By Suleiman Umaru
Barely thirteen months to the expiration of the Pesident Muammadu Buhari, a retired Army General Administration, Femi Gbajabiamila,led House of Representatives, may have given him a shocker.
Given the increasing increasing increasing and killings in different parts of the country, particular, in the north east, north west and north central geopolitical region states Niger, Taraba, home state of Theophilous Danjuma, a retired Armed General and former minister of Defense, during Olusgun Obasanjo Administration, Benue and Plateau, may have informed why the Lawmakers have asked the Nigerian President to sack Bashir Magashi, a retired Major General and minister of Deence for failing to bring the situation under control They were said to have also called on the Pesident too sack Babagana Munguno, a retired Major and National Security Adviser, NSA. They had criticised the inaction of the Buhari led All Progressive Congress, APC, government, in addressing the security challenges facing the country.
The Northern Elders Forum, NEF, may have come up hard on the Katsina state born Nigerian President by demanding for his immediate resignation over the killings in the country, an indications of a failed President. The NEF members, may have Collaborated the claims of the Nigeria Security Tracker, NST, report, that between January and March, 2022, 2,968 have been killed in Zamfara, Kauna, Katsina, home state of Buhari, Sokoto, Nigeria, former President Shehu Shagari, home state and Niger, home state, Niger of Ibrahim Babangda, a retired Army General and former military President, Bunue, Plateau states, in and other parts of the country. They had said that within the same period,1, 442 people were also kidnapped which did not speak well of the minister of Defense or the NSA and the service Chiefs.
The retired Army General may have known that he has failed Nigerians that he is looking for ways to win back the heart of the people, that he had recently hosted the National Council of State, NCS, meeting at the Presidential Vila, on Thursday, April 14, 2022 The meeting which was attended by Abdulsami Abubakar , a retired Army General and former Head of State and Goodluck Jonathan, a former elected President . The duo, General Babangida, rtd and former President Olusegun Obasanjo, were said to be absent, at the NSC, meeting despite the invitation extended to be them.The security challenges facing the country and the poor state economy are believed to have dominated their discussions.
Recall that Nasir El-Rufai, a former minister of Federal Capital Territory, FCT, during Obasanjo Administration, and now governor of the north west state Kaduna, had said that to win the war against the banditry which has become a multti-million naira business in the region, and which far outweighs the challenge of the Islamic Fundamentalist Group, BokoHaram, and the Islamic State of West African Province , ISWAP, the government must be firm and decisive. The governor had said that there must be simultaneous ground and air araids in all the north western states of Zamfara, descried as home of the Bandits, Kaduna, Katsina and Okoto and other states, where the Bandits have a presence.
The former FCT, minister had said that ‘’ the lack of capacity of Nigeria’s security agencies in the Nigerian security agencies in the areas of adequate personnel and equipment have not helped matters.
In apparent determination to curtain the wings of the criminal gangs, the Federal Government had assured th ‘’it will handle the threats to the country with the firmness it deserves’’.
The retired Army General should take the revelations of Ahmad Gumi, a Muslim Cleric serious that the Bandits operating in the north west and the north central, geopolitical regions, are doing so because in ‘’connivance with some of the security agents in the country’’. He had queried that if it is not business as usual,’’how can these sophisticated weapons the Bandits are using could have crossed the borders into the country if there is not exchanging of hands.
Notwithstanding the increased killings in different parts of the country in the recent time, the Nigerian President, who could not hide his feelings is optimistic that the country would soon ‘’overcome its uncertainty and insecurity challenges’’. He has planned to meet with the service Chief : Luckuy Irabo, an Army General and Chief of Defense Staff, CDS, Farouk Yahaya,, a Lt. General and Chief Army Staff, Air Marshall Olayinka Amao and Vice Admiral, Awal Zubairu Gambo, Chief of Naval Staff, CNS, on Tuesday, April 19, 20322, to restrategise on how to tackle the increasing challenges in the country.The Nigerian President knew that he cannot afford not to redeem his promise of restoring normalcy in the country as he is working round the clock to so.
Joe Biden, the North American country of the United States, US, may have known that the Nigerian government do not have the air power to completely wipe out the Bandits and Terrorists operating in the north west and north east geopolitical regions forest that he has approved the sale of military equipment to Nigeria worth $997 million. Biden may have secured the approval from the Lawmakers after the initial objections raised by the Congressmen over Human Rights abuse abuse in Nigeria
The Defense security Agency that had opened up on the sale of the Helicopters and other related defense systems to the Nigerian military on Thursday, April 14, 2022, had said the Weapons included 12 attack Helicopters, 2,000 advanced precision kill weapon system guidance sections and a night section imaging system. The US , which is one of the Leading North Atlantic Treay Organisation , NATO, supporting Volodymyr Zelensky led Government of Ukraine with the supply of weapons in the fight against Russia had said the sale of the weapons to Nigeria is part of its efforts to boost Nigeria’s security.
Informed sources told The Value News that the Nigerian government had requested to buy ‘’to buy AH-IZ attack Helicopters, 28 T-700 GE 40 IC engines,(24 installed spares) and two thousand 2,000 Advanced Precision Kill Weapon system , APKWS, guidance sections , including Night Vision Cueing Display, NVCD, commercial variant GPS, Communication equipment , electronic warfare systems, AN/ AVS -9 9 Aviator’s Night Vision Imaging System, M197 20mm machine gun, Target Sight System, TSS, spport equipment, spare and engine containers, spare and repair parts, tools and test equipment, technical data and publications.
Also contained in the weapons supply deal, the US Defense Corporation Agency, were said to have agreed to training of Nigerian Air Force personnel and supply of training equipment, Mission Planning system, US. Government and contractor engineering, technical and logistics support services, US Government and contractor assistance and oversight of facilities construction including the provision of plans, drawings and specifications.
There are indications that $25million of the US Lawmakers approved $997 million for sale of weapons funds for sale of weapons to Nigeria will be allocated for Institutional and Technical assistance to the Armed Forces of Nigeria to continue Air –Ground Integration , AGI, programme, which include developing targeting processes that are legally compliant with international Humanitarian Law and Laws of Armed conflict and other related elements of logistics and programme support.
The U Government assurance to sale attack Helicopters and other weapons to Nigeria, now that thecountry is preparing for the 2023, general elections, may have informed why Buhari is optimistic that that the country would overcome its security challenges soon.
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