Pendulum: Will President Buhari Ever Conquer The Terrorists?

By Dele Momodu

Fellow Nigerians, I do not know what you think individually but
I’m sure many Nigerians are now collectively worried that the
Taliban style capture and overthrow of the Afghanistan Government
and people may eventually happen in Nigeria, in not too distant
future, but sooner rather than later. The .interesting and sad
state of our own situation is that we do not have the US and its
European allies being sympathetic to our cause. And of course, it
is not that the support they gave Afghanistan eventually proved to
be of much help to the Afghans Rather it merely delayed the
inevitable and made the fall of the Afghan government even more
spectacular once America decided to withdraw its troops.

The whole country collapsed like a pack of cards before the very
eyes of the Afghans who now feel very much let down by the
Americans. With the way things are going in our defenceless
country, it is becoming crystal clear by the day that Boko Haram
will soon subjugate vast swathes of the northern part of our
country, and it will not be too long before they push for the
capital, Abuja in the federal Capital Territory, itself. It is only
those who are naïve that cannot see this bleak future for our
country. We do not need to be seers or soothsayers to be able to
predict the impending calamity for our nation and its innocent
citizens. We are not prophets of doom rather our aim is to achieve
the contrary and reverse our fortunes which for now seem to be
going in a fast downward spiral, like a raging tornado. However, we
hope that by vociferously voicing our concerns, those in authority,
particularly President Buhari, may be jolted to act, and to act
decisively.

I’m also aware about the complacency of some other Nigerians who
live perpetually on, and cling to, the phantom hope that our
problems, especially our insecurity problems, will just vamoose the
same way they came without us lifting any finger. It is such
unbridled optimism, buoyed by faith in whatever religion that they
profess, that baffles me endlessly about our people. For me, God
will only come to our assistance when we have shown a penchant or
proclivity for helping ourselves to identify, proffer solutions and
then resolve our problems. We cannot continually raise our face and
offer endless entreaties and pleas to God and believe that without
more, salvation will come. No, it is perdition that will follow if
we persist on embracing such a foolhardy and foolish course.

I’m a relatively good student of world history and I’m
reasonably assured of the fact that the greatest nations on earth
did not have to fold their arms akimbo, but had to work feverishly
and assiduously, to achieve greatness. As for me and my house, we
do not rule out the possibility of some terrorists, masquerading as
bandits, invading our southern frontier townships and villages to
unleash the sort of mayhem that would scare the living daylights
out of all of us. If truth be told, we are already quite scared,
and some are pissing in their pants knowing that the gory stories
that we heard about in Borno State and its environs is fast
becoming the story of the whole of Northern Nigeria including the
Middle Belt.

It is obvious to me that this Buhari administration lacks the
capacity to confront terrorists headlong in Nigeria. This is not
because we do not have brilliant, courageous and brave men and
women in our armed forces, but for the simple reason of nonchalance
and seeming protection of rabid criminals by those in overall
authority who should be fighting them to a standstill. It is
obvious that top government functionaries are complicit in the
wholesale terrorist incursion of Nigeria which we are now
witnessing. I also do not believe that there are many sincere and
altruistic reasons for the more than tacit support being given to
these scoundrels and infidels by the Government and its cronies.
Whilst some are convinced that the whole agenda is the Islamisation
of the country, I am beginning to believe that there is some more
sinister and underhand motivation at play and it can all be
captured by one word, greed.

I am starting to feel that there is a selfish and economic angle
to all this. There is the allure of gold and the lust for filthy
lucre which comes from the trade in arms. One part of the solution
is that we must start to be our brother’s keeper. Our private
intelligence network must be sharpened and honed. We cannot rely
any longer on so-called military or government led intelligence. It
has failed woefully so far in protecting the government and our
armed forces. I also believe that the time is fast approaching when
we may all have to start bearing at least small arms. If the
government will not protect us, if the government is busy deploying
the might and array of its vast military arsenal on puny innocent
subjects like Nnamdi Kanu and Sunday ‘Igboho’ Adeyemo, instead of
attacking the marauding terrorists that want to hold us all
hostage, then it is incumbent on us to start looking at other means
of protecting ourselves. In the past we have had to fend for
ourselves for all the simple things of lives.

These now all pale into insignificance when our security and
well-being is seriously endangered and our very lives and
existence, individually and as a nation, is put into dire peril.
Instead of being just our own little local government, we must now
apparently become self-dependent and self-sustaining, We must
become our own government and take over our own security. We must
be actively proactive. Pacifism and sitting on the fence cannot
help us any longer. I will never advocate violence, but we must be
ready to defend our homes and homestead. Our holes are our castles,
and we must defend them with all that we possess. If government has
lost the plot and its raison d’etre for asking for our votes, then
we must not lose everything else. I hasten to add that while I
believe in the efficacy of prayers, that alone will not solve our
problems because even the scriptures have taught us that heaven
helps those who help themselves. This is the brutal reality and
truth of life.

Where lies our hope and salvation when the retired Major General
we brought back from the dead of forced retirement is unable to
fulfil the most basic of our expectations for reviving and
resuscitating him, an end to insecurity. It is like a hawk not
being able to capture some little chickens. Nothing has disturbed
and embarrassed Nigeria in the comity of nations more than the
almost total breakdown of law and order across the country, because
there is supposed to be a no-nonsense old soldier at the helm of
affairs. Notwithstanding this fact, the government seems only
concerned with covering its shame and embarrassment in areas that
do not matter, as for example sending DSS to disperse young and old
Doctors intent on making a living outside the country when their
own country has deliberately chosen to forsake them. If it were not
so tragic it would be just too hilarious. The stuff of which
slapstick comedy is made,

We are already bored and tired of hearing and listening to the
same repeated tales by moonlight from Buhari’s spin-doctors who
wish to blindfold, hoodwink and convince us that some evil enemies
are out to deliberately frustrate Buhari and his government. This
type of cock and bull stories have become so nauseating. If the
government has enemies, they are these same spin doctors, lackeys
and charlatans who believe that this is all the old man wants to
hear. The truth is this government has been in power now for over
six years. If it is still finding and giving excuses for its
failure, then something is tragically wrong somewhere. It is the
height of shamelessness for anyone to keep regurgitating the same
frivolous reasons for failing to deliver on his promises to the
helpless and hapless people of Nigeria. Enough is enough. Face
front. There is nothing back there. It is instructive and worthy of
note that this government is actively romancing the much-maligned
Goodluck Jonathan as a potential successor. Where then is the sense
in blaming him for the current ills and woes of this government if
they are turning to him for salvation?

If President Buhari and his acolytes are not tired of lamenting
like the Biblical Jeremiah, I’m embarrassed on their behalf. But
they can’t blame anyone for their collective woes. The fault is
theirs and theirs alone. No one is under any illusion that this
government is serious about fighting terrorism and terrorists.
There is now apparently an overt cover and protection for the
terrorists. It is the reason no appreciable progress has been made
despite the huge resources and manpower wasted in the last decade.
Our military personnel are being sacrificed on the altar of
personal expediency and greed. It is a wonder that there has been
little attempt at mutiny, and this probably just demonstrates the
great discipline and resolve of our noble and gallant officers and
men. I salute them. They must now act to save us by doing their
duty to their Fatherland first and foremost and rooting out the
insurgents and terrorists no matter the body language of our
present leadership. It is the only way in which we will still have
a country!

I feel goosebumps all over me whenever I remember that President
Muhammadu Buhari has less than two years to go and there’s nothing
tangible to see on ground. If we move away from the debilitating
matters of insecurity, our infrastructure deficit is most
appalling. That is another story for another day!

The Caroline Akinloye I Knew

I knew of MRS CAROLINE ONYEMAECHI EBENUWA ADISA-AKINLOYE long
before we met in person. Her persona was larger than life. She was
a paragon of beauty, very sociable, confident, outgoing,
intelligent, smart and unmissable in any gathering.

Her name had been in the news early in her life when she got
married to one of Nigeria’s most influential politicians, the
Chairman of the all-powerful National Party of Nigeria, Chief
Augustus Meredith Adisa Akinloye (AMA – Always Mentally Alert).
Their whirlwind romance was talk of the town. I was naturally
intrigued by their love story. All manner of tales were weaved and
woven around the famous couple. She was likened to a modern-day
Cleopatra, a living goddess with wiles and charm.

Mrs Akinloye and her husband were forced to flee into exile in
1984 after the coup that toppled the government of President Shehu
Usman Aliyu Shagari. They lived together in exile for a lengthy
period.

Fast forward. On July 25th, 1995, I also fled Nigeria, through
the smugglers’ route into Cotonou, in Benin Republic, and
eventually meandered my way into England. I was on the run from the
much-dreaded military junta of General Sani Abacha. I would spend
the next three years in exile under very excruciating circumstances
and conditions.

It was while in London that the idea for Ovation International
magazine was conceived and delivered. Like all new publications, of
the lifestyle genre, we needed to attract the attention of the rich
and famous. One of the stories that would perform the magic for us
was the one titled “100 Nigerian Stormy Women.” It was a gathering
of who’s who. One name featured prominently, that of Caroline
Akinloye.

However, we never met until much later. We were introduced by a
mutual friend. I had expected her to complain about the way she was
described and portrayed in our story but instead she told me
actually enjoyed our package. She was cosmopolitan and very
liberal. We instantly became friends. And her sociability and
affability were remarkable. I expected her to be standoffish, but
she was clearly simple and humble even if highly sophisticated in
taste. She introduced me to her young kids, two boys and two girls
who were twins. Lagun was closest to me. He’s always been sociable
even at an early age, like his mum.

Mrs Akinloye liked to host special guests in her Belgravia
palace. Her parties were legendary and were always must attend
treats for the high and mighty.

We didn’t see much after I returned to Nigeria from exile, but
we spoke from time to time. She was very comfortable with me and
always trusted my judgment and as a result confided in me a
bit.

I was stunned to hear of her sudden transition last year, from
Lagun, now a big man in his own right. I was saddened and
immediately commiserated with the children. One year has already
passed and I’m happy to keep the memory of my very dear friend
alive by penning this tribute to her.

May her beautiful soul continue to rest in peace…

By Dele Momodu

Fellow Nigerians, I do not know what you think individually but
I’m sure many Nigerians are now collectively worried that the
Taliban style capture and overthrow of the Afghanistan Government
and people may eventually happen in Nigeria, in not too distant
future, but sooner rather than later. The .interesting and sad
state of our own situation is that we do not have the US and its
European allies being sympathetic to our cause. And of course, it
is not that the support they gave Afghanistan eventually proved to
be of much help to the Afghans Rather it merely delayed the
inevitable and made the fall of the Afghan government even more
spectacular once America decided to withdraw its troops.

The whole country collapsed like a pack of cards before the very
eyes of the Afghans who now feel very much let down by the
Americans. With the way things are going in our defenceless
country, it is becoming crystal clear by the day that Boko Haram
will soon subjugate vast swathes of the northern part of our
country, and it will not be too long before they push for the
capital, Abuja in the federal Capital Territory, itself. It is only
those who are naïve that cannot see this bleak future for our
country. We do not need to be seers or soothsayers to be able to
predict the impending calamity for our nation and its innocent
citizens. We are not prophets of doom rather our aim is to achieve
the contrary and reverse our fortunes which for now seem to be
going in a fast downward spiral, like a raging tornado. However, we
hope that by vociferously voicing our concerns, those in authority,
particularly President Buhari, may be jolted to act, and to act
decisively.

I’m also aware about the complacency of some other Nigerians who
live perpetually on, and cling to, the phantom hope that our
problems, especially our insecurity problems, will just vamoose the
same way they came without us lifting any finger. It is such
unbridled optimism, buoyed by faith in whatever religion that they
profess, that baffles me endlessly about our people. For me, God
will only come to our assistance when we have shown a penchant or
proclivity for helping ourselves to identify, proffer solutions and
then resolve our problems. We cannot continually raise our face and
offer endless entreaties and pleas to God and believe that without
more, salvation will come. No, it is perdition that will follow if
we persist on embracing such a foolhardy and foolish course.

I’m a relatively good student of world history and I’m
reasonably assured of the fact that the greatest nations on earth
did not have to fold their arms akimbo, but had to work feverishly
and assiduously, to achieve greatness. As for me and my house, we
do not rule out the possibility of some terrorists, masquerading as
bandits, invading our southern frontier townships and villages to
unleash the sort of mayhem that would scare the living daylights
out of all of us. If truth be told, we are already quite scared,
and some are pissing in their pants knowing that the gory stories
that we heard about in Borno State and its environs is fast
becoming the story of the whole of Northern Nigeria including the
Middle Belt.

It is obvious to me that this Buhari administration lacks the
capacity to confront terrorists headlong in Nigeria. This is not
because we do not have brilliant, courageous and brave men and
women in our armed forces, but for the simple reason of nonchalance
and seeming protection of rabid criminals by those in overall
authority who should be fighting them to a standstill. It is
obvious that top government functionaries are complicit in the
wholesale terrorist incursion of Nigeria which we are now
witnessing. I also do not believe that there are many sincere and
altruistic reasons for the more than tacit support being given to
these scoundrels and infidels by the Government and its cronies.
Whilst some are convinced that the whole agenda is the Islamisation
of the country, I am beginning to believe that there is some more
sinister and underhand motivation at play and it can all be
captured by one word, greed.

I am starting to feel that there is a selfish and economic angle
to all this. There is the allure of gold and the lust for filthy
lucre which comes from the trade in arms. One part of the solution
is that we must start to be our brother’s keeper. Our private
intelligence network must be sharpened and honed. We cannot rely
any longer on so-called military or government led intelligence. It
has failed woefully so far in protecting the government and our
armed forces. I also believe that the time is fast approaching when
we may all have to start bearing at least small arms. If the
government will not protect us, if the government is busy deploying
the might and array of its vast military arsenal on puny innocent
subjects like Nnamdi Kanu and Sunday ‘Igboho’ Adeyemo, instead of
attacking the marauding terrorists that want to hold us all
hostage, then it is incumbent on us to start looking at other means
of protecting ourselves. In the past we have had to fend for
ourselves for all the simple things of lives.

These now all pale into insignificance when our security and
well-being is seriously endangered and our very lives and
existence, individually and as a nation, is put into dire peril.
Instead of being just our own little local government, we must now
apparently become self-dependent and self-sustaining, We must
become our own government and take over our own security. We must
be actively proactive. Pacifism and sitting on the fence cannot
help us any longer. I will never advocate violence, but we must be
ready to defend our homes and homestead. Our holes are our castles,
and we must defend them with all that we possess. If government has
lost the plot and its raison d’etre for asking for our votes, then
we must not lose everything else. I hasten to add that while I
believe in the efficacy of prayers, that alone will not solve our
problems because even the scriptures have taught us that heaven
helps those who help themselves. This is the brutal reality and
truth of life.

Where lies our hope and salvation when the retired Major General
we brought back from the dead of forced retirement is unable to
fulfil the most basic of our expectations for reviving and
resuscitating him, an end to insecurity. It is like a hawk not
being able to capture some little chickens. Nothing has disturbed
and embarrassed Nigeria in the comity of nations more than the
almost total breakdown of law and order across the country, because
there is supposed to be a no-nonsense old soldier at the helm of
affairs. Notwithstanding this fact, the government seems only
concerned with covering its shame and embarrassment in areas that
do not matter, as for example sending DSS to disperse young and old
Doctors intent on making a living outside the country when their
own country has deliberately chosen to forsake them. If it were not
so tragic it would be just too hilarious. The stuff of which
slapstick comedy is made,

We are already bored and tired of hearing and listening to the
same repeated tales by moonlight from Buhari’s spin-doctors who
wish to blindfold, hoodwink and convince us that some evil enemies
are out to deliberately frustrate Buhari and his government. This
type of cock and bull stories have become so nauseating. If the
government has enemies, they are these same spin doctors, lackeys
and charlatans who believe that this is all the old man wants to
hear. The truth is this government has been in power now for over
six years. If it is still finding and giving excuses for its
failure, then something is tragically wrong somewhere. It is the
height of shamelessness for anyone to keep regurgitating the same
frivolous reasons for failing to deliver on his promises to the
helpless and hapless people of Nigeria. Enough is enough. Face
front. There is nothing back there. It is instructive and worthy of
note that this government is actively romancing the much-maligned
Goodluck Jonathan as a potential successor. Where then is the sense
in blaming him for the current ills and woes of this government if
they are turning to him for salvation?

If President Buhari and his acolytes are not tired of lamenting
like the Biblical Jeremiah, I’m embarrassed on their behalf. But
they can’t blame anyone for their collective woes. The fault is
theirs and theirs alone. No one is under any illusion that this
government is serious about fighting terrorism and terrorists.
There is now apparently an overt cover and protection for the
terrorists. It is the reason no appreciable progress has been made
despite the huge resources and manpower wasted in the last decade.
Our military personnel are being sacrificed on the altar of
personal expediency and greed. It is a wonder that there has been
little attempt at mutiny, and this probably just demonstrates the
great discipline and resolve of our noble and gallant officers and
men. I salute them. They must now act to save us by doing their
duty to their Fatherland first and foremost and rooting out the
insurgents and terrorists no matter the body language of our
present leadership. It is the only way in which we will still have
a country!

I feel goosebumps all over me whenever I remember that President
Muhammadu Buhari has less than two years to go and there’s nothing
tangible to see on ground. If we move away from the debilitating
matters of insecurity, our infrastructure deficit is most
appalling. That is another story for another day!

The Caroline Akinloye I Knew

I knew of MRS CAROLINE ONYEMAECHI EBENUWA ADISA-AKINLOYE long
before we met in person. Her persona was larger than life. She was
a paragon of beauty, very sociable, confident, outgoing,
intelligent, smart and unmissable in any gathering.

Her name had been in the news early in her life when she got
married to one of Nigeria’s most influential politicians, the
Chairman of the all-powerful National Party of Nigeria, Chief
Augustus Meredith Adisa Akinloye (AMA – Always Mentally Alert).
Their whirlwind romance was talk of the town. I was naturally
intrigued by their love story. All manner of tales were weaved and
woven around the famous couple. She was likened to a modern-day
Cleopatra, a living goddess with wiles and charm.

Mrs Akinloye and her husband were forced to flee into exile in
1984 after the coup that toppled the government of President Shehu
Usman Aliyu Shagari. They lived together in exile for a lengthy
period.

Fast forward. On July 25th, 1995, I also fled Nigeria, through
the smugglers’ route into Cotonou, in Benin Republic, and
eventually meandered my way into England. I was on the run from the
much-dreaded military junta of General Sani Abacha. I would spend
the next three years in exile under very excruciating circumstances
and conditions.

It was while in London that the idea for Ovation International
magazine was conceived and delivered. Like all new publications, of
the lifestyle genre, we needed to attract the attention of the rich
and famous. One of the stories that would perform the magic for us
was the one titled “100 Nigerian Stormy Women.” It was a gathering
of who’s who. One name featured prominently, that of Caroline
Akinloye.

However, we never met until much later. We were introduced by a
mutual friend. I had expected her to complain about the way she was
described and portrayed in our story but instead she told me
actually enjoyed our package. She was cosmopolitan and very
liberal. We instantly became friends. And her sociability and
affability were remarkable. I expected her to be standoffish, but
she was clearly simple and humble even if highly sophisticated in
taste. She introduced me to her young kids, two boys and two girls
who were twins. Lagun was closest to me. He’s always been sociable
even at an early age, like his mum.

Mrs Akinloye liked to host special guests in her Belgravia
palace. Her parties were legendary and were always must attend
treats for the high and mighty.

We didn’t see much after I returned to Nigeria from exile, but
we spoke from time to time. She was very comfortable with me and
always trusted my judgment and as a result confided in me a
bit.

I was stunned to hear of her sudden transition last year, from
Lagun, now a big man in his own right. I was saddened and
immediately commiserated with the children. One year has already
passed and I’m happy to keep the memory of my very dear friend
alive by penning this tribute to her.

May her beautiful soul continue to rest in peace…