Absurd Interruption of Telecoms Services in North- west

Ring true

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Email: yemi.adebowale@thisdaylive.com

Last Sunday, terrorists invaded Unguwar Samanja village, in Faskari Local Government Area of Katsina State, killing and maiming. In an operation that lasted several hours, scores were also abducted, with houses and shops burnt. As usual, security agents were nowhere to be found. This is just one in a long list of unabated attacks by terrorists despite the interruption of telecoms services in the troubled parts of Zamfara, Sokoto, Katsina, Kebbi and Kaduna states. Governor Bello Matawalle of Zamfara State first requested for the pause in telecoms services on September 2; security agents concurred, arguing that it would enable them tame terrorists and tackle the lingering insecurity in the affected states. For me, it is preposterous and a senseless decision.

Residents of the affected communities are hindered from calling for help when under attack, while the terrorists continue to enjoy a free rein.

In fact, terrorists in Zamfara State were able to evade the telecoms blackout and still reached out to families of the two graduates abducted last week on their way to the National Youth Service orientation camp in Kebbi State. They called the families of the victims – Jennifer Iorliam and Joseph Aondona, and two other commuters kidnapped along with them – to demand N2 million ransom for each of them.

The terrorists simply moved the victims to Gusau where the mobile network ban had been
lifted and returned them to the forest after talking to their families. A sibling of the 29-year-old

Iorliam said she and her widowed mum were curious when they could not get Iorliam on the phone, adding that the mother had been in distress since the kidnappers called them on the phone.

The sibling adds: “The bandits have contacted us. They called my mother’s line and allowed
my sister to talk to us. The first time they called us, they demanded N3 million. After we begged them, they reduced it to N2 million. They said they would collect N2 million for each of them. They told us they would wait somewhere in Gusau where there is network and if they didn’t hear from us, they would take them back to the bush. They said they wanted cash and that one person should bring the ransom to Gusau.

The victims abducted in Tsafe Local Government Area of Zamfara State, regained freedom
last Tuesday after the payment of undisclosed amount as ransom. This is the level Nigeria has deteriorated to. The terrorists were even moving up and down in Zamfara State with the abductees, undetected. They eventually collected ransom in Gusau and discharged the
abductees.

It’s so sad that Nigerians are being fed with false achievements of the telecoms blockage while innocent people in the affected communities wallow in pain. The interruption of telecoms services has not worked and will never work. If this country has a good security team, unhindered telecoms services ought to be effectively used. Our languid security agencies should be intercepting and utilising communications of the terrorists to checkmate them. This is the global standard.

Unfortunately, it is not so here. It simply means that Nigeria’s security agencies must be
overhauled because they have lost touch with contemporary tactics for taming terrorists. The leadership must give way and new ones with capabilities for modern warfare brought in.

Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State has realised the folly of the telecoms blockage
and subsequently told the federal government to lift the obstructions in 14 local government areas of the state, “in view of concerns expressed by security outfits in the state that the outage was affecting the smooth conduct of their works.”

Tambuwal knows what he is talking about because his people are feeling the heat amid the
blockade. Terrorists are still pummeling innocent people in Sokoto State. The massacre of 40 people in Goronyo is the most recent. The terrorists walked into Goronyo market and slaughtered scores of people unhindered. So, did the blockage of telecoms in Goronyo hinder the guerrillas?

The answer is an emphatic No!

Aside from not yielding the desired result, interruption of telecoms services has imposed
further economic hardship on the people in the affected areas. Many have lost their means of income. Those whose businesses revolve around telecoms are gasping for breath. The Socio- Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), was apt when it said the blockade is punishment for residents of Zamfara, Katsina, Sokoto and Kaduna states.

SERAP states: “The suspension of the internet and telecommunication networks in Zamfara
and Katsina states, without any legal justification, is inconsistent with the principles of necessity and proportionality. It is a form of collective punishment of Nigerians resident in these states… The authorities have so far failed to show how shutdown is necessary to achieve the stated purposes…Shutdowns should never become an entrenched practice in this country.”

Another civil rights group, the Media Rights Agenda, while describing the blockade as
“unwarranted,” said “there is no evidence anywhere in the world that shutting down
communication services, including access to the internet and telephone communication, helps improve security, prevent terrorist attacks, or stop them.”

The point has been made. The federal government must end the undesirable telecoms
blockade in all parts of the North-west. This useless policy is inflicting pain than gain on the
people. The military must learn how to degrade terrorists with unhindered communications serving as an advantage.

On the flip side, it pains me deeply whenever stories of terrorists attacking military bases
surface. What gives them that courage? The Nigerian Army base in Katarko, Gujba Local
Government Area of Yobe State has been attacked thrice this year by Boko Haram. The recent attack last week saw the terrorists engaging security agents in the base in heavy shooting, forcing residents to run to the bushes for safety. The terrorists drove into the village in 10 gun trucks and attacked the military base, carting away caches of weapons and ammunition.

Katarko is located 20 kilometres south east of Damaturu, the state capital. The village has
witnessed frequent attacks by the insurgents, resulting in loss of lives.

The Katarko attack shows Boko Haram is still very much around and strong. The military has not issued any statement on the attack. The Army must take proactive actions to end attacks on military bases by terrorists.

Life Has Become More Difficult in Nigeria

My take away from the October 23 editorial of The Economist that pummeled the Buhari
government was where it pointed to the soaring cost of food in Nigeria. Not that the magazine is saying anything new; but perhaps, because it is coming from foreigners, President Buhari might be jolted to perform. The Economist was emphatic that due to Buhari’s mismanagement of the economy, food prices had soared while life had become more difficult for Nigerians.

It said: “Economic troubles are compounded by a government that is inept and heavy-
handed. Mr. Buhari, who was elected in 2015, turned an oil shock into a recession by
propping up the Naira and barring many imports in the hope this would spur domestic
production. Instead, it sent annual food inflation soaring above 20 per cent.

“He (Buhari) has failed to curb corruption, which breeds resentment. Many Nigerians are
furious that they see so little benefit from the country’s billions of petrodollars, much of which their rulers have squandered or stolen.”

The Economist said even before COVID-19, Nigeria was already witnessing
unprecedented poverty and hardship, thus “fuelling the current insecurity in the country.”
It adds: “Two factors help explain Nigeria’s increasing instability: a sick economy and a
bumbling government.”

I have decided to narrow down to the issue of rising prices of food because a large
number of Nigerians are facing food crisis. Feeding the family has become very difficult in
most homes. Many go to bed without meals and wake up not sure of where breakfast will
come from. The masses of the people are gasping for breath. When I checked yesterday, a
bag of Beans was going for N100,000 in Lagos markets. A bag of local Rice was around
N32,000. Price of Bread had doubled. A fairly big tuber of Yam is about N1500. A six-year old child will end up weeping after eating N200 loaf of Bread. Prices of eggs, noodles, sugar and milk are skyrocketing. Garri, the staple food of the common man is now beyond the reach of that common man. Even fuel for cooking the food is big problem. A 12.5kg cylinder of gas now sells for N8000. Kerosene, the poor man’s fuel, is now N300 per litre. How did we get here? How will we get out of this mess? The Buhari government has not shown any seriousness about providing relief for Nigerians. The mismanagement of this country’s economy by the Buhari government is indeed largely responsible for soaring prices of food.

But just as he told Nigerians 37 years ago, Buhari is again saying middlemen are responsible for rising food prices. Nigerians are obviously in a one chance bus.

The Folly in Akwa Ibom’s APC

The badly divided ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) is still struggling to put its house in order. The topical congresses of the party at the ward, local government and state levels provided the combatants an opportunity to flex their muscles. There were parallel congresses in 14 states, with multiple executives elected. The APC chapter in Akwa Ibom State stood out in this notoriety by having four different executives elected at four rival parallel congresses at the ward, local government and state levels. This is a despicable record.

The four factions of the APC in Akwa Ibom held the congresses with their different
allegiances. The leaders of the factions are the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill
Akpabio; Presidential aide, Ita Enang; Secretary of the interim management committee of
the party, James Udoedehe; and Bishop Samuel Akpan.

In this part of the world, bread and butter politics dominates. It is about what these four men above can grab; not the interest of the people. This is what is playing out in Akwa Ibom APC politics. The parallel congresses were for selfish reasons.

Governor Inuwa Yahaya’s Binge Borrowing

The story in town is that Governor Inuwa Yahaya has committed Gombe State to loans totaling N53 billion in 29 months. A group of Gombe citizens concerned about this huge borrowing has been campaigning vigorously against further loans by Yahaya. The group, Gombe Good Leadership Association (GGLA), contends that Yahaya may destroy the state with the accumulated debts and that he must be stopped from taking another N35 billion loan from the capital market.

A Trustee of the Association, Mohammed Abdullahi remarks: “We are worried that despite the borrowing of humongous sums and of course the earnings of the state from FAAC and IGR, the state is getting poorer by the day and its infrastructures are deteriorating…The rising profiles of the education and health sectors of the state under the previous governments are dimming, and no aspect of the state has been positively impacted by this borrowing. We call on the Governor of Gombe State to, within seven days of this publication, publish in at least one national daily newspaper and one other circulating within the state details of all the debts he had procured.”

These are weighty allegations. I am shocked that Governor Yahaya is yet to respond several days after

the claims were made. I sincerely hope this governor is not hiding something. I challenge him today to

come clean on all the loans taken and the impact on the disturbed people of Gombe State.