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There is no reading culture in Nigeria –  Bako kanamani 

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2 years ago

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There is no reading culture in Nigeria –  Bako kanamani 

Bako Kanamani is a Major in the Nigerian army. He is the son of the late Archbishop of the Anglican communion Emmanuel Kana Mani of Maiduguri Diocese.  A keen watcher of humanity through poetry and literary arts. In an interview with NEWSng, father Sam as he is referred speaks on low reading culture in Nigeria and many others. Bodunrin Kayode sent excerpt:  

Q: Why do you use father Sam in your writings, which is not your real name?

A: Father actually means source and God is source. And to the work a whole view of originality that yes, from the source you can get a reality, from a source you can enjoy what you know is genuine. So I choose the word father, because father will appeal more to people, because people actually are from a father whether you get into the science of carrying a sperm putting it in the egg and fertilizing it, it is still father. So father actually means source. A lot of people call me father, the name actually started from the University of Maiduguri where I studied Literature in English. 

Q: Do you share the concern that young people in Nigeria do not read especially  from the active pinging age of 16 to about 35. What do you think is responsible for this? 

A: I think there is no reading culture in the country. Because reading is something that is supposed to be a culture and they are supposed to train people right from when they are little. But somehow because of the crave for modern life, people now use it as an excuse not to read. For instance smart phones, gadgets and all those other computer based devices, are not supposed to hinder you from actually reading but people use all this excuse. They lazy around and, you could actually get the whole of the world in ones books. A whole library of the world putting on tablet, and then you can have access to it. But even the painful exercises of bending down with a tablet and reading from that tablet, people don’t want to do it. They want to do things that would just appeal to their emotions, watch videos, look at pictures and then maybe exchange one or two voice messages. There are even voice messages that are actually voice recording of books, but for people to sit down and even plug in their ear and listen, they don’t want to do that. So you see science is supposed to help us simplify life, but somehow, today’s world makes it so complicated.

Q: When you said people, you mean everybody and not just young people that you are worried about?

A: Yes, because there is failure on the part of those who have enjoyed the privilege of readership. They don’t even encourage the young people to read, they just sit down and stay aloof and allow this generation of people. Reading actually opens the mind. I have a very queer kind of philosophy about smart phones, I believe there is nothing like a smart phone, there are no smart gadgets, there are no smart phones. These devices actually become smart, because people made them smart. It is human beings that put in this programs and made them what they are. They are not smart, its a myth of science, there is nothing smart actually. Phones are simply phones because people gave them inputs and made them what they are. So the phones are not actually smart, we loose our smartness when we subscribe to things we ourselves created.

Q: So you are saying that the transition from the landline to the pinging generation is a dangerous disadvantage to those who are mesmerized by it

A: Very well, in fact, that is one of my points in this collection towards a zero mind. I talked about ‘phone fever,’ and in that phone fever I tried to talk about, you see this person always texting, always smiling sometimes shouting at a wireless friend. Because the gadget when you hold the gadget, you are looking at the gadget like this, its a tangible thing from the face to the back. When you look at the back, you will not see anybody. It is a wireless connection to a wireless world and you expect that, that wireless connection is supposed to better you. You see somebody sitting down with somebody and he does not even recognize the fact that a human being is with him, he is pressing the phone, he is texting some one who is wireless who does not exist, he is smiling at somebody who is wireless, he is shouting at somebody who is wireless and he is even oblivious of his environment. There are even phones which will check videos online, you will see people making calls, they fall into ditches, some are knocked by vehicles, the whole of that is going on. So it’s one of the concerns of my poetry, my collection, it is a fever that has grilled both men, and women and people loose their identity by trying to sound off bit modern and, you understand all the stuff.

Q: So how many collections of poems do you have packaged in that book?

A: The poem like I said in the synopsis covers seven (7) chapters. It is a 115 page book.The collection actually starts talking about the dead. But in talking about the dead, it tells you about life, because in African mythology it is believed that people don’t die.

Q: The first chapter is about death?

A: Indeed its about death, in fact the first poem that opens that book is ‘the day I died’. Talking about the fact that he died and he was being buried and then from that world he could see what was happening around him and he could see his family going away pursuing other concerns and left him in a coffin, his spirit, his body was caged in a coffin and was kept in the earth’s oven to bake and he was shouting in the coffin that let somebody tell me I am not dead I want to experience that reality, I want to go back, I want to switch to the other life.

So even if you come back to Christian belief system, you will discover that, there is this concept of church militant, church triumphant that yes we are fighting. The militant church is fighting against sin, against satan and against the systems of the world. And then there is this church triumphant of people who have died. These people who have died and have crossed on to the other side, and if you get to Hebrews, Hebrews will tell you they are the clouds of witnesses. These are people who have gone before us and if you get down to New Testament, talking about the first four (4) book, you will see Jesus coming to appear at the mount of transfiguration and then you will see Moses and you will see Elijah talking to him about his death that was going to happen in Jerusalem. So there is this relationship that tends to happen between our forebears and those of us who are still holding the baton and running, so that book, carries you through the African mythology that there is the world of the living, world of the dead and the living dead and there is the world of the yet unborn that is children who are in the womb. And this three circles of existence are in constant relationship. And then, if you go down to Yoruba culture, you find this ‘Abiku’ phenomenon, going and coming again and again. So that’s how the book starts. Tells you about life but talks to you about death. Death is a reality within our own experience. 

Q: Are you afraid of death?

A: Well death is a necessary thing, death is a sting actually from my own Christian perspective, death is a sting and you see the fear of death is a reality we must live with, it’s a reality you must live with because death comes with it. 

Q: Which our creator uses to show us that He is bigger than us

A: Yes, that we are mortals and that if you check in the Christian belief system, we are told that the last enemy to be defeated will be death. Yes, and then death will no longer have victory over people. So death is a necessity and there is this fear that envelopes all of mankind because of this suddenness and because of the sting. You never can tell, you can be looking at somebody and you will not know at the particular minute, particular second he will transcend to the other GBV side. So it is a fear everybody lives with but the Christian belief system gives you hope that it is a necessary path of transition and that when you cross, when you pass that necessary path you enter into glory. And then all through life, you will read the history of people near death experiences. Even death bed experiences when you see people saying that they are crossing to the other side and this tends to give you hope despite the fear that death seems to carry. 

Q: So which of the poems brought out the agitation of the Zuru’s mind as spelt out in the cover?

A: I think the whole collection. You see, the poems are just old dissections of what happens in society. They are musings from my mind because I am from Zuru land, it doesn’t really matter. A Hausa man who has the courage to bear the truth can allow that truth to pass through his mind. It is not necessarily from a Zuru mind, if the thoughts are from a Zuru mind, it means I will be advocating Zuru culture, philosophy belief system and even the worship of God etc. But if you go through the poems you won’t see all of that in the pages all through pages you won’t see, 

It is just that trying to tell you that this poetry is a universal language that anybody who has a strong shoulder to bear it can bear it and allow it to pass through him. For me poetry actually are believed to be inspired by the goddess of creativity. And so the thing just passes through me. I was only a channel that said yes, this thought passed through a Zuru mind and is not from a Zuru mind. So I am not necessarily advocating Zuru culture as a philosophy or anything, I am only trying to say that it is through my mind that this thoughts passed. So you see one is talking about love. You will even see a poem talking about shoes, the shoe people wear that people should sit down respect their shoes, because this shoe carries them around the world prevents their feet from harm and stop other things from happening. 

Q: Does the Association of Nigerian Authors ANA have any subgroup that is purely for poetry or they are all together as a group?

A: Yes for the Association of Nigeria Authors branch in Maiduguri chapter, I know that they do all of it. You know literature is three legs, poetry, prose and drama. So they do all of that, they even do extensive encouragement of what they call the Yerwa book club, which encourages this readership we are talking about people reading. So find them bringing, I know currently they are doing this Zainab Alkali book, the still born, they are dissecting it again and looking at ways how it impacts society and what are the relevant themes they can bring out to you know, buttress the reality that we are facing. So they do that, then if you go to University of Maiduguri for insistence… that’s at the UNIMAID department of English or Creative Arts department you find where they read poems.

Q: Finally, after the thoughts of the Zuru mind, what next?

A: There are a lot of books that I am doing, I have one coming up “From the border’s of my heart”. Its a collection of poems. I am venturing mainly on poetry, other things are have to do with Christian literature. I have some work that I am focusing on the military, for instance there is a book I am working on “The voice of Uriah a soldier”, that a soldier who is junior to you has a voice, when he speaks God listens to him. I took this inspiration from when David killed Uriah in battle and took over his wife, because of that, God later said of David that your hands are full of blood. So you can’t build my temple. So I just want to remind us all of us who are in the system that yes, the junior man you know the junior to you he has a voice in the court of heaven and the court of heaven listens to his voice wherever. Listen to voice, even blood that is spilled on the ground that is innocent speaks against regions, against cities and across generations. So “The voice of Uriah the soldier” is one book I am trying to venture into from Christian literature side. That is going to be a book, but the next one that is I am working on is “From the border of my heart”, which is a collection of poetries, it is going to be the love related to Christ. 

Q: How do you get your inspiration? 

A: From reading of course. Sometimes you read all kinds of things, you read medical journals, you read things about agriculture, you read so many things and then from there you just. Sometimes from the news as you are listening to the news you just see something that intrigues you then while you are trying to concentrate that gives you a lot of focus and then you just see themes building out from those focus, then you just quickly write. For instance something came up on organ harvesting. Yes, it hit me so strongly I wrote down something. I wrote it somewhere but I am not been able to complete it. This is how it comes from the news, from the society, from reading, from nature you get all kinds of stuffs. 

Q: Any message for the young literary people in this war Theatre who are literary gifted but distracted by war? 

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A: I think the basic thing is that everybody has the gift of solitude no matter what happens around you have the gift of solitude and the silence you need to capture is in the journey into reality. Solitude is a journey into reality and once people sit down, the silence shut out, music shut out everything mostly at night you find out that you are little bit quieter, you find out you could even hear rats running inside your house, insects chirping at that time, you could draw inspiration. There should always try to keep quiet and listen to themselves. Young writers or people aspiring to be writers should always get a pen and a paper by their side. Because of the gift of the human mind which is so strong. You see your mind has the ability to receive transport from the world of Metaphysical there are speakings outside of yourself that you must be able to pen down. If you don’t pen it down, you will get to a point where you loose facts, works you could have taken and could have benefited. Some of these writers are not really majestic in the sense, they are not really big kinds of persons those people who take advantage of solitude we talk about, is it musicians, is it actors, media people, even does who are authors all these people draws inspiration and it is from solitude when you are quiet, you get speaking that are without this physical. So they should get a pen, get a paper, enjoy the gift of solitude and the most important thing is that, there is nothing that you want to do that has not being done before. There is always somebody who has a track record of that field you want to go into. So get people who you know have proven themselves over time and come under their tutelage When you do that, you become master in no time. Look at Chimamanda Adichie, she just followed the pattern of Chinua Achebe and see who she is now.

Q: So who is your, mentor in your life’s literary journey? 

A: Let me just put a little bit of balance from an academic side, my father is my mentor, most of what I do, I draw inspirations from him. All his Bishops charges are well researched you can turn them to books, there is another one they call Nigeria is for all Nigerians, you need to read it. There is one Priest who would just pick his Bishop charges, and read. So I draw inspiration from him. In fact when the bishop of Warri saw me, the first time he said, that is Bishop Chris Ayede March last year or April last year, he said, “ your father was a writer, are you a writer”, I said my lord I don’t understand. He said he can any small thing he would put it down, he would write it, explain it, he would do all.. I said yes my lord we are doing something, then this book was not out. So on that side he is my mentor for everything. Some of the steps I have taken which I have never regretted were just  watching him do certain things. I know all the time he writes his Bishop charges, I see the energy, the focus he gave to it, mostly at night he writes till morning and like that so, most of what I do, I just follow that. Because I have seen it and it is practicable and you will even see results that’s on one side. And so from the family I am also aspired by mom. Then I got inspirations from,  Abubakar Uthman, Dr. Abubakar Othman is in the University of Maiduguri. He is a Professor of literature, he wrote “The Palm of Time”, The Palm of Time, so from there, while we were in the University I used to see that the man reads poems and he made us to love one poem of black Africa, edited by Wole Shoyinka, so we did those ones, reciting. That’s going to give the ingredient to which will work so Uthman inspires me. Lately we have Professor Razinat Muhammad, she said go and publish it.

Q: What kind of music do you like?

A: Simply gospel, strictly gospel. We have tried others, all those circular music, we look at it, maybe because of our background, we try other music but I am more inspired by Gospel music.

Q: What about Afro beats, Fela and co, because in them its just about the message?

A: No just into Blues, But I love his approach. They in fact if you place them side by side within the five offices when Jesus was living, the Bible said when he said he gave five gifts on to men he calls some to apostle, some to become prophets, some evangelists, some to be pastors, some teachers for the perfecting of the same. So when you check all this afro beats kind of music that Fela advocated, and you check all this Reggae kind of music, they fall within the prophetic field in Christian theology. Fela, Bob Marley were all prophetic. On that level I recognize what they do and I value what they do because they, from that their angle show that the father of us all is the source of their inspiration. Because they do lineup with prophetic reality.

There is no reading culture in Nigeria –  Bako kanamani 

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Interviews

Interview:  NHRC paid over N480 million to 120 people for rights infringements after the SARS investigative panel saga, – Hilary Ogbonna.

Published

4 months ago

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July 22, 2024

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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.

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Kashim Shettima is focused, trying to bridge gaps across people, culture, and religion in Nigeria. – Dr. Bwala

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6 months ago

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May 20, 2024

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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

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The challenges with IEDs at the “Hadin Kai” theater will soon be history – Former TC General Ali

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1 year ago

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August 9, 2023

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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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