Nigeria begins 'final onslaught' against Boko Haram: govt

   
Nigeria has begun the "final onslaught" against Boko Haram, the country's national security spokesman said on Tuesday, after the militants were ousted from the strategic town of Bama.
On a visit to London, Mike Omeri told AFP that "significant strategic military successes and gains" had been made against the Islamists in recent weeks.

"Bama (the second biggest town in Borno state) was retaken yesterday (Monday) and we have Abadam, Gwoza and Askira as part of the remaining areas where we still have this presence," he said. Abadam, Gwoza and Askira are also in Borno, which has been worst hit by six years of violence and was under emergency rule from May 2013 to November last year with neighbouring Yobe and Adamawa.

The military announced that Adawama was "cleared" last Friday and that Yobe was retaken on Monday from Boko Haram, who have pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group in Syria and Iraq. There was no independent verification of the claimed successes, which followed the deployment last month of troops from Cameroon, Chad and Niger, as well as foreign mercenaries.

The operation not only aims at reducing the regional threat from the militants, after several cross-border attacks in recent months, but also to secure the northeast for elections to be held. Voting was initially scheduled for February 14 but was rescheduled to March 28 because of the counter-offensive on the grounds that soldiers would not be available to provide security on polling day.

Omeri refused to be drawn on when the insurgency would be declared over, although President Goodluck Jonathan said in an interview published last Wednesday that Borno would be free in three weeks. "As for the other three areas (Abadam, Gwoza and Askira), help is coming," said Omeri, who announced last week that 36 towns had been recaptured from Boko Haram.

"Soldiers are still out there working hard and we're en route to the final onslaught because it has started already from Bama." The insurgency has left more than 13,000 people dead since 2009 and forced some 1.5 million others to flee their homes.

But Omeri said that once the affected communities were free, "they will be advised to return home and continue with their lives". Jonathan is facing a stiff challenge from the main opposition candidate Muhammadu Buhari, a former military ruler who has attacked the president's record on tackling Boko Haram.

Buhari, who headed a military government for 20 months from December 1983, has accused Jonathan of consistently failing to provide leadership. Chief among the retired general and his party's complaints have been an alleged lack of support and equipment provided to soldiers, which only recently seems to have been rectified.

The opposition has also voiced fears for the integrity of the overall result if the hundreds of thousands of people displaced by the violence in its northeast stronghold are disenfranchised. Repeated bomb and suicide attacks in recent weeks have raised fears about the safety of polling stations.

But Omeri told a separate news conference: "We are confident there will be a level of security to enable citizens to vote." Boko Haram were now "running with their tails between their legs", he added, indicating that the militants were being contained within the northeast.

"Boko Haram are not being pushed into neighbouring countries, we are pushing them to an area where we are finding a solution to their menace," he said. Reports have suggested that Boko Haram fighters were amassing in Gwoza, which Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau declared part of a caliphate last year and is considered the group's headquarters.

On private military contractors, including South Africans who have been seen alongside Nigerian troops in the northeast, Omeri denied reports that some have been fighting on the front line. He maintained their presence was only for training purposes and no mercenaries were involved.

Source: AFP

New York Times calls GEJ lousy, says he's trying to frustrate Buhari

In an article titled 'Nigeria's Miserable Choices' Published on New York Times yesterday Monday February 16th, and written by the editorial board of the US newspaper, they described Nigerian president as a 'lousy incumbent' & described Buhari as a 'former autocratic leader'. 

 

See article below

The Nigerian government was supposed to hold presidential elections this past weekend, which presented voters with the dispiriting choice of keeping a lousy incumbent or returning to power a former autocratic leader. Now they will have to wait at least six weeks to cast votes.

The Nigerian election commission said earlier this month that it had pushed back the vote until at least March 28, after the country’s security chiefs warned that they could not guarantee the safety of voters in northeastern areas of the country where Boko Haram, the extremist militant group, captured international attention last spring when it abducted hundreds of schoolgirls. On Friday, Boko Haram fighters attacked a village in neighboring Chad for the first time, an alarming sign of the group’s expanding strength in a region that also includes areas of Cameroon and Niger.

Any argument to delay the vote might be more credible if President Goodluck Jonathan’s government had not spent much of the past year playing down the threat posed by the militants and if there were a reasonable expectation that the country’s weak military has the ability to improve security in a matter of weeks.

It appears more likely Mr. Jonathan grew alarmed by the surging appeal of Muhammadu Buhari, a former military ruler who has vowed to crack down on Boko Haram. By dragging out the race, Mr. Jonathan stands to deplete his rival’s campaign coffers, while he continues to use state funds and institutions to bankroll his own.

That Mr. Buhari, who helped launch a coup against a democratically elected government in 1983 and ruled until late 1985, has emerged as potential winner is more of an indictment of Mr. Jonathan’s dismal rule than a recognition of the former military chief’s appeal.

Nigerian voters have grown increasingly worried about the stunning rise of Boko Haram, which has committed terrorist atrocities including bombings. 

The abductions and attacks by the group have exposed the weaknesses of Nigeria’s armed forces and the dysfunction of the government. Although Mr. Jonathan’s government has in the past been less than enthusiastic, and at times obstructive, in response to offers of American and European aid, he appears to be growing increasingly worried. In an interview with The Wall Street Journal last week, he said he would welcome American troops to fight the insurgency. 

Beyond security matters, entrenched corruption and the government’s inability to diversify its economy as the price of oil, the country’s financial bedrock, has fallen have also caused Nigerians to look for new leadership. Nigeria, the most populous nation in Africa, and a relatively young democracy, cannot afford an electoral crisis. That would only set back the faltering effort to reassert government control in districts where Boko Haram is sowing terror. The security forces may not be able to safeguard many districts on Election Day. But postponement is very likely to make the security threat worse.

 

Source

NAIJA GOVERNANCE: WHERE I STAND

NAIJA GOVERNANCE: WHERE I STAND

Irrespective of the number of years of military rule in Nigeria, I am in the class of the people that believes that Nigeria ought to be better and greater by now. This is not because of the political manifestos of our leaders or the freedom of expression. I would not want us to start the debate of whether Nigeria is a nation or a country. Politics without principles will only plunge our Nigeria deeper and deeper in corruption and injustice.

In Nigeria today, anyone that wants to make a difference is seen as an antagonist. Martin Luther King (Jr.) was seen as such in America many years ago. However the result of his “antagonism” is there today for everyone to see – Barrack Obama. Records are meant to be broken, bars are meant to be raised. We cannot say that investors should come into Nigeria when we are not ready to empower our people. The enduring legacies of our founding fathers are still in place today in various structures and institutions. Chief Obafemi Awolowo craved for the empowerment of the Southwest. Nigerians have benefited from his legacy of free education today in structures like the Obafemi Awolowo University. The Coca House and the Nigerian Television Authority both located in Ibadan are the results of his vision for Nigeria.

If at all we have been following the trends in Nigeria, we would have noticed some great disparity between what our leaders say and what they do. That is where the value edge seems to be falling off before our own very eyes. Nigerians have to begin to shoot at their target – the ideal Nigeria. To achieve this, I strongly believe that what we need to fear is fear itself. We are in a new era, we are in a new age, and we are not supposed to be given what we do not bargain for as a people. When we vote, we should put aside sentiments, resentments and frivolities. If our leaders perform below expectation, let us arise to challenge them. If they refuse to listen, then let us ask for their recall at their constituencies. Enough is enough.

Let us come up to the round table and discuss the way forward for our dear Nigeria. This is one of the reasons why this page has been put up for us to really dig deep into the basics of rebuilding our dear Nigeria. If Nigerians succeed abroad, then they should be able to succeed here in Nigeria. Let us remember that the more we keep silent, the more we become more vulnerable in our own Nigeria. The ruling class in Nigeria today is not up to 5% of the entire Nigerian population. Let us remind our leaders that they are leaders because we are followers. Let us hold them accountable and begin to think of voting out the “benchwarmers” amongst them. Let us free our minds and liberate our mentality. Post relevant suggestions, comments and constructive criticisms and let us break the vicious cycle of bad leadership and value disorientation. The New Nigeria would not be a coincidence. God bless Nigeria. 

My Nigerian Vision: I see Nigeria in the future having solid infrastructural development, utilizing state-of-the-art Information Technology facilities and well-trained and well-remunerated public and civil servants. I see Nigeria with a master plan that encompasses all the sectors of the economy with a view to planning for the security, environment and education of our youths. I see the best Nigerian technocrats giving the best advice on achieving the vision of a new Nigeria. Welcome to the future!!!