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]
Hearing some Nigerians speak (whether based at home or in the Diaspora) you discern that they are “in the gall of bitterness and in the bondage of iniquity.” They spew out things that give them away as “whited sepulchers, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones.” What happened to grace? Where did decency disappear to? Are words not to be seasoned with salt again? What has happened to us as a people? The more rotten, the better, it seems. The fouler and odoriferous the cesspit, the more attractive, followed by applause. That seems to be the philosophy of some people today, and it doesn’t matter who they are. High or low. But we cannot continue that way, if we want to be acceptable to God, and to our fellow human beings. National development does not come by a sudden flight. You work at it. The sing-song in the country today is restructuring of the polity. We want more states. We want a return to regional structure. We want a revision of the revenue allocation formula. We want six vice presidents, one from each geo-political zone. We want those zones to be the federating units, rather than the states. And so on, and so forth. In fact, so loud is the cacophony of voices over restructuring that if you ask 100 people what they mean, they give you 100 different explanations. But as a country, I believe we will get there someday. And soon. However, is political restructuring the most urgent thing Nigeria needs now? I don’t think so. For me, what is more urgent is the restructuring of the Nigerian mind. A mind that sees the country as one, that believes that we have a future and a hope, that believes that we are one people under God. But what we see now is ruinous for any country. It is hemlock, bound to poison the entire polity, and send it to a premature perdition. On Tuesday, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) announced that we had exited from economic recession. It was cheery news for majority of Nigerians, save for those in the gall of bitterness. They spat in the sky, and collected the spittle with their faces. Who gave Nigeria the permission to exit recession? Who gave her the audacity of hope? How can the economy attempt to rebound, when it should sink deeper and deeper into the miry clay? They were in the doldrums, unhappy because good news came for the country. In their befuddled minds, Nigeria must never see a silver lining in the sky. The ravening clouds must ever remain victorious, must forever possess the sky, simply because of primordial reasons. The party in power is not my own, so why should Nigeria make progress under it? The President in office was not the one I voted for, so why should he succeed? He does not speak my language, he is not of my religion or ethnic stock, so why must Nigeria prosper under him? They, therefore, throw all sorts of tantrums, like a child whose lollipop is taken away, and attempt to rubbish the news on exit from recession. And those same people would canvass for a restructuring of the polity. Big mistake. Wrong priority. They need to have their minds restructured first, so that they have goodwill towards their own country, and towards all men. Left to them, they wish that when NBS releases results for the next quarter, Nigeria should have gone back into recession. Filthy dreamers! Awful imaginations! They need a restructuring of their minds, and quickly, too. Some people spend their lifetime expecting thunderstorms and hurricanes, so they never enjoy showers of blessing. Their addled minds expect negative news, so they never enjoy good tidings. They are the type that swallow poison, and then begin to hope that it will kill the person next door. Restructuring, restructuring, that is what such minds need. Chase after him. If you catch up with him, kill him. If he outruns you, poison his footsteps. That is the chant in most parts of the country today. Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. Hate has become their natural language. When they speak hateful words, they speak their native language, their mother tongue. Don’t mid the elevated offices they occupy now, or which they have occupied in the past. They are in the throes, in the paroxysms of bitterness. Only a restructuring of the mind can save them. My dear senior friend, Ikemba Obosima, from Imo State, has good counsel for them, in a text message he sent to one of them recently, which he copied me:”Pain will follow him who speaks or acts with evil thoughts, as does the wheel of the foot of him who draws the cart. He is greater man who conquers self than he who kills a thousand men in war…Love will purify the heart of him who is beloved as truly as it purifies the heart of he who loves.” But will they listen? If they have not danced too far, and have not become like the dog fated to get lost, which refuses to hear the whistle of the hunter. Let them return home, to sanity. The National Bureau of Statistics announced our descent into recession. They embraced the news, almost with sickening glee. Now, the same agency has announced exit, and they begin to question its impartiality. What kind of people are they? They want to hear only bad news? May their minds be restructured, lest bad news dog their footsteps. Malediction? Am I cursing anybody? Not at all. Just a warning, and a call to new attitude, new thoughts, new conduct. The things we expect have a way of coming upon us. Ask the biblical Job. “What I feared has come upon me. What I dreaded has happened to me.”(Job 3:25). One of the characteristics of a hateful mind is that it conjures a lot of mischief, and purveys same as truth. And the gullible laps it up. During the health challenge of our dear President, a thing common to any mortal, big or small, of high or low estate, they filled the land with evil tidings. Oh, he is on life support machine. No, he is dead and long buried. He will never return to that office, I swear. And then, God did what He knows how to do best. He showed the Deus ex machina, His Invisible Hands. Now, the reputation of those people is hanging on life support. If only men would restructure their minds! President Buhari says exit from recession is cheery news, but until the life of the average Nigerian is positively touched by the economy, he doesn’t consider the job done. Very good. Even the NBS, which brought the good news, says the economy is still fragile, and the good work must continue, so that we don’t slide back. That is exactly what this government would do. That is the motive behind the ERGP (Economic Reconstruction and Growth Plan). So, let nobody be filled with diabolic thoughts. Government does not feel it is there yet. Action stations! All hands on deck. A final word for haters, wailers, purveyors of fake news, or whatever you choose to call them. Evil minds wax worse and worse. A hater would envy others unnecessarily. He would conjure evil thoughts that would poison his system. He would manifest all sorts of negative tendencies that turn him into a proper child of the Devil. And at the end of it all, his master welcomes him home with open arms. “Abandon hope all ye who enter here.” (Dante’s Inferno). And there will be plenty weeping, and gnashing of teeth.
.Adesina is Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to President Muhammadu Buhari. [myad]
“Our group wants to ensure that President Buhari runs in 2019. If he chooses not to run, he will tell us which direction to go. We are Buharists. We don’t have any personal ambition; we don’t have any personal aspiration and we are waiting for him to decide. And every political effort we are making, every structure we are creating is geared towards smoothening ways for him. And we know many people that have already started campaigning. They want to tag some of us as part of the problem and we are ready for them.
“But our political ideology is to support whatever President Buhari wants to support. That has not changed.”
These are the words of Governor Nasiru Ahmed el-Rufai of Kaduna State, when he spoke to news men today, Friday, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, in reaction to speculation that President Buhari is grooming him for the 2019 Presidency.
He said: “my hope and prayer is he will contest in 2019.”
He said that his name has continuously been mentioned as a Presidential aspirant since 2007 after his years in the FCT. “What I want to say here very, very clearly is that I have never been a Presidential aspirant. I have never even been a gubernatorial aspirant. I am governor today by the grace of God because President Buhari called me and said go and run for Governor of Kaduna state.”
He made it clear that the only agenda the Buharists are doing as a group, made up of governors, ministers and others, is for Buhari to contest in 2019 for his second, tenure as he had fully recovered from his ailment.
Speaking on the restructuring of Nigerian, el-Rufai, who chair the APC committee on true federalism, announced that the committee would start public hearings round the country from September 18.
“We have published call for memoranda and we have started receiving a lot of comments and memoranda particularly from young people who have never been part of this restructuring conversation, and we will go to every part of the country.
“We will have 13 public hearings all across the country, and by the time we listen to Nigerians and synthesize their views we will write and make recommendations to our party on how to operationalise true federalism as we have promised in our constitution.
“What is important for us in the APC is to separate the signal from the noise. There is a lot of noise about the restructuring. There is a lot of opportunism and there are people that are restructuring their career; that is their meal ticket and we’ll put that as the noise.
“But the signal is what Nigerians say. What young people who we are supposed to be restructuring for say.
“One, we are encouraging young people through social media, through blogs to tell us what they think. Because this country is theirs. They are 80 percent of Nigerians below the age of 35. Whatever structure we design for Nigeria is for them. I have maybe a decade or two decades left, but these young people have years of their lives ahead.
“So, the Nigeria we are trying to create is for them, and we want to hear them. We want to hear what they think, what else do they want.
“And we are going to go round the country and we’ve set up virtually every social media platform. We have made available young people to send us what they think on twelve key issues on the front burner regarding devolution, true federalism and whatever you call it.
“And when we get that, we will compile that and publish what Nigerians have said. We will make recommendations to our party and move on from there.” [myad]
Kaduna State governor, Nasiru Ahmed el-Rufai has confirmed that the minister of women affairs, Hajiya Aisha Alhassan had never supported President Muhammadu Buhari and that her open declaration of such is not surprising.
According to him, President Buhari is fully aware of the fact that Aisha had never been on his political side, but appointed her minister based on the service he believed she can render to the nation in his government.
The Kaduna state governor, who fielded questions from news men at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa today, Friday, said: “in the APC, she was never in the Buhari’s camp. She did not support our candidates during the National Convention. She didn’t vote for Buhari during the Primaries. But out of largeness of the President’s heart and to encourage women, he appointed her minister.
“Even though she was never a supporter of his (Buhari’s) politics or what he believes in, his ideology, he still believed that to encourage women in politics , what she has tried to do in Taraba earned her being nominated as a minister. Many in Buhari camp did not support it but he overode everybody. He tried to consider every Nigerian his own son or daughter and he nominated her.”
El Rufai said that Aisha’s controversial statements when she spoke to BBC were not surprising, because, she has never believed in Buhari ideology.
“So, I am not surprised. As a Nigerian, as an individual, she has every right to express her views and support whoever she wants.
“What I am saying is Nigerians should not be surprised or shocked. This has always been her position because from time she has never supported Buharism or what Buhari stands for. Being part of Buhari government is a different thing because government sets policies and if you are a minister you execute the policies. You can execute those policies while pursuing a different brand of politics.”
The governor said that the question of whether to sack her from the federal cabinet is the President’s prerogative even as he said that it is possible to retain a person in the cabinet even if he doesn’t support the principal, “if he adds value to the country.”
He said that Buhari is leading a government and not a political group fighting for some political progress.
“If Jumai Alhassan is coming as Minister of Women Affairs and adding value to the government and the people of Nigeria, it is the President’s prerogative to retain her in spite of her political views. But if she is not adding value in spite of her political views, she can be dispensed with.
“People shouldn’t get worried about it. I have worked closely with the President, I know him and I know how he thinks. He doesn’t take these things personally. What is primary to him is Nigeria’s progress. that is what matters ultimately.” [myad]
The President General of apex Igbo organization, the Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief Nnia Nwodo has warned that Nigeria may be heading into a serious crisis if the clamour for the restructuring of the country is not given an urgent attention.
Ohanaze boss, who spoke in Abuja today, Friday, at a live political program on African Independent Television (AIT), said: “unless we restructure this country, we will slide into an uncontrollable crisis.”
Nwodo said that Nigeria has all the potentials of a world power given its growing population but stand to lose out if the right administrative structure is not given to her.
“Nigeria is a world power, but if it continues to be wrongly administered it will continue to be a laughing stock”
The President General reiterated his earlier stand that Ndigbo remains the most marginalized in the country despite their commitment to the nation.
Nwodo lamented that the country’s body politics is insensitive to the plight of Ndigbo despite their overwhelming contributions to the socio- political and economic development of the country.
He expressed regret that the Nigeria system as currently constituted kills endeavor and discourages productivity.
On the how to go about the restructuring, the Ohanaeze boss suggested a revisit to the 2014 National Conference which had Nigerians from all sectors and headed by a former Chief Justice of Nigeria.
He said that resources used in the conference should not be wasted just because some people do not like the administration that set up the conference.
On the advantages of restructuring, Nwodo examined the declining importance of oil as a major source of revenue. He gave examples of the Netherlands and California both of which built their strong economies out of agriculture and human capital development and maintained that restructuring was the surest way to attain fastest economic growth for Nigeria. [myad]
The Acting Director in the Corporate Communications Department of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Isaac Okorafor, has given assurance that the bank would continue its intervention in the inter-bank Foreign Exchange market in order to sustain liquidity and stability in the sector.
Okorafor, who spoke today, Friday in Abuja, said that the measures being taken by the Bank had yielded positive results as far as forex supply is concerned.
He however acknowledged a marginal fluctuation in the exchange rate, but said that the naira remained stable against other major currencies around the world. He added that activities in the foreign exchange market remained dynamic.
According to him, the interventions of the apex Bank were in line with its commitment to sustain liquidity in the market to meet genuine requests as well as deepen flexibility in the foreign exchange market.
Okorafor warned speculators against nefarious activities, adding that the CBN had put necessary checks in place to guard against sharp practices in the forex market.
The CBN spokesman said that there is nothing to suggest that the CBN planned to discontinue its forex intervention and that there had been accretions in the country’s foreign reserves from $30 Billion to about $32 billion.
Okorafor advised those who genuinely require foreign exchange for their transactions to approach their banks, and that the banks had enough forex to meet the demands for foreign exchange.
It will be recalled that the Central Bank of Nigeria has consistently injected funds into in the interbank foreign exchange market, which received a boost of $547 Million in the last round of intervention.
Meanwhile, the Naira exchanged at the rate of N363 to the US dollar in the Bureau de Change segment of the market today, Friday, September 8. [myad]
Four police officers from the Anti Robbery Squad (SARS), attached to Area K, Badagry, Lagos, have been arrested and taken to X-Squad Ikeja for allegedly forcing a man on gun point, to withdraw the sum of N140,000 from the ATM machine to settle them.
The officers have already been identified as two Inspectors: Pativon Patrick and Owolabi Oke and two other Sergeants, namely Momoh Jimoh and Akinmade Kehinde.
The incident was said to occurred at about 10pm at the ATM of Agbara branch of UBA along Badagry Expressway, Lagos.
It was gathered that the victim, Apagbo John suffered his fate when he was driving home late in the evening with his parents vehicle and there was traffic along the expressway.
The accused police officers were said to have stopped him beside the road, labeled him a suspect and threatened to kill him that night as a robber.
It was gathered that he pleaded with them not to kill him but asked them to take everything he had on him including the vehicle to spare his life.
They then allegedly forced him to their office at Area K Command, where they told him that he can only be alive if he will bring certain amount of money.
John told the officers that he was with his ATM card and had about N140,000 in the account.
It was learnt that they marched him to Agbara that night with their guns where he withdrew the money and gave them.
After they collected the money, they insisted it was not enough and detained him at Area K Command.
Meanwhile, the money he withdrew at the bank belonged to his father who received alerts on the withdrawals.
However, the plot was exposed when his parents started making inquiry on what was happening to him and John was traced to the Command.
It was then the information got to the Area Commander, Okafor who was still in the office and she quickly stepped in, ordered the arrest of the officers, collected the money and returned it to the victim. [myad]
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Wanted: A Restructuring Of Minds, By Femi Adesina
What happened to grace? Where did decency disappear to? Are words not to be seasoned with salt again? What has happened to us as a people? The more rotten, the better, it seems. The fouler and odoriferous the cesspit, the more attractive, followed by applause. That seems to be the philosophy of some people today, and it doesn’t matter who they are. High or low. But we cannot continue that way, if we want to be acceptable to God, and to our fellow human beings. National development does not come by a sudden flight. You work at it.
The sing-song in the country today is restructuring of the polity. We want more states. We want a return to regional structure. We want a revision of the revenue allocation formula. We want six vice presidents, one from each geo-political zone. We want those zones to be the federating units, rather than the states. And so on, and so forth.
In fact, so loud is the cacophony of voices over restructuring that if you ask 100 people what they mean, they give you 100 different explanations. But as a country, I believe we will get there someday. And soon.
However, is political restructuring the most urgent thing Nigeria needs now? I don’t think so. For me, what is more urgent is the restructuring of the Nigerian mind. A mind that sees the country as one, that believes that we have a future and a hope, that believes that we are one people under God. But what we see now is ruinous for any country. It is hemlock, bound to poison the entire polity, and send it to a premature perdition.
On Tuesday, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) announced that we had exited from economic recession. It was cheery news for majority of Nigerians, save for those in the gall of bitterness. They spat in the sky, and collected the spittle with their faces. Who gave Nigeria the permission to exit recession? Who gave her the audacity of hope? How can the economy attempt to rebound, when it should sink deeper and deeper into the miry clay? They were in the doldrums, unhappy because good news came for the country. In their befuddled minds, Nigeria must never see a silver lining in the sky. The ravening clouds must ever remain victorious, must forever possess the sky, simply because of primordial reasons. The party in power is not my own, so why should Nigeria make progress under it? The President in office was not the one I voted for, so why should he succeed? He does not speak my language, he is not of my religion or ethnic stock, so why must Nigeria prosper under him? They, therefore, throw all sorts of tantrums, like a child whose lollipop is taken away, and attempt to rubbish the news on exit from recession. And those same people would canvass for a restructuring of the polity. Big mistake. Wrong priority. They need to have their minds restructured first, so that they have goodwill towards their own country, and towards all men. Left to them, they wish that when NBS releases results for the next quarter, Nigeria should have gone back into recession. Filthy dreamers! Awful imaginations! They need a restructuring of their minds, and quickly, too.
Some people spend their lifetime expecting thunderstorms and hurricanes, so they never enjoy showers of blessing. Their addled minds expect negative news, so they never enjoy good tidings. They are the type that swallow poison, and then begin to hope that it will kill the person next door. Restructuring, restructuring, that is what such minds need.
Chase after him. If you catch up with him, kill him. If he outruns you, poison his footsteps. That is the chant in most parts of the country today. Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. Hate has become their natural language. When they speak hateful words, they speak their native language, their mother tongue. Don’t mid the elevated offices they occupy now, or which they have occupied in the past. They are in the throes, in the paroxysms of bitterness. Only a restructuring of the mind can save them. My dear senior friend, Ikemba Obosima, from Imo State, has good counsel for them, in a text message he sent to one of them recently, which he copied me:”Pain will follow him who speaks or acts with evil thoughts, as does the wheel of the foot of him who draws the cart. He is greater man who conquers self than he who kills a thousand men in war…Love will purify the heart of him who is beloved as truly as it purifies the heart of he who loves.” But will they listen? If they have not danced too far, and have not become like the dog fated to get lost, which refuses to hear the whistle of the hunter. Let them return home, to sanity.
The National Bureau of Statistics announced our descent into recession. They embraced the news, almost with sickening glee. Now, the same agency has announced exit, and they begin to question its impartiality. What kind of people are they? They want to hear only bad news? May their minds be restructured, lest bad news dog their footsteps. Malediction? Am I cursing anybody? Not at all. Just a warning, and a call to new attitude, new thoughts, new conduct. The things we expect have a way of coming upon us. Ask the biblical Job. “What I feared has come upon me. What I dreaded has happened to me.”(Job 3:25).
One of the characteristics of a hateful mind is that it conjures a lot of mischief, and purveys same as truth. And the gullible laps it up. During the health challenge of our dear President, a thing common to any mortal, big or small, of high or low estate, they filled the land with evil tidings. Oh, he is on life support machine. No, he is dead and long buried. He will never return to that office, I swear. And then, God did what He knows how to do best. He showed the Deus ex machina, His Invisible Hands. Now, the reputation of those people is hanging on life support. If only men would restructure their minds!
President Buhari says exit from recession is cheery news, but until the life of the average Nigerian is positively touched by the economy, he doesn’t consider the job done. Very good. Even the NBS, which brought the good news, says the economy is still fragile, and the good work must continue, so that we don’t slide back. That is exactly what this government would do. That is the motive behind the ERGP (Economic Reconstruction and Growth Plan). So, let nobody be filled with diabolic thoughts. Government does not feel it is there yet. Action stations! All hands on deck.
A final word for haters, wailers, purveyors of fake news, or whatever you choose to call them. Evil minds wax worse and worse. A hater would envy others unnecessarily. He would conjure evil thoughts that would poison his system. He would manifest all sorts of negative tendencies that turn him into a proper child of the Devil. And at the end of it all, his master welcomes him home with open arms. “Abandon hope all ye who enter here.” (Dante’s Inferno). And there will be plenty weeping, and gnashing of teeth.
.Adesina is Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to President Muhammadu Buhari. [myad]