society
BBC: Tinubu got it right on territories reclaimed by Buhari— Buratai
BBC: Tinubu got it right on territories reclaimed by Buhari— Buratai
What is your take on the current military’s tactics in decimating banditry and terrorism in the country?
Answer: I’ll say, let them maintain it and keep up the aggressive assaults. Additionally, collaboration and synergy with other sister agencies is crucial. They must avoid being distracted and keep their attention on their task.
How would you describe the fight against terrorism in the country since you left office as the COAS?
Answer: Well, you must understand that the military is not a one man show; even when I was in service, I worked with a team, and I am happy to say that many of them are still in service. The current COAS served under me as Theater Commander of OP LAFIYA DOLE now OP HADIN KAI. By and large, I will say that they are doing well. Whatever little success we were able to achieve during my tenure, we did it together; it was a collective effort.
The 2023 general election is just by the corner; what advice do you have for the military to ensure a hit-free poll as far as security is concerned?
Answer: They must stick to their constitutional role and remain apolitical. I understand that the military may be called in to assist the civil police at some point, but only when things are about to get out of hand. I think the electorate must not succumb to fear or intimidation; they should come out and exercise their civic duty. At the same time, all of us must be vigilant; if you see something suspicious, try to say something to the right authorities.
According to PRNigeria the presidential candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Bola Ahmed Tinubu created an impression that the Buhari-led administration had inherited seventeen local governments and about four states which were under the control of foreign Jihadists in 2015. What is your take on this?
Answer: The conclusion and verdict of PRNigeria is false, wrong, and inaccurate. I was the first COAS to serve under President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, and even before my appointment as COAS, I was the Force Commander, MNJTF, so I should have correct information and the situation of things in the North-East and Borno State, which is my state of origin. Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu got it right. As of July 2015, the following LGAs were under Boko Haram in Borno State: Dikwa, Marte, Gamboru Ngala, Kala Balge, Guzamala, Damasak, and in Yobe State, we have Gulani and Gujba. The terrorists also partially occupied Kukawa,Gajiram, Kaga , Mafa, Bama, Gubio, Chibok, Gwoza, Damboa, and Nganzai. The wrong impression created by PR Nigeria should be corrected. I understand that they were misinformed, but this is the correct information.
What is your reaction on the report by PRNigeria that foreign technical experts, including mercenaries, assisted greatly in the recovery of the occupied territories in North-East?
Answer: If it does in fact occur, it did not occur during the time that I was in charge.
You actively supported one of the candidates in the presidential primaries of the ruling party. And you are on the side of your party’s presidential candidate in this election. Yet, you have always insisted, “I am not a politician.” How do you explain this position?
Answer: Our lives are in phases and chapters. When I said, “I am not a politician,” that was the truth and nothing but the truth. I was not a member of any political party then. I was a soldier who was under oath to protect and defend the territorial integrity of Nigeria. But as you know very well, that phase of my life is now gone. There is a time to join the Army and serve as a soldier, and there is a time to leave the Army and return to civilian life. I am a democrat; that’s why, when I was in the Army, I tried to keep soldiers out of politics and allow the people to choose their leaders as they wanted. We also protected this democracy. So now that I am a civilian, I think it won’t be out of place if I heed the call of destiny and enter politics. That doesn’t mean I will run for political office. My plan is to form a government with some Nigerians who I believe have good intentions for the country. I initially supported Rotimi Amaechi because I believed in him, but we lost the primaries. However, since the party is supreme and God has willed that Asiwaju Bola Tinubu will be the flagbearer of the APC, it is expected that I should support him to win the elections. This is what I am doing. And this is not a new thing in Nigeria or the US. Generals Shehu Yar’adua, Obasanjo, and Ibrahim Babangida, as well as Aliyu Gusau, David Jemibiwon, Abdurahman Danbazau, and Dwight D. Eisenhower, all played politics after their service in the military. There is no doubt; stakeholders and imminent Nigerians thought that I could add value and so invited me to join them to move the country forward. One thing I want to tell Nigerians is that I will surely add value. There is no doubt about that.
Your name isn’t going to fade away anytime soon from the Nigerian Army, both in terms of exploits and enduring legacies. How do you feel about your stewardship?
Answer: Honestly, it humbles me. We wanted to achieve much more than we have, but, you know, things don’t always work out as planned. But it’s nice to hear soldiers and officers talk positively about us. We did what we thought was best for the army and the wellbeing of Nigeria. As COAS, I worked virtually around the clock daily. Sometimes I just sleep for a few hours.
What do you see as the place of regional cooperation in addressing the security challenges in Nigeria?
Answer: Regional cooperation is strategic in addressing security challenges because our borders are porous and our people are interconnected. Some people in south-western Nigeria have blood relatives in the Benin Republic. Those in the North East have relatives in Chad, Cameroon, and the Niger Republic, as well as in Sokoto and other places. So it is easy for criminals to move into Nigeria from these neighboring countries. What affects our neighbors can easily affect us. Not just us, but the entire ECOWAS membership. When the Boko Haram insurgency started, some people thought it was a Nigerian problem alone, but it has now spread to Burkina Faso and Mali. So, regional cooperation is needed to tackle the issue of small arms proliferation, help with intelligence gathering, and conduct COIN operations. For example, the MNJTF is helping to deal with Boko Haram and ISWAP in a good way.
There is the story of your long connection to President Buhari, beginning with his deployment as Military Governor of North East State. Can you help us recall this and its culmination during your time as Force Commander of MNJTF and COAS?
Answer: Yes, President Buhari and I have come a long way because destiny connected us in 1975, when he was the military governor of Borno State and I was a Form One student at Teacher’s College Maiduguri. He used to come to the school in the evenings to watch us play football. When I was running off the pitch to get the ball after hitting the ball so hard that it knocked down one of our classmates, the then-Colonel Buhari said to me, “You this boy! The army is what suits you best.
One thing led to another, and I was transferred to Teacher’s College Potiskum, while then-Col Buhari left Borno to serve as Petroleum Minister in the government of General Olusegun Obasanjo. I finished Teacher’s College, taught in a primary school at Buratai, and then joined the NDA in 1981. I got commissioned in December 1983 and heard that Major General Buhari was now the new Head of State. I proceeded to Elele in Rivers State, and that was it until sometime in 2015, when he visited Ndjamena as the newly democratically elected President of Nigeria. At that time, I was the Force Commander, MNJTF. When he returned to Nigeria and wanted to appoint his service chiefs, he appointed me as the 20th COAS. So he has been my leader and mentor in the past, now, and always.
What advice is best for the young officers and soldiers on the frontlines of service to the nation?
Answer: I have written and published a book known as Thoughts and Principles on Leadership. I am recommending it to all military officers to read. But that notwithstanding, my candid advice to young officers and soldiers is to remember the seven core Army values: their unit, the Army, God, and country. They must remain patriotic and keep on developing their skills and improving their competence.
CANAAN CITY RESIDENTS DEMAND IGP ACTION OVER POLICE-BACKED LAND INVASION IN ONDO
Ondo, Nigeria – The residents of Canaan City Crescent, Fagun, Ondo West Local Government Area, have called on the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, to urgently intervene in an ongoing land invasion allegedly aided by officers of the Ondo State Police Command and SWAT operatives from Akure.
The disputed land, located at the end of Road 13 Avenue 14, Fagun, Ondo, has been the subject of multiple legal battles since 2007. From the Customary Court to the High Court and up to the Court of Appeal in Akure, the Fasimoye family has consistently been declared the lawful owner.
Despite these clear and repeated court judgments, in August 2023, a group led by Mr. Olanrewaju Fawehinmi and Mr. Williams allegedly invaded the land, destroying crops, obstructing access to property, and intimidating residents, with police backing. Since the invasion, residents have reported a spike in armed robbery, kidnapping, and burglary in the community.
A pending case at the Federal High Court, Akure, between the Fasimoye family and the Nigerian Police Force has not deterred the ongoing harassment and illegal occupation.
The residents are demanding that the IGP:
1. Launch an immediate investigation into the role of police officers in the illegal occupation.
2. Withdraw all police protection from the invaders until the court determines the case.
3. Guarantee the safety of lawful property owners and residents.
Speaking on behalf of the residents, Dr. Bolaji O. Akinyemi stated:
> “If the Nigerian Police can be weaponised by private interests to subvert court rulings, then no citizen’s property or peace is safe. We demand the IGP act now to restore the integrity of law enforcement.”
The residents warn that silence from the IGP will embolden further impunity and erode public trust in the Nigerian Police Force.
Contact:
Residents’ Association – Canaan City Crescent, Fagun, Ondo West LGA
Email: [email protected]
Revolutionizing Nigeria’s Energy Future: The Gbenga Komolafe Story
By Moses Udo
Among the constellation of Nigeria’s leadership, there are individuals whose vision and tenacity do more than just inspire people; they are representatives and architects of transformation. Engr. Gbenga Komolafe, helming the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), is irrevocably one such luminary. His leadership over this critical agency has been exceptionally administrative; it is emblematic of the purposeful reform that has become one of the answers to the clarion calls within the broader framework of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
Komolafe’s leadership has yielded structural innovations, an article that can be likened to a Master builder who is laying the foundation for a high skyscraper. He is constructing a new framework for Nigeria’s oil and gas industry. And for the record, he has championed non-kinetic strategies to quell crude oil theft, a feat which has remarkably reduced losses to 5,000 barrels per day, and has stabilized production at 1.7 million barrels per day. Under his Project 1 MMBOPD initiative, there is an expectation for an additional million barrels per day by December 2026. These types of gains are what cannot just be conjured from rhetoric, but only from disciplined execution by a focused leader.
However, what we can call the most compelling evidence of Komolafe’s reformative ascendancy lies in the report of N5.21 trillion mid-year revenue generated by the NUPRC in the first half of 2025 alone. To put this in a better context, this figure represents 42.7% of the record N12.2 trillion garnered in the entire year of 2024. Even against the N15 trillion target of 2025, this constitutes 34.7% already achieved in just six months. This is a sterling pace amid global oil market volatility and domestic production challenges. This monetary performance is not merely impressive; it is massive and undoubtedly transformative.
Moreover, Engineer Komolafe’s strategies have strengthened the confidence of investors and also repositioned Nigeria’s upstream sector as a reliable sector for the country’s revenue. It’s no mean feat that the nation now holds the largest gas reserves and the second-largest oil reserves in Africa; this enviable status owes much to the labor and strategic framework he has painstakingly put in place.
It is also worth noting to state that Komolafe’s tenure is equally defined by transparency, sustainability, and inclusivity. In achieving this feat, he has pioneered the Nigeria Gas Flare Commercialisation Programme (NGFCP) and the Carbon Credits Earning Framework, becoming a twin initiative that is positioned at the intersection of environmental responsibility and economic sustainability. These flagship projects are aimed at not just eliminating the challenges of gas flaring but also reducing methane emissions, encouraging carbon capture technologies, monetizing the decarbonization strategy, remaining at the vanguard of the country’s energy transition, and promoting sustainable energy practices.
In complementing these, he established the Host Community Development Trusts (HCDTs) and an Alternative Dispute Resolution Centre (ADRC), which help to create a participatory governance and further foster conflict resolution that once marred upstream operations.
Under his leadership, the upstream sector has achieved fiscal discipline through metering reforms, transparent cargo declarations, and simplified royalty frameworks as a result of his adoption of progressive regulation, which is a plan that is rooted in the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), the 10-Year Regulatory and Corporate Strategic Plan (2023–2033), and the 2024 Regulatory Action Plan.
The Energy Policy Advancement Centre (EPAC) lauded this performance as a salient testament to strategic governance, foresight, and institutional discipline. Their Director-General, Dr. Ibrahim Musa, asserted, “NUPRC has moved beyond passive regulation to active value generation”, and he further emphasized that what sets this leadership apart “is not just the quantum of revenue but the discipline with which it is being pursued”.
Musa also praised NUPRC’s debt recovery drive, which yielded $459,226 from outstanding obligations — part of a cumulative $1.436 billion owed from crude oil lifting contracts.
He said: “Debt recovery may not attract headlines, but it is the backbone of fiscal discipline. Every dollar recovered is a step towards stabilising government finances and strengthening our economic resilience. The NUPRC’s persistence in this regard is commendable.”
But why do all these matter within President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda? At its heart, the president’s agenda seeks to restore public confidence, strengthen institutional capacity, and rejuvenate Nigeria’s struggling economy. Fortunately for Nigerians, Engr. Komolafe’s conduct encapsulates these ideals. Komolafe is not merely an agent of reform; he is an embodiment of that agenda’s promise. His work is the praxis through which Renewed Hope becomes a loved reality, and more than just a campaign slogan it used to be known for.
History praises visionaries because they alone perceive possibilities where others see only patches, and Komolafe exemplifies this through his strategic foresight in curbing theft and production stabilization within the oil and gas sector. His holistic reforms have integrated environmental imperatives, enshrined accountability within the NUPRC, and created community welfare; His ability to leverage policies and frameworks to recalibrate oil and gas governance has fostered institutional renewal; and his ability to deliver tangible gains for the federation’s revenue base has ensured fiscal prominence.
As we have found ourselves in an era where grandiloquence often eclipses genuine progress, and political ambition serves personal interest, the tenure of Eng. Gbenga Komolafe in NUPRC has stood among others as impactful, transformative, and substantive. He is not a mere bureaucrat; he is an architect of modern Nigeria’s energy future, who builds a legacy of reforms, and not rhetoric.
His contributions ripple outside the confines of the oil and gas sector, nourishing the ethos and reinforcing the Renewed Hope Agenda upon which our collective future depends. Thanks to him, the oil Industry is now much more efficient as a result of the implemented strategic reform, which drastically reduced capital and operational expenditure in oil production.
Indeed, a man of vision is not just an asset but a lodestar to his nation. In Gbenga Komolafe, we find a man of vision who is unequivocally an invaluable asset to our great nation.
Udo is a public affairs analyst writing from Glasgow, United Kingdom.
PMAN Backs Police Report on Kukwaba Land Dispute, Cuts Ties with Olusco
Abuja, Nigeria — The Performing Musicians Employers’ Association of Nigeria (PMAN) has endorsed the findings of the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Monitoring Unit on alleged fraudulent activities linked to Olusco Heritage & Investment Ltd and its Managing Director, Mr. Olufemi Olumeyan, about Plot 504, Kukwaba, Abuja.
According to the police investigation, there is a prima facie case of fraud, intimidation, violence, and breach of peace arising from unauthorised dealings on the land. PMAN, the rightful title holder, said the report confirms long-standing concerns about irregular transactions and thanked the police for their professionalism.
The controversy began in 2023 when PMAN signed a joint venture agreement with Olusco. The agreement, however, was subject to the payment of a premium which Olusco never fulfilled, leaving it unenforceable. Despite this, Olusco allegedly went ahead to advertise and sell portions of the land.
PMAN said the situation worsened after Olusco requested that foreign investment funds be paid into a personal account, a move the association rejected. Later, it emerged that Olusco had struck a separate ₦350 million development deal with G & D Building & Engineering Ltd before disputes arose, leading to petitions to the police.
The Monitoring Unit also flagged the involvement of former PMAN officials, including Mr. Boniface Itodo and entertainer Mr. Zakky Azzay, who were accused of impersonating executives after their dismissal, thereby misleading the public and aggravating the crisis.
On December 7, 2024, PMAN formally terminated its arrangement with Olusco, citing breaches and risks to the public. The association has since tightened security on the site with police support. During one operation, officers dispersed trespassers, and one person sustained a minor injury while fleeing. PMAN clarified that no shots were fired, countering sensational online reports.
National President, Pretty Okafor, said PMAN’s focus is now on accountability and protecting members of the public. “Anyone who paid money to unauthorised parties should come forward. We are working with the IGP Monitoring Unit and EFCC to trace funds, identify victims, and ensure justice,” he said.
PMAN stressed that no sale or allocation on Plot 504 is valid without its written approval and urged potential buyers to exercise caution
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