Columns

Binoculars: Of security, military, intelligence and non-kinetic Comradeship against a common enemy in the north east war theatre

Published

2 years ago

July 23, 2022

Binoculars: Of security, military, intelligence and non-kinetic Comradeship against a common enemy in the north east war theatre

By: Bodurin Kayode

One thing I have learnt in the North Eastern Nigeria war theatre is the fact that both the kinetic and the non-kinetic players are one as a team. We do not have a superior partner against an inferior partner. Just leaders. This is because we have accepted the grim reality of the fact that the bullet that kills the General is the same bullet that can send the private worrier in any organization to his early grave.

You could see it clearly in the way the military, which is the toughest kinetic organization managing the insurgency, has been embracing others in the non-kinetic realm into the theatre.

I was in a police forum recently where the command bomb controller was explaining how they detonate bombs and IEDs and it was not different from the way the military did it in the same Mallam Fatori council area of northern Borno.

What I am saying is that both the military and the non-kinetic sector including the intelligence services and the media have been drafted into the war to fight a common enemy. So if one partner feels offended in any way about the way the other does his thing then the onus is on him to call the person and use civil language to make his complaint and the solution will be reached for the common good. Not to use crude language regardless of how angry one partner is.

DO WE HAVE ANY SUPERIOR PARTNER TO THE REST OF US?

The answer to this is a capital no.What we have is a common enemy that must be crushed. And that is Boko Haram and their cousins.

So if we have a common enemy it means we are all agents of the state having the right to do the right thing at all times. The Directorate of State Security partners can claim that it is only them that have the right to protect the state but that would apply to states where we don’t have known enemies looking down on us. They surely can’t do it alone in the Maiduguri war where everyone is a target. They need all of us.

I had a sordid encounter with one overzealous Rabiu of the DSS working with the north east Development Commission (NEDC) after he had intimidated some of my colleagues to warn me simply because he didn’t know me personally.

What happened? I was trying to join the convoy of the NEDC on a commissioning mission from Borno Mass literacy like other people but their white J5 bus nearly knocked my car in the process. I think the driver himself was obviously an operative, then slowed down to ask me to move. By the time we got to the neighboring military secondary school, Rabiu marched rudely to me with an armed police man to intimidate me. I wondered why a decent operative with his senses will want to talk to a journalist and will now ask a police man to escort him to display a show of force. That was wrong. I was standing chatting with some informants trying to get some information and there was Rabiu with an officer Sunday of the Nigerian Police possibly to intimidate me. Sunday obviously reluctantly was drafted to create a scene on an unarmed reporter.

RABIU’S RUDE BODY LANGUAGE

No matter what I may have done wrong by my decision to burn my petrol for my friends in the NEDC, instead of following anyone, there was no justification for the rude language he used on me. I could even feel the realm of the dangerous “inferiority complex” he had in him for journalists when talking to me. He is obviously one of those who joined that service for the use of the weapon and not for intelligence purposes which they are supposed to be wired for. He was virtually talking down on me as if I would have been his mate if I was in that service. Insultingly.

Also Read: 2023: Why Kashim Shettima will bring massive votes than Any Presidential Running…

And then I humiliated him further by just smiling and I responded by saying, don’t bother yourself. I will not join the convoy again since I am so small or less important to the people who are not VIPs who he is guarding and who are also in the convoy. I could see the surprise in the eyes of officer Sunday of the Nigerian Police who escorted him possibly to show his force but saw me armless. Since he was too timid to come and see me himself and used a much more civil language to talk to me instead of whining like a hyena at the top of his voice. Immediately he walked off back to where the VIPs were and left me and another colleague watching the assignment.

Dogara, a young reporter of the channel’s TV who witnessed the entire wrong the guy meted out to my persona, went livid with rage. I just smiled and told him that as long as someone I respect is the boss of Rabiu, I will not return the rudeness he gave me back to him. Dogara looked at me and wondered if a known non-conformist like myself had gone soft and vowed that if he was the one he would have responded. I begged him to forget the antagonism of Rabiu because he was obviously sent. Ask Dogara when you see him. He saw the other side of me yesterday.

I never had the opportunity to meet Sadiq who is Rabiu’s direct boss before I left the NEDC but I will surely meet him one day to teach Rabiu how we behave in the theatre. He has no right to talk to me disrespectfully as if I was the enemy regardless of what wrong he thought I may have done based on their training and understanding which I am yet to be educated about. Rabiu is a very rude operative who needs training on the role of a journalist. He is not different from another who threatened to shoot myself and Franco sometime this year while driving into the government house. Our offense was because of a similar thing. When you come to a place and you don’t know certain people, you ask guys on the ground who they are and not to bully them unnecessarily. We got out of my car and marched to him and an argument started between the police who knew us and the new man who came from the Presidency. It was so funny. At the end of the day, the police officer who understood civil uniformed relationship asked us to go when the DSS guard started ranting about shooting at us. Franco and I walked back to my car and drove to our assignment. I actually reported the matter to the Governor’s chief detail who promised to look into the matter.

JOURNALISTS AND SECURITY MANAGEMENT

There is nothing contemporary that serious journalists do not know about security management and how to report with the advantage of the state at heart. The only difference in our job descriptions is the weapons they carry and high class equipment they use to get their own information. If we had a National Guard by now, most of the aspects of the state the DSS dabble into will not be necessary. But we missed that because some Generals sources convinced IBB that the guards will rival the Army. I don’t see the fear of rivalry at all. If the CIA and the FBI are not rivals all these years, why would a Nigerian national guard rival the Army? Well that is for another day’s Binoculars.

Sadly I always drum this into the ears of my colleagues who had one brush or the other with these people in the course of their duties.

The State Director in Borno here Oga Muritala as I call him is a fine gentleman. Always calm and gentle but you can’t take him for granted. I don’t have much interaction with his deputies other than hello when we cross paths or when I visit. But I have friends among them even in the lower ranks. They help me with my job. The reason why I couldn’t respond to Rabiu right down there on the ladder is that if we had a squabble and I placed him where he belongs, my friend Oga Muri may begin to have a second thought about the young reporter he knew 25 years ago while he was the Chief detail of the Governor of Zamfara state Ahmed Sani. Each time Yerima Bakura wanted to see me then as the reporter of the vanguard, this man was already waiting to usher me in. I remember his smiles with his walkie talkie in his hand. Always smiling and welcoming till this day when I meet him. Asking about my health and family.

When Yerima Bakura ushered me into his home with his kids milling around while we ate “twoo shinkafa and mia kuka” traditional Hausa food together. Oga Muri was there though distantly and never saw me as a threat. I left Gusau as a happy man. If I wasn’t a threat to Oga Muri then, when we were both very young, why would Rabiu be ranting all over the place as if I have suddenly become his personal threat? Someone should teach him civility with journalists or else something will happen to him that will puncture his arrogance.

I think the onus is on his direct boss in the NEDC Sadiq and my friend Oga Muri to instill our way of doing things to Rabiu and his likes who still behave like we are in the days of the NSO to calm down and respect the fact that the bullet that will kill a private operative is the same bullet that will kill an agent of a sergeant equivalent and it is the same that can send even the DG of their organization to the great beyond. No mortal has power over death so let’s be each other’s keeper.

Let’s learn to be civil in what we do in the war theatre. That will surely keep the kinetic and the non-kinetic together to fight the common enemy. And that is Boko Haram, ISWAP and even the Bandits. The Journalist has never been the enemy and will never be.

Binoculars: Of security, military, intelligence and non-kinetic Comradeship against a common enemy in the north east war theatre

Columns

The Rise and Fall of Garkida, a Social Decline

Published

6 days ago

November 7, 2024

Ochuwa Ibrahim

The Rise and Fall of Garkida, a Social Decline

By: Balami Lazarus

In my recent visit to see my aged mother in Shaffa, a small rural town. In a chat with some of my peers, Garkida came up, and one of us immediately informed the group that the town is socially dredged. I made some findings, and you may wish to agree. I believed students of history my generation were once taught about the rise and fall of great empires, kingdoms, rulers, warriors, and other historical events during our secondary school days. In the cause of those lessons, our imaginations were always taken far to other lands.

We never thought that someday there would be a fall or decline of our own, which could be a town, village, or settlement, but never like the fall of the known historical empires/kingdoms of Oyo, Jukun, Fante/Ashante, Kanem-Borno, Songhai, etc. To rise is a difficult task in life or in the course of growth, be it individual, town, or city. But to fall is easy. Garkida has rose and fallen, or, to say, declined socially. Once a bubbling rural town in Buraland, being in Gombi Local Government Area of Adamawa State has nose-dived from the social ladder.

As a historian, I will not subscribe to the use of the term fall; it will defile my histo-journalistic sense of reasoning because Garkida is a proper noun and is there real. So it will rather go well with me and perhaps some readers of this essay to accept Declined as a better use of historical language for the purpose of this work. I am not a native of Garkida and have never lived there, but it was the home of my cousins and nieces long before now.

As a young man, I had it well with friends when the town was in her social chemistry and apogee. In spite of her decline, the arrears in our kitty, notwithstanding the flow of time, are the mutual friendship, an indelible mark in our social life. I remember clearly as a holiday-maker with my grandmother at Shaffa, Garkida was the in-thing in our youthful days because of the mass social activities that used to take place there.

There were social interactions with friends and relatives from different places, parties of all kinds—a social front burner. And to most of my peers, it was the center of today’s mobile social handle—Facebook, where you meet and make new friends. That was Garkida for us. As a rural town, it flourished with glamour, elegance, and pride, triggered by the social engineering of Who is Who? The creme de la creme of her sons and daughters who made nane in their vocations or professions that promoted and spread the name of Garkida as social lighthouse.

It was the abode of top military brass in the ranks of generals. Her businessmen once made the town tick as a cluster of has. It was the nerve of vogue and socialites in Buraland. There was declined in this capacity. Historically, Garkida came to the limelight and appeared on the colonial map of Nigeria in 1923, when the white Christian missionaries of CBN/EYN first settled there and made it their home on the 17th March of the aforementioned year. The beginning of her social mobility started in the 1970s, through the 1980s, to the dawn of the 1990s, her zenith.

I doff my hat for the united daughters of Garkida; credit goes to them; their exposures, taste, beauty, love, elegance, sophistication, unity of purpose, and social agrandisement made them wives of husbands of men from far and near who are of different walks of life. The women of Garkida were a central force, once the venus de milo of the town before its social decline. I cannot conclude this article without appreciating the fact that Garkida was the center of learning and vocational training and once the hold of good and efficient healthcare services in Buraland and its neighbors. Today, Garkida is no longer in the vantage position.

Balami, a Publisher/Columnist, 08036779290.

Columns

Kashim Shettima, Leadership, and the Flood in Maiduguri

Published

2 months ago

September 13, 2024

News Net Global

Kashim Shettima, Leadership, and the Flood in Maiduguri

Kashim Shettima, Leadership, and the Flood in Maiduguri

By Dr. James Bwala

These past few days, I have been thinking back on the flood in Maiduguri. I have spoken with at least thirty people who have been impacted by the flood, and their responses and comments regarding the flood and Vice President Kashim Shettima’s leadership struck me as something people had never observed at the worst of this natural calamity. In addition to highlighting the environmental issues the area is facing, the recent flooding in Maiduguri has also highlighted the leadership style of Nigeria’s Vice President, Kashim Shettima. Due to excessive rainfall, a section of the Alau dam broke, and insufficient drainage systems, the region’s already preexisting socioeconomic vulnerabilities have been made worse by the floods. In light of this, Shettima’s reaction and crisis management techniques are worthy of close scrutiny.

Shettima’s proactive attitude to governance, especially during times of crisis, has frequently been described as a hallmark of his leadership style. During his term as Borno State’s governor, he made large infrastructural improvements meant to increase the state’s resilience to severe catastrophes. Notwithstanding these endeavors, Maiduguri’s persistent shortcomings in urban planning and emergency preparedness are brought to light by the latest floods. It is admirable how Shettima can organize resources and interact with the community in times of need.

The former Borno State governor and current vice president of Nigeria, Kashim Shettima, has taken the lead in resolving these crises. His proactive approach to leadership is marked by a desire to both build community resilience and lessen the effects of natural disasters. Shettima has advocated for long-term infrastructure improvements in addition to organizing resources for emergency relief operations in response to the flooding issue. Through collaboration with several entities, such as non-governmental organizations and foreign agencies, his objective is to furnish those impacted by the floods with basic amenities like potable water, food, and medical support.

Nigeria’s VP Kashim Shettima

READ ALSO: https://newsng.ng/police-witness-tells-iip-sars-how-peter-ekwealor-slumped-after-allegedly-confessing-to-killing-asp-akoh-ude/

Severe flooding has caused serious problems for Maiduguri and made the humanitarian crises already plaguing the area worse. Kashim Shettima’s prompt action has been essential in meeting the impacted communities’ urgent needs. He took preemptive steps to deliver relief supplies such as food, medical supplies, and shelter for displaced people by organizing local resources and liaising with national agencies. This prompt action not only demonstrates good leadership, but it also emphasizes how crucial leadership is in emergency situations.

The Vice President’s strategy included a thorough evaluation of the flooding damage, which made it possible to identify the most vulnerable groups for focused actions. Through his interactions with local officials and citizens, he made sure that relief efforts were appropriate for the setting and sensitive to cultural differences. By encouraging a sense of ownership among local stakeholders, this participatory technique improved confidence in government activities.

Different stakeholders in the state have responded differently to the visit of Nigeria’s vice president, Kashim Shettima, to address flood victims. Numerous localities have experienced devastation as a result of the extraordinary floods, which has resulted in property and human casualties. Many of the victims Shettima spoke with expressed hope that his presence would spur government action to provide desperately needed relief and to begin rehabilitation efforts. The significance of direct involvement from high-ranking officials was underscored by community leaders, who saw it as an indication that their predicament is being recognized on a national scale.

Kashim Shettima spoke about the suffering of flood victims who have been badly impacted by unusual flooding while on a recent visit to Maiduguri. His words were meant to be comforting, but they also served as a guide for healing and restoration. Shettima underlined the necessity of unity and group efforts to address this environmental catastrophe. He emphasized that in order to ensure that relief efforts are efficient and timely, the government would mobilize resources to aid individuals who have been displaced by the floods.

Shettima’s speech also emphasized how crucial community resilience is to surviving tragedies like this. He asked residents and local authorities to work together with government organizations to identify high-risk locations and put precautionary measures in place to avoid similar flooding incidents in the future. Shettima sought to empower communities while easing their immediate pains through coordinated relief activities by encouraging a sense of shared responsibility.

Dr. James Bwala, PhD, writes from Abuja.

Kashim Shettima, Leadership, and the Flood in Maiduguri

Columns

Letter to Kashim Shettima at 58: Happy Birthday, Mr. Vice President

Published

2 months ago

September 1, 2024

News Net Global

Letter to Kashim Shettima at 58: Happy Birthday, Mr. Vice President

Letter to Kashim Shettima at 58: Happy Birthday, Mr. Vice President

By: Dr. James Bwala

To Kashim Shettima, my esteemed vice president, I would like to wish you a very happy 58th birthday on this memorable day. Many people have found inspiration in your leadership and commitment to serve our nation, and I am honored to have the chance to offer my sincere congratulations on reaching this significant accomplishment.

As a default-level student of the Kashmir political class, I am impressed by your poise and ethics in navigating the complexity of politics. The policies you have supported and the initiatives you have started demonstrate your dedication to raising the standard of living for the citizens of our country. I sincerely appreciate and support your idea for a brighter future for everyone.

Happy Birthday, Mr. Vice President

What it means to be a public servant has been exemplified by your leadership. We have taken note of your persistent efforts to push for positive change and address the issues affecting our nation. I sincerely appreciate your commitment to enhancing infrastructure, healthcare, and education since it has positively impacted countless lives. It is well known that you are a kind and accomplished person, especially now that you are 58 years old. You have undoubtedly contributed significantly to the advancement of both your state and the nation as a whole. More leadership and counting have been seen in your records

READ ALSO:https://newsng.ng/umth-child-institute-center-safe-haven-for-child-care/

Your empathy for others who are less fortunate is one of your best traits. Everywhere you go, you have continuously sought to make a difference in the lives of vulnerable and underprivileged groups. You have put in place a number of social welfare initiatives aimed at helping the poor, widows, orphans, and internally displaced people. You continue to be a tremendous achiever who has advanced significantly in a number of areas in addition to your compassion.

During your tenure as the governor of Borno State, you managed the execution of multiple developmental initiatives that yielded favorable results for the state’s healthcare, education, and infrastructure. Borno State benefited from increased access to high-quality education, broader healthcare coverage, and greater infrastructure development under your leadership.

In Borno State, an area beset by violence and insurgencies for more than ten years, you have played a crucial role in promoting peace and security. In spite of the obstacles presented by the Boko Haram insurgency, you persisted in your will to advance peace and stability in the area.

You have been an outspoken supporter of peaceful cohabitation among Borno State’s diverse population and have devoted countless hours to bridging the divide between various ethnic and religious groupings. You distinguish yourself from other political leaders by your commitment to public service and your care for the well-being of your constituents. Many people in Nigeria and beyond admire and respect you for your outstanding accomplishments and kindness.

As a kind and accomplished individual who has significantly aided in the growth of Borno State and Nigeria overall. You are a genuinely amazing leader because of your devotion to serving the public, your desire to better the lives of those who are less fortunate, and your support of peace and security. As you commemorate your 58th birthday this year, it’s obvious that future generations will be motivated by your example to work for a more positive, inclusive society for all.

As you become older, your charitable endeavors also become more significant in addition to your political career. Thousands of lives have been impacted by the Kashim Shettima Foundation, which helps the less fortunate in Borno State and beyond with healthcare, education, and other services.

It has also contributed to the reduction of poverty and enhancement of the general well-being of the populace. You continue to be regarded as a significant role in Nigerian politics on many fronts, valued for your honesty, diligence, and devotion to helping your fellow citizens. Your tenure as Borno State’s governor has left a lasting impression on the people you served, and it will continue to motivate upcoming generations of leaders to give selflessly to the advancement of our society.

I hope you pause to consider all that you have achieved and the lives you have impacted as you celebrate your 58th birthday. Your leadership has had an impact, and I have no doubt that your love and dedication to serving our country will continue to motivate others. Mr. Vice President, I hope your special day is filled with joy and happiness. I hope you have a happy, healthy, and prosperous day.

Happy 58th birthday! Sincerely, Dr. James Bwala, PhD.

Letter to Kashim Shettima at 58: Happy Birthday, Mr. Vice President