Category: Hardball

Hardball

THERE is no doubt the 11th December abduction of nearly 400 pupils of the Government Science Secondary School (GSS), Kankara, Katsina State, was another grim experience of the insecurity that plagues our country. A ‘grimmer’ experience, however, is how officials who should’ve been instrumental to forestalling such incidents in the first place jostle for credit over after-the-fact remediation, like the release of the schoolboys last Thursday after seven days in captivity.

Were these innocent youngsters ‘rescued’ from abductors or ‘released’ following mutual negotiation between government agents and the abductors mediated by stakeholders? This is a question whose answer is somewhat beclouded by code-switching accounts of how the boys regained their freedom.

Zamfara State Governor Bello Mohammed Matawalle led the narrative that the schoolboys regained freedom after a protracted negotiation in which he personally invested some 100 hours. Speaking shortly after the pupils were released, he told a newspaper that he enlisted the leadership of Miyetti Allah and repentant bandits to identify the group responsible for the abduction, and then initiated the negotiation process. “When we established contact with them, I persuaded them to release them (schoolboys) unharmed. And so they did tonight. This is not the first time we facilitated the release of our people without payment of ransom. Ask anybody, we don’t pay bandits a dime. What we do is to extend olive branch to them because they also want to live in peace,” he stated.

In a parallel account, the Defence Headquarters said troops of Operation Hadarin Daji successfully rescued all 344 abducted students following credible intelligence and in demonstration of high degree of professionalism. A statement by the Coordinator, Defence Media Operations, Major-General John Enenche, reported that the rescue was in keeping to the promise by the military to ensure safe return of all abducted students, adding: “The military high command commends troops of Operation Hadarin Daji, including all security agencies for their dexterity. Members of the general public who volunteered information are also appreciated.”

Both Katsina State Governor Aminu Masari and Information and Culture Minister Lai Mohammed acknowledged that negotiations played a large part in the dynamics leading up to the release of the abducted students. Alhaji Mohammed particularly confirmed the kinetic and no-kinetic mix, saying: “No money changed hands. There were a lot of back channel negotiations. There are a lot of negotiations that take place in this type of case anywhere in the world.”

However it happened, it was highly welcome that the boys returned in one piece. But it is curious that no attempt was made to bring the perpetrators to justice, even though a security personnel was killed and another injured on the night of the abduction. Was that an inevitable trade-off for the boys’ safe release, and how helpful is that for future deterrence?

Hardball

WORSENING insecurity across the country generates various narratives of blame. The mass abduction of students from Government Science Secondary School, Kankara, Katsina State, by suspected bandits, on December 11, generated another story about who is responsible for heightened banditry in the Northwest region.  Thankfully, the abductees have been released.

All Progressives Congress (APC) acting Deputy National Publicity Secretary Yekini Nabena said in a statement: “Our security agencies have intelligence reports linking one of the Northwest governors to collusion and sponsorship of violent and criminal activities of bandits. I won’t give details because of the sensitive and security nature of the issue.”

Five of the seven states in the Northwest are controlled by APC, the federal ruling party.  The governors are: Nasir El-Rufai (Kaduna); Abdullahi Ganduje (Kano); Aminu Masari (Katsina); Badaru Abubakar (Jigawa) and Atiku Bagudu (Kebbi).

The two other states in the geo-political region are controlled by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the main opposition party. The governors are Aminu Tambuwal (Sokoto) and Bello Matawalle (Zamfara).

Though the APC spokesman did not name the governor allegedly sponsoring bandits in the region, he said enough to suggest the governor’s identity.  He listed the PDP among “enemies of the country who seek political gains from issues of insecurity.”

By mentioning the PDP, he suggested that the alleged evil sponsor is a member of that party. It is understandable that he pointed in the direction of his party’s main rival. It is also understandable that he seemed to have ruled out the possibility that the alleged evil sponsor could be from his own party.

Is the allegation true?  The claim that a Northwest governor is to blame for the increasing cases of banditry in the region cannot excuse the failure of the authorities to find a solution to insecurity.

In the Northeast, after the recent massacre of farmers by Boko Haram terrorists at Zabarmari, Borno State, the army said the enemies of Nigeria were supporting the group to destabilise the country. The acting director, Army Public Relations, Col Sagir Musa, spoke of “an international conspiracy to cut Nigeria to size.”

Also, the army claimed that local saboteurs were working against the counter-terrorism effort, and issued a statement warning “all groups or communities hobnobbing with Boko Haram/ISWAP to sever such relations.”

Are the allegations true?  Blaming alleged international backers of terrorism and alleged local collaborators for the prolonged war on terrorism cannot excuse the failure of the country’s armed forces.  The armed forces are expected to surmount such challenges, if they exist, to achieve the objective of the anti-terrorism effort.

The point is finger-pointing won’t end kidnapping, banditry and terrorism, the major threats to security in the country. Only decisive action will.

Hardball

YORUBA people have a saying which roughly translates thus: when a neophyte gets into the sacred grove that commands trepidation, he would cower. That is to say, there are some terrains where angels should fear to read, and it isn’t expected even of fools to rush in. This ancient wisdom lately came under brazen affront by criminal actors who take on objects that should be intrinsically awe-inspiring, hence should dissuade any attempt at being desecrated.

In the early hours of Thursday, 10th December, vandals burgled the Ogun State House of Assembly complex in Abeokuta where they stole the legislative mace. Reports said they broke into the Speaker’s office through the roof to reach the symbol of authority, besides damaging other items of property. Curiously, they shortly after discarded the part of the mace that had the coat of arms – its imprint of authority. “The head of the mace has been recovered and investigation has commenced,” the spokesman of Ogun State Police Command confirmed on the heels of the burglary, saying no arrest had been made but “we are getting some clues on the perpetrators and very soon we will arrest everyone that partook in the dastardly act.”

Barely 24 hours after the theft, operatives attached to Trade Fair Station of the Lagos State Police Command recovered the stolen mace at Abule Ado area of the metropolis. Spokesman of the Lagos command said officers acted on intelligence received from members of the community that “someone in a moving vehicle suspected to be Toyota Siena space wagon threw out an object into the nearby bush;” they recovered the object that was later identified as the Ogun assembly mace.” The spokesman did not say whether any suspect was arrested, but assured that efforts were underway to return the item to Ogun assembly and assist the Ogun police command with investigation.

The mace incident evoked memories of the theft of Oba of Lagos Rilwan Akiolu’s staff of office during an invasion of his palace by rampaging youths on 21st October as the #EndSars protests degenerated. That sacred staff was eventually recovered, amidst remonstrations by cultural stakeholders against apparent desecration of the historically deified institution of monarchy.

Other than being inveterately irreverent, it is curious what promise of reward hoodlums saw in the symbolic items to make them targets of theft. The Ogun assembly burglary was all the more curious as it wasn’t reported that other items with conventional market value were as well stolen. A possible explanation is that the vandals were simply too desperate to think through their enterprise before setting on it.. But Hardball thinks it is also a challenge to institutional custodians to conduct themselves as would safeguard the aura of their institutions and ingrain trepidation in the hearts of potential desecrators.

Hardball

Rev. Fr. Ejike Mbaka, the Spiritual Director of the Adoration Ministry, Enugu, needs to redeem his image following a report that depicted him in a bad light. The well-known Catholic priest, who has a reputation for making high-profile political prophecies, was said to have supported and encouraged his followers who manhandled a team of BBC journalists, on December 9, at his house in Emene town, Enugu State.

Chioma Obianinwa and Nnamdi Agbanelo were supposed to interview Father Mbaka at his church but were asked to follow him to his house after the church service to conduct the interview. Their driver, Ndubuisi Nwafor, was with them.

At the house, as they waited in the compound, they “were suddenly surrounded by about 20 men.” Obianinwa said the men seized their equipment, accused them of writing “negative reports about Mbaka,” and threatened to kill them.

According to her, “The men outside his house said BBC Igbo writes negative things about Mbaka and started beating Nnamdi, Solomon and Ndubuisi. They gave them heavy blows on their heads and all over their body.”

At a point, Father Mbaka came out of the house because of the noise. But he only fuelled the assault, calling the reporter “satanic.”   “This fired up the men to continue the attacks as Father Mbaka continued shouting and abusing us,” she said.  “He asked his men to seize our phones and cameras. They said they would kill us and nothing would happen. They removed my wig and tried to strangle Nnamdi.”

The journalists faced danger. Obianinwa screamed that the world would know they were killed in Father Mbaka’s house. “At this point,” she said, “Father Mbaka asked us to leave before his men killed us. He asked them to return our equipment and they chased us out of the compound. His men trailed us till we left the state to seek medical assurance and police help.”

This account presents an ugly picture indeed. It sounds unbelievable.  Such a conduct is not expected of a priest and his followers. Perhaps the devil was around in that compound that evening. Perhaps it was a vulnerable moment for the priest and his followers. Perhaps the devil defeated them that evening.

Father Mbaka’s silence on the report is not clarifying.  Did such a thing happen as reported by the victims? It is important for him to react to the report. Apart from his intriguing prophetic performances, he should not also be known for maltreating journalists.

Hardball

IF you ask the question why public universities remain shut and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) crisis yet unresolved nine months on, the answer you would likely get is: it’s complicated! Negotiations between the Federal Government and university teachers on the platform of ASUU have progressed largely by laid-back buck-passing rather than doubling up on concessions in considered interest of students, who are no party to the dispute but who happen to be the most shortchanged of all stakeholders in the varsity system. Bluntly speaking, ASUU is guiltier of this insensitivity.

In recent weeks, government and ASUU traded blames on who defaulted on a pact that many had thought would get the varsity system back on stream. Labour and Employment Minister Chris Ngige said the gentleman’s understanding at a meeting with ASUU on 27th November was that teachers would call off the strike they began since March before 9th December, by which time he hoped to secure presidential waiver for the teachers to get paid the remainder of their salaries. He argued that government had conceded much ground already by paying the teachers their salaries from February to June – part of the time that they’ve been on strike; and processed N70billion as Earned Academic Allowances and university revitalization fund among others. ASUU President Professor Biodun Ogunyemi had accused government of not fulfilling timelines agreed upon especially regarding payment of salaries, saying his members could not go back to work on empty stomachs. Government rejoined, however, that it had made good on all its promises except paying salaries for July to October, which is contingent on teachers returning to classes. “Asking government to pay these four months before it goes back to work means ASUU is placing itself above the law of the land, and no government will encourage this as it is a recipe for chaos in the labour milieu,” it added in a statement.

Now, ASUU says there was never an agreement on calling off the strike by 9th December. “Whatever comes out of an engagement with agents of the government is an offer that must be taken back to the branches through the various organs of the union. Views and perspectives on offers by governments are aggregated and presented to government agents as counter-offers,” Ogunyemi explained last weekend, adding: “This trade union strategy of offer and counter-offer is continually deployed until the National Executive Council (NEC) of ASUU – consisting of all recognised chairpersons – finally approves what it considers an acceptable offer from the government. It is only then that any strike action by ASUU can be suspended.”

For a union expecting all members’ salaries to be paid upfront, including for months they had not worked, the outlined procedure for calling off this strike is extravagantly leisurely. Students have no way of regaining the months forfeited on this strike, hence every further delay is an irredeemable loss. We must spare some thought for them.

Hardball

WHY did Abba Anwar, spokesman for Kano State Governor Abdullahi Ganduje, rush to announce that East Carolina University (ECU), USA, had appointed the governor as a visiting full professor of e-governance and international affairs?

Perhaps he was eager to get good publicity for his boss. He may have thought it was a chance to flaunt the governor’s importance.

But could he have publicised the appointment without Ganduje’s approval?  That’s unlikely. So the governor was probably aware that his spokesman was going to release the information.

Anwar had quoted the appointment letter dated November 30, which said “Ganduje’s choice is a depiction of close monitoring of his achievements as a governor in the last couple of years.”

”You have been a source of motivation to the Nigerian youths both at home and in the diaspora at large. We are amazed at your accomplishments both as the Executive Governor of Kano State, Nigeria, Fellow National Association of Educational Administration and Planning, Nigeria, and your investment in Human Capital Development,” the letter added.

Based on the appointment, Ganduje would be expected to mentor PhD students, junior lecturers at the institution and also advise the institution’s research centre on academic issues related to e-governance and international affairs.

But Ganduje was re-elected for another four-year term last year, which will end in 2023. He is expected to concentrate on developing Kano State. Could he have managed to play the role of governor and visiting professor at the same time?

Perhaps he should have contacted the university to explain the situation and how difficult it would be for him to perform both roles at the same time. That would have saved him from embarrassment following the university’s denial of the appointment offer.

The university’s Interim Provost and Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, Dr Grant Hayes, in a December 4 letter to Ganduje,   said Dr Victor Mbarika who had signed the appointment letter did not have the authority to make such an offer. It is unclear why Mbarika sent such a letter to Ganduje when he lacked the authority to do so. The university should sanction Mbarika.  Ganduje is embarrassed. But he could have avoided embarrassment.  The Secretary to the Kano State Government, Alhaji Usman Alhaji, wants Mbarika punished for embarrassing the governor. He claimed the university appointment was unsolicited. There is a need for clarity.

This mess is bad for Ganduje’s image. He could have avoided the mess if he had been more focused on governance and less interested in distractions.

Hardball

UNTIL he rolled out an empowerment scheme for his constituents penultimate weekend, you almost never knew Senator Elisha Abbo, representing Adamawa North, had other sensitivities besides physically asserting his ‘bigmanity’ against perceived affront. The 42-year-old senator, reputed as Nigeria’s youngest in the hallowed chamber, has been famous for what in local lingo they call ‘dirty slaps.’

It was only in September, this year, that a Federal Capital Territory (FCT) high court slammed a N50million bill on the senator to pay as compensation for assaulting a nursing mother, Osimibibra Warmate, in an Abuja sex toy shop in May 2019. Warmate got in line of his slaps after she pleaded with him not to manhandle another lady operating the sex toy shop whom he had accused of insulting him by calling him a drunk. Whereas the police bungled a one-count charge of criminal assault they filed against Abbo at a magistrate’s court in Zuba, which was dismissed, Warmate took her fate in her hands by filing a fundamental rights suit at the FCT high court, which was decided in her favour. Abbo recently appealed the high court judgement, arguing that the N50million sum is excessive and a disproportionate penalty for his offence.

The senator freshly outed with dirty slaps in a video that went viral two weeks ago, where he was caught on camera treating a young fellow to that specialty in his hometown of Mubi, Adamawa State. In the incident said to have occurred on 13th November, Abbo, could be seen angrily cursing the youth and dealing him a slap to the cheek, screaming: “You are very stupid!!” Not done with the physicality, the senator alighted from his car and dealt the fella another whack in the face. This attracted people nearby who gathered around the scene and made tame attempts at calming down the big man.

In his own account of the incident, Abbo said all he did was disarm the young man who attempted to shoot him after he refused to part with N2million at a rouge roadblock while on his way to a cousin’s wedding in Mubi. He argued that the fella headed a group of youths extorting money from road users with guns, adding that he (Abbo) acted in self-defense and was the victim on the said night. Abbo cited poverty as the motivation for the rascally conduct of young ones, saying: “Most of the youths are pushed into this, wasting their talents by doing something bad to the detriment of themselves and the society at large.”

It is curious that the senator preferred manhandling the youths rather than invite the police, especially as community safety was being hazarded with guns. But the good thing is: he moved to empower his constituents, so to dissuade them from poverty-induced criminality: he initiated a skills training programme for women and youths backed up with seed capital of N200 thousand each. It was a humane side of Abbo that was lost in his slapping sprees.

Hardball

It is likely the constables newly recruited into the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) are worried about their financial situation. They have not been paid salaries for more than six months, according to a report.  A senior officer was reported saying “They have been working since May but they have not been paid till date.”

The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mohammed Adamu, last year carried out the recruitment of 10,000 constables.  The Appeal Court, in September, nullified the recruitment, and unanimously held that the IGP lacked the power to recruit constables for the police force.

The court also held that the power to carry out the recruitment was exclusively that of the Police Service Commission (PSC), which had challenged the IGP over the recruitment. The appellate court declared the recruitment carried out by the IGP “null and void.”

That was a problem for the recruits. However, the PSC decided to use the IGP’s list of successful applicants instead of carrying out a fresh recruitment.  The commission said it chose to rescreen the candidates “considering that resources had been expended in the training of these candidates and that these candidates had been exposed to weapon and weaponry.”  Rescreened applicants who were successful, the commission said, “are expected to be absorbed into the Force.”

The PSC is supposed to issue appointment letters and approve their inclusion in the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS) for the payment of their salaries and allowances.  This should happen within a reasonable period.

It is not clear how many candidates were successfully rescreened.  The commission had discovered irregularities concerning the IGP’s recruitment of 10,000 constables. It found out that “925 persons never applied for recruitment and did not go through the stages and processes of recruitment. These included screening, aptitude test and medical examinations.”

Were these 925 odd recruits also rescreened?  They didn’t deserve to be rescreened, considering how they were recruited, which suggested corruption.

It is bad that the new constables are starting in difficult circumstances, with the non-payment of their salaries and allowances for some months.  This could be discouraging.  They may be tempted to engage in acts of corruption to survive.

It is noteworthy that President Muhammadu Buhari has directed the National Salaries, Income and Wages Commission “to expedite action on the finalization of the new salary structure of members of the Nigeria Police Force.”

Ironically, the PSC, by delaying the payment of the new constables, showed disregard for the welfare of police personnel.