Nigeria Times

By Steven Onwu

Purposeful leadership can do wonders. It can turn things around in a twinkle of an eye. And it can make tedious tasks seem simple. The aforementioned aptly describes the Yakubu Pam adventure in the Nigeria Christian Pilgrim Commission since he assumed leadership some months ago.

I have been a fan of Rev Yakubu Pam for his numerous contributions to the entrenchment of peaceful coexistence amongst Nigerians. This much he has diligently pursued in the past 30 years of his life, where he has been advocating for religious and ethnic harmony, especially in Northern Nigeria. Rev Yakubu Pam is not a stranger to leadership. Hence, he hit the ground running since his well-deserved appointment as Executive Secretary of the Nigeria Christian Pilgrim Commission. It is sufficient to add that before his appointment; he was the Chairman of the Plateau State Christian Pilgrims Board, a position where he distinguished himself by introducing institutional reforms that placed the Board in good stead towards achieving its strategic mandate.

This much Rev Yakubu Pam has brought about in the NCPC. It is therefore not surprising that in less than one year at the helm of affairs, his impact has been felt, and the fortunes of the Commission have taken a turn for the best.

This is what I call the Yakubu Pam magic, which was not surprising to some of us that have followed his success story for several years. He is a man with many parts, and he is also a man filled with passion for service to humanity.
I recall that it was stated in some quarters that Yakubu Pam would reinvigorate the operations of the NCPC within a record time. Even though some quarters expressed reservations, he has proven all those that expressed reservations wrong with his sterling performance at the NCPC.
If not for anything, Rev Yakubu Pam has entrenched the regime of transparency and accountability at the Commission, which has been a challenge in the Commission’s operations for several years. That it has become possible within a short period indeed explains the leadership acumen of Rev Yakubu Pam and what it entails to be a leader with eyes on the ball.
Today, the NCPC is a success story. It results from the provision of sound leadership and a commitment to render service when it matters most, with the example of Rev Yakubu Pam, I dare say that Nigeria can overcome its challenges if those in leadership positions tend to lead with sincerity of heart and purpose.

The Yakubu Pam revolution at the NCPC was naturally expected because of his track record that speaks volume of integrity, accountability and transparency. His vast knowledge of diplomacy saw him excel in the position of Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) of Northern Nigeria (which includes the 19 Northern States and Abuja) from 2016 to date, Vice President, Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, 2013 to date and District Superintendent, Jos mainland Assemblies of Nigeria, 2010 to date, including as Chairman, Plateau State Inter-Religious Council; and Chairman, Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) Committee, Plateau State, were contributory of how he has been able to turn the fortunes of the NCPC around and in record time.
I cannot but commend President Muhammadu Buhari for identifying such a man as Rev. Yakubu Pam for a leadership position in the country. I do not doubt that he has not only reposed the confidence of Mr President, he has also set a standard for leadership in the country. This much has been stated in numerous forums by relevant stakeholders, whom have never been short of words for the transformation at the NCPC under Rev. Yakubu Pam.

Rev Yakubu Pam falls under the category of silent achievers whose impact doesn’t dot pages of newspapers. However, silently, they are making exploits and making life more meaningful through the provision of purposeful leadership, as with the case of the NCPC, whose fortunes has taken a turn for the better.
And the commendations have continued to pour in from home and abroad for the man nicknamed the Apostle of Transformation by stakeholders for obvious reasons associated with his stewardship at the NCPC. And one whose coming has redeemed the image of the Commission.
I can’t but charge Rev Yakubu Pam to continue to render selfless service to humanity in the light of the above. He should not rest on his oars and refuse every temptation to deviate from the lofty standards he has set in the areas of transparency and accountability.
I also want the relevant stakeholders to realize that the task at hand is a collective one. As such, it is worth extending their support to the reforms introduced by the Yakubu Pam led administration at the NCPC.
I can go on non-stop on Yakubu Pam’s transformational leadership at the NCPC. However, the lessons that should resonate are that in all that we do as a people and as a country, sound and purposeful leadership remain that magic wand needed to translate our hopes and aspirations into tangible realities. At this point, I would say well-done to Rev Yakubu Pam.

Onwu is a civil rights activist and wrote from Badagry.

By Samson Ayuba

I was scared to turn on my radio this morning for fear of listening to another terrible news. The state of insecurity in my beloved country Nigeria has drastically worsened. The one peaceful country is now being gradually torn apart from its insides by the demon called insecurity. Every Nigerian citizen has now been forced to live in constant fear. The country is now bedeviled by jihadist insurgency in the northeast, separatists attacking security forces in the southeast and multiple kidnappings in the northwest.

For long have we known that Security across Nigeria is challenged, with many insurgents’ groups in the north far from defeated, a seeming resurgence of a low-level insurrection in the oil patch, ongoing conflict in the middle of the country over water and land use that sometimes acquires ethnic and religious dimensions, and a general wave of criminality around the country.

Should we say that, “the obvious escalation of banditry and terrorism which has been greatly subdued during and since after the 2019 elections, is now a facade in the hands of this present service chiefs?”

The question we ask now is , given the complexity of the present security challenges we thought was missing in the efforts of the former service chiefs, What have their successors done to ensure success and restore confidence of Nigerians in the security architecture ?

We all know that their appointment came amid calls by Nigerians on the government to urgently address the security challenges we are facing. But with what we are experiencing in just few weeks after the appointment of the new chiefs, Isn’t all these calling for an act of apology to the former Chiefs?

The question one would ask is, “what are the service chiefs doing at this critical time when the country is plagued with endless security crises?”
Bandits and terrorists have now taken over the country and now use it as their playground for hunting and shooting practice. The painful thing is that they carry out their atrocious acts so confidently that you wonder if the country has no security present in it. Kidnapping and senseless killings have now become the order of the day in the country known to the whole world as the giant of Africa.

The number of incident reports from the press recently is alarming. Just recently, news broke of the abduction of several students at Greenfield University in Kaduna State. Two of the abducted students were killed shortly after their abduction while three more dead bodies of those kidnapped were found three days later in a village close to the University. Earlier that day, there had also been a report of attacks by the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), in Borno and Yobe States in which several people were killed and over two thousand residents fled their homes. This was a follow up to the abduction of nine students in Federal University of Agriculture Makurdi, Benue State. Several incidents of killings kidnappings were also reported that same day Kaduuna, Oyo and Osun states.

The violence in the country reached an all time high on the 26th of Apri, the day in which there were many killings in several parts of the country such as Niger, Benue, Kebbi, Yobe, Lagos, Anambra, Imo and Lagos States. Many described that day as “Black Monday.” The Nigerian military were not spared by the killings as the following day, several security personnel were killed by unknown gunmen in Rivers State.

There has been growing anger amongst the public over the recent increase in violence in the country. The citizens of Nigeria have begun to lose their faith in the Nigerian military. The economic state of the country has been greatly crippled thanks to the bold terrorists and bandits. Banditry and terrorism has made it very difficult for farmers to farm and also transport their produce. Foreign investors have begun to have second thoughts on investing in the country.

The efforts put in by the past service chiefs are commendable. They might not have completely defeated terrorism and banditry in Nigeria, but they did their very best to combat insecurity in the nation. In contrast to the action of the current service chiefs, I remember the former Chief of Amy Staff of Nigeria, General Tukur Buratai who relocated to the north-east which was the forefront of the battle against terrorism This gallant act of his helped boost the morale of the army which lead to the defeat of a significant number of terrorist elements and restored hope to the people of that region.

The current service chiefs should take some lessons from the past service chiefs who gave their best at the warfront. They should wake up from their slumber and lead the armed forces to win the war against insecurity in the nation. I cal on the service chiefs to remember wars are never fought in their homes or offices. The war is fought on the battlefield therefore; they must rise to their feet and lead their soldiers to the battlefield.

They should come up with plans and strategies to deal an effective counter attack against insurgents and Bandits. They must now hearken to the cries and the wails of the Nigerian people and carry out the mandate assigned to them by the president. They made several promises, but words are nothing without actions. They must act now and make the country a safer place to live in.

Some of the very overzealous officers who were eager to become chiefs had made several promises to their godfathers on how best to protect citizens of the country but are now failing terribly. In their bid to become service chiefs, they turned the armed forces into a political arena and after being appointed service chiefs, they have suddenly gone AWOL in the theatre of war. Several men of the armed forces are now being brutally murdered. The numbers of security forces being brutally murdered daily has risen to an all time high. Soldiers now run from terrorists like rats into their holes. The battle against terrorism which the country was previously winning is now engulfing the country. Thousands of innocent Nigerian citizens have been displaced from their homes and are now moving into various IDP centres across the country.

The current service chiefs seem clueless as to what to do to lift the nation up from the pit of crisis that it is gradually falling into. They are nowhere to be found in the face of the war against banditry and terrorism. The service chiefs have suddenly turned to special assistants to the NSA and Chief Details to the Defence Minister, roles which they were not appointed for. They are expected to be forefront of the action leading the army and not reveling in their various mansions while our patriotic soldiers are being mercilessly slaughtered.

Instead of seeing Boko Haram and other terror groups as the enemies, Nigerians are being manipulated into seeing the military as their enemy while inconsequential differences like religion and ethnicity are highlighted to the zenith, not knowing that our gallant soldiers are being plummeted in battle like rats into sands, our territories are being taken on daily basis by Boko Haram and the battle which we were once winning under the previous chiefs has now overtaken the country.

However , at the bottom of it all is that Nigerians want to be secure from increasing attacks by kidnappers, bandits , Boko Haram insurgents and criminal herders , among others, which they felt the former service chiefs could not guarantee.

Our citizens are gnashing their teeth in pains, starvation is of high increase due to stolen farm lands by these bandits through their bloody oppressions, and people have been moving into IDPs Centre across the country because of the fear of loosing more loved ones.

We plead with our new service chiefs to take up the mantles that were placed in their hands. Our flag is green and white, History shouldn’t put it to their face that they painted it “RED” during their time.

Our new service chiefs should know that they are leaders of war against insurgency, they must be ready to lead from the front. They must wake up to go beyond words by staying with our troops in the theatre of war. Our troops need the moral and support to fight, they need your presence to remain gallant in every confrontations.

President Buhari has always been giving his unrelenting effort in cash and kind, in support of seeing an end to Terrorism and banditry in the country.

He once said “We have a lot of work ahead of us and some of the things not said is to not compromise the security and the efforts being put by the law enforcement agencies. But, really, we are acutely aware of our responsibilities. Our responsibility is to secure the country, so we have a lot of work to do.

I plead with our service chiefs not to frustrate his invested efforts. We need action, we want solutions, and we want result.
God bless the President,
God bless Nigeria.

Ayuba contributed this piece from Lokoja.

By Okanga Agila

At a time when one should logically take for granted that they would have become wiser and sober, considering that the wind they sowed is now being reaped as a whirlwind, detractors of Nigeria’s peace and stability, notably Sahara Reporters, are yet to learn any lesson.

The world may be perplexed today as to the nature and dynamics of the security threats that Nigeria is contending with, but note must be made of how Sahara Reporters led the charge in the assault on the military as an institution. The approach of this treasonable entity was subtle, with a paced frequency, it constantly dished out misinformation about the military. This undermined the institutions of the Military at several levels. It sought to foster dissention within the military, notably the army, while also casting the commanding officers as corrupt persons who do not have the interest and the welfare of their troops at heart.

This obsession with undermining the military through malicious attacks on the integrity and credibility of the military chiefs is one that Sahara Reporters and the hands pulling its puppet have committed to with such vengeance that one wonders if they have elevated their disdain for anything military has been elevated to the level of a religious movement, one that requires a fanatical zeal for its purveyors to find a sense of fulfillment in life.

Thus, the latest salvo from the trenches of Sahara Reporters, a hogwash titled “How Ex-Army Chief Denied Nigerian Soldiers Their Allowances Despite Buhari’s Approval Since 2017” is no surprise given that it has made a career out of hounding the immediate past Chief of Army Staff (COAS), General Tukur Buratai (retired). It is interesting how these same people, who did their best at attempting to discredit and distract the former COAS think they can now achieve what they could not actualize while Buratai was in office. There was a time they were surfacing at least one baseless fresh accusation weekly against Buratai without being able to prove a shred of their malicious claims against him.

These rabblerousers are back to what they do best, inciting mass hysteria with a view to procuring a lynch mob to take down the respectability of their quarry, this case, Buratai, in the court of public opinion, which has sadly become fickle at the hands of online and social media manipulators. In the said news story, they claimed that troops are not being paid certain moneys based on the Manual of Financial Administration (MAFA) for the Armed Forces of Nigeria 2017, the official document detailing the payable allowances of the military personnel. In their usual fashion, they conveniently forgot to mention that the document, which was approved by President Buhari on November 9, 2017, has tremendous input from the former COAS as the then incumbent. It was he, who introduced boots and uniform allowance and had them in the 2017 MAFA.

As former COAS, there are several welfare packages introduced by Lt Gen Buratai (retired), which are not covered by the Manual of Financial Administration (MAFA). Such welfare initiatives are in addition to the massive infrastructural development across the various Army formations in the country as well as many community development projects and services for which he is still receiving accolades.

It is further uncharitable of Sahara Reporters or anyone who persists in peddling its propaganda content to ignore the economic realities that are not peculiar to Nigeria. Even before the COVID-19 Pandemic made landfall there was already a slow-motion kind of global economic meltdown that was later exacerbated by the pandemic. A sincere person or entity would have thus realized and properly acknowledge that the scarce skill allowance, and some other allowances reported in the news item were not implemented 100% due to funding constraints.
Even at a tokenistic level, those bankrolling Sahara Reporters and other online rags to sabotage Nigeria, should invest a little of their resources in training their foot soldiers in Reporting Governance, which would take their operatives above the impish penchant for resorting to beer-parlour kind of analysis. Anyone steeped in how government operates would have understood that although MAFA was approved 2017 there was no appropriation to give it financial backing until the year 2020 when partial funding was granted. The budget cut resulting from the impact of COVID-19 on the economy further put pressure on finances. One should then ask if Sahara Reporters, its clients and the people it spoke with in the military had expected that the former COAS would violate the Appropriation Act in each successive year to pay what was not provided for in the budget. This same pack would have bayed like wolfs at full moon had that been the case.

Had this terrorists’ sympathizing publication taken its time to genuinely investigate and balance its story, it would have at the very least give a passing mention that an implementation strategy was adopted by all the Military Services and the Defence Headquarters to ensure equity, fairness and transparency in the implementation of MAFA.

It should be noted however, that the 2017 MAFA which is the most robust welfare to the Armed Forces since inception was introduced under the able leadership of the immediate past crop of the Service Chiefs of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, a credit to the President and Commander In- Chief, Muhammadu Buhari, something that Sahara Reporters had never acknowledged until now what it is desperately searching for rocks to hurl at present the government and anyone that had served it diligently. The National Assembly most also be commended for their support in appropriation of funds despite the current tight economic environment.

Furthermore, a manual of financial administration is essentially a guide for the military’s non regular allowances subject to appropriation and does not consequently override extant legislation. There has been many MAFAs before the 2017 MAFA, however, no MAFA has succeeded in the level of implementation as the 2017 MAFA which has archived almost 80%.

One curious aspect to interrogate is the manner in which Buratai was singled out for vilification in the news report when the issues it raised cut across all the branches of the Armed Forces. Could it be because the Army under his command then was the most unforgiving in punishing the terrorists to which Sahara Reporters is exceptionally beholden?

The mischief makers behind this news story are hell bent on tarnishing the image of the former COAS with the taint of corruption. Considering that this is a mission they failed to accomplish while he was in military service, one can only assure them that General Tukur Yusuf Buratai (rtd) is not and will never be corrupt in his lifetime. His determination as a honest leader remains his greatest asset and this no one can destroy no matter the amount of propaganda. Each time they bring General Buratai under scrutiny they will only succeed in exposing the kind of sterling qualities that earned him a diplomatic assignment upon his completing his military service to the country.

Rather than waste further efforts on vilifying a man that has no skeleton in his cupboard, detractors would do well to start discussing options among themselves about how to undo the damage they have done to the once peaceful country that they have incited extremists to daily torment.

Okanga wrote this piece from Agila.