Category: Editorial

• NAF personnel must ensure they reduce collateral damage to civilians in the theaters of war

Experts may not agree on just when accidental air strikes can be said to have passed tolerable limits, but there seems a consensus that the nine that the Nigeria Air Force (NAF) recorded in its war against bandits between September 2021 and January 2023 are just too many. No fewer than 147 innocent citizens, including children, have lost their lives as a result of these air strikes, while at least 72 others were injured during the period.

If we go back four years to 2017, we would be talking of at least about 300 persons sent to early graves due to air strikes in Zamfara, Yobe, Katsina, Kaduna, Niger, and, most recently, Nasarawa states.

The breakdown shows that nine civilians, including three children, were killed in a strike in a rural community near the border between Nasarawa and Niger states on September 16, 2021, 23 were injured. Some villagers alleged that on September 26, 2021, an air strike killed about 20 residents and on February 20, 2022, seven children were killed and five injured by a NAF airstrike in the neighbouring Niger Republic. About a month later, at least six children aged between five and 12 were similarly killed in the Kuregba community of Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State.

One person was killed and 13 others injured sequel to an airstrike by NAF at Kunkuna village in Safana Local Government Area of Katsina State on July 7, 2022, while on December 13, 2022, the only mishit without casualties happened in Kaduna, but a lot of residents’ property was destroyed. Six days to Christmas, last year, at least 64 persons were killed and many injured in an airstrike by the NAF at Mutumji community in the Maru Local Government Area of Zamfara State.

In January 2023 alone, two mishits were recorded. These included the one in Niger State on January 23 which was said to have killed an unspecified number of special hunters of the Joint Security Task Force and residents, as well as the one of the following day in which 40 herders were killed in yet another airstrike. It is possible the figure could be higher because the number of victims was not specified in some cases.   

It is however heart-warming that Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Oladayo Amao, has ordered an investigation into the circumstances leading to the mishits: “Concerned by the need for extra measures to minimise civilian harm and casualties, as well as take all feasible precautions in the strategies and methods of air attack to be deployed to avoid, or at least minimise civilian collateral damage, I recently instituted a committee of officers to compile all allegations of accidental strikes on civilians as well as investigate the circumstances leading to such strikes.’’

The committee is to liaise with those that might have been affected as well as local authorities and government officials so as to be able to proffer far-reaching recommendations that would mitigate future harm to civilians in NAF operations.

This is the global best practices.

Collateral damage in the kind of situation the NAF found itself there always would be. But it should be reduced to the barest minimum. After all, it is not that the country has not benefitted from the airstrikes. As a matter of fact, Governor Nasir el-Rufai of Kaduna State attested to the efficacy of the military operations, especially the air strikes, which he said have vanquished armed bandits and improved security in the state. The governor should know better because he felt the heat of the activities of bandits at some point.

In this wise, we want to urge the military authorities to continue to train and retrain their officers and men so that such stories that touch the heart from air mishits do not become part of our daily lives.

Moreover, NAF personnel need adequate and timely intelligence which must be well analysed for optimal results. When this is done and the soldiers are provided the requisite weapons and equally well motivated, the country would be on a sound moral ground to punish those of them who commit avoidable or embarrassing blunders, as is done in many other countries.

The NAF mission, particularly as it concerns Boko Haram and other insurgents that have been terrorising large parts of the country, killing, maiming and turning people into refugees in their own country is a very crucial one. But our soldiers, particularly the air force personnel, have to show more circumspection in the theaters of war because it is not just about winning the war alone, it must be won with minimal collateral damage to civilians.

Meanwhile, we urge the members of the committee set up by Marshal Amao to deal with the issues thoroughly and professionally. Their report should be able to guide us appropriately in finding a lasting solution to mishits in the war fronts.

• Federal Govt is under obligation to ensure its officials comply with court orders

Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Abdulrasheed Bawa, has again been committed to a correctional centre for contempt of court. This is the second time within a few months, even though he was eventually discharged of the first committal. While we understand that his office exposes him to multiple court cases, we are concerned that he has become a serial contemnor, and that is bad for the image of the organisation he leads.

Justice R. O. Ayoola of the Kogi State High Court granted the application for committal of Bawa to a correctional centre, for disobeying a court ruling delivered on November 30, 2022. One Ali Bello had dragged the EFCC and Bawa to court for unlawful arrest and detention by the commission, and the court ruled in his favour. Three days after, the commission, instead of releasing him, charged him for money laundering. An application by it to set aside the ruling or stay of execution was refused by the court. 

Irked by the further detention, Mr Bello filed Form 49, the “Notice to Show Cause Why Order of Committal should not be made” against a contemnor. The court summoned Bawa to appear on January 18, 2023, to justify why he should not be committed for flouting the order of the court. In the ruling in favour of Mr Bello, the court held the detention was unlawful, unconstitutional, and in contravention of the personal liberty and dignity of the applicant, under Chapter IV of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).

Since the EFCC could not justify the detention, the court ordered the EFCC and Bawa, who are the first and second respondents in the suit, to tender an apology to Mr Bello in a national newspaper and pay him N10 million in damages.

In November, last year, Justice Chizoba Oji held the EFCC chairman in contempt of court, following a Motion on Notice filed by Air Vice Marshal (AVM) Rufus Adeniyi Ojuawo, the former Director of Operations at the Nigeria Air Force (NAF).

In that application, AVM Ojuawo complained that the EFCC refused to obey the order of the court to release his seized property, a Range Rover and the sum of N40 million. The court however rescinded the order after the EFCC showed that it had paid the judgment debt and was planning to release the vehicle as ordered by court. It is worrisome that other important high officials of this administration have been held contemptuous of court in the past year.

For example, IGP Usman Alkali Baba, the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), last November, was convicted of contempt by the Federal High Court, presided over by Justice Mobolaji Olajuwon, and he was ordered to be remanded in prison until he purged himself. Similarly, the Chief of Army Staff, General Farouk Yahaya, was committed to Minna Correctional Centre for contempt in October, 2022, by Justice Halima Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court, sitting in Minna.

Even though these warrants were subsequently set aside, none of the contemnors was ever arrested and remanded in correctional centres as ordered by the courts. Perhaps that explains the increasing cases of contempt of the court. President Muhammadu Buhari’s government may have set the standards being followed by the officials, as witnessed in the case of El Zakzaki and Nnamdi Kanu. We condemn the disregard for rule of law by governments and her officials.

We urge the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami SAN, as the chief law officer of the Federal Government to advise the concerned officials to avoid contemptuous conducts, and where warrants are issued against them, they should be executed to serve as a lesson to others.

• We look forward to a more vibrant NLC now that the warring factions have come together

If only because of the popular saying that “united we stand, divided we fall,” we welcome the end of the crisis that polarised the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in 2015. The country’s central labour union split into two following controversies that marred the 2015 election of its principal officers. One faction was led by Ayuba Wabba who was the national treasurer until the controversial 2015 election in which he emerged president, while the other was led by Joe Ajaero, General Secretary of the National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE). The Ajaero-led faction eventually formed the United Labour Congress (ULC), with over 25 affiliates including some aggrieved affiliates of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), on December 18, 2016.

According to one of the labour leaders: “We want to build a very strong labour centre and the issue of trying to go around the election. You know what happened in 2015 and we are trying to avoid that.

“All of us have agreed that we must not allow that to happen again. It was a big lesson and that is why we have agreed now. It took us six months to discuss and reach this consensus list.”

The list included Ajaero who was nominated for national president. Those nominated for the position of Deputy National President are Prince Adeyanju Adewale of the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria; Audu Amba, Nigeria Union of Teachers and Kabiru Sani, Medical and Health Workers’ Union of Nigeria (MHWUN) while the President of Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees, Ambali Olatunji was nominated for National Treasurer.

Others nominated for the position of Vice President are: Benjamin Anthony, Amalgamated Union of Public Corporation, Civil Service Technical and Recreational Services Employees (AUPCTRE); Stephen Okoro, National Union of Civil Engineering, Construction, Furniture and Wood Workers (NUCECFWW). Michael Nnachi, National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM) and Wole Sunday, Nigeria Civil Service Union (NCSU) were nominated for the position of Vice President. Marwan Adamu of the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) was nominated for the position of financial secretary.

It was this consensus list that the workers took to the 13th national delegates conference, which took place in Abuja on February 8. Mercifully, the list was ratified, thus drawing the curtains on the eight years rift caused by the 2015 election.

Three others who were sworn in with the new executive members of the congress were Williams Akporeha, national trustee, Babatunde Olatunji, Mohammed Ibrahim and Haruna Ibrahim, internal auditors, as well as two ex-officio members.

We welcome the decision of all the parties to come together again.  We are particularly happy that they realised the need for unity in the labour circle, particularly at this point in the country’s history.

So many things are happening simultaneously requiring the attention of pressure groups to speak up in order to act as checks and balance on our respective governments. The most current is the Naira redesign that has thrown the entire country into panic as a result of an acute scarcity of the new notes. Labour ought to be in the vanguard of the criticism of the policy not only because it hurts the economy but also because many of its members and their defendants are adversely affected by it.

However, it must be noted that we are not necessarily advocating an adversarial relationship between labour and employers of labour and government. Rather, we are looking at the kind of relationship that would embrace constructive criticism with a view to ensuring good governance. Gone were those days when strike should be a weapon of first instance by workers. Governments can easily get away with blue murder in the absence of structures that should act as watchdogs and blow the whistle when they are derailing.

We recall with nostalgia, the role that the NLC played in the days of Hassan Sunmonu, among others. It is still possible for the NLC to reenact such constructive engagements that would make government respect the labour union, not necessarily fear it.

We urge the Ajaero-³ed NLC to learn from the mistakes of some of the labour leaders of the past. NLC, even when it was a formidable entity, had its own shortcomings. Ajaero is not new in the congress. He should therefore, avoid pitfalls of the past and determine to create for himself a place in history now that he has the opportunity of leading the congress.

We commend all those involved in bringing peace back to the congress and hope that Ajaero would live to expectations in the discharge of his duties.

•Her Grammy Award is a remarkable feat in just five years

Ultimately, her success story is a lesson in self-belief. Winning the highly regarded and internationally prestigious Grammy Award, on February 5, was a high point in her musical adventure.

By this honour given for “outstanding achievements in the music industry,” Nigerian singer Temilade Openiyi, 27, better known by the stage name Tems, not only reached a glorious height but also brought glory to the country.

Her prize is further proof that Nigerian performers can compete internationally.  She came out tops in the Best Melodic Rap Performance category for her contribution to American rapper Future’s hit song “Wait For U,” which also features Canadian rapper Drake. Future praised her “amazing” voice.

It is a remarkable rise for an artiste who entered the music industry in 2018. Getting the music award considered the biggest globally, after five years, speaks volumes about her musical talent.  

“It’s incredible,” she said of her achievement. “I get to work with people that, five years ago, were on my playlist. You know, I was jamming with them, and now I’m working with them. It’s such a pleasure, and I feel like this is just the beginning.”

It is a measure of her international collaborations that she was nominated alongside Swede Ludwig Goransson, Barbadian Rihanna, and American Ryan Coogler at the 2023 Golden Globe Awards for “Best Original Song — Motion Picture” for “Lift Me Up” from the film Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. She has also worked with American star Beyonce.

After her secondary education at Dowen College, Lagos, she studied Economics at Monash South Africa, a university in Johannesburg. This background was not supposed to prepare her for music.  ”Anything that I’m doing with music to me is rebellious because it wasn’t expected of me,” she said.

In 2018, she quit a job in digital marketing in Nigeria, after about six months, to pursue her passion. After learning self-production techniques on YouTube, that same year she released her debut single, “Mr Rebel,” a song she produced by herself, announcing the arrival of a new Nigerian musical talent on the world stage. This demonstrated her focus and drive.    “I wasn’t trying to break into the industry. I was just trying to release a song,” she said. But her first single had caught the attention of the music industry. Indeed, she attracted fans who became known as The Rebel Gang.    When she released her self-produced debut extended play (EP), “For Broken Ears,” in September 2020, the single, “Damages,” from the EP, was another hit, reaching number one on the Nigerian Apple Music chart and getting five million views on YouTube.

Her participation in fellow Nigerian artiste Wizkid’s 2020 single, “Essence,” gave a boost to her profile as the remixed version of the song reached the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100.

Signing a contract with the American record label, RCA Records, marked a progression in her music career, leading to the release of her second extended play, “If Orange Was a Place” (2021).

Before her triumph at the Grammys, she had received two NAACP Image Awards, presented by the US-based National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) to honour outstanding performances in film, television, theatre, music, and literature. She is also a recipient of two BET Awards, an American award to celebrate black entertainers and other minorities in music, film, sports and philanthropy. She is a two-time winner of the Soul Train Music Awards for the best in African-American culture, music and entertainment.

Known for R&B and Afrobeats, Tems continues to demonstrate the value of self-belief. According to her, she stopped listening to other artistes in her teenage years in order to find her own identity. Her grand Grammy is an acknowledgement of her distinction. We congratulate her as she continues the adventure.

•An excellent military officer and dogged democracy activist

From all indications, he was a dutiful, pro-establishment and conservative status quo officer for the best part of his military career which spanned over four decades. Paradoxically, what history will most prominently record about the late Air Commodore Dan Suleiman, a fine and distinguished officer of the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) who died on February 1 at the age of 80, is his activist and radical role in the struggle for the emancipation of Nigeria from the claws of military dictatorship and the restoration of the democratic rule the country has had since 1999. There appears to have been an ideological and philosophical hiatus between the first phase of his military and political careers and the latter part of his public life.

Given the high standard of professionalism in the military at the time he joined the institution compared to the much lamented degeneration of latter years, prompting a former Chief of Army Staff to declare that the Nigerian military had become one of anything goes, Suleiman could not certainly have risen to the highest echelons of the NAF without a high degree of competence, commitment and diligence even though he apparently rose through the ranks and not necessarily through high educational attainment. That in itself is one reason why his professional accomplishment as a soldier must be better appreciated and applauded.

It is on record that Suleiman served exemplarily during the Nigerian civil war between 1967 and 1970, which must have been a function not only of his professional proficiency and personal bravery as a soldier, but also his commitment to the stipulated task at the time of keeping Nigeria one as a task that must be done. This must have been part of the considerations for his appointment into the cabinet of then Military Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon, in January 1975. As Federal Commissioner for Special Duties in that regime, he played a prominent role in the founding of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), one of the key highlights of that government’s accomplishments.

Perhaps it was impossible for Suleiman to be immune to the culture of coups which became prevalent as he was reportedly an active participant in the military coup that overthrew the government of General Gowon on July 29, 1975. Thus, with the success of the coup, he was appointed as a member of the highest decision making organ, the Supreme Military Council (SMC) and held the portfolio of Federal Commissioner for Health in the Murtala Muhammed regime.

In March 1976, he was appointed the first military governor of Plateau State after the latter had been carved out of the old Benue-Plateau State. He held this position till July 1978 and during this period he showed a progressive inclination when he proposed that anyone born in Plateau State or who had lived in the state for 20 years should, whatever their ethnic origins, enjoy all the rights and privileges of an indigene.

The latent progressivism in him became more manifest when he joined pro-democracy activists to resist the annulment of the June 12, 1993, presidential election won by the late Chief M.K.O Abiola, oppose the military dictatorship of General Sani Abacha and advocate for full democratic restoration in Nigeria, long after he had retired from the military in 1980. As a founding member of the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO) that spearheaded the resistance against the Abacha regime, Suleiman was one of those who had to flee into exile to continue the struggle, given the threat to their lives. This is an indication of his character and moral integrity at a time when many sold out to the regime and acquiesced to the perpetuation of military dictatorship for pecuniary gains.

On his return to the country on October 7, 1998, after the death of General Abacha, Suleiman played a rather subdued role in the politics of the new democratic dispensation although he was a respected leader of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Adamawa State where he was born in Guyuk on July 30, 1942. He was appointed as Nigerian Ambassador to the Russian Federation in 2006 and Chairman of the Rubber Research Institute of Nigeria in June 2009. He also served at various times as a member of the Board of Directors of Trans Nationwide Express and Chairman of Allied Bank of Nigeria PLC between 1984 and 1986.

It would appear that in his latter years, Suleiman became rather disenchanted with Nigeria when, as Chairman of the Middle Belt Forum (MBF), he lamented in September 2001 that “the middle belters are grossly marginalised and have become an endangered species on the brink of extinction and cultural alienation”. Throughout his public career, there was not a whiff of scandal to taint his name.

We pray for the peaceful repose of his soul.

• America’s threat to bar anti-democratic elements from the U.S. even if welcome, is not solution to our electoral crimes

The United States Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, has announced that the country has decided to impose visa ban on politicians who undermine democracy in Nigeria. He said this measure was to help strengthen democracy and the rule of law, as well as fight corruption in the country. In his words, “We are committed to supporting and advancing democracy in Nigeria and the rest of the world. Today, I am announcing visa restrictions on specific individuals in Nigeria for undermining the democratic process in a recent Nigerian election”.

Those individuals, Mr Blinken clarified, and certain of their family members, may also be susceptible to these restrictions while “Additional persons who undermine the democratic process in Nigeria – including in the lead-up to, during and following Nigeria’s 2023 elections – may be found ineligible for U.S visas under this policy”.

Given the penchant and seeming addiction of substantial numbers of Nigeria’s political elite to routinely travel to the US and other countries where they have significant investments and property, as well as for medical and leisure reasons, this measure may, to some extent, have a deterrent effect on the behaviour of political actors during elections. But we note that such actions had been taken by the US and some other western countries in the past, with little positive impact on the actions and utterances of politicians capable of undermining democracy.

For one, the identity of such politicians are not made public, thus negating the required shaming effect on these people and their families. Again, it would appear that such visa bans, even where imposed at all, tend to be of short duration, after which the situation goes back to normal. And given the secrecy that attends the list of those affected by these visa restrictions, the selective application of this policy cannot be precluded.

Even then, we commend the US government’s avowed commitment to deepening democracy and the rule of law in Nigeria, Africa and other parts of the world. It goes without saying that strengthening democratic institutions and processes in any country, including Nigeria, will help considerably to mitigate corruption, boost economic development and reduce poverty levels. And the US concerns can also be understood by the fact that the more democratic norms, values and cultures, including respect for human rights and the rule of law are strengthened in any country, the less likely it is that such a country will pose a threat to the security of the international system.

We are aware that there are those who for ostensibly nationalistic and patriotic reasons may be uncomfortable with what they perceive as the US government’s seemingly paternalistic and condescending disposition to Nigeria and other African countries on the issue of free elections and democracy. But, in the case of Nigeria, for instance, our politicians are to blame for not putting our internal affairs in order in this regard. In the wake of every election cycle, campaigns are characterised by extremist and intolerant rhetoric while actual elections witness vote buying, voter intimidation and extremity of violence involving arson and wanton bloodshed.

Even though improvement of the electoral process through better utilisation of technology as well as greater autonomy of the electoral umpire have had some impact on the conduct and outcome of elections in recent times, hardly any meaningful efforts have been made to apprehend and prosecute those who perpetrate the various offences outlined in the Electoral Act. Ordinarily, efforts to sanitise the political process and strengthen democratic practices should be domesticated within a given polity but if we take no perceptible steps to do this ourselves, others cannot be blamed if they undertake to give us a helping hand.

Of course, it is not that the American electoral and political system is perfect and without its own flaws as amply demonstrated by efforts by extremists to violently truncate the outcome of the 2020 presidential election which former President Donald Trump claimed had been rigged with little credible evidence to that effect. But at least the requisite democratic, legislative and security institutions in that country have since swung into action in detailed efforts to find out what went wrong, who the culprits were and trying to bring them to book. That is what gives the US its credible democratic voice in global politics (despite observed biases in the application of some of its policies), and that is an example of maintaining strong and viable political institutions to safeguard democracy that Nigeria can learn from.

• Congratulations to the first woman editor of a major daily and role model

She is known for breaking the glass ceiling to become the first Nigerian woman editor of a national newspaper in Nigeria. As pioneer editor of National Concord daily in 1980, Dr Doyinsola Abiola (nee Aboaba) grabbed the headlines. It was a prominent newspaper, and she had been headhunted for the prestigious position, which underlined the credibility of her appointment.

She made the news again when, in 1986, she became managing director/editor-in-chief of the Concord Group of Newspapers, the first Nigerian woman to reach such heights in the country’s media sector. In the same year, she was selected for the Eisenhower Fellowship in the US, the first Nigerian woman to participate in the international programme for “innovative leaders.”

Abiola, who turned 80 on February 1, was well equipped for success in journalism.  After getting a degree in English and Drama from the University of Ibadan in 1969, she joined the Daily Sketch and worked as a reporter and columnist.  She left the newspaper the following year for postgraduate studies in journalism, in America.

She returned to Nigeria with a master’s degree, and the Daily Times, a leading newspaper in the country at the time, wanted to employ her as  woman editor. She dramatically rejected the job offer because she saw it as downplaying her capability. This incident showed her sense of self-worth.  The newspaper later employed her as features writer, validating her earlier stance, and she proved her worth by rising to the position of group features editor.

In the mid-1970s, she again travelled to the US for further studies and returned to the country with a doctorate in Communications and Political Science, which she got from New York University in 1979. She returned to the Daily Times and was a member of the paper’s editorial board.

When the Concord opportunity came, she was ready for career advancement by virtue of her education and practice. She made a mark as editor; and under her leadership as managing director/editor-in-chief, the group grew into a journalism heavyweight that  published 14 newspapers and magazines at its peak. 

Her Concord years spanned three decades, including trying times following the Babangida military government’s annulment of the historic June 12, 1993 presidential election won by her husband and Concord publisher, Chief M.K.O. Abiola.   

She demonstrated impressive courage in the face of military dictatorship as the Abacha regime moved against Chief Abiola’s businesses, including the Concord Group of Newspapers.  ”In 1995 soldiers were put on our premises and they destroyed the presses. The newspaper was proscribed for 18 months,” she recounted in an interview published in 2001. She displayed her fighter side in the pro-democracy struggle, and fought on the side of truth and justice.

The journalism doyenne served as chair of the awards nominating panel when the Nigeria Media Merit Award (NMMA) was established in 1992. She has also been chairperson of CNN African Journalist of the Year Awards. 

Two honours highlight her significance. She was the first woman to receive the Wole Soyinka Lifetime Award for journalistic excellence, recognising her work, which “continues to be an inspiration to the present crop of journalists, and will continue to be an inspiration for the future crop of journalists.”

She was the second woman recipient of the Diamond Awards for Media Excellence (DAME) Lifetime Achievement Award “, in 2015, for her lifelong devotion to advancing the frontiers of knowledge and strengthening the media as a pillar of democracy.”

 President Muhammadu Buhari, in a statement, noted her “life of many firsts, influencing and inspiring many, and mentoring leaders in the industry.”

Her role as chairperson, National Commission for Women Affairs, and her membership of the steering committee of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) showed her relevance beyond journalism.  

After her active years as a journalist and administrator, she remains a role model, not only to women in the country’s male-dominated media sector, but in Nigerian journalism generally, for her sense of professionalism and contribution towards a better society.  Congratulations to the doyenne.