27022020 - Insurgency: Depressed soldier shoots 7, kills self

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Vanguard, TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2020 — 35 :Vanguard News :@vanguardnews :@vanguardnews NEWS HOTLINES: 08052867023, 08052867058 NBC PROMO: From left — Commercial Manager, Nigerian Bottling Company (NBC), Yetunde Kolade; one of the beneficiaries of the 'Gbe Bottle e' N100,000 give away, Margaret Olorunfunmi Sowemimo and Regional Trade Marketing Coordinator, NBC, Wale Faluyi at the second phase of the NBC's Retailers Reward Program in Ibadan, Oyo State. Teach your children good morals, Okowa tells parents, guardians ...as Delta holds time out with role model By Festus Ahon A S A B A — GOVERNOR Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State, yesterday, told parents, guardians and teachers not to relent in teaching children moral values and principles that would help NLC to African countries: Create enabling environment to attract investments By Victor Young NIGERIA Labour Congress, NLC, has called on African governments to build and expand infrastructure, create the enabling environment to attract ‘responsible’ investors while also investing in education, healthcare to enhance citizens’ development. NLC President, Ayuba Wabba, made the call in Lagos, while speaking at the 6th Africa Social Partners Summit, hosted by Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association, NECA. Wabba contended that “all over the world we need jobs. In Africa, Land dispute: Stop harassing yourselves with police, court warns parties By Onozure Dania LAGOS—AN Igbosere Magistrates’ Court has warned parties in a land dispute to stop using the police against each other. Magistrate Linda Balogun ordered the parties to maintain status quo, pending the determination of an alleged case of malicious damage, forcible entry to land and threat to life. She made the order following the testimony of a prosecution witness, Mr Owodunmi Okupe. Okupe alleged that his son was arrested by the police on the court’s premises immediately after the last hearing of the matter, and were taken to Zone 2 headquarters. He claimed that the defendant in the case was behind his ordeal. The witness also tendered a survey plan document before the court, but the court observed that it was different from that of the defendant. Mrs Balogun said: “I hereby order that all parties before this shape their future for a better society. Okowa who spoke in Asaba at the maiden edition of an event, entitled ‘Time Out With Role Model,’ organised by the state Orientation Bureau, for young people, focusing on public and private school children, urged we need plenty new jobs. Yet, jobs will not happen by happenstance. Job generation is a reward for economic growth. The economy can only grow with increase in purchasing power. The wages of workers underline the purchasing power in any clime. It is a major driver for productivity and growth. ''Wages in Africa are the poorest around the world. For a continent that is endowed with enormous mineral and human resource, this is totally unacceptable. It is sad that while other regions have deservedly elevated the wage discourse to decent and living wages, many African governments and employers still court should restrain, from using any police or agent to arrest or harass each other”. The magistrate directed parties to maintain the status quo and adjourned till March 23, for continuation of hearing. The Police had arraigned Matthew Balogun, 63, on September 26, 2019, on a fourcount charge of conspiracy, malicious damage, forcible entertain, threat to life, and breach children to emulate people with responsible behavioural attitude as mentors for a purposeful life. Okowa, represented by the Commissioner for Youth, Mr Ifeanyi Egwuyanga, insisted that as future leaders, the youths needed to be taught good morals. In his keynote address, the Commissioner for Information, Mr. Charles Aniagwu, charged the participants to make a genuine difference in life, through their behavioural pattern in core moral values by shunning vices that could make them wayward in life. Earlier, the organiser and Director General of the State Orientation Bureau, Mr Eugene Uzum, said, “In line with Governor Okowa’s ‘Stronger Delta Agenda,’ we have under studied the attitudinal complexities and the mindset of our youths, hence we deem it necessary to create this platform to properly guide the younger generation in the area of mental infrastructure, mindset and value orientation, role modeling and value appreciation in the actualization and sustenance of the stronger Delta dream and self emancipation. “We believe with the rise in moral decadence, societal vices and loss of core values to trends, especially in an era when disorientation of young people has led to increasing menace of internet fraud, ritual killings, illegal migration and human trafficking among others, the need for role modelling cannot be over emphasized. “Time Out With Role Model’, is a platform where societal role models are invited to interact with young persons, heart to heart to exchange values and reveal life principles that will help shape their mentality, vision, belief system and creating the needed mental structure for sustainable development”. Uzum thanked Governor Ifeanyi Okowa for “accepting to be our principal role model, and the Managing Director of Conoil Producing Limited, Mr Michael Madoghwe for appearing as a role model for this maiden edition.” IRDC Bid Opening: Planned projects'll address communities' demands — ODELI By Jeremiah Urowayino SECRETARY of Tisun Community Management Council in Warri North Local Government Area, Prince David Odeli, has commended the executive of Itsekiri Regional Development Committtee, IRDC, for the success of the 2019/2020 Projects’ Circle bid opening ceremony, saying the roads, jetties and housing projects to be awarded reflect needs assessment of indigenes of see minimum wage as some sort of lottery for workers. Workers all over Africa demand for wage justice.” According to him, “While we support government initiatives on the ease of doing business, we must build the infrastructure for the future we desire. If we reduce the high incidence of official corruption, there will be enough funds to fund economic growth and bring about shared prosperity. ''Whatever we do, we must ensure that the quantum leap in human population in Africa must not lag behind proactive visioning and action by government. We must plan and act like tomorrow is already here because Africa’s tomorrow is already at the door heavily pregnant. In today’s globalised world, economic growth does not happen in isolation. The deliberate undermining of a region through unfair trade practices, restrictions, debt blackmail and imposition of ‘impossible’ trade conditions does not only hurt the target economies but also the predatory states. The current gale of forced migration warns all of us that crisis anywhere could mean chaos everywhere. A word suffices.'' the 23 IRDC communities. Odeli, who brushed aside statement credited to some non-IRDC Council members, that the projects did not reflect, “contemporary plights in the affected communities”, asserted that construction of more houses, jetties and roads, would create the right atmosphere for more people as well as investors to live and do business in the Itsekiri coastal oil and gas producing communities. The Warri North Community scribe argued that lack of internal roads, insufficient housing and limited access to the communties, through jetties are counter-productive to wealth creation, job opportunities and other forms of economic activities. He described the bid opening as transparent and urged the IRDC executive not to be distracted by the comments of people, “who are not representatives of any of the 23 IRDC communities, state and local governments, Chevron Nigeria Limited and the non-governmental organizations, midwifing the GMoU Governace Model.” CLO alleges hijack of job vacancies by INEC officials in Bayelsa ...we’re not aware of any hijack —INEC By Samuel Oyadongha & Emem Idio Y ENAGOA—CIVIL Liberties Organisation, CLO, in Bayelsa State has accused senior staff of the authorities of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, of alleged sales and diversion of job vacancies meant for indigenes of the state, threatening legal means to ensure such jobs are made available to indigenes of the state. Meanwhile, the commission in the state has denied knowledge of such diversion of employment opportunities by any of its officials in the state. According to CLO, preliminary investigation into the claim of alleged sales, sharing and diversion of jobs meant for Bayelsa indigenes showed that the vacant positions of between Grade levels 01-07 at the Late Iyalode Tinubu's estate: Absence of the Justices stalls hearing By Innocent Anaba LAGOS—HEARING in the appeal by Trustees of the Estate of late Madam Iyalode Tinubu at the Court of Appeal sitting in Lagos, challenging the decision of Justice Wasiu Animahaun of a Lagos High Court, on a disputed Ijora land was, yesterday, stalled due to the absence of the Justices of the appellate court. The hearing could not go on because the judges were absent, as they went for the valedictory session organised in honour of the retiring Court of Appeal President, Justice Zainab Bulkachuwa Justice Animahaun had, in his ruling delivered on January 23, 2019, dismissed the appellant’s counterclaim filed on June 8, 2017, in suit N0, M/5/2009 on the ground that it was an abuse of court process. Dissatisfied with the lower court’s ruling, the Trustees had through their lawyer, Ayoyinka Roberts, appealed, urging the appellate court to set aside the ruling of the lower court. Group trains 8000 youths on agribusiness in two years in Kwara By Demola Akinyemi ILORIN—A group of young agribusiness experts in Kwara State has trained over 8000 unemployed youths making them to be gainfully employed across the state in the last two years. The Ilorin-based organisation, under the aegis of Heart and Capital Limited, which said the initiative was continuous, noted that the training was aimed at creating wealth for the young generation in Agriculture, a profession that has a secured future among others. The President and cofounder of the organization, Abdulquawiy Olododo, spoke at a briefing while unveiling a new product of the company, “The Eterno commission office in Yenagoa, were being handed to cronies and families from outside the state. Speaking with newsmen yesterday in Yenagoa, state Chairman of CLO, Chief Nengi James-Eriworio, he said: “We have it on good authority that some vacancies within the state INEC are being diverted and handed to non-indigenes. We are calling on the Resident Electoral Commissioner and the national chairman of INEC to investigate and ensure compliance on making available the job spaces for Bayelsa indigenes.” Reacting, Head of Voters’ Education and Publicity, INEC Bayelsa State, Mr Wilfred Ifogah, said:” The leader of CLO in Bayelsa had earlier inquired and I did inform that in as much as I know, there was approval for vacant junior staff recruitment. But I am not aware of any hijack. “However, I know the commission is recruiting senior staff and it’s coordinated from our national headquarters.” In the appeal through their attorney, Adamakin Investment and Work Limited, the Trustees are also praying the court for an order reinstating to the cause list of the lower court, the counterclaim in the same suit dismissed by the lower court. They are praying the court for an order for the trial of their counterclaim before another court within the same jurisdiction as constituted before the lower court. In a 12-paragraph affidavit in support of the appeal and deposed to by one Ayoyinka Roberts, a legal practitioner, the Trustees also prayed the appellate court to stay further proceeding in the matter pending the determination of the appeal, stressing that taking further proceeding in the matter will foist a situation of helplessness on the court of appeal and render the appeal nugatory. According to the appellant, the lower court erred in law when it decided that their counter-claim was an abuse of court process despite acknowledging that the counter-claim in the suit before him was the earlier in time. Project” where an investor would own a Cashew tree with 10,000 and earn up to 1000% return on the investment in 20 years. He said “We partner with several tertiary institutions among which is Kwara State University, KWASU, which is our first partner. We get to train about 4,000 youth, young farmers every year on opportunities in agribusiness. We have trained over 8000 of youths in Agribusiness in the last two years. We are young and we can understand language comprehensible to young adults. Agriculture had gone beyond hoes and cutlasses, farming and waiting for harvest. A whole value chain exists from planting to processing, marketing and others that our youth should be part of.”
36— Vanguard, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2020 Defeating Boko Haram in five easy steps By OLA BALOGUN CAN we rely on the Nigerian Armed Forces as presently constituted? There is nothing new under the sun! From time immemorial, the challenge of confronting and defeating non-state military forces that engage in guerilla warfare has been met successfully time and time again. Thus, there is virtually no need to innovate when it comes to solving this problem. The strategies and tactics for defeating guerilla forces have been abundantly written about and commented on, both in history books available to the general public and in specialised textbooks produced for use in military academies. Examples of successful anti-guerilla campaigns range from Alexander’s campaigns in India to the methods applied by Julius Caeser against indigenous tribes in present day France and Germany, as well as to the ferocious scorched earth tactics employed by the famous Mongolian Emperor Genghis Khan, whose military genius has long been widely acknowledged. African and African diaspora Generals like Toussaint L’Ouverture in Haiti and the great Shaka Zulu (Ushaka) in southern Africa are also known to have evolved and applied superb tactics for checkmating and defeating guerrilla forces in varied combat theatres. Closer to us in time, it was not only because the British imperial military forces that invaded the African continent had OLA BALOGUN vastly superior weapons that they easily defeated several indigenous fighting units in Nigeria. The British were almost always victorious because they systematically applied appropriate strategies and tactics directed at crushing indigenous forms of warfare, including guerilla attacks. Closer to us in time, the efficient and ruthless manner in which the British army comprehenively d e f e a t e d determined and well-equipped guerilla forces in Malaysia during the era of the socalled Malaya emergency following the When it comes to fighting against Boko Haram, the Nigerian Armed Forces are clearly not doing as much as they are capable of Second World War continues to be studied in military academies all over the world. Why then have these timetested strategies and tactics not been utilized by the present-day Nigerian army to defeat the Boko Haram insurgents? The fundamental reasons for this strange omission are as follows: •Lack of adequate political leadership at the Federal Government level. Military forces generally cannot function efficiently unless they are under the supervision of wise and patriotic civilian leaders. The well-known dictum that warfare is too serious a matter to be entrusted to military personnel alone has been illustrated time and time again in the Nigerian setting, both during the Nigeria- Biafra civil war and in the context of the fight (or lack of fight!) against Boko Haram. For instance, former President Goodluck Ebelechukwu Jonathan and his entourage were firmly convinced that Boko Haram was some kind of hoax, so they never really mobilised the Nigerian army against the insurgency until the dying days of the Jonathan administration. Closer to us in time, the Buhari administration has turned out to be a weak and disorganised substitute for government in which no one is really in charge. How can a non-existent government be expected to pursue warfare efficiently? An even more glaring impediment to the meaningful deployment of the Nigerian Armed Forces against Boko Haram is to be found in the fact that several highly placed individuals and groups in the Federal Government and in the Nigerian Army itself have converted the alleged “fight against Boko Haram” into a gigantic multibillion dollar ‘chop-chop’ industry... The officially documented stories revealed by the EFCC in judicial filings about how shocking amounts of money running into billions of dollars were allegedly diverted into private pockets by Sambo Dasuki and a variety of accomplices under the guise of funding weapons purchases for the fight against Boko Haram merely represent the tip of the iceberg: There is much worse going on at this very moment! With so many vested interests at the top levels of the Federal Government and the Nigerian Armed forces benefitting from the existence of Boko Haram, why would there be any serious effort on their part to end the emergency? The contrary is obviously the case! It is a well-known fact that there are many highly placed military and civilian officials in Nigeria who are working very hard to ensure the continued existence of Boko Haram. As a result, when it comes to fighting against Boko Haram, the Nigerian Armed Forces are clearly not doing as much as they are capable of. •Institutional weaknesses in the Nigerian Armed Forces. The Nigerian Army and Nigeria’s paramilitary forces as a whole cannot be said to consist in bulk of highly patriotic individuals motivated by burning love for our nation who are willing to gladly sacrifice their lives in the service of the nation. The Vietnamese soldiers who confronted and overcame the best soldiers that France could muster during the legendary battle of Dien Bien Phi are famed for marching forward to attack day after day, night after night, vying for the honour and glory of giving up their lives in the service of a collective national interest, just as the French soldiers themselves had done in defence of their own fatherland during the terrible wars that were waged in the wake of the French Revolution at the end of the 18th century. Uneducated mercenary fighters There are definitely large numbers of highly motivated Nigerian patriots who would gladly give up their lives to defend the lives of their parents, children and near relatives as well as for the future glory of our nation, but it is obvious that there are no adequate mechanisms in place for motivating and enrolling this cadre of men and women into the Nigerian Armed Forces which remain essentially an outgrowth of the largely uneducated mercenary fighters recruited from among remote tribes to serve as adjuncts to the British imperial officer corps who murdered and raped tens of thousands of defenceless individuals in the course of the relentless military campaigns that were waged against our people by the British imperialists under the guise of “pacifying” Nigeria during the era of colonial conquest of our land. Thus, though the White British officers have long since been replaced by an indigenous Nigerian officer corps, the basic orientation remains the same. The present-day Nigerian Armed Forces (both officers and men!) mostly consist of individuals who have enrolled in the army to earn a salary and pursue a career. As a result, the current Nigerian Army is neither particularly well led nor deeply motivated by patriotic zeal. In fact, the finest example of courageous and skilful military leadership in Nigeria was provided by the officers of the 3 Commando Division under the command of Benjamin Adekunle during the Nigerian civil war, when the Brigade Commanders were seen to lead their men into battle from in front in Israeli army fashion, hence the high rate of casualties among Adekunle’s officer corps, leading to the deaths of brave officers like Lt. Col. Shande, Major Hamman and Lt. Col. Isaac Adaka Boro. The late General Maxwell Khobe (who led the Nigerian army contingent during the ECOMOG operations in Sierra Leone and Liberia for a while) and the late Lt. Col. Gideon Orkar (who perished needlessly in an anti- Babangida coup attemp) are also prime examples of the kind of highly motivated and courageous senior officers that are rarely to be found in the present-day Nigerian Armed Forces. To be concluded *Dr. Balogun is a film maker, author and musician who currently lives in Lagos Okowa's efforts at transforming education in Delta THROUGH steadfastness and a multi-dimensional approach,, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State is running with a vision of creating a globally competitive model learning centres in the state. He has so far given education a new momentum that has moved the state ahead from the deteriorating standard of education in the country. Nigeria's educational sector has waited for decades for a major government intervention needed to rebuild the capacity for high quality education in the country. In the absence of the needed intervention, educational standard has deteriorated from primary to tertiary levels of learning. Nigeria lacks the basic requirements for building an excellent academic community. Funding constitutes a serious challenge to educational development in the country and this has been the case even in the peak of crude oil earnings. The poor and deteriorating quality of education in Nigeria was clearly unacceptable to Governor Okowa who, at the inception of his administration, took it upon himself to set an example for the nation, a model of government intervention in the educational sector. This he did by convoking an Educational Summit in the state where all stakeholders were brought together to discuss on the challenges facing Education in the state. The Okowa-led Delta State government defined a vision of making the state a model learning centre in the country and has since then run with a new zeal unmatched anywhere else in the country to make it happen. The task was identified and a clear goal was set which is to place education at a level that is competitive worldwide. An effective strategy for solution normally requires a clear understanding of the roots of a problem. Like a master craftsman, Okowa ensured a proper diagnosis of the problem of deteriorating standard of education in Nigeria and found that inadequate funding and lack of essential facilities are the significant variables. He then gave the two critical areas the kind of attention never seen any time in recent memory and hardly matched anywhere else in the country. A reinforcement of the educational foundation, he discovered, needs to be done at the primary school level and that became a key element of the new engagement. Okowa insists on the need to lay a proper educational foundation for pupils at that level. This adult learners who had earlier in life missed the opportunity of getting such education while they were children. "We understand that a quality education system will undoubtedly foster the socioeconomic development of the state and by extension the harmony, respect, discipline and productiveness needed for a cohesive society and a prosperous economy. As such we are sparing no resource and effort in providing the necessary inputs and processes inextricably linked to the making of a quality education system such as qualified teachers, IT-driven teaching, learning and administrative platforms, new and improved school infrastructure, relevant curriculum, appropriate legislation and an enabling teaching and learning environment. For us nothing but the very best is good enough and that is what you get in every public and recognised private school in Delta State." Delta State government, under Okowa has taken major steps to give primary schools development the priority accorded it under the millennium goals. World Bank's grants are available for the development of primary schools but most states are not keen about it because they are not willing or are unable to provide the counterpart fund. The government of Delta State ensured that the problem of funding did not hinder the attainment of the desired educational quality standard. The government sourced its counterpart fund for the UBEC grants for primary school funding through a term loan facility. With counterpart funding, the state's Universal Basic Education Board gained access to the Universal Basic Education Commission fund. This has enabled the state to overcome the usual problem of lack of funds for primary schools development. The state government has therefore been able to sustain effort in constructing new classroom blocks, renovating dilapidated Okowa has so structures, recruit- informed his administration's drive to reposition primary school education for enhanced performance. This is a message for the nation that for any measure aimed at addressing the problem of declining standard of *Okowa education to succeed, it has to necessarily begin at the primary school level. According to Chief Patrick Ukah, the Commissioner, Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education in Delta: "The ministry is charged with the onerous responsibility of formulating, implementing and regulating educational policies and programmes for the State, including overseeing the general administration of the Basic and Secondary school system in accordance with the goals and needs of the State and in consonance with the National Policy on Education and other relevant policies/programmes such as the Education For All, EFA, Sustainable Development Goals, SDGs and vision 20:20 goals as well as the SMART Agenda of the Okowa’s Administration. "In a nutshell, it is the responsibility of the Ministry to provide Early Childhood, Primary and Secondary/Technical Education for the young ones as well as provide basic literacy and life skill education for far sustained the drive to reposition primary schools in the state with a view to meeting current reality demands ing new primary school teachers and providing essential instructional resources, thus creating an effective learning system. It is the desire of the Okowa-led administration to raise the capacity for quality education at all levels within the state. Okowa has so far sustained the drive to reposition primary schools in the state with a view to meeting current reality demands. With improved funding, his government has attained great landmarks in renovating primary and secondary schools in the state and in procuring essential educational facilities, including computer facilities and electric power generators for public secondary schools. Education is an essential tool for touching lives and recreating destinies of people and societies. This is precisely what Governor Okowa has done with it so far in Delta State. It is one step forward by the government that has registered grassroots impacts in Delta State. A number of schools in dilapidated conditions have received facelifts across the state despite the revenue crisis that has hit government finances generally in recent years. Government's master plan for the development of education revolves around the provision of enabling learning environment to enhance teaching and learning at all categories of schools in the state. It is an integrated approach to lay a solid foundation at primary school level and ensure high quality rollout of graduates at tertiary levels of education. Teachers' Professional Development Centre: In line with the broad strategy, the state's government has embarked on the construction of Teachers' Professional Development Centre at Owa-Oyibu in Ika North East Local Government Area of the State. The Centre when completed will ensure proffiency in teaching as it will afford the state government the opportunity to train and retrain teachers. To be concluded
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27022020 - Insurgency: Depressed soldier shoots 7, kills self

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