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Tag: insurgency

  • Insurgency: U.S fully behind Nigeria – Envoy

    Insurgency: U.S fully behind Nigeria – Envoy

    The United States Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. James Entwistle, on Monday said his country is fully behind Nigeria in the efforts to end terrorism in the country.

    He added that America’s support for Nigeria in its bids to end insurgency in the land comes from the “highest levels of U.S government.”

    The envoy stated these in a statement released by the U.S Consulate office in Lagos.

    He also faulted recent media reports that questioned U.S willingness to support Nigeria’s war on terrorism.

    Despite insisting that the U.S will support the Nigerian government in whatever capacity to end terrorism in the country, he maintained that provision of new equipment and other items of warfare is not the solution to the crisis.

    He urged the Federal Government to meet the basic needs of soldiers by making sure they have the proper attire, are well-trained, and are properly fed in the field.

    In addition, he canvassed economic opportunities to alleviate poverty in the North East, saying these will offer  potential extremist recruits a viable alternative to a life of crime and violence.

    He said, “Our support to Nigeria’s war against terror takes many forms and has been consistent from the beginning.  It involves military training as well as information sharing.  Security cooperation between the United States and Nigeria promotes the professionalization of Nigeria’s security forces and strengthens their contributions to international peacekeeping missions.

    “Our cooperation emphasizes a whole-of government approach that underlines the importance of human rights, civilian protection, and adherence to rule of law at all levels as key tools in the fight against terror.

    “Over the years, the United States has always been willing to share appropriate military equipment with Nigeria.  That remains the case today but must be understood in the context of our global policy on arms transfers.

    “The U.S. government undertakes a rigorous evaluation process before proceeding with the sale of military equipment to any country, including Nigeria.  The U.S. Departments of State and Defense review all potential arms transfers for their consistency with U.S. policy and interests, as detailed in the U.S. Conventional Arms Transfer Policy.

    “This includes any requests from a country that we have sold or donated weapons to resell or donate those same weapons to another country, such as Nigeria.  We examine whether an arms transfer makes sense for the needs of the prospective country.

    “Part of our review considers whether equipment may be used in a way that could adversely affect human rights.  The United States believes that we bear a certain level of responsibility for how the equipment is ultimately used.

    “The battle to end the Boko Haram crisis requires more and these include meeting the basic needs of soldiers – making sure they have the proper attire, are well-trained, and are properly fed in the field.”

    “In addition, providing economic opportunities to alleviate poverty is essential in order to offer potential extremist recruits a viable alternative to a life of crime and violence.  To foster the stability, security, and prosperity of its citizens, Nigeria must effectively address all aspects of the terrorism equation, and we stand with the Nigerian government in its efforts to do just that.”

     

     

     

  • Insurgency inhibiting expansion drive, says Samsung

    Insurgency inhibiting expansion drive, says Samsung

    Korean household electronics giant, Samsung Electronics West Africa has said its plans to extend its expansion drive in the retail segment of the business to cover the country is being constrained by ongoing insurgency in the Northeast.

    The firm lamented that despite the willingness of trade partners to be part of the expansionary drive, the insecurity situation is not allowing that to happen.

    Its Director, Consumer Electronics, B2B & IT, Mr. Sunil Kumar, who spoke while unveiling the initiatives of the firm at deepening its presence in the country by taking its range of innovative products to all the nooks and crannies of the country, said as part of the initiative, it will open 90 retail outlets across the country in line with the evolution of the business.

    He said over the past years, the electronics business has been evolving with time, adding that the firm discovered at the middle of last year that the retail segment of the business was also undergoing great expansion.

    He lamented that the desire of the firm to do a pan-Nigeria roll-out of retail stores in partnership with its dealers and trade partners was being frustrated by the security challenges in some parts of the country.

    Kumar said: “We noticed mid last year that retail service in Nigeria is fast expanding. It is not a surprise because it is a global trend. So, we came to the conclusion that Samsung needed to expand its retail footprint in Nigeria in a way that brings values to the customers.”

    According to him, Nigeria is in the same category with other advanced countries in terms of timely availability of the firm’s range of innovation-driven products.

    He said: “Nigeria is not behind other countries. What is currently trending abroad in terms of  IT innovation is also available here in Nigeria. Therefore, rolling out such retail outlets will allow Nigerians to experience the products.”

    He added that aside the 90 retail outlets,  38 service centres, where trained technicians attend to customers’ product after-sales needs, had been created over the years.

    Kumar said the firm does not own any of the retail shops that are all over the country, saying it is part of the firm’s desire to grow the national economy and help raise the nation’s gross domestic product (GDP) by allowing Nigerians to own the shops and employ people to run them.

    He added that as a further demonstration of its commitment to developing the local market, the firm has set up two assembly factories in Lagos, where over 350 people have been directly employed to engage in assembling Samsung’s products, adding that there are other people employed indirectly from the initiative.

     

  • Ebola, insurgency reduce economic growth rate by 0.5%

    Ebola, insurgency reduce economic growth rate by 0.5%

    Minister of Finance/Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has said that the country’s projected economic growth rate for this year would reduce by 0.5 per cent due to adverse effects of Ebola disease and Boko Haram’s attacks.

    Speaking in Lagos after meeting with the Global Chief Executive Officer of Unilever Plc, Mr. Paul Polman, the Minister said: “We have discounted our growth by a half percentage point this year, part of that includes consideration for Ebola.”

     The half a percentage point reduction in our economic growth includes the effect of Boko Haram. “We have discounted the effect of terrorism in the North East,” she added.The Minister said though the nation’s growth rate has been discounted by a half percentage point this year, “We are still projecting to grow around 6.5 per cent. We would have grown at about seven per cent.”

    She assured that government would continue to monitor the situation to determine if it would have further impact on the economy.She also said that government had instituted a team led by the Chief Economic Adviser to continue monitoring the impact of the Ebola virus disease on the economy.

    “We have not finished. We are still monitoring. We have a little team, chaired by the Chief Economic Adviser that is working on the impact of Ebola now. So far, what you have seen is not having that big an impact but we are still monitoring. You know it is not over, and if need be, if we see a further impact, we will announce it and we will do further work to see what further impact it will have on the growth rate.”

    Now, we have to look at Ebola very carefully because we have 19 cases; and out of these we have seven deaths and 11 recoveries. We are monitoring some people in Port Harcourt area as you have heard from the Minister of Health. We believe that the way we have been managing this has contained it. And so, largely, people have gone about their business activities in the economy.”

    You know our economy is largely driven by internal consumption. That is why we are not thinking that it would have quite a large impact. But there would be some impact, you can see that hotel occupancy rates are down and some business meetings have been postponed by people from outside. “So, we are taking that into account. So far, half a percentage point is largely for terror and a little bit for Ebola. But the impact is not that much,” she stated.

    The Finance Minister explained that the visit of the Unilever CEO to Nigeria was a testament to the fact that the country was safe for businessmen, adding that the visit “is one more of an endorsement from the international community.” She commended the company for donating  750 cases of their premium soap, lifebuoy to inculcate the culture of cleanliness and personal hygiene on the public.Earlier in his remarks, the visiting Unilever CEO to Nigeria, Mr. Polman stated that Unilever would invest $200m in Nigeria and inaugurate one of its new facilities in the country in October.

    “We have invested 50 per cent of our turnover in the last three years in Nigeria. That is probably an investment that any company will not be able to support on a long-term but we are able to do that because of our global scale and commitment to Nigeria.”We feel this is the right time to increase our presence in Nigeria.

    Our growth potentials are accelerating and we think that a lot of potential are actually being unlocked right now. I know Ebola itself might take 0.5 per cent of the economy as the minister has shared with me, but we should not forget that despite the threat that the country has faced here and there, you were able to curtail this horrible disease. The investment climate has continued to be very attractive. There are not so many countries in the world that have 6.54 per cent growth, not even in Africa,” Polma stated.

    He noted that the Nigerian market is half of the African and even global business. “The huge population is a plus for a discerning investor. Because of our belief in the current reforms, we have also attracted five of our major suppliers to invest locally. A radical reduction in the cost of energy provision through the unbundling of the sector will make our products more competitive and manufacturing process more efficient. We believe in this country having been here for 91 years and will do our best to help it grow in a sustainable way,” he said.

    The Unilever boss encouraged other multinationals to invest in the country, noting that for a population of 170 million people very few countries globally can boast of that population figure.

  • ‘Fed Govt committed to ending Boko Haram insurgency’

    Senate President David Mark has re-assured Nigerians that the Federal Government is committed to fighting Boko Haram and other criminals. He urged Nigerians to co-operate with security agencies in order to overcome security challenges in the country is experiencing.

    Senator Mark spoke in Abuja at the inauguration of the Board of Trustees (BOT) and Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Association of Licenced Private Security Practitioners of Nigeria (ALPSPN) which is regulated by the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).

    Mark advised security operatives to shun rivalry and tackle in security.

    Represented by Dr. Peter Keshi, Senator Mark said: “It is time for action. This is the appropriate time to fight together insurgence to a standstill. We should not let anything hinder us. Nigeria must remain one united entity and we must remain one indivisible nation.

    “It is important that we act immediately. We must ensure that the Association of Licensed Private Security Practitioners of Nigeria (ALPSPN) is constitutionally recognised.

    “Push it at the National Assembly and I will give it an accelerated hearing when the time comes. We must get a law establishing it to avoid crisis in the future.

    “The Federal Government is very committed to keeping Nigeria one; government is committed to fighting insurgence (Boko Haram) and all other forms of crimes. This is the time for inter-agency collaboration and not competition within security agencies”.

    Minister of Interior, Comrade Abba Moro, urged the private security operatives to work with other security operatives to end insurgency.

    He said they should be provided with more sophisticated equipment to further assist the government.

    Moro, who was represented by the Director of Paramilitary, assured the association of government’s support.

    Commandant-General of NSCDC, Dr. Ade Abolurin, pointed out that ignorance makes security agencies fight with one another over superiority.

    He further said the private security outfit is expected to be involved in intelligence gathering and keeping government aware of happenings across the country.

    He condemned the incident that occurred in Lagos where some policemen threatened to kill him on duty.

    His words: “Men of this private security outfit are not gatemen neither are they just ordinary security men. Boko Haram is the current security challenge we as a country experience now and Nigeria and Nigerians need you now more than any other time to respond and fight.  You should encourage synergy.

  • A committee’s fight against flood, insurgency

    A committee’s fight against flood, insurgency

    In 2012, the country witnessed an unprecedented flood that destroyed homes in many states. A Presidential Committee was set up to raise funds to ease the suffering of the victims. In this report, BUKOLA AMUSAN examines the committee’s handling of the assignment.

    The response to the flood disaster that ravaged many states  in 2012, President Goodluck Jonathan inaugurated the Presidential Committee on Flood Relief and Rehabilitation last year.

    The committee was saddled with examining the effects of the disaster on victims, causes of the flood and prevention.

    Though the committee had done some tangible work in raising funds to assist victims, it may have less work to carry out this year compared to the amount of work it carried out in 2012 when many communities witnessed great devastating effects of the flood. The scale of damage prompted the inauguration of the committee, which is co-chaired by business mogul, Aliko Dangote and human rights activist, Olisa Agbakoba.

    Fortunately, the committee has, so far, had less work to do during this rainy season as there is no major flood disaster.

    To avoid the funds raised to fight flooding being redundant and useless, it had to be channelled to tackling insurgency in the Northeast.

    A member of the committee, who is also the Director-General of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Mr. Mike Omeri, told reporters that part of the N17 billion raised to support victims of flooding has been deployed in support the fight against insurgency.

    Dangote had announced that a sub-committee, headed by Ambassador Godknows Igali, Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Power, was working on plans to intervene in a various disasters and would submit its report in the first week of April for immediate consideration and implementation.

    “We didn’t have much flooding in 2013 and the rain is not heavy this year. We believe that millions of Nigerians are in need, and that calls for the need to provide between N750 million and N800 million to assist them,” Dangote said.

    Many communities are affected by communal conflicts in recent time. This, according to the committee, propelled it to move beyond its terms of reference and wade into the problems of the people.

    The committee, considering the effects of conflicts in some parts of Nigeria, perpetrated by the Boko Haram insurgents and feuding communities, decided to extend its interventions to non-flood-related emergencies.

    This intervention, according to Alhaji Dangote, was also informed by the fact that anticipated high level floods in the country, did not occur last year.

    Omeri, said the agency was working with others to create disaster mitigation awareness at the grassroots.

    He assured Nigerians of fair, balanced and equitable distribution of disaster relief projects, which he said would be sited devoid of political and other sentiments.

    Calling for support from Nigerians and international donor agencies, Omeri said there was no limit to contributions towards saving human lives, urging Nigerians, including those who had made pledges towards assisting victims of disaster with relief and rehabilitation to come forward and fulfill such promises.

    The relief committee also established an 11-man committee headed by former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Dr. Tunde Lemo, in April to implement the relief efforts.

    Although the mandate of the committee was well spelt out when President Jonathan announced its establishment during a nation-wide broadcast on Tuesday, October 9, 2012, among which was to organise a fund raisers for the relief and rehabilitation of flood victims in the aftermath of the ravaging floods that affected many states that year, the committee was also expected to advise the government on the judicious utilisation of funds raised and had the president’s authority to co-opt any other persons or organisations that it may deem useful in carrying out its assignment.

    The committee had 12 months to complete its assignment and report to the President.

    The 34-man Presidential Committee set out to raise about N100 billion through a fund-raising dinner, though donations and pledges made by prominent Nigerians during the dinner only amounted to N11.35 billion. This was despite tax incentives announced by President Jonathan for all corporate organisations that would donate to the flood relief fund.

    Dangote and the Federal Government topped the donors’ list with donation of N2.5 billion, while business giants, Chairman of Visafone Jim Ovia, and Tony Elumelu came second with N1billion each.

    By June 13, last year, the committee had invited technical and financial bids from reputable companies for building of houses as well as provision of essential amenities in the 22 states affected by the 2012 flood disaster.

    The states were Abia, Adamawa, Anambra, Bayelsa, Bauchi, Benue, Cross River, Delta, Edo, Imo, Jigawa, Kano, Kaduna, Katsina, Kebbi, Kogi, Kwara, Nasarawa, Niger, Plateau, Rivers and Taraba.

    The projects to be sited in the states include two-bedroom and three-bedroom flats as well as construction of community centres. They also include procurement and installation of mobile solar-powered packaged water treatment plants and generator-powered water treatment plants, procurement and installation of solar-powered hand pumps and rehabilitation of boreholes. The committee had announced that it would give preference to contractors from the affected states to ensure timely completion of the projects.

    More cheering news came from the Presidential Committee after a meeting on March 28, this year that all was set for the commencement of the award of contracts for the provision of disaster relief infrastructure, this time in more than 24 states of the federation, from the second week of April.

     

  • Adams warns Southwest over insurgency

    Adams warns Southwest over insurgency

    The National Coordinator of Oodu’a Peoples Congress (OPC), Otunba Gani Adams, has expressed fear over the likely spill-over of Boko Haram insurgency to the Southwest region, if not properly curtailed.

    Adams, who spoke to reporters at this year’s Oranyan yearly festival in Oyo, at the weekend, said the revolt was taking serious toll on the people’s lives and property in the Northeast.

    He noted that indications were rife that Boko Haram had entered the Southwest, saying an instance was the explosion at Apapa, Lagos State, which the sect’s leader, Shekarau, laid claim to.

    The Oodu’a chief said drastic solution must be taken to curtail the menace of the Islamic sect in the Southwest.

    Adams said the zone’s governors were showing nonchalant attitude towards the issue, adding that as a leader of OPC, none of the governors has called him to discuss how to take measures to curtail the threat.

    “I have been to 51 countries, launching Oodua Progressive Union. I just came back from Europe and what they were asking me was the issue of Boko Haram.

    “We need to organise a stakeholder meeting on security to chat a way forward on how to secure and sanitise our region from Boko Haram insurgency,” he said.

  • Sponsors of Boko Haram insurgency

    The trade of allegations between the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressive Congress (APC) that the sponsors of that menacingreligious insurgency in the north-eastern part of Nigeria are members of the opposing political party has been hijacked. While the PDP has to a large extent successfully cast the APC, as populated by religious extremists who are sympathetic to the Boko Haram cause, especially within a swath of their Christian sympathizers; the APC have in recent times sought to debunk that insidious allegation, while tamely casting that aspersion back on their opponent, particularly their agent, the former Governor of Bornu state, Ali Modu Sheriff who is now back to the PDP, after an unsuccessful stint at unsettling the fledgling APC.

    To add kerosene to the stoking fire, one Mr. Stephen Davis a shadowy Australian, recently promoted in the media as a federal government negotiator with the Boko Haram over the abducted Chibok girls, has rehashed the old tale against Ali Modu Sherriff and added a new twist, by linking the former Chief of Army staff, General Azubuike Ihejirika to the alleged list of sponsors. Mr. Davis strangely refused to name the other alleged top Central Bank official and the other sponsors of the group, on the rather ridiculous claim that it will affect the police investigation of the bombing in Kubwa, Abuja. Let me say right away that General Azubuike has my sympathy over the second attempt by what appears to be very powerful forces to rubbish the record of his public career. The first attempt was the threat by the so called Bornu elders to have him charged before the International Criminal Court, Hague, for alleged war crimes, during his tour of duty as the then Chief of Army staff.

    Unfortunately the Bornu elders instead of calling on the armed forces, to prosecute the war against Boko Haram with diligence to safeguard the rights and safety of their people, rather decided to personalize their position against General Ihejirika, which immediately staked ethnic bias over their claim. Now again, Mr. Stephen Davis acting as if he has been hired by the detractors of the General, has fired an unreasonable and unsubstantiated salvo against the retired General. To make their unbelievable allegations, substantially worthless, the Australian reportedly claimed that he got the information from leaders of the same Boko Haram that General Ihejirika as army commander was famed to have worsted mercilessly. Here again like the case by the Bornu elders, General Ihejirika is singled out as an individual that is capable of sponsoring the insurgents, even when he was seen as personally being too high handed in dealing with that national menace, as the head of he army.

    In sympathising with the retired General Ihejirika for what is likely an invidious libel against his person, it needs to be noted that the old Australian in seeking fame from the Nigerian debacle, relied on the wily tactics of the lazy Nigerian elite. When the PDP’s garrulous propagandists willfully tagged General Muhammadu Buhari because of his obvious piousness as an extremist and sympathizer of the Boko Haram, they were foolishly applying a dangerous and lazy antidote to a ranging national crisis. So while they may have gained an undue political advantage from that unsubstantiated claim, they succeeded in laying a dangerous precedent which any other crooked person can emulate to gain attention.

    With respect to the allegations against the former Bornu state governor, he remains a prime suspect of being responsible for organizing and funding the politico-religious pressure group, which metamorphosed into the Boko Haram insurgency. The attempt by Mr. Steven Davis to claim any credit for that stale allegation is therefore of no moment. Interestingly Mr. Davis was represented in the press as an expert negotiator, whose services have been retained by the federal government to secure the release of the Chibok girls, who have been in the custody of the Boko Haram criminals since April 15. How he transformed into a secret service investigator in the course of his job is a matter for conjecture. Surprisingly, the federal government which all the while allowed the common believe that they employed the Australian to deal with the Boko Haram crisis to fester, has now denied ever employing his services.

    If the Australian journeyman wants to be taken seriously, he should provide the evidence of the alleged sponsorship by General Ihejirika. If his only evidence is the allegations allegedly made by the commanders of the Boko Haram insurgency, then he should get ready to pay heavily to stem a libel suit by General Ihejirika, even if Alhaji Sheriff may be daunted by the existing prejudices against his innocence. As General Ihejirika rightly said in the interview he granted the press, “If this accusation was made in a country like US or Uk, it would not be discussed for one hour because they would wave it aside”. Indeed I doubt if the Australian would have made such damning allegation against a General of any serious country in Africa talk less of the leading countries of the world. The wily fellow knows he is dealing with Nigeria, with a strong reputation for the frivolous, unfounded and unfathomable.

    In fairness to the Australian, he is filling the vacuum created by our challenged intelligence and security agencies. If they had been able to contain the Boko Haram menace as we all patriotically hoped, the old man would have found better things to do with his time. But because we have become incapable of helping ourselves, all manner of people have turned our advisers and helpers. The lesson from this Janjaweed allegation is that it is dangerous to throw up sand in the market, for you never know who would bear the dirt.

    The trade of allegations between the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressive Congress (APC) that the sponsors of that menacingreligious insurgency in the north-eastern part of Nigeria are members of the opposing political party has been hijacked. While the PDP has to a large extent successfully cast the APC, as populated by religious extremists who are sympathetic to the Boko Haram cause, especially within a swath of their Christian sympathizers; the APC have in recent times sought to debunk that insidious allegation, while tamely casting that aspersion back on their opponent, particularly their agent, the former Governor of Bornu state, Ali Modu Sheriff who is now back to the PDP, after an unsuccessful stint at unsettling the fledgling APC.

    To add kerosene to the stoking fire, one Mr. Stephen Davis a shadowy Australian, recently promoted in the media as a federal government negotiator with the Boko Haram over the abducted Chibok girls, has rehashed the old tale against Ali Modu Sherriff and added a new twist, by linking the former Chief of Army staff, General Azubuike Ihejirika to the alleged list of sponsors. Mr. Davis strangely refused to name the other alleged top Central Bank official and the other sponsors of the group, on the rather ridiculous claim that it will affect the police investigation of the bombing in Kubwa, Abuja. Let me say right away that General Azubuike has my sympathy over the second attempt by what appears to be very powerful forces to rubbish the record of his public career. The first attempt was the threat by the so called Bornu elders to have him charged before the International Criminal Court, Hague, for alleged war crimes, during his tour of duty as the then Chief of Army staff.

    Unfortunately the Bornu elders instead of calling on the armed forces, to prosecute the war against Boko Haram with diligence to safeguard the rights and safety of their people, rather decided to personalize their position against General Ihejirika, which immediately staked ethnic bias over their claim. Now again, Mr. Stephen Davis acting as if he has been hired by the detractors of the General, has fired an unreasonable and unsubstantiated salvo against the retired General. To make their unbelievable allegations, substantially worthless, the Australian reportedly claimed that he got the information from leaders of the same Boko Haram that General Ihejirika as army commander was famed to have worsted mercilessly. Here again like the case by the Bornu elders, General Ihejirika is singled out as an individual that is capable of sponsoring the insurgents, even when he was seen as personally being too high handed in dealing with that national menace, as the head of he army.

    In sympathising with the retired General Ihejirika for what is likely an invidious libel against his person, it needs to be noted that the old Australian in seeking fame from the Nigerian debacle, relied on the wily tactics of the lazy Nigerian elite. When the PDP’s garrulous propagandists willfully tagged General Muhammadu Buhari because of his obvious piousness as an extremist and sympathizer of the Boko Haram, they were foolishly applying a dangerous and lazy antidote to a ranging national crisis. So while they may have gained an undue political advantage from that unsubstantiated claim, they succeeded in laying a dangerous precedent which any other crooked person can emulate to gain attention.

    With respect to the allegations against the former Bornu state governor, he remains a prime suspect of being responsible for organizing and funding the politico-religious pressure group, which metamorphosed into the Boko Haram insurgency. The attempt by Mr. Steven Davis to claim any credit for that stale allegation is therefore of no moment. Interestingly Mr. Davis was represented in the press as an expert negotiator, whose services have been retained by the federal government to secure the release of the Chibok girls, who have been in the custody of the Boko Haram criminals since April 15. How he transformed into a secret service investigator in the course of his job is a matter for conjecture. Surprisingly, the federal government which all the while allowed the common believe that they employed the Australian to deal with the Boko Haram crisis to fester, has now denied ever employing his services.

    If the Australian journeyman wants to be taken seriously, he should provide the evidence of the alleged sponsorship by General Ihejirika. If his only evidence is the allegations allegedly made by the commanders of the Boko Haram insurgency, then he should get ready to pay heavily to stem a libel suit by General Ihejirika, even if Alhaji Sheriff may be daunted by the existing prejudices against his innocence. As General Ihejirika rightly said in the interview he granted the press, “If this accusation was made in a country like US or Uk, it would not be discussed for one hour because they would wave it aside”. Indeed I doubt if the Australian would have made such damning allegation against a General of any serious country in Africa talk less of the leading countries of the world. The wily fellow knows he is dealing with Nigeria, with a strong reputation for the frivolous, unfounded and unfathomable.

    In fairness to the Australian, he is filling the vacuum created by our challenged intelligence and security agencies. If they had been able to contain the Boko Haram menace as we all patriotically hoped, the old man would have found better things to do with his time. But because we have become incapable of helping ourselves, all manner of people have turned our advisers and helpers. The lesson from this Janjaweed allegation is that it is dangerous to throw up sand in the market, for you never know who would bear the dirt.

     

  • Insurgency has crippled Borno State, says SSG

    Insurgency has crippled Borno State, says SSG

    Borno State is grounded by the Boko Haram insurgency, Secretary to the State Government Alhaji Baba Ahmad Jidda said yesterday.

    He asked all political leaders and stakeholders to unite and meet with President Goodluck Jonathan on how to salvage the situation.

    He also urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to postpone the proposed by-election for Jere House of Assembly Constituency.

    Jidda, who made his views known in a statement  in Abuja, said there is urgent need for peace in the state.

    He said he issued the statement in his private capacity having been disturbed by the deteriorating situation.

    The statement  said: “A deep appraisal of the condition prevailing in Borno State at the moment shows a disrupted environment that is in desperate need of peace and restoration.

    “As a result of the insurgency caused by Boko Haram, large swathes of the land in the state is currently inaccessible. Normal governmental, economic, social and political activities have been dislocated, with huge numbers of displaced persons living in refugee camps in Maiduguri, neighbouring states as well as Niger, Chad and Cameroon.

    “The state of emergency is still in force, with its attendant curfews and restrictions on free movement and assembly.

    “The Maiduguri Airport is also closed, limiting access significantly to and out of Borno State. The threat to security of lives and property as a result of the criminal activities of the Boko Haram insurgents is everywhere and indeed the limited peace prevailing in Maiduguri and the few other areas is achieved largely due to alertness and corporation of the Civilian JTF and the security agencies.

    “Moreover, the search and rescue efforts for the abducted Chibok School girls remain on the front burner.

    “The above scenario presents a troubling condition that affects all and sundry in Borno State and the Norteast as a zone.”

    Jidda gave an insight into the biting effects of the insurgency on the citizenry.

    He said: “At this very moment, most parts of Borno State are being occupied by Boko Haram insurgents. Government presence and administration is minimal or non-existent across many parts of the state, with economic, commercial and social services totally subdued. Schools and clinics remain closed.

    “Most settlements in the affected areas in the state have either been deserted or access to them practically impossible, thus majority of the political stakeholders cannot, in real fact reach their constituencies.

    “So, the threat of insecurity affects everybody, irrespective of political differences. The enabling environment for politics and electioneering campaign is simply not obtainable at present in Borno State.”

    The SSG said he was not after political gains, but he felt he had a duty to speak out.

    He added: “At this juncture, it is pertinent to make some clarifications. Even though I remain a member of All Progressives Congress (APC), current SSG in Borno State and  having served the nation in the past as Ambassador of the Federal Republic and SSA to the President, I make this particular call in my individual capacity, as a privileged citizen and elder in Borno State.

    “I, therefore, crave your indulgence not to see my current endeavour from any political standpoint, but one borne out of patriotic interest for the peace and development of Borno State, the Northeast Zone and Nigeria.”

    Jidda begged all stakeholders and political leaders in the state to rise up to the challenge and make representation to the President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan to assist the state.

    He said the immediate priority of the people is peace and not election.

    He added: “As things stand now, the priority of the citizens is the immediate return of peace and restoration of basic social and economic conditions. In the view of many, the thought about politics and pursuit of political interest in this environment appears absurd, callous and morally repulsive.

    “In the light of the foregoing, I hereby make a clarion call on all the leaders and stakeholders of Borno State, regardless of political, religious and ethnic differences, to come together to address the challenge posed by insecurity in the state.

    “ It is a well-known fact that all over the world, when societies are challenged by a consuming crises or epidemic, citizens unite, putting aside partisan and personal differences, to solve problems that threaten the existence of the entire society. It will suffice to mention here the example of the proactive approach adopted by the Federal Government against the spread of the Ebola Virus, which has received national and international commendation. If similar proactive approach had been applied to the insurgency at inception, I strongly believe the escalation of the insurgency would have been curtailed.

    “In the light of this grim scenario, it is absolutely essential for all patriotic citizens of Borno State to rise up in a united spirit to focus and solve the challenges posed by insecurity, which is a real threat to our collective survival. In this regard, it is hereby proposed, first, that a meeting of all stakeholders, elders and statesmen from Borno State, irrespective of sectarian, ethnic and political persuasions, should be convened to review the state of affairs in Borno State.

    “ Second, this group should seek audience with the President of the Federal Republic to present collectively the unbearable conditions imposed on the people of Borno State by these crises, including the agony and pains of the abducted Chibok girls and their parents.

    “Such an approach is expected to specifically open gates for decisively tackling insecurity and its attendant economic and social burdens on our Borno State, the Northeast Zone and Nigeria as a whole. This approach is envisaged to rescue Borno State and return peace to create the essential environment for normal life and politics.

    The SSG also urged INEC to shelve the proposed bye-election for Jere Local Government House of Assembly Constituency.

    He said: “Finally, related to this, is the proposed bye-election for Jere Local Government House of Assembly Constituency. It is imperative to appeal to INEC to postpone forthwith, this bye-election slated for 3rd October 2014. This fervent call is necessary because the environment is not conducive for conducting elections.

    “At the moment, Maiduguri Metropolitan Council and Jere Local Government are full of refugees from Marte, Gwoza, Ngala, Bama and other parts of the state.

    “Once again, I wish to stress that in Borno State today, restoration of peace and normal life should be the essential and urgent concern. Pursuit of personal or partisan interests can wait till peace, law and order are fully obtained.”

  • Northern elite charged on positive attitude against insurgency

    Nigerians, especially the northerners have been told to stop the blame game and contribute positively to allaying the security challenge that is threatening the sovereign and oneness of the country.

    Dr. Danlami Arabs Rukujei, the Executive Secretary of Gombe State Emergency Management Agency SEMA, made the call in the state capital at the weekend.

    “So much is being done. But we all agree it is not enough. There is no community in the north that is sleeping with two eyes closed. That means there is still more work to be done,” said Rukujei.

    He told northern elites to face the issue squarely and address properly by identifying the root cause of the problem and proffering solutions once and for all, instead of the present self deceit approach.

    “We need as northerners to address the issue properly. Let’s identify what is happening and address it headlong so that we don’t deceive ourselves.

    “We cannot continue to deceive our people by saying that if Goodluck goes, all our problems will be solved. We as elite in the north know that it is not true.

    “Our problems will not end if Goodluck goes in 2015. What are you coming back to tell the people if that happens,” Rukujei wondered.

    He said much was being done to contain the security challenge in the northeast, but acknowledged that it is not enough as long as some communities in the north still sleep with their eyes open.

    He called on anyone with the magic wand that could stop the insurgency to kindly wave it, not for President Jonathan, but for the survival of the people in the north and indeed Nigerians as a whole.

  • Insurgency takes toll on telecom service in Northeast

    Residents of major towns in Borno State, an epicentre of Boko Haram insurgency,   are finding it difficult in accessing telecommunication services.

    They alleged that they are being compelled to pay heavily for telecoms services  because the network signals are poor.

    According to a resident who identified himself simply as Audu, any time some of them wish to make calls from their villages to Maiduguri or Abuja, they will need to trek as far as 30km to the next town where network signals have strayed into the community.

    Audu who spoke through an interpreter said: “Some of us are at the mercy of the network of neighbouring countries such as Cameroun, Niger or Chad. We need to communicate to survive and get along with our trans-Sharahan trade.

    “Northern Borno for instance is completely at the mercy of the Republic of Cameroun as most of the border towns do not have Nigerian networks. Where they do have, they do not operate with the +234 Nigerian country code. So to talk to loved ones in Mafa from Ngala for instance, we must migrate from the Cameroun country code of +237 to that of Nigeria’s +234 to get a cousin in Mafa just because there are no Nigerian masts to support their communications.”

    Another resident who identified himself as Ahmadou said while traveling along the federal road stretch, there were many areas where the networks disappeared and reappeared, especially on approaching a local government headquarters such as Dikwa.  “When I got to a particular bridge which is between  Cameroun and Nigeria, I was advised by fellow treavellers to avoid calls coming from Nigeria since my phone had already alerted me that I was now in Cameroun. Picking any call may lead to getting my entire airtime wiped off because call tariffs are far higher in Cameroun,” he said.

    He said Etisalat’s network took over the airwaves because it was the only contiguous network in the area, adding that what appeared on his mobile phone screen was: “Etisalt welcomes you to Cameroun N175 per minute for local calls, N395 per minute to call Nigeria, receive calls at N39 per minute and send text messages at N105 per page. Internet and data usage will be charged at N20 per 10kb session excluding local Blackberry and data plans.”

    The Nation’s checks revealed that almost all the major towns either do not have networks such as Airtel, MTN and Globacom or are using whatever Cameroun could offer simply because the base transmission stations (BTS) have been vandalised by the rampaging Boko Haram insurgents.

    Secretary, Borno Elders’ Forum, Bulama Gubio lamented that most of their towns and villages are not hooked to the major service providers. He alleged neglect in terms of the provision of telephony services.

    “When my people call Airtel or MTN, they are charged extra by these networks and that serves as a drain on the little they have,” he lamented

    Towns such as Abadon, Kukawa, Gubio, Magumeri, Marte and even the isolated Kalarbagi and more than 50 towns and villages are not connected to any service providers.

    A major dealer of telephones accessories and recharge cards, Tenimu Mustapha  lamented that his shop was overrun by insurgents recently, adding that he sells both Cameroonian and Nigerian air time for interested customers. He regretted that sales have gone down since the beginning of the insurgency in the area.

    He said: “We just have to remain at the mercy of Cameroon as long as our brothers in the rest of the country want us to remain so. You can’t imagine that each time we make a call to a place as close as Dikwa here or even Barma, we are charged more by Nigeria.

    “We are only exempted from that when we call the numerous villages and towns along the border towns. That means we will be restricted to within the Cameroun network instead of crossing into the +234 which is Nigeria’s.”

    Reacting to enquiries, Manager, Public Relations, Etisalat Brands and Communications Division, Chineze Amanfo said the telco does not charge discriminatory tariff in the country.

    She said: “The highest tariff on Etisalat network (offnet inclusive) are 40k/sec for voice calls, 5k per kilobyte for browsing and N4 per sms page. Any of these can only go higher if the customer is making an international call or browsing whilst roaming or sends text message to international number & premium rated services (downloads and special services).

    “We have the Dynamic Discount Tariff product – Talkzone for the NE region. Talkzone offers dynamic tariffs to customers based on the location and network utilisation at the time of call. This tariff was launched in October 2011, and remains active. It could give as much as over 90 per cent discount to on net calls (based on network utilisation at the time of call, that is a higher discount applies when network is less busy).”