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11/22/20
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6:31 PM

Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai, has ordered troops involved in counter-insurgency operations in the North-East to swiftly ready themselves to war mode.

According to Peoples Gazette, Buratai lamented a slack in personnel performance that had prolonged the war.

Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Tukur Buratai.

An internal army correspondence seen by the newspaper, titled: “COAS Special Order-01 Change to War Mode,” also directed soldiers deployed in ‘Operation Lafiya Doleé a special anti-terrorism combat squad to treat all individuals in the troubled region as Boko Haram suspects until properly identified.

“All persons must be treated as suspects unless fully identified and cleared especially in isolated, high threat areas, when on clearance operations and check point duties.
“We are not in peacekeeping operations, internal security operations or deterrence actions. This is real war fighting," the November 20, 2020, directive said.

OPLD Theatre Commander, Farouq Yahaya, also conveyed a follow-up from Buratai to the soldiers, directing them to “quickly identify” and “immediately neutralise” all confirmed terrorist elements.

Rights activist, Emeka Umeagbalasi, worries that the new methodology deployed by Chief of Army Staff portends grave consequences for human rights.

“If that directive is implemented, we are going to witness human rights abuses on an industrial scale,” Umeagbalasi told Peoples Gazette.

“The Nigerian Army’s counter-insurgency operations should be done within the confines of international best practices. Superior intelligence and crime detection must be applied considering Boko Haram’s asymmetrical style of operations in the North-East can’t be labeled as terrorists,” he added.

Military authorities had repeatedly assure sinced 2015 that the decade-long war against insurgency had been won, and the Nigerian Army was merely executing a mop up operation to extinguish remnants of Boko Haram in the North-East.

Military News AddThis :  Original Author :  SaharaReporters, New York Disable advertisements : 
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6:31 PM

Every human alive should be grateful to live in this twenty-first century—a century that has freed humans from slavery, tyranny, and all other forms of medieval imperfections. We should also be grateful to our democratic system and the existing arms of government for creating limited powers to individuals.

The subjective attempt by Governor El-rufai to use his, final thirty months, of executive power to change the customs of the Kaduna State traditional institutions is worrying. Thus, it is imperative to seek the help of both the Judiciary and the legislative arm of government to intervene. The consequences of any change in the traditional institution will not be disclosed until after his government has departed.

At the coronation ceremony of the Emir of Zazzau, the Governor reiterated that he is proposing a change to the laws of the State’s traditional institutions. He had highlighted thisearlier at the State Assembly when he presented the 2021 budget too. I have not read the proposal, but from what the Governor is saying, he has mentioned the need rotate within the dynasties, and wishes to correct injustices. 
Dr Nasir Aminu

Historically, Zazzau emirate does not follow a rotational system. The selection process has always been for all contenders from the ruling dynasties to be declared after the demise of an Emir. The kingmakers then make their selection and ask for the Sultan’s blessings. When the colonial government took power, in 1897, they also sought the acceptance of the Sultan after the selection of the kingmakers when Kwasau was removed.

Like a perfect competitive market, the Zazzau emirate has always had strong competitive contenders, which makes it difficult for one dynasty to dominate. That is why Emir Aminu (1959-1975) rose and contested for the throne as the only candidate from the Katsinawa dynasty, and was voted unanimously by the kingmakers. 

In 1846, Emir Mamman Sani was selected by the kingmakers, to succeed his brother, Emir Hamada, with the blessing of Sokoto. In 1897, Emir Kwasau was selected to succeed his father, Emir Yero. The appointment of Kwasau was against the wishes of the Sultan, but the kingmakers had stood their grounds to select the competent person for the throne. That is why the Katsinawa dynasty has spent 73 years without the throne without crying for injustice.

In Northern Nigeria, several emirates have stopped rotating,and there was no proposal to change the laws. For example, the Kano emirate has stopped rotating their dynasties, leaving the dynasty of Abbas alone to rule. The dynasty of Suleimanu, the first flagbearers of Danfodio, can only rise to the position of kingmakers. In 2014, El-rufai proudly celebrated the installation of his friend, the debunked Emir of Kano Sanusi, who is from the house of Abbas. Likewise in Katsina, the ruling dynasty left to rule, the house of Ummarun Dallaje, was not the initial flagbearers of Danfodio. 

Historians will tell you flagbearers assume the scholars instead of Emirs, which is similar to Danfodio who did not take the position of Sultan. For this, some dynasties of the flagbearers lost the stool of the Emir to other dynasties. Mallam Musa of the Mallawa dynasty also remained a scholar until his death. However, two of his children assumed the position of Emir of Zazzau.

Of course, there are emirates, like the Lafia emirate, where the customary law of rotation has been maintained. There are also emirates where the rotational custom within dynasties is recently altered, like the Bida emirate. However, there was no cry of injustice or call to correct the tradition system.

In his coronation speech, El-Rufai claimed to be Godsent tocorrect the injustice done to the Mallawa dynasty because the colonial Governor unjustly removed Emir Alu Dan-Sidi.Records show he was deposed for slavery and corruption (see Smith, 1950). Ethically, the practice of such injustice can be classified as corruption. Doing so means all the Emirs after 1920 will be regarded as an illegitimate appointment by the past Governors. Thus, Ambassador Bamalli should be the first legitimate Emir in 100 years.

Since he is Godsent to correct injustice, then he should consider Sullubawa dynasty who have spent 160 years away from it. The Bare-bari dynasty has also spent 61 years without it, but they have not cried for injustice. For me, the 100 years of Mallawa dynasty is the Will of God, not injustice as suggested in the Governor’s speech. It is also the Will of God that late Emir Shehu (1975-2020) spent 45 years on the throne which contributed to those aggrieved 100 years. The Will of God cannot be an injustice and vice-versa. 

Finally, trying to correct a misunderstood injustice will only lead to committing further injustices. The existing customary practices of Kaduna State’s traditional institutions should not be alienated from the rest of the institutions in Northern Nigeria and West Africa. The objective thing to do for the traditional institutions is to leave them as they are, as the colonial government and military administrators chose to do.

Opinion AddThis :  Original Author :  Nasir Aminu Disable advertisements : 
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12:31 AM

Your Excellency, for over 40, the people of Ndokwa/Ukwani in Delta State have lived peacefully with the Nigerian Agip Oil Company and a host of other oil companies, who own massive oil production operations in the area. 

Despite the fortune these companies have been making from their various operations, the people have had to live with continuous gas flaring, water pollution and toxic emissions as well as land degradation, with no social and physical infrastructure to support the communities.  

We conducted a fact-finding tour of the community, wherein we traced a four decades of travail of the Ndokwa/Ukwani nation. The Federal Government’s attempt to develop the nine states of the entire Niger Delta region through the Niger Delta Development Commission has become counter-productive on account of corruption and malfeasance in the helm of affairs of the leadership, managing the commission’s finances and its affairs in general. 


Meanwhile a huge chunk of oil and gas mining operations undergone in the Niger Delta region, are conducted in Ndokwa/Ukwani land.

There is no gainsaying that Ndokwa land is very strategic in the economic prosperity and development of Nigeria. Ndokwa ethnic group is the second largest ethnic fold in terms of landmass and population after the Urhobos in Delta State. 

The three local government areas making up Ndokwa/Ukwani Federal Constituency are all oil producing and host communities to seven oil companies and a major gas recycling plant owned by the Italian giant Agip, presently located in Okpai Community in Ndokwa East. 

Your Excellency, I wish to state in clear terms for the avoidance of doubt, that the oil and gas exploration and production companies operating in Ndokwa land include:

Platform Petroleum

Nigeria Agip Oil Company (NAOC)

Midwestern Oil and Gas Limited 

Chorus Energy

Sterling Energy Exploration and Production Company (SEEPCO)

Pillar Oil and Gas

Energia Oil J.V

Opac Refinery (under construction)

These facts are verifiable from the Department of Petroleum Resources. 

As a people, we feel pained by the fact that Ndokwa/Ukwani people appear to be the only ethnic group in Delta State if not Nigeria that though rich in oil, have been neglected. More so, her communities remain impoverished, lacking in basic amenities at the same time. It is double jeopardy and we find it rather repulsive to say the least.

Today, the only Federal Government presence in Ndokwa land is the Federal Prison (Medium Security), Kwale which was established before independence in 1960. All the other development projects such as universities and polytechnics are sited either in Urhobo land, Itsekiri communities, Isoko communities, Ijaw Land or Anioma/Oshimili in Delta North. 

The Kwali Polytechnic that was at the verge of inception in Ndokwa land was muscled away at the National Assembly not too long ago, leaving the Ndokwa Nation with socio-economic injustice.

Mr President, despite the state of affairs, the people remained resiliently peaceful, law abiding and continued to seek dialogue and constitutional means to address these wrongs. We shall continue to explore non-violent channels of communication such as this protest letter presents to express our grievances to the ruling government in Nigeria.

I would therefore advocate that the federal government through her relevant Ministries should extend a hand of duty to  Ndokwa land, give the people a sense of belonging and develop the area for the utmost benefit of all and sundry. 

I shall go to Rabbi again.

Evans Ufeli is a Lagos-based legal practitioner and Executive Director,.Cadrell Advocacy Centre

Opinion AddThis :  Original Author :  Evans Ufeli Disable advertisements : 
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