Benue-Plateau: Tinubu’s Last Chance

 By Ochereome Nnanna

After two years as President of Nigeria, Bola Tinubu has the last chance to prove himself in the Benue and Plateau theatres of the Fulani herdsmen genocidal attacks on indigenous Nigerian communities. These terrorists drawn from domestic and foreign Fulani jihadist bandit groups were named by the Global Terror Index back in 2014 as the fourth “most murderous” terror group in the world behind ISIS, Al Shabbab and Boko Haram.

*Tinubu

But here in Nigeria, they are protected, armed and facilitated in their genocidal campaigns, which the Federal Government, the military and even the undiscerning sections of the media deceptively call “farmers-herders clashes” or “farmers-herders crisis”.

The Forgotten Take-Aways From June 12

 By Adekunle Adekoya

Yesterday was June 12. That date has become something else in the history of our dear country. At the risk of telling you what you what you already know, the presidential election of June 12, 1993 was adjudged by Nigerians and watchers of Nigerian politics worldwide to be the freest, fairest ever held in the country.

But sadly, the country was denied the benefits of enjoying the dividends of their freest and fairest election through a most callous annulment of that election, a development that I still cannot understand till tomorrow. Not that I was a child in 1993; far from it, in fact I had fathered two of my own children long before that election, and as a university graduate, was fully equipped to discern and witness the train of events that happened one after the other, as a practising newspaperman, till the nation was told that the election stood annulled. I still don’t understand it.

June 12: If Abiola Won, Is He Now A Posthumous President?

 By Olu Fasan

Exactly 32 years ago, the presidential election of June 12, 1993 was annulled by the military regime of General Ibrahim Babangida that conducted the poll. Over three decades after that seismic decision, the truth, the whole truth, about why the election was annulled and who actually annulled it remains unknown.

*Abiola 

General Babangida’s long-awaited memoir, A Journey in Service, failed woefully to settle the whodunnit question because he passed the buck and named a long-dead colleague, General Sani Abacha, who can’t defend himself, as the chief culprit, and resorted to doubtful conjectures about the motives of those he described as “the nefarious ‘inside’ forces opposed to the elections”, but mentioned none of them except Abacha. Thus, 32 years after the epoch-making decision, Babangida still could not bring himself to name any living culprit, as if none exists! 

Nigeria: When INEC Assumes The Role Of Kingmaker!

 By Ugochukwu Ejinkeonye

Well-meaning Nigerians are relieved that the misconceived bill which sought to impose “a maximum of six months imprisonment or a fine of no more than N100,000” on any Nigerian of voting age who refuses to vote “in all National and State Elections” which surprisingly scaled Second Reading at the House of Representatives recently has been withdrawn. Even the House Speaker, Mr. Abbas Tajudeen, who sponsored the controversial bill easily achieved the realization that it was poorly thought-out and hastened to withdraw it. Indeed, the widespread outrage the bill provoked was duly justified.

How can anyone sit in the comfort of the House chambers and attempt enacting a law that makes voting mandatory without first finding out the factors that watered the growing apathy towards voting? Indeed, there were several informed Nigerians who were ready to go to jail than allow any law to force them to vote.   

10,217 Persons Killed In 2 Years: Still Playing Games With Security

 By Adekunle Adekoya

This week, the newswires were awash with reports that the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Olufemi Oluyede has relocated to Benue State, ostensibly in a show of force following endless killings by herdsmen militias in that state. Without fear of equivocation, one can say that Benue is the most embattled of all the states of the federation, given the frequency of attacks and scale of killings in that state. 

Plateau will be second on that gruesome list. Kaduna, under Nasir el-Rufai would have trumped both, given the bloodbath that took place in that state, but something happened; there is palpable relief as the orgy of killings there, particularly in Southern Kaduna, seems to have abated. What happened in Kaduna? Can we make it happen in Benue and Plateau?

Bola Tinubu And State Capture

 By Obi Nwakanma

I have made this point at various points in this column, that for a nation to claim “independence,” or legitimacy, it must have sovereign control of its state institutions.

*Tinubu

It should never be a transactional or “contract state.” Is Nigeria a sovereign state? I do not think so, because, currently, Nigeria does not seem in control of its sovereign institutions. As a nation, Nigeria is not governed by her leaders. It is under state capture. Those who parade themselves now as the leaders of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, are in fact, not answerable to the citizens of this republic.

W.F. Kumuyi At 84 And Lessons On Legacy Leadership

 By Banji Ojewale

A newsmagazine editor was troubled after traveling extensively with Pastor William Folorunso Kumuyi, founder and General Superintendent of Deeper Christian Life Ministry, DCLM, on his missionary trips to parts of Nigeria, Africa and Europe. He was intrigued with how members of Kumuyi’s Deeper Life Bible Church, DLBC, embraced the evangelist wherever he went.

*Pastor Kumuyi 

He observed the dignifying discipline, stability and rare aura of oneness Kumuyi’s persona was giving the organization. But the newsman had concerns, agitated and worried about a post-Kumuyi order. Would the Church hold together again after the departure of its leader? Wouldn’t it suffer the fickle fissiparous fate of others orphaned by their founder’s exit? Wouldn’t that be a huge loss and complete cancellation of gains meant to be harvested by the future?