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I warned ex-NSA about ‘suspicious’ herders infiltration into Nigeria — Soyinka

Published

3 years ago

June 5, 2021

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Nobel laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, has disclosed how he warned a former National Security Adviser on the potential threat posed by the influx of strange nomadic herders in Nigeria.

Speaking, Soyinka berated President Muhammadu Buhari over his controversial comment to ‘shock’ insurrectionists and vandals of electoral commission offices.

“Many of those misbehaving today are too young to be aware of the destruction and loss of lives that occurred during the Nigerian Civil War. Those of us in the fields for 30 months, who went through the war, will treat them in the language they understand,” Mr Buhari said, while warning against vandalism.

The statement, which many suggested to be a subtle threat of ‘genocide’, has been deleted by Facebook and Twitter, two social media giants, who claimed it violated their rules.

The federal government on Friday reacted angrily by suspending the operations of Twitter in Nigeria.

Reacting to the suspension order, Soyinka said the president should be called to order.

“When, however, a Head of State threatens to “shock” civilian dissidents, to “deal with them in the language they understand”, and in a context that conveniently brackets opposition to governance with any bloodthirsting enemies of state, we have to call attention to the precedent language of such a national leader under even more provocative, nation disintegrative circumstances.

READ 2023 elections: Obidients tackle Soyinka, Moghalu for criticising Datti

“What a pity, and what a tragic setting, to discover that this language was accessible all the time to President Buhari, where and when it truly mattered, when it would have been not only appropriate, but deserved and mandatory!”

He also commented on prevailing security challenges occasioned by incessant killings and kidnappings.

Speaking on the alarming farmers-herders clashes rocking the country, Soyinka recalled a meeting he had with a former security adviser in London, during which he warned him about ‘strange’ nomadic herders ten years ago.

The Nobel laureate did not mention any name in his statement.

He said “it took him months to agree to meeting the ex-official in the United Kingdom”.

“It took that long only because I refused to meet him within the country, since it had become clear that the security forces, in addition to high levels of governance, had become infiltrated by the very vicious elements that have fully established and sustained a lethal dimension. I was not about to let myself be “sold out” to unseen forces in my eagerness to sound an oppressive warning.

READ I won’t tolerate security agencies working at cross purposes, Tinubu warns

“We eventually met in London. The records, I am certain, will be found in the National Security files and, in any case, I went accompanied.”

Soyinka said his mission was to “let him (ex-NSA) know that the nation was under siege and that the nomadic herdsmen that then threaded the forests were of a different breed from those whom we normally encountered in that environment that was also close to second home to some of us.”

Speaking further, the playwright said “the military general assured him that the military was aware of it”.

“That National Security Adviser assured me that the military was aware of this, and that his mission to the United States was to negotiate the purchase of spotter planes to patrol the forest routes. I retreated, satisfied, to my normal preoccupations.

“No, not entirely true – I did take other supplementary steps internally, including meetings with high level state officials in the West.”

READ Soyinka tells Tinubu to make power devolution a priority

He, however, lamented that “the same official was later accused of diverting resources meant to equip the military”.

“Now comes the rub! Imagine the chagrin, this past week or two, as revelations emerged, ten years after that meeting, of humongous amounts from oil resources being found in the US off-shore accounts of that pivotal figure of any nation’s security architecture! Is that an exceptional tale?

“Not in the least! He is not the first multi-starred general to be thus exposed, some even brought to trial. While Boko Haram was consolidating, a Nation’s Security Czar was also consolidating his nest egg with funds meant for elimination of a national scourge…”

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FULL LIST: Multichoice increases DStv, GOtv subscription

Published

24 mins ago

April 24, 2024

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Broadcasting company Multichoice has jacked up the prices of its offerings in Nigeria four months after its last increment.

The company reviewed prices in its packages across the board. The new prices will take effect from May 1, 2024.

With the latest price hike, the DStv Premium package increased from N29,500 to N37,000. Similarly, the DStv Compact+ went up from N19,800 to N25,000 while the Compact package increased from N12,500 to N15,700.

The Comfam package moved from N7,400 to N9,300. Yanga package moved up from 4,200 to N5,100 while Padi package increased from N2,950 to N3,600. HDPVR was increased from N4,000 to N5,000, the Access Fees package from N4,000 to N5,000, and XtraView moved from N4,000 to N5,000.

Meanwhile, the Gotv Supa+ package moved from N12,500 to N15,700, Supa package from N7,600 to N9,600, and Max package from N5,700 to N7,200.

While the Jolli package was jacked up from N3,950 to N4,850, the Jinja package moved from N2,700 to N3,300, and Smallie package from N1,300 to N1,575.

READ Mambilla power project: Ex-minister Olu Agunloye arraigned, remanded in Kuje prison

It will be recalled that the company implemented an upward review of prices in December 2023, days after announcing a $72m loss in its financial statement for the third quarter of the year.

Checks on the company’s reviewed price list then showed a 20 per cent per cent hike in the company’s packages across the board.

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NCAA grounds all Dana Air operations

Published

5 hours ago

April 24, 2024

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The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has been directed by Festus Keyamo, the minister of aviation, to suspend the operations of Dana Air, TheCable understands.

The directive followed the incident involving a Dana Air plane at Lagos airport on April 23, which veered off the Lagos airport runway.

This forced aviation authorities to divert flights from the local airport to the international terminal.

In a letter to the NCAA director general dated April 24, signed by Emmanuel Meribole, permanent secretary, ministry of aviation, and seen by TheCable, the ministry said Keyamo’s attention has been drawn to the “serious concerns” that followed the incident.

The ministry said the incident has raised concerns regarding both the safety and financial viability of Dana Air operations.

“In light of these incidents and with the paramount priority being the safety and well-being of our citizens and travelers, the Honourable Minister has directed that you immediately initiate the suspension of Dana Airline’s fleet until a comprehensive audit can be conducted. This audit should encompass all aspects of safety protocols, maintenance procedures, and financial health to ensure full compliance with our aviation regulations,” the ministry said.

READ Soyinka’s bombshell: Buhari govt should apologise to Igboho

“The recent incidents have underscored the urgency of this matter, and it is imperative that swift and decisive action be taken to safeguard the interests of all stakeholders involved. I trust in your expertise and diligence in carrying out this audit thoroughly and expeditiously.”

On April 23, Dana Air said all 83 passengers and crew onboard the flight disembarked safely without injuries or scare.

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Yahaya Bello took $720k from state coffers to pay his child’s school fees – Olukoyede

Published

13 hours ago

April 24, 2024

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The chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, says Yahaya Bello, former governor of Kogi, withdrew $720,000 from the state’s coffers to pay his child’s school fee in advance.

Olukoyede spoke in Abuja on Tuesday during an interactive session with media executives.

The EFCC boss alleged that the former Kogi governor transferred money from the state coffers to a bureau de change operator, and used the money for his child’s school fee in advance.

Olukoyede added that Bello made the payment in anticipation that his tenure was gradually coming to an end.

“A sitting governor, because he knew he was leaving office, moved money directly from the government to bureau de change and used it to pay his child’s school fee in advance,” the EFCC boss said.

“Over $720,000 in anticipation that he was going to leave the government house. In a poor state like Kogi, you want me to close my eyes under the guise of ‘I’m being used’. Used by who? At this stage of my life.”

READ 2023 elections: Obidients tackle Soyinka, Moghalu for criticising Datti

Olukoyede said he inherited the case file of the former Kogi governor, noting that he did not initiate the investigation against Bello.

On April 17, EFCC operatives laid siege on Bello’s residence in Abuja to arrest him over alleged N80 billion fraud.

While the EFCC operatives were at Bello’s residence, Usman Ododo, governor of Kogi, came to visit his predecessor.

Shortly after Ododo departed from the residence, the EFCC operatives also left the house.

Bello was reportedly rescued by Ododo when he departed his residence located in the Wuse Zone 4 district of Abuja.

Subsequently, the anti-graft agency declared the former governor wanted.

The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has also placed Bello on a watchlist.

The anti-graft agency alleged that Bello, alongside Alli Bello, chief of staff to Ododo; and one Daudu Suleiman, diverted about N80.2 billion belonging to the Kogi government.