Seyi Tinubu storms Damaturu to consult with the youths

By: Bodunrin Kayode

Following after his agenda of connecting with the young people in Nigeria, Sheyi Tinubu, son of President Bola Tinubu, yesterday visited Damaturu, the Yobe State capital to engage with the young people of the state while breaking fast.

The “iftar” engagement was aimed at connecting with the young stakeholders in the polity in the state with a view to possibly watering the ground of any form of latent tension by rallying support for his father Bola Tinubu ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The visit, seen as a strategic move in the buildup to the pending political season, was heralded with a courtesy call on the Governor of Yobe state, Mai Mala Buni before settling into the banquet hall of the government house for an interactive session with stakeholder from all over the state who gathered in the hall hours before his arrival.

Although he did not settle down to have the iftar with the mammoth crowd waiting for him in the hall, it turned out to be a bold reaffirmation of his father’s commitment to youth development and national progress as he went round the tables and acknowledged the guests waiting for him.

The iftar in the banquet hall though a bit rowdy in Damaturu, the Yobe State capital, was the second half of the visit of the scion of the billionaire magnate and President of Nigeria, Bola Tinubu was held amidst tight security as he was ushered into the hall for the business of the evening.

The visit actually marked a significant political outreach by the inner caucus of the presidency, with the son of Tinubu engaging mostly young people in what many observers described as a prelude to a broader political campaign lying ahead to usher in his father’s desired second term proposed for 2027 just two years from now.

Seyi accompanied by the Minister of youth development Olawande Emmanuel had earlier visited the Emir of Damaturu
Dr Shehu Hashimi El-Kanemi to receive royal blessings from the monarch before his private talks with Governor Mai Mala Buni at the Government house.

At the banquet hall in the government house Damaturu, the youth minister Emmanuel had addressed the crowd shortly after their arrival at Banquet Hall galvanizing support for his Principal President Bola Tinubu.

Some of the stakeholders who interacted with this reporter during the goodwill visit posited that the young Tinubu was indeed trying to learn the ropes politically creating friendship aimed at pacifying the north after the last altercation the region had with his father over sweeping proposals within the revenue sector of the country.

They however agreed that the visit was both symbolic and strategic, noting that it was beyond just politics, but a call for young people to participate in national development and assist in the stabilization of the polity.

Seyi Tinubu storms Damaturu to consult with the youths

We have the best Opthalmology department in the North East of Nigeria –Prof. Tahir

By: Bodunrin Kayode

Medical Director of the ultra modern Police Hospital Damaturu Prof Bashir Tahir has said that his facility has one of the best Ophthalmology departments in North East Nigeria.

He made this declaration while speaking with this reporter in Damaturu recently.

Professor Tahir stated that having met the facility in a near comatose state, he and his team have been able to create a department of Opthalmology plus six others and set it on a very high standard ready to serve the people in the catchment area.

Tahir who spoke through his Director of Administration Mallam Hamza Saleh stated that “Our Opthalmology dept is one of the best in the North East of Nigeria and you can get a recommended glasses within an hour because of the state of arts machines in that very department in the hospital.”

Speaking on the current expansion going on in the facility the MD stated that “We have ENT and consultants coming from the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital UMTH alternatively during the week to do routine consultations, ward rounds and even operations in the theatre.

“We recently spent about N10m to buy equipments in the ENT and we do hope that all the equipments will be available before the end of the year.

On the revitalization of the facility, he went on: “We actually met the three theatres in bad shape but we have been able to put them into functional use by restructuring them accordingly. For now all three are functioning including the O and G theatre where routine operations have been conducted.

“When we came on board also the hospital was not departmentalized. So we did that and opened the way for more doctors to come by creating these seven departments for them to work in an organized way.

“All the departments are functional with seven consultants who man these departments to the satisfaction of all the patients who visit the facility.

This new facility can also boast of two Eye Nose and Throat surgeons and others as the support staff to support the facility.

“We have about 100 nurses with one that is a police officer. We also have some of them with specialized techniques and that has contributed to the progress of the place.

On medical lab scientists, the MD posited that they now have six lab scientists in different areas, two pharmacists and a couple of technicians that assist them on the ground on a daily basis.

They have a solid Public Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement with a pharmacy company in the supply of drugs which is used to stabilize the availability of drugs in the hospital.

On supply of drugs, he noted that they make sure that people served well and patient are the priority of anything that happens in the facility adding that they now have satellite pharmacies in the facility to ensure quality time is not wasted.

The MD said that it was part of their plan to get most of the major equipments before any fresh employment of any professional commences so that all hands will be on deck to ensure the best.

We have the best Opthalmology department in the North East of Nigeria –Prof. Tahir

The Hidden Truth: How Niger’s Sovereignty Was Secretly Sold to Foreign Powers

By: Our Reporter

A shocking revelation has come to light, exposing the true origins of foreign military deployment in Niger. Contrary to popular belief, it was not President Mohamed Bazoum who initiated the permanent presence of foreign troops in the country. Instead, classified documents and insider accounts reveal that it was the 2010-2011 military junta—the same type of government Niger is under today—that secretly invited French forces into Niger and granted them unrestricted military access.

The Secret Deal That Changed Niger Forever

On September 18, 2010, General Salou Djibo, then head of Niger’s ruling military junta, was preparing to leave for the United Nations General Assembly in New York. Before his departure, he held a closed-door meeting with his second-in-command, Colonel Abdoulaye Badié, and the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces (FAN), General Salou Souleymane. The main topic of discussion? Whether to allow a permanent French military presence in Niger. Whether to permit French military aircraft to land, refuel, and operate from Nigerien soil.
At first, both Badié and Djibo rejected the idea of allowing a French military base in Niger. However, what they didn’t know was that General Salou Souleymane had already made promises to France behind their backs. Weeks before this meeting, General Souleymane had personally assured the French Chief of Defense Staff, Admiral Édouard Guillaud, that Niger would approve France’s request to deploy its military forces.

This secret arrangement was not debated in public, nor was it disclosed to the Nigerien people. Instead, the decision was made in total secrecy, away from the eyes of the nation. With General Djibo about to leave for New York, the situation escalated. Prime Minister Mahamadou Danda and Defense Minister General Mamadou Ousseini were pressured into granting France full permission to deploy its forces in Niger. The final approval was given on the night of September 18, 2010.

Colonel Badié was personally tasked with informing French Ambassador Alain Holleville that Niger had given France the green light. The same night, General Salou Souleymane personally called the French Military Attaché in Niamey, Hervé Pilette, to confirm the authorization.

Within hours, the French military had already begun its deployment: Two Breguet Atlantic reconnaissance aircraft with five full crews. One Falcon 50 aircraft with two crews. A total of 115 French soldiers, including special forces and intelligence officers. By September 19, 2010, French forces were officially operating in Niger, under the justification that they were there to search for hostages kidnapped in Arlit a region rich in uranium, heavily exploited by French company Areva (now Orano).

The Junta’s Internal Crisis: How The Truth Was Buried

Upon returning from New York on September 26, 2010, General Salou Djibo found a top-secret report on his desk from his special staff. The report was alarming:

It said “The positioning of French troops on Nigerien territory seriously harms the image of Niger and the credibility of the Armed Forces (FAN). It creates the perception that our military is weak and unable to defend the country from threats like AQIM without French intervention.”
The report further warned that the French presence was no longer necessary, since it had become clear that the kidnapped hostages were already in Mali, not Niger. In other words, the original justification for allowing French troops into Niger was no longer valid.

However, by this point, the junta was trapped. The French military was already in Niger, and any attempt to remove them would have led to a diplomatic crisis. The truth was buried, and the Nigerien people were never informed of the secret deal that had been made.

This one decision set off a chain reaction that led to years of escalating foreign military presence: 2013: The United States established a drone base in Niamey to conduct operations across the Sahel. 2017: The U.S. expanded its presence by constructing Air Base 201 in Agadez, one of the largest drone bases in Africa. 2014-2019: France launched Operation Barkhane, stationing thousands of troops in the region, including in Niger. 2022: Following France’s expulsion from Mali, French troops redeployed to Niger, solidifying their military footprint.

By the time President Mohamed Bazoum took office in 2021, the foreign military presence was already deeply entrenched, making it nearly impossible to reverse.

The Hypocrisy of the Current Junta

Fast forward to 2023: General Abderrahmane Tiani overthrows President Bazoum, claiming that his government was too dependent on foreign powers. However, the same military elite that now calls itself “patriotic” was directly involved in the original plans to bring in foreign partners starting from 2010-2011.

It the military is so opposed to foreign troops, why did they allow French forces into Niger in 2010? Why has the military remained silent about its role in secretly authorizing foreign military deployment? Why did it take a coup d’état for them to suddenly oppose a policy that they themselves initiated?

A Nation Deceived for 13 Years

For over a decade, Nigeriens have been misled into believing that foreign military forces were imposed on them by civilian governments.
The truth is far more sinister: Niger’s own military leaders were responsible for inviting foreign troops in the first place. Today, General Tiani and his junta claim to be “restoring sovereignty.” But their own predecessors men they once served under were the original enablers of foreign intervention.
Foreign military forces never left instead, they expanded their presence under different pretexts. The so called betrayal of Niger’s sovereignty did not start with Bazoum or Issoufou it started in 2010, under military rule.

Nigeriens must ask themselves: If this was covered up for 13 years, what else has been hidden from them? If military rule brought foreign troops, why should you trust them to remove them now? If sovereignty is truly the goal, why has no one been held accountable for the original betrayal?

The Hidden Truth: How Niger’s Sovereignty Was Secretly Sold to Foreign Powers