Baba, Go Straight To Niger, Forget Daura

 By Dele Sobowale

“The evils that men do live after them…”- William Shakespeare, 1564-1616, in Julius Caesar

Outgoing President Buhari announced a few weeks ago that he might relocate to Niger Republic – if people disturb him too much in Daura. Since then, some commentators have assumed he was serious with the declaration; a few said he was only joking and his comments should not be taken too seriously. I take a different attitude.

*Buhari 

Irrespective of whether he meant it seriously or as a light joke, I think he should fly straight to Republic of Niger – where a befitting Presidential Lodge is probably waiting for him. After eight years as President of Nigeria, during which he did Niger more good than Nigeria, he should, quite rightly, expect a warmer welcome there than Daura or any place else in Nigeria.

Stop Terrorists Influx Into Nigeria!

 By Tola Adeniyi 

Buoyed by the spectacular achievement of Major-General Muhammadu Buhari in his rabid drive of the undisguised Fulanization Agenda, 16 countries where the pastoral Fulani could be found were emboldened to gather in Abuja recently to perfect their grand design of taking over the Nigerian space by hook or crook. The theme of their meeting, hosted by the Unitary Government headquartered in Abuja, was the Future of the Fulani in Nigeria or better put, Stairs to the complete Conquest and Subjugation of the Indigenous Nationalities of Nigeria. 

Nobody has been left in doubt that President Buhari who is the Grand Patron of the ubiquitous and muscle-flexing Miyetti Allah [which has unabashedly owned up to serial bloodletting in Plateau, Benue and Taraba states] and also the preferred Chief Negotiator for the one of the world’s leading Terrorist Groups, Boko Haram [‘Attack on Boko Haram is attack on the North’—Buhari 2014] is bent on completing the ferocious Jihad of 1848 on behalf of the Caliphate. 

The die is cast! Tens of large trucks, with Dangote boldly written on some of them, carrying heavily armed terror recruits, are seen on daily basis flooding borderless Nigeria with the avowed intent to unleash unmitigated mayhem and mass massacre on defenceless indigenous peoples of Nigeria on a scale never before seen anywhere in Africa. In fact, by the time they finish the execution of their heartless and horrendous crime against humanity, the Rwanda’s better-forgotten genocide would be a child’s play in comparison.

Nigeria: Tracing Grazing Routes Through The Presidential Villa

 By Owei Lakemfa

Alhaji Tanimu Yakubu was Special Adviser on Economic Matters to President Umaru Musa Yar’adua. Before becoming one of Nigeria’s best Presidents in our leadership-challenged country, Yar’Adua was Governor of Katsina State and TY, as Yakubu is fondly called, was one of his cabinet members  for three years from 1999.

When TY was preparing that administration’s first budget in Katsina State, he studied the past trends in the government support for agriculture. He discovered that annually, 80 per-cent of the agriculture budget was allocated for  fertilizer procurement.

Given the fact that there are a number of clearly identified necessities of agriculture, he decided to research why fertilizer alone was consuming four fifths of the agriculture budget.

He appointed consultants to carry out a survey amongst farmers in the state to generate a list of their actual needs; they were 20 items. Then, a second stage of the survey was carried out for the farmers to rank those needs from the most to the least important. The result was shocking. The farmers listed fertilizer as the 13th in their list of their needs! Desertification was ranked number one, extension service, two and  market/profitability, three. The farmers did not even identify subsidy as a requisite. 

Buhari, Herders And Insecurity

       

By Eniola Bello (Eni-B)

In January, two world leaders bowed out of office and received from their people, the goodbyes their leadership, or lack of it, deserved. While US President Donald Trump stole away like a thief in the night, without a decent farewell from his associates, the object of ridicule and scorn from many Americans, nay many more people around the world for his ignorance and meanness and insincerity and divisiveness and incompetence; German Chancellor Angela Merkel, as she handed over the party leadership after 18 years in office, received from her countrymen and women standing on their balconies, six minutes of applause for her simplicity and diligence and competence, and for making Germany the largest economy in Europe. Coming home, were President Muhammadu Buhari to bow out of office today, reactions across the country most probably would move from sighs of relief, to shouts of triumph, and to jumps of victory, and then to dances of happiness, indeed, to several joyful noises.

President Buhari, Call A Spade A Spade!

By Anthony Cardinal Olubunmi Okogie

Every human life is precious. The life of every Nigerian, irrespective of ethnic, regional or religious affiliation is to be treated with dignity. 

All around the world, citizens look to their government to protect them. But, here in Nigeria, the blood of the innocent flows like water despite Nigerians’ desire and demand that government secure their lives and property.

*President Buhari 

Not too long ago, Chief Olu Falae, a senior citizen of Nigeria, was abducted on his farm by herdsmen. Since then, others have struck in Enugu, Delta and Oyo states. In the Middle Belt, they have robbed, raped, and slaughtered human beings like cows. They have taken over other people’s land in the name of grazing.

A member of Miyetti Allah appeared on television, justifying as retaliatory the killings in Plateau State. He was not the first member of Miyetti Allah to make the statement. Nigerians are baffled that he is yet to be arrested. Where were those responsible for our security at a time they were needed most? 

President Buhari Or Herdsman Buhari?

By Paul Onomuakpokpo

Having not suffered any traumatic dilemma over his overweening loyalty to herdsmen who are his fellow Fulani, President Muhammadu Buhari is oblivious of his rapid erasure as a statesman. Or if he is aware, he is not bothered about the grim verdict of history – here was a president of a great nation who ended as a leader of a segment of the country, Fulani herdsmen. 

*President Buhari (pix: African Herald Express)

Yes, we must discountenance Buhari’s sense of justice that seeks to exculpate him from the tragedies being unleashed by Fulani herdsmen. He vouchsafed this notion of justice during his visit to Plateau after the Fulani herdsmen’s attacks whose death toll has been officially put at 135 while witnesses claim it is over 200. He wondered why he should be accused of being silent over the now perennial massacres.

Nigeria: Who And Where Are The Criminals?

By Anthony Cardinal Olubunmi Okogie

“Everyone is talking about crime. Tell me, who are the criminals?” So sang, more than forty years ago, the Jamaican artiste Peter Torsh in his album “Equal rights”. Today, that question has become extraordinarily pertinent in our beloved country Nigeria. Here in Nigeria, we talk of crimes: armed robbery, kidnapping, and now, murder by herdsmen.  But who and where are the criminals?  Are we pretending not to know them?  And are we pretending not to know where they are?  But our God of JUSTICE looks on!

*Cardinal Okogie

Nigerians are familiar with the drama of parade of suspects. On prime time television, the police treats us to it. Some men and women are apprehended by the police, made to sit by dangerous weapons, and paraded as criminals.  And the story ends there.  We hear of no prosecution, no conviction, no sentencing.