Interviews
I want to be like Professor Babagana Zulum – Tehemba Shija
I want to be like Professor Babagana Zulum – Tehemba Shija
Professor Tehemba Shija in the Interview with NEWSng said he wants to be like the Borno state governor, Professor Babagana Umara Zulum. According to him, the Borno governor is intellectual in his approach to governance and asks fundamental questions on virtually every issue. Bodunrin Kayode sent except:
Q: WHAT IS SPECIAL ABOUT ZULUM OR ZULUMANIA AS SOME PEOPLE WILL DESCRIBE HIS PHENOMENON?
Zulum is intellectual. And his approach to governance is intellectual. He asks fundamental questions on virtually every issue. On basic issues about health services, resettlement of his people, the internally displaced people (IDPs) and more. These IDPs are not from outside the country. They are within the state. He asks questions, like why should we go and concentrate them in camps instead of building houses for them. It’s only somebody with an independent mind that can ask such questions. That is the kind of person I am and that is why I am identifying with Zulum. You know when you start asking basic questions then of course you get answers to the problems of your society. That’s what he does and I want to be like Zulum, that’s the truth.
Q: HOW WOULD YOU HANDLE THE SEEMING FRUSTRATIONS OF ZULUM CONCERNING THE LINGERING INSURGENCY? ESPECIALLY IF YOU WERE IN HIS SHOES AS CHIEF SECURITY OFFICER OF A STATE WHO CANNOT FIRE A SHOT AT THE INSURGENTS HUNTING TO KILL HIS PEOPLE?
I don’t think it’s a frustration. He is just like every public officer established by the constitution of the Federal Republic. You face challenges and for each step of the way he is able to sort out himself. So I wouldn’t say that he is being frustrated by the system. The man knows that the Federal Government controls the armed forces. And he is able to navigate himself very well between the idea that the Federal Government controls the armed forces. So he moves between the idea that the Federal Government controls the armed forces and that the citizens of his state are being harassed by insurgency yet he is able to navigate very well and is getting results. How do I know that he is getting results? Because he is able to establish projects. He is able to execute projects too while people who are in a relatively safe environment can’t establish themselves. And the President goes there every now and then to commission those projects. So you can’t talk about frustration as far as Zulum is concerned. He knows that governments anywhere in the world require solving problems.
Q: BUT WE DO SEE SOME OF HIS REMONSTRATION AGAINST THE SYSTEM. THE FACT THAT THE CONSTITUTION DOES NOT ALLOW HIM TO HAVE A FIGHT BACK POLICE MACHINE FOR HIM TO CLEAR CERTAIN AREAS TO RETURN HIS PEOPLE. AND EVEN WHEN HE SEES LACK OF POLITICAL WILL IN THE MINDS OF SOME OF THE COMMANDERS TO END THE WAR ONCE AND FOR ALL. HE ONCE HAD A VERBAL EXCHANGE WITH A GENERAL WHOM HE FELT DID NOT MEET HIS EXPECTATIONS FOR INSTANCE ON THE DAMATURU MAIDUGURI ROAD WHEN HE VISITED YET HE KNOWS HE ALONE CAN’T FIGHT THE INSURGENTS TO A STAND STILL.
But that’s how it should be. A governor who knows his onions will confront anyone that will militate against his own action. You are there to protect your people. You are not there to go on social media making propaganda that you are the defender of one valley or one hill. So you are not defending the abstracts but tangible people. I believe he is solving problems because governance is about solving problems. Why would I be the Governor of Benue for instance and for six years there would be no commercial flight in my state? Which you know is basic as a foreign direct investment.
Also Read: Kashim Shettima: Victory at the end
And then I would sign Memorandum Of Understanding MOU three times and it would not work. And you want me to consider that as frustration? That is not frustration. It’s a challenge which I must face and crush. How do you crush it? By insulting the President? No? By befriending the President by Diplomacy because that is the language of government. You don’t do that and then you say the President is this and that, of course there are 35 other state Governors lobbying the Presidency and you are busy insulting the man. Who will care about who you are? That is the problem we are facing in this state. We are going to get Benue back to the light. We can’t just continue this way.
Q: OBVIOUS MISTAKES ARE BEING MADE IN THE MANAGEMENT OF BOKO-BANDITS WHO CLAIM TO HAVE REPENTED AND SOMETIMES GO BACK TO THE BUSH. HOW WILL A GOVERNOR SIJA HANDLE THE PLIGHT OF REPENTANT BANDITS OR INSURGENTS AS THE CASE MAY BE?
We are yet to have repentant bandits. In Benue our people are essentially people who have been unemployed; they are people who have not been taken care of. Governor Shija will take care of them. Younger people who are educated will get jobs. Uneducated will be recruited into certain categories of services in the state. They will be gainfully employed. There is not a situation in which people who took arms against the state will be compensated and those who were obedient will be disregarded No. We are going to make sure that we create a favourable environment in which people will get jobs. And for people to establish businesses. And then young people will be gainfully employed. So we are not going to have a problem like that at all.
Q: PROF WHAT’S YOUR TAKE ON THE OVERDUE STATE POLICE? WILL YOU GET ONE IF ELECTED AS GOVERNOR?
We have already started because naturally every state or region is handling the idea of state police in the state of insecurity we find ourselves in. “Hisba” is like State police. “Amotekun” , etc. These are all preludes to State police. It’s obvious that State Governors must have a certain regimented outfit to tackle insecurity that will issue directives. We will get one and arrest such tormentors of our people and prosecute them for violating the laws of the land. So I can predict that in the next 3 to 4 years every state will have its own police. It’s been an idea that has been long overdue. Same way if I become the Governor, I will set up the Benue State Marshals. It’s in my blueprint. We will recruit young people, give them para military training and they would be responsible for sanitation for instance. They will also be on the team of enforcement of tax collection, fire service and emergency response services. They will be well kitted and some will be sent to Israel for special training to expand their knowledge. Some will even be sent to Europe to train properly. That is the kind of training I will give them, but for now, we will not give them AK 47 guns……but will have all other training
And they will work closely with the Federal police helping with prosecutions. That I can assure everybody, I am not going to be an Otom who will raise his hand up shouting they are coming to kill us oh! They want to kill us.
If you touch any Benue person we will get you no matter where you run to.
And we will prosecute you. You can’t kill someone and run away in our state. A Benue person can’t kill a Benue person. Also, a Fulani cannot come and kill a Benue person and then the Governor will sit there and lament. We will use the security operation to get you, no matter where you are. That is a promise not a threat. We will get you for your wrong doing.
Q: BUT THERE IS A KEY WORD MISSING IN YOUR PROPOSED MARSHAL. AND THAT IS INTELLIGENCE? ANY REASON WHY ITS MISSING?
Cuts in- thanks for the reminder. Intel is a vital component of every regimental service we will train people for. They will get it and they will complement the Federal Police. Don’t forget also that I will be a Governor that will work closely with the Federal Government. I will not be confronting them. President Buhari has been very friendly with Governors who have chosen to work with him. The VP came here and said whatever happens we will give N10b to recover and resettle these people.
How on earth will a Governor look at his people standing in those squalid environments and allow them to stay for 4 to 5 years. It’s unfair. But if he got that and was really empathetic and waiting to settle them, we can set up a mega city together in Daudu like what Zulum has done by building a two bedroom apartment for each of them. Give them something to start businesses. And let them go back to their normal lives. You know it’s a disgrace, a shame in the tiv culture to line up people like they did recently to come and collect mudule of rice. It’s a shame. A tiv man is a farmer who needs to feed himself and his family. Once you reduce his dignity to a level of just collecting a module of rice it’s humiliating we can’t do that. We will elevate the dignity of the tiv man and not denigrate him. That’s what my Government will do.
Q: THE VICE PRESIDENT BELIEVES SO MUCH IN RESTRUCTURING ESPECIALLY FISCAL . WHAT IS YOUR VIEW ON FISCAL RESTRUCTURING?
You are talking of revenue allocation. All these are specified in the constitution. We know what the state government is to collect legally. The same with local government areas. There is a jungle of confusion in the country. State government goes to collect local government taxes. For instance local governments are to collect taxes from council markets and motor parks etc. Yet the state government goes there too. I know what the constitution says about states. A local government establishment here has to collect their pay. That’s what the constitution says. It’s specified. I have no problem with that. All that I am saying is that if we are to review the revenue allocation formula. It’s not the business of one State Governor alone. It’s the purview of the Governors forum to handle. They should take a decision about that which should also affect the council areas. Ever since Ironsi’s time when the unitary decree was in force everything was concentrated in the centre. Those who were saying that the North were exploiting the South have suddenly forgotten that it was a Southern head of state, Ironsi , that concentrated everything in the centre. So now, those who are smart enough took over the centre, got the lion’s share. But now people are beginning to realize that it’s wrong. You will see a single parastatal in the Federal level has a budget as big as the State Government’s. That may not be my business alone but that of the Governors forum.
Q: cuts in …….TO GO TO COURT OR FIGHT BACK THROUGH LOBBY OR ANY WAY THEY CAN?
But as a Governor, having studied the Constitution, I know what is entitled to the state, especially where it would be entitled to its own revenue. And the remedy to that is to rescue my state. And I will have enough cash to provide infrastructure and employment for my people. When people are given employment or opportunities to set up businesses because people are taxed and the government gets money to provide infrastructure and do other things.
Q: BENUE TO ME HAS NOT SEEN GOOD GOVERNANCE SINCE APER AKU AND FATHER ADASU WHICH IS WHY IT HAS NOT MOVED LIKE SISTER STATES IN THE SAME LEAGUE WHO HARDLY RELY ON FEDERAL ALLOCATION BUT IGR. AGREE?
Aper Aku was an excellent Governor. Everything you see after him was set up by him. He was a good man who worked with little resources. Now Internally Generated Revenue IGR is abundant. It’s just being mismanaged and misused.
Q: CAN BENUE MAKE N2 BILLION MONTHLY?
What is N2 billion to Benue? This lying Governor we have here says that the salary wage is N7.5billion in a month and people believe him. So if civil servants are paid N7.5billion, the payee alone is 10% of that which is N750 million. The same Governor tells you IGR is less than 5million. Does it make sense? It means, they are not even smart enough to make a good lie that would be convincing. Then of course they tell you about the formal and informal sector of the economy where they are collecting taxes. In spite of the insecurity, Benue still remains the leading producer of Cassava in the whole country. They came second in yam in 2020 and rice, the state took the third position. They came first in two, Cassava and citrus. By 2020, Benue produced 12.5% of all the Cassava in the country. And Nigeria is a leading Cassava producer in the world today. So you can safely say that Benue is the leading producer of Cassava in the entire world. In 2020 Nigeria sold Cassava to international countries worth $760m in the form of Cassava chips, starch and flour. Multiply that by the dollar rate, we are crossing the trillion mark. So the contribution of Cassava to the GDP of Nigeria, was N1.2trillion. imaging that 12.5% of that was produced from Benue. Is there any index on the ground to indicate that this is happening?. Now, we are talking of a situation where Benue has not started irrigation or has not been given any encouragement by way of mechanized farming. We are talking about a situation where about 5.3% of the Benue and Katsina Ala basin is put to use. And yet Benue will contribute 12.% or N1.2 trillion in cassava to the National GDP. Due to a commodity called cassava to the Federal economy and its not reflecting here. People have to realize that and we must also help our people to be part of the economy. If you leave here to Gboko you have many spots where people are being taxed in the name of cassava production. Does it get to the state? No! So you allow corruption to distract from the state economy and nothing shows for it and then you are re-organising the same economy? If they have me in there as a Governor, I will re-organise the place. So by the time the month ends we are talking about IGR getting to about N3 to 4 billion. We may not even need the federation allocation to pay for our salaries anymore like some states. I would not tell people lies that I need N7 billion to pay salaries to state civil servants that are only 18,000 out of 6.1million people. What kind of cheap lie is that? With a minimum wage not up to N30,000. And then people hear all these and keep quiet?…. Sighs….
Q: DO YOU HAVE MINIMUM WAGE IN BENUE? WILL YOU PAY THAT FIGURE IF ELECTED?
You see, there are certain questions you cannot answer just like that. You can only answer them if you imagine that it’s going to be so. Just like security questions. You want to see the information available and what is on ground before responding. For now it’s difficult to imagine. If you get to the ministry of agric on a good working day, you can’t see up to 100 people as council staff. And then someone tells you that their salary is up to N1 billion. Now you want to give that person the benefit of doubt. So, Account General, let me see what is there then you take that discussion. As someone who has worked in the public service I would want to get to the bridge before crossing. There is no way myself as Governor of Benue will not pay the 13 months salary. It means if you pay them by 12th or 13th December I will definitely pay them by 29th and 30th December for the new year. So If you tell me that this is N7.5 billion and I am telling you I must pay, I will be lying.
I already know that it can’t be more than N2 billion then I will pay them double. Because I understand that Christmas and new year alone, the protocol demands for you stake holders go beyond N3 billion so I will use my determination to pay civil servants at least N2billion and the political VIPS will get N1 billion to make them happy. So if someone is telling me I must look for N14 billion to pay salaries in the month of December.
How is that possible? Not even Lagos can do that so we are in a situation whereby you don’t have access to the correct information somebody in government is dishing out lies and it’s very clear that you are listening to lies.
Q: OR CAN THEY BE BATTLING WITH GHOSTS?
Which ghosts? What is so complex about the Benue civil servants? I have it at my fingertips. The entire population of Benue state service is 18,000. That includes teachers and everybody. That of LGAs is 25,000 for all 23 LGA’s. So you are talking about a situation in which we are dealing with less than 40,000 people. And then somebody tells you he is dealing with N7.4billion or so. Haba and then you say no please, reduce it now, yet he is refusing to reduce it. Why? Is that transparency?
I want to be like Professor Babagana Zulum – Tehemba Shija
Interviews
Interview: NHRC paid over N480 million to 120 people for rights infringements after the SARS investigative panel saga, – Hilary Ogbonna.
Interview: NHRC paid over N480 million to 120 people for rights infringements after the SARS investigative panel saga, – Hilary Ogbonna.
In this interview, Hilary Ogbonna, a senior human rights adviser to the executive secretary of the National Human Rights Commission, speaks after a recent stakeholders consultative forum on the tripartite partnership to support national human rights institutions, Bodunrin Kayode sent an excerpt:
Q: Who are the three parties in the tripartite agreement you mentioned earlier during the stakeholder forum, and how long will it last?
A: It’s a partnership to support human rights institutions. It is also a partnership started by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, and the Global Alliance for National Human Rights Institutions. And this is supported by the Norwegians, who are big supporters of the partnership. The three of them came together with their respective mandates. Undp is the front-runner organization for the UN in terms of development, cooperation, rule of law, and governance. The office of the high commissioner for human rights is the gatekeeper for global human rights, and the global alliance for national human rights institutions is the coalition and secretariat of all national human rights commissions across the world, over a hundred of them. So the three of them came together to decide to support the national human rights institutions to be able to achieve their mandates of promoting and protecting human rights and ensuring that they work with stakeholders in civil societies across the world. They pick and choose which national human rights commission they will support at any given time, and this is Nigeria. So they decided to support us from January 2024 to December 2024. By January 2025, they will decide whether to continue and how. So what are they supporting? The main support they provide is the capacity of national human rights institutions to enable them to achieve their mandates for human rights monitoring and reporting, sourcing data for human rights, and supporting national organizations to establish frameworks for business and human rights. Training and capacity building for human rights commissions and for their subnational-level offices. Since we have an office in Borno, the reason we are here is to use this week to build the capacity of our staff so that they are able to support the people of this state. So under the TPP, we are also doing a lot around promoting women’s rights, gender equality, and human rights education. So for all of this, we are going to support the Borno State Office of the NHRC, and it will be done throughout the year. The overall goal is to ensure that human rights commissions are effective in implementing their mandates, which is why we came here.
Q: Speak on the final document you intend to propound as a roadmap for a business and human rights framework to hand over to the Federal Government, the planned pillars inside, etc. How would you put it?
I can tell you that we have already set up that standard. We have all the necessary documents. The only person without the document as I speak to you is the Borno State Government. At the federal level, we have these two documents, one of which is the national action plan on the protection of human rights. That is a human rights obligation of Nigeria under the Vienna Declaration. President Buhari approved this in April 2023. So instead of presenting another action plan on business and human rights to them, we included it as a chapter under this national action plan. So in passing this, they have passed the two of them. The implementation of this one is ongoing by all the ministries. It’s a national document for everyone, not just the Human Rights Commission. As the ministry of environment or information, there is a role for you to play here. But this one is a specific national human rights mechanism for business and human rights. It is under this one that we have established the national working group on business and human rights. This is the one we want to establish in Borno State. So for us, we have outlined this road map, and under it, we will first develop a consent note that we will hand over to the government on what they need to know and do. And when the government understudies that note, we will also include these processes. They will do stakeholder mapping to know who is who and who is doing what. After that, they will convene a state consultative forum on business and human rights, which will mandate the state government to go ahead and develop a state action plan on business and human rights. This action plan will take into consideration everything that is contextual to this state as it concerns the human rights of the people of the state. They will copy a lot from the national action plan, but they will also make their own specific Borno plans. And then the action plan will say who will belong to the state working group, and they will inaugurate the state working group. Then they will begin the process of implementation, where they will stipulate what they will do, such as the capacity building that must be done to ensure that businesses conform to the national human rights principles and standards. Across Nigeria, with the social challenges we are having, any company that decides to have social responsibility will go and bring bags of rice, ask people to queue up, and there will be a stampede. People will even die due to the struggles for palliatives, which are human rights violations. So we need to have a standard for what to do, and we are already developing one, especially when it comes to business compliance on the issues of social care. You don’t kill people while trying to help them.
Q: Cuts in… like what happened during the customs palliative saga?
It’s not only Nigerian customs that make such mistakes; even churches do it. Churches say they are coming to help with food. You will not ask how many people will come; you did not issue tickets; nor did you ask for a central exit or entrance so that when the place is full, you will close the door. And then, you don’t have emergency medical response units in case anything happens. It’s a general Nigerian thing, even where we are now. If someone collapses in this hotel now, God forbid, I am sure they do not have a system to evacuate them. And if they are evacuating you, do they have ambulances or amenities to use? So it’s just a whole gamut of unsolved problems.
Q: Finally, if there is a violation of the UN guiding principles on human rights between now and December 2024, what is the guarantee that everything will be ready?
A:…..cuts in. Everything depends on the state government. If they ask us to jump, we will ask how high you want to jump. So it’s up to them, but if they don’t have this state action plan, our own action plan will cover them. Because human rights are a federal thing, they cannot do state action plans for the protection of human rights because the Vienna Declaration is very clear about it. But they can do a state action plan on business and human rights because even the state government taxes and also regulates businesses.
Q: Alternative justices—speak on it—and judicial remedies—will they be embedded in this package of the action plan?
A: Alternative justices will be embedded in the state-based package on non-judicial remedies. There are state-based judicial mechanisms and non-judicial mechanisms. The state-based non-judicial mechanisms include the Human Rights Commission. The ulamas are non-state-based judicial mechanisms, and they can equally perform some functions with limited quasi-judicial roles. The good thing is that each of them can actually perform judiciary roles and award compensation. Like the HRC will award compensation based on its laws, if it’s the DSS or police that infringed on your rights, we will ask them to insert the same in their budget, and it will be paid to you. And I tell you, we have been successful in all this. But whether we speak about it enough or not, I can tell you we don’t. But like the special anti-robbery squad (SAS) panel, I can tell you that we paid over N480 million to 120 people for all the infringements that were incurred by their personnel in that incident.
Interview: NHRC paid over N480 million to 120 people for rights infringements after the SARS investigative panel saga, – Hilary Ogbonna.
Interviews
Kashim Shettima is focused, trying to bridge gaps across people, culture, and religion in Nigeria. – Dr. Bwala
Kashim Shettima is focused, trying to bridge gaps across people, culture, and religion in Nigeria. – Dr. Bwala
Dr. James Bwala, PhD, is a media practitioner, consultant, and author. He is one of the closest media men to Nigeria’s Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima. Ahead of the May 29 celebration of democracy day in Nigeria, he spoke to newsmen about his long-time relationship with the VP and why he writes in his own style to promote and defend Nigeria’s Vice President on many fronts and other sundry issues. NEWSng was there and sent an excerpt:
Q: Thank you for having us. It was indeed very important that we meet you. Can you please tell us about yourself?
A: I guess I am not in a hot seat. I really did not expect this question. It reminded me of some interview questions I was asked while I was seeking job opportunities with the NGO some time ago. But since this is not a job interview, I figured that I would relax and try not to be nervous. My name is James Bwala, as you all know. I am a journalist and have practiced in the media space for over two decades now. I studied mass communication for my first and second degree programs and earned my PhD in management with a specialty in disaster management. Currently, I run a media organization as the managing editor as well as managing public relations on behalf of the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH). I am also into politics, trying to follow in the footsteps of my principal, Nigeria’s Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima, who has graciously been a very good teacher and mentor. And I hope that my learning will bring positive fruits and add value to Nigeria’s politics at any given opportunity to make a mark and to sell the Nigerian dream in the renewed hope initiative of Mr. President.
Q: You are a prolific writer, and we are happy to say that you are doing well and encouraging young media professionals with your style. We have read a lot of writings from you defending and promoting the Vice President before, during, and even after the general elections. Do you have any political appointments in this government?
A: I just told you that the VP is my principal, whether or not I have an appointment in the government or not. My loyalty to the VP has been there for decades. He calls me brother, and I think he is an older brother I have who also stood with me in my darkest moments. He has demonstrated the brotherly love that I have heard preachers preach, and he never leaves me as would some older brothers do. I am happy that you noted that I have written several pieces on him. Some were promotional, while others were trying to defend both his public and private lives. Yes. I have been given a political appointment in this government, but that is not about me and Kashim Shettima. It was the reward system in a political circle when you played your part in the game and when your loyalty was tested and you gave results. For that also, I will remain grateful to the VP for choosing to consider me for such a political position. And like I said, he never leaves me. I will look up to him as that older brother and respect him. I will also always defend him in the media, where necessary.
Q: How long have you known the VP?
A: About three decades, actually. I was raised in Kaduna, but I grew up in Borno State, which is my state. I am a bona fide citizen of Borno State, and I am proud of that. While growing up in Bullumkuttu, Abuja, in the city of Maiduguri, I happened to leave around the VP’s wife’s family residents. I became friends with some of Her Excellency’s brothers and sisters, and we attended the same Bullumkuttu Primary School in the 1980s. I knew Kashim Shettima around 1988, to be precise, but we became very close when he became commissioner under the Modu Sheriff administration and I was writing for the newspapers as a journalist. I think we became very close because we share the same attitude and vision. Our culture, books, and views of life are the same. So, I would say we think alike.
Q: How would you describe the VP’s activities in the last year of this administration, and do you see distractions?
A: Well, they are too numerous to mention his activities generally. For distractions, there are also numbers. However, the VP is focused. Remember he said in one of his many sayings during the campaign that you should stop throwing stones at every dog that barks at you or you may not reach your destination on time? So, I want to tell you that this is his posture toward distraction. And you can see that he remained focused, building on the renewed hope initiative of the government by trying to bridge gaps across people, culture, and religion. He has also been in and out of the country, connecting and networking to build relationships for security, the economy, and others. For every achievement, there is a working person, and the VP is one of those working to achieve the dreams of Mr. President and give Nigeria hope.
Q: Your writings speak volumes about the VP; do you also consult with him before you write?
A: No. I know him too well to read his lips, and I can also study his moods, especially his reactions to what I wrote. Like I said, he is my teacher and mentor, so I guess there is this chemistry of understanding what to do and what not to do between us, which came naturally. Secondly, I am a professional in my field with good experience in political writing. It is therefore easy for me to look at situations and determine with precision what I need to do as a professional. For someone like the VP, all I need to know are the vital signs, which are obligations to me because of the closeness. I watched his back media wise, and he does mine brotherly.
Q: Recently, you wrote defending the VP on the issue of 2027. Why do you think some people want him replaced? Did he offend those calling for his replacement?
A: You know, this is actually laughable.
VP Kashim Shettima did not offend anybody, but the gang was politically motivated. For me, it is normal in politics to have those who want you there and those who are pushing for you to be out of place. But let me tell you something. Recently, the President appointed the Zenith Bank Chairman to lead the loan team. Jim Ovia was VP Shettima’s boss when he was still working in the bank. What does that tell you? Does it look like there is friction between the VP and his principal? The closeness between VP Kashim Shettima and the Zenith Bank Chairman is well known to Mr. President. As those people claim in their dreams that there is friction, I do not think we have been seeing this development coming. Mr. President is well educated and knows very well those he can work with. He has a history of gathering intellectuals around him. That is also the reason for choosing VP Kashim Shettima as his running mate and partner in the governance of Nigeria. Together, they have been doing tremendously well, and as I said in my writing, there will be no replacement as suggested by those doomsayers.
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Q: You sounded very confident about the political future and the likely play for Tinubu and Kashim Shettima in 2027. What is giving you such confidence, as in some of your writings?
A: I don’t know, actually. But I keep having my dreams, and I believe in them. It has happened in the past and has come to be true. It is happening again, and I keep my belief. So many people fighting over 2027 think they are gods. This administration has only been around for about a year now. If they think they have all it takes to govern better than what the current occupants of the seat of power are doing, I hope that as Nigerians they should be kind to render support through their vision to help Nigeria develop well. The president and his vice president are calling on those who have vision for the development of Nigeria to come forward with suggestions. They must not be in position before they can bring out their good road map to make Nigeria better. If they are waiting to come to a position before they give suggestions or bring their ideas to the table, then I would suggest that those are not thinking of making Nigeria great but are working towards their selfish desires to occupy seats for the betterment of their families and not Nigeria.
Q: Can you at least mention those you think are already fighting over 2027? And those calling for the replacement of the VP?
A: My friends, we know the writing on the walls. You go and read some of the writing floating in the newspaper spaces. We have over one hundred live newspapers in the country, and they have been reporting issues recently. Engaged in some of these newspapers, you can come up with names likely to be those you are looking for. I do not know any of them other than those I have read through on the pages of the newspapers, and I believe you can do the same.
Q:. On May 29, this administration will be celebrating one year. Do you think there are things to celebrate?
A: Well, if I may ask you, do you think there are no things to celebrate? You see, sometimes we ask questions for which we already know the answers. Of course, there are thousands of things to celebrate about Nigeria. I hope you have been following the various achievements made by our military, the police, and other security agencies in the areas of insecurity in the country. I hope you have written about the successes in the economic sector. There are several achievements in health, agriculture, the road, and what have you. I may not have time to mention others, but we have days counting to May 29, and you can do us the favor of going around to hunt on the successes and achievements of the Tinubu and Kashim Shettima administrations since their coming to power on May 29, 2023. Nigerians are eager to hear from you because they can count on you, and I urge you to be fair in your reports.
Q: On a final note, what do you think this government should do based on the assessments of people on what they did or did not do for Nigerians and how to improve on their promises?
A: First of all, let me make it clear that you are asking the wrong question here because I am not a member of the economic team of this administration. Secondly, what I hear people saying may be different from what you hear that people are saying, so do not expect me to give an answer to what is going on about what you hear. However, I can speak for what I hear, and that is a positive note on the many challenges that this administration was able to sum up. Two key issues have been on the board since this administration came on board on May 29, 2023. That is the issue of insecurity and Nigeria’s economy. I think that you would agree with me that the Tinubu-Shettima partnership has done creditably well in tackling these menaces in the areas of security and economy. If you do agree with me, then I can tell you that the government by measurements has done well and should be given the passing mark for demonstrating rear leadership.
Kashim Shettima is focused, trying to bridge gaps across people, culture, and religion in Nigeria. – Dr. Bwala
Interviews
The challenges with IEDs at the “Hadin Kai” theater will soon be history – Former TC General Ali
The challenges with IEDs at the “Hadin Kai” theater will soon be history – Former TC General Ali
Before becoming the 10th Commander of the Multi-National Joint Task Force (MNJTF) in Chad, General Ibrahim Ali was the last theater commander (TC) of Operation Hadin Kai in North-East Nigeria. He succeeded in getting three Chibok girls and their children out of the Sambisa and vowed to get Lear Sharibu anywhere credible intelligence could locate her. He spoke with Bodunrin Kayode just before proceeding to his present command in N’djamena. Excerpt:
Q: General, before I proceed to matters of this war theater, I would like you to compare and contrast your last command with “Hadin Kai,” which you are about to leave after only 6 months.
The level of threat in the Jos. 3 Division area is quite different from the one in the North East Theatre Command. We know that the threats in the theater Command are more. This is because in the 3 division area, the threats are more like intercommunal clashes—you know, farmers and herders crises, kidnapping, cattle rustling, and things like that—but here in the Northeast, it is insurgency and terrorism. Which is higher in terms of mortality than those ones. So it was not easy, but I came with the experience I had from Jos, and before getting to Jos, I had been to the Northeast five times, and this will be my sixth time coming here. So I came with all those experiences I had earlier, and it really helped me. I had a fair knowledge of the modus operandi of the insurgents and the terrorists, and I was able to counter them. And this time around, we had better equipment to confront the insurgents than we used to have when I came earlier in the five times I mentioned. So, with the additional and improved equipment level and other platforms, we were able to degrade them to a very appreciable level.
Q: Is it true that the rule of engagement in the 3D theater was that soldiers were not allowed to take out anybody, even if the bandit was the aggressor messing around with ancestral lands and you were seeing him live?
A: No! No! That is not true. Because I remember the former President, commander in Chief, shortly after I went to Jos, especially the early period of my stay there. There was a directive from the Presidency in which the President said that “any person seen with an AK-47 rifle should be taken out. I remember that vividly, and it trickled down the Chain of Command and came to us. Which was equally sent to all my troops. Any person carrying an AK-47 rifle and attacking another community will be taken out. This is because he is an aggressor. And I can tell you, if you check the record, that there were a couple of militants that we took out, in Plateau and in Sabon Kaduna. I lost, during my stay as a junior officer in 3 divisions, about 3 to 4 soldiers, if I remember well. So, we cannot sit down and see them eliminating our troops, and we say that we are not supposed to fire because of the rule of engagement. It’s not true; any person carrying a weapon, at least an AK-47 rifle, is an aggressor, and he should be taken down. And that is what I was doing. The only peculiarity of the Jos area, of course, was when you talked about the inter-communal crisis. Communities or tribes fighting themselves, we had to come in between. And in that situation, as long as they are not carrying arms, we cannot start shooting them. Unless, of course, any of the other groups are carrying arms, then you definitely have the go-ahead to take them down.
Q: But is it true that mostly in the night beyond Mangu, Riyom, Ganawuri, etc.,troops were non-operational just pinned down, which is why the senator representing Plateau South, a retired general, was saying recently that he wants the defense chief to re-enact the rule of engagement to make them operational during the night too, to counter the bandits who operate mostly in the night or the wee hours of the morning?
No, we carried out patrols when I was the GOC. You know, I left there almost six months ago. When I was a GOC, we carried out patrols in the daytime and at night. We did carry out our night patrols. So, I am not aware of the fact that troops just stay confined to their locations. We carried out our patrol both day and night when I was there.
Q: Do we have night patrols or operations here in Operation Hadin Kai?
A: ….. Cuts in. Off course we do.
Q: Except that certain areas are shut down as early as 4 p.m., like the Maiduguri-Damaturu road, because of the aggression of the insurgents.
A: Yes, those are supply routes, main supply roads. We shut them down for security reasons, and that has been going on for a long time. You know. It’s for the security of the civil populace that plys the route that we can control the movement. And we make sure that people are not exposed to attacks.
Q: So, looking at the Northeast theater that you managed for about 6 months before shipping out, What, in your own perception, are achievements?
A: I will just mention a few; there are quite a lot of achievements, several achievements in the 6 months I have stayed. First of all, I, my staff, and my officers and men conducted Operation Desert Sanity 2 and Lake Sanity 2. We conducted Operation Mountain Sanity as well. So, these operations have to a large extent degraded the terrorist.
Q: Cuts in. Mountain sanity is the Mandara stretch in Gwoza.
That is right, Mandara Mountains; we made a lot of recoveries. In Ukoba, Sambisa, we made a lot of recoveries. We were able to get very sound intelligence on where they have stashed their arms, ammunition, and weapons. The records are there, the photos are there, and I am very happy to say that I was able to rescue three out of the many Chibok girls that were abducted several years ago. I was able to rescue three of them from the operations we conducted. And there were two non-governmental organizations (NGO) staff that we rescued. Three others have not been seen, and we heard that they were killed by the terrorist. So, I am happy that we were able to rescue those two as well. I am talking about those that were picked up in Gamboru Ngala. Also, we were able to at least reduce the frequency of attacks on people. You can attest to the fact that the attacks that we used to experience in the past have been reduced by the terrorist attacks. We don’t have such attacks as we are used to any more. So, what they are trying to do now is attack farmers. Now that they have been degraded to an appreciable level, they are trying to get soft targets like the farmers. And we are taking adequate measures to counter that. You will know the terrorists once you are able to degrade them. They will look for other exit routes to cause damage. We are happy that we are able to degrade them, even though they will always change tactics. So now the tactics that were adopted were that they were trying to kill farmers to stop them from farming this year. And they intensified the use of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) and bombs along our routes of movement. So we are contending with that as well.
Q: So, what about Lear Shaibu? Did you get close to her?
Lear Sharibu; we are not sure where she is. We have been getting conflicting information about where exactly she is. But we have not lost hope yet; we think she is alive, and if we get good intelligence, we will definitely try to rescue her.
Q: So, what were some of the operational challenges that clogged the progress of troops in sectors 2 and 1?
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The challenges I experienced were, first of all, the issue of equipment. Another challenge is the high attrition rate of the equipment. So, it’s not that the equipment is not available. What I am saying is that the equipment is available, but before you know it, it is damaged. How? Because of the bombs encountered and the IEDs on the way, ok. A lot of Emeralds were bombed. Before you know it, when we go out for any major operation and come back with the troops, those vehicles will have gone over mines, which will damage most parts of the vehicle. We have the time to repair it, so we can deal with the subsequent operations. However, some of them are not going to be repairable at all. So, we need replacements, and this thing takes time. So, these are some of the challenges that we faced.
Q: IEDs have been a major challenge since your predecessor was here. Now you are facing them as a major challenge too. Is there any long-term plan to deal with these IEDs once and for all because the insurgents will still do them anyway?
A: Of course, that is the most preferred weapon for terrorists and insurgents. Especially now that they don’t have vehicles, they lack arms and ammunition. They have resorted to the widespread use of IEDs. We have just identified counter-IED equipment, which the Nigerian Army has purchased and will very soon deploy in the theater.
Q: Sector 3 is very peculiar. Lots of meshes: the Tunbus, the Timbuktu triangle. So how did you handle those challenges in Sector 3? Are they still IEDs, or are there other natural issues other than IEDs and flooding?
A: Of course, one of the major issues in Sector 3 is flooding. So now that we have had some experience in some areas, we have worked out ways to counter it the next time so that it doesn’t happen. By creating dykes, water floods areas to channel the water when it comes back. So, these are some of the things we have done. And we are clearing the waterways of the hyacinths and the giant grasses. So, this thing will also allow us to freely go through the channel linking the Lake Chad Basin area.
Q: And were you satisfied with the cooperation from your colleagues in the air?
A: Yes, absolutely yes.
Q: Cuts in. At times we see them bombing and producing their own reports outside the theater, or are those bombing under your command?
A: Yes, we plan everything with joint operations; you know, we plan together. You know, we mostly get the intelligence, and we pass it on to them to carry out the air rides. Yes, they do conform to our directives here.
Q: What about the Navy guys in Baga and your amphibious troops? What’s next for them? What is their plan to end all of this?
A: The Navy, like I said, is involved in actively clearing the waterways that have been overtaken by the water hyacinths and going forward. They are going to be carrying out more serious amphibious operations in the Lake Chad Basin area.
Q: I believe that when you get over there in Chad, there will be a correlation between that side and this side, so that they will be able to weed out the criminals. This is because I learned that even on Tumbus Island, there are so many that nobody actually knows the number of them for effective planning. But I believe you people will take each day as it comes. Is that correct, General?
A: Yes, that is it.
Q: What then is your message to the people of this whole theater as you are leaving, especially concerning the defected insurgents surrendering daily? We have heard so many reports about them, you know, especially now that you are going to the other side of Lake Chad to do the same job in conjunction with foreign troops.
A: What I will tell them is that they should not look backwards. Of course, they shouldn’t lose hope either; they should continue to give support in times of information and intelligence. They should continue to talk to their brothers who are out fighting and tell them to lay down their arms and come out. I think the Governor has a good heart and wants the best for them. They should give him a chance and listen to him. They should come out of the bushes and lay down their arms. Now we have over 100,000 who have surrendered. Over 100,000. I think that is a sign that we are getting to the end of the tunnel. The crisis is coming to an end. Of course, there will be some die-hards. But of course, such die-hards will find themselves to blame at the end of the day. That is my message to them.
Q: My mind is on the wounded soldiers at the 7th Division hospital. Are you satisfied with the facility, having spent just six months managing the troops? In case you were here for another 6 months. What would you have done differently with the functional medical facility in the barracks?
A: Of course, it is to improve the hospital by buying more equipment. We can increase and buy more. Even though what we have is adequate and there is a system whereby we move some of them to 44 in Kaduna, you know, And even in Damaturu now, we have a few hospitals there. So, we have the capability to take care of the strength of the troops here.
Q: And we believe the new Chief will take care of the tertiary one being built here to ease the pressure on the UMTH and 44?
A: Of course.
Q: Thank you very much, General Ali. I wish you the best.
A: Thank you.
The challenges with IEDs at the “Hadin Kai” theater will soon be history – Former TC General Ali
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