APC

By Lawan Bukar Maigana

“We are not coming into government to represent the Muslim or Christian faith. The Sultan of Sokoto and the CAN President are competent to represent their faiths. We are the Nigerian dream team that will catapult the country to a higher pedestal, and we will redefine the concept of modern governance. The Christians have nothing to fear, and there is no cause for alarm because we are one people with a common destiny.”

That was vintage Kashim Shettima, the Vice-Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), in one of his numerous efforts to push back the insinuation of a sinister motive behind the Muslim-Muslim arrangement of the party. In fact, based on his determination to deflect attention from the Muslim-Muslim ticket controversy, Shettima has been using every platform available to him to tell everyone who cares to listen that we should all focus on the issues – issues of governance and how to move the country forward.

But beyond the irritation that engulfs his face each time the issue of religion is brought up and his insistence that real issues, not inanities, should be discussed, Shettima also needs to come up with the issues he wants Nigerians to focus on and, most importantly he should lead the conversation.

Is Shettima himself or Ahmed Bola Tinubu discussing the issues? Beyond saying he and his running mate would tackle insecurity and fix the economy using their experience and the pedigree they have garnered over the years, what specifics has Shettima been discussing? What timelines?

What bold ideas are Tinubu and Shettima bringing to the table to tackle insecurity, fix the economy, power, etc.? What specific promises are they making that Nigerians can hold them accountable for?

APC is the ruling party. Tinubu/Shettima ticket is deemed to be the leading ticket in this election, and Shettima himself is believed to be the ‘Golden Boy’ of the ticket, and he deserves that accolade. So it is appropriate for Nigerians to expect a lot from him, knowing full well that he is a very sound, visionary, and modern-day leader.

Nigerians would like to know exactly what Tinubu and Shettima want to do to make their lives better and change the Nigerian condition. Nigerians want them to elevate the conversation beyond the media and public forum rhetorics.

For instance, public universities have been shut for the last six months, and the misery of our undergraduates knows no bounds. Any candidate that comes to say he would ensure they call off the strike is a lazy thinker and should not be taken seriously. That is like treating headaches and ignoring malaria, which is tantamount to leaving fundamental issues and doing window dressing for some temporary gains. ASUU crisis has been a recurring problem for decades, and Shettima and co need to tell Nigerians what they will do differently to fix the rot in the tertiary education sector and take lecturers back to classrooms and also ensure that our campuses stop producing half-baked graduates. I am talking about permanent solutions, not cosmetic measures that will last for a few months.

Nigerians are desperate to know how much Shettima and his running mate are planning to invest in tertiary education over the next four years and how they intend to raise the money that will run them. Nigerians need to know Shettima’s plans to return the universities to the glorious old days when they were some of the best research institutions in the world and where human problems were solved. When the Covid-19 pandemic and other zoonotic diseases are rocking the world, what Nigerian universities and their research institutes are doing in terms of producing vaccines to cure them? Why the over-reliance on the West?

What is Shettima’s opinion on restructuring education, federal universities, legislature, fiscal federalism, state/regional policing, power generation, distribution, and transmission?

Security challenges have also become intractable in recent years. Nigerians would like to know the bold ideas Shettima and his running mate are bringing to the table. Nigeria is said to be under-policed and under-protected generally. What Shettima’s action plans would look like in terms of empowering the Nigerian army, police and other security agencies?

The 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended), makes it mandatory for the Vice President, not the President, to chair the National Economic Council, the highest decision-making body (on the Economy) in the country that has all 36 states governors, the FCT Minister and a few other ministers as members. Aside from that, successive presidents since 1999 have made it a tradition to put their deputies in charge of the entire economy. That tradition has not changed, with Vice President Yemi Osinbajo playing that role at the moment. It may not change with Shettima, and the former Borno state governor will have his job cut out for him.

Shettima stole the show at the recent Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) conference in Lagos as he dwelt on some of the issues. But Nigerians would like to see the APC blueprint and know the policies Shettima and his running mate are proposing to tackle negative macroeconomic indices such as rising inflation, poor growth rate, unemployment, underemployment, etc. What about the exchange rate and CBN policies on the monetary side of the economy? How does the APC duo intend to ensure proper fiscal supervision of the monetary side of the economy, and how is the CBN handling it?

Core inflation, headline inflation, and food inflation are all in the excess of 20 per cent in the face of dwindling purchasing power and a national currency that is always in a free fall! It would be interesting to know what Shettima’s ideas are on how to fix these multifaceted problems. What does Shettima want to do to boost local manufacturing and make Nigeria export-competitive in the global market, which is the ultimate, final solution to the twin problems of the exchange rate crisis and high rate of unemployment?

What is Shettima’s opinion on the country’s debt crisis? Do they intend to take more foreign loans? If yes, why?

The current managers of the economy have for years been spending over 90 per cent of the country’s revenue on debt servicing while they keep taking more and more loans and claiming the country’s debt to GDP ratio is okay without paying attention to the revenue end of the argument. Now, the worst has just happened with the 2022 first quarter reports revealing that the government spent more on debt servicing than what it generated as revenue within the quarter, and the difference was in the region of 300 billion nairas! That means aside from the already known scandal of borrowing to pay salaries, they have been borrowing more to service previous debts, a terrible vicious cycle that is highly unsustainable!

This shows that the problem is more on revenue generation than the present government‘s obsession with foreign loans. Shettima must have a couple of ideas about how to boost the country’s revenue from both oil and non-oil sources.

Talking about oil and gas, what about oil theft? It is crystal clear that it is the reason why Nigeria cannot meet her OPEC quota of 2 million barrels per day, and that is the reason for the country’s revenue shortage. Nigeria is the only country in OPEC that is losing up to 400,000 barrels of crude oil per day to the organised, exotic, white-collar crime called oil theft! And this is the major reason the country’s revenue base is wobbling. Shettima should tell us if their administration would be able to summon the political will to confront the highly placed, untouchable monsters behind the evil of oil theft and save Nigeria from becoming another Sri Lanka or Venezuela!

Yet, this same broke country is spending trillions of naira on the corruption-prone, an opaque scam called fuel subsidy. While failing to fix ailing refineries and importing refined products, and killing the naira, the country is spending billions of naira on a monthly basis to sustain hundreds of redundant staff members of these refineries that are not producing up to a drop of refined petroleum!

While not attacking or seeming to be openly disagreeing with the sitting government since they are of the same political party, the duo of Tinubu and Shettima have a duty to let Nigerians know their proposed choices among the difficult options that will be available to the country from next year.

In a nutshell, the APC duo needs to come up with a robust policy or action plan that will answer a lot of questions in the minds of Nigerians. They need to tell Nigerians what they should expect from them within the first hundred days in office, the first six months, the first year, and so on. While marking their first hundred days, how many executive bills would they have sent to the National Assembly? Which of the troubled sectors will they declare a state of emergency? Is it security, power, aviation, education, oil, and gas, or all of the above? Nigerians need to know!

I am urging Shettima and his running mate to come clean on their implementable plans so that Nigerians can scrutinize them accordingly and fairly when they get into office. Doing so now will send a strong signal to the electorates that they will be transparent and accountable to the people when they occupy the highest offices in the land.

May Nigeria succeed!

Lawan Bukar Maigana writes from Wuye District Abuja. He can be reached via lawanbukarmaigana@gmail.com.

By Ahmad Deedat Zakari.

Senator Kashim Shettima, the Vice Presidential Candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, said he deliberately wore sneakers to the conference of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA).

In a video which has now gone viral, Shettima stated the reason for his sense of fashion.

He disclosed that he dressed in that manner to ridicule the association for their planned mischief against his party’s Presidential Candidate, Bola Ahmad Tinubu.

Shettima’s outfits to the NBA Conference held at EKO Hotels in Lagos has sparked different reactions across the country.

While some urged critics to ignore what they termed fashion blunder and focus on real matters, others berated him.

By Abba Muhammad Tawfiq

Instead of a strike, I suggest the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) should honestly scheme other ways to fight back against the unfair treatment of its members.

Fighting the government with a strike is like a futile attempt to break a mighty rock with an egg. As a group of intellectuals, the only key to the locks of unceasing demands of ASUU is to think out of the box and remain level-headed. But instead of thinking logically to arrive at a substantial outcome that can help ease our education and its entire elites,  the thick curtain of fury guiding the sole objectives of ASUU always obstruct the proper view of the political gladiators!

Like other governments, blessed and lucky is ASUU indeed to have its veteran members in the APC government, ranging from the vice president and the chief of staff to the president to other key figures nesting in the national and presidential offices. With them, I believe that ASUU has the ball rolling in their court. But, of course, nothing can hinder the prosperity of their goal-oriented behaviours.

The strike and on takes us nowhere but to a town of academic Sodom where we, the students, live in the terror of academic denial and our lecturers in the brutality of salary denial! In addition, ASUU’s constant fighting of a superior force like the stolid Nigerian government over its worthy right never had, in the past, and will never in the present, be a forthright approach for a substantial outcome.

Therefore, I wish ASUU  could politely liaise with our Professors at the tiptop of governmental offices to reach a peacefully assuring panacea that can save them and us from turmoil besieging us all together.

Abba Muhammad Tawfiq, a 500L Medical Rehabilitation student at the University of Maiduguri, wrote from Yola.

By ImamMalik Abdullahi Kaga

It’s recently come to the knowledge of most Nigerians (non-residents of Borno State) about the underpayment in the educational sector and a few cases in the health sector, too, in Borno state. This didn’t surprise me as I see bunches of flares trending. If you are sycophant or unpatriotic, you’ll be mum or deny this unfolded truth.

Zulum is indefatigably hardworking and devoted himself to Borno and Bornoans. He has, laboriously, much-needed efforts that deserve accolades, especially in curbing the Boko Haram crisis. A plethora of encomiums were given on his leadership and are still. Compared to the past administration, the status quo of security deserves a ‘must’ commendation. But this, howbeit, will not let us be mum.

As a resident and information hunter, I’ve had numerous encounters with local government teachers, and one common lamentation I got from all is underpayment. Of course, I don’t mean all are underpaid, but most (not underpaid ones) will not deny the grievance of their counterparts, so they tell.

A few months ago, I wrote about the unconstructive criticisms of Alhaji Mohammed Jajari, the PDP’s gubernatorial candidate, towards the incumbent governor. Jajari revealed the flaws bedevilling the state’s educational sector, which captivated the attention of Zulum and Gusau, his spokesman. The indigenes of the southern part of Borno state are on ‘no retreat’ choice to vindictively vote against Zulum cometh 2023 election. (You may denounce this).

Zulum’s administration is blessed with media adepts ready to either publicise the factual account of his efforts or hype his documentary, which will make many Nigerians credulous enough to believe whatever they publish. I think this is not limited to Zulum and his media but every politician.  

I’m calling on those who deny or are discordant with this truth to believe that Zulum is a human. He is not above fallibility as it’s the attribute of all humankind, especially leaders. I also call on the government to intervene urgently on this terrifying and terrible issue because education is the cornerstone in today’s life.

ImamMalik Abdullahi Kaga wrote from Borno State. He can be reached via abdullahiimammalik@gmail.com.

By Uzair Adam Imam 

The Katsina State gubernatorial candidate of All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr Dikko Umar Radda, has nominated Honorable Faruk Lawal Joɓe as his running mate. 

This is, however, coming after the former running mate earlier nominated, Alhaji Yusuf Aliyu Musawa, voluntarily withdrew.

The Chairman of Gwagware Media Organization, Ahmed Abdulkadir, disclosed this in a statement signed Thursday, August 11th, 2022.

The statement read, “Alhaji Yusuf Aliyu Musawa withdrew from the race voluntarily after wide consultations with relevant stakeholders. 

“Faruk Lawal Joɓe is the current Commissioner, Budget Economic Planning in Katsina State. 

“You may recall that Faruk Lawal Joɓe, who hails from Ƙanƙara, in Funtua Senatorial District of Katsina State, also contested for Katsina State Governor but lost to Dr Dikko Umar Radda at the primary elections,” the statement added.

By Lawan Bukar Maigana

“I will not and cannot ignore the religious concerns and ethnic sensitivities of our people. Taking them into due consideration is an important part of good and able governance. But religion, ethnicity, and region cannot always and fully determine our path. To forge ahead as a nation toward development and prosperity, we must break free of old binds. We must recalibrate our political calculations to where competence and fairness matter more than reductive demographics.”

That was vintage Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), making a passionate case for his choice of running mate and Nigerians to look at the bigger picture of loyalty, dedication, competence, good governance, and to, for once, ignore the petty details of individuals’ personal choice of how to worship God.

Tinubu, in that historic statement he signed on July 10, to announce Senator Kashim Shettima as his running mate ahead of the 2023 election, urged Nigerians to look back at the days of the country’s glory where ethnicity and religion matters little and, United voters on June 12, 1993, to vote for the fantastic duo of Late Chief MKO Abiola and Babagana Kingibe, in what has been described as the most credible election in the country’s history.

The announcement of Shettima did not come to any keen observer of Nigerian politics as a surprise. It had been coming for a long time and even with the organized opposition to the choice of a Muslim running mate, Tinubu had no choice at all because if he had to stand the best chance of winning the election and pick a very loyal and committed person who is also competent to serve as Nigeria’s Number Two Citizen, it had to be Shettima. A few other names were mentioned in the days before the announcement, but it was obvious that Shettima ticked all the boxes and Tinubu is smart enough not to punish a very deserving person based on the con-incidence of his religion.

In Shettima, a serving Senator from Borno Central, ‘The Jagaban’ will have a dependable, loyal, charismatic, diligent, articulate, purposeful, visionary, and intelligent ally as his Deputy.

A leader is always expected to be courageous, fearless, committed to his belief, and stand by his conviction no matter the consequences. Shettima was extremely vocal and consistent in fighting for Tinubu to get the ticket to the party and there was never a time he waivered or relented. Tinubu has also doubled down on his choice of Shettima as his running mate despite the groundswell of opposition against it by career rabble-rousers who will always wail no matter what happens. Though Shettima is on record to have repeatedly said he never supported Tinubu during the primaries for the self-centered aim of being on the ticket but for the common good of all, the fact that the two great men took turns to fight for each other and stood by each other at difficult moments means there will be remarkable chemistry and spirit of camaraderie that will overwhelm the Presidential Villa to Nigeria’s advantage if they win…

And to clear the air on all the misconceptions, propaganda, and lies about the so-called Islamisation agenda, we all know Tinubu has no history of religious bigotry or extremism. This is a man who married a Christian and in their decades of living together supported his wife to become a pastor in the largest church in Nigeria and also allowed his children to practice Christianity freely. It was also Tinubu as Lagos state governor who released Missionary schools to their original owners, a feat that has proven difficult in other states up till today. How can a man who literally ‘Christianised’ his own family and allowed Christians to have their way in Lagos to ‘Islamise’ Nigeria?

As for Shettima, he is on record to have protected the Christian community in Borno state from the wickedness of Boko Haram terrorism when he served as governor. He spent over a billion naira to rebuild all the churches destroyed by the demons, sponsored the highest number of Christians to the Holy Land in Jerusalem, and appointed a good number of them into important positions in government. So he did not only stand up to the terrorists, he fought them to a standstill even as they tried to kill him and his family. How on earth would such a man want to be part of the so called Islamisation agenda?

For Shettima, accepting Tinubu’s offer was merely a call to duty that he could not say no to even though he never lobbied or campaigned for it.

This is how his running mate, Tinubu, in that memorable statement, captured the essence of Shettima’s appointment and the value he would bring to the ticket, and governance if they win: “Senator Kashim Shettima’s career in politics and beyond shows that he is eminently qualified not only to deliver that all-important electoral victory but, also, step into the shoes of the Vice President. As a man with the talent, maturity, strength of character, and patriotism he has my implicit confidence and faith.”

On the needless emphasis on Shettima’s faith, Tinubu further wrote: “I am aware that many will continue to focus on a particular detail, the question of his faith. However, if we truly understand the challenges upon us as a nation, then we must also see the imperative of placing competence in governance above religious sentiment.”

“In 1993, Nigerians embraced Chief MKO Abiola and a fellow Muslim running mate, Babagana Kingibe, in one of our fairest elections ever. The spirit of 1993 is upon us again in 2023. As such, the ticket we present today represents a milestone in our political history. It symbolizes our party’s determination to be a leading light among political parties in Africa,” he added.

In 1993, Abiola and Kingibe called their ticket ‘Hope 93.’ Thirty years later, Nigerians will indeed have a realistic hope of robust, outstanding, and qualitative governance in these two excellent gentlemen, if they win the election.

Indeed, the spirit of 1993 is here . . .

Lawan Bukar Maigana writes from Wuse District Abuja and can be reached via:Lawanbukarmaigana@gmail.com

By Babatunde Qodri

The heated arguments for and against Bola Tinubu and Kashim Shettima’s joint ticket started when the presidential candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) paid a courtesy visit to President Muhammadu Buhari in his hometown, Daura, Katsina State. The party’s flag bearer hinged his decision on the expedient need to perpetuate the stay of the ruling party in power. But, laudable as it may seem to APC lovers, Nigerians outside the ruling camp have faulted the decision citing likely consequences.

However, this short piece was inspired by a passionate conversation between one of my mentors and me. He frustratingly shared his view on the joint ticket, stressing that it is at variance with the country’s mood, especially regarding religion. According to him, the ticket became inevitable for the ruling party bent on winning elections without minding the implications for the people. He added it’s unarguably a design for electoral victory and will be tested at the polls. I agree with him.

Nigeria is a religiously polarized entity managed by politicians who deploy religion as a tool for political advantage. In a glaringly fragile country like ours, one would expect that every political decision should be underscored by the religious sensibilities of the people, at least for peace. But instead of politicians to consider this, they go about politics that stands detrimental to the country. This is what the APC Muslim-Muslim ticket suggests.

This is not to pander to the sentiments of some religious bigots whose outcry is rooted in what they stand to benefit from the calculation. Instead, it’s instructive to note that every political calculation that disregards the need for balance must be challenged. Of course, nations of the world develop without recourse to some silly religious sentiments. However, we need to be reminded that Nigeria, giving its very foundations, has been tied to religion, a consideration that political players must pay attention to.

Some might want to remind me of the June 12 1993, presidential election. Others might also talk about the 1979 election involving Azikwe-Audu and Awolowo-Umeadi combinations. Even in Nigeria of those innocent years, this presidential election ended in favour of Shehu Shagari, who used Alex Ekweme as his running mate. Nigeria is dreadfully divided along religious lines, thanks to our putrid politics. What about those who have justified the Tinubu-Shettima ticket based on competence? I have this answer for them.

Nigeria is a generously blessed country. We have Muslim technocrats who can do well in politics, so there are intelligent Christian politicians. The late President Musa Yar’adua, during his brief time in the office, used Goodluck Jonathan while Jonathan partnered with Namadi Sambo. These running mates did all they could in the course of serving their principals. If not for a decision made in response to the threat posed by influential candidates such as Atiku Abubakar (PDP), Peter Obi (LP) and Rabiu Kwankwanso (NNDP), what else explains the hypocrisy of the APC Muslim-Muslim ticket? Whatever it means to you, this decision would negatively affect the country in the following ways.

There would be an ethnoreligious tension in the country. There is no denying that ethnicity is inevitably bound to religion here. Our politics is deeply situated in religion and ethnic affiliations. Hence, people vote for a party based on how much such attunes to their religious and ethnic sentiments. And any political decision that trivializes these fundamentals might be thrashed away, and the country journeyed into needless rancour.

Plus, the ticket will hamper the chances of the ruling party in 2023. Some have argued that it’s not a threat since most votes come from the North, a region that overwhelming installed Buhari’s regime. Those people need to be told that such a point is stale in the context of reality today. Is this nice for the country in the long run? 2023 isn’t far.

Finally, a Muslim-Muslim ticket in a country beset by systemic killings and other vices inspired by religious sentiments isn’t an excellent idea. If our politics continue to disregard the fundamental polarity of Nigeria in terms of region and religion, then I am afraid the result won’t be friendly at all. However, all this is a reflection of Nigeria’s political retrogression. We need a new order where people will be convinced by neither region nor religion as the basis to choose who should lead them. I hope we get there soonest.

Babatunde qodri wrote via babatundelaitan@gmail.com.

By Lawi Auwal Yusuf

The unfortunate attack on the advance team ahead of President Buhari’s visit to his hometown, Dura, Katsina State, made the day of so many people. Indeed, it’s unarguable that, initially, the administration commanded deep respect. It was the most liked, revered and popular in this country’s history. But, of course, today, it’s the most loathed, and people solemnly disown it with an excessive feeling of hate. What stimulated such offensive aversion and malice? Why did this esteem veneration turn a disgust overnight? What made such immense support go swiftly on the wane? These are questions we need to ask ourselves.

For over a decade, people gave their lives, wealth and resources for the success of the assumed emancipator to wipe out the woes and salvage the country that came within the whisker of a failed nation come rain, come shine. People expected the saviour to be whiter than white, demonstrate ingenuity and were very optimistic that he would make life far better off than in the previous regimes. Instead, failure to create a framework for his success led to an embarrassing fallacy change, contrarily making life worst off. Moreover, forging policies behind the times really ravaged people’s lives, making the poor poorer.

Unfortunately, things went downhill after taking over the big office; life became an epic struggle for the masses to earn a living at a push. The economy is flat on its back, while markets are dead. We also witness a significant rise in unemployment, inflation, heinous crimes and terrorism. The security forces were overwhelmed and couldn’t check the horrific security threats, lest dancing to the tune of politicians and remain only specialised in molesting those that come out against the status quo or political opponents.

Moreover, to add insult to injury, tertiary institutions were closed for almost a year, whereas no society can develop unless its citizens are well educated. Regrettably, the country descends deeper into crisis. Hence, no one enjoys life at the moment, and hopes of a better life have faded.

As a result, the administration fell flat on its face, fell from favour due to corruption and mismanagement, disappointing even the most loyalist cohorts. They should have taken the great expectations, faithful confidence, and trust reposed on them seriously, not an indifferent attitude.

However, taking a leaf from the books of other dynamic leaders who made history was a good idea. They should have picked the brains of successful personalities like Lincoln, Mandela, Lee or Mao. But instead, they show a great zest for life, spend public funds like water, engage in swanky trips that break the bank and award lavish contracts for self-enrichment and kinsmen. Indeed, the damage done in those few years will surely take decades to repair. Today, people are not out of the woods yet and have realised that the wolf in sheep’s clothing and the past malignant regimes are but six of one and half a dozen of the other.

Not realising the long-lost potential of this nation and forging a global superpower blew their best chances of becoming great leaders without equality. This consequently irritates people and turns their back on them for achieving nothing important. It is so vexing that they cannot be courteous enough to return such favour, going down in history as the worst actors.

This abnegation has shown that people are in hot water. They are on the wrong side of the people and have pushed them too far. They are in their bad books for stabbing them in the back and no longer run the country’s affairs with their consent. However, it manifested the frustration, anxieties and disparagement that depict the lives of the citizens of this dystopian country. Thus, they are worn out of the cruelty and no longer anticipate any help. They are only anxious to survive to the end of this hardship.

As they are still blind to their faults, they will soon realise the error of their ways when given the push come 2023. The future of the party hangs in the balance, while history will always show them in an unfavourable light. However, we will never despair because we honestly believe that where there is life, there is hope.

Lawi Auwal Yusuf wrote from Kano, Nigeria. He can be reached via laymaikanawa@gmail.com.

By Lawan Bukar Maigana

The emergence of Senator Kashim Shettima as the running mate to the All Progressives Congress  (APC) presidential aspirant, Ahmed Bola Tinubu, has continued to generate reactions from all corners of Nigeria.  

Most worrisome is the puerile attempt by some ill-intentioned social media influencers to link the former governor of Borno State to Boko Haram terrorism.

What could have influenced the attempt to link Shettima with Boko Haram?

While the paid and unpaid agents behind this vile propaganda have not provided any evidence to link the Senator to terrorism, it is necessary to examine some facts from the apparent fallacies of the opposition and separate the wheat from the chaff.

For instance, while travelling to Gamboru Ngala for a rally ahead of the 2019 presidential and National Assembly elections, Shettima’s convoy was attacked by Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) members and three of his loyalists were killed. Many others sustained various degrees of injuries.

Characteristically, ISWAP claimed responsibility for the attack the following day. However, the then Special Adviser on Communications and Strategy, Malam Isa Gusau, confirmed the identities of the deceased, including a brave soldier and two staunch politicians.

According to Gusau, the attack aimed to attract global media attention to sustain the terrorists’ agenda of instilling fear in citizens and reducing the morale of the gallant troops.

The leader of the Boko Haram terrorists, Abubakar Shekau, who was later killed in an alleged suicide bombing, had threatened Shettima and top government officials in a 56-minute video where he ordered his members and foot-soldiers to kill them wherever and whenever they found them. Could Shettima have a link with Boko Haram, yet he would be the number one on their hit list?

In the video, Shekau boasted as follows: “You, former governor Kashim [Shettima], you present governor [Babagana] Zulum, listen – do not be deceived by your walking without shoes – be careful! If you sing these things we mentioned [Nigeria’s national anthem, national pledge, and the NYSC anthem], you are a disbeliever even if you recite them jokingly.”

It was not surprising that Shettima and Zulum were mentioned in the video because both personalities have consistently spoken against the evil of Boko Haram and worked assiduously with security agents and other stakeholders to decimate them. They have also been supporting Internally  Displaced Persons (IDPs) to recover from the damage the terrorists had done in their lives and relocate them to their respective, original communities.

It should also be noted that Shettima didn’t just stop at appealing to the Federal Government to intensify efforts aimed at eradicating terrorism. He committed enormous resources to support the military with security equipment and dozens of vehicles to ease mobility during operations. Is that a governor that has a link with Boko Haram terrorists?

Born and brought up in Maiduguri, I can authoritatively confirm that Shettima adequately funded the Volunteer Vigilante Youth Groups, popularly known as Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) in 2013, who were later trained in counter-terrorism operations, to strengthen the fight against Boko Haram terrorists.

He also provided adequate welfare and logistic support to over 20,000 CJTFs to strengthen the fight against Boko Haram elements. The motivation enhanced the crucial role of CJTF in intelligence gathering, easy identification, and arrest of suspected insurgents, among others. Could Shettima have a link with Boko Haram fighters and yet fund their tormentors?

Before the expiration of Shettima’s tenure as governor of Borno State, he was relentlessly calling for the deployment of military personnel and equipment to curb the threat of the terrorist group in the Northeast.  Considering the cost of the war on terror, Shettima was among the few personalities who persuaded state governors of the necessity of approving the sum of $1 billion from the Excess Crude Account for the counter-insurgency campaigns. He also defended the Federal Government’s plan to ensure the judicious utilization of the fund for the intended purpose.

Could Shettima have a connection with terrorists yet support counter-terrorism financing?

When Boko Haram terrorists destroyed churches in Borno, Shettima provided funds to reconstruct the places of worship and ensured adequate security protection of the areas.

In his testimony to this, the Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Borno Chapter, Bishop Mohammed Naga, said: “During Shettima’s visit to these areas, he released N100 million for the rebuilding of some of these churches. A committee was set up for that purpose. I was a member of the committee headed by a permanent secretary, Mr Justus Zare, as Chairman, and I am happy to inform you that presently we have used that money to rebuild 11 key churches which our people are now using. I am surprised to hear some people saying why don’t we rebuild all the churches. We cannot do that because there are many places that are still unsafe.”

Would church leaders praise Shettima if he had a link with Boko Haram fighters!?

In a nutshell, Shettima is neither an ethnocentric leader nor a religious bigot. On the contrary, he is a charismatic personality who believes in equity, justice, and fairness. Moreover, from his engagements and pronouncements, he has consistently advocated peaceful and harmonious relationships among different tribes and religions.

Therefore, it is unfair and unreasonable to link him with Boko Haram terrorism when he, in reality, has been their number one enemy and a prime target for years.

Lawan Bukar Maigana writes from Wuye District, Abuja. He can be reached via Lawanbukarmaigana@gmail.com.

By Muhammed-Bello Buhari

Claim: Atiku, Nigeria’s former Vice President and the Peoples Democratic Party presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, claimed that 90 per cent of northerners are not on social media while responding to a question in an exclusive pre-recorded interview on Arise TV aired on Friday, July 22.

Atiku made the claim, suggesting that the Labour Party cannot make inroads in northern Nigeria. He played down the possibility of Labour Party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, causing an upset to his presidential ambition during the next year’s general elections.

His words:

“It is very difficult to expect a miracle to happen simply because Peter Obi is in the Labour Party. After all, they were saying through social media [that] they had more than one million votes in Osun state.

“But how many voters turned for the Labour Party? And then again, mark you; you’re talking about social media. In the north, 90 per cent of our people are not tuned to social media.”

With this claim, social media was awash with all sorts of counterclaims. Nigerians on Facebook and Twitter knocked the former vice president out for his comment, alleging that such a claim is untrue.

Verification:

According to the Digital Report 2021 by Datareportal—one of the world’s most trusted sources of social media data, insights and trends—the number of social media users in Nigeria was equivalent to 15.8% of the total population (208.8 million) in January 2021. This means there were 33.00 million social media users in Nigeria in January 2021.

This same report recorded the total population of the northern region to be 128.17 million. This is also in line with the National Bureau of Statistics figures on Nigeria’s demographics, using data from the National Population Commission.

So assuming that the divide of the social media users in Nigeria between the south and the north is 50-50. i.e. of the 33 million users, 16.5 million are northerners. This means that of the 128.17 northerners, only 12.9 per cent are on social media, representing 87.1 per cent are not on social media.

And given the apparent disparities in internet usage between the north and south due to market size, urbanization, economic development, income, telephone density and employment, which are the major contributory factors to the divide as reported in the research conducted on the digital divide in Nigeria, there’s at least a 60-40 percentage divide between the south and north in terms of internet and social media usage.

As such, 40 per cent of Nigeria’s 33 million social media users is 13.2 million. This means that of the 128.17 northerners, only 10 per cent are on social media, which also means that 90 per cent are not on social media.

Verdict: Atiku’s claim that 90 per cent of northerners are not on social media is backed up by data. Findings have shown that only 10 per cent of northerners are on social media. Therefore, the claim is valid.

Muhammed-Bello Buhari is a freelance fact-checker based in Kaduna and can be reached via embbuhari@gmail.com.