Borno Archives - YAShuaib

PHOTOS: Amazing Discoveries Within Boko Haram’s Birthplace

Yushau Shuaib — Wed, 22 May 2019 13:19:41 +0000

Amazing Discoveries Within Boko Haram’s Birthplace
By Yushau A. Shuaib

Every time I have reason to travel to Maiduguri for an assignment, my family members become prayer warriors, and clarifications are sought around my dreams at such periods to check for what might be portents, while safety measures are devised against any possible untoward development.

As the birthplace of Boko Haram, Borno State is mostly associated with media tales of abandoned orphans, homeless widows, suffering internally displaced persons (IDPs), heartless suicide bombers and brutal terrorists etc.

Since my itinerary in the State usually revolves around humanitarian engagements, adequate security is routinely provided throughout my stay by the respective federal agencies that are my hosts.

Professor Zulum and Senator Kashim Shettima

In all the tours, I never paid much attention to the programmes and activities of the Borno State government. Like the proverbial bandwagon effect, I occasionally joined others in expressing deep resentments against State officials, traditional institutions and the political elite for doing little to curtail the excesses of the terrorists rampaging across the State.

Attempts by Isa Gusau, the spokesperson to Governor Kashim Shettima to convince some cynics like me with images and videos of positive strides being made in the State frequently met brick walls because we generally have a feeling that with technology, anything can be manipulated.

Therefore, when I received an invitation for a media tour of the State a few days to the commencement of the Ramadan fasting, I accepted the offer, even as I didn’t have any nightmare at the period that required dream interpreters. As usual, my prayer warriors conducted a special prayer for my safety on this more recent trip to Maiduguri.

I was delighted to meet some renowned newspaper columnists on the tour, including Mallam Mahmud Jega of Daily Trust, Mike Awoyinfa of The Sun, Sam Omatseye of The Nation and Zainab Suleiman Okino of Blueprint, among others.

Borno Boarding Primary School

Rather than being escorted and protected by fully armed bodyguards in armoured vehicles, we were received by Governor Shettima, who personally drove the lead car for the media tour of various projects and facilities in the State, without the use of sirens. A few state officials also accompanied us on the tour.

The first ports of call were the state-of-the-art primary schools newly built by the Borno State government, where the Commissioner of Education, Musa Inuwa Kubo took us round air-conditioned classrooms. The beautiful furniture there were locally produced in Maiduguri, even if the digitalised teaching boards and modern gadgets were unavoidably imported. The schools have fine libraries, expansive dining halls and roomy dormitories. I pinched my cheeks harder to reassure myself I wasn’t daydreaming in fantasy when we entered a spacious Disneyland-like playground.

Borno Secondary School

We also inspected mega secondary schools with exquisite boarding facilities, infrastructure and sports arena. The newly constructed Borno State University is another world on its own, which is better than most newly established universities in terms of space, its physical ambience and buildings, and a conducive learning environment. The campus is slated to commence operation soon with the recent engagement of its principal officers.

Again, Shettima, who is equally the Senator-elect for Borno Central, led us to the newly established Industrial Park on the outskirt of Maiduguri, where the manager of the facility, Engineer Ibrahim Ali, informed us about the 16 tightly knit plants there, which have machinery for solar panel production, with the capacity to generate 120 megawatts of electricity. There are also plants in the Park for crop dehydration, and the production of PVC pipes, canopy-yarn, laminated sacks, plastic mats, school desks and chairs.

Borno Solar Panel Production Plant

In our presence, plastic tables and chairs were produced, some of which I sat on with the fullness of my weight in order to test their strength, and quite impressively they were as solid as the rock of Gibraltar.

In the Industrial Park, there are also plants for processing cassava and tomato, biscuit making, and the extraction of assorted juice, among other plants whose raw materials are produced locally in the State. In fact, there is a plastic-roofed greenhouse near the park where two types of tomatoes are farmed. There, I plucked and munched on some of the ripe tomatoes to ensure they were not plastic ones.

Borno Primary School with locally produced furniture

We were all amazed at the immense scale and beauty of the residential estates built by Governor Shettima. Most of the buildings are duplex apartments, flats, and bungalows. One may not likely have the fear of Boko Haram, If only one could be able to live in any of the glamorous estates in the serene environment!

While thrilled at the amazing discoveries, we could hardly feel the intensity of the over 40 degree Celsius sun, when the Governor swiveled his saloon car towards to the Borno Specialist Hospital. There, we were received by the State Health Commissioner, Dr. Salisu Kwayabura, who conducted us round the medical facility that offers the latest in high-tech medical care and advanced imaging services, such as latest mammogram, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and echocardiogram equipment for the early detection of cancer in the human body.

Borno Medical Facility

There are also sophisticated Computer Tomography (CT) scanners that features “intraoperative teleconferencing technology”. Some of the new equipment in the facility are rare or very few in the West African region. The multi-disciplinary medical services on offer at the Borno Specialist Hospital, which feature cutting-edge tools that are fully digital and Internet-enabled, are designed to manage the data of patients electronically, in a completely paperless manner.

The hospital’s ultramodern kidney dialysis centre has the capacity to handle more than 40 patients, while the Intensive Care Unit and the theatre are fitted with facilities for neurosurgery and other advanced procedures from General Electric (GE), including the 4D ultrasound (Voluson E10) scanning machine for finer clinical details and diagnosis.

Borno Hospital Ward

While I didn’t pray to fall sick during the visit, yet I felt like I could be very easily diagnosed and treated in this five-star, technologically advanced medical facility in Maiduguri for any future ailment or sickness. It is simply so cozy and soothing as a place of medical care.

I wondered how contractors, engineers, technicians, suppliers and other labourers were able to successfully deliver on the projects in the State considering the existence of Boko Haram terrorists and political insurgents in contiguous area, who could have wreaked havoc on them to make a strong statement?

After over six hours of tours, Governor Shettima led us to the Government House for a dinner with the incoming governor, Professor Babagana Umara Zulum.

Borno Housing Estate

When I was asked to speak on behalf of the senior media practitioners present, I commended the governor for personally taking us round on the inspection tour of the beautiful structures and highly sophisticated facilities his administration had remarkably put together without any armed bodyguard or the use of sirens. I nevertheless expressed my fear about the management of the huge projects, both in terms of their maintenance and the quality of personnel to be hired to man them. I then asked: “Would these projects boost the internally generated revenue (IGR) of the State?”

Governor Shettima’s response was apt. He said: “My tenure will expire in about a month… What gives me so much joy is that the structure, infrastructure and the facilities we put in place will be adequately maintained and improved upon, because we are privileged to have Professor Babagana Umara Zulum as my successor. And this is because he has demonstrated a consistent passion for our dearest Borno.

“Professor Zulum is head and shoulder above me in intellect, competence, compassion, and integrity. He has demonstrated those qualities, especially with his tremendous sacrifice and the risk he took as the Commissioner of Reconstruction and Rehabilitation in addressing the plight of the distressed and displaced people in the State.”

Borno Nursery School

Governor Kashim Shettima, a humble person, is quite an erudite intellectual with brilliant and remarkable ideas on governance, politics, and social development. His outstanding legacies in revolutionising the key sectors in Borno State, despite a debilitating insurgency, shall remain indelible in the minds of the people, and in history.

After the dinner, I couldn’t help but contemplate what could be the nature of the future relationship between the outgoing and incoming administrations in the State. That is, beyond their apparently pleasant rapport at this time, would the mutually supportive relationship between Senator-elect Shettima and Professor Zulum endure after their different inaugurations or take a frosty turn like the known cases of the Kwankwaso-Ganduje saga and the Tinubu-Ambode imbroglio? Or the Orji Kalu-Theodore Orji clash, the Goje-Dankwambo rivalry, the Attah-Akpabio conflict or even the Akume-Suswan fiasco, among other similar incidents between political godfathers and their godsons?

Someone tells me that theirs will be a perfect example of non-interference but mutual encouragement in their respective constitutional mandates. I fervently pray that this is so.

Yushau A. Shuaib
Author ‘An Encounter with the Spymaster’
Publisher, PRNigeria
www.YAShuaib.com

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Boko Haram: Open Letter to Borno People – YAShuaib

Yushau Shuaib — Sun, 13 Aug 2017 12:13:40 +0000

Shehu Borno Governor Shettima

Boko Haram: Open Letter to Borno People
By Yushau A. Shuaib

“Fear a tumult which will affect those who caused it as well as the innocent ones…”
Quran Chapter Anfal 8:25

I have deliberately quoted the above verse from the Quran, the Holy Book of Islam since the majority of Borno People are Muslims without ignoring the fact that there are other communities and towns within the state that are predominantly Non-Muslims.

As a Nigerian like most of you, I express my deepest sympathy and great empathy with Governor Kassim Shettima, the Shehu of Bornu, Abubakar Ibn Umar Garbai El-Kanemi and the resilient people of Borno State over the seeming unabated Boko Haram insurgency.

It is rather regrettable that when the military had prepared for a massive onslaught with a declared 40 days ultimatum for a major arrest, Nigerian troops escorting oil prospectors and geologists were ambushed by the terrorists in the state. While some of the victims including soldiers, Civilian JTF Volunteers, and staff from the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and the University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID) were massacred, few others were paraded in a video to attract public outrage and compel further negotiations with the terrorists (Link: https://goo.gl/ky5hyD.)

Rather than engaging in frivolous conspiracy theories over the reasons and those behind the Boko Haram crisis, which engulfed some states in Nigeria some years ago, it is necessary to point out that it started in Borno with the involvement of the people of the state and with supports, if not connivance, with influential people in the state.

The Army spokesperson, Brigadier General Sani Kukasheka Usman recently issued a statement that parents were donating their children for suicide bombings that are now rampant in Borno State (Link: https://goo.gl/vv49d6). That was not the first of such warnings. In fact, on September 25, 2015, the Nigerian Army had raised an alarm over plans by “some highly-placed individuals” in the same state to sabotage military operations in the region. The Military even issued a strongly worded warning saying that “the unscrupulous individuals and their cohorts were determined to reverse the gains made and scuttle military efforts of achieving the Presidential directive to defeat Boko Haram terrorists within 3 months.” The statement further disclosed that the elites “were enlisting the services of some Non-Governmental Organizations in the grand design.” (Link: https://goo.gl/qErv5V)

Since the recovery of many towns and villages by Nigerian troops from Boko Haram in Adamawa and Yobe, the people of these two states and elsewhere have cooperated with the security agencies. Recent statements from the Department of State Services (DSS) headed by a Katsina man, Lawal Musa Daura, have shown how useful information provided by the people in other states, and intelligence sharing by security agencies, curtailed terrorism in Gombe, Sokoto, Kaduna, Kano, Niger, Kogi Taraba, Nasarawa, Plateau and the even Lagos States with arrests of many suspects. (Link: https://goo.gl/6UePPz)

Surprisingly, one of the finest strategies adopted by President Muhammadu Buhari, a veteran himself, was the appointments of people from Borno into highly strategic positions in the administration with the hope that the deliberate policy would assist in intelligence gathering to end the Boko Haram insurgency and address the plight of the victims.

Some of the individuals from Borno holding influential positions at the national level include the Chief of Staff to the President, Abba Kyari; the National Security Adviser, General Babagana Monguno; the Chief of Army Staff, Lt General Yusuf Buratai and even the renowned jailer of corrupt suspects and the boss of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu among others.

We must not ignore the commitment and relentless efforts of Governor Shettima, who is pumping large chunk of state’s share from the Federation Account to address the security challenges, the plight of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) as well as the rehabilitation and reconstruction of infrastructure destroyed by the terrorists in the state (Link: https://goo.gl/P6n5XH).

It is rather baffling that with the incessant Boko Haram ambush, suicide bombings and their propaganda videos, the suspects are not detected early enough before wrecking havocs in soft targets as if they drop from the moon.

Apart from the loss of lives and displacements of people, the economic impact of Boko Haram activities in Borno is estimated at $5.9 billion (N1.9tr) according to the Army. Representing the Chief of Army Staff at the first annual conference of Guild of Corporate Online Publishers, Major General Peter Dauke said that Borno had about 400,000 houses damaged by Boko Haram Link: https://goo.gl/Mj9Sg9)

The latest Annual States Viability Index (ASVI), published by the Economic Confidential, an economic intelligence magazine, indicated that Borno State cannot survive on its internally generated revenue (IGR) without the free flow of revenue from the Federation Account and supports from other states like the recent donations by Northern governors (https://goo.gl/ZugR6M). Yet, the state possesses significant potentials in agriculture, industry and other resources including a landmass and lake that provide huge economic advantages for farming, fishing, husbandry, forestry and tourism among others.

Apart from its potentials for oil explorations, Borno has billionaires with huge investments outside the state. It is also blessed with highly educated and skilled individuals that could contribute to the economic development of the state.

More worrisome is the ever-increasing number of local and International Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) in the state whose impacts are not felt in the productive sector by facilitating job opportunities for the people. The NGOs merely engage in multi-million dollars advocacy programmes and relief distributions of mostly foreign produced items to the beggarly IDPs.

With the complex irony, could some groups and individuals be profiting from this seeming and booming terrorism industry?

It is high time that Borno people, especially the political elites, public office holders, traditional rulers, community leaders and youth groups to do more in providing the necessary information and intelligence for security agencies towards addressing the insecurity, ignorance, poverty and other malaise in the state. The reality on the ground is that Boko Haram menace is not only seen as Borno’s ‘wahala‘ but a tragedy that affects Nigeria and its neighbours.

Yushau A. Shuaib
www.YAShuaib.com
yashuaib@yahoo.com

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Asari Dokubo: Another View on Boko Haram

Yushau Shuaib — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 17:36:33 +0000

Asari Dokubo and Mohammed Yusuf

Love him or hate him, Asari Dokubo must be admired for his consistency in expressing his view without fear or favour. He supports causes with reasons and also courageously points out weaknesses of some of the causes. Lately he is reported to have rejected offers of appointment in government. When some members of his families and associates, he sponsored failed to win in the elections in Nigeria, he refuses to make noise or fight but believes philosophically in the will-of-God.

Stragely too, Dokubo is very passionate about the political struggle of his ethnic group in their quest for better share from the national economy where oil revenue from their areas account for the chunk of funds to the Federation Account. On the other side, he is not only a Muslim by name as a convert but an Islamic follower by conviction who studies the Quran and Hadith to the highest level. He is neither hypocritical in his belief like some so-called scholars and leaders who for selfishness and patronage from government would keep mute on the face of naked injustice.

He may dislike Northern elites for their ineptitude but defend the innocent and poor northerners, especially the minority who have been abused in that region. Before his famous sermon at the Presidential Villa where quoted copiously from the Islamic holy book on Allah’s admonition that “God gives Power to whom he wishes and take power from whom he wishes,” he has proven to doubting Thomases that he is well read on any issue of public interest.

In his effort to get himself well-acquainted with his religion, he took some daring venture in seeking for knowledge and even lived in harshest environment not meant for lily-livered. In that expenditure he met with so-called Boko Haram group.

We shared our views in an online forum, where once in a while he expressed his opinions. But on August 1, 2009 after watching a horrific video of extra-judicial massacre of some so-called members of Boko Haram including its leader, Mohammed Yusuf and gruesome public execution of former commissioner of Water Resources, Alhaji Buji Fai in daylight on a street by the police in Maiduguri, Borno State(similar fate befell Yusuf’s father-in-law, Baa Fugu Mohammed who was allegedly killed on a visit to Police station), I responded to a posting by Benjamin Obiajulu Aduba from Boston, Massachusetts who had described the murder as “Cold blooded murder by the government and Acts against humanity.” He advised that “the worst the government will now do is sweeping it under a carpet. The police officers responsible must be identified and tried and punished for the crime against humanity.”

While traumatised by the video of poor souls killed in the mass-murder in a civilised society, in responding to Aduba, I pointed out that “It does not matter to some people and many would not care because the so-called Boko Haram killed by the security were not Niger Delta militants who could get an AMNESTY and Special Budgetary provision after destroying public infrastructure and killing members of the armed forces. I added that because they were mostly ‘bloody Northerners’ nobody care to defend them. I also restated the genesis of the crisis in Borno when I wrote: “it started when boko-haram followers were on procession to bury their lost members early in July 2009 and were ambushed…. without daring anyone… by some forces and before you know it more members of that sect were mercilessly killed. Then the followers vowed to retaliate. My pain is that, as reported more than 300 innocent people had been killed. They are Nigerians, probably poor illiterates who may not have benefited from good education whether western or local to eke out a living. … Nobody will stand for them because they lack lawyers and media. They are NIGERIANS like all of us. This is my mind. I may be carried away by emotion. It painful that bombs were alleged dropped from the air.”

Asari Dokubo’s response to my posting was swift and timely when he narrated his close encounter with same leaders of the so-called Boko-Haram. His posting received further comments from respected bloggers like Prof. Mobolaji Aluko who said “It is all an oligarchic reaction to maintain the status quo, whether in the North or in the South. And the security forces are the official armed wing of that oligarchy that has no ethnic affiliation or religion.”

Also Dr. Nowa Omoigui supported our argument saying that he concurred “with calls for a full investigation of Police conduct in this matter. It is scandalous.” While pro-democracy activist Yinka Odumakin said there had been a lot of disinformation about Boko Haram. The media has only been reporting the information being churned out by the government. Adding that information being presented “as if these (so-called Boko Haram were lunatics who just woke up and started burning down police stations and attacking people.” He therefore advised that “The critical segment of our media should move in now to investigate these issues. We are tired of “Police commissioner said” and all those packaged versions.”

Please note that the above commentators are neither Northerners nor Muslims but are sincere and forthright rather than allowing parochial and sectional sentiments to becloud their senses of reasoning.

It is necessary to provide unedited the response of Asari Dokubo to my posting on August 1, 2009 which he signed of as Alhaji Mujahid Abubakr Dokubo-Asari with a title of ‘Alabo Edi Abali Of Kalabari.’ It goes thus: “Dear Yushau Shuaib, I met Yusuf and some members of the Salafiya Islamic organisation both at the Kuje prison and SSS underground. They were good Muslims and had humane and good public relations with all inmates irrespective of belief. Their name was not BOKO HARAM. They advocated hijra from the state of bidia and kufr to the state of sunnah and Islam (belief) .They were among the finest men I had met in life. Before our prison experience unknown to both of us, myself and Yusuf had met severally at the Indimi Mosque when I was frequenting Maiduguri as an Islamic student at Gamboru Ngala.

“The Indimi mosque was the center of sunnni and salafi activism and Sheikh Jafar Adams used to come from kano for Ramadan tafsir. I discovered during our discussion that all was not well between the group and sheikh Jafar Adams. Then they refer to them as Nigerian Talibans. I became thier advocate anytime I was taken to court, as their plight was dehumanising because most of them were held in chains for more than two years. We became very friendly during his few days stay. When he left I got closer to his remaining followers who he described as his fellow students. He was humble to a fault and was ready to discuss all issues without any show of arrogance as is customary with most so-called Islamic scholars. Those left behind such as Isam, Mohammed Ashaffa, Yusuf, Hussein, e.t.c became my Arabic teachers, Hussein who was an hafiz was my Quranic teacher and I started memorizing the Quran. After my release I established contact with Isam who I later suspected was now a government agent. In my relationship with them I came to understand their desire to be free to practice their faith without interference from others. I believe that is their right.

I agree with you that the government of the Nigerian state orchestrated and provoked the incident in Bauchi to justify the attack they are planning against us in the Niger Delta and they already have supporters in people like Okala. Yusuf Mohammed and his followers were a threat to evil and dubious status quo in the north which use Islam to perpetuate all the evil. The fear of the oligarchy was that Yusuf and his followers activities will strengthen other religious and national minorities to overthrow their dubious status quo in the north. I want them to know that, they will not perpetually maintain and sustain these evil status quo forever. May Allah reward Yusuf Mohammed and his followers shahada and admit to the highest rank in paradise. Amin. The Struggle Is Unstoppable.”

The Message from all these interactions is that: we should be sincere in managing crises in the country. There is a need for thorough investigation on unfolding development to guard against undesirable elements that could be gambling in giving a dog bad a name. Have we forgotten the so-called NADECO bombing gimmicks during Abacha?

Those who kill innocent souls in whatever names or garbs should be investigated and prosecuted according to the law for fairness and justice.

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