Wednesday 30 November 2016

Financial Times' Misadventure in Nigeria



By Kenneth-Kaunda Adamu 

From all indications, the Financial Times is gradually and consistently becoming an infamous media organisation. For a news organization that was able to do an about face in the recently held US presidential election, Financial Times (FT) must have that imperial confidence that it can and would get away with anything that it does in or to Nigeria. It is not surprising that it’s catastrophic backing of Secretary Hillary Clinton against a mean Donald Trump in spite of 'her weaknesses' is enough indication of where FT's agenda lies as a warmongering propaganda outlet.

Like all devious entities, the publication has waffled its way close enough to suck up to Trump and thereby making itself one of those seeking a Faustian bargain with the president-elect. Suddenly, the same media organization is singing hosanna to the Trump because its operators are aware that no one cares to remember where it once stood so long as it can find more corrosive poison to shove down its readers' throats.

This confidence perhaps informed its  nauseating article in which, like it did Trump, FT tried to place Nigeria in the league of troubled nations it has helped reported into the brink. Between turning facts upon its head and lining up an array of paid experts, Financial Times futilely and in an unwarranted effort attempted to suggest that Nigeria as a nation has failed or that its army has not been able to live up to expectations or that it is committing human rights abuses where it has made progress in routing terrorists.

What is frightening is the way FT had in the past undertaken such campaign of lies, cause disintegration of countries and then distance itself from the evil so committed when it becomes clear that readers have been lied to.

Take for instance when that publication joined the Weapon of Mass Destruction (WMD) chorus about Iraq's former dictator, Saddam Hussein, who was later executed with the help of foreign intervention justified with such stories; it turned out the overthrow and subsequent killing of Saddam was to mark the beginning of the Middle-East's spiral into a death spin. As would be expected, FT through the bloodthirsty goblins it propagates falsehood for continues to claim that " the world is a better place without Saddam Hussein".  

The FT's "better world" is the one where it reported Iraq into a nation in the hands of ISIS fanatics and other children of darkness.  Since the world has no censure for its and other corporate media transgression in Iraq, the ensuing boldness has seen a repeat of the same ignoble horror in neighboring Syria where corporate wisdom holds it that Bashir al-Assad has no business staying on as the leader of that country after his father. It does not matter that the corporate media runs errand in a country where someone attempted to rule after his brother and his father before that or that a wife wanted to step in post interregnum of her husband – so family perpetration is okay in one place and is bad in another. So FT, being a medium with conscience, saw nothing wrong with having 'moderate rebels' given arms that they in turn hand over to hardline terrorists for a toke or under threat of death.

Between the WMD fable and myth of moderate terrorists, the likes of FT found time to visit disaster on the world with their packaging of 'Arab Spring' that was celebrated as ordinary people taking their own destinies in their hands. The only trouble?

With the benefit of hindsight the true victims of that disasters were to express preference for their obsessive dictators under whom the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) was not able to wave its black flag. But after the liberation as defined by FT and others, the population of the countries that were unlucky enough to believe that propaganda have emptied into Europe and that is if they do not perish in the Mediterranean while trying to get there. Those lucky to arrive and now trapped from struggle for basic existence having discovered that they could not even be accommodated in refugee camps. Sadly, it  is the corporate media that is at the verge of mortgaging the collective conscience of many countries and have merely led them by the nose to destroy their home countries and report as the new slave class to the countries of migration.

Whatever is left of the populations of those country are either too radicalized, unskilled or not fit for purpose to be led as slaves that will power the factories owned by FT's client's. A new axis must be found for mass migration triggered by violence so over to Africa for the destabilization train. There is no point causing crises in countries with low to moderate population densities since that would require too much logistics. With Egypt's 90 million population already factored into the Middle East destabilization plot and Ethiopia's 94 million people to closeted, Nigeria's 186 million souls provides the perfect pool to supply the next batch of forced migrations to power western factories that have lost production to cheaper wages in the east.  

So after setting the stage with fraudulent Amnesty International's reports of human rights abuses by Nigeria's military, and refusal of certain nations to sell weapons to Nigeria, the next phase appears to disparage the army to the extent that the insurrectionists they have positioned would have the boldness to attack the army, following which the time tested campaign for a 'no-fly-zone' against a 'repressive government' can start. The goal would be to allow Boko Haram resurgence, a ferralized Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN), Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) as well as the Movement for the Actualisation of Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) would pursue their genocidal intentions and Niger Delta militant would make suicidal bids at their long held ambition. All these will happen under an army that has been cowed with threat of international prosecution as contained in the veiled threat of FT's article,  "Domestic battles expose Nigerian army’s vulnerabilities".

The losers in these scenarios would be the everyday Nigerians in their millions who neither subscribe to any of the aforementioned murderous group nor read Financial Times or other corporate propaganda rag, the people who would remain invisible to Amnesty International, which by the way is still blissfully unaware of the scale of extra-judicial execution by police departments in the United States.

The winners would be FT with its partners – weapon manufacturers that will offload more inventories with their envisaged crisis in Nigeria, corporations that would gain cheap labourers processed with violence from the raw material source they see in Nigeria; and of course there would be the imperial powers that would like to have their proxies and minions managing the carcass they would leave behind.

Anyone, any Nigerian relishing in the fire being stoked by this propaganda platform must therefore introspect deeply with a view to understanding what the stakes are. For all the countries that organizations like Financial Times have reported into destruction, its stocks have only risen in value as its partners in crime pass money under the table to it in form of advertising while those nations burn and their citizens in quandary.

For some of us and indeed several million other Nigerians, who truly believe in Nigeria irrespective of our current difficulties the conviction is that the government must confront these monsters and not wait till they have ruined our country and this is possible only when Nigerians demand that such actions be taken. We have to end the misadventure of these foreign invaders.


Adamu K. K writes from Lugard Egalitarian Society for All, (LESA) Lokoja, Kogi State.

Tuesday 29 November 2016

Time to Act on Amnesty International’s Blackmail of Nigerian Army




By Abiodun Israel

A few days ago, the Nigerian Army headquarters drew the attention of the country and the international community to the sustained efforts of some foreign agencies like Amnesty International (AI) to destroy its reputation. It said the international organization is planning the release of another damning report on the army. The report turned out to not just target that institution but also aimed for the nation’s jugular by seeking to undermine institutions that exist to protect its integrity.

A statement by the Acting Director Army Public Relations,  Col. Sani Kukasheka Usman disclosed the intention of AI to soon release a report with contents that falsely  label Nigerian soldiers as mass murderers of  defenceless IPOB/MASSOB protesters in the South-eastern part of the country.

We are increasingly concerned about the obviously unhealthy manner AI is dabbling negatively and frequently into the internal security affairs of Nigeria, with a pattern that portrays it as desperate to weaken and destroy the Nigerian Army and Nigeria.  We have pointed it out severally on this medium the inaccuracy of AI’s many reports which do not hide the intent to persecute the Nigerian Army.

For example, a report by the organization mid this year, which accused soldiers of abuse or violations of human rights in its detention facilities in the Northeast where the army is battling insurgency, turned out to be patently false. Groups like Coalition of Civil Society Groups (COCSG), led by its President, Mr.  Etuk Williams later proved the report as false and only a scheme by AI to dampen the spirit of soldiers in prosecuting the anti-terror war.

We find it necessary to restate that Nigerians cannot quantify the relief gotten for the country by the Nigerian Army through its successful suppression of insurrections. Those who have devoted time to closely monitor happenings in Nigeria would have no difficulty understanding the recklessness with which  some aggrieved groups take to the streets to violently vent their anger. 

The involvement of the Nigerian army in violent internal crises through its   constitutional mandates of observing its Military Aid to Civil Authority (MACA) and Military Aid to Civil Powers (MACP) has saved Nigeria a lot of troubles, to describe it mildly. No one is in doubt about the fact that dissidents groups all over the country are armed to the teeth and that people delight more in violence than peaceful or amicable resolution of differences.

There are not just many, but frequent instances where whole communities or regions are held to ransom by armed criminal gangs within Nigeria. These gangs often display weapons and the sophistry most times make mockery of civil- orientated security agents like the police  that has core mandate to tame such uprisings. It necessitates government’s deployment of soldiers.

At this point, it means the protesters, criminal gangs, separatists or dissident groups have launched a mini-war on peaceful citizens and the country. This scenario does not beg for  levity in its handling by soldiers.   

We refer and draw attention to the sophistication of weapons in the possession of Boko Haram Terrorists, in the Northeast or armed bandits and cattle rustlers in the Northwest, Niger Delta militants in the South -South and secession agitators such as IPOB  in the Southeast. These AI’s civil protestors or rebels freely use these weapons even against security agents in the guise of protests or rebellion to draw attention to their perceived grievances.

We hasten to say, Nigeria has experienced unjustified deaths of its security personnel in the hands of these hoodlums who personify violence not just to the security agents, but also to the communities where they operate.  

We are therefore saddened by the continuous and consistent vilification of the Nigerian Army by AI,  a foreign organization we suspect has links with forces bent on destabilizing Nigeria.

Consequently, the alarm by the Nigerian Army Headquarters about AI’s planned release of a report it obviously cooked on alleged mass killings of MASSOB/IPOB  defenseless protesters by “the military between August 2015 and August 2016,” is highly deplorable and balderdash. How the AI arrived at its casualty figures and the conclusion that IPOB members were defenceless is what beats the imagination.

It is logical that a civil protest which does not become uncontrollably violent does require the intervention of soldiers, but left to the Nigeria Police, the Civil Defence Corps and other arms of civil security.  In the IPOB incident AI has purportedly prepared its tainted report, this sect of secession agitators are famed for their cruelty and acts of violence in a manner that threatens or poses grave danger to Nigeria’s internal security.  No part of the Southeast has not tasted their bitter pill and in agonizing doses.  

The army submitted that “ Security agencies are always targeted for attack by the MASSOB/IPOB instruments of barbarism and cruelty. For instance, in the protests of 30 – 31 May 2016, more than 5 personnel of the Nigeria Police were killed, while several soldiers were wounded, Nigeria Police vehicles were burnt down same as several others of the Nigerian Army that were vandalized.”

Can Amnesty International explain to the whole world how a group capable of summary execution of armed security agents on lawful duty, commit acts of arson on security vehicles would be unarmed or performed such acts with bare hands?

The tendency of IPOB  Biafran agitators to propagate hate campaigns in the Southeast,  kill and burn  people from the settler communities, who are from other parts of  Nigeria is widespread and disarmingly consistent.

“Such reign of hate, terror and ethno-religious controversies that portend grave consequences for national security have been averted severally through the responsiveness of the Nigerian Army and members of the security agencies,” the Army had noted.

It is in this light that we identify with the submissions of the Nigerian Army in sighting more the sinister motive of  AI in dabbling into Nigeria’s internal affairs for reasons for  ruination of the country  rather than attempts to right perceived wrongs. In executing this suspicious paid job, Amnesty International turns a blind eye to objectivity, fairness and simple logic.

In the not too distant past, Nigerians have not only condemned such reports from AI, but called on the FGN to initiate moves for the investigation and possible prosecution of Amnesty International at the International Criminal Court (ICC) at the Hague before it fully executes its plot to ruin Nigerian Army and embolden dissidents groups against Nigeria.

It is instructive to remind that aside the existence of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) which probes issues of human rights abuses, the Nigerian Army under the COAS Gen. Yusuf Buratai has returned the army on its path of professionalism and respect for human rights in their engagement with the civil populace.

To appropriately address occasional wrongs, Buratai has also opened up a Human Rights Desk at the Army Headquarters in Abuja to receive and probe such complaints from the public. But the Nigerian Army has not received such petition from the IPOB members AI is set to promote with allegations of mass murder.  It is now imperative for these groups and most especially the Federal Government of Nigeria to initiate moves to probe activities of AI at ICC. We believe the time to act is NOW.


Abiodun writes from UI, Ibadan, Oyo State.


How the Military Ensured Peaceful Elections in Edo, Ondo – Obaseki



Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki yesterday appraised the various role of security agencies especially the military in stabilizing democracy in the country where no life was lost in Edo September 28th and Ondo November 26th governorship elections.

Governor Obaseki while receiving the Commandant of the National Defense College, Rear Admiral Samuel Ilesanmi Alade, at the Government House, Benin City, Tuesday, said, “I want to put on record that particularly during the last election (Edo) and the one that was done on Saturday,(Ondo) the role of the military has not been acknowledged as it should be”.

He said, “For the first time in several years, if you can recollect, there was not one incident of loss of life during Edo state election and that was repeated again last week in Ondo state.

“It might not be obvious but we know that it is as a result of the diligence and the amount of work that went behind the scene from the military – and so, we want to thank you for it. This sort of initiative can only help us to stabilize our democracy much better which is essentially what we need.”

He added, “For us, and for me in particular, this institution, the Defense College is so critical in the defense arrangement, not only for Nigeria but for the entire sub-region.”

Obaseki who called on the management of the National Defense College to share vital research information with the state in order to help to shape government policies and enhance the growth of the economy said, “data and information is key for survival in the modern economy”.

Continuing, Obaseki said, “It is not an accident that NIFOR is located here, and the oil palm research institute and the rubber research institute. These are two crops that can prosper the economy of Nigeria. We will give all the support we can possibly give to ensure that we re-establish ourselves as global players in these two crops and others we have comparative advantage in”.

Speaking earlier, the Commandant, National Defense College, Rear Admiral Samuel Ilesanmi Alade said, “We are here in Edo State on tour of strategic installations or strategic establishments and we consider these institutions we are visiting in Edo State as strategic because of what it holds in terms of contribution to national development.

“This time around, we are visiting two of these strategic establishments – one of them is Okomu Oil which is a private concern and the second is Nigerian Institute for Oil Palm Research (NIFOR) which is semi-private. The aim is to visit those two establishments, trying to learn what they do and at the end of the day, we will write a report that could be useful to them and also could be useful to Nigeria as a whole.

“I want to sincerely congratulate you for winning the election decisively and also getting to work very quickly. We are very proud of you and I want to wish you a very successful and fruitful tenure as the executive governor of this very great and wonderful state.”

Monday 28 November 2016

Another Failed Attempt to Paint Us Bad





By Philip Agbese

It is now glaring that whatever we may think, the claim that there is an international conspiracy to derail Nigeria could have some element of truth to it after all.

Part of that claim is that there are concerted efforts to report the country out of existence. Students of International Communication and World Press in journalism or mass communication classes can easily identify the destructive slant in the way their country is reported as an outpost of some superior economy whose every problem must be blown out of proportion and achievements derided as inconsequential.

The Financial Times (FT) "Special Report: Investing in Nigeria - Domestic battles expose Nigerian army’s vulnerabilities" that was recently published fits the bill perfectly. The summary of that report was not short of scare mongering aimed at scaring off investors by claiming that Boko Haram insurgency has not been defeated. Not only did it try to justify its vision of the terror group's so called potency, it went further to issue a compendium of other security breaches that would have anyone thinking of investing in Nigeria scampering off elsewhere.

At a time when the media, international platforms like the Financial Times, should be considering face saving measure in the face of the disgrace from the failed prediction of a Trump win, it is worrisome that this publication, and a lot of those commissioned to deliver specific slants on global issues, continue in this business of prediction when it barely has the facts. As the US president-elect, Donald Trump himself would say, these are crooked media.

The report in question acknowledges that progress has been made in fighting Boko Haram insurgency. But this admission does not tally with the agenda of reporting Nigeria into deeper crisis. So it shopped for pliable experts, talking heads and resource persons to speak with; who of course spoke to the desired point.

This was convenient. Few people, if anyone, ever bothered about making inquiries about the background and intentions of the so called analysts, whom in many instances have been found to be on some form of retainership with the neocons outfits behind the quest for the dissolution of Nigeria or any other country of interest.

If the FT report were to be about a country deemed as friendly, it would have proffered solutions side by side with the problems it identified, or at least offered the way forward in the same article – using real experts who make useful suggestions for policy makers. This is better understood against the reality of how FT and other western media corporations would have reported the US elections with the whole of the venom spewed if it were to have been the election of an African country.

Even the pockets of protests after a Trump win would have been fuelled by way lining up opposition figures – often prepped by foreign interests – to call on more of the brainwashed hordes to precipitate a breakdown of law and order. 

But we did not see FT or any of the others making such calls or asking those leading questions that would prompt their paid analysts to offer up jaundiced analyses that will turn everyday occurrences into launch pads for country wrecking crises.

With the conundrum of the US election now over, it is time to turn attention to the next round of global crises which FT sadly thinks Nigeria should be part of.

On the upside for Nigeria is the fact that things are not as bad as this publication painted them, so it became impossible for FT to acknowledge the positives about Nigeria.

It however tried its best to make the negative overshadow the positives, like when it claimed that the official claims that Boko Haram has been defeated are premature. The terror group has been degraded and scores of reports in the mould of the one referenced cannot change that. The citizens want it so and they are supporting the government and military to make it happen. If the US based paper wants something remarkable to report and its editors have a mental block, one may suggest that they investigate and report on the foreign backing that is trying to revive the terror group by providing backing to its remnants.

Should it be able to do this, it would have left the comfort of stereotyped reporting that allowed it to claim that the military is ill equipped without shedding light on the cause of the problem. It might be that this publication could not be bothered to do a detailed report on why the military remained unable to get much needed equipment to fight a problem that the world is eager to deal with or that it knows the truth and cannot for the sake of political correctness expose a conspiracy of western economies to reduce Nigeria to a raw-material site by refusing to sell much needed military hardwares,  a decision premised on the flimsy excuses of abuses.

The redeeming part of the report was when it appropriately accepted that the outlawed Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN) had “a battle with the army last year”. But even this seeming filament of truth was undone when it predicted shockingly that the supporters of the outlawed IMN could take up arms again, which raises the frightening prospect of  what FT knows about how the outlawed Shiite sect in Nigeria is being teleguided to confront the government forces towards a predetermined outcome.

There must be something the author or the publication knows that is not in the public domain even when this admission confirms what Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN) sympathisers have always insisted that it is a non- violent group.

Even more appalling was the attempt to plead poverty as a justification of the Niger Delta Avengers' attack on oil installations, which exposed the agenda and true intent of the article that can only be intended to create fear among investors and further impoverish Nigeria towards the larger goal of disintegration. In the run up to the US election there were militias that were training in some remote regions of that country. One wonders why FT did not accord them the same publicity it is now freely giving to militants that would be branded criminals in other countries.

The disintegration drive became even more strident with the claim that herdsmen/farmer clashes are the products of religious divides with the perverted suggestion that farmers are Christians and herdsmen are Muslims – anyone with such deficit in reasoning may want to take a tour of the north-west and north-central where farmers are Muslims too. The intention became loud with the attempt to label the Indegenous People of Biafra's (IPOB) Nnamdi Kanu a freedom fighter: where was FT when the so call agitation was simmering under the different administrations including the immediate past one.

If using questionable analysts raised eyebrows, quoting Amnesty International in substantiating its casualty figures did irreparable damage to that FT's article. It tallies with the aforementioned theory that there is that unholy alliance to cripple Nigeria's security agencies from being able to respond to threats. Amnesty International cooks up the material and the likes of FT amplify them for international policy makers to hold onto as the reason for not selling arms to Nigeria to fight terrorism and the circle of travesty grows wider.

There is nothing to stop such flawed reports from being published. What must happen is for the federal government to wake up to the reality that the list of those that qualify as Nigeria's friends must be redefined in line with prevailing realities and that traditional lines may have to be cross to get what we need to deal with all these sponsored threats. For the citizens, the earlier we decide to give up on the diet of propaganda, the better. Afterall, these same propaganda outlets sold the lies that left most of our population in that misguided optimism of a Hilary Clinton presidency, thankfully there is another country where the citizens have awoken to free themselves from corporate lies.


Agbese, a student writes from the European Human Rights Advocacy Centre, Middlesex University, London.

Gen. Buratai: Hearty Cheers For the Hero of Heroes



By Nkechi Odoma 

November 27th 2016 was a special day in the life of an emancipator. Fifty-six years in the life of a soldier who is still waxing stronger and scoring the shots in the war front in the active service of his country is not just enviable, but quite admirable. Lt. Gen. Tukur Yusuf Buratai is today celebrating the year God Almighty breathe life into him at a town called Buratai in Biu LGA area of Borno state.

Gen. Buratai comes from the lineage of soldiering. His father, the elder Yusuf Buratai who served as a non-commissioned officer of the colonial army, the Royal West African Frontier Force, equally made impressive footprints during World War II.

With an innate passion for military service, at a tender age,  Buratai enlisted into the  Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA)  Kaduna as member of the 29 Regular Combatant Course on January 3rd,  1981. He was commissioned as Second Lieutenant on December 17th, 1983 into the Infantry Corps of the Nigerian Army.  Since then, Buratai has grown in leaps and bounds in a profession many regard as too hazardous to embrace.

Buratai rose to the pinnacle of his military career, when President Muhammedu Buhari (PMB) identified his professional charisma and appointed him as Nigeria’s 20th Chief of Army Staff (COAS)  on July 17, 2015 to spearhead the anti-terrorism campaigns in the country. This was after PMB sighted in him rare qualities as a soldier, the undeniable fact attested by records of excellence from the numerous command positions he held in Nigeria and abroad.  

He vaunts a nearly an unbeatable record  as Nigeria’s most decorated  senior army  officer, holding among others the Nigerian Army Medal, Forces Service Star; Meritorious Service Star;  Distinguished Service Star; the Grand Service Star; Pass Staff Course Dagger (psc(+) National Defence College (Bangladesh), Field Command Medal, Training Support Medal and the United Nations Medal for Angolan Verification Medal II.

Tukur  is versed in soldiering much as in academics, having netted the  Nigerian Defence Academy’s  Certification of Education and  a degree  in History, the Army boss also boasts of  two Master’s degree, one in History and another in Philosophy on Security Studies.

As Buratai celebrates 56 years of life on earth and a fulfilling military career, the Army General has presented to his country and Nigerians a unique birthday gift in this year’s commemoration of his day of birth. The priceless gift to his country men and women is the extrication of Nigeria, once held to ransom by Boko Haram Terrorists (BHTs) in the Northeast and other nuances of terrorism acts that plagued the country.

No doubt,  Buratai has gallantly approached his assignments with an uncommon vigor which has ensured that the war against terror enters its final phase known as “Operation Rescue Finale”. His record of service has enlivened fond memories in Nigerians who cast their minds back to the precarious state of peace and insecurity in the country prior to Buratai’s elevation to lead the Nigerian Army.
Nigerians nauseatingly remember the daily sounds of terrorists bomb blasts in Abuja, the three Northeastern states of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa, much as in other locations in the North such as Gombe, Bauchi, Kogi, Kano, Plateau, Niger  or Kaduna among many other places.

The country still remember the hundreds of thousands of people displaced by Boko Haram insurgency and caged in camps; they recollect pungently the graphic portraits of wailing mothers, wives and children as well as friends and associates who lost their beloved ones to the conflagrations of terrorists.

Nigerians bear painful memories of closed schools, sealed public markets; blocked roads, 24 hours curfew imposed on towns and cities, in the desperation to curtail movement of law-abiding citizens to confront terrorists. The people have not forgotten the thousands abducted by terrorists and insurgents free raid of communities, commercial centers and banks.

Nigerians profoundly cast their minds back to when BHTs attempted unsuccessfully to bruise  Buratai’s gallantly by the attack on Biu, his home local government and the onslaught on security formations. They know him as an Army General who physically confronted and defeated terrorists who ambushed his path at various times.  He is an Army boss, in the office, much as on the field to lead operations.  
Indeed, 16 months ago before the appointment of Buratai as COAS, it only recycled heart-rending tales of Nigerians in the hands of insurgents that rented the air. But Buratai has wept the tears of Nigerians by changing the face of counter-insurgency war in Nigeria, beginning with the decimation of the wild terrorists and their eventual defeat by the army he leads.

That Nigeria that enjoys a global recognition among countries of the world, which have overcome insecurity threats have combined to make up the signification of Buratai’s birthday.

While the day for celebrations such as birthdays and festivities are marked with a lot of fanfare and pageantry, Buratai has chosen to be on the other side especially when duty beckons. He spent the last Sallah celebration in the battlefield with his troops. He equally spent his birthday (this year) in the field in Sokoto. This has rarely happened in Nigeria. From all indications, it appears Buratai is shrewdly encouraging Nigerians not to necessarily rejoice with him but the Nigerian soldiers in the light of the shades of freedom they (soldiers) have brought to country.

Celebrating a radiant life as a courageous and valiant soldier at 56, Buratai wants Nigerians to rejoice with him and Equally remember the Nigerian soldiers in the light of the shades of freedom they now enjoy from the grip of terrorists. The Army boss has enjoined Nigerians to seize the opportunity of his birthday to explore avenues of appreciating Nigerian soldiers in the theatre of war, dead or alive,  as no birthday gift to him as a person would electrify his mood better than the resolve of Nigerians to demonstrate gratitude to soldiers, who are the incontestable heroes having brought terrorism to an abrupt halt.

It appears the birthday came at a time he would be tempted to look at it as a distraction from the call of duty.

But having come thus far, with Buratai and Nigerian soldiers’ ultimate  devotion to the cause of an ideal Nigerian state and peaceful existence of all citizens, excited Nigerians as the unbiased umpires, in the prosecution of the  anti-terrorism campaigns, were caught unawares at knowledge of his birthday.  But the exceeding joy converted to expected awe as Nigerians watched the outpouring of exaltations on the People’s General within Nigeria and around the globe. Buratai’s philosophy of “Excellence in everything; all the glory to God”, would remain for all men of goodwill, a virtue to emulate.

So, as Buratai, crowned by Nigerians with the princely title of the “Peoples General” is graciously added another year by the creator, it is expected that, family members, well-wishers, friends and associates, will pray to the almighty God to shower him with more blessings, longer life and protection to bring back home safely the troops he has led out for the terrorism battles, with more resounding sounds of victory for Nigerians and humanity in general. Happy birthday and many more returns, The Peoples General!

Odoma is Chairperson, Africa Arise for Change Network and contributed this piece from Abuja.

Sunday 27 November 2016

Appreciation As Incentive To The Nigerian Army



By Angula Jessica
“…. thanks to the tireless and heroic work of our military and our counter-terrorism professionals, we've made great strides in that effort.” President Barack Obama on the killing of Al Qaeda Leader Osama bin Laden by U.S. forces in Pakistan.
America’s killing of leader of the Al Qaeda terrorists network, Osama Bin Laden remains the single most significant global campaign and triumph against terrorism. US President Barack Obama captured the heroic act of the American military in these endearing words. The simple act of appreciation of their efforts has been the propelling force behind the success story of America’s years of battle with terrorism forces.
Back home in Nigeria, I still recollect vividly President Muhammedu Buhari’s (PMB) glowing eulogies to the Nigerian military in his October 2016 Independence Day Speech. The President took time to specially acknowledge the invaluable contributions and sacrifices of the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Gen. Tukur Yusuf Buratai and the Nigerian army he leads in the decimation and eventual defeat of Boko Haram Terrorists (BHTs) in Nigeria. This development has earned Nigeria international recognition as one of the few countries in the world to confront and subdue terrorism timely.
To further ennoble the troops to greater accomplishments’, President Buhari also implored Nigerians to toe his footsteps by appreciating soldiers to bolster their spirit, incite their strength and boost their morale in doing more for their beloved country.
So, appreciation has a spirit of compelling the recipients to go to astonishing levels to accomplish more. Appreciation is an incentive with unimaginable level of stimulation. Nigerian soldiers in the line of battle over terrorism deserve this simple act of gratefulness from Nigerians who are the prime beneficiaries of their sacrifices to secure the country and the lives of Nigerians.
Therefore, my heart was elated when I read about the donation of N10 million by the Executive Secretary of TETFund Dr. Abdullahi Bichi Baffa to the Nigerian military in appreciation of their courage, steadfastness and triumph in the anti-terrorism war under the agency’s package of “Thank You For Service Initiative.”
Gratitude is an integral part of the human life and when people are appreciated for the good things they have done or the sacrifices they make, it emboldens them to act more. The Holy books speak about gratitude elaborately and mankind savours it generously.
The Nigerian Army has been in the combat war over terrorism for years. Soldiers on the battle front suffer multiple deprivations. Some deployments could last for months and thereby severing him from his family and loved ones. While we sleep in the comfort of our homes, a soldier is in the jungle in rain and in sunshine battling for our peace and comfort.
He sometimes goes to bed hungry because he has found himself in a terrain where food is not readily available. In some cases he drinks water that we would not find suitable even for our laundry. Above all, he receives the bullets; the missiles and bombs enemies haul at him on our behalf, while we enjoy the serenity and peace such actions have conferred on us.
From 2009 when Boko Haram Terrorism became an issue in Nigeria; when it heightened from 2011 and peaked thereafter with reckless strikes and bombings, I marvel at the changes now. In the last 17 months of Buhari's administration and the army’s leadership by General Buratai terrorists have been sent into premature retirement.
Their capacity to visit mayhem on Nigerians is nearly zero percent and the country aims to achieve absolute freedom from terrorists with Buratai’s launch of Operation Rescue Finale. And its mission in Sambisa forest and other parts of the Northeast now is to rescue every Nigerian that Boko Haram insurgents abducted.
Therefore, as Nigerian Army makes steady and consolidated progress in completely obliterating any trace of terrorism in the country, they deserve the commendation and appreciation from Nigerians whom these gallant men and women have devoted their lives to serve. The gratitude could manifest in different ways.
I remember that once, General Buratai counseled that Nigerians could show appreciation to soldiers in the war front by acknowledging them anywhere they sight them whether on the road or in the marketplace. We could organize thanksgiving services for Nigerian soldiers to pray for them in absentia and all the times, beseech God Almighty to give them more strength and preserve their lives.
Schools, government and private offices in Nigeria and indeed, all public institutions could observe one minute silence every day for our fallen heroes in appreciation of their sacrifices and for those still in the battle line. We could go the extra mile by reaching to families these heroes have left behind with our token of gift, to assure them of our continued support and console them to understand that their spouses never served the nation in vain.
Much more, Nigerians and good spirited individuals could voluntarily donate money for the upkeep of soldiers in the warfront, as the action of TETFund has symbolized not necessarily because the FGN lacks the capacity to fend for our military, but to express our concern and gratitude to the Nigerian Army for freeing us from captivity of terrorists.
Buratai’s unflinching commitment to defeat terror is bolstered because he knows his Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces, President Buhari appreciates him and the soldiers for the wonderful job; he knows the United Nations has not only appreciated them but shown special recognition to the Nigerian Army over its defeat of terrorists, and the Army boss knows that millions of Nigerians have doffed their hats for the Nigerian Army.
The insignificant discordant voices are coming from a negligible few, who are not only promoters of terrorism, but also their agents. Their antics are designed to distract the COAS who has seen them from afar and has refused to yield to their pranks. The time has come for Nigerians to begin to demonstrate to the Nigerian army what true appreciation means and this would be a morale booster of immensurable value.
Angula writes from the United Kingdom.

IMN: Understanding Nigerians' Disdain For Terrorism



By Charles Ibekwe

These are certainly not the best of times for members of the Sheik Ibraheem El-Zakzaky led Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN) or the Nigerian Shiites. Their actions in the recent past have provoked very damning consequences for the sect members, much more as Nigerians are convinced of its links to the ISIS of Iran.

 In the near 40 years history of its existence in Nigeria, the Shiites have steadily earned for themselves the reputation of violent extremists, destroyers and lawbreakers, whose impunity has extended to frequent violent attacks on security agents. In Shiites, Nigerians see a personification of brutality and the latest discovery of its hidden agenda to introduce another version of terrorism in Nigeria has compelled different segments of the Nigerian society to outrightly denounce and ex-communicate them.

By implication, the entire Nigerian state has risen against the IMN members, as other Muslims and communities do not wish to have anything to do with the Shiites. They are even rejected as neighbors to anyone, a stigma they are battling so hard to conceal.

The Nigerian Shiites have attracted this ignominy based on some of their unacceptable actions and inclination to violence. In December last year, the Shiites attacked the convoy of the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Gen. Tukur Buratai in Zaria Kaduna state.  The IMN blocked his way and rejected all entreaties to have the road open for the Army boss to have a thoroughfare. The ensuing violent encounters led to deaths.

Similarly, earlier this month, the Shiites again, under the leadership of Sheik Sanusi Abdulkadir Koki  attacked the Nigerian police in Kano state for daring to stop their annual procession for  this year’s annual Arbaeen Trek to Zaria, an event that mourns the martyrdom of Imam Husain (AS). The Police which had declared the procession illegal, attempted to stop them, but were met with stiff resistance, as the sect members permanently armed, unleashed violence on the Police, leading to deaths and injuries to officers. 

Thus, Nigerians cannot discern why the Shiites in Nigeria worship on streets/roads with long processions, instead of the mosque like other Muslims. And during such offensive processions, the sect members are usually armed to the teeth with dangerous weapons, they deploy to use without provocation. The atrocities of IMN members have been manifold and following the recent calls by Shiek Koki for its members never to obey the laws of the land, has further  alienated them from the clan of sane people and the Nigerian masses who have become increasingly repulsive of the Shiites with their violent versions of Islam.

Protests against the Nigerian Shiites have taken place variously in America, United Kingdom, and Malaysia and indeed, in other parts of the world denouncing Shiites whose penchant to violence and its frequent attacks on security agents has assumed a dangerous impunity.

For instance, Nigerians in the United States of America protested against the liberty extended to the Shiites by the FGN and sued for the prosecution of leader of the sect and the members. Operating under the aegis of Movement of the People of Nigeria,  Cosmas Collins, the US Coordinator of the group which staged a protest at United Nations Building and Nigeria House in New York frowned at the non-prosecution of El-Zakzaky.

He said, “Failure to prosecute these people, including El-Zakyzaky is making other groups think of coming out because it is now believed that it is fashionable to take on the state without consequences. The government must not also omit to consider bringing charges of subversion against members of the group for inviting Iranian intervention in Nigeria’s internal affairs. As a prelude to this, the government should investigate the finances of the group and its senior members to see if they have been beneficiary of Iranian sponsorship of terrorism”.

Back home in Nigeria, the Shiites are also rejected as no one is willing to associate or transact business with them. Saminaka, headquarters of Lere in Kaduna State recently demonstrated this aversion to the Shiites as both Christian and Muslim communities protested against the Shiites' plan to erect a building  in the community.
The provincial pastor of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Mr. Oludare Ojo led the protests as he wrote to CAN kicking against the location of a Shiites' site near the church premises.

 Ojo said  “They are not comfortable since it is located directly in front of the church”. The pastor feared that with the recent incidents of violence initiated by the group in the country, its  proximity to the Church was a threat. While Christians are protesting Muslims too have joined in rejecting IMN sect members.

Muslim clerics in the area equally alerted the Sarkin Saminaka and security agencies of threats by members of the community to forcefully destroy the site of the Shiite building if allowed to be erected.

In Kano state, Shiites protests for the release of El-Zakzaky provoked residents who massively ganged up to chase them away. A coalition of civil society organizations have at different times lashed out at the Shiites, calling for their prosecution over acts of violence and treason.

The rejection of Shiites has become so pronounced that even Shiites spokesman Ibrahim Musa recently lamented that, “When we were with other Muslims, they said they don’t want us and that is why we decided to build our centre here. The building is just an Islamic centre. We also have an Islamic school there in Saminaka. People who are against us, like the Izaila, those Muslims who go on pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia are the ones against us. We have a Certificate of Occupancy (C of O).”

The implication of this widespread rejection of the Shiites in Nigeria means their doctrines are detestable and they are no longer needed in a peaceful country like Nigeria. This has already been expressed in the IMN's ban by the Kaduna State Government and its replication in Kano and other places in the North.

What their Iranian collaborators intends to achieve through the IMN has been discovered quite early and the Nigerian Shiites are free to relocate to the abodes of their paymasters in Iran. But what has remained certain is that Nigeria would never be anywhere near Syria and Iran where the ISIS have found as a fertile ground to destabilize through their noxious campaigns of religion. Nigerians would not overlook their garments of terrorism.


A civil rights activist contributed this piece from 5 New Haven Avenue, Enugu State.

Saturday 26 November 2016

Nigeria’s Buhari and Obasanjo’s Restless Emotions



By Bukar Raheem

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo (OBJ) is an all-rounder in nuances. So, he has etched his personality on Nigeria’s political space, but too many times in paranoia. On the bright side, OBJ displays multiple identities such as a triple former Nigerian leader and elder statesman of international fame; a retired Nigerian Army General of the combatant breed; a writer, an evangelist, a traditionalist, a farmer. On the flipside, OBJ is oddly the gadfly in Nigeria’s politics, self-styled omniscient of Nigeria; an incestuous character and sadist in social circles, to rewind him mildly.   

A country, with a living octogenarian in the mould and experience of OBJ, should not suffer the pains Nigeria is forced to bear at the moment because it taps from his positive treasures for nourishment. But the odd blend of virtues of good and evil in OBJ has usurped the sapience of tapping from him because his old age sadly stirs up his bad side, more often.

When he wrote former President Goodluck Jonathan, an open letter, that political son of his knew he was heading for the political slaughter slab. Jonathan provoked OBJ by daring to classify him, the elder statesman he knows, a “garage tout.”  But, he may not be too distant from this description. Anyway, OBJ was provoked and genuinely too.

Today, OBJ praises PMB, with the lower jaws of the teeth in his mouth. But within the same mouth, crucifies him over problems he could not solve as Nigeria’s democratic President for eight years. He haughtily declares that the existing problems need immediate solution, which is reason for the change as symbolized by Buhari and not “excuses.” So, OBJ keeps offending Nigerians by postulating that PMB should have solved them in 17 months?

Now and shamelessly, OBJ goes to bed, but keeps wakefulness or night Virgil, seeking to know the financial status of Nigeria (his beloved country?) and beats his chest that until he is informed about Nigeria’s finances, every other step of Buhari’s government is wrong.

So, Buhari deserves the most acerbic of condemnations from an elder statesman, who has occupied Aso Villa countless times before him. Why for Christ’s sake would Buhari have the guts of not venerating his (OBJ) dearest political godsons like former Jigawa state governor, Alhaji Sule Lamido and the equally prickly former minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode by exposing them to EFCC scrutiny? But PMB never initiated the probes on these suspected looters of Nigeria’s wealth.

And in his usual manner of damaging thinking, OBJ believes every organ of government should be accountable to him, even as he is out of government. With enormous physical energy, as a soldier, he does not believe in his waning status or senility and bestrides the polity, claiming intellectuality, attacking every other person who seats on the presidential seat in Aso Rock, as doing everything wrong, except him.

But for the eight years he was in the saddle, Nigerians sighted nothing as democratic dividends. He rather joined the league of the country’s looters, most conspicuously, with his OBJ library launch, an occasion government appointees were cajoled or coerced to source money from their establishments to donate in appreciation of President OBJ. And they did just that!

Let OBJ explain to Nigerians how his Library launch openly netted about N5billion when Nigeria’s Naira had worth much more than its current value today.   OBJ once counted GSM, (Global System of Mobile Communication) as one of his achievements, because a recharge card seller could get N20 (Twenty Naira) from the sale of N1, 000 unit of recharge card from any network.  But Nigerians are the minutely, most exploited users of GSM in Africa. 

Again, OBJ is so far the only Nigerian privileged to preside over the affairs of Nigeria for 11 years, the longest any man has ever served on Nigeria’s topmost job. But Nigeria has no outstanding achievement it can celebrate in OBJ in the manner South Africans fete Nelson Mandela, even in death or some other revered African Leaders.

But today, he wishes Buhari purifies the land of the mess he planted, with his crook-cronies or proxies for 16 years, in just 17 months. And so, in OBJ’s distorted sense, PMB should stop complaining but provide the change; the crest which he rode to power or else consider himself (Buhari) a failure.

So, OBJ shamelessly feigns a good man and a patriotic Nigerian leader, in his blinding conviction that Nigerians believe his piousness and adulterated wisdom. It explains why the United Nations never found him fit for the Job of its Chief Scribe.

Unfortunately for him, every Nigerian knows that beneath OBJ’s harmless countenance and pretensions about loyalty and patriotism, lies the darkest facade of a heart completely blacker than charcoal, and extremely difficult to dislodge.

He erects for himself the image of a saint and perceives any other person around him, especially those in governance as sinners. But if there is any single misfortune in Nigeria’s leadership, it is more expressed in OBJ than any other Nigerian leader.

Verily repugnant too, OBJ today positions himself to speak harshly about a government in power and without a second thought, advises PMB to deviate from the path of blaming previous administrations and sort out Nigeria’s economy.  But this is democracy and not any military administration where leaders act with fiat. OBJ is piqued because his administration (from 1999-2007) is also included in the bunch Buhari has classified as Nigeria’s failed leadership, which has raped Nigeria. He said the same thing about Late Umaru Yar’Adua and Jonathan, all presidents he imposed on Nigeria.

Read OBJ’s emotions in these words; “The blanket adverse comments or castigation of all democratic administrations from 1999 by the present administration is uncharitable, fussy and uninstructive.”

To whisper his wasted years in power, OBJ again adds, “Politics apart, I strongly believe that there is a distinction between the three previous administrations that it would be unfair to lump them all together. I understand President Buhari’s frustration on the state of the economy inherited by him. It was the same reason and situation that brought about the cry for change, otherwise, there would be no need for change,  if it was all nice and rosy.”

This same man (OBJ) backs sale of national assets to raise money to get Nigeria out of its economic recession because he initiated the idea of selling NEPA through what they call privatization. To handover this sensitive national asset to his wife, Late Stella (May her soul rest in peace), OBJ changed the name from NEPA to PHCN. And eventually sold by Jonathan in 2013, OBJ should ask himself whether Nigerians are experiencing improved power supply.

That ideas like sale of national assets in any guise do not work in Nigeria’s context, but coming from OBJ, every Nigerian should see it as perfect and he advises Buhari to think in this direction. But vehemently, he opposes in part, the move for a foreign loan because the amount is too huge.

He frankly appreciates Buhari’s burden or concern for the suffering masses of Nigeria and the need to alleviate same. But to acknowledge that PMB would not have to “shit” money to solve Nigeria’s problems is what this elder statesman would simply not accept, because it would impose, according to him, 30 years of servitude on Nigeria. If Nigerians had impact from the $16 billion, he claimed his administration spent on power generation, national grid would not have been below 2, 500 megawatts (MW) Buhari inherited and has pushed it to now slightly above 5,000 MW. 

OBJ says “No administration can or should be comfortable with the excruciating pain of debilitating and crushing economy. Businesses are closing, jobs are being lost and people are suffering.”

But is there anything new? These are problems Buhari inherited and OBJ himself knows that only PMB believes in the change mantra. OBJ knows that majority of the people around Buhari like himself are frustrating this change and humanly, it is not possible for Buhari to be in every office in Nigeria to have things done accordingly.

In the First Akintola William’s Annual Lecture, OBJ admits of his frustrations in auditing accounts of the National Assembly, he  confesses  is peopled by crooks and “unarmed robbers.” But he expects that Buhari should perform miracles with the same characters in place, maliciously checkmating his good plans for Nigeria for their selfish ends. 

OBJ was an abrasive president, who could cause the abduction of an incumbent governor (Anambra’s Chris Ngige) or order the sack of his party’s national chairman, (then PDP’s Chief Audu Ogbeh) after a dinner with him. But Buhari is sincerely a different politician who would not just float the law to massage his ego.

A Senate made up of characters OBJ has infinitely kept questioning are the same clan of parliamentarians who have rejected PMB’s proposal to borrow $29 billion, monies they can vouch for its judicious applicability with Buhari’s eagle eye.

That’s how wisdom dangles. While OBJ believes that PMB should borrow money, but not in the magnitude of the $29 billion he is demanding, Senators of Nigeria see no reason for it. It will do OBJ a great deal of respite, if he observes more and speaks less under a Buhari Presidency, who remains a Nigerian leader for the Nigerian masses.


Raheem writes from Kaduna State.

Thursday 24 November 2016

NASS Vows To Protect Nigeria’s Sovereignty From Foreign Interests



The National Assembly has vowed to defend Nigeria’s sovereignty and interest against foreign interference.
This is coming against the background of concerns expressed by the Coalition for Good Governance and Change Initiative and other Civil Society  and Human rights organizations on what they described as undue interference by the republic of Iran in Nigeria’s internal affairs.
The Senate gave the assurance when they received members of the Coalition for Good Governance and Change Initiative and other CSOs who led a protest march to the National Assembly.
The protesters who were received by Sen. Emmanuel Paulker, (Bayelsa central and Chairman Senate committee on petroleum,  upstream PDP) and Sen. Yusuf Abubakar, (Taraba central APC) expressed concern over the radicalization of IMN members by Iran.
Addressing the protesters, Sen. Paulker said Nigeria is a secular state and nobody would be allowed to impose his religion on others. He assured that the National Assembly will move fast to quickly address the issue.
He said, “we will protect Nigerians against any foreigner that will come under any guise to destabilize this country. We have taken notice of what you have stated. In fact the Senate president specifically asked me and my colleague to come out here and address this issue. So we will go back to the Senate and look at it intensively”
Speaking earlier on, National Coordinator of the Governance and Change Initiative, Ogenyi Okpokwu Emmanuel urged both chambers of the National Assembly pass resolutions asking the Federal Government to outlaw the IMN nationwide.
Ogenyi expressed worry that Nigeria is under threat from the Islamic Republic of Iran, which is flooding the country with the terrorists it has trained and empowered under the cover of being Shia sect members.
He said, “These Iranian representatives in the country operate under the name of Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN), which has disavowed the secular state prescribed in the constitution. IMN has emphatically declared that it does not recognize the Federal Government of which the National Assembly is the third arm of government.”
It would be recalle that recently, IMN members clashed with the police in Kano leading to several deaths.
Ogenyi drew the attention of the lawmakers to online video of IMN members performing military drills and practicing combat skills, warning that what the country is dealing with here is not just a band of adherents but several cells of heavily radicalized youths that have been convinced to see suicide attacks as the path to martyrdom.
He said the Judicial Commission of Inquiry set up by the Kaduna State government in the aftermath of last year’s clash between the IMN and the military offered great insight into the true identity of the extremist group.
According to him, during the commission’s public hearing Nigerians recounted how they experienced the horrors dispensed by the IMN in Zaria, Kaduna state which was its enclave.
Ogenyi said the findings of the commission provoked the outlawing of IMN by Kaduna state government, but said sadly, instead of waking the sect up to the rejection of its extreme views, its members have rather scattered farther afield to other state in what some expert see as preemptively activating a domination agenda that is not different from the approach adopted by the world’s worst terrorist group, Boko Haram.
He said, “There is need for Nigeria to act fast. The National Assembly must activate what is an equivalent of the doctrine of necessity. It will take time for all the remaining thirty five states and the FCT to outlaw this extremist group but the National Assembly can save the country.
“It is on this note that we are demanding that both chambers of the National Assembly pass resolutions asking the Federal Government to outlaw the IMN nationwide. Our Federal lawmakers must also demand the severance of diplomatic relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran for exporting terrorism into our country, for radicalising our youths, for flooding our land with weapons, for intruding into our national affairs and threatening our sovereignty and for being a threat to our nationhood.
“The country must also close its diplomatic mission here while Nigeria closes ours in Tehran. As practical step, the Senate should not confirm any ambassadorial nominee for that country while exercising the budget for Nigeria’s embassy there.
“We will observe in the coming days to see what actions the National Assembly will take on our demands. Once we see our federal lawmakers commence work in earnest to address this IMN threat to our collective safety, we shall support in any way possible.”
Ogenyi said the CSOs will hold daily protests at the premises of the National Assembly if it fails to act fast and do the needful.
He however expressed confidence that the “National Assembly will act in the interest of their constituents who do not want to be wiped out by IMN fanatics.”