Alia Ghanem, the mother of deceased al-Qaeda leader, Osama bin Laden has said that her son was a shy person as he was growing up until he joined what she called: ‘you can call it cult.’
Speaking at her family’s home in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Ghanem told the Guardian newspaper, that bin Laden was a shy, academically capable boy, who turned into a strong, pious figure while an economics student in Jeddah in his early 20s.
“The people at university changed him. He became a different man,’’ she told the newspaper, which said bin Laden had met Abdullah Azzam, a Muslim Brotherhood member, who became his spiritual adviser, at the university.
“He was a very good child until he met some people, who pretty much brainwashed him in his early 20s. You can call it a cult; they got money for their cause.
“I would always tell him to stay away from them and he would never admit to me what he was doing because he loved me so much.”
A heavy downpour has caused havoc in Dambatta local government area of Kano State, Killing one person and destroying over 40 houses.
The down pour, which started around 4:00 in the evening of yesterday, Thursday and lasted several hours, also destroyed properties worth millions of Naira.
The Dambatta East local government Councillor, Abdullahi Sani Dambatta, confirmed the incident in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Kano on Friday.
He said that the one person that lost his life died as a result of building collapse at Unguwar Makafi.
He said that areas affected by the disaster include Bakin Kasuwa and Abattoir area in the town.
“Many of the residents have been rendered homeless as a results of the flooding,” the Councillor.
He called on the local government Council and the state government to come to the aid of the victims.
He said the local government Council chairman, Alhaji Idris Haruna Zago had visited the affected areas with a view to assessing the damage caused by the flood.
When contacted, the Executive Secretary of the state Emergency Relief and Rehabilitation Agency (SERERA), Alhaji Ali Bashir confirmed the incident saying that the agency would dispatch its staff to the local government to assess the situation.
“I have just been informed about the incident and we have concluded arrangement to send our people to assess the situation with a view to bringing a comprehensive report to the state government.
Former Governor of Oyo State, Chief Rashidi Ladoja has defected from the main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
Addressing supporters at his residence in Bodija, Ibadan today, Friday, Ladoja recounted efforts by him to stabilize the PDP in the state and in the country and said those sacrifices went unrecognized.
He said that he had now accepted the responsibility of facilitating the defection of serving and former governors and lawmakers across the country into the ADC.
“The assignment that the delegation of ADC from Abuja gave me is that the governors that are planning to join ADC; that I should facilitate their defection to ADC. I may not always be around, but it is for the betterment of our party. This is because I am sure that the home front in the state is safe. Those at home are competent.
“The ADC and PDP have signed an agreement to present a joint presidential candidate. What we are seriously working on for now is that the presidential candidate should emerge from ADC. “This will compel me to move to different parts of the country quickly so that ADC will hold the ace in other states, after we have conducted the congresses in Oyo State.
“As it is now, there is no ward in Oyo State that we don’t have presence. If possible, we should conduct our ward congress next Saturday. Registration will begin from now. If the ward congress is conducted on Saturday, the Saturday that will follow, we can also conduct local government congress, and the Saturday that will follow that one on August 18, we can conduct state congress.
“We need to conduct the congresses on time so that we would not contravene the guidelines set by INEC. It is not that we are in a haste, but time is no longer on our side with barely eight months to the general elections.
“By the grace of God, things will fall in proper places. I urge you all to cooperate with the leadership as we go through the process. Let us be more committed than we did in the past.”
Senator Abdullahi Adamu, representing Nasarawa West Senatorial District), has said that by defecting from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, has stepped on what he called ‘banana peel.’
Speaking to news men today, Friday in Abuja, Senator Abdullahi Adamu said: “Saraki had stepped on banana peel and should be prepared to bear the consequences of his action.
“If Saraki knows political intricacies and the political terrain or the path where the banana peel in political landscape is, he will be more cautious. The way he is going now, he has obviously stepped on banana peel and only God knows how far he will slip.
“I will not pretend. I think he made a mistake and he took a wrong decision. He will have stories to tell along the line. It is not the best he could have done. He had a duty to his father to keep the flag of the family flying but the way he is going, I do not think he is doing that.”
He however advised Senator Saraki to step down to avert consequences, adding: “he should honourably return the crown or be ready to bear the consequences.”
According to the outspoken APC Senator and former Nasarawa State Governor, the defection of Saraki and the other lawmakers is a game changer, saying: “we expect them to do it amicably and peacefully. They should make sure they do not run away with our crown.
“If they think they will go and nothing will happen and that it will be business as usual, then they need to think again.
“I will not say whether we will take steps or not take steps. We hope that between now and resumption of Senate plenary, more events will unfold. We do not want to be in a hurry to speculate.”
The lawmaker said that if Senator Saraki insisted on leading a Senate with majority of lawmakers from the APC, there would be repercussions.
He said that irrespective of the fact that there was a precedence where former Speaker of House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal defected but remained the Speaker, Senator Abdullahi Adamu swore that such thing would not happen this time.
The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has alleged that old thieves are now regrouping in what it called ‘corruption ridden’ Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to loot the Nigerian public treasury again.
In a statement, the group’s Director, Professor, Ishaq Akintola said that these old directionless politicians have found an easy solution by defecting to the same party which prioritized corruption, idolized kleptomaniacs and rewarded criminality and impunity.
“These are the true enemies of the Nigerian people. Thieves are regrouping to loot again.
“We voted for these defectors because of Buhari. We did not vote for them on personal merit. We pity the defectors. “They are victims of collective amnesia.”
The MURIC director asked the defectors if they have forgotten that they rode on the back of Buhari in 2015 to get into what later turned out to be a den of thieves?
“Buhari was the magic name in 2015. He has not lost that magnetic aura. The records show that he has performed creditably well in spite of the deadly mines laid by traitors in that notorious den. Buhari is still the dot in the com.”
The Islamic human rights organization advised President Buhari that instead of dissipating energy on defectors, he should concentrate on the infrastructural projects, adding that the defectors never really belonged to the ruling party.
It described them as distractors who only possess nuisance value and politicians who find it difficult to operate in a transparent political environment because the corruption virus is not only in their blood, it is domiciled in their DNA.
“We must congratulate Buhari for ridding his team of molls, pests, hypocrites and parasites. Majority of political liabilities and cogs in the wheel of progress are out of the way. But it is not over until the two big masquerades unmask and jump the fence into the traitors’ mafia camp.”
Ishaq Akintola, a professor of Islamic eschatology said: “we are not moved by the number of defectors. The questions we should be asking is ‘What is their quality? How much moral fiber do they possess? What has been their contribution to party followership? How loyal have they been to their party? Have they ever been supportive of presidential initiatives? Are they the type that will pass the integrity test? Have they been playing positive roles in the war against corruption?
“Progressives who support President Buhari’s anti-graft fight should heave sighs of relief if the answers to the above questions are all negative. In fact Mr. President should be congratulated that traitors and clogs in the wheel of progress have finally shown their faces. When the going was good, they were only good as alternatives to Nollywood, court jesters and boot-lickers of corrupt hill-top political godfathers, sleeping on duty, blocking presidential nominees, budget padding and delaying budgets for seven months.
“These people never really belonged ab initio. They came with a mission to protect their stolen booty and to protect their superrich and corrupt godfathers by debilitating and retarding the war against corruption.
“What exactly is the benefit of bitter kola since it has no segments when cracked open and it is so bitter when bitten? Wheat must be separated from the chaff before it can be useful and a good surgeon will not hesitate to amputate a rotten limb in order to save the remaining healthy part of the anatomy.
“We are aware of the fact that politicians generally have not lived up to the expection of Nigerians and no single political party is an exception. While there is little choice in rotten apples, we must note that if Buhari’s party is not the answer, it cannot be those who pauperized the citizenry and brought the country to its knees. We are not thinking of any party, our focus is on President Muhammadu Buhari. Our interest is integrity, transparency, probity and accountability.
“Nigerians are advised to jettison party politicking for that individual who has been identified as the champion of anti-corruption not only on the African continent but also in the whole world. We must build upon the recent singular honour which the International Criminal Court at the Hagues gave the Nigerian president when he was invited as an august visitor to the highly reputable court.
“The significance of that invitation must not be lost on Nigerians. One of the judges of the court remarked that Buhari was the only African head of state to have visited the court as a guest and not as a criminal. We see this as a great honour to the whole country and not for our President alone. Therefore we have no single modicum of doubt that Buhari can lead Nigeria back to a glorious El Dorado if given the chance.
“In our closing remarks, we urge President Muhammadu Buhari to ignore defectors and concentrate on infrastructural development. We urge Nigerians not to fall for the antics of dexterous kleptomaniacs. Let us rally behind President Muhammadu Buhari, Nigeria’s only internationally acclaimed anti-graft crusader. Defectors from the ruling party have only exposed their true mission in politics, namely, stealing without borders.
“They jumped the boat when their mission failed. They have been too clever by half.”
President Muhammadu Buhari in Lome, Togo strongly pitched for the setting up of a regional security architecture in the West and Central African sub-regions, giving clear indication that there is a convergence of strategic interests among the countries of the two sub-regions on security.
In his address at the three summits that took place between Sunday and Tuesday in Lome, these being the ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States) and the ECCAS (Economic Community Of Central African States); implementation of Single Currency throughout West Africa by 2020; and the 53rd Ordinary Session of ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, President Buhari talked about the need for a united approach to contain terrorism and radicalisation in the sub-regions; asserted Nigeria’s leading role in political, social and economic matters; and reaffirmed the need for close collaboration in dealing with problems affecting their countries.
In a major speech at the ECOWAS-ECCAS summit, the President made clear Nigeria’s readiness in playing a major role in broader regional security framework along with all the countries in the sub-regions, in the hope of replicating the successful pentagonal security coalition in the Lake Chad area which led to the setting up of a Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) by Nigeria, Niger, Chad, Cameroon and Benin.
According to him, “Nigeria wishes to encourage other Member States to intensify inter-regional collaboration on maritime security, fight against terrorism and other crimes through effective border control. Respect for rule of law, democracy and promotion of human rights are also vital as they are attributes of good governance, which would enhance the socio-economic development of the two regions.
“As you are all aware, the African Union (AU) has designated this year as the Anti-Corruption Year under the theme “Winning the Fight against Corruption: the Sustainable Path to Africa’s Transformation”. As Champion of the theme for the year, I call upon you to join hands in this campaign against corruption, as one of the root causes of conflict and other societal ills.
“Finally, let me reiterate that Nigeria will continue to support any effort directed towards peace building, security and stability, as well as the fight against terrorism and violent extremism in our two sub-regions and the world.”
The discussions focused on steps to further strengthen the comprehensive strategic partnership by expanding cooperation across all sectors, including, but not limited to:
Ø The promotion of peace and stability throughout the sub-regions;
Ø The setting up of national and sub-regional early warning response mechanisms to avert conflicts;
Ø The setting up of Eminent Persons Group to undertake preventive diplomacy, crisis management and mediation;
Ø Zero tolerance for corruption, coups, and the institution of free, fair and credible elections;
Ø Inclusive political participation;
Ø Empowering women and youths; and
Ø The institution of fair mechanisms of sharing resources.
The leaders of the sub-regions also agreed to security cooperation against transnational crimes such as terrorism, illicit trafficking in arms and drugs and ensuring the security of the water ways in the Gulf of Guinea.
They also agreed to the formation up of Mutual Legal Assistance Treaties in pursuit of judicial assistance to one another and to promote cooperation by their police.
Arising from their discussions, there will be a donor conference on security in the Gulf of Guinea. The Central African Countries have agreed to support the MNJTF in the Lake Chad basin area. To tackle the escalation in farmers-herders conflicts, the leaders have asked their ministers of agriculture and livestock, security and foreign affairs to meet every year to formulate solutions to common problems. The summit of the leaders will itself take place every two years to maintain the momentum of cooperation.
To give effect to all resolutions and decisions, a ministerial committee was set up, made up of ministers of foreign affairs, security and the secretaries-general of both sub-regional groups to report to the heads of state annually. There will also be a joint secretariat of ECOWAS and ECCAS.
The second summit, the one on Single Currency has outlined eligibility criteria and set targets for all the countries in West Africa. They call these convergence criteria that fix the ratios of deficit to Gross Domestic Product, GDP; annual inflation rates, limits to Central Banks’ financing, public debt-GDP ratios, rate of exchange and currency reserves.
What this meeting did was to charge all countries to aggressively work towards the take-off target of 2020 and Nigeria, with 65 per cent of ECOWAS’ cash reserves, the leading economy in the sub-region and the continent, was effectively put in the driver’s seat. Some likened this role by Nigeria to what Germany is to the European Union, EU. It is an enormous responsibility for which our leaders have expressed the readiness to effectively shoulder.
The third summit, the ECOWAS meeting went into extra time due to the long list of issues on the table. These ranged from regional integration to regional security and stability; customs union; agriculture and the tragic escalation of farmers-herders conflicts as well as the enhancement of social peace.
The meeting of the heads of state and government also received several reports on assignments earlier given. There were Reports on the implementation of ECOWAS biometric ID cards; African migrants in detention in Italy and Spain; the on-going restructuring of the ECOWAS secretariat; budget for the new financial year; and the political situations in the sub-region including The Gambia, the legislative elections in Guinea-Bissau, the elections in Mali, the maritime security in the Gulf of Guinea, the situation in Togo as well the setting up of national early warning centres.
What is left unsaid is that President Buhari’s engagements dealing with security and cooperation and the warm reception given him in Lome, by both ECOWAS and ECCAS have encouraged enthusiasm and speculative interest regarding Nigeria’s role in Africa’s security. We have our challenges quite alright, but that appear in no way to lower the high expectations by both domestic and international supporters about what Nigeria can, and should do.
The point above was underscored by the extraordinary decision of the ECOWAS leaders to, for want of a better word impose the leadership of the organization, against all protestations on the Nigerian leader.
Nigeria’s delegation to Lome had been briefed of the aspirations of Cape Verde, Sierra Leone and Ghana to assume the chairmanship of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government following the completion of Togo’s mandate.
As with others, Team Nigeria had debated the pros and cons of all three Candidate-nations and had, after considering the best possible interests of the sub-region, made a selection before the commencement of the summit.
As it turned out, the ECOWAS leaders had a plan unknown to Nigeria. Against the tradition of denying the chairmanship to leaders in an election year in their countries, President Buhari was asked to lead, and denied a chance to refuse to serve.
In the history of the ECOWAS, many of the region’s leaders including some from Nigeria had fought to serve, with many seeing the chairmanship as an added feather to the cap, if not an egotistic conquest of the space in a megalomaniacal sense. There are past Nigerian Presidents who had had multiple tenures as ECOWAS chairman. Unlike others, President Buhari, in his fourth year as leader, had never asked to lead.
In classic recast of the Biblical and Qur’anic proverb, that those who exalt themselves shall be humbled, while those who humble themselves shall be exalted, all three candidates were asked to step down, and the Nigerian President was called to come forward to lead. Given the times and the circumstances in the sub-region, the leaders know of course that they need President Buhari now, more than they did at any other time before.
Garba Shehu is the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media & Publicity.
A total of 8,839 have been airlifted by the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) to Madinah for this year’s Hajj performance in Saudi Arabia.
An update on the airlift operations by the NAHCON information department said that Flynas airline, with flight number XY5111, departed Abuja for Madinah at 01:00hrs today, Thursday, with 232 FCT Pilgrims and three Officials.
It broke down the details of those airlifted to be 115 males and 117 females.
It said that so far 21 flights have been operated since the airlift operations began a couple of weeks ago. [myad]
The spokesman for the Atiku Abubakar Campaign Organisation, Segundo Showunmi has said that it would be disastrous if the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) fails to field his principal as its candidate in the 2019 presidential election.
Showunmi said Atiku deserves the presidential ticket of the PDP because he had been deeply involved in the Nigeria’s political system and understands the peculiarity of the nation’s democracy very good.
According to him, Atiku had built consensus, and is a nationalist that has the ears of the people, adding that he remained the only person who could give President Buhari a run for his money.
Speaking with Daily Sun on why Nigerians should queue behind Atikun in 2019, Showunmi said,
“There are many Nigerians but he has unique political qualities that distinguished him from others. Many of the aspirants cannot generate exciting emotions outside of their zone. Some of them are just looking at presidency like ambition; they cannot articulate what they want to do with the opportunity. Nigeria needs a leader that has a global reputation.
“Atiku is obviously better than other aspirants including the opposition aspirants. He has a bigger vision for Nigeria. None of the Presidential aspirants could challenge Buhari in the 2019 election and succeed.
”Atiku is the only person that could do that. It will be unwise for PDP to bring an unpopular candidate to challenge the incumbent President. That would be disastrous. He is open to fresh ideas and he believes that all the tribes should bring ideas to the discussion table so we could collectively and extensively discuss and appease all worrying parties. [myad]
The Senate majority leader, Ahmed Ibrahim Lawan has called on his colleague !awmakers in both the Senate and House of Representatives to reconvene quickly to work on the budget of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the 2019 general elections in the country. Senator Ibrahim Lawan, who spoke to newsmen at the presidential villa in Abuja today,, Wednesday said that as President Muhammadu Buhari leaves for his vacation, the lawmakers should continue to treat those issues that are so important to this country. “We should be able to come together, come back and deal with them. Here I have in mind the consideration of the budget of INEC for the 2019 election that is the request of Mr. President to approve some virement on the 2018 budget. I believe that we are going to do a lot of justice to the people of this country to work hard to pass those requests. “I am using this medium to call on my colleagues in the senate and House of Representatives to come back and consider the requests of Mr. President for the virement and supplementary budget for INEC for the 2019 elections.”
National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomhole has admitted that the hale of defections of the erstwhile members of the party to the opposition Peoples Democratic Part (PDP) mark Tempting moments for the party. Oshiomhole who fielded questions from newsmen shortly after an audience with President Muhammadu Buhari at the presidential villa, Abuja today, Wednesday, said however that nobody in the APC would be surprised about the development, adding: “in fact, they have stayed little bit longer than we thought. Last week the Kwara has State Governor was alluded to have said he was leaving but he didn’t say when. So, we are not surprised at all. “But these are what I might call temping moments because I had faced similar situations in my state, when people were leaving. But the beauty of democracy is that whether big or small, it is one man one vote. On election day, no difference between a senator, a president, a journalist and any other person. “In a sense, we have to accept that once a couple for any reason or the other find that they are not compatible, the only honourable thing is to go. “I was happy for one thing is that the senate president as a mark of honour accepted that he is leaving not because the new leadership did not make effort; he admitted that not only did I do everything possible along with the Vice President, along with some governors and we had meeting with the President, but he argued that those efforts came too late. But I couldn’t have started acting before I was born. “But whatever is the reason, we can decamp from parties but we can’t decamp from Nigeria. The only thing is that there are other consequential issues that every man or woman of honour who had taken such decisions would be expected to follow through. “I mean you should not collect a crown that belongs to a family and wear it on behalf of the family if for your personal reasons which he has enumerated that he has gone to another family. It is just a matter of honour to leave the crown in the house that the crown belongs to. As it stands even now, APC is still the largest party in the senate. We have 53 senators, that is much more than PDP has, or APGA has. “So, I think the important thing is that our democracy is still evolving; there are a couple of lessons to learn from the development. Going forward, we will expect the system to get stronger to the extent that it is able to learn the correct lessons and take the correct steps to profit from these developments. “I have made this point and some commentators who don’t seem to understand take one part of the argument and leave the other, I have said that if people have genuine, verifiable grievances, we are committed even now to listen and address those grievances in what I call, win-win manner. I have been consistent with that during campaign, I have been consistent since I was sworn in, I have made the points in my acceptance speech, I have emphasized this when I met with the Senate caucus and speech, I have emphasized this when I met with the House of Representatives caucus, that we are ready to do justice to anyone who is genuinely aggrieved and whose grievances are such that we can deal with them provided we enthroned Justice, fairness and most sides purge themselves of any arrogance. “To the best of my knowledge, all senators, house of reps members were happy.”
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Former Governor of Oyo State, Chief Rashidi Ladoja has defected from the main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
In Lome, Buhari Canvasses For Regional Security Architecture, By Garba Shehu
President Muhammadu Buhari in Lome, Togo strongly pitched for the setting up of a regional security architecture in the West and Central African sub-regions, giving clear indication that there is a convergence of strategic interests among the countries of the two sub-regions on security.
In his address at the three summits that took place between Sunday and Tuesday in Lome, these being the ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States) and the ECCAS (Economic Community Of Central African States); implementation of Single Currency throughout West Africa by 2020; and the 53rd Ordinary Session of ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, President Buhari talked about the need for a united approach to contain terrorism and radicalisation in the sub-regions; asserted Nigeria’s leading role in political, social and economic matters; and reaffirmed the need for close collaboration in dealing with problems affecting their countries.
In a major speech at the ECOWAS-ECCAS summit, the President made clear Nigeria’s readiness in playing a major role in broader regional security framework along with all the countries in the sub-regions, in the hope of replicating the successful pentagonal security coalition in the Lake Chad area which led to the setting up of a Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) by Nigeria, Niger, Chad, Cameroon and Benin.
According to him, “Nigeria wishes to encourage other Member States to intensify inter-regional collaboration on maritime security, fight against terrorism and other crimes through effective border control. Respect for rule of law, democracy and promotion of human rights are also vital as they are attributes of good governance, which would enhance the socio-economic development of the two regions.
“As you are all aware, the African Union (AU) has designated this year as the Anti-Corruption Year under the theme “Winning the Fight against Corruption: the Sustainable Path to Africa’s Transformation”. As Champion of the theme for the year, I call upon you to join hands in this campaign against corruption, as one of the root causes of conflict and other societal ills.
“Finally, let me reiterate that Nigeria will continue to support any effort directed towards peace building, security and stability, as well as the fight against terrorism and violent extremism in our two sub-regions and the world.”
The discussions focused on steps to further strengthen the comprehensive strategic partnership by expanding cooperation across all sectors, including, but not limited to:
Ø The promotion of peace and stability throughout the sub-regions;
Ø The setting up of national and sub-regional early warning response mechanisms to avert conflicts;
Ø The setting up of Eminent Persons Group to undertake preventive diplomacy, crisis management and mediation;
Ø Zero tolerance for corruption, coups, and the institution of free, fair and credible elections;
Ø Inclusive political participation;
Ø Empowering women and youths; and
Ø The institution of fair mechanisms of sharing resources.
The leaders of the sub-regions also agreed to security cooperation against transnational crimes such as terrorism, illicit trafficking in arms and drugs and ensuring the security of the water ways in the Gulf of Guinea.
They also agreed to the formation up of Mutual Legal Assistance Treaties in pursuit of judicial assistance to one another and to promote cooperation by their police.
Arising from their discussions, there will be a donor conference on security in the Gulf of Guinea. The Central African Countries have agreed to support the MNJTF in the Lake Chad basin area. To tackle the escalation in farmers-herders conflicts, the leaders have asked their ministers of agriculture and livestock, security and foreign affairs to meet every year to formulate solutions to common problems. The summit of the leaders will itself take place every two years to maintain the momentum of cooperation.
To give effect to all resolutions and decisions, a ministerial committee was set up, made up of ministers of foreign affairs, security and the secretaries-general of both sub-regional groups to report to the heads of state annually. There will also be a joint secretariat of ECOWAS and ECCAS.
The second summit, the one on Single Currency has outlined eligibility criteria and set targets for all the countries in West Africa. They call these convergence criteria that fix the ratios of deficit to Gross Domestic Product, GDP; annual inflation rates, limits to Central Banks’ financing, public debt-GDP ratios, rate of exchange and currency reserves.
What this meeting did was to charge all countries to aggressively work towards the take-off target of 2020 and Nigeria, with 65 per cent of ECOWAS’ cash reserves, the leading economy in the sub-region and the continent, was effectively put in the driver’s seat. Some likened this role by Nigeria to what Germany is to the European Union, EU. It is an enormous responsibility for which our leaders have expressed the readiness to effectively shoulder.
The third summit, the ECOWAS meeting went into extra time due to the long list of issues on the table. These ranged from regional integration to regional security and stability; customs union; agriculture and the tragic escalation of farmers-herders conflicts as well as the enhancement of social peace.
The meeting of the heads of state and government also received several reports on assignments earlier given. There were Reports on the implementation of ECOWAS biometric ID cards; African migrants in detention in Italy and Spain; the on-going restructuring of the ECOWAS secretariat; budget for the new financial year; and the political situations in the sub-region including The Gambia, the legislative elections in Guinea-Bissau, the elections in Mali, the maritime security in the Gulf of Guinea, the situation in Togo as well the setting up of national early warning centres.
What is left unsaid is that President Buhari’s engagements dealing with security and cooperation and the warm reception given him in Lome, by both ECOWAS and ECCAS have encouraged enthusiasm and speculative interest regarding Nigeria’s role in Africa’s security. We have our challenges quite alright, but that appear in no way to lower the high expectations by both domestic and international supporters about what Nigeria can, and should do.
The point above was underscored by the extraordinary decision of the ECOWAS leaders to, for want of a better word impose the leadership of the organization, against all protestations on the Nigerian leader.
Nigeria’s delegation to Lome had been briefed of the aspirations of Cape Verde, Sierra Leone and Ghana to assume the chairmanship of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government following the completion of Togo’s mandate.
As with others, Team Nigeria had debated the pros and cons of all three Candidate-nations and had, after considering the best possible interests of the sub-region, made a selection before the commencement of the summit.
As it turned out, the ECOWAS leaders had a plan unknown to Nigeria. Against the tradition of denying the chairmanship to leaders in an election year in their countries, President Buhari was asked to lead, and denied a chance to refuse to serve.
In the history of the ECOWAS, many of the region’s leaders including some from Nigeria had fought to serve, with many seeing the chairmanship as an added feather to the cap, if not an egotistic conquest of the space in a megalomaniacal sense. There are past Nigerian Presidents who had had multiple tenures as ECOWAS chairman. Unlike others, President Buhari, in his fourth year as leader, had never asked to lead.
In classic recast of the Biblical and Qur’anic proverb, that those who exalt themselves shall be humbled, while those who humble themselves shall be exalted, all three candidates were asked to step down, and the Nigerian President was called to come forward to lead. Given the times and the circumstances in the sub-region, the leaders know of course that they need President Buhari now, more than they did at any other time before.