Obasanjo’s Questionable Colombian Security Experts

Colombia has been battling insurgency for over 50 years without success. The story from this country regarding terrorism management is not attractive. So, what do we have to learn from them that will help us in the battle against Boko Haram? Nothing! That was why I found the visit to President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday by the so-called Colombian security delegation bizarre. The tetchy former President Olusegun Obasanjo led the team to meet with Buhari. The Colombian experts are in Nigeria to share professional expertise on security and counter terrorism, so says Obasanjo. He said Nigeria needed to learn how Colombia survived insurgency for more than 50 years.

Olusegun Obasanjo

Rubbish! Everybody is just trying to exploit the Boko Haram crisis to milk this country dry. Obasanjo has a lot of questions to answer in this regard. He has been all over Buhari since May 29. Now, he is talking about Colombian security experts. Many will agree with me that Colombia is obviously a failure in this regard. Common sense dictates that Nigeria should be talking to countries that have successfully battled insurgency and not one struggling with it.

For those who have not been following the crisis in Colombia, let me just run through it briefly. The Colombian conflict began in 1964 and is an ongoing low-intensity asymmetric war between the Colombian government, paramilitary groups, crime syndicates and left-wing guerrillas such as the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and the National Liberation Army (ELN), fighting each other to increase their influence in Colombia. It is historically rooted in the conflict known as La Violencia, which was triggered by the 1948 assassination of populist political leader Jorge Eliécer Gaitán and in the aftermath of United States-backed strong anti-communist repression in rural Colombia in the 1960s which led the liberal and communist militants to re-organise into FARC.

The FARC and other guerrilla movements claim to be fighting for the rights of the poor in Colombia; to protect them from government violence and to provide social justice through communism. The Colombian government is fighting for order and stability and seeking to protect the rights and interests of its citizens. The paramilitary groups are reacting to perceived threats by guerrilla movements. According to a study by Colombia’s National Centre for Historical Memory, 220,000 people have died in the conflict, most of them civilians (177,307 civilians and 40,787 fighters) and more than five million civilians were forced from their homes between 1985 – 2012, generating the world’s second largest population of internally displaced persons(IDPs).

Nigeria’s target is to decapitate Boko Haram by December. So, what do we have to gain from a country that is confused and has been struggling with terrorism for over 50 years? Na wa oh! Boko Haram has become big business for our big men. Many of them have clearly been profiting from the terrorism. They are always plotting to sell useless things to the Nigerian government in the name of contributing to the war against Boko Haram. May Allah save us from these merchants of filth?

Time to Take Holistic Look at ‘Stoning the Devil’

The stoning of the Devil ritual has over the years become the most perilous part of the yearly pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia. This is because of the gigantic multitudes that participate. There is always crisis, particularly as they cross the colossal multilayer Jamarat Bridge through which the three walls which pilgrims fling pebbles at are accessed in the city of Mina just east of Mecca. At times, the dense, rushing crowds, trekking from one station of the pilgrimage to the next, cause a stampede, or more accurately, a crowd breakdown.

Pilgrims struggle to move, groups are swept along in waves, individuals jostle to find breath and avoid falling and being trampled, and hundreds of deaths occur as a result. Annually, the Saudi government has consistently showed incompetence in managing this stoning of the Devil (ramÄ« aj-jamarāt) ritual. An estimated two million pilgrims were involved in last month’s Hajj that claimed 1453 lives.

I have spent the last few days researching the history of tragedy that often trails the ‘stoning of the Devil.’ Over 4000 lives have been lost to this ritual in the last 25 years. In July 2, 1990, a stampede inside a pedestrian tunnel (Al-Ma’aisim tunnel) leading out from Mecca towards Mina and the Plains of Arafat led to the deaths of 1,426 pilgrims, many of them of Malaysian, Indonesian and Pakistani origin.

In May 1994, a stampede killed at least 270 pilgrims; in April 1998, 118 pilgrims were trampled to death in an incident on Jamarat Bridge; in March 2001, 35 pilgrims were trampled to death; in February 2003, the ritual claimed 14 lives; InFebruary 2004, 251 pilgrims were killed and in January 2006, a stampede killed 346 pilgrims. From this history, many will agree that the Saudi authorities have consistently showed ineptitude in the handling of this ritual. Besides, the rising number of pilgrims is also a big challenge. The Saudis tried to peg it at two million, yet there is always a problem. The Saudis can’t get it right. This is the truth. So, the Nigerian government has to reconsider the participation of Nigerian pilgrims in this aspect of the pilgrimage. About 300 Nigerians died in the September stampede. These deaths are avoidable.

The thinking out there is that ‘stoning of the Devil’ is compulsory for all pilgrims. The spiritual analysis of the highly distinguished Emir of Kano, Muhammed Sanusi ll must have laid to rest questions about the necessity or otherwise of the ritual. Emir Sanusi says ‘stoning the Devil’ is not compulsory. The Emir who quoted several verses of the Qur’an and the sayings of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) added: “Refusal to even perform the stoning of the Devil rituals does not in any way invalidate one’s Hajj. Therefore, it will be part of my recommendations to the federal government that, if we cannot get accommodation close to Jamrat where the Arabs reside in Mina, then this year may be the last time we will sleep in Mina and Muzdalifa because we want to stone the Devil.

“Besides that, if one deliberately refuses to even perform the stoning of the Devil rituals, all he needs to do is to slaughter a ram. So, if this is the situation, why do we go and suffer and die instead of sacrificing a ram?”

Obviously, the Saudi authorities will never get this aspect of the pilgrimage right. We have to stop our pilgrims from this ritual. We have to stop this annual wastage of human lives. I am waiting to see Emir Sanusi’s recommendation to Buhari in black and white. I hope the Nigerian government will avoid sentiment and do the needful.

As for our National Hajj Commission (NAHCON), its management of the tragedy was a disaster. While the Iranian Hajj agency moved in swiftly, located/identified its dead pilgrims and came out with casualty figures in a matter of days, NAHCON is still struggling with casualty figures. As at yesterday, the agency was still not sure of the number of Nigerians who died in the tragedy. While the Iranian Hajj Commission came down very hard on the Saudi authorities, our NAHCON was unnecessarily diplomatic. Going forward, the Nigerian government should withdraw from the organisation of pilgrimages. NAHCON and the NCPC should act as regulatory agencies while private tour companies should be allowed to handle subsequent pilgrimages to Mecca and Israel.

Kayode Fayemi’s N2.5bn Majestic State House

For almost a year, there were speculations about how much former Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State spent on constructing a bogus Government House for the state. Well, the exact figure is now out, courtesy of Fayemi himself. He was so proud to tell the whole nation during his ministerial screening that the project gulped N2.5 billion of Ekiti taxpayers’ money. He even referred to Akwa Ibom State where he said he saw a magnificent Government House and decided to replicate same in Ekiti State. Haba, how can Ekiti State that was getting an average of N3 billion monthly act like Akwa Ibom that was getting about N11 billion monthly then? I am shocked that Fayemi is proud of this bogus, elitist and absolutely unnecessary project considering the level of poverty, hunger, disease and unemployment in the state. He should tell us how this project has helped to reduce the level of poverty, hunger, disease and unemployment in the state. He should tell us how this Government House project has helped to improve dilapidated education and health facilities in the state during his tenure.

This huge amount could have been used to improve the standard of health or education facilities in all the local government areas. The ill-equipped Oba Rufus Adejugbe General Hospital in Ado-Ekiti could have been given some millions of Naira from these wasted billions. Fayemi clearly ran an elitist government; one that was far away from the masses of the state. A government that concentrated on grandeur projects for the convenience of the governor and his cronies. I believe strongly that Fayemi has no business in Buhari’s cabinet going by the qualities the president said he was looking for.
Governor Ambode and Rising Insecurity in Lagos

Lagos State is fast becoming an extremely dangerous place to live. Hardly will any day pass without incidents of heinous armed robbery attacks, abductions or violence in one part of the state or the other. Lagosians no longer sleep with both eyes closed. This week alone, we saw the murder of the Managing Director of Lekki FTZ, Tajudeen Disu. Just on Tuesday, a 50-man armed robbery gang took over FESTAC town for about two hours. They robbed two banks in the estate and in the process, killed a middle-aged woman and her daughter.

The case of a 30-man gang that raided two banks in Ogolonto, Ikorodu in June is still fresh in our memory. The Ogolonto operation lasted for about two hours unhindered. Three weeks earlier in the same Ikorodu, the same gang invaded and robbed the First Bank and Wema Bank branches killing two people in the process. Daily, we are bombarded with tales of numerous attacks on residential areas and commercial premises across the state. I am deeply worried. Many other Lagosians are also worried. The traumatic effect aside, insecurity is a big disincentive to development, investment and tourism. Governor Akinwunmi Ambode as the Chief Security Officer of the state has to attack this menace with all his might.

Going forward, he has to refocus and reinvigorate the state-funded Rapid Response Squad to nip in the bud this menace. The squad must be proactive and responsive. Intelligence gathering and technology are essential here. I am also recommending the establishment of a Tactical Committee for the squad, made up of reputable retired police officers of Lagos origin and other experts. This should be the think tank and brain box of the Lagos RRS. The Lagos State Police Command also needs assistance in terms of equipment to enhance patrol of dark spots. I know that LASG has been assisting in this regard. But more still needs to be done. I would like to see the police taking the battle to criminals in dark spots across Lagos State. Follow me on twitter and facebook @yemiadebowale to contribute to an agenda for a secure Lagos.

The Case against El-Rufai

It is becoming increasingly clear that it is not only Senator Shehu Sani that is uncomfortable with the actions, policies and programmes of Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State. Sani says the Kaduna governor is clearly not a progressive and that his policies are anti-people. A Coalition of Southern Kaduna Groups headed by Barr. James Kanyip is also holding El-Rufai by the jugular. The group is unhappy that governor Kaduna has been appointing non-indigenes into prominent political positions in the state.

It is unhappy about the appointment of Hadiza Bala Usman as Chief of Staff; Muyiwa Adekeye as Special Adviser on Media and Publicity; Peter Ayim as Special Assistant on Entrepreneur; Hafiz Bayero as Special Assistant on Job Creation; Hajiya Rabi Abdulsalam as Commissioner for Women Affairs and Hajiya Hadiza Yahuza as Interim Chairman of Chikun Local Government Area, among others. The Coalition of Southern Kaduna Groups wants all these non-indigenes sacked. It also alleges that El-Rufai is planning to expunge the “indigene” clause from Kaduna State documents to make it possible for anyone who resides in Kaduna to gain equal access to everything that a native of Kaduna State may be entitled to.

Obasanjo’s Questionable Colombian Security Experts