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In Sultan’s Defence …That Amnesty Call For Boko Haram
Many saw it coming but very few imagined that it would take the respected person of His Eminence , the Sultan of Sokoto and President-General of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar to personally voice the request for amnesty to all combatants in the ranks of Boko Haram.
Covered by the familiar caution often employed by the aged to cow the youth into submission: ‘what an elder sees sitting on a kitchen stool, the young cannot fathom even when well positioned at the summit of the highest mountain’, the sultan last week urged the Federal Government to grant amnesty to a faceless group famed for mass murder of innocent and defenceless men, women and children, at peace time.
Since then, many Nigerians have continued to criticise the Sultan and even accused him of demonstrating crass insensitivity to the countless Christian deaths, bombed by members of the terrorist group. In fact, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) picked holes in the Sultan’s allusion to addressing injustice and questioned what justice there was in a systemic ploy that sought to wipe-out Christians, on daily basis.
The CAN accordingly rejected the Sultan’s request and urged the Federal Government to ignore the appeal on grounds that the group is not only faceless but was merely pursuing an extremist Islamist agenda intended to rubbish the secularity of the Nigerian Constitution.
His Eminence, the Sultan does not require all the criticism to realise how unpopular his request was and is. All the facts concerning the senseless killings, the destruction of parts of the North, the terror attacks on public places including homes of Emirs perceived non-supportive and above all, the growing isolation of the terrorists, are very well known to the royal cum spiritual father.
But he spoke as any worried elder would, particularly since it was part of the communiqué issued at the end of the 1434/2013 Annual Central Council meeting of the Jama’atu Nasril Islam (JNI) held March 5, 2013, at its headquarters in Kawo, Kaduna. He was merely the head, but not alone.
The second of that meeting’s 11-point resolution states: “As a way of curtailing religious insurgency, the meeting called on the Federal Government to as a matter of urgency treat the case of insurgents with all sense of magnanimity by declaring amnesty to all of them, especially combatants that have expressed readiness to tread the path of peace”.
Curiously, that communiqué did not condemn the protracted acts of terror that have claimed more than 1,500 innocent lives, most of them armless Christians in sacred places of worship. It did not also recommend any succour for those who lost loved ones to the wanton destructions, a favour enjoyed by the payment of N100 million to the late Islamist sect leader’s family, by the Borno State government.
Instead, there appears to be greater urgency in calls to compensate killers who, for no just course waged a war against peace, against civilisation, against religious tolerance and, above all, against Christianity. All these facts are known to the Sultan, but he must have spoken as an elder, after appraising secrets, many at mountain-tops can’t see not to talk of comprehending.
In late 2011, this column in an Agony titled, Behind The Smoke- screen… Unravelling The Boko Haram Agenda, made some disclosures concerning the real reasons for the birth and modus operandi of the Boko Haram sect. In that treatise some of the underlisted issues were clearly listed as reasons for the apparent silence of the Northern political elite to the terrorist activities of Boko Haram.
i) A section of the Northern political elite felt and still feel cheated by the resources deployed to the oil producing states of the South in the name of amnesty and needed to posture a murderous insurgency to attract equal, if not more resource allocation.
ii) Since in their estimation, the Vice Presidential slot of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party was ceded to the South-South, during the terminal days of the Obasanjo presidency, as a means of assuaging the neglect suffered by the oil-producing states of the Niger Delta, only a murderous insurgency of the kind unleashed on the Nigerian state by Boko Haram could restore the Presidency back to the North in 2015.
iii) The 13 per cent derivation fund to oil bearing states denies the North better fiscal allocations from the Federation account and unless something drastic was done to attract special Federal Government attention to the North, in whatever guise, the South would progress faster than the North.
To achieve all these, a Northern unity was required, hence, the choice of religion and veiled imposition of sharia in the predominantly Islamic North to silence, and if possible, drive away any, with competiting religion. So, the original propaganda that ‘Western Education is a sin’, clearly offered itself as a brand theme, intended to actualise that unity, albeit by brute force. But not the real reason.
All these facts should be well known to the Sultan, but he spoke only as an elder would, in crises.
Truth is, those hidden goals contained in the political agenda of a section of the Northern political elite, had political power at the nucleus of it all. But with the high rate of human casualties, the growing size of the Boko Haram monster they created, and the level of insecurity even its founders today risk, global condemnation of the group and above all, the recent listing of Boko Haram as a terror group by the United States and other European partners, open identification with the group became less honourable. The call for amnesty therefore becomes not just an after thought but a leeway for their own safety in the hands of the monster they created.
The truth be told, Boko Haram cannot be equated in any way with the civil protest, just struggle and eventual insurgency of the Niger Delta youth. In the case of the latter also, the facts were well known to the Sultan but he merely spoke as would an elder, concerned for his own security.
For the records, in more than 50 years, the oil bearing communities of the Niger Delta lived in squalor, want, disease and total neglect. While they suffered the environmental harm caused by oil prospection and production, destruction of the mangrove swamps and farmlands and above all, denied their basic occupations of fishing and farming, the central government did very little or nothing for their socio-economic survival and infrastructural development.
Curiously, all civil agitations, protests and appeals to redress the injustice yielded no positive results. The situation was made even worse by the area’s minority status and the systemic denial of political space they needed to articulate their grievances. That deprivation continued unabated, the only known assurance then being, “be patient, there is something in the pipeline, very soon, the Niger Delta will smile”.
Plateau State Governor, Jonah Jang, captured the struggle aptly, albeit comically last year in Uyo, when, he told the Nigerian Guild of Editors Conference that, “the search for content of the pipeline repeatedly promised oil bearing communities, without corresponding action, fueled the Niger Delta youth insurgency”.
The ideology thus became, if we can’t benefit from the oil and gas production activities on our land, then, oil companies must stop production. That demand snow-balled into a more profound agitation for resource control, in the words, unless “you carry us along” a term frequently used by the youth, no more oil and gas.
In all these protests, not once did the Niger Delta youth target Mosques, simply because the serving Presidents or Heads of State since independence were predominantly Moslems from the Northern parts of the country. Not once did they bomb any newspaper house and most importantly, the membership and leadership of the insurgent groups were very well known.
That was why it was easy for the Federal Government to dialogue with the Niger Delta agitators and their political leaders, which talks led to cease-fire and eventual granting of amnesty to the repentant militants.
Who are the political and spiritual leaders of Boko Haram on whom government must depend for the group to honour any truce, if eventually reached? Last year, when the group suggested that former Head of State, Gen Mohammadu Buhari (rtd) led its delegation in dialogue with government, Buhari publicly rejected the offer and denied any ties with Boko Haram.
But as soon as Buhari’s Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) along with ACN, APGA and ANPP, merged to form All Progressive Congress (APC) the opposition state governors felt suddenly safe to visit parts of the embattled North, and departed without any incident. Is Boko Haram an opposition army?
My Agony is that His Eminence, the highly revered Sultan is being unfairly criticised for speaking as would an elder, on a kitchen stool, even if the facts were well known to him.
Methinks, the best way to understand the Sultan is to properly appraise and understand the Okrika proverb, “Bu bilema mingi, gborianga ani boke” meaning, ‘From not a single route rages the tide that submerges the mangrove swamp’.
President Jonathan And Sultan of Sokoto
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DEPLOY YOUR CAPACITY, TECHNICAL KNOWHOW TO REVITALISE SONGHAI FARMS, FUBARA TELLS TASK FORCE
Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has said that diversifying the economy of the State has become inevitable because of the need to solve the problem of food shortages while also providing jobs for the teeming unemployed youths.
These, he said, are the reasons why great care has been taken to critically look at the prospects of revitalising the Songhai Integrated Farms, which is located in Bunu Tai, in Tai Local Government Area of the State.
Governor Fubara insisted that if the problem associated with food shortages is tackled with good intent and purpose, about 40 to 50 percent of current problems of economic hardship plaguing the country and its people would have been solved.
Governor Fubara made the assertion while inaugurating the Chairman, Mr Biedima Oliver, and members of the task force saddled with the responsibility of supervising the revitalization of Songhai Integrated Farms by its partners: Vitalcrop Ventures Limited and Imagine Adama Limited, at Government House in Port Harcourt, yesterday.
Other members of the task force included, the Rivers State Commissioner for Agriculture, Engr Victor Kii; Commissioner for Finance, Barrister Emmanuel Frank-Fubara; Dr Ayebaesin Beredugo; and Mr Maurice Ogolo.
The Governor explained that it took him time to approve the constitution of the task force being inaugurated because of the ugly experience with the previous group that shown such interest.
Governor Fubara stated that a process was initiated and driven halfway into the handing over of Songhai Farms on concession to an interested partner who latter showed a total lack of the needed capacity to undertake such task.
He said, “As a matter of fact, if few of you could remember, we even conceded the place to an investor who came in after he had made his presentation, and we, believing that he has the capacity, we said okay to him, and we had already signed up.
“But something happened. He came back to tell us that he wanted us to give him a N5billion bank guarantee. We then asked him, why? If we have the N5billion, why do we need you to come and even revitalize Songhai Farms? We would have put that N5billion there ourselves. For that reason, we cancelled that arrangement.”
Governor Fubara said now that two separate companies have come together to indicate interest and given the assurance of having the needed capacity to drive the process, he is delighted to see them meeting that expectation.
Governor Fubara pointed to the expectation of the people who want to see the Songhai Farms back on stream on a sustainable basis.
That expectation, he insisted, is also what his administration wants to see actualised within its lifespan.
He noted, “We want to see food sufficiency, because we know when Songhai Farms comes on board, there will be food, which is one of the problems we are having in this country. If we are able to tackle the issue of food, 40 to 50 percent of our problem will be solved.”
Governor Fubara also stated that although he believes in the presentation made by the group and has taken their assurance to heart, but warned that he would not tolerate a repeat of what happened before.
The Governor said, “I hope your story will not be (end) halfway too. I hope you have the capacity and all the technical knowhow to handle it. It is not when we start now, after we had finished inaugurating the task force, you will come back to tell us that you need $2million. If we have $2million, we won’t need you. We will invest it by ourselves.”
Governor Fubara, however, praised the capacity of the Chairman of the task force, Biedima Oliver, saying that incidentally, he was one of the personnel that convinced the then administration to develop the Songhai Farms, and had worked with the Rivers State Sustainable Development Agency (RSSDA) to manage the project.
He said, “He knows and understands the workings of Songhai, and now that we are making you the chairman of the task force, we want to believe that you will make that place come back to life.
“I don’t have any doubt in your capacity. A few things you’ve touched, you turned them to gold. Please, bring it back to what we used to see in Songhai. Bring it back with the help of your committee.”
Governor Fubara assured that his administration will remain committed to providing all the necessary support that they may require to make their assignment a success.
He added, “So, I hereby inaugurate you. Your task is very simple: Do everything within your powers and with our support to make sure that Songhai becomes operational to the benefit, not just the people of Tai, but to the entire Rivers State and Nigeria as a whole”.
In his acceptance speech, the Chairman of the Task Force to Supervise the Revitalization of Songhai Farms with Vitalcrop Ventures Limited and Imagine Adama Limited, Mr. Biedima Oliver, expressed appreciation to Governor Fubara for the opportunity and confidence reposed in them to revive Songhai Farms.
Mr. Oliver assured that they will deliver the expected goal on Songhai Farms, and doing so on time and on target so that the good people of Rivers State can eventually be happy and also benefit from the huge investment.
Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has declared that all the policies and programmes of his administration are tailored towards the protection of interest of Rivers people, especially the youths.
This, he said, is borne out of the importance his administration attaches to youths’ development and empowerment as leaders of tomorrow.
Fubara, according to a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Nelson Chukwudi, disclosed this when he received the youths of Emohua Local Government Area under the auspices of “Emohua Youths For SIM” on solidarity visit to Government House, Port Harcourt, last Friday.
He said that his administration has put in place modalities that will boost the livelihoods and well-being of Rivers citizens, which youths of Emohua will also benefit when they materialise.
The governor, who spoke through the Rivers State Head of Service, Dr. George Nwaeke, pointed out that the recently awarded Elele-Omudiaga-Egbeda-Ubimini-Ikiri-Omoku Road, the ongoing Emohua-Kalabari Road, reinstatement of illegally sacked workers of Emohua Local Government Area and the approval for electrification of the area, are part of deliberate measures to open up the area to make life conducive and more meaningful for the people.
According to him, “Everything about the governor is putting the interest of Rivers State first. He is looking at and taking action on those things that we need to do to restart the wheels of progress in Rivers State.
“There are many things the governor has planned and is already doing that will boost the life and welfare of every citizen of Rivers State, but most importantly the youths.
“Growing up, I learnt that Egbeda is one of the biggest communities in the whole of Ikwerre, and it’s predominantly an agrarian community. They have food in Egbeda, they have food in Ubimini, they have food in Omudiaga and other natural resources. The whole world is tilting to agriculture, and this is the way to go.
“The Elele-Umudioga-Egbeda-Ubimini-Omoku road, when completed, will open up the area for real development. Your food and everything you produce there will now have value, they will no longer be thrown away. In all these, you the youths are going to be the utmost beneficiaries.”
He added, “Same will be applicable to the Emohua-Kalabari Road which will also, trigger development in the area, and you will be the greatest beneficiaries. When the LGA is also electrified, you will be having 24 or 20 hours of electricity, and those things the youths can do with electricity, you can stay at home and create wealth for yourself and children.
“All the totality of what the governor is doing, when they are completed, or even as some are completed now, the youths are going to be utmost beneficiaries.”
While acknowledging that youths are the true leaders of tomorrow and any government that fails to carry them along in the scheme of things is doomed to fail, the governor assured them of his administration’s commitment to always address issues concerning youths and ensure that they are part of his government.
He commended the youths for toeing the path of truth by identifying with his administration, urging them to sustain the tempo and shun evil, as his government will ensure that the trend whereby politicians turn youths to beggars are over.
He said, “Youths are, indeed, the leaders of tomorrow. The time of youth is a very important time. It a time that your parents or whoever is your leader at that time have to make the greatest investment in you. And any Government that decides to only carry the elderly, chiefs aling and abandon the youths is bound to fail,” he asserted.
“But I am happy that Governor Fubara has concentrated his energy on everything that will benefit the society, especially the youths.
“And based on these, I want to thank you for recognising what is good and calling it good, for shunning what is evil, for saying the Governor is standing for you.
“Let me tell you, you are on the right direction. Let me tell you again, Rivers State is the bride of Nigeria. The whole Nigeria is looking at what will happen here. As they look here and see you standing on the path of truth, this is a very important step that you have taken to right all the wrongs of the past, to make Rivers State stand on the tripod of justice, peace and security. That is what we are going to gain through the governor, taking all the wise actions that he has already initiated.
“The projects the governor is embarking on are meant to prepare nets for the youths to fish and put food on their table, hence you should continue to follow him.
“The SIMplified Movement brought upon by the governor will ensure that Rivers youths stop the habit of going to bow down before politicians, pledging loyalty before they can eat.”
Earlier, spokesman for the Emohua Youths for SIM, Comrade Ovamale O. Ovamale, had said that the visit by youths from the 14 political wards in Emohua Local Government Area was to thank the governor for the award of the Elele-Omudiaga-Egbeda-Ubimini-Ikiri-Omoku road, the approval for electrification of the area and reinstatement of sacked workers of Emohua Local Government Council, of which the youths were mostly affected.
According to him, “Siminalayi Fubara of recent has given Emohua Local Government road that links Elele to Omoku, which comprises over four communities in the local government.”
“Emohua Local Government has also been in darkness for eight years. No community in the local government that has light. But, of recent, because of the passion and love the governor has for the people of Emohua, he has approved the electrification of the local government.
“Also, the illegal sack of Emohua Local Government workers, for which the youths were mostly affected and without the approval of the Local Government Service Commission, the governor, in his compassionate nature, has reinstated them, and that is why we said we must come and thank His Excellency”, he said.
Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has assured that his administration will collaborate and continue to consult widely in delivering a liberated State experiencing enduring peace.
Fubara said, in doing so, he would not operate as a dictator but as a member of a team that has the best interest of the State at heart and determined to leave a lasting legacy that can be celebrated.
The governor spoke during the formal presentation of Certificate of Recognition and Staff of Office to the Amanyanabo of Okochiri Kingdom, King Ateke Michael Tom, as first class tradition ruler, at Government House in Port Harcourt, yesterday.
Fubara stated that, during the Sixth State Executive Council meeting, N80.8billion was approved with 50 percent contract value paid already as the Government awarded the construction of the Elele-Egbeda-Omoku Road.
He said the project will be funded from the savings from Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) to underscore his administration’s prudence without also borrowing to complete the project.
“We are at a crossroad in our State where we all need to stand for what is right. It happens once in a life time. So, for now, be one of those people that will be in the course to liberate and free our dear State.
“And I know strongly that having the support of a peace-loving Amanyanabo of Okochiri Kingdom, having the support of the wonderful Council of Chiefs, having the support of the great people of Rivers State, we will bring peace in our State. We will do those things that are right to develop our State.
“We will continue to consult. We will not act as dictators. We will act as people who know that one day, we will leave, and when we leave, the way we have acted will speak for us. We will not force people to talk good about us. Our legacy will be a signature for how we led”, the governor said.
Fubara explained that he acted within the ambit of the law to upgrade the traditional stool upon which King Ateke Tom sits in recognition of his efforts in promoting peace in Okrika, and indeed, the State, and urged him to continue to do justice to everyone.
In his speech, Commissioner for Chieftaincy and Community Affairs, Hon Charles Amadi, congratulated King Ateke Tom for being formally presented with the Certificate of Recognition and Staff of Office as first class traditional ruler.
Also speaking, former Transport Minister, Chief Abiye Sekibo, thanked the governor for fulfilling his promise of upgrading the traditional stool of Okochiri Kingdom, and pledged the support of Kirike Se people to his administration.
