The Nation Newspaper

Category: Online Special

  • Second Term: dwarfs trying to wear a giant’s shoes should simply run away – Adesina

    There are two options for those in contention for the presidency in 2019: run, or run away. Now that President Muhammadu Buhari has indicated his intention to run, dwarfs trying to wear a giant’s shoes should simply run away. The cat has returned from a journey, let the rats scamper for safety.

    Show clean pairs of heels? But this is a democracy! Everybody is free to run in the direction he or she fancies. True. So, what I’ve said is mere advice, which they can take, or choose not to take. Nigerians will decide early next year. The greater the challenge, the sweeter the victory.

    I have always said it privately and in public. If President Muhammadu Buhari decides to run for a second term in 2019, I would support him. It doesn’t matter whether I am in government or not. For some of us, the man Buhari is a conviction, a resolution, a man to admire and adore since 1984, when he became military head of state.

    Is he perfect? Show me the man who is. Is he running a perfect government? Show me the government which is. Is he sincere? Very. Does he love the country? Dearly. Will he take Nigeria to the Promised Land? As the good Lord helps. And he is on the way there. Does he need more time? Sure, he does. The rot was too much, benumbing.

    Nigeria is doing a lot more with a lot less today. There was a time we were awash with money. Oil sold for as high as $120 dollars per barrel, and we produced up to two million barrels per day. For many years. But we had no roads, no electricity, no health care, no security, nothing. The money was simply looted. They sat round the table, as if gathered for lunch, and hundreds of billions of dollars were shared.

    Now, after oil prices crashed to as low as 30 dollars per barrel in 2015, and currently oscillates between 50 and 60 dollars, Nigeria is doing great things. Electricity has been taken to over 7,000 megawatts, from the inherited 3,000. The economy is now being truly diversified, after five decades of lip service. Agriculture is now the second biggest thing after oil, and is poised to become number one in the not too distant future. Farmers, in their millions, now smile to the banks. The farmer is now king. He sends himself on pilgrimage to Mecca or Jerusalem, paying his own way. Those who want more wives among them have even taken. And not on credit. Lol.

    With income standing at about 60% less than what we used to earn, N1.3 trillion was spent on capital in 2016. The 2017 budget will close with about the same amount being expended on capital projects. Simply because you have a honest man in leadership. Not that corruption has been wiped out, no, but it has been drastically curbed. And anyone serving with the man knows that stealing is now corruption. When fish rots, it starts from the head. But we now have a head that shows the way. Mai Gaskiya. The Honest Man. Shine the light, and people will find the way.

    How about our foreign reserves? They say we should stop talking about the past, and simply face the future. So that Nigerians would not be reminded of how they ran the country into a hole? With oil at its highest prices for many years, what they left in foreign reserves was a miserly $29.6 billion. It dropped to as low as $24 billion about a year ago, because of collapsed oil prices. But then, by divine mercies, prices began to inch up in the international market. It reached $60 per barrel, just about half of what they earned for many years. We cut unbridled importation of what can be produced locally. Prudence became the watchword. And foreign reserves now stand at over $46 billion. Why? Simply because the money is not being pocketed by those in power, as it once happened.

    And then, some voodoo priests came: don’t run for a second term. Give way to younger people. Take a well deserved rest. Blah blah blah. As if they were the beginning and end of democracy. The motive was simple: we must dissuade this man from running, so that he wouldn’t become the greatest ever Nigerian leader. He must not become the authentic national hero. All types of cards were being flashed, yellow, green, red, purple, as if they had become emergency referees. But President Buhari kept his peace. No abuse for abuse, no railing for railing. When you are in the marketplace, you concentrate on the person you are transacting a deal with, and ignore the noise of the market. Now, the Tower of Babel has been resoundingly ignored, and democracy will be the victor.

    Early next year, Nigerians will decide what they want. Go ahead on the journey to Canaan, a land flowing with milk and honey, or go back to Egypt, a land of eternal bondage, and excruciating pains? Nigerians will do it again. They will freely elect the leader they want, without pandering to ethnic, religious, and other primordial sentiments being currently whipped up. There will be no doomsday, as the election will be free and fair. No wuru-wuru or mago-mago under Buhari’s watch, no matter what. A man that swears to his own hurt.

    Nigerians, President Buhari is on the march again. For the sake of our tomorrow and the ages to come, for the sake of our children and generations yet unborn, let’s do it again.

    Adesina is Special Adviser to President Buhari on Media and Publicity

  • Ayem Akapatema: Why the cats can’t stop the race now

    When President Muhammadu Buhari approved the conduct of the Exercise Ayem Akpatema,  an operational name  derived from  Tiv vernacular,  meaning ‘Cat Race,’  by the Nigerian Army, it was a huge relief to many families who found themselves in the web of conspiracy between Nigerian politicians and ethnic jingoists out to exploit  the sour state of  herdsmen/farmers’ relationship in the county.

    Prior to this period, several and sublime criminal  acts  had threatened the peace and security in most states around the Middle Belt,  to test the determination of President Buhari to secure every part of Nigeria from the grip and stranglehold of armed militants, criminals and bandits.

    And in the last two years, the Nigerian Army has proved its mettle as the last resort in quelling budding or entrenched acts of armed insurrection in different parts of the country. They have earned  loud accolades from Nigerians for this selfless service to the Nigerian people, as they restore hope of secured survival and peaceful co-existence, from very hopeless situations.

    Therefore, the commissioning of Ex-Ayem Akpatema  was a rescue mission to free communities and villages  in the affected states from vitriolic clashes between  herdsmen  and  farmers, attacks from  armed militias, kidnappings, cattle rustling and other forms of armed banditry which had suffocated the areas. It palpably made life quite hellish for inhabitants.

    But it is the Nigerian Army’s constitutional response to defend  the territorial integrity of Nigeria and assistance to the civil authority  in maintaining peace and security, where civil security is overwhelmed.  These special assignments have been professionally discharged by the Nigerian Army at all times.

    In essence, the  Army’s Cat Race exercise commenced on February 15th    and designed to end March 31st, 2018. At the launch of Exercise Ayem Akpatema in Guma local government area of Benue State on  February 20th 2018,  the Chief of Army Staff  (COAS), Lieutenant General Tukur Yusufu Buratai was lucid that it was to flush the communities of criminals;  disarm armed militias and bandits terrorizing law abiding citizens to enforce permanent relief to afflicted states.

    And truly, for the 40 days the exercise lasted in these states, it had   been a great relief, recording resounding successes on many fronts. The Army halted the hitherto unabated and unchallenged ingress or incursions of armed criminals into virgin, remote areas in the affected states.

    The troops during the exercise arrested scores of suspected herdsmen militia, ethnic militia, cultists,  gun runners and cattle rustlers. It has also recovered large cache of arms and ammunitions and rescued rustled cattles  in Benue, Taraba, Nassarawa and Plateau states among others.

    However, despite the impressive success recorded by Exercise Ayem Akpatema, it is foolhardy to think that these communities and states have been completely cleansed and purged of criminal elements to enthrone durable peace. In fact, there are indications that the armed criminal bandits  have resolved and devised strategies to challenge the resolve of the government of Nigeria to secure the lives of  innocent citizens.

    Although, Exercise Cat Race  has been officially terminated in most of the states, with the only  extension of two months in Taraba state,  it is not unwise to say that it is too early  for  the army  personnel to quit the stage, in the areas they have been withdrawn. Clearly, the time allocated for the Exercise Ayem Akpatema is too short to completely fish out criminal elements in these communities who have devised various methods to escape the searchlight of an Army determined to humble them in their tracks and criminal exploits against the people of Nigeria. Unarguably, there is still some work pending to finally deliver these states from the choking grip of armed criminals.  It explains why quitting the stage by soldiers now is unpalatable.

    Much as inhabitants appreciate the good and unquantifiable work done by the Nigerian Army within the 40 days, the Exercise Cat Race lasted, it  was to the  joy and great relief  of these armed criminals when the Exercise was officially  pronounced ended. There is no gain repeating the obvious that many of them have been arrested by our gallant troops whilst others were neutralized but we must not go to bed with our eyes closed since those who armed these trouble makers are still business and not ready to let go of their merchants.

    Therefore, there is need for Mr. President to attune with his promise of completely ridding these states of militants, armed criminals and bandits by  uniformly extending the  Exercise Ayem Kpatema in all the areas it initially covered to sustain and consolidate on the gains it has so far recorded.  It is the unstated desire and unuttered request from the lips of people from the affected states.
    It is to be noted that the call for this extension is premised on the performance of troops.

      Consequently, there have been trenchant calls by the people for Mr. President to review the decision of the abrupt withdrawal of Army personnel from the field. Only an extension can afford the Army enough time to completely chase out and disarm these criminals for IDPs to return back their villages and communities.

    While the Nigerian Army is ever willing to sacrifice itself to ensure the comfort of the citizenry, it must be given the official nod to act in circumstances of this nature. It is therefore, worthwhile and imperative for President Buhari to extend the Exercise Ayem Akpatema  to other states for the same duration it has extended in Taraba state to berth enduring peace. For the total sanity of our country, not  until a time that the civil police can give assurances that they can sustain the feat recorded by the Nigerian Army, let the race go on  and the rats continue to run.

    Ainoko is a public affairs commentator.

  • Senator Datti Baba joins 2019 presidential race

    Kaduna state born politician, Senator Datti Baba-Ahmed has joined the 2019 presidential race.

    Confirming the news to the media, Mr Ibrahim Biu, the chairman of the campaign media committee in Abuja on Thursday at the Jabi residence of Baba Ahmed said Senator Datti Baba Ahmed’s (DBA) political journey started when he was first elected in April 2003 to the Federal House of Representatives for the Zaria Federal Constituency, Kaduna State. He ran on the platform of the All Nigeria People’s Party ( ANPP ).

    In the April 2011 elections, Baba-Ahmed polled 366,398 votes in the contest to represent Kaduna North Senatorial district, beating his closest rival, Senator Ahmed Makarfi of the People’s Democratic Party ( PDP ), the incumbent, who polled 365,043 votes.

    Senator Datti Baba Ahmed is a young and vibrant Nigerian who has all the credentials to move Nigeria to the next level. He is capable of unifying the country and bringing peace to all the regions.

    Datti Baba-Ahmed studied Economics at the prestigious University of Westminister, United Kingdom and at a time when the nation’s economy is on its knees, he comes highly recommended.

    At the age of 41, he had worked for the Security Printing and Minting company in Lagos, obtained two different Masters degrees, a PhD, served as elected Hon. Representative, Distinguished Senator, and established one of the top ranking private university with two other companies employing over 600 people drawn from every state in the country.

    Datti Baba-Ahmed, a thoroughly breed Nigerian with passion for educational advancement has gone further to add other academic value and exposure to his life by obtaining additional educational qualifications at London Business School, Harvard Kennedy and Harvard business school respectively.

    He has a reputation of speaking fearlessly against corruption, bad governance and societal problems. His uncompromising stance against corruption remains an important ingredient needed for a leader that wants to steer the ship of the Nigerian state. This is a man that will favour building institutions over creating strong personalities.

    Senator Datti has also been a proponent of Security, Economy and Education (SEE) programme. His position is that, with the right investment in these critical sectors of the economy, Nigeria will be an inch away from the problems militating against the nation.

    The common yearning in the Nigerian political space is for a fresh face to lead, heralding a departure from the recycling of leaders that Nigeria has always had for decades. The youth who are the majority of Nigerian population, are in desperate need of a leader and a mentor that they can rally behind with their support having been disappointed so many times by the old stock.

    In an era of total distrust for leaders, Nigeria is in dire need of a young, energetic and competent leader with no baggage to run for President in 2019. Senator Datti is 48, a successful scholar and businessman who has what it takes to bring about a re-engineering of the Nigerian economy and create jobs for the army of unemployed youth in the country. He is living proof that Nigeria can still dare to dream of a better future once more.

  • Ekiti rejoice and declares ADP as the only hope ahead of 2018 election

    … Says they are Determined to Make Ekiti Prosperous.

    The Action Democratic Party (ADP) Ekiti State Chapter has said that the citizens and other residents in the state are overjoyed with the coming of the party into the state.

    Speaking to newsmen in Ado Ekiti, the state capital, Mr Eniola Olufemi, the State Publicity Secretary expressed delight over the huge acceptance of the party by all and sundry as the only credible alternative to the ruling People’s Democratic Party in the State.

    Eniola said, since ADP was introduced to the Ekiti people, the party has continued to grow stronger because the party is seen by many as the only party capable of rescuing Ekiti people from the bondage of the ruling PDP. He said, ADP now houses prominent sons and daughters of Ekiti and that the party is now a household name in the state.

    He stressed further that, the ADP is a party with the right people with a focused mindset to bring about unprecedented progress and good governance in the state. He also said that he is highly excited by the way the people appreciate the party’s manifesto and the constitution of the party. According to him, the people see in ADP, a departure from the normal way of doing things in the state which has never been progressive for the people.

    The ADP said that they are fully set and on ground for the forthcoming Ekiti gubernatorial election because they have adopted a candidate who is not only competent but has the capacity, the character and the temperament to steer the affairs of the state towards economic boom. He also said those who see the Ekiti election as an impossible task for the ADP to win, will be disappointed soon.

    ADP assures that, when elected in the forthcoming election, they will first focus on a massive entrepreneurship drive for youths so that they can set up small and medium scale enterprises with the help of soft loans to be provided by government.

    Eniola said that, governance is not about giving the people cups of rice, beans or buying Christmas clothing for children but it is about empowering the people on how to make ends meet for themselves.

    The party said that their candidate Otunba Segun Adewale is a man of great intellect who is popular amongst the Ekiti people and remains the only independent minded candidate not tied to the apron of a godfather. He urges Ekiti people to give him their full support because he will be able to work and take the state to greater heights.

  • Nigeria counting blessings – Garba Shehu

    Last year, the World Bank ranked Nigeria among the top 10 reforming economies in the world. This was clearly in recognition of the thorough and rigorous growth and development-oriented economic policies of the Buhari Administration.

    Today, investors and business men and women from around the world can arrive in Nigeria and get their visas right at the airport without any hassle. This is just one of the many reasons why Nigeria has advanced 24 steps in the global ‘Ease of Doing Business’ rankings of the World Bank.

    The government is spending more on infrastructure than previous administrations, despite earning barely half of what the country earned from oil between 2011 and 2014 when the product was selling for an average of $110 per barrel. The latest GDP figures show continued growth after the Buhari administration successfully brought the country out of recession, with virtually all sectors of the economy now on the rebound, and significant progress recorded in agriculture.

    This administration has also ushered in significant progress in agriculture, where output has risen in local production, and Nigeria is now importing 80-90 percent less rice than in previous years.

    Fertilizer plants have been resuscitated, prices have dropped. More and more young people are going into agriculture, being able, for the first time, to see farming as a viable endeavour. Has anyone heard of the Graduates-in-Agriculture Scheme in several states of the federation, a self-driven, government-assisted programme by which our young men and women are stopping their endless wait for white-collar jobs and creating wealth for themselves and the nation?

    Power generation and distribution have more than doubled from 2015 when President Buhari took power to the present.

    In his address at the 10th Bola Tinubu Colloquium a week ago, the Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo reported that the Buhari administration has put in place “an audacious Social Investment Programme to the tune of N500 billion, the largest pro-poor programme in our nation’s history, and the largest social safety net, at least in Sub-Saharan Africa. This was despite the fact that by 2015, oil prices fell by over 50% and our production also fell from over 2 million barrels a day to less than 700,000 barrels a day, sometimes even 500,000 barrels in 2016.

    “We have seen today the empirical evidence of the successes of this programme, and all of that is evident for us to see and listen to several testimonies and stories. 200,000 jobs for undergraduates employed under the N-Power programme, 300,000 more waiting to be employed; they have been pre-selected; over 7 million children being fed daily in 22 States so far; beneficiaries of micro-credit loans going to about 300,000; and almost 300,000 households benefiting from conditional cash transfers.”

    In line with campaign promises, this administration is spending trillions of Naira to build railways, roads and ramp up power supplies. On this spending on infrastructure the Vice President’s words were:

    “In 2014, when oil was at between 100 dollars and 114 dollars a barrel, the actual releases for capital for three ministries – Power, Works and Housing – then they were three separate ministries, was in total N99 billion; while Transportation got 14 billion, and Agriculture got 15 billion. I am talking about actual releases, not budgeted, what they actually got. Let us compare that with capital releases to the same ministries in 2017, when oil price was between $50 and $60 a barrel, N415 Billion for Power, Works & Housing, N80 Billion for Transportation; N65 Billion for Agriculture; totalling N560 Billion, in a time when we were earning at least 50% less than we were earning in 2014.”

    We wish, however, to caution that these comments should not be misconstrued as denying that there is more that needs to be done, as the current administration is relentless and determined to continue in its task of continuously improving the lot of Nigerians.

    We are only saying that we must learn to pause and count our blessings. The loud voices of critics with selfish ambitions and ulterior motives should not be a veil that keeps Nigerians blind to the many ways God has blessed us and improved our lot through the Buhari administration.

  • Apple discloses gender-pay gap at UK operations

    Apple Inc said on Tuesday that men earned five per cent more on average than women at its UK operations, although the median pay gap was two per cent in favour of women.

    It’s report comes a day before the deadline for British employers with more than 250 staff to report their gender pay gap under new regulations.

    The iPhone maker said the gender pay gap was due to more men in senior positions than women which led to higher pay, bonuses and stock.

    It said 30 per cent of its workforce in the UK was represented by women, with the number having risen from 28 per cent in 2014.

    The company employs more than 6,000 workers in the UK and operates in three segments – Apple ( UK ) Ltd, Apple Europe Ltd and Apple Retail UK Ltd.

    The company said it would take a number of measures to close the gaps, such as to stop asking employees for their salary history, which it will start from this year.

    Reuters/NAN

  • China can teach the West an important lesson about innovation

    From the early nineteenth century to the early twentieth century, Western countries attributed their economic growth to the discoveries of “scientists and navigators.” A country needed only the “zeal” to develop “obvious” commercial applications, and build the facilities to meet demand for new products.

    Until recently, the Chinese believed the same thing. But now, Chinese business people and entrepreneurs are increasingly showing not only the entrepreneurial drive to adapt to new opportunities, but also the desire and capacity to innovate for themselves, rather than simply copying what’s already out there.

    Indeed, more and more Chinese companies are realizing that they must innovate in order to get – and stay – ahead in the global economy. Several companies – notably Alibaba, Baidu, and Tencent – made breakthroughs, by offering digital-age infrastructure that facilitates innovative activity. And industrial firms have recently moved into robots and artificial intelligence.

    Tencent's rise
    Tencent’s rise

    For its part, China’s government is evidently supportive of Chinese businesses developing a capacity to produce indigenous innovations. It no doubt recognizes that such innovations are all the more valuable when innovation remains weak in the West, where growth in total factor productivity ( TFP ) has continued its long slowdown.

    In recent years, China’s government has introduced initiatives aimed at increasing both entrepreneurship and innovation. It has shortened dramatically the process for forming a new company. It has built a vast number of schools, where Chinese children learn more about the world they will face.

    And it recently facilitated the entry of foreign experts to work on new projects in the business sector.

    The authorities have also recognized the importance of allowing more competition in the economy. Individuals should be freed up to start new companies, and existing companies should be freed up to enter new industries. Competition solves a lot of problems – a point that is increasingly lost on the West.

    At the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, in January, Chinese officials discussed basic reforms that the government introduced two years ago to increase competition. Under the new policy, excess capacity now signals that supply should be allowed to contract and prompt redundant firms to exit the market. Of course, excess demand signals that supply should be allowed to increase, leading to the entry of new firms.

    The key insight is that when existing enterprises are protected from new market entrants bearing new ideas, the result will be less innovation and less “adaptation” to a changing world, to use Friedrich Hayek’sterm.

    Another argument can be made. In any modern economy, virtually every industry operates in the face of a largely unknowable future. The more companies an industry has thinking about a problem, the more likely a solution is to be found. A company that has been kept out of an industry might know something that all the companies in the industry do not. Or some unique experience may have furnished an individual with “personal knowledge” that is impossible to transmit to others who have not had the same experience. Whatever the case, society benefits – through lower prices, more jobs, better products and services, and so forth – when outsiders with something to add are free to do so.

    All of this was known to the great theorists of the 1920s and 1930s: Hayek, Frank Knight, and John Maynard Keynes. And now it is known to the Chinese, who understand that a country benefits when companies – each with its own thinking and knowledge – are free to compete.

    The West seems to have forgotten this. Since the 1930s, most Western governments have seen it as their duty to protect established enterprises from competition, even when it comes from new firms offering new adaptations or innovations. These protections, which come in myriad forms, have almost certainly discouraged many entrepreneurs from coming forward with new and better ideas.

    History is rife with evidence of the value of competition. In post-war Britain, into the 1970s, industries were controlled by exclusive clubs within the Confederation of British Industry, which barred new entrants. By the time Margaret Thatcher became prime minister in 1979, TFP had stagnated. But Thatcher put a stop to the Confederation’s anti-competitive practices, and Britain’s TFP was growing again by the mid-1980s.

    We are now seeing something similar in China. By 2016, China’s TFP growth rate had been slowing for a number of years. But since the reforms that year, it has been increasing.

    The West must address its great TFP slowdown, which has lasted since the late 1960s. Ending protection of incumbents from new entrants possessing ideas for new adaptions and innovations is a good place to start.

    Source: World Economic Forum

  • Amnesty for repentant boko haram members and the audacity of victory

    In Nigeria, we know that Boko Haram terrorism was a creation of a few people sometime in 2009 in the North-East  region of the country. But overtime, it developed into a true monster, a nightmare and a sour grape with unimaginable tentacles.

    It became a symbol of pains and sorrows in our national life. We lost our dignity in the comity of nations by the sheer freedom we allowed Boko Haram terrorists exhibit in atrocities and heinous crimes against humanity.

    I wept endlessly the day military authorities authentically established the existence of Boko Haram child-soldiers and teenage female bomb carriers they hypnotized into committing these satanic acts at designated destinations.

    But the Almighty God in His infinite mercies has through the Nigerian military shown us a today, which is far better than the yesterday’s years of turmoil under Boko Haram Haram Terrorism (BHT). If we believe in the existence of God Almighty and listen to our inner voice of conscience, we shall hear the truth and truly empathize with some Boko Haram insurgents.

    I believe other Nigerians also know that at the turn of 2015, Boko Haram Terrorists (BHTs) foot soldiers were in multitudes. And the recruitment of innocent Nigerians into this devilish sect was also done diabolically and frequently. Some were charmed; while others were forcefully captured and indoctrinated into the ideology of the sect much against their wish. They were threatened with death and all manner of intimidations into submission.

    The everyday cries and sorrows of Nigerians over BHTs sequel to the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari  sprouted from the huge reservoir of foot soldiers the terrorists kingpins had amassed. They declared total war against the rest of us. But I can comfortably and assertively say, we have a breather from this bile of terrorism that reigned from 2010 to early 2015. It is no longer ceaseless bloodbath, tears and sorrows as it used to be in the past.

    And I do understand that winning such war completely is beyond the force of guns and booths. The stick and carrot approach is also a veritable instrument in resolving such conflicts in most parts of the world. We must understand that artillery exchange of gunfire alone do not terminate wars, but dialogues on the dialogue table, with concessions on either side, assist tremendously in facilitating the process of peace.

    Therefore, I was taken aback, when loud murmurings greeted hints by Nigeria’s Minister of Information, Culture and National Orientation, Alhaji Lai Mohammed that the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) is tinkering with the possibility of granting amnesty to repentant Boko Haram insurgents. I read the deluxe of opposition to the idea, but found nothing or a point strong enough to cancel the idea of amnesty to repentant insurgents. But they were handsomely replete with baseless sentiments of either religion or ethnicity.

    I was almost weighed down. Analysts, commentators, mob attackers and critics left the core of the issues and dwelt on trivialities. We forgot easily that the orthodox religion we practice in Nigeria, whether Christianity or Islam all preach forgiveness of those who offend us. Not just that but also as a way of making our victory total.

    I am amazed at how every Nigerian places himself a professional or expert to advise government on every national issue. So, we were the least to remember that the guilt of some Boko Haram members is through vicarious liability by demonic indoctrination.

    Some of them who regained consciousness have willingly surrendered themselves to the Nigerian military. Yet others are still held by the goons of terrorism because they are skeptical about the fate that awaits them should they surrender. Invariably those who left this angle out, got it completely wrong.

    But we all know the severity of the Boko Haram scourge before now and the efforts at quelling it at the moment. BHT reached frightening dimensions long before 2015. The international community had already branded Nigeria a failed nation-state. We allowed it to breach our sovereignty to shameful limits; hence we could not defend our civilian population from the matching swords of rampaging terrorists.

    For instance, Boko Haram attempted to take over Giwa Barracks in Borno State, but succeeded in taking over the Police College Gwoza and palaces of some Emirs in the North. They deposed these Emirs, appointed new Emirs and foisted their emblems in every territory they captured. Nearly 23 LGAs in the Northeast were under the control of BHT at the turn of 2015.

    With the peace that has substantially returned, we embarked on an adventurous and humanitarian journey to the North-east in 2016. And in Maiduguri, we met the Shehu of Borno, a leader directly at the heat of the furnace of terrorism. He is a revered, very powerful and influential traditional ruler.

    We had a chat with him and the Shehu of Borno indeed confirmed to us that the situation was so bad that about eight of his Chiefs had to vacate their palaces and flee to hibernate  with him in Maiduguri.

    But he was honest enough to inform us of the changed tides on terrorism by 2016. He was vehement that the Nigerian Army, under the leadership of the COAS and leader of the counter-insurgency operations in Nigeria, Lt. Gen. Tukur Yusufu Buratai, have succeeded in pushing the insurgents out of his domain.

    The Shehu of Borno confirmed that all his Chiefs have returned home and mounted their thrones. I went round the state to confirm same. At Kwajafa, the Chief also confirmed what the Shehu had told us.

    And apart from Borno or the Northeast, we are all living witnesses to hellish experiences of Nigerians with terrorists in Abuja. The Federal Capital Territory was so frightened by terrorists to the extent that even the Police High Command could not navigate its office premises without blockage for the fear of BHT. Even diplomats at the United Nations country office in Abuja were scared-stiff. But by 2016 all these vanished.

    The kidnap of the Chibok schoolgirls at that time  was to crown the supremacy of Boko Haram over the Nigerian state. And our reactions only worsened the matter by demonstrating and trumpeting to the whole world our status as a failed state.

    What we cannot take away from the current efforts in our appraisal of the anti-terrorism war is that the BHTs have been decimated and defeated through the efforts of our military. No matter the pretenses, we cannot dodge this reality with the empirical evidence around us.

    Added to it, we must not lose sight of our humanity by acknowledging the  fact that in the course of the military’s prosecution of this delicate war, it made enormous sacrifices more than what any of us can ever imagine, by even paying the supreme price. We cannot discuss the terrorism war anywhere without giving them the desired kudos and place in history for the selfless and patriotic service to our country.

    It is the Military’s commitment to this cause that even compelled Boko Haram’s return of the abducted Dapchi schoolgirls timely, without any bruise on either side, in sticking to the agreement reached on their release.

    Unfortunately, some of us believe more in the conspiracy theories. So, we are not prodded to first appreciate why it was convenient for Boko Haram to keep more Chibok girls for years, despite all the international and local pressures on them to return them, but why insurgents had to release the Dapchi girls almost immediately.

    That’s the fruits or potency of dialogue and forgiveness in war situations. It has extinguished the fire of vengeance and established the first test case of insurgents’ trust that the FGN  can be gentlemanly enough to honour its  promise of pardon to all repentant insurgents if those still hiding decide to lay down their arms .  And more would lay down their arms.

    Consequently, there have been efforts by conflict experts across the globe having seen the level of success made by the current administration under President Buhari and the military to consider safe corridors for those who willingly lay down their arms. Some terrorists out of frustration and lack of escape have embarked on suidiced mission to end the war themselves and from investigations many still want to abandon their commanders but no solid assurance that the people could ever forgive their atrocities in a hurry.

    It therefore gladdens my heart to hear about plans by the Federal Government to offer an exit program to members of the insurgent group who are ready to lay down their arms. This  should be seen more as a testament to our collective humanity as a people and the efforts of the Nigerian government to humble these evil men to a point where they have abandoned their ideology. . Already, many of the Boko Haram commanders have surrendered and many more are still willing to surrender. But they want to be assured of the sincerity and commitment to this promise by government.

    In essence, the planned exit program or soft-landing proposed by stakeholders is important to safeguard the lives of all innocent Nigerians or families dragged into the sect outside the main ideology which its core promoters had proclaimed. It’s permissible and practicable in any jurisdiction around the world and has worked perfectly well.

    Nigerians have seen this worked in the instance of the Niger Delta militancy. It is now the prime responsibility of the international partners and civil society organizations to work conscientiously and assiduously to ensure all parties keep to their bargain for disarmament through the amnesty. This shall quicken the death of terrorism and return permanent peace to our devastated and ravaged communities.

    Agbese is a human rights law researcher @ the Middlesex University London, United Kingdom.

  • Ark Football Competition: Smartcity Defeats Basic FC Of Agege On Penalties

    SmartCity football club of surulere have been crowned the maiden champions of the  Ark Football Competition after defeating Basic FC 6-5 to lift the trophty.  The competition is named after Honourable Adedamola Richard Kasunmu. Scores at full time ended 1-1

    The week long event which took place at the RVTC Mini-stadium, Isheri, Ojodu-Berger, Lagos paraded 32 teams from across the state in a knock-out series.

    Smartcity FC opened scores 15 minutes into the game through 17 Jersey, Kenneth Zozo who headed the ball into the net from a pullout.

    Basic FC piled pressure for the equaliser in the first half which never came, no thanks to the resilient Smart FC defence.

    Several substitutions were made in the second half on both sides. Basic FC kept looking for the equaliser which would have paid off in the 75th minute. No 10 Jersey, Michael Jibade dribbled past a Smartcity defender but his effort went wide for a goal kick.

    The equaliser finally came in the 88th minute when Basic FC through jersey number 11 fired a shot into the net of Smartcity to send both players and supporters into wide jubilation for some minutes.

    The 3rd match place was won by Atico FC who defeated Starbase FC by a lone goal.

    Champions  Smartcity FC went home with a trophy and N250,000.00, while runners-up Basic FC received N150,000.00 and third place winners pocketed N100,000.00.

    Sponsor Hon. Adedamola Richard Kasunmu told TheNation that the competition was organised to empower the youths.  “ARK Football Competition was put in place not only to harness the budding talents in Lagos but to also empower the youths which will go a long way in reducing the rate of unemployment and social vices among the youths in the society,” he said.

    The competition coincided with the 35th birthday celebration of Kasunmu.

    Kasunmu however promised to make the next edition better with lots of exciting features.

  • We will Commission Gigantic Projects In Lagos, ADP Tells Ambode

    Speaking to newsmen in Lagos on Wednesday, Prince Adelaja Adeoye, the spokesman for the party said, “it’s rather low on the part of Governor Ambode to invite the President to commission a ‘mere bus park’ and that declaring a public holiday for such is rather wasteful and unnecessary.”
    ADP said, they will take over the reign of Lagos in 2019 and invite their own President to come and commission laudable projects that will have a direct impact on the lives of Lagosians. The party maintained that locking down the state over a Presidential visit is pathetic and a sign of desperation to promote a party that has lost all of its goodwill. The party says that, this same APC led government in Lagos vilified former President Goodluck Jonathan for doing same during the last dispensation.
    The Party says that it’s preposterous to shut down economic activities in the State because of a Presidential visit that will not add value to the lives of residents. The ADP says that Lagos should be a shinning light for all others in terms of leadership and infrastructural development and not this joke of commissioning bus stops.
    ADP also reminded President Buhari that it would have been a thing of honor for him if he had not stopped the rail system conceived by the former Governor of Lagos State, Alhaji Lateef Jakande when he brutality seized power via a military coup and that this bus park is of no consequence.
    ADP says that it is time for Lagosians to rise and demand accountability from those that lead them. The party argues that with the massive revenue been generated in Lagos, the state should be competing with some world renowned economies, and that the average Lagosian should feel the impact of governance through the redistribution of wealth.
    ADP has charged Lagosians to get ready for real development that will change their lives for good. The party says that they will present a more qualified candidate for the 2019 election.