The Nation Newspaper

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  • Nigeria: Internal sabotage and rise in insecurity

    Nigeria: Internal sabotage and rise in insecurity

    Some military personnel have been betraying the army by leaking vital information to bandits”.

    “This is one killing too many. From here, I am going to see my commanders. We need to change our strategy, look inward, and see how we can address this. We can’t do it alone without the state; we need everybody to be part of it”.

     “If you see the pattern of killings and slaughtering, it means there is an insider. As we were going round, it became obvious that the killing and burnings were targeted. I have discussed with the community and traditional rulers as well as clan heads for us to work in synergy. There have been issues of trust, but we are going to work on it” – Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, speaking during a visit to Yelwata to assess the destruction caused by last Saturday’s attack in Benue State during which more than 100 persons were slaughtered.

    “Operation Hadin Kai announces the  arrest of 15 policemen and 18 soldiers under suspicion of selling weapons to terrorists.

    Another 8 civilians were arrested  including a traditional ruler. Among the notable arrests is the armourer for the 7th Division who has been engaging in this act since 2018 and had N45 million in his bank account. Another police inspector has N135 million passing through his bank account while a soldier of the 3 div Ordnance Corps has some whooping N34 million in his.

    This further shows how the strength of terrorist groups like ISWAP lies in how they embed in the local space and infiltrate circles as deep as inside the armory of the 7th Division just as it highlights how this war isn’t against only an armed group but against a whole network” – Joe Igbokwe on Face book.

    From 2018? This puts not only the competence, but the supervisory capabilities of the Nigerian military, into great doubt.

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    If the above incidents are recent, not so internal sabotage itself within the military and members of the communities where Boko Haram and Fulani herdsmen terrorists – both desirous of forcefully turning Nigeria to an Islamic state –  operate.

    That is to say that it is not new and failure to ‘kill’ it must be considered a function of successive Nigerian government’s eternal fear of the powers that be in the North, a fear that stopped even the Buhari government from prosecuting proven sponsors of terrorism; felons who were tried and convicted in the UAE.

    It is doubtful if the present government  would improve on that to stop these untouchable enemies of state once and for all. But Nigeria will only be joking with its security as long as this infernal fear lingers.

    Internal sabotage within the military and those powerful forces who want to see Nigeria forcefully turned to an Islamic country go far back in their audacity.

    As reported by the Vanguard newspaper of as far back as 11 October, 2014 an Army colonel and 10 officers set Nigerian tankers ablaze to pave way for Boko Haram terrorists.

    According to the report, the Army colonel, some junior officers and soldiers who were taking part in the military offensive to reclaim communities taken over by Boko Haram  in Adamawa State, were arrested for sabotage.

    Top military sources said that the colonel (a Muslim) who was commanding a team of three Armoured Personnel Carriers, APC’s, with the capability to fire up to a range of 1.5kilometres or  more had, rather than pursue the terrorists, deliberately set the APC’s on fire before running away with his team.

    Saturday Vanguard gathered that the Army authorities were outraged over the development and ordered their arrest .

    Narrating how the embarrassing incident occurred, a source who was privy to the development noted that until the incident, the Special Forces of the Nigerian Army which commenced the putsch to rout Boko Haram terrorists from Bazza, Michika, Gulak and Madagali and had inflicted heavy casualties on the terrorists up until Gulak.

    When informed that the terrorists were approaching his team in six Toyota Hilux Pick Up vans from the Madagali axis, the colonel,  rather than blast, and take out the terrorists in their pick-up vans, ordered his soldiers to jump out of the APC’s and set the armoured tanks on fire, not  knowing he was being monitored.

    They subsequently ran into the bush, claiming they were overpowered by a better armed group of Boko Haram.

    This led to the disclosure by the top hierarchy of the military that there are so many fifth columnists in the military working against the country’s determination to flush out Boko Haram.

    The truth is that many of them are deliberately sabotaging Nigeria and making the insurgents look formidable for reasons that cannot be explained.

    Some of them appear sympathetic to the insurgents”.

    You hardly hear them being given appropriate punishment for their acts of treason.

    This, of course, can be explained.

    They are, unpatriotically, turning against the country of their birth largely for monetary and consanguinity reasons. That is, for  ethnic and religious reasons.

    For these reasons, some military officers, soldiers and  huge parts of the local populace share the same affinity with the terrorists whose primary intent is to see Sharia being forcefully enforced all over Nigeria.

    As a result of this  together with some other reasons which I shall briefly discuss, the lacerating, economically ruinous war against insecurity, which began in Nigeria over a decade ago, despite the yeoman’s, even gargantuan, effort of our gallant soldiers, many of who have paid the ultimate price, is not, anywhere near where it should be and is likely to have a much longer shelf life in spite of promises to the contrary.

    How are we even sure some powerful forces in the North are not on the payroll of the United States which former Secretary of state, Hillary Clinton recently said started Boko Haram, and probably still funds it – not minding the changes in parties in government in America since then as they always plan longterm.

    Has the Nigerian government examined this possibility even as General Musa said that captured Boko Haram elements are always found with wads of dollars?

    Consequentially, the alarming rise in insecurity in recent times, which accounted for over 300 deaths in both Plateau and Benue states in less than two months, has become a major concern for  government and citizens alike.

    Despite all governmental effort, the country continues to grapple, uneasily, with unspeakable banditry, kidnapping, and needless killings like Nigeria wants to ape Gaza.

    There is no doubt, whatever, that internal sabotage is a major contributory factor to Nigeria’s bleeding and, therefore, equally a factor in the sudden rise in insecurity which has made life in Nigeria effete, brutish and short, especially in Northern Nigeria where people now get killed needlessly because some landless, and homeless, people must now grab ancestral lands, change the names and banish the owners from there, mostly with the Nigerian government and security services looking unconcerned.

    I saw and wrote about all these years ago when total strangers, foreigners indeed, were being trucked and deposited round all over Nigeria even at a time President Buhari forebade interstate travels.

    There are, of course, other contributing factors to the multi – pronged internal dislocation one of which is corruption manifesting as   embezzlement of funds meant for military operations,  sale of arms and ammunition to enemies of state and collection of bribes from civilian agents of terrorists in exchange for intelligence.

    Lack of internal coordination  between the different military  agencies, a problem President Buhari grappled with throughout his tenure is another which

    terrorists can easily exploit to launch attacks on vulnerable targets.

    Also, there have been reports of some military personnel colluding with terrorists and bandits. This can take the form of providing intelligence about operations to terror groups, allowing them to escape or, indeed, participating directly in their operations.

    The negative impact of all these on the Nigerian military’s efforts to address insecurity cannot be overstated.

    When military personnel are compromised, it undermines the effectiveness of security operations and puts the lives of stakeholders at risk. It erodes trust in the military and can lead to a breakdown in the relationship between the security forces and the people they are meant to protect.

    To meaningfully address internal sabotage the  military must take a multi-faceted approach.

    First, there needs to be a quick, thorough, and unbiased investigation of any allegation of corruption. Action must be swift and decisive against the guilty.

    The military must improve its internal mechanisms for transparency  and accountability.

    It must prioritize building trust with the local communities which is usually a trove of much needed intelligence.

    This it can achieve through community engagement initiatives like outreach programmes and civic activities.

    By building trust with local communities, the military can gather intelligence and gain the cooperation of civilians in its efforts to address insecurity.

    Finally, the military needs to improve its operational effectiveness. This can be achieved through training, capacity-building, as well as the acquisition of modern equipment and technology.

    By reining in internal sabotage, ensuring accountability, giving pride of place to community engagement and operational improvement, the military can maximally deal with the hydra- headed insurgency problems currently   tormenting us all.

  • NIS Lagos: Nothing to cheer

    NIS Lagos: Nothing to cheer

    It seems to me most strange that the hierarchy of the National Sports Commission (NSC) would have preferred being the President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF). His penchant for discussing how to make the National Stadium, Abuja the home of the country’s soccer national teams or should I say the Super Eagles is disturbing. He makes sense in his speeches but the implementation remains an optical illusion. It is the frequency in discussing football issues that raises the one question of whether football is all that there is in his job description.

    One was taken aback watching the rot inside and outside the National Institute for Sports (NIS) as captured on camera by the print and electronic media – visuals so nauseating to watch. This shameful exposé came to the public knowledge during the official visit of the NIS Director General (DG) Phillip Shaibu to the complex on Monday. Watching the DG’s tour of the NIS rotten structures explains clearly the total destruction of sporting facilities owned by the Federal Government around the country.

    The place was inscrutable with leaky toilets whose stinking water formed small patches on the floor, which the inspection tour team struggled to pass through by either jumping or putting their hands on the dirty walls to navigate through the stench. A place called the powerhouse was potential gunpowder waiting to explode. Fitted with changeover units flung open, you could see loose electrical wires connected to God know where. Not too far away was a bed covered with wrapper, perhaps to shield the area from mosquitoes. The surrounding was despicable.

    If I was the man in charge of the NSC, I would immediately find out how much has been budgeted for maintenance at the NIS in the last 10 years and what the cash was used for. After all, governance is a continuum. I would also want to know if those found living in the hostels are students or homeless people living there ‘without’ the knowledge of the owners of the place. Or is the NIS also a hotel of sort?

    Again, if I was in Shaibu’s shoes, I would call in the engineers to see the NIS building and see if it would pass the integrity tests, going by what we saw during this inspection. Some of the cracks on the decking of several floors made it unwise for the place to be used for any human endeavour until proper work is done. And quickly too.

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    Put simply, the NIS was an eyesore when Shaibu visited and I wasn’t surprised that he hid behind one finger when he told reporters after the inspection tour that: “There is a lot of work to be done, but the cheering news is that the structures are still strong. What we need is a comprehensive renewal and not just cosmetic.

    “My approach will be different because I have the will.” He likened the state of the institute to dry bones in the Holy Scriptures, which could be revived. “The situation is not as bad as the valley of dry bones. If there’s a will, then there’s a way. With commitment and teamwork, NIS will work again”.

    According to Shaibu: “To get the kind of results we want in sports, certain bureaucratic bottlenecks must be addressed. That may include changes in policy and funding structure.”

    “You can’t drive excellence when your workforce is demoralised. We’ll look at welfare, training, and performance incentives as part of the broader reform.”

    “We are not just inspecting buildings. I will meet with staff, management, and students to hear their perspectives and chart a new course. Collaboration is key,” he said.

    “The NIS is the engine room of Nigeria sports. If the NIS is sleeping, Nigeria sports is sleeping. That is why our sports have not been moving forward,” Shaibu said.

    “Nigeria cannot be a giant of Africa in terms of size and economy and each time we go to international competitions, we’re not on the medals table. Each time we go to the Olympics, the silver medal becomes like gold for us, and so, it’s obvious that we need a lot of work to be done,” he said.

    “We’re not inventing a new vision; we’re here to implement and renew what already exists. And with the support of the staff, the media, and all stakeholders, we’ll bring NIS back to the top,”

    The refrain, ”we will bring NIS back to the top,’ would be the cliché that it is when he is faced with the frightening figures of how much is required to modernise the NIS. Shaibu would soon be confronted with the myriad of problems inherent in the NIS, including the high level politics that has left the NIS in ruins. The NIS is in a sickening state of disrepair. It would, therefore, be imperative to ask Shaibu what his plans are for the place, beyond the endless repairs.

    The few classrooms in the video sadly reminded one of the Emotan Preparatory School, Benin City’s classes of yore. One hopes that Shaibu would change that narrative to the modern digitalised environments for learning globally. Perhaps, Shaibu could visit Australia where the idea of the NIS took it roots, to see the massive disparity over the last three decades. It is important to appeal to the former deputy governor of Edo State to think of where he could relocate the NIS temporarily, to allow for decent upgrading and renovation works. The NIS should be reduced to a reconstruction site if we truly want a new dawn in the place. The NIS should be the fountain of knowledge for sports here. NIS should be the mill for producing good coaches, games masters and mistresses who would be employed at the 774 Local Government Areas (LGAs) in the country. These coaches would hit the LGAs with one notion in their mind – discover, train athletes before exposing them to big sporting events such as the African Games, the Commonwealth Games, the Olympic Games etc. as future world beaters.

    Sport is a big deal. It unites nations and enchants people. Besides, it has a global appeal, pulling fans and sponsors into a unique force that impacts positively on businesses and health. These positives can best be evaluated when the government has a template that makes it possible for businesses and philanthropists to key into the nation’s vision for sports.

    Governments of sports-loving nations entice businesses with relief packages, such as tax rebates on their investments in sports. Given sports’ global appeal, governments effectively utilise the platform as their public relations tool to change people’s perceptions of their entities.

    Grassroots development can be actualised through the hosting of international and continental sporting events. Most countries use these big competitions to woo the blue-chip industries to identify with sports. Besides, these competitions open up the hinterland with the facilities constructed, creating jobs in the locality. The facilities would attract the villagers to learn the games and, inadvertently improve their health.

  • The Tinubu administration and its malcontents (1)

    The Tinubu administration and its malcontents (1)

    It is obvious that those political and personal adversaries of President Bola Tinubu, who are most viscerally and implacably opposed to his administration’s economic policies, are motivated largely by partisan discontent as well as malice arising from the bitterness they still nurse at his electoral triumph in 2023 than any genuine concerns for the welfare of the Nigerian people. Impatient to dislodge the President and his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), from power at the earliest possible opportunity in 2027 if a popular uprising or a military usurpation of power cannot be instigated to achieve the objective before then, leading political figures within and outside the ruling party are already striving to form a coalition which they openly and unabashedly declare is to “remove Tinubu from power in 2027” in an election that is still two years away.

    The APC has understandably but perhaps needlessly responded by aggressively wooing opposition politicians into its ranks with considerable success and getting its diverse stakeholders to enthusiastically endorse the President for a second term. From all indications, there is absolutely nothing that the President and his party will do that will mollify the anger and resentment of a politician like Alhaji Abubakar Atiku who sees Tinubu as a stumbling block to the realization of his enduring and desperate ambition to be President of Nigeria or those disaffected elements within the APC who feel marginalized and alienated in the present dispensation. One of such political figures, Mr Rotimi Amaechi, two-term Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, two-term governor of the oil- rich state and two-term Minister of Transportation in the President Muhammadu Buhari administration, declared dramatically during his 60th birthday anniversary that he was ‘hungry’ despite being continuously in prominent political offices over the last two and a half decades.

    Doubling down on his pathetic ‘I am hungry’ plaintiff cry in a follow up interview with the BBC, Amaechi lamented what he described as the country’s deteriorating condition while reiterating his readiness to join hands with like minds in forging a new coalition in a rescue mission for the nation. According to him, “People are dying. People are starving. I myself am feeling the effects of hunger” thus painting a dismal portrait of life in the Nigeria of the last two years under Tinubu. He averred that poverty had deepened, worsening insecurity and the number of out-of- school children, then pegged at 10 million, had increased since he was last Chairman of the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF) in 2015, a situation he apparently blames the Tinubu administration for. But then it was eight years between his exit as governor of Rivers State in 2015 and President Tinubu’s assumption of office in May 2023. In those intervening years, Amaechi was Minister of Transportation and a member of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) in the Buhari administration.

    The critical question is: in those eight years when Amaechi was privileged to occupy one of the most prominent ministerial portfolios and serve as a member of the country’s highest decision making body, was poverty ameliorated? Did the number of out-of- school children diminish only to surge astronomically with Tinubu’s emergence as President two years ago? Had the challenge of insecurity been effectively checkmated only to spring to life under Tinubu? Yes, the Tinubu administration summoned the courage to introduce critical policy reforms such as the removal of fuel subsidy and merger of the parallel foreign exchange markets with painful consequences for millions of Nigerians as a result of attendant inflationary spirals particularly of transportation, essential drugs and staple food items. But what did Amaechi himself say of these reforms during his 60th birthday commemoration?

    According to a report in the New Telegraph of June 1, 2025, Amaechi had submitted that “If I were the president, yes, I would pursue some of the policies they are pursuing. But ask what the failure is: the failure is that the gains of those policies are in their private pockets. At a point, we were paying between four to five trillion Naira as subsidy, where is the money now? If they had dumped it on the economy, you would not be crying”. Whether this is mischief or sheer ignorance, it is embarrassing and astonishing coming from a man with the tremendous experience Amaechi has had in public life. Can it be that the former governor and minister is unaware that revenue allocations to the three levels of government have nearly tripled since the removal of fuel subsidy and that consequently sub-national levels of government previously unable to pay the former N30,000 minimum wage monthly are now able to pay the new minimum wage of N70,000?

    Is he unaware of the fact that most states with their healthier financial position have been able to clear their debt obligations thus leaving them more funds for implementation of infrastructure projects and delivery of social services which are being advertised daily in the media? Is he unaware that the Tinubu administration has cleared the inherited foreign exchange debt obligations owed foreign airlines, repaid the over $4.5 billion dollars owed the IMF as well as the country’s over $100 billion Sukuk bond loan? Is he unaware of the scores of landmark road, rail and other infrastructure projects being delivered at a frenetic pace across the country? Can it be that he is unaware of the establishment of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) and the hundreds of thousands of tertiary institution students who are benefitting both from payment by the federal government of their tuition fees as well as receipt of monthly upkeep allowances? Is he ignorant of the widely disseminated media reports that as at June 11, 2025, at least 100, 201 Nigerians, including no less than 35,000 civil servants, have accessed affordable consumer credit through the Nigerian Consumer Credit Corporation (CREDICORP) established by the Tinubu administration to democratize credit access and enhance the quality of life by making borrowing accessible in a responsible manner?

    In any case, how can a man of Amaechi ‘s calibre and stature state so casually and cavalierly that funds saved from removal of fuel subsidy have been diverted into private pockets without adducing the slightest scintilla of evidence? Can it be that he has been grossly overrated in terms of character and intellect? Is this how corrosive of mental acuity and moral integrity political prejudice and injured ego can be? No less abrasive, reflexively unthinking,  self- endangeringly bitter and poisonous have been the pointed attacks against the Tinubu administration by former two-term Kaduna State governor, Mallam Nasir ‘El Rufai, who incidentally, was a top functionary of the PDP during the eight years in office of former President Olusegun Obasanjo. In a characteristically incendiary interview on the BBC Hausa Service, el Rufai described the Tinubu administration as the most corrupt and intolerant in the history of Nigeria. He accused the administration of engaging in baseless propaganda contending that, contrary to the government’s claims, bandits and terrorists have continued to operate in states like Kaduna, Zamfara and Sokoto states.

    Coming from the diminutive but spontaneously combustible former Minister and governor, these accusatory assertions sound utterly comical. For, as Kaduna State governor, Nasir ‘El Rufai ran one of the most intolerant and repressive administrations at any level in this dispensation since 1999. Members of the Nigerian Union Teachers (NUT) and the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) who attempted to exercise their constitutional rights to demonstrate against the policies of his government were hounded by security agents and their leaders subjected to the worst forms of persecution and intimidation. Under his watch in Kaduna State, scores of members of Ibrahim Zakzaky’s Islamic Movement, were allegedly mowed down in cold blood extra-judicially  and their bodies buried in shallow graves. El Rufai complains that insecurity remains a challenge under the Tinubu administration and this is partly true even though there have also been considerable improvements in a number of areas as regards security in the last two years.

    But then, is this not the same El Rufai who, as governor of Kaduna State, admitted to having donated humongous amounts of public funds to terroristic members of his ethnic group, some from outside the country, to procure a peace that never materialized? How are we sure some of such funds were not utilized by these bandits leaders to stock up arms and build up their criminal gangs that have remained a menace to the country till this day? During his eight years as governor of Kaduna State, the people of Southern Kaduna, mostly Christians, were continuously hounded, harassed, humiliated, dehumanized, marginalized and rendered vulnerable to unimaginable violence by an El Rufai administration that did not disguise its disdain for them. How can someone  under whose watch as Director-General of the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), some of the country’s most prized public assets were allegedly auctioned to cronies of politicians at criminal prices have the temerity to describe any administration as corrupt?

    Under the incumbent Kaduna State governor, Senator Uba Sani, it is incontrovertible that the state has been restored to a level of harmonious co-existence thought impossible under El Rufai’s draconic rule. Uba Sani has demonstrated a degree of maturity, emotional intelligence, generosity of spirit, disarming humility and wisdom that bring people of diverse cultures, ethnicities, faiths and partisan dispositions together rather than driving them apart through mean spirited and arrogantly cantankerous leadership best exemplified by El Rufai. Is it any wonder then that Nasir ‘El Rufai left the APC for his initial misadventure into the Social Democratic Party (SDP) as a pathetic solitary figure with no notable politician in a state he governed for eight years accompanying him on a journey of indeterminate destination?

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    Waziri Atiku Abubakar ‘s media aides try regularly to punch holes in the economic policies of the Tinubu administration suggesting alternatives that are difficult to distinguish in substance from those already being implemented beyond superficialities. Their efforts to project their principal as a superior economic manager are as impactful as throwing tiny pebbles into a vast ocean as his record as Vice President during which he had a free hand to run the economy in Obasanjo ‘s first term is there for all to see. In any case, his testimonial is eternally etched in granite in the memoirs of his brutally unforgiving boss, OBJ, who records for posterity his former Deputy’s alleged grasping greed, desperately inordinate ambition, superstitious proclivity for consulting marabouts, undependability and much more.

    Mr Peter Obi continues his ineffectual sermonizing both within and outside the country on how he would have prepared a delicious dish of fuel

    subsidy removal omelette without breaking eggs although he is yet to share the secrets of such magical abracadabra from his mystical policy cookbook. Similarly, he continues to offer delightful, theoretical master classes on the imperative of transiting the economy from consumption to production while remaining firmly a trader and refusing to invest his humongous wealth in production in practical demonstrations of his exquisite theorizing. Arriving London from Nigeria this week on an Air Peace flight, Obi sought to capitalize on the recent dispute Senator Adams Oshiomhole and the Airline to characteristically score cheap points.

    On his X handle, he commended the professionalism, consistency and efficiency of the management of Air Peace on the route while appealing to “Nigerian elites and political leaders to give strong and deliberate support to indigenous businesses” because”It is never easy to run any business in our difficult environment, let alone highly capital -intensive sectors like air and land transportation, especially given the challenges of competitiveness and rising operational costs”. But addressing a press conference in the Lagos office of Air Peace on Wednesday, the Chairman of the airline, Dr Allen Onyema, commended the Tinubu administration for its policies which he said has unlocked opportunities for aircraft dry leasing, “a feat that was not possible about a decade ago due to blacklisting of the country by global lessors”.

    As this newspaper reported the story, “The Air Peace airline boss also commended the President Tinubu administration for assisting aviation authorities in providing equipment for birds wildlife control at airports across the country affirming that there were other interventions initiated by the government to make the operating environment for indigenous carriers more conducive “.

  • Benue’s darkest moment

    Benue’s darkest moment

    A pall of darkness has fallen over Benue. This year is remarkable for anxiety, pain and fear in the Northcentral state. Human life seems to have no meaning as people are slaughtered at will like rams. It is short, brutish and nasty. When will the carnage end?

    Even, if it ends, how can the victims and the generality of indigenes and residents quickly recover from the inevitable post-traumatic experience?

    The motive for the bloodletting is largely unknown. The serial killers are not leaving clues, although some survivors claimed they had them speaking a particular northern language. So far, they seem invincible. They carry sophisticated weapons that embolden them and instil fear in their targets. This means that the onslsught is heavily funded, also by unidentified sponsors. Their activities are beyond kidnapping. They outrightly kill, maim, destroy houses and vanish into thin air, leaving blood and sorrow in their trail. They only return to repeat the attack with greater intensity in another location. As they set houses ablaze, whole families are wiped out.

    No doubt, they are terrorists and bandits of special breed. But where they come from is a matter of conjecture. The governor, Rev. Fr Hyacinth Alia, suggested that they are foreign elements who crossed the borders illegally to perpetuate mayhem. The reverred Tor Tiv, Prof. James Ayatse, alleged calculated genocidal herder-terrorist invasion. He also said the bandits are on a curious land grabbing expedition similar to the Plateau scenario.

    Rival politicians, who have alleged that the violence has nothing to do with ethnicity and religion, insisted that it is politically motivated. Some critics disagree, saying that the marauders were instigated by symbols of a particular religious tendency pushing for supremacy.

    Yet, other monarchs accuse unnamed politicians of heating up Benue in a way and manner that can make an emergency rule more compelling.

    These claims have not been ascertained or substantiated with unassailable evidence. Thus, there is confusion. There is indignation. The apprehension is palpable. Nobody knows what would happen next.

    Farmers are sacked from farmlands in the ‘Food Basket of The Nation’ in this crucial planting season. This has far-reaching implications for the country that has set a target for food security. There is mass withdrawal from the traditional occupation and consequential loss of anticipated income.

    Rights and freedom from molestation are deprived. The problems of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) are compounded. They are tragically displaced from their camps. Many people are missing. Houses are destroyed. Communities are dispersed. Chances of survival are slim.

    Tension has engulfed many local governments yet to be visited by the unknown gunmen. The major victims are the masses. The governor is greatly troubled because when he was elected two years ago, he was not given a democratic mandate to preside over corpes and mass burial. He is a popular priest, whose antecedent as a shepherd was widely acknowledged. But the political congregation – the people of the state, irrespective of their tribes and beliefs – are now under siege for no fault of his.

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    In the last two months, the attention of the state government has been diverted. Governance is only possible, effective and meaningful in an atmosphere of peace. As attention shifted to the inexplicable war in Benue, other things are put on hold.

    Fr. Alia has worked hard in the last two years to distribute expanded dividends to the people. It is distressing that his government is being distracted by these crises.

    While the persistent violence has been attributed to known factors, including terrorism and banditry, it has been said that it festered because the home condition never permitted an atmosphere of collective resistance or problem solving.

    President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s admonition to the Benue leaders, ahead of his visit to the state during the week gave an hint. He dispatched a high-powered delegation to do preparatory consultations, including security assessments, and interface with local actors to ensure that the his intervention yields  positive results. The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, a former governor of the state, was party of the delegation.

    Politically, the state is divided. It is normal in democracy. But the Benue chapter of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) is polarised by the feud between the camp of the governor and that of the SGF.

    The governor’s supporters have alleged that Akume’s was aloof to the plight of the state government as the agony of the people grew in leaps and bounds, despite being a former governor and political leader. In reaction, Akume’s men fired back, saying that the governor neither listened to fatherly advice nor permitted the required perley with some leaders of the security agencies. The unnecessary media war underscored the gap between the godfather and ‘god-son governor.’ But observers cautioned against the politicisation of the crisis that needed solutions that can come through joint efforts.

    Concious of the Benue political situation, President Tinubu also urged the people to learn to manage their hanger and frustration, and live in peace to put an end to the menace. He also advised Fr. Alia and other Benue leaders to maintain peace and harmony among themselves.

    Benue is a heterogeneous sub-national unit. The clevages were precursors of conflicts among the ethnic groups who at a time were at loggerheads. Also, the state had had a dose of herder-farmer clashes with multiple debilitating effects. Many were beheaded on the farms and in their villages few years ago and there was no trace of the perpetrators. Even, at a time, former Governor Samuel Ortom, while on the farm, had to run for his life, leaving his security aides to repel the bandits.

    Concious of Benue’s plurality, the President admonished the people to live above the division and see themselves as one single, huge family living in the same house, staying in different rooms, but living together in harmony and unity in diversity for collective prosperity.

    It is reassuring that President Tinubu has given a marching order to the security chiefs to curtail the violence and apprehend the perpetrators. Some survivors said security agencies tried to repel the attacks. But, it is embarrassing that not a single arrest has been made in connection with the serial killings. Now that the president is putting security chiefs on their toes, his tone suggestes that heads may roll, if nothing concrete is achieved.

    But, President Tinubu also set the stakeholders on the path of home grown solution. The indigenes and residents are expected to be vigilant and assist the security agencies in intelligence gathering. First of all, those who subvert the communities by acting as informants to bandits should be fished out.

    Self-defence has been advocated. It means that people would have to arm themselves. The darkside is that it may make communities more vulnerable due to lack of ‘local arm control.’ In peace time, some desperate political actors may arm their thugs. After the elections, these thugs may abscond and turn the guns on society as armed robbers.

    Many believe that state, community police or multi-layer policing is helpful, particularly in ensuring security at the state and local government levels. It means more investment and the expansion of recruitment to reduce the current abysmal police/citizen ratio. The truth is that policemen are too few, relative to the huge population.

    Besides, state or local police, as being envisaged, are expected to possess adequate knowledge and understanding of the history, tradition, geography and sociology of the particular environment. The policemen are expected to reside in the communities. Thus, they have a stake there, and they are likely to develop a sense of attachment to the people and their security expectations. Through that sheer involvement, they develop commitment to community welfare.

    Fr. Alia has called attention to a grave challenge. That is the problem of porous borders. If the point of entry and exit remains porous, foreign bandits as illegal migrants, may sustain the pattern of attacks. Therefore, the policing of borders is very crucial.

    It is a trying period for Benue. If the bloodshed is not halted, the killers may be inadvertently motivated to spread their tentacles to other states.

    May it not happen.

  • Malcolm Muggeridge and ‘the end of Christendom’ (1)

    Malcolm Muggeridge and ‘the end of Christendom’ (1)

    Ever since my first encounter over a decade and a half ago with his fascinating reflective narrative on the life of the founder of Christianity titled ‘Jesus: The Man Who Lives’, I have strived to obtain as much of the writings of the 20th century British journalist, author, film maker, television personality, satirist and engaging polemicist, Malcolm Muggeridge, that I can lay my hands on. ‘Jesus: The Man Who Lives’ is a magisterial portraiture of the most enduring and impactful personality to traverse the portals of human history and coming from a most unlikely quarter. One of the blogs on the back of the book simply states that ‘This man writes like an angel’! Muggeridge is a master of the written word. He is a keen and acute observer of society and human behavior and deploys his cutting wit to effortlessly devastating effect.

    Born on 24 March, 1903, Malcolm Muggeridge died on 14 November, 1990 at the age of 87. At various times, he was a school teacher before venturing into journalism, an exchange correspondent on war and peace with Mahatma Ghandi in India, a correspondent for the Manchester Guardian in Moscow in the nascent years of the communist regime, worked as Editor of the Statesman in Calcutta, India, and served in the military in various capacities during the second World War. He wrote for the Evening Standard, was appointed Deputy Editor for The Daily Telegraph and was Editor of Punch magazine from 1953 to 1957.  Later, in his career, he became better known as a broadcaster and documentary film maker. Married to Katherine Dobbs (1903-1994), Malcolm Muggeridge ‘s life appeared to be sharply divided into two phases. For a substantial part of his life as an active journalist, he was an agnostic who did not appear to place much stock on Christian moral values even though he and his wife maintained a life-long relationship.

    In a rather unflattering perspective on his life during this period, an online entry reports that “Muggeridge was described as having predatory behavior towards women during his BBC years. He was described as a “compulsive groper”, reportedly being nicknamed “The Pouncer” and as “a man fully deserving of the acronym NSIT – not safe in taxis”. His niece confirmed these reports, while also reflecting on the suffering he inflicted on his family and saying that he changed his behavior when he converted to Christianity”. Mother Theresa’s influence through her work with the poor in India was a key factor that motivated his inclination to Christianity and his later rejection of the Anglican communion and conversion to the Catholic Church. He wrote a book that popularized the life and work of Mother Theresa titled ‘Something Beautiful for God’s. Another of his works, ‘A Third Testament’ focused on the lives of seven spiritual writers and philosophers who influenced his conversion to the Christian faith, namely Augustine of Hippo, William Blake, Blaise Paschal, Leo Tolstoy, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Soren Kietkegàard and Fyidor Dostoevsky”.

    The focus of this review derives from the second phase of Muggeridge’s life when he had become an outspoken critic of the sexual licentiousness, rampant drug use and corrosive irreligiosity that had become a defining characteristic of modern, ever increasingly secularized society. During this period, he resigned from the position of Rector of Edinburgh University to which he had been elected in protest against the Students’ Representative Council’s support for the use of “pots and pills”. His new disposition to faith and spiritual values informed the choice of Muggeridge in 1978 to deliver the inaugural addresses of the ‘Pascal Lectures on Christianity and the University’ at the University of Waterloo. As the organizers of the annual lecture series wrote, “Blaise Paschal (1632-1662) is remembered today as the forerunner of Newton in the establishment of calculus, and as the author of the Christian meditations, Les Penses”.

    Continuing, they explained that “Members of the University of Waterloo, wishing to commemorate the spirit of Pascal, have established this annual lecture series to generate discourse within the University community on some aspect of its own world, its theories, its research, its leadership role in our society, challenging the University to a search for truth through personal faith and intellectual inquiry which focus on Jesus Christ”. And justifying the choice of Muggeridge to kickstart the delivery of the lecture series, Professor John North submitted that “Malcolm Muggeridge is a fitting choice to inaugurate the Pascal Lectures on Christianity and the University. During the first half of the twentieth century, he moved easily among the renowned: politicians, scientists, academics, churchmen and socialites. As a commentator in the press, then radio and television, he became increasingly caustic about the figures and movements of our time. Disillusionment mounting at times to anger began to characterize his work. Then came a transformation as wholehearted as that of Pascal, and an allegiance to the same master. The focus of his work has changed from the superstars to the meek of the earth”.

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    Muggeridge then went on to deliver two lectures published under the common title of ‘The End of Christendom’ published in a slim volume of 62 pages along with his responses to questions from members of the audience on the two occasions. In the first lecture, he advances the thesis that Christendom has reached a dead -end and in the very throes of its demise. But he makes a distinction between the ‘Christendom’ that is the product and derivative of the powers, mores and values of the institutions of this world and the Christianity that springs from the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, which he sees as remaining a vibrant and virile entity which is alive and well. The latter is the focus of the second lecture titled ‘But Not of Christ ‘.

    Clarifying the issues, Muggeridge noted that ‘Christendom’, however, is something quite different from Christianity, being the administrative or power structure, based on the Christian religion and constructed by men….The founder of Christianity was, of course, Christ. The founder of Christendom I suppose could be named as the Emperor Constantine. You might even say that Christ himself abolished Christendom by stating that his kingdom was not of this world – one of the most far reaching and important of all his statements. Christendom, on the other hand, began when Constantine, as an act of policy, decided to tolerate, indeed, positively favour, the Church, uniting it to the secular state by the closest ties. This was at the beginning of the fourth century”. Is the contemporary Pentecostal church especially in Nigeria and the United States not making the grave mistake of seeking to derive its power no more from the risen Christ but through association with the wielders of State power hence it’s current excessive preoccupatipn with partisan politics in both countries? 

  • Trojan Horse

    Trojan Horse

    Preamble

    Nigeria is said to be over 100 years old as a country. She became an amalgam of nations in 1914 at the instance of the British colonialists who christened her Nigeria. In her tortuous journey towards the centenary age, this so-called giant of Africa had crawled and trotted through the labyrinth of life. But she remains in the trapping maze of uncertainty even as a predicted pendulum continues to swing over her head in what is generally seen as a possible political guillotine. Can this static and stagnant country survive and transform into a nation? This is a billion dollar question anxiously begging for a satisfactory answer.

    Margaret Thatcher’s Wish

    In the twilight of her life, a former British Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher, sarcastically alluded to Nigeria’s precarious situation in a press interview some years back while celebrating her 80th birthday. She was casually asked by journalists to indicate her preferred nation if she had opportunity of coming back into this world. In her response to that curious question Thatcher said she would like to come back into the world as a Nigerian ruler an answer that threw the interviewers into a sarcastic laughter. And when asked to explain what she actually meant by that conclusion the Iron Lady said: “Nigeria is the only country in the world where people can be pushed to the wall by their rulers and they would rather enter the wall than turn back to confront those rulers”.

    Thatcher’s statement here may sound like an impetus to a parochial government, but any reasonable person will know that Thatcher was merely speaking in parable the meaning of which is that elasticity has limit.

    Good Governance

    In Islam, nothing else is held more sacrosanct than good governance which can be likened to a magnificent umbrella under which people are supposed to take cover during torrential rains or burning sun. In a democratic environment, such umbrella is owned, not by those who hold it in their hands but by the citizenry who handed it over to the holders. Its bearers are just servants holding it in trust for the people. It is only through good governance that security, law and justice can be guaranteed. For the wise who can sincerely read between the lines, Islam is the only genuine and ready antidote for the contemporary poison of life which humanity seems to have swallowed in their quest for material wealth.

    Mighty Ocean

    If Islam had just been a religion and not a way of life, it would have become like other creeds in the world today. Panel beaters would have worked on it. Painters would have re-sprayed it to suit their tastes. Fine artists would have added drawings of beauty to it for marketability. And, then, it would have become an all-comers’ trade fetching money day and night for merchants of fortune.

    But this divine religion is like a mighty ocean flowing ceaselessly towards all directions and watering all plants around into life through the deltas of adjoining rivers. It will be suicidal for anybody, government or nation, therefore, no matter how technologically advanced, to want to change its course. Those who attempted it in the past ended up drowning in it only to become meals for ‘whales’ and ‘sharks’.

    Looking at the emergence, the spread and the triumph of Islam in the midst of empires and at a time when might and nothing but might alone mattered, any right-thinking person will surely be amazed. How did a desert illiterate man of little means come up with an ideology that captured the world slaves and kings? How did he become a law giver without any training in a law school? How did he become a General without enrolling in any army? How did he become a scientist without attending any school? How did he become a doctor without undergoing any medical training? How did he become a ruler without receiving any tutelage in politics? What can be more amazing, historically or contemporarily, than to have all these roles and more combined in a single human being who rose from such a crude background?

    The great revolution which the great Prophet of Islam brought into the world cannot but beat the imagination of any sensible mortal being. There were hundreds of Prophets before him. Adam, Nuh, Ibrahim, Musa, Isa and a host of others had all come as prophets preaching peace and harmony to mankind in different tongues and at different places. But none of them combined the qualities that made Prophet Muhammad (SAW) a unique exemplar that he was. Prophets Daud (David) and Sulayman (Soloman) who were kings could though be called Generals in their own right, but they were neither scientists nor doctors. Yet, Prophet Muhammad (SAW) never claimed any miracle by magical wand.

    Emergence of Islam

    What makes Islam a unique way of life is the uniqueness of Prophet Muhammad’s personality which derived from the uniqueness of the Qur’an as the most comprehensive revealed ‘BOOK’ of Allah. If the Orientalists who were accusing Prophet Muhammad (SAW) of being a war monger were not ignorant or hypocritical, they would have known that no empire or civilisation has ever emerged or survived without fighting wars.

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    How did such old empires as the Mesopotamian, the Greek, the Assyrian, the Persian and the Roman emerge? How did the French and the Russian revolutions succeed in the 19th and 20th centuries? And, even in the contemporary time, how did America emerge as the world’s strongest power? Was it just by preaching human rights and democracy?

    The reality of today as presented by the history of the past has exposed the hypocrisy of yesteryears. Islam has transcended a stage in life when it could be intimidated or blackmailed into surrendering its identity to any spiritual charlatan.

    When the West talks of democracy today, the impression it gives is that democracy is a Western invention.

     This is very far from the truth. Despite the lengthy and speculative Platonic theories on democracy, the West did not come in contact with it, practically, until it had a political encounter with the Muslims in Spain. That was in the 8th century A.C. And even with that encounter, it remained a mere spectator in the field of democracy until expediency brought about what was called ‘Magna Carter’ in England in 1215 A.C.

    What the West calls democracy today was what Prophet Muhammad (SAW) had called ‘interactive government’ which he practiced as far back as the 7th century. At the time when he established the Islamic State, there was no single empire or nation in the entire world without a monarchical system of government. The idea of democracy, which the West came to adopt as its heritage, is purely Islamic.

    As Head of State, the Prophet never imposed any policy on the people without impute from his able disciples except such a policy came in form of divine revelation.

     In other words, he was neither a monarch nor a despotic ruler. And, as a ruler, he never saw himself as more important than any other citizen or resident in the state. That was why he was so indigent even as Head of State that his household could carry on for months without cooking any food under their roof.

    In Nigeria, this is not the case. There is no clear demarcation between democracy and autocracy. All it takes to authenticate dictatorship is to add the word ‘executive’ to either President or Governor. For instance, sometime ago, the federal government announced what it called modalities for the proposed controversial National Dialogue, which it said would now be known as “The National Conference” with the following features:

    The total number of delegates will be 492. Out of this, the Presidency alone will nominate about 141 which is almost 1/3 with fiat. Then the rest will be as follows: 15 slots for every socio-political group in each geo-political zone which amounts to about 90 slots. This means that the conference is being organised basically because of the ethnic groups in the country. The guidelines also gave two slots to each of five political parties with representation in the National Assembly.

    Speaking to journalists in Abuja,  the then Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Anyim Pius Anyim, said that all socio-political and nationality groups in  the country have been given 15 slots from each geo-political zone just as five political parties will get two slots each in the proposed National Conference. According to the Secretary to the Federal Government, Anyim Pius Anyim who announced the details of the National Conference, the venue will be Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, while the duration will be three months. He added that there would be no go areas except for the indissolubility of Nigeria and concluded that and concluded that decisions would be reached by consensus but where consensus cannot be reached 75% majority will be used. He further disclosed that the conference would have an unimpeachable chair person, a deputy chair person and a secretary without explaining how these officials will emerge. The nominations, according to him would commence on January 30, 2013 and end on February 20, 2014.

    The breakdown of the composition of delegates would be as follows: The Federal Government would directly nominate 20 people out of whom six must be women. Nigerian Labour Congress 12; Trade Union Congress 12; Civil Society Organisations 24; the military six on the principle of one per geo-political zone; police six one from each geo-political zone; State Security Service (SSS) and National Intelligence Agency (NIA) six one from each geo-political zone; National Council for Women Society (NCWS) 12 giving two to each geo-political zone; Market Women Associations 6 one from each geo-political zone.

    Then, FIDA, NAWOJ, WINBIZ all together six one per organization; Elder Statesmen 37 one per state and FCT; NECA two; MAN two; NACCIMA two; NESG two; NUJ two; Nigerian Guild of Editors two; Newspapers Proprietors Association two; People Living with Disabilities six one per geo-political zone; Christian Leaders six; Muslim Leaders six; Traditional Rulers 13 two per zone plus one from FCT ; retired civil servants six one per zone National Youth Council of Nigeria six; NANS six; Other Outstanding Youths and Role Models six; Nigerians in Diaspora Europe, America, Africa, Asia and the Middle East one two per location; Broadcasting Organisation of Nigeria two.

    Summary

    Socio –Political/Cultural and Ethnic Nationality Groups 90 which should be 15 per geo-political zone with nominations reflecting Ethnic and Religious Diversities; Professional Bodies: NBA,NSE,CIB,NMA,NIM,NIA,ICAN, ANAN,NIPR,AAPN,NIESV 13; Nigerian Environmental Societies one per organization; National Academy 5; One each for Academy of Science, Academy of Engineering, Academy of Education, Academy of Letters, Academy of Social Sciences; Judiciary six person not currently serving on the Bench; former political office holders; former governors six; Senators Forum six; House of Reps 6; Association of Former Speakers 6; State Government and FCT 109 three per state and one for FCT based on Senatorial District at least one of whom shall be a woman; Former LGA Chairmen six one per Geo-Political zone; Chairmen, Deputy Chair and Secretary three. The cost of the conference will be N5billion-N6billion but one can be sure that the maximum will be overshot.

    Picture of Democracy

    In Islam, democracy is not about voting and power alone. It is fundamentally about justice in all its ramifications according to the rule of law. It is about tending the lives of others for the overall good of the nation. It is about providing the needs of the people according to the available resources in the nation. It is about protecting the interest of the weak against the oppression of the strong. It is about managing the wealth of the nation with diligent sense of accountability. It is about securing the lives of the citizenry in terms of jobs, feeding, shelter, health and education. It is about boosting the horizon of the youths and sharpening their hope against the future. It is about guaranteeing adequate income per capital and ensuring a standard life expectancy. Governance, whether democratic or monarchical, is fundamentally a function of culture. That is why countries like Britain will claim that their constitutions are partly written and partly conventional. Borrowing a foreign culture to practice democracy is like borrowing another man’s mouth to eat. Into whose stomach will the food go?

    When people of different tribes and tongues are forcefully fused together, the tendency is for multi-dimensional crises to remain with them perpetually. The only exception however is genuine federalism which must be adopted to enable every tribe or region conduct its affairs according to its culture. Prophet Muhammad had long warned against misplacement of issues. He said: “When the thrust of an issue is misplaced fundamentally, expect the end of time”.

    To continue to pretend that nothing is fundamentally wrong with Nigeria democratically is to hide behind one finger. And, for how long can a country do that? The Soviet Union played to the gallery in such self-deception for about 74 years before it finally collapsed into oblivion. It was hoped that the proposed Nigerian National Conference will not be a Trojan Horse that may pave way for a journey to ‘Moscow’ out of which a Nigerian Gorbachev may emerge.

    “Allah does not change a people’s lot unless they change what is in their hearts. If He seeks to afflict them with a misfortune, none can ward it off. Besides Him they have no protector”. Q. 13:11.

  • Journey of growth

    Journey of growth

    On the eve of its inception on May 29, 2023, this paper set agenda for the Tinubu administration. In a special package published on May 28 of that year, the paper looked at critical areas of national life and made some far reaching suggestions. The state of the  economy, as it then was, was our major concern and we reeled out what can be done to revive it. It is now on the rebound.

    Today, I return to the section on ‘National reorientation and rediscovery of values’, another topic dear to our hearts, as a way of assessing what has been done in that area, especially as the President spoke about unveiling the National Charter of Values (NCV) in his New Year’s speech. It is good that the National Orientation Agency (NOA) has come up with such a charter. However, having the charter is one thing, making it work is another.

    The charter will chart a new course in the value reorientation journey. To begin with, the external perception of Nigeria is worrisome. It is as a result of how we are perceived as ‘no do-gooders’, an image wrongly used to characterise us. Our identity is one of repute – a people of strength and character – with citizens in top places in many parts of the world.

    Ahead of NCV’s launch, NOA’s Director-General Lanre Issa-Onilu and his team have perfected work on its key ingredients which have been approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC).These ingredients known as the Seven Institutions (The 7 Is) of Nurturing will form the plank of the charter. NOA styles it 7 for 7, that is the seven things expected of the citizens and the seven  to be done in reciprocity by the government. To Issa-Onilu, our identity is our pride, and it must be used to our global advantage.

    The charter will restore Nigerians’ faith in Nigeria and make the world to stand up and recognise us for who we really are. The charter preaches positivity and optimism. It aims to change the negative narratives which in most cases Nigerians give about themselves even to outsiders. The job has begun in earnest. We see NOA campaigns these days in the media on citizenship education and advocacy. It is a job that should not be left to the agency alone. It requires our collective efforts to succeed.

    Issa-Onilu speaks with conviction about value rediscovery. With attitudinal change, a lot can be achieved. But the cynicism of many is not helping matters. Issa-Onilu disagrees with the cynics. “Our glass is half full, not half empty”, he says. In other words, people should stop seeing things from the negative perspective. He likens the charter to the ‘holy book’ which we must meditate on day and night in the process of social interactions.

    Believe him or not, he argues that “we have found our destination; we have also found a path to that destination and we have embarked on the journey”. No matter how long a journey is, it starts with the first step. The fashioning of The 7 Is is a turning point. These are Citizenship Studies; Nationalisation of Cartoons; Creation of Citizens’ Brigade; Inculcation of Value Orientation into National Youth Service Corps (NYSC)/Industrial Training Fund (ITF), Two-week value orientation for elected and appointed officers (taking along with the police, military and paramilitary forces), Strengthening belief in our national symbols – flag, coat of arms, anthem, currency, Constitution,  National Identity Card), and Global Reputational Management.

    Putting Nigeria first, and not running it down, at home or abroad, is the first port of call. What will it profit a Nigerian to own the whole world, but lose his identity? Our identity is our Nigerian-ness, if I can use that word. Being our unique identity, it tells who we are and stands us out in the crowd. So, we must guide this unique identity jealously anywhere we are. Lest we forget, Nigeria is not the worst country on earth. Unfortunately, through acts of omissions and commissions, we make it look as if it is.

    The idea behind the 7 Is is that they would help reshape our values and rebrand Nigeria. Citizenship Studies is expected to replace civic education in schools. It will be taught from primary to tertiary education levels. Pupils and students will learn in graduated form what it means to be a citizen of Nigeria, which qualifies them to call themselves Nigerians. Nationalisation of Cartoons will ensure that children grow up knowledgeable about their nation’s history and do not imbibe western culture through the foreign cartoons that they watch on television and social media these days. The localisation of these cartoons’ contents will help them to know more about their ancestry and allow them to choose their true heroes.

    There was a time that the Boy Scouts, Girl Guides and Boys’ Brigade were a spectacle to behold as they marched through the streets in their uniforms. As school boys in the late 1960s and 1970s, many of us joined the Boy Scouts. At various times, we went camping to learn about self defence, safety and security. These organisations are virtually non-existent today, except for the Boys’ Brigade which can still be found in some churches today. NOA is proposing that the Citizens’ Brigade (CB) be created to play a pivotal role in value reorientation. Under CB, which will be introduced in primary and secondary schools, 1000 Brigades will be recruited per state and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in the first year, translating to 37,000 Brigades.

    For now, NYSC emphasises rigorous military like training, while ITF concentrates on vocational skill acquisition. Value orientation will be inculcated in their curricular to help shape their intakes mindset about Nigeria. With ITF said to have 12.7 million registered artisans, and the million that complete national service each year, NOA will be building a huge value orientation army. Also, the two-week value orientation for elected and appointed officers is imperative so that they can take the driver’s seat in their respective capacities in pushing the message. As disciplined forces, value orientation should not be strange to the police, military and paramilitary organisations.

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    Respect for our national symbols should be a given. People should get up without being prompted when the national anthem is being played; you do not tear the flag or fly it at half mast or use it as wrapping paper. You don it at a moment of glory when you represent Nigeria at a regional or global event. You show respect to the naira, our legal tender; the Constitution, Coat of Arms and the National Identity Card, the symbols of nationalism. A patriot waves his nation’s flag when he excels in what he does, not tear it in annoyance for whatever reasons.

    Global Reputational Management is about cleaning up after Nigerians. What can we do as a people to correct the perception about us? Nigerians are not scammers and confidence tricksters. This is not our identity. Our identity is that of an industrious and intelligent people. There are many Nigerians making waves in the Diaspora in various fields of endeavours. So, why does the world judge us from the prism of some bad sheep? While NOA is determined to crack the nut, the public must join the campaign to make it work.

    In passing the government’s messages to the people, NOA has cleared some grey areas about certain programmes, especially the Nigerian Education Trust Fund (NELFUND) from which thousands of students have benefited in a short  time. After initial teething issues, the Presidential Compressed Natural Gas Initiative(P-CNGI) is going on, though not at the speed many expected. There are credit schemes for consumers, small and medium enterprises and big businesses, thereby putting the economy on a rebound. These point to the fact that with the right values, greater things can be achieved. So, NOA should not rest on what it has achieved in the last 20 months.

    It must continue to drive the values process through concerted efforts, but not by pushing out slogans alone. Slogans are good, but they will only have impact when matched with the human element in the drive and desire for the change that will expand the frontiers of renewed hope. Or, if you like, “hope renewed”, as Issa-Onilu tags it now.

  • Middle East: Israeli tail wagging American dog

    Middle East: Israeli tail wagging American dog

    The recent denial by the Secretary of State of the United States, Marco Rubio, that the United States did not know beforehand, Israel’s attack on Iran was an obvious lie which President Donald Trump cleared not completely the following day when he said he was briefed by Mr Bilyaminin Netanyahu the Israeli prime minister a day before but he did not say if he gave the go ahead.

    Of course, the Europeans are not having a part in the Israeli war on Iran, the third Israeli war on its enemies in one year, if one adds this current war on Iran to the Israeli war on Gaza and on Hezbollah in Lebanon.

    Europe is more concerned with Russia’s war on Ukraine which poses existential threat to Europe.

    It seems however that since Trump was elected president of the USA, the role of Europe and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in global security has almost become irrelevant in world affairs. Trump has almost individually appropriated foreign policy operations whether in Europe but most particularly in the Middle East. All the remonstrations of the Europeans and Canada with Israel over its murderous campaign against a defenceless people in Gaza and Lebanon made largely of women, children and old men have been ignored.

    America has been dragged in, to support Israel in Lebanon and in the constant bombing of Syria until there was a regime change in Syria and Hezbollah has been rendered useless as part of Iranian front against Israel and now Israel has decided to remove the troublesome presence of Iran in the Axis of evil as Israel is concerned.

    Earlier on when Israel and Iran exchanged blows during the dying months of the Biden administration, the United States in October 2024, Europe, even Jordan and Egypt tried to intercept Iranian missiles and drones from hitting Israel but in the current situation, the European countries principally Britain, France , Germany and Canada and their allies in the Middle East kept their distance and called for  de-escalation of the conflict because they felt Israeli attack on Iran was unjustified especially when America was involved in negotiations with Iran over the issue of the Iranian  rapid uranium enrichment a precondition for making nuclear weapons.

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    Israel was more concerned with the issue because it poses existential threat to her. This reluctance on the part of Europe to jump on the bandwagon of military campaign against Iran restrained the combustible Donald Trump who first said America was not connected with the Israeli attack. This was also reinforced by Marco Rubio’s disclaimer that Israeli attack was a unilateral decision with no American input.

    We now know the American president was involved from the beginning. But Trump wants to intervene on the side of Israel apparently reluctantly because the MAGA movement supporting him is against American military entanglement in the Middle East. Trump also sees himself as a “PEACE PRESIDENT” who would rather face the task of developing America and making Americans rich through his policy of high tariffs against the rest of the world whether, as his critics say, makes economic sense or not .

    This is where we are. Trump departed before the end of the G-7 conference in Canada to go back to Washington where he has been making threats against Iran and asking people to vacate immediately, Tehran, the 10 million-peopled capital of Iran apparently as preparatory to America unleashing B52 bombers to drop huge bombs that can penetrate down the depth of where the uranium enrichment laboratories are buried.  Trump while arriving in Washington threw caution to the winds and said “we control the air space of Iran and we know where the Ayatollah is hiding and we have not decided to take him out yet”,

    This means that America and Israel may decide not only to get rid of the nuclear infrastructure but also effect a regime change. It seems they may go for both. It will not be easy if America intervenes by putting troops on the ground because one cannot win a war without ground troops to secure the victory of air campaign. Iran is not going to be an easy country to conquer.  However the American administration has begun deploying its military assets into the Persian Gulf and had flown military planes to the centre of the conflict in the last few days.

    Whatever the case may be, the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency), the UN agency based in Vienna has however warned that busting nuclear facilities buried deep down the earth and releasing radioactive materials come with tremendous risk. This is a warning to gung-ho Republicans who want to bomb Iran to ashes to be careful of wilfully or unwillingly poisoning the environment in the Middle East and elsewhere because the global environment is one.

    One thing that bothers me is the way Israel has been empowered by the current and even the Biden United States’ administration to shape the Middle East the way it wants irrespective of what the other countries want. Because of this, Israel arrogates to itself the moral right to decide about who is right or wrong in the politics of the Middle East. Gone are the days when the whole world stood with Israel on issues of morality on  politics of the Middle East and when Israel was famous for taming the desert and turning  the Israeli desert to green agricultural pastures and producing first class medical drugs and equipment. These days Israel is known for its military conquest and its policy of might being right. Israel, because of the history of the holocaust, has the right to defend itself but when does this right become the right to brutally conquer and kill Palestinians who like the Israelis are merely struggling to be free?

    The slaughterhouse which Gaza and the West Bank of the River Jordan have turned into need to be closed down for ever. Someone needs to speak up about the need to stop the slaughter of Palestinians by the Israeli army and the two suffering peoples – the Israelis and Palestinians need to live in peace either together or separately.

    If Donald Trump brings the weight of the United States behind Israel, the question then is what becomes of the recent apparent success of Trump’s policies in the Arab world? No matter the historical differences that exist between Arabs and Iranians (Persians), the tie of Islam despite the differences between the dominant Sunni and Shia Islam respectively in most of the Arab world and Iran, the ties of geography, history and Islam are stronger than the temporary binding of contemporary times.

  • For minds unfettered

    For minds unfettered

    It is sheer folly to watch a house burn while bickering over who should hold the bucket of water for quenching the fire. Such is the madness that has gripped Nigeria for decades; generations chanting placebo therapies prescribed by scheming colonists for the country’s behavioural cancer. The land is rich, but the minds are colonised.  The soil is fertile but poisoned by imported seeds of thought.

    Nigeria’s corruption, for instance, is not just a matter of flawed governance, but a crisis of ethics exacerbated by an inordinate lust for expedience. The 2023 National Bureau Statistics (NBS) corruption data reveal a worrisome trend: over 87 million bribes paid, amounting to over $1.26 billion, mostly money stolen by fathers, mothers, uncles, aunts, grannies, clergy, principals, and officials. How did we get here?

    We got here because Nigeria’s postcolonial elite, groomed in the mould of their colonisers, learned to loot with logic and a grin. They speak of “efficiency” and “modernisation” while defunding schools and pawning national resources to foreign interests. They are dangerous for their dexterity at dismemberment. It is not the devil that plagues Nigeria; it is a culture of systemic dysfunction rooted in the disintegration of social conscience.

    Nations do not emerge fully formed from constitutions or borderlines. They are shaped by the character of their citizenry. And the latter, in turn, are shaped by their most intimate institution: the family. The family is the receptacle in which the values of a nation are first kindled or corrupted. It is where character and social conscience are either nurtured or strangled in the cradle. The integrity of our public life, therefore, depends on the morality of our private lives.

    Family is key. From this sacred unit, a people’s sense of self, place, and purpose begins. If the family is compromised, then society itself becomes a ghost town of ethics: full of laws but lacking justice and compassion; rich in rhetoric, but bankrupt of vision. Societal growth, therefore, cannot be engineered solely by policies or economic indices. It must be cultivated through the slow, careful evolution of the human spirit. Through education, yes, but not the kind that alienates the learner from their origins.

    Francis Nyamnjoh, in his excavation of Africa’s epistemological crisis, recalls Okot p’Bitek’s Song of Lawino with painful clarity. Ocol, the educated African elite, emerges as a walking corpse; a clearing agent for foreign ideologies and an enemy to his kin. His education does not liberate; it enslaves. It turns him against his wife, his people, and ultimately, himself.

    This is the face of the Nigerian elite: fluent in multiple languages and philosophies but unable to communicate with their grandparents; draped in academic garlands but disconnected from indigenous wisdom; eloquent before foreign audiences but dismissive of local realities. They are, as p’Bitek lamented, hens that eat their own eggs.

    The fetishisation of colonial values of beauty and notions of African reality has entrenched a psychological war on the African self. It is no surprise, then, that many Nigerians continue to bleach their skin, speak with borrowed accents, and look to the West for validation. Modernity, as defined by the West, becomes the Nigerian holy grail. Young Nigerians are taught to despise our histories, distrust our systems of knowledge, and to measure success by how far they can flee from our roots. In so doing, they become, like Ocol, a walking corpse, alive to foreign endorsement, but dead to native truth.

    This crisis manifests across every sphere: from university syllabuses that erase indigenous knowledge systems to national policies crafted in donor-pleasing jargon. Even religious institutions, once cultural sanctuaries, have turned into imported franchises of guilt and prosperity.

    Apollos Nwauwa rightly posits that Western education produced a contradictory elite in West Africa; one that served as both an agent of colonisation and nationalism. But nationalism, in our case, did not mature into sovereignty of thought. Instead, it hardened into mimicry. We changed flags, not philosophies. We rewrote our constitutions but kept the same epistemic shackles. What we call modernisation has often been little more than domesticated colonisation—metacolonialism, as Hussein Bulhan rightly names it.

    This metacolonialism is no longer imposed with rifles and chains, but through curriculum, cinema, policy consultancy, and international development models. It creates a class of elites who worship at the altar of foreign approval; those who speak of development only in the metrics handed down by British colonialists. They are the Ocols of our generation, trained to quote statistics, but unable to feel the pulse of their people.

    Thus, while the skyscrapers rise and the GDP is celebrated, the Nigerian mind continues to rot. We build flyovers over potholes of the mind. We chase digital revolutions while ignoring the intellectual genocide that is the continued erasure of indigenous knowledge.

    It’s about time we reclaimed Nigerianness. We must start prioritising what we think of ourselves over what the West thinks of us. This recovery requires a radical revaluation of knowledge, a turning away from borrowed epistemologies toward what Nyamnjoh calls a reality larger than logic. We must reprioritise native philosophies over Western syllogisms.

    We must dismantle the myth that science, stripped of ethics, context, and community, is the only path to progress; we must pay attention to knowledge systems that value Nigerian reality over Western logic. This means listening to market women who manage micro-economies more efficiently than government programs. It means engaging hunters, herbalists, griots, and artisans—custodians of ecological wisdom, history, and sustainable living. It means revisiting the shrines of thought that colonialism labelled “backwards” and asking: what did we lose when we stopped kneeling there?

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    We must re-educate our educators, decolonise our curricula, and refuse the seduction of validation by foreign wile. A child who learns to love their name will not be ashamed of their accent. A nation that learns to love its essence will not need to bleach its soul.

    We must stop treating ordinary Nigerians as disposable extras in the theatre of governance. The people who truly challenge the status quo: those who resist the prescriptive gaze of foreign-funded NGOs and speak truth in idioms absent in Western textbooks, must be centred in the national discourse. It is from these everyday realists that a true renaissance will manifest.

    The media must also unshackle itself from the imperial narrative machine. Too long has it amplified the metacoloniser’s myth of a Messianic Europe, while muting narratives of African resistance, resilience, and rebirth. The press must recover its role as griot and conscience, not just a content factory.

    There is a future worth dreaming of: one where our development models are rooted in communal values; where schools teach both code and calculus alongside cosmology and craft; where governance is not about appeasing international donors, but serving the child hawking bananas on a dusty road in Madagali, Agbado-Ijaiye and Sankwala. Such a future demand that we stop waiting to be invited to someone else’s table and start building our own.

    It’s about time we dislodged the clearing officers and coronated Ocols using Nigerian institutions as pit latrines of foreign ideologies. Shall we instead cultivate a new generation of thinkers? Those who can walk between worlds without losing their way, who can marry tradition with transformation, while acknowledging that progress is not a synonym for alienation.

    Civilisations are rarely built with concrete and currency alone, but with narratives, rituals, and native wisdom. Nigeria’s rebirth will come from memory, not mimicry.

  • NASS: Police fingerprints, face shots, DNA databases please

    NASS: Police fingerprints, face shots, DNA databases please

    Fingerprints were studied off and on since the year 1200 when they appeared in a Chinese novel. In 1788, JC Mayer confirmed that fingerprints were unique to individuals and between 1880-1886, Henry Faulds suggested to the UK Metropolitan Police its use in crime detection. An Argentine police officer, Jaun Vucetich classified fingerprints and successfully, for first time used them in crime detection in 1892 by convicting a woman, Fransisca Rojas of murdering her two sons.

    Francis Galton published an 1892 book titled Finger Prints.  In India 1858 Sir William J. Herschel used fingerprints on documents to prevent fraud and in 1897 India opened a Fingerprint Bureau for Criminal Identification.   Since 1902, Great Britain and other countries and now INTERPOL have placed great reliance on NATIONAL CRIMINAL FINGERPRINT /MUGSHOT/DNA DATABASE BANKS. Disgracefully in 2025, Nigeria does not have a criminal fingerprint or photo (mugshot) database- jobs for thousands of technologists. No Nigerian police station offers this routinely. 

    Why this introduction? Because FINGERPRINTING/FACE PHOTOGRAPHS/DNA ARE NOT NUCLEAR PHYSICS EXCEPT IN AFRICA apparently. Every present activity has an origin in someone’s work in the historic past. Nigeria seems to resist being brought into even ‘Ancient and Modern’ crime detection methodologies, though they are educated daily by TV crime programmes. The very first law of crime is to cordon off the crime scene, wear gloves and collect items and examine or ‘dust’ the area for fingerprints

    No doubt there are modern security professionals in the Nigerian Police. Some police, criminals themselves, fear that fingerprinting will catch them.  What powerful force prevents the Nigerian Police entering the 21st Century?  Although there are budget allocations for Police Crime Laboratories, fund diversion and underfunding cripple crime detection.

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    I remember when my first cousin, my father’s full sister’s son, Funsho Williams, a Gregorian of athletic and academic distinction and Lagos State governorship candidate was brutally executed, murdered, assassinated (you choose) on 27-7-2006 in Dolphin Estate Lagos, in a still unsolved politically-motivated crime. I was shocked at the number, in their hundreds, of people, police (high and low officer, men and women), politicians and their aides and hangers on – all eager to be press recorded, neighbours, gawkers and murderers (most likely)  who were seen trooping in and out, marching all over the blood-stained upstairs landing, ruining the crime scene. The access from the adjourning part of the duplex would have had uncontaminated DNA evidence – but no fingerprinting and no DNA till today 19 years later. Worldwide, ‘COLD CASES’ evidence awaits future investigative techniques. Here, we have no storage mentality, zero storage space and throw critical evidence away. TAPING THE CRIME SCENE IN POLICE INVESTIGATION 1-0-1. BUT DO WE EVEN HAVE LABELLED ‘POLICE: KEEP OFF’ TAPE? 

    We have learnt no lessons because recently there was a kidnap homeowner victim who was held in a house for eight days. Another victim, a doctor, was murdered at home. Both these locations would have had fingerprint and DNA evidence. Nationwide, violence, kidnapping, sexual abuse, traffickers, body part dealers as well as blatant terrorism thrive.

    Our gallant security services must be supported by 2025 investigation methods including gloves, boots, masks, hamzat suits, ‘A CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION BOX’ and BACKUP FORENSIC LABORATORIES capable of taking photographs of victims and surroundings,  labelling and taking samples for later analysing for fingerprints, drugs (medical and stimulants), alcohol, chemical poisons, blood group, infections, etc.

    The best Nigerian based laboratories now are NAFDAC Laboratories, Police Lab in Oshodi both sometimes attacked, in universities, teaching hospitals especially the DNA Lab in Redeemer’s University, in the private sector especially the food and beverages and petroleum industry. THE POLICE CAN GO INTO IMMEDIATE PARTNERSHIP with these until Police Labs are upgraded.    

    The National Assembly recently called for a 2025 review of the ‘Security Architecture’ in the face of rising terrorism.  Nigeria’s terrorists repeat the cycle of capture, re-education, release, re-terrorising, recapture etc. Database identification of everyone in Nigeria is key to security. The National Assembly must include greater police crime detection capacity & capabilities as part of the strategic 2025 security architecture upgrade.

    Historically, Nigeria escaped the shame of its 50-year chronic administrative lapse, neglecting to provide landlines for the masses as it rode the crest of the cell phone wave. This move, by 2025, has empowered almost every adult Nigerian, from pauper to with communication capacity.

    Today, Nigeria missed the crest of the computer wave to educate its youth but can and must now ride the new crest of the ARTIFICAL INTELLEGENCE, AI, wave available to our government, police force and security forces to hugely accelerate the capture and quickly expose violent and impersonation 419 criminals by comparing their data to a harnessed and ALREADY AVAILABLE BIODATA BASES across several areas. These include FINGERPRINTS, DIGITAL FACIAL INFORMATION FROM very expensive previous registration exercises, costing probably trillions of naira to date, for DRIVING LICENCE, SIM CARD, PASSPORT, VOTER CARD, EXAMINATION REGISTRATION, TAX NUMBER, BANK, NATIONAL IDENTITY NUMBER CARD, SCHOOL AND WORKPLACE identity.

    Of course, Nigeria faces similar hacking threats and ‘computer crash’ risks as other countries. But with 330 proudly Nigerian languages at our disposal, it should be possible to make our passwords and codes so unique and quickly changeable that we could be adequately firewalled and protected.  ONE WAY IS TO KEEP THE ENTIRE DATABASE fully backed up, separated into multiple independent segments; 26 segments by alphabet for example and by having several regularly updated copies completely off the INTERNET AND ONLY ALLOW OFF GRID ACCESS.