•Regret that no President has been decisive with military and consequences of their failure since 1999
•Want definitive order to security chiefs
•Say current strategies weak, already known to terrorists, bandits

Following the spate of killings and kidnappings across the country, Saturday Vanguard got some retired generals of the Nigerian military to bare their minds on the unending menace and what should be done to tackle the scourge. The retired Generals and their equivalent in the Navy and Airforce agreed to speak only on conditions of anonymity. we obliged them.

One retired Airforce Generals said: “One of the reasons insecurity is not going away is because since 1999 when democracy was re-birthed, no President, no commander in chief has given a direct, definitive order for terrorists or bandits to be decisively dealt with. What we usually get is open-ended directives. No timeline to get things done and no consequences for not getting things done.

“What President Bola Tinubu should do as C in C is to give a definitive order to the Minister of Defence, the CDS, the Service Chiefs and the Inspector General of Police, that this insecurity should end in three or four or six months. If after the time frame given, the criminals are not cleared out, the Minister, CDS and Service Chiefs should be asked to go. I bet you, you will see a change”.

A retired army general said alternatively, Tinubu and the Chief of Defence Staff/Army Chief can direct a “Scotch Egg Approach” operation where the adversaries, criminal elements will be boxed into a dead end and taken out. In the military, from the rank of the highest general to the least personnel, everybody is a soldier. Take Birnin Gwari forest for example, in one division area of responsibility, which is infested with terrorists, bandits/kidnappers. It stretches from Kaduna to Niger and parts of Plateau state. The government can order everybody in 1 division, Kaduna to close the office, give them arms and enough ammunition, led by the GOC to move from the Kaduna axis, the GOC of 3 division, Jos will also move with everybody from the Jos axis, any terrorists or whatever they call themselves within sight should be taken out since they would have been circled from all angles. This is because it is unacceptable that these terrorists and bandits are not only killing innocent Nigerians in droves, our officers and soldiers are being killed with little or no consequences. Since the terrorists have said they are mad, our men should be enabled to clear their doubts. If the President takes such steps, I give you six months, insecurity will go away.”

Speaking on kinetic efforts, an Airforce general said: “A mistake was made a long time ago and we keep making the same mistake with the military. Originally, the role of the military is to defend the territorial integrity of the country. The police are meant to handle law and order. It is not true that the police and other para-military agencies can’t handle internal security, law and order. What we need is a comprehensive reorientation of the police. The word ‘Force’ should be removed, it should be called Nigerian Police Service like their counterpart all over the world because they are there to serve the people. There should be joint combat training for the lower cadre of the police, the military, NSCDC, Immigration, Customs and others for them to know themselves and to be able to work together. A Joint Counter Terrorism Training Centre for all Para-Military personnel can be established in the country for this purpose. This is because the officers of the military, police and para-military have always had joint training sessions at their levels beginning from the armed forces command and staff college and other senior institutions, so the officers can easily work together but it is not the same for lower ranked personnel. Moreover, right now, the military is very weak because of too much involvement in internal crises and taking over police duties. Consequently, discipline is going down every day.

Another retired Airforce general called on Tinubu to consider applying the Operation Sweep Strategy employed by Mohammed Marwa when he served as military governor of Lagos state whereby every nook and cranny of the state was reached and criminals smoked out by the joint security operatives. He said, “The problem of insecurity is caused by political vendetta and economic empowerment. You are somebody because you want to get to a position and after achieving your goal, you turn your back on them. Now, with those weapons, they go back and everybody becomes their enemy including their opponents. They become emboldened and go to mineral areas to capture lands for tapping solid minerals and kill citizens for refusing to be pushed out of their lands.

“We need political will, as well as the will of the people. Nigerians should start seeing the kidnapping or bandits’ attacks on their neighbours as something that can happen to them and therefore join hands in fighting, resisting the menace.

“As a young officer, I worked with ‘Operation Sweep’ in Lagos which was successful because the then military governor, Marwa, identified what was needed to contain and curtail the insecurity. He provided the required logistics, equipment and communication to get the job done. Response time to criminal attacks was real-time, and when criminals were caught, there was no escape from prosecution and going to jail. The intelligence aspect was taken care of because people were asked to volunteer information about criminals on lines that could not be traced or linked to anyone for vendetta. Under Marwa’s ‘operation sweep’, there was nothing like one godfather or a sponsor somewhere coming to intervene or facilitate the release of any criminal. With ‘Operation Sweep’, a robber knew that if he went out to steal, he would most likely not escape to enjoy his proceeds of crime, that he would be caught. Another thing we did was that we advised people living in housing estates on certain measures. Everybody staying in an estate must have an alarm system which should be placed outside and once it was triggered, the whole estate would come out and act. At the same time our patrol teams in the location would be alerted and would move immediately. This will stop the trend today where kidnappers and robbers will go to people’s houses, spend hours, do whatever they like and still get away. The day Nigerian citizens will say enough of these kidnappings, it will end. We know what the problems are and we know what to do but the politicians will not allow the right things to be done”.

Yet another retired general in his contribution called for the total overhaul of the security architecture of the country, noting that non-state actors, particularly terrorists, bandits and kidnappers have studied and understood the modus operandi of security operatives, and they can pre-empt our strategies and even use our strategies against us. According to him, “the criminal elements have studied and discovered our weaknesses which they are exploiting and using our tactics such as ambushes, IED, night strikes traps and many others against our troops. It shows we have to go back to the drawing board. Importantly also, before policies are initiated and put in place for implementation, the federal government should also think of the consequences of such policies on the society.”

A retired Navy Rear Admiral and an Intelligence Chief said, “The situation we find ourselves can easily be tackled by bringing insecurity to a manageable level. One, you need the right persons at the right place. At our level of patriotism and experience, we should allow professionals do the work while the politicians should restrict themselves to providing the leadership for the country to develop. Also, we need more boots on the ground. For now I can tell you without mincing words that the personnel are overwhelmed. We need to recruit more (both military and Police). I don’t think they are lacking funds but I believe there are duplication of both duties and equipment. I think we have more than enough equipment to monitor and follow these criminals. All we need is collaboration with dedicated personnel. The operations can be divided into six zones representing the geopolitical areas because each zone has similar security challenges. The governors of those states can have a pool where their contributions will go into for common utilization to minimize fraud. Let them allow villages and towns to have local vigilantes (equipped with Dane Guns and Double Barrels Guns) to defend their localities to prevent a repeat of the Plateau scenario”.

Asked to proffer the way out of the security debacle, a retired Air Vice Marshal said, “Everything in life has a foundation. You cannot use the same foundation you used to build a house in a dry land to build another house in a marshy, swampy terrain. The foundation of our democracy ab initio was faulty. They got it wrong from the start. We took the American Constitution hook, line and sinker without minding our diverse social, and cultural environment and differences. The constitution never considered our traditional rulers. The issue of States/Local Government Joint account which was unheard of in any democracy anywhere in the world is the order of the day in Nigerian democracy.

“The local governments in the past who were closer to the people in the villages and grassroots are no longer functional. These days traditional rulers, and emirs are put under the authority of the local government chairman, to the extent that before an emir travels, he must seek permission from the local government chairman, who most times are in the cities. Again, the basic ingredients of democracy which are free, fair and credible elections are no longer there. If the foundation is weak, what follows are the consequences and their implications which are an increase in violent conflicts, erosion of human dignity, high inequality in society, corruption as well as manipulation and control of the public. What we are practising is what I call Kakistocracy or Kleptocracy. To worsen matters we have now graduated to Judiciocracy. This has brought us to a system of quantity, no longer quality or merit, job for the boys, where you see 50, 100, 200 Special Assistants, etc. They are not providing service for humanity but jobs for the boys. This has led to corruption and electoral fraud among others”.

Speaking on solutions, a retired general said, “One way out is to apply a soft approach by embarking on deliberate provision of sporting facilities to engage the energy, intelligence and smartness of our youths. An example of soft approach success is Morocco where despite the fire of the Arab Spring in Algeria, Egypt, Tunisia and other countries in that area, Morocco experienced peace and progress because the youths had facilities to engage their energies which is why they are doing so well in sports today. Our youths are idle and have nowhere to direct their energy, that is why they engage in drugs, criminal acts and illicit sexual escapades. There should be youth inclusiveness. Technical and vocational schools should be built. If we really want to move forward as a country, we must apply meritocracy. We must go back to the drawing board. But if we don’t want meritocracy we can then look at militocracy.

Vanguard

Unilever Nigeria says it has stopped production and sales of home care and skin cleansing products — 10 months after the company announced plans to exit both markets.

The company disclosed this in its unaudited interim financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2023, published on the Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX) on Wednesday.

On March 17, 2023, Unilever Nigeria revealed its intention to discontinue production of its homecare and skin-cleansing brands, which include Omo, Sunlight and Lux.

In a statement in the company’s earnings report, Unilever Nigeria said production and sales “ceased in December 2023”.

Unilever said the factory used to produce the home care and skin cleansing products has been leased out to a third party.

“Subsequent to the company’s exit from the Home Care and Skin Cleansing categories, the factory buildings have been leased to a third party for a duration of 10 years, with annual rental payments,” the company said.

Unilever Nigeria’s exit from the homecare and skin-cleansing markets leaves the company with just the foods, beauty and wellbeing, as well as personal care products.

Prior to Unilever Nigeria’s exit from both markets, the company reported a decline in revenue and an increase in losses.

Revenue fell by 45.1 percent year-on-year to N16,48 billion in 2023, from N23,92 billion grossed between January to December 2022.

Also, loss increased to N3.72 billion last year, compared to the previous year’s N1.49 billion.

The Cable

A group of youths took to the streets on Friday to protest the verdict affirming Abdullahi Sule as governor of Nasarawa state.

Channels Television reported that the protesters burnt tyres at the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) secretariat in Lafia, capital of Nasarawa state.

They also erected bonfires and blocked a highway that empties into Jos, the Plateau state capital.

The activities of the protesters led to the abrupt closure of schools and businesses in Lafia, a town conterminous with the federal capital territory (FCT).

BACKGROUND

Following a petition by David Ombugadu, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the Nasarawa governorship election tribunal sacked Abdullahi Sule as governor of the state.

The tribunal also declared Ombugadu as the duly elected governor of Nasarawa.

However, Sule appealed the ruling and the judgment of the tribunal was reversed.

Dissatisfied with the appellate court’s verdict, Ombugadu filed an appeal at the supreme court.

‘ONE TERM IS GOOD ENOUGH’

In 2020, Sule said he was not bothered about a second term in office.

Speaking during an event to mark his first year anniversary in office, Sule said one term in office is “good enough”.

“One thing I have never been threatened about in life is my second term as governor. Let me tell you, in 1998, while working in the US, I felt I was bored”, he had said.

“I took my early retirement package from an oil company, I went and set up our small company and we were running our business.”

Sule was first elected governor on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2019.

The Cable

Biden and Netanyahu have finally talked, but their visions still clash for ending Israel-Hamas war

President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu finally spoke Friday after a glaring, nearly four-week gap in direct communication during which fundamental differences have come into focus over a possible pathway to Palestinian statehood once the fighting in Gaza ends.

Biden and his top aides have all but smothered Netanyahu with robust support, even in the face of global condemnation over the mounting civilian death toll and humanitarian suffering in Gaza as the Israelis have carried out military operations in the aftermath of the Oct. 7 attack on Israel.

But the leaders’ relationship has increasingly shown signs of strain as Netanyahu has repeatedly rebuffed Biden’s calls for Palestinian sovereignty, gumming up what the U.S. president believes is the key to unlocking a durable peace in the Middle East — the oft-cited, elusive two-state solution.

Neither side shows signs of budging.

Friday’s phone call came one day after Netanyahu said that he has told U.S. officials in plain terms that he will not support a Palestinian state as part of any postwar plan. Biden, for his part, in Friday’s call reaffirmed his commitment to work toward helping the Palestinians move toward statehood.

“As we’re talking about post-conflict Gaza ... you can’t do that without also talking about the aspirations of the Palestinian people and what that needs to look like for them,” said National Security Council spokesman John Kirby.

The leaders spoke frequently in the first weeks of the war. But the regular cadence of calls between Biden and Netanyahu, who have had a hot-and-cold relationship for over three decades, has slowed considerably. Their 30- to 40-minute call Friday was their first conversation since Dec. 23.

Both sides are hemmed in by domestic political considerations.

The chasm between Biden, a center-left Democrat, and Netanyahu, who leads the most conservative government in Israel’s history, has expanded as pressure mounts on the United States to use its considerable leverage to press Israel to wind down a war that has already killed nearly 25,000 Palestinians.

There is also growing impatience with Netanyahu in Israel over the lack of progress in freeing dozens of hostages still held by Islamic militants in Gaza.

“There is certainly a reason to be concerned,” says Eytan Gilboa, an expert on U.S.-Israeli relations at Israel’s Bar-Ilan University, “The more and more we see political considerations dominating the relationship between Biden and Netanyahu, which is likely to continue because of the upcoming presidential election and the weakness of both leaders, the more we will see them pulling apart.”

In their most recent calls, Biden’s frustration with Netanyahu has grown more evident, even though the U.S. leader has been careful to reaffirm his support for Israel at each step, according to U.S. officials who requested anonymity to discuss the leaders’ private interactions.

Yet, Biden, at least publicly, has not given up on the idea of winning over Netanyahu. Asked by a reporter on Friday if a two-state solution is impossible while Netanyahu is in office, Biden replied, “No, it’s not.”

Aides insist Biden understands the political box Netanyahu finds himself in with his hard-right coalition and as he deals with ongoing corruption charges that have left the prime minister fighting for his freedom, not just his political future.

Biden, meanwhile, faces American voters in November, in a likely rematch with former President Donald Trump. Netanyahu and Trump forged a close relationship during the Republican’s term in office. Biden faces criticism from some on his left who believe he hasn’t pushed the Israelis hard enough to demonstrate restraint as it carries out military operations.

Key Democratic lawmakers, including Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy, this week warned that Netanyahu’s position on statehood could complicate negotiations in the Senate on a spending package that includes military aid for Israel.

Expect Netanyahu to “use every trick that he has to keep his coalition together and avoid elections and play out the clock,” said Michael Koplow, chief policy officer at the Israel Policy Forum. ”And I’m sure that part of it is a conviction that if he waits until November, he may end up with Donald Trump back in the Oval Office.”

In recent weeks, some of the more difficult conversations have been left to Ron Dermer, a top aide to Netanyahu and former Israeli ambassador to the U.S., and Biden’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan. The two top aides talk almost daily — sometimes multiple times during a day, according to a U.S. official and an Israeli official, who were not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Other senior Biden administration officials including Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, as well as senior advisers Brett McGurk and Amos Hochstein, have been at the forefront of the administration’s push to engage the Israelis and other Middle East allies as the Biden-Netanyahu dialogue has become less constructive.

Netanyahu, who has opposed calls for a two-state solution throughout his political career, told reporters this week that he flatly told U.S. officials he remains opposed to any postwar plan that includes establishment of a Palestinian state.

The prime minister’s latest rejection of Biden’s push in that direction came after Blinken this week said at the World Economic Forum in Davos that Israel and its Middle East neighbors had “a profound opportunity” to solve the generational Israel-Palestinian conflict. Asked if he thought Netanyahu was up to making the most of the moment, Blinken demurred.

“Look, these are decisions for Israelis to make,” Blinken said. “This is a profound decision for the country as a whole to make: What direction does it want to take? Does it see — can it seize — the opportunity that we believe is there?”

The Biden-Netanyahu relationship has seen no shortage of peaks and valleys over the years. As vice president, Biden privately criticized Netanyahu after the the Israeli leader embarrassed President Barack Obama by approving the construction of 1,600 new apartments in disputed East Jerusalem in the middle of Biden’s 2010 visit to Israel.

Netanyahu publicly resisted, before eventually relenting to, Biden’s calls on the Israelis to wind down a May 2021 military operation in Gaza. And in late 2019, during a question and answer session with voters on the campaign trail, Biden called Netanyahu an “extreme right” leader.

The path to a two-state solution — one in which Israel would co-exist with an independent Palestinian state — has eluded U.S. presidents and Middle East diplomats for decades.

But as the war grinds on, Biden and his team have pressed the notion that there is a new dynamic in the Middle East in which Israel’s Arab and Muslim neighbors stand ready to integrate Israel into the region once the war ends, but only if Israel commits to a pathway to a Palestinian state.

Biden has proposed that a “revitalized” Palestinian Authority, which is based in the West Bank, could run Gaza once combat ends. Netanyahu has roundly rejected the idea of putting the Palestinian Authority, which is beset by corruption, in charge of the territory.

Netanyahu argues that a Palestinian state would become a launchpad for attacks on Israel. So Israel “must have security control over the entire territory west of the Jordan River,” Netanyahu said. “That collides with the idea of sovereignty. What can we do?”

White House officials have sought to play down Netanyahu’s public rejection of Biden’s call for a two-state solution, noting that the prime minister’s rhetoric is not new.

They hold out hope Israel could eventually come around to accepting a Palestinian state that comes with strong security guarantees for Israel.

“I don’t think Biden has any illusions about Netanyahu,” said Daniel Kurtzer, who served as U.S. ambassador to Egypt during the Bill Clinton administration and to Israel under George W. Bush. “But I don’t think he’s ready to slam the door on him. And that’s because he gets the intersection between the policy and the politics.”

AP

RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE

Kiev has lost nearly 500 pieces of Western war machinery – Moscow

Kiev lost over 500 pieces of military and special equipment while trying to break through Russian fortifications during the course of its largely unsuccessful counteroffensive launched last summer, 

according to the chief of Russia’s Engineering Troops, Lt. Gen. Yury Stavitsky.

Russian defensive fortifications have proven to be highly effective against Ukraine’s hardware, including Western-supplied equipment, he claimed in an interview with the Krasnaya Zvezda newspaper published on Friday.

Among those losses were over 180 pieces of Western-supplied materiel, including German-designed Leopard tanks and US-made Bradley infantry fighting vehicles, Stavitsky said.

Russia’s Defense Ministry estimated earlier this month that Kiev had received more than $203 billion in foreign assistance since the outbreak of the conflict and had been supplied with over 1,600 pieces of missile and artillery equipment, over 200 air defense systems, 5,220 tanks and armored vehicles, and more than 23,000 drones.

Stavitsky noted that Russian military engineers made a “significant contribution” in repelling the Ukrainian counteroffensive and had constructed an impressive defense system, despite harsh weather and the mass use of high-precision weapons and UAVs by Kiev’s forces.

The commander stated that by the time Kiev had launched its summer operation, Russia had already dug out more than 3,600 kilometers of trenches and communication passages, created over 150,000 trench shelters for equipment, and weaponized over 4,500 dugouts and 12,000 reinforced concrete structures.

“Thus, by the time the enemy launched its counteroffensive, there was already a deeply echeloned system of defensive lines, positions and areas in place that was up to 120 kilometers deep along the entire line of combat,” the official explained.

“Considering the scale and timing of the tasks, we can say with confidence that this is an unprecedented case in the history of wars and armed conflicts,” Stavitsky stated. He added that the fortified defense lines have made it possible to “increase the survivability of Russian troops and the effectiveness of the use of weapons and military equipment by five to six times.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin proclaimed earlier this week that Kiev’s much-touted counteroffensive had “completely failed” and that Ukraine’s statehood was now under threat of being dealt “an irreparable and very serious blow.”

Russia’s Defense Ministry has described Kiev’s losses throughout the conflict as catastrophic, estimating that the Ukrainian military has lost nearly 400,000 troops – killed and wounded – since February 2022, including over 160,000 during its counteroffensive, launched in early June.

WESTERN PERSPECTIVE

Russian oil depot on fire after attempted Ukrainian drone attack

Four oil tanks at a large storage facility in the town of Klintsy in Russia's western Bryansk region caught fire on Friday after the military brought down a Ukrainian strike drone there, Alexander Bogomaz, the regional governor, said.

Aided by a specialised firefighting train, firefighters tackled what he said was a serious blaze at the facility controlled by oil major Rosneft. Nobody was hurt in the attack, he added.

"An aeroplane-style drone was brought down by the defence ministry using radio-electronic means. When the aerial target was destroyed, its munitions were dropped on the territory of the Klintsy oil depot," Bogomaz wrote on the Telegram messaging app.

He said air defence units had brought down two other Ukrainian drones on Friday over other parts of Bryansk, a region that borders Ukraine.

Both Russia and Ukraine have targeted each other's energy infrastructure in strikes designed to disrupt supply lines and logistics and to demoralise their opponent as they try to get the edge in a nearly two-year war that shows no sign of ending.

Bogomaz posted footage that showed firefighters directing water hoses at giant flames around the storage tanks, at least one of which looked to have been badly damaged, as thick smoke filled the air.

Andriy Yusov, a spokesperson for Ukraine's GUR military intelligence agency, neither confirmed nor denied Ukraine had been behind the attack, but said "such events regularly occur at the aggressor state's military facilities".

Yusov told national TV he expected the incident to complicate logistics for Russian troops, increasing Ukrainian forces' "room for manoeuvre".

Several Ukrainian media, citing sources in the security services, said the GUR, which did not immediately reply to a request for comment, was behind the strike.

A gunpowder factory in the Tambov region had also been targeted and the results of that strike effort were being clarified, the Ukrainska Pravda outlet quoted a source as saying.

Russia's TASS state news agency said the fire at the oil depot covered an area of around 1,000 square metres with other reports saying it was getting bigger.

Earlier on Friday, the Russian Defence Ministry said it had destroyed a Ukrainian drone in the skies over the Bryansk region, where authorities regularly report drone attacks from Ukraine.

A Russian-appointed official said on Thursday Ukraine had tried and failed to target a Russian Baltic Sea oil terminal with a drone, in what appeared to be a rare attempt to strike a facility in St Petersburg.

A Ukrainian government minister was quoted by the Interfax-Ukraine news agency on Thursday as saying that Ukraine had hit targets in St Petersburg using a domestically produced drone that flew 1,250 km (775 miles).

RT/Reuters

The Rail Bus, a pioneering mode of transportation originating in Zhuzhou, China, is a groundbreaking discovery. Introduced by the Chinese manufacturer CRRC, this self-driving vehicle, resembling a train but without tracks, completed its inaugural journey in 2017. The Rail Bus seeks to revolutionise traditional concepts of buses, trains, and trams.

The design of the Rail Bus was presented to the public in June 2023, and remarkably, within a span of fewer than five months, CRRC initiated testing on October 30, 2017. Covering a 3-kilometer route with stops at four stations in Zhuzhou, this marked a significant milestone in transportation evolution.

Operating beyond the confines of tracks, it navigates urban streets by tracing painted road markings. These meticulously designed markings serve as its guide, detected by sensors fitted beneath the vehicle. These sensors, equipped with advanced technology, capture minute details of the road, ensuring an incredibly precise journey with millimeter-level accuracy.

This real-time data is a critical component, continuously transmitted to the train operators, who rely on this information to make swift, informed decisions, ensuring the safety, efficiency, and seamless navigation of this revolutionary mode of transportation. This groundbreaking approach not only redefines the conventional idea of trains but also paves the way for a new era of flexible, urban transit systems.

Implementing this transport scheme costs just 25 percent of the subway system's expenses in China. For example, subway systems in China have an estimated cost between $57 million to $100 million, while the Rail Bus network's construction is estimated to be only 20 percent of this cost. This inspires urban planners and policymakers worldwide to consider adopting this efficient transportation solution.

Positioned as a cheaper alternative to current transportation systems in China, the electric Rail Bus requires only ten minutes of charging to cover 25 kilometres. This cost-effective and sustainable solution can reach speeds of up to 43 miles per hour and has a lifespan of around 25 years.

CRRC envisions full automation of the trains in the future. While a driver is present in the compartments, their intervention is minimal, reducing traffic congestion on roads significantly.

The Rail Bus network commenced operations in early 2018, with each Rail Bus capable of accommodating up to 300 passengers. This unique mode of transport represents a significant step toward the future of sustainable and efficient urban transportation.

China leads among developing economies in innovative transportation. Concepts like those released in 2016, even if unrealized, showcase China's commitment to offering unique modes of transport, such as the Rail Bus. There are only four stations along the 3.1-kilometer stretch where the electric train operates. The train was recently automated and has been in regular service since 2018. There are only four stations along the 3.1-kilometer stretch where the electric train operates. The train was recently automated and has been in regular service since 2018.

Times of India

At the end of 2015, I felt stuck. After a near-death experience, I had to quit my job and retire early to prioritize my health.

My health improved, but the rest of my life did not. I felt bored and purposeless in retirement, and my relationships suffered. I started to wonder, “Is this all there is?”

In search of answers, I signed up for a 30-day silent retreat in St. Beuno’s, a former Jesuit seminary in North Wales that’s now a spiritual retreat center.

At first, spending 30 days in silence was harder than I thought. But I was eventually able to meditate on how to live a happy, regret-free life.

Here are four lessons I took home with me:

1. Trying to control outcomes will make you miserable.

Before the retreat, I was a control freak. The idea of “letting go” in any part of my life was out of the question.

Nestled in Denbighshire, Wales, St. Bueno’s has been a retreat center since 1980.

Photo: George Jerjian

But during an exercise at St Bueno’s, I was asked to think about what I truly had control over. I realized that just one unanticipated event could send my life into chaos. I reflected on how much time I spent worrying about outcomes that I couldn’t predict or control.

Now, when I want something good to happen, I imagine that it has already happened and feel grateful for it. This mindset helps me move forward. By focusing on taking the next steps, I am no longer focusing on the outcome.

2. If you’re not thankful, you’re not thinking straight.

Research has shown that gratitude blocks toxic emotions like envy and regret, reduces stress, and improves happiness.

During the retreat, I was in a challenging period of my life. At one point, I was asked to reflect on all the homes I had lived in, and what good and bad things happened there.

It dawned on me that no opportunity in my life could have come about without the preceding crisis, so I should appreciate every moment.

Try this exercise: Write down all the great times in your life, or the moments you are most proud of. Then, next to it, list the difficult moment that gave you the skills or created the opportunity to achieve those goals.

3. To find purpose, follow your passion.

Money always came first in my career. I never stopped to ask questions like, “What work should I do based on my interests and feelings?”

During the retreat, though, I had nothing to think about but my feelings.

Three weeks in, I broke down weeping thinking about all the people I had hurt. But on the last day, the tears came from a place of joy and love. I realized that my true fear was hurting others, and that my passion was helping people.

I had a lot of time alone at St. Bueno’s to reflect on my life and the beauty of the nature around me.

In the years after the retreat, I chose to unretire and serve retirees with my coaching business.

Ask yourself: “What am I most afraid of? What activity do I lose all sense of time in?” Try answering these questions five times, and each time provide a different response. The answers might surprise you.

4. We are not always who we think we are.

For 60 years, I constructed a persona based on what my parents, teachers, employers, partners and friends wanted.

I never thought about who I was beyond those external pressures. I had spent decades lost and ashamed of who I really was.

Think about whether there’s something about yourself that you hide from the world. Try to embrace that thing. For me, it was gentleness and understanding that changed my life.

George Jerjian is the author of “Dare to Discover Your Purpose: Retire, Refire, Rewire.”

CNBC

Central Bank of Nigeria still lacks the foreign exchange to clear the backlog of demand, and the country's high interest payment to revenue ratio weighs on its sovereign credit rating, Fitch said on Thursday.

Africa's largest economy has thus far cleared just $2 billion of a backlog of some $7 billion in forex forwards revealed after President Bola Tinubu took office last year.

Tinubu took quick action on key fiscal reforms - including slashing petrol subsidies and loosening controls on the naira to narrow the gap between official and parallel rates.

But Gaimin Nonyane, director of Middle East and Africa sovereigns with Fitch, said foreign exchange shortages in Nigeria would keep pressure on the naira, where there is currently a 30% gap between the official and parallel rates.

"We think that the CBN is still very well short of the amount it needs to be able to clear the foreign exchange backlog and also meet the extremely large external financing by the private sectors," Nonyane said in a webinar.

Nonyane said Fitch expected the naira to end the year just above 900 against the dollar.

The official rate is currently at 846 to the dollar, but has wildly fluctuated, going past 1,299 this month, according to LSEG data.

She added there had been some backtracking in fuel subsidy elimination. Tinubu allowed prices to triple in May, but naira pump prices have not moved since July despite global price fluctuations and significant naira weakness.

Nonyane and Toby Iles, Fitch's head of Middle East and Africa sovereigns, also warned that Nigeria's ratio of interest payments to revenue at above 40% - four times the median for B-rated sovereigns - was a key weakness for its credit rating.

Fitch currently rates Nigeria at B- with a stable outlook.

Across Africa, Iles said interest-to-revenue ratios had more than doubled since 2014 due to increased borrowing coupled with global interest rate hikes that boosted costs.

"We expect that ratio to continue to rise given the pass through of rates," Iles said of African sovereigns.

Reuters

Ola Olukoyede, chairman of the Economic And Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), says the quest for bribes by the agency’s investigators has become “too embarrassing”.

In his New Year address to the staff of the commission on Thursday, Olukoyede said the “major objective” of the war against corruption and financial crimes globally is to drive economic development and create job opportunities for the populace.

He said there is no government agency as crucial to the nation’s quest for growth and development as the EFCC.

“We have all it takes to bring up the profile and developmental index of our nation. I urge all of you to be steadfast and committed to this clarion,” he said.

Olukoyede said public opinions about the conduct of some of EFCC’s investigators are adverse and called on the staff to show integrity and discipline.

“The craze and quest for gratification, bribes and other compromises by some of our investigators are becoming too embarrassing and this must not continue,” he said.

“Let me sound a note of warning in this regard. I will not hesitate to wield the big stick against any form of infraction by any staff of the commission.

“The department of internal affairs has been directed to be more ardent in its work and monitor every staff in all their engagements. The image of the commission is too important to be placed on the line by any corrupt officer.

“Let me also talk about the review of the arrest and bail guidelines which I expect everyone to be familiar with by now. The review is informed by the need for us to conform with international best practices in law enforcement.

“We are a civilized anti-graft agency. Arrest and bail would henceforth be done in line with the rule of law.

“Our investigators should particularly take note of this. It is important for us to understand the dynamics of the world in the area of law enforcement. Change is the most permanent fact of life.  We should not be seen to be resisting changes in our work.”

The EFCC chairman said the commission is mindful of the increasing need for the improved welfare of staff, noting that steps are being taken to address that.

“The new year promises to bring smiles on the faces of staff across all the commands. We will continue to do our best to put all of you at your best. However, to whom much is given, much is expected,” he said.

“We should dignify the privilege of being EFCC staff with proportionate responsibility. It is both a duty and an obligation.”

The Cable

Residents of 10 communities in Bungudu Local Government Area of Zamfara State have fled their homes for fear of being attacked by a notorious bandits’ leader, Dan Nagala, who earlier sent attack threats to them.

The affected villages are Gidan Soro, Maje, Fanda Hakki, Hayin Dankaro, Doka, Dan Gamji, Galmuwar Hannu, Dan Katsina, Dakwalge and Gidan Arne.

The residents, our reporter gathered, fled their homes following a recent operation carried out by soldiers of the Operation Hadarin Daji unit.

The operatives on Tuesday stormed the famous Danbasa-Buzaya forest and recovered a large number of cows allegedly stolen and kept by Dan Nagala.

It was further learnt that the cows were being kept in the custody of another bandit, simply referred to as Zakiru, who fled the area when he heard about the impending invasion by the soldiers.

A resident of Gidan Soro village, who spoke to our correspondent on condition of anonymity, said three weeks ago, soldiers went to the forest and recovered a large number of Nagala’s stolen cows.

“After the incident, Nagala warned residents of the villages around the forest that if under any circumstances, the soldiers returned to the forest and collected ‘his cows’, he would attack all the villages that share borders with the forest.

“So, the soldiers went to the forest on Tuesday and recovered many cows. We are afraid Nagala can strike at any time as he promised, and that is why we fled our homes. We know the man, he is heartless, he doesn’t value human life. I can confidently tell you that because of these cattle, Nagala can wipe out all the villages around the forest”, the disturbed resident said.

Also, a resident of Dan Gamji, who fled his home on Tuesday night, lamented that: “As I am talking to you, I don’t know where my two wives and eight children are. I was at a nearby village when the news of recovery of the ‘stolen cows’ broke. Therefore, from there, I proceeded to Bungudu local government secretariat for safety.

“I called my wife on phone three times, but it was switched off. Maybe, the battery ran down or she lost the phone. I also tried her number this morning (today) and it was not going. I checked the LG secretariat where some residents are taking shelter, but I could not find them. I am now in a serious dilemma and worry about my family.  

“We ran for our dear lives because the notorious bandits’ leader can attack our villages if something is not done. We are therefore appealing to both state and federal governments to do something urgently for our safety”, he appealed.

Another resident from Dan Katsina village, who simply identified himself as Isyaku, lamented that many people including women and children spent the rest of their night in the bush because of the uncertainty, saying “the notorious bandit can attack residents in the night when many of them are asleep.

“Women and children left their homes the moment we heard about the recovery of the stolen animals. This is because, we are all aware of the warning the bandits’ leader sent to us after the first recovery. We are even lucky he did not send his boys to the affected villages immediately after the soldiers left the forest. Otherwise, it would have been a different story by now.

“The soldiers that recovered the cows ought to have remained behind to protect residents of villages around the forest. Of course, it is good to recover ‘stolen cows’, but human life is far better than animals. The government should therefore give us protection against the bandits.

“For me, if the soldiers cannot be stationed in our villages to provide security for us, they should at least not cause problems between us and the bandits. The soldiers should have allowed us to leave in peace with this man. We have been living in peace with him for a long time. The recovery of the cows may lead to a serious problem between the people living around the forest and bandits”, said Isyaku.        

Spokesperson of the Operation Hadarin Daji, Ibrahim Yahaya, in his reply to the text message sent to him by our reporter said, “Please, I am currently on a clearance operation along Danjibga general areas. I won’t be able to respond to you, please.”

Many communities sacked in four months

In the last four months, several communities across Zamfara State have been under attacks of armed bandits.

On Sunday last week, armed bandits abducted almost 50 villagers among them 36 women in Magizawa village of Kaura Namoda Local Government Area of the state.

The bandits also killed three persons including the leader of a vigilante group and injured five others.

It would equally be recalled that Nagala, on November 19, led other bandits numbering about 50, attacked Ruwan Dorawa village in Maru Local Government Area of the state and abducted 17 people, including a day-old-bride and wife of the Village Head, Marafa Kabiru Makau.

The attack was described by many residents as unique, as throughout the operation that lasted for four hours, the bandits fired only a single shot which claimed the life of a policeman on duty in the village. Up till the time of filing this report, all the abducted persons are still in captivity.

Also, on November 24 last year, another notorious bandits’ leader called Damina attacked six villages in Mutunji district of Maru local government and abducted 150 persons. It was gathered that three out of the 150 abductees died of hunger while in captivity.

The attack was said to have been launched after the affected communities failed to settle the N200 million levy placed on them by Damina.

In simultaneous operations, the bandits kidnapped 18 persons in Mutunji village, 32 others in Kwanar-Dutse, 30 persons in Unguwar-Kawo, 22 people in Sabon-Garin Mahuta, 20 others in Gama-Giwa all in Maru local government.

They have also kidnapped seven people in Bulakke village in Maradun Local Government Area on the same day.

Though the bandits had contacted the families of the abducted persons through the Village Head, Makau and demanded N100 million ransom, the families agreed to pay only N5 million as the negotiation continued. The last time the bandits called, they directed for the payment of N5 million ransom per person.

Daily Trust