Wife of world’s second richest man, Bill Gates Melinda has arrived Nigeria.
The American businesswoman and philanthropist arrived on Wednesday to meet with Governor Nasir el-Rufai’s management and economic team.
Wife of Nigeria’s President, Aisha Buhari will also play host to Melinda to discuss issues bordering on challenges and vulnerabilities facing women and children in Africa.
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…says paying herdsmen won’t stop the killing spree
Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka has criticized President Muhammadu Buhari and Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai over their handling of the killing spree in embarked upon by herdsmen in Southern Kaduna.
Speaking at the launch of the book “Religion and the Making of Nigeria” in Abuja on Thursday, Soyinka lambasted El-Rufai for admitting that he paid herdsmen to stop the killings.
He said: “Religion in the history of this continent has been a disastrous venture, a disaster in many zones and continues to be even so today. In this very nation in Southern Kaduna, over 800 souls were brutally extinguished suddenly while the issue of grazing lands versus farming is unquestionably part of the conflict, it is equally undeniable that religious differences have played crucial role in the conflict.
“And yet some weeks before the latest outrage, the governor of that state was quoted to have claimed that peace was nigh since he had sent funds to the earlier wave of killers and they had agreed to end their killing spree.
“What astonished me was not the admission by the governor but the astonishment of others at such governmental response to atrocity. There was nothing new about it. Has appeasement to religious forces not become a Nigerian face of justice and equity?
“First lethargy and then appeasement. Wasn’t Boko Haram’s Muhammed Yusuf not a beneficiary of appeasement in a similar fashion?
“Southern Kaduna has reminded us once again that the monster always lying waiting to pounce under the guise of religion.
“If you ask why General Buhari did not act fast enough when these events take place, which degrade us as human beings, well it is perhaps he has been waiting for the governor of that state to send money to the killers first for them to stop the killing.”
However, in a new development, the Nigerian Army has confirmed sending special forces to restore peace, law and order in the crisis engulfed Southern Kaduna.
Gov. Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna state has lauded the timely intervention of the Nigerian Army in bringing the insecurity in Southern Kaduna under control.
The governor made the remark on Wednesday when he visited the Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai at the Army Headquarters, Abuja.
According to a statement signed by the army spokesman, Brig.-Gen. Sani Usman, the governor said that if not for the timely intervention of the army, the problem of the insecurity in Southern part of Kaduna State could have been worst.
He eulogized the army for decimating Boko Haram terrorists and routing them out of their stronghold at Sambisa forest, describing it as unprecedented.
El-Rufai also applauded the efforts of 1 Division of the Nigerian Army , Kaduna in tackling cattle rustlings, kidnappings and other forms of criminalities in the state.
He appealed to the army authority to establish more formations in Southern Kaduna, Birnin Gwari and Anchau.
Responding, Buratai thanked El-Rufaí for the visit, stressing that the Nigerian army would continue to discharge its duties according to the Constitutional provision.
He disclosed that President Muhammadu Buhari had approved the NA 2016 Order of Battle to establish army units in some parts of the state.
The Sultan of Sokoto and President-General of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, NSCIA, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, has condemned what he described the ongoing unjust acts of destruction of lives and properties in Southern Kaduna.
A statement from the Director of Administration, NSCIA, Ustaz Christian Isa Okonkwo, Monday, quoted the Sultan as expressing sadness that as at the last count, over 800 people were reportedly killed while about 57 others have suffered life-threatening injuries.
Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III Okonkwo said: “The NSCIA denounces these events in its entirety particularly because they run contrary to fundamental Islamic law which ordains human life to be sacred and strongly forbids its unlawful destruction except for a just course.”
He urged the President Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government and the Governor Nasir El-Rufai-led Kaduna State Government to urgently step into the situation and put a stop to the crisis.
“The NSCIA would like the Federal and Kaduna State governments to go a step further by proffering lasting solutions to these recurrent acts of hatefulness and savagery in Southern Kaduna.
We also wish to call on the Federal government to objectively investigate the matter and prosecute whoever that is found guilty irrespective of the person’s tribe, creed and/or social status,” he said.
He urged all Nigerians to continue to promote justice, preach, teach and live in peace with one another, and not to allow themselves be used by forces of evil which may hide behind tribal, political or even religious disguise order to perpetrate evils.
Kaduna State Governor, Malam Nasir El-Rufai has revealed plans by some unnamed politicians to use Niger Delta militants disguised as Fulani to attack people in the Southern part of Kaduna.
El-Rufai, however said security agents are on the trail of those instigating crisis in the state.
The governor who made the revelations during a media chat on Wednesday night in Kaduna, said he was aware politicians were sponsoring the attacks and were benefiting from the crisis, asserting that they would be arrested and prosecuted to serve as deterrent to others.
Listen to Governor @elrufai ‘s Hausa Media Chat from yesterday here: https://t.co/fVTyJUctPN pic.twitter.com/ymSk5xN618
— Governor Kaduna (@GovKaduna) December 22, 2016
The governor disclosed that plans were underway to establish two military formations in the Southern part as a way of ending the crisis, stressing that the state government got assurances of President Muhammadu Buhari, the Ministry of Defence and Chief of Army Staff on the request to site the military formations.
He said the proposed military formations would be in Fadan Karshi in Sanga and Kauru local government areas respectively to provide rapid response to acts of criminality.
The governor said that in the meantime, the presence of security personnel had been beefed up in the area to stem the tide of violence.
In a related move to address insecurity, the Kaduna State government yesterday held an emergency meeting with the state council of traditional rulers with a call on them to caution their people against crisis.
Speaking during the meeting, Deputy Governor of the state, Barnabas Bala Bantex who represented the state Governor Nasir El-rufai, described the killings and tension in Southern Kaduna as unfortunate, saying, “I will like to assure our people that the present leadership in the state has no secret agenda of pursuing ethnic or religious agenda. The bandits killing people in southern Kaduna and states like Zamfara are not doing it based on religion. They are criminals,” he said.
The meeting had in attendance the Emir of Zazzau, Emir of Kagaro, Emir of Birnin Gwari, Chief of Ninzo and Atta Adara, amongst others.