News
Isa Gusau: A part of me is gone
Isa Gusau: A part of me is gone
By: Yakubu Ahmed BK
Innalillahi Wa’inna Ilaihirrajiun. Death – the ultimate leveler has knocked on the door (as it will on ours) of Malam Isa Gusau, the Special Adviser, Media and Strategy to the Borno state Governor Professor Babagana Umara Zulum.
Isa was a complete gentleman, a professional and a loyal friend who gave his all to what he so much loved. Years my junior but almost at par with those who began before him.
Our paths crossed in Maiduguri early 2000 or thereabout and we clicked almost immediately, because we shared many attributes. He was Daily Trust’s Correspondent in Borno and I was Concord Press Correspondent there too, after I had spent 10 years as a Reporter and later a News Editor with Borno Radio Television Corporation BRTV. If you work in Borno, you just have to be at your best. Borno has a way it builds your confidence and sharpens you into a courageous person – and of course into a go getter. He was courageous, and one thing nobody can take away from him was his professionalism – one hell of a writer if you would.
It was not for nothing that he meritoriously served former Borno state Governor (now Nigeria’s Vice President) Kashim Shettima as SA Media for eight solid years from 2011. It was not for nothing again that Kashim Shettima’s successor Babagana Umara Zulum inherited him – and was glad to have done that. Isa was somewhat irreplaceable, no carbon copy of him, take it or leave it.
We spoke last some two weeks ago and believe me even though we were close, he never uttered a word about what he was going through healthwise other than the general knowledge even amongst his closest friends that he had some challenges which we all thought he had dealt with since his surgery at a hospital in India a year ago. It was he who called and as usual, he had some professional suggestions on how I should handle certain PR issues of my Principal in my position as the Commissioner for Information and Culture Kebbi state. We have become used to checking on one another on the professional realm. Each time either of us called, it must be about what either he or I thought should be done to advance the frontiers of image making for our respective bosses.
Since my appointment as Information Commissioner some five months ago, he became restless for me to hit the ground running and to make “that first impression.” The advises we offered to each other were mutual, but I must confess that I drew much more from his fountain of knowledge than he did from mine. That was obvious because he has image managed and PR consulted much earlier than myself and had done it more successfully. The fact that he achieved that much in a state that was not his attested to his capacity and ability in the area he had chosen for himself.
A part of me is gone and I just can’t decipher where to run to when I hit that point of creative slowdown. Of course, we drew from each other but my sense of loss was made worse by the reality that I must dig out with bare hands since one of the shovels is gone. Allah ya jikan Isa Gusau.
Yakubu Ahmed BK is Commissioner for Information and Culture, Kebbi state.
Isa Gusau: A part of me is gone
Boko Haram Terrorists Ambush Vigilantes in Borno, One Killed
By: Zagazola Makama
Suspected Boko Haram terrorists have ambushed members of a vigilante group on routine patrol along the Warave–Gwoza Road in Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno State, killing one member.
Sources said the attack occurred at about 7:30 a.m. on Tuesday when the gunmen opened fire on members of the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) and local hunters conducting patrol in the area.
A member of the CJTF in Warave, Bello Adamu, 50, sustained fatal injuries during the ambush. He was evacuated to the General Hospital in Gwoza, where he was certified dead on arrival. His remains were later released to his family for burial in accordance with Islamic rites.
Troops of Operation HADIN KAI were deployed to the scene following the incident, while monitoring and patrols have been intensified along the axis to prevent further attacks.
Boko Haram Terrorists Ambush Vigilantes in Borno, One Killed
Troops Neutralise Four Terrorists in Offensive Operation in Borno
By: Zagazola Makama
Troops of Sector 1, Operation HADIN KAI in conjunction with members of the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF), have neutralised Four suspected Boko Haram terrorists during an offensive operation in Shehuri area of Konduga Local Government Area of Borno State.
Sources told Zagazola that the operation, conducted at about 9:15 a.m. on Feb. 25 under Operation Desert Sanity IV, led to the interception and engagement of the terrorists.
Following the encounter, troops carried out exploitation of the area, during which four insurgents were neutralised.
Items recovered from the scene included AKSM automatic rifle and pump-action rifle with cartridges and magazines.
Sources added that troops’ morale and fighting efficiency remain high as clearance operations continue across parts of the state.
Troops Neutralise Four Terrorists in Offensive Operation in Borno
Lakurawa Terrorists on revenge Mission Kill Four Worshippers in Kebbi Mosque, Five Injured
By: Zagazola Makama
Suspected Lakurawa terrorists on a revenge mission have attacked Dadinkowa village in Maiyama Local Government Area of Kebbi State, killing four worshippers and injuring five others after storming a mosque.
Sources said the attackers invaded the community and opened fire on worshippers, leaving four persons dead and five others with varying degrees of injuries. The injured victims were rushed to a medical facility for treatment.
The latest attack is believed to be a reprisal following a failed ambush on the convoy of the General Officer Commanding (GOC) 8 Division, Maj.-Gen. Bemgha Koughna, during an operational tour in the state.
On Wednesday, troops of Operation Fansan Yamma reportedly foiled the ambush near Mayama Hill, neutralising five suspected terrorists. Weapons and other items recovered during the operation included one OJC gun, one PKT gun, two AK-47 rifles, four AK-47 magazines, a bandolier of PKT ammunition, several rounds of 12.7mm ammunition, a camel bag containing N840,000, two mobile phones and five motorcycles.
Security sources said the terrorists were suspected to have launched the mosque attack in retaliation for the heavy losses recorded during the failed ambush.
Operation FANSAN YANMA have assured that efforts were ongoing to track down those responsible for the latest assault.
Lakurawa Terrorists on revenge Mission Kill Four Worshippers in Kebbi Mosque, Five Injured
Boko Haram Terrorists Ambush Vigilantes in Borno, One Killed
Troops Neutralise Four Terrorists in Offensive Operation in Borno
Lakurawa Terrorists on revenge Mission Kill Four Worshippers in Kebbi Mosque, Five Injured
Roger Federer’s Shock as DNA Results Reveal Myla and Charlene Are Not His Biological Children
THE PLIGHT OF FARIDA
FAILED COUP IN BURKINA FASO: HOW TRAORÉ NARROWLY ESCAPED ASSASSINATION PLOT AMID FOREIGN INTERFERENCE CLAIMS
-
News2 years agoRoger Federer’s Shock as DNA Results Reveal Myla and Charlene Are Not His Biological Children
-
Opinions4 years ago
THE PLIGHT OF FARIDA
-
News10 months agoFAILED COUP IN BURKINA FASO: HOW TRAORÉ NARROWLY ESCAPED ASSASSINATION PLOT AMID FOREIGN INTERFERENCE CLAIMS
-
News2 years agoEYN: Rev. Billi, Distortion of History, and The Living Tamarind Tree
-
Opinions4 years agoPOLICE CHARGE ROOMS, A MINTING PRESS
-
ACADEMICS2 years agoA History of Biu” (2015) and The Lingering Bura-Pabir Question (1)
-
Columns2 years agoArmy University Biu: There is certain interest, but certainly not from Borno.
-
Opinions2 years agoTinubu,Shettima: The epidemic of economic, insecurity in Nigeria
