CENSORSHIP: "Let's Talk Southern Kaduna Crisis.: The Complete Interview," Is No Longer Avallable

The popular video (Let's Talk Southern Kaduna Crisis: The Complete Interview), posted here a few days ago is no more. They killed it. It is no longer available Youtube, either. And it was about an hour long. However, they left intact the two minutes version that made the most rounds on the web and was less impactful. Here is my take on the disappearing video and those responsible: If the DSS is afraid of the truth, then, stop the killings and the invasion to conquer, annihilate, and vanquish that are going on in Southern Kaduna and the entire Middle-Belt region of Nigeria. Thank you.

You Can't Cast Out Poverty in Nigeria by Miracle - The Miracle is in Your Action. Cast Them Out At Abuja

Nigeria: Why Southern Kaduna is in Everyone of Us.

It is Zango Kataf today, but it might be your city, your countryside tomorrow. They have the money and they have the power. And they are not afraid to use them. They are less than 5% of our population. But they are everywhere, spreading their tentacles with impunity, unleashing mayhem, and perpetuating their interests unhinged. And they are the unseen hands of Nigerian political power equations and security meltdown.

April 25, 2016, about 500 armed Fulani Herders invaded Nimbo Village in Enugu State at about 6 a.m in the early morning. They came without notice and at about 7 a.m, they began the onslaught. They slaughtered, killed, maimed, and disappeared into the tin air just the way they came. It was a very successful mission. And I remember seeing the State Governor crying like a baby on TV at the sight of a butchered cadaver of a lady - with matchet cuts all over her head.

If they had wanted to sack the traditional ruler of Nimbo Village and impose one of their own as the king, similar to what took place in Kwara and some parts of Kogi, Kaduna, and the entire North West pre-amalgamation, they would have succeeded. How did they get to Nimbo Village? How come when the Governor called Abuja, the IGP, and the State Commissioner of Police for help, help did not come? So, there is Southern Kaduna in every one of us, in our villages, and in our state capitals.

Same period: Two Ibo women were abducted by Fulani Herders and the villagers came together to initiate a rescue operation. And like a bolt from the blue, some armed military boys descended on Ogwaneshi village in a military vehicle and arrested about 70 young men and elders of the village. Their offense was that they were allegedly planning a reprisal attack on Fulani settlers who kidnapped the two women. They took the arrested men to Umuhia Army Station and released them after about two weeks. Who gave the order for their arrest? Now, you know the military connection or collusion.

There are some forces within the Nigerian Armed Forces who are above the law. Their loyalty is neither to the army nor to the Nigerian nation-state, but to about one percent of the Northern Hausa/Fulani oligarch who controls the wealth and power of this country. If you want to know what they do with power and how they use power, go and read El-Rufai's book, "The Accidental Public Servant." (I don't mean this in a negative sense). (If I am not a fan or admirer of President Goodluck Jonathan, it is because he didn't know what to do with power). If you think what's going on right now in Southern Kaduna is a Northern problem, think again. It's already happening in your neck of the woods.

Southern Kaduna is burning. Yes, indeed, it is burning and people are dying in record numbers. And the Middle-Belt, made up of Benue and Plateau, has been burning since the amalgamation. Not left out, is the North-East of the famed Prince Idris Alooma of the Kanem Bornu Empire. Today, the cosmopolitan detribalized Maiduguri turning apart, and at war with the unknown. Thanks, of course, to Boko Haram. But the Governor of Borno State, Professor Babagana Zulum disagreed. “It is complete sabotage… I cannot end my interview without clearly stating what happened yesterday. As far as I am concerned, there was no Boko Haram yesterday (Wednesday). It was a serious shooting by the Nigerian armed forces while ‘residing’ in Baga. The situation is very embarrassing.” Premium Times, August 02, 2020. 

Historically, there is something peculiar about the enumerated cities or regions in the preceding paragraph. They overpowered Uthman Dan Fodio and resisted his foreign warriors who waged a conquering mission on them many years ago. This time around, the invaders are waging an undeclared war in continuation of Uthman Dan Fodio's mission that was unaccomplished. If you think it is Southern Kaduna's problem today, think again. And remember what happens to Nimbo village in Anambra State on April 25, 2016. 

I am not a bigot or an ethnic chauvinist. I am of a minority tribe and I do not subscribe to "it is the turn of my tribe to produce the next President" brouhaha. The religious and ethnic background or the geographical location of my President does not matter to me. My focus is on equal rights and justice, egalitarianism, and what is good for Nigeria as a country, and every one of us.

Thanks, to President Buhari, bigotry, cronyism, and ethnic chauvinism are tearing Nigeria apart. He has transformed a popular democracy into one of Oligarchy. And armed bandits are roaming our villages and countrysides killing, kidnapping, raping and dispossessing lawful citizens of their earnings and cultivated farmlands. As lawlessness and bloodshed desecrate the land, the Service Chiefs are luxuriating in obscene wealth, unconcerned. To borrow President Donald Trump's term, President Buhari's administration is a complete disaster. I hold this view not because he is a Muslim or a Hausa/Fulani of Northern extraction, but because it is the indisputable truth. He is a disaster. 

Let's Talk Southern Kaduna Crisis. The Complete Interview

Let's Talk Southern Kaduna Crisis: The Complete Video.

Southern Kaduna is arguably the only unconquered territory in the Central and Western sections of the Northern region of Nigeria. Like the people of Benue and Plateau, they retain their original identity - names, culture, and religion. What the invaders are doing to them, is what Uthman Dan Fodio couldn't do. This is jihadist.

Southern Kaduna is just a geographical expression, they are in every respect, closer to the people of Benue and Plateau, than they are to the Hausa/Fulani folks of the North. What is going on in Southern Kaduna is Jihad and we should not qualify the mayhem and fatalities as a "them them" insurgency. It is not "them them" and it has never been. The people of Southern Kaduna are treated as foreigners in their own ancestral homeland by the invaders. The goal is to invade, conquer, total annihilation, and occupy.

Who is arming the Jihadist? Life has no duplicate, my friend. It is irrelevant whether you are a Muslim or Christian, life is life. The Military has failed us. And the Federal Government has failed us. And that is the major disaster of President Buhari.

Update August 13, 2020

CENSORSHIP: "Let's Talk Southern Kaduna Crisis.: The Complete Interview," Is No Longer Available

The popular video (Let's Talk Southern Kaduna Crisis: The Complete Interview), posted here a few days ago is no more. They killed it. It is no longer available Youtube, either. And it was about an hour long. However, they left intact the two minutes version that made the most rounds on the web and was less impactful. Here is my take on the disappearing video and those responsible: If the DSS is afraid of the truth, then, stop the killings and the invasion to conquer, annihilate, and vanquish that is going on in Southern Kaduna and the entire Middle-Belt region of Nigeria. 

Nigeria: Why Southern Kaduna is in Everyone of Us.

It is Zango Kataf today, but it might be your city, your countryside tomorrow. They have the money and they have the power. And they are not afraid to use them. They are less than 5% of our population. But they are everywhere, spreading their tentacles with impunity, unleashing mayhem, and perpetuating their interests unhinged. And they are the unseen hands of Nigerian political power equations and security meltdown.

April 25, 2016, about 500 armed Fulani Herders invaded Nimbo Village in Enugu State at about 6 a.m in the early morning. They came without notice and at about 7 a.m, they began the onslaught. They slaughtered, killed, maimed, and disappeared into the tin air just the way they came. It was a very successful mission. And I remember seeing the State Governor crying like a baby on TV at the sight of a butchered cadaver of a lady - with matchet cuts all over her head.

If they had wanted to sack the traditional ruler of Nimbo Village and impose one of their own as the king, similar to what took place in Kwara and some parts of Kogi, Kaduna, and the entire North West pre-amalgamation, they would have succeeded. How did they get to Nimbo Village? How come when the Governor called Abuja, the IGP, and the State Commissioner of Police for help, help did not come? So, there is Southern Kaduna in every one of us, in our villages, and in our state capitals.

Same period: Two Ibo women were abducted by Fulani Herders and the villagers came together to initiate a rescue operation. And like a bolt from the blue, some armed military boys descended on Ogwaneshi village in a military vehicle and arrested about 70 young men and elders of the village. Their offense was that they were allegedly planning a reprisal attack on Fulani settlers who kidnapped the two women. They took the arrested men to Umuhia Army Station and released them after about two weeks. Who gave the order for their arrest? Now, you know the military connection or collusion.

There are some forces within the Nigerian Armed Forces who are above the law. Their loyalty is neither to the army nor to the Nigerian nation-state, but to about one percent of the Northern Hausa/Fulani oligarch who controls the wealth and power of this country. If you want to know what they do with power and how they use power, go and read El-Rufai's book, "The Accidental Public Servant." (I don't mean this in a negative sense). (If I am not a fan or admirer of President Goodluck Jonathan, it is because he didn't know what to do with power). If you think what's going on right now in Southern Kaduna is a Northern problem, think again. It's already happening in your neck of the woods.

Southern Kaduna is burning. Yes, indeed, it is burning and people are dying in record numbers. And the Middle-Belt, made up of Benue and Plateau, has been burning since the amalgamation. Not left out, is the North-East of the famed Prince Idris Alooma of the Kanem Bornu Empire. Today, the cosmopolitan detribalized Maiduguri turning apart, and at war with the unknown. Thanks, of course, to Boko Haram. But the Governor of Borno State, Professor Babagana Zulum disagreed. “It is complete sabotage… I cannot end my interview without clearly stating what happened yesterday. As far as I am concerned, there was no Boko Haram yesterday (Wednesday). It was a serious shooting by the Nigerian armed forces while ‘residing’ in Baga. The situation is very embarrassing.” Premium Times, August 02, 2020. 

Historically, there is something peculiar about the enumerated cities or regions in the preceding paragraph. They overpowered Uthman Dan Fodio and resisted his foreign warriors who waged a conquering mission on them many years ago. This time around, the invaders are waging an undeclared war in continuation of Uthman Dan Fodio's mission that was unaccomplished. If you think it is Southern Kaduna's problem today, think again. And remember what happens to Nimbo village in Anambra State on April 25, 2016. 

I am not a bigot or an ethnic chauvinist. I am of a minority tribe and I do not subscribe to "it is the turn of my tribe to produce the next President" brouhaha. The religious and ethnic background or the geographical location of my President does not matter to me. My focus is on equal rights and justice, egalitarianism, and what is good for Nigeria as a country, and every one of us.

Thanks to President Buhari, bigotry, cronyism, and ethnic chauvinism are tearing Nigeria apart. He has transformed a popular democracy into one of Oligarchy. And armed bandits are roaming our villages and countrysides killing, kidnapping, raping and dispossessing lawful citizens of their earnings and cultivated farmlands. As lawlessness and bloodshed desecrate the land, the Service Chiefs are luxuriating in obscene wealth, unconcerned. To borrow President Donald Trump's term, President Buhari's administration is a complete disaster. I hold this view not because he is a Muslim or a Hausa/Fulani of Northern extraction, but because it is the indisputable truth. He is a disaster. I will explain it. 

President Buhari came into power or was voted into office on the strength of being 

(A) A retired military officer (war experience and security background), and 

(B) Of a Northerner Hausa/Fulani extraction, parading the attributes listed below.

1. He was a sympathizer of the Boko Haram sect when President Goodluck Jonathan was the President - he defended them openly,
2. The Boko Haram sect selected him to represent them when ceasefire initiative was brokered during the Jonathan Presidency,
3. The majority of the bandits terrorizing North Central are Hausa/Fulani natives and the President is Hausa/Fulani, and
4. The armed Herder killers terrorizing the whole country are Hausa/Fulanis, and the President is Hausa/Fulani

In that case, he would be able to leverage that affinity to engender peace and cessation of hostilities in Nigeria when he becomes the President. He is in power now for more than five years, and it has never been that unsafe in the history of Nigerian amalgamation and he is helpless and appears defeated. 

Pastor Ize-Iyamu: Navigating the Unkind Perils of Adam Oshiomhole's Storm.

Pastor Ize-Iyamu is a victim. A victim of a horrendous power play gone wrong in Edo State politics. He was scandalized, castigated, and his integrity impugned in excess of reasonable judgment. They slandered him, but couldn't find the courage to indict him of any criminal wrongdoing, despite the fact that he didn't enjoy any modicum of immunity at the time.

When they realized that they didn't stand a chance of defeating him in a free and fair election, acting in collusion with INEC, they cooked up bogus excuses and postponed the gubernatorial election for about a month. And when the election came and gone, a popular candidate was defeated. They use the machinery of the state - and by any means necessary - to steal his victory and vanquished the peoples' mandate.

And Benin City went to sleep and silence and disbelief took over a boisterous land reputed for pomp and pageantry. To assuage for the unusual calmness, the next morning, they went about renting some youths to pomp up the vibes and put up a jamboree along Akpakpava Street - a jamboree that was highly deficient in rhythm and public embrace. It was a celebration of fraud, a manufactured lie, and a stolen mandate. I was in Nigeria and I monitored the election in my village, but came back to Benin City later in the day. So, nothing here is hearsay or internet-based research. And that was 2016.

Today, things are no longer at ease for candidate Pastor Ize-Iyamu. And it is becoming more difficult for him to navigate the same terrain in comparison to the overwhelming acceptance that his ticket garnered in 2016. Not necessarily because anything has changed about him. It all comes down to show me your friends and I will tell you who you are. Pastor Ize-Iyamu is hunted, doubted, and resented by the ghost of the forces that are fighting his opponent. And that is the Iyamu's worst nightmare - the turbulent storm of Comrade Adam Oshiomhole, which may either sink him politically or bolster his checkered quest for the Osadebe's avenue for good.

At this juncture, I demand that we judge him on what he was found guilty of and not what was said about him. He was never a President, Vice President, Governor, or Deputy Governor. So, he was never at any time in his political career, under the protection of Section 308 (the Immunity Clause) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended. If he was not under any immunity and they had credible evidence of culpability against him, how come they did not indict and prosecute him? 

In a similar vein, I demand that Governor Godwin Obaseki be scrutinize based on his performance in the last four years. Impeachment proceedings because the opposing political party enjoys a majority vote in the House of Assembly is not a license to subvert justice. You must have credible cases bordering on abuse of office. There are numerous ways to checkmate the excesses of the executive branch besides impeachment. You can vote to curtail his excesses, if at all, as well as spending power via oversight and public hearings. That is the best approach to placing his programs and policy formulations under the radar and subjecting them to public scrutiny. 

CRITICAL ANALYSIS.

I have nothing personal against the golden child. Based on the fact on the ground, he is just another average-performing governor. He gave out loans to farmers and other petty traders. And thanks to the Chinese Multinationals and their imported workforce, he is building a Modular Refinery. Edo State voters, writers, bloggers, and intellectual wannabe should be bold enough to demand an explanation from the Governor concerning the percentage of Edo State-born Engineers and Accountants who are working in management positions in the venture. Please, I am not talking about welders and unskilled laborers.

You cannot continue to engage in outsourcing,  thus, denying Edo State indigenes of employment opportunities and expect a blanket endorsement. This is not about Comrade Adam Oshiomhole or Pastor Ize-Iyamu. What about the existing state-owned business? How come he has not been able to revive any of them? Voters should be asking these questions to both of the candidates

Granted, I am not a fan of Comrade Adam Oshiomhole, but his sins cannot confer legitimacy or endorsement on a Governor who hijacked the legislative process and inaugurated only nine out of the twenty-four members elected into the Edo State House of Assembly by the voters of Edo State. (As you are reading this, the rooftop of the Edo State House of Assembly is gone, thus putting a lie to Motesguieu's theory of Separation of Powers and Checks and Balances).

So, let's give Governor Godwin Obaseki a chance to sell his candidacy, not on what the former Governor is saying or has said about him, but on what he has achieved in the last four years, juxtaposed with what Comrade Adam Oshiomhole achieved in his first four years in office. That's should be the benchmark. Though every Governor deserves a second term, it shouldn't be an automatic license. Let's measure it on the threshold of his performance against what other high-achiever Governors have done or are doing.

And I also demand that Pastor Ize-Iyamu be assessed, not on the premise of the allegations leveled against him by Comrade Adam Oshiomhole, but on his blueprint, trust, track records of performance as a key figure in the administration of Governor Lucky Igbinedion as well as Governor Adam Oshiomhole. What policy or program did he influence when he served the two former Governors? That's should be the approach.

CONCLUSION.

On a final note, winning an election mustn't be a do or die thing. After all, it is a democracy. It is not called the government of the people and BY THE PEOPLE for the fun of it. For God's sake, we should demand of the two candidates to tell us how they are going to revive ALL THE ABANDONED STATE-OWNED VENTURES in Edo State. Period. We want to see Bendel or Edo Line running again. I want to see Edo Brewery back to form. These are supposedly profit-making ventures that if well managed will have a spiral positive impact on the economy of Edo State - job creation and a steady supplemental revenue source for the government to run our educational system and the healthcare sector. The time is now to articulate the solutions. Enough of those stupid songs at campaign rallies.

On a lighter note, the gods, the spirit, the enimhin, and all the ehi of the people of Esan tribal region are angry, exasperated, and grieving unceasingly. They have begun to unleash their fangs induced by pains on the political power in the state for the marginalization visited upon their children and for usurping the governorship right that belongs to them. And until there are atonement and public acknowledgment and restitution for that blatant hijack, peace will remain on the flight mode in the affairs of the state for the long haul. 

Edo State Gubernatorial Race and the Trivialization of a Serious Process.

In the past twenty-four years, both Governor Godwin Obasek and Pastor Ize-Iyamu have been in power for a combined period of twenty-four years. For the eight years of Governor Lucky Ogbinedion and the first four years of Comrade Adam Oshiomhole, Pastor Ize-Iyamu was there. That's twelve years. In a similar vein, in the eight years of Comrade Adam Oshiomhole as Governor of Edo State, Mr. Godwin was there as Head of Comrade's Economic team. And in the past four years, he has been the Governor of Edo State. And that's also twelve years. So, in the past twelve years, Mr. Godwin Obaseki has been playing a substantive role in Edo State politics, just as Pastor Ize-Iyamu did twelve years earlier.

The only time these two gentlemen were not in power was for the two years that Professor Osunbor was the Governor of the state. In a few months, the people of Edo State will go to the pooling boots, God willing, to elect their Governor. Governor Godwin Obaseki and Pastor Ize-Iyamu are on the ballot. Sadly, the people of Edo State and Nigerian Journalists, in particular, have taken their eyes off the ball - no one is asking these two gentlemen the serious questions. What role did you play or fail to play in the collapse of the major State-owned Businesses in Edo State? And what are you willing or prepared to do differently this time around?

Chief Obafemi Awolowo did not build the Old Western Region by himself, the like of Godwin Obaseki, and Pastor Ize-Iyamu whom he recruited from home and abroad did the job for him. The foundation for the popular free education program of the old Western Region was laid in two years - between 1952 and 1954. Yes, two years. Awo did not have crude oil while building the Western Region. But he got vibrant brainpower around him, doing the strategies and tactics. And it was all about internally generated revenues. All he had was the vision. And he got the foresight to go for the best performers he could find anywhere around the globe.

Bendel Brewery or Edo Brewery is lying dormant, unutilized, not necessarily because the people of Edo, Ondo, Delta, and the Bayelsa States have given up on relishing their favorite of Crystal Beer. The trouble is that the political leaders in the state are having difficulties going beyond their circle of friends and political allies to recruit capable hands and credible candidates to manage the Brewery for profit. This is not a joke; the problem is management, specifically, manpower related. Governor Godwin Obaseki and Pastor Ize-Iyamu were in power when the management of the brewery wrecked it.

What about the Cement Factory at Ukpila? The same story. They sold it, not necessarily because Nigerians have placed a moratorium on construction projects and no longer in want of cement. The successive administrations in Edo State are having difficulties going outside of the usual networks of friends and political allies to recruit credible candidates to run the Cement factory. Once again, Pastor Ize-Iyamu and Governor Godwin Obaseki were in power when the cement factory was grounded.

The boom in the building culture all over Nigeria remains unraveling, and cement is an essential component of that culture. If you have the market and you are not profitable, something is fundamentally wrong with your team. Who builds the team? The State Governor, his Commissioners, and Advisers.

Lastly, the Ewu Flour Mills, a Federal Government project, I think. They couldn't manage it or acquire it, either. They watched as it was sold, not necessarily because Nigerians have given up on eating Ema (pounded yam) or no longer in need of flour for baking purposes. The same reasons that plagued the Brewery and the Cement Factory, took a flourishing market out of the Flour Mills. Thus, prompting Dr. Chris Oyakhilomen to acquire the relics from the government.

What we have before us is management crisis - human resources related and organizational behavior, motivated by greed, inefficiency, and a culture of political godfatherism. And this is a state that once prides itself as the owner of the New Nigerian Bank and Bendel Insurance Company. And of course, Bendel Insurance Company was the owner of the Bendel Insurance Foot Ball Club.

Today, in Nigeria, an economic team, whether at Abuja or in State capitals, is about strategies and tactics for borrowing money from China. Yes, how to borrow money from China. If they are not borrowing from China Multinationals, they are developing crude and aggressive mechanisms for fletching the Market Women and Tuke-Tuke Drivers at the State Motor Parks.

True leadership is about dreams (visions). The Blueprints (a strategic approach). The audacity (the, yes, we can attitude). And the wisdom to identify and select those best fit (the catalysts) to help in pushing the dreams to fruition.

You don't have to like IBB or Atiku. And that's fine. But they know much about Team Building, Management Re-engineering, and placing square pegs in square holes than any Nigerian political leader living today. I rooted for Mr. Atiku Abubakar in the last Presidential election, not because I am a PDP sympathizer, but because I was convinced beyond a reasonable doubt that Mr. Atiku is the best-prepared candidate to govern in the emerging global political-economy and will not have difficulties assembling a formidable economic team to push his visions. And we know better now.

For instance, how can we forget the hiring of Dr. Chu Akongwu by IBB? Dr. Chu Akongwu, as the Commissioner of Finance in Imo State under Governor Ike Nwachukwu, was the one who invented the Imo Formular. The program works so well in Imo State that IBB wasted no time recruiting him into his cabinet. Mr. Atiku Abubakar played a similar role while he was the Vice President in the Obasanjo Administration.

Please, set aside, for now, the usually enumerated sins of IBB. But he built Lekki, the Third Mainland Bridge, Abuja, and the largest expansion of the Nigerian Middle Class ever. He invested our money at home. They did not stockpile our hard currency in warehouses or underground sewage, not knowing investment channels to navigate with them.

If you put in place a formidable team of technocrats, as Papa Awo and IBB did, you won't have difficulties knowing what to do with your resources. And the culture of the Chinese Multinationals being your lenders and builders at the same time will come to an end.

So, here is my thesis. If the voters in Edo State want to replicate the old Ibadan dreams and the exploits of Papa Awo and his men, you need the mind of a visionary leader - those imbued with impeccable managerial acumen, audacity, and the ability to identify great minds in the larger society.

It is time we start asking the candidates how they want to revive our failing industries and put Edo citizens back to work. It is about great expectations. Not insult. Not yabbish. And not disco dancing. I am tired of seeing brooms and umbrellas in the air. I want to see policy statements, blue-print, and substantive talk on leadership, team-building, and industrialization. No gun. No cutlass. And no thuggery.

Edo Brewery is a test. The cement factory is a test. The Edo Line is a test. Edo Pharmaceutical is a test. If you can't revive any of them or don't know how to revive them and put our people back to work, you are not different from an overrated and over-glorified opportunist. Papa Awo and his Action Group Apostles built the Western Region and the present Edo and Delta States without proceeds from the crude oil.

Edo State, like other states in the union, has been enjoying monthly allocations of funds from the Federation Account. In addition, Edo State has jobs creating and income-generating state-owned businesses that are wasting away, dormant. It is time to talk about real politics and manpower development. Enough of the music. And enough of the insult. Enough of bloodshed. Show us your plans for an industrial revolution. And let dissect them; benchmarking them, of course, against what's going on in Cross River State or Ebonyi State. Thank you.