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Duty Call Under Buratai Command By Jibrin Baba Ndace
Duty Call Under Buratai Command By Jibrin Baba Ndace
The title is apt. In this book, Duty Call Under Buratai Command, the author, Jibrin Baba Ndace, is concise. He goes beyond the era of Buratai as the Chief of Army Staff to delve into the early years of Nigeria’s statehood to situate a nation that has come a long way. The book is like a treatise, well researched, documented and properly presented on the political and other issues that have helped to form a nation. But above all, Ndace is critical on those salient but sensitive areas and deeds that helped Gen. T.Y. Buratai to come out tops in his onerous tasks and responsibilities to uproot terrorism from the land.
But in order to fully comprehend the sentiments expressed and embedded in the book, it is better to still pick a copy. It is a book that is deeper than the subject matter. It is history reiterated to suit the mood of the nation. It is history that is well replicated, re-enacted to teach, to remind, to remold the minds of the people. Apart from a lengthy acknowledgement that has helped to reveal and know the people that assisted to appreciate the efforts that made this publication possible, the author is equally unwavering in his research efforts. He is painstaking. He is thorough.
His call to join in the reportage of the fight against terrorism in the different fronts where the battles were fought was prompt, immediate, yet Jibrin, as a journalist, quickly embraced this call pronto. This is the opening of the story. This provides the enabling zeal and foundation for this book to be muted and executed. “That was it. Preparations for Sallah became preparations for departure to Maiduguri at the briefest notice. Thus began my story which is something close to a travelogue, in the shadows of Lt. General Tukur Yusuf Buratai, Nigeria’s Chief of Army Staff”. Page XXVI. However, this book is more than a travelogue. It is deliberate, more profound and seriously treated to open people’s eyes to the nitty-gritty of the nation state. Indeed, this is a compendium, a collector’s item.
This is why the book is divided into sections, within fifteen broad chapters. Each chapter treats much broader issues that pertain to Nigeria, to the roles of individuals, army, civilians, all, to enable Nigeria grow or otherwise. Chapter one entitled Sad Tribute of a nation at war with itself, suddenly becomes a leeway into the core basis of the entire book. “A nation divided against itself cannot prosper”, page 1. This anathema or truism summarizes the nation called Nigeria. But the author is quick to stress the role of Britain, the colonial overlords, the responsibilities or lack of it played by Nigeria’s early leaders that resulted to the Nigeria of today. As you make your bed, so you shall lie on it, seems to be the author’s mantra concerning the state of the nation Nigeria, indeed the Nigeria of today.
On page 2, he makes it explicitly clear: “The country is blessed not just with natural resources, but the exploits of her people all over the world across all sectors, speak volumes of her massive human resource endowment”. With this, he goes into some remarkable offers and statements by previous leaders to lead Nigeria aright. What the author is saying invariably is that it is the errors of leaders past and present, that bred and keep breeding the terror of today. Yes, because “Despite hope by founding fathers since independence Nigeria’s journey to nationhood has been turbulent and tumultuous due largely to her internal contradictions and inability of the political players and other influential stakeholders to safely and adequately address their differences for a more united and prosperous country”. And so on and so forth. Page 4.
In chapter two, captured: New enemy, new challenge, the author is clear as to how the issue and the roles of army and indeed the military generally have pointed the way forward for Nigeria. A nation breeds the kind of military that tackles its numerous internal problems. Even then conflicts have been part and parcel of humanity over the years, but how has Nigeria tackled its own problems over time? Books have been written, ideas canvassed and espoused, but have these helped to suppress or prevent wars and crises? Ditto: World Wars I and II and the Nigerian civil war and others across the globe.
On page 31, it is made clearer, “What was however unknown to or not noticed by many Nigerians was that while the arm forces of Nigeria and other security agencies were battling militancy in the Niger Delta, communal clashes, political thugs, armed bandits and other forms of criminal tendencies in the country, a deadly group was establishing its roots in North eastern Nigeria”. Thus, Boko Haram was born. Jibrin thus hits the nail on the head as he sets minds racing into the past.
In chapter three, we encounter a recurrent theme in the Boko Haram’s adventures in Nigeria. Entitled: The Chibok nightmare, the author opens it with a mind bogging quote. “Terrorists are masters of mind control”. This was the strategy they employed from the onset to upstage the scene and put Nigerians in a state of anomie, fear and disarray. It was then time for the military to act promptly and decisively. The abduction of the Chibok girls, the serious siege on Yobe and Bornu States set the nation and the entire military on edge. In the face of reckless and ceaseless bombings and killings in many parts of Nigeria by Boko Haram, the issue of the Chibok girls became a time to rise to the occasion. On page 39, “Clearly, 2014 was the year of Boko Haram… It also intensified its suicide attacks on major towns and villages in the country, including the federal capital Abuja… The Chibok abduction occurred the same day with another deadly attack on Nigeria’s capital, Abuja”. Thus, began the tortuous journey of these teenage school girls into the belly of Boko Haram.
Shouts of chei there’s God and so on, have since rented the air, yet, the girls are still in the dragnet of Boko Haram. For one thing, this book is provocative, bent on making history come alive, become renewed and topical in the annals of Nigeria.
In chapter four, we have the theme- The return of a ‘Seventh time loser’. With the coming of President Muhammadu Buhari, the tide suddenly changed for good. As soon as he appointed Lt. Gen. T.Y. Buratai, this brutish and no nonsense army general as a Nigeria’s Chief of Army Staff, he took the war straight to the home of Boko Haram. Jibrin, a close participant in this story is clear when he says that the emergence of Buhari after losing several times at the polls was a blessing in disguise. His coming into office thus became an albatross for terrorists in Nigeria. After tracing the history of Nigeria’s military since the colonial days, he gives unreserved credit to Buhari for his tenacity of purpose and prompt wisdom in tackling terrorism to its logical end.
On page 63, the book says “Like the armed forces, President Muhammadu Buhari’s trajectory is intrinsically linked to the history of Nigeria…” So when he became Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces of Nigeria in 2015, it was critical he rooted hoodlums out of the land. And this, in other words, commences the next stage of this book.
In chapter five, and with the Eagle Square Declaration, President Buhari noted: “Boko Haram is a typical example of small fires causing large fires”. He made the military trigger ready with this critical observation. As he drove into the Eagle Square for his inauguration, keen on his mind was how to free Nigeria from the foyers of insecurity. Also he quickly responded that Boko Haram was not the only security issue bedeviling our country. On page 80, he was deeply troubled when he says: “We are going to erect and maintain efficient, disciplined people-friendly and well-compensated security forces within an over-all security architecture”. And so he set the ball rolling with immediate effect. As an
embedded reporter, Jibrin knows how to critically background each chapter in order to send the necessary message across to the reader. This is one of the reasons this book is a must read for all well-meaning peoples of the world, particularly Nigerians.
In chapter six, Buhari is now in the saddle of leadership. Buhari in his usual characteristic way did not immediately change service chiefs. But when he eventually did, it was not just phenomenal, it was most effectual. Before this decision he had ordered the military command to move deeper into the North East for more effective counter-insurgency. This done, on July 13, 2015, he promptly appointed new service chiefs with Lt. Gen. T.Y. Buratai taking over as the Chief of Army Staff. Henceforth, Buratai took over with full force, swinging into action. Without wasting time he shows he is a man of destiny. On page 87, Jibrin refers to him as a man whom some of his course mates simply refer to as a cat with nine lives. Or a rejected stone that became the head cornerstone. A native of Biu, in Bornu State, his appointment as the son of the soil offered him plenty elbow room to swim within a familiar terrain to uproot and destroy the strongholds of Boko Haram.
No doubt, he comes from a community of warriors when his own father was also a soldier. Enamoured by his background, Buratai dares where angels fear to go.
His appointment, alongside others, is well enumerated in this chapter and this leaves no one in doubt that Jibrin is a talented chronicler, a historian in all sense of the word. Indeed he is a crack reporter.
Since the book is divided into parts as well, part two of it opens with A New Sheriff. And who is this Sheriff, so revered and feared and respected? This is chapter seven-Soja go! Soja com! Barracks no go empty! It is not just a slogan; it is the way of the military. It shows that no position is permanent. And so on 16th of July, 2015, Buratai officially took over the mantle of leadership with changes here and there in the army cadre. Ndace also reveals his own family history of soldering as a career. No wonder therefore he feels at home with his call to duty as embedded defence correspondent.
All in all, the author embellishes this part and chapter with appropriate glossary pictures of his exploits and those of his principal and all the people that are involved in this crusade. It is a glorious section.
And “Where do you think we are going”? This is the title of chapter eight of the book. Starting with an epoch quote by General Baron De Jomini that states that “If a general desires to be a successful actor in the great drama of war, his first duty is to study carefully the theatre of operations so that he may see clearly the relative advantage and disadvantage it presents for himself and his enemies”. Bearing this in mind, Buratai did not waste time to head towards the core inner areas of the North East to see first-hand where and how to tackle the insurgents. He needed to understand the geography better. While doing this he took along the military and civilian personae that mattered to him in this patriotic assignment. That was how the journey ended at night in Damaturu, the Yobe State capital. This was when the Boko Haram upsurge was intense, indeed at its hottest peak, tormenting the public to no end.
In chapter nine, attention is now focused on Damaturu. Entitled Damaturu: Walking on a battleground, we see a Buratai who is battle ready; who has chosen to surprise everyone with his unannounced entry into the town. It was a big blow to the enemies of the state. For this reason the soldiers who had been out there in the cold were happy to receive the Chief of Army Staff with an open arm. Page 139, “A soldier who told me he had been in the North East for four years expressed his delight. This will really encourage us. When your number one officer visits you and stays with you, eats with you, there is nothing more than that”, the soldier said.
It was in the midst of all these that all marched through landmines. In chapter Ten, entitled marching on landmines, emphasis is on courage. Here Buratai serves as an example. The author notes that two days after being embedded his mind is made for the battles ahead. Not only that, he is imbued with renewed vigour and courage, Buratai is included as he also encourages others to fall in line.
Chapters eleven to the end, to twelve, thirteen through fifteen all hammer on the different places and locations where the battles were fought and won. The stories traverse the whole gamut of the North East, laying open the troubles on the way and tactics employed by Buratai and his team to rout out and destroy the last strongholds of the insurgents.
It was tough, rough and terrifying. Most especially the journeys through Maiduguri to Gamboru, Nigeria’s border with Chad, the terrain of the routes, the abnormality of the roads, further sent signals of how horrible the areas were. Yet the brevity of Buratai and his team became overriding in all these. In the end, his command overcame and it became duty call under General Buratai. The author notes, in the end, that it is good for every honest man, soldier or civilian to be called to duty just like Buratai was. That way, the nation will be saved, remain in safe hands, and peace and tranquility will return
Why Babangida’s Hilltop Home Became Nigeria’s Political “Mecca”.
By George Omagbemi Sylvester | Published by SaharaWeeklyNG.com
Former President Goodluck Jonathan’s birthday visit to Gen. Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (IBB) in Minna (where he hailed the octogenarian as a patriotic leader committed to national unity) was more than a courtesy call. It was a reminder of a peculiar constant in Nigerian politics: the steady pilgrimage of power-seekers, bridge-builders and crisis-managers to the Hilltop mansion. Jonathan’s own words captured it bluntly: IBB’s residence “is like a Mecca of sorts” because of the former military president’s enduring relevance and perceived nation-first posture.
Babangida turned 84 on 17 August 2025. That alone invites reflection on a career that has shaped Nigeria’s political architecture for four decades; admired by some for audacious statecraft, condemned by others for controversies that still shadow the republic. Born on 17 August 1941 in Minna, he ruled as military president from 1985 to 1993, presiding over transformative and turbulent chapters: the relocation of the national capital to Abuja in 1991; the creation of political institutions for a long, complex transition; economic liberalisation that cut both ways; and the fateful annulment of the 12 June 1993 election. Each of these choices helps explain why the Hilltop remains a magnet for Nigerians who need counsel, cover or calibration.
A house built on influence; why the visits never stop.
Let’s start with the obvious: access. Nigeria’s political class prizes proximity to the men and women who can open doors, soften opposition, broker peace and read the hidden currents. In that calculus, IBB’s network is unmatched. He cultivated a reputation for “political engineering,” the reason the press christened him “Maradona” (for deft dribbling through complexity) and “Evil Genius” (for the strategic cunning his critics decried). Whether one embraces or rejects those labels, they reflect a reality: Babangida is still the place where many politicians go to test ideas, seek endorsements or secure introductions. Even the mainstream press has described him as a consultant of sorts to desperate or ambitious politicians, an uncomfortable description that nevertheless underlines his gravitational pull.
Though it isn’t only political tact that draws visitors; it’s statecraft with lasting fingerprints. Moving the seat of government from Lagos to Abuja in December 1991 was not a cosmetic relocation, it re-centred the federation and signaled a symbolic neutrality in a country fractured by regional suspicion. Abuja’s founding logic (GEOGRAPHIC CENTRALITY and ETHNIC NEUTRALITY) continues to stabilise the national imagination. This is part of the reason many leaders, across party lines, still defer to IBB: he didn’t just rule; he rearranged the map of power.
Then there’s the regional dimension. Under his watch, Nigeria led the creation and deployment of ECOMOG in 1990 to staunch Liberia’s bloody civil war, a bold move that announced Abuja as a regional security anchor. The intervention was imperfect, contested and costly, but it helped define West Africa’s collective security posture and Nigeria’s leadership brand. When neighboring states now face crises, the memory of that precedent still echoes in diplomatic corridors and Babangida’s counsel retains currency among those who remember how decisions were made.
Jonathan’s praise and the unity argument.
Jonathan’s tribute (stressing Babangida’s non-sectional outlook and commitment to unity) goes to the heart of the Hilltop mystique. For a multi-ethnic federation straining under distrust, figures who can speak across divides are prized. Jonathan’s point wasn’t nostalgia; it was a live assessment of a man many still call when Nigeria’s seams fray. That’s why the parade to Minna continues: the anxious, the ambitious and the statesmanlike alike seek an elder who can convene rivals and cool temperatures.
The unresolved shadow: June 12 and the ethics of influence.
No honest appraisal can skip the hardest chapter: the annulment of the 12 June 1993 election (judged widely as free and fair) was a rupture that delegitimised the transition and scarred Nigeria’s democratic journey. Political scientist Larry Diamond has repeatedly identified June 12 as a prime example of how authoritarian reversals corrode democratic legitimacy and public trust. His larger warning (“few developments are more destructive to the legitimacy of new democracies than blatant and pervasive political corruption”) captures the moral crater that followed the annulment and the years of drift that ensued. Those wounds are part of the Babangida legacy too and they complicate the reverence that a steady stream of visitors displays.
Max Siollun, a leading historian of Nigeria’s military era, has observed (provocatively) that the military’s “greatest contribution” to democracy may have been to rule “long and badly enough” that Nigerians lost appetite for soldiers in power. It’s a stinging line, yet it helps explain the paradox of IBB’s status: the same system he personified taught Nigeria costly lessons that hardened its democratic reflexes. Today’s generation visits the Hilltop not to revive militarism but to harvest hard-won insights about managing a fragile federation.
What sustains the pilgrimage.
1) Institutional memory: Nigeria’s politics often suffers amnesia. Babangida offers a living archive of security crises navigated, regional diplomacy attempted, volatile markets tempered and power-sharing experiments designed. Whether one applauds or condemns specific choices, the muscle memory of governing a complex federation is rare and urgently sought.
2) Convening power: In a season of polarisation, the ability to sit warring factions in the same room is not small capital. Babangida’s imprimatur remains a safe invitation card few refuse it, fewer ignore it. That convening power explains why movements, parties and would-be presidents keep filing up the long driveway. Recent delegations have explicitly cast their courtesy calls in the language of unity, loyalty and patriotism ahead of pivotal elections.
3) Signals to the base: Visiting Minna telegraphs seriousness to party structures and funders. It says: “I have sought counsel where history meets experience.” In Nigeria’s coded political theatre, that signal still matters. Outlets have reported for years that many aspirants treat the Hilltop as an obligatory stop an unflattering reality, perhaps, but a revealing one.
4) The man and the myth: The mansion itself, with its opulence and aura, has become a set piece in Nigeria’s story of power, admired by some, resented by others, but always discussed. The myth feeds the pilgrimage; the pilgrimage feeds the myth.
The balance sheet at 84.
To treat Babangida solely as a sage is to forget the costs of his era; to treat him only as a villain is to ignore the architecture that still holds parts of Nigeria together. Abuja’s relocation stands as a stabilising bet that paid off. ECOMOG, for all its flaws, seeded a habit of regional responsibility. Conversely, June 12 remains a national cautionary tale about elite manipulation, civilian marginalisation and the brittleness of transitions managed from above. These are not contradictory truths; they are the double helix of Babangida’s place in Nigerian memory.
Jonathan’s homage tried to distill the better angel of IBB’s record: MENTORSHIP, BRIDGE-BUILDING and a POSTURE that (at least in his telling) RESISTS SECTIONAL ISM. “That is why today, his house is like a Mecca of sorts,” he said, praying that the GENERAL continues to “mentor the younger ones.” Whether one agrees with the full sentiment, it accurately describes the lived politics of Nigeria today: Minna remains a checkpoint on the road to relevance.
The scholar’s verdict and a citizen’s challenge.
If Diamond warns about legitimacy and Siollun warns about the perils of soldier-politics, what should Nigerians demand from the Hilltop effect? Three things.
First, use influence to open space, not close it. Counsel should tilt toward rules, institutions and credible elections not kingmaking for its own sake. The lesson of 1993 is that subverting a valid vote haunts a nation for decades.
Second, mentor for unity, but insist on accountability. Unity cannot be a euphemism for silence. A truly patriotic elder statesman sets a high bar for conduct and condemns the shortcuts that tempt new actors in old ways. Diamond’s admonition on corruption is not an abstraction; it’s a roadmap for rebuilding trust.
Third, convert nostalgia into institutional memory. If Babangida’s house is a classroom, then Nigeria should capture, publish and debate its lessons in the open: on peace operations (what worked, what failed), on capital relocation (how to plan at scale), and on transitions (how not to repeat 1993). Only then does the pilgrimage serve the republic rather than personalities.
At 84, Ibrahim Babangida remains a paradox that Nigeria cannot ignore: a man whose legacy straddles NATION-BUILDING and NATION-BRUISING, whose doors remain open to those seeking power and those seeking peace. Jonathan’s visit (and his striking “Mecca” metaphor) reveals a simple, stubborn fact: in a country still searching for steady hands, the Hilltop’s shadow is long. The task before Nigeria is to ensure that the shadow points toward a brighter constitutional daybreak, where influence is finally subordinated to institutions and where mentorship hardens into norms that no single mansion can monopolise. That is the only pilgrimage worth making.
Ajadi Celebrates Juju Legend Femolancaster’s 50th Birthday in the UK
Nigerian Juju music legend, Otunba Femi Fadipe, popularly known as FemoLancaster, is being celebrated today in London as he clocks 50 years of age.
Ambassador Olufemi Ajadi Oguntoyinbo, a frontline politician and businessman, led tributes to the Ilesa-born maestro, describing him as a timeless cultural icon whose artistry has enriched both Nigeria and the world.
“FemoLancaster is not just a musician, he is a legend,” Ambassador Ajadi said in his birthday message. “For decades, his classical Juju sound has remained a reminder of the beauty of Yoruba heritage. Today, as he turns 50, I celebrate a cultural ambassador whose music bridges generations and continents.”
While FemoLancaster is highly dominant in Oyo State and across the South-West, his craft has also taken him beyond Nigeria’s borders.
FemoLancaster’s illustrious career has seen him thrill audiences across Nigeria and beyond, with performances in the United Kingdom, Canada, United States of America, and other parts of the world. His dedication to Juju music has projected Yoruba traditional sounds to international stages, keeping alive the legacy of icons like King Sunny Ade and Chief Ebenezer Obey while infusing fresh energy for younger audiences
He further stressed the significance of honoring artistes who have remained faithful to indigenous music while taking it global. “In an era where modern sounds often overshadow tradition, FemoLancaster stands as a beacon of continuity and resilience. He has carried Yoruba Juju music into the global space with dignity, passion, and excellence,” he added.
The golden jubilee celebration in London has drawn fans, friends, and colleagues, who all describe FemoLancaster as a gifted artist whose contributions over decades have earned him a revered place in the pantheon of Nigerian music legends.
“As FemoLancaster marks this milestone,” Ajadi concluded, “I wish him many more years of good health, wisdom, and global recognition. May his music continue to echo across generations and continents.”
celebrity radar - gossips
Gospel Songstress Esther Igbekele Marks Birthday with Gratitude and Celebration
Gospel Songstress Esther Igbekele Marks Birthday with Gratitude and Celebration
By Aderounmu Kazeem Lagos
Lagos, Nigeria — The gospel music scene is aglow today as the “Duchess of Gospel Music,” Esther Igbekele, marks another milestone in her life, celebrating her birthday on Saturday, August 16, 2025.
Known for her powerful voice, inspirational lyrics, and unwavering dedication to spreading the gospel through music, Esther Igbekele has become one of Nigeria’s most respected and beloved gospel artistes. Over the years, she has graced countless stages, released hit albums, and inspired audiences across the world with her uplifting songs.
Today’s celebration is expected to be a joyful blend of music, prayers, and heartfelt tributes from family, friends, fans, and fellow artistes. Sources close to the singer revealed that plans are in place for a special praise gathering in Lagos, where she will be joined by notable figures in the gospel industry, church leaders, and admirers from home and abroad.
Speaking ahead of the day, Igbekele expressed deep gratitude to God for His mercy and the opportunity to use her gift to touch lives. “Every birthday is a reminder of God’s faithfulness in my journey. I am thankful for life, for my fans, and for the privilege to keep ministering through music,” she said.
From her early beginnings in the Yoruba gospel music scene to her rise as a celebrated recording artiste with a unique fusion of contemporary and traditional sounds, Esther Igbekele’s career has been marked by consistency, excellence, and a strong message of hope.
As she adds another year today, her fans have flooded social media with messages of love, appreciation, and prayers — a testament to the profound impact she continues to make in the gospel music ministry.
For many, this birthday is not just a celebration of Esther Igbekele’s life, but also of the divine inspiration she brings to the Nigerian gospel music landscape.
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