₦airaland Forum

Someone said Bwala was a priest in his former life... because he raised the cup several times and gave thanks

Image123:
There was no humiliation here but opposition can stay happy on this thin joy.
His goal was clear, renewed hope. Mehdi was as custom stuck on Bwala's PDP past. Otherwise, Bwala represented well. If e pain you well, go court or wait for una usual election loss.

Lol. Whatever makes you sleep well at night, bro. You guys have a history of telling lies to yourselves anyways.

Image123:
There was no humiliation here but opposition can stay happy on this thin joy.
His goal was clear, renewed hope. Mehdi was as custom stuck on Bwala's PDP past. Otherwise, Bwala represented well. If e pain you well, go court or wait for una usual election loss.

See them!
Na the kind people way we dey talk about be this. Still defending rubbish.

AlphaTaikun:
Let me add more CLARITY here. This is not a trivial matter.

Just as I've ALWAYS stated in some of my posts in my 21 years of using this discussion forum as someone with a vast knowledge of global geopolitical dynamics and counter-terrorism, it's a FACT that these foreign Fula militia bandits invasion of Nigeria and the wider jihadi insurgency is of massive international dimensions with the Al-Qaeda affiliated JNIM in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger Republic posing bigger threats to Nigeria and the rest of the West African Sahelian countries. This is the reason why the former President Goodluck Jonathan sent Nigerian troops to Mali in January 2013 to assist the French troops and other West African forces to fight the JNIM jihadi group which is an Al-Qaeda affiliate. Jonathan CLEARLY stated that WITHOUT tackling JNIM in Mali, there WOULD be NO peace in Nigeria. The dude (Jonathan) was absolutely right BUT a lot of highly uninformed people come online and offline to make lame comments what they know nothing about thinking that jihadi insurgency can be ended with the snap of the fingers. That's NOT gonna work. You CLEARLY need international co-operation like Donald Trump's military team are doing with Nigeria right now and more advanced weapons are deployed to deal with the menace in the ENTIRE West African Sahel at once NOT just Nigeria alone.

^^^
I agree with your first line about this not being a trivial matter - because it most certainly isn't.

Yes you are right in your comments about the origin and nature of the threat to sub-regional and regional stability by Jihadist terror groups. Indeed you are right that this conflict will not be resolved with a snap of the fingers. Again, you are right that an international war effort across the entire region is the only sure way to win this war.

But the truth is that Nigeria's commitment to this war has been inconsistent. I also followed the activities of the JNIM when it was first formed years ago. It was very uncomfortable to hear the military commanders of our neighbours in the JNIM complaining loudly to foreign press men - that Nigeria was the weak link in the war effort. These complaints persisted for years. I think it was during the last few years of Idris Deby that the complaints became open accusations that Nigeria was becoming a safe haven for BHT - the story was that BHT would launch attacks from Nigeria, raid our neighbours and then retreat safely into Nigeria - without any action from Nigerian security forces.

Now...am I going to base my assessment of the Nigerian security response solely on the comments of commanders from neighbouring countries - operating in a multinational task force? Certainly not. More on that later.

AlphaTaikun:
Second, NO country has a FULL grip on national, regional and international insecurity yet after so many decades of this insidious war on terror... (NOT even the United States). The United States keeps bombing Al-Shaabab targets in Somalia and the jihadi gang keep growing. What was the use of all that bombing? You need sustainable military intelligence gathering and total takedown of the jihadis in a "shock and awe" war scenario. Enough of the pussyfooting by the United States.

Fortunately, the United States raised an alarm in 2024 stating that West Africa has become the BIGGEST operational base for jihadi groups worldwide NOT the Middle East! To achieve FULL success, the United States and her allies (including the countries plagued by the jihadis) MUST converge right now like what is going on with the United States and Israel vs. Iran War and deal with the cancerous growth. It's got to be a joint effort NOT demonizing anybody.

^^^
In a just, perfect world, there would be a well funded, well armed war international effort (as you pointed out earlier) to end Jihadi insurgency in the Sahel. But it isn't going to happen. At best, there'll be a few military 'advisers' from some of the great powers...and some military equipment to support the war effort. But that's it. The boots on the ground will have to come from West African countries.

Nobody is coming to save Nigeria. Nobody.

There are a lot (a whole lot!) of complex factors at play in the matter of Jihadi terrorism in West Africa. As you are no doubt aware, some of those you are calling upon to intervene in this Sahel problem once backed (or are still backing) these Jihadis in some shape or form. In the end, Nigeria must accept that she (and she alone) is ultimately responsible for her security. Nobody else. So...if her borders remain a porous sieve and her security men are still sleeping on the job or collecting bribes, she will pay a heavy price.

AlphaTaikun:
There's absolutely NO way any Nigerian President (from Obasanjo to Tinubu) can defeat these jihadis alone with the current state of weapons inventories because the jihadis all have common linkages as well using small drones in combat operations. You need advanced weapons such as attack drones, surveillance drones, satellite tracking technologies, etc. You need a wider military cooperation to tame the insidious monster which (especially the United States) and some of her Western allies directly and indirectly triggered and unleashed on mankind due to the "Cold War" era with the former Soviet Union.

^^^
You seem to hint the US and her friends should feel some remorse for being responsible for the scourge of global Jihadi terrorism today. Well...they don't care one bit. They are driven by national interest (as defined by their power elite) and national interest alone.

The US and her allies don't care if Nigeria has only a couple of Mark IV rifles in her entire armoury - to combat hundreds of thousands of well armed Jihadis. If it is in US national security interests that those rifles are all we should have, then that is what will happen - unless Nigeria says no and takes steps to defend herself. But as you say, the current state of weapons inventory is nothing to write home about. So...

For the US (and her friends), the key phrase is 'national interest'. It decides everything else. A real pity that Nigeria doesn't get it.

AlphaTaikun:
I support of the United States regardless of some of her actions and inactions, BUT go ahead and read the book written by an American citizen and scholar entitled: "The Rogue State" and see how America destabilized this planet for years by instigating violence and wars. The United States is NOT a totally lost cause with what is going on with the taming of the insidious Shiite Iranian clerics and the gradual freedom for Iranians, therefore there is some hope for mankind. I was alive in 1979 when the infamous Ayatollah Khomeini came to power with the removal of the Shah of Iran in the so-called revolution. The United States and Israel jointly rekindled the hope of millions of us in a free Iran and it feels good in 2026 after 47 years to witness the gradual downfall of the global terror sponsors and the total removal of Ayatollah Khamenei (who is Ayatollah Khomeini's successor).

My discussion on this topic will end here.

^^^
I will definitely look up the book you mentioned.

However, I don't agree with your position on the US not being a totally lost cause. It is.

Ayatollah Khomeini (just like Osama bin Laden who came years later) and others too many to count are all US creations. This is standard operating procedure for the US: create a problem that costs a lot (in blood and treasure) to other countries (usually far, far away), then pretend to solve the problem decades later.

I was also alive when Khomeini seized power in the late 70s. The USA's crude, ham fisted foreign policy hasn't changed much. How can anyone have faith in the USA after Iraq and Libya?

Back to what I said much earlier about Nigeria's inconsistency in the war effort. It is no secret that there have been numerous losses and operational failures over the past fifteen years that a normal army (and a normal country) would struggle to explain. Jonathan did nothing about keeping the books clean - and that's why his NSA (Dasuki) and Attahiru Bafarawa spent billions of Naira on 'prayers against insecurity. Buhari was no better. All of this had real, unmistakable effects on the battlefield - for example, several soldiers mutinied in May 2014 and attempted to eliminate their commanding officer - following an ambush by BHT that left several soldiers dead. Remember Metele? Baga?

Fast forward to BAT.

BAT said during his 2024 presidential media chat that he wasn't going to audit the military because 'it would be disrespectful'. That tells Nigerians all they need to know.

slivertongue:
Fools keep dreaming...

You know the "drill"...

Fujiyama:
^^^
I agree with your first line about this not being a trivial matter - because it most certainly isn't.

Yes you are right in your comments about the origin and nature of the threat to sub-regional and regional stability by Jihadist terror groups. Indeed you are right that this conflict will not be resolved with a snap of the fingers. Again, you are right that an international war effort across the entire region is the only sure way to win this war.

But the truth is that Nigeria's commitment to this war has been inconsistent. I also followed the activities of the JNIM when it was first formed years ago. It was very uncomfortable to hear the military commanders of our neighbours in the JNIM complaining loudly to foreign press men - that Nigeria was the weak link in the war effort. These complaints persisted for years. I think it was during the last few years of Idris Deby that the complaints became open accusations that Nigeria was becoming a safe haven for BHT - the story was that BHT would launch attacks from Nigeria, raid our neighbours and then retreat safely into Nigeria - without any action from Nigerian security forces.

Now...am I going to base my assessment of the Nigerian security response solely on the comments of commanders from neighbouring countries - operating in a multinational task force? Certainly not. More on that later.



^^^
In a just, perfect world, there would be a well funded, well armed war international effort (as you pointed out earlier) to end Jihadi insurgency in the Sahel. But it isn't going to happen. At best, there'll be a few military 'advisers' from some of the great powers...and some military equipment to support the war effort. But that's it. The boots on the ground will have to come from West African countries.

Nobody is coming to save Nigeria. Nobody.

There are a lot (a whole lot!) of complex factors at play in the matter of Jihadi terrorism in West Africa. As you are no doubt aware, some of those you are calling upon to intervene in this Sahel problem once backed (or are still backing) these Jihadis in some shape or form. In the end, Nigeria must accept that she (and she alone) is ultimately responsible for her security. Nobody else. So...if her borders remain a porous sieve and her security men are still sleeping on the job or collecting bribes, she will pay a heavy price.



^^^
You seem to hint the US and her friends should feel some remorse for being responsible for the scourge of global Jihadi terrorism today. Well...they don't care one bit. They are driven by national interest (as defined by their power elite) and national interest alone.

The US and her allies don't care if Nigeria has only a couple of Mark IV rifles in her entire armoury - to combat hundreds of thousands of well armed Jihadis. If it is in US national security interests that those rifles are all we should have, then that is what will happen - unless Nigeria says no and takes steps to defend herself. But as you say, the current state of weapons inventory is nothing to write home about. So...

For the US (and her friends), the key phrase is 'national interest'. It decides everything else. A real pity that Nigeria doesn't get it.



^^^
I will definitely look up the book you mentioned.

However, I don't agree with your position on the US not being a totally lost cause. It is.

Ayatollah Khomeini (just like Osama bin Laden who came years later) and others too many to count are all US creations. This is standard operating procedure for the US: create a problem that costs a lot (in blood and treasure) to other countries (usually far, far away), then pretend to solve the problem decades later.

I was also alive when Khomeini seized power in the late 70s. The USA's crude, ham fisted foreign policy hasn't changed much. How can anyone have faith in the USA after Iraq and Libya?

Back to what I said much earlier about Nigeria's inconsistency in the war effort. It is no secret that there have been numerous losses and operational failures over the past fifteen years that a normal army (and a normal country) would struggle to explain. Jonathan did nothing about keeping the books clean - and that's why his NSA (Dasuki) and Attahiru Bafarawa spent billions of Naira on 'prayers against insecurity. Buhari was no better. All of this had real, unmistakable effects on the battlefield - for example, several soldiers mutinied in May 2014 and attempted to eliminate their commanding officer - following an ambush by BHT that left several soldiers dead. Remember Metele? Baga?

Fast forward to BAT.

BAT said during his 2024 presidential media chat that he wasn't going to audit the military because 'it would be disrespectful'. That tells Nigerians all they need to know.

Your submissions are absolutely brilliant and worthy to be archived for future references!

In reality, there has NEVER been a time that I totally trusted the "military-industrial complex" of the United States and her allies including Israel, Russia and China. That military-industrial complex is what's fueling global wars directly and indirectly because they want to continue to make money on their investments. "If there's near-absolute global peace, NOBODY buys any weapons."


The BEST case scenario for dealing with internal and regional security situations would be for Nigeria to invest in the manufacturing of advanced technologies to MATCH and even exceed those of emerging economies such as Turkiye, India and Iran or that of Israel, China and the United States. The advanced weapons available right now are way more sophisticated than the conventional missiles, AK-47s, AK-49s and bullets of the past. Advanced militaries now have laser weapons, sonic weapons, advanced but smaller weaponized drones and surveillance drones, etc.

The DICON in Kaduna, Proforce Defence Industries in Ogun State [founded by Abayomi Ogundeyin, the U.S.-educated engineer, etc], are just tips of the iceberg of what Nigeria really needs in terms of weapons to win the war on terror further compounded by the insidious porous borders of all West African/African countries combined. There's an urgent need for more emphasis on the STEM fields to stimulate the growth of an advanced weapons industry. This won't come to fruition until there's a fully decentralized governance structure which would mitigate the inneficiences and eliminate the mediocrities that exist in the over centralized governance structure.

BETTER yet, Nigeria should go the way of other countries (such as India, the former USSR, the former Czechoslovakia, etc] that have separated into more manageable independent countries and are each moving with their home-grown solutions in terms of development. If Nigeria follows that route of creating new Republics or countries, I projected over 30 years ago in the 1990s that at least 9 new countries would emerge from that arrangement in Nigeria (but with some disagreements over "border limits" in some areas in the South [especially in the Ijaw border areas with other Southern Nigeria ethnic groups] and the Middle Belt of Nigeria right up to the far North of Nigeria where the minority Fulas of foreign North African Berber paternal ancestry will seek to outwit the majority indigenous Hausa folks of Nigeria for land and political power).


Last but not least, I did an advanced search based off of your last paragraph on the 2024 Presidential Media chat and found ONLY one link to a website that referenced the alleged statement that BAT WASN'T going to "audit the military." Advanced auditing of accounts in every organization (including the security agencies) is VERY important to prevent fraud. BAT himself knows FULL well that auditing is key as a former Senior Treasurer with the multinational corporation, Mobil Nigeria (now ExxonMobil). If I have the time, I'll watch the FULL Presidential Media chat video to get a proper hang of what the Nigerian President "exactly" said as a FACT-CHECK measure. Second-hand reportage of events tend to be filled with sensationalism and outright distortions of actual comments made on propaganda blogs and multiple social media platforms. It's on record though that some highly IRRESPONSIBLE former Generals and senior military officers in the Nigerian Army, Nigerian Navy, Nigerian Air Force (the former Nigerian Chief-of-Air-Staff, Alex Badeh's multibillion Naira corruption case comes to mind here) have been arrested and indicted in the past by the anti-corruption agencies and made to refund the billions of Naira they stole thereby affecting the morale of Nigerian troops.

The funding of the Nigerian Military is far BETTER in the democratic dispensation than at any other time in the history of Nigeria (since the terrible days of the 1980s through to the 1990s when the military dictatorships of especially General Ibrahim Babangida and Sani Abacha totally emasculated the Army, Air Force and the Police through POOR funding to prevent potential coups from taking place).



[WATCH]: President Bola Tinubu Holds First Presidential Media Chat

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFzIa3QPPF0?si=W8iYu2HxHqBvAJJN
TVC News Nigeria • 23 Dec 2024




P.S. OKAY, I fortunately found the point of the Presidential Media chat video where the Nigerian President was asked by the journalist (Umar Farouk) "about probing the military spending under former President Buhari" who himself probed the military under the former President Goodluck Jonathan and found massive corruption from the timestamp @ 1:50 mins. I watched the video till timestamp @9:13 mins. President 'Bola Tinubu's comment is slightly different from the sensationalism reported on that single website that I found while FACT-CHECKING. However further down the Presidential media chat, Kayode Otitoju of TVC had to emphatically ask President BAT the same question Umar Farouk asked him earlier about probing the military under Buhari @1:50. In any event, if he (BAT) and his team neglect the auditing of military spending and more, that's gonna be his undoing and he knows full well that he has to be aware of the goings on in that security ecosystem.

Mrexcell:
It's really very strange to me how tinibu choosed to be giving his harshest critics political appointments is it due to low self esteem or lack of qualified people to choose from amongst his stunch loyalists?

Strange here also but the results don't lie. It's worked well for him. Like we say, do what works for you if it's not a crime.

The Bwala guy showed his complete lack of integrity by continually denying what he said in the past.I don't really blame him for his poor defence of the government's performance on security and corruption, even Albert Einstein won't be able to defend this government on security/corruption because the failure is complete.

AlphaTaikun:
In reality, there has NEVER been a time that I totally trusted the "military-industrial complex" of the United States and her allies including Israel, Russia and China. That military-industrial complex is what's fueling global wars directly and indirectly because they want to continue to make money on their investments. "If there's near-absolute global peace, NOBODY buys any weapons."

^^^
Exactly.

But it's not just the US.

All five permanent members of the UN security council are some of the world's biggest arms manufacturers and exporters. So as you say, how will there ever be peace?

AlphaTaikun:
The BEST case scenario for dealing with internal and regional security situations would be for Nigeria to invest in the manufacturing of advanced technologies to MATCH and even exceed those of emerging economies such as Turkiye, India and Iran or that of Israel, China and the United States. The advanced weapons available right now are way more sophisticated than the conventional missiles, AK-47s, AK-49s and bullets of the past. Advanced militaries now have laser weapons, sonic weapons, advanced but smaller weaponized drones and surveillance drones, etc.

The DICON in Kaduna, Proforce Defence Industries in Ogun State [founded by Abayomi Ogundeyin, the U.S.-educated engineer, etc], are just tips of the iceberg of what Nigeria really needs in terms of weapons to win the war on terror further compounded by the insidious porous borders of all West African/African countries combined. There's an urgent need for more emphasis on the STEM fields to stimulate the growth of an advanced weapons industry. This won't come to fruition until there's a fully decentralized governance structure which would mitigate the inneficiences and eliminate the mediocrities that exist in the over centralized governance structure.

^^^
Nigeria just isn't ready yet...and she may never be.

AlphaTaikun:
BETTER yet, Nigeria should go the way of other countries (such as India, the former USSR, the former Czechoslovakia, etc] that have separated into more manageable independent countries and are each moving with their home-grown solutions in terms of development. If Nigeria follows that route of creating new Republics or countries, I projected over 30 years ago in the 1990s that at least 9 new countries would emerge from that arrangement in Nigeria (but with some disagreements over "border limits" in some areas in the South [especially in the Ijaw border areas with other Southern Nigeria ethnic groups] and the Middle Belt of Nigeria right up to the far North of Nigeria where the minority Fulas of foreign North African Berber paternal ancestry will seek to outwit the majority indigenous Hausa folks of Nigeria for land and political power).

^^^
Like I said earlier, Nigeria isn't ready to have this conversation yet. It's a whole thread on its own.

We are not ready.

AlphaTaikun:
Advanced auditing of accounts in every organization (including the security agencies) is VERY important to prevent fraud. BAT himself knows FULL well that auditing is key as a former Senior Treasurer with the multinational corporation, Mobil Nigeria (now ExxonMobil).

President 'Bola Tinubu's comment is slightly different from the sensationalism reported on that single website that I found while FACT-CHECKING. However further down the Presidential media chat, Kayode Otitoju of TVC had to emphatically ask President BAT the same question Umar Farouk asked him earlier about probing the military under Buhari @1:50. In any event, if he (BAT) and his team neglect the auditing of military spending and more, that's gonna be his undoing and he knows full well that he has to be aware of the goings on in that security ecosystem.

^^^
You sir, are being overly lenient with BAT.

I believe politicians should be assessed on not just what they say but also what they do.

Number 1: That 2024 presidential media chat was a vital (yet rare) opportunity to hear BAT speak at length in a Q & A session on where he is planning on taking the country to. But BAT did not do well - his own comments as well as his response to several questions - proved beyond any doubt that he is no different from his predecessors.

When BAT was asked about probing the service chiefs he inherited, he said: "I'm not probing anybody, service chiefs or service chiefs. You cannot disrespect the institution because of threat of probe". What does that even mean?

Number 2: The Yelwata massacres took place on 13th & 14th June last year. A week after the attacks BAT went to Makurdi and asked his then IGP: "How come no arrest is been made? I expect there should be arrests of those criminals". He then turned to his then CDS and said: "Christopher thank you very much. I watched your comment. We need to keep our ears to the ground. Let's get those criminals - let's get them out".


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJriiXxdBRA



Close to 200 people died in those attacks and the commander in chief was publicly asking his security personnel questions that still sound incredible today. Didn't he confer with them before going to Makurdi? Did he honestly think he would be absolved if he threw those questions out publicly to the security men? Those questions - and the responses given - told Nigerians all they needed to know about the security of their lives and property under BAT.

Number 3: A couple of months ago, several girls were kidnapped from an all girls secondary school in Kebbi. There was credible intel of an impending attack and soldiers were initially drafted to guard the school - until the inexplicable withdrawal of the same soldiers in the middle of the night. The decision to withdraw those soldiers ended up costing the lives of two civilian staff members of the school. These details were provided on national TV by the governor of Kebbi state. Up to this day, Nigerians have been kept in the dark about which military commander gave the order to stand down. And BAT had said and done nothing.

We could go on and on. There are just too many examples of incredible security failures with this administration - failures that are costing the lives of ordinary Nigerian civilians in their thousands - while the buck passing continues at the highest levels of government.

This wasn't what BAT promised Nigerians.

This Bwala guy no just get sense at all.

Image123:
The only thing hard for Bwala in the interview was defending himself. He handled every other aspect well. Even his self defense was good, but Mehdi kept going back to it the whole interview, which was actually interesting and funny.

Bless you!

Nigerians love drama. Lol

The interview was not that bad. He was made to eat his own words and he also goofed on his response to insecurity.

A bit dissapointed that he did not prepare to defend his past.

Asides from the aforementioned, he did okay.