Osinbajo: Great Nations Too Face Security, Economic Challenges

•Military plots major offensive against insurgents, bandits
•Kaduna appeals for more troop deployments to flush out criminals
Deji Elumoye,
Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja and John Shiklam in Kaduna

The Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, yesterday, said whatever situation that the country was going through was nothing alien to history as many great nations across the world, had and are still encountering the kinds of security and economic challenges that Nigeria currently faces.

This is coming at a time the military high command has concluded plans to launch an offensive against the remaining criminals in the North East and the North West as well asother parts of the country, where the criminals have continued to wage war against the state.

Relatedly, the Kaduna State government, as if privy to the new plan by the military high command, has appealed to the Army to deploy more troops to the state to boost the ongoing operations against terrorists, bandits and kidnappers in the state.

Osinbajo, who spoke while playing host to a delegation from the Arewa Concerned People for National Unity and Religious Tolerance from Kano, led by Alhaji Auwal Maidabino, stressed that there was no great nation anywhere that has not had the sort of challenge that Nigeria I currently faced with.
This, he claimed was especially so in countries, “where you have a multi-racial, multi-religious setup, and the greatest nations in the world are multi-racial, multi-religious, and multi-ethnic.

“As a matter of fact, some of these things are as important as the economy and security… for the reason that a united people, people who see themselves as one, are more likely to be economically successful, more likely to be able to secure themselves and secure their borders, and more likely to work together for the goodness and greatness of their people.”

The vice president told the delegation that, “It is the duty of the leadership, not just political leadership, but also the leadership of social groups and organisations such as yours, to ensure that we are focused on these issues of unity and tolerance.”

Osinbajo explained further that, “As you know, religious tolerance and unity, is for me, a matter that goes beyond mere advocacy. I believe very strongly that the greatness of nations, wherever those nations may be, have always been on account of leaders, who thought it fit to build those nations on the basis of unity and tolerance.

“I think that it is such an important issue that we cannot afford to discount it. There is a need for us to pay more time and attention to these issues in whatever way we can, because every once in a while, we see some threats to the unity of our country, and we must not allow it to happen at all, we must continue not just in the advocacy, but in action that will bring about unity and religious tolerance”.

Leader of the delegation, Alhaji Maidabino, who spoke earlier, commended Osinbajo for his innovative approach to governance and the several initiatives of the Buhari administration anchored through his office, praying God to provide the opportunity to enable him continue to serve the nation.

He noted that through schemes such as TraderMoni, National Homegrown School Feeding Programme, N-Power, and the Ease of Doing Business initiative, among others, the vice president has impacted many Nigerians across different sectors.
His words: “We wish to commend and congratulate you for your contributions in the area of promotion of good governance, transparency, and efficiency as exemplified with the core principles behind the Ease of Doing Business initiative of this government, and for the continuation of your uncompromising dedication to peace, unity, and economic progress, among others.”

Maidabinno informed Osinbajo of plans by the group to convene a national forum on unity as part of its contributions to entrenching peaceful coexistence and unity among Nigerians.
Meanwhile, the decision by the military to launch an offensive followed refusal by more terrorists and bandits to lay down their arms after over 1000 of them, including their families, recently surrendered to the Nigerian troops.

Security sources were of the view that the successes recorded so far were the outcome of the joint operations launched by the new service chiefs under the leadership of the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Gen. Lucky Irabor.
The planned concluding offensive, however, came as hundreds of roaming armed bandits were alleged to be regrouping in Zamfara State, one of the hot beds of armed banditry.
Another source, who spoke anonymously, said the surrender by the insurgents was the result of the joint operations launched by the military against terrorists.

“We are seeing clearly the result of jointness, which was evidently missing in the past. The Chief of Army Staff and Chief of the Air Staff have demostrated jointness and the importance of collectivism in a war like this.
“They see themselves as one. They don’t look at individual trophies but a collective one. The welfare flights launched to airlift soldiers on pass was the jointness again. The service chiefs brought their experiences as former theatre commanders to bear.

“The CDS is providing leadership. The CAS despite recent incidents has kept his eyes on the ball”, the source, who retired at the equivalent rank of a major general, explained, adding that, “The jointness, synergy and collaboration are paying off,” the source stated.

When contacted on the planned offensive, Spokesman of the Nigerian Air Force, Air Commodore Edward Gabkwet, said, “We have no specific date for the deployment”, but THISDAY sources insisted the deployment would be soon.
Curiously, hundreds of armed bandits were said to have started regrouping in Zamfara State after military operations drove them out of Dansadau in Maru Local Government Area of Zamfara State.

THISDAY learnt that the bandits were setting houses ablaze and killing villagers. “Most of the bandits are said to be foreigners,” a security source posited.
Deputy Governor of Kaduna State, Dr. Hadiza Balarabe, who appealed to the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. Gen. Farouk Yahaya, when he paid her a courtesy call at Government House, Kaduna, emphasized the need to deploy more troops to the state.

Balarabe, while noting that the ongoing military operations in parts of the metropolis hadyielded positive results, also appealed to the Army Chief to firm up the attacks across the state to wipe out bandits.
She urged the COAS to deploy more troops along Kaduna-Kachia-Kafanchan roads as well as increased military presence along Kaduna-Birnin Gwari road to curb increasing cases of kidnappings by bandits.
“We are appealing for more deployment of troops along the Kaduna-Kachia road. This is one place that in recent times, has become a very serious source of concern.

“Initially, we were thinking of the Kaduna-Abuja highway, but now because of the presence of troops there, kidnapping and banditry have moved to Kaduna-Kachia-Kafanchan axis,”she said.
She added that increased military presence was also required in Igabi, Chikun, Giwa and Kajuru Local Government Area of the state.

While commending the military for the operations, she also called for a more coordinated approach to tackle the bandits, noting that once security forces were in a particular area, the bandits moved to other areas.
She , therefore, called on the Nigerian Army to consider deploying more troops to the Southern Kaduna general area, especially, Zangon Kataf LGA, following the recent crisis in the area, which has led to destruction of lives and property.

She applauded the leadership of the Operation Safe Haven in trying to secure the Southern part of the state.
“We have had relative peace until recently, when the crisis in Zangon Kataf started again and we feel that we should have more troops deployed there because it’s like the situation is overwhelming,” she said.
Earlier, Yahaya, who said he was in Kaduna for Senior Officers Seminar, commended the state government for the support being given to the Army.

“I would like to particularly appreciate His Excellency, the Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, for all the support we enjoy from him and from the Government of Kaduna State.
“I was here as the General Officer Commanding (GOC), 1 Division, I know how we related.” he said.
Yahaya contended that the Nigerian Army was aware of the security challenges in Kaduna and assured the people and government that everything would be done to flush out the criminals, adding that troops had started taking the battle to the bandits.