The Nation Newspaper

Tag: victory

  • Not yet victory

    Not yet victory

    • Everyone must rally around the government to end the insecurity menace

    Without a doubt, Nigeria’s insecurity challenge is acute and a whole lot must be done to solve the problem. 

    That the National Assembly, over 16 years, passed 261 motions, codified 29 laws and spent N12 trillion in procuring security and defence platforms, aside from sundry special operations, reflect the legislature-executive efforts, over the years, to grapple with the ever-dynamic situation.

    Indeed, the Niger Delta militant crisis, the Boko Haram insurrection/terrorism in the North East and now the blind banditry that has gripped the North West geo-political zone and part of the North Central, show the changing faces of the same gargoyle.  Add equal-opportunity kidnapping even in the safer parts of the country, aside from South East’s flaring violence, and you will realise how endemic it has become.

    So, the National Assembly, in concert with the Federal Government, should not let off tinkering with ideas to radically improve this rather parlous situation. 

    While the media is duty bound to survey the environment and publish its findings as part of its surveillance (news) function, it must learn to jeer less and report with more empathy.  This is because peace and security are no “we” versus “them” issue.  They are rather issues in which everyone is locked and must play their parts.

    Still, benign or malign reportage, it is a fair query: after 16 years, N20 trillion spent and three presidential tenures in the fray, why no remarkable improvement? 

    Indeed, raw statistics suggest increasing fatalities, as the insecurity challenge drags on: 759 deaths under President Goodluck Jonathan, 63, 111 deaths under President Muhammadu Buhari and so far, 7, 582 under President Bola Tinubu, a figure sourced from the National Security Tracker (NST), run by the US Council on Foreign Relations’ Africa programme.

    If these numbers are correct, they are another grim reminder of how outpaced Nigeria is in the race against insecurity.  It should be a wake-up call for President Tinubu, yet to spend six months in office out of a four-year tenure.  The president and his administration surely have their jobs cut out for them!

    Still, this statistical Armageddon could well be misleading, if not in stark fatality numbers, then in the no less stark failure to appreciate the changing faces of the crisis.

    The first bout of insecurity was the Niger Delta militant crisis.  Because their target was blowing up economic assets to protest political marginalisation, direct human deaths were comparatively low.  Thousands of hunger and penury-stricken citizens could, however, have quietly died from the resultant economic pangs of bombing oil facilities.

    The second phase was Boko Haram terrorism, notorious for wanton killings, never before seen in Nigeria: suicide bombings, to terror attacks, murderous raids of remote villages, and capture of defenceless citizens into terror camps. 

    Read Also: Ex-militants: Tinubu’s Supreme Court victory judicial stamp of legitimacy

    Though Boko Haram today stands much defanged and the North East corridor much more pacified, high fatality figures stand as eternal testimony to the vicious terror campaign.  Yet today, Boko Haram is not Nigeria’s number one security challenge.

    That perch belongs to banditry in the North West and some parts of North Central, especially Niger and Plateau states.  Much of this tragedy was fired by terrorists fleeing from the hot North East theatre, but with their small arms, wreaking havoc on rural citizens, with wilful massacre and audacious kidnappings. 

    Other terrorists escaped deep into the South West, as the so-called “Fulani herdsmen”, over which the southern media got rather hysterical, under President Buhari.  Also, clashes between Hausa farmers and Fulani pastoralists, over grazing fields and cattle rustling, resulted in humongous loss of human lives and sundry trauma.

    So, whereas NST stats suggest things get from bad to worse (using the increased number of dead or maimed citizens), the reality would appear not quite so.  The many special operations continue to contain the felons, even if citizens wished for far better results, in far reduced loss of lives. 

    Facing this continuing nightmare birthed sundry resolutions, both by the Senate and the House of Representatives.  So, rather than condemn these efforts as “useless”, they are logical reactions to constituents’ angst.  Such should be encouraged as pointers to areas where the security architecture can face for better results.

    Still, to be fair, there have been some hare-brained suggestions, both as motions from the legislature, and rash declarations by state governors.  Kabiru Mai Peace, a House of Representatives member from Zamfara State just moved that his Zamfara folks, especially in areas prone to banditry, be allowed to carry arms to defend themselves.

    Dikko Umar Radda, governor of Katsina State, has also pushed the Katsina people’s democratic right to buy Ak-47 rifles, rocket-propelled guns (RPGs) and other fearsome arms.  Ironically, that call came after Governor Radda had put in place a 1, 500-strong Watch Corps, a Katsina vigilante group, officially armed by the state, to war against banditry, kidnapping and sundry violent crimes.

    It’s rather shocking that such calls could come from members of the legislature and the executive — and it wouldn’t be the first time; and, as it stands, it might not even be the last.  These clearly are the voicing of impotent rage, at a federal system and its wilful refusal to avail itself the maximum federal security solution at its disposal.

    Rather than proliferating legal arms, formalising state police is the clear ultimate solution to the problem — formalising, because many states are already informally involved in the federal security apparatus, without calling these outfits state police.  The South West already has the Amotekun Corps, Lagos State has the Neighbourhood Watch Corps, Katsina just put in place its own Watch Corps. 

    To further extend the security network in concert with the Nigeria Police, state police is the answer.  That will not only increase the policing personnel nationwide, it will also boost neighbourhood intelligence, which could ward off most crimes even before they are carried out and also foster technical training and exchange of ideas between the central police and its state components.

    Besides, granting everyone access to arms is a flagrant breach of the Social Contract, from which emanated pristine governance, in which the citizens ceded parts of their rights to a central power, in exchange for common protection.  The United States, as big and powerful as it is, breached this concept, with its liberal arms policy.  For that it is paying a heavy toll, with widespread shooting and killing, reported within its wide — and wild — jurisdiction.

    Nigeria’s security challenge is dire.  But it’s no time to press the panic button. Everyone must play their parts to birth a new dawn.   

  • Victory for wives of slain Ogoni leaders as Dutch court rules against Shell

    IT was a major victory yesterday for the wives of four slain Ogoni leaders. A Dutch court gave an interim ruling in favour the women who sued oil giant Shell.

    The women, Esther Kiobel, Victoria Bera, Blessing Eawo and Charity Levula, sued Shell for its alleged role in the unlawful arrest, detention and execution of their husbands in 1995 by the administration of former military Head of State, the late Gen. Sani Abacha.

    Shell, which was extracting oil from Ogoni, had argued that the District Court of The Hague lacked jurisdiction to entertain the suit. But the court ruled otherwise.

    According to a statement by Amnesty International (AI), the court yesterday issued an interim ruling in the case instituted by Mrs Kiobel and the three other women with regard to Shell’s involvement in the unlawful arrest, detention and execution of their husbands by the Federal Government.

    The court ruled in favour of the plaintiffs, establishing that it has jurisdiction of the case and that this should not be time-barred.

    The court also ruled that Shell should hand over some confidential internal documents to the plaintiffs’ lawyers, and that they would have the opportunity to examine witnesses.

    AI’s Head of Business & Human Rights, Mark Dummett, said: “This decision marks a vital step towards justice for Esther and the other plaintiffs. It also sets an important precedent for other victims around the world who are seeking to hold powerful corporations to account, and who struggle to access justice.

    “We salute Esther Kiobel, Victoria Bera, Blessing Eawo and Charity Levula. It’s only because of their courage and persistence that we’ve got this far.”

  • Buhari deserves victory, say Ekiti elders

    Ekiti State All Progressives Congress (APC) Elders Forum has congratulated Governor Kayode Fayemi on his 54th birthday and grateful that President Muhammadu Buhari won the 2019 election.

    In a statement, the chairman of the forum Asiwaju George Akosile, said the efforts of the governor amplified Buhari’s victory in the state.

    He noted that APC’s brilliant performance was due to the support from its members and people of the state, hoping that it would translate to rapid development of the state.

    Read also: Ohanaeze Southwest mourns Debe Ojukwu

    Akosile said Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and Ekiti State Deputy Governor Bisi Egbeyemi’s support were exemplary.

    “We commend both the governor Dr. Kayode Fayemi and his deputy Otunba Bisi Egbeyemi for their transformational agenda in redefining the image of Ekiti State.”

  • Victory, nemesis and reality

    The  Nigerian  presidential  and National Assembly elections  of February  23 have come and gone and President Muhammadu Buhari  has been reelected by a margin of about  4m votes.

    His  defeated opponent Abubakar  Atiku  has  not conceded  defeat and  has not congratulated the winner and  his excuse  is that  ‘the election was not free  and fair  but was marred by many  irregularities’.

    In the senate, the Senate President was defeated  and lost  his seat while the Speaker  was reelected.  It  is in the context of the victory  of the reelected president, the defeat of the Senate President and the inability  of the defeated presidential  candidate in these  elections  to  accept  defeat  that,  I  have  couched today’s headline.  I enjoin you  therefore  to come along with me as I    dilate  on a victory  that the winner  must  savour  for several  reasons. It  comes  alongside  a defeat  for a Senate President that    I call  Nemesis.  Which  is inevitable retributive justice  for  a member  of the ruling APC  who  threw spanner in the works  for  the party  whilst  it  was  savouring  its    2015 victory    and  was preparing to go  over to the Legislature  to take power four years  ago.

    It  is necessary    first  and foremost  to congratulate  the winner on his reelection. Quite  typical  of his levelheadedness  and magnanimity in victory  however  he has asked his followers  not  to gloat or  humiliate  the losers  of  the opposing  party  in their celebration of  victory. That  is  how  it  should  be although there is  no denying  that  in politics,  as in  life, failure  is an  orphan  whilst  success  has many  fathers. The  defeated candidate  has  promised to  go to court  to contest  the election results  and the Secretary  to the Government  of the Federation –SGF –  has  said    at  a victory  party  of the,  that the  victorious and re-elected  government  is  not  afraid  of  any litigation  on its  victory  because Nigeria  is a democracy.  Which  again  is  a positive development  for  our  democracy, as  in any  meaningful democracy  the majority  must  have its  way  whilst  the minority must  have  its  say.

    It  follows  therefore  that Abubakar  Atiku who  lost  the  election by  4 million  votes must  be allowed  to have his day in court  and air  his grievances in open court for the courts  to pronounce  judgement  one way or the other. Even  all  the way  to the Supreme  Court for  a final  and incontestable  decision of the highest  court  of the land.  That  is the way  and manner  our presidential system  of  government works,  according to our constitution  and  under  the rule  of  law. It  follows  that although  victory  has  been  lost  and won, it is not over until  it is over for  the Nigerian  presidential  elections  as the battle  has shifted  from  the  polling  booths  to  our temples  of  justice. There  they    will  proclaim on the legality, acceptance, or otherwise  on the way  and manner  the elections were  conducted  on February  23,  2019,  nation  wide.

    It  is therefore necessary  and pertinent  to  consider  the nature of victory, the manner of    retribution  or indignation    on  it and  the  reasons  for  rejection of  the presidential  election by the loser. In  pursuit  of this  we draw on the actions and utterances of the  political  actors  who  participated  in the postponed  election  which  had  Nigerians  very  apprehensive and anxious on  a peaceful  outcome  which  has however  materialized even  though  some  30  Nigerians  lost their lives  to  election

    violence.

    Let  me state clearly  that  I am  happy  that  I predicted  that the deterrence order on election  riggers by  the president    would  work positively  for his  re election. It  surely  has worked  for  him and his party  as it  showed they  had a stake  in the integrity of the Nigerian  electoral  process  as well  as  a peaceful  and fair election  which    the  president  has successfully supervised.  It is necessary  to remind  the reelected  president that he promised  to take  up  INEC  on  the unexpected  postponement after  the elections.  It  is necessary  to do  this  and not allow  it  to be forgotten  in the euphoria  of  victory,  no matter  how  sweet.

    Undoubtedly, the president’s  victory  was due  to massive turn out in Kano, Kaduna  and Katsina  his  home  state. These  three  K states-  3K –  have shown  that they  are  the crown jewels of  the Nigeria’s  participatory  democracy  as they  showed  that  even  as voter  turn out  was minimal  nation  wide  the turn out in the 3K states  was  stupendous  and  was the reason  for  the victory  and reelection of  the winner.  In  effect  then  the energetic, nation  wide  campaign  of  the winner was  not  in vain.

    Similarly his campaign  strategists  seem  to know  their  onions well  and can enjoy  their  victory  which  they have earned. There  is  no denying that they know Nigeria like the palm of their hands  and know  where voter  registration and  turn  out  matter  and they  zeroed in on that  and the result  has  been  productive  in the scale of  victory of their  presidential  candidate and their  party.  Surely  they can  afford to beat their chest  and  pat themselves on the back  for a job well  done.

    Nevertheless  it is necessary  to look at  the other  side of the coin, which  is the losing side in this election. In  a published speech, the loser  Atiku  Abubakar  lamented that  in his three decades long involvement  in Nigeria’s  politics he has ‘  never  seen our democracy  so  debased ‘ as it was  in the February  23  presidential  election. According to him  – democracy  will  not be emasculated in Nigeria ‘as  he insisted that  there  were predetermined  malpractices in several  states.  He  reportedly wondered  why  states  that were  ravaged  by  terrorism  had  more voter turn  out  than  those  that  were  not. He  said that  would seem  to endorse  the view  that insecurity  guaranteed  larger  voter turn  than  security.

    On  that score  the loser  seems  to  have  missed  the point especially  as a  Nigerian leader  from  the  North.  Repeated census  figures in Nigeria, on which  parliamentary  seats, local governments  and states  have been  created, have  always  favored the  North  and  census  is  a sore  point  for the  Nigerian  state and  its  politics. For  someone who  was a Vice  President  and has benefitted  from this  arrangement politically, it  is like crying  wolf  when  there  is  none  on  the 3K  states  large voter  turn out, or  terrorism  and  immense  voter  turn  out this  time  around.  The  census  figures  are  there  for  all to  see. Whether  they    correspond    with  North  –  South migration,    climate  change,  ecological  or  demographic  reality in our  large  and diverse nation, is another  matter. For  now the election results  reflect  our  legal  demographic  realities and the loser  should  go  to court  as he has promised. Nevertheless  in  my  view,  he has shown  more guts  and    sincerity  in airing  his dissent,  far  better  than  the peace  of the grave yard  that  was secured after  the  2015  elections.  Once  again, long live the Federal Republic  of  Nigeria.

  • Victory is yours, Oba of Lagos tells Buhari

    THE Oba of Lagos, Oba Rilwan Akiolu, yesterday described President Muhammadu Buhari as a man of his words, adding that he would be victorious in Saturday’s presidential election.

    Akiolu spoke when Buhari and his campaign team visited his palace at Iga Iduganra shortly after arriving the state in continuation of the presidential rallies ahead of the Feb. 16 election.

    The traditional leader, who noted that the body of traditional rulers in the state is happy to receive the team, said they appreciated Buhari’s efforts as a highly respected person in Nigeria.

    He assured Buhari that there would be a repeat of his 2015 electoral victory in the coming election.

    “Give Buhari another chance and you will see how Nigeria will move forward,” Akiolu said.

    The monarch decried the rot that past administrations left behind in the country.

    “We should not go back to the past again. Now that you are here, Isha Allau, on Feb. 16, God will open the way for you. The best will happen to you,” he said.

    Akiolu, the Chairman, Lagos State Traditional Council of Obas and Chiefs, thanked the President for his achievements since assuming office and urged Nigerians to continue to support him.

    He listed a catalogue of requests, including mass transit and pressing issues on the Apapa Ports, which he said had all been committed into writing.

    Akiolu presented Buhari with a Quran as he prayed for him.

    In his response, Buhari commended Akiolu’s appreciation of the efforts of his government.

    “I appreciate all you have said and I assure you that I will continue to do my best.

    “The promise we made through our party in 2015, our country needs to be secured and properly managed.

    “If there is no security, we cannot do anything no matter your resources. We thank God our efforts have brought some fruits,” Buhari said.

    He said that his government was working hard to end importation of rice and ensure self-dependence.

    “We can feed ourselves and the money we save, we can put it in infrastructure; we are building the roads, we are building the rails and we are building power.

    “But the failure of former administrations in spite of enormous revenue they got to develop infrastructure is amazing,” Buhari said.

    He commended the Minister of Works, Power and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, on his hard work and efficiency for keeping contractors on their toes, saying that he has done creditably well.

    Earlier in his welcome address, Gov. Akinwunmi Ambode said the state was very delighted to receive the President and for all he had done for the state.

    ”It is my pleasure to welcome Mr President and Mr Vice President to the palace of the Oba of Lagos, who is the chairman of the council of Obas and Chiefs in Lagos State.

    ”On behalf of all of them, we welcome you to Lagos State in continuation of your presidential campaign rally.

    “We are very delighted to receive you; we are very appreciative of everything that you have done for us in Lagos State.

    “All our Kabiyesis are also very appreciative,” Ambode said.

    According to him, Lagos has remained very peaceful in the last four years and the security and safety of Lagos cannot be underscored without the cooperation of all our traditional rulers.

    He commended specially the Oba of Lagos and other traditional rulers for keeping the peace for the government.

    According to Ambode, the President, Vice President and other party stalwarts are in the palace to receive royal blessings.

    He added that with the royal blessings, APC will continue to hold strong in the state.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Buhari who arrived the palace at exactly 10:59 am departed with his team before noon.

    In the team were Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Gov. Gboyega Oyetola of Osun, APC Chieftain Bisi Akande, the National Leader of APC, Sen. Bola Tinubu and others.

  • ‘Ogun PDP sure of victory’

    The Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ogun State, Chief Adebayo Dayo, has said the party will wrest power from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in next year’s general elections.

    Dayo said the PDP had been repositioned and rebranded to attract new members from the APC and other parties.

    He said the main opposition is the party to beat in Ogun State.

    There are two factions of PDP in the state: the Dayo-led executive loyal to Senator Buruji Kashamu is recognised by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC); the National Executive-backed the Sikirulahi Ogundele faction working for Ladi Adebutu.

    Dayo, who spoke to our correspondent at the party’s secretariat in Abeokuta, the state capital, insisted that despite the split, “we are strong enough to win the elections in February 2019”.

    He added: “There is no problem in engaging APC.  It is not a party we are afraid of; it is a party of the past, drawing Nigeria backwards.

    “The PDP is in majority in Ogun State. We will not allow them to rig the election. We will make sure our votes count. We have confidence in the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and law enforcement agents that they would perform their duties according to the rules.”

    The party chairman did not rule out reconciliation with the other group.

  • Cross River and Ayade’s referendum victory

    Leadership is not a tea party. This is why in a competitive, participatory democracy like ours, leaders with stellar leadership qualities, and not empty rhetorics and bare-faced lies, easily sway the led and stir them into unquestionable acceptance of, and unalloyed loyalty and support  to their leader.

    In Cross River State, we are lucky to have such a leader in Professor Ben Ayade. And he has never hidden he too is equally lucky to have appreciative followership.

    Three years ago Ayade entered into a social contract with the people of the state when he sought for their vote to become governor in return for purposeful and people oriented governance. Professor Ayade has kept faith. The people have also kept faith.

    It has been a rock-solid symbiotic relationship that pernicious propaganda has failed to break. While Governor Ayade clinically delivers on the social contract in the mold of good governance, the people in turn, at every juncture, reciprocate by showing unwavering support to him.

    Last week, Cross Riverians again, via the Peoples Democratic Party’s landslide victory in the Obudu state constituency bye- election, emphatically and loudly stated their readiness to swim or sink with Ayade in appreciation of his magical re- making of the state for the better. Stakeholders, including Ayade, an indigene of Obudu himself, agree the bye-election was a sort of a vote of confidence, a referendum.

    Hear Ayade: “The election was more of a referendum on my acceptability and stewardship to my people. There couldn’t be any more resounding affirmation from my people than this. Basically, it is more or less like a referendum… it is a validation of my own service. I am a member of the PDP and definitely I am happy the party won”

    Indeed, the bye- election and a similar one held in Yakurr Local Government  Area of the state in 2016 which the PDP also won, were a referendum, not only on the popularity of Professor Ayade but also on his performance as governor since taking office. The two electoral victories by the PDP have confirmed the opposition only has a feathery presence in the state and has therefore been overrating itself. But of course, talk is cheap.

    The opposition’s emptiness in the state was rudely exposed by the outcome of these bye-elections. Of course; the PDP had no problem handing a crushing defeat to them, a glaring product of Ayade’s state wide acceptance.

    When a leader puts the people first by working for them and giving them a new lease of life, when a leader displays a deep sense of justice and fair play, followers naturally queue behind him. This can be gleaned from the nomination and victory of Mrs Abbey Ukpukpen, widow of late Hon. Steven Ukpukpen, former occupant of the seat, in the Obudu state constituency bye- election into the Cross River state House of Assembly.

    Many politicians had opposed her candidacy on the ground that she is not from Obudu, her husband’s local government but Ayade’s sense of justice prevailed over parochial sentiments. He insisted on Mrs. Ukpukpen based on justice and compassion rather than political calculations.

    The PDP/ Mrs.Ukpukpen’s victory of course means heartache for the opposition. But for Ayade, it bears quantum testimony to the fact that performance is a sure elixir that easily stirs the people towards positive direction.

    All fair minded Cross Riverians attest to Ayade’s people-oriented achievements. His projects speak for him and like a gold fish, Professor Ayade’s unprecedented strides in all sectors of the Cross River economy are difficult to hide hence his sterling performance in Cross River continues to attract effusive praises, support and accolades to him.

    Just last week, traders in Watts, the biggest market in Calabar, the Cross River state capital, endorsed him for second term and requested to be included in his re-election campaign team.

    The over 7,000 traders, under the aegis of Capital Traders Umbrella Association, CATU, said their endorsement was based on Ayade’s commendable achievements in various sectors of the economy including the revolution in agriculture, education, industrial sector, job creation, infrastructure as well as creation of a business-friendly environment in the state which has positively impacted on their various businesses.

    Under Ayade, Cross River State has emerged as the most improved state in Health in the South South geo-political zone and in recognition of his intervention in the sector; the Governor has been adjudged one of the six best performing governors in Health in Nigeria by the World Bank and the Federal Government.

    This recognition comes on the heels of  the Best Performing Governor on Agriculture Award which BusinessDay Newspaper recently conferred on Professor Ayade.

    Essentially, under the Ayade-led administration, Cross River has attained several milestones in the health sector, including the significant reduction in maternal mortality. The state also has the highest child survival rate in Nigeria just as it is the first state to have its local government areas declared open defecation free in West Africa.

    Professor Ayade has built and completed the Calabar Pharmaceutical Company and is building three ultra-modern referral hospitals, one in each senatorial district.

    Under him, Cross River is on the verge of achieving HIV goal 90 90 90 with Calabar municipality being the first local government in Nigeria to achieve this.

    The launch of the universal Health Insurance Scheme known as Ayadecare, to ensure universal health coverage in the state irrespective of economic status, is yet another milestone in the health sector undertaken by the Ayade administration. Ayadecare provides free healthcare for pregnant women, children, refugees and IDPs in addition to the building and/ or equipping of over 50 Primary and Secondary Health Facilities in the state.

    Many visitors to Cross River and the teeming population of the state, who continue to marvel at how Ayade is able to accomplish so much within three years with meager financial inflow, have dubbed him a poster boy of performance and a case study of how a leader can strike a delicate but workable balance between social welfare, industrialization, infrastructural and economic development and in the face limited resource.

    No wonder a presidential aspirant of the PDP, Kabiru Taminu Saraki recently advised leaders to emulate Ayade.This too explains why the people of Cross River are ecstatic about their governor.

    • Ita is media aide to Ayade

  • Be humble in victory, Ajimobi tells poll winners

    Oyo State Governor Abiola Ajimobi has congratulated winners of Saturday’s local government election and the All Progressives Congress (APC) Local Government Congress winners.

    The governor urged them to be magnanimous in victory.

    Ajimobi gave the commendation in a statement yesterday in Ibadan, the capital, by his Special Adviser on Communication and Strategy, Mr. Bolaji Tunji, after release of results of the poll by the state Independent Electoral Commission (OYSIEC).

    The statement said of the 33 local government areas and 35 local council development areas (LCDAs) where elections held, APC candidates won all chairmanship and councillorship seats.

    Also, Ajimobi said he was thrilled by the peaceful and orderly conduct of the rescheduled local government congress of the APC, held yesterday in the 33 local government headquarters.

    The governor urged losers in both contests to eschew violence and be gallant in defeat.

    He noted that in every contest, including elections, there will be winners and losers.

    Ajimobi urged APC faithful to be orderly and law-abiding.

    The governor advised those who aggrieved to explore lawful channels to seek redress.

    He said: “We have proved sceptics and the doubting Thomas wrong with the successful and orderly conduct of the local government election, 11 years after the last one was held. This is another defining moment in the life of our administration.

    “I congratulate our party, the APC, winners in the local government election and those who emerged victorious in our party’s congresses across the local government headquarters in the state. It was through the support of all the stakeholders we were able to surmount the initial obstacles.

    “For the winners, I urge you to be magnanimous in victory, and I want the losers to be gallant in defeat, knowing fully well that the losers of today may be the winners tomorrow with tenacity and sense of purpose. Elections should not always be about winning but about taking part.

    “I want to admonish our party faithful who might be dissatisfied with the local government congresses and losers in the local government election across the participating political parties to eschew unruly conduct capable of igniting crisis in any part of the state. Violence is never a proper response to losing an election because it does no one any good.

    “With the successful conduct of our party’s ward and local government congresses, as witnessed by the congress committee and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), I urge our party members to brace themselves for Saturday’s state congress, which will climax the process.”

  • Buhari congratulates Bio on victory

    President Muhammadu Buhari has congratulated Julius Maada Bio on his victory as the new President of Sierra Leone after the presidential election run-off on March 31.

    The President, in a statement by the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, hailed the people of Sierra Leone on the successful conduct of the presidential election run-off as well as the parliamentary and local council elections held on March 7.

    With the elections concluded and following the trend of recently held peaceful elections in West Africa, Buhari urged all stakeholders in Sierra Leone to work together for the country’s peace, security and growth.

    He enjoined those with grievances over the outcome of the elections to seek constitutional means of resolving them, stressing that nothing should be done to endanger the peace and stability of the country in particular and the sub-region in general.

    The Nigerian leader also saluted the resilient spirit of Sierra Leoneans, who have clearly demonstrated their ability to manage their own affairs and consolidate on the country’s progress after a post-conflict era.

    He hailed the immediate past president, Ernest Bai Koroma, for his commitment to a credible electoral process and spirited efforts at bringing stability and positive changes to the nation during his presidency.

    The President looks forward to working with President Bio for the growth, prosperity and stability of their nations, and West Africa.

     

  • Amnesty for repentant Boko Haram members and the audacity of victory

    I am an ardent follower of the cause of humanity. So, I will be unfair to myself if I view certain issues of humanity from the same narrow prisms like others. Invariably, it would mean my knowledge as a student of human rights and international humanitarian law, coupled with my researches and interactions with multiple conflict resolution experts across the globe is useless to me. I say this without haughtiness.

    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.