The Mortification of Babachir Lawal

 




The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal is the highest-ranking federal government official to visit the traumatised residents of Dalori Village on the outskirts of Maiduguri. Here, 86 people were slaughtered by Boko Haram terrorists on January 30. Rather than comfort the beleaguered villagers, the SGF spent time blaming them for “poor intelligence gathering.” He said: “It shows a lack of intelligence ... Poor intelligence gathering by locals is to blame for the attack.” What Lawal is saying is that the attack would have been averted if the hapless locals had been up and doing with intelligence gathering.

The SGF expects them to effectively gather and supply intelligence to security operatives. There is nothing wrong with community policing. However, it is obvious that there was very little the poor villagers could have done in this direction. To blame the hapless villagers for the Boko Haram attack due to inability to supply intelligence is most wicked. Are the intelligence arms of the military, police and the DSS not on ground in these troubled areas? What about the men of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA)? It is a shame if they are not on ground. If they are, then, they should be held responsible for the Dalori attack and punished accordingly. Babachir should also note that “Dalori villagers actually got the signal a few days before the attack that the insurgents were likely to attack them; they reported this to the constituted authorities but nothing was done to provide security for residents and their belongings.” This is according to Senator Baba Garbai who represents the area. The SGF must go back to Dalori and apologise for his shameful statement.

Udom Emmanuel Should Cut Short His Celebration
Now that Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom State has the nod of the Supreme Court to continue as governor, he should cut short his celebration and settle down to the challenges of developing this star-crossed state. There is no iota of development in this hapless state in the last 16 years. Akwa Ibom has simply been sleeping with its huge resources stolen by corrupt and inept leadership. They simply stole Akwa Ibom dry. There is too much suffering in Akwa Ibom State, with very few people having access to the basic amenities of life - public water supply, quality education, healthcare, food, good roads and the rest of them. The tattered public schools across the state are an eye sore in an oil-rich state. Udom should visit public schools in Oyoku Asang and Okisu communities, both in Okobo Local Government Area of the state to understand what I am saying. Here, pupils sit on bare floor in ramshackle classrooms. What a shame!

Again, Udom must allow the local governments to function. At present, the state’s 31 local governments exist only on paper. The era of hijacking funds in the joint account must stop. The 10% from the state’s IGR that should go to the LGs must be implemented. I will also like to see an end to the profligate Christmas carol that gulps billions of Naira annually in the state. This must not continue amidst so much poverty in the state. It must not continue in a state where local government workers are being owed 8 to 10 months’ salaries. This is a state where newly recruited civil servants have not received a single salary in almost one year. Going forward, commissioners and other political appointees that have spent almost 9 years in government should be liquidated immediately by Udom and fresh blood brought into government. Udom cannot afford to fail the distressed people of Akwa Ibom State.

Thank You Senator Baba Garbai
While virtually everybody involved in the war against Boko Haram has chosen to be economical with the truth, Senator Baba Kaka Garbai representing Borno Central in the National Assembly has refused to be part of the charade. While the government has been preaching that the terrorists have been “technically defeated,” Garbai recently declared openly that Borno State was divided in equal measure between the terror sect and the Nigerian military. “The truth must be told that both Boko Haram and the Nigerian nation each have full control of three local governments in the troubled Borno State and both have a level of dominance in 21 other local councils. Mobbar, Abadam and Kala Balge LGs are 100 per cent occupied by the insurgents,” declared Garbai. We must be very honest in this war against the terrorists; otherwise, we will be doing a great disservice to the ill-fated people in the affected communities. Only the truth can get us out of this mess. The government must stop telling us that the terrorists have been weakened while attacks occur virtually on a daily basis. Last week, the terrorists attacked and destroyed Mairi and Malari communities on the outskirts of Maiduguri, killing several people. On Tuesday, the IDP camp in Dikwa was attacked by Boko Haram and almost 70 people were killed. Just on Thursday, four persons were killed by the terrorists during an attack on Shuwari Village in Konduga Local Government Area of Borno. This nation must put an end to this deceit on Boko Haram war. We cannot continue like this and expect positive result.

THISDAY