Features
Dele Giwa 25 Years After, Still No Clue
He was at the breakfast table with his friend and colleague, Kayode Soyinka. Sunmonu Dele Giwa did not expect any visitor. But in the middle of the late breakfast, a bicycle-riding postman came. His message was clear, to deliver a parcel to Dele Giwa.
The parcel, which bore the coat of arm of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, was received by Dele Giwa’s eldest son, Billy, then 19 years old. Billy handed over the parcel to his father. The latter looked at the parcel over and over again, and said in an assuring voice: “This must be from the president”.
Dele Giwa was unsuspicious of any foul play, just like Kayode who was sharing the breakfast with him. With self-assuring gesture, Dele opened the parcel. And behold, what looked like a mere harmless parcel turned out to be a letter bomb meant to blow Dele Giwa out of existence. Suddenly, the relaxed ambience of 25, Talabi, Street, Ikeja, Lagos, where Dele and his family lived, turned somber. Armageddon had visited. The bomb explosive parcel badly lacerated Dele’s body, shattered and charred his breakfast set and other domestic appurtenances. This was on Sunday, October 19, 1986.
While Dele Giwa was wriggling in pain, he persistently moaned a refrain, “they have got me!” He sustained the refrain until he gave up the ghost at the hospital where he was rushed to. Who did he refer to as “they,” remains a riddle till today.
All indications show that Dele Giwa saw his death coming. Few days to his gruesome murder, he was harassed by Nigeria’s top-most security chiefs.
According to Giwa’s Attorney, Chief Gani Fawehinmi (now late), the State Security Service (SSS) officials summoned Giwa to their headquarters on October 17, 1986, just 48 hours before he was murdered. The Deputy Director of the SSS, Colonel A.K. Togun had accused Dele Giwa of planning a socialist revolution and of gun-running. Twenty-four hours later, the Director of the Military Intelligence, Colonel Halilu Akilu, had allegedly telephoned to confirm Giwa’s home address. Dele Giwa was about to challenge his accusers in court when the friends of hell snuffed life out of him.
Like a splash, 25 years have passed since the murder of the founding editor-in-chief of Newswatch through a cowardly anonymity of a parcel bomb, yet there are no clues as to his mysterious death.
Throughout the tenure of Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, under whose watch the cruel murder occurred, the police and other security apparatuses expressed helplessness, repeating their now familiar refrains of “no fresh leads”, ‘we have no clues yet, but we are still on it.” The case file of the slain journalist remained open for several years, with the police, like the Godot, awaiting information from the public that could lead to the identification of Dele Giwa’s killers.
Ray Ekpu, with whom Dele Giwa founded Newswatch, along with Dan Agbese and Yakubu Mohammed, in 1984, wonders why “such an unusual and sophisticated elimination method, (used for Giwa) which ought to excite the interest, curiosity and concern of the IBB government in a more than routine fashion” seems to be lost on the Nigerian police.
Not even monetary inducement offered by the Newswatch and Professor Wole Soyinka and his Pyrates Confraternity has helped to unravel the mystery of Giwa’s death. The helplessness of the Nigerian State Security Services on the matter has therefore been interpreted by many people to mean that Giwa’s death must have had the endorsement of highly placed security personnel under Babangida’s regime.
The succeeding regimes after Babangida’s merely turned a blind eye to the case, or better still, played to the gallery, thus giving the impression that the occasional dusting of the case file may have been finally closed.
Even when late Gani Fawehinmi took the case to the Oputa Panel, in 2000, the number one suspect in the murder case, former president Babangida, frustrated the proceedings by refusing to appear before the Oputa Panel. Since then, the question has remained, “who killed Dele Giwa?”
Dele Giwa’s killers thought they could stop a man’s cause by killing him. How wrong they are? His killers are little tyrants of the least wisdom, who only succeeded in immortalising their victim.
It is better that a man falls as a martyr in the prime of his youth when the spark is still burning than to live hundreds of years and die as a villain or coward. Better still when a man dies in pain and agony within the fragments of blood and bones than to kiss the dust quietly, uncelebrated.
Realising that time, age and the Nigerian state might conspire to deny him his presidential dream, the late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, captured the essence of life thus: “it is not the life that matters, but the courage you bring into it”.
And indeed, while cowards and villains end up in the footnotes of history, the lives of martyrs are sustained in death. Through martyrdom, many men were made great and their achievements made greater. Jesus the Nazareth, perharps, wouldn’t have been so acclaimed and venerated if he had not been betrayed by Judas Iscariot, or if he had lived 70 years on earth.
Joan of Arc was the youngest martyr in modern history. She was the maid of France who at 19 was burnt at the stake by the English. So inspiring was Joan at death that France mounted an aggressive attack and drove the English out of their country to proclaim independence. This was the same course Joan could not achieve when she was alive marching alongside regular troops to instill courage in her compatriots!
The Libyan sage, Umar Muktar, was another man made greater by death. He was a torn in the flesh of the Italian fascists before he was captured and hanged in the full glare of his people. While in prison, Muktar reiterated his unwavering belief in the immortality of his course at death. So brutally touching was Muktar’s death that from the depth of Libyan sorrow arise a monumental resolve built by men, women and children to fight on. And they did not relent until Libya was emptied of Italian overlords.
There are many other lives that have been sustained in death. Socrates, Julius Caesar, Mahatma Ghandi, Martin Luther King, and the 23-year-old celebrated poet, John Keat. The same could be said of our Own M.K.O Abiola who was killed for winning a Pan African election, and Ken Saro-Wiwa who was hanged for championing the cause of justice for his Ogoni kinsmen.
This is also the story of Dele Giwa, the media pearl who fell to the cowardly anonymity, of a cruel parcel bomb, 25 years ago. Like Muktar, Ghandi, Ken, Abiola and a host of others who made the endless list of men and women immortalized by death, Dele Giwa’s life is sustained in death.
Born on March 16, 1947 into a humble home, Dele Giwa lived a life of existentialism, even though his life was shrouded in contradiction. Dele was admitted into Oduduwa College in Ile Ife, but was suspended from the college as a result of the romance he had which gave him his first child, Billy, at the age of 19.
In 1971, he left the country for the United States where he took up many menial jobs before bagging a Bachelor of Arts in English from Brooklyn College and a Master Degree in Public Communication from Fordham University, both in New York.
His vibrancy fetched him a reportorial job at the famous NewYork Times, but in 1979, he came back to Nigeria on the invitation of the then Daily Times Chief Executive, Dr. Patrick Dele Cole, to become the Daily Times Features Editor. He left Daily Times for the Concord Press where he was the pioneer editor of the Sunday Concord.
“To live in Nigeria I heard is hard, but as a young Nigerian, I heard a ringing call to come home, a call to give the best of me to my profession and my people. So home I’m coming”, wrote Dele Giwa in his piece titled “Golden fleece? I think I got it”.
Ever a wordsmith, Dele was an enchanting prose stylist and a fearless investigative journalist. He was not the type of journalist so enamoured of the meretricious affectation of diplomatese, to call a spade another name. For Dele, a spade is a spade.
And of course, he was not your usual run-of-the-mill journalist you know in most newsrooms today, nor an editor of a cheap ego. Dele was, by every standard, a first class journalist, who by sheer force of tenacity and carriage, got himself close to the corridors of power. This, unfortunately, was his undoing.
With a good dosage of ego, carriage and personality that makes you want to embrace him, the slain media icon brought glamour and vibrancy to the Nigerian media and transmogrified journalism from all comers affair into a profession that is good only for the chosen few, even though a dozen of quacks who tumble into the noble calling for want of better things to live by, are still around.
A gem of journalism and a paragon of excellent prose, Dele Giwa’s “Page Seven” column in the then Daily Times, and his famous “Parallax Snaps” in his beloved Newswatch were indeed a must-read for those who appreciated good prose and understood the nuances of English language. His treatise provoked, more often than not, a stinker of replies from his readers.
Most of Dele Giwa’s articles remain till today, not only refreshing but indeed socially relevant that you would think they were written yesterday. In his scathing piece, “Peculiar Nigerians called Journalists”, the celebrated journalist bemoaned the status of the media he met in Nigeria thus:
“Most of those in Nigeria who go by the occupational reference of journalists tumble into the calling for want of better things to live by … going about as though they have something against looking well …, turning press conferences into money sharing ventures”.
That is vintage Dele. To think such a man is dead is to be clever by half. A writer doesn’t die. That’s why most of us will continue to regard Dele Giwa’s killers as tyrants of little wisdom, ignoramuses of the simple way of life that you cannot stop a man’s cause by killing him when there are numerous offsprings and admirers to pick up the flag where he left off.
What epitaph can be greater to Dele than what his killers did by transforming a man who only aspired to be a simple journalist, into a martyr of all ages?
Boye Salau
From the fore going, the fight against drug trafficking should be treated as an international challenge with open collaboration, if the world leadership must win the fight!.
The circumstances or should I say the improvement on drug related activities are modifying and updating on daily basis. A close friend of mine in the United States of America who recently visited Jamaica, came with a lot of complicated information about drug trafficking and transaction. Being a qualified Nurse in US and on a visit to the Reggae Country (Jamaica), she said she was put aback when a man approached her and introduced himself as a Pharmacist. According to her, she immediately picked interest due to her professional background. To her, a business partner is birthed. But she was shocked to the narrows on learning that drug dealers or traffickers and subriquited Pharmacist in that Country. From her account, they ( The Jamaican Pharmacists), are the first set to people to meet and greet you at the Airport. No government or authority challenges them in the open due to the sophisticated nature of their transportation
Come to think of it, who would want to attack a Pharmacist on duty? Nigerians are not left out in the improvement on drug deal. A chat with a confident in the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency ( NDLEA) Rivers State Command, so revealed. The Officer draw my attention to the movement of Dispatch Riders. He said part of the reasons they ride with almost speed equivalent of the thunder lightning, is to meet up with the appointment of delivering hard drug consignment to a client of theirs. According to him, those guys popularly referred to as Yahoo Boys are the ones who now payroll dispatch riders so that they can deliver their consignment ( hard drugs) on schedule no matter the sort of traffic or weather condition. The fear of loosing rich clients and that of the unknown treatment that may come of the Boys, as the officer puts it, drives the Riders crazy thus the reason to speed even at the expense of their lives.
The account of a prominent Party Promoter, Wayne Anthony, as obtained online recently, also pointed out that ‘No Legislation Will Stop Clubbers From Doing Drugs’ Party promoter, Wayne Anthony, arrived in Ibiza, a Spanish Island in 1988, at the same time as dance music and the party drug ecstasy. Despite hallucinating badly enough to make him give up the lifestyle forever, he says laws will never stop clubbers taking drugs. “I don’t think you can control these things,” said former party promoter Wayne Anthony. He arrived in Ibiza in 1988 and began setting up club nights and raves in some of the island’s most iconic venues. In the years that followed, the sleepy Spanish island turned into a raver’s haven of clubbing and hedonism, with party drugs like ecstasy commonly found. “What Ibiza represented was this beautiful, hot island which was visually stunning and we knew you could party there quite legally,” said Wayne. “You didn’t have to look over your shoulder. You could just be as free as you possibly could be.”
That freedom came with a price. Along with the lavish clubs, all-day-benders and hot Spanish sun came drug cartels and crime. The city transformed into one the world’s most vibrant party capitals, “fuelled by a dangerous and lucrative drugs trade which drew as many criminals to its shores as it did party animals”. Wayne, one of the contributors to the documentary, spoke to Sky News ahead of its release.”I’m not going to sit here and say the cartels aren’t there. They are all there and they’ve been there from the ’90s,” said Wayne. But he said most people tried to ignore the organised crime going on around them. According to Wayne, clubbers usually took the approach of: “‘Give me 10 E’s . Behind the scenes of the filming of Ibiza Narcos with Wayne Anthony. Behind the scenes of the filming of Ibiza Narcos with Wayne Anthony. Hallucinating giant spiders Although he described the Balearic island as the “motherland”, it was eventually a bad experience with drugs that convinced Wayne it was time to leave Ibiza.
He’d been partying for days when he realised he’d taken too many drugs. A friend told him to drink cough medicine, dangerous advice that he now says could have killed him. “I saw the worst hallucination I’ve ever seen in all of my life. I ended up locking myself in the villa with all the shutters down. When he sobered up, he realised he had “come to the end” of his party life on the island. “I never looked back. I never took another drug. I got away from the club world.” ‘I don’t think you’re going to be able to stop it’ Despite his life-changing experience, he doesn’t think criminalising drugs is a good idea – or particularly effective. “If you’re old enough to vote for who’s going to be a world leader, if you’re old enough to put your name down on debt for 25 years, I feel like you should be old enough to govern what you put inside your own body, you know?” said Wayne.
Back to Nigeria, some illicit drugs worth over N30billion seized at Onne Port in Rivers State.
This blood chilling development forced the Federal Government to declare a state of emergency at the Onne Port, following what authorities described as repeated incidents of importation of dangerous cargo, including arms and ammunition through the said port. To this effect, the government said it was immediately implementing emergency protocols at Onne Port for the next three months by conducting thorough examinations of all suspected containers in the premises.
The Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adeniyi, in charge of the port via a press conference, said it henceforth, unveiled the seizures of illicit goods by the Nigeria Customs Service, Area 2 Command, Onne in Eleme Local Government Area of Rivers State. In defence for his action, Adeniyi said the recurring incidents posed a threat to national security, adding that the health of citizens at the Onne Port is increasingly being used as a destination for dangerous and illicit cargo, describing it as a disturbing trend.
The customs boss stated, “Earlier today, I joined numerous stakeholders to take a significant step towards the cause of trade facilitation through the inauguration of upgraded facilities provided by the West Africa Container Terminal, Onne. “As I express delight that trade facilitation is getting traction in Onne Port, I cannot help but call your attention to a grave concern. This has to do with the repeated incidents of national security breaches unfolding in Onne Port. I appreciate your presence, as we all have a shared responsibility in safeguarding our national security. As we are all aware, the policy thrust of Mr President supports the re-energising of our business environment to drive faster import clearance and grow our capacity for exports, Our emphasis has been to promote initiatives that speak to Trade facilitation and economic development. “It is a matter of regret that criminal elements in the international supply chain are exploiting our pro-trade stance to commit atrocities bordering on national security breaches”.
“The attempts to test our will through the importation of dangerous cargo through this port has necessitated the declaration of a state of emergency in Onne Port, coming on the heels of a seizure of a huge cache of arms a couple of months ago. It is disheartening that perpetrators have not backed down on their illegal acts. Recent intelligence and seizures have revealed a disturbing trend; Onne Port is increasingly being used as a destination for dangerous and illicit cargo. The scale and nature of these illegal importations pose a significant threat to our national security and the health of our citizens. Today, we are here to showcase yet another series of significant seizures made by the diligent officers of the Area 2 Command. On display are twelve containers of illicit goods intercepted through a combination of intelligence gathering, inter-agency collaboration, and meticulous physical examination. Seizures on Display include: Three (3) x 40-feet containers: Containing 562,600 bottles of 100ml cough syrup with codeine and 3,150 pieces of chilly cutters, with a Paid Duty Value (DPV) of N4,716,573,846.
“Others are, three x 40-feet containers containing 380,000 bottles of 100ml cough syrup with codeine, 24,480,000 tablets of Royal Tramadol Hydrochloride, 5,350,000 tablets of Tapentadol and Carisoprodol, and other items, with a DPV of N17,432,506,000 were seized”.
According to the report, more seized items were, “Five (5) x 40-feet containers; Containing 892,400 bottles of 100ml cough syrup with codeine, 1,300,000 tablets of 50mg Really Extra Diclofenac, 7,250,000 tablets of 5mg Trodol Benzhexol, and other items, with a DPV of N8, 128,568,295,90. This very action of the Nigeria Customs Service, further complicated the hope of how soon the fight against drug trafficking could be brought to a halt owing to its high profile nature.
Another hair-raising report of the illicit drug deal has it that when NDLEA bursted a Snake-Guarded Shrine Used For Storing Illicit Drugs sometime ago in Edo State. This very news report was published in The Tide Newspaper on June 24, 2024. According to the report, NDLEA said its operatives uncovered a shrine, guarded by a snake, being used for storing illicit drugs, during an operation in Edo State. The Agency in a statement by its spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, added that its operatives discovered a specially constructed large hole in a wall, hidden behind wallpapers and fetish objects used for drug storage. It further noted that methamphetamine, Loud, Colorado and Arizona, all strong strains of cannabis with a total weight of 8.743kg among others, were recovered from the shrine.
To be cont’d
King Onunwor
The persistent clash between farmers and herders in Nigeria has been a longstanding issue. These conflicts, often, over resources like land and water, have led to loss of lives, destruction of property, displacement of large numbers of people, deep-seated mistrust between communities and insecurity. Herders, traditionally nomadic, move their livestock in search of grazing land and water. Farmers, on the other hand, require the same resources for their crops. This competition often leads to clashes, especially in areas where land is becoming increasingly scarce due to population growth, climate change, and environmental degradation. As these clashes intensify, there has been a growing call for sustainable solutions. Two weeks ago, President Bola Tinubu took a bold step towards tackling the issue by inaugurating the Presidential Committee on Implementation of Livestock Reforms and creating the Ministry of Livestock Development.
The committee which has the president as the chairman and the former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Attahiru Jega as the deputy chairman has the mandate to address obstacles to agricultural productivity and open up new opportunities which benefit farmers, herders, processors, and distributors in the livestock-farming value chain as well as propose recommendations aimed at fostering a peaceful co-existence between herders and farmers, ensuring the security and economic well-being of Nigerians.The establishment of the Ministry of Livestock Development was part of the recommendations of the National Livestock Reforms Committee. Part of the 21 recommendations submitted to the president include: “This agenda should include the establishment and resuscitation of grazing reserves as suggested by many experts and well-meaning Nigerians and other methods of land utilisation.
“Create the Ministry of Livestock Resources in line with practice in many other West African countries. In the alternative, Federal and State Governments should expand the scope of existing Departments of Livestock Production to address the broader needs of the industry,” among others. Experts in the agricultural sector have posited that the livestock industry can create millions of jobs directly in farming, processing, and distribution, and indirectly in related sectors like feed production, veterinary services, and marketing. It provides livelihoods for rural populations, helping to reduce poverty and improve the quality of life in rural areas. It also increases the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and foreign exchange earnings through the exports of livestock and livestock products such as meat, dairy, wool and leather.
According to them, a well-funded livestock industry supports the growth of agro-processing sectors, such as meat packing, dairy processing, and leather manufacturing, adds value to raw products and creates additional economic activity as well as stimulates the development of supply chains, including logistics, packaging, and retail, contributing to broader economic growth. It enhances economic resilience by diversifying the agricultural sector and providing a buffer against crop failures or other agricultural shocks and many more. Some other agriculturists have also opined that the livestock industry in Nigeria is currently underdeveloped and that by the creation of the ministry of livestock development will open up the industry which will be a huge money spinner for Nigeria.
Reports have shown that a Livestock Ministry can play a pivotal role in mitigating conflicts between farmers and herders by implementing policies and programmes aimed at fostering coexistence and sustainable resource management. The Ministry can work towards clearly demarcating grazing routes and farming areas. This would reduce instances of trespassing and accidental crop destruction, a common flashpoint for conflict. While introducing rotational grazing systems can ensure that land is used sustainably, preventing overgrazing and land degradation, establishing water points and boreholes specifically for livestock can reduce competition for water resources. Similarly, promoting the development of pasturelands through reseeding and controlled burns can improve grazing conditions.
According to a veterinary doctor, Dr Andrew Obadiah, by providing training for herders on sustainable livestock practices and for farmers on conflict resolution, both parties can understand the importance of coexistence. He said that extension services of the ministry can offer advice on improving livestock health and productivity, reducing the need for large herds and extensive grazing. “Setting up local committees involving both farmers and herders to mediate disputes can provide a platform for dialogue and peaceful resolution. Encouraging community-based conflict early warning systems can help prevent clashes before they escalate”, he emphasised.For Mrs. Stella Ugwu, a farmer, having a ministry dedicated to the development of the livestock industry can help in diversifying income sources for both farmers and herders and in turn reduce dependence on land.
”For instance, promoting agro-pastoralism can provide farmers with livestock and herders with agricultural produce”, she explained, adding that providing incentives for adopting sustainable practices, such as subsidies for fodder production or crop insurance, can ease economic pressures. Ugwu was however of the opinion that the creation of a new ministry to handle livestock affairs was uncalled for, since the job can effectively be done by the Technical and Service Department of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and food security and its equivalent on the states level.In some countries, the establishment of a Livestock Ministry or similar bodies has shown promising results. For example, Ethiopia’s Ministry of Agriculture includes a dedicated department for livestock which has successfully implemented programmes to improve pastoral livelihoods and reduce conflicts.
In Kenya, the establishment of the National Drought Management Authority has helped manage resources better, thus reducing clashes between herders and farmers during dry seasons.The president of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), Othman Ngelzarma, sees the Ministry of Livestock Development achieving the same feat for Nigeria in the near future. He told newsmen that, “MACBAN expresses its deepest appreciation to the Federal Government for creating a ministry of livestock to unlock the trillion-naira livestock economy and create qualitative and productive jobs across the value chain to improve the Nigerian economy. With this development, MACBAN believes the hope of the Nigerian pastoralists is now achieved under the Renewed Hope Agenda.
However, the Middle Belt Forum took a different view of the proposed Ministry of Livestock Development, saying it was not enough to sustainably resolve the decades-long farmers-herders crisis in the country. According to the National President of the association, Mr. Bitrus Pogu, what is needed to end the perennial farmers/herders clashes is a deliberate action by regulatory bodies and the government to stop criminal elements from carrying out deadly attacks on innocent Nigerians, mainly farmers. Hear him: “If the reason for creating the Ministry is to stop clashes, I think it is wrong because all of these attacks and killings that are happening have nothing to do with conflicts between farmers and herders. “Farmers have never connived at any given time to go and attack herders, but rather, criminals who happen to be Fulani gang up and attack farmers, kill, maim and chase them out of their ancestral homes.
“Then, the Fulani will come and occupy them. So, it is more about invasion, criminality, and terrorism. And the majority of those they hire to do these evils are not even those who have cattle. So, a deliberate action has to be taken by the government against the perpetrators, which will address the criminality.” Mr. Pogu suggested that the government should adopt ranching for productivity and enduring peace between the pastoralists and farmers in particular and the entire country in general.While the establishment of a Livestock Ministry presents a viable solution, it is not without challenges. Funding constraints, bureaucratic inefficiencies, and corruption can hamper its effectiveness. Additionally, deeply ingrained cultural practices and mistrust between farmers and herders can be difficult to overcome.
Critics argue that without a holistic approach that includes land reform, climate change adaptation, and broader economic development, a Livestock Ministry alone may not be sufficient. Therefore, it must work in tandem with other governmental and non-governmental bodies to ensure comprehensive solutions. “A dedicated Livestock Ministry, with its focus on sustainable resource management, conflict resolution, and economic incentives, offers a promising avenue to address the root causes of these clashes. However, its success depends on effective implementation, adequate funding, and the cooperation of all stakeholders involved. With the right strategies and commitment, devoid of any political or selfish interest, it can play a crucial role in fostering peace and prosperity in affected regions”, they advised.
Calista Ezeaku
