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By Suleiman Umaru
For those who had prepared themselves on how to tongue-lash, President Muhammadu Buhari, a retired Army General, when he quits office , On May 29, 2023, over the lingering security and economic challenges in the country had better sheath their sword.
President Olusegun Obasanjo, who has never hidden his dislike against the Buhari Administration because because of the high level of insecurity and the bartered economy may have given a word of Advice to Uche Secondus, National Chairman of the Opposition People’s Democratic , PDP, described as a government in waiting , that the political elites and the ruling All Progressive Congress government, should ‘’prioritise security and the economy of the nation , rather than the current agitation about the 2023 general elections. The former Nigerian President may have thrown a challenge to the Katsina state born Nigerian President when he said ‘’the major focus should be the challenges facing the country which is impeding its growth and development’’.
The Ogun state born politician, who claimed that he has been managing Diabetes for the past 35 years, in which had killed most his Contemporaries over the years may have shocked many when he said that’’the country not attained its destined position in the comity of nations after many failed opportunities’’. Addressing the PDP loyalists that all hands must be on deck to rebuild the country may have emboldened Secondus, the Opposition Party Chairman to boast that’’ the country would be great again under its Leadership’’.
But the Nigerian President has made it clear to those that cares to listen that, he will ‘’leave Nigeria better than he had met it in 2015, when he first assumed powers and now. He was emphatic. I will not exit the government in 2023 as a failure but as one who had improved the fortuenes of the country that Nigerians would be proud of.
The retired Army General may have been forced to speak out based on briefings from the service chiefs during a security council meeting recently at the Presidential villa based on what is happening in the north east geopolitical region where the Islamic Fundamentalist Group and BokoHaram, have laid siege over the last one decade. The crisis situation in the region may have gotten worse with the factionalisation of BokoHaram and emergence of the Islamic State of West Africa, ISWAP, in 2015, which were said to have entered into the war to further dive the Nigerian military and Multinational National Joint Task Force, MNJTF, prosecuting the insurgency war in the north east.
Now Buhari could beat his chest that the current insecurity situation in the country is gradually dying down as there had been tremendous progress in defeating the insurgents since the appointment of the new service Chiefs . This is evident, according to Babagana Munguno, a retired Major General and National Security Adviser, NSA, going by the large number of the of the Abubakar Shekau, led BokoHaram and Al. Barnawi led ISWAP, in the recent time Borno state and other flashpoint states in the north east.
The NSA, may have corroborated the Nigerian President’s Statement that the large number of the insurgent that had surrender to the Nigerian military in the recent time in the north east was a clear evidence of the relentless efforts of the military , and other security a and intelligence agencies personnel.
Only recently, Musa Adamu , , known in the insurgent circles Mala Musa Abuja and who incidentally is the BokoHaram and ISWAP, Bomb Manufacturer as well as Usman Adamu, popular, Abu Darda, and the two Insurgent Groups, Deputy Chief Bomb Manufacturer with 335 of the loyalists , including 746 members of their family members , comprising of women and Children and of the Chibok girls who had been radicalized on how to detonate Improvised Explosive, Dvices, IED, Bombs, had surrendered to the Lt. General Farouk Yahaya , the Chief of Army Staff, COAS, troops at the Army Headquarters Bama Local government Area, of Borno state,
An elated Munguno, had attributed the large numbers of the the BokoHaram and ISWAP, insurgents surrendering to the Nigerian Army to the infighting among the various factions of the terrorists Group, which was said to have resulted in the death of late Shekau, the BokoHaram Leader.
He averred that that have been greater cooperation, synergy, and intelligence gathering as well as the country’s partners, Particular, Chad and Niger, both countries in the West African sub-region and Cameroon, a country in the Central African subregion.
In a related development, the sucessful conduct of the Anambra state governorship election in November 6, 2021, by Mahmood Yakubu, a Professor, and Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, would determine whether the 2023, general election, that would usher in a new set of political Leaders in the country. The NEC, boss had sad said the Electoral umpire will continue to deepen the use of technology in conducting elections in the country amidst the sharp divisions in the National Assembly whether the electronic transmission of results should be sacrosanct as contained in the newly passed Electoral Act Management bill.
Perhaps to ensure that there would be no problem in the results that would be announced by the Commission would not be disputed by the parties, may have informed why Yakubu, the NIMASA, helmsman, had pledged that they would use the the Anambra gubernatorial election as a test case to test new and innovative technology fort the 2023, general elections. The outcome of the south east state gubernatorial electoral election would determine whether Former President Obasanjo was right to have advised the Political elites to give priority to solving the nation’s security and economic Challenges rather than paying attention to the 2023, general elections.
