Agitators for Biafra were said to have blocked road, preventing the Nigerian soldiers on parade from passing, even as they threw stones, bottles and other objects, injuring a soldier and a civilian. Narrating the incidence in a statement yesterday, the Assistant Director of Army Public Relations, 14 Brigade Nigerian Army, Major Oyegoke Gbadamosi said that the agitators confronted the soldiers of 145 Battalion who were on show of force along FMC-World Bank Road in Umuahia town, Abia State, but that the soldiers maintained level headedness by not retaliating even when one of them was hit by stone which the agitators hauled, thereby sustaining head injury. Major Gbadamosi said that the Biafran agitators stood firmly on the road and insisted that the military vehicles would not pass. “They started pelting the soldiers with stones and broken bottles to the point of injuring an innocent female passerby and a soldier, Corporal Kolawole Mathew. “The troops fired warning shots in the air and the hoodlums dispersed. No life was lost.” He said that both the soldier and the innocent female passerby that were injured by the Biafran agitators’ missiles have been evacuated to the unit’s Medical Inspection Room for treatment. The Army spokesman was surprised that the news was later twisted to say that the soldiers invaded the home of Nnamdi Kanu and killed three persons, saying that this is far from the truth. He asked members of the public to disregard the rumours going round and the fictitious photographs of purported victims of attack. Major Gbadamosi however warned those he called mischief makers threatening the peace and security of the country through falsehood to desist in their own interest. This is even as he advised members of the public to go about their lawful business with a request that they should report any suspicious activity to the nearest police station or security outfit for further action. [myad]
The Presidency has encouraged Nigerians to be in the habit of demanding to know from their state governors and local council chairman how they have been spending the ecological funds being released to them from time to time. The Presidency insisted that it is the right of citizens to demand the judicious use of the Fund, which is distributed among the three tiers of government from the Federation Account. “The largest chunk of the Fund goes to the States and Local Governments. Every month, States and Local governments receive 1.4 per cent from the Federation account as Ecological Fund, compared to the Federal government’s share of 1 per cent. “But whenever there is an emergency from natural or man-made disasters, all you hear is ‘where is Buhari, what is he doing? What happens with the other tiers of government? “Nigerians, at the state and local governments, should demand transparency and accountability in the management of ecological funds by their Governors and local government chairmen. “Without accountability by local political leaders, the Federal government would continue to be the scapegoat for the failure of states and local governments to use ecological funds for the purposes they were released.” Speaking yesterday, Sunday in a Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN) audience participation programme, Senior Special Assistant to the President on media and publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, noted that disaster management in the country is gradually being shifted to the Federal Government by other tiers of government which is not suppose to be so. Garba Shehu however said that Buhari’s administration would continue to ensure the timely release of the Ecological Fund to States to address pressing ecological challenges in their localities. “The Buhari administration will under no circumstance abandon its humanitarian obligations to alleviate the distress of flood victims. In spite of Nigeria’s technological limitations and the paucity of funds to handle or manage large scale and complex emergencies, the APC administration will leave no stone unturned in offering succour to victims of natural disasters across the country.” He said that the Presidential Committee on Flood Relief and Rehabilitation had, in addition, been mandated to step up the provision of relief infrastructure to those in need. [myad]
It has been six years out of sight but still very much in mind. The affection that holds me and her together is deep; very deep. Before you accuse me of relapsing back to my romantic youthful years, let me make it clear that I am not talking of an old girlfriend but Yola – my Yola – the capital of Adamawa State that I last saw in 2012. Yola means a lot to me. In 1980 Nnuora Nzekwu, author of Eze Goes to School and General Manager of NAN sent me there to start my journalism career as a cub reporter of what was then Nigeria’s lone news agency. I soon drifted from the town and moved all over Nigeria as an itinerant reporter. Yola beckoned back and it was there I hit the peak of my career as a newspaperman and government bureaucrat. Still in my early 30s, I was appointed a Permanent Secretary and later Chief Executive of a government publishing House. In Yola I first encountered the wonderful people of Adamawa State who have played significant roles in my life. Our relationship is not based on human wealth but human worth. An Adamawa man could be a poor man who lives in a hovel; but when you interact with him, you discover he lives in a home of spiritual splendor. Yola remains the town that inspires my spirit and revives my physical strength. Anytime I am lost and think my end is near, to Yola I go. When at the crossroad of my life, Yola shows me the way forward. I was in Yola during the last Eid el Kabir for the above reasons. Six years ago, I made a similar pilgrimage to Yola which ended abruptly. Shekau, leader of the Boko Haram killer squad was moving as an unstoppable force in the whole of the North East. In a panic move, President Goodluck Jonathan threw some states of the region including Adamawa into an emergency blanket. I had just reached Yola a day before the presidential declaration and it looked normal until the following day when all GSM lines were cut off. I was marooned – cut off from the rest of my family and the outside world. In a huff I left Yola, drove to Gombe then Bauchi and straight to Jos where I reconnected with the rest of the world and spent a night. My last pilgrimage took me beyond Yola; I moved to Gire, Song, Gombi, Hong and Michika which is part of the defunct Sardauna Province that voted to come and join Nigeria in the 1962 plebiscite. The Premier of the Northern Region Sir Ahmadu Bello the Sardauna of Sokoto worked so hard to add this throve of unexplored wealth to Nigeria that when the people responded favorably to his efforts, he named the Province after himself. In the early 80s as I went round Sardauna Province, I could not help but bow to the superior foresight of the Sardauna. I was bewitched by the rustic beauty of the country side every time we travelled in the entourage of our big Oga and friend, Paul Vintim Wampana the Speaker of the Gongola State House of Assembly to his hometown – Vintim. Ibrahim Argungu of FRCN and Abu Tapidi of the New Nigerian were frequent members of our trips. Paul Wampana later became a Minister in Shagari’s government and was later still elected a Senator. This expansive stretch of countryside extends from Borno through Adamawa to Taraba and is abundant in tourism, minerals, livestock, and agriculture and hydro-electric potentials. I have always wondered why subsequent governments have not tapped these potentials which the Sardauna saw clearly many years ago. This beautiful country side has unfortunately produced one of the most despicable and tragic citizens of Nigeria. Nigeria’s former Chief of Defense, Alex Badeh who hails from Vintim must have been a very junior officer in the Nigerian military in the early 80’s. When Boko Haram was waging a ferocious war against Nigeria, he had risen to be the head of Nigeria’s military juggernaut. In October 2014, he woke up one day and announced a fake truce which he claimed had been reached with Boko Haram. He ordered his troops to lay down their arms immediately in compliance with the ‘agreement’. Patriotically but as it turned out tragically – they did. Boko Haram responded that no such agreement was reached and then moved in swiftly to kill the unarmed Nigerian troops and civilians abundantly. They also seized large territories including Hong, Gombi, Maraba Mubi and Michika that I visited last week; they proudly raised a black flag and declared that they had now established an independent Emirate. As a student of military history, I have read extensively about brave and cowardly Generals. Nowhere in my diligent search have I encountered a General who gleefully called the media to proclaim his cowardice as Alex Badeh did in 2014. By making a truce declaration which he knew was fake, Alex Badeh inadvertently told the world that he was a wretch, a scoundrel, a liar and treachery personified. If it were not for Badeh, these expressions in the English language would have been meaningless. If it were not for Badeh, many Nigerian soldiers and civilians would have been alive today. If Badeh were in the Chinese or North Korean military, he would have been shot summarily. If Badeh were in the American Army, he would have been jailed for life or condemned to death waiting for the hang man’s noose. Amazingly, President Jonathan who should have fired the liar kept him there without even a query. This man was not a military man; certainly not a General. Alex Badeh was a decorated, celebrated and experienced quack. I have lived with hundreds of thousands of people of Adamawa origin. Never have I met a man like Badeh whose character oozes like what comes out of a pit latrine. During my trip to Michika I saw first-hand and was exposed for the first time to what life really was like in Shekau’s Emirate. I saw burnt out schools, hospitals, churches, mosques, markets and more. I saw vandalized electric cables and bombed out bridges. The damage done is beyond description. Strangely, the Presidential Initiative on the North East under General TY Danjuma with trillions of Naira in its kitty has so far made little or no impact in that part of the Emirate where I visited. Back from Shekau’s Emirate, I spent some few days in my good old Yola. It was refreshing. Governor Umaru Jibrilla popularly known as Bindo has given my old town a wonderful face lift. I have never met him but his name is on the smiling lips of most of the Yola inhabitants I spoke to. For now, I think he needs massive assistance from the Federal Government to improve the quality of life of the people in the liberated Shekau Emirate. Life there is still cruel, brutish and short.
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has asked President Muhammadu Buhari to probe all the state governors on how they spent the Paris Club refund which was disbursed to the in two tranches so far.
The labour union insisted that until the proper audit is carried out to give details of how the previous disbursements and until a concrete commitment is made by the governors to use the money to settle outstanding salaries, allowances and pension of workers and retirees in the country, the President should not release the third and final tranche
In a communiqué signed by the NLC President, Comrade Ayuba Wabba and General Secretary, Dr, Peter Oyo-Eson, at the end of its Central Working Committee (CWC) meeting, the Congress insisted that the federal government should compel state governors to properly account for the bail out funds they received from the federal government as well as the two tranches of the Paris Club refund which was supposed to be used for the payment of salaries and pensions, but diverted to other uses.
The Congress regretted that government has not lived up the expectation of Nigerians and are in the habit of reneging on signed agreements with unions, pointing out that the ongoing strike by members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities was avoidable.
The congress said: “many of the discussions around restructuring have not paid adequate attention to the question of wealth distribution in thr Nigerian society. It resolved to set up a committee to harmonies the various views expressed at the meeting with a view to articulating a congress position on the issue for subsequent presentation to the organized labour.
“It reviewed the continuous nonpayment of months of outstanding salaries of workers in some states of the federation as well as various arears of pension which has also run into several months which is the actual situation despite President Muhammadu Buhari’s passion to address this matter since he assumed office by giving bail out to governors to clear this shameful state of affairs with the nation’s workforce.
“The Federal government has further released tranches of Paris Club refund to states government with specific appeals to the and commitment by the governors forum to use the refund for the settlement of arrears of salaries and pension owed by various states to their civil servants and retrirees.
“Despite the President”s laudable intervention notwithstanding, states like Kogi, Benue and Bayelsa are still owing workers 5-10 months in salaries arrear and pension. There are other states like Kaduna and Zamfara that have refused to disclose any information about how it had utilized the bailout and Paris Club refund despite demand from unions and the general public.
“Several efforts by unions and workers in the affected states to know what these state governors are using these funds for have yielded little or no results.”
It directed the congress leadership to write the President to ensure that the governors are made to transparently account for the bailout given by the federal government as well as the two tranches of the Paris Clud refund.
It resolved to call on the President to direct the Minister of Finance not to release the third anfd final tranche of the Paris club refund til the governors give a concrete commitment to use it to pay the backlog of salaries and pension through a transparent process.
“It agreed to lead an engagement rally to states, name and shame states in default as well as applaud and support those that are up to date in payment.
“It directs all workers, pensioner and their families to take advantage of the ongoing voter registration exercise to obtain their permanent voters card.
“The CWC also reviewed the continued poor service delivery in the power sector and observed that since the current administration came to power in May 2015, it had given N740 Billion to the power sector as intervention fund without much to show for it. CWC therefore cannot comprehend the rationale behind the administration’s preparedness to give a further N39 billion bailout to DISCos for metering purpose.
“There is no guarantee that the DISCOs will not go back cap in hand to government again on the issue of provision of meters as the minister of power recently disclosed that DISCOs need about N220 billion to provide meters to Nigerians.
“Given that one of the conditions precedents for the privatization by the last administration was that the new owners would provide meters for customers within 24 months or so, CWC felt that the defaulting DISCOs ought to face sanctions and not additional bailout.
“CWC therefore call for an urgent and proper auditing of the money spent in the effort to revive the power sector since 1999 which rather than transform into increased light provision has produced tens, if not hundreds of billionaires as a result of the diversion of the funds. Nothing illustrates this better than a recent report which showed that in the almost 18 years of the current democratic dispensation, over 11 trillion has been expended from the public treasury to lift the power sector to no avail.
“The meeting called on the federal government to inaugurate the minimum wage committee immediately as the committee ought to have been put in place several months ago.
“Against the background of the impoverishment of Nigerian workers generally, government and the tripartite partners need to fast track and conclude the work of the committee in time to address the deteriorated purchasing power of the Nigerian worker.
“It resolved that the ongoing ASUU strike was preventable and regretted that again the federal government has precipitated the strike action as it failed to implement the 2009 agreement it reached with the union.
“It called on the government to urgently resolve the issues in dispute to avoid escalating the strike action as other unions in the educational sector who are also affected by the 2009 agreement in the sector are mobilizing to enter the fray. The meeting also called on the government to note that collective agreements are sacrosanct and must be respected by the parties to the agreement.
The CWC reviewed the allegations and counter allegations of impropriety coming out of the National Health Insurance Scheme. The meeting recalled that the immediate cause of the crisis arose from the public hearing organized by the House of Representatives committee on health on the activities of the NHIS.
“The CWC is of the opinion that the Minister of Health who constituted the intra ministerial committee to probe the suspended Executive Secretary and has himself been accused of peddling influence and sundry abuses in the operations of the scheme be investigated.
“Natural justice demand the a neutral and transparent process should be put in place by the government to thoroughly investigate these allegations and counter allegations.” [myad]
Nigeria Secret Police, otherwise known as Department of State Security (DSS) has foiled simultaneous suicide bomb attacks on a number of states during the just observed Eid-el-Kabir in the country.
The states marked down for attacks, according to security sources are the nation’s Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja; Kaduna, Kano, Niger, Bauchi, Yobe and Borno States.
The attacks were planned, according to the sources, by Islamic State of West Africa (ISWA) terrorists. The terrorists planned to run the attacks during Sallah festivities from 1st – 4th September, 2017.
The plan was to conduct gun attacks and suicide bombing on selected targets in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, Kano, Kaduna, Niger, Bauchi, Yobe and Borno States.
It was gathered that the mastermind of the operation is Husseini MAI-TANGARAN, a well known senior ISWA commander who has been on the Service and Nigeria Army radar since 2012, when he spearheaded the armed attacks on the office of the Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG) Zone I, on 20th January, 2012, as well as other public places in Kano.
MAI-TANGARAN was also responsible for the deadly explosive attacks against worshippers at the Kano Central Mosque as well as an attack on a military formation in Yobe State in 2015, which claimed hundreds of lives.
It was learnt that under the banner of the Islamic State in West Africa (ISWA) which he belongs, MAI-TANGARAN, an IED expert had been prepping and priming others for the perpetration of suicide bombing attacks carried out by the group in the past within the North-East region.
He was said to have been arrested in Kano, on 31st August, 2017, and further exploitation, led to the arrest of one Abdulkadir Umar MOHAMMED by the Service on 2nd September, 2017, at Kantin Kwari Market in Fagge LGA, Kano.
Sources said that MOHAMMED was a fighter of the sect who left the conclave of the group in the Sambisa forest, to join ranks with ISMAILA towards carrying out the attacks being planned by the group.
Another accomplice in the plot named by the sources as Muhammad ALI, was arrested on 3rd September 2017, at Sheka area in Kumbotso LGA of the State.
It was learnt that prior to his arrest, ALI was the financial courier of the group in Kano.
He was one of the conduits through which funds and other material logistics were channeled to the group from foreign extremist elements/sponsors.
“Like Abdulkadir Umar MOHAMMED, ALI was involved in the plot to perpetrate the planned attacks in Kano and other States in the North during the just concluded Eid-Kabir celebration.”
In a related tactical operation on 3rd September, 2017, the DSS announced the arrest of one Yahaya Mohammed Abatcha and Yusuf Mohammed, along Top Medical Road, close to Mobile Quarters in Tunga area of Minna city, Niger State.
It said that Abatcha and Mohammed are both fighters of the Habib Al-Barnawi-led Islamic State of West Africa (ISWA).
The duo are said to be the leading elements of a cell of the extremist group and have been hibernating and furthering the doctrines of the group in the city.
“They were also to be responsible for operations in FCT Abuja, Kaduna and Niger States.”
In Borno, Bauchi, Yobe and Gombe axis, based on credible intelligence, the Service in concert with sister security agencies, conducted a counter-terrorism operation on 29th August, 2017.
“This resulted in the apprehension of one Abdulkarim MOHAMMED aka BABA MAIGIWA, at Ajilani area of Jere LGA in Borno State. BABA MAIGIWA was apprehended based on intelligence which indicates his status as a spy/double agent to the Boko Haram group in the North-East region.
“The suspect has been spying on targets in Maiduguri, particularly troops’ deployments/positioning and subsequently passing same to elements of the group in Sambisa forest, while also pretending to be working for the security forces.
DSS said that in a follow up operation after the arrest of Baba Maigiwa, it arrested the three individuals who are currently cooperating in providing useful information on the diabolical plans of the group.
It said that two golf saloon cars, one ford vehicle which was serving as logistic vehicles have since been intercepted. [myad]
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has narrated how he perceived Nigeria to be one of the leading nations in the world in the next ten years despite the enormous challenges and noises being made about its division.
He said: “I must tell you that despite everything I see, and I see a lot, despite some of the discouragement that we get, I am so certain that this country is set to be, in another ten years, certainly the pre-eminent country, pre-eminent black nation in the world and we are surely on the way to become one of the pre-eminent nations of the world.”
Professor Osinbajo, who spoke today, Saturday at the public presentation of HIYA Nigeria at NTA Headquarters in Abuja, said
He said: “every day I ask myself a question, and that question I ask myself regularly is where will Nigeria be in another ten years? And may be because of the job I have, I have to keep asking myself that question, where and what is the future going to hold?”
The Vice President said that with the launching of the programme HIYA, designed to inculcate civic values and patriotism in the society, especially by the use of indigenous languages as tools of communication.
Osinbajo said that apart from the fact that Nigeria is a great nation, it is also the largest economy in Africa, adding: “whether here or in the Diaspora, Nigerians are some of the smartest people in the world.
“But our greatest assets are our young people; bright, creative and irrepressible. In technology, music and entertainment, we have proved that we are the future.
“Fortunately, that future is already here. We watched the young people from the Pacesetters International College, creatively render the National Anthem and Pledge, and what do you make of that excellent dramatic piece on the rebirth of Nigeria by the Eda Theatre? How many people have seen the dance drama, Saro? It sold out only a few days ago in London.
“This same nation is a country of the Soyinkas, the Achebes, the Chimamandas, the Abubakar Imans and so many others.
“But this land of hardworking, resourceful and decent people is also a nation where some corrupt politicians have looted the commonwealth, where some parents encourage their wards to cheat in their examinations, where we have some 419 artists, some peddlers of hate, ritual killers, cultists and all manner of other rascals. But so it is in other countries.”
The Vice President noted that the difference is that Nigerians sometimes allow themselves to be defined by their worst and not their best.
“We must define ourselves and our nation by the best that we have and not by the worst. In any event, the worst that we have are so few in number, their noise may be loud, sometimes much louder than some of the great minds and people that we see all over the place every day.”
He insisted that Nigeria is gifted with some of the best in the world and that is the majority of Nigerians, adding that there is no reason at all why Nigerians should worry about the future of the country, “because our country has everything it takes to be truly great and to be greater than any other nation anywhere in the world.
“I think we are on the right path, and today when you listen to what we have heard already and listen to the plans that many here have for the future – a group of people, the NTA, the NOA, and the private organisation, Zeitgeist Aesthetics LTD/GTE that put this together, they decided it was worth talking about. Patriotism, civic and national values are worth talking about.
“It shows you that our country is one where there is so much hope, energy and creativity and every one of us is waiting for it to come together. It is a duty that we all have.
“Sometimes we think that the leadership of the country, especially the political leadership have all the responsibility, far from it. Each and every one of us has the responsibility.
“I think it was John F. Kennedy, the great American president who said that we should ask not what our country can do for us, but what we can do for our country. I think it bears paraphrasing that we Nigerians, young and old, should also ask, what can we do to make this country truly great? What is our contribution? In what way can I by word, deed, action, really bring about a country that is great? A country that you and I can be proud of? A country that people all over the world will come to and be truly proud.
“I believe this country has excellent hope, and I am firmly convinced that the future of our county is extremely bright. Our nation will definitely reap all of the work and sacrifices, not just that our heroes past have made, but of all what you here today are making day by day.” [myad]
Soldiers of Defence Company, 27 Brigade Nigerian Army, on Operation LAFIYA DOLE were said to have combined force with local vigilante familiar with the to Mangari village to battle rampaging terrorists from where they rescued six persons whom the terrorists had earlier abducted from the village.
A statement by the Director Army Public Relations, Brigadier Sani Kukasheka Usman said that the village is about 20 kilometres away from Kamuya in Yobe state, adding that the soldiers exchanged fire with the terrorists before neutralizing two of the terrorists and rescued the abducted persons.
He said that the soldiers had earlier received report from some herdsmen that some suspected Boko Haram terrorists have abducted 6 persons from their village upon which the soldiers launched a counter-attack.
He said that the soldiers were able to recover two AK-47 rifles after the battle, adding that the rescued persons have also been reunited with their families. [myad]
The General Officer Commanding 82 Division of the Nigerian Army, Major General Adamu Baba Abubakar, turned peacemaker yesterday, Friday, when he reconciled the warring communities of Azuofia Edda, Okpuitumo, Ofomana in Osofon of Abakaliki Local Government Area of Ebonyi State and their counterparts in Ogorunde and Ofumuna communities in Obubra Local Government Area of Cross River State.
The settlement of the rift between the communities was achieved after the army boss held a peace meeting with traditional, religious, political and youth leaders of the two communities.
The meeting was said to be as a result of the latest clash between Osofon Community and Ogorunde in Ebonyi and Cross River States on 1st September 2017 where 7 persons were allegedly killed and 2 others were wounded.
The meeting, according to military sources, had in attendance also, the Commissioners of Police from Ebonyi and Cross River States Mr. Titus Lamorde and Hafiz Mohammed respectively; representatives of the Department of State Security Services, the Special Advicers to the Ebonyi and Cross River States on Security, keneth Ugbala and Jude Ngaji.
Others in attendance were the Secretary to Ebonyi State Government Professor Bernard Odoh and the representative of Cross River State Government Mr. Emmanuel Bassey.
Also at the meeting were top government functionaries and community leaders, including the Ebonyi State Commissioner for Border and Peace, Sylvania Nwankwegu, former Senator Ngiji Ngele, Chief Jeremia Oketah, Honourable Mathew Uguru, Honourable Earnest Henriek, the traditional rulers from both communities Eze Godwin Nwankwegu and Eze Pious Nwamgele, as well as the Chairman Abakaliki Local Government Area Ebonyi State.
During the stakeholders peace meeting, the warring communities voluntarily agreed to forgive each other, eschew further acts of violenve and genuine commitment to the resolutions at the meeting.
The reconciliation was confirmed by the Deputy Director Army Public Relations, Colonel Sagir Musa. [myad]
The Nigerian Army has made a strong complain about how some unidentified, unscrupulous and unpatriotic individuals and groups have been using both mainstream and online media to demoralize and denigrate those of them that are engaged in battle with Boko Haram insurgents in the North East.
“The worrisome trend is observed mostly whenever we record successes in our military operations against Boko Haram terrorists and other laudable military endeavours, such as when the United States Government decided to sell Tucano aircrafts to Nigeria.”
In a statement today, Saturday, by the Director of Army Public Relations, Brigadier General Sani Kukasheka Usman, the Army expressed great concern over what it called the recent spate of negative, unguarded comments and derogative publications in the Nigerian media.
The Army expressed surprise too that the enemies of Nigeria who are some Nigerians are not happy with the welcomed development of the sale of weapons and the collective success achieved by the soldiers against the insurgents.
“The list of their systematic, unrelenting and futile attempts to rubbish either the leadership or ridicule the Services through baseless allegations is quite lengthy.
“First there was a letter written by some self-appointed leaders of Islamic Movement of Nigeria on 17th August 2017 to United States of American government exhorting it to rescind its decision to sell Tucano aircraft, weapons and military hardware to Nigeria citing baseless reasons.
“This was followed by another round of cacophony of lies and unfounded allegations through media interviews by some individuals and bloggers and on Facebook and other Social media platforms and followed by concocted statistics by a well-known Non-Governmental Organization, alleging that there was resurgence of Boko Haram terrorists activities even when the facts on the ground speaks otherwise.
“This dovetailed into a syndicated and paid article titled; “As EFCC confesses the sad truth” published by Daily Trust and Punch newspapers on 3rd September 2017 written by Canada based writer, Sonala Olumhense, calling for the resignation of the Chief of Army Staff over the 40-day deadline given to the Theatre Commander, Operation LAFIYA DOLE.
“This is in addition to other writings by a host of self-acclaimed champions of the masses that go by various appellations on the Social Media making spurious and unfounded allegations against the military.”
The Nigerian Army recalled the most unfortunate of the campaigns of calumny, which had to do with a publication titled: “Nigerians blame the NAF for failures in war against insurgents” by one Isaac Dachen on some online publication news outlets, notably The Pulse.
The Army said that the allegations were ill-conceived against the background of the successes achieved in counter terrorism and counter insurgency operations in Nigeria.
It said that the aim of these people is to denigrate the leadership of the military, demoralize the troops and create doubts among the public on their ability and capability to deal decisively with security issues and assigned tasks in the name of advocacy and criticisms.
“Unfortunately for them the Nigerian military is one of the best and most cohesive in the world. We have been discharging our duties diligently which brought about the desired successes achieved so far.
“The Services in conjunction with other security agencies have been doing the nation proud, sometimes at the expense of our dear lives. We will remain focused and resolute in serving our country.
“It is imperative to note that the Nigerian Air Force is the backbone of the fight against terrorism and insurgency in Nigeria. It has been identifying and neutralizing Boko Haram terrorists camps, some of its leadership, logistics and armoured fighting vehicles through its air interdictions.
“The Nigerian Air Force has also been lifting logistics for the Nigerian Army and also supported in casualty evacuation and guiding troops during operations in addition to the provision of Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) and humanitarian activities, amongst others.
“There is no doubt that it is the coordinated efforts of the Armed Forces of Nigeria and other Security Agencies that has led to our victory over the Boko Haram terrorists, a feat that is not only unprecedented, but acknowledged the world over. It is therefore most unkind and uncharitable for anybody to accuse any Service of any perceived or imagined lapses and attributing same to causing failure in the war against terrorists.
“Such unguarded utterances and malicious allegations by individuals and reports by Non-Governmental Organizations are false, ill-timed and deplorable. Troops of the Nigerian Armed Forces should rather be commended for their selfless service which includes paying the supreme price.
“The Nigerian Army fully appreciates the significant roles of the Nigerian Air Force in the North East and elsewhere across our country. We are partners in progress and the Nigerian Air Force is a key factor in our successes and we will continue to enjoy the supportive role as well specific Nigerian Air Force operations to finally clear the remnants of the Boko Haram terrorists wherever they might be hiding.” [myad]
“President Buhari, I have said, has not disappointed me because the areas which we knew he was strong, he has performed fairly well.”
Former Nigerian President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, made this confession today, Friday, when he spoke in a programme featured by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).
In the programme, Focus on Africa, former President Obasanjo said that he would make up his mind to support President Buhari for re-election in 2019 after a review of his performance towards the end of his current four-year term.
He said however that so far, Buhari has performed well in his areas of strength, which includes fighting corruption and the Boko Haram insurgency.
Obasanjo admitted that not “everyone will be satisfied” with Buhari’s anti-corruption war. [myad]
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
