Saturday 21 April 2018
*SELF KNOWLEDGE 1*
*UNDERSTANDING YOURSELF!*
*The Importance of Self-Knowledge*
In Arabic self-knowledge is called *Ma’rifatul* - *Nafs* , which is knowledge about self. But what kind of knowledge? It is not the kind that has to do with knowing one's name, or father's name, or the place and date of one's birth. Self-knowledge deals with another aspect of our being. It is not related to our physical senses, rather it deals with the spiritual dimension of our lives. When we speak of the different dimensions of the spirit, and of our being, we should not forget that the human being is fundamentally different from other beings. Although we are anchored to the animal world in many ways, here we wish to focus on that which separates us from animals and is not found in them.
To understand better why this topic is of such importance, perhaps it helps to quote a few verses of the Glorious Qur'an and Hadiths on the subject. In Surah al-Hashr, the Almighty Allah says:
*“And be not like those who forgot Allah, so He made them forget their* *own souls;these it is that are the* *transgressors.” (59:19)*
Here the Lord is saying that forgetting Him causes us to forget ourselves in turn, and ultimately leads us to transgression. There is an authentic Prophetic tradition that makes a similar point to that of this verse but looks at the matter from another angle: *“He who truly knows himself* *has known his Lord”.* This tradition implies that self-knowledge implies knowledge about the Lord as well. Awareness of oneself leads to awareness of the Lord. And likewise, one who is oblivious of the Lord is oblivious of him. If one is determined to learn about one's Lord, then the best way to accomplish the task is to learn about oneself.
Another verse dealing with the topic is found in Surah al Ma'idah, where Allah says:
*“O you who believe! Take care of yourselves; he who errs cannot* *hurt you when you are on the right path.” (5:105)*
In this verse Allah is telling us to take care of ourselves, to pay attention to ourselves, that we must be careful about the well-being of our spirits, that we must be aware of the diseases of our souls, and how to cure them. He also tells us that we should pay attention to our duties, made obligatory on us as Muslims. Then He tells us that if we understand the way, that if we are faithful and committed believers, those who are misled will not harm us. From this we understand that our first duty is to take care of ourselves spiritually. Sometimes a question may arise here about the relationship between the believer and society. Does the above verse mean that we should focus on ourselves and not pay any attention to the society at large? To answer this question, it is essential to note that what is meant here is that we should take care of ourselves, and be familiar with our social and private duties, so that we can also be socially responsible. For instance, in Islam we are commanded to advise people to do good and forbid them from evil deeds. One who does not perform this duty is not considered a devout Muslim, the reason being that he is not helping the society to better itself.
So, in Islam taking care of oneself spiritually is closely interwoven with being concerned with the welfare of the society as well.
Conversely, it is important to remember that the society can greatly influence a person, weakening or strengthening one's faith. Another question that may come up is “Are we responsible for guiding non-Muslims as well?” The answer is an unequivocal yes, although the most important thing before doing that is to conduct oneself in such a pious, righteous manner that others are able to see the immense practical benefits of being a faithful Muslim.
In inviting non-Muslims to Islam, we are continuing the job entrusted to the noble Prophet Muhammad (S) in his lifetime. It is also a duty demanded by our love for our fellow human beings. If we have found the way and the light, we should invite others to immerse themselves in the light and its blessings as well. After performing our personal and social duties, those who are still disbelieving and those who still insist on erring, will not be harmful to us. Perhaps they will bother you, and at most they may kill you, but they will not be able to take your faith away from you. On the contrary, these pressures strengthen your faith.
The third verse on the importance of self-knowledge is found in the Glorious Quran, Surah Fussilat, 41:53:
“ *We will soon show them our signs in the Universe and in* *their own souls, until it becomes quite clear to* *them that it is the Truth.” (41:53)*
Allah says that very soon we will show them our signs, but what are these signs and where will they be found? Allah tells us that these signs are found in two places: meaning in the external world and in their own souls. This ayah tells us that by considering these signs which are within our own selves and which are in the universe, it will become completely clear that Allah truly exists. According to some interpretations this fact will not only be true,
but will be the Truth itself.
Continuing to explore the significance of understanding self is so vital to our conduct in life, once again we shall rely on the Glorious Qur'an for guidance. In everyday life when we purchase a new appliance or a gadget, we immediately turn to its manual for guidance in correctly operating it, believing that its manufacturer is the best source of guidance. So, it seems quite logical for a Muslim to turn to the Glorious Qur'an for instructions on correct conduct in life, convinced that the Maker and Creator of human beings is also the best source of guidance in learning about the immensely complex nature of human beings.
Another verse pertaining to self-knowledge is in Surah al-Dhariyat:
“ *And there are signs on the earth for those who are* *certain. And in your own*
*souls (too); wi11 you not then see?” (51: 20, 21)*
We learned that Allah has two kinds of signs, the ones in the external, physical world, and those within ourselves. Verse 20 deals with those signs that have to do with the physical realm. In it the Almighty God tells us that there are signs on the earth for those who believe. Immediately a question arises: why those should who already believe need the reassurances of such signs, and why should those who are not believers in God remain oblivious of them, yet more in need of them?
The answer given by great scholars of Islam is that those who do not believe in a creator as the Lord and Sovereign of the universe, also tend not to look or pay attention to that which is before them remaining for the most part oblivious of signs which are readily discernible to believers. In the following verse, 21 of Surah al-Dhariyat, the Lord says:
“ *And in your own souls (too); will you not then see?” (51:21)*
This verse calls to our attention to the need to look for these signs within ourselves. We are clearly and unambiguously told that there are signs in the external world as well, and these are sources of guidance for us. From these verses it becomes clear to us that Muslims are urged not to focus on their souls to the exclusion of the physical, material world; and conversely, not to think that material affairs are all that matter.
In India for instance, there are people who try to strengthen the power of their souls in order to enable themselves to perform certain deeds not ordinarily possible. But in so doing, they lose touch with the everyday life of the planet. That is not what faithful Muslims are commanded to do. Muslims are told the two go hand in hand and are complimentary to each other. When a scientist is working on a project in the laboratory, or a person is performing the most menial of tasks to earn an honourable living, he or she is carrying out one of God's commandments. It is again, one of the most distinct characteristics of Islam that the two worlds are never separated.
In today's world, in Western societies in particular, we see countless examples of people who are totally alienated from themselves, seeking all in the material life. In more extreme cases, the alienation from the self has progressed to such a degree that being alone becomes painful and undesirable. Why? Because when such a person is alone, in a way he has lost contact with the eternal world, which is all he has. So being alone with his soul and spirit, he has to face a world which has no meaning to him and matters not to him. In trying to escape the inevitable loneliness, many resort to mind-altering drugs, such as alcohol and narcotics.
A person with a healthy spirit can be alone yet not lonely. One who has forsaken a part of himself, his spirit, his consciousness, when alone, seeks to destroy it, rather than facing that which is excruciatingly painful; thus, resorting to drugs becomes an easy escape route.
This is one reason why some societies use solitary confinement as a method of punishment for hardened criminals who already are serving life sentences and have nothing to lose by further acts of violence. But when a faithful Muslim is alone by himself, he is not lonely. As a matter of fact, being alone is prized by faithful Muslims.
In conclusion, Amirul Mumin, Ali bin Abi Talib was reported to have said that *“Whenever the knowledge of a man increases,* *his attention to his soul also increases and he tries his best to* *train and purify' it”.* He also said *“The ultimate knowledge of a man is to know himself”.* We beseech Allah the Almighty to guide us towards the straight path leading to perfection; enlighten our darken hearts with the light of faith and His Knowledge; remove the dark intense veils of egotism, selfishness, whims and passions of self. Our Lord open our exoteric heart's eyes for witnessing Your Unique Beauty; strengthen us on the path of self-building and self-purification, remove from our hearts the love and desires of other than You; remove the veils of negligence and satisfy our thirst with the pure fountain of Your Love and Nearness. Oh God! Please enlighten our hearts with the heavenly light of faith and certainty by awakening us from the deep sleep of ignorance, so that we may discover our lost selves and do not waste our precious lives in ignorance like before.
🍃🌹🍃
Hadith
Bismillah Walhamdulillah Was Salaatu Was Salaam 'ala Rasulillah
It was narrated from 'Abdullah bin Abi Qatadah (RA), from his father that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "I stand in prayer, then I hear a child crying, so I make my prayer brief, because I do not want to cause hardship for his mother."
(Sunan an-Nasa'i, Book 10, Hadith 49)
This is so beautiful. Our Prophet was the most considerate person in the world. Alhamdulillah for such a role model. Let’s thank Allah for such a wonderful person to look up to. Let’s all say Sallallahu alaihi wasallam.♥
Hadith
Bismillah Walhamdulillah Was Salaatu Was Salaam 'ala Rasulillah
It was narrated from 'Abdullah bin Abi Qatadah (RA), from his father that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "I stand in prayer, then I hear a child crying, so I make my prayer brief, because I do not want to cause hardship for his mother."
(Sunan an-Nasa'i, Book 10, Hadith 49)
This is so beautiful. Our Prophet was the most considerate person in the world. Alhamdulillah for such a role model. Let’s thank Allah for such a wonderful person to look up to. Let’s all say Sallallahu alaihi wasallam.♥
Sunday 15 April 2018
*TRUTH FOR TODAY*
➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖
The Basic Principles Of Living A Life Worthwhile Is Perseverance, Setting A Goal, Having A Vision, Setting A Focus, Acede Patience And Most Importantly Hard Work And Commitment To What You Do .
If All This Basic Elements Are Been Put To Consideration Then You Are On The Track To Achieving Your Desired Potentials.
Take To Note That, The Great You Could Offer Yourself Is To Be The Best At Whatsoever You Find Yourself Doing.
*"There is no short route to excellence and you can't compromise it's standard"*
*STAY POSITIVE*
➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖
The Basic Principles Of Living A Life Worthwhile Is Perseverance, Setting A Goal, Having A Vision, Setting A Focus, Acede Patience And Most Importantly Hard Work And Commitment To What You Do .
If All This Basic Elements Are Been Put To Consideration Then You Are On The Track To Achieving Your Desired Potentials.
Take To Note That, The Great You Could Offer Yourself Is To Be The Best At Whatsoever You Find Yourself Doing.
*"There is no short route to excellence and you can't compromise it's standard"*
*STAY POSITIVE*
Saturday 14 April 2018
THE TRAGEDY OF ASSUMPTIONS
“A few days ago in the village, I went to an event, a house-warming ceremony.
When I entered the compound, I saw some village elders I knew sitting in one corner. I went up to them and started to greet them one after the other.
I shook their hands, even with the ones I didn't know until I got to one man. I didn't know him and when I extended my hand, he ignored it. After a few seconds, I withdrew the hand.
I felt very embarrassed and angry. Embarrassed for myself and angry at the man.
What was he feeling like, I thought. All those other men accepted my greeting, older men even. And to my knowledge, I hadn't done anything wrong. I gave him a very scornful look, greeted the remaining men and went to take a seat.
Now, even after I sat down, I was still pissed. I kept stealing glances at the man to see how he would react to other people.
Then I saw it...
He was blind!!!
His eyes were open, but he couldn't see at all! The other people who came to greet him had to touch him first, then take his hand if they wanted to shake hands with him.
Now my embarrassment level tripled. In addition to that, I felt stupid, very stupid. I was still angry, just angry at myself. I felt like that till I left the occasion.”
Assumption kills like poison. Any small thing, we assume...
Someone doesn't pick our calls, we assume he or she is avoiding us or is up to something...
Someone doesn't give us the money we asked for, we assume he or she is stingy and wicked...
Once we are turned or rejected, we start assuming...
We don't put into consideration what the other party might be going through.
The guy that promised you money might get into a financial situation a day before he's supposed to give you the money.
The person that didn't pick your call was probably in a meeting or too busy at that moment, or even sleeping. He might not be in the mood to take your call.
But we just assume instead...because it’s easier and it tends to make us the good guys...
Give someone benefit of the doubt.....make an excuse for that person......
It's not always as it seems.....
“A few days ago in the village, I went to an event, a house-warming ceremony.
When I entered the compound, I saw some village elders I knew sitting in one corner. I went up to them and started to greet them one after the other.
I shook their hands, even with the ones I didn't know until I got to one man. I didn't know him and when I extended my hand, he ignored it. After a few seconds, I withdrew the hand.
I felt very embarrassed and angry. Embarrassed for myself and angry at the man.
What was he feeling like, I thought. All those other men accepted my greeting, older men even. And to my knowledge, I hadn't done anything wrong. I gave him a very scornful look, greeted the remaining men and went to take a seat.
Now, even after I sat down, I was still pissed. I kept stealing glances at the man to see how he would react to other people.
Then I saw it...
He was blind!!!
His eyes were open, but he couldn't see at all! The other people who came to greet him had to touch him first, then take his hand if they wanted to shake hands with him.
Now my embarrassment level tripled. In addition to that, I felt stupid, very stupid. I was still angry, just angry at myself. I felt like that till I left the occasion.”
Assumption kills like poison. Any small thing, we assume...
Someone doesn't pick our calls, we assume he or she is avoiding us or is up to something...
Someone doesn't give us the money we asked for, we assume he or she is stingy and wicked...
Once we are turned or rejected, we start assuming...
We don't put into consideration what the other party might be going through.
The guy that promised you money might get into a financial situation a day before he's supposed to give you the money.
The person that didn't pick your call was probably in a meeting or too busy at that moment, or even sleeping. He might not be in the mood to take your call.
But we just assume instead...because it’s easier and it tends to make us the good guys...
Give someone benefit of the doubt.....make an excuse for that person......
It's not always as it seems.....
Thursday 5 April 2018
Lets laughs small jare!!!!
A policeman was checking the assignment of his two sons. He checked the senior child's work and flogged him. He turned to the junior child, opened his notebook and without saying a word, walked away.
The older child ask the younger one.
"U wey no sabi anytin, why papa no flog u?
The younger one replied: I put N200 inside my notebook!
U forget say papa na policeman
😁😄😃🏃🏻🏃🏻🏃🏻
A policeman was checking the assignment of his two sons. He checked the senior child's work and flogged him. He turned to the junior child, opened his notebook and without saying a word, walked away.
The older child ask the younger one.
"U wey no sabi anytin, why papa no flog u?
The younger one replied: I put N200 inside my notebook!
U forget say papa na policeman
😁😄😃🏃🏻🏃🏻🏃🏻
Monday 26 March 2018
*TITLE : PERFECTION*
_______________________________
Perfection was created
to make us feel imperfect,
but imperfect, of course,
is the perfect thing to be.
We spend every hour of every day,
every day of every week,
trying to be different,
trying to be unique.
Our nature is to search
for answers to life's questions,
concepts we don't understand,
like "What is perfection?"
You strive to be "perfect,"
a term you don't understand.
You should be yourself
before it gets out of hand.
Surely happiness is of priority
over a word like "perfection,"
so ask yourself this,
Who looks back in your reflection?
*©🅰NALYTICAL 🅰NALIZER✍*
+2348132999998
_abassusman10@gmail.com
_Thanks for reading through do have a beautiful day ahead_
_______________________________
Perfection was created
to make us feel imperfect,
but imperfect, of course,
is the perfect thing to be.
We spend every hour of every day,
every day of every week,
trying to be different,
trying to be unique.
Our nature is to search
for answers to life's questions,
concepts we don't understand,
like "What is perfection?"
You strive to be "perfect,"
a term you don't understand.
You should be yourself
before it gets out of hand.
Surely happiness is of priority
over a word like "perfection,"
so ask yourself this,
Who looks back in your reflection?
*©🅰NALYTICAL 🅰NALIZER✍*
+2348132999998
_abassusman10@gmail.com
_Thanks for reading through do have a beautiful day ahead_
Sunday 25 March 2018
*TITLE : PERFECTION*
*WRITTEN BY : ISA ABASS USMAN[🅰NALYTICAL~🅰NALIZER✍]*
___ANALYTICAL ANALIZER WRITES✍
_______________________________
Perfection was created
to make us feel imperfect,
but imperfect, of course,
is the perfect thing to be.
We spend every hour of every day,
every day of every week,
trying to be different,
trying to be unique.
Our nature is to search
for answers to life's questions,
concepts we don't understand,
like "What is perfection?"
You strive to be "perfect,"
a term you don't understand.
You should be yourself
before it gets out of hand.
Surely happiness is of priority
over a word like "perfection,"
so ask yourself this,
Who looks back in your reflection?
*WRITTEN BY : ISA ABASS USMAN[🅰NALYTICAL~🅰NALIZER✍]*
___ANALYTICAL ANALIZER WRITES✍
_______________________________
Perfection was created
to make us feel imperfect,
but imperfect, of course,
is the perfect thing to be.
We spend every hour of every day,
every day of every week,
trying to be different,
trying to be unique.
Our nature is to search
for answers to life's questions,
concepts we don't understand,
like "What is perfection?"
You strive to be "perfect,"
a term you don't understand.
You should be yourself
before it gets out of hand.
Surely happiness is of priority
over a word like "perfection,"
so ask yourself this,
Who looks back in your reflection?
OSUN 2018: The Gathering Storm Of An Epic Battle
The gladiators, the battle grounds
Politics
In this report, OLUWOLE IGE takes a look at the politics of Osun State ahead of the 2018 governorship election, x-raying the different camps the intrigues and power play in the political parties and the factors that will shape the race for the Government House.
Though the prevailing atmosphere in Osun, one of the South-Western states, created on August 27, 1991, appears peaceful and calm right now, beneath the tranquility lies the gathering storm of a fierce political battle that will ultimately determine the political party and individual the will succeed the outgoing governor of the state, Mr Rauf Aregbesola.
The two dominant political parties, namely the All Progressives Congress (APC), the main opposition, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), power blocs and other relevant stakeholders have begun to sharpen their arsenals and are discreetly deploying measures to have an edge in the governorship poll tentatively slated for September 22, 2018.
Watchers of the unfolding events are of the view that the critical contest may have a significant effect on the political compass in Nigeria, ahead of the 2019 general election, bearing in mind that the progressives made a historic inroad through the November 2010 judicial victory of Aregbesola. A Federal Court of Appeal sitting in Ibadan, Oyo State, had declared the governor winner of 2007 governorship election between him and former Governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola, after protracted legal fireworks at the election tribunal.
From the perspectives of residents of the state, including traders, artisans and the ordinary people on the street, the imminent gubernatorial poll may be viewed as a struggle between the APC and PDP for the soul of Osun, with some pundits holding the view that with the emerging realities from the nation’s political turf, underdog political parties such as the Alliance for Democracy (AD), Accord Party (AP), Labour Party (LP) and the Social Democratic Party (SDP) would also play key roles in the electoral decision. This, observers noted, would be the case going by the negotiations, realignments and horse-trading ongoing in the two major parties.
In the APC, festering crises rocking the party, which have fragmented it into more than two factions and the PDP’s failure to resolve its age-long differences, which has been inhibiting its efforts to organise congress at the local government and state levels, have reduced political tempo in the state.
While the APC, under the leadership of Mr Gboyega Famodun, has not fulfilled its promise to lift the ban on formal declaration of interest by aspirants to contest the governorship election, the PDP is still enmeshed in deep-rooted dispute on which faction would control the party structure and machinery between the group loyal to the erstwhile factional chairman, Honourable Soji Adagunodo and the one loyal to Dr Bayo Faforiji, which is believed to be under the control of a former deputy governor of the state and erstwhile chairman, Senate Committee on Appropriation, Dr Iyiola Omisore.
Regardless of the ongoing effort by the peace and reconciliation committees constituted by the APC and the PDP to restore unity and cohesion among their rank and file, the hope of a positive result of such developments are yet to be seen among the two political parties. Meanwhile, the political godfathers, power brokers and stakeholders in the state are not leaving anything to chances in their spirited moves to determine where the pendulum of power would swing in the September 22 governorship poll.
Another burning issue that has been dominating public discourse is the contentious issue of zoning. For some time, there have been arguments over the zoning of the governorship ticket to Osun West Senatorial District. This may have been informed by the dismal outing of the APC in last July 8, 2017 by-election, which was conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to fill the vacant seat of the district as a result of the sudden demise of Senator Isiaka Adeleke, on April 23, 2017. Adeleke’s younger brother, Ademola Adeleke, who was a member of the APC until few weeks before the poll defected to the PDP and won the election. The thinking in some quarters is that zoning the governorship ticket to Osun West might sway victory to the side of either of the two major political parties.
But another school of thought has argued that eligibility, competence, practical knowledge of modern day governance and effective political leadership of Osun State should not be submerged by the calls and agitation for zoning. They hold the notion that any interested aspirant, regardless of parties, age and other prerequisites, should be free to contest in the poll.
As the election day draws near, the political forces in the state have begun to move into camps, with several influential individuals and personalities already returning to the planning table to map out strategies towards winning the election.
From the body language of Governor Aregbesola, it is easy to deduce that he may have made up his mind to throw his weight and the power that incumbency confers behind his Chief of Staff, Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola. Unconfirmed sources informed Sunday Tribune that this development followed a marching order allegedly given to Aregbesola by his political mentor and leader, Senator Bola Tinubu, a few years back to ensure that Oyetola emerges as the standard-bearer of the ruling party. Though the state chapter of the APC and media handlers of the governor have described such claim as untrue, some other aspirants in the APC, namely the incumbent Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly, Hon. Najeem Salaam and the Secretary to the Osun State Government (SSG), Alhaji Moshood Adeoti, are not too comfortable with the unfolding conjecture.
Barring any unforeseen circumstance, political observers are of the opinion that the foundation for Oyetola’s emergency as the standard-bearer of the APC in the yet-to-be-fixed primary exercise might have been tactically laid with the conclusion of the January 27 parliamentary local government election, which was won by the party’s candidates in all the 389 wards.
As of the time of filing this report, chairmen and other principal officers of the 31 local governments, Area Council and Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) have been elected among the councillors that won the poll, which was premised on parliamentary arrangement. Findings show that virtually all the councillors are loyalists of Aregbesola and by the virtue of the constitution of the party these people including the cabinet members, lawmakers in the House of Assembly, senators and federal legislators in the National Assembly on the platform of the party would be automatic delegates in the governorship primaries. From these postulations, the governor’s group may have in its kitty a sizeable number of delegates, who would vote to determine the governorship candidate of the APC, a development that has been said to be capable of swinging things in Oyetola’s favour if eventually the governor decides to fly with him.
A source close to the government, however, informed our correspondent that Aregbesola, being an experienced politician whose dexterity and mastery of modern politicking endeared him to his numerous followers, “is not ready to keep all his eggs in a basket.” It was hinted that the governor had been weighing other options, provided the Oyetola project, which has already assumed the popular sobriquet “Ileri Oluwa,” meaning God’s promise, fails to fly. Few of his cabinet members who have also been said to be eying the governorship seat include the incumbent Commissioner for Justice and Attorney-General of the state, Dr Ajibola Basiru, have been said to be painstakingly studying the unfolding events with a view to falling in line with their principal’s plan for the governorship poll. But an insider, who confided in Sunday Tribune said Basiru, who is believed to have the ears of Aregbesola based on his closeness to the governor, might apart from being keen on becoming governor, be using his ambition as a pedestal to negotiate for other positions ahead of the 2019 general election.
Similarly, another member of Aregbesola’s cabinet and Commissioner for Finance, Mr Banji Oyebamiji, it was gathered, is being pressured by some groups and stakeholders in Osun West Senatorial District to throw his hat in the ring.
There are other gubernatorial aspirants outside the state in the APC, including Dr Abiodun Ishola Saka-Layonu (SAN), who is the current chairman, Governing Council of Waziri Umaru Federal Polytechnic, Birnin-Kebbi, in Kebbi State. Based in Lagos, findings indicate that he is perfecting moves to mobilise mass support and appeal for his governorship ambition.
Commenting on the factors that would come to play in determining the APC’s choice of its candidate, however, the party’s Director of Publicity, Research and Strategy in the state, Mr Kunle Oyatomi, said: “APC in Osun is a very responsible and disciplined political party, which will take into serious consideration the quality, loyalty and competence of whoever will take over to continue with the good job that Aregbesola has already done.”
He continued, “a saboteur cannot qualify. An undisciplined person cannot qualify and a person who is not ingrained in and with all the developments that have taken place under Aregbesola cannot be trusted to succeed him. Anybody who has motives inconsistent with and is treacherous in the main, against what Aregbesola has done, can never be the party’s choice in Osun.
“Also anyone who is looking outside Osun APC to win the party’s nomination will fail and therefore cannot succeed Aregbesola. The APC in Osun is supreme. It will determine in due course what its preference will be from all available options.”
Lasun Yussuf
The current Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt Honourable Lasun Yussuff, leads another group within the Osun APC. Apart from being a governorship aspirant, he is presumed to also have a large followership and a considerable number of foot soldiers mobilising for him ahead of the party’s primary.
So far, he is about the only member of the APC who has publicly declared his ambition to succeed Aregbesola and has embarked on visitations to relevant stakeholders including influential traditional rulers across the state.
Though he is said to be on a different page with the governor on several grounds, a development which observers of political events in the state noted might make the governor work against his aspiration, Yussuff is believed to possess a huge financial war chest and a great political clout garnered as a result of his closeness to the power base in Abuja.
Bisi Akande
While the permutations over the need to zone the governorship seat to Osun West and the reported endorsement of Oyetola by the Lagos stronghold of the APC had been ongoing for some time, one individual that appears to have kept people at sea on where he belongs is a former governor of the state and former interim national chairman of the APC, Chief Bisi Akande. While many believed that he would often be on the same page with Tinubu politically, Akande has not declared his support for any particular canddate, with those close to him noting that “what is paramount to him now is the need to resolve the rancour among the groups, stakeholders and members of the APC in Osun.”
The former governor recently expressed his unequivocal confidence in the ability of the Tinubu-led peace committee of the APC to resolve the crises within the party, not only in Osun, but also in the entire country.
Iyiola Omisore camp
It is no longer news that Omisore is the only governorship aspirant in his group of the Osun PDP led by Dr Bayo Faforiji. Conscious of the need for peace among the factions of the party in the state, our correspondent reliably gathered that he has been making overtures to Hon. Adagunodo’s side so as to harmonise their political differences. Whether this move will succeed, however, remains to be seen, as the latter has insisted on holding a congress where the members would decide the fate of the party. This development came as the peace and reconciliation committee set up by the Prince Uche Secondus-led national leadership of the party is yet to come to Osun, amid meetings with both sides in Abuja. To show his seriousness in his renewed bid to contest in the coming governorship poll, Omisore and Aregbesola recently renewed their hostilities, as the duo went on offensive over some issues relating to the governance and management of Osun State, especially its mounting debt.
Adagunodo camp
Though the Adagunodo camp, peopled by many leaders of the PDP drawn from the three senatorial districts such as Senator Olu Alabi, Senator Akinlabi Olasunkanmi, Senator Ademola Adeleke, Honourable Adejare Bello, Dr Muyiwa Oladimeji, Honourable Busayo Oluwole Oke, Chief Oluwole Oludaisi Aina, Alhaji Fatai Akinbade and Chief Lere Oyewumi, to mention a few, had in the past expressed its readiness to cooperate and embrace peace, its insistence that due process and internal democracy be followed in electing leaders of the party from the local government to the state level is one of the reasons the party has not had an executive. To those in this group, only adherence to the tenets of internal democracy can restore peace to the troubled party.
A list of the gubernatorial contenders in the Adagunodo’s faction include Bello; a former speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly; Akinbade, a former Secretary to the Osun State Government (SSG); Senator Olasunkanmi; Hon. Albert Adeogun, a member of the House of Representatives; Oyewumi; Chief Nathaniel Oke (SAN); Professor Adeolu Durotoye and a host of others.
Olagunsoye Oyinlola
Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, a former military governor of Lagos State and former civilian governor in Osun, and a chieftain of APC who recently declared his support for the Coalition for Nigeria Movement, championed by former President Olusegun Obasanjo, is another major force in the politics leading to the 2018 governorship election in the state. Oyinlola, who had, following speculations that he was planning to contest the governorship election, met with his followers at his Okuku country home in Odo-Otin Local Government Area to put to rest the speculations, opened the lid on the zoning debate in APC when he insisted that the successor to Aregbesola must come from Osun West Senatorial District and that he must not be over 50-years-old.
While speaking in Ede recently, the former governor and chairman of the board of the National Identity Card Management Commission (NIMC) clarified that he had no particular candidate in mind when he pushed for the zoning of governorship ticket to Osun West Senatorial District. He tasked the people of the district to beam their searchlight on a young eligible man, who can succeed Aregbesola.
He promised to back any competent person presented by the zone, disclosing that he had gauged the feelings of the people of Osun through reports from his political allies, saying “out of 27 years of existence of Osun, the West had only been there ( governorship position) for just 22 months. The aspiration of the founding fathers of the state is that no part should be marginalised. I don’t mind if I stand alone. I have told my political family to find somebody young from the West who can lead the state after the tenure of the governor. I said that is the man I will want you to bring to me.”
Senator Ademola Adeleke
Ademola, the younger brother to the late former governor of the state, Isiaka Adeleke, is the senator representing Osun West Senatorial District in the National Assembly. Credible sources within the PDP and political circles in the state have, however, confided in Sunday Tribune that the ‘dancing senator’ is discreetly nursing a governorship ambition. Though his interest in the race is still being kept under wraps, some people in the know said he may be the joker or trump card that the PDP may eventually use in the September 22 governorship poll.
The challenge, however, is whether he could repeat the success recorded in the July 8, 2017 by-election, which was said to have been won as a result of his late brother’s goodwill, political influence and popularity, coupled with the voter sympathy that followed the refusal of the APC to give him [Ademola] the ticket.
Apart from these individuals and groups, many other major factors will shape the 2018 governorship election in the state. These factors, including the ongoing zoning debate, how quickly the two leading parties are able to resolve their differences before the poll, the quality of candidates on display and the ability of the emerging new parties to galvanise support and convince the electorate will play major roles in who becomes the next governor of the state.
For instance, the governorship aspirant of the Alliance for Democracy (AD) and former member of the House of Representatives, Honourable Femi Kehinde, in a recent interview with Sunday Tribune maintained that the next governorship election in the state should not be about political parties but about individuals and personalities and what they stand for.
Kehinde, who maintained that it was high time the state became liberated from the shackles of bad governance and directionless leadership, stated his resolve and plan to transform the state.
The gladiators, the battle grounds
Politics
In this report, OLUWOLE IGE takes a look at the politics of Osun State ahead of the 2018 governorship election, x-raying the different camps the intrigues and power play in the political parties and the factors that will shape the race for the Government House.
Though the prevailing atmosphere in Osun, one of the South-Western states, created on August 27, 1991, appears peaceful and calm right now, beneath the tranquility lies the gathering storm of a fierce political battle that will ultimately determine the political party and individual the will succeed the outgoing governor of the state, Mr Rauf Aregbesola.
The two dominant political parties, namely the All Progressives Congress (APC), the main opposition, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), power blocs and other relevant stakeholders have begun to sharpen their arsenals and are discreetly deploying measures to have an edge in the governorship poll tentatively slated for September 22, 2018.
Watchers of the unfolding events are of the view that the critical contest may have a significant effect on the political compass in Nigeria, ahead of the 2019 general election, bearing in mind that the progressives made a historic inroad through the November 2010 judicial victory of Aregbesola. A Federal Court of Appeal sitting in Ibadan, Oyo State, had declared the governor winner of 2007 governorship election between him and former Governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola, after protracted legal fireworks at the election tribunal.
From the perspectives of residents of the state, including traders, artisans and the ordinary people on the street, the imminent gubernatorial poll may be viewed as a struggle between the APC and PDP for the soul of Osun, with some pundits holding the view that with the emerging realities from the nation’s political turf, underdog political parties such as the Alliance for Democracy (AD), Accord Party (AP), Labour Party (LP) and the Social Democratic Party (SDP) would also play key roles in the electoral decision. This, observers noted, would be the case going by the negotiations, realignments and horse-trading ongoing in the two major parties.
In the APC, festering crises rocking the party, which have fragmented it into more than two factions and the PDP’s failure to resolve its age-long differences, which has been inhibiting its efforts to organise congress at the local government and state levels, have reduced political tempo in the state.
While the APC, under the leadership of Mr Gboyega Famodun, has not fulfilled its promise to lift the ban on formal declaration of interest by aspirants to contest the governorship election, the PDP is still enmeshed in deep-rooted dispute on which faction would control the party structure and machinery between the group loyal to the erstwhile factional chairman, Honourable Soji Adagunodo and the one loyal to Dr Bayo Faforiji, which is believed to be under the control of a former deputy governor of the state and erstwhile chairman, Senate Committee on Appropriation, Dr Iyiola Omisore.
Regardless of the ongoing effort by the peace and reconciliation committees constituted by the APC and the PDP to restore unity and cohesion among their rank and file, the hope of a positive result of such developments are yet to be seen among the two political parties. Meanwhile, the political godfathers, power brokers and stakeholders in the state are not leaving anything to chances in their spirited moves to determine where the pendulum of power would swing in the September 22 governorship poll.
Another burning issue that has been dominating public discourse is the contentious issue of zoning. For some time, there have been arguments over the zoning of the governorship ticket to Osun West Senatorial District. This may have been informed by the dismal outing of the APC in last July 8, 2017 by-election, which was conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to fill the vacant seat of the district as a result of the sudden demise of Senator Isiaka Adeleke, on April 23, 2017. Adeleke’s younger brother, Ademola Adeleke, who was a member of the APC until few weeks before the poll defected to the PDP and won the election. The thinking in some quarters is that zoning the governorship ticket to Osun West might sway victory to the side of either of the two major political parties.
But another school of thought has argued that eligibility, competence, practical knowledge of modern day governance and effective political leadership of Osun State should not be submerged by the calls and agitation for zoning. They hold the notion that any interested aspirant, regardless of parties, age and other prerequisites, should be free to contest in the poll.
As the election day draws near, the political forces in the state have begun to move into camps, with several influential individuals and personalities already returning to the planning table to map out strategies towards winning the election.
From the body language of Governor Aregbesola, it is easy to deduce that he may have made up his mind to throw his weight and the power that incumbency confers behind his Chief of Staff, Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola. Unconfirmed sources informed Sunday Tribune that this development followed a marching order allegedly given to Aregbesola by his political mentor and leader, Senator Bola Tinubu, a few years back to ensure that Oyetola emerges as the standard-bearer of the ruling party. Though the state chapter of the APC and media handlers of the governor have described such claim as untrue, some other aspirants in the APC, namely the incumbent Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly, Hon. Najeem Salaam and the Secretary to the Osun State Government (SSG), Alhaji Moshood Adeoti, are not too comfortable with the unfolding conjecture.
Barring any unforeseen circumstance, political observers are of the opinion that the foundation for Oyetola’s emergency as the standard-bearer of the APC in the yet-to-be-fixed primary exercise might have been tactically laid with the conclusion of the January 27 parliamentary local government election, which was won by the party’s candidates in all the 389 wards.
As of the time of filing this report, chairmen and other principal officers of the 31 local governments, Area Council and Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) have been elected among the councillors that won the poll, which was premised on parliamentary arrangement. Findings show that virtually all the councillors are loyalists of Aregbesola and by the virtue of the constitution of the party these people including the cabinet members, lawmakers in the House of Assembly, senators and federal legislators in the National Assembly on the platform of the party would be automatic delegates in the governorship primaries. From these postulations, the governor’s group may have in its kitty a sizeable number of delegates, who would vote to determine the governorship candidate of the APC, a development that has been said to be capable of swinging things in Oyetola’s favour if eventually the governor decides to fly with him.
A source close to the government, however, informed our correspondent that Aregbesola, being an experienced politician whose dexterity and mastery of modern politicking endeared him to his numerous followers, “is not ready to keep all his eggs in a basket.” It was hinted that the governor had been weighing other options, provided the Oyetola project, which has already assumed the popular sobriquet “Ileri Oluwa,” meaning God’s promise, fails to fly. Few of his cabinet members who have also been said to be eying the governorship seat include the incumbent Commissioner for Justice and Attorney-General of the state, Dr Ajibola Basiru, have been said to be painstakingly studying the unfolding events with a view to falling in line with their principal’s plan for the governorship poll. But an insider, who confided in Sunday Tribune said Basiru, who is believed to have the ears of Aregbesola based on his closeness to the governor, might apart from being keen on becoming governor, be using his ambition as a pedestal to negotiate for other positions ahead of the 2019 general election.
Similarly, another member of Aregbesola’s cabinet and Commissioner for Finance, Mr Banji Oyebamiji, it was gathered, is being pressured by some groups and stakeholders in Osun West Senatorial District to throw his hat in the ring.
There are other gubernatorial aspirants outside the state in the APC, including Dr Abiodun Ishola Saka-Layonu (SAN), who is the current chairman, Governing Council of Waziri Umaru Federal Polytechnic, Birnin-Kebbi, in Kebbi State. Based in Lagos, findings indicate that he is perfecting moves to mobilise mass support and appeal for his governorship ambition.
Commenting on the factors that would come to play in determining the APC’s choice of its candidate, however, the party’s Director of Publicity, Research and Strategy in the state, Mr Kunle Oyatomi, said: “APC in Osun is a very responsible and disciplined political party, which will take into serious consideration the quality, loyalty and competence of whoever will take over to continue with the good job that Aregbesola has already done.”
He continued, “a saboteur cannot qualify. An undisciplined person cannot qualify and a person who is not ingrained in and with all the developments that have taken place under Aregbesola cannot be trusted to succeed him. Anybody who has motives inconsistent with and is treacherous in the main, against what Aregbesola has done, can never be the party’s choice in Osun.
“Also anyone who is looking outside Osun APC to win the party’s nomination will fail and therefore cannot succeed Aregbesola. The APC in Osun is supreme. It will determine in due course what its preference will be from all available options.”
Lasun Yussuf
The current Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt Honourable Lasun Yussuff, leads another group within the Osun APC. Apart from being a governorship aspirant, he is presumed to also have a large followership and a considerable number of foot soldiers mobilising for him ahead of the party’s primary.
So far, he is about the only member of the APC who has publicly declared his ambition to succeed Aregbesola and has embarked on visitations to relevant stakeholders including influential traditional rulers across the state.
Though he is said to be on a different page with the governor on several grounds, a development which observers of political events in the state noted might make the governor work against his aspiration, Yussuff is believed to possess a huge financial war chest and a great political clout garnered as a result of his closeness to the power base in Abuja.
Bisi Akande
While the permutations over the need to zone the governorship seat to Osun West and the reported endorsement of Oyetola by the Lagos stronghold of the APC had been ongoing for some time, one individual that appears to have kept people at sea on where he belongs is a former governor of the state and former interim national chairman of the APC, Chief Bisi Akande. While many believed that he would often be on the same page with Tinubu politically, Akande has not declared his support for any particular canddate, with those close to him noting that “what is paramount to him now is the need to resolve the rancour among the groups, stakeholders and members of the APC in Osun.”
The former governor recently expressed his unequivocal confidence in the ability of the Tinubu-led peace committee of the APC to resolve the crises within the party, not only in Osun, but also in the entire country.
Iyiola Omisore camp
It is no longer news that Omisore is the only governorship aspirant in his group of the Osun PDP led by Dr Bayo Faforiji. Conscious of the need for peace among the factions of the party in the state, our correspondent reliably gathered that he has been making overtures to Hon. Adagunodo’s side so as to harmonise their political differences. Whether this move will succeed, however, remains to be seen, as the latter has insisted on holding a congress where the members would decide the fate of the party. This development came as the peace and reconciliation committee set up by the Prince Uche Secondus-led national leadership of the party is yet to come to Osun, amid meetings with both sides in Abuja. To show his seriousness in his renewed bid to contest in the coming governorship poll, Omisore and Aregbesola recently renewed their hostilities, as the duo went on offensive over some issues relating to the governance and management of Osun State, especially its mounting debt.
Adagunodo camp
Though the Adagunodo camp, peopled by many leaders of the PDP drawn from the three senatorial districts such as Senator Olu Alabi, Senator Akinlabi Olasunkanmi, Senator Ademola Adeleke, Honourable Adejare Bello, Dr Muyiwa Oladimeji, Honourable Busayo Oluwole Oke, Chief Oluwole Oludaisi Aina, Alhaji Fatai Akinbade and Chief Lere Oyewumi, to mention a few, had in the past expressed its readiness to cooperate and embrace peace, its insistence that due process and internal democracy be followed in electing leaders of the party from the local government to the state level is one of the reasons the party has not had an executive. To those in this group, only adherence to the tenets of internal democracy can restore peace to the troubled party.
A list of the gubernatorial contenders in the Adagunodo’s faction include Bello; a former speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly; Akinbade, a former Secretary to the Osun State Government (SSG); Senator Olasunkanmi; Hon. Albert Adeogun, a member of the House of Representatives; Oyewumi; Chief Nathaniel Oke (SAN); Professor Adeolu Durotoye and a host of others.
Olagunsoye Oyinlola
Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, a former military governor of Lagos State and former civilian governor in Osun, and a chieftain of APC who recently declared his support for the Coalition for Nigeria Movement, championed by former President Olusegun Obasanjo, is another major force in the politics leading to the 2018 governorship election in the state. Oyinlola, who had, following speculations that he was planning to contest the governorship election, met with his followers at his Okuku country home in Odo-Otin Local Government Area to put to rest the speculations, opened the lid on the zoning debate in APC when he insisted that the successor to Aregbesola must come from Osun West Senatorial District and that he must not be over 50-years-old.
While speaking in Ede recently, the former governor and chairman of the board of the National Identity Card Management Commission (NIMC) clarified that he had no particular candidate in mind when he pushed for the zoning of governorship ticket to Osun West Senatorial District. He tasked the people of the district to beam their searchlight on a young eligible man, who can succeed Aregbesola.
He promised to back any competent person presented by the zone, disclosing that he had gauged the feelings of the people of Osun through reports from his political allies, saying “out of 27 years of existence of Osun, the West had only been there ( governorship position) for just 22 months. The aspiration of the founding fathers of the state is that no part should be marginalised. I don’t mind if I stand alone. I have told my political family to find somebody young from the West who can lead the state after the tenure of the governor. I said that is the man I will want you to bring to me.”
Senator Ademola Adeleke
Ademola, the younger brother to the late former governor of the state, Isiaka Adeleke, is the senator representing Osun West Senatorial District in the National Assembly. Credible sources within the PDP and political circles in the state have, however, confided in Sunday Tribune that the ‘dancing senator’ is discreetly nursing a governorship ambition. Though his interest in the race is still being kept under wraps, some people in the know said he may be the joker or trump card that the PDP may eventually use in the September 22 governorship poll.
The challenge, however, is whether he could repeat the success recorded in the July 8, 2017 by-election, which was said to have been won as a result of his late brother’s goodwill, political influence and popularity, coupled with the voter sympathy that followed the refusal of the APC to give him [Ademola] the ticket.
Apart from these individuals and groups, many other major factors will shape the 2018 governorship election in the state. These factors, including the ongoing zoning debate, how quickly the two leading parties are able to resolve their differences before the poll, the quality of candidates on display and the ability of the emerging new parties to galvanise support and convince the electorate will play major roles in who becomes the next governor of the state.
For instance, the governorship aspirant of the Alliance for Democracy (AD) and former member of the House of Representatives, Honourable Femi Kehinde, in a recent interview with Sunday Tribune maintained that the next governorship election in the state should not be about political parties but about individuals and personalities and what they stand for.
Kehinde, who maintained that it was high time the state became liberated from the shackles of bad governance and directionless leadership, stated his resolve and plan to transform the state.
TEXT OF A PRESS CONFERENCE BY THE MINISTER OF INFORMATION AND CULTURE, ALHAJI LAI MOHAMMED, IN LAGOS ON SUNDAY, MARCH 25TH 2018
PROTOCOL
Thank you, gentlemen, for once again heeding our call. May I also use this opportunity to thank you, most immensely, for the professional manner in which you have always treated our press conferences. We do not expect anything less from today's event.
As you are aware, the abducted Dapchi girls were released last Wednesday as a result of intense back-channel engagement aimed at securing their quick and safe release. This was done in concert with a friendly country, international organization and trusted facilitators.
Since then, there have been a lot of developments. We feel we should meet with you to furnish you with first-hand information on this, and also give you the opportunity to clarify any issue surrounding the release.
Gentlemen, a total of 111 girls were abducted from the Government Girls Secondary and Technical College (GGSTC) in Dapchi on 19 Feb. 2018. That means one student was not captured on the list of 110 abducted students that was compiled by the school, on the basis of which the Federal Government gave the number of abducted schoolgirls as 110.
Also kidnapped were two other persons, who are not students of the college. They include a primary school boy who came to the school to sell pure water and another primary school girl. That brings the total number of abducted persons on that day to 113.
So far, a total of 107 persons, comprising 105 Dapchi schoolgirls and the two non-students, have been released by the insurgents.
Six Dapchi schoolgirls are yet unaccounted for. All efforts will be made to secure their release
HOW THE DAPCHI GIRLS WERE FREED
As I have said at many fora, we neither paid ransom nor swapped any Boko Haram member to secure the release of the girls. This is a fact, irrespective of how a section of the press has tried to spin the story.
The insurgents brought the girls back to the location of the kidnapping themselves as an apparent gesture of goodwill, following relentless efforts by the Government to find long-lasting solutions to the conflict.
Recall that President Muhammadu Buhari had directed all security agencies to do everything possible to bring the girls back unharmed. That dictated the method we adopted. Back-channel talks with our international friends as mediators, and the result was the release of the girls
HOW WERE THE INSURGENTS ABLE TO RETURN THE GIRLS TO DAPCHI UNATTACKED, DESPITE TROOPS PRESENCE?
Unknown to many, we have been in wider cessation-of-hostility talks with the insurgents for some time now. The talks helped to secure the release of the police officers' wives and the University of Maiduguri lecturers recently. And the talks did not stop thereafter.
Therefore, we were able to leverage on the wider talks when the Dapchi girls were abducted. As I said earlier, the insurgents decided to return the girls to where they picked them from as a goodwill gesture. All they demanded was a ceasefire that will grant them a safe corridor to drop the girls. This is not new. Even in larger war situations, safe corridors are usually created for humanitarian and other purposes. Consequently, a week-long ceasefire was declared, starting from Monday, 19 March. That is why the insurgents were able to drop the girls. This counters the conspiracy theories being propounded in some quarters concerning why it was so easy for the insurgents to drop off the girls without being attacked by the military.
WHY THE GIRLS WERE FREED EARLY
As I have said time and again, there is no government that will not face tragedies. What makes the difference is how such tragedies are managed.
President Buhari put this in perspective when he said the response of his Administration is a marked departure from the attitude of the preceding administration in the aftermath of the kidnap of the 276 Chibok girls in 2014
Whereas it took that administration 18 days to even acknowledge the kidnap of the girls, the current administration was responsive and was not in denial. No stone was left unturned to secure the release of the girls. For the record, the following actions were taken:
1. The President sent FG's delegation twice to Dapchi and Damaturu, within four days, to engage in fact-finding and to condole with the government and people of Yobe State and the families of the abducted girls. I was on both delegations.
2. The President ordered the Service Chiefs and the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to take direct charge and brief him on a daily basis on the efforts to bring back the girls.
3. The President ordered the re-strengthening of a Joint Operational Base involving relevant agencies and Services to coordinate the rescue mission. Consequently, the Service Commanders established a unified Command Centre in Maiduguri, and the Military also raised several rescue teams to comb the forests in the North East Theatre of Operation.
4. The Nigerian Air Force maintained aerial surveillance of the area all through.
It was not a surprise, therefore, that this abduction ended about a month after it occurred, and that most of the girls are free.
THE REACTION OF NAYSAYERS
You are not unaware of the reaction of the naysayers - the main opposition PDP in particular - to the release of the Dapchi girls. What called for non-partisan celebrations was rather thoughtlessly turned into politics, bad, despicable politics that has no place in any democracy. At times of national tragedies, countries unite. This is the norm everywhere.
Let me encapsulate my reaction to the disgraceful and insensitive politics, that the PDP has been playing with the Dapchi girls, by quoting the statement of the President when he received the Dapchi girls last Friday: ''May I also warn against those elements who have chosen to make political fortune of our citizens’ misfortune. Government would not tolerate any attempt by any person or group to trivialize or politicize security issues for politically motivated ends. Accordingly, security agencies would not hesitate to decisively deal with such unscrupulous characters.'' Those are very clear words that need no elaboration.
The PDP and its co-travelers do not understand that terrorism is a global problem. A terror attack on any country is an attack on all countries. The UN was among the first international organizations to condemn the abduction of the Dapchi girls and also among the first to welcome their release.
Perhaps we should ask the PDP what indeed the party knows about the abduction of the Dapchi girls, going by its statement that their abduction and release were stage-managed. The party made itself a laughing stock within and outside Nigeria with that statement. Don't they know that our international friends are involved in the process that led to the release of the girls? Indeed, there should be a new criterion for withdrawing the registration of a party like the PDP which has failed both as a ruling and an opposition party! If a party cannot rule and cannot be in opposition, what else can it do?
CONCLUSION
1. We thank all Nigerians for their support and prayers. We are grateful for their belief in the ability of this government to secure an early release of the girls. We will continue with the ongoing efforts to account for the remaining six Dapchi girls, and indeed to bring back our remaining Chibok girls.
2. In the words of Mr. President, this Administration remains committed to the fight against terrorism and insurgency. The security services have since been directed to put in place further measures around all schools vulnerable to attacks to ensure the safety of pupils/students and teachers and school workers. The President has also tasked all the security agencies to work to ensure that we do not witness any recurrence of these incidents.
3. Let me emphasize the government's position that while the military efforts are necessarily ongoing, we are willing to continue engaging in a meaningful dialogue which is not only about the release of hostages, but intended at a broader engagement on conflict mitigation (reduction of the violence, possibility of ceasefire, protection of civilians, increased humanitarian access). Government is therefore willing to engage on measures which can lead to stopping the bloodshed and finding long-lasting solutions to the conflict.
4 We appeal for non-partisanship on the issue of security. We all have to be safe and alive before we can even belong to any political party. And whether you are in government or in opposition, Nigeria belongs to all of us.
5. We appeal to the media to be more discerning in disseminating materials that serve no other purpose than to sabotage the ongoing efforts to end the insurgency and secure the release of the remaining Chibok and Dapchi girls. Obviously, the naysayers are growing more desperate and will stop at nothing, including disinformation and fake news, to muddle the waters.
Finally, let me use this opportunity to react to the fake news making the rounds concerning a supposed Sergeant in the Nigerian Army, named David Bako, who said he was part of an alleged conspiracy by the Government to abduct the Dapchi girls.
This is a classic example of what I have just said: Disinformation and fake news! I can tell you categorically that this David Bako is fake. There is no such soldier in the Nigerian Army. There was no conspiracy anywhere. The intention of those behind the disinformation and fake news is to cause disaffection between Christians and Muslims, and between Southerners and Northerners.
This Administration's success in seeking an early release of the Dapchi girls has ruffled many feathers. It has upturned a lot of plans by naysayers. They have not been able to sleep since the girls came back. Their campaign to unseat President Buhari is fuelling their desperation. Nigerians should prepare to see more avalanche of disinformation and fake news. But they should not lend any credibility to such reports. They belong to the trash can!
I thank you for your kind attention
PROTOCOL
Thank you, gentlemen, for once again heeding our call. May I also use this opportunity to thank you, most immensely, for the professional manner in which you have always treated our press conferences. We do not expect anything less from today's event.
As you are aware, the abducted Dapchi girls were released last Wednesday as a result of intense back-channel engagement aimed at securing their quick and safe release. This was done in concert with a friendly country, international organization and trusted facilitators.
Since then, there have been a lot of developments. We feel we should meet with you to furnish you with first-hand information on this, and also give you the opportunity to clarify any issue surrounding the release.
Gentlemen, a total of 111 girls were abducted from the Government Girls Secondary and Technical College (GGSTC) in Dapchi on 19 Feb. 2018. That means one student was not captured on the list of 110 abducted students that was compiled by the school, on the basis of which the Federal Government gave the number of abducted schoolgirls as 110.
Also kidnapped were two other persons, who are not students of the college. They include a primary school boy who came to the school to sell pure water and another primary school girl. That brings the total number of abducted persons on that day to 113.
So far, a total of 107 persons, comprising 105 Dapchi schoolgirls and the two non-students, have been released by the insurgents.
Six Dapchi schoolgirls are yet unaccounted for. All efforts will be made to secure their release
HOW THE DAPCHI GIRLS WERE FREED
As I have said at many fora, we neither paid ransom nor swapped any Boko Haram member to secure the release of the girls. This is a fact, irrespective of how a section of the press has tried to spin the story.
The insurgents brought the girls back to the location of the kidnapping themselves as an apparent gesture of goodwill, following relentless efforts by the Government to find long-lasting solutions to the conflict.
Recall that President Muhammadu Buhari had directed all security agencies to do everything possible to bring the girls back unharmed. That dictated the method we adopted. Back-channel talks with our international friends as mediators, and the result was the release of the girls
HOW WERE THE INSURGENTS ABLE TO RETURN THE GIRLS TO DAPCHI UNATTACKED, DESPITE TROOPS PRESENCE?
Unknown to many, we have been in wider cessation-of-hostility talks with the insurgents for some time now. The talks helped to secure the release of the police officers' wives and the University of Maiduguri lecturers recently. And the talks did not stop thereafter.
Therefore, we were able to leverage on the wider talks when the Dapchi girls were abducted. As I said earlier, the insurgents decided to return the girls to where they picked them from as a goodwill gesture. All they demanded was a ceasefire that will grant them a safe corridor to drop the girls. This is not new. Even in larger war situations, safe corridors are usually created for humanitarian and other purposes. Consequently, a week-long ceasefire was declared, starting from Monday, 19 March. That is why the insurgents were able to drop the girls. This counters the conspiracy theories being propounded in some quarters concerning why it was so easy for the insurgents to drop off the girls without being attacked by the military.
WHY THE GIRLS WERE FREED EARLY
As I have said time and again, there is no government that will not face tragedies. What makes the difference is how such tragedies are managed.
President Buhari put this in perspective when he said the response of his Administration is a marked departure from the attitude of the preceding administration in the aftermath of the kidnap of the 276 Chibok girls in 2014
Whereas it took that administration 18 days to even acknowledge the kidnap of the girls, the current administration was responsive and was not in denial. No stone was left unturned to secure the release of the girls. For the record, the following actions were taken:
1. The President sent FG's delegation twice to Dapchi and Damaturu, within four days, to engage in fact-finding and to condole with the government and people of Yobe State and the families of the abducted girls. I was on both delegations.
2. The President ordered the Service Chiefs and the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to take direct charge and brief him on a daily basis on the efforts to bring back the girls.
3. The President ordered the re-strengthening of a Joint Operational Base involving relevant agencies and Services to coordinate the rescue mission. Consequently, the Service Commanders established a unified Command Centre in Maiduguri, and the Military also raised several rescue teams to comb the forests in the North East Theatre of Operation.
4. The Nigerian Air Force maintained aerial surveillance of the area all through.
It was not a surprise, therefore, that this abduction ended about a month after it occurred, and that most of the girls are free.
THE REACTION OF NAYSAYERS
You are not unaware of the reaction of the naysayers - the main opposition PDP in particular - to the release of the Dapchi girls. What called for non-partisan celebrations was rather thoughtlessly turned into politics, bad, despicable politics that has no place in any democracy. At times of national tragedies, countries unite. This is the norm everywhere.
Let me encapsulate my reaction to the disgraceful and insensitive politics, that the PDP has been playing with the Dapchi girls, by quoting the statement of the President when he received the Dapchi girls last Friday: ''May I also warn against those elements who have chosen to make political fortune of our citizens’ misfortune. Government would not tolerate any attempt by any person or group to trivialize or politicize security issues for politically motivated ends. Accordingly, security agencies would not hesitate to decisively deal with such unscrupulous characters.'' Those are very clear words that need no elaboration.
The PDP and its co-travelers do not understand that terrorism is a global problem. A terror attack on any country is an attack on all countries. The UN was among the first international organizations to condemn the abduction of the Dapchi girls and also among the first to welcome their release.
Perhaps we should ask the PDP what indeed the party knows about the abduction of the Dapchi girls, going by its statement that their abduction and release were stage-managed. The party made itself a laughing stock within and outside Nigeria with that statement. Don't they know that our international friends are involved in the process that led to the release of the girls? Indeed, there should be a new criterion for withdrawing the registration of a party like the PDP which has failed both as a ruling and an opposition party! If a party cannot rule and cannot be in opposition, what else can it do?
CONCLUSION
1. We thank all Nigerians for their support and prayers. We are grateful for their belief in the ability of this government to secure an early release of the girls. We will continue with the ongoing efforts to account for the remaining six Dapchi girls, and indeed to bring back our remaining Chibok girls.
2. In the words of Mr. President, this Administration remains committed to the fight against terrorism and insurgency. The security services have since been directed to put in place further measures around all schools vulnerable to attacks to ensure the safety of pupils/students and teachers and school workers. The President has also tasked all the security agencies to work to ensure that we do not witness any recurrence of these incidents.
3. Let me emphasize the government's position that while the military efforts are necessarily ongoing, we are willing to continue engaging in a meaningful dialogue which is not only about the release of hostages, but intended at a broader engagement on conflict mitigation (reduction of the violence, possibility of ceasefire, protection of civilians, increased humanitarian access). Government is therefore willing to engage on measures which can lead to stopping the bloodshed and finding long-lasting solutions to the conflict.
4 We appeal for non-partisanship on the issue of security. We all have to be safe and alive before we can even belong to any political party. And whether you are in government or in opposition, Nigeria belongs to all of us.
5. We appeal to the media to be more discerning in disseminating materials that serve no other purpose than to sabotage the ongoing efforts to end the insurgency and secure the release of the remaining Chibok and Dapchi girls. Obviously, the naysayers are growing more desperate and will stop at nothing, including disinformation and fake news, to muddle the waters.
Finally, let me use this opportunity to react to the fake news making the rounds concerning a supposed Sergeant in the Nigerian Army, named David Bako, who said he was part of an alleged conspiracy by the Government to abduct the Dapchi girls.
This is a classic example of what I have just said: Disinformation and fake news! I can tell you categorically that this David Bako is fake. There is no such soldier in the Nigerian Army. There was no conspiracy anywhere. The intention of those behind the disinformation and fake news is to cause disaffection between Christians and Muslims, and between Southerners and Northerners.
This Administration's success in seeking an early release of the Dapchi girls has ruffled many feathers. It has upturned a lot of plans by naysayers. They have not been able to sleep since the girls came back. Their campaign to unseat President Buhari is fuelling their desperation. Nigerians should prepare to see more avalanche of disinformation and fake news. But they should not lend any credibility to such reports. They belong to the trash can!
I thank you for your kind attention
*EXPECT HEAVY DOWNPOURS WITH LIGHTNING FLASHES*
The Ghana Meteorological Agencies has predicted heavy downpours with lightning flashes as part of the upcoming long raining season.
It is, therefore, advising the general public to avoid taking shelter under transformers and not to hold metallic objects.
According to the Director of Research at the Agency, Charles York, the rains are expected to start early this year; from April and will last until July.
People should “strengthen exchanges between the agencies for monitoring flood, the reduction of disaster risk and those responsible for humanitarian aid.
*Safety Tips*
1. Don't use mobile phone when raining.
2. Switch off you TV set.
3. Avoid holding metallic objects.
4. Stay away from transformers and electronic objects.
5 Stay away from mirrors and glass objects.
6. Don't try to bath in the rain during this period of raining.
*Thanks*
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=745619649158896&id=100011326047475
The Ghana Meteorological Agencies has predicted heavy downpours with lightning flashes as part of the upcoming long raining season.
It is, therefore, advising the general public to avoid taking shelter under transformers and not to hold metallic objects.
According to the Director of Research at the Agency, Charles York, the rains are expected to start early this year; from April and will last until July.
People should “strengthen exchanges between the agencies for monitoring flood, the reduction of disaster risk and those responsible for humanitarian aid.
*Safety Tips*
1. Don't use mobile phone when raining.
2. Switch off you TV set.
3. Avoid holding metallic objects.
4. Stay away from transformers and electronic objects.
5 Stay away from mirrors and glass objects.
6. Don't try to bath in the rain during this period of raining.
*Thanks*
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=745619649158896&id=100011326047475
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