The Nation Newspaper

Tag: gathering

  • Gathering storm in the Middle East

    It is strange that just as ISIS has largely been defeated in Racca, headquarters of their caliphate in Syria and routed from Mosul, the second largest city after Baghdad in Iraq the struggle between Saudi Arabia and Iran has gathered pace and is becoming dangerous to the point where Israeli Defence minister is openly calling on Saudi Arabia and the Arabs to join it in confrontation against Iran. Iran is the leading Shiite nation while Saudi Arabia is Sunni. Thank goodness Egypt has not come out to take sides yet, but when the chips are down, Egypt will not abandon fellow Sunnis in the confrontation with Iran. Outside the Middle East, there are of course Sunni Pakistan and Afghanistan which share borders with Iran. Any conflict based on this sectarian divide in Islam could engulf the entire Islamic world drawing in, Africa and Turkey the most powerful Sunni nation. There is hardly any part of the Islamic world where the division between the two sectarian tendencies do not exist.

    The division between Shiite and Sunni Islam is rooted in history. The beginning goes back to the dispute about succession to Prophet Muhammad who died in AD 632. The dispute was between supporters of Husain bin Ali who was a cousin to Prophet Muhammad and after marriage to Fatima the prophet‘s daughter Ali became his son in law and was therefore considered by Shiites the first imam of Islam. It was claimed that Ali was the preferred Caliph and his successor by Prophet Muhammad. His Companions (Sahaba) finally prevailed on Ali to become Caliph in 656 and was assassinated five years later in 661. But this was after there had been three other Caliphs beginning with Abu Bakre (Abdullah) a trusted companion who was also father-in-law to the prophet through Aisha the prophet’s wife. He became the first Muslim caliph and ruled over the Rashidun caliphate from 632 to 634. His claim to the caliphate seat was disputed by some of Muhammad’s companions who believed that the prophet had designated Ali as his successor.  The first four caliphs known as “the Rightly guided ones “ were Abu Bakr, Umar ibn al- Khattab, Uthman  ibn Affan and Ali ibn Abi Talib. All the caliphs were regarded as amir al muminin while the Shiites consider only Ali as the only legitimate caliph and Amir al Muminin. This straight forward historical struggle for power had now snowballed into sectarian and doctrinal schism in Islam. The Arab Muslim armies conquered Persia, now Iran in 651 which led to the decline of the Zoroastrian religion in Persia. Persia had been an advanced civilization before the Arab conquest. But this conquest has always given the Arabs a sense of superiority which no Iranian would ever accept.

    The most extensive Islamic caliphate was that of the Ottoman Empire in Turkey which covered parts of Arab lands in North Africa and the Middle East but not Persia/ Iran.  What is important to note is that apart from Egypt at a point in time, Iranians never conquered Arab land. But there is no doubt that Persian influence in the Middle East has been considerable in modern times in the face of absence of a pan Arab nation. It is now that Saudi Arabia is trying to rally Arabs against what it considers unacceptable Iranian power and influence.

    The defeat of the ISIS (Islamic State in Iraq and Syria)or ISIL (Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant) has extended Iranian influence to the borders of Saudi Arabia because the government of Iraq is largely a Shiite regime and there are Iranian military units fighting along with Iraqi troops. This fear made the Saudi regime not to have been too excited in the war against the ISIS caliphate in spite of the horrible crimes committed by ISIS against humanity.  On the South-western border of Saudi Arabia is Yemen where Iranian backed Houthis rebels are challenging the Sunni dominated legitimate government of Yemen. This is a country that has not been at peace for almost two decades. Yemen is quite close to Saudi Arabia. In fact Osama bin Laden, the leader of Al Qaida was an ethnic Yemeni. The Bin Laden family as represented by Osama’s father made all their billions in Saudi Arabia and have become a formidable family in construction and civil engineering sector in Saudi Arabia. The existential threat the Houthis pose to Saudi Arabia was the firing of a missile to Riyadh the capital of Saudi Arabia in October this year. In spite of Saudi Arabia‘s constant aerial campaign against the Houthis, the rebels have continued to wax stronger because of Iranian military backing. In Lebanon, the Shiite party of Hezbollah (the party of God) has continued under Hassan Nasrallah to dominate the country to the point where the Sunni Prime Minister Saad Hariri resigned suddenly for fear of being assassinated. He announced his resignation on a Saudi Arabian television station in Riyadh leading to the perception that Hariri was forced to do this and that he was in fact in Saudi Arabian detention.  Hariri has now gone back to Lebanon and the situation remains inchoate. The Sunni and Shiites in Lebanon are evenly balanced at 27% each making a total of 54% while the different Christians divided along sectarian groups constitute about 40%. Lebanon is a small complex country that exists at the sufferance of her neighbours. Saudi Arabia now feels the newly emboldened Hezbollah, fresh from military successes in Syria, has become the main power in Lebanon opening the doors to Iranian influence in Lebanon. The Sunni revolt  in Syria, hijacked by ISIS and Al Qaida has finally been put down  by a strange and complex uncoordinated military campaigns by Russia, the United States, the forces  of Bashar al Assad, Iran, Hezbollah and Syrian Kurds in the north of the country has confirmed the hold of  the Alawite/ Shi’a  sect of Bashar al Assad. This also has confirmed preponderant Iranian influence on another Arab country after Iraq, Lebanon, Yemen and then Syria. Even small Qatar is not out of the Iranian influence which has led to the United Emirates, Egypt and Saudi Arabia cutting off ties with Qatar.

    One of the reasons for Iranian apparent success is because unlike Sunni Islam, the Shiites have a hierarchical order of priesthood from Ayatollah to grand and supreme Ayatollah making mobilization easier. This kind of organization is absent among the Sunni. It is also debatable whether the Shiites are as numerically smaller than the Sunnis in Arab countries. It seems that even where the Sunni are in power, there seems to be millions of Shiites without political voice which have been suppressed for long and is just waiting to break out whenever the opportunity presents itself. Also perhaps the sectarian cleavage merely hides deep seated political divisions in Islamic countries. What is important to state is that Iran through Shiite Iraq and Alawite Syria has a land route north of Arab lands all the way to the Mediterranean.

    This is the situation which seems to make Saudi Arabia feel that Arabs cannot just kowtow to Iran. Analysts feel what is happening is that Iran just happens to back the winning parties in all these theatres of conflicts.  To be on the winning sides also means supporting the right causes. Iran is not a democratic country but practices some kind of guided democracy under a theocracy, whereas the Arab states are either monarchies or oligarchies of family and military rulers. There is not much choice between the two but power and money  for example in Saudi Arabia are concentrated in the hands of thousands of princes and others holding their positions as fronts or nominees of the ruling Al – Saud family. This kind of government is replicated in most of the Arab monarchies. Egypt did away with its monarchy in 1956 but it is run now by a military class headed by Field Marshal Abdel Fattah Saeed Hussein Khalil el- Sisi.

    Perhaps in reaction to the feeling of weakness and paralysis, the Saudi monarchy has decided to pass on power to a 31-year old crown prince Muhammad Bin Salman Al Saud.

    The young prince is moving at a frenetic pace of change in the kingdom. He has liberalized the lives of women. They will be allowed to drive, and take part in sports. Education is being made available to them. Some form of elections to elect local officials is being followed. The crown prince has decided to tackle corruption no matter whose ox is gored including several princes who are now cooling their heels in detention. He is also committed to reining in funding of Islamic extremism abroad. The most dramatic move is the decision to challenge Iran. He is building formidable Saudi armed forces through purchase of billions of dollars’ worth of weapons from the United States and Great Britain and other western countries. It is curious that Turkey is not on board as can be seen in Turkish support for Qatar that has been put at arm’s length by the Saudis. The Saudis have the support of President Trump who recently made a highly publicized and triumphal visit to Saudi Arabia when the Saudis ordered almost a trillion dollars’ worth of weapons. If war were to break out in the Middle East, it will be terrible and may bring Russia and the United States into conflict either directly or through their proxies. The fear of some in the West is that the rapidity of events may undermine the Saudi dynasty itself.

  • A gathering storm

    There is a palpable tension in the land as never before witnessed; not even during the build up to the Nigerian civil war.  The country is in dire straits as we are adrift and lost in the high sea, tossed by virulent current of ethnic agitations to a breaking point.    There is a gradual erosion of civil and political authority in the face of leadership failure across the country.  It is true as held in a statement created to the leadership of the National Assembly that ‘Democracy is threatened or endangered’.  It is even truer to say that the actions and inactions of the National Assembly have played a huge role in undermining democracy in our country.  There have been claims and agitations of marginalization from left, right and centre and the Federal Executive Council as well as the National Assembly have failed to take dispassionate look at the issues with the aim of resolving them amicably.  Rather than engage the people who are aggrieved, the government and its officials resort to blackmails and use of force to coerce people into submission.  It is highly unlikely that social political problems of a nation can be achieved through military solution; that would be a delusion especially, given the perception of the military as politicized.

    We attribute the festering insecurity in the North-east to neglect of that region of the country over a long period of time just the same way we find it convenient to say that the agitation in the South-east is due to marginalization of that part of the country.  The emanating cacophonies of voices from the political leadership across the ethnic divide on the current problems of agitations for restructuring and secession facing the nation is coloured and  have no soothing and unifying tenor.     Our inability to live in peace and harmony with one another is a product of the rivalry and competition between the intellectual and political elites who relentlessly pursue divisive ethnic agenda as their only credential in order to remain relevant.

    Every people have a right to self-determination but I am not sure any person or group has a right to levy war on the state or kill other citizens from other parts of the country to claim or exercise such rights.  We are where we are because successive governments and political leaders have not consciously promoted the strengthening of institutions and the rule of law in governance to guarantee a healthy polity and equality amongst citizens.  Our leaders have not demonstrated that they could rise above sectarian interest to invest on a political capital of nationalistic agenda.  We have ethnic irredentists and bigots who pay scant regards to our diversity and national character.

    The Nigerian political and intellectual elites have no tribe and religion; they are one and the same, from the North, South, East or West.  They form a cult of leadership with the sole aim of remaining in power by perpetually fanning the embers of ethnic and religious hatred.   Nnamdi Kanu and his IPOB in pursuit of their secessionist agenda are full of bile and venom of ethnic resentment and hatred towards other tribes in Nigeria as if the Biafra State when achieved would live as an Island.  We all need each other but when we feel that we can no longer live together as in marriage we should seek peaceful divorce rather than pull down the bricks that form the building blocks of this country by violence.

    President Buhari has been demystified and has become very vulnerable.  He has run out of steam and lost the bite as age is no longer on his side.  This is in addition to his health challenge as the political capital of his body language has since evaporated.   Even members of his cabinet do not share in his dream and vision and have made him sufficiently in-electable should he indicate interest come 2019 through their conspiracies and even open declaration of true allegiance to their political godfathers.   They are only waiting for the curtain to be drawn and the President would discover that he is on his own. The President has found himself in this situation because he is not able to appreciate Nigeria in the currency of today but prefer to view it through the prism of his stint as the Head of Military government in 1983.  Unfortunately, he has surrounded himself with ethnicists and bigots who do not appreciate the diversity of the country and the need to accommodate everybody.  In a situation like this, buffoons like Shekau and Nnamdi Kanu would get headlines and even push the country to the brink.  Indeed there is insecurity in the South-east just as there is insecurity in other parts of the country.  It would be beyond mere python dance for the military should they engage in full blown confrontation with Kanu-led IPOB militants as they have their hands full already from the intractable battle with the Boko Haram insurgents in the North-east.

    It was rather hasty for the military to declare IPOB a terrorist organization rightly or wrongly.  Whatever the canon of assessment, we are not in a military regime and it would amount to usurpation of civil authority for the Defence Headquarters through its spokesperson to declare IPOB a terrorist organization.  Even in the event that the military is called out in aid of civil authority as provided in the constitution, it is incumbent on the military to stick strictly to its professional duties rather rush to the microphone and television cameras to make statement without clarification and authority.  Silence is golden especially in military operations.  Our military are duty bound to help keep the peace when it is beyond the Police but it should be within the bounds of their rules of engagement and respect for the rule of law and the rights of citizens.  However, every citizen who is exercising his right to protest should also understand that they should keep within the bounds of the law because even when on Internal Security (IS) operations, the rifles of soldiers are charged with live ammunition and not chocolate.

    All said, the government should urgently wake up to the need to have dialogue with Nigerians on the burning issues creating unrest across the country before we wake up to see Nigeria vaporised.  Our ship of state is sinking!

     

    • Kebonkwu Esq is an attorney based in Abuja.

  • A gathering storm

    People tend to have taken the uninformed prejudices often expressed by some rogue analysts and ethnic irredentists against the other to conclude that Nigeria is a marriage of inconvenience and an unholy wedlock that would crash someday.  It is a historical fallacy to see Nigeria as an accident of history in spite of the amalgam of tribes and tongues that give meaning to its demographic content.  The ethnic nationalities and peoples of Nigeria have had a long standing filial affinity expressed through the ages in trade, commerce, and the interpenetration of religion.  Nigeria is a geographical reality of true human socio-cultural and political contact within a geographical space that is naturally carved out in a defined territory.  The colonial experience of name was only a manifestation of what was a grand natural and historical design.

    Nigeria is not backward and underdeveloped with mutually suspicious people because the population is not homogenous but because we have leadership that is not intellectually driven with patriotic fervour like the philosopher king. We have a ruling class that have lost every sense of history and endearing value system that could rally the people towards a common course.  We rather have politicians whose greatest assets and qualifications are their tribes and religion which they prefer to promote above human essence and the general good of the nation state.

    Today, history is repeating itself in the self-same manner that brought the misfortune of the Nigerian Civil War which unfortunately, the catastrophic impact had been lost to Nigerian leaders. This was the same discordant rhythm that brought the military to the political scene and hoisted on the nation an iniquitous federalism that we are not able to summon the courage to redefine.  The intemperate irredentists’ declaration of a tribal group as persona non grata and secessionist campaign is certainly not answers to bad governance that has created the fault line.  If Nigeria is fragmented into every tongue as a country, there would still be conflict of economic inequality that will engender crises of different shades.

    While I feel and still convince myself that we are better together, I am not unaware that our unity is not cast in stone.  Things have so changed that it is not possible to forcefully hold this country together through the force of arm as it happened during the Nigerian Civil War in the 1960s. Those beating the drums of divisions and break up are getting all the attention today not because their views reflect the general feeling of the people from their ethnic groups but because we have leaders who are not able to rise above the level of sectarianism and nepotism.

    Creating and carving out the Republic of Biafra from the South-east for instance is not going to suddenly put an end to drop-out of schools of millions of young boys whose parents prefer to apprentice to merchants due to poverty.  It certainly would not erase the differences that are sharp among the Igbo tribal groups who call one another by pejorative names like ‘wawa’ and such like names for their kits and kin across the Niger.  Not too long ago, civil servants in the service of one of the states were sacked because they were not indigenes as the government of the states claimed.  All said and done, the loud scream by IPOB/MASSOB for the Republic of Biafra may not be the magic wand after all.   It is only unfortunate that when the drumbeat echoed, no voice of reason stood up against it in the South-east but rather opportunists seized it as a pun on a political chessboard.

    In the same vein, the call for Arewa Republic may not be the answer to the ravaging inequality and poverty in the North which is sustained by feudal fiefdom of the oligarchy.  Here again, the population is as diverse as other regions of the country.  The combustible army of ‘almajirs’ that have been denied the basic necessities of life are waiting in the wings to carry up arms against those that have deprived them of the opportunity of good life.  No amount of religious brain-washing can stop the anger of the down trodden masses when the time comes; just like the scourge of the Boko Haram insurgency which will not go.

    The South-west may appear better prepared to go it alone when the chips are down but again the cohesion that appears to exist amongst them may as well be ephemeral.  The Ilajes and Akokos have great suspicion of the Ijebus.  The cannibal-like political economy of the region will not erase over night the inequality between the elite and the poor masses.  This is because, the region parades the most conscious and combustible middle class who would demand their fair share of the good of the land.

    Those freebooters in the National Assembly who decree the sanctity of inviolable, indivisibility and corporate entity of Nigeria are just joking because it is not by empty cant that you keep a people together.  However, if it is being contemplated that the force of military arm can wield the country together as in the 1960 during the civil war, I am afraid times have changed and that may as well be a pipe dream as the texture, colour and content of the different ethnic militias of today have shown.

    The ultimatum to the Ibo living in the 19 northern states to move to the South-east credited to the Arewa youths is inflammatory and should not be dismissed as a joke.  It has given reasonable notice to the foot-soldiers in the region comprised of the army of street urchins who are heavily charged on drugs and blood thirsty.  The arguments that after all, the Ibos have said they want their Republic of Biafra as contained in the United Nations Universal Declaration of Right to Self-determination are indeed biting. The call and agitations of youths from the two regions and ethnic groups if allowed to play out may be an evil wind.  So when you blame the hawk for carrying the chick, you must also blame the hen for exposing its chicks.  We should learn good lessons from the former Soviet Union when it broke up.  Most of the countries that broke out have lost their bite and strength as sovereign nations and are still mired in endless crises of unimaginable proportion just the same way the Republic of South Sudan is today, which in every material particular is like Nigeria.  Let us reason together, we can make this country Nigeria truly great in its diversity rather than tear it apart.

     

    • Kebonkwu Esq, an attorney writes from Abuja.

  • Experts meet to resolve distortions in security information gathering

    Experts in security data analysis are to hold a one-day international seminar to resolve controversies arising from data gathering on casualty figures, rights violations and other security issues, by national and international rights groups.

    The, seminar organised by Global Amnesty Watch, (GAW), in partnership with Conscience Nigeria, is themed: “Counter Insurgency: Human Rights and Good Governance in the context of the Nigerian Situation”.

    It follows controversies on reports of an international rights group, Amnesty International, alleging unjust killings and rights violations by the Nigerian Army.

    The group accused the Army of killing women and children in its battle against insurgency in the Northeast, as well as unwarranted killings and violation of rights of members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), during protests.

    Country Representatives of GAW, Mrs. Helen Adesola, said participants would discuss the thin lines between extremism, terrorism and separatism in Africa.

    She explained that the seminar became necessary because “we realised those who collect data and information, those who analyse it and those who publicise its outcomes do so using distorted templates.”

    She said: “Note that this distortion is nothing deliberate or any fault of these people who put risk their lives to undertake activities they believe will reshape the world for the better especially, as “it pertains to governance and human right issues.

    “The distortion, in our view, is the product of entrenched systems that built discrimination in a manner that allows different yardsticks to apply to different countries, depending on the economic and military power they wield.

    “This, in some cases, created a situation where field workers start their work from biased premises, having been handed shopping lists or formatted checklists they must conform to, even when the reality they meet on site differ from the preconceived conclusion and recommendations they have been programmed to arrive at.”

     

  • A Rare Gathering of Bigwigs

    TARABA THIS WEEK

    It was a rare assembly of political, traditional, academic and retired military bigwigs. They came from all parts of the country and beyond. The masses of the people from every community in Jukun land were also there. As usual, yours sincerely, a typical reporter of the old breed genre, was there on duty with his ears and eyes wide open to report the events faithfully as they happened. I’m talking about the three major events of the previous week which happened in Wukari and Takum in Taraba State and in which Taraba State Governor, Arc Darius Dickson Ishaku played the important role as chief host and keynote speaker.

    What eventually turned out to be one of Ishaku’s recent most tasking schedules started Wednesday March 15, with an unexpected trip to Abuja for the meeting of state governors with President Muhammadu Buhari the next day. He returned to Jalingo Thursday evening in company of General T.Y Danjuma  (Rtd), one of Nigeria’s most respected statesmen who is better known and adored back home as “Father of Taraba.” Both men accompanied by their wives – Barr. Anna Ishaku and Senator Daisi Danjuma headed for Wukari as early as 7.30 am Friday, March 17, for the events.

    Wukari was a two-in-one event that lasted for two days. The first was the 40th anniversary of the Aku Uka, Dr Shekarau Angyu Masa-Ibi, on the prestigious traditional stool of his fore-fathers while the second was the maiden convocation ceremony of Kwararafa University. Wukari, I was told, had never seen a crowd of that magnitude in its entire history. All hotels in town and in neighbouring towns such as Ibi and Donga were fully booked and open fields and classrooms in the numerous schools in the town became temporary homes for those who couldn’t find accommodation. The oozing sound of music and dancing from the city announcing the commencement of celebration could be heard five kilometres from the town while the ceremony lasted that day.

    The newly constructed convocation arena of the Kwararafa University was the venue for the two events. The Aku Uka’s anniversary was a unique outing and display of the complete paraphernalia of Jukun culture and tradition. As early as 6 am, men and women half clad in Jukun native attires hit the roads on foot for the long but slow procession from the city centre to the Convocation Square. They were accompanied by masquerades, and I counted no less than 50 of them, amidst singing drumming and dancing. Several state governors, deputy governors, ministers, members of the National and state assemblies and a powerful delegation of traditional rulers led by the Sultan of Sokoto, Dr Mohammed Sa’ad Abubakar, who was also chairman of the occasion, graced the event.

    A loud ovation announced the arrival of Governor Ishaku at the arena at about 10.30am and that also signalled the beginning of the day’s proceedings. From thence, it was music, dancing and speeches. President Muhammmadu Buhari who was represented by the Minister of Sports, Mr Solomon Lalong, praised the Aku Uka for living up the expectations of his people, most especially during the peak of the serial communal crises inTaraba State in 2013 when he mobilised the people in support of government’s peace initiative.

    Governor Ishaku, in his speech, eulogised the Aku Uka as a man of impeccable character and epitome of creativity and good leadership. He said under the traditional leadership of the traditional ruler Wukari had grown rapidly to become the centre of education and learning with two universities and a campus of the National Open University. The need to strengthen peace that has been achieved by his administration featured elaborately in his address. He urged all Tarabans to see the promotion and sustenance of peace as a responsibility they owe themselves and the state. “Let us promote those things that unite us and give no room to those that divide us. We must continue to foster and strengthen our friendship with our neighbours”, he said.

    The convocation was yet another historic event attended by many of those high profile personalities who graced the event of the previous day. Kwararafa University is a private institution established in 2006 to help facilitate access to higher education for children of the area. Ishaku, a foremost Nigerian architect, drew the master plan for the institution. More than 2000 students were conferred with degrees and diplomas in the various departments. Eminent Nigerians such as Sultan Sa’ad Abubakar, Daisi Danjuma, Prof … Okojie and Alhaji Ahmadu Aliyu Oga Onawo who is the Chancellor of the university were conferred with honorary doctorate degrees.

    In his speech at the event, Governor Ishaku advised the graduating students to see their graduation as the beginning and not the end of a journey. “For those of you graduating today, the journey begins today. You will be tested and you must be prepared to apply all that you have learnt”, he said. He urged the students to aim at the highest and the top always and “you will learn more as you continue to practise what you have learnt from school.” General Danjuma who had earlier been requested to take over the institution and assume its ownership demanded in his speech for a formal letter of offer and the conditions that must be met to enable him take a decision on the request.

    From the convocation ground in Wukari, Governor Ishaku’s convoy moved to Takum to await the grand finale of the 2017 Beth-El Conference of the Christian Reformed Church – Nigeria scheduled for the next day. It is an annual evangelical event which draws participants from all parts of Taraba and its neighbouring states. The entry of Governor Ishaku and Anna, his wife, into the large arena that Sunday morning of March 19, was an act of great happiness and exhilaration for the over 20,000 participants. They rose from their seats, waved and cheered as Taraba’s First Family alighted from their car and took their seats.

    The event was an opportunity for the church leaders to express their gratitude to Ishaku for all his achievements in road construction, the provision of water and the remarkable improvement in electricity. But they were most impressed – and every speaker of day did not forget to mention it – about peace that is being enjoyed now in the state and without which their gathering for the event would have been impossible this year. Ishaku told them that he was committed to changing the very ugly situation of things he met on assumption of office. “We are doing a lot for you. We have done 100 boreholes in various communities across the state. This year, we are doing 150 more. We have built several roads despite the poor financial situation.” He said Chanchagi – Takum road has been rehabilitated to make driving on it smoother. The road is to be awarded for reconstruction soon.

    He told them that the Taraba State he inherited on assumption of office was a state in pieces, rendered so by the crisis of that time and that he was happy that the state is now in peace. That portion of his speech saw the entire congregation rising again on their feet in appreciation of this achievements. He told them that he was not unaware of the fact that he was not liked by some people in the state because he was not prepared to put the state’s money on the table to be shared. “Let me assure you. I will never share government’s money to individuals.”

    He called for patience even in the face of extreme provocation by the Fulani herdsmen. “Retaliation will lead to bloodshed. We don’t want that. Give government the chance to resolve such problems. That is the only way we can guarantee the sustenance of peace that we have won for the state.”

  • Our operations are based on intelligence gathering —Customs CG’s team coordinator

    The Coordinator of the Comptroller General’s Compliance Team, Assistant Comptroller Musa Ibrahim Jalo, yesterday attributed his team’s success to coordinated intelligence with Customs Area Commands in the country.

    He explained that his team ‘’is not a parallel squad to the Customs Area Commands across the states of the federation. We are working in concert with the commands to nip smuggling in the bud.”

    Jalo explained that the team had recovered more than half a billion naira as revenue through the issuance of Debit Notes (DN) to importers who were not able to pay appropriate duties or who had the knack to evade such duties.

    “For instance, Comptroller Haruna is in charge of Federal Operations Unit (FOU), I am under him; we work hand in hand and we compliment their efforts, ”he said.

    He assured that all the logistics to make for a smooth operation had been provided by the Comptroller-General and his management team.

    ‘’Since the inauguration of the team in July last year, several goods have been intercepted and valued at millions of naira, they include thousands of bags of rice, vehicles including bullet proof cars, poultry products, vegetable oil, hides and skin as well as imported furniture.

    ‘’We trail smugglers right from the source. For instance, the importers or smugglers of these cars, are trailed from Benin Republic up to a safer area where we can arrest them. We are not to arrest anything that is not on Nigeria’s soil, so we devote time to trail the smugglers. It is not an easy job but we are attacking the challenges head on.’’

    Jalo said the war on smuggling is already a huge success with the coming of the CG Compliance team. According to him, his men are making great seizures across the country, while raising the bar in revenue generation. With the latest ban on vehicles importation form the land border, we have been intercepting new vehicles especially the SUV’s and other expensive cars like Hilux. He said more than 50 of such dainty cars were seized recently in Kano and Kaduna.

    He added: “I have commanders scattered all over the country; in the western zone, a Chief Superintendent leads a team of other sector commanders in sensitive land border routes. Unit officers in the Administrative, Revenue and Examination Unit headed by Chief Superintendent Nwokocha, has the capacity to seize goods, generate revenue which ordinarily would have been lost through the evasion of duties and ensuring provision of adequate day to day logistics to field officers.’’

  • A gathering of shepherds

    A gathering of shepherds

    The Good Shepherd Society of the Archbishop Vining Memorial Church Cathedral has celebrated its 43rd anniversary at the Rotary Club Hall, Ikeja, Lagos. SAFIYYAH ABDUR-RAZAQ reports

    The Rotary Club Hall in G. R. A. Ikeja was decorated in green and white, with blue spring lights. The high table glittered against a silver backdrop. The chairs and tables were also decorated in white and green. The tables had white and yellow overlays.

    It was for the reception of the 43rd anniversary of the Good Shepherd Society of the Archbishop Vining Memorial Church Cathedral.

    Members of the society trooped into the hall after a thanksgiving service and rededication of 21 new members at the nearby Archbishop Vining Memorial Church Cathedral. They were all dressed in white and green.

    Their President, Mr Ossie Nwankwu congratulated the new members on their rededication, saying he looked forward to the light they would re-ignite in the society.

    The event Chairman, Mr Femi Olutayo, praised the members for their good work saying: “You have been wonderful, futuristic and sharp but you have to step out of the convenience zone to become good shepherds. You have gotten to the point where, am sure,  God has seen your society and you need to step out to the world”, he said.

    Dr Uchechukwu Sampson Ogah spoke on moving forward as good shepherds, urging the members to always give so as to make the fellowship move forward and receive God’s blessings.

    “Giving out is a sign of your trust in God. Put all your trust in Him. Allow Him to use you for all He wants Good Shepherd Society to do” Ogah said.

    The other guest speaker, Mr Emeka Madubuike, also urged them to always give out in order to fulfil God’s assignment. He highlighted 10 points that would assist them in moving forward as good shepherds. He said: “You have to help those in need, pray for your flock when they are struggling, strengthen your flock when they are weak, lift them up up when they are down, encourage them, give hope to them when they are hopeless, forgive them when they hurt you, rejoice with them when they are succeeding, do not publicise their faults and lead an exemplary life for them to emulate.”

    Oxbridge College proprietor Dr Femi Ogunsanya proprosed the toast. She said: “We have made good progress but a lot still needs to be done. Rejoice Good Shepherd Society for you have succeeded.” The president, his secretary and those on the high table cut the white and green cake with red and green  flowers on it.

    Guests were treated to music and sumptuous lunch.

    Nwankwu told The Nation he was elated at the success of the event.

    “After the amount of time that went into the planning, and having people turn up, I am so happy. Our guests were here and it was fun. We heard the word of God from different people; it was really enjoyable”, he said.

    He urged members to live up to the name of a good shepherd.

    “A good shepherd does not mean any other thing than being a good neighbour. If your neighbour is in distress, pay attention and help. Lend your shoulder for people to cry on. One thing I learnt today is that offering subdues suffering. When you give, you would be given back. When you lend your shoulder for people to lean on, God would provide one for you. To the new members especially, as they are coming with new fresh ideas to move the society forward, all of us should rededicate ourselves to moving this society forward and to living the name of Good Shepherd in our everyday life”, Mr Nwankwu said.

    The chairman of the anniversary committee, Mr Evans Okeke, urged members to live up to Christ’s attitude as a good shepherd and to put to practice all they learnt at the event.