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Insecurity: Gen Akinrinade Sends Strong Message to Buhari (Read Full Speech)

Published

6 years ago

September 16, 2020

Eric

On the visit of Gen Tukur Y. Buratai COAS to Osun State to commission Projects at Kuta and Asamu.

State Banquet Speech

Protocols

Please allow me to join my Governor and the good people of Osun State to welcome you to our State, the State of ‘Omoluabi’.

I am particularly grateful to you for taking on the difficult task of building a bridge at a very important part of our state and over the mother river of our State. You have also graciously complimented the efforts of our Government, who has given public health care pride of place in our development, by giving us a clinic.

Perhaps it will be apt to let you know that the last time the Army, as represented by the Army Engineers, struck in our state was the time Governor Bisi Akande decided to face the tricky project of urban renewal at Osogbo. The Army Engineers became handy in the demolition and building work, perhaps the only organization that can get away with such brazen assault on an ancient town. That has now become part of the culture amongst the modernizing elite of our State. It was a brave pioneering work. May I say, you have now carved another image for the Army Engineers, they can build a bridge and a clinic without Demolition.

I am particularly grateful to you and your staff for improving Military Civil relationship by embarking on projects that can contribute to the welfare of our population and for including our state in your activities. I thank you most sincerely.
I have a sneaky feeling that you will brief our Commander In Chief on this visit on your return to base. Please give him the best wishes of Osun People and their expectations that he will leave a memorable landmark in our country at the expiration of his tenure.

Please, grant me the indulgence to mention to him one or two matters that throw me into distress because of my association with him.

The first is this pervasive believe that he is an ethnic bigot, an irredeemable religious fundamentalist, that he firmly subscribes and promotes the possibility of his ethnic Fulani to take over the country, the reason he does not interfere in curbing the brigandage of the Fulani herdsmen, that he has performed woefully in the fight against the terrorist Boko Haram and that he cannot rise to the occasion when it comes to reflecting the heterogeneous composition of our country when it comes to appointments to sensitive positions in his government. These are difficult matters that cannot be addressed in abstract. The whole buck stops on his table.

I cannot claim to have adequate information outside what the media and the ubiquitous social media chew out every second. But I know, that you and your brother Service Chiefs are doing your best within the resources our country can make available to you. Let me suggest to him that he needs to shape up, read the riot act to our people, enlist them in unswerving cooperation to participate fully in the redemption of their country. Arms and brutal force is not sufficient to defeat an insurgency.

I am sure he is aware of the hue and cry from all corners and crannies of our country for secession as if we have not been there before. He needs to stand on his table against the motely crowd of advisers surrounding him and take a firm stand on the reorganization of our country, physically, politically, economically and socially. What we simply term as reorganization in the Armed Forces is what the bloody civilians call RESTRUCTURING. It is long overdue and over flogged, as if it is such an impossibility, an attempt at which, will balkanize the country. As a matter of fact, it is what is required to move our country out of the doldrums into modernity. He cannot afford to pass it on. We may end up without a country, as no country has been known to survive two civil wars.

He can take better counsel in the appointments to the sensitive parts of his government. There are capable and loyal men and women from every village in the country.

We are regaled everyday with blood chilling stories of killings and pillaging of villages, sometimes towns in the North and Central parts of Nigeria, and of recent talks of impending massacres and intensification of kidnapping coming our way in the Southern States and the main protagonists of the disturbance is the Fulani herdsmen. Sometimes we are told that they are Fulani mercenaries from outside Nigeria being sponsored by our Nigerian brothers. The situation is so dare, that in collaboration with unexpected bad weather this year, a famine is imminent. We hear we are already borrowing grains from the ECOWAS countries, the immediate result of farmers being forced to abandon their farms. I suggest to him to read the riot act to the Fulani herdsmen, that it is not acceptable for any foreigner by whatever name called to enter our country illegally and molest our people. They are not welcome. We should not, by mistake of omission or commission allow our people to degenerate to self help. It is a sure road to anarchy and perdition, which will not go away.

Let me thank you profusely for sorting out the pension scheme for the Army. You have stopped the culture of queuing quarterly in the Army barracks for recognition and documentation parade!

On a personal note General, May I appeal to you to consider two favours at your convenience:

One, the rear guard squadron of the Engineer Brigade could be enabled to assist RANAO, Osun State Chapter to complete their almost abandoned secretariat building at Osogbo. It has been roofed.

Two, will it be efficacious to engage any Engineer squadron that is awaiting deployment elsewhere to assist the State Governments who are lucky to have them in the construction of rural roads in furtherance of your civil military relations. Farmers and local commuters will be most grateful.

Chief of Army Staff, Please accept our profound gratitude for this immensurable honor you have done us. It will stand out in the annals of Osun State history.

Your Excellences, Your Highnesses, Distinguished Ladies and gentlemen, I thank you all.

Alani Akinrinade
Osogbo
14 September 2020

Featured

Statement on the State of the Nation by Some Concerned Nigerians

Published

2 hours ago

June 9, 2026

Eric

We are a group of concerned Nigerians, alarmed at increasing threats to the Nigerian Nation and desirous of sharing our concerns with fellow citizens.

Our assessment of the state of the Nation reveals that Nigeria stands at a dangerous crossroads where rising insecurity, an alarming level of electoral manipulation by government, and the weakening of democratic institutions are converging into a national crisis that threatens the country’s survival.

Nigeria faces a grave threat to its foundational constitutional principle of the separation of powers. Checks and balances between the branches of government have been imperilled.

The legislative branch has been placed under near total control of the executive branch. The judiciary appears to have lost both its independence and its integrity. There are no checks on the powers of the executive who now govern as they please without accountability or respect for the people’s concerns.

Institutions have been compromised, weakened, and subordinated to the interests of the executive arm of government. This erosion of institutional independence has fuelled public distrust to its highest level in our history creating a crisis of political exclusion and impunity that is pushing violent extremism, organized crime, and communal conflict to a tipping point.

To reverse this trajectory, Nigeria must urgently recommit to democratic accountability, judicial independence, and institutional reforms that strengthen the rule of law. The electoral processes must be transparent, credible, and insulated from executive interference.

The crisis in Nigeria cannot be separated from the broader instability engulfing the Sahel region. The spread of terrorism, arms trafficking, unconstitutional changes of government, and porous borders across countries such as Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger continue to intensify insecurity in Nigeria and the wider Lake Chad Basin. The collapse of regional cooperation and democratic governance in parts of the Sahel further emboldens armed groups, weakens state authority, and undermines civilian protection across West Africa.

Regional security cooperation between Nigeria and Sahelian states should be revitalized by establishing strong bilateral and multilateral platforms for intelligence sharing, border governance, and community-based peacebuilding initiatives.

Equally important is investing in youth employment, education, social protection, and local conflict resolution mechanisms to address the root causes of radicalization and insecurity.

Recommendations

1. Government should as a matter of urgency recognise that insecurity in the Sahel fuels the Nigerian crisis and that rapprochement between AES (Alliance of Sahel States) and ECOWAS is an important element in Nigeria’s national interest.

2. Government should immediately appoint a high-level Special Envoy for the Sahel to begin the urgent task of rebuilding trust between Nigeria, the AES and ECOWAS while revamping regional mechanisms for peace and security.

3. Civil society organisations should actively sensitize citizens and strengthen public demand for accountability. Nigerians must be bold and courageous in protecting civic rights and resisting the current climate of restricting civic space.

4. We call on the Private Sector as critical stakeholders in the nation-state agenda to continue to support and demand accountability in governance and the promotion of the rule of law as the basic premise of economic progress and nation building. Professional bodies and associations must rise to the challenge of building a broad national consensus to oppose tyranny and ensure maintenance of checks and balances in governance and the protection of the rule of law.

5. We call on our traditional leaders and members of the clergy to rise to the full weight of their moral and civic authority to promote peaceful co-existence, solidarity, and inter-faith dialogue to arrest the current slide to criminality and civil disorder.

6. Given the clear and consistent indications of the lack of neutrality and competence of INEC, professional bodies such as the Nigerian Bar Association, Unions, and other civic groups must set up mechanism of engaging the electoral body to ensure that the 2027 elections are free, fair and credible.

7. The Judiciary must address the perception of its complicity to stall democratic processes. It must remain independent and uphold the rule of law. As a matter of urgency, the Nigerian Bar Association must call its members to order for professional conduct and strengthen its monitoring on the judiciary, it must stay alert and patriotic and ensure political actors play by the rule. The National Judicial Council must set up a framework for holding judges accountable for decisions they take in the context of electoral process.

DATED AT ABUJA, NIGERIA 8th JUNE 2026

1. Dr. Husseini Abdu
2. Amb. Fatima Balla OON
3. Dr. Usman Bugaje
4. Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, CON
5. Dr. Yahaya Hashim
6. Prof. Jibrin Ibrahim
7. Prof. Attahiru Muhammadu Jega OFR
8. Prof. Mohammed Kuna
9. Abubakar Balarabe Mahmoud, SAN, OON
10. Mal Kabiru Yusuf

Featured

Time for National Reconciliation, Re-Orientation and Reconstruction

Published

2 days ago

June 8, 2026

Eric

By Dele Momodu

The 2027 Presidential election is expected to be a major fight between PRESIDENT BOLA AHMED TINUBU and his biggest challenger, ALHAJI ATIKU ABUBAKAR. It promises to be the battle of the Tians. A third force, hopefully, may show up, like it did in 2023, but not with enough fire power and tenacity to upstage, and obliterate the two elder statesmen.

This is why it has become pertinent, and urgent, for our dear party ADC to change the traditional way of playing politics by becoming a link between the old and modern, conservative and cosmopolitan tendencies, veteran politicians and technocrats in government. There’s no better combination than this duo, assuring of a colorful blend. The North and the South will reunite in a game of ethnic & religious rivalries.

The present combustive tensions, and absolute chaos, cannot be allowed to continue. It will consume all of us.

The time has come to retrace our steps and return to the days of robust ideas, ideologies and inspirational figures. Our founding fathers such as Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, The Sardauna Sir Ahmadu Bello, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, and others, tried their best, even if they were not perfect. Today, we’ve completely derailed from the legacies they bequeathed to us. The politics of gansterism has become unbearably malignant in our nation. This is the type of strong bridge we need between the North and the South.

We must act before it is too late…

Featured

How We Rescued Adelabu’s Sister and Her Twin Sons from Kidnappers – Police

Published

3 days ago

June 6, 2026

Eric

The Nigerian Police Force has announced the rescue of former Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu’s sister and her twin sons, who were abducted on June 3, in Ibadan.

A statement signed by the Force Public Relations Officer, DCP Anthony Okon Pkacid revealed ad follows:

The Nigeria Police Force announces the successful rescue of Mrs. Olaide Busayo Adegoke John-Paul and her 12-year-old twin sons, Peter and Paul, who were abducted on June 3, 2026, in Ibadan, Oyo State.

The hostages were rescued during a coordinated operation by the Force Intelligence Department Intelligence Response Team (FID-IRT) in Ibadan at approximately 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, June 6, 2026.

Mrs. Adegoke and her children were abducted while she was driving them to school at about 7:30 a.m. on June 3, 2026. The rescue was achieved through sustained intelligence gathering, surveillance, and tactical operations. These efforts enabled investigators to track the kidnappers’ movements, resulting in a confrontation with FID-IRT operatives.

During the confrontation, two suspected kidnappers were fatally wounded and two rifles were recovered. The victims were rescued unharmed and are now in safe custody, receiving medical care and support.

The Inspector-General of Police commends the courage, professionalism, and effectiveness of the FID-IRT operatives and all officers involved. Their resilience and commitment were instrumental in the safe rescue of the hostages.

Security operatives have intensified efforts in the area to apprehend fleeing members of the kidnapping syndicate. Preliminary intelligence indicates that some suspects escaped with gunshot injuries. Operations are ongoing to track, arrest, and bring all involved to justice.

The Nigeria Police Force appreciates the public’s support, cooperation, and patience during the operation. We remain committed to combating violent crime, protecting lives and property, and ensuring the safety of all citizens.