By Yahaya Balogun
After this war on corruption, Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari should as a matter of urgency trigger a referendum to discuss our continued unity as a nation. A marriage shouldn’t be devoid of honest conversation. A honest national conversation is needed at this opportunistic and individualistic expectations period. This is a crucial period to come together to cement our shaky union or marred relationship. We are all disgruntled with the current set up of the corrupt system, and how it has decimated the lives of the vulnerable people among us. No one should be afraid of intelligent discourse as majority of Nigerian people are for peaceful coexistence. Honest national conversation shouldn’t be a burden. We can negotiate our unity, not for disintegration but for weeding out those nuances (bribery and corruption) that threaten a better life for all Nigerians. We can negotiate the nuance of regionalisation for national cohesion and development. The centre must be made weak and unattractive for career politicians and allow individual region to develop at its own pace.
However, the present problems is not about IPOB’s agitation for Biafra or the severance from Nigeria, it is about making presidency irrelevant to each region, except in the areas of defense and diplomacy. Each region should be made to control its own economy. The situation where certain region takes more than 50 per cent of revenue of Nigeria should be discontinued. Regionalisation seems to be the solution to most of our retractable problems. Each region may loot their commonwealth if they choose to do that at the detriment of their region, but their people will not fold their alms to see other regions with judicious use of their resources. While the northern Nigeria is strategising to reinvent itself; while they’re busy reviving their lost pyramids and other agricultural produce, while Arewa youth are restraining from engaging in civil and religious strives at the slightest provocation, some of my brothers and sisters in the eastern Nigerian should stop things that can bring public safety to jeopardy. War or civil unrest will never be the answer to injustice and unfair play. Peaceful and honest discussion will do. The Igbo elders who were witnesses of the unfortunate Nigerian civil war of July 6, 1967 to January 15, 1970 shouldn’t look askance as these youth bracingly engage in acts that will affect or hurt their physical beings.
IPOB’s agitation is diametrically opposed to every sense of reasoning! Instead of channeling their youthful energy and talent to productive ventures, they are being used as weapons for political and economic gains. Some of these talented but susceptible youth are being misinformed, warped and orientated towards hating themselves while hating others. Some of us with our sense of reasoning will not rest in our oars to see equity, justice and peace reign in Nigeria. I love Igbo people as much as they love themselves, but I have no capacity of tolerance for inadequacy of people who are not reasonable with their judgment.
The approach of IPOB members to resolving the burning national issues is the main problems some of us have with them. Despite the misconception some of my brothers and sisters have for us, we still share their unjustifiable marginalisation for the top position in the land. If Obasanjo from the southwest can be president of Nigeria; if Yar’Adua from the north can be president of Nigeria; if Jonathan from the south-south can be president of Nigeria, what stops Okoro or Okafor or Chuckwudi from the south-east from being elected as the president of Nigeria? This is a germane question that should prod the mind of anyone with honesty reading the piece. Truth is often bitter. But you cannot be discouraged because of resentment by opinionated others to speak out with the courage of your convictions. The approach of some of my contemporary youth from hinterland to actualizing this laudable dream is not well being articulated. They need to be educated on how not to be a collective artful dodgers and agitators in a modern world.
You do not kill an elephant with a pebble stone. The biblical David who killed Goliath in the 6 BC seems untenable in this 21st century reasoning. You do not stand unmitigated in front of a moving train! It is suicidal to fight a sovereign nation. It is a waste exercise and energy for my folks to engage in a futile exercise that will not be beneficial for all. That is the onus of their summit at Ibadan. These efforts by the federal government to block these corrupt individuals should be commended by all well-meaning Nigerians. No stone should be left unturned to revive the Nigerian ailing economy crawling slowly back to life.
Moreover, the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra should halt their seditious operations, jettison ethnic bigotry and political tantrums. They should understand all our collective aspiration and embrace togetherness. The denounced IPOB should carefully recalibrate and morph into a political party that will actualise the equity, fairness and justice we are all yearning for in Nigeria. As the world increasingly shrinks to a small village, a united Nigeria will play a crucial role in bringing honor and glory back to Nigeria, and Nigeria will be the cynosure of all eyes in the international community if we harness our unique potentials. Nigerian youth groups from all geopolitical zones in Nigeria should please, let us sheathe our swords and let’s reason together to bring Nigeria back from the wood. Let us get subsumed in collective aspiration of a new united and prosperous Nigeria. Let’s shelve our individualistic expectations but collective expectations of a great Nigeria. Our impeccable human resource capital is unmatched with any nation in the world. We are just scattered everywhere around the world, contributing to the development of other countries.
Let us reason together to harness our incredible potentials. We the youth must say enough is enough to our unsympathetic political elites. Nigerian youth must rewrite a wasted generation, and to be the magnificent representations of the progress and unity of Nigeria.
Balogun writes from Arizona, USA
Uproar over women’s exclusion in Ebonyi mining community
Akpoha community in Ebonyi State is blessed with rich mineral resources from where the people generate income to cope with their economic challenges. But lack of accountability of proceeds of the resources and non-inclusion of women in its management marked the beginning of trouble in the community. EGWUAGHA AMARACHUKWU writes
About a forth night ago, the Ebonyi State Government dissolved the Akpoha Mining Committee(AMC), and called for proper auditing of the committee in order to nip in the bud the looming crisis at Akpoha community in Afikpo North Local Government Area of the state.
Lack of confidence on leadership of Akpoha Mining Committee AMC has led to dissolution of its parent body known as Akpoha Development Union ADU.
The event took place at Afikpo Police Area Command.
Our reporter gathered that Akpoha community is endowed with mining resources that generate income for them, especially land owners. Our investigation revealed that the community became suspicious of the activities of the committee when the money given to owners of various land started missing and could not be accounted for. Also matter got out hand when women in the community began to complain about their non-inclusion as members of ADU/AMC.
This issue was brought to the attention of the state government recently when some members of the community wrote a petition to Ebonyi state Governor complaining lack of transparency in the use of money in AMC’s account.
Envisaging that the allegations against the committee were capable of causing crisis in the community the government dissolved the Akpoha Development Union(ADU).
On its dissolution a directive for proper auditing of the Union ADU and its supporting committee Akpoha Mining Committee(AMC) was issued.
Not only did the people called for dissolution of ADU but also asked that the same action be taken against ACM.
Community Income Base
In order to manage the income being generated from the community resources the community set up a mining committee known as AMC, which takes care of the income generated and also monitors activities at the sites.
However some members of the community became suspicious of the just dissolved AMC alleging that they embezzled money belonging to the community. A matter which they felt was a security threat and was brought before the office of the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Internal Security, Dr Kenneth Ugbala for intervention and possible resolution.
Government Intervention
Ugbala who after hearing from both the aggrieved members of the community and the suspected AMC members dissolved committee and asked that a 7-man committee be set up to audit the account of AMC from 2007 to date.
“I want you to note that you shouldn’t bring in politics into your community, handle community matters differently from political parties’ affair. It is very important.
“We have met and discovered that the major issue here is money, from our findings we also discovered that one or two things had been done with the money of the community which has led to lack of transparency in running the affairs of the community and that is the alarm, even Hon. Omo-Isu mentioned that for one man to have accepted using community’s money and to have even paid back one million naira is already an indictment and there are some other money lying somewhere. With the help of this body the committee and the police we are going to recover the missing money”.
He advised the people to be transparent in all their dealings “we must learn how to be accountable with what is given to us, I told you that one of the executives signed both letters given to my office and that when I knew that was wrong, my interest came up”.
The SSA further read a resolution that was reached in order to establish lasting peace among the people “because the tenure of ADU is over the ADU is hereby dissolved, the dissolution is because nobody objected here that ADU tenure is remaining even half a minute”.
He said that the electoral committee be under the supervision of the council chairman “the electoral committee will submit whatever they have done to the council chairman who will look into it, if there are places that needed to be amended from what you have done already it will corrected. If everybody is at home with what you have done you equally report to him, we will make sure that a normal election is conducted to elect the new executive of Akpoha Development Union”.
Also Ugbala highlighted that government interest was to forestall similar occurrence in the future.
Preemptive Steps
“There was a committee I set up. They have given me their report which I will hand over to the council chairman and if there are other reviews you have done articulate the two as one, all we are looking for is to come up with a constitution and a bye-law that will forestall this type of problem in the nearest future, because if we do not correct what is happening now tomorrow we will be facing this type of crisis”.
“Because of what has transpired, we are going to set up a seven man audit committee that will look into the account of ADU/AMC from 2007 till date and that committee will be inaugurated by the council chairman. It would be constituted as follows: Ameta will bring two persons, Amaogu will bring two persons, LGA will bring two and state will bring one. “He said.
The SSA however warned the people that anyone found fomenting trouble in the community would be treated as a threat against the security of the state.
Putting Records Straight
Meanwhile, the former lawmaker that represented Afikpo North/South Federal Constituency at the House of Representatives in a statement clarified that he was the chairman of AMC not ADU stressing that his tenure would end in November and that he was to hand over on 22nd of November this year.
“Akpoha Development Union ADU is the umbrella body holding us together. I am not part of the executive, but in mining committee AMC I am the chairman. It is the AMC that I am standing, talking of as the chairman, I should be hold responsible in whatever thing happening at the AMC excerpt where a committee, we normally form a committee like disbursement of money, we have bursary committee, scholarship committee, health committee. I will send it, the chairman will share the money, we have other sub committee that shares the money along the line we requested that they return whatever was remaining, it was at the process of retirement that we discovered that some money was still somewhere and it was the treasurer Mr Igidi, who said actually some money was remaining and that he will bring it, having signed that he will bring it there is no problem in Akpoha and anybody who says there will be problem let problem follow him”.
“He has paid one million naira out of N4.9 million he is holding and has asked that we should give him some time to pay the remaining money “ he said.
Sharing Formula
On the sharing formula Omo-Isu said:
“We have a sharing formula where land owners take 60 percent and community takes 40percent of the money realized at the mining sites, unfortunately some individuals who don’t even like government went to government and asked them to withhold the money. But I thank God that the government is here and has heard from the parties, they have heard from the community and it has been concluded, resolved that the money will be withdrawn and shared accordingly. If I am required to be present during the sharing I will be there and make sure is shared accordingly”.
On the other hand, the Ebonyi State House of Assembly member representing Afikpo North west, Hon. Kingsly Ikoro and Chairman Afikpo North LGA urged the people to maintain peaceful in the community.
The Area commander Afikpo, ACP Okejim Desmond, also advised the people not to take laws into their hands, saying the police was there to see that peace reigns in the community.
Chief Hycenth Njoku an elder in the community said “we have accepted to accommodate the women, the only thing we want now is for government to release our money in the bank, because the people we sent to go and collect the money came back empty handed saying they were stopped from doing so.
Another elder chief Eze James, said “we don’t understand what is happening anymore, the money given to land owners has drastically gone down from what it used to be, this committee now gives us anything they like. What are they doing with our money? We are not happy with what is happening.
One Mr Igwe-Eri, a member of the community, said “the problem began when the women wrote a letter that their representation must be 50:50, the money in question is that of the land owners which has not been shared. This money aids us in solving our individual problems”.
A youth leader and also a miner at the site who pledged anonymity said “let them dissolve AMC and audit them. The crisis has lasted from 2007 till 2010. AMC should be audited and dissolved, the truth is that anything women are not involved does not always go smooth, they are using community property as if it is their own. Also Mr Uche Donatus, aligned with the youth leader and called for proper auditing of AMC.
However all attempts made to reach Lady Franker Egwu, a woman leader in the community failed.
Security
Winning hearts of men in war and peace time
“Since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the defences of peace must be constructed.”- UNESCO CONSTITUTION
By Musa Umar Bologi
Building troops for 21 century media war
In contemporary warfare where conflicts involve non-state actors and governments, experts believe that wars are not won in the field of battle but in the minds of men. Hence the battle for the minds of the people becomes paramount for both parties to succeed.
Non-state actors, which are mostly terrorists, use the media, especially the social media, to spread their ideologies, gain sympathy and acceptance, as well to recruit new members by propagating messages that appeal to the mind of the populace.
In order to counter the terrorists ideologies, states employ the same strategies to win the people to their side. They use trained personnel proficient in the use of social media and create messages aimed at winning the minds of the people and deradicalise terrorists’ converts.
In recent times, the Nigerian Military has been involved in internal security operations, primarily because of several security threats across the country, such as Boko Haram insurgency in the North east, Cattle rustling and armed bandits in the North west, secessionist agitation and armed robbery in the South east and militancy and oil bunkering in the south-south, that have overwhelm the Police, expertise in inhibiting security threats and humanitarian services.
As it performs this duty, the military also receives accusations of human rights infringement of civilians – one of the weapons experts opined is used by the enemy to win sympathy. Military Public Relations personnel are therefore always in defensive.
It is based on the need to develop team Public Relations personnel that could face contemporary PR and communications challenges that the Nigerian Army recently organised a 2-day workshop for officers of the Directorates of Army Public Relations.
It was a forum for senior and junior officers of the Directorate as well as Defence journalists to interact with resource persons on issues relating to human rights, rules of engagement of the military during internal security operations and information management.
The venue was the Nigerian Army Resource Center Abuja, and the resources persons – who are all seasoned professionals – were drawn from academics, public and private sectors.
The enemy’s perspective
The first lecture, titled: “Perspective on the Role of Communication in Conflict Management and Peace Building”, was presented by the Vice President of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), Dr. Muktar Sirajo on behalf of the President of the NIPR, Dr. Rotimi Olajide.
Sirajo submitted that due to Nigerian Army’s involvement in numerous internal security operations, there is the need for it to engage all stakeholders through adequate and constant communications in order to avoid misunderstanding.
He also suggested that, as a PR strategy, the army should build and maintain relationship with its stakeholders before emergences of conflict, as it is easier to resolve conflict with a person with whom one has built a strong relationship.
He counseled that the army should take into cognizance factors such as, stakeholder mapping, public affairs monitoring, networking, community relations, and community social responsibility, for it to succeed in its conflict management and peace building process.
“In crisis management, networking is essential and it doesn’t end. It is something that is continuous,” he said.
An essential strategy in managing conflict, according to Sirajo, is to make efforts to “understand things from the other person’s perspective.” With the adequate knowledge of why the opponent behalf the ways s/he does, he said one could be able to deal with a conflict situation better.
He also advised the army to avoid being rigid during conflict management process, but to be ready to shift ground and cede part of its work or duties, as well ready to take responsibilities or its actions.
Counting the negative impacts
In the second lecture, Dr. Ismail Mande, Dean of Post Graduate School, National Open University of Nigeria, argued that social media is rather a curse to Nigeria than a blessing.
In his paper titled: “Leveraging on the Efforts of the Nigerian Army Civil-Military Relations during Internal Security Operations: The new Media in Perspective, Dr. Mande said the presence of social media inimical to the corporate existence of the country, as it a major medium for propagating hate speech.
He therefore advocated that social media should be regulated as ways of ensuring peace and stability, as well as reducing mistrust and misunderstanding among different section of the country.
“We should not be talking about freedom of speech or information and allow some people to put our country on fire,” he said.
Mande urged journalist, especially those in the new media, to be patriotic by engaging in development journalism rather than downplaying the efforts of the military during internal security operations, thereby demoralising the troops and giving the enemy an edge.
He also advised the military to understand its operational environment, and strive to change the perception of Nigerians of seeing a soldier as a killer.
Social media: A double-edged sword?
Contrary to Mande’s submission, Mr. Tope Fasua, a social media expert, in his presentation described the socials as “a double edge sword” which could be used for both good and evil.
In his paper titled: “Managing the Influence of Social Media during Internal Security Operations, Fasua opined that instead of condemning the negative influence of the social media on the its operations, the military should use the same social media to give adequate information and charge negative perception about its operations and the institution as a whole.
To achieve this, Fasua submitted that the military should march its enemy or opponents in the social media space through content creation, followership – seeking and accepting friends -, philanthropism, and active personnel.
“Social media is about perception and image building,” he said.
My behavior, my perception
Dr. Cosmos Eze of the Department of Mass Communication, Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, gave an insight to how the military could influence people’s perception and create positive image.
In his lecture titled: “Influencing Public Perception through Effective Information Management during Military Operations,” Eze opined that “influencing perception is not for the military to refute allegations. It goes beyond that… No matter amount of media coverage, it will amount to nothing if the military does not exhibit good behavior.”
Using the minds men to build peace
The use of the military in counter-terrorism operations is becoming obsolete because of the damages it cause to property – human and material -, according to Navy Commodore YEM Musa, Coordinator Counter-terrorism Unit, Office of the National Security Adviser.
In his lecture titled: “Emplacing Strategic Communications for National Security,” Musa said in counter-terrorism operations the world has now shifted to the use of strategic communication to win the mind and heart of the people, since it is the same medium that is used by terrorists to instill fear, intimidate and recruit members.
He defined strategic communication as “the deliberate engagement of identified audience to communicate key values and priorities through a process of sychronised words and actions.”
He said strategic communications could be used for counter-extremists ideologies, behavioral change, rehabilitation of terrorists victims and sympathizers.
Protect me, but mind my rights
Director Legal Services, Nigerian Army, Brig. Gen. Y. Shalangwa presentation elicited a lot of contributions, questions and comments from the participants.
Shalangwa’s paper titled: “Developing a Viable Framework for Military against Human Rights Violations during Internal Security Operations”, focused on the constitutional provision of using military in internal security operations.
He said over the years the military had been drafted to quench crisis that could result or have resulted to break down of law and order, and had performed significantly well, but was always been accused of human right violations.
He said though people desire to be protected when even there is a breakdown of law, and often times call for the involvement of the military, they are also quick to accuse it (military) of human right infringement.
But the Director Army Public Relations, Brig. Gen. Sani Usman, said while answering some of the question by participants that it is not the people that always spread the narratives of the military infringing of their rights, but criminal elements who do not want the presence of the military, so that they can continue their unholy activities.
