As the Nigerian Armed Forces continue to make giant strides in their fight against insurgency and general insecurity in the country, we must continue to celebrate the memory of a patriot. He was Lieutenant General Ibrahim Attahiru, Nigeria’s 21st Chief of Army Staff – whose 57th posthumous birthday is today. General Attahiru was the very definition of a man who came, saw, and conquered. At the heart of his strategy for conquest was collaboration, something which continues to give the armed forces the edge in this all-important fight.

Tragedy struck on that fateful day of May 21, 2021, when the plane carrying him, and ten other officers and men of the Armed Forces, crashed enroute Kaduna. Today, the nation still mourns the loss of a dedicated soldier, whose short time at the helm of the Army, exemplified the essence of collaborative leadership.

Lt. General Ibrahim Attahiru’s leadership of the Army was a beacon of hope, a reminder that when a people unite in pursuit of a common goal, they can achieve greatness – even in the most trying of circumstances.

Right from the home front, with his family, all the way to the battlefield with his officers and men, Lt. Gen Ibrahim Attahiru was a firm believer in thriving by putting heads together. He was strong, but he believed in collective effort. He was wise but was never impervious to superior arguments.  He was a soldier – a thoroughbred Infantryman – but he believed in the non-kinetic inputs of the media and civil populace to the success of the counter-insurgency operation.

Before his appointment as the Chief of Army Staff, he had earned his stripes as the Theatre Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole in Maiduguri, where he oversaw counter-insurgency operations in the North-East. His short stint of six months on that job made him see clearly that the insecurity challenge that confronted the nation required a synchronised approach that involved all branches of the military, and even other agencies.

From the moment he was appointed to the top job of the Nigerian Army by former President Muhammadu Buhari on January 26, 2021, Lt. Gen Attahiru left no one in doubt about his approach to leadership, i.e. a commitment to cooperation and joint efforts. He wasted no time in changing the code name of the counter-insurgency campaign from Operation Lafiya Dole (Peace by Force) to Operation Hadin Kai (Let us cooperate). That initial step signalled a significant departure from what had existed before when service chiefs pulled in different directions.

READ ALSO: Ibrahim Attahiru: Remembering a patriot and man of hope

The closer working relationship that began to develop among the Nigerian Army, Air Force, Navy and other security agencies must be remembered as one of the notable achievements of Lt. Gen Attahiru in office. He pushed for synergy of efforts, intelligence sharing, and resource pooling among the different branches of the military. That approach worked.

It is on record that, for the first time, ground troops had the direct support of an air component. That was possible because service chiefs were no longer pulling in opposite directions, but were working together in a synergy that produced significant successes.

In just 115 days, going by his principle of “take the attack to the enemy”, resoundingly successful operations were carried out against insurgents in the North-East. The dramatic recovery of Marte from the hands of Boko Haram terrorists in under 24 hours after its initial fall will always be remembered as the result of hands-on, inspirational military leadership. Again, it is on record that, because of the heightened pressure that the collaborative efforts of the armed forces piled on the insurgents, about thirty-five thousand Boko Haram fighters surrendered to the Nigerian armed forces.

According to a former Chief of Training of the Nigerian Army, Major Gen. Okwudili Fidelis Azinta (Rtd) in the book: The man, the soldier, the patriot, biography of Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru: “Lt. Gen Attahiru understood the importance of collaboration, as you can see in his management of the operation in the North/East, starting with the change of the name to Operation Hadin Kai and the synergy formed with the other services in the fight. He understood that to get enduring peace, you needed the people. You can’t force it down the throats of people. We discussed the Theory of Trinity and how the Army, Government, and People must come together to win any war.”

The immediate past Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Oladayo Amao (Rtd) also confirmed this: “We were together at the forefront of the counter-insurgency operation. We crafted strategies to combat insurgency and other security challenges with high aspirations. We had similar visions with the fundamentals of joint operations and synergy as a cornerstone of our strategy. He believed so much in joint operations.”

As Nigeria’s Chief of Army Staff, General Attahiru was resolved to modernise the army and to turbo charge its capacity as a fighting force. He was resolved to reform it into a national institution that is ready, dutiful to country, dependable, and committed to continuous leadership development.  His commitment to meritocracy and welfare endeared him to officers and men of the Army and inspired a renewed sense of purpose. He was impatient with the lingering insurgency crisis. Many who know him have attested to his avowed determination to “make Boko Haram history, Insha Allah, by end of 2021”.

Painfully, the promising journey to victory on which he was beginning to take the country was cut short, just 115 days into his tenure. Alongside ten other officers and men of the armed forces, he was out there in service to the fatherland. Even in the face of death, he led with courage.

As we celebrate what would have been his 57th year on earth today, it is important that we remember his legacy of collaborative leadership. His brief yet impactful tenure serves as an instructive reminder that unity of purpose and collective action are the cornerstone of progress, especially in the face of formidable challenges.

The life and service of Lt. General Ibrahim Attahiru give Nigeria a telling instruction that the hard work and sacrifices of our armed forces would only yield desired results when they do so in the spirit of collaboration. Even as Nigeria currently navigates her way out of security and economic headwinds, she would best do so when collaboration between the government and the people becomes the modus operandi. Ours should be an all-of-society approach.

From the moment he was appointed to the top job of the Nigerian Army by former President Muhammadu Buhari on January 26, 2021, Lt. Gen Attahiru left no one in doubt about his approach to leadership, i.e. a commitment to cooperation and joint efforts.

A tree never makes a forest. Fingers make a fist only when they come together. Lt. General Ibrahim Attahiru’s leadership of the Army was a beacon of hope, a reminder that when a people unite in pursuit of a common goal, they can achieve greatness – even in the most trying of circumstances.

Nigeria’s 21st Chief of Army Staff died on May 21, 2021. There is a significance that we can draw from the numbers 2 and 1. When added together, they produce 3; and what again did the Elders says about the Tripod Stand? It never spills the soup!

57 posthumous cheers to Nigeria’s 21st Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Ibrahim Attahiru. May his noble soul rest in peace. May his legacy continue to inspire us all.

*Kumuyi writes from the University of Lagos, Akoka

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The Resident Electoral Commissioner, Malam Garba Attahiru, announced this on Monday in Ilorin during a stakeholders meeting.

Attahiru, who was represented by the INEC Administrative Secretary, Mr Julius Yagba, said that 14 activities had been successfully implemented, as INEC published the final list of nominated candidates on September 20, 2022.

He said the next activity in line was the commencement of campaigns by the political parties on September 28.

READ ALSO: 2023: Can we have issue-based campaign?

He added that the meeting was designed to remind all stakeholders about the responsibilities and expectations during the campaigns for various offices.

According to him, the offices of the President and National Assembly campaigns would start on September 28, and the Governorship and State House of Assembly is on October 12.

“Relying on Section 92 of the Electoral Act, 2022, the commission expects the political campaigns to be civil, devoid of abusive language and without any rancour.

“Section 92 of the Electoral Act 2022 forbids any political campaign or slogan tainted with abusive language directly or indirectly or one likely to injure religious, ethnic, tribal or sectional feelings.

“Therefore abusive, intemperate, slanderous or base language or insinuations or innuendoes intended or likely to provoke violent reactions or emotion should be avoided.

“Parties and candidates are to avoid training or enlisting the services of individuals or groups, e.g. masquerades, for the purpose of adopting physical force or coercion in a manner likely to arouse apprehension during campaigns,” the REC said.

He therefore warned politicians against the use of armed private security organisations during campaigns or election processions.

He also enjoined political parties and their candidates to comply with the provisions as contravening them would attract sanctions.

He said that any political party, aspirant or candidate who contravened Section 92 of the Act would be fined N1 million or 12 months imprisonment.

He however said a political party that contravened the provision of Section 92 would be fined N2 million and N1 million for any subsequent offence.

He said further that any candidate or aspirant who equipped any person or group to display physical force would have committed an offence and liable on conviction to a fine of N500,000 or three years imprisonment.

He urged the Nigeria Police Force and other security agencies to monitor the campaign process as well as ensure efficient and effective deployment of personnel for peaceful electioneering.

Source: NAN

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“General Attahiru always led from the front. I remember when we were at Operation Lafiya Dole. He was always abreast of events. It helped that I had been there ahead of him, so we could compare notes. Many things got one angry about the situation on the ground but we got by. He believed in taking the battle to the enemy. Don’t wait for them. This philosophy continued even when he became Chief of Army Staff and that helped a lot.” ~Major Gen. Ben Ahanotu

(The man, the soldier, the patriot, 2022, p.92)

For everyone who knew Ibrahim Attahiru, (Nigeria’s immediate past Chief of Army Staff) and his single-minded determination to end insecurity in Nigeria, every attack reported anywhere in the country must be a real trauma. This is more so on a day like today, August 10 when Attahiru would have turned 56.

And it is easy to see why, one day, these folks thought they could see the end of it all and now, insecurity has taken such widespread and unprecedented dimensions that you would pinch yourself to be sure you were in the same country.

So, as his wife, Fati, their children, family and friends celebrate his posthumous birthday today, one can only pray that his illustrious soul continues to rest in peace, and that the dreams he had for Nigeria come to pass quickly.

Courageous, purposeful and convinced about the capacity of his men, nearly everyone who encountered Attahiru in his official capacity had the hope that light was at the end of the long dark tunnel of terrorism and all forms of banditry that Nigeria had coped with before the January 2021 announcement that brought him into office as Nigeria’s 21st COAS.

Attahiru exuded confidence such that veteran journalist and military historian, Babajide Kolade- Otitoju could say in the same book: “…He told me things that convinced me that this man had a mission and that his choice as Chief of Army Staff was perfect. I often disagreed with the President’s choices for top political and public service positions, but in the case of Gen Attahiru, I was happy. I had high hopes and I saw a decisive way he responded when Boko Haram took over some communities.”

General Attahiru didn’t last much longer in office after this conversation, but he did enough in those four months to justify the confidence people like Kolade-Otitoju had in him. He was one of those people for whom the saying: “It is not how long but how well…” was made.

In Attahiru’s case, this statement is not just suitable about his four-month tenure as COAS, but also about life, which ended at the relatively young age of 54. He was like one of those straight trees, which easily attract the logger and his saw.

But death has got nothing on men of vision. Such men are the ones about whom the English metaphysical poet, John Donne, in his sonnet, Death Be Not Proud, said: “… for those whom thou think’st thou dost overthrow, Die not…” Attahiru was a man of vision, and men of vision dream, plan to actualise their dreams, mobilise others to believe, and act swiftly on their dreams. Even if a far-sighted man had two days, he would inspire transformations that people would talk about for years to come. That is why visionaries don’t die, and it is why Attahiru’s memory will remain evergreen.

I am told that every cadet who gets into the Nigerian Defence Academy is trained and equipped for leadership. Even though you have loads of classmates who are as qualified as you, you also aspire and prepare for the day when you may be called to serve. This place of readiness was where the call to be Chief of Army Staff met Ibrahim Attahiru on January 26, 2021.

Those who knew him from childhood speak of him as deliberate, brilliant, and considerate. He was studious, disciplined, and detribalised at the NDA. As an officer, he was committed and loyal to the country, sought the good of others, and was ever in pursuit of excellence. At every point in his life, Attahiru was in search of knowledge, not just for himself but for those who worked with him. No wonder he made a success of every opportunity that he had. Despite his infantry background, he was exemplary as a spokesperson for the Army. Despite his premature removal as Theatre Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole after six months, he left a legacy of historic accomplishments. He threw himself into every opportunity without bitterness; whether it was a staff, teaching, or command appointment, he went confident that every single posting brought him closer to his destiny.

So, it is no wonder that the Kaduna-State-born General hit the ground running immediately after he was appointed COAS. From his experience as Theatre Commander, Attahiru knew that the war against insecurity in Nigeria would produce no result without active collaboration between the armed forces on one hand, and the government and the general populace on the other.

This inspired the decision to change the code name of the fight against insurgency in the north east from Operation Lafiya Dole (peace by force) to Operation Hadin kai (let’s put heads together). To further his idea of effective collaboration, his administration of the army approved capacity-building programmes for General Officers Commanding and Brigade Commanders on improving relationships with the civil populace within the few months he was in office. At about the same time, spokespersons for the Army across the country gathered in a room to discuss how to improve army communications. He travelled over the country to spread the gospel of peace and was heavy on deploying the stick and the carrots as the occasion demanded. As he was, he knew that not all wars needed to be won on the battlefield.

Two other things that were paramount to the late COAS were the welfare of men and officers of the Nigerian Army and the supply of equipment with which they would prosecute the war. Attahiru believed that every soldier, from the Private to the General had a role to play in the success of operations, and he did his best to ensure that everyone felt a sense of Nigeria’s appreciation for their sacrifices. In return, he won the love and commitment of his colleagues and men. His officers and men showed this when they carried out his instruction to recover Marte and Dikwa from Boko Haram insurgents within 24 hours! He was determined to end Nigeria’s war against insecurity and seemed to have chattered the course to achieving that.

Attahiru was a Nigerian for whom neither tribe nor religion was a barrier. He had friends with whom he shared the best moments of life across all faiths and tribes in Nigeria. He was also a man of compassion who paid special attention to widows and orphans. Friends from Nigeria and beyond speak glowingly of his readiness to lend a helping hand whenever he was called on.

Attahiru was a Nigerian for whom neither tribe nor religion was a barrier. He had friends with whom he shared the best moments of life across all faiths and tribes in Nigeria.

For everyone who knew Ibrahim Attahiru, it is impossible to forget him; more so with intractable security problems, which he seemed to have so much confidence about ending. He shared his enthusiasm that insecurity would become history in a matter of months with everyone. It was like he had a magic wand that would free Nigeria of it all. Whatever it was, it infected everyone around him with hope. They all looked forward to that day when Nigeria would be free… but see us now!

Attahiru loved God without question, he loved men, women, and children without limits, and he loved Nigeria with his last breath! At home, he was a husband and father, indeed. Just as he proved to be a worthy son, brother, and friend to everyone he owed those responsibilities to. This man did nothing in half-measures. He was a man, complete in every sense of the word, a soldier’s soldier and a friend of the world, for which some of his close allies called him, “Intercontinental”.

So, as his wife, Fati, their children, family and friends celebrate his posthumous birthday today, one can only pray that his illustrious soul continues to rest in peace, and that the dreams he had for Nigeria come to pass quickly.

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People have various ways of rationalising death and consoling the bereaved, especially if the deceased died young. ‘Igi t’o to ki pe ni ‘gbo’, meaning straight trees don’t last in the forest, is one of the common sayings of the Yoruba to explain untimely demises. Straight trees, they say, are usually the first to be logged for human use, and that, like them, good people, too, don’t last.

This appears to be the case with the late Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Ibrahim Attahiru, who spent just 114 days in office before his death in an air crash alongside 10 other officers and men of the Nigerian Armed Forces on May 21, 2021. He was appointed Army Chief on January 26, 2021. He had started introducing impactful changes that analysts believe would have turned around the fortunes of the Nigerian Army, particularly tackling the Boko Haram insurgency, before his passing.

Though Attahiru’s straight tree in the forest didn’t last long, Adedokun has ensured he will live forever with this well-written biography.

His demise, alongside others caused by ‘inclement weather’ as the aircraft, was landing at the Kaduna International Airport, shocked Nigerians and the international community. It was trailed by an outpouring of grief, with mourners attesting to Attahiru’s sterling qualities. He was settling in office and had articulated his vision for turning around the Nigerian Army. Sadly, death only allowed him to touch just the tip of his plans, with most Nigerians still in the dark about the man and his antecedents.

Public relations practitioner, lawyer and writer Niran Adedokun breaks down the mystique of the man in a biography entitled ‘The Man, The Soldier, The Patriot’. In the 168-page book published earlier this year by Cable Books, Adedokun, a newspaper columnist, gives an authentic portrait of Attahiru’s life. He painstakingly reconstructs the soldier’s life and last moments with carefully sourced information from family, friends and associates.   The book, produced alongside a documentary by the General Ibrahim Attahiru Foundation (GIAF) to commemorate the first anniversary of his demise, shines a light on the late COAS’s life and achievements.

Through Adedokun’s elegant portraiture, we know that the man born on August 10, 1966, in Doka, Kaduna, who spent 35 years in the military, was focused and committed. He was an intellectual soldier who served his nation diligently and with all his might. There were no half measures with Attahiru when it came to Nigeria; he gave the country his all in his appointments; staff, instructional or command. He also stepped on toes for Nigeria’s greater good and prosperity. The man who lost his parents early in life and was raised by a neighbour was a soldier’s soldier who encouraged his subordinates to read. Attahiru also valued the importance of cooperation among all arms of the military, striving to reduce inter-service rivalry, first as the Theatre Commander of ‘Operation Lafiya Dole’ and later as COAS.

Well-written and produced, ‘The Man, The Soldier, The Patriot’ comprises five chapters, an epilogue, a postscript and tributes from Nigerians and the international community mourning the death of a thorough professional.

There’s also a foreword by his widow, Fati, where she writes about the pain of his untimely demise and how his family’s love for him endures. “Our love for Ibrahim is one thing that death can never take away from us. He will never go away from us; he will always be near us, even if unseen and unheard, through the fond memories we have, some of which are documented in this book, as they continue to shine in our hearts until eternity when we hope to meet again,” affirms the wife who bore him three children.

Adedokun has excellently chronicled Attahiru’s life with ‘The Man, The Soldier, The Patriot’.

The first chapter, ‘Taking the Mantle’, talks about the beginning of Attahiru’s career in the military in 1984 when he gained admission to the Nigerian Defence Academy. It also looks back on his roots, being orphaned early and life at Rimi College. The second chapter is about his commands, while the third is about his meeting and marriage to Fati. Chapter four talks about his time, achievements and perceived failure as Theatre Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole, whose name he later changed to Operation Zamani Lafiya. The last, ‘At the very top’, talks about his ascension to the pinnacle of the Nigerian Army with various command positions and ultimately Chief of Army Staff.

The book also contains tributes from President Muhammadu Buhari, state governors, diplomats, classmates and professional colleagues of the intellectual soldier pursuing a PhD before his death.

Adedokun has excellently chronicled Attahiru’s life with ‘The Man, The Soldier, The Patriot’. His decision not to use a linear narrative style but a portrait is masterful. It affirms his rating as a prose stylist. Though Attahiru’s straight tree in the forest didn’t last long, Adedokun has ensured he will live forever with this well-written biography.

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General Ibrahim Attahiru would be immensely pleased and appreciative if he could become aware of another passing being commemorated today, indeed this very moment. The connection is that the late Prince Tony Uranta, whose week long remembrance rites have also commenced in Lagos, and Opobo,  shared an article of faith with the late General, namely,  that the sustainable security of society is crucially dependent on a tripod whose three legs are: the People, the Army and the government.  Thus, the weakness or flaws in any one leg leads to the collapse of society. The mandatory implication of this in practical terms is that each must come to the aid of others to compensate for weaknesses, but also to enthrone mutual understanding and collaboration. Tony Uranta actualized this credo by forming a Troops support initiative in 2019 under the name  //WECARE. I did not hesitate to serve on the board. Regretfully, owing to my notoriously charged existence, my membership has been more symbolic than active.

Why do I regret this?  And why do I readily welcome any opportunity to make up for this deficiency?  Well, to begin with, I happen to have been raised in a family with a military history that goes all the way back to World War II. Those who have browsed through my childhood biography will recall the story of my first encounter with a serving member of the then West African Frontier Force, then on leave from, or freshly discharged from the war theatre. My sister and I engaged in unequal combat with him when he visited our home in Ake parsonage, Abeokuta. Our parents were absent on that day, and this stranger in uniform conducted himself in a less than decorous manner. In retrospect, I find it one of the most hilarious episodes of childhood, and I sometimes suspect that it laid the foundation for the total demystification of militarism that is part of my makeup, but also induced lasting empathy with the humanity of the serving man.

It is no longer sufficient for all to declaim that Islam is this and that, that the Sharia is thus and thus, that Prophet Mohammed set this or that example and made this or that humanistic pronouncement.

That family connection has been sustained. At the inception of the Boko Haram insurgency, a close family member served at the war front where he and his soldiers took the brunt of the earliest onslaughts from that product of religious lunacy. I received first-hand accounts of the challenging technicalities of engaging such an unpredictable foe whose most lethal weaponry was – fanaticism – increasingly augmented by sophisticated hardware that my cousin’s own forces sorely lacked. Such anomalous series of confrontations, accompanied by the irony of his superior’s demands of a rapid and definitive victory over the enemy, are thus not new, and remain depressing. Indeed this high-ranking officer did eventually find himself under court-martial on a charge of cowardice in face of the enemy, and was duly convicted.  He appealed and, backed by corroborated evidence, was vindicated. His dismissal was reversed, but his punitive demotion was not. Such cases are not new or rare. The case files of that feisty lawyer and human rights advocate, Femi Falana, are filled with instances of such miscarriages of justice, sometimes rectified, more often subsumed under the formula of ‘esprit de corps’, a fear of inserting a disruptive note in a system based on unquestioning obedience to orders.  Some of us are constantly exposed, far more than generally realized, to the grisly details of these internal contradictions in the disciplined services – and that includes engagements on the international field, such as UN Peacekeeping forces and, closer home, ECOMOG.  One’s empathy with the fighting man thus goes beyond even the self-exposure to the ultimate sacrifice at the battle front. Even where we are powerless to ameliorate their condition as the third leg of the uneven, delicately balanced tripod, we identify with their frustrations, their sacrifices, and honour their memory. Along their career, we also develop lasting friendships.

I never did meet Attahiru but, thanks to his widow’s dedication, I believe I do know him.  That is not difficult for someone of my temperament, and whose occupation requires probing beneath skin and flesh and even beyond bone into marrow to discern reality from hype. One instinctively re-constitutes the truthful persona from a uniformity of attributes offered from colleagues within his profession, but also from without, those whose paths happen to have intersected with his. It also helps that one of the  spurs to my acceptance to be here today was a senior colleague of his  who had preceded him hence, the late Ibrahim Alfa, with whom I was especially close. Those of you who have read my memoirs YOU MUST SET FORTH AT DAWN will surely recollect my account of the circumstances that brought Ibrahim and me together and resulted in a remarkable bonding. That friendship did not go unnoticed, since it led to the late dictator Sani Abacha imposing on Ibrahim a special assignment: he was to track down this very speaker –  a plane always ready at short notice –  to convey overtures of peace talks during a desperate phase of that dictator’s misbegotten venture  into power.  I no longer recall how much detail of that episode I recounted in YOU MUST SET FORTH AT DAWN but, I do testify that Alfa did catch up with me in London, carried out his diplomatic mission in all seriousness, but with the aplomb and finesse of one endowed with a deep sense of humour.  After which, having received the very answer he expected, we  both went drinking in a secure wine bar in Bayswater.  Perhaps the only difference in an imaginary encounter with Attahiru in place of Alfa is that Attahiru would have sipped water or orange juice in place of wine.

But finally, on a far more lethal note, let us contribute the following to this nation’s ongoing navigation of military/civilian cross-currents, one that is characterized by  a  prolonged irregular warfare that tasks the bravest and the best, nullifies even the advantages of tested experience.  We can only repeat that incessant cry from the civilian front: do not neglect the potential contribution of that third leg. Stop feeling threatened by the prospect of abandoning the monopoly of the means to defensive violence – in other words –  Demystify the uniform and demystify the gun. In this nature of conflict, it is not an army that is at war but the entirety of the nation. This cry has been only been part heeded, and then, only patchily, in certain parts of the country, but we have surely seen the successes scored through that approach to synergy against overwhelming odds. The times are not normal and thus require off-beat, lateral thinking, new constructs outside orthodox boxes of military engagement.  Above all, let no one imagine that the ongoing insurgency will for ever remain within its present borders. It spreads. It contaminates. It breeds mutations in least expected places. To anticipate, and prepare, is not even military thinking but the urging of common sense – and that, is universal territory. However, let me explain that this implicit call for total mobilization is not meant to expand the military as a career but to induce its social integration as a calling.   The entirety of  national life, life style, priorities, urgently demands re-designing  to respond, holistically, to the exigencies of current abnormalities. The much touted, consistently sidelined, willfully misrepresented call for National Restructuring,  for instance, as well as proposals for state and community policing, are only alternative and/or partial expressions of this  holistic and urgent imperative. We continue to ignore it at the peril of total, messy, irreversible disintegration.

And now, a confession. Buffeted from every sensory direction by the absolute conviction that there does exist a basic, inner code of self-regulation, what we might call the Lowest  Common Denominator that governs all who consider themselves members of the human family,  it is unavoidable that I devote the rest of this contribution to a series of apologies.  The first goes to  the  convener of this very event, the widow, Madam Fati Attahiru. That apology  is deserved by my momentary decision – not once, but twice – to cancel my appearance here today, despite a firm commitment. The explanation for such a negative impulse has to do with my oft stated view that certain kinds of assault on human sensibility in this nation should attract nothing less than a total shut down in whichever affected state, until that untoward event is resolved.  That consideration has a long history. It became galvanized, not surprisingly, by an unprecedented human desecration, an event that inserted the word Chibok into global awareness in the tragic mode, to be followed by Dapchi, then evolve into a haphazard venture, with schools as primary targets.  It did not end there.  As that new culture in child degradation, commonly referred to as kidnapping, became rampant, I seized whatever occasion I found to reiterate that position, namely that whenever any member of our community goes missing, only to resurface as the voice of an invisible surrogate negotiating his sale like any other market commodity, such a state should shut down totally, leaving only security agencies at large to restore to us our collective dignity.

My spate of apologies, as you must have anticipated by now, extends further back in time. They instigate memory all the way back to my response to the family, clan, village, and state of that innocent man, Akaluka, whose severed head was stuck on a pole behind which his murderers sang, danced, jubilated and extolled the might and peace of Allah against whom, it was alleged, that victim had committed the unpardonable crime of blasphemy, Akaluka was hunted down, dragged out of a police station where he had taken refuge, dehumanized and butchered. Does that scenario ring painfully familiar?  My apologies leap over numerous unremarked, unrecorded mimics, simply reduced to statistics in a nation’s subconscious, to plead for acceptance by the family of Madame Oluwatosin, a schoolteacher posted to Bauchi in a routine educational process, as invigilator.  She was similarly hunted down like wild quarry, stripped naked, dragged to her messy death which culminated in a funeral pyre of motor tyres. She was accused, like Akaluka, of having disrespected a factory line copy of a book known as the Koran! Again, does that reel from history spin once again on familiar grooves?  Just to add piquancy to this feast of the macabre, the torturers, the killers in that preceding instance were also school pupils, and of a model secondary institution. She was also dragged out from sanctuary – the headmaster’s home or office,  where she had fled for protection.  For those who dispute the truism that history merely repeats itself, the young Deborah is merely a tragic disputant. Tawdry, dismal, inglorious history, never mind the sight of jubilating mobs, fouling the air with chants of victory and parading the spoils of war.

But why do I burden myself with this jeremiad of apologies.?  Simply for the reasons I have just stated. It would have been, at its most profound, a dereliction of duty, and our event today is to commemorate that communal imperative that sustains faith in our collective being. No one will deny that we all owe a duty to the living, but some incline to the stance that such duty terminates with the living. Well, in my school of reflection and  the testimony of history, that duty extends to death and beyond. That claim is grounded, not in mere sentiment, not in attachment to morbidity or unassuaged grief but in banal  self-interest. For instance if, having failed to save Akaluka, having failed to rescue Oluwatosin, setting aside hundreds, possibly thousands of others, we had openly, justly and rigorously ensured justice in the crime that terminated their existences, we would not now be apologizing to the late victim of such religion inspired barbarity  – Ms. Deborah Samuel.

Of course, we are not all to be found within the same terrain of sensibilities – absolutely no! And that has been demonstrated most vividly by the very nature of responses that have been exacted after the nation’s recent exercise in human sacrifice.  The nation’s president, traditional rulers – among them the Sultan of Sokoto who also serves as the Amir of Nigerian moslems, women organizations, workers’ unions and professionals from all walks of life, young and old, have raised their voices in accents of apology and condemnation.  However a glorified cleric, no less than the Grand Vizier of the iconic Mosque of the nation’s capital, Abuja, has inserted a dissenting voice. The young woman, Deborah, he declared, deserved her death. This mullah, allegedly a man of learning, since his name is professorially captioned, says that there is a line, a red line that none of us must cross, no matter who we are, what we think, profess or value. Like the late Ayatollah Khomeini of Iran, this mere mortal has declared himself a Supreme Being with the power of life and death over all the denizens of the world. His call is unambiguous. Professor Ibrahim Maqari has placed his myrmidons of faith on the alert, primed to emulate the example of these death dealing mutants of  fanatic indoctrination.

Permit me a digression, one that is however pertinent to this occasion. I must take you back to a certain indelibly bloodstained day of December 2015.  On that day,  and not for the first time in the career of a certain religious sect, hundreds of  lives were mown down in broad daylight, and within minutes,  in the state of Kaduna. The presumed leaders of the alleged provocation were locked up, charged with every kind of criminal conduct, and are still battling, even till today, for their full liberation.  Now, what exactly was their crime? They also had drawn a line. That line, they declared, should not be crossed by any. Well, it seemed they had met their match. The Army also had a line, but the Shiite leaders appeared not to know where it was drawn. For that, they paid a deadly forfeit of numerous lives.

So there we are, arbitrary lines crisscrossing, drawn by individuals and constituencies of beliefs and non-beliefs, of power and aspirants of power. Nowhere do the belligerents profess the common constitutional line and the boundaries of legitimate conduct that supposedly define the imperatives of co-habitation and respect for a human commonality known as – life.  In the ongoing war in the Ukraine, it is being demonstrated that an ancient line remains forever with us, and that those who deliberately kill defenceless civilians are regarded as war criminals, to be placed on trial at the first opportunity. A Russian soldier, at this very moment, is undergoing that line of instruction. He has not only pleaded guilty, but actually confronted the widow with the words “I am sorry”. Professor Imam Ibrahim Maqari however insists, with a handful of others including a vocal serving policeman quite recently, that there is no remorse attached to the torture and lynching of a young student on this earth we all share. To anyone who cares to listen, Maqari has implicitly directed his followers to take the law into their own hands in the name of religion, and in a nation beset on all sides by wars of ultra-nationalism and religious fanaticism. That is the message of a supposedly holy man to youths, to us, his message to a nation embroiled in a madness of multiple insurgencies.

I have also drawn my own line.  I drew it decades ago, as contained in numerous statements, among them, most pertinently, THE UNAPPEASABLE PRICE OF APPEASEMENT – pertinent because it is within the cesspit of appeasement that this nation is currently mired. I was compelled to draw my own line when an acting governor of Zamfara state assumed the right to pronounce a killing fatwa on a young Nigerian journalist for alleged blasphemy, enjoined his listeners wherever situated in the world to terminate the existence of that young woman. That same ex-governor – for those who have missed the comic sequel – has actually thrown his hat in the ring for the presidency of this nation. A macabre joke that is however beyond any form of amusement. Yet such is the one-sided tolerance culture of the nation, its permissiveness empowers  murder through surrogates, instigating killing sprees at will, and sometimes even assume personal supervision of a mission of death and destruction. No matter which, such enemies of life are free to contend for a position of power on a national level, where they can proceed to draw lines against the rest of the world at will and spread the cloak of immunity as reward of unconscionable defiance.

It is time for all group interests to draw their lines, to decide where they intersect with others, where they run parallel, and where they diverge and/or snarl into a chaotic maze. If Professor Grand Imam Maqari can  draw a line in blood,  the rest of the community of equal rights must proceed to draw their own, but they will do so in less primitive, bloodthirsty mode, in full respect of human dignity.

That apostate of the creed of humanity,  Professor Maqari, must be removed from office. It is no longer sufficient for all to declaim that Islam is this and that, that the Sharia is thus and thus, that Prophet Mohammed set this or that example and made this or that humanistic pronouncement. We have gone beyond theocratic rhetoric that merely pays lip service to civilized norms. Let all pietistic denunciations be backed by affirmative action.

We have already paid, are still paying too high a price for the culture of Appeasement and Impunity.  Let it end now, in Affirmative Action.

The Grand Seer of Abuja mosque should be hounded from office.  He should be tried under any existing laws that approximate hate rhetoric, incitement to murder and abuse of office.  The nation is confronted with just two propositions: One, that the Sultan of Sokoto is right, a position that is daily reinforced by voices stretching from even  Zamfara in the north to the southern voice of the Chief Imam of the Yoruba. The alternative position is that Professor Ibrahim Maqari is the acknowledged Oracle of Islamic Ethics.  Between the two, a  choice must be made, a choice that is both moral and constitutional. Both the Sultan and Professor Maqafi cannot be right. And that choice does not belong to any esoteric domain. It is not grounded in privileged, hermetic caucuses of  religious doctrine and interior revelations. It is not subject to spiritual pietisms. It is straightforward: either murder is criminal and abhorrent, or it is a legitimate pastime, to be indulged at whim and by any.  What exactly is “blasphemy” in a polity of religious pluralism? Presumably the twenty four heroic lawyers who have sprung to the defence of the accused killers  will also take up that question  and enlighten us along the exposition of their briefs. Until then, however, the protocols of association, known as the constitution, remain the sole arbiter.  We, on this side of humanity, must draw  our  defining line, and that line reads simply: do not extend your religious predisposition beyond the realms of constitutional legitimacy. Do not flout the protocols of association. Else, pack your private baggage of homicidal precepts and depart for the purist wilderness of blind Submission.

We have already paid, are still paying too high a price for the culture of Appeasement and Impunity.  Let it end now, in Affirmative Action. That a new generation should also be programmed to aspire to brutish existence below the Lowest Common Denominators of what constitutes “human” ?  Surely that is where any self-respecting nation should draw its defining, unbreakable line!

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General Attahiru died in a plane crash in Kaduna, alongside ten other military officers and men, on May 21, 2021.

Soyinka will deliver a short tribute with the title: “To All, who give their All for All.”

In a statement issued in Abuja, the Programme Coordinator of the General Ibrahim Attahiru Foundation, GIAF, Dr Titus Orngu, said other dignitaries at the event, where the foundation would be formally launched, include top serving and retired military officers, captains of industry, members of the diplomatic corps, political leaders, members of the academia and associates of the late General.

The event will hold in Abuja on Saturday, May 21, 2022.

Apart from the launch of GIAF, there will be the premiere of “Ibrahim Attahiru, a Soldier’s Soldier,” a documentary on life and times of the late Army chief, produced and directed by Adeola Osunkojo.

The Foundation will also present Attahiru’s posthumous biography, “The man, the soldier, the patriot, biography of Lt Gen Ibrahim”, written by Niran Adedokun, at the event.

It is published by Cable Books, an arm of Cable Newspapers Limited.

Orngu explained that the documentary and biography are in celebration of the exemplary life of the late military officer and an opportunity to introduce the ideals that guided his life to Nigerians, “especially when the country needs the virtues of patriotism, selflessness and fellow feeling.”

GIAF intends to advance strategic leadership on the African continent with core values centred on the public good, integrity and accountability.

Priority areas for the Foundation, superintended by a Governing Board of Trustees, include Strategic Leadership; Peacebuilding, Human, Environmental, and Social Development; Mental Health and Psycho-social support; Research and Defence Advocacy.

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The Chief of Army Staff at the time, Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, and 10 other military personnel died in the crash.

According to a joint statement on Wednesday by NAF spokesman, Edward Gabkwet; and his AIB counterpart, Tunji Oketunbi, the report was submitted over three months after the incident.

It would be recalled that the Nigeria Air Force had mandated the AIB to lead the probe into the crash.

The statement is titled, “Accident Investigation Bureau Submits Interim Report On Aircraft Accident Involving Nigerian Air Force King Air-350 Aircraft To The Chief Of Air Staff”, and reads:

“Following the unfortunate incident involving a Nigerian Air Force (NAF) King Air -350 aircraft at the vicinity of Kaduna Civil Airport on 31 May 2021, the Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Oladayo Amao directed that a joint investigative body consisting of experienced NAF safety officers and the Accident Investigative Bureau (AIB) be constituted to investigate the circumstances surrounding the air crash.

“After about three months of painstaking joint investigation, the Commissioner and Chief Executive Officer of AIB, Engr Akin Olateru FNSE, today 15 September 2021 submitted an interim report on the sad incident to the Chief of Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Amao, at his office at NAF Headquarters, Abuja.

“The submitted report is organized into three sections namely; the information obtained in the course of the investigation; analysis of data collected in view of the Board’s Terms of Reference; and the conclusion, which covers the initial findings and immediate recommendations.

“It should be noted that at this interim stage, a total of 27 initial findings and 8 immediate safety recommendations were made for the convening authority as well as other aviation-related agencies for immediate implementation. It is expected that the final report will contain the flight data recorder readout, the reviewed operator’s and service provider’s standard operating procedures as well as other detailed analyses.

“While receiving the report, the CAS reiterated the main essence of activating the ‘joint investigative’ clause contained in the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed between the NAF and the AIB on 1 July, 2020. According to him, the successful collaboration is a clear indication of the potency of collaboration in aircraft accident investigation, which must be encouraged.

“Air Marshal Amao also noted that such collaborative efforts make accident investigations more transparent and open while also stating that the outcome of the investigation is not necessarily aimed at punitive measures but essentially at generally improving safety in the aviation industry.

“On his part, the Chief Executive Officer of AIB, Engr Akin Olateru stated that the joint investigation with the NAF was its first direct involvement in military air crash investigation in Nigeria and second investigation outside its mandate having also assisted Sao Tome and Principe in the past. He also stated that copies of the report, with the endorsement of the CAS, will also be submitted to the Hon. Minister of Aviation and Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to ensure that the recommendations addressed to aviation agencies are implemented.

“The Commissioner also stated that although the accident involved a military aircraft and crew, it happened at a civil airport adding that the involvement of AIB in the investigation by the Nigerian Air Force would help in closing the gaps on the civil aviation side.”

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The Acting Director, Defence Information, Brig.-Gen. Onyema Nwachukwu, announced this in a statement on Thursday in Abuja.

Prior to his appointment, Yahaya was the General Officer Commanding 1 Division of the Nigerian Army and the Theatre Commander of a military counter-terrorism unit in the North East.

Yahaya replaces Lieutenant General Ibrahim Attahiru, who died along with ten other officers in a plane crash.

Source: NAN

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Attahiru and others died in an air crash on Friday.

The order for the flag to be flown half mast was given by the federal government on Sunday.

According to a statement by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, the directive is from Monday to Wednesday.

Also, May 24 has been declared a work free day for members of the Armed Forces.

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In a telephone conversation Sunday evening with Mrs. Fati Ibrahim Attahiru, the wife of the late COAS and the spouses of the other deceased officers through her, President Buhari hailed the sacrifices of the military men who lost their lives and the Armed Forces in general, saying that Nigerians would continue to appreciate and support the fearlessness with which “our courageous soldiers are confronting the threats facing the nation.”

He gave the grieving spouses assurances that the nation would never forget the supreme sacrifice of their spouses, urging them to take solace in the surge of extraordinary feelings of emotions across regions, religions and tribes all over the country in appreciation of their sacrifices.

The president who had earlier given directives to the Defense headquarters and the Ministry of Defence to do everything a government could do to provide comfort and ease the hardships of the families of the deceased, prayed to Almighty God to repose their souls and grant their families the fortitude to bear the losses.

Mrs Attahiru, on behalf of the rest of the families thanked the president for the love and care he had shown to them.

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