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Showing posts with label insecurity. Show all posts
Showing posts with label insecurity. Show all posts

NEWS RELEASE: Governor Adeleke Issues Red Alert on School and Rural Security, Announces Major Reforms

NEWS RELEASE: Governor Adeleke Issues Red Alert on School and Rural Security, Announces Major Reforms

•Summons State Security Council Meeting


● Amotekun Billed for Reorganisation



Governor Ademola Adeleke has raised alarm over threat to peace and security within the state school system and rural farm communities, summoning a meeting of the state security council and announcing major security reforms.


In a statement issued on Tuesday morning, the Governor made reference to intelligence snippets of deliberate mobilisation of criminal elements to the rural areas of the state, stressing that such reports are alarming and pose serious concerns to the well being of Osun people.


The Governor noted that the administration is worried about reports that those behind the plot are targeting disruption of farming activities through kidnappings and attacks on rural farm settlements.


It was further revealed that schools are being targeted with abductions and attacks as a way of distracting from the implementation of the safe school initiative and the multi-billion naira infrastructure plan.


Governor Adeleke noted that while a meeting of the state security council has been summoned, preliminary directives have been issued to school authorities to take precautions to enhance the safety of pupils and students.


The Ministry of Education and all education agencies have been ordered to review safety measures in Osun schools in line with the safe school initiative.


In specific terms, school principals and heads are expected to clear overgrown school environments and ensure close liaison with the Parents and Teachers Association to secure their school environments.


The Governor further directs the Food Security Committee to submit an interim report to allow for immediate actions to safeguard farm security and secure farmers as the rainy season knocks on the door.


According to the Governor, we expect the initial report to contain practical and implementable measures to safeguard our farming communities through closer integration and mobilisation of the local hunters and forest rangers.


The Governor further announced his plans to embark on major reforms of the Amotekun security force, frowning at the internal rivalry, opposition penetration and external intervention that are negatively affecting the operation of the Amotekun force.


The Amotekun , the Governor noted, is to be reorganized to make it a truly efficient force to complement the efforts and operation of the police and other security agencies.


He assured the public that his administration has taken preemptive steps to secure our schools and farming communities, describing Osun as a peaceful state which will not succumb to attempts to destabilize the peace and harmony among our people.


“I have summoned a meeting of the State Security Council to firm up all plans. I assure our people that I am on top of the situation. We are committed to securing our schools, our farm and our society."


“No stone will be left unturned to disrupt plans of enemies of progress to plunge the state into crisis. I urge members of the public to inform security agencies of any unusual movement or activities across the state”, Governor Adeleke was quoted as saying.


Signed:

Malam Olawale Rasheed,

Spokesperson to the State Governor.

•Summons State Security Council Meeting


● Amotekun Billed for Reorganisation



Governor Ademola Adeleke has raised alarm over threat to peace and security within the state school system and rural farm communities, summoning a meeting of the state security council and announcing major security reforms.


In a statement issued on Tuesday morning, the Governor made reference to intelligence snippets of deliberate mobilisation of criminal elements to the rural areas of the state, stressing that such reports are alarming and pose serious concerns to the well being of Osun people.


The Governor noted that the administration is worried about reports that those behind the plot are targeting disruption of farming activities through kidnappings and attacks on rural farm settlements.


It was further revealed that schools are being targeted with abductions and attacks as a way of distracting from the implementation of the safe school initiative and the multi-billion naira infrastructure plan.


Governor Adeleke noted that while a meeting of the state security council has been summoned, preliminary directives have been issued to school authorities to take precautions to enhance the safety of pupils and students.


The Ministry of Education and all education agencies have been ordered to review safety measures in Osun schools in line with the safe school initiative.


In specific terms, school principals and heads are expected to clear overgrown school environments and ensure close liaison with the Parents and Teachers Association to secure their school environments.


The Governor further directs the Food Security Committee to submit an interim report to allow for immediate actions to safeguard farm security and secure farmers as the rainy season knocks on the door.


According to the Governor, we expect the initial report to contain practical and implementable measures to safeguard our farming communities through closer integration and mobilisation of the local hunters and forest rangers.


The Governor further announced his plans to embark on major reforms of the Amotekun security force, frowning at the internal rivalry, opposition penetration and external intervention that are negatively affecting the operation of the Amotekun force.


The Amotekun , the Governor noted, is to be reorganized to make it a truly efficient force to complement the efforts and operation of the police and other security agencies.


He assured the public that his administration has taken preemptive steps to secure our schools and farming communities, describing Osun as a peaceful state which will not succumb to attempts to destabilize the peace and harmony among our people.


“I have summoned a meeting of the State Security Council to firm up all plans. I assure our people that I am on top of the situation. We are committed to securing our schools, our farm and our society."


“No stone will be left unturned to disrupt plans of enemies of progress to plunge the state into crisis. I urge members of the public to inform security agencies of any unusual movement or activities across the state”, Governor Adeleke was quoted as saying.


Signed:

Malam Olawale Rasheed,

Spokesperson to the State Governor.

NIGERIA'S TROOPS OF JOINT TASK FORCE SOUTH EAST OP UDO KA RAIDED AND DESTROYED IPOB/ ESN SUPREME HEADQUARTERS AT MOTHER VALLEY (+Photos)

NIGERIA'S TROOPS OF JOINT TASK FORCE SOUTH EAST OP UDO KA RAIDED AND DESTROYED IPOB/ ESN SUPREME HEADQUARTERS AT MOTHER VALLEY (+Photos)


Recalling the commencement of the Joint Task Force South East Operation UDO KA (OPUK) that started on 11 February 2024, the combined JTF troops of NA, NN and NAF as well as personnel of NPF, DSS and NSCDC had cleared  and liberated ORSU, EKE-UTUTU, TANGO ONE ORSUMORGHU, IHITEUKWA IHITTENANSA and LILU over the last 3 weeks. 


In continuation of the sustained operations, the JTF OPUK troops on 7 March 2024 cleared and destroyed the notorious Supreme Headquarters of the terrorists Indigenous People of Biafara (IPOB) and its armed affiliate Eastern Security Network (ESN). The headquarters that serves as the last IPOB/ESN stronghold is located in the Mother Valley and spans Orsu and Ihiala LGAs of Imo and Anambra States respectively is about 5,000 feet below sea level. The well concealed and forested location affords the terrorists good cover from air surveillance. It also serves as their command and control centre and military council headquarters.


During the raid operations, the gallant troops encountered, detonated and recovered many command Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) and various types of obstacles which were cleared by the determined troops. The troops also came in contact with the terrorists but were subdued with superior fire power with many neutralized while others with varying degrees of gunshot wounds fled into the bush. Thus, all Ndi-Imo and Ndi-Anambra are requested to report any strange face in their communities to OPUK by dialing Emergency Line 193 and Press 2 from their phones.


In addition to many weapons, equipment, IEDs and stolen vehicles recovered over the last 3 weeks,  items recovered in the *Mother Valley* today include; 3 x G3 rifles, 9 x Automatic Pump Action Rifles, 7 x Double Barrel Guns, 2 x Locally Made Pistols, 2 x Rocket Propelled Grenade Bombs, 2 x AK 47 Magazine and 1 x G3 Magazine. Others are 26 rounds of 7.62mm Special ammunition, 16 rounds of 7.62mm NATO ammunition, 72 Pump Action Cartridges , 1 x Chainsaw, 1 x Laptop, 1 x CCTV DVR, 26 x CCTV Cameras. 17 x  Baofeng Radios with Batteries and 10 without batteries including their chargers. Also recovered are, 6 x Handheld IEDs, 26 x android phones, 25 x normal phones, 1 x inverter, 1 x SIM Card Registration Machine, 4 x POS machines, 3 x Motorcycle batteries for igniting IEDs, 2 x Trumpets, 2 x Biafra flags, 20 x ESN certificates, 2 x Dairies containing details of ammunition and food supplies and 2 pairs of Biafra Liberation Army uniforms.


The joint troops also destroyed about 50 tents in the Valley housing the Supreme Headquarters, IPOB/ESN command and control center, Buteuzor’s hideout and residence, offices, their logistics base, temples and shrines used for occultic practices among many other items. 


The Force Commander Joint Task Force South East Operation UDO KA, Major General Hassan Taiwo Dada wishes to appreciate the incredible cooperation of sister Services and other security agencies for the success achieved so far.  


The Force Commander also enjoins the leaders of all liberated communities to return to their ancestral homes, emplace community efforts to ensure that all criminal elements not from the communities are not allowed to return to desecrate their homelands. The JTF OPUK will continue to provide all security support to such communities within the ambit of the law. 


Furthermore all law abiding Ndigbos are enjoined to provide timely and actionable information through OPUK Emergency Line *193* then press Option 2 to help make the South East geopolitical zone a peaceful and conducive environment for socio-economic development to thrive.



Photos:

















Recalling the commencement of the Joint Task Force South East Operation UDO KA (OPUK) that started on 11 February 2024, the combined JTF troops of NA, NN and NAF as well as personnel of NPF, DSS and NSCDC had cleared  and liberated ORSU, EKE-UTUTU, TANGO ONE ORSUMORGHU, IHITEUKWA IHITTENANSA and LILU over the last 3 weeks. 


In continuation of the sustained operations, the JTF OPUK troops on 7 March 2024 cleared and destroyed the notorious Supreme Headquarters of the terrorists Indigenous People of Biafara (IPOB) and its armed affiliate Eastern Security Network (ESN). The headquarters that serves as the last IPOB/ESN stronghold is located in the Mother Valley and spans Orsu and Ihiala LGAs of Imo and Anambra States respectively is about 5,000 feet below sea level. The well concealed and forested location affords the terrorists good cover from air surveillance. It also serves as their command and control centre and military council headquarters.


During the raid operations, the gallant troops encountered, detonated and recovered many command Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) and various types of obstacles which were cleared by the determined troops. The troops also came in contact with the terrorists but were subdued with superior fire power with many neutralized while others with varying degrees of gunshot wounds fled into the bush. Thus, all Ndi-Imo and Ndi-Anambra are requested to report any strange face in their communities to OPUK by dialing Emergency Line 193 and Press 2 from their phones.


In addition to many weapons, equipment, IEDs and stolen vehicles recovered over the last 3 weeks,  items recovered in the *Mother Valley* today include; 3 x G3 rifles, 9 x Automatic Pump Action Rifles, 7 x Double Barrel Guns, 2 x Locally Made Pistols, 2 x Rocket Propelled Grenade Bombs, 2 x AK 47 Magazine and 1 x G3 Magazine. Others are 26 rounds of 7.62mm Special ammunition, 16 rounds of 7.62mm NATO ammunition, 72 Pump Action Cartridges , 1 x Chainsaw, 1 x Laptop, 1 x CCTV DVR, 26 x CCTV Cameras. 17 x  Baofeng Radios with Batteries and 10 without batteries including their chargers. Also recovered are, 6 x Handheld IEDs, 26 x android phones, 25 x normal phones, 1 x inverter, 1 x SIM Card Registration Machine, 4 x POS machines, 3 x Motorcycle batteries for igniting IEDs, 2 x Trumpets, 2 x Biafra flags, 20 x ESN certificates, 2 x Dairies containing details of ammunition and food supplies and 2 pairs of Biafra Liberation Army uniforms.


The joint troops also destroyed about 50 tents in the Valley housing the Supreme Headquarters, IPOB/ESN command and control center, Buteuzor’s hideout and residence, offices, their logistics base, temples and shrines used for occultic practices among many other items. 


The Force Commander Joint Task Force South East Operation UDO KA, Major General Hassan Taiwo Dada wishes to appreciate the incredible cooperation of sister Services and other security agencies for the success achieved so far.  


The Force Commander also enjoins the leaders of all liberated communities to return to their ancestral homes, emplace community efforts to ensure that all criminal elements not from the communities are not allowed to return to desecrate their homelands. The JTF OPUK will continue to provide all security support to such communities within the ambit of the law. 


Furthermore all law abiding Ndigbos are enjoined to provide timely and actionable information through OPUK Emergency Line *193* then press Option 2 to help make the South East geopolitical zone a peaceful and conducive environment for socio-economic development to thrive.



Photos:
















WANTED BY THE EFCC – Leno Laitan Adesanya

WANTED BY THE EFCC – Leno Laitan Adesanya

 WANTED BY THE EFCC


Leno Laitan Adesanya is WANTED by the EFCC for offences bothering on economic and financial crimes. Any info on his whereabout? Please contact the EFCC offices or the nearest Police Station. 


#EFCCNigeria

 WANTED BY THE EFCC


Leno Laitan Adesanya is WANTED by the EFCC for offences bothering on economic and financial crimes. Any info on his whereabout? Please contact the EFCC offices or the nearest Police Station. 


#EFCCNigeria

Food Insecurity: EFCC Arrests 21 Food-loaded Trucks into Neighbouring Countries

Food Insecurity: EFCC Arrests 21 Food-loaded Trucks into Neighbouring Countries


Operatives of the Maiduguri Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Tuesday, March 5, 2024, arrested 21 trucks loaded with food and non-food items heading towards N’djamena, Chad Republic, Central African Republic and Cameroon.


The trucks were intercepted in a sting operation at major exit routes along Kalabiri/Gamboru Ngala and Bama roads, Borno State.



Investigation showed food items cleverly concealed in the trucks that would have gone undetected, but for the eagle-eyed vigilance of operatives of the Commission.



Further checks showed that the Waybills covering the goods carried by the trucks indicated their destinations as N'djamena, Chad Republic, Central Africa Republic and Cameroon respectively.



The arrest of the trucks is expected to stem the tide of food insecurity occasioned by unscrupulous antics of smugglers across the country.


 Suspects arrested with the trucks are being profiled and would be charged to court as soon as investigations are concluded.

 


Operatives of the Maiduguri Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Tuesday, March 5, 2024, arrested 21 trucks loaded with food and non-food items heading towards N’djamena, Chad Republic, Central African Republic and Cameroon.


The trucks were intercepted in a sting operation at major exit routes along Kalabiri/Gamboru Ngala and Bama roads, Borno State.



Investigation showed food items cleverly concealed in the trucks that would have gone undetected, but for the eagle-eyed vigilance of operatives of the Commission.



Further checks showed that the Waybills covering the goods carried by the trucks indicated their destinations as N'djamena, Chad Republic, Central Africa Republic and Cameroon respectively.



The arrest of the trucks is expected to stem the tide of food insecurity occasioned by unscrupulous antics of smugglers across the country.


 Suspects arrested with the trucks are being profiled and would be charged to court as soon as investigations are concluded.

 

If we fail to perform, stone us : stoning of APC members have started in Jos ahead of 2023 Elections (Video)

If we fail to perform, stone us : stoning of APC members have started in Jos ahead of 2023 Elections (Video)

 


Stones and other dangerous objects distrupted APC rally in Jos.....Organizers are shouting "Douala"!!! begging the crowd to stop the act of distruption




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Stones and other dangerous objects distrupted APC rally in Jos.....Organizers are shouting "Douala"!!! begging the crowd to stop the act of distruption




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Support, Mobilise and Vote Labour Party in the upcoming General Elections in Nigeria!






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OPINION: Owolabi - Murdered in Nigeria, buried in America

OPINION: Owolabi - Murdered in Nigeria, buried in America

By

abiodun KOMOLAFE


On Nov 6, 2022










One of the greatest shortcomings of Nigeria’s existence is that she has never evolved into a nation. 

The amalgamation of territories, imposition of the colonial masters, the unfortunate intervention of the military and its attendant maladministration of the civil-society, and the corruption-infested politicians have not actually given the country that opportunity to realize her potentials. To be honest, it is because Nigeria’s handlers have different motives and a diametrically opposed understanding of the concept of development that her journey to nationhood has remained an illusion.


As we know, there is no generally acceptable interpretive understanding of the concept of development. For instance, part of the organic components of a nation is the understanding of the meaning of the concepts of citizenship. It is on this premise that a nation thrives. In other words, since no nation flourishes without its citizens, any nation that wants to thrive must have its organic components in place and the majority number of the population must share, intimately, the rudimentary knowledge and understanding of what it means to be a citizen, as agreed to, and enshrined in the constitution of Nigeria. Otherwise, it will just be as if one is running against the wind.


On July 28, 2022, Olugbenga David Owolabi was kidnapped alongside his staff, Rachael Opadele in Ogbomoso, Oyo State, by yet-to-be-identified kidnappers. Owolabi was a Nigerian-American who had come to Nigeria, to invest in the hospitality business in Ogbomoso, his hometown. On August 3, 2022, they were senselessly killed by their abductors, despite the payment of N5m ransom. Owolabi was buried on October 1, 2022 which, as fate would have it, coincided with a very important day in Nigeria’s chequered history. Opadele had earlier been buried in Ogbomoso, on August 5, 2022. Like the others, Nigeria has again succeeded in making the sun of three of her promising citizens set at dawn.


Olugbenga Owolabi is gone; and there’s nothing anybody can do to bring him back to life. But, if he had known that the country he called his own didn’t understand what it meant to be a citizen, he wouldn’t have come to Nigeria at all, not to speak of investing here. Let’s face it: the short time he spent in the USA – and he became a citizen – is now the only gift God has given him. From the time mappings for his life, all things being equal, if he had not come here, those unredeemed killers and haters who have turned Nigeria into a pool of blood would not have slaughtered him like a ram. Of course, they’d not have killed him without the American government deploying its entire arsenal for battle against his killers.


Typical of the Nigerianness in us, nobody is talking about who killed Owolabi; and neither Oyo State nor his Local Government has uttered a word; forget about admitting that the State has lost an illustrious son. Rather, it’s been business as usual, as if nothing happened. No justice! Not even a show of pretence for it! Sad that, even up to the point of the corpse being flown abroad, no Nigerian officials were seen to have shown any semblance of sympathy, either by words or actions. Well, that’s to show how horrible our system is. In our clime, the worth of a citizen has gone into a nosedive! Why then should one die for the country?


Owolabi’s unfortunate death is not the first; certainly, it won’t be the last either! Since his murder, several other unresolved murders have taken place. Yet, the heavens have not fallen! And who cares? After all, those who died did not belong to the families of members of the ruling class. So, life goes on! But, again, this is Nigeria! America takes care of her living and the dead! Nigeria does neither! Here in Nigeria, life no longer has any meaning! Ours is a generation of wasters, in a very dangerous country! Against the backdrop of our illimitable woes, the leaders _“daily call on the citizens to make sacrifices while they (the leaders) wallow in privilege.”_ Tragically, the leadership doesn’t even understand why and how the country is being led to a moral free fall in all areas.


The general assumption is that Nigeria is a sovereign state, but the current state of heightened insecurity only suggests that she may have already been stripped of her sovereign attributes. Otherwise, how do we describe events in the land which have only shown that our leaders are in a wide sea of uncertainty with regard to how a nation evolves; the inalienable rights of a citizen, and why he or she must be accorded such? Remember the 2013 Boston Marathon domestic terror attack and how the American government rose to the occasion! Remember how US Special Forces rescued Philip Walton, an American citizen held hostage in Nigeria in 2020! Here in Nigeria, the late Hamani Tidjani was only unlucky to have positioned his wind vane wrongly. And he paid dearly for it! On Owolabi’s gruesome murder, even the texture and essence of the _Nigerians in Diaspora Commission_ (NIDCOM) seem to have been seduced into compliance with sickening silence.


Had Oyo State Government been truly there for those it was elected to serve, somebody in government would have noticed the state administrative protocol gap in Owolabi’s unfortunate murder, and would have issued a statement on behalf of the government. That his remains were taken back from the land of his birth for internment in a foreign, adopted country was a big shame of unimaginable proportions. But again, how did we get here? For God’s sake, how does one belong to a country where human lives are not valued; where _“yesterday’s dreams have become the worst nightmares”;_ where _“very sharp pieces of broken promises”_ have become the new ideology? And, if we may ask: what is the functional relevance of Nigeria’s sovereignty? Isn’t that why a Leah Sharibu could still be languishing in the terrorists’ den even as the government continues to behave as if it never happened?


The social thoughts of a society, I was made to understand, undergird the thought flows of its citizens. For example, when President John F. Kennedy famously urged Americans “ask not what” their _“country can do for”_ them but _“what”_ they _“can do for”_ their _“country’,_ that became the mantra in the USA that even a kid in that _‘God’s own country’_ was always ready to die for the American flag. On the converse, have we asked why Nigeria now looks _“like a boiling pot that everyone wants to escape from”_ and why Nigerians are with misdirected aggression prepared to _‘japa’_ into certain deaths in Ukraine?


With happenings like this in Nigeria, national consciousness and the concept of patriotism are on the verge of losing both their meanings and relevance; of course, with huge national security implications! Nigeria may also lose investors and her capacity for economic growth will be hindered. To put it bluntly, what it means is that, once the central value of citizenship is lost, the entire country is lost. The more reason the handlers of Nigeria must do a new orientation programme that will teach Nigerians to be patriotic. In doing this, the government should lead by example. Otherwise, the scheme will fall like a pack of cards.


May the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world, rest the souls of the faithful departed and grant us peace in Nigeria!


 _*KOMOLAFE wrote in from Ijebu-Jesa, Osun State ([email protected]; 07087941459 - SMS only)_





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By

abiodun KOMOLAFE


On Nov 6, 2022










One of the greatest shortcomings of Nigeria’s existence is that she has never evolved into a nation. 

The amalgamation of territories, imposition of the colonial masters, the unfortunate intervention of the military and its attendant maladministration of the civil-society, and the corruption-infested politicians have not actually given the country that opportunity to realize her potentials. To be honest, it is because Nigeria’s handlers have different motives and a diametrically opposed understanding of the concept of development that her journey to nationhood has remained an illusion.


As we know, there is no generally acceptable interpretive understanding of the concept of development. For instance, part of the organic components of a nation is the understanding of the meaning of the concepts of citizenship. It is on this premise that a nation thrives. In other words, since no nation flourishes without its citizens, any nation that wants to thrive must have its organic components in place and the majority number of the population must share, intimately, the rudimentary knowledge and understanding of what it means to be a citizen, as agreed to, and enshrined in the constitution of Nigeria. Otherwise, it will just be as if one is running against the wind.


On July 28, 2022, Olugbenga David Owolabi was kidnapped alongside his staff, Rachael Opadele in Ogbomoso, Oyo State, by yet-to-be-identified kidnappers. Owolabi was a Nigerian-American who had come to Nigeria, to invest in the hospitality business in Ogbomoso, his hometown. On August 3, 2022, they were senselessly killed by their abductors, despite the payment of N5m ransom. Owolabi was buried on October 1, 2022 which, as fate would have it, coincided with a very important day in Nigeria’s chequered history. Opadele had earlier been buried in Ogbomoso, on August 5, 2022. Like the others, Nigeria has again succeeded in making the sun of three of her promising citizens set at dawn.


Olugbenga Owolabi is gone; and there’s nothing anybody can do to bring him back to life. But, if he had known that the country he called his own didn’t understand what it meant to be a citizen, he wouldn’t have come to Nigeria at all, not to speak of investing here. Let’s face it: the short time he spent in the USA – and he became a citizen – is now the only gift God has given him. From the time mappings for his life, all things being equal, if he had not come here, those unredeemed killers and haters who have turned Nigeria into a pool of blood would not have slaughtered him like a ram. Of course, they’d not have killed him without the American government deploying its entire arsenal for battle against his killers.


Typical of the Nigerianness in us, nobody is talking about who killed Owolabi; and neither Oyo State nor his Local Government has uttered a word; forget about admitting that the State has lost an illustrious son. Rather, it’s been business as usual, as if nothing happened. No justice! Not even a show of pretence for it! Sad that, even up to the point of the corpse being flown abroad, no Nigerian officials were seen to have shown any semblance of sympathy, either by words or actions. Well, that’s to show how horrible our system is. In our clime, the worth of a citizen has gone into a nosedive! Why then should one die for the country?


Owolabi’s unfortunate death is not the first; certainly, it won’t be the last either! Since his murder, several other unresolved murders have taken place. Yet, the heavens have not fallen! And who cares? After all, those who died did not belong to the families of members of the ruling class. So, life goes on! But, again, this is Nigeria! America takes care of her living and the dead! Nigeria does neither! Here in Nigeria, life no longer has any meaning! Ours is a generation of wasters, in a very dangerous country! Against the backdrop of our illimitable woes, the leaders _“daily call on the citizens to make sacrifices while they (the leaders) wallow in privilege.”_ Tragically, the leadership doesn’t even understand why and how the country is being led to a moral free fall in all areas.


The general assumption is that Nigeria is a sovereign state, but the current state of heightened insecurity only suggests that she may have already been stripped of her sovereign attributes. Otherwise, how do we describe events in the land which have only shown that our leaders are in a wide sea of uncertainty with regard to how a nation evolves; the inalienable rights of a citizen, and why he or she must be accorded such? Remember the 2013 Boston Marathon domestic terror attack and how the American government rose to the occasion! Remember how US Special Forces rescued Philip Walton, an American citizen held hostage in Nigeria in 2020! Here in Nigeria, the late Hamani Tidjani was only unlucky to have positioned his wind vane wrongly. And he paid dearly for it! On Owolabi’s gruesome murder, even the texture and essence of the _Nigerians in Diaspora Commission_ (NIDCOM) seem to have been seduced into compliance with sickening silence.


Had Oyo State Government been truly there for those it was elected to serve, somebody in government would have noticed the state administrative protocol gap in Owolabi’s unfortunate murder, and would have issued a statement on behalf of the government. That his remains were taken back from the land of his birth for internment in a foreign, adopted country was a big shame of unimaginable proportions. But again, how did we get here? For God’s sake, how does one belong to a country where human lives are not valued; where _“yesterday’s dreams have become the worst nightmares”;_ where _“very sharp pieces of broken promises”_ have become the new ideology? And, if we may ask: what is the functional relevance of Nigeria’s sovereignty? Isn’t that why a Leah Sharibu could still be languishing in the terrorists’ den even as the government continues to behave as if it never happened?


The social thoughts of a society, I was made to understand, undergird the thought flows of its citizens. For example, when President John F. Kennedy famously urged Americans “ask not what” their _“country can do for”_ them but _“what”_ they _“can do for”_ their _“country’,_ that became the mantra in the USA that even a kid in that _‘God’s own country’_ was always ready to die for the American flag. On the converse, have we asked why Nigeria now looks _“like a boiling pot that everyone wants to escape from”_ and why Nigerians are with misdirected aggression prepared to _‘japa’_ into certain deaths in Ukraine?


With happenings like this in Nigeria, national consciousness and the concept of patriotism are on the verge of losing both their meanings and relevance; of course, with huge national security implications! Nigeria may also lose investors and her capacity for economic growth will be hindered. To put it bluntly, what it means is that, once the central value of citizenship is lost, the entire country is lost. The more reason the handlers of Nigeria must do a new orientation programme that will teach Nigerians to be patriotic. In doing this, the government should lead by example. Otherwise, the scheme will fall like a pack of cards.


May the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world, rest the souls of the faithful departed and grant us peace in Nigeria!


 _*KOMOLAFE wrote in from Ijebu-Jesa, Osun State ([email protected]; 07087941459 - SMS only)_





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Motto - EXCELLENT, OUR CHOICE

Admission still in progress







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