SENATE COMMITTEE ON DEFENCE CONDUCTS OVERSIGHT VISIT TO AFCSC

By: Our Reporter

The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Defence, Sen. Ahmad Lawan and his entourage conducted an Oversight Visit to the Armed Forces Command and Staff College (AFCSC) Jaji Kaduna on Monday, November 4, 2024. The visit, held at AVM AO Ogundana Officers’ Mess aimed to inspect and assess projects executed by the College.

In his address, the commandant AFCSC, AVM HI Alhaji welcome the committee. He further mentioned that the College was established with the mission to train tactical and operational level officers in standardized command and staff duties through professional military education to effectively accomplish the constitutional roles of the Armed Forces of Nigeria.

During his remarks, Sen. Ahmad Lawan stated that in the current global landscape, security is paramount. Therefore, he pledged to continue prioritizing the nation’s security and military forces to ensure they receive the necessary support. “When we secure our environment, we can more easily and comfortably provide for other needs,” he said. The committee chairman also highlighted the AFCSC as a key institution for military training, providing education to officers at the tactical, operational, and mid-management levels, who go on to lead critical military operations. Sen. Ahmad Lawan stressed the importance of creating a conducive environment for achieving the College’s goals, underscoring that adequate funding is essential for success.

“There must be substantial investment in the AFCSC and other defence institutions like the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) and the National Defence College (NDC),” Lawan said. “These institutions attract people from all over the world for training, a testament to the excellence of our programs.” He called for more funding in the upcoming 2025 budget for defence institutions and security agencies, asserting that security should be the nation’s top priority.

Sen. Ahmad Lawan thereafter, commended also the Commandant AFCSC, his predecessors and members of the College Committee for their dedicated efforts in building and sustaining the institution since its inception.

Highlights of the event included inspection of the quarter guard, presentation of souvenirs, a tour of College facilities.

SENATE COMMITTEE ON DEFENCE CONDUCTS OVERSIGHT VISIT TO AFCSC

Borno Flood: Buhari Pays Condolence Visit to Maiduguri

By: Michael Mike

Borno State Governor, Prof. Babagana Zulum on Tuesday received former President Muhammadu Buhari who was in the state to commiserate with the people and government over the 10th of September flood disaster.

The state capital Maiduguri and environs was submerged in flood that claimed several lives and destroyed many properties.

President Buhari who was out of the country when the flood disaster occurred had earlier sent a high powered delegation to commiserate with the government and made a N20m donation to the state relief fund.

Making his remarks during the visit, Buhari said, “When this disaster happened, having been governor in Borno during my military career, I could hardly imagine such disaster. I was out of the country, all I could do was to send people to come and sympathise with you.”

In their separate remarks, Governor Zulum and the Shehu of Borno, Abubakar Umar Garbai Elkanemi, expressed gratitude to the former President for the visit.

The former president was accompanied by the ex-Secretary to the federal government, Boss Mustapha, Engr. Sulaiman Adamu, Sen. Hadi Sirika, Prof. Isa Pantami, Engr. Aliyu Mamman, Garba Shehu, Emeka Nwajiuba, Musa Haro Danmadami among other associates.

Borno Flood: Buhari Pays Condolence Visit to Maiduguri

Group Advised Against Confirmation of North West Development Commission Board for being Unrepresentative

By: Michael Mike

Northern Christian Youth Professionals have advised against the confirmation and inauguration of the board of the North West Development Commission, insisting that the list of members are presently skewed and unrepresentative of the diverse interest of the North West region.

The group in a press conference addressed on Tuesday by its Chairman, Isaac Abrak said: “If the Senate goes ahead and confirms the list, and the President inaugurates the members, then Mr. President would have sowed the first seed of religious dicord in a region that is growing away from religious volatility.”

Abrak said: “We have convened this press conference to address a critical oversight that we believe warrants immediate attention. We respectfully call upon His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to review the recent appointments to the Board of Directors of the North West Development Commission and include christians. Currently, this board lacks Christian representation, despite the more than 11 million Christians residing in the North West region, encompassing Kaduna, Katsina, Sokoto, Kebbi, Kano, Jigawa, and Zamfara States.”

Abrak, while listing the members of the board to include, Haruna Ginsau (Jigawa) – Chairman, Professor Abdullahi Shehu Ma’aji (Kano) – Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, and members Dr. Yahaya Namahe (Sokoto), Aminu Suleiman (Kebbi), Tijani Kaura (Zamfara) – AbdulKadir Usman (Kaduna), Muhammad Wudil (Kano), Shamsu Sule (Katsina), Nasidi Ali (Jigawa), said it was unfair to have a wholly Muslim adherents on a board which has a population of about 11 million people.

He said: “You can see that Jigawa and Kano states have two members each, despite the fact these states have a significant population of indegenous christians, yet no christian was found qualified to balance the two slots from the states. Then how about the remaining of Kaduna, Kebbi, Katsina, Sokoto and Zamfara whose christian population is almost half in the states, especially Kaduna state where the 2006 National Census exercise recorded christians as higher in number in the state.”

Abrak said: “We fear that our perennial marginalization will continue even in staff recruitment and appointment on the commission’s workforce. This we cannot accept.

“Let us be frank to ourselves, every member of the Board will prioritize their community’s interests when the board seats to map out areas of intervention to carry development actitvities. So if the board remains as it is, then it means that there will be no christians sitting at the table at the time decisions of paramount importance will be taken.”

He decried that: “Then many christian dominated communties that have suffered high herdsmen destruction and kidnappings, fair resource allocation to these ravaged areas is unlikely since they have no one sitting at the table when decisions are taken.”

Abrak added that: “The inclusion of Christians on the board will not only unite the region but give the Commision the trust and support it needs for roboast development. Importantly also this would boost our President’s political standing, as our people are loyal his leadership which is working tirelessly to improving their well-being.

“We are concerned that the absence of fair representation could impact the commission’s effectiveness and potentially sow seeds of religious discord—a challenge we have been working diligently to overcome. We believe this oversight does not align with Mr. President’s vision, nor that of the leaders and peace-loving citizens of this region, and certainly not that of Nigerians as a whole.”

He noted that: “Our region is rich with qualified Christian professionals who could serve admirably on the board. We have highly educated and seasoned serving and retired men and women in both public and private sector, Such as the Career Civil Servants, Military, Police and other security services. , as well the clergy. They are people of high integrity, well suited to contribute positively to the North West Development Commission. We therefore advise Mr. President to appoint one of the christians to also serve in one of the executive office of the Board

“We, the Northern Christian Youth Professionals, want to state it categorically clear here that, as a christian group who publicly supported and campaiged for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s “Muslim-Muslim” ticket, our request is not rooted in any malicious or divisive intent. Rather, we are motivated by the principles of fairness and equal representation, which are essential to the peaceful coexistence and development of our diverse region.”

Abrak admitted that: “Under the leadership of President Tinubu and the governors of the North West, our region is currently experiencing an unprecedented level of security and stability. This progress is due in no small part to the inclusive leadership style of our President and the dedication of our security personnel. It is our hope that we can continue to build on this foundation to foster a stronger, more united North West and a prosperous Nigeria.”

Group Advised Against Confirmation of North West Development Commission Board for being Unrepresentative