished to know quickly if I could reach Buhari with a message. I responded that I could do so pretty quickly.

“Obasanjo then said that he concurred with my earlier belief that Jonathan would not make a competent President and that the best presidential candidate of the whole lot was Buhari.

“He expressed willingness to support Buhari and go public with it if CPC and Buhari are willing to consider his suggestions and implement them.

“Obasanjo suggested that I should convince Buhari to pick Ngozi as his running mate, enter immediately into an alliance with the ACN and ANPP, and then offer the Senate President’s position to the South-West to secure Tinubu’s support.”

The former Minister said Obasanjo offered to source for four wealthy Nigerians who could finance Buhari and CPC’s campaign.

El-Rufai added: “If Buhari agreed to these proposals, Obasanjo undertook to get three or four unnamed wealthy people to help with funding the CPC campaign, and Obasanjo would try bringing Labour Party to endorse the Buhari-Ngozi ticket.

“Obasanjo promised to resign from the chairmanship of the Board of Trustees of the PDP and announce his support for the ticket if it would be helpful. I took notes on the hotel notepaper and left, promising to report back the next day.

“It was fortuitous that both Buhari and Pastor Bakare were in Abuja, so along with Pastor Bakare we met Buhari and delivered Obasanjo’s message.

“Bakare, who until then was a reluctant running mate, saw the Obasanjo offer as good for CPC and Buhari and hoped it would free him from the burden that Buhari had imposed on him.

“He added that since Buhari had not yet officially announced his name as running mate, he would be happy to step aside for Ngozi. I was simply an emissary so I was silent, hoping that Buhari would accept so I would be free of my commitment to be at Bakare’s side!

“Buhari smiled and asked for my opinion as someone that knew Obasanjo pretty well. I told both of them that I thought Obasanjo was being honest in his recommendations as I would urge Buhari to take similar steps of merger with other parties and so on[/b]

“I doubted if Obasanjo would deliver on the monies promised and the resignation from the PDP Board of Trustees and did not even think the latter would help the CPC and GMB in anyway.

“I also added that Obasanjo’s faction of Ogun PDP had just lost all their tickets to contest the next elections and should this situation change, Obasanjo would renege on everything he had committed to. Obasanjo may also be making another strategic move of removing Bakare’s name from the ticket, in addition to responding to Jonathan’s failure to ensure that his faction got the ticket by hook or crook- something Jonathan simply refused to do, preferring to support the state governor, Gbenga Daniel and his faction.

“Buhari restated that he thought long and hard before deciding on Bakare and would not change his mind. However, we all agreed to continue to engage Obasanjo and encourage contacts with Ngozi while pushing to see real movement towards the financial and other political commitments made.

“The same evening I returned to Obasanjo to brief him. He was excited and promised to contact Ngozi, Labour Party, the ANPP leadership and a few wealthy benefactors.”

The ex-Minister also revealed how Obasanjo made a U-turn on Jonathan and threw his weight behind him regardless of his ‘weaknesses’.

He said: “Some days later on 1st February, I got a call from Prof. Julius Ihonvbere requesting a meeting to follow up on my discussions with Obasanjo and Buhari. We met in the 3G offices on 2nd February with Julius and Festus Odimegwu on the same subject.

“We exchanged information and updates on the political situation and ended with the question posed by Obasanjo to me and then to Julius and Festus- “How do we stop Jonathan from getting elected, and thereby saving the country from state failure?

“We discussed various steps but unanimously recognised that Obasanjo would abandon the plan as soon as his temporary disagreement with the Jonathan administration was resolved. Since we believed in what we were doing, we agreed to soldier on under whatever scenario.

“On 7th February, we all travelled to Abeokuta to meet with Obasanjo. Odimegwu and Julius had developed a clear roadmap about remedying the weaknesses in Buhari’s organization and campaign for Obasanjo to play his lead role in the anti-Jonathan effort.

“By then, a weird Federal High Court ruling had restored the tickets of Iyabo Obasanjo and other members of their faction in Ogun State. So true to form, Obasanjo simply back-tracked, rejected the roadmap he had asked us to prepare, and said we should now explore ways of “remedying Jonathan’s weaknesses” and supporting his candidature.

“His commitments to Buhari vanished that day, just as we all predicted on 25th January. It was a very depressing drive late at night to Lagos for the five of us-Prof. Julius Ihonvbere, Festus Odimegwu, and Prof. George Obiozor with Otunba Akingboye driving.

“We lamented Obasanjo’s consistency in putting his personal interest before that of the nation and agreed that never again will he get another opportunity to waste our time the way he just did.”

Abati was blind when he wrote this piece but now he has seen the light!!!
Sometyms I tell myself, there's nothing as transient as one's conviction and persuation.

The Judge was rendering a lullaby, why him no go sleep?

Gbawe: This is why some us hold that, fundamentally, the PDP has to go. No PDP President, since 1999, has shown an interest in the genuine reform of critical/transformational sectors that can turn around Nigeria drastically. We do not need to belabour the notion that a strong judiciary is needed to negate the lawlessness and "justice for sale" impunity now consuming and shaming Nigeria.

What then are Nigerian Presidents playing at, doing the opposite of what is required, deploying AGF/Minister of justice who are ultra-corrupt and morally bankrupt men like Aondoakaa and Adoke-Bello? Yet we all saw Yar Adua and GEJ, of their own free will, respectively go for those worthless and destructive characters while shunning the many distinguished and upright disciples of the law Nigeria parades. This is the biggest clue PDP Presidents are not dedicated to critical reform.

If you want to deliver reform you must seek out genuine reformers. The likes of Falana, Fawehinmi, Agbakoba et al were/are there. Some have gone to jail many times for Nigeria and stood up to the worst dictator our Nation has known. Yet successive PDP President shun those men to make corrupt crooks our AGF because those Presidents, self-destructively, are merely interested in immoral men who can help them continue the effort to make our judiciary a subjective tool that is institutionally weak and only capable of abetting the warped agenda of the rich and powerful in society.

"By their appointees ye shall know them". Simple as that. We are going nowhere when successive President shun brilliant, distinguished and fearless disciples of the law to empower crooks, mediocrities and cheap extortionists who will use the office of AGF/Minister of justice as a tool of massive self aggrandizement and an instrument with which to pervert and undermine justice.

Nigeria is indeed in a big mess!!! I saw one of those attorney generals @ a club last nyt acting like a taut with two policemen standing guard. It's a damn shame! I looked @ him and was like, heck, can't believe this was thesame man that caused the country sooo much problems! Lord have mercy. Indeed, these men are irrideemable perverts!

Black Peni5: If Anenih is not a corrupt politician, then my mother is a virgin.

Bros modern technology makes that possible. But truth be say apart from the face say him corupt, him face n name resemble thief own.

Where is Pius Ayim? Tell him his boss is about to 'humbly' spend 4Billion on a 'mission house'. God punish Jonathan and his 10th generation! May the first lady's surgical operation not be successful, amen.

I'm finding it difficult imagining that of Mother Theresa as a drawing, let alone believing it is! Which planet is this guy from?? The DaVinci of our time..

Just when you think you'v seen the worse from the Dumbotard, he deals you another uppercut! For pitty's sake, what the hell are the responsibilities of the MDAs??

dejustice: Guy! Try such comparison or joke with Islam and see what happens next.

That is why we are christians and not muslims. We tolerate and forgive!

Under Oritsejafor the reputation of CAN has hit rock bottom. I believe things can only get better after his exit or after Jonathan's exit. Since when did CAN start dabbling into issues as trivial as this? Besides, didn't the man apologise? God forbid!!

These drawings could give life to a dying man! Indescribably amazing!

What of them dangote and otedola, abi dem no dey use complimentary cards ni? I nor go blame dem if nobody post anyone sha. Our biggest boys dey hide dem things like say na cat sh(i)t..

Sorry, I don't mean to be a wet blanket but, what's 'mind blowing' about these pics??

nne3870: Do something you have never done before! It must not always be buying her gifts.
If you are a workholic, close early from work and may be go to the movies together. Spend quality time together outside the comfort of your house.(No intimacy pls)

Some guys believe is all about money and buying gifts but its way more than that. Visit an orphanage together and share love with the less previlege.
My one cent

See my problem with babes... Na you go bring the kpogri for all that trips ne?

Humble my butt! The retaard simply doesnt know how to apply power. So naiive and timid. The Amanpour inteview says it all. Nigeria deserves better.

Joey82: my own governor is known as the pig rearing governor.
SMH! of all things on earth to do, shey na pig we go dey chop?

i know that govnor. He's a notorious womanizer too.

I've always wondered how that dince managed to write a PhD thesis. How did he get around the 'results and discussion'?
Got the Amanpour inteview from a friend yestday and I couldn't believe Naija could be so unfortunate as to have a president that can't string a coherent sentence. Too godawful!

ayox2003: Op, where and how did he lambast GEJ? SMH

Uk's economy is on the decline. Their GDP is at -0.3% while ours is at 6.7%. So Cameron doesn't have any right to lambast our country.

If not for the mess they created, we should be at par with Singapore by now.


Frawzey

Always lookin to pass the buck! Lamantations of a sloth.

This ACN is begining to get on my nerves! 55 mill for gifts shey? Arnt there better things to do with such money?