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2023: Mamman Daura eminently qualified to speak on Nigeria’s future as a statesman – Coalition for Nigeria

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The Coalition for Nigeria (CN) says it is in order for President Muhammadu Buhari’s nephew, Mamman Daura, as an elder statesman, to speak on the future of Nigeria.

Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday in Abuja, Patriot Sabo Ode, President of the Coalition expressed total support for the veteran journalist’s vision for a new Nigeria.

Daura had in a recent interview aired by BBC Hausa Service dismissed the issue of zoning and rotation of the nation’s presidency.

He had argued that competence, not geography, should determine the next president of Nigeria in 2023, stressing that: “This turn-by-turn was done once, twice, and three times. It is better for this country to be one it should be for the most competent person and not for someone who comes from somewhere”.

And according to CN, the outrage that trailed Daura’s assertion is “unnecessary due to the noble and patriotic goal it is capable of achieving for the country”.

The group added that Daura’s preference for competence over parochial considerations should be applauded, especially as he did not in any way favour any region or zone.

The Coalition, however, advised the Ohanaeze Ndigbo and others that is high time the country moves away from parochial sentiments and submit to the dynamics of modern time.

The group further said it is 100 per cent behind Daura in his quest to ensure that qualitative and best form of leaders for the country emerge in 2023 and beyond.

Read the full statement below:

Gentlemen of the press, we are delighted to address you on a matter that has recently stirred unnecessary controversy on the basis of the misinterpretation given to it.

We are of the view that the controversy evoked by the statement from one our most respected elder statesman in the country, Malam Mamman Daura, is not only misplaced but unnecessary due to the noble and patriotic goal it is capable of achieving for the country.

Besides, it is our considered opinion that if the context of the statement made by Malam Daura can be viewed objectively and without sentiments, the nation would be spared all the uproar and set on the right path to true and quality leadership.

The Issue

Malam Mamman Daura, who is known to be one of the closest persons to President  Muhammadu Buhari, had on Tuesday, stated in the course of an interview with the BBC Hausa Service, that competence, not geography should determine the next president of Nigeria in 2023 and beyond.

He was quoted to have said that, “This turn-by-turn (presidency), it was done once, it was done twice, and it was done thrice… It is better for this country to be one. It should be for the most competent and not for someone who comes from somewhere.”

This statement if viewed objectively implies that since Nigerians have tried the rotational presidency three times already, it would be better to go for the most qualified candidate in 2023 irrespective of whether he comes from the North or the South.

But this trite and wise statement has however been given various interpretations by sections of the country, who view it as an attempt by the North to deny other regions in the country the opportunity to have a shot at the presidency as the eight-year tenure of the current administration ends in 2023.

Reactions

The apex Igbo socio-cultural group, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, for instance, condemned the call by Malam Daura, saying it is the turn of the South, particularly the Southeast, to produce the president in 2023.

Ohaneze in its reaction said Mr Daura’s statement was self-serving and views it as part of a plot to deny the Sout, and in particular the Southeast, the Presidency.

Said Ohanaeze, “They ganged up to push President Jonathan aside because they believed it was the turn of the North to produce the President”.

“Having benefited enormously from his nephew being the President, he now wants it jettisoned because it is the turn of the South”.

The organization then warned that equity should not be sacrificed on the altar of parochialism since it was the rotation sentiment that produced the present incumbent.

It said, “Talking about competence or most qualified, was President Buhari the most qualified Nigerian when he ascended the presidency? Has he proved to be the most competent? Are the service chiefs the most competent among their colleagues to warrant they’re being retained beyond their tenure?”

“Now that it is the turn of the South, precisely South East, he is mouthing most qualified and competent. Equity is a constant flagship for peace and good governance. Without it, there will be continued agitation and crisis.”

The Afenifere on its part said the Daura’s interview had exposed the deceit of the North and its selfish agenda.

The group said, “It is amusing to see those, who were singing zoning or tearing down of Nigeria before 2015, now becoming the apostles of competence after taking eight years. This is the most selfish orchestra.

The Niger Delta socio-cultural group, the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) also condemned Daura’s position and described Daura’s statement as not only insensitive but ‘most unfortunate and unarguably capable of creating unnecessary tension in the country.’

Other groups and individuals also spoke in a similar vein with most latching high on emotions while leaving the substance of the issue addressed by Malam Daura.

The crux of the matter

It is at this juncture that we wish to put in proper perspective, the issue raised by Malam Daura and to situate the statement in its proper context.

First and foremost, Malam Daura did not say any region should be favoured for the presidency in 2023.

His comment did not in any way show favour to any region or zone, neither did he exclude any region or zone as not being competent to provide credible leadership for the country in 2023 and beyond.

He only sought to emphasise the merit of competence over parochial considerations.

What his statement implies is that if the best candidate happens to be from any zone in the country, whether the person is from the South-south, Northeast, Southeast, Northcentral, Southwest or Northwest, that person should automatically qualify to be president of Nigeria.

This means that if competence is lacking in any of the candidates from any zone including the North where Daura hails from, then that persons should not be given the chance to rule Nigeria.

How that implies that he is favouring the North beats one’s imagination as nowhere was that implied in the statement.

Another thing is that Malam Daura’s statement seeks to place merit above all other considerations for the leadership recruitment process in Nigeria which is what all well-meaning Nigerians have been hankering on as opposed to a situation where sentiments are allowed to be the overall guiding principle.

Addressing some of the concerns

Having said that, it is pertinent to address some of the issues raised by these groups and individuals.

To say that Malam Daura is raising the issue now because the North would be expected to leave power in 2023 is akin to trying to railroad other Nigerians into believing there was an agreement entered into for some zones not to contest in 2023.

In 2015 as well as 2019, political parties fielded candidates from different zones in the country without exclusion. This presupposes that all qualified Nigerians were eligible to contest irrespective of the zones they hail from hence what would be the basis to assume that a particular should be excluded in subsequent elections?

Again, to say that President Muhammadu Buhari is a product of zoning is one of the cheapest lies anyone can weave in contemporary history.

Recall that when Buhari declared his intention to run as Nigeria’s President in 2001, it was on the platform of the ANPP and the party at that time had not provisioned for zoning in its Constitution.

The APP which later became ANPP,  if you will recall, had given its ticket to Olu Falae in the 1999 election and Falae was expected to pick the form in the subsequent election but did not show up.

Rather, it was people like Rochas Okorocha, Harry Kande etc that contested in the primary of the party with Buhari.

The fact that the other aspirants were from other zones in the country showed that the party never gave zoning any primacy but allowed each individual to run on merit.

This had been the principal Buhari stood for as he consistently ran for elections irrespective of the perception in the then ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, of where the presidency was zoned to.

This shows that President Buhari has been strong believer incompetence and merit from the beginning and had always used himself as an example to encourage others.

The slant that going on merit is meant to deny the Southeast a chance at the presidency is an insult on the enterprising spirit of the average southeasterner who prefers to work hard for what he desires rather than beg to be given.

It is therefore surprising that Ohanaeze Ndi’Igbo, which should be at the forefront for enthroning hard work and enterprise should be the one positioning the region as waiting for hand out.

The truth is that, at no time did other Nigerian decide that the presidency should go to a particular zone.

In 2015, then President Jonathan contested with Buhari for the presidency on different platforms of political parties.

Then, we did not hear the Ohanaeze saying Jonathan should pull out of the race since the perception is that the North should have it.

If Jonathan had won in 2015, we wonder whose turn it would have been in 2019 as there are at least three other zones in the North and two others in the South that might be interested.

It is surprising that in the 21st century that any right-thinking person should prefer sectional privileges to merit when we should all be striving for the best.

Bringing the issue of the service chiefs or others who are appointees of the President is neither here nor there as these people were chosen at the discretion of the President and we believe that Ohanaeze which is a socio-cultural organisation, lacks the necessary credential to judge whether they’re the best for their fields or not.

Way Out

It is high time the country moves away from parochial sentiments and submit to the dynamics of modern time which trumps competence over sectional considerations.

What is required to achieve that is for the parties to come up with high standards for the selection of their candidates so as to appeal to the electorate.

This we believe is the way forward if the country is to get it right in its quest for good leadership.

We, therefore, support Mamman Daura 100 per cent in his quest to ensure the qualitative and best form of leaders for the country in 2023 and beyond.

This genuine and patriotic desire for the country should be commended by all well-meaning Nigerians.

Pro-Buhari group hails Senator Ekwunife, calls on APC legislators to lead support for military on war against insurgency

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The Network of Friends and Supporters of Buhari (NFSB) has saluted the lawmaker representing Anambra Central in the National Assembly, Uche Ekwunife, for putting aside politics to show solidarity with the military in the war against insurgency.

In a statement signed by Publicity Secretary, Comrade Silas Giwa, on Wednesday, the pro-Buhari group challenged legislators in the ruling party to follow her “sterling example”.

Despite being a member of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Ekwunife rated the military highly in their fight against Boko Haram/ ISWAP terrorists in the northeast, calling on Nigerians to render maximum support in their final clearance operation.

“Our military has so far been performing well and securing numerous victories against the insurgents within the limits of the resources at their disposal,” she said. “They have been neutralising and containing many fronts.”

Commending the Senator, the Network of Friends and Supporters of Buhari said it is unfortunate that APC lawamkers have instead resorted to distracting and castigating the military at the slightest instance.

According to the group, Ekwunife chose the ” right course of action by supporting the military and imploring ways and strategies to savage the situation”, adding that her

“position on the solution to the insurgency is profound and reassuring considering that she is a member of the opposition”.

The NFSB, however, advised other lawmakers that have gone rogue and switched allegiance to terrorists instead of pursuing the good of the country at all times in line with the oath they swore to change.

The group also called on state governors from the northeast, relevant stakeholders and Nigerians to join hands with President Buhari and the service chiefs to put a final end to Boko Haram.

Read full statement below:

The Network of Friends and Supporters of Buhari is elated to note that there are still Nigerians in position of authority that are capable of evaluating national issues from broad perspectives as recently demonstrated by Uche Ekwunife (People’s Democratic Party, PDP, Anambra Central), who discarded narrow interests to acknowledge that the Armed Forces of Nigeria are doing a good job with fighting terrorism.

We acknowledge Senator Ekwunife for her forthrightness in the interview she granted to a national newspaper in which she commended the Nigerian Army for the excellent job it has done in fighting the enemies of Nigeria even though she also pointed out the shortcomings that could be improved upon by that institution.

Our position is informed by the unwholesome activities of some lawmakers, many of them from the ruling party, who have turned their presence in the National Assembly into opportunity for distracting and castigating the military in order to get at President Muhammadu Buhari. It is most of unfortunate that these critics are the ones that have been caught harbouring Boko Haram operatives, financing terrorists or stealing from the money earmarked for combating the insurgency.

For us, what the Senator did is true activism and a sterling example of how to represent a constituency. The eloquence she blended with logic and facts in the interview is a model that we highly recommend for other federal lawmakers that have gone rogue and switch allegiance to terrorists instead of pursuing the good of the Federal Republic of Nigeria at all times in line with the oath they swore.

Her position on the solution to the insurgency is profound and reassuring considering that she is a member of the opposition. She has shown a  hich is something that some lawmakers in Mr. President’s own party have shown they are incapable of.

We advise members of the National Assembly, particularly those that are in the habit of sponsoring questionable motions, to a cue from Senator Ekwunife and learn what true nationalism is. Where they had sown division, she blazed the trail of bipartisanship that is devoid of ethnic and sectarian posturing.

We urge Nigerians including her colleagues in the National Assembly to support Mr. President win the war on insurgency, which is ordinarily what all Nigerians would be expect members of the All progressives Congress (APC).

We had for long been forlorn that members of parliament refused to complement Mr. President’s anti-terrorism efforts while rather embarking on clandestine meetings to frustrate the efforts of the Service and Security Chiefs. But Senator Ekwunife has shown us the flicker of hope that has revived in us the possibility that the Commander-in-Chief may yet enjoy the needed legislative support if lawmakers like Senator Ekwunife can penetrate the hard heartedness that lack of patriotism has sown in some of her colleagues.

The realization that all Nigerians must be involved in the war against terrorism, coming from Senator Ekwunife, an opposition Senator, shows that Nigeria still have people with conscience. We call on the Senate, the House of Representatives and state Governors from the northeast to join hands with President Buhari and the service chiefs to put a final end to Boko Haram’s insurgency and banditry in Nigeria.

As we salute the courage of Senator Ekwunife for daring to say the truth at a time when many are jumping on the bandwagon of uninformed criticism, we are paying Oliver Twist by appealing to her to organize focal group discussions with her colleagues so that she can enlighten them on how to set aside narrow interests to embrace what serves the collective good of Nigerians.

150 terrorists killed as Nigerian military strikes ISWAP stronghold

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By David Otto

Impeccable sources have reported a successful coordinated ground and aerial strike by the Nigerian military on Boko Haram terrorists and ISIS affiliated Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP). The precise intelligence led airstrike resulted in the killing of more than 150 ISWAP unit specialist fighters along the fringes of the Lake Chad and Nigeria’s northeastern state of Borno.

The successful Nigerian Air Force aerial strike in coordination with the Multi National Joint Task Force (MNJTF) was launched on the 1st and 2nd of August 2020 at ISWAP hideouts at Kusuma, Yarwa Kura and Abbaganaram. These locations were revealed as the terrorists’ most active camps and hideouts in Marte Local Government Area (LGA) Borno State.

It was revealed that the Nigerian military air strike hit a major hideout of ISWAP jihadists at a location given as “Abbaganaram” where more than 150 jihadists were positioned to receive specialist training. These fighters were stationed to train and act as standby forces in preparation for ambush attacks on nearby troops positions.

A ground assessment by sources revealed that a number of ISWAP unit commanders and high value fighters were eliminated, while many more were seriously injured.

This is the third major successful offensive against ISWAP positions this week.

These military airstrikes and previous offensives have forced ISWAP leadership to advise unit commanders to adopt new tactics of spreading their men in very small units and spatial locations to avoid heavy casualties when targeted by the Nigerian and regional airstrikes and artillery shelling. The military-styled rotation tactics has also been introduced amongst other Boko Haram/ISWAP jihadists bigger units due to recent suspicion of collusion and frequent desertion amongst their foot soldiers occasioned by fear, hunger and frustration .

Sources say the number of jihadists killed during these coordinated aerial strikes may likely double, as the terrorists may desperately hide the true casualties figures. Moreover, the damage assessment is still ongoing in certain hard to reach locations, where high casualties rates may have been recorded – particularly at such camps located in Kusuma and Yarwa Kura.

A similar coordinated successful airstrike was carried out by the Nigerian Air Task Force (Nigeria), Nigerienne Air Force, as well as Artillery Fire Units of Sectors 3 (Nigeria) and Sector 4 (Niger) in Chukun Ngudu, Tumbumma, Kwatan Bachama, resulting in high casualties from ISWAP units.

The damaging airstrike and artillery bombardment on Boko Haram terrorists/ISWAP camps have pushed the surviving and wounded out of these locations. Although jihadists are known to return to places that have been the subject of military clearance. The remaining insurgents have been spotted escaping towards the Southern flanks of the Lake Chad around Bakkassi, Tudun Woulgo, Kirta and Sabon Tombo – all known locations with jihadist presence.

These areas will be used to treat wounded jihadist and to re-strategies. Attacks in search for medical supply items will likely increase along these locations and beyond. Therefore, severe vigilance is required by all stakeholders, including local and international humanitarian organizations distributing lives saving medical and food items.

It will be recalled that Sabon Tombo and Tudun Woulgo are the same locations where Boko Haram/ISWAP jihadists recently executed about 20 people including powerful commanders from the Amir Baba Kaka’s faction and other captives plus 2 Nigerian soldiers on Eid day.

The ISWAP jihadists leadership chaos continues to destabilise the terrorists’ structure in the Lake Chad region. It is forcing them to re-organise towards survival style attacks. This has been made worse by a jihadists shift from ideological goals to criminal and power struggles.

The fate and leadership structure of Boko Haram terrorists groups of Abubakar Shekau’s faction and ISWAP have been made worse by recent sustained land and aerial coordinated offensives by the Nigerian Army; the Nigerian Air-Force; the Chadian Army, the Nigerienne forces and the regional Multi-national Joint Task Force (MNJTF) troops.

These offensives have impacted on jihadists operational command and control in the challenging terrain of the Mandara mountains, the fringes of the Lake Chad Basin and the Sambisa forest.

In the most recent past, thousands of Boko Haram terrorists and ISWAP fighters along with their commanders have been eliminated, forcing a complete overhaul of ISWAP leadership. Several loosely affiliated and independent groups operating as bandits have emerged, thus reinforcing the belief that there is so much criminality in the area. Some of the terrorists by name and criminals by act, have spilled over to the north west geo-political zone of Nigeria to align and terrorise the vulnerable population.

The recent summary executions of some of top jihadist leaders and other captives is part of an ongoing cleansing among the terrorists but also a last-ditch survival tactics. It is also aimed at consolidation exercise by the most recent ISWAP leadership of Ba Abubakar Lawan and the return of Abu Musab Albarnawi to ISWAP high command.

In view of these progressive developments in the theatre of war, all local and regional stakeholders must continue to engage each other towards a joined goal of the war against terror. These stakeholders need to collectively collaborate further to achieve complete and sustainable defeat of terrorists and criminal elements hibernating in some parts of the north eastern and north western of Nigeria. All hands should be on deck among the armed and security forces of Chad, Cameroun, Niger and Nigeria. Citizens and government must support the military and security forces to succeed. It is a collective and People’s War! It will take time but everyone must be on board with clean hands — If you See Something – Say Something!!

About The Author
David Otto is the Director for Stepped In – Step Out UK Ltd and a Counter Terrorism and Organised Crime Expert. He is a Certified Anti -Terrorism Specialist (CAS), a Certified Master Anti -Terrorism Specialist (CMAS) and a programme trainer with the Anti -Terrorism Accreditation Board (ATAB). Twitter @ottotgs Email: David.otto@steppedin-stepout.com

Fire outbreak at the finance department of ECOWAS secretariat

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A fire outbreak has been reported at the ECOWAS Commission Secretariat in the Asokoro District of Abuja, the Nigerian capital.

As at the time reporters arrived at the scene, firefighters were seen putting out the fire that has reportedly affected the floor accommodating the Department of Finance and Account of the Commission, TVN gathered.

Between Politics and Security

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By Capt. Jauro Musa Liya (Rtd)

Security cannot be separated from good governance. It is therefore important to state here that without unity of purpose between politicians and security agencies, then every one on both sides will be left with bad taste.

Borno State has suffered for well over a decade from insecurity with its attendant consequences. I am writing as an indigene, a stakeholder and as one who served meritoriously in the Nigerian Army. Whatever we will say or do that will not bring peace, healing, reconstruction, rehabilitation and reconciliation which the Nigerian Army is undertaking to ensure, is a crime against my people, my community, our state and Nigeria in general. When we are ready to tell each other the truth and put the nation beyond personal interest, sentiments and temporal partisanship, then shall we begin the journey to reclaim our collective destiny.

As Borno people, our ethnic cleavages are not just severe and enduring, they are our abiding source of conflict. As it is stated, a house divided against itself cannot stand. Until we appreciate the importance of working together as security agencies or politicians in our community, we will keep going round in circles of falsehood, blame game and denials as we cannot suppress the truth perpetually.

When an interest other than the security of the people is being pursued, it ridicule our gains and all the sacrifices so far made. Indeed, we may not be where we should be as far as our expectations are concern in Borno, but we cannot aggrandize our authority by talking down the gains made. It is an act of treachery to turn the sufferings of thousands of soldiers and other security agencies with some paying the ultimate price into a pecuniary political gain.

In as much as I join millions of Nigerians to condemn the attack on the governor of Borno state, I am also particularly happy that he came out unscathed. However, I will also use this opportunity to respectfully urge the governor to keep a tight reign on his emotions and unnecessary public outburst. As chief security officer of the state, having an open confrontation with soldiers does not make you a strong leader. It only win you a support that is not deep in the short run, but it exposes your weakness and portray you as one who is at loggerhead with those working at the risk of their lives to bring an enduring peace in Borno State

As chief security officer of the state, you are suppose to work as a team with the security agencies and not to be seeing to grandstand against your security agencies which are out there to serve you and our own people.

This development (open confrontation with security agencies) is worrisome and has far reaching consequences as insurgents and criminal elements get encouraged by infighting of the opposite side. Their aim is to instill fear through threat or act of violence, once the two partners in progress are at dagger’s end, which gives room or a fertile ground for the terrorists to carry out more havoc. It is therefore a poor strategy, except probably in the interest of politics to exhibit such outburst and unrestrained utterances before the world. For those of us who are trained in security and have practiced security at the highest level in this country, we find this ugly development as very scary and as a matter of urgency I urged that this trend should be resolved through internal mechanisms of dialogue rather than playing to the gallery, otherwise we will put Nigeria’s sovereignty, peace and security in a serious jeopardy.

It is worth a mutual respect to consider the sacrifices of the soldiers as a gag to unguided utterances and spontaneous reaction. By all means, it is for this effort and sacrifices that the governor is able to perform some of his functions and exercise his powers. Powers cannot be exercised in a vacuum, hence a governor cannot be a governor unless there is peace. This is why it is necessary to work together towards maintaining peace.

NDDC Scholarship: Buhari directs agency to pay students abroad

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President Muhammadu Buhari has directed the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) to pay the fees and stipends of scholars of the commission who are facing hardships abroad. The Director of Corporate Affairs at the NDDC, Charles Odili, disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday.

This followed a protest by the students recently in the United Kingdom who called on the President to intervene in the matter. “Senator Akpabio, the Honourable Minister, said President Buhari who has been briefed on the protest by students at the Nigerian High Commission in London, has ordered that all stops be pulled to pay the students by the end of this week,” Odili said in the statement.

He also has explained the rationale behind the delay in remittance of the fees of the scholars, saying their fees and stipends would be paid by the end of the week. Odili revealed that the delay was caused by the sudden death of the then acting Executive Director of Finance and Administration (EDFA), Ibanga Etang, in May.

Boko Haram/ISWAP: Who is after the military

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By Sani Muhammadu

The seeming recent castigation of the military by Borno State Governor Babagana Zulum has revived new posers in Nigeria’s grapple with terrorism. That poser is: who is the Nigeria military fighting in its anti-terrorism war? The answer to this poser would be instructive in how Boko Haram’s campaign of terror would be ended.

The Borno State Governor’s convoy had come under attack from gunmen as he made his way to go distribute relief materials in a part of the state. The jury is still out as to whether that attack was the handwork of Boko Haram or something more insidious that could herald new variables in the security breaches that are plaguing the Lake Chad Basin.

If these new variables do arise, they will not be quite new in the sense that the people of Borno state and environ are no strangers to treachery from people who should ordinarily protect them by virtue of the responsibility imposed by their office. These leaders however turn around to be the very thorn in the flesh of their constituents. Scholars have traced the root of Boko Haram to the political class, which empowered fanatical hoodlums to advance their political fortunes; they engaged in treacherous acts like promising the strict implementation of Sharia code to impassioned youth just so that they can use these urchins to deal with political opponents, something that is not quite possible in a country governed by a secular constitution, only to walk back on the same promise when they have gained office.

It bears mentioning that opportunities were lost to tame the genie that was set free from the bottle in the early days of Boko Haram. Rather than owning up to the crime they have committed in producing the conditions that created the terrorists, politicians in Borno misled the whole of Nigeria until the terror group was born. Latter efforts by the military and security agencies to clear the state of these criminal met with all manners of resistance. Some of these politicians went as far as providing shelter for wanted Boko Haram members and this is not forgetting that under the previous administration, the political class in Borno state freed scores of high-profile terrorists by simply citing orders from above whenever troops arrested them.

The tantrum thrown by Governor Zulum is therefore worrisome because it flags other prospects in the nation’s anti-terrorism war. Just who is the Nigerian Army, the entire military, fighting in Nigeria’s northeast? This question is pertinent because there is more than meets the eye if the governor of Borno state is the one verbally, and even actively, putting the military down for terrorists. It raises the possibility that while the officers and men of the Nigerian Army and the other military branches are patriotically laying down their lives to defeat Boko Haram, politicians, with some as high ranking as the governor, are actually interested in sustaining the insurgency. Only such interest will make Governor Zulum diss the military to the point where he thinks local hunters could do the job.

Whatever support Governor Zulum plans to give local hunters to protect his state from terrorists would certainly lead to the total eradication of Boko Haram if same is extended to the Nigerian military. A quick note here is that support in this sense does not refer to buying Armoured Personnel Carriers (APCs), feeding allowance or mundane material support because giving those to hunters will not yield much. One can safely infer that the kind of support that Zulum has in mind when he mentioned hunters as alternatives will involve rallying the traditional and religious institutions behind them in addition to rapidly rebuilding communities so that the people will have the sense of purpose that will empower them to reorganize into societies that will contribute to defeating the insurgency.

But Zulum is not doing any of these in support of the government troops, rather he is pursuing an agenda that has all the markings of being inimical to the collective desire for peace by Nigerians. His attempt to set the troops up by crying about sabotage in the military when he is not the President or the Chief of Army Staff smells foul. It shows that something is wrong and curiously it appears he was given a script to act by those that have decided against the run of play that the service chief must leave office on the erroneous impression that they must be converted into civil servants, a position that has now been dismissed by better informed Nigerians.

The politicization of the terrorist activities in Borno state has taken a dangerous direction in that the politicians have become vociferous in attacking the military even when it is apparent that is they who need lessons in patriotism because if there is anyone that wants the crisis to continue it is Borno politicians with their associates and not a patriotic military. The extent to which they have thrown caution to the wind is such that one of them, Zullum’s cabinet member went on record to accuse that the the military is in Baga to trade in fish. While nothing can be farther from the truth than this, the damage is nonetheless done because the local population will withhold support from the military on account of spurious tales like this. It seems Governor Zulum’s outburst was not a spontaneous reaction but something that has been rehearsed to further sour relations between the local population and the military. He will have to prove that he did what he did without malice.

Even when malice has been ruled out for Zulum, his associates and the political class in the state, it becomes necessary to interrogate if and how they benefit from the insurgency. At the start of the insurgency, the political class had hired these terrorists to snuff the life out of opponents, they had used their “boys” to commit copycat opportunistic crimes that were attributed to terrorists, politicians have benefitted from violence keeping people away from voting so that they can win elections in which they are not popular, they have gained from collecting allocations that they not have to account for since they can use Boko Haram violence as justification for not executing contracts for which they and their cronies have taken money. None of these political criminalities diminished under Zulum, who may now be aiming to worsen the insurgency so that the political class of that state may further rape its treasury. Maybe unknowingly, the governor is caving into a political class that prefer that the state continue to remain in perpetual chaos than the peace which the military has continued to fight to gift Nigerians.

Unfortunately, this same military is now being accused of sabotaging government’s efforts in Borno State. One would be right to ask, “what efforts?” Can Zulum show his administration’s blueprint towards ending the insurgency? He should ask the neighbouring states what they did to make their states unattractive to Boko Haram terrorists. He should think of calling for a summit of Borno sons and daughters to debate the issues.

The Governor cannot take such proactive step as long as he continues to fraternize with Borno’s political class, the cause of the problem and fuel that has kept its fire burning. For him to marshal the bravery needed for such shift he must first stop his predisposition to blame game and addiction to lamentation. Borno might have been suffering for long but the solution lies within Zulum’s grasp alongside his associates in the state. Additionally, he must accept that the military, other security agencies and the Civilian JTF alone cannot solve the problem. There must be leadership and public mobilization against the Boko Haram terrorists and that is where he comes in as the Governor, in whom the electorate have entrusted the mandate to restore their lives to normalcy.

For the sake of the people of Borno state and families that have borne the brunt of the insurgency, let us all hope that Zulum does not get his wish of having the military leave Borno state for him and his hunters. Should that happen, Zulum will not have the luxury of staging an attack on himself because the beasts that the political class of his state has reared will tear him to shreds.

What the Governor should do is to play his own part, which includes learning to keep quiet and shun theatrics while calling his associates to order so that the military will know what enemies it is fighting on behalf of the nation.

Muhammadu is a public affairs analyst and wrote this piece from Abuja.

Dozens killed, over 2,500 injured in Beirut blast

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Lebanese Health Minister Hassan Hamad says at least 25 people have been killed and more than 2,500 are wounded in a massive explosion at the port in Lebanon’s capital, Beirut.

The explosion released a shockwave causing widespread damage to buildings and shattering windows in different parts of the city.

The cause of the explosion was not immediately clear.

UK PM Johnson offers support to Beirut

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson says the UK is ready to provide any support it could to help Beirut.

“The pictures and videos from Beirut tonight are shocking,” Johnson wrote on Twitter. “All of my thoughts and prayers are with those caught up in this terrible incident.

“The UK is ready to provide support in any way we can, including to those British nationals affected.”

 Iran ready to help Lebanon, Zarif tweets

Iran is ready to help Lebanon in any way necessary, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has tweeted.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the great and resilient people of Lebanon. As always, Iran is fully prepared to render assistance in any way necessary. Stay strong, Lebanon,” Zarif tweeted.

The Facts on the School Feeding Programme

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There are currently 34 States and the FCT on the program.

States indicate their interest in benefitting from the program through the signing of an MOU, which details the responsibility of the States and the FG.

Through the MOU, the States are responsible for the implementation of the program while the FG provides funding.

The program targets public school children in primary 1-3 and provides 1 free meal a day for the duration of the school term on school days at 70naira/ child/ day Each school term lasts approximately 3 months.

The program commenced in 2016 as one of the Social Investments under HE President Muhammadu Buhari, overseen by the office of the Vp.

During that time, it is reported that up to 9 million children were beneficiaries of the intervention. There are also less visible beneficiaries such as the cooks who prepare and serve the food and the smallholder farmers who provide the food items.

In order to institutionalize these legacies, Mr President Created a ministry for humanitarian affairs, disaster management and social development in August 2019, 3 years after the programs started.

The School feeding program and the other SiPs were moved to the Ministry and have carried on without changes due to the fact that institutionalization takes time for the right structures to be put in place and also to avoid disruption to the pupils.

Plans had been developed to carry out massive enumeration of beneficiaries, facilitate legal frameworks and deploy extensive monitoring systems during the holidays.

Unfortunately, COVID-19 struck the world and Nigeria made efforts to modify its available social protection apparatus to respond to the glaring humanitarian crisis facing the country, especially on food security.

Mr president directed the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs to liaise with State Governments and come out with modalities to continue the school feeding program even by tough schools were shut down.

Discussions were held through the Nigerian Governors Forum and plans were discussed and it was agreed that take-home rations would be provided to the beneficiaries of the program using the existing Structures of the program based on the urgency of the situation at the time.

It was agreed that State Governments would use their available resources such as school registers, specs and suburbs to identify the household of the children in the communities where the school feeding already exists. This is as Nigeria grapples with the paucity of detailed data on its citizens.

It is worthy to note that not all schools in each state participate in the program. State Governments are responsible for the expansion of the program to all the public primary schools.

The plan also identified that a typical household in Nigeria has 5.6-6 members in its household, with 3-4 being dependent and so each household was assumed to have 3 children. The data used is what was transferred with the school feeding program to the Ministry and is reported from validation exercises from NBS.

The cost of food rations is 4,200 and contains items that were assessed not just for sustenance but also for their nutritional value to children- rice for carbohydrates, beans and eggs for protein, salt for iodine palm oil and tomato paste for vitamins.

Knowing this was a novel solution in Nigeria although fairly common practice in other countries, the 3 most-affected states at the time, Lagos, FCT and Ogun were selected as pilots for the program so that lessons would be learnt.

The role of the FG was to fund and to monitor while the States Implement. The data of the beneficiaries were also collected as part of the monitoring process to begin to formulate a database for the Ministry.

So far only these 3 states have been concluded with beneficiary breakdown as follows;

FCT – 29,609 households
Lagos – 37,589 households
Ogun – 60,391 households

High Fare: Abuja-Kaduna Train Records Low Patronage

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The Abuja to Kaduna train service had recommenced operations last Wednesday, four months after it shut down in response to the COVID-19 outbreak but only 5,000 persons have used the service nearly one week after.

Statistics by Mr. Victor Adamu, the Operations Manager, Abuja-Kaduna rail service of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), showed that five days into the resumption of train operations, less than 5,000 passengers have used the service from Abuja to Kaduna and from Kaduna to Abuja.

Previously, NRC carried between 4,000 and 5,000 passengers daily on the service.

The low passenger turnout was linked to the 100 percent hike in ticket fare.

At the Idu Train station, the usual pressure on the trains weren’t there, not even during the Sallah rush travel.

A traveller, Zeenat Ahmed, said she felt it was unfair for the fare hike. “So instead of putting everything on the passengers, both parties should lose 50-50. They shouldn’t have put the price at N3000.”

Mr. Kelechi John said: “It is like telling us to weigh the options between travelling by road and by rail. Why can’t the government subsidise the operations till November or December?”

Mairo Hassan said, “The increase in fares is not in the interest of Nigerians as not everybody can afford it, with the way things are right now together with COVID-19 pandemic.”

However, the Minister of Transportation, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, said a coach of 88 passengers now takes 56 passengers. Although it generated N120 million before, now it’s making below N60m and running cost was about N90m to N100m.

“There are two things that could be done: increase the fares or government subsidise; and we gave the government the opportunity but there is no money so the government can’t subsidise,” he explained.

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